#in that that school of thought always rubbed me thr wrong way

[patrice-bergerons]

You know that the school of thought that says queer narratives focused on [insert]-phobia are depressing, trite and relics of the past, and what we ought to celebrate as true marks of progress are narratives freed from such -phobias even where doing so runs foul of accurate descriptions of the place/time period?

It always, always rubbed me the wrong way and there is nothing like watching a good Russell T Davies drama to remind you that exploring joy and humour and the impact of homophobia are not mutually exclusive. You don't have to pretend it doesn't exist to have a good story that's not only about suffering. And while there may be a space for stories completely free from this conflict we deny ourselves so much depth if we demand it of every story or else label it outdated.

[countrymusiclover]

17 - Wearing a Ring

(Picture doesn't belong to me)

Part 18

Texas Romance

Tags - @tyrionsprincess30 @bvbwestfall

Someone knocked three times on the garage door making me rub the sleep from my eyes. "Y/n, Y/n, Y/n." Sheldon called out behind the closed door. Holding myself up on my elbow noticing Georgie's side of the bed is empty meaning he went to work most likely even though it's a Saturday. "Yeah Sheldon, what's wrong?" He peaks his head around the door trying to make sure he can come in. So I pat the space on the bed causing him to come sit beside me. He puts his hands in his lap looking nervous. "I'm not good with feelings but - I hope I'm not making life harder on you since you're pregnant now." Tilting my head I give him a weak smile hugging him without a thought and supriseingly he puts his arms around me. Sheldon had been freaking out that he couldn't focus on school because of his brother being pregnant and he was complaining a lot recently.

"It's okay Sheldon. It's all overwhelming for all of us." I whispered pulling away and wiping away tears until he offers with a smile. "Can I offer you a drink?" Nodding my head we went to the kitchen where he poured me a glass of chocolate milk since I can't have coffee while I'm pregnant. He stands at the end of the table as I finished it off. "Thanks, Sheldon." The front door opened and I hear a bunch of foosteps entered the kitchen meaning I see Missy and Georgie. "Hey guys, what's going on?" I asked confused at seeing her nearly bouncing off the walls and him clearly nervous when he reaches into his flannel pocket. Sheldon looks between the three of us confused as I am until Georgie dropped on one knee. "Georgie." I gasped suddenly dropping the glass making it shatter on the floor. He clears his throat trying to not cry himself.

Missy is almost jumping up and down giggling like she's five years old again when he spoke staring up at me. "Y/n L/n, I love you. When we started dating I was a reck always getting in trouble because I didn't like being called dumb. But you helped me see that I am smart in a different way. I know we didn't plan on becoming parents so soon, but I promise I'll be there for you. Through everything - because you are the only person I want to spend the rest of my life with. Will you marry me?" Nodding my head yes causing him to quickly get to his feet kissing me. He takes my left hand slipping the ring on my finger, looping his arm through mine smiling to Missy. "Missy go help her with her dress. I think we're done waiting." I stared up at him daring to ask the question. "We're having an actual wedding, Georgie?"

Missy had done a actual good job at picking out the perfect dress for me. It's long in the back but short in the front so I won't trip. Short sleeve with lace on the front. Eyeing the ring on my finger someone knocked on the door making me glance over my shoulder seeing Connie. "Hi dear, I thought you deserved my ring. You're the best girl for my grandson." Running up to her I throw my arms around her smiling and she hugs me back for a second. Sitting on Missy's bed she puts part of my hair in a braid leaving the rest of it loose falling down my back. Slipping my tenna shoes on my father stands in the hallway taking me outside to see thr backyard all decorated for the wedding. Squeezing my father's hand I asked as we both looked to Georgie wearing a tie and his best shirt with blue jeans smiling towards us. "So you're fine with me marrying him?" My father looked down to me then at my mother who is crying. "If he makes you happy. That's all that matters babygirl."

My father puts my hands in Georgie's where his mother stepped up carrying a Bible in her hands smiling. "Georgie is letting me preform the ceremony and I am honored." My gaze flickered to his and I already knew why. His father had quit his job as the high school football coach and his mother was fired from working at the church. Plus the entire town had cut us off because of the baby. "We are gathered here today to bring these two wonderful people together. I see these two together and it brings me great joy. Just as I hope their child will..." She has us put our freehand on the cover of her book asking with a smile. "Y/n do you take him to be your husband?" I grin replying. "I do." She turned to her son who answered immediately without a thought. "I do." Mary stepped back before Georgie cups my face in his hands kissing me slowly. Wrapping my arms around his neck I kiss him back hearing Missy hollering out in joy. "She's finally my sister in law!"

Comments really appreciated ❤️

[nanatsumu]

TEENAGE FEVER.

pairing: iwaizumi hajime x f!reader, oikawa tooru x f!reader

synopsis: iwaizumi has strung you on long enough and you’re finally at the end of your rope.

genre: heavy angst... like make your heart wrench in pain heavy, one sided pining

warnings: manga spoilers, bad grammar (didn’t know it was that bad until i used grammarly), MATURE themes, drinking, smoking, alcohol, iwaizumi being an asshole (he’s also a frat boy because surprise! frat boys should never be trusted), subtle hints at sex, bittersweet ending

word count: 5.9K

series masterlist

part one | part two | part three | part four

it was evident in the way you weren’t sure how to sway your hips to the beat of the music and the way you awkwardly isolated yourself in a quiet corner of the house, sipping on some soda (since you did not want your first frat party experience to end up with you wasted and throwing up on some stranger) that you were definitely not accustomed to the party life.

“are you sure you’ll be fine by yourself y/n?” your roommate asked you with a concerned look on her face.

“i’ll be fine reina,” you give her a tight-lipped smile as you gesture to the phone in your hand. “i’ll just sit here and chill on my phone until you get back.”

“okay okay, i’ll quit babying you now,” she throws her hands up in the air. “call me if some dude tries to hit on you though.”

“will do, but i doubt with how loud the music is that you’ll even answer,” you playfully roll your eyes as she erupts in a fit of laughter.

the brunette pats the back pocket of her jeans where her phone currently resides at.

“even if i don’t hear it, i’ll feel it.”

it becomes quiet momentarily (besides what you assume is i love it by dean blaring in the background) until she starts to looks around warily before leaning in and whispering something into your ear.

“if a hajime iwaizumi tries to talk to you, try to find a way to get out of the conversation,” she pauses for a moment before continuing. “that guy is seriously bad news.”

“y-yeah, i’ll... do that.” you hear her let out a sigh of relief as she straightens up her posture.

it’s hard to hear what she’s saying from there on out, especially with how obnoxiously loud the music has gotten, but you manage to catch the words ‘friends’ and ‘beer pong’ before she slips away amongst the sea of students and you’re left sitting alone on a couch by yourself with only your phone as entertainment.

you had recently moved to california from japan on an academic scholarship for uci, so when you heard reina mention the name ‘iwaizumi hajime’ it sparked a sense of familiarity within you and piqued your curiosity as to if he was also a foreigner studying abroad.

you’ve only been living in the states for a month now which meant you were still getting used to the strange lifestyle here, so the thought of being friends with someone you could potentially relate to had always been swimming in the back of your mind.

“so what’s a pretty girl like you doing here all by yourself?”

a voice snaps you out of your thoughts as you let out a small shriek and the next thing you know, your phone flies out of your hand, hitting the person that just sat down next to you.

“ow!” he cries as he clutches his forehead in pain.

“shit! i’m sorry dude!” at this point you’re scrambling around, not sure where to put your hands as you wave them around haphazardly.

“you know, it’s not nice to throw your phone at someone who's trying to make conversation with you right?” the stranger says in a whiny tone as he switches over to rubbing the red spot forming on his forehead in an attempt to soothe the pain.

“and you know it’s not nice to sneak up on a girl if she’s alone right?” you scoff. “where the hell did you even come from?”

“my mom’s vagina.”

“i didn’t mean literally!” you growl.

he shrugs before making himself comfortable by resting his arms on top of the couch and spreads his long legs.

“y’know, i don’t appreciate you manspreading and i especially don’t appreciate the fact that you’re confident enough to do so when i have no idea who you are.” you grimace.

“the name is oikawa tooru, introduction over,” he gives you a lopsided grin. “but you can call me tooru if you’d like, apparently everyone calls each other by their first names here in the states.”

“japanese?”

“yeah, but i’m not a student here,” he places two fingers on your cheek and gently pushes your head in the direction of the kitchen where you see some people conversing with each other. “you see the guy in the denim jacket with the piercings?”

your eyes wander around until you spot a boy sporting a denim jacket with piercings, just as oikawa described, but you also take note of how oikawa failed to mention that his friend was absolutely breathtaking: he didn’t have a chiseled face but he did have a nice jawline, his hair was spiky but it was styled properly, but what stood out to you the most was the small patch of permanent ink on his wrist.

and it’s as if the heavens were on your side tonight because just as you were thinking about whether or not the tattoo on his wrist branched into something bigger and more complex, he slips off his denim jacket and the sleeveless t-shirt he had on underneath allowed you to see that his entire arm was covered in numerous quantities of tattoos varying in design and color that blended together seamlessly.

“he’s the one that snuck me in,” he leans in closer to your ear and you can practically feel his hot breath on the shell of your ear which makes you shiver. “it’s funny how much college can change a guy, huh?”

he continues.

“his demeanor back in high school wasn’t too different from how it is now, but it like... intensified after he moved here,” oikawa throws his body back and you’re relieved that he finally put some distance between you two because you weren’t sure how much longer you could take him being so close to you. “dumbass probably got caught up in the wrong crowd.”

“and what are you doing here?” you direct your attention back onto the chocolate-haired boy.

“me? i play for a volleyball team in argentina but i’m just visiting iwaizumi.”

your jaw drops and it’s not at the fact that he plays for argentina, but at the way he says it so indifferently like it’s not a big deal at all.

“wait, what the hell!?” you shake your head and take a moment to recollect your thoughts. “i thought you were a student at another school but you’re telling me you don’t even go to school at all?”

“yup!” he grins. “the season just ended and with the free time i have now i just decided to fly here and visit iwaizumi for a bit, y’know, see how well he's adjusting to the university life.”

“and you should’ve seen the look on my face when i saw him for the first time in 4 years and all of a sudden he has an arm full of tattoos and a shit load of piercings.”

“wait, did you just say iwaizumi?”

“hm? yeah, iwaizumi hajime? you know him? i heard he’s pretty popular around here, but i’m pretty sure it’s for all the wrong reasons though.”

“my friend told me he was bad news...” you say sheepishly.

it’s silent for a moment and you’re worried you might have said something wrong or offended your new friend (could you two even be considered friends? i mean he did pop out of nowhere and started talking to you) but your worries are all washed away when you hear a laugh escape his lips.

“i wouldn’t say he’s bad news, just rough around the edges and has a bad habit of hooking up with girls.”

“you know i don’t appreciate you bad mouthing me behind my back shittykawa.”

a deep voice startles both you and oikawa, and when you turn around to see who the owner of the voice was, your mouth grows dry when you realize it’s the iwaizumi hajime standing right behind you.

“iwaizumi!” oikawa stands up and walks over to the spiky-haired male standing behind the couch before slinging an arm around his shoulder. “i was just making small talk with...”

“y/n. l/n y/n.”

“y/n! a pretty name for a pretty girl,” oikawa winks at you and you roll your eyes at his shamelessness. “anyways i’m gonna and grab a drink.”

oikawa pats iwaizumi on the back before sauntering away, leaving you and iwaizumi to be alone together.

“so, y/n?” his gaze is intense and you can’t help but shift around uncomfortably in your seat at the way he’s borderline checking you out. “you’re not from around here are you?”

“uh yeah,” you scratch the back of your head. “i’m from japan but i recently moved here for university.”

“is that so?” you flinch subtly when iwaizumi plops down next to you but it doesn’t go unnoticed by the male. “relax y/n, i don’t bite.”

his voice is velvety with the right amount of gruffness to it, contrary to his friend, oikawa, whose voice is a bit higher and on the whinier side.

“so... what are you majoring in, iwaizumi?” you ask, attempting to make some sort of small talk with him.

“i’m majoring in sports science, what about you?”

“education,” you answer, suddenly feeling a bit less tense than you were earlier. “i wanna become a teacher, but probably just for primary school, middle schoolers and high schoolers scare me.”

iwaizumi laughs.

“and primary schoolers don’t? i have a little sister and she’s literally the devil incarnate.”

you giggle and you think about how easy it is to converse with iwaizumi, but the warning reina gave you earlier still lingers in the back of your head and so you’re careful not to let your guard down too much.

“so how are you liking california so far? it’s different from japan isn’t it?” he asks.

“well, it’s... different i’ll give you that,” you start playing with your bottom lip subconsciously as it’s a habit that you picked up back in high school. “but my roommate is nice at least and that’s the only that matters to me.”

“i’m also planning on moving back to japan in the future but it’ll only be after i finish university and get my bachelor's degree or something,” you continue.

“taking an internship doesn’t seem too bad either? it’s still a while before i graduate so i wanna try and enjoy my university life before i get into thrown into the real world because i don’t wanna be old and wrinkly and live with regrets— i’m rambling now aren’t i?”

“you’re alright,” iwaizumi smiles. “it’s honestly like a breath of fresh air hearing how you have your life planned out, or at least you have a plan on what you want to do with your life because most of the girls i’ve met or i’m friends with are either undecided or are all about ‘living in the moment’ and while being undecided or having that type of mindset isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it just gets repetitive sometimes being surrounded by the same type of people.”

“but you— you’re different from them, i like that.”

you can feel your cheeks starts to heat up and iwaizumi is amused by how you can get so flustered over such a simple compliment.

“thanks... i guess?” you compose yourself and try to cool yourself down by putting your hands on your cheeks.

“so what are you doing here at this party? you don’t strike me as a party animal.”

“because i’m not,” you chuckle. “my roommate dragged me here and i only said yes because i was told it was only gonna be a small get-together, though she didn’t mention anything about the booming music and the alcohol.”

“you a lightweight or something?” he cocks an eyebrow.

“i’m 19, actually, so still not legally allowed to drink,” you state as a matter-of-fact.

“so? i was 19 when i drank for the first time,” he says and you’re alarmed at how he can say it so casually.

“ha, no thanks, i’d rather not accidentally get wasted and throw up on someone later tonight.”

“well, i’ll make sure that you don’t throw up on anybody then,” he stands up and extends his hand out for you to take. “why don’t you come along with me and i’ll fix you up a drink?”

you look at his hand with a wary look in your eyes as reina’s words start to play in your head like a broken record.

‘that guy is seriously bad news.’

“so what do you say, y/n?”

you stare into his brown eyes and it’s almost as if he injected curiosity straight into your veins because the next thing you know, you’re sitting on the counter with iwaizumi standing in between your legs as he’s pouring a bottle of bailey’s irish creme into a tumbler glass for you.

“this is probably the best option for you besides white claw but i’m sure as hell not gonna have you drink that shit especially when it’s your first time,” he sets the almost empty bottle on the counter behind him before handing you the glass, which you reluctantly take. “and i’m not gonna be an asshole and give you spirytus.”

you inspect the liquid by bringing the glass up closer to your eyes and whirling it around a few times in a way that is similar to that of a kid inspecting their halloween candy for poison or blades and it elicits a snicker out of iwaizumi.

“i don’t know... i told my mom i’d move to california to study and be a teacher, not go to parties and practice underage drinking.” you deadpan which only further humors the male in front of you.

“and i told my mom i’d move to california to study sports science, not pierce my ears and get my entire arm tattooed,” he says and you assume that this is his way of trying to coax you into drinking the glass of whiskey in your hands. “i’m sure a little bit of alcohol won’t hurt and i promise you’re not gonna get wasted, take a lick for all i care.”

“fine, but if i accidentally puke all over someone’s shoes then i’m counting on you to pay for dry cleaning.” you say before bringing the glass up to your lips and taking a tiny sip— and to your surprise, it wasn’t that bad.

the taste of whiskey wasn’t overbearing as the taste of cocoa and vanilla overpowered it, but you weren’t complaining as it made it easier for the drink to slide down your throat without you feeling the need to scrunch up your face in distaste.

“not bad right?” iwaizumi smirks and it immediately triggers your fight or flight.

“i haven’t even said anything yet.” you roll your eyes.

“well? what do you think then?”

his hand brushes up against your thigh as he goes to settle them on either side of you, effectively trapping you on top of the counter.

“i-it’s not bad i guess...” your words trail off at the end as you allow your eyes to wander away elsewhere in an attempt to distract yourself from how intimate this position feels.

“y/n,” you turn your attention back towards iwaizumi and your eyes widen at the close proximity between you two. “do you use any lip products?”

“just lip... gloss...” your breath hitches when you notice that he‘s starting to lean in closer as his eyes travel down to your parted lips.

but before he gets a chance to put his hands on you, you feel your phone vibrate in your pocket as realization also seems to hit iwaizumi at the same time and he immediately jerks away.

“uh, i think my roommates calling me,” you jump off the counter and dig into the pockets of your shorts so that you can retrieve your buzzing phone. “i’ll see you around campus?”

“yeah, see you around.”

he watches as you head for the exit and once you’re out of sight, he leans against the counter you were just sitting on a minute ago and lets out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding.

“that was so lame of you iwa-chan.”

he turns his head towards the direction of where the voice came from and sees oikawa striding into the kitchen.

“you totally got her wrapped around your finger, don’t you?” oikawa states as iwaizumi chuckles.

“fuck yeah i do,” he brings his hand up for a handshake. “i can’t believe she fell for my ‘you’re different from other girls’ speech.”

“and i usually never go for freshmen since they’re always so damn annoying but y/n... she’s gonna be a fun one to play with.” he adds.

“you’re a real douchebag.” oikawa says as he downs the rest of whatever is in his cup before discarding it into the nearest trash can.

“hey, if i’m gonna move back to japan soon then might as well make the most of the time i have left here, right?” iwaizumi defends himself.

“spoken like a true jackass.” the chocolate-haired male snorts.

“whatever,” iwaizumi rolls his eyes as he runs a hand through his hair. “i’m leaving in less than a month and a half so i’ll hit it and quit it.”

“that phrase is so corny, why not ‘bust a load and hit the road’?” oikawa suggests.

“i am not having this conversation with you right now.” iwaizumi irks before walking out of the kitchen with a mopey oikawa hot on his trail.

“so rude!”

it’s been almost a week now since your encounter with iwaizumi and you have yet to see him around campus. well, it was inevitable as he was all the way on the other side of the school, but deep down you wished you could at least run into him during the course of your week.

you briefly remember reina giving you an earful once you got back to the dorms because you had explained to her the minute you two got back that you met iwaizumi hajime at the party and even met one of his friends.

“y/n, didn’t i tell you that you should stay away from that guy?”

“but he seemed like a really nice guy to me...” you started fiddling with your fingers.

“that’s what he wants you to think, y/n,” she takes a seat next to you on your bed and wraps an arm around your shoulder, patting it soothingly. “i just— you’re new here and from the moment you stepped foot in our dorm i knew immediately that you’re gonna live a successful life and the last thing i want happening is for some college playboy to break your heart and ruin your life.”

your heart couldn’t help but grow fuzzy at her words.

“trust me, if this were any other guy then i wouldn’t mind you talking to them, but hajime is notorious for breaking hearts and ruining lives,” she puts her arms behind her back and uses them to support her body as she leans back. “there was this girl back in my freshman year, half japanese half white, her name was kaori, and i’ve never cared to keep track of any of hajime’s flings but she was the most serious case.”

“hajime and her met the same way you and him did, at a party, and he chatted her up until she eventually gave into those pretty boy charms of his and they started going out. the first few weeks were fine and the entire campus was raving about how this was one of hajime’s longest standing relationships yet and they seemed to be at a good spot in their relationship. but it wasn’t until one day, photos of her nudes were plastered all over the entire school and someone in hajime’s friend group ratted him out and said that he was the one who started sending the photos. obviously the school found out but they couldn’t get enough evidence that hajime was the one who sent her nudes around but since they had to do something, they decided to suspend kaori instead for ‘distribution of explicit content’ and the whole school started flooding her dms with death throats and she was labeled ‘the whore of uci.’ i think she eventually got tired of everything because she disappeared from the school without a trace, like completely disappeared. all her socials were deleted and she deleted her number so no one could contact her at all.”

after reina finished the entire story, you were remembered speechless. sure iwaizumi was a bit on the flirtier side and didn’t hesitate to test the waters, but that didn’t mean that he was completely shameless and disrespected your boundaries. you had a gut feeling that underneath that tough facade of his was a boy who was a normal college student like everybody else and had a goal in mind that he wanted to achieve, but after hearing reina’s story you weren’t sure what to think anymore.

“that poor little thing, she was such a sweet girl and it’s such a shame that she just had to go and get involved with hajime. if she still went here then i’m sure you and her would’ve gotten along,” reina adds. “she kind of reminds me of you in a way, you have this innocence to you that can’t be replicated yet you actually have a spine unlike those girls that throw themselves at hajime. tsk, how shameless of them, throwing yourself at a boy who’s known for tossing girls to the side once he’s down with them.”

needless to say, after that long conversation you had with reina, you’ve started to become more wary of the boy, but an unknown force keeps pulling you back to him.

reina had invited you to another party this weekend and while you were a bit reluctant about accepting her invitation, you thought that this might be your chance at ever seeing iwaizumi again so with your one track mind, you accept her offer without a second thought which now leads you to present time.

you feel a wave of deja vu wash over you as sweater weather blasts from the speakers and you can feel the heavy bass shake up the entire house.

you and reina struggle to nagivate through the crowd all while trying to avoid the couples making out in order to get upstairs where her friends had texted her to meet and you’re glad you’ve gained enough confidence to give her the green light when she asked if you wanted to meet her friends because you’re not sure how much more your eardrums could take.

“it’s right here!” reina knocks on the door three times and just when she’s about to go in for the fourth knock, the door swings open, revealing an all too familiar chocolate-haired male.

“y/n!” he exclaims as he throws his arms around you and reina just barely manages to dodge his long arms.

“hey! you almost hit my fuckin’ face you douche!” she cries. “and who the hell are you? i’ve never seen you around before.”

“oikawa, you’re still here?” your voice is muffled by his chest and you have to muster up all of the strength you have to pry him off of you.

“baby, you’re gonna be seeing me around for a whole month!” you and reina give each other a blank stare.

“first of all, don’t call me baby,” you duck down and it proves successful in getting out of his hold. “and secondly, what are you doing here?”

oikawa pouts at the lack of contact but continues the conversation nonetheless.

“iwaizumi snuck me in again and i’m staying at his place for now so wherever he goes, i tag along,” he points behind him as you and reina peer inside the room. “so what are you guys here for?”

“well my friends told me to meet me here, but it seems like they’re fraternizing with the enemy.” reina scrunches her nose up in disgust and you catch a glimpse of iwaizumi with his arm wrapped around a blonde girl’s shoulder.

“well iwaizumi’s friends are friends of mine and since your friends are iwaizumi’s friends then you’re my friend as well!” oikawa proclaims as he throws his arms around both you and reina this time and pulls you guys in for a side hug.

“let’s head in!” he pulls you guys into the room, not forgetting to lock the door as it shuts behind him.

iwaizumi notices you and you give him a small smile before taking a seat next to reina, oikawa following suit as he sits next to you as well.

“hajime.” reina greets him with a curt nod.

“reina... nice to see you,” iwaizumi says briefly.

“so who’s up for a game of seven minutes of heaven?” the girl who’s in iwaizumi’s arms proposes.

“c’mon! seven minutes in heaven? really? we’re in college now, let’s do something a little more daring!” a boy with black hair shouts.

“fine, let’s play strip poker then!” you hear someone suggest.

all of the girls in the room groan.

“pervert, you just wanna play it so that you can see us in our undergarments.”

“isn’t that the point of the game though?”

“i don’t even know how to play poker.”

“is this your second time at a party?” oikawa leans in and whispers into your ear, not wanting to put all of the attention on your conversation.

“yeah, i wasn’t planning on going in the first place but reina managed to convince me.” you lied straight through your teeth, not wanting to spare the embarrassment of telling oikawa the real reason why you came to the party.

“oh really? what would have you done all by yourself on this fine friday night if you stayed back at the dorms by yourself then?” he questions.

“probably head to the cafe thats off campus and try their new milk bread,” you say bluntly.

“milk bread?” you turn your head a bit and see oikawa trying to stifle a laugh.

you slap his thigh which prompts him to yelp.

“what’s so funny idiot?”

“n-nothing! it’s just... i like milk bread too.”

“really?” your eyes sparkle and oikawa can’t stop the genuine smile that forces its way onto his face. “do you wanna come with me tomorrow to try it then? i was gonna ask reina but she’s going on a blind date or something tomorrow and i don’t wanna bother her.”

“sure, but why me?”

“well i don’t know anybody else here, and you’re technically like my friend right?”

“what makes you think we’re friends?” he says but quickly comes to the realization that it sounded a lot more heartless than he had intended it to.

“sorry that came off rude...” he sheepishly scratches his neck.

“no i get what you were trying to say, but i mean, i consider you my friend so isn’t that enough?”

“geez quit flirting you two!” reina groans as she pushes you and out of reflex, oikawa immediately latches onto your arms so that you don’t accidentally bump heads with him.

“we’re not flirting,” you roll your eyes before muttering a small ‘thank you’ to oikawa after he releases you. “i’m just inviting him out to that cafe that i’ve been telling you about since you’re too busy going on that blind date.”

“hey hey hey! you were to keep quiet about that y/n!” reina loudly whispers as everyone else in the room roars in laughter.

“oops! sorry reina!” you snicker behind your hand.

“oh you’re so gonna get it!” she tackles you onto the floor. “oikawa, hold her down!”

you feel an extra set of hands put your arms down as reina uses her legs to pin your legs down.

“w-wait! oikawa i thought we were friends! don’t—” your words are suddenly cut off and you begin to break into a fit of laughter as reina commences her tickle assault on you.

“f-f..fuck o— AHAHAHAHA..... FUCK OFF R-REINA!” you manage to say in between breaks.

after what feels like minutes of torture, reina finally lets up and you’re free from the shackles that is her and oikawa.

“you’re a traitor oikawa!” you cry as you sit back up, massaging your shoulders to release the tension that had built up in them within a span of 30 seconds.

the said male flat out ignores you though as he turns to face the rest of the group.

“any-who, who’s up for a game of spin the bottle?”

“that’s lame.” iwaizumi finally speaks up.

“you’re lame! don’t make me tell everyone what went down last friday when—” oikawa is about to continue his sentence when iwaizumi suddenly sends him a cold glare that shuts him up.

“scary!” oikawa wraps his arms around you for what seems to be the umpteenth time tonight. “save me y/n!”

you roll your eyes.

“you’re awfully touchy with someone who you’ve only known for a week yet only met twice,” you complain but don’t make an effort to shy away from his touch.

“but we’re friends right? you even said so yourself!” he smirks at the face you make when you come upon the realization that he’s used your own words against you.

“whatever, do what you like,” you mumble against his arms. “i seriously envy your ability to get along with people easily.”

iwaizumi lets out a low growl as he witnesses the scene in front of him unfold. he wasn’t going to let oikawa get to you first when he clearly had his sights set on you from the moment you stepped foot into that party last friday.

he was going to be the first man to make a move on you and what better way to do so than a game of spin the bottle?

“how about,” iwaizumi picks up the half-empty bottle of beer next to him as he downs the rest of the contents inside before placing it flat on the floor in the middle of the room. “a game of spin the bottle?”

“and you think seven minutes of heaven is lame?” oikawa scoffs. “didn’t lara jean play it in middle school in that one flashback in to all the boys i’ve loved before?”

“you watched to all the boys i've loved before?” you ask oikawa.

“hell yeah i did!” he grins. “iwaizumi told me it’s corny but can’t a guy love his chick flicks?”

“you’re so lame!” you giggle, even though you too had watched it.

“have you seen the second movie?” he asks as you two begin to go off-topic again.

“no i haven’t, i heard it was bad so i just never bothered to watch it.” you shrug.

“dude we should watch it together then!” he suggests.

“and if it’s bad then i’m gonna kick you out of my dorm.” you snort.

the black-haired male from earlier clears his throat which prompts you and oikawa to stop talking.

“first of all, oikawa, y/n, get a room, and secondly, let’s play spin the bottle!” he yells.

the first few minutes of the game were boring and the matchups were weird, to say the least: reina had to kiss the blonde girl (you found out her name was genevieve), the black-haired boy (kevin) had to kiss some girl who you recognized was from your seminar class, and then when it came to be oikawa’s turn, the bottle landed on him so he just ended up kissing himself through a mirror out of his own free will (trust me, no one there wanted to see that happen and no one could stop him even if they tried.)

there were about 12 people in the room, 13 including you, and out of everyone there the one person who you would definitely not want to kiss.

iwaizumi.

it wasn’t like you despised him or anything, but after hearing about him from reina along with the girl who had been sitting in his lap this entire night, you really did not want to deal with a target on your back and an enemy acquired within your first month of living in the states.

so when it came down to your turn, you were silently praying to the gods that it would land on anybody but iwaizumi— heck even oikawa would be a better option.

but it seems like lady luck had her smile turned away from you because as the bottle began to slow down, a symbol of your fate being sealed in this very room, it had landed on the one person you did not want it to land on at all.

“y/n, you have to kiss hajime!”

the whole room went silent.

“what?!” genevieve shrieks and the ringing in your ears lingers around for longer than you’d expected. “i am not letting some... freak! kiss hajime!”

“genevieve, y/n is not a freak,” reina defends you, oikawa following up with a ‘yeah! she’s not a freak!’ as well. “you literally just met her and you’re just mad you don’t get to kiss him.”

“and while i’m not too... happy with this either, rules are rules.” the brunette continues as she sends a disapproving look iwaizumi’s way.

“well, pucker up buttercup,” iwaizumi picks genevieve up off his lap and scoots over to you. “i’m about to make it up to you for last week.”

he leans in closer and you shut your eyes, preparing for whatever is about to come next.

his lips are soft in a way, and what’s supposed to be a quick smooch turns into a full-blown make-out session as he starts to deepen the kiss by holding you from the back of your head, tangling his hand within your hair, and tilting his head to the side for more leeway.

you try to push him away but it proves to little avail as the grip he has on your waist with his other arm is too strong. your hands mindlessly find purchase in his brown locks as his tongue swipes along your bottom lip, asking for entrance. at first, you’re hesitant, but when you open your eyes and you see him staring into your e/c orbs with that alluring look in them, you can’t help but part your lips just the tiniest amount as if to test the waters, but it proves to be more than enough room for iwaizumi to easily slip his tongue into your oral cavity, turning the kiss into battle for dominance.

he tastes like a mix of beer and mint, a strange combination but he makes it work somehow.

the hand he had on your waist trails further downwards and finds a resting spot on your thigh and you can’t help but let out a small moan at the way he starts to rub the sensitive part of your thigh as his hand inches dangerously closer and closer to your core.

it’s only when you start to hear whistling and the ‘get a room!’ comments that you remember that you’re still in the middle of a game of ‘spin the bottle’ and that there's an audience watching as you two shamelessly make out.

this doesn’t seem to faze iwaizumi, however, but the adrenaline in your body aids in your attempt to push him off of you and once you’re completely free from his grasp, you immediately make a beeline to anywhere else but this cursed room.

“y/n!” you hear oikawa and reina call after you but you would rather die than spend another minute in that godforsaken room— especially not after iwaizumi embarrassed you like that in front of everyone.

part one | part two | part three | part four

[meliaaizawa]

RAMEN OF REGRET

Shota dealing with Mei's departure to her internship.

Mei moved to Tokyo about five months ago. Or is it six? I’ve lost track of time. Though my mind told me it was best to let her go, things haven’t been the same around here. For starters, it’s been a lot more work trying to get around during my patrols. I had gotten so used to having Mei’s copied cloud quirk. I can’t just fly around with her anymore, so my legs and arms have been sore from swinging and running around so much. Last week, I got stabbed by some thug while I was stopping a mugging… Instead of Mei being around to treat my injury, I had to go to a doctor to get it stitched up. She would even help me grocery shop when she was around. Bottom line is that my whole schedule the past few months has been out of order. I thought that her being away was rational, but to be honest, it’s been a lot more difficult than I had originally anticipated.

However… all of that is cakewalk compared to the inner battle I’ve been dealing with. Mei deciding to go to Tokyo was an easy out for me… or so I thought. It was the perfect opportunity for me to get rid of my feelings for her. No Mei around, no love for her would develop… simple, right? WRONG. On the contrary, Mei has been sticking around in the back of my mind like a pesky weed that I can’t seem to get rid of. I didn’t expect to just stop thinking about her overnight… but I also wasn’t expecting to think about her even more six months after zero contact with her. Somehow, even from all the way in Tokyo, she’s able to plague my mind. How annoying.

Shota stopped writing at the sound of a knock at his door. “Yes?” he answered. “YOOOO SHOTAAA IT’S YOUR BESTIE!!” he heard the cursed voice of Hizashi say from the other side of the door. “I’m not at home,” he replied, plainly. “I’m letting myself in, then,” Yamada said, followed by the jingling of keys and the rattling of the doorknob. Shota nearly forgot that he gave him a spare key to get inside and feed Kohi while he was on an extended mission a couple months ago. He acted fast, shutting his journal and throwing it underneath the couch that he was lounging on. Just in time… as Hizashi walked into the darkness of his friend’s apartment.

“BRO, I HAVEN’T SEEN YOU IN AGES!” he said, turning the lights on, causing Shota to blink wildly. “How can you even see in here??” Hizashi continued, walking into the surprisingly messy apartment. “My eyes were adjusted,” Shota replied, rubbing his eyes and trying to readjust to the lights being on. “And I’ve never seen your place this messy before,” Hizashi added, knowing that Shota was an overall very tidy man. “I’ve been busy… now leave me alone,” Shota said, still laying on the couch. “I’ve left you alone now for the past six months. It’s time for you to get out and get some fresh air!! Let’s go grab some food!!” his friend replied.

“No,” Shota said, shortly. Hizashi crossed his arms and tapped his foot. “Fine, if you’re going to be stubborn, you leave me no choice but to remain in your apartment until you decide to leave,” he replied, sitting down on the floor right in front of the couch, taking Shota’s remote and turning the TV on, as if making himself at home. If there was anything that was important to Shota, it was the comfort of his own home. He got up from the couch and snatched the remote from Hizashi’s hand, turning the TV off. Though in his loungewear, Shota went over to his front door and slipped on his boots. “Let’s get this over with, then,” he said.

The pair walked through the neighborhood, over to a nearby ramen shop that they used to frequent. *Of course, we would eat here of all places* Shota grumbled to himself. They went in and placed their orders before taking a seat at the bar. Hizashi was chatting about something while Shota’s mind wandered. Ramen had always been Mei’s favorite food… really, she loved all soup, but she was crazy about ramen. So crazy that during their second-year school festival at UA, Mei convinced her three buds to sign-up for a ramen eating contest with her. She ate so much that they had to go out and buy more. Her and Hizashi were the final two in the competition. She could’ve easily kept going, but when she recognized that Yamada would’ve been sick if he ate any more, she dropped out, letting him win. She said she didn’t want the winner’s sash and trophy anyways.

“Hm? What’s on your mind, bro??” Hizashi asked, interrupting his train of thought. “Nothing of importance,” Shota replied, shortly. “It’s obviously something important!! That ramen has been sitting in front of you for almost five minutes and you haven’t even touched it!” he pointed out, causing Shota to notice. “I was letting it cool down,” he lied, taking his chopsticks and starting to eat. “It’s because ramen is Mei’s favorite food, isn’t it? OK, REAL TALK… you haven’t been yourself for MONTHS. In fact, I can specifically point to the change six months ago when Mei left,” Hizashi said. “What are you getting at?” Shota asked, acting uninterested as he continued to eat his ramen.

“What I’m getting at is that you should just call her!! You’re acting all depressed as if she were dead, but she’s not!! In fact, she’s probably been hoping you’d call her… Whenever I talk to her, she always asks about you… I’m sure she misses you!!” Hizashi told him. “Why should I care?” Shota asked. “Because it’s obvious you’re in love with her,” he replied, causing Shota to choke on his ramen slightly. “I’ve always had a feeling, but now I know for sure… I mean, why else would you just let her leave to go to Tokyo? You were afraid of commitment, weren’t you?” Hizashi asked. “We’re ready for the check,” Shota told the waiter behind the bar.

“It’s obvious your life is so much better with Mei in it… what’s stopping you from hopping on the next train to Tokyo, finding Mei, and telling her about how you really feel?” Hizashi asked while Shota settled up with the waiter. “It’s better this way,” he replied sadly before getting up from the table and walking away. “Hey, wait up!!” Hizashi called after him, but he walked out of the shop. “Sir!!! How much do I owe??” Hizashi asked the waiter. “Oh, the other gentleman paid for your meal as well,” he answered. “SHOTA!!!!” Hizashi called as he ran out of the shop, looking up and down the streets wildly… but Shota stealthily got away.

[queerbutstillhere]

Jon sighed, rewinding his movie for the fifth time in the past ten minutes and then snuggling back into his blankets. He watched Elsa singing about her problems for the sixth time and actually tried to pay attention this time.

Except he couldn't. Just like every other time, he couldn't pay attention.

He shoved a spoonful of his soggy cereal in his mouth and glared angrily at his computer, even though it had done nothing but loyaly serve him for the past five years. It wasn't really it's fault. He grabbed his phone, unlocking it without looking and checking on his pizza to see that it was "in route". Good he was hungry. Jon clicked out of the app, staring at his background for a moment too long and he felt another bolt of loneliness hit him. His background was a picture of him and Damian, his kind of boyfriend. They had been at the park with Damian's friends that day, and one of them had snapped a cute picture of them, Damian sitting in Jon's lap on a swing, facing him as they tried to swing, but just dissolved into laughter.

Jon groaned to himself and dropped his phone onto his bed, wrapping himself in his blankets.

It was September 15th, his parents were gone on a business trip, so he was home alone. He should probably be doing his homework, but senioritis was a thing, as was depression.

The reason for his depression? He had gone approximately three days without talking to his boyfriend, who had left to do college in Switzerland. Switzerland!! Who leaves their boyfriend of five months to go to EUROPE for school!? Damian Wayne, that's who.

Jon had been sitting there, minding his own business, when he had made the mistake of looking at Damian's Instagram and seeing a recent post of him in Switzerland, doing some modeling for a photographer friend. He had felt weird, for some reason, but hadn't realized what it was until an hour later, when he had the thought "What if Damian is gone for good?" And immediately that wave of loneliness slammed into him harder then a skyscraper. He couldn't handle that. Damian had been his best friend before they started dating, and he just didn't know what he'd do without Damian. A month without him had been hard enough.

So he turned on Frozen, ordered himself a pizza and wrapped himself in his fuzzy blanket, curling up in his bed and crying a bit. It was pathetic. He should just call Damian. But he couldn't. Because what if all his fears were true. What if Damian wanted to break up? And now he was thinking about it again and he was tearing up all over again.

He shoved his laptop off his legs and curled up on his side, staring into the middle distance as he cried.

And then the door buzzed.

"Shit," Jon mumbled, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

That was probably the pizza. He crawled out of bed, wiping his nose on his hoodie sleeve, yes he knows it's gross, but he's having an existential crisis, cut him some slack, okay? Jon made his way out of his bedroom, to the front door, grabbing some money for a tip as the doorbell buzzed once more. He knew he looked horrible, but it probably wasn't the worst this poor pizza delivery person will have seen. So he just unlocked and pulled the door open, ready to get his pizza and go cry in bed.

"Oh no!" He exclaimed thr second he opened the door, and then immediately closed it again.

Because standing outside was Damian Wayne.

Jon felt himself tearing up again.

"Jon?" Damian's soft voice called, and he gently tapped on the door again.

The pizza guy was one thing, Damian was a completely different thing.

"Jon."

Okay well it's too late now, just open the door and face your boyfriend, Kent. It's not like you cheated or anything, just ugly cried about a long distance relationship.

He took a breath and pulled open the door, pulling his blanket tighter around him.

"Hi," he said softly, sniffling.

Damian's keen eyes immediately scanned him and then he frowned. "You've been crying."

"Yeah a little."

"Why?"

Jon opened his mouth to respond and then he saw the bouquet of flowers cradled in Damian's arms. He didn't even get to notice that Damian was only wearing joggers and a sweatshirt but STILL looked amazing, and he didn't notice that Damian's hair was messy and tangled and he didn't get to notice that he looked extremely tired. He just saw the flowers and started sobbing again, right there, in the doorway, tears started streaming down his cheeks.

"Oh, Jon, no don't-"

Jon blearily noticed the person walking up, a pizza box in his hands, and realized that his pizza was finally here, and he was just bawling his fucking eyes out. The delivery guy looked at him, then at Damian, eyes wide.

"Uhhh, pizza for Kent?"

"Uh-huh," Jon mumbled out, wiping his eyes quickly and holding out the tip.

The guy edged past Damian, taking the money and then hastily handing Jon the pizza before bolting, because he definitely wasn't paid enough to watch a highschooler sobbing as a billionaire stands outside his apartment.

Damian was starting to look really concerned now. Jon cleared his throat and stepped back, holding the door open.

"Please come in?"

Damian stepped in, and Jon let it swing close, trying to calm himself.

"Are you okay?" Damian asked, setting down his flowers, and taking Jon's pizza, he grabbed a few tissues from the living room and came back, gently dabbing Jon's cheeks.

"I'm fine," Jon mumbled, even as he started crying again.

"Jon!" Damian exclaimed, gently cupping his face. "What ever is the matter!?"

Jon just pulled Damian into him, shoving his face against his shoulder and cried. Damian seemed fairly startled, but wrapped his arms around Jon and gently rubbed his back.

"'m sorry," Jon mumbled.

"It's perfectly okay, Jon, would you just tell me what is wrong?"

Jon felt his face heating up. God why was he so pathetic and insecure!

"It's nothing."

"It clearly is not if you break down into tears the second you see me!"

Jon pulled back and wiped his eyes.

"The flowers are pretty. Are . . . Are they for me?"

"No. They're for Lois. Of course they're for you, dork!"

Damian picked them up and, after giving Jon another concerned look, turned and walked into the kitchen, finding a vase.

Jon took the brief moment to wipe his eyes and blow his nose before following.

"So um. What are you doing here?" Jon asked, tugging his blanket tighter around him.

"Would you like me to leave?" Damian asked, eyebrow going up.

"No! God no! I just. . . You didn't mention you were coming."

"I know. It's called I missed my boyfriend and wanted to surprise him."

"O-oh." Jon hated that his voice just cracked and that he started tearing up again.

"Jesus Christ, Jonathan!" Damian sounded alarmed. "Why are you crying."

"Because," Jon mumbled out, rubbing at his eyes. "I really really miss you and I didn't know if you were coming back ever or what and i was scared you were gonna wanna break up."

Damian blinked at him a few times.

"Jon. Oh dear Jon, no."

He walked over and gently cupped Jon's face, looking up at him with the softest expression Jon had ever seen.

"I'm so sorry if I've been distant and made you think that. I would never leave for good. Gotham is my home, and you mean more to me than anything in Switzerland. And I mean anything."

Jon was gonna cry again. Instead he settled for pushing his lips against Damian's and kissing him desperately. Damian just held him tightly and kissed him back for a moment.

"I don't want to break up," Damian assured, smiling softly.

"I'm really fucking glad," Jon breathed out, smiling at his boyfriend.

They kissed once more before Damian returned to arranging Jon's flowers.

"Can I ask why you got started thinking this?" Damian asked, glancing over.

"I dunno. Guess I was just feeling insecure or something."

"Jonathan, beloved. Next time you start having fears like this, just call me, okay? So we can talk about it, instead of letting it upset you this much."

"I will," Jon promised.

After Damian made sure the flowers were properly arranged and Jon had eaten his pizza, they both got ready for bed, finishing Jon's movie as they sat together in Jon's bed.

"Um, can I. . . Would you?" Jon asked softly, looking over at Damian.

"Hmm?"

They had been holding hands, and Damian's thumb was lightly running over the back of Jon's thumb.

"Could we cuddle?"

Damian blinked at him then smiled. "Of course we can, darling."

So they shifted, laying on their sides, Jon's back to Damian's chest, one of Damian's arms wrapped around Jon's stomach. Jon was feeling significantly better, much happier. He definitely didn't almost doze off during the final scene of Frozen. He was pulled back awake as Damian leaned over him, shifting his weight as he gently placed the laptop on the table beside the bed.

"Is it bed time?" Jon mumbled sleepily.

"It was bed time three hours ago," Damian told him with a small laugh.

Jon chuckled and flicked off the light, snuggling back into Damian.

He fell asleep that night, feeling happy and safe in his boyfriend's arms. And he didn't think for a second about having to tell his parents that his boyfriend randomly showed up and spent the night. Did they need to know that?

It didn't matter at the moment, did it?

It just mattered that he had Damian, and that he always would.

For @legitpumpkin thanks for the prompt, pumpkin!

Send me prompts!

[for-ests]

Please Don’t Go: Kageyama Tobio x Reader (Part 1)

Summary: You and Kageyama (college) have been in a relationship for three years, but recently have not been spending a lot of time together because of his volleyball and school commitments. You decide to confront him about it and cause a fight.

Warnings: angst, verbal fight, car accident

Word count: 2, 890

Tossed awake by nothing in particular, your eyes felt heavy as you immediately glanced at the bedside alarm clock. You sighed loudly when you realized how late it was. Another night of restless sleep without Kageyama laying beside you. Unfortunately, this had become a routine ever since his collegiate volleyball team had started training for nationals.

You sat up in bed and rubbed your eyes. The fan in the corner of the room blocked out any other noise that could be heard from the open window. It was perfect for your sleeping patterns, yet you could not sleep peacefully knowing he was stressed at an hour meant for rest.

You had become so accustomed to feeling his weight shift beside you, feeling his arms wrapped comfortably around your waist—you craved that now more than anything. Especially when you woke up to see that same cheeky grin every morning.

Maybe you had become too accustomed, too reliant on his comfort. Regardless, that was now a rarity. It had been days since either of you had truly slept well enough to feel satisfied. You knew Kageyama, and knew he needed to sleep whether he was going to admit it or not.

And with that thought already clouding your hazy vision, you set out into the living room to find him. Hoping you could beckon him back to the bed.

"Kageyama?" You called, voice raspy with drowsiness. No reply sounded, so you ventured into the dimly lit kitchen.

You rounded the corner without a second thought, surprised to find him hunched over his laptop at the dinning room table. He was typing away, eyes wide in focus. He was so zeroed in on his work that he hadn't noticed your arrival, until you placed your hand on his shoulders.

"Babe?" You whispered, your touch causing Kageyama to finally pay attention to you. Surprised, he flinched.

"What?" The man replied shortly, meeting your gaze with obvious indications of annoyance.

You blinked, affronted by his lack of empathy or concern about how the tone of his voice would sound. All you wanted was what was best for him, and you were confident that this new routine of his was not it.

Kageyama was never the one to be up front with his feelings, but that had never been the case with you. As far as you could remember, your boyfriend was always kind and forthcoming. The two of you rarely fought, even with his sometimes overconfident demeanor. You knew him better than anyone, and you were absolutely sure that coming back to bed with you was the best thing in that moment.

"What do you want Y/N?" Kageyama's voice questioned coldly again. His expression was the hardest you had ever seen. It was past the point of stressed, he was utterly frustrated. At you...you were not sure.

He's not mad at me.

It took you a moment to reply, trying to remind yourself that he was working harder than you could ever hope to. You tried to keep your expression neutral and your voice steady as you replied. "I want you to get some sleep," You leaned against the counter to study the disorganized state of the table. "It's almost 3am."

"I already told you I'm pulling an all nighter." He sighed, running his hands through his hair in exasperation. "I have to get my grades up if I want to participate in the next tournament. I'm already on academic probation for failing one class."

Kageyama glanced away, tempted to resume his work. You could see the agitation and desperation in his movements. Sometimes you thought that he took volleyball too seriously. How could someone put themselves through this amount of stress?

His contempt almost caused you to lash out, but you held your tongue to study him further. You noticed that his forehead had creased with red lines of frustration.

Kageyama finally glanced at you because of the delay in your reply. Your eyes pierced into him and his face flashed with guilt, but only for a split second.

"You did the other night." Your tone came out harsher than you intended. It was hard for you to understand how he couldn't recognize the damage that he was inflicting on his own mental health. "You'll focus better with a good nights rest."

Truthfully, his current state of being saddened you. He did not seem to realize how his decisions were affecting you in return. Part of you felt like this could be a result of your tendency to be passive, and to let things that bothered you slide one too many times. But the other part of you knew you were not supposed to be his mother. You were not responsible for Kageyama's actions. He was doing this to himself, against your best wishes.

You narrowed your eyebrows before reminding yourself to not grow angry. Kageyama was the type of person to listen better when there were no accusations thrown his way.

"Please, Tobio." You stared at him, even if he would not hold your gaze. All you craved was to be in his embrace, and to forget about the tension that was building up with his refusal. "You can finish whatever you're doing in the morning.  Please at least get a few hours. I slept over for a reason, to be with you." Trying to convey your concern, you rested your hand back on his shoulder, attempting to pull him into a hug. You wanted him to know that you could tell how frustrated he was, but that you were not upset past the point of no return.

Yet your words had the opposite effect, and at your once comforting and cherished touch, Kageyama snapped. "No, Y/N!" He almost yelled, pushing your hand away. "I have to finish my homework now or I can't participate. There's no point on being in college if I can't play."

"Maybe you should have thought about that before you let your grades slip. Volleyball comes second to your future." Your voice cracked at the last line.

Forthright, you felt betrayed. All the past nights where you had let his actions slide came flooding back like a slap in the face. You were on your last leg, watching him deteriorate and then snap at you when you tried to give him comfort. If he did not want your company, then so be it.

You had your own future to worry about.

"I always think about it! Just leave me alone for one fucking night and stop nagging!" Kageyama's eyes turned cold, his way of ending the conversation. For some odd reason, he believed his words would not offend you.

Irritated beyond belief, you bit your lip to keep yourself from crying. How could he do this to himself? To you and your relationship?  You couldn't tell if you were overreacting, but deep down you knew you were not.

"Fine." Your voice came out in a whisper of acceptance. And with that, you left the room. Kageyama did not even turn to watch you leave.

You rushed into his bedroom and started to pack. Your movements were hectic as you shoved your belongings into your small overnight bag. You were shaking at this point, wondering if you had the strength to end things with him. You loved Kageyama with all your heart, but you couldn't continue on like this.

I just need to be alone. I need to clear my head. It's too early for this.

You stopped once the bag was full. For a moment, you almost considered staying. Then you remembered his words, laced with venom and annoyance at you. You had done nothing wrong but try to care for him.

You shook your head in desperation to clear the conflicting thoughts. This is the right thing to do, for the both of us. He doesn't care about me as much as I care for him.

Tears began to stream down your face as you threw on the thin jacket. You quickly slipped into a pair of boots and threw the duffel bag over your shoulder.

Kageyama must have heard the commotion, because you ran right into him before you could beeline for the door. "What are you doing?" He asked, though no genuine concern was evident in his expression or tone.

You stepped past him, averting your eyes in hopes that he wouldn't see how glossy they were. "Leaving you alone." You said, trying to keep your voice from faltering.

"I didn't mean it." He stepped fully in front of you to block the exit.

"Maybe you should have thought about that before you said it." You retorted, eyeing him down like you had never done before. "You're letting volleyball consume your life to the point where nothing else can compare or satisfy you. I will not let you treat me like shit anymore." The insult slipped from your lips before you could stop it.

Kageyama's gaze fell to the floor.

You nudged past him and opened the front door. The action was heartbreaking, like your whole world was crashing down around you. Your bag suddenly felt hundreds of pounds heavier.

"Don't go." He whispered, finally coming to his senses and realizing that you were entirely serious. Your boyfriend rarely cried, yet in that moment of vulnerability, you thought you saw his eyes gloss over.

But it was too late.

You gave Kageyama one last look before departing and slamming the door in his face, even if every fiber in your being begged you to stay and hold him for the rest of the night.

You were better than this. You deserved someone better. And if Kageyama wasn't going to step into that position, you weren't going to wait around and hope he would change. You had done enough of that, giving him more than enough chances.

"I'm so stupid..." You breathed as tears sprung from your eyes. "Why..." You brought your hand to your mouth and cried softly, yet refused to slow your pace. You were just lucky that your friend Yachi lived a few blocks down, the perks of living on campus.

Meanwhile, Kageyama stared at the spot where you once stood. The apartment was silent, and it seemed you had taken all of its lively energy with you. His mouth felt dry as the reality of his situation finally became clear.

Kageyama sat down on the sofa, swallowing hard as he felt his throat tighten. He was still too shocked that you had actually left. Your absence dissolved his anger, but brought upon anew grief that he couldn't brush away. It was his fault.

He rested his head in his hands, wondering if he had ruined things between the two of you for good. And it was all because he didn't know how to manage his time better.

How stupid.

Kageyama decided to finally listen to your pleas and fall asleep. He curled up in his empty bed and shed a few silent tears. How could he let it come to this? He had neglected you.

Closing his eyes, he knew he had make it up to you tomorrow. He couldn't lose you.

❀∙∘✿∘∙❀

Fingers angrily tapping away at your phone screen, you hurried down the vacant university street. It was so early in the morning that not a single soul was out. All you could hear was the sound of your sneakers scuffing against the pavement.

Y/N: are you awake?

Hitoka <3: unfortunately,, whats up?  

Y/N: tobio and i got into a fight and im hoping i can sleepover tn ? :(

Hitoka <3: of course, are you okay? ill be waiting by the front to let you in.

Tears were streaming down your face. At least you had friends by your side that would do anything to relieve the pain of your broken heart.

Why did it have to be like this?

The streetlights were a haze in your vision as you ran until the weight of your bag felt like a hundred pounds.

Why did Kageyama make himself so hard to love?

Just the thought of cutting him completely out of your life was enough to cause your tears to overflow. Your sniffles turned into sobs within seconds, overtaking your senses so quickly that you had to stop running.

Kageyama... Kageyama, why? Why do you have to make me feel like this?

You wanted to scream as loud as you could. There was so much anger building up inside of you and you didn't know how to let it out. You just needed to get away. You needed to breathe. Yet being alone felt odd. Wanting a break from Kageyama was something you had never craved before.

Why do I let him treat me like this?

Why did love have to be so complicated? You wanted to be alone yet you could barely stand the idea of not laying in bed next to him. If only he had decided to go to sleep with you that night. If only he had listened to your advice. If only.

You came to a stop at an intersection, pressing your thumb against the sidewalk signal.

Wiping your tears away, you realized that this entire time you had been trying to change him. For the better, yes indeed. But he wasn't ready for change. He wasn't ready to grow up and cherish the love you were willing to give him.

If he can't take care of himself why do I expect him to take care of me?

And if he wasn't ready, three years was already too long to wait. You always had time, but it was never going to go to waste.

"I'll be okay." You promised to yourself, lip quivering with each prayer that you uttered. No matter what was going to happen, you would get through it. With or without Kageyama by your side. The relationship was in his hands now. One more tear slipped from your eye when you realized you had done all you could.

Your heart seemed to shatter at the revelation. All you could do was sit and wait for him to make up his mind. It felt like you had broken up, but you couldn't help and hold on tightly to that last string of hope.

The walk signal flashed bright in your eyes, and you took a step forward. Yachi's apartment building was just around the corner.

Tears started to brim at your eyelids. Sometimes the truth really was harder to face. It hurt to know your efforts to form an unbreakable bond with him crumbled right in front of you. But you couldn't go on like this any longer. Kageyama did not appreciate you in the way you thought he did.  The promises he whispered in your ear had become devoid of all meaning. They were almost as empty as you.

He let me leave.

In a daze, you crossed into the middle of the street, failing to hear the hum of a car's engine, and failing to notice the high beams that barreled towards you.

Despite his faults, you loved him. You loved him more than anything- yet you had to be strong for yourself. Everything you thought was contradicting.

It was so contradicting, that your mind refused to waver until the last moment when you heard the unbearably loud sound of tires screeching against the road, desperate to avoid colliding head on with your oblivious and fragile frame.

Turning towards the sound, you were immediately swept off your feet and hurdled yards away until you smacked against the concrete pavement.

You didn't even have a moment to scream.

Bells rang in your ears as you forced your eyes open again. Trying to move, you immediately recoiled back into your crumpled frame. Unbearable pain seared up your leg until you gave up on moving.

"Please help!" You attempted to scream, barely able to make sense of the commotion around you. Your head throbbed, causing your vision to unfocus before you could identify your surroundings.

Why can't I move?

"Oh my god!" You heard a scream. A car door slammed shut. "Call an ambulance!"

What you thought was multiple people surrounding you, you heard countless murmuring voices and cars shifting into park. More doors slammed shut. You could hear a frantic voice sobbing to your left, apologizing profusely.

Your eyelids started to feel too heavy to keep open. "I-I..." You croaked, relaxing once you felt someone's hand rest against your shoulder.

"Can you stand?"

It seemed to take all of your remaining energy to reply. Your lungs ached with each breath you took. "No."

They murmured more questions in your ear, but you couldn't make them out. All you could hear was static.

"Please stay awake." The stranger's voice encouraged. "Help is on the way."

Opening your mouth to reply, you felt your entire body slacken against your will.

And then everything faded into nothingness.

Hitoka <3: are you almost here??

[thechildoflightning]

Ch2- Meteorological (September)

Title: Calendrical Consequences (Masterpost)

Fandom: Sander Sides

Pairings: Logicality, Eventual LAMP/CALM

~~~

Chapter Title: Meteorological (September) - Chapter Two

Summary: School starts back up and Virgil's doing alright, if having a bit more nightmares than usual. Add in a meeting with his counselor and Virgil starts to question what he's doing with his life.

Warnings: Nightmares, Kidnapping, References and Allusions to Past Abuse, Panic Attack, Chronic Pain, Prescribed and Safe Use of Medication

 ~~~

Meteorological (September) - Chapter Two

~~~

September 5, 2019

 Virgil was six. His mom had brought him to the park to play with the other kids. But Virgil wasn’t really into playing with the other kids. They were loud and always organized games that made no sense to him. He played tag with them for a little bit, mostly to appease him mom, but quickly found it uninteresting and decided to leave them.

Instead he went over to the big tree with the roots that were bigger than his body in some places. He found a cool stick and poked it into the ground, frowning when it fell down. He tried again, but it just fell over once more. He was about to make a third attempt when a voice spoke up behind him.

“Hey kid, need some help?” a women offered, kneeling to his level.

“Momma told me not to talk to strangers,” he whispered.

“Oh don’t worry, I’m not a stranger, I’m Eliza’s Mom,” she explained. Her smile was warm and her simple blouse gave her a look of motherly affection.

“Eliza’s Mom?” he asked as he tilted his head to the side slightly.

“Yep, you played tag with her, remember?”

Virgil looked over at the group he was previously with. Frowning a bit at the kids who continued to chase after one another.

“Oh,” he frowned, “I thought her name was Abby.”

“Nope, but that's okay. The point is I’m not a stranger. Can I help you?” the strange woman asked him.

She leaned over a bit, inspecting what the young boy was doing. She raised her eyebrows a bit at the realization he was just repeatedly slabbing sticks in the ground. But really, he was six. Stabbing sticks in the ground was cool.

Virgil shrugged, “Sure. I can’t get the branch to stick up.”

“Let me help.”

She reached toward his hand to take the stick. In response, he held it out to her.

But instead of taking it, she grabbed his wrist and tugged him, clamping something over his mouth. He tried to scream, but his eyes got heavy and suddenly he was asleep.

“VIRGIL! VIRGIL! Stop her! That woman has my kid! Help! Help!”

-

Virgil woke up screaming.

“V, V, its Roman, you’re okay man.”

“What, what, Roman?” he whispered around choked breathing as he looked frantically around the room. His heart thudded in his chest loudly, droning at every other noise around him.

“Yeah man. You had a nightmare. Everything’s okay,” his roommate soothed.

Trixie was on him, putting pressure on him. He breathed deeply in reassurance. That was all over now. He was home and he was safe. He was okay. He was safe.

His heartbeat started to slow and the drowning buzz in his ears faded away. A tendril of shame clawed its way in instead.

“Right. Thanks. Sorry,” he muttered, face hot

“Not a problem,” Roman yawned. He was asleep in seconds.

Virgil just blinked at the ceiling and hoped that sleep would eventually take him soon.

-

Virgil woke up two more times that night. Luckily, neither seemed to wake Roman. In fact, when Virgil woke up in the morning for good, Roman was still snoozing away. Virgil could only guess he had gotten up to pray earlier and then fallen back asleep before his first class.

Virgil sighed and pushed off the covers before heading towards the kitchen. Patton was already at classes, but Logan should still be here.

He had started to heat up water for tea when Logan himself walked into the room. He was looking at something on his phone, flapping one of his hands absentmindedly and grinning wildly. He stopped immediately when he saw Virgil, shoving his hand into his pocket and clicking his phone off.

“What were you looking at?” Virgil asked.

“Oh,” Logan adjusted his glasses, “Just, a video of a fish. It's really quite unimportant. I just-”

“You don't have to justify your interests around us Logan. And we won't get mad when you stim.”

Logan nodded at the reminder.

“Would you,” Logan hesitated, “like to watch the video with me?”

“Sure,” Virgil replied.

Logan quickly joined Virgil and held the screen between the two before restarting the video. It was short, about twenty seconds, of a fish with long flowing colorful fins. As they watched it a few times, Logan took out his hand to flap it and even jumped. Virgil smiled at his excitement. It was nice seeing Logan become more comfortable stimming around them.

They watched it on repeat for maybe two minutes before Logan turned the phone off.

“What time is your first class?” he asked.

“I need to leave in about ten, fifteen minutes.”

The kettle started to hiss. Virgil walked over as he saw the steam rise.

The water was boiling. It would burn him if he touched it. But they knew that. They knew it would burn him. That was the point.

He clutched his arms right to himself and backed away breathing heavily. Trixie jumped up, pressing her paws against his chest. His gaze jerked to her and with a rush he snapped out of the flashback and returned to the present.

“Thanks girl,” he said, giving her a small treat from his pocket. Speaking of which, he needed to feed her. He would do that after his tea.

“Logan, do you want tea?” he asked.

“Yes please.”

Virgil filled two cups, dropping in Logan and his respective favorites. He then took out Trixie’s bowl and filled it up with her food, put some water in it, and placed it on the floor. She sat by it patiently, not moving until he gave her the command that allowed her to eat.

He sipped his tea slowly just as his phone buzzed in his pocket. He took out the offending device and read the reminder that told him to get ready for class. Right, time to get moving.

~~~

September 11, 2019

 “Virgil, come in,” Michelle greeted, beckoning him into her office.

Virgil scowled, but followed, Trixie at his side.

Michelle held the door open as he entered, smiling at him in a way that was much too wide to be real. He took a seat in the small office and she started to close the door behind them.

He could feel the room closing in, trapped in the cellar.

Trixie whined and pawed at him, causing him to jerk back to the present. He patted her head.

“Thank you sweetie,” he told the pup.

The counselor took her own seat across from him and studied him carefully

“So, you chose your major,” she commented when it became obvious that Virgil wasn’t going to be the person to start the conversation.

Really, Virgil didn’t get why these meetings existed anyway. He understood that the school was trying to help each students “get settled” or whatever but did he really need this? He was passing his classes and on track to graduate. What more did they want?

“Yes I did. At the end of last year. Which you know.”

She shuffled some papers. For show, he suspected. Really, how much paperwork could this conversation involve? Plus, she wasn’t looking down at any of them.

“Well yes,” she admitted, “But I’m actually curious about what you want to do with your Creative Writing degree once you achieve it.”

Virgil froze.

“What?” he asked.

“Virgil,” she said, “What do you want for your future?”

-

Virgil walked glumly back to the apartment he shared with Logan, Roman, and Patton. With a groan, he shoved the door open.

He walked in, planning to flop onto the couch only to find Roman with a bowl of cheerios already sitting there.

Virgil just groaned again, causing Roman to look up.

“Hey,” Roman greeted, “long day?”

Virgil huffed in confirmation and joined him.

He sat on the floor, allowing Trixie to perform DPT. He needed the grounding method.

“You okay?” Roman asked as he watched his friend’s dog task.

Virgil shrugged miserably. Slowly, tears started to drip down his face in large drops.

“Woah, woah, woah, Surly Temple,” Roman said in panic, scrambling to join the older boy on the floor.

“Hey, uh, Virge? Can I touch you?”

Virgil just nodded and continued to silently cry. Roman wrapped his arms around Virgil and pulled him close, careful not to shift Trixie, allowing her to still perform her task. Roman had gotten a lot better about noticing things like that in the year they had known each other.

Virgil's tears eyes dried after a minute and he leaned heavily into Roman’s side.

Roman rubbed his back in comfort.

“Hey, what's up?” he asked, “What's going on?”

“I had a meeting with my counselor.”

“Yeah, I remember you saying that. But, isn't that supposed to be a good thing? She like, helps you and stuff?”

Virgil sniffled and swiped at his eyes.

“She asked me about my future.”

“Okay? Again Count Woe-lof, I'm gonna need a little more information. I'm not quite understanding.”

“I have no clue what I want for my future,” Virgil said with a huff, throwing his hands up.

Roman’s eyes narrowed slightly and Virgil could practically see his mind racing as he attempted to figure him out.

“Okay. Well that's okay?” Roman offered, “I mean yeah, you should probably start thinking about it, but you have time. No need to panic over it,” he attempted to comfort.

Virgil just gave him a look.

“I panic over everything,” Virgil said with a chuckle.

Roman shrugged and offered him some cheerios.

-

It was in this state that Logan and Patton found them in when they returned from their date. Roman excused himself to pray, Logan went off somewhere, and Patton joined Virgil on the floor.

“V, kiddo, are you okay?” Patton asked softly.

Virgil gave a small smile. Like always, Patton always knew when something was off. He may not always understand what or why, but he at least knew that something was wrong. It was a nice support to have.

“Yeah, I'm good. Roman and me talked, just got a lot on my mind,” he admitted.

Patton nodded, and after asking for permission, started to thread his fingers through Virgil’s hair. Virgil grinned softly at the action as his body relaxed.

“Hey, you and Logan got back early. Didn't go out for dinner?”

“Nah,” Patton said shrugging, “decided to just get back to the two of you. Lo’s not having a great day, and it's getting busier. And busier means louder.”

Virgil nodded in understanding. Then came to a realization.

“Shit, it's my night to cook,” he looked down at his dog, “Trixie-”

Patton waved his hand.

“Don't worry about it Virgil. I can cook.”

“You sure Pat? You cook a lot. And it's my night,” he protested

Patton just smiled, “Don’t worry, it's no problem. Plus you weren’t expecting me and Logan anyways.”

“I just don't want you putting to much on yourself like you used to.”

Patton gave him a wide smile and switched from petting his hair to quickly ruffling it. Virgil scowled and shoved the hand away.

“Thanks for looking out for me kiddo. Don't worry, I know now how to communicate my limits. It's really okay. I need something to do anyway.”

Virgil hesitated. It was still hard for him to accept help, but after years of practice it was getting slightly easier. Plus, his friends did seem so sincere. They seemed to genuinely want to help. So he relented.

“Okay. Thanks. Just let me know if you need help I guess.”

Patton just hummed and got to work.

Virgil shrugged and stayed with his dog.

Eventually, he directed Trixie up and left to his room that he shared with Roman.

He could fully admit that when the four of them had first started discussing rooming together he was inclined to refuse. His freshman year he had gotten a single dorm through his situation, and the idea of sharing an apartment off campus, much less sharing a room, scared him more than he cared to admit.

Plus, it meant sharing with Roman. And while the two were friends now, they weren't very close in the beginning. The two of them, unknowingly, were phenomenal at hitting each other in their most vulnerable spots.

But, the apartment was working out so far. Hopeful this whole “plan for the future” thing would too.

~~~

September 21, 2019

 “Roman was a genius for bringing this,” Virgil commented as he continued to hit buttons on his controller, knocking Patton off the platform again.

“No,” Patton whined as his character fell, “Yeah it is pretty fun,” he replied, turning to glance quickly at Virgil, “I never really got into video games as a kid.”

They two of them were sitting on the couch, blankets wrapped around them, as the clock steadily ticked towards morning.

Virgil snorted, “I can tell.”

“Hey,” Patton said, letting out an offended gasp. He then proceed to walk his character off the platform. “Okay yeah, I suck at this.”

“We’ll choose a different platform next time,” Virgil promised, “One you can’t fall off of.”

“Oh good,” Patton muttered, eyes narrowed on the screen.

He pressed a button and his avatar jumped.

“Wait, if that’s jump, then what’s attack?”

“Well there’s multiple attacks,” Virgil started to explain once again.

“Wait, what!” Patton exclaimed, looking at his controller in a mixture of shock, horror, and awe.

Virgil snorted again, “Yes, I showed you them. Do you want me to show them to you again?”

“Huh. Uh, yes please,” Patton then proceeded to walk off the cliff again, ending the round.

“Okay, let me choose a new map and then I will,” Virgil said as they were returned to the home screen. Virgil fiddled around a bit, going through the multitude of maps. He flicked between three particular maps before finally settling on one.

He then held up his own controller, showing Patton the different buttons and going through each one and what they did. Patton listened intently staring back and forth between Virgil’s controller and his own.

“Hopefully this map will be better,” Virgil muttered as their characters spawned on the screen. The two played for a bit longer, Patton finally getting the hang of it, before Patton spoke up.

“So, why are you still up Virge?”

Virgil sighed, “Nightmares,” he admitted.

“Wanna talk about it?”

He shrugged and pressed a few buttons. His character on screen threw a bomb, creating an explosion that knocked Patton’s character back.

“Same as always,” he said, “Just a bit worse than usual.”

He tried to blink back the encroaching memories from his mind. Images of blood and bodies and being trapped and taken. Images of promises that he was cared for and safe and that they loved him even as they turned around and abused him the next moment.

He had to focus hard on pushing the memories to the back of his mind. Sometimes processing through it all was just too much. And if he didn’t have the strength to process it, it would just be overwhelming and damaging. Sometimes it really was better to just put a wall up and push it away. Sometimes that was the only thing he could do.

This was where the distraction of playing

“What about you?” Virgil asked, “Pain keeping you up?”

Patton nodded.

“I took my pain meds, but,” Patton shrugged.

Virgil studied him, noticing how his face was drawn tight under his cheerfulness and how he moved as little as possible. It had always been hard for Virgil to tell how Patton was feeling. Sometimes the physical symptoms gave him away, because they’re wasn’t much he could do about hiding them. But Patton could hide the pain. And he was good at it.

“I’m sorry,” Virgil offered, at a loss for anything else.

Patton shrugged.

“It’s kind of just what chronic pain is a lot of them time. Hurt’s a lot, just trying to distract myself.”

Virgil could get that, that attempt at distraction. It was also something he could go along with.

“By killing your character every two seconds?” he teased.

“I’m not trying to!” Patton protested. It probably would have been more effective is his character didn’t die right then.

“Sure,” Virgil said with a chuckle as they continued to play.

They would distract for now. Distract until they could deal with it. If they could even deal with. Because sometimes distracting was all you could really do.

[blueseyforthesoul]

Two Reasons

It’s time for @ganseyweek Day 4: Memories/Dreams/Finally together

It’s a sad one, folks, I took a canon slowburn and made it *even longer*. Enjoy! 

~

Gansey had tried to hold her hand, that was all. He hadn’t been doing anything new, but Blue had been on edge since he had come back from his second death, and now she had pulled away. 

“Gansey,” she spoke softly, eyes softening from the panicked gaze she had a moment before. “Can I talk to you?”

He nodded numbly. 

“There are two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve.”

“You’re his true love,” he whispered. 

“There’s another. I killed him.”

“You’re special like that, Jane.” 

She shook her head. “I don’t think it can be both.”

(continue reading below or on ao3)

“But your curse,” he stammered. “If you kiss your true love he will die! How much clearer can it be?”

Blue shook her head again, tears slipping from her eyes. “I’m sorry, Gansey.” 

Gansey stared at her. She didn’t say anything else but stood and left Monmouth without another word. 

He didn’t understand, but he was determined to respect her decision. If she didn’t love him, there was nothing he could do about it, and chasing her against her wishes was just plain ungentlemanly. 

Still, he was crushed. Blue didn’t seem to be doing any better, but when he had offered to help she had told him he couldn’t. 

The next year passed in a blur. They found a new equilibrium in their travels with Henry, building their friendship back up. Gansey firmly stomped down any emotions that threatened to bubble up around her and tried not to read into the sad looks he caught from her sometimes. 

They came back to Henrietta and saw Adam and Ronan again, and Gansey’s heart did its best to beat out of his chest. Seeing his best friends happy and in love was everything he wanted… except for one thing. He wanted it, too. And despite his best efforts, he still wanted it with Blue. She caught his eye over pizza that night and he did his best to smile but he couldn’t push his face into the right contortion. 

“Gansey-boy, tell her how you feel,” Henry begged that night. They were bunking in a spare room at the Barns together. “You’re both miserable.”

“She said—“

“I know what she said. But it’s been a year. Neither of you has done anything but stare at each other sadly when they think the other can’t see.” 

“I have to respect her choice, Henry,” he said firmly, turning over on the cot and pretending to sleep. Only when he was sure Henry had fallen asleep did he let the tears fall. 

He went to college. He’d given up on the idea of college, but in his gap year he’d taken the time to apply. He could go now. He had lived. Leaving was bittersweet. He and Adam were driving up to Massachusetts together, and hugging Blue goodbye was possibly the hardest thing he’d ever done. 

Beside them, Adam and Ronan embraced and spoke quietly to each other, saying goodbye for several months as Adam dove into his sophomore year with sweet kisses and whispered promises. Gansey hugged Blue and wished he could do the same. 

Adam had said nothing when they got in the car and Gansey has wiped away a few stray tears. After a while, he spoke. “It gets easier. Saying goodbye.”

“I didn’t get to, though. Not really.”

Adam nodded and merged onto the highway. 

They talked to each other less as they both lost themselves in their classwork. They were only a couple of hours drive away from each other, but Gansey never could bring himself to suggest a visit. She wasn’t his girlfriend, even if he loved her and thought he always would. And to suggest it felt awkward somehow. 

One day in October, she called him. 

“Blue?” Calling her Jane hadn’t felt right in a while and he had gradually let it slip from his vernacular. 

“I have a date,” she announced without preamble.

“Oh,” he said. “Cool.”

“Cool?” She barked a laugh. “Who are you and what have you done with Richard Gansey?”

Gansey pushed out a forced laugh in answer. “I’m happy for you, Jane. You deserve to be happy. Tell me about them?” 

“You’re really okay with this?” She asked instead. 

“It’s been nearly two years, Blue.” He hoped it would be enough. If she asked him if he still loved her, he would crack. If she asked him if he was dating, he would crack. Best to keep it open and vague. 

“Okay.” 

She didn’t end up telling Gansey about her date but he heard later through Adam that it had fizzled out after a couple of dates. 

“That’s too bad,” he said. “She deserves someone amazing.”

“Gansey. You’ve been in love with her since you were seventeen. How can you be so nonchalant about this?”

Gansey shook his head sadly. “If I let myself hope it hurts too much. I just can’t, Adam.” 

“Oh, Gansey,” Adam said sadly over the phone line. “I wish I could give you a hug right now.”

“Thanks. I’m okay.”

“I don’t believe you, but alright.” 

They were friends. They were. But he spoke to her less with every passing year. By senior year, most of their conversations were in the group chat. They didn’t hang out without one of the other boys on break. She didn’t ask him to and he couldn’t bring himself to. So he let her slip away. 

Until one day during their senior year. It was the first nice day of spring and he was messing around on the quad, tossing a frisbee with his friends and trying not to think about graduation. 

“You look like they copy-pasted you from the damn catalog!” A voice rang out. A voice he knew very well and missed every day. 

The frisbee hit him in the side of the head. 

“Ow,” he rubbed the side of his head and waved his friend’s apologies off, jogging over to where Blue Sargent stood in all her glory. She had on a strategically shredded dress and her trademark boots. There was no way they were the same boots she had worn in high school, but she wouldn’t have been complete without them. 

“Jane,” he grinned, hope swelling in his chest. She was here and she was teasing him and she was here. 

“Hi. Can I talk to you?” 

“Is something the matter?”

She shook her head and he let her lead him away from the quad. When she sat on a bench away from the other students, he sat beside her, carefully not sitting too close. 

“What’s going on?”

“I’m scared.” 

“What?” Horrible thoughts began to run through his mind, she was in trouble in some way, something was wrong with her mother or —“

“Gansey,” she interrupted his spiraling thoughts. “I’m scared because I need to tell you something and… I don’t know how you’re going to take it.”

“You can tell me anything, Blue.” He meant it, even if she was scaring him, too. 

“I lied to you. And I’m sorry.” 

Gansey furrowed his brow. 

“I was so scared. Afraid I would kill you again. That I would always be too afraid to kiss you. That it would drive us apart. So I lied to you. And it’s destroyed me every day for the last five years.”

Gansey stared at her. Was she saying what he thought she was saying?

“Please say something.”

“Jane,” he breathed. “I love you. I always have. And even if you’re never ready to kiss me, I want to keep loving you the rest of my life. However you’ll have me.” 

By the end of his little speech, Blue was crying. “I love you, too.” 

“I forgive you,” Gansey said with a sad smile. “And I’m glad you told me now.”

She smiled back at him through her tears. Gansey reached his hand up and gently wiped her cheeks. “Did you come all the way up here just to say that?” 

“I’d also like to kiss you.”

“Oh,” he said again, his eyes wide. “Are you sure?”

“I’m tired of being afraid.” Her eyes blazed with determination. 

Gansey leaned towards her and she met him in the middle. They paused when their noses touched, just breathing in each other’s air. 

“Are you scared?” she whispered. 

“A little,” he admitted. “Count of three?”

“How romantic,” Blue laughed, but then she began to count. “One, two, thr--”

Gansey closed the space between them as she said the last word, cutting her off. He didn’t die. In fact, he had never felt more alive. Blue melted into his arms, clutching at his sides, and Gansey had a moment to be embarrassed that he was probably sweaty from playing frisbee before she opened her mouth and his brain short-circuited. 

They finally came up for air and Blue gasped against his mouth. She opened her eyes and looked at him and then burst out laughing. 

“I can’t believe I was afraid of that for five years!” 

“Are you still afraid?” he asked softly, cupping her cheek. 

“No,” she said. “I’m just… happy.”

“I’m happy, too, Jane.”

She smiled and then kissed him again. 

[hawkins-hoe]

Bullshit Part II -Steve Harringtion

Summary: Part two of Bullshit (Read part one HERE) Joining Steve over at Dustin’s house to supervise the kids leads to Steve admitting some feelings.

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Reader

Warning: Fuff!!

Word Count: 2075

PART ONE HERE

The golden sunlight filtered through the curtains that hung over Steve’s window, his room now illuminated. Your eyes were still heavy, blinking a few times to really wake yourself up. Steve’s heavy arm was draped over your hip, his body only a few inches behind yours. You could feel the warmth that Steve’s body was radiating against you, and by the soft snores he was letting out, he was still sleeping. Carefully you moved under his arm, now laying on your back instead of your side. Your eyes flickered up at the drowsy boy, his hair had flopped down over his eyes slightly, peacefully sleeping beside you. It was nice to see him look so relaxed, after his night last night he sure could use some peace. Your mind thinks back to last night, the happenings at the party, how torn up Steve was, the way his voice sounded so pleading when he asked if you would stay, and the last thing he said before bed, a thank you that was meant for you but Nancy’s name slipped from his lips instead of yours.

A slight frown formed on your face, your once happy and sweet feelings of being cuddled next to Steve in bed now depleted; remembering that you were simply there just for support, nothing more. You sat up in bed, Steve’s arm slipping down from your hips while you sat, leaned up against the headboard your eyes wandered around the room. This wasn’t your first time in Steve’s room, but it was the first time in a long time. Not much had changed in the way of his messiness, clothes scattered on the floor, textbooks and papers messily spread across his desk, and a can of Farrah Fawcett hair spray on top of his dresser, making you half smile to yourself. The sleepy boy beside you began to stir awake, his body rolling over to lay on his back, eyes blinking open before his hand comes up to rub the sleep from his eyes. “Morning Y/N.” He spoke, his voice raspy and laced with slumber. “Morning Steve.” You replied back, moving in your spot on the bed, allowing him to have room to sit up beside you. It was evident in the dull look on Steve’s face that he was remembering some of the events of last night, the fight with Nancy, and him asking you to stay the night but it was still a bit fuzzy.

“Did you drive us home last night?” He asked with a raised brow, he didn’t have that much to drink but the emotional toll from last night had rendered him forgetful. Nodding your head you moved to sit on the edge of his bed, tugging on your shoes that sat on the floor. You didn’t want to overstay your welcome, especially since your formerly buried feelings for the boy beside you were advancing and that’s not what you were here for. “Yeah, you were pretty tied up in your emotions last night, didn’t want you to drive like that.” You told him, standing up to look down at him, his body now sitting up further in bed. Silence fell between you two, Steve taking in the information as he recalled his actions, “Y-you also called me Nancy…”  You said quietly, scratching the back of your neck awkwardly, your already bummed demeanor staying the same. Steve’s head snapped up quickly, his gaze catching yours, he could see the disappointment in your eyes and that itself was enough to break his heart all over again. “Shit, I didn’t mean to Y/N, I was just so out of it…” He paused shaking his head at himself, how stupid he must’ve sounded. “I’m sorry.” He muttered to you, his facial expression matching yours. He was already feeling like shit but knowing that he had said something so idiotic to the one person who was taking care of him only made him feel worse.

“It’s okay Steve, I know that you were exhausted both physically and emotionally.” You shook it off, trying to not let it show how far it had gotten to you. Steve stood up from the bed, coming around to stand in front of you, his hands taking a hold of yours tightly. “But that’s no excuse, you were the one who was here for me. Not Nancy, so thank you Y/N.” Squeezing his hands back you smiled softly in response to his genuine gratefulness. “You’re more than welcome Steve.”

-One month later-

It was a Saturday evening just past 7 o’clock, the sun was gone and the moon was glowing up in the sky. You walked the long winding path down to Dustin’s house, you had agreed to help Steve watch the kids during their weekly game night since Ms. Henderson was out of town. The fact that Steve had taken the kids under his wing, especially Dustin made you laugh, who would’ve thought that King Steve of Hawkins High would practically adopt a group of tweens. But nonetheless you were happy to see him spending his time with the kids rather than moping around and feeling down. Over the past month since his break-up with Nancy the both of you had spent a decent amount of time together, studying after school, going to the movies on the weekends, hanging out between classes, the two of you had become quite the pair. Your feelings for him had began to develop again, only continuing to grow since the night you stayed with him. As much as you tried to supress the way you felt for Steve it was easier said than done when it was just the two of you all the time as of lately.

As you approached the front door of Dustin’s house you could hear the loud voices of the tweens and a noticeably deeper one that must belong to Steve. You knocked at the door, the voices quieting down behind it before it swung open, Dustin standing there with his toothless grin. “Hey Y/N, just in time! We were about to all beat up Steve for trying to tell us we have a bedtime.” You couldn’t help but let out a laugh as you stepped inside the house. The rest of the gang sitting down on the floor around a table that held the classic D&D board, Steve sitting on the couch with a audacious look on his face. “Look you little shits, I’m just trying to take care of you like your parents expect me to, okay?” He said with a matter of fact tone in his voice, a smile on his face as he looked over to you. You sat down beside the fatherly boy, shaking your head with a grin, “You do know that you’re not actually their parent right, Steve?” Steve gazed at you with a look of offense, like you had just crushed his dream. “I’ll have you know that I am a great part-time dad.” He whispered back to you while the kids got started on their gaming. The two of you sat on the couch together, spectating the board game while chatting, go back and forth about movies, making each other laugh until your faces hurt.

Hours flashed by quickly, the gaming dying down and before you knew it, it was 1am. The kids were spread out across Dustin’s living room, all asleep while Jaws played silently in the background. You and Steve hadn’t moved from your spot on the couch, but the both of you got closer and more relaxed over time, a blanket shared over your laps and using Steve’s shoulder as a pillow. The suspenseful music and jump scares of the movie were bad enough to make you squeeze on to Steve’s arm, nestling closer to him without even noticing it. And while you may have not noticed or thought much of it, Steve certainly did. Steve wasn’t going to lie to himself, he really did enjoy all the time that you two had spent together since he and Nancy had broken up, the way his heart would beat just a tad bit faster whenever you walked into the room, or how you never failed to better his mood almost instantly when he was feeling down (Which was pretty often the first week of his break-up). While he was busy caring for the kids, you were always there caring for him and that was something that not only the both of you had noticed; but everyone else around you as well. The kids, your parents, friends at school, anyone who had eyes could see the mutual admiration. It was almost as if there was an agreed silence on the subject, not only between the both of you but amongst everyone as well. Though Steve didn’t know how much longer he could keep up with the said silence, the way he was practically holding you in his arms was really pushing the limits tonight.

Steve’s eyes flickered down to look at you, watching as your eyes followed along with the movie. His stare roamed across your face, taking in the beautiful sight that was right in front of him. The gentle arch of your brows, your smooth cheekbones, the hair that framed your face, your soft and perfectly pink lips. On multiple occasions over the past week he had admitted to himself and Dustin too that his feelings for you were growing exponentially. He often found himself thinking of you when you were apart, his thoughts somehow managing to always lead back to you, the excitement he felt when he knew he was going to be seeing you soon. All of his feelings were hitting Steve like a ton of bricks while he continued to stare at you. You could feel the hard stare you were being given, Steve’s eyes practically burning into you before you turned your head up to look at him. The beat of your heart was racing only slightly while you gazed back at the handsome boy, his eyes softening when yours met with his. “Didn’t your mother tell you that it’s not polite to stare Mr. Harrington.” You teasingly whispered to him with a smirk, a slight redness creeping upon his cheeks at your remark. Panic coursed through Steve’s veins, he had been caught red handed, his mind filled with nothing but you and his desire to confess. Your eyebrows slowly knitted together in confusion, Steve’s lack of response leading you to believe that something was up. Even though his mind was brimming with a million different things to say to you, Steve couldn’t manage to say a single sentence. “Steve, what’s wrong? You’re worrying me.” You sat up from your slouched position against him, a look of concern plastered on your face. Nervously Steve ran hand through his hair before the words spewed out like vomit. “I care about you Y/N.” Was the first thing to be said, a sigh of relief coming from you before you nodded in agreement. “And I care about you too Steve.” You reassured him with a small grin, still wondering why he was acting so strange.

“I know but I really care about you Y/N.” He spoke again, your confusion trickling back to you. “Yeah Steve, me too. That’s what friends do.” Steve sat up with you, turning so he was facing you, his hands grabbing ahold of yours while he looked you in the eyes. “But...It’s more than that.” He started again, you opening your mouth to say something but he was quick to beat you to it. “You’ve been my rock over the past few weeks and it’s made me realize just how...h-how great you are Y/N.” His words took you by surprise, a bright pink blush now present on your cheeks. “And I can’t thank you enough for that.” He paused, his eyes flickering down at your hands that were held by his and back up at your beautiful orbs. “I can think of something.” You spoke boldly, capturing his attention quickly. Still holding his hands you leaned in to press your lips against Steve’s. He returned the kiss back to you, a half smile pressing into your lips before he pulled you in closer by your waist. A gentle hand coming up to cup your cheek as you both pulled away, sweet smiles on your faces.

“Thanks Y/N.”

Author’s Note: Hi guys!! I hope you enjoyed the second half of this imagine. Let me know what you think!! I burned the midnight oil to finish this for y’all! Send in requests if you like and hopefully I’ll have another imagine up in the near future! xx Lexie.

[graglithans-library]

Welcome to Paris Fur-ance Ch 11: Breakups, Gossip, and Minions

Kagami talks with Adrien about their relationship, Marinette deals with class gossip, and Shirou finds a major lead.

When he woke up that morning, Adrien was uncharacteristically grouchy. Even compared to days when he knew his father would send him to several photoshoots regardless of his plans. Adrien at least would fake a smile once Nathalie came with his schedule. That morning, however, he’d had little sleep. His mind kept racing over and over about just how much happened yesterday.

With a groan, he sat up in bed and looked at his desk, where Plagg was in the middle of eating his third-breakfast cheese wheel. “Plagg, why would Ladybug just... accept help from some new guy! She never asks for help when we’re dealing with Akumas or even finding leads for Hawkmoth. So why now? For all we know, he could be faking it and working with Hawkmoth to find out who we are! He even said it was a possibility if he helps us!”

Shoving the remainder of the cheese down his tiny throat, Plagg just shrugged and flew over. “Kid, I know as much of what’s going through Ladybug’s head as you do.” Landing on Adrien’s knee, the Kwami’s antennae and ears drooped. “If you ask me, I think she’s getting tired.”

Adrien paused in his funk and looked at Plagg in surprise. “Tired?”

“Yeah. Tired.” Plagg flew up as Adrien got off the bed and started to pace around his room. “It’s been three years of you two hunting down a guy in a butterfly suit and the close calls you’ve both had with hiding your identities.” He landed on the back of Adrien’s chair as the boy started to get ready for the day. “It’s probably wearing her down even more now that she’s the Guardian on top of that.”

Sighing as his shirt went over his head, Adrien scowled. “I know, but... I just don’t get it! We’ve always been a team, and she’s tried to let me in on more now that she’s the Guardian, but the identities rule is the one rule she remains adamant about. It just doesn’t make sense that she’d risk it out of nowhere.”

When Adrien was fully dressed and started getting his bag ready, Plagg flew into his usual spot in Adrien’s pocket. “Kid, I get it. Yeah, you’re a team. But you’re also just kids. I’m still mad at Fu for putting this on you two, but I don’t really have a say in who uses me, and he’s not in charge anymore.” Plagg’s small nub pressed against Adrien’s chest and gave him a quick pat. “If I can say anything, though, it’s that you’re one of the best kittens I’ve ever had, and probably ever will.”

Adrien’s eyes were wide as Plagg finished before they melted into a subdued smile. “Thanks, Plagg.”

______________________________________________________________

After getting his daily schedule from Nathalie, Adrien was mentally cringing at how his afternoon had four photoshoots he had to do today. He headed out to what he hoped would be an uneventful day at school.

He didn’t even make it to school.

“Adrien.”

The poor boy nearly jumped out of his skin and turned around in surprise. “Oh, Kagami! I didn’t expect to see you this early.”

Usually, that would have gotten a smile out of her, but Adrien was confused when her frown got slightly tighter. “Can we talk?”

Adrien had to fight back the urge to swallow and gave his best smile. “S-sure.” He looked at the Gorilla and waved. “I’ll walk to school today. I won’t say anything if you don’t.” His bodyguard gave Adrien a slightly worried look before letting a breath out his nose and shaking his head, confusing Adrien more. Still, he drove off like asked, leaving the two teens alone. Turning back to Kagami as they started to walk, he raised an eyebrow. “So... what did you want to talk about?”

Kagami looked down at her hands as they walked, which only served to heighten Adrien’s worry. “Remember when I told you the biggest mistake a fencer could make is choosing the wrong target?”

With his nerves acting up, Adrien unconsciously started to rub the back of his neck. “Uh, yes?”

Kagami stopped and looked him in the eye. “I feel that we both have made that same mistake.” Sighing sadly, she shook her head. “Please do not take this the wrong way, Adrien.”

Adrien found his heart was racing, but not in a comforting way. Something about this was making him uneasy. Was it her wording? Why would he be taking this the wrong way? What would he be taking the wrong way? “What do you mean?” He hadn’t even meant to say it out loud, but the words slipped from his lips.

“Yesterday, I made some new friends. It was slightly unusual, with them being older than us, but they offered their perspective on certain matters; regarding my behavior, and by extension, our relationship.” Looking away for a moment, shame steadily filled Kagami’s heart. “I believe we’ve been in an unhealthy relationship. I am ashamed to admit that I saw you more as a possession than a person, and I was becoming slightly obsessive as a result. More so, there was one other point that I noticed but had refused to acknowledge until recently.” Turning back to Adrien, her frown cut right through his soul. “While I appreciate the efforts you’ve put in, it is clear your heart has not changed since we first started dating. The fact you pull away from any attempt at a kiss only hurts and furthers that fact.” She put a hand to her chest, and a rueful smile crossed her face. “While you may have been my boyfriend, my victory in this contest of hearts was superficial at best, and only in name.”

His hands were trembling. Why were they shaking? Adrien had to choke down his heart to keep it from leaping out of his throat. He had a reasonably good idea of what Kagami was trying to say now, but he still felt horrible. “Does... does this mean that-?”

Kagami nodded and sighed before looking Adrien in the eyes. “Yes, Adrien. Our relationship is over.”

And just like that, Adrien’s heart fractured. “Oh.” It was... strange. He’d expected the heartbreak from hearing those words to be worse, yet, while it hurt, it wasn’t nearly as bad as he thought. The only memory he could compare it to was when he had to get shots when he was little. Yes, it hurt, but nowhere near what he hyped himself up to.

That wasn’t to say it was painless, though, and an irrational fear bore through it. It was in a desperate attempt, and a rather pathetic one, but Adrien reached for the one thing he couldn’t stand to lose. “Can... Can we still be friends?”

Kagami still held that bitter smile and closed her eyes. “We’ll see.”

That... that was better than nothing, right? Adrien thought to himself, feeling dread creep into him. That means there’s a chance she won’t leave.

Bowing slightly, Kagami broke Adrien from the start of his spiraling thoughts. “Please give Marinette my regards.”

And just like that, Adrien was confused again. “Wait, Marinette?” What was Kagami talking about? Why would he be giving Marinette...? Did something happen between the two of them? He thought they were getting along well, last time they had hung out together. Sure, Marinette was still really anxious around him for some reason, but that didn’t have anything to do with Kagami. Did it?

Kagami, for her part, looked just as confused as Adrien did. “Is she not the one you’ve been after?”

Adrien’s eyes shot wide open at that. So that’s where the confusion was! Kagami must have thought that Marinette was the other girl he had feelings for instead of Ladybug. Granted, he never actually said who it was, so it was understandable where the mix up happened. Rubbing the back of his head as he smiled, Adrien waved his hand. “No, she’s just a friend.”

At his response, Kagami could only stare at him incredulously, eyes slowly widening as her jaw fought to close from its recent drop. Did... does this boy not realize his own feelings!? He was willing to blackmail that Rossi girl to get Marinette back in school, yet she’s just a friend!? A sobering thought crossed her mind as her mouth finally closed. And here I accused Marinette of stringing him along when I started pursuing him. A scowl slowly formed on her face, making Adrien flinch back. “It seems I was wrong about many things as of late. You truly are an idiot, Adrien Agreste.”

“K-Kagami!?” Adrien could only stare as his now ex-girlfriend marched away. It wasn’t until she was gone that he managed to look to Plagg. “What did she mean by...?”

Plagg just looked up at Adrien and sighed, shaking his head. “Kid, I think you need to re-evaluate a lot of things. Namely, what you think of Pigtails, but we’ll focus on that later.”

Adrien shook his head and started his walk to school once more. “She’s just a friend, Plagg.” The words sounded hollow, even to him. He couldn’t put any energy behind them.

The Kwami in his pocket only looked sadly up at his holder. “You sure about that?” ______________________________________________________________

For Marinette, the morning following her meeting with Shirou was, thankfully, uneventful. Yes, Marinette was tired from staying up later than usual, which was pretty late for her, all superhero-related things aside. Still, it was another miraculous morning that had her get to class undisturbed.

Mostly.

She even made it on time for once!

...

Okay, she barely made it to class, but that still counts! She was also lucky that Mme. Bustier decided to have her period be a study hall for the day.

Though as she sat in her usual spot, the classroom was unusually quiet, which in and of itself was worrying. I wonder what’s going on.

It was a worried looking Mylene that answered Marinette’s internal question. “Hey, where’s Lila?”

Marinette looked around, and sure enough, the Italian was not in class. Yet another silent thank you was sent to the tiny goddess in her purse, and Tikki just patted her leg in response.

Ivan looked as confused as his girlfriend did. “Did she go on another trip?”

Rose perked up and smiled as she looked over at the two. “Maybe she’s at a photoshoot with Adrien?”

“Weird, she didn’t say anything about one,” Sabrina muttered as she looked through her notebook. Marinette couldn’t help but feel a touch terrible at seeing her following yet another bully. At least with Chloé, she knew that she was working for someone cruel. This was just going to make her feel worse when the truth came out.

Alix quirked an eyebrow and crossed her arms. “Wouldn’t put it past her. She does tend to forget to tell us before she has them.”

Kim leaned over his desk to join the conversation. “How long do you think this one will be?”

Mylene shrugged as well, sighing. “Who knows.”

As Marinette sat down next to her, Alya scoffed a bit under her breath and rolled her eyes. “Maybe until she gets bored at home.”

Marinette winced a bit as a few of the people behind them shot Alya a rather intense glare. With an uneasy smile, she leaned towards her friend. “Maybe tone it down a touch, Alya?”

Alya scowled a bit as she threw an arm towards the classroom door. “The girl made a fool out of us, Marinette. How am I supposed to feel?”

Raising both hands, Marinette frowned herself. “I know, but unfortunately, her working for Gabriel is an actual job of hers. Adrien confirmed it. So for all we know, she really is there.” It was a little annoying, but if Marinette didn’t stop Alya’s indignation, another Akuma would land on her friend. That or Alya might actually get herself into a heap of trouble.

Nino looked over his shoulder at the two and twisted in his seat, worry evident on his face. “Seriously, though, what’s up with you, babe? You’re all kinds of stressed out.” He reached over and put a hand on Alya’s. “I’m worried you might start attracting butterflies.”

That made Alya tense up before she melted down into a heap and rubbed her face. “You’re right. It’s just... someone broke into the zoo last night. My dad was up this morning in a panic when he got called in to help check over everything.”

Shock lit up Marinette and Nino’s faces. “Dude, seriously!?.”

Marinette’s hand went up to her mouth, hiding the worried grimace as best she could. “Really? Did anything happen?” She could feel Tikki in her bag wiggle around, probably trying to listen in as best the Kwami could.

Alya shook her head and looked at her desk in deep thought. “That’s just it, they couldn’t find anything wrong! But there was footage of whoever it was going to every exhibit they could and somehow getting close to the animals without making them freak out. It’s why they called Dad in to make sure they were healthy.”

Nino wordlessly got up and switched seats with Marinette, hugging his girlfriend. They stayed like that for a moment before he started to rub her back. “Wow. That’s really concerning.”

Taking a moment to glance at the class, Marinette was a little shocked that nobody got out of their seats. It looked like they were purposefully ignoring Alya after her remark. She felt a twinge of sadness at the sight of Adrien slumped in his chair. That was until she caught the uneasy, conflicted glance in Mylene’s eyes as she hastily shot a glance to Alya before turning away again.

Before either of them could go any farther and ask how things went at the Zoo, the classroom’s door opened, and Lila stomped her way to her seat. “Sorry, I’m late, everyone. You wouldn’t believe what happened today!”

Marinette rolled her eyes a bit. After what they’ve bought out of your lies, I doubt it.

Half of her class that was still listening to Lila all gaped, and Kim spoke up. “What happened?”

Lila rolled her eyes and crossed her arms as she sat down. “My Zio Alexandar arrived in Paris. He was at our door this morning, and he kept spoiling us so much I could barely get out!”

“Zio?” Marinette looked to Alya, who pulled out her phone for a moment and started typing.

Alya showed her phone was on a translation website. “Her uncle.”

“Ah.” Sparing a glance at the fuming Italian, Marinette hummed in thought. “Strangely... that one sounds believable to a degree.”

Alya raised an eyebrow herself as she put her phone away and looked back. “Yeah, she actually seems a bit annoyed. Like, usually, she’s faking that sugary smile or silently sending sneers at us.” The two both kept looking at her as she raved about her morning before Alya grimaced. “Is it wrong that I'm slightly uncomfortable from this possibly being genuine?”

Marinette shrugged. “Did you even know she had an uncle?”

Shaking her head, Alya shrugged back. “Nope. Always got silent at the mention of any family that wasn’t her mom.”

Shortly after Alya had said that, Adrien walked in with a smile. The look in his eyes, however, screamed of something else. Marinette was surprised that he’d even been let out of the house with how he looked, but she guessed he applied his concealer well enough to fool Nathalie. That, or maybe it happened after he left? Nino also saw through it instantly and was practically ready to jump out of Marinette’s seat. “Dude, you alright? You look dead on your feet.”

Adrien waved a hand a bit and shot them his best smile. “I’ll be fine, Nino. Just tired.” The fact his best smile looked as dead as his eyes made Marinette’s worries skyrocket. Just what happened to make him so sad? A little voice in the back of her head voiced a possibility, making her heart race with worry. Did... did something happen with him and Kagami? What if they end up like Luka and me!? What if this makes Adrien so dejected that he abandons all hope for love andliveshislifelikehisfatherandbecomescoldandheartlessandwenevergettogetherorhavethreekidsandahamsternamed-!

Nino sighed loudly enough that it broke Marinette’s catastrophizing spree as he moved out of her seat. “Whatever you say, bro. When you’re good to talk about it, I’m here.” Giving Marinette a wave of thanks, Nino went back down to his spot next to Adrien and started to chat with him.

Mentally slapping herself, Marinette grimaced. NO. You promised yourself you would not focus on romance. There’s too much going on right now! Even if it’s making Adrien sad, we will not be getting involved!  

Oh, but how she wanted to help him. Every fiber of her body was screaming that she needed to help. It was Adrien who was sad. The literal Sunshine Child of the class! What kind of everyday Ladybug would she be if she didn’t?

Thankfully, Marinette at least had the manners not to eavesdrop on her crush good friend, so instead, she tried to focus on her homework. Talking with Shirou last night took longer than she thought it would. She still had a third of the assignment incomplete, and it was going to be due the moment she walked into her next class. So much time wasted because of being a superhero. So many commissions to work on. So much school work. I can handle it! I’m Ladybug, after all.

An extensively long science problem smugly, at least in her mind, stared her in the face before Marinette groaned, letting her head hit the desk. I hope Mr. Oogami pulls through on his end. No more Akumas sounds absolutely fantastic right now. I could go for a nice mental breakdown. ______________________________________________________________

Shirou looked up at the building in front of him and growled slightly under his breath as he walked away from City Hall. Mayor Bourgeois had apparently made it impossible to schedule any meetings with him, so any questioning Shirou had planned to do was shot. For a man who’s daughter was missing, he was remarkably unattentive.

And considering the scents brought him to City Hall in the first place made that all the more curious.

Rather than try the front again, Shirou walked around the building to the alley, following his gut feeling. As he found the parking area, he could see a few men standing around in various spots, near light posts, cars, or one particular door. It was suspicious how these men looked like they were here for quite a while, yet only a few were dressed in nicer clothes. One of the men noticed Shirou and raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. They didn’t look away, however, as Shirou walked through the parking.

Shirou kept walking until he made it to the other side of the lot and made it far enough they would think he couldn’t hear them. He pulled out his phone, pretending to check something as he rounded a corner out of sight. With a few quick jumps, he was on the City Hall roof, looking down at the group.

One of the men, balding, and American judging by his accent, looked over at his friend. “Hey, you know who that guy was?”

The suited man next to him shook his head. “Nah. Boss lady said she wasn’t expecting anyone.”

He glared back at where Shirou had vanished, scowling. “Think he’s trouble?”

Smirking, the suit waved a hand. “With how he was walking through here? I would bet on it. Didn’t even look phased. A man like that ain’t something you mess with.”

A second suited man next to him was looking at his phone, frowning as he gave a side-glare at the two. “Well, if he comes anywhere near here again, motivate him to not come back. Alright?”

Rolling his eyes, the first suit shrugged. “Whatever. Any word on the brat?”

The second suit sighed and rubbed his face. “Yes. She started to try and bash the door down a few hours ago. Hasn’t made a sound since.”

The bald guy smirked. “Music to my damn ears.”

The final guy, who was busy standing next to the door, pulled out his phone and answered a call before his eyes shot open. “Guys! Boss wants us downstairs now!”

The three who were talking looked over at him. “Wha?”

He jabbed his thumb at the door and sneered. “Somethin’ freaky just happened to that little bitch! There’s new plans.”

The second suit scowled before they walked up to the door, and he stopped. Pointing at the original guard and the balding man, he sent a chill down their spines. “You two stay out here. If that guy shows up again, you know what to do.”

A vicious smirk crossed the balding guy’s face. “Got it.” He got in position next to the door, and Shirou could see the revolver he had hidden in his waistband.

Once the two suits were inside, the original guard was left with the balding man and looked unamused. “Of course, I’d be stuck with your stupid ass.”

“Like you’re much higher on the food chain,” the bald guy scoffed.

Shirou couldn’t help but smirk a bit as he stood above them and stepped off the building. But I am. He landed right between the two, startling them both. Before the balding man could grab his gun, Shirou had both of them by the arm and forced the two into a headbutt, knocking the both of them senseless.

He then brushed off his shoulder and looked at the door before heading inside.