#i think it’d be cute too when she’s more grown and she can walk w my dogs too

[brackenfur]

also my older sis sent me some stuff her cat doesn’t use anymore so i’m trying to get tofu used to a harness, it’s still kinda big on her but it looks soooo cute i’m obsessed

[midgardianweasley]

I‘d love to see you write an angsty fanfic with Natasha x reader (male or female is up to you) with a bad ending of your choice.

No pressure of course ✨

as requested Violet!! I hope it's okay<3

How could you do this to me?

Natasha Romanoff x fem!reader

Summary: Natasha hasn’t been around recently and Y/N’s been really missing her company, but that changes when some CCTV footage is discovered.

Warnings: Cheating, swearing.

Word Count: 3.6k

there was an attempted proof read, but sorry in advance if i've missed anything!!

message/ask to be added to the taglist<3

Requests are open!

You weren’t surprised when you woke up to an empty bed once again, the space beside you missing a red-head assassin. You’d grown used to the sight of bedsheets spread lazily on your side of the bed, almost completely thrown off of the edge. It wasn’t unusual, however, the feeling of disappointment that lingered in your chest every morning never eased with time.

‘I’m just off to train, baby.’

‘I need to go and see Fury about this next mission, you go back to sleep’

‘I forgot to debrief the team last night, so we need to have a meeting this morning instead.’

‘Off to get some breakfast, my love. I’ll save you some eggs.’

Those were the typical reasons you received whenever you questioned where she was going in such a hurry in the mornings. You knew she was busy, of course you did. But, you missed the mornings when she’d pull you back into her chest, refusing to let you leave until you gave her a few kisses, which never ended up just being kisses, but you always gave in either way.

Now that you think of it, you can’t remember the last time she held you. Not properly. She used to hold you in a death grip, so tight that you could almost feel her heartbeat in your own chest. Nowadays, you were lucky to get more than a few taps on the back, it felt like you were being congratulated for something.

You’d always brushed it off, thinking that you must’ve been selfish for wanting so much of her attention, you had to be more understanding of how demanding her job is. It wasn’t like you never tried, you did, everyday. It would just be nice to feel her love for you a little more, even if it was just a quick peck before she left in the mornings.

“Hey Wan’, Hey Vis” You smiled at the pair as they stood at the kitchen counter, cracking eggs and buttering some toast. They loved cooking together, Wanda always told you how cute it was when Vision was trying to learn, especially after his fiasco with the Paprika.

“Hi Y/N, want something to eat?” Wanda handed you some toast, which you took gratefully, slowly munching on it.

Vision looked up as though to engage in conversation, when he then looked around in confusion. “Where’s Ms. Romanoff?”. You shrugged.

“I’m not sure, I think she’s training, I’ve not heard from her yet.”

You were looking at Vision, but it was near impossible to miss the sympathetic look Wanda was giving you. She knew about how you’d been feeling with Natasha not being around so much, she had tried to help, to hint to Nat that you’d been feeling a bit neglected for a while now, but she hadn’t gotten very far.

“Nat, nat, I just think that maybe you should spend a little more time with Y/N” It was obvious the assassin wasn’t listening to her, shrugging it off and trying to walk past the witch, only to have a hand pressed on her chest to push her backwards.

“Wanda, I need to go, I'm running late.”

“you’re always running somewhere. I'm sure Fury, or Tony or whoever you’re in such a rush to see, can wait. You haven’t seen your girlfriend in forever.”

“I saw her last night.”

“Crawling into bed in the early hours of the morning and sleeping next to her, isn’t seeing her, Nat.”

Her words fell on deaf ears as she watched her friend turn around and walk the other way. She could’ve used her powers to stop her, she didn’t see a point though. She wasn’t listening, and she couldn’t force her to.

“It's fine though, honestly! I can hang out with you guys today if you’re not busy?”

the couple shared a look of awkwardness before looking back towards you.

“Actually, we were going to go into town and do some sightseeing. You’re welcome to join us though!” She smiled, not wanting you to be alone, which you were grateful for, but you couldn’t intrude.

“No no, don’t worry! I think I've got something Tony wanted me to check out in the Lab, now that I think about it.” You didn’t. “You guys have fun though! take pictures!” You winked, knowing full well that your best friend didn’t believe you, she hesitated before nodding her head in agreement and beginning to walk off with Vision in tow.

__________________

An hour or so went by, you still hadn’t seen Natasha at all, or anyone, really. They all seemed to have disappeared to do their own thing, leaving you to find yours. So, you found yourself wandering into your lab, where you found Tony observing the screens with an endless amount of data changing every couple of seconds. You never really understood how he made sense of it all so quickly, but you’d always been intrigued nonetheless.

He must’ve sensed someone was there, as he broke away from his train of thought and glanced over towards you, fully acknowledging how your shoulders were slumped and your eyes lacked your usual sparkle. Tony alway had a soft spot for you, he’d known you for years, taking on a role similar to a father’s. Seeing you look so defeated recently, it’d hurt him a little more than he cared to admit.

Gesturing for you to come in with a gentle smile before moving and adjusting various chunks of metal on the table in the centre of the lab.

“Ah ah!” He tapped the bridge of his nose

“You can’t be serious! Tony I-”

“Nope”

“I’m a grown woman!” You laughed in disbelief at his

“Yes, you are, and I do not plan on taking said grown woman to medical because she got a shot of electricity through her eyeball. Put them on.”

You rolled your eyes, picking up a pair of the obnoxiously large lab goggles and put them over your face. He really took being a ‘father figure’ too seriously sometimes. With your goggles on, you took yourself over to where he stood, hoping to help him out somehow and keep yourself occupied.

You watched him move around blueprints on the screen above. “So, whatcha working on?”

“Well, remember that last mission we went on? How that ended?”

“Well, considering I had to get bullets removed for the last two hours, I’d say I remember pretty well.”

His face cringed slightly “Yeah, that’s the one. I’m basically just trying to layer the suits more, but keep the weight to a minimum so that there’s more protection, but the speed and mobility is almost, if not, the same.” He pondered, mind wandering off again to try and figure out how he could make this work.

Suddenly springing to action, he started assembling some pieces together, chucking some aside and reaching for different tools he required.

Looking towards you, he tilted his head “Can you pass me the-”

His sentence was interrupted. “Hey Tony, hey-” Banner. You didn’t mind Bruce, he was always quite quiet and polite most of the time, a little awkward, but, when you have a literal Hulk inside of you, it’s probably the least of your concerns.

You waved at the Avenger. “Hi Bruce” You gave him a friendly smile, for it to be returned with an awkward gaze, which he tried to quickly shove off.

“Yeah, uh, hi, Y/N. W-what brings you here?”

“Oh, no particular reason, I wanted something to do so I thought I'd come down, just pay a visit.” He nodded, acknowledging your words but appearing a little on edge, almost.

“Hey, you okay?” You asked “You look a little pale?”

“Yeah, yeah n-no I'm fine, just a-a bit tired.” He stuttered before suddenly directing his attention towards the man standing beside you. “How’s it coming along, Ton’?”

“Not bad, I have a wonderful assistant to help me out.” he nudged you playfully.

“Haha, yeah. She’s great. Anyways, you seem to have a good hold on things, so, I’ll leave you to it and come back later.”

Neither of you had managed to get a word out before Banner had walked out and was already out of sight. You turned to face Tony again.

“Was that- did you find that weird at all?”

“I find most of the people in this compound weird.”

It was a serious question, but you couldn’t help but let out a laugh at the millionaire’s response.

“I do pride myself on it.”

“As you should. You’re the weirdest one.”

“Hey!” You slapped his arm. “Rude!”

“I’m kidding! Now, pass me that screwdriver, goggles.”

Chuckling, you threw him the screwdriver and zoned out thinking about Bruce’s weird behaviour. While Tony was right, the majority of us are weird. You couldn’t stop thinking about how unusual it was, even for him. You put it to the back of your mind though, focusing back on what the man beside you was working on. You’re sure it’s fine.

________________________

You thought you were going crazy. First you had Nat, who was disappearing every chance she got, Then you had Bruce who couldn’t look you in the eye and when you finally believed it couldn’t get any weirder, you picked up on some strange vibes from Steve.

“Oh finally! I was beginning to think no one else actually lives here.” You approached Steve who seemed to be walking and talking with Bruce, both taking a step back when they looked towards you.

“Hey Y/N, we were just-”

“We were just about to go and have a shower. Training.” Steve cut in, earning himself a glare and a shake of the head from the scientist beside him, subtle, so you hadn’t noticed, otherwise you would’ve questioned it.

“Oh? You were training too, Bruce?”

“Well, I-” He glanced at Steve. “Yeah. Yeah, I, uh, wanted to get some combat down, just in case I needed it.”

“Considering our last mission, I think we all should.” the super soldier quickly added, sending you an enthusiastic smile, which you had returned. You went to speak again, possibly inquiring as to whether or not they knew where your girlfriend was, but you hadn't had the chance as the pair of them quickly rushed off, muttering something about catching you later, leaving you on your own, once again.

What the hell was going on?

_____________________

Feeling defeated, you trudged your way into your bedroom, just wanting to shower, get into bed and sleep, and hope for some form of normality.

What you hadn’t expected, was to walk in and see the back of a familiar figure sporting the black suit she practically lived in, tying her hair into a low bun and beginning to change into some more comfortable clothes.

You were dating, so it wasn’t new to see Nat changing, but you still thought it would be decent to make her aware of your presence. The small “ahem” was enough to make her spin round and flash you a smile, her pearly white teeth on show.

“Hi babe, i’m just changing for bed. You okay?”

The words felt so unfamiliar to you, having not heard them in what felt like forever. Still, you decided to humour it.

“Yeah, yeah I'm okay. A bit of a weird day is all.”

She laughed, returning to laying out her clothes. “Well, we are surrounded by some weird people.”

“That’s what Tony said.”

There was an atmosphere in the air that you couldn’t quite pinpoint. It had always felt comfortable with Natasha, you would describe her company as being like a safety blanket, enveloping you with warmth and a sense of security. This felt different. It didn’t feel familiar anymore, it was like you were face to face with a stranger and the more you looked at her, the more it upset you.

“Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” Natasha put her palms on your cheeks, bringing your Y/E/C eyes to meet her emerald ones in the process. You hadn’t realised that tears had fallen until the pad of her thumbs gently brushed them away.

“I just, it sounds so stupid.”

“Tell me.”

You let out a sigh, eyes beginning to dart around the room. “It just feels like I’ve never seen you, I don’t remember the last time we’ve spoken and it’s, it’s been lonely.” Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion at your response, lips falling into a frown, but you were quick to speak again.

“It hasn’t just been you though, I understand that work gets in the way, but, it felt like some members of the team were acting differently around me.”

“Really? Like who?”

“Well, I mean, Bruce could barely bring himself to say anything more than a sentence to me and I tried to speak to Steve just before I came here and he rushed off like his life depended on it. I don’t know, maybe I’m just being a bit paranoid.”

“I’m sure it’s nothing, Detka, I wouldn’t worry about it.” She whispered, hands pulling you forward with ease to bring your lips together. You smiled at the contact, you’d missed it.

You were so caught up in it, that you hadn’t noticed you were the only one smiling.

It wasn’t long before the both of you were interrupted by an electronic voice in the room.

“Miss Romanoff, Miss Y/L/N.” It was F.R.I.D.A.Y. “Mr Stark is asking for you both in the conference room.”

“Alright, thanks F.R.I.D.A.Y., we’re on our way.” Your girlfriend replied, rushing away from the kiss and leading you to the door.

Why was everyone in such a rush today?

_______________________

“So, I was messing around with some things in the lab, and I think I've found a solution to our suit issue. It’s still a work in progress because I'll need to tweak some things and then tailor them blah blah blah, but I thought I'd show you guys the latest. JARVIS?”

“Bringing up footage 182.”

While you waited for the video to be up and running, you took note of everyone sitting around you. For the most part, they looked tired, though you don’t blame them, it was pretty late.

Shuffling to your left, you held Natasha’s hand in yours, sending her a loving gaze before resting your head on her shoulder, just content that she was close by. She sat a little straighter at the action, careful not to push you off of her, but not entirely relaxing either.

The large tv screen lit up, a view from the corner of the lab came into sight where you could see Tony installing different wires and pieces of loose metal into the suit, watching it light up as he did so. He was in the middle of explaining what he was doing as the recording went on, when the screen suddenly turned to static, black and white lines taking over the screen.

“JARVIS?”

“Minor technical issue, working on it, Mr Stark.”

You caught Wanda’s eye across the table, a playful smirk plastered onto her face at the mishap, watching the billionaire get stressed over a television. You couldn’t help but laugh at the words flying from his mouth as he started hitting the remote, as if he was someone who didn’t understand technology.

It wasn’t long before an image appeared back on the screen, however, this wasn’t the same recording. This is from the gym. It focused on one of the square mats in the middle of the room where two people were sparring. One of which, you immediately recognised as Natasha.

The other person definitely wasn’t a girl, their hair was short and muscles so big you were worried that one slice would be the end. It zoomed in a little, and from the blonde hair and dark blue outfit, you pieced together who it was.

“Oooh, Black Widow and the SuperSoldier, one vs one. Now this should be interesting.” A previously tired looking Sam clapped his hands and leaned forward, now fully invested in the scene in front of him.

You turned to Nat, who now looked a little paler than she did before.

“You look like you’ve just seen a ghost, don’t tell me, you lost this spar?” You joked, expecting her to join in and tease you back. Instead, her face displayed an emotion you weren’t entirely sure of.

Before you could question it, you noticed the room fall silent. Not even a breath could be heard in the room. Your head turned slowly, meeting a mixture of shocked and sympathetic faces. And that was when you saw it.

Nat had kissed Steve, and he didn’t stop her.

If you weren't aware of your heartbeat before, you couldn’t be now, for it felt like it had completely stopped. Your jaw fell as your eyes filled with tears, only worsening the longer you saw the two of them on the screen. It was only turned off when a third person walked into view, not needing to ponder on who it could be, you immediately faced guilty stares. Three of them.

“You- you kissed-” You stuttered, incapable of forming a sentence towards your teammate. “And, you knew?” Your voice broke, tears now beginning to find their way down your cheeks for the second time as Bruce couldn’t bring himself to answer you.

You swiftly rose out of your seat, attempting to keep yourself composed until you could be alone.

“Baby-” Natasha murmured, trying to take hold of your hand, which you snatched back before she could lay a finger on it.

“Don’t.”

“Please-”

“Leave me alone.” You spat, speed walking out of what now felt like an overcrowded room.

You didn’t hear it, you’d left too early, but if you had stayed, you would’ve heard the team give Nat and Steve the scolding of their lives, mainly from Wanda and Tony, telling them how disappointed they were in them both. How they’d be lucky if you were to forgive them for what they did.

________________________

You don’t know how long you’d been sitting on your shared bed for. It could’ve been an hour, it could’ve been a couple of minutes. All you knew, was that you couldn’t stay in this room much longer, looking at the picture frames and the shared wardrobe, it just felt painful.

So, you walked over to your wardrobe and gathered every item of your clothing into your arms, lacking any care for if there were hangers or labels in the way, and chucked them on the bed and started to chuck it all into a suitcase intended for holidays but, you don’t see that happening anytime soon.

The sound of sniffles and rustling was all you could hear in the room, so much so that it was suffocating, and it didn’t help when you heard the door creak open.

“What are you doing?” A voice squeaked. Natasha stood beside the door, fidgeting with her fingers as she anxiously bounced from one foot to the other. You didn’t even bother to look up in her direction, focusing solely on getting out of there as soon as you could.

“Baby, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened, I didn’t mean it.” You scoffed at her attempt at an explanation. “I love you.”

That’s what made you whip your head to see her red and puffy eyes, if this was any other situation, you would’ve rushed over and engulfed her in a hug, tell her that everything would be okay and you’re there for her. Now? All you felt was anger.

“If you loved me, you wouldn’t have kissed him.”

“I didn’t know-”

You stood up straight, almost laughing at her choice of words. “You didn’t know? Bullshit. I’m pretty fucking sure everyone is aware when they kiss someone. Did you know when you were kissing me then? Or did you not know that either?”

“I wasn’t thinking.”

“I don’t think I care.”

She tries to step closer to you, only for you to take one back, holding your hand out, indicating for her to stop.

“No. no, you know what Nat, you don’t get to do this. You don’t get to treat me like a stranger for weeks, like I'm sharing a bed with someone I don’t know, for you to then kiss someone else and expect me to forgive you. You have no idea how I've felt these past weeks, blaming myself and thinking I was selfish for wanting your time. It’s funny, really.”

She looked away from you, regret taking over her features, both of you now having tear stains covering your rosy red cheeks.

You broke the silence once again. “Was that the first time?”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“Y/N-” She pleaded

“Answer the question, Natasha.” You spoke through gritted teeth.

Silence returned to the four walls.

“Get out.”

“No, no, we-” She stepped forward, only to halt herself when she realised what she was doing.

“There is no ‘we’. We’re done. I’ll have my stuff moved back into my room by tonight, though I'm sure it won’t make much of a difference to you.”

“I’m really sorry.”

“Whatever.”

She walked out of the room, hesitating slightly, wondering if it’s worth staying and trying to figure out whatever this is. She shook her head to herself, knowing she’d fucked up. There wasn’t a fight anymore. It was done.

Collapsing on the bed, the feeling washed over you again as the finality of it all set in. You didn’t stop though. You packed your clothes, your perfumes, all of your loose hair ties and left the room with only one thought on your mind.

Natasha won’t even notice the difference.

Taglist: @natashas-favourite-knives @wandaromanova

[finelinevogue]

We need more Bella and Megan content!!! Insta posts were so cuutee!!! Maybe a blurb abt the relationship between Megan and the family?? It could be interesting… I imagine then being a very open and close knit family u know, where they can talk freely about anything,and yes including sex, and I think it could be interesting to see how maybe bella needs some advice/want to talk to someone about being intimate w her gf and doesn’t know how to bring that up to her family bc she is embarrassed and doesn’t want to make anyone uncomfortable?? I’ve never read a doc like this, or where one of the kid is not straight (only w/ Harry or the reader being bi) and yeah it should be written abt more.

megan and belle are sooo cute yes! ok let’s see where this goes!! hope you have fun reading;

belle - 18

“Will you stop faffing, you look beautiful honey.”

You slapped Belle’s hands from playing with her outfit again. Tonight you and Harry were properly meeting Megan for the first time, by taking them out for a meal at this new Thai restaurant down the road. Belle had been worrying all evening as she was getting ready, coming downstairs multiple times to show off outfits to you so you could give them your honest opinion. It didn’t help her when you said she looked beautiful in all of them. Belle wasn’t into playing “girly” dress-up, but she thought that putting effort in for her girlfriend, tonight, might be a good idea. So she’d finally decided on some denim jeans, a basic top and then one of Harry’s old blazers. She looked amazing.

“Just so nervous.”

“Why? You like them, right?” You asked, adding on a bit of lipstick, whilst you were sat at the table of this fancy restaurant.

“Yeah. Like really like them.” Belle emphasised, shrugging off the blazer as she was becoming too hot with nerves.

“Well then we’ll really like them too. We trust you.” Harry butted in, sitting as close to you as he could whilst sat in these chairs. Before you’d managed to sit down at the table he’d moved your chair along to be closer to his, meaning he could slink his arm around the back of your chair and have his hand in your lap if he wanted to. Even after all these years he still knew how to make you feel especially loved.

Belle’s phone pinged and it made her freak. “Oh god, it’s Meg. They’re here.”

“Okay, B. Calm down and go and get them from outside, we’ll just order some wine or something.” You ordered her softly, trying to put your daughter more at ease. She was more nervous than you imagine Megan would be.

Your daughter stood up from the table, both you and Harry smiling at her. “Okay.” She pushed her chair in behind her and about to walk off, but she quickly turned back to you both, “Remember; Megan Dover, they/them pronouns and don’t mention anything about astrology otherwise we will be dead before we leave this table,okay?”

You both chuckled at her, loving how she was so aware of her girlfriend and the things that were important to them. “Okay love. Now stop fussing and go.” Harry shooed his hand and his daughter away from the table. She turned back around to flash you two thumbs up and you both smiled at her, watching your all-grown-up baby walk away.

“We’ve done well Styles.” You turned to face him, to find he was already admiring you, thinking about the wonder life you’d both created and the wonderful children that had been a product of it.

“Was just thinking the same thing, m’heart.” He smiled and leaned in to kiss you, pressing his lips onto your lipstick-stained ones. He didn’t care if his lips became painted a different colour because of it, he would never miss the opportunity to give his beautiful wife a deserving kiss. He loved you too damn much.

You cupped his chin and he tightened his arm around you, that had been slunk around the back of your chair. He squeezed your thigh three times in signal for saying ‘I love you’ without any words needing to be spoke. You tapped his chin three times in return. Everyone always hated how loved up you two were, but really you just think they’re jealous of how perfect your relationship is. Sure you have your ups and downs, but isn’t that what makes it so perfect? You pulled away and looked into his dreamy eyes, kissing him once more for good luck, before returning your attention to your glass of water for a drink.

“Thirsty?” He asked you, keeping you close.

“Mhm. All that talking I was doing this afternoon on the phone to that bloody insurance company.”

“You did give them a piece of y’mind though, love. You were a lot more civil than I would’ve been.” Harry chuckled, waving his hand to catch one of the waiters attention.

“Seriously though? Nearly charged us an extra £1,000 for a service charge. Bloody fuckers.” You sighed and put your water back on the table after taking a lengthy sip.

“£1,000 isn’t really that mu—” He didn’t finish his sentence though because he caught sight of your stern face and knew exactly what you were thinking. You hated when he talked about money as if it wasn’t a problem, because you didn’t want your kids to grow up with that ideology. “You know what? They’re bastards and i’m proud of you for handling them so well.” He kissed you again and then the waited came over, stopping you from having a go at him for being cheeky. You pinched his leg in respond and he caught your hand, holding it tightly in his as if a warning for you to stop.

“Evening Sir. How can I help?” He asked politely, his serving towel draped over his forearm.

“A bottle of y’cheapest red wine please.”

“Certainly Sir.” And the waited was gone.

“Cheapest?” You asked confused, making Harry turn back towards you.

“Well it’d be a bit hypocritical of us to ask for our favourite bottle of wine, which is £1,000 darling, now wouldn’t it?” He smirked at you, knowing he’d played you just perfectly.

“Such a git.” You scoffed in pretend offence and then kissed him again too make sure that he knew you weren’t mad.

You both sat back and looked in the direction which now you could see Belle walking back over to you from where she’s gone to fetch Megan. Belle was guiding them book, Megan following closely behind her, and they were holding hands. They looked completely adorable and you wanted to just rush your camera out and snap loads of photos of them to remember this moment. Yes, you were that mum who takes a photo of everything and anything when it came to your children. You even had an album on your phone dedicated to your children’s haircuts… You leg started to shake nervously in anticipation.

“Calm down you!” Harry laughed quietly, just incase the two girls could hear you. Harry stood up out of his chair first and held out his hand for you to follow. He made sure your chair didn’t tip back as you stood and kept ahold of your hand as they approached you both.

You caught Belle’s eye and you could how happy she was from the twinkle within.

“Mum, Dad, this is Megan,” Belle introduces you all, Megan still stood slightly behind her, “Meg, this is my mum, Y/N and my dad, Harry.”

Harry was the first one to cross his hand over the table. “Lovely to meet you Megan.”

“And you Mr Styles, but please just call me Meg.” They shook hands together and Harry smiled at them warmly, wanting to make her feel as part of the family as possible. He was good at that.

“Well then then you, please, call me Harry. Makes me feel old otherwise.” His joke made the table laugh and ease any nervousness that had been there before.

“That’s because you are old, dad.” Belle added cheekily.

“Oi watch it you. Don’t think I won’t embarrass you in front of your girlfriend.” He raised his eyebrows teasingly and pointed sternly at his daughter, who did pack quite the punch with her snarky responses sometimes.

“I’m counting on it Harry.” Megan laughed, which made everyone chuckle again. Megan was such an easy girl to get along with and it was clear that they made Belle a very happy person, for that you indebted to them.

“And nice to see you Meg.” You shook your hands with Megan as Harry and Belle continued to banter over the table. You were sat opposite Megan, Harry next to you and Belle diagonally opposite you. You and Megan both sat down before Harry and Belle did.

“Likewise Mrs Styles,” you gave them a look which had them chuckling as they corrected themselves, “Y/N, sorry! Are they usually like this?” They asked you, watching Belle and Harry talk about some absolute rubbish.

“Oh don’t even start! They wind each other up all the time. Drive me up the bloody wall they do!” You laughed and you felt calmer when Megan laughed too. “Wine?” You offered them, having had the bottle delivered whilst you were all being introduced to each other.

“Yes please.” They smiled and held out the glass to help you pour. You poured them a generous glass and then followed by pouring yourself one too.

You weren’t blinded by the beauty of Megan. They had strong-loving brown eyes and blonde hair that seemed to be toned down with brunette roots. They had a simple face with perfectly plucked eyebrows and a fiercely sharp jawline. They were just very naturally pretty, that you could tell. They were wearing similar to Belle actually, which made you think they’d coordinated their outfits - your inner mum was freaking out over the soft thought. You and Harry often liked to coordinate outfits too, like tonight - both of you were wearing navy blue.

“You want wine B?” Meg asked Belle, breaking her away from the pointless conversation with her dad.

“What? Oh, yes, yes please.” Belle responded, shifting closer towards Meg and holding their hand again. They kept their public displays of affection to themselves, a bit like you and Harry had originally been. You filled up your daughters glass, but passed on filling up Harrys glass because he was driving home tonight.

“So what do you plan on studying at university Meg?” You started the conversation with the easiest question you could.

“Marine Biology.” They answered and you could tell they were clearly excited by the tone of happiness in their voice. You didn’t miss the squeeze of pride that Belle gave them either.

“That sounds good! Where abouts are you going to study?”

“Newcastle, actually.” Meg went quiet and you understood why, because Belle was going to the exact same university to study Engineering.

“Oh really?” Harry asked, pretending to be surprised but it definitely came through sarcastically - this earned him a kick under the table from his daughter.

“Oh shut up!” Belle rolled her eyes and Meg smiled at her playfulness with her family, it made them really happy that their girlfriend had such a loving and special family.

You were so not ready to send off your daughter to university, because she was your final baby to leave the safe nest of the Styles home and it was just going to be you and Harry left. You were excited for the time you’d have with him, but you were sad to see you final child leave you. You were even more excited for Belle to be going out and adventuring the world as she wanted to. She was going to do great things and you couldn’t be prouder of her. It eased you to know that at least Meg would be their with her - almost like a home away from home.

“You have any brothers or sisters Meg?” You asked.

“I have a younger sister, but she’s evil.” Meg laughed, before taking a sip of their wine.

“Evil how? ‘Cause my children are the exact same.” Harry spoke sincerely as if one of his children weren’t sat directly in front of him. It earned him another kick to his legs from his daughter. “See? Evil.” Everyone laughed, Belle just sulked.

“Well Ivy just terrorises everyone and anyone. She’s just evil.”

“Belle ain’t much better i’m afraid.”

“Dad! Meg is going to leave me if you keep painting me out to be an arsehole.” Belle rolled her eyes, but was brought out of her strop by Megan who brought her hand up to press their lips on her skin.

“Can’t chase me away that easily Belle.”

And it was that moment that you knew that Belle had found a forever partner in Megan, just as you had found in Harry.

[daylighteclipsed]

1/ 'my immediate thought was late-KH1 Riku being like ‘I hate you. Die.’ and his daemon rubbing up against Sora’s and being really affectionate with it, betraying the love in his heart' LMAO my thoughts exactly. also Riku's daemon being the chillest entity out there while he's having teenage angst.... poetic cinema. honestly, while dream eaters being daemons would be cool I kinda have a hard time imagining them talk? too much of the "not from our reality" vibes ig.

2/ A dog for Riku would be nice, considering the lengths of his loyalty to Sora. I was also thinking big cats? like snow leopard. my brain kinda malfunctions when I try to come up with something for Sora, but bunny!Sora concept that Canary has really grown on me (also one of the characters from HDM who had a rabbit daemon kinda left a hole in my soul). Sora really makes it a point to help ppl he meets so figures his daemon would be friend-shaped.

3/ More of an afterthought, but I also like the idea of Namine having a bird daemon 'cause she's a "witch", and witches in HDM always have bird daemons to fly along with them. And Sora and Roxas having extremely different daemons just to make it a point that they're different people. And while I'm not certain about Riku, Terra DEFINITELY has a dog daemon.

Ig since Nomura constantly associates Sora w felines (initial concept lionboy Sora, lion cub Sora in the Pride Lands, his Meow Wow dream eater, catboy Sora in Monsters Inc, tbh even anti-form is reminiscent of a feral cat) my brain goes to cats for him, even though he doesn’t really have the personality of a cat… Well, maybe that’s not entirely true. Some cats are cuddly and social… They’re really funny when they get wound up… Sora’s curious and does like to nap a lot in the sun lmao

Sora also wants to be like big and imposing, but he’s so small and cute instead, which reminds me of a cat. That doesn’t mean he should be underestimated, though! All cats have claws…

I asked my bf and he said Sora reminds him of a monkey, which makes me think of those later-concept sketches of Sora like walking on his hands and having a convo w Kairi while he’s hanging upside down from a tree branch dhhfhdhs Later-concept Sora was very acrobatic. He’d fit in at a circus.

A bunny’s cute… Something aquatic might be interesting, too, since Sora loves sailing. Maybe a seal or sea lion or something. They are very friend-shaped, can be trained to do fun tricks, and also like to nap in the sun. And even though they look cute and are usually friendly, they’re still predators. (They’re also bouncy like Meow Wows!)

Yeah, something loyal and hard-working for Riku, like a canine. I already said wolf, but it’s true! haha Wolves especially are fiercely loyal and protective. They’re big and sometimes scary, but they’re quite playful and caring w their pack. Sometimes a wolf wanders on its own, which is where we get the phrase “lone wolf” from, but it never wants to be alone, which also reminds me of Riku.

A swan also comes to mind for Riku. They’re big, graceful, beautiful birds, but they’re not timid. They’re fiercely protective, and they mate for life. Google says they can pair bond v young, which makes me think of how Riku’s been dedicated to Sora since he was like 5. Swans are also a symbol of light and sacred to Apollo, which is why his chariot’s often pulled by swans or composed of swans in art. (Wolves are also sacred to Apollo, apparently! Haha)

Also, the phrase “swan song” comes from the belief that swans sing beautifully upon death, which reminds me of Riku’s light singing or ringing when Sora calls out to him in the tunnel... Idk 🤷‍♀️

I can totally see a bird for Namine! Idk what kind… but maybe a songbird? She’s always kind of reminded me of a caged bird singing… And yeah, I can see a dog for Terra, too. What kind of dog were you thinking of?

Oh! And I figured you’d want to see this reply from @lah-reina

Someone else has thought of this concept, too! It’d be great if we got their name

[kaaytea]

hi :’’) i love ur blog so much!!!! can i request some random fluffy headcanons/lil scenarios of what a relationship with haruichi, ryou, and miyuki would be like? maybe childhood friend for miyuki only? ;v; i just feel like hes the type to go after his childhood friend lol

Falling for a childhood friend

⤷Includes: Ryousuke, Haruichi, Miyuki

Warnings: brief mentions of death, lil bit angsty

A/n: Hello lovely! It makes me so happy to hear you're enjoying the blog 🤧 I've already done dating hcs for both Ryou and Haruichi so I decided to include them in the falling for childhood friend req, I hope you don't mind! Also I don't know what happened with Miyooks, I threw in his mom as a small detail but then it turned slightly angsty

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

Ryousuke

Please, Ryou has been introducing you as his s/o since he was 8 years old

You lived across the street from the Kominatos and being the same age as Ryou your parents set up play dates frequently when you were younger

Initially Ryou would tease you alot by tugging on your hair and occasionally shoving you

But when other kids on the street started to bully you and push you around like he did, Ryou defended you with his life

Only he was allowed to bully you 😤

One day he just casually asked you out while lying on the grass in his backyard

You were kids so you didn't fully understand relationships

You liked Ryou, he protected you and was kind so that was enough reasoning for you to accept

You were "dating" the last few years of elementary school

When you started junior high you were a bit confused on if your relationship was actually serious because it began from an innocent question on Ryousuke's part

Was he actually seriously considering you his s/o? Or was this just a silly thing the two of you had kept going for too long?

When you asked him this he looked at you like you'd grown two heads

"I asked you out didn't I?"

"Yes but we were barely 8 at the time. You couldn't have actually been serious."

"I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't serious. My feelings for you haven't changed, if anything I'm probably more in love with you now then I was then."

"O-Oh"

To prove his point he kissed you on the lips for the first time

(and then he made fun of how flustered you looked)

Anyways

When Ryou told you he was going to Seidou you were heart broken. You were already confirmed to attend a local highschool meaning he'd be in a completely different city from you for the next three years

The last thing Ryousuke wanted was to break up with you. You were probably the only person he had met that he considered as important as his family, it'd be even more painful for the both of you if he broke off your relationship before leaving

You eventually settled on calling each other every night to talk and then Video chat every other Saturday

Ryousuke would sneak off during dinner to avoid his teammates eavesdropping on your conversations

He ended up missing you alot more than he thought he would so he looks forward to your nightly calls all day

He's extremely happy whenever you take the train to Tokyo to watch one of his games

After the game he always meets up with you and sneaks away from the team so you could watch the next game together

He also looks for a secluded area to just hug you for 5 minutes straight because wOW did he miss being able to hold you!

Haruichi

Haruichi was so close with Ryou when they were younger and spent most of his free time following him around so the two of you most likely met at school

Haruichi wasn't the best at putting himself out there to make friends in elementary school. He was a bit too timid to approach anyone so he usually kept to himself or sat with his teacher when the class was given free time

Until one day you just sat down next to him and started talking

He was too shy to tell you to go away and he'd be lying if he said he didn't like having a friend to be with, so he let you pull him over to a different table to draw together

By the end of that day the two of you were inseparable

Haruichi was honestly sO excited to have a friend that wasn't one of Ryou's! Sweet boy went home and told his mom all about you

Fast forward to junior high and you're still best friends

It's actually during junior high that the two of you somehow get even closer as Ryou left to attend Seidou leaving Haruichi alone back home in Kanagawa

The two of you spent almost every free moment you had together and Haruichi started to find a different sort of comfort around you

He doesn't even know what triggered it, he just suddenly realized how cute you looked and ever since then his chest would get all tight and he'd have the constant feeling of butterflies in his stomach when around you

Ironically everyone thought the two of you were already a couple, including his parents who once asked how his date with you was to which he had to stutter out an explanation with a bright red face

In your finale year of junior high, Haruichi decided he had to confess at some point. The uncertainty of where he'd be going for highschool was hanging over him like a nasty rain cloud, and with how he was leaning more and more towards running off to Tokyo each day, he knew he couldn't just leave without telling you how he felt

So one day while the two of you were studying in his room he just couldn't hold it in anymore and told you everything

You immediately told him that you were harboring the same feelings he was and encouraged him to go peruse baseball at Seidou

It felt like a weight was lifted off his shoulders when you said that. He pulled you into a tight hug and hid his face in you shoulder as he muttered out thank yous

The day Haruichi left for Seidou you could tell he was torn between being disappointed about leaving you and being excited to open a new door of possibilities at the prestigious school

You sent him off with a kiss on the cheek promising to come visit sometime

What Haruichi didn't know is that your "visit" would be happening way sooner than he thought

A few months prior you had sent an application to Seidou and remarkably you were accepted!

Haruichi was significantly gloomy on the first day of classes. For the first time in over 10 years you wouldn't be sitting in the desk in front of his. He didn't think he'd feel so lonely this quickly, but here he was staring out the window desperately wishing you were here to ramble on about a videogame or what your mom had packed in your bento

The look on his face was priceless when you walked into his classroom and pulled a chair up to his desk like you'd usually do

"W-what are you doing here?!"

"I go to school here silly! Anyways, I started a show last night that we HAVE to watch together!"

Unsurprisingly the two of you were still attached at the hip while at Seidou

Although, Ryou seemed to find great pleasure in teasing the both of you now that you were in his proximity. He always took the time to send you knowing smiles or bops on the head when he passed the both of you in the halls

Miyuki

You lived relatively close to Miyuki but knew him more so due to the fact that your father worked at his dad's steel mill

When Miyuki's mom was still around she was always offering to watch you while you parents worked, so the two of you were kind of forced to become friends from your constant presence at his house

Those early days of friendship were spent in the kitchen with Miyuki gushing about baseball, pointing out cool plays and explaining the game to you while his mother cooked you both lunch

He'd also drag you and his mother to a park near by so the two of you could play catch together

(his mom would often have to remind him that sometimes you didn't want to play catch and to let you decide what the two of you should do)

When his mom died you slowly saw the effect it had on him

Miyuki lost the cheerful innocence he carried when he'd explain baseball games in his homes small kitchen. He became a little more closed off; a little less bright

There were days you would stop by to check in on him only to find Kazuya curled up on his bed clutching a scarf his mother had made him to his chest

He didn't cry, not once. Instead your friend became an empty vessel, a shell of what he formally was

Slowly his old cheery attitude would shine occasionally when making jokes or teasing you, a small crack in the calculative demeanor he kept up

Those small appearances of light-hearted behavior were your only reassurance he was still the same little boy you initially knew

Since his mothers death you took it upon yourself to be that little spark of light that seemed to have dimmed inside him

You pulled him to the park to play catch, encouraged him to continue being a catcher, you even helped manage your schools team so you could keep him company

You also became accustomed to carrying band-aids with you. Miyuki was a small kid for his age and had a habit of pissing off his upperclassmen which never ended well

When it came time to choose highschools Miyuki made it clear that you didn't have to follow him to Seidou to keep him company

He was going for baseball, making friends wasn't his top priority anyways

In the end you still went to Seidou with him (which secretly he was very grateful for, he felt better knowing you'd be there for him and vice versa)

I feel like Miyuki would unknowingly have had a crush on you for years but never realized it. He just played it off as you being his childhood friend

you knew him better than he knew himself so of course he'd feel this comforting love towards you!

Boy is his world turned upside down when Kuramochi asks him how long the two of you have been dating

He'd never considered seeing you in a romantic light but now the thoughts of holding you to his chest or kissing your nose WONT. LEAVE.

He becomes very awkward and goes through a mini crisis everytime he sees you

This would go on for a few weeks but everything seemed to peak after the summer tournament

You'd just gotten back with the rest of the managers and immediately went off to find Miyuki

He was in the dinning hall already watching their game against Inashiro when you found him. It was pretty late so the hall was empty asides from the two of you

When you walked over to him he just silently pulled you down to sit on his lap, propping his chin on your shoulder so he could continue reviewing the game. In return you ran your fingers through his hair

Kazuya would never admit he was upset with how the game turned out, but you could tell he was torn up from the outcome

Everything about this moment seemed to make his feelings boil over. He moved his head from your shoulder and stared you down

"I'm in love with you"

"About time you admitted it, dumbass!"

He pinched your side in retaliation, laughing as you slapped his hand away

And then he kissed you ♥️

[ktheist]

muses. brother’s best friend / housemate / touchy!yoongi

min yoongi was everything you hated in a man. clingy, sleeps too much and sloth-y. if anyone had eyes, they’d know that you’re a clingy hug away from committing murder on campus.

“hey, pumpkin,” a dead weight snakes around your shoulders and a hand wraps around your wrist, directing the fry you’re about to pop into your mouth to his mouth.

“what the-” venom drips off your words.

“babe, i missed you!” jennie whines, wounding her arm around min yoongi’s friend, who happens to be her boyfriend.

in fact, your world going down a wayward spiral started with jennie’s secretive ‘i’m texting a boy, he’s kinda cute!’ to a full out ‘i’m dating kim taehyung!’ a month later. and with that, came the grueling begging of her trying to get you to agree to go to dinner as a ‘her friends meets his friends’ kind of thing.

you thought to put up with it once but for some reason, after a few hang outs too many, min yoongi has come to calling you a ridiculous nickname and putting his hands on you whenever he sees you.

“they’re so in love, aren’t they?” the boy next to you snickers while his free hand snakes down to your thigh.

“what do you think you’re doing?”

the whine that slips out of his mouth doesn’t bring you satisfaction even if you’re the one who opt for pinching his hand with all your might.

he looks at you, eyes looking like the midnight lake, sparkling with moonlight, “my hand slipped. did you have to pinch me that hard?”

“oh hey, lisa,” hoseok greets your blonde haired, doll-like friend, “we’re having a match with xxx university, you wanna join?”

at the mention of the long standing rival of your uni, lisa’s delicate features break into that of an angel of death, “the fuck? they have the nerve to fuck with us? that-”

“oh wow, she’s fired up, isn’t she?” yoongi chuckles, his breath fanning your cheek.

you still your hand from coming up to fan your face. why is it hot all of a sudden?

“yeah, her ex-best friend goes there and they’ve been competing against each other in dance ever since,” you say plainly, not realizing it’d spark a different kind of fire.

a loud smack echoes in the air as you look at the hand on the table and up at the owner of said hands, “we were never friends! let alone best friends!”

“o-oh yeah, my bad, you and your non-best friend’s been trying to take each other down since you both left high school,” you lean backwards to widen the distance between her hand and your face but consequentially, you end up leaning into min yoongi who gladly welcomes you into his arms, locking his hands together over your chest and trapping you in a hug.

“so, you guys gonna practice before the match?” yoongi’s ask is what makes her snap her head at the man happily munching on her meal after she had her attention averted to a certain non-best friend.

“hobi, we’re gonna practice till our limbs feel like falling off,” and with that, she drags the man away, his whines and begging to finish the (her) food falling on deaf ears.

for the briefest moment, things seem to have calmed down. that is, until you turn your head to the smiley boy clinging onto you like a koala.

“what? i saved you from lisa’s wrath.” he states, as if sensing your own wrath coming to surface if he doesn’t-

“get off me,” you order, glaring daggers at the boy.

“make me,” he smirks, the gummy smile now gone and for some reason, your heart’s beating too fast than your body can handle.

“seriously, what’s wrong with you? jimin’s right there, why can’t you go and cling onto him? at least he’s your friend. i barely even know you,” you sigh, feeling his arms loosening around you yet your chest is the one clenching as he drops his gaze.

“___, you’re breaking my heart,” he bumps his head to yours, those dark brown eyes glinting with a sort of deviousness that you know will do you no good if you hang around him any longer, “especially when we’ve kn-”

“my class is starting in ten.”

he doesn’t stop you when you stand up, his arms slipping away from your body like withered vines on stone wall.

that’s the last you see of min yoongi. well, until you’re walking out of the ecology club, fist smacking against that sore spot on your shoulder as you trail behind your club mates. the meeting about the outdoor event to raise awareness on carbon print ended a little later than you thought it would and by the end of it, everyone’s like a walking corpse.

“i thought you’d never come out,” a voice husks from behind you as your body freezes and your heart jumps to your throat.

“what the fuck, min yoongi?” you glare at the gummy smiley boy who doesn’t seem to bear an ounce of guilt for causing your soul to astral project into oblivion.

“did i scare you?” he chuckles, “don’t worry, johnny won’t get you as long as i’m here.”

“johnny?” you feel your eyebrows coming together in annoyance rather than confusion.

“you know, the ghost that’s living in the ecology club room,” he raises his eyebrows twice as if insinuating something.

you scoff.

“oh yoongi, you’re been waiting for ___?” jisoo waves from a few steps ahead, “you guys going back together?”

“no- wait-” you’re about to run after your friends when an arm wraps around your waist and pulls you to a warm body.

“yeah, drive safe guys!” the boy waves, smiling that stupid smile until the car’s out of sight.

placing one hand on his chest, you push him away from you until you’re at least three feet apart, “seriously, why’d you have to wait for me? i could’ve gone home on my own.”

“what do you mean why? because i wanted to see you sooner,” he grins, arms wrapping around your waist as he rests his chin on top of your head.

“w-what the hell,” you fumble with your words, turning away as your cheeks flare up with warmth, “let’s just go,” you say, holding onto yoongi’s pinky finger and dragging him with you.

you get home before 10 o’clock despite yoongi’s whining to take the longer route home along the river.

“oh, you’re back? whew, i was worried there for a sec,” seokjin’s voice rings throughout the house as he greets you from his room, “but i shouldn’t be since yoongi’s with you. it’s lucky you guys got into the same uni.”

“i could’ve gone home with my friends,” you say almost sulkily, glaring at the boy who’s walking towards his own room as if he’s ready to black out as soon as his head hits the pillow.

“yoongi, you’re not gonna have dinner?” seokjin asks.

“nah, i’ll sleep first.” and with that, the door of the room across from your brother’s clicks shut.

“he really needs to get his sleep schedule fixed,” the older man shakes his head whilst you place the plate of fried rice seokjin made into the microwave.

“let him be, he’s a grown man, he can take care of himself. you cooking for him is more than-” you can’t even finish your sentence when seokjin’s fast padded footsteps crosses the hallway and to the kitchen. hands shaking your body more than an earthquake could.

 “___, do you... do you really see yoongi as a man? are you guys dating?!” seokjin’s concerned gaze bores into yours, offering you no escape unless you answer him.

“no? i mean, he’s grown - we all grew up, seokjin, we’re in uni,” you say in a matter of factly. every once in awhile, seokjin gets a wake up call that-

“oh thank god,” he envelops you into a bear hug, “i thought my baby sister was interested in my best friend.”

well, guess that wake up call just got pushed back.

you suppose you get where seokjin’s coming from. just three little kids with mismatched ages growing up together in the same neighborhood. you climb trees together, scrape your knees falling off the swings and treat each other to health.

but it was seokjin who introduced you to yoongi. back then, whoever knew whoever first, got the first friend privilege. it was just some dumb rules the kids from the neighborhood came up with. and everyone wanted to be friends with min yoongi who had the chubbiest cheeks and the cutest smile. but seokjin always prided himself to be yoongi’s best friends and the latter never denied it. in a way, the two of them had a sort of bond that nobody could touch, let alone break.

something like brothers for life kind of thing.

because of that, min yoongi had always been your brother’s best friend. 

“___, you’re not asleep yet?” a voice rings from behind you where the hallway to your bedrooms lie.

“i’ve got some club stuff to settle,” you say, not away from your laptop as you sit on the spot between the couch and coffee table. an energy drink a few inches away.

“you’re always so busy,” tresses of soft hair tickles your cheek as a head leans on your shoulder, the warmth of another body making you all warm inside.

you sigh, a smile playing on your lips. at times like this, when min yoongi’s barely awake - there’s no way you can push him away, is there?

“you’re the one that has too much free time on your hand,” you say, shaking your head.

the sound of the tapping keyboard fills the otherwise silent room. you thought he’d fallen asleep with his head on your shoulder.

“...you...” he murmurs under his breath, “...i like you.”

your cheeks heat up, body instinctively recoiling from the body that’s leaned up against you as if - as if you’re just realizing that min yoongi is, in every sense of nature, a man.

a shirtless man, at that.

it wasn’t unusual to see him and your brother walking around shirtless since there’s not much to see. but you’ve always known yoongi’s not half bad, he’s got some underlying abs from those days of playing basketball in high school and he’s in the basketball team in uni.

so why are you getting all embarrassed seeing a shirtless min yoongi stare up at you like he’s waiting for you to say something that will make him or break him - now?

x

note. a little skit from my fried brain. hope yall enjoyed!

[melodiesofblueroses]

𝘓𝘪𝘱 𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘮

→ 𝘓𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘹 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳

🎕 𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘺: Levi’s lip balm seems to work miracles when y/n compliments him on how soft his lips are, then he runs out and tries to find another one that’d work just as fine. 

🎕 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘳𝘦: Fluff

🎕 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵: ~2.2k  

🎕 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘶𝘱: f!reader

“your lips are so soft.” levi froze, as if on instinct, immediately upon hearing those words. if only he could see his face at that moment, he’d bet that it looked all red and awkward and unattractive. this was such a special moment, and now it was all ruined thanks to him. ughh, if only he would’ve stayed all cooped up in his room. but all those thoughts were quickly swept to the side when levi reflected back on what had just happened in the past few seconds. his crush had kissed him! kissed him, right on the lips, after the two of them shared a stroll through the gardens!! levi, the demon who thought that he’d only have his favorite characters besides him, was able to find romance. 

“i. um, well-i…” he was at a loss for words. one of his largest romantic dreams had finally come true, and all levi could do was stand still. it was too much for him to take at that moment honestly. should he say thanks? respond with ‘you too?’ go in for another kiss? none of his romcoms or manga ever went over this scenario, so he was all on his own. so levi did the only thing he could do, mumble out something incoherent and hope that y/n would pick up the message. 

“you’re so cute.” at this point, y/n was probably trying to murder the demon. she couldn’t help it though. it was so fun teasing the avatar of envy, especially when he reacted so cutely. “well, i’m gonna go ahead and head back to the house. i’m a bit tired right now.” with that, y/n waved levi goodbye, adding a little wink as one final tease, before skipping back as she hummed contently. she was pretty proud of herself for building up the courage to kiss him directly after all these months of crushing on him. 

levi stood amidst the garden filled with blooming flowers special only to the devildom, still dumbfounded at what had just taken place. the human exchange student had just kissed him out of nowhere and then went on to compliment how soft his lips were. unconsciously, he moved to touch his lips, shivering a bit upon the sensation of his finger on his lips as he remembered how her lips felt. geez, he’d have to thank that special edition ruri-chan lip balm he managed to snatch for tonight.  

~

it had been a few weeks since the little night walk (at least that’s what the other brothers called it), and levi had grown more conscious of his lips, whether for better or for worse. his most valuable possession had gone from his tsl collection to lip balm, which was quite a jump. every morning and night, levi always managed to apply some of the balm in order to ensure that his lips were the softest. after all, he never knew when the next time y/n would surprise him with a kiss. maybe if he was confident enough, he’d be the one to make the first move. pfft, like that’d ever happen. 

“gahh! this can’t be…” levi muttered, staring poignantly at his now empty lip balm. of course this would only happen to him, his luck was pure rotten. his ever cherished lip blam that made y/n compliment him was now all done, finished, empty to the core. and it was a limited edition one! there was no way levi would find another one of its kind. he was freaking out. now there was no way that y/n would ever kiss him again, not with his crusty and chapped lips. i mean, they weren’t that bad just yet, but soon they will be if he doesn’t find a suitable alternative fast. “maybe i could ask asmo for one.”

“ask me what?” levi was, needless to say, shocked at the sudden voice that answered him, not expecting a visitor to, well, visit his room. of course, it was none other than his younger brother asmo, standing in the doorway in all his might and glory, adjusting his pair of flower earrings that he always had on. 

“n-nothing,” he mumbled, deciding it was better to keep it to himself since asmo would no doubt tease him due to the fact that levi was trying hard to impress y/n. he’d pick on his outfits, personality, the way he stumbles over his words when talking with others, the fact that he was way too obsessed with games and anime, and basically everything that made levi, well, levi. and he knew that he wouldn’t be able to handle all those comments. “anyway, where are you going, and what are you doing in my room?” he pointed out, eyeing his brother up and down. asmo was dressed up quite a bit, which didn’t really say much since he was always walking around in the latest fashion, but he figured it’d be a way to shift the conversation away from him and his troubles.

“i’m going to run a few errands with satan, and I, being the caring younger brother,” asmo glared at levi for his previous remark, “wanted to stop by and see if you wanted anything.” in truth, levi did want something: a new lip balm, but that would be too embarrassing to admit. plus, levi not wanting any new anime merch or the latest volume release would be too suspicious, and asmo would surely poke his nose into whatever was bothering his dear older brother.

“i need you to leave me alone.”

“a new set of clothes for you would surely be nice,” the younger scoffed, taking the time to belittle his clothing choice, just as levi had suspected. “what did you want to ask me anyway?”

“i said nothing.”

“annd i don’t believe you.” 

“whatever, i don’t care. just leave me alone.”

“i’m not leaving until you tell me.” ugh, this constant back and forth was giving a levi a headache, and he knew how persistent asmo was, especially when it came to gossip and the personal lives of others. the avatar of lust was surely to find out sooner or later, whether through him, y/n, or some demon that had just so happened to pass by just as levi and y/n shared that kiss. although he wasn’t too keen on explaining what had happened between him and y/n, levi decided that it was better to do so in order to regain his privacy. then again, would asmo even leave him alone if he found out that his brother and the human were pursuing a relationship? well, it would be best not to think about that possibility right now.

“ugh, fine. i was just going to ask if i could borrow one of your lip balms,” he mumbled, looking to the side in order to try and cover up his blush. plus, seeing asmo’s shocked face would only make him regret his choice even more. the sooner this whole ordeal was over, the better. 

“lip balm?” as suspected, asmo was, needless to say, confused at the request. i mean, this was the demon that always asked for the latest installment in manga, games, tsl, etc. all of a sudden, he’s worrying about chapped lips. it was quite a shocking transition to say the least. “well, that i can do. i’ll make sure to buy one that fits you.” levi sighed in relief, expecting this to be the end of this conversation, but asmo had other plans in mind. “but why this all of a sudden? trying to impress y/n?”

“w-wha? uhh...no! of course not,” levi retaliated, although he himself wasn’t fully convinced at his own statement. for one, he was a blushing mess, which he could tell since his cheeks suddenly felt way too warm. secondly, he was tripping over his words, and his brothers know all too well that he only does that when embarrassed. they did live with him for thousands of years after all. asmo shook his head, as if disappointed that his older brother would even attempt to escape from this one. 

“levi,” asmo said a bit too seriously, cupping his older brother’s cheeks and staring him in the eyes. “we all know. the other night, when you and y/n went out for a walk, y/n came back all giddy, and you were a mess. honestly, i can’t believe you thought this would get under my nose of all demons.”

he was, well, speechless. i mean, levi didn’t believe for one second that he’d be able to get away with this “relationship.” for one, anytime someone mentioned y/n to him, levi would blank and act like a fool. also, his brothers knew him way too well. there was basically no such think as privacy within the house of lamentation. yet, he couldn’t help but feel humiliated. he himself wasn’t even entirely sure as to why he felt this way. 

maybe it was because a relationship between a demon and a human was highly looked down upon, or maybe he was afraid of his brothers’ teasing. he was a yucky shut-in otaku after all. there was no doubt they’d make jokes about it (especially that scumbag mammon). then again, maybe he was just feeling humiliated because his “secret” was never a secret in the first place. his feelings for y/n were always out in the open, so nothing really big had been revealed. well, he had time to ponder over his feelings some other time. right now, levi needed to get that lip balm from asmo. 

“yeah yeah whatever. can you just get me a lip balm?” 

“of course. i have one in mind that’d be perfect for you.”

~

here levi stood outside the house of lamentation once more, hand-in-hand with y/n. she had once more invited him to walk with her through the blooming gardens. they weren’t really anything special to levi since they were a view he was accustomed to, but for y/n who was from the human realm, they were a spectacle. amidst the dreary and bleak devildom lay life, which was quite a shock to both angels and humans we expected hell to be as depicted in various media: treacherous. but the colorful array of flowers provided for a pop of color, a sharp contrast from the dark atmosphere.

“mirage flowers are so pretty,” y/n sighed, rubbing one of the petals between her thumb and index finger. “i wish i could take one back home, but i doubt diavolo would let me.” levi stood in silence as he intently listened to her thoughts that she was spilling to him. did she really trust him enough to tell him everything that was on her mind? that thought surely made his heart skip a beat. 

when he finally snapped out of his little stupor, he noticed y/n looking at him rather strangely (he was oblivious to the fact that it was a dreamy stare). was there something on his face? did he forget to fix himself up? wait, what if she found him disgusting now?! all these thoughts and anxieties flooded his mind, and it clearly showed on his face that he was now in panic mode. 

but then, he felt her lips on his once more, and levi’s mind blanked, just as it always does in situations like this. it was another dream come true, the one where y/n would kiss him again. maybe, just maybe, she didn’t really hate him as much as he thought. why else would she kiss him again? maybe she’d even compliment his lips once more; he hoped so, especially since he owes asmo way too much for that tiny stick of lip balm he had bought him, so it had better been worth it. the thought of that happening made him burn up. 

“mm,” y/n hummed once the two parted, licking her lips as she seemed to be lost in thought. “strawberry?”

“uh, yeah.”

she hummed contently once more and laid down on the bleak and dreary devildom grass, patting the spot besides her, insisting levi to do so as well, to which he happily complied. well, it was a pretty dumb move of him to think that she wouldn’t notice his lip balm considering the fact that he had smothered it on prior to the walk. y/n didn’t seem to mind it too much though, and she did seem to like its strawberry taste, so i guess this was a success after all? it’d be best for levi not to dwell on it too much now, especially considering the fact that y/n had just snuggled in closer to him. this was way too much for levi’s fragile heart. first, she had asked him to take a walk with her again, and then she kisses him outta nowhere, and now they were cuddling? geez, he’s got to ask asmo for the name of the brand later.

[wowtobio]

Hello! May I ask fall in love, confession and relationship haedcanons for Miya Atsumu please? Good luck!

of course! tysm for the request and i hope u enjoy! 💕

- 

Fall in love

• The Inarizaki volleyball team found themselves in a minor problem. They needed a manager who actually knew what they were doing. This was the third girl this year who proved yet again they only managed (horribly) to fawn over the Miya twins. The team grew agitated at this, especially towards Atsumu as he particularly fed the fuel for these fangirl managers. To get his team off his back, Atsumu promised he would find a good, worthy manager. 

• With that promise established, it was actually more difficult than he thought it would be. As proven, only fangirls volunteered to the position, however was rejected by Atsumu and his correct assumption of the girls true intentions. And then potential managers would later turn down the role due to fear of backlash from their fanclub and the volleyball team’s prestigious title within the school.

• Atsumu makes an inaudible sigh to himself, casually strolling through the halls to practice. That is until he heard a small commotion around the corner, 

“You’re so stuck up and you are not worthy to tell me off like that!” Atsumu was intrigued and hid behind the lockers to eavesdrop, soon he hears a bored, monotone voice respond nonchalantly back. 

“Truth hurts love, so please excuse me I am trying to go home.” He recognized the monotoned girl in his class, (y/n) (l/n). You were known to be quite cold and quiet and kept to yourself. Atsumu tried to rack his brain if you were in any clubs but his thoughts interrupted by the latter girl starting to become aggressive. 

“Haha! I knew it you are scared of me! Of course you would be!” The girl then grabbed your collar and attempted to shake you, however on instinct Atsumu broke you two apart. The other girl’s eyes widened at the sight of Atsumu protectively hiding you behind his arm.

“Oi, the girl said back off so back off.” He lowly says. That was more than enough to scare the girl off. You wear the same face you’ve had for the majority of the events that unfolded and you turn your back towards the blonde twin, walking away. 

“OI!” Atsumu chases after you, “Not even a thank you?” You continued to walk.

“Thank you.” You mumbled. Atsumu scoffed and stood in front of you, forcing you to stop your tracks. You sighed out

“Look, it was already annoying enough dealing with that one girl. And I definitely do not want to deal with you of all people.” You mumbled. Atsumu was taken aback at your words, I mean this was the most he has ever heard you speak. 

“Okay okay, how ‘bout we make a deal,” You raised an eyebrow. “I assume yah aren’t in a club, and since I saved yah back there, wanna manage the volleyball team?” You eyed him oddly. 

• It was true, you did not have many friends nor a club to confide yourself in. You thought hey screw it, what could go wrong? So you nodded your head slowly, sealing your fate. Atsumu smirked at this and grabbed a hold of your wrist and started to drag you to the gym. 

“That’s great! You can start today.” You barely trail behind him, the dusting of pink on your cheeks go unnoticed by the setter. 

• At first, the team was skeptical of you of course. But you quickly proved yourself worthy. By the time the first practice was done, you had already learned the terms and gameplays and quickly cleaned everything up afterwards. The next day you even went around asking the members for their names, roles and strengths. 

“Miya Atsumu, setter, and the man of your dreams.” His teammates couldn’t help but cringe. 

“Yeah I think you’re the one dreaming.” You casually say back, not even batting an eyelash at him. That caught him off guard as his teammates snickered. As you walked away, the members start to praise you

“You know Atsumu, she’s actually a lot better than I expected.” Aran says.

“Yeah..” Atsumu’s heart beats faster, watching your figure walk away, your hair sways along with your hips as he can’t help but have a weird feeling in his chest. A feeling that has never occurred towards anyone. 

“She really is..” 

Confession

• It has been a few weeks since you first became manager and now one of the games came up. You did as much research on the other team as you could and devised a game plan and a few tips and tricks for your team. 

• It was game day and after warm ups you huddle the team together and state your game plan for the day. And you went ham. 

“Alright, so their number 8 is quite cunning from what I’ve learned, he does not fall for predictable stunts and communicates that to his team. So, Astumu and Osamu i want you two to switch between setting and spiking at random times to catch them off guard and keep them on their toes. Suna, keep your eye on the ace, you’ll be able to block his spikes I can tell. After a few blocks their ace will feel frazzled and that will give us time to score big time. As for Kita, keep doing..” 

• Not a single stutter in your words, you spoke with authority and with confidence as Atsumu lopsidedly grins at your grown determination to help the team. Everyone was somewhat caught off guard but listened to your voice tentatively. 

“And that’ll be it for now, I’ll be on the sidelines cheering you guys on and taking further notes. Good luck out there I know you guys got this!” You clicked your pen and gave your team high-fives and they smile, thank you and even give you pats on the back and the head.

“Will you be cheering for me (y/n)-chan?” Atsumu flirtatiously whispers in your ear. You push him away slightly and just laugh 

“You know I will idiot. Make sure not to mess up that first serve drama queen.” You wave off Atsumu’s complaints of people not knowing how to be quiet during his serves and you stand nearby the bench coach sat on.  

• The game was a breeze with your game strategies as Inarizaki wins easily. You jump up and down and cheer with your team as they smother you with hugs and thank yous. You have proven your worth to the team and the coach your true intentions and what you could do for them. You felt warm being around the team and you enjoyed watching them practice, play, and especially win. 

• Your attention turns to Atsumu, his casual smile on and his arms crossed as if he was expecting something from you. You playfully roll your eyes and walk towards the guy. 

“Congraaaagulations oh great Miya Astumu!” You mockingly state, Atsumu couldn’t help but laugh. 

“What the hell was that (y/n)?” You giggled. 

“What? Did I nail the role of your fan girl?” Atsumu shakes his head and laughs.

“Besides I enjoy being on this team, so thank you for dragging me into this situation.” You smile lightly. Atsumu has never seen this side of you, he almost stutters as he says 

“Well, I mean you owed me I did save yah back there.” You giggled and give him a quick peck on the cheek. 

“No silly, I partly said yes because I knew I end up falling for you.” You then left it at there and went to help tear down. Atsumu feels his face getting hot and the lingering eyes of his teammates.

“W-wait. does that mean..?” He mumbles to himself. 

“Idiot brother.”

“SHUT YER TRAP”

Relationship

(this won’t be as story-telling, more casual (??) idk lol)

• He’s soososo clingy to you, it’s almost like he’s glue. And he ofc doesn’t mind pda. If anything he is so for it, only if you are comfortable

• He always has to be touching you, whether it’d be hand holding, hand on the hip, arm around the shoulder. Hugging, kissing, etc. He always craves for your touch

• And if you aren’t comfortable with it, he still finds his way. Hiding your hands when holding them somehow, holding pinkies, hand on your thigh underneath the table

• Since your the manager, he stares at you a lot during practice. Both teasingly or just without even realizing it. He loves it when you notice it too and get all embarassed. And during water breaks he takes that chance to talk to you. 

• Probably has had make-out sessions in the locker rooms before or after practice. He loves taking risks and throwing caution towards the wind with you. And you would never admit it, but it gets you excited and he knows it ;)

• Really cares for you though, if you’re not at school he’s texting you. Not responding? He’ll ditch school and run to your house ignoring Osamu’s yelling

• He shows you off all the time, maybe a little too much. He will never pass up the opportunity to show off you’re his amazing girlfriend by either declaring it to others or physically showing it off with hugs and kisses

• BACKHUGS he loves them. Surprising you from behind with a hug is his favorite thing in the world that he does daily, bonus points for your cute, flustered state it results in 

• He’s probably tried to convince you to skip practice on days he isn’t feeling it. Most of the time you scold him. But on rare occasions you give in, and end up cuddling with him alllllll day. He doesn’t regret it one bit, feeling you encased in his big arms and hearing your soft snoring and breathing, face flush on his chest. You’re so adorable omg 

• ok maybe he does regret it the next day when Kita triples his drills as punishment and you can’t help but snicker with his teammates from a distance

• Free time is literally just with him. He prioritizes you as much as you do him and you two are quite busy so when alone time does come around it won’t be long until the other joins in

• You cook for him every now and then too. Although Osamu knows how too, he preferred you cooked for Atsumu as it’s less hassle and bickering for him to deal with

• Atsumu is surprisingly a picky eater, but when it comes to what you make for him he always eats it, no complaints. As a prank you sometimes purposely burn a few things and you silently laugh at his attempts to eat them

• A loving kiss to thank you for the meal that may or may not escalate to something else ;)

• Be warned, he will spam your phone with “i miss you” texts. You’ll be gone for literally 5-10 minutes and come back with 40 new messages 

“‘tsumu i was showering…”

“WITHOUT ME??” 

“-_-” 

• He treasures your down time together though. Cuddling while watching tv, cooking together, teasing each other, etc. 

• He loves it when you sit on his lap. You two will be on the couch watching a movie, he grips your wrist and pulls you on top of his lap. Your face buries itself in the crook of his neck, inhaling his scent. His chin propped on your shoulder, arms wrapped around your waist pulling you impossibly closer to him

• You know how to put this annoying little brat in his place and he lowkey finds it hot. And in a way Atsumu appreciates it since you’re literally the only girl who has the balls too

• Even with his endless amounts of teasing, he truly loves and cares for you and he will do anything for you. As he kisses your neck lightly he reminds you why he loves you every single day you’re together and he plans to someday claim you once and for all with a ring. Someday

-

[ourneverendingpossibilities]

I’m Sorry (9/?)

Anime: Kuroko no Basuke Pairing: Aomine Daiki x reader Rating: K+ A/N: FINALLY!! After soo long, here’s ANOTHER chapter!! AHH. I hate to say it, but this story is coming to an end... I think there’ll be a few more chapters? Can’t guarantee.. But I’m grateful everyone has been patient with me!! You can also find it on my AO3!! Enjoy! ___________________________

The day you met Aomine Daiki, was on a clear blue sky.

You were practicing dribbling on a nearby court, moving the ball between your legs in a quick motion. It was one of your weaker moves, but you were at least good at shooting. It wouldn't be enough to win the next game though.. You frown, halting your movements and stare up at the hoop, as if studying it. How many times have you faced up against opponents taller than you? Surely there has to be a way to outsmart them and be able to reach the hoop?

The ball began hitting the cement once more, and you narrowed your eyes, making fake movements before spinning on your feet. Taking a jump back, you shot the ball into the hoop, watching as it effortlessly sinks in.. Wiping the sweat from your eyebrow, you sigh, staring at the ground... Is there a way to get better? How can you be the assistant captain if you can't lead your team with the captain?

"OI! Move off the court! It's not meant for girls!"

The voice cut you out of your reverie, and you glare, turning your attention to the group of boys... Great... You're going to be harassed once again from playing a 'boys' sport. You made your way to your ball, only to stumble when one of them grabs it, spinning it on his finger as he sneers at you.

"You think a girl can play against a group of boys and win?" he laughs, not bothering to look at you. It was clear to you he was the leader... His arrogance was evident.

"Girls can play any sport boys can!" you glower, eyes narrowing. "Besides, this is a PUBLIC court... Anyone can play on it!"

He sneers, stopping the spinning of the ball. He looks at it, casting a glance at you. He then starts to tease you with the ball, watching as you jump up and down, trying to reach it... Curse your height!

"How can you play when you're not even tall enough to reach the hoop??" He laughs, and then proceeds to throw your ball off the court... You gasp, turning to chase it, only to trip on his foot, and you almost hit the pavement. Hard...

Instead, you wind up in someone's arms..

"OI! Pick on someone your own size!"

You blink, gasping lightly as you inhale the young boy's scent, finding yourself blushing... He smells good... You look up at him, mouth parting as his beautiful navy blue hues meet yours, and you're suddenly tongue-tied... H...He's so....

Cute.

"Tch... Whatcha gonna do about it, shorty?" the older male sneers, not liking his bullying was being interrupted...

Aomine's snaps out of his fascination of you, turning to look at them, glaring. He puts you behind him, grabbing the ball from the other teen and laughs, spinning the ball on his finger...

"I'm gonna fight you! Four on one! If you can beat me, I'll leave with her and we won't be on the court again!" He replies smugly, bouncing the ball on the ground... "But... If I win..." He then charges at them, bouncing the ball between their legs, and throws the ball into the hoop with one hand.

"... You'll apologize to her and never step foot on this court again."

xxx

You watch the game, mesmerized by the young boy's plays... He was laughing, grinning with mischief as he made each shot, dodging each of their moves effortlessly... It was hard to believe he was your age.... He plays like a natural.. As if he breathes basketball...

At the end of the match, you're unable to tear your eyes away, feeling slightly flustered at the scene before you... No words could begin to describe what took place, and you feel rooted to the ground... Everything about this... Is surreal, and she finds herself feeling just a little envious... Not because of his skill persay... But because he looks like he's enjoying himself... And she finds herself wishing, he never stops smiling.

The thought makes her blush deeply, and she crouches down, burying her face in her knees.

"Oi! You okay?"

His voice brings her out of her turmoil, and she looks up at him, his gaze curious and a slight hint of worry. You immediately stand up, nodding your head as you dust off your shorts.

"A...Ahh!! I'... I'm okay!!" She looks around, noticing the males are gone... "W...What happened?"

He clicks his tongue, a soft frown on his lips, "I kicked their butts.." He replies, tossing the gross ball away. He didn't want to touch anything belonging to them.. He then runs towards the edge of the court, grabbing your long forgotten ball. He brings it back to you, holding it out towards you.

"Here!"

As if shocked, you take the ball from his hands, gasping at the small twinge of electricity... You hear it from his lips too, before looking up at him , swallowing the lump in your throat..

"T....Thank you..." you whisper, a tiny smile on your lips. He rubs the back of his head, unable to meet your eyes, a small blush dusting his cheeks...

"Those guys had it coming...:" he whispers, "Anyone can play basketball... and I was tired of them picking on you..."

You find yourself staring up at him, a tiny giggle leaving your lips.

"Y...You're a really good player... er..."

"D...Daiki..."

Your eyes widen at his stutter, but he says his name with clear conviction, and you're once again, amazed at his stature... And you feel... safe with him... Something you've only experienced with your father... Speaking of...

"AH! It's getting late!! I have to get back home!" you gasp, bowing at him. You meet his gaze, grinning at him brightly,

"Thank you Daiki!! I appreciate what you did for me!"

You then begin running off the court, only to stop at his voice.

"Oi!! I didn't catch your name!!"

You whirl around, eyes wide at his words, and you smile bigger, waving a hand.

"It's _______!"

You almost trip in your haste, but you had to get home! Otherwise your dad would start to worry... and he wouldn't let you out to play on the courts again! As you ran away, Aomine couldn't take his eyes off your form.. You were cute, and he had caught you training a little... He could tell you were a good player, and he hopes to see you again on these courts...

"Be safe, _____-chan...." he whispers, before he makes his trek back home.

_____________________________

~ Two years later ~

It'd been a couple years since you ran into Daiki on the street court... And you couldn't stop thinking about him... His enthusiasm for the sport your father played somehow renewed your interest, allowing you to bond with your father... It'd been rocky since you were forced to live with your mother, and during that time, you couldn't return to the courts, unable to meet with Daiki again... You wanted to play with him, get to know him as a person... Everything about him, it screamed at you.. Somehow you found yourself going to Teiko... Per your mother's request.

And that's where you now stood, in front of the gates, staring up at them with wide eyes... A prestigious school... The aura around it was powerful, and you found yourself sweating.. You were feeling anxious, having everyone's attention on you... Since you'd grown up, some of your assets... had well... stood out...

"Hey.. She's cute!! We should go talk to her!"

"I'm going to make her my girlfriend!"

"Let's get her to join our club!"

You started to feel your palms clam up, and you swallow the lump in your throat. All you want is to make it to homeroom, and relax. The first day is always the hardest, and you didn't want to fall behind... It was when you were heading inside you saw a flash of navy blue hair.. And it made you pause... You watch, eyes wide as the boy you met a couple years ago walks by, accompanied by a beautiful pinkette, and they seem very close... You wanted to shout his name, to confirm it was truly him, but something held you back.. Before you got caught, you ran up the stairs towards your class, unaware of those hues looking in your direction.

xxx

"You're _____-chan, right?"

You were in the middle of eating when the VERY same girl who you saw with Daiki earlier appears.. A huge grin on her face. You place your food down, tilting your head to the side..

"H...How do you..."

"It's my duty to know everyone ! I also heard of your basketball abilities!!" she grins, unaware of your inner turmoil... If this was Daiki's girlfriend... Why was she here in front of you?

"I want you to join the basketball team as an assistant manager!"

Her words bring you out of your reverie, and you look at her, stunned...

"...Eh?"

"I don't think Dai-chan has realized you're here.. But from your description, I'd say you're the same girl he met on the court a couple years ago!" she coos, sitting beside you. Her eyes were wide, but the sparkling effects were there, and you felt a twinge of guilt for the bluenette.

"He couldn't stop talking about you _____-chan! He was excited to meet someone who liked playing basketball like him! Though he was upset you didn't show up again after that."

'H...He talked about me?' you thought, eyes wide and a slight blush on your cheeks... Why was your heart, beating fast, as if you were running on the track? What kind of face would he make, when he sees you again? Suddenly, your stomach began to churn in knots, and you bite your bottom lip.

"W...What's your-"

"Oh! I'm Momoi Satsuki!! I'm Dai-chan's childhood friend!" She explains, understanding your confusion.. You let out a soft sigh.

"I.. I thought you were..."

"Dating??" She scoffs, making a face, "No way!! Dai-chan is more like a brother to me!" She pouts, before shaking her head, holding out a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, _____-chan!! I hope you'll help me manage the basketball team!"

You look at her, before your gaze goes to her hand, with a smile. Gently taking it in yours, you can feel the smile meeting your eyes, and nod. "I look forward to helping the basketball team!"

Little did you know, a certain someone was on the other line, tucked inside Momoi's pocket.

____________________

End of day came by in a flash, and suddenly you were dreading going to the gym... You wanted to, but the prospect of Aomine NOT remembering you lingers in your head. From Momoi's words, he DOES remember you, has even talked about you non-stop... Despite the one meeting... And yet, why wouldn't your heart stop fluttering?? Was meeting you that exciting for the bluenette?

"______-chan!!!"

Startled from your thoughts, you look up, watching as Momoi runs to you, grabbing your hand happily. She drags you towards three people... An older man, who you assumed was the coach... A guy you recognized as the team's captain, and senpai, Nijimura Shuuzo, and finally.. The red-head who was vice captain, and one of the smartest boys in Teiko..

Akashi Seijuro...

"This is who I was talking about!! This is _____-chan!!" She looks at you, gesturing to the three males, "This is the coach, Sanada-san... The captain, Nijimura-senpai, and vice captain, Akashi-kun!"

You take in each of their expressions, but the one sending chills down your spine the most, was the red-head. Despite him being your age, his demeanor spoke volumes, and you swallow thickly, bowing in front of them.

"I... I'm ______! I...It's a pleasure to meet you!"

You knew it was slightly rude not to say your last name, but you never wanted to be addressed so formally... Even in class, you'd rather be addressed by your first name. Most people respected that, and never questioned it.. And thankfully, the others nodded at you, accepting your introduction before talking to each other about the regimes... You look at Momoi, prepared to ask her what your duties were, when a very familiar voice echoed through the gym, causing you to gasp..

"_-_-_______?"

Turning your head around, you notice Momoi's smile, but find your eyes widening at the boy you met a couple years ago... He's much, MUCH, taller now than he was back then... And suddenly, you never felt so... small.

You give him a smile, lifting a hand in a hesitant wave, "H....Hi there..... Daiki-kun..."

When you greet him, you watch as his face lights up, and those beautiful blue hues sparkle until your skin was burning... And you longed to keep that smile on his face... It was as if the two of you were in your own worlds, only attention was on each other, and nothing else matters... You were brought out of your thoughts when he ran at you, wrapping his arms around your shoulder as he gives you a noogie..

"Be prepared!! I've gotten stronger! And I want to face off against you one day!"

You tilt your head in confusion, trying your hardest not to sound like an idiot... Because your entire being was screaming to touch him.. To hold him... And just like that day, when he had beaten those boys for you, Aomine was the sun, and if you got too close, you'd surely be burned.

__________________________

You let out a soft whimper, though it immediately vanishes when a tiny pressure rests against your forehead. You don't want to open your eyes, in fear he's going to leave.. He's not physically here... He's only here in your dreams... And you want to keep him here... You want his heat, his scent, his warmth... Everything Aomine Daiki is... You want to hold it in the palm of your hand... And yet, it's time to stop living in the past, and move on...

You slowly open your eyes, releasing a slow breath, and when you feel the swing shift, you realize one thing...

Aomine is resting underneath you...

When you fell asleep, you landed on his chest, and the whole time you were napping, he remained in place, keeping you close... As if protecting you from the cool breeze.. His heart continues to beat under your ear, and you were scared to move, in case he got angry, or he would place you down, leaving you alone...

Instead, his arms tighten their grip, and you snuggle closer to his chest.

"Miss me that much, _____?"

His voice is teasing, hot against your ear, and you feel your cheeks burn in embarrassment... C...Curse him!! Your heart continues to beat in your chest, and you knew... You couldn't get over him... Not even if you moved to a different continent....

Your heart would always be Aomine's...

Slowly getting up, you cast him a glare, half straddling his hips as you look down at him, pouting...

"I could say the same about you... Aomine-kun.." you murmur, not missing the frown at addressing him by his last name. You grab onto his sweater, and move to get off him, when he tugs you back into his chest, growling darkly.

"I...It's getting late!!"

"Don't care..." he mumbles, gently nipping your ear, "I'll stay the whole night if I have to..." he lets the words linger, and it makes your heart race... Letting out a soft gasp, you ignore the heat on your cheeks as you meet his blue hues...

Licking your lips, again ignoring the burning stare on your mouth, you whisper, "....Why?"

He clicks his tongue, rolling his eyes before leaning in, closer than before. His breath tickles your mouth, and you so badly want to close the gap... To just drown in him again and again.

"Use your head, _____... I know you're not stupid."

And when you open your mouth to retort, he swoops in, and silences your protest with his own, forever sending your heart into a frenzy.

[levinneheart]

Never loved you

Shinsou Hitoshi x Reader (College AU)

Warning/s: Characters are 20+; slight IzuOcha ship; Fluff; Angst; implied Depression; may or may not been based on experience

And yes, the title is a Song by Evie Clair. You’re quirk is smth to do w/ Empath and it’s not hero material by norms.

You never expect to encounter him. Out of all the people you could’ve met, you didn’t believe you that you could met him online out of all the places.

It started when you became friends with a group of talented singers and musicians as you also joined into the fun – abeit not as talented as them, you tried your best and put your all into it. Not long after that, you began knowing the group which consists of all the previous students of Class 1-A and some other students of UA and soon, Mina invited you to join their group as an “honorary member” as you lived in another country which you gladly accepted.

Sometimes, you would join the voice call and be overwhelmed by the amount of voices blasting in your earphone. Sometimes, you would listen silently as everyone talked over each other while Bakugou screamed and make small explosions that literally makes everyone deaf. Rip earphone users. You loved and treasured these moments with them, although you didn’t know what they looked like.

It wasn’t until he joined that made you the happiest. You were currently teasing Midoriya and Uraraka, saying they were cute crushing on each other, much to Uraraka’s denial and Midoriya’s stuttering. Chuckling, you continue with your impromptu storytelling of their love blossoming until both of them are beyond speechless. You decided to stop when Bakugou joined the conversation.

“Yo, Mina invited other damn extra!” he informed in his usual loud voice.

“Kaachan, you shouldn’t talk to Shinsou like that! He’s listening you know!” Midoriya scolded softly.

You checked and someone was listening in, they had a cat picture as a profile pic and you couldn’t helped but smack yourself in embarrassment as you didn’t noticed earlier while Bakugou and Midoriya beefed it out in the voice chat. You muted them, not wanting to hear they’re yelling of being the no. 1 hero.

“I agree with you btw.” chatted the one with cat pic. “It’s so obvious, it makes me roll my eyes that they remain oblivious to each other’s feelings.”

“IKR!” You typed back, forgetting your embarrassment.

“You’re not from UA, are you?”

“No. Actually, I’m just an honorary member as Mina says since I live miles away haha.”

“I see. I’m Shinsou, Shinsou Hitoshi btw.”

“(l/n) (f/n)! Nice to meet’cha!”

You didn’t know how it happened but you felt an instant connection to him and you two hitted it off from then. You two would always chat in your private message and it quickly became unnoticed by the others, they even started to ship is and make an official name for the ship. You played oblivious as did he, although both of you already know about it.

After two weeks, he called you bb and you couldn’t helped but blush before awkwardly telling him: you really really liked him. At first, he didn’t say anything so you were half-expecting him to reject you and that’ll be it. But surprised, he told you: he liked you back. However you both decided that it’s too early for a relationship so you two now have a peace of mind that at least the other feels the same way.

It was fun, interacting with him, sending him uwus and heart memes, etc. You learned that he’s working as a pro hero while you studied in university. You learned he’s a gamer who sings, plays the guitar and ukulele ngl i can honesty see this as canon. And he plays basketball and soccer just pretend sksksksksk.

You two would schedule voice calls as you both were busy, it would always play out as – you would come home late and wait for him to get out of work as you two chatted away before actually getting in the call once he’s home. You would usually ask about he’s day and about his job and he’d reply with his usual deep tired voice that you’ve grown to love curses my deep voice kink.

This went for two months. Until one night while you were staying up late studying, he chatted your name. This was the first time he called you by your real name, usually he would call you by your username or “bb” as usual so this sudden change set butterflies in your stomach.

“Yes, Toshi?” you replied before teasingly sent, “This is the 1st time you called me by my name haha.”

“I wanted to tell you something important so I thought it’d catch your attention.”

“Well, what is it?”

“I love you.”

Without thinking you typed, “I love you too.” and sent it before realizing what he meant. “Do you meant that as a friend?” You immediately sent.

“Do you want me to say that?”

You blushed hard, you can imagine him chuckling at your stupid question. “Uhhh no??? Idk??? You’re not joking, right??”

“I wouldn’t have said it, if I didn’t mean it.”

“Really?” You couldn’t believe it so you just had to ask.

“Yes.”

“Tell it to me again plz 🥺👉👈.”

“I love you, (y/n).”

“I love you too, Toshi.”

“In advance, I’m so sorry for being a weirdo.”

“But you’re my weirdo.”

Cue squealing. But after that, it went spiraling down. A month and a week went by without communication from him; no updates, no greetings, no nothing. You decided to confront him about your concerns. You understand that he’s busy at work and you were always supportive and understanding at his job were his top priority.

But couldn’t he at least spare you a few minutes of his free time, maybe when he woke up or during his breaks. You didn’t ask for more so you were slightly disappointed with him as it worried you that he worked 6am-2am everday without holiday breaks besides Nov.1-2.

You voiced those concerns to him, he apologized and you forgave him. But this behavior of his continued on and this made you sad, other would say you’re depressed but you were too occupied with thoughts of him; his voice; the feeling he gave you, etc.

For another month and three days, you confront him again but this time he left your pm and blocked you. You panicked as negative thoughts flooding your mind.

Did you do anything wrong? You weren’t too clingy, right? Your chat wasn’t too honest, right?

You somehow managed to calm your mind after a couple of minutes and through logical evaluation and elimination, you concluded that you didn’t do anything wrong. But the questions remain: Why did he leave? Why did he blocked you?

For the longest time, you couldn’t answer that. You spend your time drifting off from reality and to your memories with Toshi while day-by-by you lessen your interactions with your online friends, seemingly just vanishing from thin air.

You felt empty, a void of loneliness filled you as you went your way through your own life, not knowing what to do with yourself or even feel. Why did it come to this? Everything went fine, you two were happy so why? Why did he suddenly leave you all alone like that?

———————————————————————

Today was the reunion of UA batch [number]. Shinsou stood in the far corner of the Gym Gamma, his back leaning against the wall as he observed everyone and everything. He noticed an unfamiliar yet familiar (h/c) locks, he watch as you talked with Sero, Tokoyami, Shouji, and Ojirou. You were especially close to Ojirou, you practically by his side with your arm linked with his.

He didn’t know why he was growing irritated and angry at sight of you being in someone else’s arms when he damn well know that you deserve to move on after what he’d done to you after all those three years but still… He had hoped that you actually waited for him.

You were suddenly called by Kirishima as you leaned towards Ojirou and whispered a soft ‘see you’ before walking towards to him.

“(Y/n)-chan! I want you to meet someone!” He said as he dragged you towards where a lone lavender haired man stood before running away. You opened your mouth to objects but it was already too late, he was gone. You looked at the stranger and felt that same connection when you met him, you knew. Although not having to see his face, you just knew that it was him: Shinsou.

“(L/n) (f/n)! Nice to meet’cha!” You cheered brightly, just like when you first introduced yourself to him.

“I know.” he replied. “I’m Shinsou Hitoshi.” God, why I am so lame. He thought.

“Oh! Nice to finally and officially meet you, Shinsou-san!” You smiled as you raised your glass towards him.

Why did you have to call him like a stranger? And not the usual ‘Toshi’ you would always call him?

He clicked his glass with yours and took a sip as his eyes spotted a shiny accessory on your ring finger, making his heart froze. That’s why. You were engaged. Of course, why wouldn’t you be? You were ever so patient, understanding and supportive. It didn’t even surprise him.

When you finished you glass, you excused yourself as Jirou announces the last song for tonight that is written by the guess before she yelled out your name and you climbed up the stage.

“Love do you know?

We've been growing apart

And you should know

That for me that's hard

Darling I'm scared if I let you go, oh

This will be goodbye for good

It's easier this way

I'll spare my heart some pain

Even though I know it isn't true

It's easier this way

I'll spare my heart some pain

Even though I know it isn't true

‘I never loved you’

And I won't say

That I knew it from the start

So you can say

That we weren't torn apart

'Cause for me, oh it's easier to bleed, oh

When I know you can sleep so I keep telling myself

It's easier this way

I'll spare my heart some pain

Even though I know it isn't true

It's easier this way

I'll spare my heart some pain

Even though I know it isn't true

I feel numb when the drums slow down

Oh, leave me dumb so I can't tell myself

Myself, oh

It's easier this way

I'll spare my heart some pain

I already know that it just isn't true

It's easier this way

I'll spare my heart some pain

Even though I know it isn't true

‘I never loved you’.”

Part 2, maybe???

[zahra-kha]

Faithfulness

The Lasyah troupe had done an outside performance this evening, with Armand and Zahra as the star performers for the eve. They’d picked a busy square which would soon be making preparations for a festival, so it was a bit more crowded than usual as people were growing excited for what was to come. It was, in fact, one of the reasons why various dancing troupes would pick this location, to gain a bit of recognition before the festival, especially if they would not be participating within it. As the troupe was to be leaving for Eorzea soon, they were one of the groups that fell under this category.

Cahil cheered his sister from the crowd, ignoring the evening heat as he watched her perform from the front lines. Beside him was a beautiful elezen woman, her eyes bright with adoration as she gazed upon the elegantly clad xaela performing her set with her dance partner. Her presence was a heavy damper on his enjoyment of the show, but he tried to push her out of his peripheral for now.

Ever since Zahra’s debut a few years ago, Cahil had been to every one of her shows. She’d grown exponentially as a dancer, to a point where he strongly felt she could strike out on her own and be fine. She refused to hear it though, saying that she still had way too much to learn to be on her own just yet. Also, that Armand fellow she was always dancing with was completely different from his stage persona and was often harsh with Zahra off stage. Cahil debated on doing something about that before she left. A star deserved a chance to shine.

The leader came out and announced an intermission, so the crowd dispersed to find food and drink stalls. Although Cahil had been ignoring the elezen woman at first, something struck him as odd when she hurriedly took off with a young hyur woman. A nagging sensation tugged at the back of his mind that urged him to follow. It was surprisingly easy to weave through the crowds unnoticed. With his smaller and slender build most didn’t pay him much mind. He observed the two girls skipping off together. 

Nothing was amiss, really. They were laughing and chatting amicably while holding hands. As they headed off to a stall further away from the crowds, however, he noted how they leaned into one another, and his brows rose when at one point, the elezen woman leaned into the other girl for a kiss.

‘And that makes three.’

Cahil turned on his heel and walked back into the crowd.

-----

It was the last performance the Lasyah troupe would have in Thanalan and they had been allowed a banquet hall for their performance. Sahrin and Armand’s shows were the focus, although Zahra had a performance at the end with Sahrin. The two moved well together, their dance was more of a father introducing his daughter to the world than two lovers. Cahil wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about that, considering Zahra had a loving father at home. He had to remind himself it was just songs and dancing.

The beautiful raven haired elezen was there from the last performance, although she wasn’t as excited as she had been last time. She wore a beautiful form fitting golden dress, imported from the far east it looked like. Although she had dressed to impress and was being sociable with others that had come to see the performance, high and low born alike, Cahil had been watching her carefully and would spot the moments where her expression would fall into sullen thoughtfulness.

That was good at least. Showed she had a conscious. He still didn’t feel bad though.

During the intermission he saw her head backstage and instead of following, he went over to the refreshment tables and picked up a flute of sparkling cider.

“What are you up to this time?” a familiar voice had his ear twitch and he turned his head to find a young hyur woman sauntering over toward him. Her sparkling silver dress was annoyingly distracting and bordered on gaudy, but the color itself looked good on her sun kissed skin. Sura picked up a flute and put a hand on her hip, glaring down at Cahil. “You always look like the cat who got the cream whenever you’re up to something.”

The young man leaned against the table a bit, crossing his arms as he regarded the gathering. His lips curved as he rolled his shoulders in a lazy shrug. “I’m starting to think you stare at me a lot more than you’re willing to admit. I’m getting the shivers. Sura’s into young boys. Gross.”

She wrinkled her nose at him, not rising to his bait. “Don’t sass me, you conniving little brat. Why aren’t you glued to your sister’s side like you always are? I get the shivers when you aren’t. It means you’re scheming.”

He rolled his eyes and finally looked over at her. Taking his glass, he took a sip, wondering why she even cared. She never directly interfered since he’d never gone after her or her brother (yet), but she did make a point to dig into him about whenever he messed with people. Did she think herself his big sister or something? He had a sister, and he had no interest in anyone being a replacement or substitute for her.

Cahil’s mind ran through a few different ways in how he could respond to Sura, from mild to outright cruel, before deciding to go a different route. “Maybe I just wanted a drink before I decided to go cling to my sister.” he responded dryly, sounding almost hurt. When she flinched and took a step back, looking admonished, he let out a sigh. “Look, this is her last performance before leaving for another country. Maybe I just want to give her some space and let her enjoy the night? We’ll be walking home anyroad.”

“Oh. I-I’m sorry Cahil. I guess I just wanted to give you a bit of a hard time.” Sura lets out an awkward laugh and gives him a pat on the shoulder. “I know how much you care about Zahra. It’s just sometimes...you know.”

“Uh huh.” he honestly didn’t care what Sura thought about him or how he involved himself in his sister’s life. It wasn’t any of her business. She was an outsider. An other.

The conversation went into a lull as the performance came back for its final act. It opened with Zahra and Armand, and Cahil watched as Sura gave up and drifted into the crowd. The elezen woman reemerged as well, looking less grave than she had before. Zahra, meanwhile, while she didn’t show it in her performance, Cahil knew his sister. The brilliance that normally shone in her eyes wasn’t nearly as bright as it had been during the first act as she danced with her partner.

Scheming. He looked up at the stage as he regarded his sister, his expression becoming blank. Not once had he ever considered any of his actions to be ‘scheming’. 

----

“So why did you call me out here? Zahra’s performance is going to start soon.” Cahil had called the elezen woman to meet a block away from the banquet hall building an hour before the start of the show. They stood under a gazebo that led into a park, Cahil sitting calmly before her.

“How well do you think long distance relationships work?” he started with, tilting his head with childlike curiosity.

“What?” her face contorted with confusion as his question took her aback. “What do you mean?”

“You and my sister. I’m just curious. How long do you think a long distance relationship between you would last?” he waved a hand. “Do you even know how long she’ll be in Eorzea? Did she mention how long the tour would be?”

The confusion in her features deepened as she tried to process where the conversation was going. “I...she didn’t really say. I-wh-where is this going? Zahra and I decided we’d wait as long as it’d take because we love each other.”

“Really!” he clapped his hands and leaned forward with a smile. “Love. Do you think it’s something that can be shared? I know Zahra only wants to be with one person, you do too, right?”

“W-well of course I do...”

“And the heart is so unpredictable.” he cut her off as she stammered out her reply. “Eorzea is a land full of wonder and new things and new people. Beautiful men and women. And you’re both so young. Even my loyal sister wouldn’t be able to stop herself from having crushes. And you. I’m sure while she’s gone...while you’re home alone and she’s off having the time of her life with new adventures and maybe new people, you wouldn’t seek out to fill the gap of loneliness right? Maybe with a cute hyur, or a miqo’te or...” her gaze suddenly snapped over to him, her eyes widening as she realized what he was getting at. “...maybe a cute girl with platinum blonde hair?”

Her body went ramrod straight and she took a step forward, her face burning red with anger. “You-!”

Cahil looked up at her, his expression completely devoid of emotion. “Break up with my sister or I’ll tell her you’ve cheated on her with at least three other women.” he deadpanned. “You won’t like it if you don’t and I find out there were more.”

----

Taking a final sip of the flute, he set the empty glass down and shoved his hands into his pockets, reflecting on what had transpired hours prior. Scheming was for people who took delight in doing underhanded things to hurt others. He didn’t enjoy seeing his sister in pain. It angered him that he’d even found out her girlfriend had been cheating on her on three separate occasions with three different women. He’d only done something about it because the woman had the audacity to try to continue the relationship once Zahra was gone (likely at Zahra’s insistence, but the other woman knew right from wrong).

Family protected one another. It was up to him to protect Zahra from people who would hurt her because that’s what a brother, and a man, would do. If that meant doing some necessary evil things, he’d do it.

She was physically strong, but when it came to personal or family matters, her emotions always blinded her and she wasn’t as sharp or observant. He was fine with being the ruthless one, he’d shield her heart.

At least until she left for Eorzea.

[ashyblondwaves]

I saw ur xavier x reader prompt and I gotchu boo! :D How about the reader is like a super shy girl and close friends with Xavier and she never drank or go out w anyone bc her family claims its bad. She wants to do it anyway but she's too scared. She ends up going to Camp Redwood w Xavier and his friends and he persuades her to drink and she ends up drinking and getting drunk and confesses her crush on him in front of his friends. If it's too much I apologize! ^^

Oh I love this! I hope you don’t mind the way I went with this. But once I started going it all just flowed right out the way it did. Thanks so much for this prompt, it’s so cute! 

*****

It’s You (Xavier Plympton x Fem!Reader)

Camp Redwood was a beautiful place. Filled with a sprawling forest that surrounded a beautiful lake, it made for a picturesque scene that you could certainly get used to. The water glistened even in the dark as the natural ebb and flow created the most naturally soothing sounds. Sounds you focused on as the small group of people you barely knew smoked pot and passed around bottles of beer to each other.

Soon, a bottle was being passed in your direction. They were expecting you to take one. It was time to come up with an excuse as to why you couldn’t drink, but your body and mind were frozen staring at the amber bottle pointed in your direction. Instead of coming up with an edgy story, the truth came tumbling from your lips.

“I’ve actually… never had beer. My parents would frown on it.”

They had always been strict. Drinking and sex were taboo topics, never to be talked about under their roof. You weren’t even allowed to date as long as you lived with them, and by the time you’d left home you’d grown so comfortable in your shell that going on a date felt like the most impossible challenge. 

That is, until you met him. 

Xavier Plympton; tall, blond and handsome. Mister Personality. An actor with a pair of lips so perfectly shaped that you often — with heated cheeks — thought about kissing them. 

It was him that asked you to come to Camp Redwood. He and a few friends were headed up for the summer with jobs as counselors and the moment Xavier asked you, there was that all too familiar tug at your heart that said, “Maybe he does want you around.”

Then the panic hit. You’d never been that far from home and definitely not for an entire summer. Fear always struck you right in the gut and never missed. This time, it’d hit a bullseye. 

Initially, you said no. It didn’t feel right tagging along with an entire group of people just because Xavier had asked you to do something with him. It wasn’t even with him, it was with him and his friends. But then Xavier kept asking, kept trying to make Camp Redwood sound like Disney World and that little part of you that wasn’t paralyzed by the fear started to think that not only did Xavier want you around but he sometimes thought about kissing you, too. 

So you agreed. And instead of having a late night walk around the lake with Xavier, full of confessions and kisses like you’d imagined the entire drive there, you were seated around a campfire with beers and joints being passed to and around you. 

“Well, are your parents here now?” Xavier’s friend — and ex — Montana asked, taking a long pull from her bottle. “The only geezers I saw were Margaret and that chef.”

Did it bother you that you were expected to drink? No. It wasn’t the first time you had to turn down the temptation of alcohol before and it wouldn’t be the last. Did it bother you that you were expected to drink by Xavier’s ex-girlfriend? Yes. Very much so.

You had no time to be rational. Quickly and without a thought, you grabbed the bottle and brought it to your lips maybe a little too quickly. The glass clicked against your teeth and you missed half of your mouth when slinging your arm back to pour the foul smelling liquid down your throat.

If it smelled foul, it tasted even fouler. You were just getting ready to spit it out when you saw Xavier staring at you with rapt attention. You told yourself that there was no other choice but to swallow it. 

As soon as the beer was down, you had to suppress a gag as goosebumps rose on your skin. If you couldn’t even get passed one sip, it was going to be a long summer. The time had finally come to ignore the voices of your parents that you heard every time you tried to do something new. It was time to live your own life.

With far more grace than the first time, you took a second sip. Then a third. Each sip was less and less repulsive and suddenly, the bottle was empty. With a silent hiccup you followed everyone’s lead and set the empty bottle down at your side and tuned in to the conversation going on.

“What about you, Xavier? Seeing anyone?”

“Nah, not really.”

“Not really? What was not really supposed to mean?”

Before you could stop it, the words were out of your mouth and a little more slurred than you would’ve expected them to be.

“It means I’m not seeing anyone.” Xavier’s lips quirked into a mischievous grin. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not interested in anyone.”

“Got it,” you replied, the alcohol making you feel a little bolder and ready to match Xavier’s wit. “I’m not really seeing anyone either.”

Now Montana was interested. She leaned forward, a joint dangling from her lips and asked the dreaded question.

“Who are you interested in, Y/N?”

“Why uh.. why aren’t you asking Xavier that?” You questioned. “He said it first.”

“I don’t care who Xavier is interested in. Probably some actress he had to fake kiss during an audition or something.”

“Not true!” Xavier snapped. “That happened one fucking time, Montana.”

“Yeah,” Ray the frat boy jumped in “Let’s hear from our new friend.”

“You know,” Chet, the final of the friend group, said. “I think I wanna know too.”

“Like I’d really tell you guys who I was interested in.”

You tried to say it smoothly, like it was no big deal, but the alcohol made it hard to focus on anyone but Xavier and you’d made a fatal mistake by staring longingly at him as you spoke. Montana didn’t miss a thing. 

“It’s Xavier,” Montana said with a laugh. “Did you see how she stared at him the entire time she said that?” 

“Not again!” Chet and Ray groaned in unison. 

“Why is it always Xavier?” Chet asked. “I’m here too ya know.”

“What can I say?” Xavier smiled, popping his collar. “I’m irresistible.”

You couldn’t sit there and listen to them talking about your crush on Xavier like you weren’t even there. Montana had some nerve. She didn’t have to say anything, but she told everyone. You had to get away from them. You had to go home. There was no way you’d be able to look at Xavier all summer knowing what he knows while having to deal with the fact that he’s interested in someone else. You got up, stumbling slightly, and stalked off toward the lake.

Bare feet dangling off the dock, above glistening water, you let your toes skim across the surface. It was cold enough to send a chill through your body and you hoped it was enough to sober you up so you could call your parents and have them pick you up. 

“Hey.”

You turned your body toward the familiar voice to find Xavier standing at the end of the dock, waiting for permission to come closer.

“You didn’t have to run off like that. You ok?”

He said it with such sincerity that for a brief moment, you thought he might be there because he wanted to be and not because his friends told him to come check on you.

“I’m fine. Just… embarrassed.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Y/N. And if it’s because of what Montana said, ignore her, she’s just  jealous.”

Montana Duke, jealous of you? That made about as much sense as the rest of the night did; none.

“Besides,” Xavier continued, coming to sit at the end of the dock with you. “we didn’t even get to talk about who I’m interested yet.”

“Is it actually some actress you made out with at an audition?” You asked, afraid to hear the answer.

Xavier shook his head, “No.”

And then he was scooting closer to you,stopping when his thigh hit yours. He moved slowly as to not scare you and tucked a piece of hair behind your ear. He brought a hand to either side of your face and cupped each of your cheeks, brushing at your cheekbones with the pads of his thumbs. Slowly, he moved forward with a question in his eyes. You nodded eagerly, smiling a bit when those perfect lips pressed against yours in a gentle — yet far from chaste — kiss. 

Maybe it was the alcohol, or the dozens of times you’d thought about doing exactly this, but you opened your mouth just enough to allow Xavier’s bottom lip between your own and you missed him back, opening your mouth further to allow his tongue in for the briefest moment before he pulled away to look at you.

“It’s you, Y/N,” Xavier said, a slight grin playing at his lips. “Why do you think I invited you here?”

“To be nice?” You asked.

“No,” Xavier replied with a shake of his head for dramatic purposes. “So I wouldn’t have to spend the whole summer without you right when I’d found you.”

[moeruhoshi]

getting ready for school so here we go again

I’ve been working on this idea for a while, this is just a rough sketch of an AU I lowkey wanna turn into a multi-chap

Lucy sighed for the umpteenth time as she stared out the window, her mind in another place as the teacher drawled on with the lesson. She found herself zoning out like this often, not because she was under a lot of stress or anything, even though it was her senior year. 

Besides, Macao-sensei really knew how to talk about one particular fact for twenty long minutes; most of the class was either avoiding his gaze or finding themselves daydreaming at this point.

It had been about four or so months since the school year started and the foolish, idiotic men of Magnolia High still had an annoying pact set in stone, preventing anyone from asking Lucy Heartfilia out.

Who the hell were they to decide who she would date or not?! And what the hell were they planning to do when Lucy actually started dating someone? 

The whole bullshit system practically began as soon as she took her first steps onto campus by a group of third years, and the baton had been passed on ever since. Lucy had yet to find out who was at the center of this weird fan group, but they’d face a world of hurt for ruining her high school life like this.

Not that Lucy had especially wanted a boyfriend, wasn’t it just one of those things a girl wanted to experience at least once with someone before college? Lucy had grown up reading a lot of romantic stories that had her wishing to meet someone who wanted to hold and cherish her for something more than her looks. 

Lucy blushed at the thought, but she was a grown woman! Some things couldn’t be solved by reading one of Erza’s novels, no matter how many the blonde was given. Although Lucy was pretty sure she was just shoving them onto her so Jellal wouldn’t find out that Erza had such an extensive collection.

She thought she would be quick to accept her first confession, as long as whoever gave it to her had good intentions. If he was smart enough to ignore this shitty pact then, wouldn’t he be a good person to date? It felt like asking too much for him to be a good looking guy that was slightly muscular and had sharp eyes like a warrior…maybe a bit possessive...Lucy blamed Erza for creating such weird standards held in her heart. But any girl would be excited if a pretty boy were to confess his love for her;

“E-E-Eh…?! Y-You’d really want someone like me…?” She flushes as he takes her hand, eyes earnest and unwavering.

“I’ve loved you for a long time...please...You’re the only one for me,” He pulls her close to his chest as he wraps his arms around her and declares that he’ll never let her go.

Something like that seemed a bit dramatic but so what? It was hard for a guy to even befriend her since the rumor being spread that she was supposedly some perfect angel with an incredibly high standard for friends and men.

Lucy wasn’t anything special, she felt that she was your average teenage girl that had a knack for cooking, studying, and was weak for the occasional visit to a cute café. Lucy and her friends had known each other since primary school, but it wasn’t like we weren’t looking for new additions to their group. As long as you were friendly, could get along properly with Erza, and learned to handle Juvia’s obsessive behavior, then they had no issues befriending anyone. 

She’d go over the school's intercom and shout those exact words if she didn’t think it’d make her look somewhat desperate and kind of a pervert.

Lucy wanted a boyfriend. She really wanted a boyfriend! And she had wished intensely for someone kind-hearted to enter her life before leaving this school. A little part of her wanted to make a statement to those jerks that started this, but Lucy honestly just wanted to learn how to fall in love. Didn’t she deserve that much?

“Lucy!” Levy shouted and shocked her out of her thoughts, almost startling her out of her desk.

“A-Ah! Gomen, I was spacing out,” Lucy laughed awkwardly as she finally noticed her friends crowding around her desk.

“That’s the third time Levy called you,” Erza pointed out, hand resting on her hip. “You’re not sick are you?”

“Not at all, I was just daydreaming.” Lucy sweatdropped, glad to stop Erza’s train of thought before she was covering her with an unnecessary amount of bandages and shoved into an infirmary bed.

“Class ended a couple minutes ago, didn’t Lucy-san notice?” Juvia asked, her hands clutching her bag straps nervously as she anticipated their leave.

“Yeah, let’s hurry up Lucy-chan, can’t you see Juvia wants to go stare down her crush before he leaves?” Cana hummed, the rest giggling as the blue-haired girl flinched and began to sweat slightly.

“I-Is Juvia that obvious…?”

“Painfully,” Lucy laughed as she stood from her seat and grabbed ahold of her own bag. “Let’s hurry before you miss him.”

“Heartfillia, McGarden! Don’t forget that you two have classroom duties!” Macao-sensei shouted in their direction, halting the group as they were almost out the door.

“Aww man, Lucy I have a job interview to get to! At that charming bookstore too…” Levy sobbed, eyes dramatic as she looked back over her shoulder.

“Don’t worry about it, Levy-chan. I can cover for both of us,” Lucy rolled her eyes but grabbed her hands with a broad grin. “You really need to get that job so I can get a discount on a crap ton of books.”

“Ah! You’re the best, Lu-chan! I’m taking you out for lunch once I do get it!” The shorter brunette clapped as she ran out the door, rushing away to quickly get to the said establishment.

“Are you sure you don’t need any help? I’d be glad to stay behind with you.” Erza offered with a small smile.

“I can handle it, besides I think the two of you need to make sure Juvia doesn’t jump that poor kohai,” Lucy insisted as the antsy girl whisked herself down the hall just as soon as Levy did, muttering consistently about her precious ‘Gray-sama’.

An hour or so later, Lucy was soon walking downstairs with a sigh of relief. Cleaning the classroom wasn’t terribly hard work, but it always took twice as long with half the staff. She deserved a nice long bubble bath tonight.

As soon as she flipped open her shoe locker open, Lucy could have sworn that her heart had stopped beating for a moment. It was as if time stood still, her eyes frosting over at the sight of a very pink piece of paper.

Her hands trembled as she removed the folded slip of paper from atop her shoes, her breath shaky as she opened and read what had been written. It wasn’t possible…had she finally received a love letter…? 

Well, not as much a love letter but someone asking to meet her behind the school near the old willowed sakura tree. Who would ask a girl to meet them there if not to confess their love?!

“O-Oh Mavis…I’m a bit too excited, a-aren’t I?” Lucy gulped as she gripped the straps of her bag, clenching the paper that requested her appearance as she began walking through the courtyard. The blonde nervously skimmed back over the note, sighing happily even with the short amount of words left for.

‘Lucy, I’ll be waiting by the sakura tree for you after school lets out. I hope to see you there. Signed Anonymous’

“W-Wait, after school?!” Lucy gasped, noticing the sun setting slightly and the orange tint to the sky, depicting just how late it had gotten. “It’s already so late! What if he left…?!” She hurried her steps as she rounded the school building, thankful that no one seemed to be around to see her rushing towards the tree with such a red face. As she approached the area, her heart began to sink as she looked around, failing to see another person. The one day she decided to take her sweet time…

Her lip quivered as she stood in front of the sakura tree, sad to find no one sitting or standing against it on either side, the surrounding benches empty, and the courtyard deserted. Lucy felt tears prick the corner of her eyes as she sat reluctantly on the wooden seat, feeling a heavy disappointment in her heart. It wasn’t like she could expect him to wait...after all, she was an hour late.

“E-Eh?! L-L-Lucy-senpai?!” A voice sounded from before her, Lucy quickly raising her head to see who it was. His eyes were wide and his face was red, matching his odd pink hair, sharp onyx eyes cast over her as she rushed to wipe her tears away.

“Y-You are…?” She presumed him to be the boy she was to meet and quickly stood up, her bag falling over as the contents spilled around their feet. Frantic, she dropped to her knees to haphazardly shove her back into her bag, the unnamed boy crouching to help her as well. Their fingers brushed lightly against each other as they both reached for her pencil case, their eyes meeting and their embarrassment growing with heat present in their cheeks. “T-T-Thank you.”

“You...Lucy-senpai, you were crying...are you okay?” He asked, holding out his hand to help her up.

“O-Oh! Yes, I’m fine…!” She tried to convince him, hoping her mascara hadn’t run or instead didn’t want to admit how she was crying because she thought he had left her behind. That was if he was the one who wanted to meet her.

“I’m glad you came, I’m sorry I wasn’t here to greet you, I went to get a drink.” He chuckled lightly as he held the bottle of dragon fruit tea up for her to see.

“N-No, I’m sorry I was late, I was doing classroom duties.” She explained, his features lighting up as she said so.

“I’m glad,” He sighed. “I thought you weren’t going to come.”

“What did you need to ask me?” Lucy mumbled quietly as she stared down at her feet, attempting to hide her blush.

“I’m Natsu Dragneel, I’m a first-year...but I still wanted to tell you how much I like you...would you do the honor of becoming my girlfriend?” He bowed, voice thick in the air as his question rang in her ears, her cheeks aflame and her heart hammering in her chest. 

The wind rushed past the two of them, scattering the petals of the tree and surrounded them as Lucy lifted her head and met the sight of his still bowed form.

“Yes...I will,”

[mwdders]

Mistakes

Summary: Bucky breaks your heart, can he right his wrongs and get you back?

Word count: 5.5K ( longest thing I’ve ever written phew)

Warnings: heartbreak, blood, swearing, horrible Bucky :(

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

A/N: I don’t really like this but it took me ages to write and I guess the story is okay but meh, enjoy I guess

— —

They say time can heal, but time is a funny thing, time can fly or it can drag, so how can time heal if it takes centuries to move?

That’s how you felt, you couldn’t move on when you saw him everyday, especially with her, you couldn’t sit and just watch them and act like nothing was wrong, no one knew why your moods had changed, no one knew the circumstance you were in because you acted like nothing was wrong but everyone knew something was, they just never asked, or they’d do the normal pleasantries and you’d reply ‘I’m fine’ like any other day, and they didn’t dig deeper because for them, that was a good enough answer, there were no cracks in your reply, no sad looks, no tired eyes or smile that was fake, you were very good at hiding the pain.

It became harder though when things changed, he acted more and more like you were never together, he wouldn’t talk to you, wouldn’t look at you, he wouldn’t even work with you when asked to and that made you feel worthless, and putting on a brave face was only getting you so far, you’d held out for months before you started to break, your work became sloppy, your attitudes deteriorated, you looked tired because you were, you didn’t sleep and when you did it was after crying all night, you barley ate, you didn’t spend any time with the team unless you had to, it was too much to handle. Your life was so different now to what it was like with him.

“Y/N will you come eat with us?” Peter asks as you sit in the kitchen reading a book, “I’m not hungry.” You reply, not looking up from your book. “You sure?” Peter asks again, “I’m sure.” You say, again not looking up from your book, Peter sighs but doesn’t say anything else.

Your disturbed from your reading by laughter floating down the hall way, followed by footsteps and voices, Bucky enters the room with her, you barley look at them and turn your face away. “Hey guys.” She greets everyone and you cringe, her voice was like nails being dragged down a black board, and it always sent chills down your spine. You hear the scraping of chair legs on the floor knowing the pair had joined the team at the table to eat. You keep your head buried in your book, not wanting to catch their attention, this was so hard for you, you didn’t want to isolate yourself from the team but it helped, it helped because if you were around them, you’d find it hard to listen to Sam or Peter talk about them or Natasha and Wanda gush over how much of a cute couple they make, it didn’t ease the pain by being away from the team but it definitely didn’t add to it.

“Y/N, come join us.” Sam says to you, his mouth full of chicken, this causes everyone to turn to you, “I’m okay, thanks Sam.” You don’t look up from your book because you can feel eyes on you, and the eyes you wanted to look at you were and they were burning into your skin, if you looked up and saw his blue eyes you’d crumble. “Please?” You hear Steve say and your eyes flicker from your page to him, “I said I’m fine.” Your voice is stern, your friendship with Steve had definitely grown over the time you with Bucky, but after your break up it had become hostile, especially when he was the only one who knew you and Bucky were ever together. Steve sighs and silence takes over the room, the only sound being knives and forks hitting the plates, you stand up grabbing your book and begin to leave the room, “Y/N.” Tony calls your name and you stop, you turn your head slightly so you can see him over you shoulder, “We don’t ask for much, just come eat with us.” You gulp, barley being able to hold it together, “I-I’m not hungry Tony.” You blink away the tears and keep your gaze straight ahead, not wanting to anyone to see you cry. “Well don’t eat then, just come sit with us.” You shakily sigh, “I’d r-rather not.” Your voice cracks and you curse yourself for being so weak, “Are you okay?” He asks again and you hear his chair move and a hand on your shoulder, you breath deep and shake his hand off, “I’m fine.” You leave the room and walk as fast as you can back to your room, not wanting anyone to see you cry.

You hated when you’d cry, it made you feel so weak and so vulnerable, you used to be a strong, independent woman, now you were a weak, frail woman who depended so much on Bucky you were lost and broken without him.

A knock on your door sounds and you quickly wipe your tears, “Who is it?” You quiver as your voice is quiet and weak. “It’s me doll.” Steve’s voice sounds and you stand up and open the door, you shuffle out of his way and he walks into the room, pushing the door to behind him.

“What do you want Steve?” You sit on your bed and watch him as he sits on the edge. “To make sure you’re okay. “ you laugh sarcastically, “Okay? You expect me to be okay when he’s flaunting his new relationship in front of me like I’m nobody? He acts like we were never together.” You scoff and Steve sighs, “I get that and I’m totally on your side, what he did was wrong but you have to be more open with the team, everyone’s worried about you.” You look down at your hands and play with your fingers, it was a good distraction rather than looking up at Steve and being intimidated by the stern look on his face. “I can’t, I can’t act like everything’s okay when it’s not and I can’t tell them what’s really wrong because they just wouldn’t understand.” He nods, “I get that. I do and I respect that you don’t want any of them to know but you can’t isolate yourself, it’s starting to affect the team.” You knew your behaviour lately was being more noticed by the team but you didn’t think it’d affect them. “Don’t open up completely but maybe talk to one of them about everything. Someone you know you can trust.” He stands up and leaves the room, his words lingering in the air, maybe telling someone else wasn’t a bad idea.

— —

You stand outside of Sam’s room, debating whether to knock or not, you’d been stood there for about 15 minutes, convincing yourself to knock but also convincing yourself not to knock.

“Come on Y/N, just knock.” You hype yourself up and knock lightly on the door, you hear footsteps and seconds later Sam opens the door. “Hey Y/N.” He looks slightly confused, “I-I erm, can I talk to you about something?” His eyes widen before be nods and opens the door for you, “Come in, sit down.” He says and you slowly walk into his room, sitting down on the brown leather sofa. “Is everything okay?” Sam asks as he sits next to you. “I want to talk to you about something-well everything actually.” He furrows his brows but nods slowly, “Something happened about 3 months ago and that’s why I’ve been so distant lately.” He shifts in his seat getting more comfortable, “It erm, it’s to do with Bucky.” His mouth drops open slightly and he seems shocked, “What about Bucky?” You gulp nervously, “We were together, up and till about 3 months ago.” The words leave your mouth and you look up for Sam’s reaction, his eyes are wide and he’s staring right at you, “You were?” He asks and you nod, “We were together for just over a year, no one knew, only Steve but he only found out about 6 months ago. We were going to tell everyone but then we broke up.” He licks his lips before speaking, “I didn’t even suspect anything, wow you kept that hidden.” He shakes his head and sighs, “You broke up?” You nod and shut your eyes trying to not let the tears fall. “W-we broke up because,” you take a breath, “He cheated on me, with my best friend.” Sam looks shocked when you say that, “He what?” You continue, “Yeah, multiple times but when I found out we had an awful argument, he told me he never loved me and that he was just using me to get to her and all the time we were together he only ever thought about her and I was the easy person for him to chose because I was so close to him and the team it made sense to hide his relationship with her behind his one with me.” You wipe away a few stray tears, “He said, I was worthless and she was so much better than me, he broke my heart that day and I’m not over it at all.” You sob as you break down, remembering how that argument went down.

-

“Hey love I was thinking we could do pasta for tea, I bought sauce from the store and-“ you stop speaking when you see the site in front of you, Bucky was lay on the bed with Y/F/N on top of him, she was naked and it was clear so was he, “What the fuck?” You yell, as he grabs her hips pushing her off him. “Y/N, you-you’re home.” He pulls the duvet up to cover him and her. “Yeah, What the hell is going on James?” You look between the pair, “Ar-are you cheating on me? With her?” You point at Y/F/N and she scoffs, “No need to say it like that Y/N.” You widen your eyes, “Like what? I’ve just caught you in bed with my boyfriend!” You yell, “Get out!” You say, “No, hold on.” Bucky tries to get her to stay but she is already out the door with her clothes in hand. “You better explain now.” The anger in your voice is evident. “I-I.” He’s lost for words and you roll your eyes, “How long? How long have you been sleeping with her?” You purse your lips as you wait for an answer, “5 months.” He whispers and you feel your throat tightening, “Th-that long?” You feel the tears falling but right now you don’t care. “I’m sorry darling, yo-your just not her.” He stands up, pulling his boxers up his thighs, “What do you mean I’m not her?” He’s stood in front of you now, hair all over the place and smelling of sex, “Exactly that, she’s not you, and you’re not her.” He brushes past you and to the wardrobe pulling out clothes, “I thought you loved me.” He turns to face you, “I didn’t,” He rubs a hand threw his hair and chuckles, “I’m sorry doll but I never did.” Your sadness turns to anger, “You lied to me? For all that time? Were you ever genuine?” You yell and he’s taken back by your outburst, “In the beginning I was. But then you introduced me to Y/F/N and wow she took my breath away, unlike you.” Your mouth drops open at his words and you stare mindlessly at him. “Our entire relationship was fake. I only stayed with you to hide my relationship with her.” You can’t stand to hear anymore so you walk away from him and out of the bedroom, “You’re unbelievable Bucky.” He follows you out the room and sits on the sofa, throwing his feet on the coffee, he couldn’t be more relaxed and that made you angry. “You’re just not worth it Y/N.” You keep your back to him, “Did you just call me worthless?” He hums, “Guess I did. I just can’t deal with the hassle, everything is so easy with Y/F/N.” You chuckle, “Well enjoy her while it lasts cause no doubt it’ll be over before you know it.” He stands up and grabs you, pulling you into him, his lips grazing across your ear, “I don’t think so sugar, she fucks me good so I have a reason to keep her, unlike you.” You pull away from him and slap him, “You’re disgusting.” You turn around and laugh, “You know what, it’s not that fact you cheated on me that hurts, it’s who you cheated with! My best friend of all people. She’s not even half the woman I am, she doesn’t have a decent bone in her body.” You grab your hand bag and storm out the room, you walk so far down the corridor before leaning against the wall, you put your hand on your mouth to disguise the sound of your sobs as you slip down the wall bringing your knees to your chest as you cry.

-

“I’m so sorry he did that.” Sam says after you explained everything to him, “And that’s why you don’t spend time with any of us anymore, because they’re always together.” He nods now knowing the reason for your distance, “Yeah, and I don’t think I could sit there and watch them be together but also listen to people compliment them on how much of a great couple they are.” You sigh, “I’m so glad I could talk to you about this Sam. It’s been so hard for me to keep it all locked away. I couldn’t exactly talk to Steve about it because he’s Bucky’s friend and he was very biased in the situation.”

“Well I’m Bucky’s friend too but you know you can always talk to me about anything, and Steve will always have Bucky’s back, and it’s a shame his friendship with him clouded his judgement in this situation, because what Bucky did was unacceptable, it’s not like him at all.” He stands up and walks to the kettle, “Yeah, I thought he was happy but I’m obviously not a very good judge of character because he was like a different person with me.” He pulls two mugs out the cupboard and turns back to you, “Don’t beat yourself up. I kinda think there is more to it than him not being happy, his head was turned and maybe it’s just sexual.” He shrugs, “I thought that but it’s been 3 months and they’re still together, makes think it’s more serious than just sex.” You gladly take the cup of tea he hands you, “I wish you’d of told me sooner. I could of been there for you.” He dit’s next to you, “I know and I’m sorry I didn’t but I needed time to think things through.” You sip your tea and the warm liquid soothes your sore throat. “I understand that, hopefully now you can be-“ Sam doesn’t finish his sentence as there’s a knock at his door, “One second.”

He gets up and walks over to the door, who was stood behind it shocked you both, “Oh I’m sorry, I-I can see you’re busy.” Bucky says, “It’s fine. I’ll be going anyway.” You stand up, placing your mug on the coffee table. “Thanks for the tea Sam, I’ll talk to you tomorrow?” He nods and you brush past Bucky, his eyes watch you go and his heart longs for you but as you walk past him he doesn’t even flinch, he can’t act on his feelings even though he’s at a cross roads and wished he’d never hurt you, “Bye Y/N.” He says and this surprises you, “Erm yeah, bye.” You scurry down the hall, the scent of his aftershave caught in your nose and the familiarity stirring up memories you didn’t want to be reminded of.

— —

“Morning Y/N.” Sam says as he enters the kitchen, you jump up from your bar stool and walk over to him, “Morning, what happened last night after I left?” You ask curiously, “Nothing, except I beat the shit out of him.” You hit his arm, “You didn’t! Sam!” He laughs, “No I didn’t but I did tell him that you told me everything, he was pissed at first but then I go angry at him and he soon shut up.” You lean against the kitchen counter and hoist yourself up so you’re sat on the worktop. “Thank you Sam, beating the shit out of him won’t help but I’m glad you put him in his place. Makes me feel better.” You giggle and watch as the door opens and the team slowly enter one by one. “Morning briefing, 10 minutes.” Tony walks past the kitchen, and you only just catch what he says. “You joining the team today?” Sam asks and you think, you’d taken yourself off field missions, sticking mostly to office missions, not feeling in the right head space to carry a weapon.

“I think so.” You jump off the counter and accept Sam’s high five and walk towards the briefing room with him, you’re surprised to see Bucky and Steve already there having a heated conversation, they stop as soon as you both enter, you frown at Steve and he gives you a look to say ‘leave it’ you were confused to see him and Bucky to be what looked like arguing though.

“Right team.” Tony comes in and starts the briefing after everyone joins you.

— —

“Ready?” You nod and exit the jet, you were in Germany with the entire team on a mission to take down a group of hackers who had threatened to set off nuclear bombs which they had acquired the codes to, “Remember team, no one leaves, we don’t know who has the codes and until the Secretary of State confirms all codes have been changed, no one leaves.” You hear Steve say over coms.

You let out a shaky breath before entering the building, the reception area was clear, so you carry on through the building and find a set of stairs leading down to the basement. “I’m heading to the basement.” You peer over the bannister and hear voices, slowly you make your way down and when at the bottom, hide behind an old filing cabinet. “What’s taking so long? Set them off!” One of the men say and you creep up behind him, a gun in each hand, “Sorry, but I can’t let you do that.” He turns to you and rolls his eyes, “Great, now The Avengers are here. You took way too long idiot.” He must have an ear piece in because no one else was here a part from the two of you. “Is it just you sweetheart? They trust you by yourself?” You shrug, “Shame you’re out numbered.” He says and more men come through the door surrounding you, “Shit.” You mumble, you were compromised, “There’s too many of them.” You whisper hoping someone would hear you. “Grab her.” Your arms are pulled behind your back, guns taken off you and as much as you try to fight them they’re too strong.

The push you into a room which is full of tech, computers hanging on the walls, some displaying security cameras and the others software you didn’t recognise, “Sit. Don’t move.” They shove you into a chair, “Don’t even think about running.” One of them says as they watch you eye the door. “Y/N? Do you copy?” Bucky says over coms, “Basement.” Is all you say worried one of the men might hear you.

You eye all the computers trying to figure out what all the software means, before out of the corner of your eye you see Bucky coming down the stairs on the security footage and then standing by the door. Turning your head you anticipate him to kick it down, which he does and before any of the men can react he shoots all of them accept one who shoots back at him causing him to duck behind a cabinet. Slipping out of the chair, you crawl across the floor and pick up a gun from by one of the bodies, you stand up and shoot at the guy shooting at Bucky, although with you being a bit rusty, your aim is off. “Are you joking Y/N!” Bucky yells as shots keep being fired, “Y/N, nice name darling.” With how distracted you were by listening to Bucky you didn’t see the shooter step behind you and grab you, placing his gun to your head. “Shoot him.” He demands, “No!” You yell and struggle to get out of his grip, “Do it.” He pushes the barrel of the gun harder into your head, the cold metal causing a shiver to run down your spine. “I won’t.” You drop the gun that was in your hand, “You’re willing to die? For him?” The guys laughs and cocks his gun, “I’ll put a bullet in your head before you even pull the trigger.” Bucky says, he still had his gun pointed at the man but you could tell he wasn’t intimidated by him. “Go ahead, I’ll do just the same.” The guy forcefully spins you round so you’re now facing him, the barrel of the gun pushed harshly between your eyes. “Oh darling I can feel you shaking, scared?” The man says in a sickening voice, “Let her go.” You knew Bucky was biding his time before the rest of the team showed up, you could hear them all strategising over the coms on how to enter the room. “It’s a shame about this one, such a pretty little thing.” He wraps a hand around your chin and you try to pull away, resisting his touch. “Get off me.” You spit and pull your head away from his hand. “Now now sugar, keep fighting me and you won’t last very long.” He rises his gun slightly, pressing it to your forehead. “Times a ticking boy, drop your gun or I shoot.” He tells Bucky, but Bucky doesn’t budge, keeping his gun held high and aimed at the criminal. “Your choice.” You close your eyes expecting him to pull the trigger but before he gets the chance the team are storming the room and Bucky shoots him.

You jump away from him as his body falls and run over to Bucky, “Oh my god.” You hug him as he welcomes you with open arms. “I thought I was going to die.” You whisper, “Thank you.” You pull away from him and step back, “You’re welcome.” It suddenly becomes very awkward when he shows no emotion towards the situation. You cough and he steps back, surveying the room and looking at you one last time before leaving. “You okay?” Sam asks as he eyes Bucky leaving. “Yeah.” Your voice is shaky and Sam hugs you, “Thought we’d lost you.” You sigh, “Yeah me too.” You look down at the floor, not wanting to make eye contact with Sam because if you did you knew he’d know something was wrong, apart from nearly being killed.

“I’m gonna go back to the jet.” You leave the room and walk up the stairs, your body hurt so much and there was one pain down your left side that was excruciating, leaning on the bannister, you undo your belt and lift your top up, your stomach was covered in blood and it was clear a bullet had grazed your side, the wound still fresh. “Hey, you okay?” A voice startles you and you quickly pull your top back down. “I’m fine.” You hide your blood covered hands in front of you as Sam walks ahead of you. “Let’s go then.” You follow his lead and make it back to the jet, wiping your hands on your jeans, not wanting anyone to see.

— —

It takes every ounce of energy left for you to drag yourself down the corridor to your room, you were tired and felt very dizzy, but you knew you could sleep as soon as you got to your room and that’s what made every step a little easier.

Using the silver hand rail, you drag yourself a long, with every step you could feel your shirt getting wetter where you wound was, and you were losing a lot of blood but you had to keep going.

You stop for a second and lean against the white wall, you felt sicker than ever and you could feel yourself slipping, you lift your shirt that was now completely soaked with blood to see the bullet wound still bleeding, you sigh and lean your head back shutting your eyes, although you wished you hadn’t because you can’t fight to keep them open any longer and everything goes black.

Your lay on the floor in the corridor unconscious, staining the white floor red as you continue to bleed out, no one was around, the air quiet and smelling of blood, the once sterile floor now repping a new colour.

Bucky makes his way down the corridor, on his way to your room actually, hoping you could talk. He rounds the corner and nearly slips on a puddle of blood, he goes into high alert pulling out the gun he still had, ready to defend anyone he needed to. Footsteps heavy, his soles now leaving a footprint of blood with every step he takes, he looks down the corridor and see’s your body lay on the floor, he runs over to you, “Y/N can you hear me?” He shakes your shoulder lightly but with no response, “Shit.” He mumbles, “Friday! Get the medical team to the corridor!” He yells to the AI, he picks you up lightly placing your head in his lap, he checks for vital signs and thankfully he finds a pulse. “Barnes what the hell is going on?” Tony asks as he’s followed by medical staff. “I don’t know I just found her like this!” His eyes are wide and the medical team rush over taking you from Bucky. Tony’s face is white as he takes in how much blood is now staining the floor, “Is this from the mission? Did she get hurt on the mission?” He asks Bucky, trying to figure out if there was an intruder in the compound, “I don’t know! She didn’t say anything.” Tony sighs, “Friday! Search the compound for any intruders and put the team on high alert.” Bucky and Tony both follow the medical team as they take you to the medical bay.

Which is where you wake up, eyes foggy, head heavy and pain all down your left side, you groan and feel a hand grab yours, “Hey you’re okay.” A voice says and you pry your eyes open and finally the room comes into view, along with Sam and Bucky’s faces. “What happened?” You ask, trying to sit up slightly, “You got shot, do you remember the mission?” He asks you and it all comes flooding back, “Yeah.” You look up at Bucky who is stood away from your bed, pacing up and down the room. “Why didn’t you say anything?” You look at Sam, “I’m sorry, I didn’t think it was bad. I was going to stitch myself up when I got back.” This causes Bucky to scoff, “Are you joking me? Could you be anymore stupid?” His tone of voice is harsh and you flinch slightly, “Stupid? I was doing what I thought was right. It only seemed a graze.” He laughs at what you say, “A graze! Y/N you nearly died, you lost so much blood.” He yells slightly, “Don’t yell at me!” You yell back and this angers him even more, “Don’t yell at you? You just made the stupidest decision that could of killed you so I think it warrants me yelling!” You roll your eyes at him, “Why? It’s not like you care about me! You said that yourself.” This causes Sam to cough to try and defuse the situation but it doesn’t help. “Sam can I talk to her alone?” He signals for Sam to leave the room, “Is that wise? I’m not sure that’s the best thing.” Bucky sits down in the spare chair next to your bed, “Now Sam.” Is all he says for Sam to stand up, and leave the room, looking back at you and you nod at him and that’s all the reassurance he needs to leave the room completely.

“Well? What do you want to talk about so badly it means Sam leaving?” You turn to him, arms crossed and eyebrows raised. “I’m sorry I yelled.” He says and you soften your harsh glare a little bit. “Yeah, you should be sorry.” You stare at him as he blinks, lifting his head to look up at you. “I’m sorry about everything.” He says and your stomach drops, “Wha-what do you mean?” You question, “I’m sorry about everything and I mean that. What I did to you, what I said to you was just,” He stops himself as his voice becomes shaky, “It just wasn’t me.” You’re surprised at his actions, “I don’t know what to say.” You clear your throat awkwardly, “Then let me talk.” He sighs shakily, “Me and Y/F/N we were never anything more than sex, she used me for sex, and I fell into her trap, she forced me to be a man I didn’t want to be and I regret what happened between us so much, and I’m so sorry.”

“Then why did you let it happen? Bucky you’re such a strong person why let her control you like that?”

“I don’t know, it just took me too long to figure it out and I guess you nearly dying made me realise how much you actually mean to me.”

“I understand that, but things just can’t go back to the way they were. You broke my heart.”

“No, and I’d never expect them to, I just wish I could go back and take everything that I said back because I didn’t mean any of it, my mind was clouded by judgement and by her.”

“You said some horrible things to me Buck.”

“I know.” He doesn’t say anything else he just drops his head, “I wish things had gone differently.” He then stands up and leaves the room. His words hanging in the air, slowly piecing your heart back together.

— —

“Welcome back!” Peter says as you walk into the kitchen, “Thanks Peter.” You’d be sidelined for 3 weeks as you recovered from your injury, it seemed like such a short time frame but really it dragged.

“Here.” Sam drags you a chair over and you thank him before sitting down. “So where is everyone?” You ask, it was so quiet and only Peter and Sam were in the common room.

“They’re on a mission I’m afraid, but should be back any time.” You nod and Peter turns on the TV.

You all to Sam quietly about what you’d missed over the last 3 weeks, although you’d stayed at the compound you were confined to your room on bed rest so you needed a catch up on everything.

Time passed and about an hour later the team came through the door, talking amongst themselves about the mission. “Hey guys.” Everyone greets you and you smile.

Bucky comes in the room last and smiles at you, “Can we talk?” He asks and you stand up and walk out the room, “What’s up?” Over the last 3 weeks Bucky had checked on you and you’d become friends again.

“I-I, don’t want to wait around any longer. Something happened in the mission today and it really put things into perspective for me and it made me realise how short life is and how time slips away so easily.” You nod at his words slightly confused about what he was saying, “Basically,” He takes a deep breath before grabbing your face in his hands and kissing you, your stand shocked at first, eyes wide and just as he’s about to pull away you kiss him back, not wanting to waste any more time.

“Should of done that 3 weeks ago.” He mumbles as you pull away, “Probably too soon.” You giggle and although you were happy you couldn’t stand the nagging feeling that was rising in your stomach. “Don’t question it. Just live in the moment and we can talk about everything later.” Bucky says and it’s like he read your mind, knowing you’ll be feeling doubtful.

“Okay.” You kiss him again, having missed the feeling of his lips against yours, instantly washing away the doubt. “Just don’t fuck it up again.” You joke and he rolls his eyes, “Trust me, I won’t. You’re mine again now and I’m never making a stupid mistake again.”

— —

[connan-l]

Glitters

Fandom: The House in Fata Morgana

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationship: Maria Campanella/Pauline Asama

Summary: Teenage Maria is going to spend the summer holidays at Pauline’s home in Amsterdam. Some things goes as expected, some others do not.

For ‘Day 9: Ocean’ of Femslash February 2020!

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Link on Archive of Our Own

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Notes: Just a short and fluffy gay thing I wrote for Femslash February 2020! Well I say ‘short,’ but it actually got a lot longer than originally planned...

To be honest, I actually struggle to ship Pauline and Maria — Pauline seems way too much into Yukimasa, and Maria kinda struck me as aromantic and as the type who’s just more invested in platonic friendships — but… they’re also the most obvious f/f ship of the game? So, hey, why not. They can be cute!

This takes place during the modern days pre-Reincarnation, but I admit there are probably some details I forgot about it (can’t recall if they mentioned anything about Maria and Pauline’s childhood or about Pauline’s family), so, sorry if there are any inconsistencies with the game.

Disclaimer that I don’t speak Dutch and I’ve never been to Amsterdam or even in the Netherlands, thus there will likely be some… mistakes.

Technically this is for ‘Day 9: Ocean,’ though I actually started writing this before seeing the prompts.

Spoilers for the main game, Requiem and Reincarnation! Though you can understand even without having read Requiem or Reincarnation.

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The first thing Maria did upon leaving the plane was to throw up.

Which was a pretty unusual thing; she was never sick, be it in cars or planes or boats. But here the journey had been particularly cantankerous.

It’s the last time I take the plane in my entire freaking life, she thought to herself while she was wiping her mouth. Though she knew pretty well it was a lie, as her return ticket had already been booked. She now practically regretted bitterly to not have cancelled her vacations altogether — but it was a rare occasion, as her family rarely went on vacation, especially not in another country.

“Ahh, Maria! There you are!”

Maria turned around, and saw a young black-haired girl with a ponytail waving and running towards her with a smile. However, when she saw Maria’s pale face, she stopped and put both of her hands in front of her mouth.

“Oh my God, are you okay?”

“Do I look okay, you idiot?” Maria snapped back.

She actually hadn’t intended to sound that mean — especially not to her best friend she hadn’t seen since at least six months — but it had been a knee-jerk answer. Pauline just tended to instinctively get on her nerves and activate her hostility button.

“N-No, you don’t,” she blurted out, wincing. “Uh… I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s fine, forget it,” Maria said, grabbing the handle of her suitcase. “The flight was pretty awful so I just got a bit sick, but I’m good now.”

“O-Oh… well, I can ask my mom to give you some medicine once we get home—”

“I told you, it’s fine. Don’t bother. More importantly, you’re alone?” Maria asked, as she could only distinguish her friend in the halls. She looked around to search her mother’s blonde locks or her father’s boorish figure, but saw neither of them.

“Orlando is the one who brought me,” Pauline answered. “He’s waiting for us in his car in the street below.”

Right, Orlando. An old friend of Pauline’s mom. Apparently, they had known each other since they were kids, and as far as Maria was aware he’d always hanged out around the Asama family. He didn’t seem to be very fond of Pauline’s father though. (Maria always thought the dude had a crush on Pauline’s pretty mom, but she would never tell her theory to anyone of course.)

As they were slowly walking towards what Maria supposed was Orlando’s car, she caught Pauline’s gaze on her — she had a dumb, gentle smile on her face, her black ponytail bouncing softly behind her back at the rhythm of her steps.

“What?”

“H-Huh? What, what?”

“You’re staring at me!”

“Ah, umm… sorry, I was just thinking you’ve changed since the last time we’ve seen each other.”

Maria cocked an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? You on the other hand you haven’t changed at all.”

“Th-That’s not true! I’ve changed too. I took three centimeters since last time! And I bought new clothes!”

Maria just laughed, and Pauline began to complain about how “mean she was” and how “she could compliment her a little.”

Maybe Pauline had changed a little in the months they hadn’t seen each others, but on the other hand it felt like their relationship had stayed the same during these all years they’ve been friends.

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Maria had only come to Pauline’s home in the Netherlands two times.

They had first met when she was around six years old — Pauline’s father had been on a business trip in Milan, and exceptionally he had decided to bring his wife and daughter along with him. She and her mother had came in a park one afternoon, where Maria had been playing with her grandfather, and like the little bully she had been back then, she stole the ice cream of that annoying foreign little girl. But then said little girl started crying so loudly that in the end she just handed it back to her. And then for some reason they started to play together. None of them knew how to speak the other’s language at the time, but as the small kids they were that didn’t bother them much.

After that, their parents met and so they stayed in contact. Pauline’s family was actually surprisingly wealthy — her father was a tradesman traveling very often, so she was able to come to Milan at least once a year, and the rest of the time they’d call or sent each other letters and emails. Maria’s family, on the other hand, had always been more on the poor side. Not excessively so — Maria always had a roof over her head and food in her plate, and she never truly lacked of anything — but she certainly couldn’t bring herself to pay some vacations in another country whenever she wanted. Which was why, three months ago, Pauline had proposed to invite her over for the summer vacations to celebrate her fifteenth birthday together — and she would pay for everything, trip price included.

“You still haven’t decided what you’re going to do after high school?” Pauline asked, tilting her head.

They were both chatting side to side on the car’s backseat, catching up with each other’s, while Orlando was silently driving. Both Maria and Pauline were speaking in English, and the poor man barely knew how to say ‘Hello’ and ‘Good bye,’ so he was probably feeling sidelined. Pauline always tended to treat him like he was her manservant. Maria kind of felt sorry for him.

“Not sure,” she mumbled back, her eyes falling on the window behind which scrolled through Amsterdam’s streets.

“That’s not good,” Pauline said, in that big sisterly tone she sometimes used and that tended to really annoy Maria. “You’re going to enter your last grade next year, right? So you should hurry up and decide.”

“Gee, thanks Mom,” Maria replied, glaring at her.

Pauline puffed out her cheeks. “I’m saying this for your sake!”

“I don’t want to hear this from the girl who can’t even choose her own clothes the morning,” Maria said dryly, and before Pauline could reply, she just added, “And you know what? I’ve decided already. I’ll probably enter the mafia or something.”

Maria grinned at her friend, and as she expected, Pauline stared at her with her brown eyes and her mouth wide open. It was so easy to predict her reactions that it was almost ridiculous.

To be honest, Pauline had actually good reasons to believe Maria wasn’t joking: ever since she was a child, she’d always bragged about how her grandpa was originally born in Sicily and that her family, the Campanellas, used to have ties to the mafia. Now in all honesty, Maria didn’t know how much of this was true — it was some kind of unspoken rule within her family to not talk about this, and her grandfather had always dismissed her whenever she’d questioned him about it — but she certainly had a lot of fun of teasing Pauline when they were kids by telling her that if she pissed her off, some mafioso would come to skin her alive. She had stopped doing this now, of course — that had been pretty childish of her, and Maria was going to be eighteen next year, so these days she tried her best to act more like the grown up she was soon going to be. Though teasing Pauline was just so much fun and so easy it was still hard to kill that habit.

“I’m just joking,” she finally admitted, releasing Pauline from her shock. “I’m not that much of a delinquent.”

“Yes, well,” Pauline said, sighing. “With you, I never know.”

Maria chuckled, when suddenly the car came to a stop.

“Wij zijn hier,” Orlando suddenly said in a stern voice.

Pauline and her family lived in a huge, modern house in Amsterdam-Oost with an extensive view on the sea. They had two floors with multiple rooms, a big garden, a pretty balcony and a garage. The first time she went there, Maria was ten, and she could still remember the intense jealousy she felt while seeing this. Compared to this, her small humble family apartment in Milan felt miserable. It’d be a lie to say she wasn’t still a little bit jealous now, but she was used to it at least.

The two girls went out of the car, and Pauline chatted in Dutch with Orlando through the window for a moment, before finally turning around towards Maria and signaling her they could enter the house.

“He doesn’t come?” Maria asked as she saw the car pulling away.

“No, he said he had a lot of work to do. Anyway, let’s go!”

“W-Wait, don’t run! I have my suitcase with me, remember?”

Both of them entered upon the spacious patio, and Pauline excitedly opened the front door.

“Mama! Wij zijn gearriveerd!” She exclaimed, before adding to Maria in a quieter voice: “Let your suitcase here, we’ll put it in my room later.”

Maria was going to reply, but before she could she heard a sound of door open, a few footsteps, and then a beautiful woman with long, wavy blonde hair in a harlequin sundress showed up.

“Maria! Buongiorno!”

Pauline’s mother beamed at her, and Maria instantly imitated her. “Goedemorgen, Filippa!”

Maria had always liked Filippa quite a bit. She was a nice, smiling woman, radiant like the sun and always dressed in colorful clothes, and unlike her daughter, she actually had some spice to her personality. She was a stay-at-home mother, as apparently her husband’s pay was more than enough to sustain the family (and, from what Maria had gathered, it was also because Filippa’s family was pretty rich). However, she was still a busy person, as not only she was taking care of her daughter and of the house almost all by herself, she also often participated in all sort of town activities and events, and was pretty invested in charities.

Looking at Maria, Filippa brought her hands to her chest, her blue eyes shining as if she was about to cry. “Oh my God, you look so grown up now!”

“Well, it has been about two years since the last time we’ve seen each others, right? So that makes sense,” Maria said, then sighed. “Though to be honest, I don’t think I’ve grown up that much. I used to be even taller than the boys in middle school, but now I’m one of the smallest girls. Hell, I can’t believe that even fucking Pauline is taller than me now. It’s depressing.”

“Oh, but small girls are so cute!” Filippa said, giggling.

“Bleh. Not interested in being cute. I’d rather be huge and frightening, like a bear!”

“Bears stink, though,” Pauline said, wincing.

“Why is that the first thing you think of saying?”

Filippa laughed heartily. “Still, I can’t believe how much you’ve changed… The both of you are going to become young women before I even realize it. It makes me a little sad.”

“No need to be sad. Pretty sure Pauline’s gonna be eighty and still be an unreliable kid inside.”

“H-Hey!” Pauline protested, elbowing her friend, while Filippa laughed again.

“Now, now, don’t fight! Though I suppose Maria isn’t wrong.”

“Not you too, Mom!”

Then Pauline began complaining in Dutch to her laughing mother, and Maria wasn’t able to catch everything they were saying. They may have been friends since they were kids, but they’ve always mostly babbled in English. Maria could understand some basic Dutch, but she was far from being fluent. Though the same could be said for Pauline — despite the fact she’d come to Milan quite a few times, she only knew how to say a bunch of Italian sentences, and her accent was absolutely awful. Maria, like the brat she was, used to make fun of her because of this back then, and little Pauline would start crying and call her a “meanie.” Fun ol’ times.

“Anyway!” Filippa said again in English. “You girls are here just in time. I just finished the meal’s preparations, you just need to go set the table.”

“Oh, okay,” Maria replied, as Filippa was exiting the room. “So we need four plates?”

“No, it’s just the three of us,” Pauline replied.

“What? What about your dad?”

“He’s back in Japan right now, for work,” she answered.

“Eh? But it’s August. Shouldn’t he be in vacation?”

“No vacations for sailors,” Filippa answered from the kitchen. There was a very clear sharpness in her voice, and with the grimace Pauline displayed, this told Maria her mother was irritated.

It wasn’t something new. As far as she could remember, Pauline’s parents always had this problem. They didn’t have a bad relationship exactly — from what Maria had seen, they actually were quite a loving and happy couple. But Pauline’s father still privileged his work over his wife and daughter, and he was very rarely home as a result, which was something Filippa had a lot of issues with.

This never seemed to bother Pauline much, though. Her parents’ problems seemed to completely pass over her head. Maria had asked her about it once — if sometimes her mom and dad’s disputes were something distressing to her — but she had just shrugged and replied that “It’s just how it is.”

To be honest, Maria thought it was a little… weird. Admittedly she never cared much about her own parents’ problems either, but she could still remember that some of the biggest arguments they had had still impacted her a big deal. So Pauline’s indifference concerning her family’s issues felt off sometimes. Her friend had always been an airhead, sure, but sometimes it really seemed like… she was a bit too much disconnected from reality and the world around her. But maybe Maria was just overthinking it.

For lunch, Filippa served them a bountiful plate of Italian spaghettis with tomato sauce, which she had cook specially for Maria, and which was of course delicious. They finished the meal with a vlaai for dessert, and then the girls ran into Pauline’s room and Maria started to unpack her baggage. The Asamas’ house had a guest room and was big enough in general for Maria to sleep alone in a bedchamber of her own, but Pauline had insisted for them to stay together. She had accepted without thinking much about it, until she realized it also meant sleeping in the same bed as Pauline’s.

This shouldn’t be something weird; it wasn’t the first time they’d sleep together — though the last this had happened, they were in elementary school. So now that they were older — almost ‘young women,’ like Filippa had said — it felt… a bit odd to her, somehow. This shouldn’t be odd. Friends slept with each other platonically all the time, right? So there was no reason for it to be odd. Maria hoped that if she told herself this enough times, this would convince her. Somehow.

But this issue quickly faded from her mind as Pauline dragged her in the living room in front of their really big, flat screen TV, where they spent the afternoon switching channels and making fun of the stupid melodramatic soap operas broadcasted while eating snacks. Although honestly they mostly spent their time chatting and laughing rather than truly watching the TV. Filippa interrupted them two or three times to try to make them leave the couch and go outside while the sun was still up and shining, but she finally left them alone when Pauline promised her they’d go out tomorrow. And before they even noticed it, the night had already fallen.

After the dinner, Maria was the first to change herself, then she let herself fall onto the bed while Pauline was busy in the bathroom, the muffled sound of a Dutch TV presenter resonating in the background from the living room — except this time it was Filippa who was in front of the screen. In the meantime she looked around the room, which honestly hadn’t changed much since the last time she came here. Pauline’s room was pretty girly and common; some posters of boys’ bands on the walls there, some cute stuffed animals here, some romance novels scattered around. The most distinguishing features were the trinkets from all sorts of different countries and cultures that her father always brings her back from his travels as souvenirs, and that she collects on top of a few shelves.

Pauline entered back into her room, and she was dressed in a white pajamas with dolphin patterns, her long black hair unusually let down and falling on her shoulders gracefully — and, despite the fact Maria thought the dolphin pajamas looked pretty silly (she wasn’t ten anymore, dammit), she did admit she was kinda cute like that. She thought it was honestly a shame Pauline never let her hair down like that. As far as she could remember, she’d always tied it in that messy ponytail, even when they were young children.

“So,” Pauline started, smiling at Maria. “What do you want to do now? I have some board games if you want. Do you like Monopoly? Or Cluedo?”

Maria sighed, then scratched the back of her head. “Nah, I think I’d rather go to sleep.”

Pauline gasped, then stared at her as if she had just confessed she had murdered someone.

“What? I’m tired!” Maria exclaimed, feeling almost offended.

“It’s just it’s not like you at all,” Pauline gently replied. “Usually you’re the one who want to stay up as late as possible, and I have to beg you for us to go to sleep… On top of that we spent the afternoon on the couch in front of the TV…”

“Yeah, well, I spent hours travelling in a plane before coming here, remember? And the trip was pretty awful. So I’m exhausted.”

“Oh… I see…”

Pauline looked genuinely disappointed, and it was so funny Maria couldn’t herself but grin. “Ahh, I see you expected me to keep you up all night, huuuh? You naughty girl— Hmph!”

Her face as red as a tomato, Pauline threw a pillow at her, which crashed directly into her face before she could say any more words.

“No, you don’t start!” She exclaimed, then sighed heavily. “You said you were exhausted right? So fine, let’s sleep.”

“Don’t sulk, Pauline! I promise I’ll make it up to you tomorrow. We’ll stay up late as muuuuch as you want!”

“Ahh, shut up!”

Pauline turned away from Maria who wasn’t trying to hold back her laughers now, and picked up something from her desk, that looked like a small ball.

“What’s that thing?” Maria asked.

“Oh, it’s my nightlight,” she simply answered.

It took some time for Maria to process what she meant by that. “What, are you fucking kidding me? You’re still sleeping with the lights on? How old are you?”

“J-Just with that tiny nightlight!” Pauline protested, blushing. “It’s very faint, it shouldn’t bother you!”

“God, that’s not the issue,” Maria replied, rolling her eyes. “I swear, you’re such a baby.”

All while talking she lied down and buried herself under the sheets, while Pauline plugged her nightlight. It was indeed of a very faint, soothing blue color, and light never bothered Maria to sleep anyway, but she still couldn’t believe Pauline needed this as if she was a freaking toddler scared of the monsters below her bed. She felt the other girl rejoin her beneath the blanket, the mattress shifting under her weight. This reminded Maria of the times where they slept together as kids — Pauline is a rather touchy-feely person around her loved ones, so she’d always ended up snuggled against Maria the morning, arms tightly wrapped around her waist. She really hoped Pauline wouldn’t do this tonight. It just… wasn’t the same thing anymore, now that they weren’t kids. For a moment, neither of them spoke, only the sound of their breathing and of the muffled TV resounding in the room, and Maria almost thought she was going to fall asleep when Pauline raised her voice again.

“It’s because I have nightmares.”

Maria raised her head and looked at her friend. Pauline was staring at the ceiling, and she couldn’t really make out her expression in the darkness, but her gaze seemed unfocused.

“Nightmares?” She repeated. That was new. She’d never heard about Pauline having nightmares before — or at least, she’d never told her about it…

“It’s pretty rare,” the younger girl admitted. “But a few months ago I’ve had a really bad nightmare. Ever since, the dark prevent me from sleeping well, so Mom bought me the nightlight, and it helps.”

“Huh…” Maria didn’t know what to answer to this, and now she actually felt a bit like an asshole for having made fun of her without knowing this. Maybe Pauline read her thoughts — a pretty rare occurrence, as she usually wasn’t very good at this — because she smiled at her softly.

“Like I said, it’s not a big deal, really, so don’t worry.”

“I wasn’t worried,” Maria replied by reflex, though it wasn’t completely true. She hesitated for a moment, before asking in a softer voice: “What… What are they about, exactly? Those nightmares.”

“Hmm…” Pauline’s frown burrowed, as if she was searching through her memories. “To tell you the truth… I don’t really recall well. It’s very blurry. But…” She stopped.

“I think… there’s a monster in it…” She finally added, and her voice sounded a bit odd. “A beast.”

Maria blinked. “A… beast.”

“And… I think he kills me.”

(The beast killed her.)

For some reason, a chill ran down Maria’s spine, and she felt as if her entire body grew cold.

“Strangely enough, though, I… I’m not scared,” Pauline continued. “I think… maybe it’s a bit sad, but it’s not scary…”

Maria really struggled to stay focused on her words; she felt as if she was far, far away, in a place where she couldn’t reach anyone. For a very brief moment, it was as if she wasn’t in that room anymore, warm and safe under the soft the blanket, but somewhere else, in far away old city drenched in blood and corpses — among them, clothed all in black and white, lied Pauline, looking older and motionless—

“He won’t kill you.”

Pauline blinked, and stared at Maria blankly.

“The beast won’t kill you,” she repeated, firmly. “I won’t let him.”

The black-haired girl next to her looked so confused, and Maria honestly couldn’t blame her. She wasn’t even sure herself what she was saying exactly. She just knew her body was still cold and that the scent of blood still persisted in her nose and that she had to tell her that. Instinctively, she reached towards Pauline and grabbed her hand in hers, as if she felt the need to feel her warmth there — to reassure herself she was safe and alive, by her side.

“If… If the beast ever comes to you, then all you have to do is call me, and I’ll go kick his ass. I definitely won’t let him kill you.”

Pauline’s shock slowly faded from her face, and instead a warm smile replaced it, which Maria suddenly felt kinda embarrassed about. Why was she spouting all this nonsense? What the hell was wrong with her tonight? But then Pauline giggled softly, a silly, but content and happy expression on her face… so maybe it didn’t matter after all.

“Okay,” was Pauline’s only response.

And then she gently tightened her grip on Maria’s hand, and closed her eyes.

“Maria?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m glad you’re here.”

Maria couldn’t really see Pauline in the dark, but she could imagine her soft and genuine smile from her voice, and while she had always loved to tease Pauline and would’ve usually retorted a snarky reply at this… this time, just for this one time, she chooses to answer sincerely.

“Me too.”

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 “I’m sorry, but I just don’t get why you find those sandwiches so good. I mean, they’re just… sandwiches.”

“They’re not ‘just sandwiches’! They’re ham sandwiches! And it’s not my fault if you don’t know how to appreciate good things.”

“I’m not saying it’s bad, I’m saying it’s… normal. Common.”

“Well, that’s why it’s great! Ah, geez, whatever, forget about it.”

Pauline puffed out her cheeks, then forcefully bite into her ham sandwich they had just bought, as if she was trying to prove to her friend how good they truly were. It had been almost two weeks now since Maria arrived in the Netherlands. They had spent a big part of their time hanging out at Pllek beach and in the Vondelpark, though Filippa had also managed to drag them to the Rijksmuseum, despite the girls’ complaints. Right now, though, they were just a few streets away from the Asamas’ home, in a cozy place with a pretty view on the sea. It had always been Pauline’s favorite spot ever since she was a child; a bit like a secret base. Well, except it wasn’t secret or a base.

“So did you manage to make Filippa tell you where we were going for your birthday?” Maria asked, swinging her legs on the bench where they were sat.

“No,” Pauline answered, shaking her head disappointedly. “She kept saying it was a secret.”

“Fuck, I hate secrets. I just hope it’s not another museum…”

“Well… I did hear her vaguely mention the Anne Frank House…”

Maria chocked on her sandwich, then glared at Pauline. “You’re kidding me! No way am I going to some dead girl’s museum for a birthday!”

“Now, don’t be disrespectful…”

“I’m not being disrespectful, I just don’t want to think about freakin’ Nazis during my summer vacations!”

Pauline chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’m sure we’re just going to go celebrate to a restaurant. The Anne Frank House was about something else.”

Maria narrowed her eyes. “Wait. Did you just trick me?”

“Pauline!”

A voice called out from behind, and the two teens turned around to see a familiar middle-aged man heading towards them.

“Orlando? What are you doing here?” The interpellated girl questioned dubiously.

“Filippa asked for you two to go home,” the man replied in Dutch, and Pauline could see Maria frown besides her while trying to decipher what he was saying as much as she could.

“Why?” She replied.

“She needs your help. Did you forget? She had her new wardrobe and shelves delivered today, and she wants you to help install them.”

Pauline gasped and brusquely stood up upon hearing this. Her mother had in the prospect of redecorating the house, and she decided to start with the furniture. A few weeks ago, she had ordered a new wardrobe and shelves, and Pauline had promised her to help her out with them. Except she had completely forgotten about that! Her mom was going to be so angry!

“Hey, what’s going on…?” Maria asked tentatively, but she wasn’t able to get an answer that Pauline had already grabbed her hand and started running.

“We need to hurry! Otherwise there will be no birthday party at all, be it at the Anne Frank House or elsewhere!”

They managed to reach the house in ten minutes total, which was a record, and while Filippa reprimanded her daughter for her usual absentmindedness, there was no much of a scolding, as the girls helped as much as they could — although Maria did spend quite a few of her time grumbling. And she was still complaining about it even after the night had fell and that they were about to go to bed.

“If I’d known I was going to do manual work and have history lessons, I wouldn’t have accepted to come,” she said grumpily, sat on the half-opened window.

“It was not so bad,” Pauline tried to argue, but she only managed to get a glare from Maria.

“Vacations are made to have fun! Not to work! Your mom is a tyrant. Geez, seriously, what kind of idiot works during vacations?”

“Don’t… Don’t your parents often work during vacations…?”

“Yes! And they’re idiots!”

Pauline smiled awkwardly, then cleared her throat and quickly tried to change the subject to improve the mood. “Aren’t you cold in front of the window? We should close it. Plus, it’s starting to be late.”

“I’m not tired,” Maria replied. “And it’s not cold either. In fact, it’s still surprisingly warm outside.”

As she said this, Pauline came to her side, and indeed, she was right — there was a cool breeze, but overall the weather was still pretty hot. This wasn’t really surprising in August, though.

“Hey, Pauline?”

The girl turned her head towards Maria, and when she saw the wide grin her friend had placarded on her face, she instantly knew she was going to propose her something she wasn’t going to like.

“Let’s go hang out outside.”

I knew it! Pauline thought, and instantly frowned at Maria.

“No!”

“C’mon, let’s go! It can be fun!”

“B-But I don’t have Mom’s permission to go out tonight!” Pauline protested.

Maria rolled her eyes. “You’re fifteen! Stop acting like a baby already!”

“T-Technically, I’m not fifteen yet…”

“Are you fucking kidding me? You’ll be fifteen in like, five days!”

“The point is, I don’t want Mom to get mad at me…”

“She can’t be mad at you if she doesn’t know.”

“You… You want us to sneak out of the house without permission?”

“What? You never did this before?”

“O-Of course not!”

Maria was looking at her with such a stunned expression Pauline honestly thought she was going to shook her for a minute.

“Never? I’ve been sneaking out of the house without permission since I was like, ten!”

“Yeah, well, not everyone can be like you!”

Maria rolled her eyes for what was probably the hundredth time today.

“Come on, let’s go! It’ll be fun.”

“But…”

Maria sighed yet again, then she took Pauline’s hand in hers, and stared at her straight in the eyes. Her face was so close to hers that she could feel her breathing and that their noses could touch.

“You trust me, right?”

Pauline stared at her for a few seconds, and then she slowly nodded.

“Then let’s go.”

And despite her reluctance, Pauline decided to listen to her friend, and so they started to prepare themselves. Maria grabbed a top with a cleavage that was a bit too revealing and a skirt that was a bit too short in Pauline’s eyes, then took out red high heels from her suitcase. The other girl chooses a more simple and comfy blue dress, and then Maria winked at her and unpacked a box from her bag, before Pauline realizes it was makeup. Filippa refused for her daughter to wear makeup, because she always said she was still too young for that, but she felt that if she were to say this to Maria she would just laugh at her again, so she decided to stay quiet.

“Let me guess,” Maria suddenly said. “You never used makeup before, right?”

Pauline winced. “I did,” she argued.

Maria arched an eyebrow. “For Halloween?”

“Yeah, well, that counts!”

“No, it doesn’t. It’s not the same thing at all. But don’t worry; I’ll teach you. It’s not that complicated.”

And so she did; she first put lipstick, some blush and eyeshadow on herself, and then on Pauline. She made her sit straight on a chair, and the whole experience felt pretty stressful to her — she had to stay still during the process, as Maria was only a few centimeters away from her face, applying and bumping and brushing all sorts of products on her cheeks and eyes and lips while she couldn’t see any of it. And she honestly couldn’t tell if it was not knowing what her friend was doing with her face that bothered her so much, or if it was the proximity and intimacy of feeling her delicately touching her lips and eyelids. Maria, however, seemed unfazed by this, completely focused on her work, and Pauline was honestly surprised by how thorough and meticulous she was. It made her wonder how much experience she had with this — how many parties she went to before, how many friends she have back in Milan. She knew Maria was quite the sociable type, and she had told her a bit about some of her Italian friends, but Pauline never actually got the occasion to meet any of them.

To be honest… sometimes she felt like she actually didn’t know much about Maria. They’ve known each other for most of their lives, but because of the fact they lived in two different, far away countries, they still missed quite some parts of their respective lives. And Maria wasn’t exactly a secretive person, but she was still the kind who preferred to deal with her problems by herself, or to downplay the things that happened to her. She wondered if Maria felt the same about her too — that if, in the end, she also had the impression she ignored a lot of things about her supposed best friend…

“That should be good!” Maria exclaimed, putting aside the eyeliner. “What do you think?”

Pauline finally looked at herself in the mirror, and… she had to admit that, although she’d always thought of herself as a rather plain girl, right now, with her lips shining of a pretty pink color and her eyelids and cheeks softly colored, she was… quite pretty.

“It’s… really good,” she said. “You’re really good at this, Maria!”

“Yeah, I know,” the blonde agreed, a smug grin on her face. “I’ve had quite the occasion to practice before.”

Once again, Pauline wished she’d know what she meant by that, but for some reason the question stayed stuck in her throat and she felt unable to say anything when Maria put her hands on her hips and smiled brightly at her.

“Well then, let’s go!”

“Ah… yes.”

Pauline rose from her chair, and then was going to head out of the room when Maria suddenly grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

“No, wait. Let them loose.”

“What?”

“Your hair. Let them loose.”

“Why…?”

“Why? Uh, no reason. It’s just… You always tie them up. So I’m curious to see you with your hair down.”

Pauline blinked at her, incredulous. Then she realized she had no reason to refuse, so she did as she asked, and slowly untied her long black hair, letting them fall on her shoulders.

“Like this…?”

Maria smiled. “Yep, perfect! Now let’s go for real.”

She enthusiastically grabbed her hand, and following her friend’s firm step, Pauline exited the room. Maria softly closed the door behind her, then put a finger in front of her lips and mimed a ‘Shh,’ which made the other girl gulp. She had almost forgotten that now came the most difficult part: sneaking out of the house without her mother noticing them. Maria still in head, they slowly advanced in the corridor, and Pauline was impressed at how little noise the blonde was making despite the fact she was wearing high heels — while on the other hand, she had the feeling she was a giant elephant with just her normal shoes.

Then Maria suddenly came to a stop, and Pauline noticed that the door of her mother’s room was open, and that light escaped from it. This almost made her panic and turn back; but Maria’s hand was still tightly holding hers, and she started to walk with such confidence that Pauline didn’t even get the time to say anything. So they managed to go down the stairs and reach the house’s entrance without Filippa show up. Pauline realized they were actually extremely lucky her mother wasn’t in the living room, because otherwise the whole operation would have been impossible. Maria then quickly asked for the keys, which Pauline knew were always hidden under a flower pot near the door, and without making a sound they got out of the house and disappeared in the darkness of the night.

________________________________________________________________

Amsterdam at night was quite different from the day. Pauline may have been born and lived in this city her entire life, but she still had very few occasions to go wandering in the street when it was dark outside, and whenever she had it had always been with her parents. Under the starry sky, her hometown almost felt like a completely different world, and even with the bright street lamps at every sidewalk, she felt wary of the dark, and she couldn’t help but threw nervous glances behind her shoulders whenever she heard a noise.

Maria, on the other hand, seemed to be completely oblivious to her struggles, and didn’t seem frightened the least in the world — she walked with so much conviction, her high heels clicking confidently on the pavement, as if she owned the entire city. Watching her from behind, Pauline felt genuinely envious of her self-assurance. How did Maria always manage to appear so bold and assertive, in every situations? It was almost frustrating.

There was quite a few people around; some workers coming back to home late, some group of friends hanging out together — and despite the fact all of these strangers seemed to be absorbed in their own little world and couldn’t care less about the two teenage girls trotting down the streets, Pauline felt suspicious of every one of them. At some point, a very tall, middle-aged man in a big black coat walked past them, and she shrieked and grabbed Maria’s hand, as if she was afraid he was going to hit her. Maria, obviously, sensed her fright and rolled her eyes.

“I swear, what a wimp,” she commented, though she still didn’t let go of Pauline’s hand.

“You’re not even a little bit worried?”

“No? It’s cool, I’m used to it.”

“But— But what if that man had assaulted us. What would you have done then?”

“I don’t know. Kicked him in the balls? Wouldn’t be the first time it happens.”

“Wha— You know what? No, I don’t want to know what happened.”

Pauline sighed, but she didn’t have the time to regain her composure that Maria then instantly added: “So, where do we go?”

“Where…? Uh, I don’t know… I thought we were just going to hang out outside…?”

Maria sighed. “That’s boring. We need to do something. I dunno, maybe go to a bar.”

“But we’re both underage.”

“So?”

“So it’s illegal! They won’t let us enter!”

“Do you think something being illegal ever stopped me?”

Of course it didn’t. “No, but, I mean, that’s still— A-Ah, Maria?”

Her friend had stopped caring about what she was saying. Her eyes suddenly lit up, and she had brusquely started to run, crossing the street in the opposite direction. Pauline felt obligated to follow her, so she hurried to chase her down. When Maria finally stopped, she felt out of breath, and it took a few long seconds before she could regain her respiration.

“What… What’s going on?”

“Look!”

Pauline raised her head, and in front of her, behind a small wall, was a big, cleared esplanade, that directly gave view on the ocean. Pauline had already been to this place before, but it was the first time she actually saw it during the night; and she had to admit that the undisrupted sight of the sea, shining brightly under the moon and the stars, was quite enchanting.

“I wonder if the water is cold,” Maria pondered in a soft voice.

“It probably is,” Pauline argued. “I mean, it is the middle of the night…”

“Hmm…” Maria scratched her head, her eyes still staring at the ocean, and then a grin took shape on her face and she turned around towards her friend. Pauline instantly knew what she was thinking about without she even needed to open her mouth.

“No! Maria, don’t—”

But she had already thrown away her high heels, and without even taking the pain to remove her clothes, she climbed on the wall, and made a dive head first inside the sea, splashing everything around her, Pauline included. She resurfaced a few seconds later, the water only coming to her waist.

“Aaahh! It’s so fucking cold!”

“Of course it is!” Pauline yelled. “Hurry up and come back here! You’re going to catch a cold!”

Maria only laughed at her, then waved her hand. “Hey, you’ve always loved the ocean, right? C’mon! Join me!”

“What? I will absolute not join you!”

“Come on! For once in your life, stop being a coward!”

“I’m not being a—”

Pauline suddenly felt something grab a pan of her dress and pulling on it with all of its strength. And, as she never had the best sense of balance, this inevitably made her fell into the sea. Before she could understand what had happened, icy water was overwhelming her, and as soon as she got her head out of the sea she instantly started rubbing her arms and chattering her teeth. Then she glared at Maria, who, of course, was just giggling.

“You’re insane! I could’ve got seriously hurt!”

“But you didn’t, so everything’s cool.”

“Ah, God… I hope you’re happy now.”

“Hehe! Yes, very!”

Maria had that pesky wide grin on her face, and she looked genuinely so happy that Pauline couldn’t even bring herself to stay angry at her, which was annoying.

“Geez… The makeup you spent so much time doing is all ruined now…”

Maria shrugged. “No big deal. It’s just makeup. And it’s not like anyone can see us anyway.”

Pauline looked at Maria, and all of a sudden the situation seemed so weird and ridiculous — the both of them, two girls fully clothed into Amsterdam’s sea in the middle of the night — that she couldn’t help but chuckle. A chuckle that quickly morphed into a full on laugh, and that was contagious as Maria quickly rejoined her shortly after. Pauline knew that she should be upset at the other — the water was so cold and her hair and clothes were clinging to her skin in a really disagreeable way… but even after she calmed down and stopped laughing, despite everything, she still couldn’t help but feel strangely warm and happy.

Suddenly, she felt a hand brush her cheek. When she raised her head, her eyes met Maria’s. She was smiling gently — a soft, tender expression on her face that was a far cry from her usual smug smirks or mean grins. That was an expression Pauline wasn’t familiar with at all on her friend’s face, and it took her aback. Her hand was cold, but there was still something incredibly warm in the way she touched her cheek and put some of her black locks behind her ear.

“See? I told you.”

“T-Told me?”

“To let your hair loose. Your look a lot prettier like that.”

It was very dark, even with the light of the street lamps, so Pauline really hoped Maria wouldn’t notice the blush creeping on her cheeks.

She knew that she’d always been of the romantic, dreaming type. She had been the kind of little girl who dreamed to have a handsome prince to sweep her off her feet. Ever since she was a child, falling in love with a man, marrying him, and having children had always been her dream — and, despite the fact the people would tease her because of it, it was still her dream even now, and she never thought there was anything wrong with that.

As such, she’d always thought her first kiss would also meet all of the standard romantic criteria — after a lovely date with her boyfriend, he would bring her to a place where you could see the sea to watch the sunset, and then he would gallantly embrace her in his strong arms and gently put his lips on hers. It had always been how she pictured it. And yet…

And yet, when she looked at Maria, her blonde hair a mess and her clear green eyes shining like jewels, in the middle of that ocean of glitters, she felt a strange impulse taking root in her heart. She looked honestly so pretty, all sparkling and smiling and dazzling under the moon, and so without thinking she leaned in…

And kissed her on the mouth.

It was a brief, soft kiss; lasting only a handful of seconds. Maria’s lips were thin and soaked and salty. When Pauline pulled away, she saw her friend’s expression, which made her froze. She was staring at her, stunned, her eyes as wide as saucers, her mouth open, and her face the color of a brazen fire. Never in her life had she thought she would see Maria Campanella makes such a face, and she was absolutely sure that if she were to tell anyone, no one would believe her. And that’s only then that what Pauline had just done struck her.

“Ah!” She exclaimed. “Th-Th-That’s— I-I mean, that’s— This is—”

Pauline tried to search an excuse, an explanation. None came. She felt herself panicking. Why on earth had she done that? Sure, she’d always loved Maria a lot, but not… not like that. She… She didn’t think, at least? And Maria who just kept staring at her blankly in silence, as if her brain had just ceased functioning.

“S-Say something!” Pauline finally exploded.

“Ah, uh… I…”

At long last, Maria seemed to come back to herself, and winced while scratching her head. She opened her mouth, then closed it, and only a few seconds had probably passed by but those were actually the most excruciating seconds of Pauline’s entire life—

—until she sneezed.

The girls looked at each other in an awkward silence, and then, eventually, Maria spoke again:

“We should… probably go home before we got sick.”

________________________________________________________________

“Thirty-seven nine for Maria, and thirty-eight for Pauline,” Filippa declared, putting the thermometer on the nightstand.

The first one groaned, and the second sighed. Both of them were in Pauline’s room, muffled under the bed’s blanket with wet washcloths on their foreheads. It seemed it was a lot harder to discreetly came back home when you have an unstoppable cough, and they ended up getting caught before even reaching the stairs. Filippa had been generous enough to let them take a shower and sleep before any scolding, and when this morning they’d wake up with a high fever, she had also been relatively calm and understanding about their escapade.

“Honestly, what went through your heads? Going outside this late, all alone, without telling anyone. This is so dangerous! You’re lucky to only get out of this with a fever!”

“I’m sorry,” Pauline murmured, dipping her head under the duvet as if she hoped to disappear under it. “I didn’t want to…”

“You better not put the whole blame on me,” Maria suddenly added. “I didn’t have to insist that much for you to come with me.”

“Yes you did!”

Filippa sighed, then rose up from the bed. “Well, in any case you’ll have to stay in bed for at least quite a few days. I’ll see if Orlando can go to the pharmacy to buy some medicine…”

“So… there will be no punishment?” Pauline asked warily.

“I think spending your fifteenth birthday bedridden with a fever will be punishment enough.”

Her mother’s voice betrayed some irritation, but Pauline felt she had been more worried than angry about the whole ordeal. She then exited the room without saying anything more, closing the door behind her.

“You know your mom is still super cool,” Maria commented. “Mine would have never let me live if she’d have caught me completely soaked in the middle of the night in her living room.”

“You called her a ‘tyrant’ yesterday…”

“I was exaggerating. Trust me, compared to my parents, she’s an angel.”

Pauline had actually no troubles at all trusting her. She was well-aware Maria’s parents tended to be really strict, especially her mother. She witnessed it multiple times before, and it always made her feel grateful for the parents she had.

“It still doesn’t seem to prevent you from continuing to do bad things though…”

“What can I say? That’s just how I was born.”

A faint silence followed, until Maria broke it, in an unusual awkward voice:

“So, er… are we going to talk about it or not?”

“Talk about…?”

Maria groaned. “C’mon! You kissed me yesterday! On the mouth! Remember? I think that’s something that deserve a bit of a talk, right?”

Oh, right. The kiss. Pauline had, indeed, done that. For some reason. Yesterday felt like such an odd night honestly, and with her fever, everything seemed so far away and in a blurry that she had almost wished it was something she’d hallucinated. She and Maria hadn’t exchanged a word on the way back home, then they went to bed, and they’d been with her mother all morning. But Maria was right; obviously, this had happened, and they couldn’t just… ignore it.

“Well… I…” Pauline started, doing her best to not look at her friend in the eyes. “I don’t know.”

“You… don’t know.”

“I-I’m aware how silly it sounds. But it’s just… yesterday, things were weird, you know? We were in the sea, it was dark, and the water was so shiny, and, and… I don’t know! I thought you looked pretty so kissing you didn’t felt… out of place at the time… maybe…”

Pauline could hear Maria’s breath right next to her, but she couldn’t guess what kind of expression she had. She wasn’t courageous enough to look at her.

“So you just… felt like kissing me,” she finally said.

“Yes…”

“Because… what? I looked pretty?”

“Yes…”

Maria stared at her. She was clearly expecting… something else. But Pauline honestly couldn’t give her a comprehensive explanation. She herself didn’t truly know what had crossed her mind at that moment.

“So it wasn’t anything more.”

“More…?”

“You don’t have… any feelings for me.”

Pauline gasped. “Oh no! No, no, no! Of course not.”

Maria let out a huge, big sigh. “Right. It was just a weird impulse on the moment. You’re… just my friend. You like me, but, like, platonically.”

“Yes, yes, that’s it.”

“Yeah, of course that’s all. That’d be silly otherwise, huh?”

“R-Right…”

Then both of them looked away, an awkward silence still hanging in the room. Yes, Pauline was sure it was nothing. She wasn’t in love with Maria or anything. She was just her friend. So, really, there was no need to feel as awkward as she was feeling right now, right? She looked over at her friend (and nothing more!), who seemed to be lost in her own thoughts.

Surely Maria didn’t have… any feelings for her either, right? She always spent her time making fun of Pauline or telling her what a crybaby and an idiot she was… Sure, she knew Maria still liked her, otherwise she wouldn’t keep seeing her, but she wasn’t, like, romantically interested in her… She didn’t think…

Pauline felt like her brain was burning and about to blow up, and she didn’t know if it was because of the fever or because her thoughts were continuing to going back in circle in her head. So she decided she needed to stop thinking altogether, to speak.

“It was… my first kiss.”

Maria blinked, and stared at Pauline weirdly. “What?”

“You know. Yesterday. It was my first kiss.” She paused, before continuing: “I’d always thought my first kiss would be with my boyfriend, during an incredibly romantic date…”

“Oh. Uh. Sorry?”

“It’s not your fault. I mean, I’m the one who kissed you, after all.”

For some reason she still couldn’t fathom. Though thinking about kisses and Maria suddenly made an odd question birth in her mind.

“Say… Was it…”

“What?”

“Was… That wasn’t your first kiss?”

Maria snorted. “Of course it wasn’t.”

Pauline was kind of expecting that answer — Maria was older than her, and she knew she’d always been pretty popular. She never mentioned having dated anyone before, but Pauline still felt a bit disappointed that unlike her, it wasn’t her first kiss. Maybe it was childish of her. Now that she thought about it, she remembered that time two years ago when Filippa had asked her if she had a boyfriend, and Maria had just laughed awkwardly while dismissing the question… She thought she should let the matter at that, that it could be a potentially slippery topic, but the next question escaped her mouth before she even thought about it:

“Did the people you kiss before were boys or girls?”

“Is that any of your business?”

Her tone wasn’t especially disgruntled, it was just her usual snappiness, but Pauline still winced at it. And Maria noticed that, because she then sighed and added: “Both, actually.”

“Oh…”

Maybe that was why, then, that she never brought up the subject with her. Maria had never been the kind of person to be bothered by what others thought of her or to be judged, though, but… then again, what did Pauline knew about Maria, truly? They never seemed to discuss about important things together, or to really confide in each others.

But… maybe it was Pauline’s fault, too, a little bit. Maybe she should just ask Maria more about herself. She would never be able to know more if she never asked. Maybe she should take the first step and try to confide herself more to her, too.

“Though… you know, to be honest, I…”

Pauline hesitated a little, thinking maybe she shouldn’t say the rest for fear to be misinterpreted, but Maria’s green eyes seemed to push her to keep on.

“I actually don’t really regret it that you were my first kiss. I think it’s… actually rather nice for it to be with you. Plus it was also… kinda romantic, I guess.”

Maria stared at her, then finally she smirked, and let out a small chuckle.

“Sometimes you’re really so fucking weird, you know that?” She commented, and Pauline wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but there was an odd fondness and warmth in her voice, so it couldn’t be something mean.

Then she gently bumped the top of Pauline’s forehead, and she thought that, definitely, even with them ending up bedridden and with a fever, she didn’t regret at all any of the things they had done yesterday, or since the beginning of the month, for that matter. Maria always ended up causing her problems or dragging her into troubles she would have never gotten into without her, but maybe sometimes, just sometimes, it was worth it.

She thought it was worth it just to see the Maria who’d promise her to protect her against an imaginary beast from her nightmares while holding her hand, or to eat common ham sandwiches together, or to see a tender, genuine smile on her face during the night in the middle of an ocean of glitters.

And seeing a smiling, glittering Maria was worth all the fevers and punishments, and she would exchange it for nothing in the world.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #269

“why aren’t you scared of me, why do you care for me, when we all fall asleep, where do we go?”

What’s your sexual orientation? Bisexual. What are you obsessed with right now? lol y'all know my staple stuff I'm always obsessed with, so two recent ones are Skillet (I've been binging soooo hard) and drawing again! What piercings do you want? A lot, jfc. More than any, I want collarbone dermals once I lose enough weight to where they're prominent. I've been on a goddamn weight loss plateau for two years. What’s your favorite show to binge? None. I generally don't enjoy binging too much. Do you watch porn? No, not interested. Do you have a secret sideblog? lol this survey blog. Do you have/would you get your nipples pierced? No. I very briefly considered getting one pierced, but I won't. Are you angry with anyone right now? Not like... actively. But passively it's there. What tattoos do you want? I refuse to die until I'm P A I N T E D  F O R  T H E  G O D S. Do you like paper books or ebooks better? Absolutely paperback books. It feels more "real," something to dive into, and it's easier to see and understand how far you're in. We talked about this in Writing once, was an interesting convo. Plus the smell of books, aaaaaahhhhh. Do you still have feelings for any of your exes? Yes How many followers do you have? On here? *checks* 265. Do you read erotica? No, I'd feel SUPER uncomfortable. That's why 50 Shades has never appealed to me. Have you ever gotten into an accident with you parents’ car? No. Ever thought of just picking up and moving far away? Oh yes. What’s the wallpaper on your computer? My lock screen is the Halo of the Sun from SH, and my actual desktop wallpaper is my favorite closeup of my late pup Teddy. What is the last thing/person you took a picture of? Probably a stupid Facebook meme to show Sara or something lmao. Name a band/artist you like that isn’t that popular. Otep. Can you lift your significant other (your best friend if you’re single)? I'm sure I could. What is the first vehicle you recall your parents/guardians owning? Mom had a blue/greenish van for most of my childhood, while Dad had this old tan thing that he nicknamed "Frida the Cheetah" lmao. He had that damn car forever. Have you ever seen counterfeit money? Not knowingly. Have you ever lost a pet you were attached to? Well of course. I grew up with tons of pets. What was the most rebellious thing you’ve ever done? Probably texting back "fuck you" to Mom when she was being really shitty when I was having a breakdown. Pick one: laundry, dishes, or vacuuming? I'd pick vacuuming over the others any day. Have you ever moved and had to change schools growing up? No. You are forced to move out-of-state. Where do you go? I literally want to move to Canada. The highway and back roads take you to the same place; choose your route. Back roads, probably. You’re going to be a mom/dad; what do you think/do? Have a fucking panic attack. Are you more likely to give up or persist when you’re having trouble? It really depends on the seriousness of the situation, but in most cases I've actually faced, give up. Do you resemble one parent more than the other? I don't think so. Your best friend needs a kidney to survive; do you give them one of yours? If we're compatible, yes. Name a big life event that has taken place for you within the last 2 years. Nothing because my life is incredibly monotonous and stagnant. Name one difficult lesson you’ve learned. Life isn't fair, and life doesn't care. Name one thing you look forward to as you get older. Hey, let's hope I can be a functioning adult before I'm 70. Do you use your hands when you talk to emphasize what you are saying? Yes. Will you usually admit it when you’ve made a mistake? Yeah. Does stress ever affect you physically? If yes, how? Oh, yes. My stomach will absolutely hurt and I sweat more than normal (I say "normal" because I have hyperhidrosis). Did you have a money box as a kid? What shape was it if you did? I don't remember... I know we didn't regularly get an allowance or anything like that, but maybe I'm sure I stored money I was given somewhere? Has kids TV ever frightened you? As a kid, I both watched and feared Courage the Cowardly Dog, lol. Do you have any potted plants in your house? No. If you were born outside of your era, when would you want to be born and why? Early '80s! What a time for music, metal fashion, and fun. If you ran a store, what would you sell/have? IF I was more knowledgeable on more species, probably reptiles and more proper care materials and give advice that's not shit. Places like PetSmart and Petco just... disgust me. What part in a movie would you love to play? If I was confident in acting, probably the maniac lmao. I've experienced enough Crazy for that. What's the oldest article of clothing you own? I don't really know, but I do know Mom has a lot of my and my siblings' shirts as we've grown up to knit together a blanket one day. Fuckin cute as hell. What piece of furniture have you replaced the most? The couch. What instrument do you wish you could be more than great at? Guitar, with that electric twist anyway. What’s the best part of your favorite movie? When Simba roars atop Pride Rock in the storm and all the lionesses join in FUCK I get goosebumps out the WAZOO. What do you think is the most over-rated candy ever? Twizzlers, disgoosting. If you could only debate two topics the rest of your life, what would they be? LGBTQ+ rights is #1, then... hm... probably the pro-choice argument. Or just women rights in general. Out of your friends, who would you say you are most jealous of, artistically? Oh man, my friend Mini. She drew pretty well when we were young, but her skill like... increased exponentially with time. She doesn't draw in a *style* I'm envious of, but that growth tho. Most jealous of….intellectually? Girt. What is broken that you have, that you wish was fixed? My brain lmao. A famous person you have met? Nobody. Who were the last five people to text you? Dad, Sara, Ashley, Mom, and my grandma. What is your favorite book that you had to read for school? The Outsiders. Think of the last two people you kissed. Who was more fun? I've explained the "idk if *I* ever actually kissed Girt" before, but just for the sake of the question, I'll just count him. I tbh hated it only ever because why were your lips always wet, sir???? The latest person was Sara, and she kissed fine. If your house was burning down and you only had sixty seconds to grab one or two things, what would you grab and why? Roman and Venus because they're family and I adore them. Out of all the concerts you have been to, which band/singer was the best performer? Alice was great! When was the last time you went miniature golfing? For Jason's and my second or third anniversary, so a long time ago. What’s a song you like from a genre you hate? I always answer this question with a country answer, so let's go rap. Hm. OH, probably a Post Malone song. I actually don't mind him. If you had twin girls what would you name them? Alessandra indisputably, and then the other... maybe like, Josephine. Especially as twins, I'd want two gorgeous, less-heard names. What kind of condoms do you use? I don't use any because I'm not sexually active. Do you say years young or years old [ex: 16 years young or 16 years old]? Man, I miss the days I could confidently say "years young," lmao. Do you have any personality disorders? Avoidant, yes. I'm pretty convinced I have dependent PD, too. Do you shave your arms? Armpits, yes, but not my entire arms. What do you dip your fries in? Ketchup or honey mustard. Has one of your good friends ever moved away? Damn, yeah. I particularly remember this girl from elementary school in I think the 5th grade that I was very close with, yet I don't remember her name now. What color car are you when you play The Game of Life? Dude idr the colors at all. Which hair color do you find the ugliest? I've seen it be pulled off, but generally, yellow. Would you date a guy that wears more make-up than you do? Hell yeah man you fuckin strut that shit. Did you ever play M.A.S.H. when you were little? Ah, I remember that! Sure did. If you were getting married, who would be your maid of honor? My mom. If you have any pets, were they adopted from the humane society? No, but I would of course. Do you like home design, like picking out paint colors and furniture? Not any more than the average person. Do you chew gum on a regular basis? No. List all of your features that you have ever got compliments on: Do you mean just physical? If that's the case, hair, eyes, smile, uh... I feel like that's it. WAIT I can't remember who but someone once called my nose cute. Have you ever been in a hot air balloon, and if not, would you ever want to go in one? No; yes. What type of computer do you have? It's an Acer Nitro 5. Is anyone else in the room with you right now? My snake. Do you whiten your teeth with crest white strips? Not Crest, but a different brand, yes. I hate my teeth. Do you listen to local bands? Not really. I will sometimes listen to an old friend's band, at least bits of what they post on Facebook. Nova Mortis, check 'em out if you like pretty heavy metal. Do you have a pool in your back yard? No, but damn do I wish. Do your parents fight? Do they even talk at all? That's why they're divorced. They, especially Mom, avoid doing so whenever they can. Do you drink alcohol on New Year’s Eve? Usually. Do you wear rings? Just one, a friendship ring w/ Sara. Are there any restaurants in walking distance to your house? It'd be quite a long walk, at least by my standards. What was the last picture you uploaded to your Facebook? A picture of Mom and me. Have you ever listened to the same song on repeat for hours on end? YES. When I find a song I really like, I become VERY obsessive. Like I will play it and play it and play it for days. I in general have an extremely obsessive personality. Do you like staying in hotels? I don't have much of an opinion. It's a nice change of space, though. Are musicals interesting or boring? They're cheesy to me. What is your favorite scent of incense? (If you burn it) Okay, HEAR ME OUT. There is legit a kind called "monkey farts" that smells SO FUCKIN GOOD. Jason used to burn incense in his room all the time and that was my favorite one, so I use it now. Where do you normally hang out on the weekends? At home. I'm always at home, regardless of the day. Can you tune a guitar by ear or do you need a tuner? I never could. Do you like love songs? Generally, yes. They're sweet. Would you rather drink 7Up or Sprite? Fun fact: Sprite used to be my FAVORITE soda as a kid. I even had a fuckin Sprite shirt. Now, I hate it. I haven't tasted 7UP in forever. What is your favorite song as of right now? I'm seriously digging Halocene lately, esp their cover of "bury a friend." Have you ever sex texted? This is gonna sound so stupid, but I'm actually not *totally* sure what that is? Just like, dirty talking or like, virtually RPing sex? The former I did when I was fuckin 12 like a goddamn idiot, but not the latter. When's the last time you went out of state? A year and a half (I think?) ago to visit Sara. What was your favorite TV show last year? I didn't *really* have one, at least not actively. Like I didn't devoutly watch anything. Would you know who to talk to if you wanted weed? HAHA I sureeeee do. I wouldn't want any, though. What is your favorite Beatles song? "Hey, Jude." If you could kiss anyone right now, who would it be? I don't want to think about this. What is your favorite energy drink? I don't like energy drinks. Way too intense. Have you ever been to Hooters before? No. When's the last time you tripped? (Literally or, you know) HA, funny I take this survey today because my left foot is either broken or I seriously tore a ligament in it because I fell yesterday. I had to go up a dose on my medication that helps my nightmares, but it's notoriously for lowering your blood pressure, and mine is naturally low. I got up to go to the bathroom and grab breakfast and many times nearly passed out from being so dizzy until I finally fell and my foot bent forward. I couldn't even walk by myself yesterday and am still really struggling today. Our family friend brought the boot she wore when she broke her foot over just a while ago, but if this doesn't help, Mom's demanding I go to the ER. Can you touch your toes? I don't know HOW I can, but I can, I guess from when I did yoga daily and I could pretty much go under my feet. What would you say is the best feeling in the world? Being in love and knowing they're in love with you, too. Have you ever “spoken” to any celebrities via Twitter? No. Do you like croissants? YESSSSSSSSSSS. Do you get a lot of traffic outside your house or not? Yes. Mom explained to me why one day because I'd asked, but idr what she said. Do you eat cereal bars? No, I'm a granola bar person. Would you consider yourself healthy? Uh no. Assuming you could speak and understand the language, would you ever study in a foreign, non-English speaking country? Sure, for like a year or so! Doing that in Germany would be amazing. Are you on any prescribed medication? A lot. Do you know any immigrants? I know an illegal one that got deported. I probably know others. Have you ever lived in university or college accommodation before? No. If you haven’t already, are you scared of leaving home? If you have, do you like it? Very scared. I'm just very dependent and ignorant on how to be an adult. If you could only eat one vegetable for a year (not including potatoes) what would it be? Broccoli. Do you have a certain routine in the bath or shower? What is it? Shave, shampoo, facial scrub, this exfoliating brush for your feet, and then body wash. Is there anything that you loved a year ago but just can’t stand now? Hm. I don't really know. What’s the weirdest meat you’ve ever eaten? I took the SMALLEST bite out of it because I couldn't stomach eating it, but after a lot of convincing I tried a microscopic bit out of deer jerky. If you smoke, what brand of cigarettes do you smoke? If you don’t, have you ever tried? Don't smoke and don't want to. Do you like dried fruit at all? what’s your favorite type? NOOOOOOOOOOOOO.