#is that her mom also takes out the notes to put on her desk so they don’t get lost

[waugh-bao]

*

[luvyeni]

❛LITTLE PINK BOOK❜ ( p. jongsong )

p. schoolmate!jay x fem!reader w. 2.7k

warnings? — 𖦹 ( jay finding your book, your little secret pink book ) !

authors note. first full fic in a minute finally back after week, also thank you for 14k , i appreciate it🫶🏾 🤙🏾🤍

You were the spitting image of girl next door — your dad a business man; your mother a stay at home wife, your family went to church every single sunday, greeted all the older church ladies, smiling when the pinched your cheeks, telling you you’d make a honest wife.

You upheld the same image; getting good grades, having no friends — you kept to yourself , never getting in trouble; boring goody-two shoes if you’d asked other students in your class. So when you dropped your little pink book in front of park jongsong— not noticing as you kept walking, he wasn’t even gonna bother picking it up, but he decided to do something good and return it. “hey!” you didn’t hear him, continuing on down the hall.

he hadn’t seen you for the rest of the day, so he ended up taking the book home with him, tossing it on the table, it opened wide. He didn’t expect to find anything, but he was still curious— what did a girl like you; a little church mouse write about?

Sitting on the edge of the desk, opening the book; reading off a random page — he was so shocked by the contents that he had to read the name over, making sure it was actually yours, he flipped through the pages in awe. Pages upon pages of straight porn is what jay would call it — your every dirty fantasy written down, things you did to yourself, things you want to do to other people, it was a lot — even a confession of the lost of the virginity; god he wished it was him who was the to defile you first.

“fuck.” He curse, getting hard at the words, it was so dirty — then he turned the page, and the first thing he saw just made him harder, his name, he adjusted himself , but it didn’t help as he read the page — ‘I do anything he asked me to’. You were saying that about him , you wrote about what you wanted him to do.

His hands traveled down to his pants, just has his door opened — he quickly tossed the book leaning over to cover up his hard on, his mother walking in; just in time. “you’re home?” he nodded , trying to catch his breath. “yes.”

“why do you look so nice?” he questioned. “get dressed for dinner, we’re meeting your dads new business partner for dinner at their home.” He sighed, he hated these things. “really? do I have to come?” his mom nodded. “yes you do, the y/ln’s are good people, we need to get in their good graces.” He froze at the last name. “y/ln?”

“yeah.” His mom hummed. “they have a daughter, sweet girl she does to your school, do you know her?” he shrugged, trying to keep his cool; yeah he knew you — well he thought he did. “big school probably passed her a couple times.” He said. “well she’s gonna be there tonight so dress nice.” He nodded, she walked out , closing the door leaving him alone.

He picked the book up, sitting it down on the table — finding a outfit for the night. “jay be quick we leave 5!” his mom yelled from the steps. “okay!” he stuffed the book in his pocket with a smirk on his face. “you look nice baby.” He thanked his mom. “be on your best behavior son, your father needs this deal.” He couldn’t promise anything, he definitely had other things in mind. “I promise.”

You sat on your bed, going through your homework; your door opening making you look up. “you wearing that?” your mother said, making you look down at your outfit. “well it’s just dinner with daddy’s co worker.” you said, your mother nodding opting to not fight with you. “I guess so, did you finish your homework? They should be here soon?”

“yes, im just finishing up now.” You said. “good, I’ll call you when you they get here.” She left you, closing the door. You began to put your stuff in your bag — noticing something; your little pink book, it was missing. “oh no.” you said, searching through your bag, dumping everything out — gone, it was gone. “shit.” You couldn’t even remember where you last saw it, you always kept it tight with you.

You began pacing, if anyone found out what you wrote in that book you’d be in trouble — who could even have it? Did anyone have is? If so who? All these thoughts raced through your mind, just as your mother called out for you. “dinner!” you sighed, smoothing out your skirt, you couldn’t let your parents see you shaken up, blowing out a breathe before leaving out your room.

You made your way down the steps — your mother and waiting at the bottom. “there she is, come here baby.” Your mom pulled you to her side, kissing your forehead. “mom.” You whined, the couple in front of you laughing. “these are the parks.” You held your hand out shaking both of them. “nice to meet you.”

“nice to meet you as well young lady.” The older man said. “such a pretty daughter, much prettier than you described her.” You smiled, nodding your head. “thank you ma’am.” She smiled. “our son jay is in the car, getting the gift he’ll be in soon.”

Jay? As in park jongsong? You knew him all too well, he was the subject of just about everything recently you wrote about in your journal — if he was the one to find it, you’d die.

“ah! There he is.” Mr.park called for the boy as he walked in the room, holding the bottle of wine. “sorry it took so long.” He bowed to your parents, his eyes honing in on you. “I do know you.” Your breath caught in your throat, how did he know you? He hardly paid attention to anybody else but his friends. “h-how?”

“you’re in my history class, you sit in the back quite as little mouse.” He smiled, you didn’t even notice the look in his eyes — full of hunger. “head always in a book.” Your mom slapped your arm. “I told you about that.” You hissed. “im sorry.”

“lets take a seat.” Your father guided everyone to the eating area; jay took a seat across from you— you can feel his eyes on you. You looked up, eyes locking on you— did he know? You squinted your eyes in confusion and he smiled, before turning to your father. “may i use the restroom?”

“sure son, yn could you show him?” you looked up from the empty plate. “m-me?” you said. “yes you.” You dad laughed along with the parks. “oh ye-yeah sure.” You stood up, jay mimicking you. “fo-follow me.” You walked up the steps, he followed behind you, book in his pocket — like a predator stalking his prey.

You walked to the end of the hall where the bathroom was, pushing the door open. “here you go.” You went to walk away, until he spoke up. “you really don’t know who I am?” you stopped , heart racing. “we-well we do go to the same school.” You said. “that’s it?” he said, reaching in his pocket — revealing the pink book, your heart dropping. “really?”

“h-how do you have that?” you stuttered. “oh this, you dropped it.” He said. “see I was gonna leave it, then i decided to give it back.” He said, stepping closer to you, making you take a step back. “but you didn’t answer, so I took it home — and then I got a little curious.” He said; so he did read it. “for such a cute and innocent face, you surely write about a lot of dirty thing in this notebook.”

He was now pressing you against the wall. “I also no, daddys little girl has been lying about being a virgin, seems like somebody already popped that little cherry of yours.” He smirked. “jay— princess and the things you said about me, damn.” He dry laughed. “for someone who’s never said a word to me, you surely want me to do a lot of things to you.” His hand came up to your face, caressing it. “what was it?” he teased. “let me do whatever I want to you.”

He was pressing against you, you could feel his hard on your stomach. “seems like our little church mouse is hiding many secrets.” You couldn’t get a word out, but the way his hands traveled down your body, his hand burning your exposed skin made your body tingle. “we-we have to go back down stairs.”

He smiled, stepping to the side, letting you walk past. “yeah we do, don’t want daddy to think im doing anything to his precious little girl right.?” You tried to gather yourself, panties sticking uncomfortable to your cunt as— he walked past you, whispering in your ear. “this isn’t over baby.”

You made it back to your seat before jay did, sitting down. “he’ll be down soon.” You sat down, your mom finally bringing the food from the kitchen — jay finally returning, sitting down in his seat, his eyes on you, you looked down at your plate, secretly fanning your warm face.

He didn’t make dinner easier either , using his foot to toy with you, starring at you so intensely that you would stumble over your words every time his parents would ask you a question.

“dinner was lovely, Mrs. yln.” Jay said. “thank you jay such a sweet boy.” If only she knew the thoughts he was having about her sweet daughter. “it was lovely dear, but I believe there is business to disgust.” Your dad said. “mr.park?” your dad stood. “my office?”

“Mrs. park while the men discuss business would you like some wine?” your mother asked. “sure why not, you kids can go play amongst yourselves right.” Jay laughed. “we aren’t 5.” His mom glared at him. “but im sure we can find something to do.” He turned to you, you could see his eyes full of lust. “right?”

They dismissed you both, sending you both upstairs, putting enough trust in both of you— they were wrong; the moment the door closed to your bedroom, he was grabbing your arm, pulling you close to him, pressing his forehead against yours. “j-jay.”

“so pretty.” He whispered, holding his hands in your hand. “what do you want?” your mind went blank. “an-anything.” You whimpered. “yeah, let me do whatever I want?” his other hand coming up to his collar, undoing the tie. “yes, please ” He could see the look in your blown out eyes— you wanted this just as bad as he did. “okay little mouse.”

Taking the tie — you looked so confused. “give me your hands.” you held your hand out. “I believe this was in that little fuck book of yours.” Your ears were hot from embarrassment. “what was it? Ah I believe it said you wanted me to tie your hands behind your back and have my way with you.” He smirked, turned you around, tying your hands. “what else did you write?”

“yo-you read it didn’t you?” you whimpered, just wanting him to touch you. “yeah, but I want to hear you say it.” He said. “so, tell me baby, what did you write.” He pressed his cock against your ass. You whimpered, he left little kisses down your neck. “i-i sa-said i wanted you to fuck my face.” He smirked. “yeah you did.”

“get on your knees.” He commanded, you compiled immediately. “oh baby , it's like you’re used to this.” He tease. “almost like you’ve done this before.” Truth be told, you haven’t — you weren’t a virgin anymore, losing your virginity to you secret boyfriend months prior, but that’s it.

“i-i haven’t.” hearing that made his cock twitch. “so you were writing all those dirty things without having done any of them.” He laughed furthering your embarrassment. “don’t worry, baby I got you.” He undid his belt, letting his pants fall to his ankles, along with his underwear, his cock slapping against his stomach, it was much bigger than the ones you seen, wanting to touch but you couldn’t due to the restrictions. “give it a kiss pretty girl.”

He hissed as he felt the shortness of your lips. “fuck, now open up.” You slowly opened your mouth, letting him slide his cock into your wet cavern. “fuck, there we go.” He sighed, slowly pushing himself inside. “just be a good girl and let me fuck your mouth.”

He started off slow, just to ease you into it — speeding up his movements gradually, his tip kissing the back of your throat. “fuck your little throat is sucking me like crazy.” You began to gag around him, unable to grab his thighs, he grabbed your head to steady you. “go-gonna fuck your face.”

Using your throat, throwing his head back. “fuck , gonna cum.” groaned, pushing himself fully down your throat, groaning in pleasure as he came, filling your throat with his warm seed. “oh fuck.” He let your hair go , releasing your head — you coughed, lips swollen and wet. “so nasty.” He tapped his cock on your lips. “looked so fuck out just from sucking cock.”

Thing’s escalated from there, he pulled you up. “what else was is?” you felt him reach under your skirt. “what else did you want me to baby?” your voice was sore, legs wobbly as he pushed you on to the bed, arms still behind your back. “i-i wanted you to fuck me.”

“good girl.” he maneuvered your body into his desired position, your ass up in the air — pulling your panties down, the air hitting your cunt, you whined. “look how wet you are.” He tease your cunt with his fingers. “such a slutty pussy baby, little church mouse wants me to use her.” He slapped your ass, you yelped. “be quite unless you want mommy and daddy to hear how much of a slut you are.”

You felt him shuffling behind you, wiggling your hips. “stay still.” You felt another slap on your ass, you bit down on your plushie, moaning as you felt the warmth of his cock. “daddy would be so disappointed.” He slapped his cock on your cunt, teasing the tip of his cock into your hole. “seeing his daughter tied up — fuck!” he groaned as he fully seethed himself inside you. “j-jay.”

He was much thicker than the guy before, filling you up; moving his hips. “fuck this cunt is so fucking tight.” He squeezed your ass. “fuck!” you squealed, “jay please.” He began to move faster, grabbing your arms as he fucked into you, your shoulders were going to hurt in the morning, but you couldn’t care less with the way he was fucking you. “I should’ve known this innocent church girl was disguise.” He groaned. “that you really were a slut.”

He lifted you up by your wrist, roughly fucking into faster. “something else I read in that book.” He moaned. “you want me to make you squirt.” He cursed, his hand coming around to your clit, rubbing it. “if that’s what you want, then I want you to squirt for me.” He slapped at your cunt. “cum for me.” He whispered into your ear, your eyes rolled to the back of the head, as you came, he released your arms, letting you face plant into your pillows as he continued to plow into you.

“fuck, fuck im gonna cum, where do you want it?” he groaned. “i-inside.” Your voice muffled in the pillow. “please.” He grunted, thrusting a few more times, feeling the warmth of his cum filling you up. “fuck.” He stopped moving, his cock twitching.

He finally undid his tie from your hands, gently laying your lower body down. “good girl.” He said softly. “let’s get you cleaned up yeah?”

“jay!” you heard his mom yelling down the steps. “time to go.” He pulled the covers over your body , still holding the book in his hands. “gonna keep this pretty girl.” He smirked. “got a lot of reading to do.” He said , walking out, forgetting his tie — knowing you’d have to walk up and give it back to him, he could see your shy red face as you approach him, nervously giving him the tie back, almost made him horny again. he was determined to do everything you wanted him to do in the book.

He was gonna turn you into his perfect little slut.

©️LUVYENI

[cameronspecial]

Let Me Take Care of You, Angel

Pairing: Frat!Rafe Cameron x Reader

Warnings:  Threatening to Get Someone Fired, Reader being sick

Pronouns: She/Her

Word Count: 0.8K

Summary: Y/N can barely stand but it doesn't stop her from trying to go to class, so Rafe steps up and goes for her.

A/N: This is like a prequel to Let Me Handle It, Angel, but you can read it by itself or in any order.

Masterlist

Her nose shouldn’t be so stuffy with the amount of liquid dripping down from it right now. The tickle in the back of her throat that won’t go away no matter how many cough drops or tea she drinks is driving her crazy. To top it all off, she is constantly going between being hot and cold, which causes her to turn dizzy as she is taking Rafe’s sweater on and off. She blows her nose again to alleviate some of the build-up, but she still can’t breathe. 

Meanwhile, Rafe is in the kitchen getting her lunch ready. He hopes his mom’s homemade chicken noodle soup has enough broth to counterbalance the too much salt he accidentally put in. The butter bread he lays on the tray is to give her a little more substance and he is about to pour her some freshly squeezed orange juice into her favourite mug. He goes to get the juice to find his frat brother, Topper, about to pour the last of the juice into his own cup. The death glare Rafe sends his best friend stops the other boy. Rafe grabs the glass jug from the boy and pours it into her mug. He brings the tray of food upstairs to find her trying to change into some leggings. She got dizzy trying to put them on standing up so now, she is rolling around his bedroom floor trying to yank her pants up her bloated lower body. Rafe sighs at the sight of her and places the tray on his desk. 

“Stop, please. Let me take care of you, Angel. Please,” he begs, taking off the leggings and putting his sweatpants back on for her. She resists a little, not because she is uncomfortable with his help but because she wants the leggings on, “No, Rafe. I have to go to class. I need to put some clothes on.” He shakes her head at her begging. “No, angel. You can barely stand up, let alone go to class. Please, sit back down and eat something,” he orders, guiding her to sit up against his headboard so she can eat. She refuses, “I have class, Rafe. I need to go. This prof takes attendance for a mark.” “Well, then I’ll go for you. I’ll record the lecture and even take notes for you, angel. Just please, stay here and get some rest,” he offers, starting to get changed into some clothes to head to her class. 

“Rafe, that would never work. The professor knows what I look like and that I’m a girl.”

“Don’t worry about it, my sweet angel. I’ll take care of it. Now, I expect to see all of that food gone by the time I get back, understand?”

——

Rafe sits at the back of the lecture hall with different coloured pens and a pencil before him. He writes the date in her notebook as neatly as possible then switches to a blue pen for the title. One lazy afternoon together, when they first got together, she was studying while he just watched her. He asked her why she liked handwritten notes and why she used different colours. She explained that the handwritten notes are better for her to transcribe when she studies and the different pens help her visualize the notes better. So he is going to try his best to copy her notes how she likes it. 

The clock hits 2 P.M. and Professor Simmons begins the attendance. “Y/N Y/L/N,” he calls out, looking around the front rows for her familiar face. Rafe’s hand darts up, “Present.” The masculine voice causes Professor Simmons to look up from his computer. “You aren’t Ms. Y/L/N,” he questions with an arch brow. 

“No, I am not. But she is currently sick at the moment so I’m filling in. So you can just mark her as here.”

“I don’t know who you are, but this isn’t how this works.”

“Well, allow me to introduce myself. I’m Rafe Cameron. Y/N’s loving boyfriend, but also a Cameron. The same Cameron, whose name is on the business building. One phone call and I can have you fired. Tenure or not. So do we have any problem with me being here for Y/N?”

Rafe holds his phone up about to dial his dad, who would do anything in a heartbeat for Y/N because he thinks she is good for Rafe. The auditorium goes silent as they wait for the professor to answer. Professor Simmons shakes his head and continues on with the list. 

——

The door opening makes Y/N look towards it. Her boyfriend stands at the entrance with a grin on his face and ice cream in his hand. “How did it go?” she barely gets out between coughs, reaching for the pint of ice cream she knows she shouldn’t be eating. Rafe wraps his arm around her and places a kiss on her temple, “Without a problem. How are you feeling, angel?” “That’s good. Thank you for going. And a little better. I haven’t puked since you left,” she tells him, eating another bite of ice cream. He smiles at that fact, “I would do anything for you. I’m so glad you are better. I love you, angel.” 

“I love you too, Rafe.”

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for moving a box of spaghetti?

I (24F) live with my retired parents (66M, 66F). I pay rent (though significantly below market rate) and I pay for all my own expenses (groceries, insurances, phone, etc.). I also provide free live-in pet care when my folks travel, which they tend to do for weeks at a time.

My mom is kind of a control freak about the house. I am not allowed to have visitors, or any belongings outside the confines of my room. She also used to extend this to my room, but not since I turned 18. When I was in high school, I had to secretly buy and assemble a desk while she was at work because she thought a desk would "ruin the aesthetic" of my room. The only exception to the "no stuff" rule is in the kitchen, as perishable foods don't really do well in bedrooms.

She has decided it is her New Project to segregate all of their food from my food. I don't have an issue with that in itself. However, she is intent on doing it completely unilaterally. She first did the freezer, which she showed me excitedly. I was like "Oh, cool. Do you think we could switch which drawer is mine? I was used to using this one". And she absolutely freaked out, because I am not a ROOMMATE, I am a GUEST, and how DARE I have the ENTITLEMENT to tell HER where to put things in the house SHE OWNS. Please note that here she is screaming so loud that my friend, waiting for me outside, could hear her from their car.

We had a similar exchange when she showed me the fridge! I didn't have an issue with the actual organization there, but I was still like "hey you seem really stoked to show me this. I wish you would communicate about it beforehand though. Even if you're going to do it anyway, I feel like it's an act of respect to let me know what your plan is before you just start touching and moving my stuff". That again, didn't go well.

Today she decided to tackle the pantry. At this point this is a sore spot for me. I am like, physically holding myself back from heckling her as she does this. It doesn't help that she started doing this right before I was about to make myself breakfast so I am Hangry. She finishes like, an hour and a half later. I make my food. I notice that the way she has arranged my pasta, you can't get at any of the stuff without taking it all out of the cabinet. I fix it while still keeping all of my stuff on My side, but I have to remove a box of spaghetti because it doesn't fit quite right. I put it on the counter while I clean my pan because I'm not sure how I'm going to address it. I am definitely aware there is a chance I'm going to get yelled at, but I move it anyway.

While I'm scrubbing, my mom comes into the kitchen, sees the spaghetti box on the counter, and starts screaming bloody murder at me, at "audible down the street" levels. To the point where I was very viscerally upset for hours.

I obviously know that the severity of her reaction is literally insane, especially because I didn't even yell back at her. However, I'm torn on how justified I actually am in wanting to be included in the organization of the kitchen. AM I being entitled about this? Should I just let my mom do what she wants or should I keep trying to advocate for myself?

[letsgetrowdy43]

My Love Mine All Mine (Rowan’s version)—

Jack Hughes x Yvette Liu

I listened to “My Love Mine All Mine” by Mistki a few times when I began writing this, so this is written through the lens of that song. It's also around 11K words so strap in cause it's a long one!!

Warnings: Pregnancy, a little fear of pregnancy, alcohol, a lot of tooth-rooting fluff, if there's anything else please lmk!!

Au Masterlist!!

"It's for your own good," Ellen scolded as she parked the car in front of the school, a frown resting on his features as he rolled his eyes at his mother, "I'm being serious Jack, school is important, there is no hockey if you aren't putting up your best efforts in class, and your coaches agree with me."

His mother had put him in tutoring after receiving an email detailing his recent grade in history; a few slip-ups in his assignments led to a failing grade. Everyone was treating it like it was the end of the world, but now that his mom was threatening hockey, he knew that he needed to do anything to get it up as soon as possible.

"Whatever," he unbuckled himself and got out of the car, a frown on his face as he looked at his mother one last time, "this is so embarrassing," he said before slamming the car door shut out of annoyance and heading into the school. He could hear her muffled voice rise through the window of the car followed by a fit of Luke's laughter as she drove off in the direction of the rink where his younger brother's practice was being held.

This was not how he wanted to spend his Saturday morning, he thought to himself as he entered the library he looked around at the tables full of students, laptops and books cluttering the desks as he searched for the girl he believed to be named "Yvette," a tutor that one of the other mom's had recommended to his during a home game a few weeks ago.

He found one girl, sitting in the back of the room, her head down in her textbooks and her curly hair in her face, he warily approached as he searched her table for any little sign that might tell him whether or not this girl was the one he was looking for. "Yvette?" he said quietly, the girl looked up from her book, a smile pulling at her lips as she nodded. "Yes, you must be Jack," she ushered for him to take a seat beside her as she organized the mess of books laid out in front of her. "Yeah I am," he grew shy as he watched her cheeks heat up at their now closer proximity.

His heart was beating in his chest, he couldn't help but feel a mix of nervousness and embarrassment. Yvette seemed friendly enough, she was also the prettiest girl he'd ever seen, but Jack couldn't shake the feeling that this whole tutoring situation was an unwanted intrusion into his life.

"Let's get started, we can go through your history assignments and figure out where you might be struggling if you're comfortable with that?" she smiled sweetly as she flipped her notes open to the pages that highlighted the chapters covered in his assignment. He nodded, words caught in his throat, his hands clammy as he rummaged through his bag for the crumpled-up piece of paper, embarrassment growing in his chest that she would be reading his poor work.

She explained everything with ease, Jack nodded and hummed in agreement every few minutes, still not confident enough not to stumble over his words. His eyes kept leaving the sheet in front of them and landing on her face, he examined the perfect roundness of the apples of her cheeks, his face grew warm as he peered down at the plumpness of her lips, she was the epitome of beautiful, even in the dark and stuffy corner of the library.

By the end of the session, Jack had not only learned and gained a bit more of an understanding, but he was pretty sure he was in love with his tutor.

"I think that's good for today," she whispered and looked at the boy who was lost in space, "how are you feeling now Jack?" she asked as she began to pack up her things. Jack, snapped back to reality, and stammered, "Oh, uh, yeah. I feel... good. I mean, better. Thanks, Yvette." His cheeks turned a shade of red as he realized he had been caught daydreaming.

"It's Eve, by the way, I assume we will be spending a lot of time together, so may as well get you on a nickname basis," she smiled sweetly once again, and Jack was a goner, nearly melting in his seat. "Okay Eve," he said with a grin tugging at his lips, trying to keep his cool. Little did he know she was internally freaking out at the way her name just casually rolled off of his tongue.

"So would next Saturday, same time work for you?" her brows furrowed before he clarified, "For our next session I mean," he laughed, cheeks a bright red as her face broke out in realization. "Oh yes! Of course, it works perfectly" She smiled and opened her planner, writing down a "Jack" in one of the Saturday time slots with a smiley face in pretty pink pen ink causing his heart to leap in his chest. "Perfect, thank you again," he said quickly, shoving everything back into his bag and heading out of the library in search of his mother who was waiting for him in the parking lot.

Ellen grinned as she held up a red Gatorade for him, a nice peace offering as he got into the car, "so how was that, wasn't as bad as you thought?" "I think I just met my future wife," he deadpanned, causing Ellen to go wide-eyed.

★★★★

Jack had been waiting for this game since the beginning of the season. 

The Usntdp boys would finally play against Umich, a battle of the oldest Hughes brothers, Jack's first time going against Quinn. It was monumental, it felt like one of the biggest games of the season, it was gonna be everything.

He and Trevor did their pregame rituals, which consisted of a stupid intricate handshake followed by a very dramatic chest bump and then they were ready to take the ice.

His eyes searched the ice after doing a few laps and practicing some shots, Quinn stood next to Josh stick-handling the puck before he looked up to his younger brother and grinned. The two Hughes boys met at center ice, smiles on their faces after not seeing each other for a few months and hugged.

"Ready to get your ass kicked?" Jack teased his older brother as Quinn looked to the stands with a confused look. "Who is with mom?" he asked slyly pointing to the Hughes family, a girl in a USA sweater sat in between Luke and Ellen.

Jack's face immediately warmed as she looked at him, sending him a short wave before being pulled back into conversation with his little brother.

"Oh my god dude, you are as red as a tomato, who is that girl?" Quinn pressed again as he de-gloved in his and poked Jack in the cheek. Jack pushed his hands away, the redness on his face growing by the second, "that my friend, Eve, she tutors like half the team" Quinn's brow raised as he looked back up to the girl who had moved her conversation over to Jim and Ellen who were showing her something on Ellen's phone, "is that the one mom told me about, future Mrs Hughes?" "Shut up." 

The whistle blew and alarmed both teams to skate back to their respective benches, Quinn tapped Jack with his stick once again, "Get ready to lose Rowdy," he grinned before skating back in the direction of the boys in Maize.

Jack's eyes found their way back to her in the crowd, her face breaking out into a grin as she looked back to him, her hand pointing to his number on her sleeve and then throwing him a thumbs up. "My god dude, you have heart eyes," Alex startled him as he ran into Jack pulling him back into the game and towards the bench

After the game, Jack couldn't shake the excitement coursing through his veins. The adrenaline from the game blended with the thrill of playing against Quinn and the presence of Eve in the stands had him on some sort of high. He left the locker room with a grin on his face, despite the loss on ice, the thought of spending the drive home with Eve had his heart racing.

He spotted her chatting with his family, his young cousins crowded around her legs as she examined the doll in the little girl's hands, his entire family seemed to have taken a liking to her, and Jack couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth seeing them get along.

Eve looked up and caught Jack's eye. She flashed him another mind-melting smile, and he couldn't help but walk a bit faster to get to her. "Sorry about the loss J, you played amazing though," she said as he pulled her in for a hug, his eyes connecting with Luke who was making kissy faces behind her but was stopped by a glare from Ellen. "It's no big deal, Quinn is never gonna let me live it down though," he pulled away just as Trevor and Cole found their way to the girl.

"Eve!" Trevor yelled out as he pushed Jack out of the way and smothered the girl in his chest, "I didn't know you were gonna be here!" Jack let Trevor's voice fade away as he approached his mother and father, who both congratulated him on the assists.

"You played great sweetheart," Ellen said as Jim hummed in agreeance, Jack smiled as his eyes travelled back to the girl who was now chatting with Spencer, "Eve is a sweetheart, you should ask her over for dinner sometime," she watched as he nodded still staring at the girl. "Yeah Mom maybe," he mumbled as he looked back to Jim who was staring at his son with an amused grin. "Okay go grab Eve, we are gonna say bye to Quinn and then head out, okay?" Jim laid the plan out and Jack nodded as he looked back to the girl, watching as she interacted with the people closest to him.

He was in so deep.

★★★★

A knock on the door startled Eve out of her thoughts, tonight was the night of her date with Jack, the spring formal.

Her mom stood excitedly beside her, camera in her clutches, as the door opened to reveal a smiling Jack. He wore a burgundy suit, it complimented her blush-coloured dress perfectly, his smile wide as he whispered a quiet “hi” and handed her a corsage that matched the flower pinned to the chest of his jacket.

His face was a bright red as well as hers, but the quiet moment was ruined by a loud, “No hello Trevor? I see how it is!” which snapped her right out of her thoughts and into reality where she saw Trevor looking at her with glaring eyes. Her mom watched equally as confused as her daughter as Trevor rambled on about being late, and the rest of the boys waiting in the car.

And that's when it clicked, Jack thought she asked him out as friends.

“Can my mom just take one photo,” she asked quietly, pointing to her mom who was silently waiting with a camera still in her hands and a warm smile on her face. “I won't take too much time,” her mother said quietly as she pushed the three of them together. Trevor found his way in between them and wrapped his arms over their shoulders to push them all closer together.

Eve heard the clicks of the camera followed by a “Perfect, have fun!” to which her mother shooed them out the door and towards Jack's beat-up car.

Trevor ran as fast as he could and hopped in the passenger seat, a loud “Z, Eve gets front seat, remember,” followed as Jack ran to the driver side of the car. Trevor hit the lock button on the door and stared at the girl through the window, a grin growing on his face as she looked to the back seat to see Alex giving her an apologetic look.

“She's wearing a dress dude, she needs the legroom,” Cole said looking at her dress and giving her a thumbs-up as Trevor let out a loud groan. “Fine!” She said a short “sorry” as he got out and held the door open for her as she got in the car. “I'm only playing with you Eve,” he shut her door and squeezed himself into the back seat. 

Jack looked over at her with apologetic eyes before his eyes lingered back down to her dress, “you look pretty,” he said with a sweet smile. Her heart hammered in her chest as Jack's eyes found hers once again, "you look very handsome, I like the suit," she whispered, cheeks a bright red as Trevor started to blast Mr. Brightside over the radio.

She looked back at Alex and Trevor who danced around in the back seat, Cole taking a Snapchat video while laughing along.

This was going to be a long night.

And it was very long, but in the best way possible. A night full of laughter and dancing, shared smiles, and creating memories.

A slow song played over the speaker, which made all the couples make their way to the gym floor, the lights dim and the strobe lights bouncing off the walls and the decorations as people swayed along with the music. The group stood awkwardly, everyone other than Cole, who was off with some girl he had been talking to at the time, were staring at their feet waiting for the song to end.

Alex made eyes at Jack, catching his attention, looking from the boy to the girl who stared out at the couples on the dance floor. Jack's eyes went wide as he watched Alex motion for him to make a move, his heart starting to beat faster as he somehow convinced himself to walk over to her. "Wanna dance?" his hands awkwardly shoved themselves in his pants pockets as she wordlessly agreed with a slight nod.

He took her hand and led her to the edge of the dance floor, his hands resting on her hips as hers found his shoulders. It was tense and awkward, but it was so sweet, his laughter sounding through the entire gym as he continued to fuck up his steps, her smile bright under the dim lights.

It was perfect.

"You wanna know something funny?" she whispered as she looked him in the eyes, he nodded, his tongue darting out to wet his lips as he swayed her back and forth along with the music. "When I asked you to the dance, I meant it as a date, not just as friends," she watched his face fall as he stopped their movements. "Obviously you don't see me that way, which is fine, but I-" "You wanted this to be a date?" he cut her off, his face growing into a grin as her lips formed a straight line, "I'm so stupid," he mumbled as he ran a hand through his hair, a nervous habit of his.

Eve couldn't help but feel a mix of embarrassment and relief at his reaction. "No, Jack, you're not stupid. It's just... I thought you knew. The corsage, the suit, I mean, it all seemed pretty obvious." "No Eve I just ruined this, I wanted it to be a date so bad, but I thought you meant as friends so I took the boys 'cause I didn't think you saw me like that!"

"Take a deep breath J, It's okay, you can just make it up to me," her fingers played with the hair at the back of his neck to calm him down as they began to sway once again. "Yeah?" "Maybe dinner? Soon, hopefully?" "Yeah, dinner, maybe a movie?" she nodded sweetly.

Her eyes dipped down to his lips as the song came to an end, she leaned in but was stopped as he pulled slightly away, "I can't kiss you, not now, I want it to be perfect when I do, and romantic," he whispered as she shook her head at his stupid antics. She pressed a kiss to the high point of his cheek, on her tiptoes, hands on his shoulders to better balance herself, "You're such a dork, Jack," she whispered as he looked over to his friends all collectively giving him a thumbs up behind her back.

It was perfect.

★★★★

Summer was beautiful on her, her hair unruly with the most perfect curls, and her cheeks were dusted with freckles. He didn't know she could get prettier, but she continued to amaze him every time he saw her.

They sat in his car, her hand in his as they drove along the coast of the beach, her attention was on the sun that was beginning to set along the lake. The water is like glass, the reflection of the sky dancing on the gentle ripples of the water.

"You know what would be good," he lowered the volume of the music. She looked at him, mesmerized by the way the tan on his cheeks made his eyes an even deeper blue, "what?" she asked, her eyes bouncing around his face, admiring his side profile as his eyes landed back on the road. "Ice cream," he shrugged as she hummed in agreement, her hand squeezing his as he turned into the small student-run ice cream parlor next to the beach.

They stood in the short line, her hand still in his as he ordered their cones, him ignoring her as she offered to pay, and then finally, they found themselves situated on a picnic table. Watching the couples strolling along the sandy beach, dogs running around, and others soaking in the last few moments of sun before it was too late.

"That's an abomination to ice cream flavours," he said as she ate her mint chocolate chip ice cream right off the cone, her head leaned against his shoulder as she looked up at him with furrowed brows, "it's like toothpaste and chocolate flavoured, you're a freak for liking it!" She sat up straight and scoffed, "Says you, you're eating Vanilla!" "What's wrong with Vanilla!" "Face it, you're so boring baby," the nickname rolled off her tongue so naturally as she watched his lips pull into a grin.

One second they were staring at one another and the next his lips captured her in an all-consuming type of kiss. Sloppy, and a little rushed, but so perfect. She scooted closer to him with her free hand finding his bicep as she slightly moaned into his mouth as he nipped at her bottom lip.

The ice cream fell right out of her hand and onto the grass which pulled her away from their previous activities and had her staring at the melting scoop on the ground.

"Shit," she looked at Jack who was laughing at the unfortunate fate of her ice cream. "See, even your own body rejected it!" she shook her head at his stupidity, her hand finding the back of his neck, "shut up dork," she mumbled before kissing him once again, this time much slower and a little gentler as he smiled into her lips.

★★★★

Ellen sat in the driver's seat of the family van, Jack to her right as they drove to his morning practice. It was a little past eight in the morning, and for some reason, his chest felt funny, the pit of his stomach was tense, like he was expecting something bad to happen.

"Oh shit!" Luke said from the back of the car, pulling Jack's attention from his phone to the road. "Watch your language!" Ellen scolded as she looked in the rearview mirror to glare at her youngest.

Jack's eyes focused on the blue Volkswagon being loaded up onto a big tow truck, the passenger side of the car concave in, and his heart was in his stomach as he realized how familiar the car was. The crochet steering wheel cover made his ears begin to ring as he noticed the distinctive sticker on the bumper.

It was Eve's car.

His knee began to bounce as he dialed her number, the phone rang in his ear as tears blurred his vision as they passed by the car, his eyes not leaving the aftermath of the accident and following it long after they passed it.

The ringing stopped, no answer.

He called again

He couldn't breathe, his chest heaving slightly as his hand pulled at his hair as he continued to look at the car.

"God, I hope whoever it is, they're okay," Ellen looked in her rearview to look at the state of the car once again. "That's Eve's car," Jack mumbled as he was met with the dial tone once again, so he called for a third time. "What was that honey? You're being quiet this morning." "That was Eve's car," he said a little louder, which had Ellen gasping as she looked at her son who looked on the brink of tears. 

Finally, Eve's phone picked up.

"Jack?" Eve's mother's voice came through the phone, sounding very calm, almost too calm in comparison to how Jack was feeling. "Is Eve okay, I just saw her car, I-" "She's okay, she was on the way to the school and someone ran a light, but she is okay, just getting some tests done, but nothing too bad"

A weight lifted off of his chest as the words left her mother's mouth, she could hear his shaky breaths over the phone, "If it will help your nerves you can come down to the hospital and come see for yourself that she is okay." Jack took a moment to compose himself, grateful for the offer. "Yeah, we'll head to the hospital, thank you" he looked to Ellen who nodded her head and switched into the lane en route to the hospital. 

The car was tense as they drove to the hospital, the initial shock and worry began to subside, but the thoughts of 'what ifs' began to bounce around in the back of his mind. The image of Eve's damaged car lingered in his mind, a stark reminder of the fragility of life.

Ellen pulled into a parking spot and parked the car, her arm reaching out to stop her son before he got out in a panic. "J, you need to take a breath, she's okay, you can't go in there freaking out, she is gonna be a little shaken so you need to calm down," she squeezed his hand as he nodded along with his mom, wiping the dried tears from his cheek as she pressed a kiss to the side of his head, "We'll find her, and everything will be okay. Let's go."

As they entered the hospital, the atmosphere was sterile and busy. Jack's mind raced with worry, but he focused on the idea that Eve was alive and in good hands. He approached the reception desk, and Jack hesitantly asked, "I'm here for Yvette Liu," his voice was slightly shaky as the receptionist's face broke out into a soft smile "You must be Jack," the receptionist checked her computer and nodded, "her mom said you'd be here soon, she's in Room 123. You can head up there," she pointed to the hallway.

Jack's steps quickened as he followed the signs to the room. The anticipation built with each step, and when he reached the door, he took another deep breath before entering.

Inside, Eve was sitting on the hospital bed, looking a bit tired but otherwise unharmed. Her mother was in a chair beside her, engrossed in her phone. When Eve saw Jack, a smile brightened her face, and she held out her hand for him.

"Hey, J," Eve said, her voice soothing as she looked to Ellen behind him and waved, her mother saw the older woman and stood up to go and speak to Ellen and give the two a second to themselves. Eve patted the bed beside her, her hand grabbing his as he took his spot beside her, "I'm okay, just a minor concussion, but no broken bones!" she tiredly rejoiced as he leaned forward to brush her hair from her face. Jack nodded, swallowing hard to push back the emotions threatening to overwhelm him. "I was so scared, Eve. When I saw your car like that, fuck, I couldn't bear the thought of something happening to you." Eve gave him a warm, reassuring smile, "I know, J. But I'm here, and I'm okay, just a little shaken up," she raised his hand to her lips and pressed a kiss to his knuckles He couldn't help but let out a shaky laugh, relief aiding his nerves as he ran his thumb over the back of her hand, thanking the universe that she was okay.

"Thank you for being here J, for caring so much" He leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead, "Always, Eve," he almost held it back but a gentle "I love you," rolled off of his tongue which took her back a little, cheeks a pink shade as she smiled at his confession. "I love you too," she replied, her eyes sparkling with affection.

As they shared a quiet moment, Ellen and Eve's mother hovered, their conversation seemingly deep as they peered through the hospital room window at the intimate moment their children were sharing. Eve pulled back slightly, looking at Jack with a playful smirk. "Looks like our moms are conspiring over there. Probably planning our wedding already," she joked, which had Jack's face a bright shade of red as he looked up at the women who now pretended to look anywhere but at the young couple.

Jack chuckled, feeling a weight lifted off his shoulders. "Wouldn't put it past them," he squeezed her hand.

The room filled with a sense of love, as Eve ushered him to lay down on the bed next to her, her head leaning against Jack's shoulder, the two took comfort in each other's presence, grateful for the moment of calm after the storm.

★★★★

"It's here!" she said over the phone, her voice filled with excitement.

Her Rutgers letter was in her hands, and her phone pressed up against her ear as Jack's excited voice sounded on the other end.

"Do you need me to come over and open it with you?" "No! Cause if I don't get in I'll cry, and I don't want you to see me like that," she said in a joking tone, but she wasn't joking at all, if this letter started with a simple 'we are sorry to inform you' she was pretty sure she'd have a breakdown.

"You are so down on yourself pretty girl, you are gonna get in, cause you are the smartest person I know," his words were so genuine that it made her heart skip a beat, "you're gonna get that degree, and be the cutest elementary school teacher there has ever been." "God you're a flirt," she whispered as her thumb ran over her name and address. Jack chuckled on the other end of the line. "Well, if it works, then I'll keep doing it. But seriously, Eve, you've got this. You've worked so hard, and I believe in you."

She took a deep breath, feeling a mixture of excitement and anxiety. "Okay, I'm going to open it now. Wish me luck!" Eve carefully tore open the envelope, careful of the latter on the inside, her hands shaking slightly. Her eyes quickly scanned the contents, and a gasp escaped her lips, "holy shit J, I'm in, I got in!" Jack's cheers echoed through the phone. "I told you, I'm so proud of you, Eve!"

Once she calmed down she grinned, "You know what this means, we will both be in Jersey in a few months," she whispered, a lingering thought that had been in the back of her mind since the order of the draft had been determined a few days prior. Jack laughed on the other end, "That's only if I go first." "And if you don't you'll be second and in New York, so really either works for me," she teased as she listened to the melodic sound of his laughter on the other end.

"You really have everything planned out?" "Can't a girl dream? I just wanna think about being in school and pursuing a degree, and my hot superstar boyfriend being in the same city as me," she teased as she held her acceptance letter up against her chest as she leaned back on her bed. Jack chuckled, "Well, you're in luck because your superstar boyfriend is all for making your dreams come true. New York, New Jersey or wherever I end up, we'll figure it out."

The silence settled over them for a second, the realization that they were growing up, and growing together dawned on them as they let the news sink in.

"Okay enough about the future, right now I'm going over there to celebrate with you and we are gonna grab dinner or something," he said hopping off of his couch in search of his keys. "Okay, drive safe, love you!" "Love you too pretty girl, so proud of you," and with that he hung up, leaving her a blushing mess as she sat up and headed to the living room to share the news with her family.

★★★★

"Are you nervous?" she whispered, the two of them hidden away in the bathroom of their hotel suite, his tie in her hands as she helped him get in. "Yeah I am," he said slowly, his eyes flicking between her and the door, the cameras and the stress of today already starting to add pressure. Her eyes left the tie hung around his neck and looked up at him, her hands cupping his cheeks, "Where ever you end up you're gonna do amazing, and I'm so proud of you, whether you're first or last, you're everything me and you hope you know that," she stood up on her tip-toes and pressed a kiss to his lips.

Jack's tension seemed to ease a bit with Eve's words and the comforting touch of her hands on his cheeks, he looked into her eyes, grateful for her unwavering support. "I don't know what I did to deserve you, Eve."

Her lips curved into a small smile as he leaned into her touch. "I love you, you know that?" "I do," he replied, his eyes filled with affection. "And I love you too."

The draft was a blur, from sitting with Luke on the bus to watching Jack walk the red carpet, it was overwhelming, she didn't know how he was handling the stress and pressure of it all so well. Finally, they found their spots in the stands, his mother and brother sitting beside him, and her only a few chairs away.

The tension in the air was noticeable as they waited for the commissioner to walk up onto the stage. Eve's eyes never left Jack, observing the subtle changes in his expression as he talked to his family members and the occasional draftees and friends that came up to him in anticipation for their names to be called– the nervous twitches, the deep breaths, and the occasional glances toward where she sat, he was stressing.

With the opening speech concluding and New Jersey on the clock, the Hughes family grew tense as the organization made their way to the stage. She held her breath the entire minute of them organizing themselves before the general manager stepped forward and found himself in front of the mic. And then, finally, the moment arrived. Jack's name echoed through the arena, and the crowd erupted into cheers.

Luke and Eve hopped to their feet, hugging each other as they looked at the boy who made his way down the row of his family members, hugging and thanking all of them before he landed in front of her. She pressed a short kiss to his cheek as he pulled her in for a hug, "so proud superstar," she whispered, eyes filling with tears as he swayed her back and forth. "You know what this means," he pulled away to press another kiss to her temple, "we are both gonna be in Jersey, it's happening," he said as she nodded and sent him on his way to the stage, occasionally being stopped by friends and former teammates to congratulate him on his way up to the stage.

The cameras flashed, and the crowd's cheers intensified as he was presented with his new team's jersey, he was a devil now. She caught Jack's gaze from across the room, and in that moment, the world seemed to slow down. He pointed towards her, a wide grin on his face, before the first draft pick headed into the media room.

★★★★

Ellen squeezed the young girl’s hand as the announcer called out Jack’s name for his rookie lap.

The couple had both made their moves to Jersey, she resided about forty minutes away at university, and he lived with some veteran on the team as he waited to figure out his rooming situation. It had been smooth sailing for both of them thus far, she made it through orientation and frosh week, and he survived training camp, the two of them flourishing as they settled into their newfound independence.

“He looks so good out there,” Eve whispered as she watched him skate around the ice. “Imagine if he fell,” Luke laughed but was met with a glare from his father.

The Jack chants lasted a few more seconds before the light came back on for the rest of the players to be welcomed onto the ice for warmups.

“Did you meet any of his teammates?” Luke asked as he watched Jack talking with other players. Eve nodded, “Only briefly, Nico and Jesper were nice, PK took me and Jack out for dinner.” “That's sick!”

Eve looked at Ellen with a smile, nerves radiating off of her, "it’s a good group here," Eve commented, Ellen looked at her with soft eyes, "It feels like a big family." The woman nodded, thankful for the young girl’s words as she squeezed her hands and continued to watch the boys down on the ice.

After the game the entire Hughes family waited for Jack in the family lounge, the family buzzed with excitement to get their hands on the rookie, excited to celebrate his big moment. Jack was the first one out of the locker room, a grin on his face as he saw his mother and father chatting with a few other wives and parents who were also in attendance, then he saw a shy Eve a little away from the rest of the group her eyes staring at the floor. She looked up at her boyfriend, a grin on her face as he walked over to her and pulled her into his arms.

“You did amazing,” her arms wrapped around his shoulders as she squeezed him tightly, “sorry about the loss,” she mumbled as he pulled away, the smile still very apparent on his face. “It was only one game, and it was pretty close,” she was a little taken aback by this new found attitude, but she summed it up to the adrenaline of his first ever professional game, “It's a long season, and we'll bounce back. Besides, having you here makes everything better," Jack replied, giving her a quick peck on the forehead before he headed in the direction of his family.

As they left the arena, Jack slipped his hand into Eve's, a content smile on his face as it dawned on him that this was his life from now on, hockey, Eve, and Jersey, and if he was being honest there was no place he would rather be. Eve felt his grip tighten a little, and she looked up at him with a knowing smile.

★★★★

Eve sat on the arm of the couch next to her boyfriend, a grin on her face as she looked at the TV, the 2021 NHL draft was underway, virtually due to the pandemic, and the Hughes family and co. were huddled around the couch waiting to hear Luke’s name called.

Fourth was the dream.

If Luke went fourth overall it meant that he and Jack would be together in Jersey, a possible childhood dream come true.

Eve absentmindedly played with the bracelets on Jack's wrist, a habit she had developed over the years. Each bracelet held a story, a memory, and they had become a familiar and comforting presence to both of them.

As they waited for Luke's name to be announced, she glanced at Jack, finding a mix of nerves and excitement in his eyes.

“You excited?” she whispered as the Sabres called Owen Power’s name, the air tensing a little more. “Is it selfish of me to want him to go a fourth?” he asked, looking from the screen to his loving girlfriend who just shook her head with a smile. She pointed to the youngest of the Hughes brothers, his fingers tracing the Devil’s logo on the hats in front of him, “I think he wants it just as bad as you,” she whispered as she leaned toward him, pressing a kiss to his hairline as the Kraken announced their pick, being Matty Beniers.

With every passing pick the room grew a little quieter and a little more tense, by the time the third went and the ducks announced Mason Mctavish’s name the entire household was silent.

Devs on the clock.

Jack squeezed his girlfriend’s hand as the camera flashed to the Devils organization standing on a stage in front of their adoring fans, “Luke” and “Hughes II” signs lining the crowd as the general manager approached the mic.

And with that, Luke’s name was called, and the entire house erupted in screams, Jack being the first to his feet, vibrating with excitement as he pulled his brother in for a hug, Quinn’s smile never wider as Luke hugged everyone in his family before pulling one of Jack’s jerseys over his head and placed the Devils cap on his head.

Luke maneuvered his way around his family members to hug his, basically, sister-in-law. “I’m so proud Lu,” she squeezed him as he swayed them back and forth, “I can’t wait to see you and Jack on the ice together." Luke grinned, excitement in his eyes. "It feels like a dream,” he pulled away to watch her face break out into a smile, “having Jack there too, it's just amazing." “Well it’s not a dream, and we can’t wait to have you in Jersey,” she watched as his grin grew even wider before he pulled her back into his chest.

Eve watched as the Hughes family celebrated, their cheers and laughter filling the room. Jack, still buzzing with excitement, made his way back to Eve, pulling her into a tight hug, "I can't believe it," Jack exclaimed, his eyes shining with elation. Eve grinned into his chest as her arms wrapped around him, her heart swelling with happiness for both Jack and Luke.

As the draft celebration continued, Luke made his way back to Jack, a Devils jersey proudly displayed over his shoulders. The Hughes brothers shared a moment, exchanging words that went beyond the reach of the buzzing cameras and the cheers of the crowd.

★★★★

The smile had not left her face since her education degree was placed in her hands, from dinner to drinks, surrounded by family and friends celebrating the end of her education journey as she began to venture out into the adult world.

By the end of the day, her cheeks hurt from the seemingly never-ending smiles and her eyes were heavy with exhaustion. Jack’s chest had been full of pride and excitement the entirety of the day, loving the night of celebrating the girl he loved most.

As they finally found a quiet moment together in the solace of their shared apartment, Jack gently wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a warm embrace. “I'm so proud of you," Jack whispered into her ear, his voice filled with genuine admiration as she pressed a kiss to his jaw.

The two of them migrated to their room, he helped her slip out of her dress, his hands resting on the soft skin of her hips as he pressed a kiss to her shoulder, then her neck, and then on her lips. She smiled into his lips as her hands wrapped around his neck, as he helped slip her bra off and slipped one of his oversized t-shirts over her head, pulling away for just a second to get the shirt over her head and then kissing her once again.

“I really wanna continue this,” she mumbled against his lips as her hand cupped his face, “but I'm so tired,” she whispered as he smiled into her skin, face dipping down to the rest of her shoulder as he nodded along with her. “Let’s go to bed then,” he whispered against her skin before stripping himself of his dress pants and shirt and slipping on a pair of sweats.

She crawled under the covers, her entire body sinking into the soft mattress as the stress and bustle of the day left her body. Her head found comfort on his chest, hands intertwining with his, resting against his abdomen. She smiled at the gentle rise and fall of his chest, she could hear the faint thrum of his heart, she let out soft breaths as she felt his thumb begin to draw little patterns on the exposed skin of the small of her back.

With a tender gaze, Jack looked down at the woman he loved, her eyes reflecting the fatigue of the day but also the undeniable joy that lingered. The soft lighting in the room accentuated the warmth of the moment, the lights outside the window peeked through the curtains and illuminated her face as Jack examined how perfect she looked in that moment.

“I’ve been thinking about the future a lot today, our future,” she whispered as her hand squeezed his, “and I can’t imagine a future or even life without you in mine,” she pressed a kiss to his chest. A warmth spread through Jack's chest as he absorbed her sentiments, “would it be crazy if I said that I want to marry you?” "Crazy? No" Jack replied, his voice filled with genuine happiness as he sat up a little to reach into his bedside table. 

"I was gonna give this to you this summer at the Lakehouse,” he sat up a little more, her sitting up as well and facing him with tears in her eyes, “I went to your parent’s house a few weeks ago and asked for permission to, cause I wanted to do it right.” “Yes I’ll marry you,” she wiped away her tears as he laughed at her quick response. “You didn’t even let me ask you,” he whispered as he opened the tiny velvet box in his hands.

She gasped at the sight of the delicate gold ring in the box, an amber gemstone adorned the band, her hand flew up to her mouth, the silence her gasps and tears as she looked back up at Jack. “Will you marry me?” She didn’t respond this time, rather she reached out to gently cup his face to capture his lips with hers.

“You didn’t answer me this time,” he mumbled against her lips as she laughed at how all over the place she was. “Of course I’ll marry you J,” She pulled away to see him just as tear-eyed as her, and with a smile that reflected the promise of a shared future, Jack took the ring and delicately slid it onto her finger.

The room, now filled with the glow of their shared happiness as they whispered short words about how much they loved one another before falling asleep in one another’s arms.

★★★★

Jack stood in the classroom doorway, a shy smile on his face as he watched her in her element, children surrounded her on the rainbow carpet as she read aloud to the thirty-something students who all listened attentively.

“Can I help you,” her educational assistant stood in front of the dopey-smiled man who held a lunch bag in his grasp. “Yes sorry, I’m her fiance, she left her lunch at home,” he said with a nervous grin as the woman nodded and let him in.

Their eyes met across the room as she gave him a soft smile but turned back to the pages of the book, pride filled his chest as he watched her from afar, talking so gently to all the little ears listening to her every word. 

It was great to see her living out her dream

“You must be Jack, a hockey player right?” he nodded, “she talks about you all the time, it’s very cute,” she grinned as Jack’s face broke out into a deep shade of red. “She should only be a few more minutes, they have outdoor recess in about five minutes,” the woman added before continuing with sorting through the kid’s work from the day. He nodded thankfully as Eve wrapped up her book and instructed the kids to go out in the hall to get their jackets on in time for the bell.

Eve re-entered the class alone this time, a smile on her face as she looked to Jack who was leaning up against her desk, “You forgot your lunch, and I took a maintenance day so I thought I’d stop by and see your class” he smiled and placed the bag in her hands as she stood up on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Thank you,” his hands fell to her hips as he smiled at her cute little outfit, a band t-shirt from the first concert they went to together, tucked into the waistband of her midi skirt that hugged her curves in the prettiest ways.

“I met your co-worker, and she was telling me about how much you talk about me,” he teased, watching as her cheeks reddened just slightly as she shrugged. Her hands moved up to fix the messy unkept curls on his head that she had been begging him to cut, “that’s just Emma, she likes to gossip,” she smiled widely as he nodded. “Still, you like to talk about me,” he squeezed her hips as she pulled away to sit at her desk and start eating her lunch.

Jack grew distracted as he looked around the room, the toys, the little shoes, all the colours, his mind wandered to her with the kids, she seemed to glow with passion as she read to the little ones on the couch.

“What are you thinking about?” she poked his thigh as she began to unwrap her sandwich, offering him half. He took it and looked back at her, “just about you, and kids,” he confessed as she looked at him with wide eyes. “Like me teaching, or me with a baby?” “Both I guess, you just look so in your element when you are with kids, it’s cute,” he shrugged as he bit into the corner of the sandwich.

Eve stared at him wide-eyed, “Do you, do you want kids now?” she whispered, almost as if it was a secret just between them as if they weren’t the only people in the room. “Not now per se, you just started working and we’re busy, but I wouldn’t hate to have kids at a younger age,” she nodded as he looked at her with hopeful eyes, “only if you want to though, I’ll have kids whenever you want kids.” “I wasn’t aware you wanted kids,” she smiled, “not that that is a bad thing, I love kids, and I want to have so many babies with you. Just maybe in a  few years,” she said which gained a nod from him.

Jack leaned over and pressed a kiss to her lips, “whenever you’re ready I’m ready,” he grinned as she pulled away a little breathless from the surprise of his lips on hers, “okay now what other snacks did you pack with you?” he asked as he began to dig through her lunch bag. A gasp left her lips as she watched him steal the bag of pretzels, “You’re such a mooch!” “But you love me,” he said in a sing-song voice as she laughed at how cheesy he was.

★★★★

She stared at the pregnancy test on the counter, face down as she leaned against the counter, fingers massaging her temples. This couldn’t be happening right now.

With the playoffs just on the cusp of starting and the stress of getting Luke moved in and settled she completely lost track of herself, and now she was staring at a face-down pregnancy test on her counter.

She had just gotten her life together. The couple had decided on a longer engagement because of their lack of time to plan, she only had a steady teaching job for a little under a year, too much was going on in their lives, and she was not ready for this type of responsibility

A minute remained on the timer, and her heart had never been beating so hard in her entire life as she watched the seconds pass by.

She listened as the boys entered the apartment, Jack yelled out a loud “Honey we’re home,” which immediately added pressure onto the pile of stress that was building in her chest.

“Oh god,” she whispered as she flipped over the test to reveal a second line, one of her hands covering her mouth to silence the quiet cries leaving her lips as she felt the stinging of tears staring. She blinked them away, her mind going a million miles an hour as she tried to calm herself down, comforting thoughts of Jack and his excitement to have kids flashed through her mind as she stared at the stick.

A quiet knock startled her out of her thoughts, “you okay in there?” “I don’t really know,” she said weakly. “What can I do to help you?” he asked softly from the other end.

She opened the door to reveal her shocked state, the pregnancy test in her hands as she looked to Jack who just looked at it with wide eyes, “You’re pregnant?” She nodded and walked into his arms, his chest quieting her cries as he just held her, “I'm so scared,” she whispered as he pressed a kiss to her temple. “What are you scared of?” She dried her tears and opened her mouth to answer, instead becoming choked up by the tears in the back of her throat. Let's sit down and just talk about it,” he said, pulling away to go and shut their bedroom door so Luke couldn't hear the topic of conversation.

They sat on the edge of the bed, she pressed the test into the palm of his hand, Jack couldn’t help but smile softly at the thought of having a little Eve running around.

“I don’t know, I feel scared. This is a huge responsibility, and our lives are already so hectic, and I just finally got my shit together–” “Hey," Jack interrupted gently, "we got this, okay? We're a team. And no matter what, we're in this together,” she took a deep breath and nodded, “that being said we can go see your doctor and figure out our options if this isn’t something you wanna do yet,” he felt her nod, his hands ran through her curls, gently massaging her shoulder as he pressed a kiss to the side of her face. 

They were in the doctor’s office at the next available date, Jack sat in the uncomfortable plastic chair of the doctor’s office as the women squeezed a generous amount of gel on Eve’s bare stomach. The young girl’s hand held his as they watched the tiny image appear on the screen. The doctor spoke very calmly as she informed them of all the things taking place during the early stages of pregnancy.

“Would you like to hear the heartbeat? If you’re comfortable of course,” the woman asked as she looked at the young couple, Jack looked to his fiance for the answer to which she softly nodded her head. The heartbeat was fast, it had Jack grinning as he looked up to see the tears in Eve’s eyes, a little smile adorning her face as she watched the screen with soft intensity.

The doctors stepped out for a second to give the couple some space, “we are gonna be parents,” Eve whispered, her eyes still on the screen. “Yeah?” “Yeah, you're gonna be a dad,” she whispered, her tone a little more sure as she finally looked Jack in the eyes, the two of them in tears as he squeezed her hands, he stood up and leaned over the bed to press a kiss to her hairline. “You're gonna be the best mom ever Eve, you are amazing,” he whispered as she wiped away his tears and looked back at the screen.

They got home that night and spent the entirety of the rest of their day talking about the future, sharing their fears, hopes, and what all of this meant for the years to come. Jack reassured her, promising to be there every step of the way. As they talked, the initial shock transformed into a soft understanding of what their life together was growing into, to embrace the unexpected with open hearts. The fear didn't disappear completely, but it was replaced with a growing sense of excitement and eagerness to face whatever lay ahead.

★★★★

The summer came slowly, the devils exited the playoffs in the second round after a good run, and everyone headed back to their hometowns for the off-season.

Luke flew back to Michigan for the summer, Quinn was off doing his own thing for a few weeks, and Jack and Eve stayed in Jersey for her to finish out the school year all while getting an early start on getting the apartment ready for the baby being welcomed into the family around the new year.

Come to the end of June the entire Hughes family now found themselves back at the Lakehouse, summer was in the air once again, and everyone was ready for the next two weeks of relaxing before summer training started up once again.

Eve had it all planned out, hiding the baby was starting to get hard as she began to show and the boys continued to point out her lack of drinking over her first week off. She made dinner for the Hughes family, Jim and Ellen drove up for the first weekend, all of their babies were in the same household for the first time in nearly a year, and everyone was ready for a weekend of good quality family time.

Eve had a stack of sonograms packed away in her suitcase, each in a little envelope for each member of the Hughes family.

Ellen rounded up all of the boys into the dining room and helped serve each of them, all of them were starved after a day of golfing at the country club just across the lake, so they had no issues finding their way to the table and digging in as soon as their plates were placed in front of them. Conversations flowed as they talked about their summers so far, they attempted to talk hockey, but Ellen shut that down, pulling the no hockey at the dinner table rule that she had when they were still living under her roof.

Jack held Eve’s hand over the table, the two of them a little nervous but so excited to share the news of baby Hughes.

“You’re quiet today,” Quinn looked to his sister-in-law as she just shrugged and continued to sip off her water. “We actually have something to give you all,” Jack picked the envelopes from the ground beside his chair and handed them out to his family members.

The second the envelope landed in his mother’s hands she knew exactly what was inside, “you’re kidding,” she ripped the paper envelope and revealed little scans from their ten-week appointment, “oh my god, is this real?” Eve nodded which elicited a chorus of surprised and excited exclamations from the Hughes family.

Quinn stared at the sonogram for a moment, his eyes widening in realization. "Wait, seriously?" he asked, looking between Jack and Eve. Jack beamed with pride, nodding. "Yeah, Quinn. We're having a baby” Quinn's expression shifted from shock to a wide grin, “holy shit that's incredible!" he exclaimed, reaching over to give Eve a gentle hug, "congratulations!"

Each family member opened their envelope and saw the sonogram, each reaction a mix of surprise, happiness, and love. Ellen wiped away a few tears as she hugged Eve tightly.

Jim Hughes, typically a man of few words, looked at the sonogram, then at Jack and Eve, and just nodded which for some reason felt a bit like a stab, but the couple just shook off his lack of reaction.

Luke, who had been the last to open his envelope, stared at the sonogram in his hands with wide eyes before breaking and looking up at his brother, and the woman who had become his older sister, “you guys, I’m almost in tears,” he got up from his spot at the table to hug his brother and sister-in-law, “I'm going to be an uncle!" he declared, hugging his brother and sister-in-law.

Later that night Jim walked outside to see Eve curled up with a book in her hand, snuggled under a blanket on one of the patio couches, her mind not focused on the book but rather the way the sunset looked on the lake. He took a seat beside her startling her from her peace, she jumped a little and looked at the man who gave her an apologetic look.

They stared at each other for a second, it was always a little tense between them, not for any particular reason, just simply because they were both rather reserved individuals. “I’ve always thought of you as a daughter, I hope you know that,” he said lowly, she was a little taken aback by the vulnerability, “I know I don’t show it, but you mean a lot to my son and family, and I’m really glad that you and Jack found each other.” Eve smiled, eyes lined with tears as she nodded along with his words, “You guys are gonna make really good parents.” “Thank you Jim, and thank you for raising such an amazing son,” she whispered as he motioned for her to come over and hug him.

They stood there for a second, awkwardly embraced, Jack and Ellen stood inside on the other end of the kitchen window with wide eyes.

“I think he felt bad he didn’t say anything at dinner,” she whispered as Jack’s attention remained on his fiance and father who sat back down and continued their conversation, “he cares about you two, and he is really proud, he just doesn’t know how to express it,” and with that Ellen pressed a kiss to her son’s cheek and headed in the direction of the living room.

Jack stayed there watching, eyes welled with tears as he witnessed the quiet, heartfelt moment between Eve and his father.

★★★★

Eve laid in bed, her face broken out in a smile as she felt her baby girl kick, “Jack,” she whispered, waking him up from his nap, his hand in her grasp as she pressed his palm to her stomach. “Did you feel that,” she whispered as Jack’s eyes fluttered open. "Yeah, I felt it," Jack mumbled, a mix of awe and sleepiness in his voice. He rubbed his eyes and focused on the gentle movements beneath his hand.

Their baby girl seemed to have a mind of her own, making her presence known in the quiet moments. Jack smiled, a deep sense of connection settling in as he felt the kicks beneath his palm.

"She's active today, huh?" he said, his voice filled with tenderness. Eve nodded, her eyes fixed on Jack's face as he experienced the magic of the moment. "She's going to be a little hockey player, just like her dad." “She can be whatever she wants, as long as she's happy and healthy,” he whispered and propped himself on his elbow to gently place a kiss on Eve's bump.

Eve watched him with adoration; the anticipation for their daughter's arrival filled her chest as Jack's hand remained on Eve's stomach.

“Can I ask you a question?” he looked up from her belly to her eyes, looking at him with so much love as she nodded, “is it bad that i'm a little scared to be a dad?” Eves smiled softened as her hand traveled down to caress his cheek, “it's not bad at all, I'm so nervous about all of it, but we are a team, and we're gonna figure it out together,” she answered honestly, her hand moving from his cheek to running through his messy bed head. Jack's gaze met hers, and he took a deep breath. "I just want to be the best dad for her, you know? I want to make sure I’m the best for her." Eve nodded, her thumb back to tracing comforting circles on his cheek, "and you will, Jack. You already love her so much, and that's the most important thing.” 

Jack nodded at her words, chest feeling a little lighter from the vulnerability, his hand moving from her bump to hold hers, pressing light kisses to her knuckles, “I’m the luckiest guy ever, you’re perfect,” he whispered as he leaned over to kiss her on the lips. They lingered in the quiet afterglow of their shared vulnerability, surrounded by the anticipation of their growing family.

★★★★

“She’s so little,” Jack whispered as the nurse placed baby Mei in his arms for some skin-on-skin contact, his voice full of emotion as he stared at his daughter who looks like a spotting image of her mother.

Eve watched her fiance through tired eyes, “she's perfect,” she smiled as Jack looked up at her on the verge of tears. “You did this,” he whispered, amazed, filling his tone as he looked baby down at the cooing baby in his arms, marveling at the tiny fingers and the soft, peaceful expression on her face. The weight of responsibility and the beauty of the moment seemed to collide for him, and he felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

“You should try and get some rest.” Eve shook her head and continued to watch Jack and Mei’s first real interactions, “how am i meant to sleep when you have your shirt off like a slut and you're holding our baby,” she teased which made him smirk at her forwardness. “You think I look hot like this?”Jack chuckled, as he heard a hum of agreement. Eve grinned, feeling a surge of warmth at the playful banter despite the tiredness, "you're certainly rocking the dad look right now.” Jack rolled his eyes in mock offense. "You love it." "I do," Eve admitted with a soft laugh. "I love everything about this," she motioned to his current state.

Eve fell asleep soon after, the stress of the night and exhaustion taking over caused her to drift off just after Mei’s first feeding.

Jack sat quietly in the corner of the room, Mei in the bassinet provided by the hospital, his hand bed gently stroking his daughter's cheek as she quietly cooed at the feeling of her father’s touch. “You look just like your mama,” he whispered, her face following the sound of his voice, as if she recognized him which made his heart leap in his chest. “My baby Mei, there is not a thing in the world i wouldn't do to protect you, or give you,” he picked her up and gently placed her back on his chest.

Jack's voice softened as he continued to speak to his newborn daughter, "I never thought I could feel so much love for someone I just met," Jack whispered, his gaze fixed on Mei's delicate features. "Your mom and I, we're going to give you the best life."

As Mei nestled against Jack's chest, he marvelled at the tiny human, a creation of his and Eve’s love. The weight of responsibility blended seamlessly with the joy of fatherhood, filling his whole being as he continued to watch his baby.

In the dimly lit hospital room, a new family was born – a family bound by love and the shared journey of raising their beloved daughter

-

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[riswippiesx]

Toji with a reader who basically is Megumi friend. Like Megumi realized how much you two like each other so started to set stuff up for you two to get together. Reader is like a mother to Megumi (since I hc that his bio mom died when he was 2 or 3) and Toji is just loving reader for helping with Megumi. Headcanons please

Love & Care | Toji Fushiguro X Fem! Reader

Theme: Fluff

TW: a lil bit of cursing, ooc toji(????) maybe..as I didn't want to make him a brat here, age gap, reader is in her early 20s and Toji is in his 40s, not proof read[because I'm lazy asf]

Summary: headcanons for Toji X reader where reader is a friend of Megumi with motherly vibes.

Note: I am not really a Toji stan..okay?😭 I NEVER read any Toji fic in my life. Never. This was all so new for me. I tried to stick to the character as much as I could in the given scenario. Please don't mind :(💗

•You missed a very important class at your university and you needed a notes, immediately. Thus you ended up visiting your friend, Megumi, at his place, for the notes. Thus you met his dad, Toji Fushiguro. And what a sight! What a man! You couldn't look away.

•Toji just came back and you were leaving after taking your notes and BANG! You bumped into a person who felt like rock because of his well physic. You looked up, only to find your friends dad. You saw him on Megumi's phone but never in real life. "Kid, watch where you are going!", Toji groaned and looked down at you "also who are you?". "I-", you started to utter but Megumi finished it for you "My friend, dad, her name is Y/n." Toji did a little hum and gave you place to leave. You gave a nod with a little smile and left.

•You came back home, freshened up and decided to go through the notes but your mind refused to focus. All you could think how handsome that older man was. Your breath hitched and a weird feeling strated to grow in you.

•And all that grew harder with each passing day. You longed to see that man in person, once again. And your wish came true when your friend fell sick and took a few days off. You, being the responsible one, decided to help him with the notes.

•You went to your friends house. You finally met his dad again. You greeted him formally and he greeted you back. Your heart danced in joy. Then you went to Megumi's room and saw him laying down on his bed with an ice bag on top of his forehead. He looked really sick. You kept the notes on his desk and walked near him and sat on the chair beside the bed.

•Megumi was coughing and breathing heavily. The high fever was making him feel dizzy but he recognised you.

"You shouldn't... Have come..you will catch cold too..idiot..", he breathed out.

"Shh, don't talk much. Relax."

"Tsk"

Your friend was like that, refused to take help but you always loved to help him, you loved taking care of him.

You took the ice bag off as the ice was melted already. You saw a bowl of water and a piece of cloth in it on the bed side table. You kept the ice bag on the and damped the cloth and rinsed out the excess water. Then you put it on his forehead and ran your hand through his hairs, soothing him down. And it actually relaxed him. Your offered him some water when he coughed a lot. You were busy in taking care of your friend when Toji came and stood by the door, which you didn't notice. He observed how you took care of his son.

"You take care of him like a mother." His sudden voice made you startled and you looked back to find him standing there. He had a smile on his face and you felt like you could die then happily. "Oh..yeah..haha", an awkward and nervous laugh came out of your throat with a faint tint of red on your cheeks.

•And that whole thing made you and Toji interact more. Slowly a bond was forming between you two. Both of your scolded Megumi when he was going extra harsh on himself for studies and didn't take care of him. Megumi often rolled eyes at the strict scolding but he could feel something in the air. He was smart. He was quick to catch the real scenario when he found you chatting with your dad and laughing. He also noticed how conscious you got around his dad or by the mention of his name. The faint blush, little chuckles, small glances— he noticed it all.

•You were in love with his dad —Megumi easily understood that. If it was anyone else other than you, maybe he would be against it but you were different. You were calm and collected, a soft person, who didn't date many guys. Megumi trusted you, he knew you. Your happiness was also important to him. So he accepted it in his mind. He also noticed how his dad was finally interacting with a woman after his mom died. Megumi's life's biggest tragedy was that he lost his mother when he was barely two years old. He never felt the motherly care while growing up until he met you. His dad supported him a lot but you, you took care of his mood, well being and feelings. Though you were his friend but he found the comfort of a mother in your embrace. So he was all over pleased and wanted your relation to form properly with his dad.

•For you, it felt so wrong yet so right. You didn't plan to fall for your friends dad but some matters would always stay out of human control. So you had finally accepted it but didn't want to make a move from your side. On the other hand, Toji liked spending time with you. You were calm but not boring. He liked that. Also, he adored how you mothered his son. It made him chuckle with happiness. But the muted feelings in his heart was forcibly put down by himself. He refused to acknowledge any such weird feelings about his son's friend. So he just stayed in his limit as well. Megumi was honestly tired of seeing the lack of confronting ability. He wanted any of you two make a move. The way you both appreciated each other while talking with Megumi, he was surely confused why weren't you two making any move yet.

•The frustration was major. Megumi couldn't take it anymore decided to make move on you two's behalf. One day he called you to come over to his place while he went to Itadori's place, who was a mutual friend of you and Megumi. You agreed without knowing and came over to his place with some cookies you made, only to find his dad alone. You were confused, so was Toji. Both of you tried to contact megumi but he didn't pick up any call. You wanted to leave but Toji stopped you.

"You can stay untill he comes back, you know. I got no issues", he said with a chuckle. You hesitated but accepted soon. You sat with Toji and ate a few of the cookies you made.

"You made this?"

"Yeah.."

"Tastes good"

"Thank you, Fushiguro san"

"Hey you know, that fushiguro and all...so fucking formal. Call me Toji"

"But you're way older than me"

"Do I look like I care?", he laughed.

"Okay..Toji ...san?"

"Sounds better", both of you chuckled and chatted. It wad getting late but Megumi wasn't home till then. Toji suggested you to go back and he would talk to his son for his carelessness. You nodded and headed back. Though you didn't meet your friend that day, you felt somewhat happy. Spending all those time with Toji made you giggle in your mind.

•Such shits continued, as Megumi kept on setting you two up. Someday he sent his dad at your place to give you some important assignment files, giving the excuse of being "busy", someday he asked for your help to come over and stay a few hours at his place as he needed to go to the library, stating that his dad wasn't home. You agreed again and went to his place. He left, you were alone, using your phone, when the door knob moved. You thought he came back but it was Toji. Both of you were surprised at first but that day ended with chats and laughs as well. But Megumi heard a few words from his dad but his weird behavior later, and from you as well. But he didn't mind.

• Things continued. You two might confronted Megumi but all those 'accidental meet ups' were too good for both of you. So you two didn't care much and the bond grew stronger and you two came closer than before. Megumi was happy by the progress so far.

•One day, you hanged out with Megumi and his dad, as you were free that day(also his dad was there). Megumi excused himself for using the washroom near the park and you two waited for him. Then Megumi messaged you that he had a parcel coming by that day, so he had to go back to recive it but he would join you two soon after. You sighed and told Toji about that.

"My son is getting sneaky", he sighed and you two sat on the bench.

"Sure he is.", you chuckled and Toji looked at you.

"I would be concerned about it if he didn't have a friend like you. You take care of him like a mother.", he gave you a sounded laugh, making you blush a little. "Thanks a lot for being such a great friend to my son. I trust you enough that I know he won't do anything wrong as long as you stay with him.", he smiled.

"My pleasure. He is a good guy. He just..doesn't know how to talk about his needs. I somehow manage to read his face. And thus I try my best to take care of him. After all, he is my most important friend."

"You like my son?"

"As a friend, yes"

"Of course", he laughed "do you like his dad?"

His one question made you nervous. Did he find out? No way. You didn't know what to reply. Panic was clear on your face. Toji quickly fixed his words.

"I mean..do you think I am a good dad? Am I good enough?" You sighed and smiled in relaxation.

"Of course. You're doing great as a dad. Maybe you don't know but he once said that he feels grateful to have you around. He also acknowledge your hard work as a single father. You're more than just good."

"Really? Wow", he smiled to himself, feeling good about himself after so many days, or years.

•Things didn't actually go to that level where you could admit your feelings for Toji but you loved him, loved being around him. Megumi's set ups made you two more than just friends. Both of you knew that very well but didn't have the courage to tell each other.

•Megumi stopped setting you two up after a few months as he was tired. Also he wanted you two long for each other.

After a few weeks, when you were longing for Toji, trying hard to find a reason to meet up, you asked Megumi if you two should hang out and proposed to bring his dad too, Megumi decided to confront you.

"Y/n"

"Yes?"

"Do you like my dad?"

Your lips were sealed, not a single sound came out of your throat. How the hell did Megumi find out and how was he so exact? Was your facial expressions were so certain and prominent? Yoy had to lie. You coughed and gave him a dry laugh.

"Are you crazy Gumi? That's your dad..how can i-"

"Stop lying. You think I am a kid?"

"No but-"

"Why do you think all those accidental meet ups happen so frequently? Because I tried to set you two up"

"Wha-"

"But again you two couldn't even say a word about your feelings. If you like each other why don't you confess?"

"I don't like your da-"

"You do."

You stayed quiet, feeling exposed. Then you gradually asked:

"Are you..mad at me for falling for ...your dad? I'm so sorry please.."

"Are you really that dumb Y/n? I told you I set you two up. You think I would do all that if I was mad?"

"..."

"You are going to confess. I'll go out today with my dad. We will hang out, i'll bring my dad. I'll excuse myself. You will talk your heart out today!"

"Absolutely not!"

"Why not?"

"Your dad won't like me back. The hell are you saying?!"

"He does. I am telling you."

"Wait really?"

"Confess and see for yourself."

"But-"

"No buts!"

"Ugh-"

"You will confess or i'll set him up with another woman"

"What the hell bro?"

"I said what I said"

"Goddamn! Fine!"

"Good"

•You came back home. Your face was flushed. You were feeling nervous and excited at the same time. Megumi accepted you, even said his dad liked you back. You definitely needed to make a move the. Moreover, the way your buddy threatened you. You had to. You would definitely confess to Toji that evening! Yes! You could do it!!

Let's hope for the best, then :D

Part two with better details?👀

Thank you for reading. A big thanks to @//aliorailrow for requesting this<3 I hope it was okay as per your request?! Tried my best..hehe

Requests are open <3

♡Reblogs and comments are always appreciated♡

[sebscore]

BROTHER DUTIES | CHARLES LECLERC 

pairing: charles leclerc x sister!reader 

warnings: harassment. swearing. barking of a dog. 

word count: 1.8k 

author's note: reader is a teenager. feedback and requests are always welcome. 

• • • • • • •

''Charles, bring your sister to school and take Cinnamon with you. '' His mother yelled from downstairs. The young man groaned but got up from his desk anyway, knowing better than to ignore his mom's wishes. 

The Leclerc Family had been babysitting the dog from a friend of theirs, who was on a two-week trip to North America. He had asked the family if they would take his dog, Cinnamon, in for those two weeks and they had happily agreed. Cinnamon was a bulldog, who despite her appearance, was a very sweet and affectionate creature. The Leclerc siblings had gotten along great with the dog, especially their youngest, Y/N. She had always wanted a pet, but they move around a lot for Charles and Arthur's races and their mother doesn't want to put that kind of pressure on an animal. 

''Can't Enzo do it? I'm in the middle of a game, Maman.'' Charles complained walking into the kitchen, where his sister and mom were eating their breakfast. His mother gave him a stern look. ''He's not home and you should get out of your room for once.'' 

He sighed, but nodded anyway. ''Alright, I'll go get Cinnamon then.'' Charles left the kitchen in search of the dog, while also grabbing her collar. 

''Are you done, Chérie?'' Pascale asked the young girl, moving some strands out of her daughter's face. ''Yes, I'm done.'' Y/N got up from her chair and put her plate in the dishwasher. 

Charles walked back into the kitchen with Cinnamon on a collar. ''Ready to go, little monster?'' He asked his sister, all ready to leave the house. ''Charles, don't call me that, it's embarrassing.'' Y/N said, slapping her brother's arm. 

She grabbed her backpack and walked up to their mother. ''See you later, Maman.'' The youngest bid goodbye to her mother with a kiss on the cheek. Charles did the same after and the two Leclercs were out the door. 

''Did you have a lot of homework?'' Charles started the conversation. It had been a while since he and his baby sister had spent alone time together. She couldn't join him at most of his races, since she still went to school in Monaco and their mother didn't want her to abandon her education. In his opinion, he hadn't been a good older brother to her and he realized he should take this oppurtunity to catch up with her. 

Y/N shook her head, finding it amusing that Charles wanted to know about her homework. ''I just have a math test today.'' She answered him, while looking at Cinnamon. 

''Oh, well, you're good at math, that shouldn't be too hard.'' Out of all the things he could have started talking about, he asked about school aka the last thing teenagers want to talk about.

Y/N laughed out loud, not able to hold it in. ''Charles, you're so bad at talking.'' She teased her older brother. ''Hey, I'm not bad!'' He defended himself. 

''You keep telling yourself that,'' she told him, ''hey, can we stop by the kiosk?'' There was this kiosk a few minutes away from her school where students often bought their food and drinks. Charles looked at her in confusion. ''Why? You just had breakfast?'' 

''I just want a smoothie, Charles.'' She didn't wait for his reply and walked to the kiosk, Charles trailing behind her with Cinnamon. ''Hey, don't just walk away on your own like that.'' 

''I just remembered I forgot my wallet at home,'' she feigned innocence, ''do you mind paying?'' By the end of her sentence she had looked at him with doe-eyes, knowing it would work on him. 

He knew exactly what she was doing, but who was he to say no to a face like hers? ''Like I was going to let you pay anyway.'' He said, while pulling out his wallet from his pants. 

Y/N ordered what she wanted and waited by the space where they handed out the drinks, meanwhile Charles waited to pay. 

While he was busy texting someone back, he failed to notice the older man approaching the place next to his sister's. Charles also failed to notice the man inappropriately touching his sister. 

Y/N was in her own world, waiting for her smoothie to be handed over to her. She was pulled out of her trance when she felt someone's hand on her butt. She looked up to see the man giving her a smirk, before taking a few steps back. 

She was too shocked to say anything back to the man, standing in silence for a few seconds. She looked over at Charles who was just done paying for her drink. 

''Charles, that man just touched me.'' Y/N told him in a hushed tone, not wanting to make a big scene. ''What?'' His head swiftly turned to her, not believing what he was hearing. ''That guy who's sitting on the bench, he grabbed my ass.'' Her eyes started watering, feeling dirty from the creepy man's unwanted touch. 

Charles took a look at the man who was just checking out a woman coming out of her car. He was absolutely disgusted by this man's behavior. ''Wait for one second, here,'' he handed her Cinnamon's collar, ''I'll be right back.'' 

Before he could fully step away from her, she grabbed his arm. ''Charles, no, it's not worth it, we can just go.'' 

''No, Y/N! It's not okay that he did that and I'm gonna tell him that,'' Charles put his hand on her shoulder, ''you stay here with Cinnamon, your drink is almost ready.'' With that he turned around and walked up to the man. 

''Did you just touch my sister?'' Charles went straight to the point, not planning on upholding his ''nice guy'' demeanor. ''Your sister? I don't know what you're talking about, man.'' The smirk the man had on his face, pissed Charles off. It was as if he was proud that he had harassed someone. 

''Don't play pretend, you fucking touched my sister.'' Charles continued, not backing down when it came to his family. The man stood up from the bench. ''I don't know what the fuck you're talking about, little man.'' He was significantly taller than Charles, but that didn't intimidate the young Monegasque. 

''Apologize to my baby sister, you asshole.'' The man seemed to have the temperament of a toddler, because in a matter of seconds he grabbed Charles' shoulders and pushed him away, resulting in Charles almost falling to the ground. 

The man was about to continue, but Cinnamon came to his aid. She had been carefully watching the two interact and when the creep pushed Charles, she reacted quickly. Y/N didn't expect the dog to run towards her older brother and she wasn't able to hold on to her collar. ''Cinnamon!'' 

The dog didn't attack the man, but her barking was enough for him to take a couple of steps back and eventually walk away entirely. 

''Charles, are you okay?'' Y/N put her smoothie on the counter and ran to her brother, who had quickly grabbed Cinnamon's collar, so she couldn't potentially attack the man. 

Upon seeing his sister, he hugged the young girl. ''I'm fine, little one,'' he pulled back, but kept his free arm around her, ''you know, how about we go home?'' He suggested. 

''I don't know, Charles.'' She was hesitant about skipping school, not sure if it was a good idea or not. ''We're gonna go home, I'm sure Maman won't mind when we tell her what happened.'' He guided her back into the direction of their home, wanting to get away from the place as fast as possible. 

''Wait, don't forget your drink.'' 

◦◦◦

Pascale was confused as she heard her daughter back in the house. ''Y/N? Why aren't you at school?'' Her mother was about to start scolding the young girl for not going to school, but upon seeing her daughter's facial expression, she ran to get her girl in her arms. ''What happened, Chérie?'' 

''Some creep touched her, Maman!'' Charles exclaimed, taking the collar off Cinnamon. ''What do you mean someone touched her?'' Pascale took Y/N's face in her hands, observing if her daughter had anything on her face that indicated she got hurt or something. 

''Come here, my girl.'' Her mother engulfed her in a hug, feeling all the relief that she didn't seem to be physically hurt. ''I feel so dirty, Maman, he was so gross.'' Being in her mother's arms seemed to make all the emotions come undone in the young girl. Charles joined them, wrapping his arms around to two women he loved most in the world. 

''Go take a shower, Chérie. You'll feel much better after.'' Her mother urged her, pulling away from her embrace. ''Okay.'' With a kiss from her mom and Charles, she made her way to the bathroom. 

Charles could see his mother was distraught, so he pulled her in his arms. ''Don't worry, Maman. We'll keep her safe.'' 

Pascale loved all of her four children, but her baby girl will always have a special place in her heart. She adores her three boys, but she wanted nothing more in the world than to have a little girl that she could pamper for the rest of her life. So, when Y/N was born, it was like the gods had listened to her prayers. Their parents thought that the boys would have a problem with having a little sister, but as soon as Lorenzo, Charles and Arthur had held the newborn in their arms, all those worries went away. Her brothers would protect her with their lives. 

Y/N went to bed earlier than usual that night, reveling in the comfort of her own room. The other two brothers had been informed about the events of that day and Pascale had told them to give their younger sister some space. 

Charles was about to go into his own room, but he couldn't help but want to check up on her. He knocked on her door, but he didn't hear an answer, he figured she had already gone to bed. He quietly opened the door and saw her laying in her bed, but she turned around upon hearing her door open. 

''Hey,'' Charles sat himself down on her bed, ''how are you feeling?'' Y/N shrugged her shoulders, not really knowing how she felt about the situation. ''I don't know.'' 

''That's okay, that happens sometimes.'' He wanted her to know that whatever she was feeling, it was valid. She could feel however she wanted to feel. 

''Thank you for standing up for me, Charles.'' Her voice came out smaller than she wanted to, it made her feel low. ''You don't have to thank me for that, you're my sister.'' He jokingly squeezed her cheek, trying to make her feel a bit better. 

''Still, I really appreciate it.'' He could see in the way she was looking at him that she was grateful for his presence and for how he had stood up for her to the man. ''Go to sleep, Chérie, I'll see you tomorrow.'' Charles kissed her forehead and stood up from her bed. ''I love you.'' 

''I love you too.'' 

• • • • • • •

the first fic that I've written for charles. he's so precious, I can't.

[dudeitiskarev]

Potential request of something I've wanted to read before: what if the reader was the teacher from 9x22? Maybe after Hotch got over the embarrassment and thought about it, he came to the school or contacted her to ask her out?

This is so cuteeeeeeee both being equally flustered by each other’s presence 🥹 I adored writing this so thank you for the request <333

The main reason Aaron Hotchner is waiting for you was to let you know that Jack is going to go to miss classes for a week.

As his teacher, you need to know that, right?

Also, the fact that he may or may not have a crush on you influenced his surprise visit.

You were gathering your things from the desk, ready to leave when he lightly knocks on the classroom open door.

“Mr. Hotchner.” You turn to him. Your eyes widen in surprise then slowly narrow as you smile. "You just missed Jack, he was the first one to leave."

"Yeah, I told him he could play with his friends while I came here." He gestured outside with his head. He's hesitant about whether he should keep talking from the door or walk in, so he stays there with both hands inside his pockets. "I was hoping you could have some time?"

Your mouth hangs open for a second before you say, "Of course," with a smile, putting your things back on the table.

"Sorry I came without notice, but I'll be quick." The heel of his shoes echo around as he takes a few steps closer. "I thought you should know that Jack's gonna skip a few days of classes."

"Oh no, is everything okay?" You tilt your head.

“He is." He raises his brows. And takes another step. "We're just going on a surprise vacation. For both of us."

"That's exciting! Where are you guys going?"

He made it in front of you and scanned your face. Part of him thought you’d be more worried than excited. It was adorable that you were.

“We’re visiting my mom in Florida for a couple of days then we’re heading to the coast. Jack loves the beach.”

“He really does. I can picture you both already with matching Hawaiian shirts and all,” you laugh, folding your arms over your chest.

“Oh, they’re already in the suitcase,” he plays along then continues as if he needs to give more explanation, "My schedule is very unpredictable, so when the opportunity of taking a break comes—" he sighs.

"It's a gift," you say. You two share a timid glance before you speak again, "There isn't any evaluation this upcoming week, so he should be fine. I'll make sure to gather all the material for the classes." You nod. "That way when he comes back he can study it and won't feel so behind."

"That sounds great.” He smiles. “Thank you."

"No problem.” You pick up your things again and behind to walk to the door with him next to you. “School is not that important at his age yet. He should be having fun, so what you're doing it's great for him."

"Do all teachers think like that?" He questions you in a playful tone.

"I... I don't think so," you laugh, avoiding his eyes for a moment.

"Well, I think so too."

"I'm glad we agree." You meet his eyes again.

Your eyes have a glitter he's sure he has too. It's enough for him to confidently say, "our flight is on Monday, and we're back on Sunday. Maybe we can meet the following Monday."

"Yeah, to give you the material.”

"And to take you out, too." He gulps but stays put. "After you give me the material, of course."

You drop some of your papers to the floor and clumsily bend to pick them up and he does too.

"of course," you repeat out of breath.

"Is that a yes, then?" He hands you the few papers he got.

"Y-yeah," your face lights up with excitement. "Big yes."

“Alright, then. I’ll see you when we get back.”

Aaron walks out to find Jack and allows him to say goodbye to his friends before making it to the car.

“Mr. Hotchner!” Your voice comes from behind him as he unlocks the car. He turns around, and so does Jack.

“For when you get back.” You hand him a purple post it note. He takes it without a doubt and thanks you. It was your phone number. “Have fun!”

He definitely won’t wait until they get back from vacation to text you.

...

Ps: I rewatched this episode to get some more inspiration and omg KEvin from The Office as an unsub ¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡ it was so weird hearing his normal voice haha

Also, these blurbs are so not edited so pardon me if there are any incoherences in some sentence or weird word choices 🥴

[chaxiu]

growing sideways

pairing: kuroo tetsurou x fem! reader

summary: kuroo tetsurou is all grown up. you think you might have to learn to let him go. or: an exploration of love, and loving things.

note: sorry that it's been so long!! college has been so silly funny goofy (derogatory) but i'm on break now and pretending that i dno't have to go back in a week.

sort of spoilers for occupations (kuroo, kenma, yaku) post-timeskip! (but also doesn’t really follow canonical futures… sort of a mess, to be honest.) my attempt at reconciling what i’d hoped for him and what he becomes.  title taken from a noah kahan song of the same name that has next to nothing to do with the actual fic.

cw: mention of throwing up (doesn’t actually happen, though)

___

When Kuroo Tetsurou gets scouted to a professional team in Russia, you’re the last person he tells. Technically, he doesn’t tell you at all – it’s Kenma who does, blinking up at you from behind a curtain of his hair.

“I thought he’d told you already,” he says, voice as apologetic as you’ve ever heard it, which is to say apathetic, as always, but with a dash of sympathy mixed in.

“No,” you say, because there’s nothing else left you can say. “He didn’t.”

Kenma doesn’t say anything, shifting his focus back to his game. You take the moment he offers you to exhale, quietly. To resituate yourself around this new hurt in your chest.

“Does everyone else know?” you ask. Kenma lifts one of his shoulders up, a half-shrug.

“Maybe not his mom,” he offers. This is poor consolation, and both of you know it – Kuroo hasn’t talked to his mother beyond stilted platitudes in years, not since she uprooted her life and his sister and half his chest and taken it with her, leaving a husband, a son, and a house with too many rooms.

“So he’s gonna take it, then,” you say. Kuroo is a lot of things – mercurial, bright, a pain in the ass when he puts his mind to it – but everyone knows that first and foremost, he’s a volleyball player. You’d realized it for yourself, back in your first year of university, when one of your friends had dragged you to a match and you’d spotted him, arms outstretched, fingers splayed and braced as if he thought he could hold a sun in his hands. When he’d landed, you’d caught sight of his grin, almost too large for his face.

Ah, you’d thought. So this is what it means to love something.

The next morning, at your eight-thirty introductory economics lecture, you’d shuffled in and put your head down on the desk, drifting closer and closer to sleep every second. 

Then the person behind you had poked you, hard, and you’d let out a half-scream, jolting up in your seat in a way that made every single person in your lecture hall, including your professor, look at you.

The person behind you had started laughing – an ugly laugh, cackling like a hyena, the kind of laugh that made you want to join in, despite your burning embarrassment. You’d swiveled around to face him as the professor resumed his lecturing.

“What is wrong with you,” you’d hissed. It was the boy from yesterday– the middle blocker with the awful hair.

He’d raised his hands up in surrender, although there was still a crooked grin on his face. “Sorry, sorry,” he’d said. “Just was wondering if you had a pencil.”

“You know,” you’d said, fishing one from your bag. “There are easier ways to ask people for a pencil than giving them heart attacks.”

You’d passed the pencil to him, and he’d given you a jaunty little salute with it, one that made your lips curl up despite yourself. “I’ll keep it in mind,” he’d said, and you’d turned back around again, and that was that.

Except the next lecture, you’d arrived at your usual seat to find a disposable cup of coffee there, likely from the little cafe downstairs. You’d turned to the boy behind you, raising your eyebrows.

“As a thank you,” he’d shrugged, leaning back in his chair in a way you’d suspected was meant to be cool and casual. “And also so that you don’t keep falling asleep in lecture.”

“How do you know I’ve been falling asleep in lecture,” you’d said, a little grumpily, pulling the cup towards you and taking a sip nonetheless. It wasn’t your usual order, but it was drinkable, and if you were being honest, you’d need all the caffeine you could get.

He’d watched you take a sip of the drink, a pleased smile playing on his face. “I sit right behind you. I’ve seen you take a nap at your desk every single week.” 

“I’ll have you know that that’s just the posture I learn best in,” you’d sniffed.

“What, drooling?”

“I do not drool,” you’d said, haughty. “And even if I did, how would you even know? You’re such a stalker.”

“Harsh,” he’d whistled, although the smile didn’t leave his face. “I’m just observant.”

You’d rolled your eyes at him, swiveling around to face the front of the room as the professor began his lecture. And if you’d managed – for the first time this entire semester – to make it all the way through without falling asleep, well, that was nobody’s business but your own.

The next week, another cup was waiting for you. 

“You know,” you’d said, “I think you’ve repaid your debt from the pencil in full.”

“Oh, this isn’t about the pencil,” he’d replied. “I didn’t get the right order for you last week, did I? I wanted to try again this time.”

You’d blinked at him. “I don’t even know your name.”

“Kuroo,” he’d said. “Kuroo Tetsurou.”

“Well, Kuroo Tetsurou,” you’d said, “did you ever think about just asking me for my order?”

“What’s the fun in that?” he’d asked.

The drinks kept coming, every week, without fail, ranging from plain to ridiculously extravagant. He still hadn’t gotten your order, although at some point during the semester, he’d migrated from sitting behind you to sitting right next to you, passing you stupid notes and doodling all over your notebooks.

The last lecture’s drink was wrong, again, although you kept drinking it anyways. “You should come hang out with me and my friends sometime,” he’d said, sudden, and you’d nearly choked.

“What brought this on?”

“I dunno,” he’d said, uncharacteristically shy, looking away from you. “You know when you meet some people and it’s just like, they’re meant to be in my life, so you have to try really hard to not let them go?”

“So making a girl scream during lecture is your idea of an ideal introduction,” you’d said, and he’d rolled his eyes, leaning over to lightly push at your shoulder.

“You know what I mean.”

“I saw one of your volleyball matches,” you’d told him. Suddenly you’d wanted him to know. “At the beginning of the semester. Before we’d met.”

He seemed to understand what you were trying to say.  “What’d you think?” 

“You must really love it,” you’d said. “Playing volleyball.”

“I do.”

“Well, then, Kuroo-kun. I’ll come meet your friends, under one condition.” He’d raised his eyebrows at you, expectantly.

“I get to tell you my coffee order,” you’d said. “Some of these drinks are becoming downright disgusting.”

“You drink them anyway,” he’d replied. “But I suppose that’s a fair trade.”

You’d grinned at him, and he’d grinned back, and it’d all gone from there. 

You’ve known since you started talking to him that Kuroo is a natural at getting people to orbit around him. He draws people near – crooked grin, warm eyes, quick wit – and then holds them there, at arm’s length, never quite letting them get any closer. You’d thought, perhaps, that you could be an exception to this. That he’d seen something in you that was enough for him to want to let you in. To pull you close. The thing is this: in your heart of hearts you are a romantic, and to you Kuroo has always been a little like the sun, like tilting your face towards the golden wash of afternoon and remembering, soft and gentle like falling into something, So this is what it is to love.

“I don’t know,” Kenma says, and you look at him looking at his game. He is, out of anyone, the most likely to understand how you feel: the air knocked out of you, leaving you gasping and breathless . But he has the reassurance of more than a decade of friendship behind him, built on neighboring houses and the squeak of shoes on a gymnasium floor. Some days you feel like what you have with Kuroo is fragile and insubstantial, playing-card houses on a precarious surface. Like if he left he’d take it all with him.

“Of course he’s going to take it,” you say past the lump in your throat. “He’d be an idiot not to.”

Kenma doesn’t say anything, but the little sound effects from his game pause. He blinks up at you through his bangs.

“We should throw him a party,” you say. “Or something. To celebrate.”

“If you think that’s a good idea,” he says, noncommittal. 

There is an ache in your chest and you think that once you leave Kenma’s apartment you won’t be able to stop yourself from crying. “Of course it’s a good idea. You know how much Kuroo loves having everyone he loves in one place.”

“That’s exactly the thing,” Kenma murmurs, but you don’t hear him, already pulling out your phone to make a list.

“Invites, decorations, food… Oh! Kenma, do you think Kuroo would like it if we made him saba? Or went out to a restaurant that specializes?”

“Probably,” he says. The game resumes. “He’s always going on about doca-something acid.”

“Docosahexaenoic acid,” you correct absently, scrolling through a list of nearby restaurants. Kuroo’s talked about it enough – and despite your better judgment, you’ve listened to his rants enough times – for you to remember the name in full. 

You miss the look that Kenma gives you, exasperatedly fond.

It turns out that Kuroo knows a lot of people. Even more than you’d thought. There are the guys that he plays with on the volleyball team, of course, but then there’s also his other business major friends and the other undergraduates who work in the same lab that he does in his free time (because of course he’d be the type of person to do that.) Then there’s the neighbors he’d had freshman year and still miraculously keeps in touch with, and the ones from sophomore year. Then Kenma casually mentions that Kuroo still frequently talks to everyone from his volleyball team his third year of high school, and you have to beg him to let you use his phone and ensure that everyone from there will be able to attend.

Then there’s the issue of getting enough food: you know from prior experience that volleyball players can eat, and there’s a part of you that worries that the budget you’ve scraped together from whatever your friends managed to donate won’t be enough for one of them, let alone the stampede you’re about to invite into your apartment. And besides, there’s decorations to think about, and maybe a present for Kuroo, and maybe it would be cute if you could get one of those places that rents out cats to send over a couple – do those places actually exist or was the whole thing just a stress-induced hallucination? Either way, the stress of budgeting is enough to make you understand why Kuroo had succumbed to his base capitalistic tendencies and become a business major. You’ll never be able to make fun of him for it again.

Kenma solves this problem readily enough, extending a credit card towards you with barely any hesitation when you mention it in passing.

“Stop stressing out,” he mutters. “It’ll be okay. Kuro’s not the kind who’d care about things like that.”

You blink at him. He determinedly avoids your eyes. “Kenma,” you say. “You know what I have to do, don’t you.”

He sighs, setting down his game. “If you must.”

You launch yourself at him in a bone-crushing hug, and although you hear him click his tongue at you, you can also feel the way his hands come up to rest on your back, soft and steady. 

“He asked me if I’d seen you around recently,” Kenma mentions when you separate.

“What did you say?”

“Said you seemed busy. He said he hadn’t seen you and was worried he’d done something.”

There isn’t much to say back to that. You busy yourself by picking at one of the threads in your shirtsleeves.

Kenma says your name. 

“I know,” you say. “I know. I just – I don’t know.”

Kuroo has many smiles, you know. There’s the one when he’s trying to get a rise out of someone, lazy and lean. There’s the one when he sees a cute animal or a small child or the old lady you always run into the market, the one that reminds him of his obaa-chan. There’s the one he gets when he sees you, sometimes, and doesn’t realize that you’re seeing him back, small and fond in a way that makes you a little afraid, sometimes. At the enormity of it. At how fragile it seems, some days. At what it could become, if given the chance.

And there’s the one he has when he’s playing volleyball, the one that makes his eyes go all squinty; the one that’s a little too large, just on this side of feral, because he’s so happy that he doesn’t remember to think about things like presentability and not scaring the people around him, both on his side and the other side of the net. The one he has when he hits a kill block, or a no-touch ace. 

You don’t think you could stand to take that from him.

“I’ve just been busy. With the party planning, and all,” you finish, meekly. You know he knows you’re lying. Still, Kenma doesn’t push.

“If you say so,” he hums, turning back to his computer. “It seemed like he missed you, though.”

You hate yourself for the small spark of want that blooms in your chest. 

Kuroo Tetsurou, in another life, could probably be yours. You’ve seen the way his ears turn red sometimes when you press a little too close, thighs close enough to be touching at one of the tables of your favorite izakaya. You know he knows your favorites the same way that he knows his own, know that in his head there’s a file of nothing but his knowledge about you, filled to bursting. You know that there are days, hours, moments where his touch lingers on your wrist, your cheek, the back of your arm – never long enough to presume, just long enough for you to notice.

In this life, you’ve seen the way he plays volleyball clearly enough to know that he loves it. That in terms of paths, this is probably the most natural one for him, as easy as breathing. That the world is so big and he deserves to go out and see it, that he’s growing up and some days you feel in your bones that he’s leaving you behind, in the same way that you’d left behind the yellow rubber rainboots you’d adored as a child, outgrown and overworn.

You busy yourself with party planning, so that at least everyone except Kuroo knows that you have a valid reason for ignoring him. Once the budgeting crisis is averted, things go surprisingly smoothly: money really does make the world go round, you think, in a rare moment of reflection between arguing with the caterer and double-checking that you have enough chairs in your apartment.

It’s good, to keep busy. Drowns out your heartbeat in your ears. He’s leaving, he’s leaving, he’s leaving. He’s leaving and you’re not gonna even ask him to stay.

The day of the party is bright and clear, because the universe loves Kuroo in the same way that you do. Bokuto – one of Kuroo’s teammates, and one of your favorites out of all of Kuroo’s teammates (although you’ve long maintained that it would be difficult for Bokuto not to be anyone’s favorite) – is tasked with distracting Kuroo for the day, then leading him to your apartment. This is a good plan because Bokuto is, himself, easily distractible, and Kuroo is, more often than not, perfectly willing to go along with Bokuto’s distractions. However, this is also a bad plan because Bokuto is, out of everyone you’ve invited, perhaps the second-most likely person to spoil the plans for the party. (The first being Lev Haiba, naturally.) To counterbalance that, you’ve asked Akaashi Keiji, one of your juniors, to go along – he has a natural talent for keeping Bokuto in check, more so than anyone you’ve ever met. But you’d feel bad, leaving Akaashi alone to deal with the two of them like that, so to ensure your plan had the greatest chance of success possible, you convince (read: bribed) Kenma to go along with the three of them. Odds are good that he won’t do much to curb Kuroo and Bokuto, but you’re willing to hope that his presence will keep Kuroo from doing something completely insane.

Back in your apartment, you’re adding the last finishing touches to the streamers hanging in the doorway. Yaku, next to you, squints at the streamers. “They’re a little crooked,” he says.

You bite back your immediate response, which is to tell him that if you had a stepladder tall enough that he could reach you’d gladly go get it for him so he could fix them himself. Instead, you ask, “How is it, over there, Yakkun?”

“In Russia?” he asks, and you nod. He pauses, considering. “It was rough, at first.”

“But you got through it,” you say, voice coming out a little more desperately than you’d like. “You like it there now.”

“Yeah,” he says. “It won’t ever be Japan, but I think I can make it home. And Kuroo’s always been able to land on his feet, wherever it goes. I don’t think you need to worry about him, even if he does decide to take the offer.”

“Of course he’s going to take the offer,” you say. “Why wouldn’t he –”

Your phone buzzes in your pocket. You take it out to read a text from Akaashi. Heading back, it says. Be there in three.

Hurriedly, you jam your phone back into your pocket. “Okay, everyone, places!” you call, watching with a critical eye as everyone tucks themselves away.

“Lev, that’s not gonna work. Hiding behind the lamp’s not gonna do much.”

“Idiot,” you hear someone – Yaku? – mutter, and you laugh a little despite yourself. Your phone buzzes again. In the elevator, you read, and hastily you dive underneath a table with one of Kuroo’s kouhai from high school – Fukunaga, you think – to hide yourself, just as you hear the sound of a key in a lock. 

“I just don’t understand why she’d ask you to take care of her plants,” Kuroo says as he steps through the door, sounding a little bemused. “I mean, I love you, bro, but I still haven’t forgotten what happened that one time –”

Three, two, one, you mouth silently, holding your fingers out where everyone can see them, then –

“Surprise!” you call out, stepping out of your hiding place. The others all scramble to follow, adding their own voices to the chorus.

It is, to your delight, one of the few times you’ve seen Kuroo properly surprised, enough that he actually staggers back a step, eyes wide. 

“What – how – when – what is this for?” he asks, directing his question to you, standing right in front of him.

“To say congratulations, Kuroo,” you reply. Suddenly your throat is a little dry. “On getting the offer.”

This time his eyes widen with realization – and maybe a little flash of guilt. He covers it quickly, though, and you’re left a little uncertain, like stepping on uneven ground. 

“So you didn’t actually ask Bokuto to take care of your plants,” he says instead, and you laugh. The sound is a little brittle in your ears.

“Of course not,” you say. “I haven’t forgotten that one time when he –”

“Did I mention we have cake?” Bokuto swoops in. “I picked out the flavor myself and everything. You gotta come see it. The lady at the store was so nice, though I don’t think she understand exactly what I was asking her to put on it at first –”

With a wry eye roll to you, Kuroo lets himself be dragged away. The rest of the partygoers take it as their sign to start mingling, and you let yourself fade into the chatter, becoming nothing more than background noise. It fits uncomfortably, now, where before it might have been a little more natural. Kuroo has always been good at creating space intentionally, whether it be for you or anyone else: a sly smirk for your eyes only, a joke directed towards you and you alone. It’s one of the reasons why you think everyone feels like they can fall into his orbit more effortlessly. 

Kenma appears by your side, unobtrusive as usual. “You should talk to him.”

“And say what?”

“Whatever you want.”

There is a want in your throat and it chokes you. I want you to stay. I know you should go. I’m terrified that I’ll never see you again, either way – if I made you stay and you resented it, if I let you leave and you loved it. 

“I’m worried that he’s getting bored here,” you say instead. “Like it’s not challenging him enough. Like he wants more.”

There are things that you’re willing to admit you can be slightly paranoid about: like putting too much of your heart on the table, like finding someone who loves all of you but the worst parts. Like loving someone and watching them start to resent you, like wanting to learn how to love in the right way but really only learning how to suffocate. And you know it’s possible that in this could be a combination of all those things, that rationally Kuroo knows better than anyone what’s his to keep and what’s his to give away. But you’ve known him for so long now, and there’s a part of you that likes to think you know him better than almost anyone in the world. It’s that part of you that insists you can see Kuroo Tetsurou getting tired, a little bit. He walks off the court with his head tilted back, eyes closed against the glaring lights on the gymnasium, far above. When he looms over the net, you think of it as less a state of being and more of a conscious action: a weary sigh. Another day at work. 

Kuroo Tetsurou, you think, is learning to want new things. To love new things. And that’s okay – that’s more than okay. There’s just a selfish part of you that wishes you could be there to see him through it. 

Kenma hasn’t said anything, staring at you patiently. You think you might throw up.

“I have to go,” you say, limp, and spin on your heel to slip out the back door. Somewhere behind you, Bokuto’s cheers rise above the din, followed by Kuroo’s cackling laugh. It makes your chest ache a little, but at the very least it provides you with some cover.

Your little apartment building stands at an intersection between two streets. Turn right and you’ll get to the park with the stray cats, the ones who’ve started coming around more frequently now that Kuroo has started showing up (now that Kuroo has started bringing them treats, although he denies it every time you bring it up.) Turn left and walk far enough and there’s a little embankment that slopes down to a river. Sometimes in the mornings joggers will pass through the area, but in the dead of the night like it is now the grassy slope is deserted. You sink down onto it, ignoring the way the cold sinks into your skin.

Part of you wants to cry. Most of you is glad you aren’t: can’t, maybe, or won’t. 

You tell yourself the grand lesson in this is that you have to be better at letting go. That there is a lot that your hands could hold – a lot that your hands could want to hold, given the time. Given the opportunity – but not all of it is meant to be held by you. That there is a whole world out there and tonight it feels like it’s slipping through your fingers.

Perhaps the grand lesson is just this: that loss exists. That wanting perseveres.

“Hey,” a voice says from behind you. You know without turning who it is, fingers tightening in the grass.

“Hey,” you say back.

“Can I sit?”

You wave a hand listlessly at the space beside you. “There’s space available.”

He settles in next to you, close enough that your thighs could brush if you were a little more careless, if you hadn’t been holding yourself strung tight and stiff.

“Why aren’t you in there?” you ask finally, when it becomes clear that he has no intention of saying anything, that he’s planning on waiting until you start first. “It’s your party.”

“Why aren’t you in there?” he counters. “You planned it.”

“It was a little loud,” you offer. “Was getting a little sleepy.”

“You weren’t there anymore,” he says. “Kenma said he saw you heading out.”

The words stick in the hollow of your throat, between your collarbones. You can feel them lodged there. “Kuroo,” you say, careful to not let your voice shake, “you can’t say things like that.”

There’s a hand on your knee, long fingers and broad palms spreading over your skin easily. His hand is warm. You direct your gaze down to it. His hand is big enough that it nearly covers your knee.

“Why not?”

“It’s not fair,” you say. “I know you’re not that stupid, Kuroo. You can’t go saying things like that when you’re about to leave.”

He says your name, sharp and soft.

“And of course I’m happy you’re going. I know you’re not happy – not as happy here as you could be. I know it’s an incredible opportunity. I know you deserve it, and you deserve every incredible thing that comes your way. Or at least – I want to be happy for you, Kuroo. I want to be able to give you that much, at least.”

He says your name again. It sounds fond enough that you gain the courage to look up at him. He’s looking right at you. The hand on your knee reaches for your jaw, instead, cradling it tenderly.

“I think I’m gonna stay,” he says. “And I’m sorry for not telling you about the offer earlier. I just – I didn’t want you to think I was leaving. I wasn’t even sure if I was, at first. But then I kept coming back to it – the fact that I didn’t want you to think I was leaving. Not at all, not even a possibility. It made me realize that – well. Russia would be incredible. But I think – I know – I would rather stay.”

The words take a moment to sort themselves out in your brain. Then:

“Kuroo, you can’t,” you choke out. “This is your dream.”

“It was,” he says. “For the longest time, it was. And I thought it was something I had to keep loving. Something that I had to pursue. Like I would be doing a disservice to the me I was when I was little, if I decided I didn’t want to follow the path I’ve wanted since I first started playing volleyball.”

You say nothing. There is a sun rising in your throat. You are afraid to let it go.

“But you know,” he says, thoughtful, “I think there is a difference between loving something and being in love with something.”

“Yeah?” you say. He reaches for your hand, flipping it over from where it rests in the grass so that your palm is facing upward. Slots his fingers through the gaps between your own.

“Yeah,” he says, squeezing once, twice, three times. “Like – I love volleyball, you know.”

“I know,” you say, because you do.

“But I’m in love with it here. With Japan. With the connections I’ve made, with the people who keep me here.”

“I’m glad,” you say, because you are, selfishly so.

“And,” he says, hesitant in a way that you’ve only ever seen once before, back when he was just the boy with the awful laugh and the ugly hair and who kept getting you coffee and getting it wrong, “I’m in love with you.”

And the sun, blooming over the horizon.

[the-phantom-author]

Wilbur Soot| Pregnancy headcanons

I have these set to be posted at a certain time, I hope it works, I would like for these to be while I sleep. Enjoy.

@starsyoubreaklikesugardust thank you for being willing to yell at me if these aren't up, also some real real dadbur coming up soon, I got these and thought I'll do the rest later. So look forward to that.

I’m not going to say that Wilbur is afraid of commitment, but I will say he doesn’t like stagnation. This is why he moves a lot or is always traveling, so having a child was never something on his bingo card.

You know this, this is why when you miss a period and start throwing up in the morning, and can’t stomach some of your favorite food, it raises suspicion for both of you. This being said, being pregnant is not even a serious thought that comes to mind.

Being the hypochondriac that he is, Wilbur wants you to get a professional to check you out. The both of you are in for a surprise. It is a stage of shock for a while, it just doesn’t sink in for a week or two. Then comes the one night, after a really tough day of hormones being absolutely everywhere the two of you are in bed, getting ready for bed, right as you’re on the edge of sleep he just softly lets you know that “we got this”

This man? Never misses a single one of your appointments, he wants to be there, both to support you and so he knows that you and the baby are safe and healthy. He’s just going to be sitting there, in the chair next to you, and taking notes. When leaving he always makes sure to put up the little flyers on the reception desk.

Anytime that he is not home with you, whether it’s because he is filming with Tommy, in the Studio, or whatever, if he’s not doing anything he is reading a parenting book or some mommy blogger’s page.

When he is home, or really just around you, he’s doing everything for the both of you. Constantly making sure you have water, rubbing your ankles, getting you snacks, extra blankets, honestly whatever.

He loves shopping for the baby, everytime he leaves the house he’ll come home with something for the kid. Be it a toy, some clothes, a little blanket. He will spend hours in different stores just looking at the different nursery set ups, everytime he sees something that he thinks looks nice and you’re not with him, he always takes a picture of it and sends it to you.

He is laughably bad at putting furniture together, you can not trust him to put things together by himself. You have to supervise him while he putting things together. Like when he puts the dresser together you have to tell him multiple times that he has the wrong piece, is is grabbing the wrong screwdriver.

He gets in his head about his kid not liking him, that he’s going to be so busy and not see the important moments or that he won’t know how to connect with them. He’s just an anxious baby, who needs your reassurance. Hold him, point out the parts of his personality that you know would make him a fun dad. He returns this in kind when you have you’re moments, honestly he does it even when you are not have a moment. You could just be lying in bed and he’d be “You’re so kind, and patient and pretty. That last has nothing to do with you being a mom, but it’s still true. ”

Cries upon finding out the baby is a girl. Big fat tears and is not ashamed of it. This is the point where he starts to talk to anyone and everyone about it. He would not be one to share it online or on stream, but does absolutely tells anyone who he comes across in real life. He could be in a line in a grocery store and he’s just chatting to anyone about it. In the middle of a lovejoy practice? “Mark did you know at 26 weeks-”

He cannot hack being in the delivery room, he can’t. He’d be sitting outside of the room, a full ball of stress and anxiety, just hoping that everything ends alright. The moment he comes back into the room and sees her he is in tears again. Like his perfect daughter, right there, in person sitting there with his other perfect girl. He’s just so in love with the both of you.

[lady-ashfade]

Son of a bitch.

Steve Harrington x Henderson! Fem!Reader.

Plot: Dustin planned for his group of friends to come over and play D&D. You decided to be a good sister and make his friends breakfast but then someone shows up you didn’t expect.

Notes: Almost everything you know about Dustin’s house, forget it. I just changed the kitchen and living room. Also this was pictured with a chubby reader in mind.

Warnings: Fluffy and cute. Also Steve being a simp.

You hummed to yourself as you flipped the pancake over in the pan. You decided to be a good sister and make Dustin and his friends breakfast.

He had been saying that his friends where coming over and you knew how much he loved your pancakes. You wished you had more time to spend time with him but you had work, not to mention it’s your senior year.

“Dustin, how many people are coming over?” You yelled out for him to hear you since he was in his room. He yelled something about him not knowing and you rolled your eyes.

“Then I’ll make enough to feed a army” Taking the finished pancake off the pan and into the plate right behind you on the counter.

You continued to make pancakes and lets just say there where a lot of them by this point. You turned your head at the sound of a knock at the door.

“Dustin someone here!” You screamed and as soon as you did he ran by the kitchens arch way to the front door. You laughed at his excitement to see his friends. You were glad he had friends that cared for him.

You hear a voice talk to your brother but you couldn’t put a face to it, but something about it felt familiar.

But what you didn’t know, Steve Harrington was at the door to hang out with the group because Dustin begged for him to play some “stupid game”. To be honest he didn’t want to but Dustin wouldn’t stop bugging him about it.

“I have everything already step up” Dustin walked passed the kitchen and Steve followed. But he turned when he heard movement in the kitchen. He assumed it was Dustin’s mother so he had to say hello.

“Good morning, Mrs. Henderson” Steve pokes his head into the kitchen and to his surprise it wasn’t Dustin’s mom. It was a girl and from the view he had she seems cute.

“That’s something I haven’t heard before, thought I looked younger” You turned around and you stopped dead in your tracks. That’s where you knew the voice. It belonged to “Steve the hair Harrington”.

Steve heart raced because of the beauty in front of him. He knew Dustin had a sister but he couldn’t remember what she looked like and since you were never around he didn’t know. How could you be Dustin’s sister?

“Oh shit I’m sorry I thought you were-“

“Dustin’s mom”

“Yeah”

You laughed and brushed him off. “It’s fine, the apron probably aged me” You motioned to the apron your mom always wear when she cooked.

“No I think you look great- I mean great for your age because you don’t look old. Not saying that looking old is a bad thing. I just-” He stop again when you burst out laughing at his rambling. God why did he have to be so stupid.

“I see why Dustin keeps you around, funny and cute” Steve blushed and his jaw dropped in utter disbelief that you called him cute.

Dustin rolled his eyes and wonder why he let this go one for so long. “Steve, lets go” Dustin took Steve’s arm and yanked him out the kitchen and down the hallway.

Steve yelped and followed Dustin and got pissed out what just happened. When they got to Dustin’s room he pushed Steve into the room and slammed the door.

“What the hell was that” Dusting question and Steve rubbed his wrist where dusting had grabbed him.

“I could asked you the same thing”

“You were flirting with my sister”

“I wasn’t flirting with her”

“Yes, you were. You get this stupid look on your face when you flirt” Steve blinked at him and made let out a low chuckle in annoyance.

“I do not make a stupid face” Dustin rolled his eyes and walked away from him and to his desk. Dustin picked up a notebook.

“Just shut up and take the notebook” He slammed the book into Steve’s chest as the man let out a groan. Why did he decide to come?

At least he gets to see you.

Now everyone was in the living room talking about the D&D that was about to start. All Steve could do was try and look into the kitchen to see you.

“Do you think steve will make it?” Max said from across the coffee table sitting on the floor. Steve made and face at her and she gave him a smirk in return.

“I’ll try and take it easy on him” Eddie looked right at steve and was clearly lying. Just then a loving voice started to talk and it quickly got everyone’s.

“I have a plate full of pancakes” You smiled at all the people in your house and sat down the big plate of pancakes on coffee table. You turned to Jane and handed her a plate full of egos and it was ready for her to eat.

Her eyes brighten up and took the plate from you quickly. Steve smiled at your kindness to the young girl, oh how he loved that smile on your face.

You walked off and back into the kitchen to eat your own food. Steve watched you leave and it was crazy how much he wished he could be next to you.

He felt so stupid not looking into you when he was in school because with face and body like yours, not to mention the smile was memorizing.

The session begun about two hours ago and he hated everything moment of it, though he could how someone would be interested in it but It just wasn’t his thing.

“Dustin I’m going to the store” You popped into the room in a new outfit on, one that Steve loved. He got a clear vision of what your body looked like. He was for sure staring but he couldn’t help it.

Dustin’s voice came through in muffles into Steve head as he asked for something but by the look on your face shows you didn’t know what it was. So Steve hopped onto the first chance he could to be alone with you.

“I could help you if you want” Dustin groaned in annoyance at Steve’s actions to get closer to you.

“You are playing steve”

Steve looked back at the you and then back at Dustin and he remembered he had a turn and it was a fight anyway.

“Fine, I walk up to one of the guards guys and try to stab him” He takes the dice and rolled them onto the table.

He looks at the number and back to Eddie.

“You reach of your sword, but it falls as soon as you pull it out. The guard hears this and gets ready for battle and before you have a chance to move he takes his sword and puts in through your stomach” Steve cheers and hopped up.

“Sorry everyone but it looks like I have died. Have cake at my funeral” He grabbed his jacket and walked towards you.

You shrugged at him and walked off with him following you. You needed help and it was with the hot guy you had a small crush on in high school. It’s a Win, Win.

Dustin looks at Steve and you walk down the hallway as you both disappear out the door.

“Son of a bitch”

[svnaaaaaa]

ハイエナ (Hyena) - Sano Manjiro 'Mikey' (AU)

pairing : mikey x fem reader

summary : based on my first story's 'ハイエナ' (hyena). it seems that fate has its own ways, doesn't it?

warning(s) : based on manga, spoilers from chapter 43, 241, 263, 272, 273 (i hope you guys finished reading the manga already), no related to the first part so can read on its own, angst, slight rejection, curse words, almost similar to netflix's '20th century girl',

previous : part one

masterlist

author's note : i have been watching yoshizawa ryo's 'picu' on bilibili and once again, i'm in love with this mikey cosplayer hehe. also for the letter i couldn't write it so it is depends on your imagination.

-

1999

the whispers in a classroom felt so loud despite it was just whispering. yoshida hoshiko stood behind the homeroom teacher as she peeking the class from behind. "hoshiko-chan, come greet your friends." the teacher said, showing her child-friendly bright smile in order to not scare the child away. slowly moving to the front, hoshiko stunned at the view of her now classmates. "h-hello, i'm y-yoshida hoshiko. i'm from america." hosiko said shyly as she looked at her feet. the whispering continues and then the teacher clapped her hands. "alright, how about hoshiko-chan take a seat next to emma-chan?" the teacher said as an arm raise up indicating that she's emma-chan. hoshiko walked her way towards the mention table and the girl, emma, looked at her way. "nice to meet you, i'm emma." the girl introduced herself, smiling. hoshiko smiled shyly and took her seat.

"i'm hoshiko."

-

after school, while hoshiko clearing up her desk and put her items back into her backpack, she felt someone approaching her. hoshiko turned around and it was emma. "would you like to come to my house?" emma asked. "i had to ask my mom first." hoshiko told emma and emma just nodded her head, understanding. "it's okay, we can go ask her together." emma replied, causing hoshiko smiled shyly. hoshiko never had friends back in america, it was because she's different. her family moved to japan before she was born and right after she was born, her parents immediately registered her as american-born japanese. due to that, kids at her kindergarten back then wasn't into accepting diversity. therefore that's why hoshiko was a bit taken aback towards emma's friendliness.

as soon as they arrived at the front gate of the school, hoshiko saw her mom standing while carrying her baby brother. "mama!" hoshiko shouted, running towards her mom's way. "hoshiko-chan!" yoshida airi greeted as she wrapped her arms around her daughter. then saw a girl behind her daughter. "who's this?" yoshida airi asked. hoshiko turned around and gesturing emma to stood next to her, emma did so, smiling at yoshida airi. "this is my new friend, emma-chan!" hoshiko introduced as yoshida airi held out her hand. "nice to meet you emma-chan, thank you for being hoshiko's first friend here." yoshida airi said and emma reached for yoshida airi's hand and shook it. "i am happy to be hoshiko-chan's friend+" emma said, making hoshiko blushed and yoshida airi chuckled. "that's a relief." yoshida airi said.

"that's a relief that your mom allowed you to come to my house right?" emma asked and hoshiko felt guilty for it. her mom has come all the way to school to picked her up with a baby brother in a carrier ended up hoshiko wanted to play at a friend's house. 'it's not that they have time to play with me.'

'later okay hoshiko, mama needs to attend to aoi for now.'

'hoshiko, please understand us, aoi is still a baby and needs our attention more than you do. later papa take you play outside okay?'

-

"i'm home and i bring a friend too!" emma greeted as she took off her shoes, followed by hoshiko. "good afternoon." hoshiko greeted. sano mansaku came into the front hallway to see the girls. "oh welcome home emma and welcome." sano mansaku greeted, smiling. "this is hoshiko-chan, she's new in my school." emma introduced as hoshiko bowed her head. "nice to meet you." hoshiko said. "it's the middle of the year, how come she's new?" a voice spoken up and it was mikey. "shut up." sano mansaku said and just knocked on mikey's head, causing him to whimper. hoshiko watching the whole scene and she just giggling. mikey looked at hoshiko while rubbing the spot on his head, smiling shyly.

few months later, as hoshiko adjusted to her new life in japan, her friendship with emma blossomed. same goes to mikey. whenever hoshiko is in his house, he would like to stay at home instead of playing with keisuke or with sanzu, or both of them. he would always stood behind walls to listen to her voice, especially her giggling, because it makes his heart warms up. he don't know what love is but if he could describe one, it would be the one that warms his heart.

ever since then, he could feel something weird in his heart. he don't know what it is but he knew he didn't like it.

"yo mikey, what are you doing?" mikey was shocked by the sudden voice as he looked up and saw shinichiro. hearing the girls giggling, shinichiro smirked at mikey, causing the nine year-old blushed. "mikey you weird." shinichiro said and left him at the hallway. "what do you mean by that shin-nii!" mikey shouted, causing the two girls in the kitchen to stop their doings and went to the hallway to see the ruckus. "mikey!" emma shouted, placing her hands on her waist. hoshiko watched the scene as mikey left and went outside of the house. smiling at mikey's action, hoshiko followed emma back into the kitchen as they were preparing for dinner.

at the playground, mikey just swinging at the swings as keisuke and sanzu were swinging at the monkey bars upside down. "yo mikey, what are you daydreaming about?" keisuke asked. "maybe..." sanzu started as mikey alerted the tone used by sanzu and stood up, walking towards sanzu's way. "what, maybe what?" mikey challenged him, making sanzu shut his mouth quiet. keisuke sighed. "it's okay you know." he said, making mikey looked at his way. "we all knew you like emma's friend." keisuke added. this time, mikey ran away from the playground to his home.

once arrived back at home, mikey opened the front door and see hoshiko's back. hearing the front door opened, hoshiko turned around to see mikey and smiled at him warmly. "welcome back mikey-kun! you're just in time." hoshiko greeted and mikey confused. "for what?" asked mikey as hoshiko looked at the hallway and then turned back to him. "we're going to visit your mom, i can't wait to meet her. i wonder if your mom and my mom-" "SHUT UP!" mikey shouted, making hoshiko shut up and just looked at mikey.

'why is he acting like this?'

"go home hoshiko, i don't want to see you ever again." mikey fumed, making hoshiko confused. "what do you mean mikey-kun?" hoshiko asked back, truly confused by this sudden persona. "i hate you!" this time mikey yelled aggresively, making hoshiko flinched by the word. "because of you, all of my friends belittled me. just go home." mikey confessed. tears building up and with that, hoshiko ran out of the sano residence. "manjiro, what was that?" shinichiro asked, as he has been standing right after hearing mikey shouted earlier to see what was the fuss about. mikey ignored him and told him that he will be waiting outside.

that was the last time yoshida hoshiko went to the sano residence because right after hoshiko went back to her family residence, she found that her parents has been packing their things because they had to move back to america since her grandfather was fallen ill and no one was there to take care of him.

remembering mikey's words, hoshiko obeyed her parents and without last farewell to her best friend, sano emma, hoshiko left japan the last time with a heavy heart.

-

days later, sano sakurako, mikey and shinichiro's mom was announced dead. emma learnt that her best friend has left japan and not talking to mikey for a week. and with that, mikey has been feeling weird about himself, like the jekyll and hyde situation.

"laugh, haruchiyo." mikey said as haruchiyo was on his knees, laughing his heart out with slits on the sides of his mouth. keisuke was on the ground, seeing his friends with blood, haruchiyo's blood on mikey's hand and haruchiyo's blood on his mouth. shinichiro shocked with the situation and immediately brought haruchiyo to the hospital for treatment. as for keisuke, it was best for him to go home for the time being.

later that night, shinichiro confronted mikey regarding the afternoon event and mikey could say was, "what ... got into me? when i came to, i saw what i had done to haruchiyo's face." confused by his own action, as if it wasn't him who did that earlier. "i'm sorry shin-nii, i don't know why i did that earlier." looking on the ground, shinichiro just sighed at his younger brother. "manjiro, it is not me that you should say those words to." shinichiro said to mikey and the next day, mikey and shinichiro visited haruchiyo at the hospital for haruchiyo's forgiveness.

-

in his fifth grade, mikey met his friend for life, his anchor, a kid with dragon tattoo on his temple. draken, ken-chin. "you're mikey-kun, right?" draken asked, making mikey nodded his head at him. "yeah, that's me." mikey admitted as he popped in his lollipop into his mouth. "what is it?" mikey asked. "my middle school seniors are asking for you." draken informed. "if you don't want to, i mean-" "i'll go with you." mikey cutted draken off.

"since you asked, i'll come along." mikey reasoned and after that, mikey followed draken right after he placed his stuffs at school.

"let's be friends, kenchin."

-

2003

four years after hoshiko left japan, her family decided to move back to japan right after her grandfather died. it has been a year since they moved and hoshiko's brother, aoi, went to the same elementary school that hoshiko used to go to.

"mikey!" the five boys grunted, looking back to see mikey on his glory hawk maru scooter. mikey who keep a straight face, just ignoring their whines. as mikey arrived, all five of them got off from their bike, except for mikey.

while baji was dragging mikey's scooter to find a gas station, the five of them went to the beach. at the beach, both draken and mitsuya were racing their way to the sea while pahcin and kazutora were relaxing under a shade, enjoying the beach view. kazutora looked around, weirded. "where's mikey?"

"hey!"

mikey approached keisuke and his scooter. "i forgot my swim trunks." mikey told him and as soon as he arrived to where keisuke stood at, mikey raise up his leg and kicked his scooter to the curb making both keisuke and the other gang members shocked. "hey ass-holes, why did you hurt the most important thing to me?" mikey asked as rage filling his body. "but you did that!" one of the other gang members mentioned and with that, mikey swung his leg and the guy with a second. mikey turned his head to the side and looked at keisuke, "baji, you're not hurt right? i'm sorry for you to sacrificed yourself for something like this." mikey said. keisuke watched mikey's back. "you still can stand right? cause we're going to slaughter them all!"

-

shinichiro, who was smoking outside of his bike shop, saw mikey riding the scooter to his way. "hey shin-nii! i totally ruined hawk maru!" mikey said and rubbing the back of his head. "could you fix this for me?" mikey asked, making shinichiro snickered.

right after shinichiro fixed the scooter, mikey left the workshop. then a boy came to the workshop, approaching shinichiro. "are you sano?" the boy asked, making shinichiro turned around. "that would be me." shinichiro said as the boy held out a letter, giving it to shinichiro. "it's from my sister." the boy said and after that, he left. shinichiro was dumbfounded, assuming that a girl tried to confess to him by using her little brother.

happy with his delusion, shinichiro skipped his way back into his workshop.

"how can i get stronger?" a boy whimpered as he was on his knees. tears welling up his eyes as he looked up at shinichiro. "i want to be like you, i want to be a hero!" the boy shouted, making shinichiro smiled. "a hero, huh?"

"i should've gotten it properly like this too."

later that night, shinichiro opened the letter to read it on what his secret admirer wrote for him. "oh? what is this?" shinichiro asked to himself. coming out of his room, he searched for emma or mikey or whoever he saw first to give the letter to as he read that it wasn't for him in the first place. "emma, are you in here?" shinichiro asked as he entered the kitchen to see emma working on dinner. emma turned around. "hm, what is it?" emma asked and shinichiro handed the letter to her. emma looked at the letter then looked back at shinichiro. shinichiro nodded at her and emma took the letter. "you might want to take a seat for this emma." shinichiro warned. emma looked at him, pulling the dining chair next to her and sat down. shinichiro do the same thing with a seat opposite to emma as emma opened the letter and starts reading it.

"yo mikey." draken greeted as mikey entered their usual café. smiling, mikey walked his way to where draken sat at. but then, he saw someone familiar. "hoshiko?" mikey muttered. the familiar eyes that he knew looked at him back, turned to be a boy.

"i'm home." mikey shouted, entering the house. the house seemed gloomier than ever. mikey entered the kitchen and saw his grandfather, brother and sister, sat at the dining table as emma was sobbing. she looked up to see mikey. "m-mikey..." emma muttered his name. sano mansaku pat her head. mikey felt unease with the situation. "here, mikey. read it." shinichiro said as he handed out the letter towards mikey. taking the letter from shinichiro, mikey went off to his room.

plopped on his bed, mikey opened the letter.

after everyone in the sano family learned the truth about hoshiko, all of them couldn't sleep well that night.

-

august 14th, 2003, shinichiro went to meet hoshiko in heaven. smiling, shinichiro chuckled as he saw hoshiko in front of his motorbike shop right after he was killed by kazutora after learning that keisuke was in his shop, attempting to steal a motorbike that he was about to present it to mikey for his birthday.

"i miss you, shin-nii." hoshiko said as she approaching him with a hug. shinichiro hugged back, crying. "i miss you too brat, now let's go. we can the meet the others when they are ready." shinichiro said as he placed his hand on hoshiko's shoulder and walked their way towards the light.

-

"Until now, I lived life thinking I was all alone But now I can move on 'cause it could be the two of us If you feel the same way too."

[gaysindistress]

Sad girl - sixteen

summary: James has an interesting new business proposal and one hell of a condition to deal with.

pairing: Mob!Bucky Barnes x Reader

warnings: cursing, Bucky’s smartass, mentions of sex, the feelings, Walker has decided that he wants to be Joe Goldberg

word count: 2.8k

part 15 | series masterlist

Taglist: @missvelvetsstuff @angelsincident @spencerreidisagorgman @goldensunflowe-r   @i-have-no-life-charlie @esposadomd @reader-without-a-story @iateall-yourcookies  @littlelizardlizzie @alana4610 @kandis-mom @beware-my-thorns @ozwriterchick @unaxv @wh0reforbucknasty @cjand10​  @katymae12344  @vickie5446 @openup-yourmind

disclaimer: credits to original creator/poster of image/gif. found on google/Pinterest

Busting through the hospital’s front doors, she runs up to the front desk, out of breath and with Nat in tow. The nurse looks up a little scared to see someone so frantic and angry at the same time. 

Tears are brimming in her eyes as she finally finds the breath to speak, ��Barnes what room?”

“I’m going to need…” the nurse is interrupted by Doll’s loud and demanding voice. 

“James Barnes, what room is he in?”

The nurse gives her a tight-lipped smile as she types away at her computer, “And who are you?”

“His wife, what fucking room is he in?”

“He’s in the ICU but she can’t go in,” the nurse points at Nat. 

“Yes she can,” she grabs Nat by the wrist and drags her towards the elevator. 

The nurse stands to stop the two women however Steve comes out of the open elevator and gives her a look that has her sitting back down and not saying a word. 

“You” she points at him angrily as she stalks towards him, “You absolute dick, why didn’t you answer your phone when I called you?”

“I was a little busy.”

“Too busy to give me any sort of fucking information about my husband?”

“That’s not what I meant,” Steve tries to calm her down but to no avail. 

“I don’t care what you meant, just start talking. How is he and what happened?”

He clenches his jaw before explaining, “He was shot but he’s fine.”

“Excuse me? He was shot? And you didn’t think that was an important detail to tell me?” her voice breaks as fear and anger collide. She all but collapses into Steve as anxiety throws her into an attack.  

He guides both women into the elevator and keeps an arm around her as he speaks, “I didn’t want to worry you until we knew more. He’s asleep now but Doc said he’d probably be awake in the next hour or so.”

She nods, trying to regulate her breathing, and blindly searches for Nat’s hand. Nat’s hand finds hers first and squeezes Doll’s. The tears fall silently down her face and she doesn’t bother wiping them away. Steve takes note of her frazzled state; hair impossibly messy, leggings, Bucky’s old army sweatshirt, an oversized raincoat, and vans so tattered they must be from her high school days. 

The hand around her shoulder goes to her hand to pull it against his chest so he can whisper into her hair, “He’s going to be okay.” 

The elevator bell dings as she nods again, pulling away from him to wipe at her face. Nat is the one to help her walk towards the room while Steve is in front. The ICU is silent aside from the occasional beep from the various machines. Nurses and Doctors mill around the unit, taking care of the gravely ill and injured. Loved ones of other ICU patients keep their heads tucked down as they shuffle past the trio, no doubt holding back their own tears and fears. They stop before they go into the room and Steve tells them to stay put for a moment. Sam appears from the room and pulls Steve aside to whisper something before hauling the two women into a hug. 

“He’s awake and asking for you,” Sam tells her, rubbing his hand up and down her arm with a compassionate look. 

He’s awake and coherent which is good. He’s asking for her which is also good but it does nothing to calm the storm inside of her. She still has no idea what happened to him or what damage his body endured. Of course, anxiety pictures the worst-case scenario of him laying there missing limbs or barely alive, but no matter what she does it won’t leave her. 

Nat lets go of her hand, offering her a sad smile as she takes a step away. Doll wipes her tears again before stepping into the sterile white room. Machines like the walls, monitoring every vital sign possible and keeping him alive. In the center of the room is the bed that he’s lying in with his left arm covered in bandages but his chest otherwise bare. The sight of his dog tags missing from their usual place brings around another round of tears. The symbol of his strength, power, and past is gone, leaving him vulnerable to the world. She stills in the door frame at the sight of him, trying not to choke on her sobs. He hears the shaky breath that leaves her and cracks open his stunning blue eyes to check for the source. The weight of her sadness bridges the gap between them as she slowly approaches his bedside and takes a seat in the chair next to him. 

“Hi Doll,” his voice is gruff and hoarse, no doubt from sleep and pain. 

She reaches a hand to touch his arm, hesitating at the thought she might hurt him. 

“It’s okay, you’re not going to hurt me.”

“I might hurt Steve though,” she says as her tears start to fall again and she grabs his right hand, pulling it to her forehead as she leans against the bed. His heart breaks watching this woman fall apart in front of him. His own tears start to form at the sound of her sobs. 

“Come here,” he whispers, gently pulling her into him and sitting up. She lets go but only wraps her arms around him. Cautious of his left arm, she hugs him tightly and sits beside him on the bed. 

“No told me anything,” her words are muffled against his skin now wet from her tears, “I was so fucking scared, Bucky.”

Not trusting his own words, he nods in response and lets her go so they can look at each other. Their hands rejoin on her lap as her eyes look over his body for any other signs of injury aside from the obvious one. 

“I tried to call you myself but they wouldn’t let me. Steve even took my phone away. Did no one tell what happened?” he asks. 

“No, he just said that you’d been injured and sent the address. The bastard wouldn’t say anything else and I about shot him when I saw him in the lobby.”

“Yeah, he’s not much of a talker sometimes,” his voice softens when he takes her in; her frazzled appearance and tear-stricken face do nothing to hide her beauty. The pure concern and worry she carries tugs at his heart, making him believe that he’s never loved her more than he does at this moment. 

“And I don’t take well to being left in the dark so he’s going to have to learn to be a talker real soon or so help me god.” 

“Even when you’re crying, you still find a way to threaten people and make me fall even harder for you,” The words slip out faster than he had intended, maybe due to the painkillers or the tension of the situation. 

She swallows at the words and her eyes snap up to his to see if there’s a hint of anything in them. He tries to backpedal out of it but her intense stare stops him.

“You love me?”

He continues to stumble over his words and thoughts, his brain unable to come up with a single word as she stares at him in confusion and hope. Hope is all she has anymore; hope that her mother is safe, hope that her father will raise Morgan better than he did her, hope that John Walker will walk right out of her life without a second thought, and hope that Bucky feels for her what she feels for him. Hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like her to have but she has it. 

“I need you to answer me right now, do you love me?”

Between shaky breaths, he whispers out his response, “I do. I love you so much it hurts and it scares me. Every day I fall harder and harder for you and it’s torture not knowing if you feel the same. I lose my mind whenever you’re not around because you consume my every thought and all I can think about is you. And I know that you were forced into this so you don’t love me back and I’ve accepted that. I can live with that as long as I have you close and I know that’s selfish but I can’t help it.”

“What makes you think I don’t love you?”

“You’ve made it very clear that you will never be mine,” his brows knit together in confusion at her question. It’s so obvious to him that she’s only faking her feelings for him because of the arrangement.

“I love you, James Barnes, more than you’ll ever know and I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how you can’t see that. I know what I said in the beginning and that was out of frustration with my father but I never let that change what I feel for you. At first I blamed you because I thought you wanted this but now I know you didn’t have a choice either. What I feel for you, the love I have for you, is 100% real and I’m not going anywhere,” she seals her confession with a kiss, one completely different than any they have shared before. 

This kiss is not a battle for power, it’s an admission of their love for each other. The need to show their love overcomes them as they kiss, lips lazily sliding against one other in an effort to map every centimeter of skin. 

Pulling away to rest her forehead on his, she speaks again, “I love you but do not ever scare me like that again or I will kill you myself.”

A hearty laugh rattles his body and those three words warm his hear, “I promise to be more careful from now on, my love.”

“You better be. I kind of like having you around.”

“Only kind of?’

“Okay, maybe a lot but that’s all you’re getting. I’m still mad at you for this,” she circles a lazy air around his left shoulder. 

“It’s not that bad. I’ve had worse,” he settles back into the bed as he teases her. 

“Well, I haven’t so keep yourself in one piece, please, and thank you.”

He fake salutes her with their joined hands earning a breathy laugh from her. Spotting his sweater under her coat, the love in his chest grows. 

“You’re wearing my clothes and you said I love you first. I think I should get an apology.”

“What?” she looks down at her torso, “Oh well I missed you and I haven’t seen you wear it so I figured it was fine. Wait, what do you mean by an apology?”

“Remember all of those times you fought with me about ‘how you were never going to be mine’? I think I deserve an apology for that because here we are.”

Rolling her eyes at him, she sighs, “I’m sorry your highness for hurting your ego. I’m still not property but yes, subjectively, I am yours but you are also mine.”

Raising their hands, he kisses the back of hers and says, “Yes I am yours, Doll.”

A week of sleepless nights and anxiety-ridden days is what it took for Bucky to come home. Since the bullet embedded into the side of his humerus, there wasn’t much that the doctors needed to monitor. The blood transfusion had been successful, there were no major arteries hit, and his humerus, while it needed surgery, wasn’t completely shattered. Steve and Sam teased him endlessly during that week that he was one lucky son of bitch and that if it had been anyone else, they wouldn’t have survived. He claimed his lucky rabbit’s foot had been Doll and the thought of making it back safe to her which earned many eye rolls, chuckles, and a gentle slap to the uninjured arm from her. 

No one else had been in the room when they confessed their love for each other; however, it was evident in the way they looked at each other and how her hand always held his. It might have also been the fact that the dog tag chain was now around her neck rather than Bucky’s. Regardless no one mentioned it all agreed that they were happy for Mr. and Mrs. Barnes. 

On his discharge day, she’s a tad bit distraught, constantly asking him if he’s okay or in pain and never leaving his side. Doctors and nurses are giving each other side eyes as they watch the woman worry over the comically large man. 

“I promise I’m okay. I’ll tell you if something is wrong,” he says to her with one hand on her cheek so she has to look at him and acknowledge his words. 

“I know, it’s just…” she trails off as she looks at his arm bandaged and in a sling. 

“You worry, I know but I’m fine. It’s nothing I can’t handle,” in classic Bucky fashion, his hand slides to the back of her neck to bring his lips to her forehead. 

Once the caravan of SUVs and men in black make it back to Barnes' home, the questions are boiling inside of her. She refrains from asking her million questions until he’s settled and comfortable. He, on the other hand, can feel her nervousness as she bounced her leg the entire ride home and her hands shake slightly on his bicep. The painkillers make it so he’s not bothered by it but he does make a mental note to ask her what’s going through her head later on. 

Making it up the stairs and into their shared bedroom that he hadn’t even seen yet, she leads him to the bed and leaves him to grab the rest of his stuff from Sam. 

“Here you go,” says Sam, handing her Bucky’s mission backpack and the hospital bag with his clothes from that day. 

“Thank you. Can you stay with him while I grab water and some other stuff?”

“How about I go and get it for you? What do you want?”

“Um sure. Just some water bottles and my computer from his office.”

Sam nods before heading downstairs and she returns to the bed, taking a seat next to Bucky. 

“What do you want to know first?” he speaks up, feeling her eyes on him while his eyes are closed as he reclines against the cushioned headboard. 

“What was the mission?”

“A senator was in over his head and lost some files he wasn’t supposed to. We were sent in to get them back but weren’t told that it was at the Wakandan’s headquarters.”

“The Wakandans were the ones who shot you?”

“I didn’t see who it was but I’m assuming so. We were on our way out when it happened so I had my back turned.”

He can hear her take a deep sigh before she continues, “You said this wasn’t the worst injury you’ve had.”

Slowly nodding his head, he opens his eyes to look at her, “During my deployment, I was shot in the same shoulder and shattered my clavicle. It caused some arterial blood to spill into the lung and my lung almost collapsed.”

“Jesus,” her eyes surveyed his arm and shoulder for any sign of scars. She spots several faded scars across his collarbone and his ribcage. Her fingers lightly brush over the scars as she studies them. 

“Nothing can beat the burn of your side eye though,” he chuckles as she continues to run her fingers over his torso. 

“You’re one to speak. Your side eye is worse than mine.”

“Agree to disagree.” 

She removes her hand and looks back up at him, “You promised me a date however I don’t know if you’re in any condition to go out.”

He tries to sit up a bit, causing his arm to move in an awkward position and him to wince. 

“Exactly, stay where you are,” she guides him to lean back again, “how about we have a stay-in date? I’ll make dinner.”

“That’s not a date. That’s an average night for a married couple.”

“Then we’ll wait until you’re fully healed,” she snips back playfully. 

The side eye comes out once again, “Fine but we’re not counting this as a first date.”

She suppresses a laugh as she pulls out her phone to plan their not date. Bucky’s right arm wraps around her and tugs her to lie down with him. Settling into the bed, he’s content to finally be home with his girl as she lays with her head on his chest.

[holdupjack]

Daydreaming

��—————

Paring: Hermione Granger x Fem!Reader

WARNING: None

——————

Hermione's P.O.V:

I smile softly as I watch Y/n walk into class with her uniform that was obviously put on in a hurry.

Resting my chin in my hand, my eyes follow her as she takes a seat next to Susan Bones a few tables in front of me.

"Why make us do Broom drills at Quidditch practice! It's not like we're first years!" I hear Y/n groan to Susan and I chuckle softly as Professor McGonagall walks in.

"Could you be anymore smitten?" Ginny whispers next to me and I roll my eyes.

"Trust me, I'm holding back a lot" I whisper back and she laughs quietly.

Y/n and I first met in fourth year when I ran into her at the library.

Literally.

I smacked into her so hard, she fell into a shelf and knocked over so many books that we got kicked out of the library for the day for disturbing the peace.

At first I was so embarrassed that I was so caught up in my book that I ran into someone, but then I got a good look at her and...

I'm not usually one to say that it was 'love at first sight' but I can't deny that I, metaphorically, felt my pupils turn into hearts.

It also didn't help that she asked me to accompany her to the lake bonfire that a bunch of fifth and fourth years were throwing that night.

Of course I said yes.

Not without question though.

"Why would you want to go with a girl that just threw you out of the library?"

"It'll make a good story for the party!"

I chuckle softly again and begin to write down the notes that were being shown, my eyes still flickering to her every so often.

We didn't start dating till a year later though, and it wasn't even me who made the first move.

We were talking in my room, she was laying on my bed as I was finishing up some homework for Potions.

I was talking about how strict Snape was being lately with how he was grading our work.

When I looked over to get her opinion on the matter, she was sitting up and staring at me with a small smile.

"What?" I had asked and she just shrugged.

"Nothing, I just like your voice" she answered and I thought my heart had just did a cartwheel out the window.

"Hey Hermione?"

"Y-Yes?"

"Do you want to go on a date with me?"

"Absolutely"

Merlin, I was so blunt.

My eyes shift back over to her and I feel them soften as I catch her writing something other than the notes.

Y/n Granger & Hermione Y/l/n

I could feel my whole face flush as cover it with my hands for a few moments.

"Smitten~" Ginny sings softly next to me and quickly kick her leg, which causes her to chuckle.

Only Y/n can make me this nonproductive in a class room.

I let my hands fall from my face and find her writing down her notes again.

Hermione Y/l/n...

I bite my lip softly as the thought of marriage invades my mind.

A house and a few pets in a small neighborhood near the city.

Maybe kids if she wants them.

I've seen how sweet she is to the first years, she'd be a great mom.

But I wouldn't mind if it was just us and some animals.

Waking up in her arms, or her in mine...sounds like pure heaven.

"Class dismissed!" I hear as I jumps slightly.

I look up to find everyone packing up, then down at my notes and find only a paragraph full of what should be a few pages.

Did I daydream that long?!

"I'll leave my notebook on your desk, since you can't seem to concentrate" Ginny tease as she stands up and I huff.

"Hermione!" I hear and I look over to find Y/n walking up to me with a smile that makes my mind blank.

"Hi my love" I say as I stand up and quickly stuff everything into my bag.

"May I walk you to our date?" She asks and I smile.

"It's our regular study session, it's not really a date" I chuckle out as she grins, holding out her hand for me.

"I like to think they're mini dates" she answers and I intertwine our fingers.

"Cute" I answer as I begin to walk with her to my room.

Our walk is calm as we slowly make our way there, the sun setting quickly.

There really is no rush to hunch ourselves over books for an hour or two.

Suddenly Y/n stops and I raise and eyebrow as she nods her head over to the opening to the  field in front of Hagrids hut.

"We graduate in a month my love, we should really study for the Newts" I mumble and she pulls me into a warm embrace.

"Just an hour Granger, then I promise to study with you all week" she states as her forehead leans against mine.

"Promise?" I ask and she nods.

"Fine" I laugh out as she takes my hand and pulls me towards the now dark field.

We drop our bags at the entrance and dash onto the grass, dozens of fireflies began to fly around us as we do so.

"Wow" I whisper as we both lay down on the grass, watching them all fly above us, blinking like morse code.

We're silent as we watch the sky fill with fireflies, our hands squeezes each other's from time to time.

I knew at this moment that we weren't going to study tonight.

Which I didn't mind.

"I've been thinking about Marriage" Y/n whispers and I can't help but feel my eyes widen in the darkness.

"Are you proposing?" I ask and she laughs.

"No! Not yet anyways" she chuckles and I smile softly.

Not yet.

My stomach is doing backflips at that simple comment.

"I was just thinking, would you ever marry me?" Y/n asks and I laugh softly.

"I was daydreaming about it earlier" I answer as Y/n sits up and leans over me with a smile matching my own.

"Really? Me too" she whispers and I chuckle feeling her lips ghost mine.

"I know, Y/n Granger" I tease as she presses a kiss to shush me.

One of my hands find themselves in her hair as we kiss, my eyes flutter closed at what seems like a simple peck.

Yet my mind goes fuzzy as my toes curl and stomach explodes with the jitters.

I wonder if Y/n feels like this when we kiss?

(Spoiler alert: she does, but at the moment she was trying to figure out my ring size from just holding my hand)

Y/n slowly pulls away and chuckles at me, and I just smile.

"What?" I laugh out.

"I can see like ten fireflies in your hair" she chuckles.

"Ew! Get them out!" I whine as she straddles my midsection and takes out her wand.

"No way, you look like a goddess! Lumos!" she mumbles as her wand shines a dim light in front of me.

"Wow" she whispers as I watch her face study me gently.

"Stop trying to make me fall harder for you, you already have me daydreaming about marriage" I tease and she smiles.

"Shhhh, don't scare them away! I want a few more moments to look at you like this" she whispers and I just smile at her awe filled stare.

Of course a few moments turn into ten minutes, yet I let her continue to gaze.

I felt like the most important person in the world.

In her world.

And that's all that matters to me.

[http-angelite]

♡ dating craig tucker hcs ♡

characters: craig (aged 16-17)

note: this is the other half of the request i promised for my ❦ anon ♡

➤ fem reader

craig texts you so often, almost all the time, even if you're in the same room. he'll send you memes that he thinks will make you laugh. and since he has a hard time verbally expressing some of his emotions, he'll text them to you instead of saying them out loud. it's easier for him, he gets to say what he wants to say, and you appreciate that he does try to talk about his feelings with you.

he'll text you if he is upset and needs to vent, or when he just wants to let you know how much he loves you, how pretty he thought you looked today, or about how amazing he thinks you are in general.

he often does this with notes as well. he'll write sweet notes and love letters for you and put them in your bag, your locker, or on your desk. almost every time he goes over to your house, he brings a note to hide somewhere he knows you'll find before he leaves. it always makes your day when you find one.

back to texting, he sends you so many pictures of his hamster, stripe, pictures of him and stripe, videos of stripe, videos of him with stripe. craig thinks of you both as stripe's parents. he calls her your baby and uses her as an excuse to invite you over.

"come over. our baby misses her mom."

he loves how well you get along with stripe. it fills his heart with so much joy when he sees you playing with her, helping to take care of her, and loving her as much as he does. it makes him wanna wife you up fr.

he'll see you kissing stripe and he'll just be like "we should get married."

he does his best to make sure that you never doubt his feelings for you, even when he has a hard time expressing them to you. he never wants to unintentionally make you feel like he might not love you just because it's sometimes difficult for him to show a lot of emotion.

craig will flip off anyone that bothers you in any way. if another guy flirts with you, he'll flip him off. if someone is staring at you, he'll flip them off. if you tell him that you dislike a certain person, he'll flip them off too.

he keeps the same energy when someone insults you as he does when someone insults stripe. he can and will beat a bitch for talking shit, no matter who it is. and after he kicks their ass, he will flip them off every time he sees them from then on.

he's the type of boyfriend to defend you no matter what. he doesn't care what you do to warrant ant kind of verbal or physical violence from anyone, he will not let them touch you.

"fuck off and leave her alone."

"dude, she fucking stabbed me."

"okay, and??"

bro holds hella grudges too. he will never forget it when anyone says/does anything remotely negative about/to you. he takes it more personally than you do, honestly. even with you make amends with this person, or they apologize, he still will not like them.

"why are you talking to him? he called you a stupid last year."

"oh, that girl? she's a bitch, dude. she yelled at my girlfriend a few months ago."

you guys are definitely the type of couple who will be jokingly mean and sarcastic with each other. he'll tease you, and you'll tease him. it makes you both laugh, and you're both so secure when it comes to how the other feels about you that you never question whether or not the other is actually trying to be mean. you both know that you're just messing around.

you and caig will also jokingly flip each other off occasionally as well and it's so funny when the people around you see this and are like "wtf?".

if you meet his family and can deal with all of them being lowkey aggressive and flipping each other off all the time, then you're with him for life, and he is not letting you go. his family also falls in love with you too, and, after some time, you'll become so close with them that they'll start flipping you off too and expecting you to do the same.

you guys might as well be married at that point, because you are now officially considered part of the family.

he rarely initiates PDA, but he's definitely always holding your hand in public, especially if you're in a large space or in a crowd. he's worried that, if he lets you go, you might wander off, and he'll lose you.

but craig will never reject any kind of affection you show him in public, no matter who's around. he doesn't want to tell you to stop while you're demonstrating how much you love him. kiss him, hug him, love him all you want, everywhere you go.

he's actually so honored that you like to show off the fact that you're dating him in front of other people. it makes him feel so loved and appreciated. he absolutely loves when he notices other guys getting jealous when they see that you're with him. feeds his ego so much.

in general, he has a hard time initiating any physical contact beyond holding your hand or occasionally kissing you on the cheek. he's ridiculously touch starved, however, and he is always craving any kind of touch you'll treat him to. it makes him sooo happy when you initiate physical affection with him. and, the more you do it, the more confident he'll become in initiating it himself.

he can get pretty cuddly in private. he loves to cuddle you at any opportunity he's given. one of his favorite things to do with you is to fall asleep and take a nap with you in his arms, or him in yours. he feels so special when you fall asleep on him, like you trust him so much that you feel safe enough to be in your most vulnerable state with him. it makes him feel appreciated, and it makes him want to protect you, to always make sure you feel safe when you're with him.

craig likes it when you play with his hair almost as much as he likes to play with yours. you are the only person allowed to touch his hair. he likes to brush your hair and try to style it, but he really only knows how to braid. if you leave the braids he makes in your hair he will be sooo happy! especially if it's in front of other people.

he normally hates it when people call him on the phone, but if it's you, he'll stay on call for as long as you want. if you must call him, however, he prefers facetime. it feels more to him like having a conversation in person, which is what he likes more.

he's kinda funny tho, because he hates calls, but he'll send you so many voice messages over text, and he loves it when you send him some back.

he isn't ticklish at all but he thinks it's so funny when you try to tickle him that you'll still get a giggle out of him. he likes to tickle you too, because he loves making you laugh, as well as being able to touch you and be so close to you while doing so. he'll be very sarcastic with you, as well, making jokes and messing with you just to hear your cute laughter.

craig gets jealous pretty easily because, although he might now show it, he's a little insecure. he kind of feels like you're out of his league, and you could easily find another guy who's better at opening up and showing you affection. you have to reassure him a lot because of this, but it's not like you mind most of the time.

occasionally, when he gets upset about anything, he'll have such a difficult time sharing his feelings that he'll bottle them up until he can't anymore. this sometimes results in him lashing out at you. caig is very chill most of the time, however, so this rarely happens.

you kinda have to work, especially at the beginning of the relationship, to take the time to recognize the small subliminal things he does or says when he's sad, angry, or jealous. but, after some time, it gets much easier for him to open up to you.

he has a love/hate relationship with you trying to comfort him. he obviously loves your attention, and appreciates it so much that you care for him and want him to be okay, but he also slightly feels like a burden when you have to take care of him emotionally. especially because he feels like he's not good enough at comforting you to return the favor.

sometimes he doesn't know how to make you feel better when you're upset. he's never really had to comfort anyone before, and he has rarely ever been comforted by anyone else (due to the fact that he doesn't often get upset enough to need comforting), so he's not exactly sure how to go about it.

he does his best, but sometimes he'll accidentally say things that make it worse, and then he has to apologize for them. he often doesn't understand why you get so upset about certain things, so he might be a little insensitive about it by saying that your feelings don't make sense, or that you're being dramatic. in his mind, he's thinking about it logically and feels like, if he can get you to do the same, it'll make you feel better.

it is rare, but there have been times where he's gotten so frustrated while trying to comfort you, either because nothing he was saying was helping or because he kept unintentionally making it worse, that he has raised his voice at you. but craig does his best to recognize when he feels like he's about to lose his cool, and if he does, he'll just leave you alone while you're upset until you both calm down.

craig also has a hard time telling when you're upset, even if you feel like it's obvious. and that sometimes makes you feel like he doesn't care, which isn't true at all. he just doesn't know.

he mainly resorts to just hugging you when you're upset, telling you that he love's you an that everything will be okay. occasionally he'll also hand you stripe hoping that she makes you feel better, because she makes him feel better.

he makes up for everything by being an amazing listener. after a few conversations, he learns how to handle these situations in a more affective way. he has learned to ask you what exactly you need from him. if you want a hug, if you want his opinion/advice, or if you just want him to listen to you while you vent.

he does really love you and want to help you, it just takes some communication for him to learn the best ways for him to help you. craig will truly thrive in a relationship with a partner that is patient and does their best to communicate with him.

ty for reading! sorry if he's a lil ooc. i did my best :)

[1waveshortofashipwreck]

Should've Been Born Later, Nix - Chapter 4: The First Night

Easy Company x Fem!OCs

Chap. Synopsis: What will happen to Easy Company the night of their Fall?

Words: 3,502

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Author's Note: Hi everyone! Hope y'all are having good days so far~ Also, I want to let you know that I'm open to writing Bonus Content for the series! If there's a particular scene you'd like to be written in more detail, or any specific headcanons, please don't be afraid to let me know! As always thank you a million times over for all the support and I love you all dearly!! 💖

Once at home, the boys all filed out of their makeshift clown cars, Chrys retrieving the black duffel bag she put the men’s things in from the trunk. “I’ll keep these in my room till y’all need them,” Chrys said.

Speirs, Guarnere, and Toye all started to protest, before captain Winters put a stop to it. “Men, we can clearly see that the atmosphere around weapons is different in 2023, I don’t like it either, but we need to follow our hosts on this one,” he explained to his men. The men grumbled but agreed with their CO.

“Alright y’all! Have we got everyone?” Zay asked, her “mom friend” instincts kicking in - she always had an instinct to take care of and protect everyone around her, maybe that is why she went into nursing.

Speirs performed a silent headcount before responding, “Yeah we have everyone, lead the way!” Zay smiled in gratitude at Speirs, turning on her heel before her bouncy saunter could be seen leading the pack. Chrys hung back to talk with Toye, probably about what kind of guns they have - it was a bit of a hobby for her. No one but Winters saw the subtle glare Nixon tossed at Joe after he started chatting with Chrys. Finally, he had something to fire back at Lew the next time the intelligence officer said something about Zay. Everybody, focused on their own conversations, missed Speirs pulling something out of his pocket. Ron inspected the colorful pens he had swiped from the receptionist’s desk, “Sharpie Premium Highlighters” displayed along their sides. Speirs had never seen pens with these colors before, so of course, he needed to have them.

Before they knew it, the group was at the elevator. While this was a larger elevator and could fit all twelve of them, they were once again squished like sardines. While Zay wound up being squished against the back wall with Liebgott, Chrys was squished towards the middle, Nixon on one side, Toye on another. Now, it was Winters’ turn to sit back and enjoy the show. Nixon immediately began to strike up a conversation, causing Toye to return the glare Nixon cast his way earlier. Dick let out a silent chuckle, unaware of the similar situation happening behind him. Joe Liebgott, feeling confident, subtly slung his arm around Zay’s shoulder.

“Sorry, doll, it’s just so crowded in here,” he said in a quiet voice, a smirk evident on his lips. Zay simply snickered and rolled her eyes, letting Joe keep his arm around her. If looks could kill, Luz and Roe would have been accused of friendly fire. They were towards the front of the elevator, turned to the side to help fit everyone in. They were glaring at Liebgott, who simply returned to them a smug smile. When the elevator dinged and the doors opened, Zay moved from beside Joe to the front and led the pack on their way, unaware of the situations around her.

As the group filed out of the enclosed space, Roe made sure to wait for Liebgott, “It’S jUsT sO CrOwDeD iN hErE.” He mocked him with a low voice, ensuring Zay didn't hear.

"Hey, I'm the one that got to put my arm around her," Liebgott replied to the medic. The self-satisfied soldier continued walking ahead with the group, while Roe was fuming internally, praying it did not show up on his face. Meanwhile, Zay led the group down the hallway to a door that read 553. The door opened to reveal a modest but comfy apartment. There was a combined kitchen/living area, with the kitchen to the right of the front door. In front of the group was a coffee table with a full size couch against the wall. Flanking the couch was a loveseat and an armchair, framing the coffee table on their respective sides. Directly across from the couch was the entertainment stand, the boys trying to process all the electronics they have never seen before. Across the room was a sliding glass door that led out to the apartment's balcony. To the right of the TV was a small hallway with a door on the left, on the right, and at the end.

"Welcome to casa del Bennett!" Zay cheered as everyone filed into the apartment - there was an eclectic feel to the furniture and decorations. It was easy to see that Zay and Chrys collaborated on the decor, neither of them losing their styles to the other. The decor was a mix of bright, cheerful artwork and trinkets, with posters and models of cars mixed in all around, a perfect blend for the sisters. “Make yourselves at home!” Zay stood beside the kitchen as the boys took a look around, Chrys making her way back to her room, opening the door on the right side of the small hall and disappearing behind it.

“This is a nice place you’ve got!” Luz said, plopping down on the couch in the living area. Toye and Guarnere politely sat down on the loveseat, while the rest of Easy Company gathered to stand in the living area rather awkwardly.

Zay smiled and locked the door, a nervous habit, before walking off down the hallway. “Y’all get comfy, I’m gonna change my clothes really quick.” With her signature bounce, Zay went into the door on the left of the hallway. Easy Company was left to fend for themselves, at least for a few minutes. Roe helped Malarkey sit in the armchair, while the medic opted to sit beside Luz on the couch, close to Malarkey if he needed anything. Bull rested on an arm of the loveseat, while Liebgott took the last seat on the couch, securing Luz in the middle. Winters and Nixon stood off to the side, next to the loveseat, and Speirs rested on an arm of the couch, beside Roe.

“What do you think all that is?” Malarkey asked, motioning to the entertainment center. While someone from 2023 would recognize the twins’ internet router, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and bluetooth speaker as common electronics, the boys had absolutely no idea what they were looking at. As if on cue, the two sisters returned to the group, both having changed their clothes. Chrys was wearing a black sweatshirt with an Alfa Romeo logo the boys did not recognize on the front with a pair of plaid pj pants. Zay opted for an oversized, navy blue t-shirt with the band Queen’s logo on the front, though once again, unrecognized by Easy Company. The shock displayed on the men’s faces came from the fact that Zay seemed not to be wearing anything on her lower half. While Chrys sat on the ground, close to Guarnere and Toye, Zay stood confused at the boys.

“Is everything okay?” She asked, concern thick in her words.

“Um… I think you… forgot something in your room,” Luz mumbled out, bright red and trying his best not to stare at Zay’s legs.

“Hm?” Zay followed Luz’s eyes to the point of confusion. “Oh!” She let out a small giggle, slightly lifter her shirt to reveal her bright yellow pajama shorts. “This is the style for pajama shorts in 2023, helps to keep cool at night,” she explained, opting to sit on the floor - she wound up sitting at the feet of Richard Winters, merely intending to sit beside Chrys. Winters could not help but blush, seeing her so close to him. “How’re y’all feeling?” Zay questioned the group in earnest, looking at the men.

There was a brief pause, as well as a few glances around from the men, before Guarnere spoke up, “Still kinda shocked, I guess… it’s still so weird that this is all happening.”

“To be honest, I’m worried about our other guys,” Liebgott chimed in, his arms crossed and his leg bouncing anxiously. “There’s no way to tell them where we are, and we’re not there if they need us.” Joe said all this while staring at the floor, his jaw clenched. The rest of the men nodded in agreement - the soldiers relied on each other, especially in the winter wasteland of Bastogne. Knowing that they were so far away from the rest of their men hurt their hearts in more ways than they thought possible.

Zay and Chrys listened closely to the group. “I’m sorry y’all have to go through this, I can’t imagine the pain and anxiety you’re feeling right now,” the blue-haired girl said after a beat. “I wish I had answers to your questions, but I can assure y’all, Chrys and I will do everything in our power to help you get back to your men. For now, y’all have had a really long day, and you need to be at your best to-”

Zay was cut off by what sounded like the mating call of the humpback whale. All heads turned to the source of the sound - Nixon’s stomach. Lewis let out a small laugh before speaking, “I sure hope you still eat dinner in 2023.”

“Nope, eating as a concept stopped in the 1990s,” Chrys replied, her face and tone deadpan. There was a beat of silence, the boys unsure whether or not the woman was joking, before Chrys let out a snicker. Zay and Chrys began to descend into laughter, followed by the rest of the boys. The group continued to discuss dinner, Zay explaining the concept of Door Dash to the soldiers. Swears, confusion, and laughter abounded throughout the technology education.

“So we can really get anything we want? And they’ll just deliver it?” Malarkey asked, wonder in his eyes. Zay smiled and nodded her head. Malarkey looked at the boys before exclaiming, “We could get actual pasta!”

“Are you kidding? We could get warm juicy American burgers!” Luz retorted.

“Hey what about Chinese food? That shit’s delicious,” Toye argued back. The group descended into bickering, sounding like child siblings in their tones.

“Men!” Winters scolded, causing everyone to fall silent and turn their attention to their captain. Dick looked down at Zay, “We’ll take whatever you recommend.” Dick had a polite smile on his face, imitating Luz as he tried everything not to look at Zay’s bare legs. The girl looked back up into Dick’s green eyes, a blush rising on her cheeks, as well as a thankful smile.

“How about some fast food?” Chrys offered, “McDonald’s usually has something everyone likes.”

“Sounds perfect!” Zay replied before going to Door Dash on her phone. After what felt like forever while the twins explained the options for food to the boys and take their orders, Zay pressed the “Complete Purchase” button. “Alright! The food will be here in a little bit. In the meantime, would y’all like anything to drink? We have water and soda, but also beer, wine, and some other stuff.” Zay explained with a mischievous grin - she saw how the men loved to drink on the show, save for Winters, and was excited to relax and have fun with them. A chorus of intrigued “ooh”s and whoops came from the men of Easy Company as Zay stood up to go to the kitchen. After getting everyone’s drink orders, Zay headed to the kitchen, not noticing Dick following her.

“Thought you might want some help carrying everything,” he said more bashfully than intended when Zay noticed him. Zay returned his smile as they reached the tile of the kitchen area.

“That’s really sweet of you, Captain Winters,” she responded, blushing as she looked up at the man in front of her. Her mind could not help but wonder, what would he do if he knew how big of a crush she had on him?

Dick laughed quietly and smiled at the girl, his blush matching hers. “Please, call me Dick.” Zay’s smile widened as she shifted her gaze to her feet, praying futily that he did not notice her blush growing. “Doc was right earlier, you know, it is really kind of you to take us into your home like this,” Dick mused, grateful for the girl in front of him. Her eyes immediately returned to meet his gaze with a smile.

“Oh it’s nothing, really! Chrys and I have people over all the time, so it’s no trouble, I promise.” Zay went to the fridge as she spoke, starting to take out the bottles that were requested - a coke for Dick, red wine for Zay, Speirs, and Roe, and beers for the rest of the group. Once Zay had organized the eight bottles and three glasses, she bent down to grab her serving tray from the cupboard. Dick wanted to avert his eyes, he wanted to be polite, be a gentleman, but alas, he was entranced. The captain was just barely able to turn his head away before Zay returned to the drinks, acrylic serving tray in hand. Once Zay put everything on the tray, Winters was quick to pick it up, Zay shooting him a Look. “Thank you,” Zay said reluctantly, trying and failing to hide her smile. Dick simply nodded before following her out of the kitchen.

The night continued to devolve into drunken, chaotic fun, with laughter and Chicken McNuggets abounding. Soon everyone was burping and hiccuping with inebriation, of course save for Winters. “You guys wanna play truth or dare?” Chrys asked with a smirk as Zay clumsily emptied the group’s third bottle of wine into her glass, splashing a couple drops onto the carpet.

“Yeah! Let’s use the bottle to pick!” Guarnere said, gently plucking the bottle from Zay’s hand. The twelve made a circle on the floor, pushing the coffee table flush with the sofa. Zay wound up sitting between Winters and Roe, while Chrys was between Nixon and Bull. “Who wants to go first?” Guarnere asked, placing the bottle on its side in the center of the circle.

“I will!” Chrys volunteered, spinning the bottle. As Chrys leaned forward, shifting her weight to her knees, Nixon could not help but be floored by the dark-haired woman in front of him - she seemed so genuine, so down to earth, he needed her in his life. The bottle spun and spun before landing on, of course, Captain Nixon. A chorus of “ooh”s and chuckles erupted from the group as Chrys asked, “Captain, truth or dare?”

Nixon smirked and looked at the girl, heavily relying on his liquid courage. “Dare, doll,” he replied. Chrys, hiding her blush, smiled and walked to the kitchen, returning with a fresh bottle of beer.

“I dare you,” she paused as she used the bottle opener, “to drink this entire beer in 10 seconds.” She held the beer out to him, intrigued to see if he could do it.

“Done and done,” he replied casually, immediately starting to down the drink. It may not have been Vat 69, but Nixon still drank the beer like it was the best thing he ever tasted. Before Chrys reached five, Nixon handed her the empty bottle, covering his mouth as he felt the carbonation expel itself. The group laughed at Nixon’s belch but cheered as he spun the bottle in front of him. The bottle slowly came to a stop, pointing itself at Wild Bill Guarnere. “Alright Gonorrhea, truth or dare?”

Bill laughed as he finished off his fourth beer. “Truth, Cap’n.” he said assertively, leaning into the circle. Nixon thought for a minute before asking his question.

“Tell us about the worst kiss you’ve ever had.” the captain asked the staff sergeant. Guarnere thought for a minute before his facial muscles cringed with disgust.

“Suzie Watson at my Senior Prom, we were slow dancing and next thing I knew her tongue was licking my lips,” Bill recalled. The group responded with sounds of ick as Guarnere flicked the bottle. The game continued to bring wild revelations and compromising positions to all in the room. At one point, Luz had spun the bottle, and it landed on captain Dick Winters. “Captain Quaker, sir,” Luz addressed Winters, earning laughs all around him, including from the captain himself, “truth or dare?”

Dick chuckled and shook his head. He debated whether or not to participate when the game began, but when Zay plopped herself next to his feet and looked up at him with the sweetest doe eyes he had ever seen, how could he not? The captain weighed his options, considering which answer is more of a risk. “Truth,” he answered, looking over at George.

“You got a girl waiting for you back home? And if you don’t, are you looking for someone?” Dick could see Zay's head perk up out of the corner of his eye; he could tell her head turned towards him, but he was nervous to meet her gaze.

“Can’t say I have someone waiting at home, but I would like to have a family, someday,” Winters replied quietly, his bashfulness and beet red cheeks warming Zay’s heart. In a moment of wine-fueled impulse, she laid her head on Dick’s shoulder as he spun the bottle. Surprised, Winters looked over at the girl, a content smile on her face as she rested on him. Now it was Winters’ turn to feel his heart warming. The game continued on until about midnight, when a few soldiers allowed themselves to yawn.

“Alright y’all, looks like it’s time to get ready for bed. For where y’all are sleeping, once we put up the air mattress, we can sleep four of you out here, then three in my room and three in Chrys’ room,” Zay explained. She wobbly tried to stand up, resembling a baby giraffe learning how to walk, before losing her balance and falling into Roe’s lap with a squeal. Eugene caught her in one smooth motion, looking at Zay with concern and amusement. “My bad,” the girl said between giggles. No one saw Liebgott and Luz roll their eyes at the scene, save for Winters. Roe helped the girl stand back up while they all discussed sleeping arrangements.

“I can sleep out here,” Speirs spoke up.

“I’ll take the couch,” Bull added.

“I can room with Zay, if you don’t mind,” Eugene looked up at the girl, who smiled and nodded her head.

“Hey! I wanna room with her!” Luz cried out, pushing Roe’s shoulder childishly.

Liebgott somehow got involved in the scrimmage as well, while Zay simply smiled down at the still-sitting Winters. “Would you like to stay in my room?” While she has not revealed the fact they would share a bed yet, Zay certainly preferred the idea of sharing a bed with a gentleman like Winters. Dick smiled and nodded, agreeing to her offer. Zay returned his smile before raising her voice to get the men’s attention. “Y’all! Dick already claimed a spot, so the other two spots go to Roe and Luz.”

Liebgott groaned and rolled his eyes, walking over to the loveseat - his bed for the foreseeable future. While all of the bickering was occurring, Chrys agreed to Nixon, Toye, and Guarnere bunking in her room. “Do you guys want pajamas? Our brother comes to visit us a lot, and he usually leaves his clothes here… his memory isn’t the best,” Chrys told the group, quiet laughter making its way across everyone’s lips. Chrys smiled and made her way back to her room, the rest of the men standing from the floor.

“I’ll go grab the air mattress,” Zay said over her shoulder, bouncing away to her room.

Ron stayed quiet until the twins left. “Sir? What’s the plan for tomorrow?” he asked Winters, everyone suddenly remembering the problems at hand.

Dick thought for a moment before responding, “We’ll go back to where we first arrived and see if we can find anything and go from there. If we don’t get any information, we’ll ask Zay and Chrys for input… maybe even watching the program we’re on could help.” Speirs nodded in understanding as Chrys came back into the room with a laundry basket of t-shirts, pj pants, jeans, and other bits of clothes for the men to use. Once Zay returned with the air mattress, she and Chrys set up their respective pull-out couches in their rooms while the boys changed, the clothes somehow being a good fit for everyone, even Bull.

Once the boys were all decent, Chrys and Zay set up the air mattress in the living room, supplying the four sleeping in said room with a plethora of pillows and blankets. Soon, the men were settled in their respective bunks - Bull on the couch, Liebgott on the loveseat, Malarkey and Speirs on the air mattress, Guarnere and Toye on Chrys’ pull-out couch, Roe and Luz on Zay’s pull-out couch, and finally, Captain Winters and Captain Nixon were, in fact, about to share their beds with Zay and Chrys, respectively. Since there was nowhere else for the boys to sleep, the four of them felt their own versions of excitement, nerves, and every other emotion under the sun.

~~~~~

Chapter 3 | Chapter 5

Taglist: @b00ks1ut , @blueberry-ovaries , @bucky32557038ww2 , @claudycod , @dontirrigateme , @emilee1421 , @executethyself35 , @hanniewinnix , @ithinkabouttzu , @jump-wings , @love--persevering , @panzershrike-pretz , @stolen94 , @xxluckystrike

Thank you again for reading!! Be on the lookout for Chapter 5 coming next week!! 🥰✨