#jazz cant catch a break

[lets-try-some-writing]

Implications

Jazz liked to think he was pretty smart and capable of standing his ground. He'd been a spy for almost every big political player, gotten involved with the army, and messed around in pretty much every under the table association. When Orion asked him to join up and support the war effort, Jazz saw no reason to decline. He knew his friend... until he didn't.

Since the new guy came in, Jazz decided he values his life more than honesty.

Previous part here.

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Jazz was always a mech who lived by the rule of knowing everything so that he could act in response to anything. He liked to present himself as if he were ignorant or uncaring of the situation through the use of cheerful tones, but that was largely just to blend in. He was no fool. He knew the moment Orion was named Prime that things were going to go to slag. So he prepared, he cleared his history, pulled up his contracts, and got ready to fight or flee. He only chose to stay because Orion asked him to. How could he ever say no to his dear friend? Especially when peace seemed to be somewhere on the horizon in light of agreeable peace treaties beginning to form in spite of the Senate's efforts to continue the war.

Things were looking up despite the fact that the war still raged. There was light at the end of the tunnel, and Orion even seemed to be truly hopeful. But of course, that was when everything had to fall apart. Jazz was dutiful in his work, but someone was even better than he was at breaking and entering. How else would Orion have been stolen from his berth without so much as a whiff of where he had vanished to? The Autobots of course panicked, Ultra Magnus did what he could to keep the army in line, and the Decepticons pushed their advantage in light of Orion's disappearance. Jazz did all he could to hunt down his missing leader and friend, but to no avail. Wherever Orion was, he had completely dropped off the map.

Then Orion came back and promptly fell to pieces. Jazz was hardly able to see his friend before he was shipped off to containment to ensure whatever was happening to him didn't spread. But what Jazz saw was enough for him to know that Orion was not well... and he likely wouldn't be ever again. He was only able to sneak in to see Orion a few times, but that was all he needed.

"Hey Rion... are you in there buddy?"

"Jazz? Are you here with us?"

"Yeah I'm here. Is there somebody else in the room I should know about?"

"The voice... it speaks, questioning, asking. It wants answers. I try to answer, but I am not fast enough. It takes what I don't tell it."

"Is the voice what is making you like this?"

"I... do not know. It is curious, callous. It wants something, it wants all of me. But it does not seem to be malicious."

"Can we get rid of it?"

"No. It is already too late. It is here, burrowed deep. We will both die if you try."

"There's gotta be something we can do Rion. I am not letting you die here."

"There is... no choice. Either it lives, or we both die. It is too deep, too close to finishing its work. It does not have many questions left..."

"..."

"Once the questions end, it will have no need of me... I don't want to die in this room, alone with its voice in my mind."

"..."

"When it is time... will you let me die out of this place?"

"Yeah... I can do that Rion. I can do that."

Jazz came a few more times over the following deca-cycles. He snuck in through the vents in the dead of most mecha's recharge cycles and sat by Orion's side as his friend deteriorated. He got thinner, sickly, and more lifeless with every passing cycle. Eventually he stopped being able to talk much, only murmuring about how much it hurt. Jazz did make attempts to understand what exactly was afflicting his friend, if only so that he might have some comfort when Orion did offline. He never got anything of note aside from the pain being contributed to 'the voice'. It reached a breaking point when Orion sat up for the first time on the edge of his berth, his optics unfocused and fluid dripping from his vents.

Jazz knew what he needed to do. He had a promise to keep.

Without informing anyone, he used what authority he had to have the facility cleared. At that point, he gently took Orion's stick thin servo in his own and laced their digits together. No words were spoken as he guided his unsteady friend through hallways and rooms until they exited the bunker Orion was being kept in. They left Autobot territory and Jazz guided Orion toward the only place he could think of where his leader would possibly appreciate his final resting place to be. Jazz had every intention of guiding Orion deep into the last standing spire forest and remaining nearby so that the former archivist could rest in peace. However halfway through the journey, Orion stopped, and for the first time in deca-cycles, he seemed focused.

"Rion?"

"I don't want you to watch. I don't want you to see what we will become."

"I am your friend, Rion. I'm not about to leave you alone out here. You deserve to have someone nearby when-"

"Please. I do not wish for you to see the voice finish its work."

Jazz was unable to object as Orion wobbled past him, dragging himself in the general direction of the forest. Jazz grieved, but he did not show it as he stayed put, watching Orion's spark signature on his radar and waiting for it to go out. The moment it did, he allowed himself a klik to lament before he gathered himself and returned to the Autobots. He took his time, and when he arrived, he and the others who loved their leader grieved together. It was a rough few stellar cycles, but Ultra Magnus kept the army together and the Decepticons were even being somewhat amicable in ongoing peace arrangements. The loss of Orion Pax was still brutal and ached horribly, but Jazz, Ratchet, and the others were finally beginning to get themselves together again when someone far too familiar looking crossed the border.

Whoever it was looked like Orion if he were pumped full of protomatter and cranked up on battle protocols. The mech was huge and looked deadly even from a distance. Yet, he had Orion's face, his colors, and his voice. The mech came forward and called himself Optimus Prime, quickly presenting the Matrix of leadership. He explained in perfect almost clinical Iaconian that the reason he was presumed dead was due to the Matrix reforging him. He tried to write all of the oddities off as the Matrix doing its work and the process of being remade taking a great deal out of him, hence his slow arrival. The Autobots as a whole were skeptical, but the Matrix combined with the newcomer's almost immediate skill and his memory which matched Orion's had them accepting him quickly.

Jazz was not among that number.

He saw Orion's state, he escorted Orion to the middle of nowhere to die for Primus's sake. There was no way Orion hauled himself down to Primus's core to get the Matrix. It was impossible, not to mention the tallest tale Jazz had ever heard. The results and spectacular leadership the Prime presented were undeniable, but Jazz knew that whoever he was... he was not Orion. Optimus was quick to pick up on that fact, and the moment the Prime realized that Jazz, Ratchet, and a few select others did not fully buy his story, he became... unsettling. He held his persona with godly expertise around all others, but with Jazz and Ratchet, the two who doubted... he seemed to let himself go a bit. At first it was small, but those things grew larger with time.

Optimus's ability to blend in matched that of a master spy. He always performed perfectly in public or any area that was not checked for security by the Prime himself. He was dutiful, always keeping a kind smile or a stern expression plastered on his stolen face. His voice never wavered and he forever held himself with a complete air of calm... one that felt so fake to Jazz as to almost be suffocating. Optimus's EM field was chilled, static in a way. There was emotion there, but it was strange, unreadable, and largely left those who bothered to feel it on edge. Most chalked it up to Optimus being a Prime, but Jazz knew better. It certainly did not ease Jazz at all when Optimus purposefully extended his field when they were together. It almost felt like he was being tested with how closely Optimus watched him during those moments.

There was also the matter of how the Prime held himself. He was highly calculating, so much so that Jazz doubted he had any actual emotion in him at all. The Prime moved with determination wherever he went, but his motives were totally alien. Every action was carefully selected, and poor responses to things Optimus did always had the Prime adapting at record speed. It did not take much for the Autobots to accept him, especially when Optimus led them to war. But of course, around Jazz and Ratchet, Optimus purposefully did things that should have been beyond the bounds of normal. He twisted in ways which shouldn't have been possible just to gauge their reactions. He would poke and prod, clawing at their plating to watch their reactions. There was always a new and somewhat malicious test for him to run whenever he returned from war. Jazz came back to find Ratchet warding off the Prime with a scalpel once. And there was even an occasion were Optimus purposefully dug a blade into Jazz's leg just to watch him try to act normal around the others.

No one else suffered Optimus's abuse. No one else had to deal with the oddities. Outside of Ratchet and Jazz, Optimus was the perfect leader they needed. Well, mostly. Megatron seemed to know that Optimus was no Orion Pax, and the warlord threw away any idea relating to peace in response. He was dead set on killing the Prime, and honestly, Jazz couldn't blame him. He didn't know what Optimus was, but he most certainly was not any brand of Cybertronian Jazz was familiar with. But whatever the case, things were tolerable, and Optimus seemed to have some goal that aligned with Cybertron being brought to a peaceful state. So Jazz let him be and followed orders.

Then Optimus brought back a sparkling.

It was so out of left field that he and Ratchet were flabbergasted by the whole thing. More so when they took one look at the sparkling and knew he was just. like. Optimus. The little one acted just like his Sire for his first few vorns of life, always listening, always watching. It was frightening for Jazz to walk in to see Optimus glaring at Bumblebee with what almost seemed to be anger or hatred. Then whenever Bee cried, Optimus would tell him to quiet and Bee would stop immediately. It was terrifying to witness, even more so when Optimus brought back suspicious vials for Bee to feed from and began taking the sparkling out to the battlefield to do things Jazz did not want to know about. Optimus was focused on his creation to the point of attention falling away from Jazz and Ratchet nearly entirely. It was a small mercy, but it hurt to watch Bumblebee begin to act like a regular Cybertronian and express genuine emotions only to then suffer Optimus's treatment. The Prime treated his sparkling horribly by any standard.

Always uttering angered words, always glaring, never offering physical affection or words of affirmation, never so much as praising Bumblebee for performing well. It was as if Bumblebee was expected to succeed. Not only that, but the few times Bumblebee acted out of sorts, Optimus would beat or otherwise hurt the poor youngling until he returned to himself. More than once Ratchet did his best to stand up to the Prime in Bumblebee's defense. But Ratchet did not see the coldness in Bee's optics that Jazz did. Bumblebee was most certainly more normal than his Sire and far less monstrous, but he was still Optimus's sparkling. He never cried at the abuse, he never even seemed upset about it. The youngling accepted it all with grace, and that seemed to be what caused Ratchet to break.

The medic tolerated Optimus for his work, but seeing Bee hurt so often seemed to be a sore spot for Ratchet. Eventually, he tried to take Bee away. Jazz watched it all but did nothing to intervene. It was not his place, and he had long ago decided he enjoyed living. That belief was only confirmed when Optimus dropped out of the fragging celling as Ratchet tried to grab Bee and flee. Jazz did not stay to watch, but his horror only grew when Ratchet began to get sick mere cycles later.

When they locked optics, they both knew. Green fluid, voices in the processing units... Whatever had been done to Orion was now being inflicted on Ratchet. The medic couldn't even end his own life, not with Optimus hovering around him at all times under the guise of 'caring for his oldest friend'. Even Bee did not seem concerned. If anything, Bumblebee looked happy with every passing cycle. Still, Jazz lingered, hoping beyond hope that Optimus wasn't as bad as he seemed to be. That somehow this was all just a bad situation that would come to an end... it had to... right?

It did not.

Six stellar cycles after it began, Ratchet vanished off the face of Cybertron while the sickness was at its worst. Jazz hunted him down, but he wished he hadn't. The thing that he saw barely looked like Ratchet as it fed on raw energon like an animal. Scattered plating and organs were strewn about, and Bee eagerly seemed to be bringing over more crystals for the thing to consume Standing beside it was the one and only Optimus Prime who observed with what could have been glee as the thing's mandibles crushed through crystalized energon shards. That was when Jazz knew.

These were monsters. Optimus Prime was not the only one, and he had proven he could spread. It didn't matter what cause he fought for or how good a Prime he was. This was unnatural. And so Jazz did the only thing he could think of. He ran toward the one mech on the planet who knew what Optimus was and hated him enough to possibly put him down.

He ran to Megatron.

"MEGATRON! This is Jazz! Special operations agent for the Autobots! I need immediate evac!"

"Why would I ever help and Autobot?"

"It's Optimus! He's SPREADING!"

"Soundwave, get that mech on board the Nemesis, no matter the cost!"

If there was one mech who could save their kind from whatever Optimus was, it would be Megatron. Jazz had to believe that Megatron could.

Ratchet was already gone. How many more would follow?

[fukcnoplease]

Thanks to a certain krosrios on instagram ive been thinking up a new dpxdc fanfic

Cause listen having Danny leave his town cause of angst or college is cool. Having Danielle leave the town out of angst or just because is grand.

But hear me out

Dan going to Gotham because he has bonded enough with Team Phantom that they trust him to not destroy the world. He has gotten attached to Dani and reattached to Jazz and though he wont admit it is maybe a little too attached to purposefully destroy what they love.

Maybe he is following Jazz to keep her safe. Maybe he is just getting out of dodge for personal reasons and someone (cough cough) nudged him in the direction of Gotham.

But like imagine

Some angry kid settles down in crime alley of all places and quickly becomes talk of the town bc for how agressive he is he is also well known for helping when he can, in a perhaps too agressive way (not unlike a certain red hooded individual).

I imagine he is probably in his twenties and while lanky in his human form built like a tank in his ghost form. He works at a bouncer at a local bar or club and makes some side cash fixing appliances for people.

Some kids start whispering about him maybe being red hood or being related to red hood which obviously catches the vigilantes attention. Especially when some young street kid pulls a “well you would help me wouldnt you…. DAN??” *stares hard to see his reaction*

When Hood doesnt find anything he reluctantly flags it to Tim who only manages to find the name Daniel Fenton but that cant be right. His phone is actively pinging him in a small town in illinois. Unless its a twin of some kind? Or a clone, time jokes, but that cant be it bc thats just some kid. Nobody would have a reason to clone him.

Regardless some random unidentified man who can clearly fight and for whatever reason sets Jason off is a pretty big red flag. And while neither Tim nor Jason particularly wanna tell the Bat since they dont have anything concrete it is pretty concerning.

Maybe they end up breaking into a tired Dan’s apartment and questioning him.

Maybe Duke is walking through town and sees a kind old lady lecturing a fucking ghost?? God??? Guy??? And shoving food into his hands even tho he looks like he could kill her.

Maybe Barbara is spooked by a guy appearing beside her in a bookshop and reaching around her to grab a pretty in depth psychology book.

Maybe Tim finds him later with a young girl who looks just like him playing in the park.

Who knows!! I just think there is a lot to work with and his personality would be just wonderful to add into the batfamily boilin pot.

[roe-and-memory]

lightnings silly goofy ass would definitely break a finger or two out racing and just not give af . do u get me

like, a car gets loose in his bumper, crashes him — his wheel gets yanked out of his hand, an edge on the outside of the wheel catches his gloves and at the sheer speed its turning it (unfortunately) breaks one of his fingers. he cries out but shuts himself up as quickly as he can and tries to act Calm (and totally not in pain).

caution flag flies, his car rolls down to the apron, and he comes over the headset with all the determination in his bones..

“get out the tape - both for the car and for me.”

doc understands right away, and as little bits and pieces of his bumper come off on the racetrack as he drives around the inside to pit road, he guides the car with his elbow and pulls off his glove.

its Obviously broken. the joint is already black and blue, he cant bend it without it sending sharp pain throughout his hand, but he stretches his fingers as best he can, wincing in the process — and he finally pulls into the pits.

doc is waiting just behind pit wall with medical tape in hand. while lightnings crew pulls off access pieces of plastic and sheet metal from the car, doc comes over, puts down the window net, and with a worried look asks his kid what happened.

“oh, uh..” he quickly holds out his hand, palm up, and doc just stares in horror.

“kid, you need to go to the infield ca-“

lightning stops him before he can say another word, “i’ll go after the race. please just let me go the last 30 laps. all i need is for you to do the buddy-tape thing, please?”

with as much apprehension but trust in his driver as he can possibly muster up, doc nods. he tapes lightnings index finger (the one thats broken) to his middle finger, all the while his team is taping up the car and changing tires. doc regrettably helps him find a way to wear his glove that’ll work with the buddy-taping, and eventually lightning is sent back out on the track with small pieces of advice and a panicked father in his ear telling him to avoid anything stupid.

after the race, he keeps up his promise and goes to the infield care center — they send him to the hospital (as they lack the xray capabilities) and it turns out he broke the middle joint of his index finger and his knuckle. all he asks is that they Dont put him in a cast, and rather give him a splint or tape — his ass is NOT giving up racing for something as silly as this.

the next weekend, after an entire WEEK of doc warning him the dangers of driving like this, along with the BEAUTIFUL black and blue bruising blossoming on his hand, followed by the inability to move his broken or even his OKAY ones, he finds himself back on pit road in a firesuit and a microphone shoved in his face.

kori asks him how he is, how they’d all heard about his injury last weekend.. they talk about racing a little bit, and finally she asks him how ready he is to race, and if hes ready with the injury or not. all he responds with is doing jazz hands in front of the camera, affectionately showing off his bruised hand and buddy-taped fingers.

[xxxdragonfucker69xxx]

HOUR IN

RANIBOW SPRIMKLE

for those of you who were not around last time: every so often obscure indie tatterpig Exalted releases the manuscript of their next splatbook as part of their kickstarter campaign, and i read through it and lose my nuts. now the manuscript for sidereals, fate-weaving celestial ninjas, is out. and i am going to lose my nuts. if you don't care about this , the tag to blacklist is #hour in rainbow

alright enough pussyfooting around. lets get to it

starting with the severe fuck shit sidereals pull:

excellency changes target numbers, they use prayer strips in their charms but they have them around unless they specifically dont, they deal with enemies of fate, they have

MAIDEN CHARMS which are basically bridge keyword done right. if you have say 3 charms of any Battles ability you will be able to purchase Mars charms like BATTLEFIELD GENIUS STYLE and ASCENDING BATTLES HOROSCOPE

sidereal charms are specific, they interact with the celestial bureaucracy but cant be stopped just by bureaucracying, theyre esoteric and funky with it. they include versatile charms in their combat abilities that can work with martial arts!

holy shit!!!

JOURNEYS

the ascending and descending horoscopes all have this fucking fantastic structure where you can grant a blessing or curse, but you have to have a constellation-themed interaction first. if you see someone feed a street animal you can invoke Stray Dog Gratitude to bless their travels, if you see them abandon something important you can invoke Forsaken Castaway Curse to curse the same

good worker spirit starts with "when the sidereal lies about where she's been" which is fucking primo, this is the translation of one of the old resplendencies that made it hard to catch you slacking off

mysterious traveler wisdom makes you both helpful to people youre traveling with and impenetrable when they try to figure out where the fuck you came from

predestined escort coincidence, which we are all fucking jazzed to see out of the drive charms from shards, lets you throw open the car door horse bridle and give someone a wordless look to tell them you're taking them where they need to go

RESISTANCE: THE MAST

oxbody only gives -0 hls, because it is vital that sidereals look completely unaffected and fine

the mast sways turns you into a fucking pinball puppet who takes knockback instead of allies

strength of the mast makes you stronger, especially if youre the strongest one in teh room

unbroken weave deflection clashes attacks with a disarm gambit because weapons just fucking bounce off?? holy shit

oh my god mast upholds all lets you provide support ie "looming behind someone" and they can use your sta+res successes instead of their own. that is unbelievably fucking funny. also people cant notice you doing this.

RIDE: THE MESSENGER

these charms are horny. there's nothing we can really do about it. setting that aside:

IRON HEART IRON HORSE isnt horny though. it just makes your mount fearless. we love to see it. it will become horny later.

breaking the wild mortal is horny though. sorry vance i'm powerless to deny it. you put a bridle on a guy to make them like you. at least they forget about it

FIELD MOUSE RIDER isnt horny. field mouse rider is really good. we were all so worried when we heard resplendencies were going away but here is FIELD MOUSE RIDER safe and sound

desirable maiden's bargain is fucking fantastic. you tell the world why you're doing something, fate gives it away to whoever needs that information but shows you a clue or surprise tool to help you later, using a flash of lightning or glint of dawn

print the phrase "acquaintance-improving dressage" and look me in the eyes. you can train mounts, including bridled mortals, with this

fiend-humbling horsemanship lets you turn an enemy of fate into a horse. yes this is bai longma yes it is... really thats it but now theyre a HORSE

i would be remiss not to mention RIDING THE DRAGON, which is yes dragon tf. at least it doesnt outright kill you anymore

SAIL: THE CAPTAIN

rarely is travel peaceful. salt-into-ash sleight lets you remind a water spirit that it left the oven on

yellow sky augury lets you get a weather forecast of evils, which is really fun

omen of mutiny lets you learn about threats to your authority at midnight or when you gamble, which is such fucking good food

implicit admiralty assumption makes everyone assume you're the superior of whoever's boss in the room. but your eye does shine when you use it, so better wear an eyepatch

disaster-accelerating expedience lets you learn about a disaster in the future and go, hmm. id like that now please. and just make terrible shit happen faster (but it is weakened)

and then dire squall forewarning lets you just introduce a disaster that will befall your ship. have fun!

SURVIVAL: THE SHIPS WHEEL

charms to make the landscape like you. charms for psychogeography.

poetic sacrifice insurance lets you fail something, buck up, and try again

holy shit entombed soul monument lets you pull an intimacy out and turn it into a natural feature

and then tomb-parole sanction lets you petrify your body and astral project into an animal or spirit

oh my god beloved world embrace lets you become buddies with an environmental hazard and move it around

THROWN: THE GULL

weapons wander around the battlefield, and so do you! ive always loved this scripture

oh my god shrike-roosting gesture lets you yoink anything to your hand if you've held it this scene. this is a specific image thats been in my head for like years and nows its a charm somehow???

pelican aloft departure is such a bitch name. i absolutely have to say it out loud as i knock someone across the room.

MAIDEN AND SHADOW FORM gives us a funny little preview: every fucking combat ability has its own form now. holy fuck. sidereals and their fucking kung fu. by the way this one surrounds you with thorns made from your shadow. kingdom hearts ass

hshjsj impromptu betrayal trick lets you knock a weapon frmo someone's hand straight into someone else's body

i haven't been talking much about charms from past editions but i cant not mention life gets worse approach. god i love life gets worse approach. great name great flavor you land a weapon in someone and it pulls further troubles and knives to them

HWKQJlGGJDF shining flock of adversities lets you turn that into a whirlwind of debris that attacking attacking attacking attacking. or i should say whirlwind of debris and small animals because you can fucking throw your familiar in there too

ooh, and frayed skein entanglement lets you grapple someone from afar by catching the thread of their fate

and now we come to the enlightenment charms, which absolutely made me go MOM holy fuck. the enlightenment charms let you use, say, thrown charms with an SMA, and learn SMA by mastering thrown instead of other martial arts

three-body trilemma is a BANGER name and a banger charm. when you throw a weapon it becomes a juggling act because you swap places with your target and just catch your weapon harmlessly.

flown beyond the world sends you to fucking final destination no items. jesus christ.

ahahahahaha shadow migration tactic lets you throw someones shadow at someone else

wandering axe foresight is so fucking funny. yes i threw a knife at your doorway three hours ago no i didnt tell anyone until now here it is surprise! i watched oceans twelve the other day and i think they should have given this to them

unrelenting torment is so fucking hilarious. you want to attack me so bad it makes you look stupid. btw golden axes torment. btw its fucking indefinite until you rip the prayer strip off

i absolutely have to stop there we'll pick up at serenities next time

[napsaps-archive]

Hehehe just for you Ill give you a happy ending to this story :3 enjoy!

Its a few years after that faithful class and a few months after you graduate. But no matter how hard you try, you couldnt get that southern beauty out of your head. You tried your luck when applying for other classes, but your schedule never seemed to line up. Asking around didnt really help either, she didnt live on campus and wasnt particularly close to the people you hang out. Whatever, it wasnt a big deal! Its not like she haunts your daydreams when you should be paying attention in class and back in your room while youre sleeping. Its ok, really.

Anyways, you had the most exhausting week youve had since graduating, so you decided to treat yourself to your favorite coffee shop/bookstore. Its been awhile since youve been there. Putting on your most comfortable but still cute outfit, you head out of your apartment and set out.

Once you arrived, you got hit with the bitter coffee smell and the soothing jazz playing on the speakers. Its wasnt terribly busy, but there was still a decent line for the register. So much for an easy day. You sighed and made your way to the back of the line. You couldnt see who was manning the register but you could tell it was definitely someone newer cause usually it goes a little faster with seasoned workers. No big deal tho, you'll be sure to tip them a little extra for having to deal with customers all day.Slowly but surely, you made your way up to the register counter. You already had your order in mind, so there was no need to look up at the menu. So that left you being face to face with the cashier. Who had a...familiar face. You couldnt pin out how and where, but she looked so familiar. Gorgeous brown hair pulled back behind her cap, beautiful light green eyes, full lips that had a shine from gloss, and perfect manicured nails on top of her tablet. All in all, one of the most beautiful girls youve ever seen. But where have you seen her?

"What can I get started for you, sweetheart?"

Just from hearing her voice, all of it came rushing back to you. The biology class, being paired up and initially dreading it, fearing she would be another case of dropping all the work into you while still getting credit, actually turning out to be one of the nicest people you ever met. The girl that plagued your mind for months even after the class ended. The one you were too nervous to talk to and regretted that you missed your chance. Now shes here standing not even a foot away from you.

"Uh..you on, doll? Youre holding up the line."

Quickly breaking out of your thoughts and yelping out your order, you handed her some cash and sped walked to a empty table before groaning into your hands. Of course you had to embarrass yourself in front of her and the entire shop. Goddammit, why cant things go your way?

Eventually, your name was called from the front and you stood up to grab your cup. You took a sip and, wow. It was perfect, exactly how you liked it. Kudos to whoever made it. Lowering your cup, you noticed more writing next to your name. Confused, you turned the cup around to read what it said.

'I thought I remembered you from somewhere! LTNS cutie! Maybe we can catch up sometime? ;) xxx-xxx-xxxx'

Your cheeks burned up as you looked over at the workers counter. The two of you made eye contact and she gave you a quick wink before moving on to help her customer. Butterflies fluttered in your chest and your cheeks burned hotter. But before you could forget, you made sure to add the number to your contacts list for later.

Maybe some good came out of all this after all.

immgoinggsto theoww up shes everything to me

[kidkubrick]

breaking bad/better call saul musical solo genres/sounds

this is a joke im taking seriously, i cant explain it any better than that. im vehemently against breakingbadmusical but HYPOTHETICALLY, this is what i would do if i was writing it. i would give each character a different genre for their motif. each character in the shows is doing their own thing, and ends up clashing with another character, hence literally every bit of conflict ever. it would make sense if you had different genres for different characters, the conflict would also reflect in the music itself.

ANYWAYS

walter: i keep coming back to classical music. at first its humble, but it can become pretentious and annoying SO quickly.

jesse: he's walter's foil, so it would make sense to make it early 2000's hip hop/rap but it has no knowledge whatsoever of the roots of the genre. it would be cool if it transitioned from hip hop/rap to something a like classical, like walter, except it actually sounds good and its very euphonous and stuff. yknow what im getting at?

skyler: hannah montana type beat. that's all i gotta say i think it says enough. also like Groove is in the Heart by Deee-Lite.

hank: heavy metal, but with the depth of a crime show that's been running for 17 seasons and does not give two shits about the realism of how the police and/or forensics world works.

marie: Getting Married Today from Company. All of her music is at LEAST 150bpm and would perfectly echo the mind of a high-strung, concerned nurse who's working in a very rich medical facility.

saul: new york in the 50s jazz style. really big and really loud. he's the bitch who gets the tap number and its at least ten minutes long. the clarinet is at the heart of it all though, because there has to be something to represent jimmy, but its buried under layers and layers of flashy meaningless noise

kim: leaning more towards the musical theatre genre than anyone else. very instrumental, i think the saxophone might really fit her, i think it would be cool if the music reflected her emotions more than she did herself, because kim doesnt really wear her heart on her sleeve, so you have to consult the music to gain more insight.

howard: jazz too, but its MUCH more refined and smoother than saul. like the really complicated music theory-y jazz that you hear in bars and restaurants at like 11pm on a saturday night.

mike: ok ok ok. hear me out. but i think if you had like. a lone flute, it would work. like i know it doesnt initially fit, but i feel like it does, because at the center, mike is just upset about everything, he longs for the past, i think, and i think if you wrote something in like the mid-range of the flute, or if you used a bass flute, it would sound really good.

lalo: ok so like saul and mike, lalo puts up a front. i think that front sounds like really loud miriachi music (think al compas de mi caballo). but the center is something brassy, and personally i'd lean towards trombone. trombone can go very low, sound very intimidating, but they can also go pretty high, and sound noble and kind of adventurous.

gus: ahh ok so gus is kind of this god who has a LOT of power. his center is max. so if max isnt there, there wouldn't be a center. i think gus would have like a full ass orchestra. heavy on the bass to reinforce that he's powerful. i think he'd have almost a movie soundtrack genre. if that makes sense. here's the catch. there's very little flute, no piccolo. max is the piccolo.

nacho: guitar. lot of fingerpicking. nacho doesnt get any of the band instruments because he's not really on either side? he kind of just got wrapped up in the mess and now he can't really get out. probably a lot of high notes because he's continuously yearning for a world he can't really get. also its kind of got that humbleness his family background has.

kaylee: just tap. no instruments. just a 5 year old tap dancing SO loudly for SO long.

tuco: nightcore.

[2n2n]

I'm glad for all the other people I'm spectating who are like "I'm sorry I cant pay attention to the chapter, I can't get past the cover pages" "I'm sorry Mitsuba and Kou" there's a distraction going on. I thought this month was going to be one of those 'easy ones' where I get to 'take a break', you know!! Focus on.... other things in life! Brace myself for the bakeneko ryokan and prepare for when we do see Nene-chan again and move forward!! The K+M duo, they are a bit of a respite for me, I catch my breathe.... I didn't think the color spread would be something like that .... I thought it would be a simpler celebratory image, like the silly coasters .... there's no way to predict what's coming... you can say something like, "but you can anticipate the shikishi boards which occur at a certain time, and the rote and announced for illustrations" but look, one cannot account for it being something like "Nene, Kou and Hanako are in some sort of jazz trio" nonsense, or "Teru and Hanako run a juice stand", or, if you're going to see the twins inexplicably in dinosaur costumes with toys, or, draped over eachother..................... you just can't do anything about that sort of thing, it's just going to punch you in the face and you have to live like that, in constant fear........

[rowrowknowa]

ABOUT ME :D

Basics

✮ name - you can just call me E

✮ age - 23

✮zodiac - can you guess?

✮ gender - i use she/her pronouns, but don't mind being referred to with they/them and use of pretty much any gendered words (bro, dude, man, boss buddy, sis, girl, etc) doesn't bother me [[[dont call me sis if ur not black tho]]]

✮ mbti - ENFP-A consistently for the past 6 years (was INTP-T in HS)

✮ studies - huge into science ask me what kind; i also like music theory/history, art history, philosophy

Interests

✮ games - nintendo fan (no matter how much they piss me off). love pokemon, fire emblem (obsessed with fe3h), zelda, animal crossing etc. HUGE sonic the hedgehog fan

✮ anime - too many to make an exhaustive list without forgetting some. obviously my favorite is One Piece (i think my favorite show in general). i started watching it when i was like 4 with the 4kidz dub and here i am almost 20 years later still going oda and i locked in fr. also love attack on titan, naruto, death note, fairy tail, jjk, knb, hxh, black butler and so many more this is stressing me out trying to think of what ive watched so im gonna stop... ask me about what i've watched lets yap

✮ non-anime shows - gotta big ups to ATLA a modern masterpiece of western artistry. don't ask me about the live action bc i don't wanna talk about it. same deal here i cant think of all of them without short circuiting but top of mind i LOVE the good place, scandal, htgawm, grey's anatomy (before it crashed out), bridgerton, BREAKING BAD (not caught up in better call saul), superstore, vincenzo, crash landing on you, goblin, anything with gong yoo and/or lee dong wok in it tbh, strangers from hell, bad and crazy, attorney woo

✮ used to be super into marvel and the mcu (and i know thats a thing people say but it was so so bad for me) but its not what it used to be and also i think i started outgrowing it once my media literacy improved its ties to military propaganda couldn't be ignored lmao (also sabra being in the mcu is sosososo crazy) .. some of the comics still bang tho i wont lie

✮ music - not to be one of those "oh i listen to everything" people as a cop out but i truly do listen to so much disparate types of music *insert laugh crying emojis* but my overall favorite genre is jazz, i love 70s-00s black american music so much (i was a 9 year old motown stan it was so serious to me), love afrobeats, amapiano, baile funk, r&b, rap (meg thee stallion is literally my wifey), pop, country, classical, VIDEO GAME OSTS (in true sega stan fashion) -- recommend me your favorite song!

✮ kpop - a separate bullet because i know where the overlap in interests comes in lmao. honestly ive fallen back from kpop a bit, not as into it as i was like even 6 months ago but groups that i still actively follow and listen to are ateez (ot8 but strong swing for mingi) and nct. also know alot about bts, txt, seventeen, exo, and shinee if you ever want to chat about them, but i listen to mostly individual songs from them and other groups and don't follow their releases

Where is E in *insert work here*?

✮ pls i hate all spoilers but these are the ones i strongly care about pls take note pls :(

One Piece: ep. 1085 ... i avoid catching up because i get sad when there's no more to watch

FE3H: Finished Golden Deer and Blue Lions, please don't tell me anything about the Black Eagle story line

GOT/HOTD: caught up!

[midoriyaas]

WAIT WAIT I THOUGHT OF ANOTHER THING FOR THE IDOL! Y/N AU

NOW IMAGING BIG STRONG PROHERO DEKU BEING YOUR BIGGEST FANBOY

like in this one you don’t know eachother at all but you do know that you went to ua together

just him having a really popular stan account for you but no one knows it’s their number one hero behind the screen 🥹

shows up to as many of your fan events in a disguise bc he’s yknow, deku!! worlds greatest hero and all that jazz!!

will try so hard to learn your group’s choreos but he needs to clean up the moves a lot 🥹

when you release your first solo album you bet he’s buying every version available

one day his manager calls him to tell him about a photoshoot for his new merchandise with people from the sponsor company but they don’t disclose with who….

to his surprise it’s you!! his favorite idol!!

he has to hold back from fanboying too hard in front of you, but he can’t hide his blush when you mention that he’s your favorite hero 🫶🏽

you two get to talk to eachother during a short break in the photoshoot while they set up the next shots, and you realize you have a ton in common

he also comes clean about being your number one fanboy which causes you to go slack jawed because “DEKU?!? THE WORLDS GREATEST HERO?!? LIKES ME?!?”

face fully flushed and feeling like you’re on cloud nine, you get changed into the next outfit for the last part of the shoot and it goes smoothly!

you exchange numbers at the end of the shoot and start talking after that

that’s when the dating scandals start up, paparazzi catch the two of you at hero museums, and hold i hands at theme parks, they also catch izuku coming out of your agency’s building a few times

you post very vaguely about someone new in your life and the netizens go wild putting two and two together

-you were seen wearing one of deku’s famous “t-shirt” shirts during rehearsals….

-you’re taking pictures in an apartment that looks eerily similar to deku’s……

-and when the pictures from the photoshoot are released people begin theorizing even more, especially since both of you have a two page spread together,,,, and you look like such a power couple

-people also catch deku staring longingly at your advertisements during his patrols

so they catch on really quickly lol, y’all aren’t slick at all 🙄

when y’all do end up announcing your relationship there’s mixed reaction from both of your fanbases, on one hand your true fans wish nothing but the best for your new relationship, on the other hand there’s people calling you a gold digger and saying that you’re just gonna distract their number one….

everyone shuts up real quick when you post a video of the two of you dancing together under a starry night sky, you can vaguely hear laughter and people can notice that he’s nervous to step on your feet, although people cant see your faces fully due to the dark lighting of the video, they can just tell how perfect you are for eachother.

POWER COUPLE!!!!

YALL ARE HELLA INFLUENTIAL

anything you guys do or anything you promote sells out in seconds….powercouple i tell you

icons in love

okay i have no more ideas the brain worms are gone, but i need izuku to say i’m his fav performer of all time please i’m begging g u universeee 😭

[royalwriteroftheuniverse]

Summer Wedding Part 4

But this is what really happened....

18+ just incase

No publishing or printing REBLOGs and COMMENTS are Appreciated!!

Warnings: Angst some fluff some mention if like ari being over pritective but he is an assasin at times so thats whay I meant ai wasn't trying for him to be controling but rather make sure no one kidnapped her. I cant think of others. I walked in the kitchen seeing Ari there I gasp. He turns

"I'm so sorry  I-"

the nervous pang of an invisible sharp knife hit my chest and rippled into my limbs as tears filled my eyes.

"I'm leaving I-Im so sorry.I-"

"Wait I-"

I can't believe I did that how did I not hear him.  Oh God. The tears started all over. There was a knock on the door.

"I'm sorry please dont make me leave tonight." After the fight we had I dont think I know him anymore. Then I realized what came out of my mouth. I was begging him. I don't think I know who I am anymore. Who has he turned me into? "Can I come in?"

"It's your house."

"It's  ours. I'm  sorry I just. When you danced and I saw him have everything I wanted in his arm I-" He wasn't looking at me. It felt like a stand off. He never finished his sentance.

"Can I have some privacy please." He nodded and left. I got dressed. I wasn't going to wait for him to kick me out or whatever. I needed to leave and just get air or something.

And thats how I ended up at a Jazz and blues  bar in the middle of the night. It was quiet after a band played for hours.  "You know I thought I'm the one that's supposed an expert in the blues."

She turns to her right as shes still tring to process what he said.

"What?" She was stirring her drink The man broke his cool exterior,

"Sorry  that was a really bad pick up line."

She couldnt help but smirk "I've heard worse." "You look like the last thing you need is a man trying to pick you up. So how about a a trumpet  player?" She cracked up.

"That's just wrong on so many levels."

"Made you laugh."

"That I did need."

"Beer." The trombone player asked the bartender

"Haven't seen you here before.-"

"You here every night?"

"Just when I work,"

she gave him a confused look and he gave her a confused well more of a concerned look about why she was confused.

"The blues, trumpet player. I'm with the band we played over two hours tonight"

"I am so sorry I, I'm just so out if it I just I had a really bad week- My boyfriend broke up with me and we had the worst fight. I mean I just felt like shit like im the worst person in the world right now." Tears filled her eyes. "I'm sorry.

"Don't be. And you can't be worse than my ex trust me talk about being assholes."

She raise her eye brows, "You can't leave it like that."

"My ex just told me she was pregnant-"

"Congratulations,"

"It's not mine she broke up with me just before graduation about well  few years back. Actually  the day I was going to propose, yea she thought it would be a good time for a break . I was going to follow her all the way to her job is Pennsylvania from Georgetown"

"Wow"

He chuckles.

"Then I ran into her at a wedding where she tells me she's pregnant and wants to have lunch to catch up where she wants my advice on how to propose to her boyfriend."

"Oh my god you're kidding- you're just saying that to make me feel better."

"God I wish I was." He takes a swig of beer.

"So what'd your ex do? why'd he make you feel like shit."

"How do you know it was him?"

"You said boyfriend."

"No I mean-"

"I know, you just seem too nice.  You're thinking about it, sulking I'd bet if you were the one that did whatever it was you'd be after his forgiveness not sitting here for 3 and a half hours nursing the same drink."

"Wait 3 and a half hours? What time is it?"

"Almost 3 am."

"Oh my God."

"So spill."

"I'd spend less time tell you what I apprently did (i.e. nothing at all hence the worthlessness she feels) or didn't do even Helen of Troy was my fault."

"You gotta love that one. It's all your fat because God forbit they an adult take responsibility foor anything."

"Right like and the way he said it I just, I still feel like-" I sighed "doesn't matter now anyway" I  stared at the small slip in front of me.

Looking for a new place?

"Yea."

"I uh can introduce you to a landord if you want. I think you'll get along. You can take a look at the apartment too."

"When?"

"Now?"

"Now? It's like 3 am? Do I look that- "

" No I-" he drops his head and shakes it. I dont mean it like that I-I'm  the landlord. Really."

He looked honest. But so did Ari once upon a time.

"Screw it. Besides if anything happens I'm  sure Ari will say it was I was asking for it so it had to be my fault."

I could feel Nick was eyeing me.

"You're serious."

"Yep. Like I the fall of the roman empire was my fault."

True to his word. Nick was the building manager and the apartment was gorgeous, big roomy and I'm  pretty sure way more expensive than I could afford."

Nick was hading back and leaned on the side of the living room despite it being fully furnished.

"So what do ya think?"

"I think I love it-"

"It's yours."

"I don't think-"

"You can afford it. I promise." "You dont even know what i make- if I make anything." He sighed and turned around My parents own the building you don't even have to pay rent ok.  Why don't you stay here tonight and If you dont mind waiting a few days I can help you move all your stuff out into here." "Really?" "Yeah" "Thank you." I randomly gave him a hug. "I know what it's like to have a bad ex." "You have no clue."

Ok so I wasn't going to tell Nick that Ari was a forign operative and that if anything did happen to me, while it would be "my fault" or not he'd  still save me as he has some sort of hero complex. But if Ari also really cared about me he wouldn't let it get that far. I knew him that much. Which made everything feel so much worse. Any other day before today if I was out this late he'd get nervous and text me. If I didnt answer in like 10 minutes he'd blow up my phone.  He had reason to it's not safe in the city alone-vulnerable especiallyif someone knows i date him and they have a bone to pick. Beig in the US puts me away from all the later. But the former....Sad but true as a woman alone. He used to say I was too pretty for my own good he meant is as a complimentI thought, that ...but now I see it wasn't no way it could have been .  I'm  sure that sounds possessive I'm sure this all does. He believed me when I said I was safe. He believed me when I said I was at a girlfriend's house. He always did. So it's not like he came running after me to drag me back home. But I liked it. Or rather I liked having someone to come home to. (Or to come home to me) Someone to care about me someone worrying if I'm ok. Maybe that sounds pathetic but I really was ok with it. Not that he didn't teach me self defense, as did  Rachel (who was more intense)  well it seems just about everyone taught me some self defense.  Ari did...was he used to be concerned about me. Which made all this worse. (Did I say that already?) If he cared at all he would've texted me just once. He knew I wasn't there and it was evident he didn't  care. I feel like I lost everything I had even though I know it wasn't true.

Part 5 comming soon

Tag list

@nana1000night @sapphire-rogers @sparklybarbarianninja @hawkeyes-queen

[mythiccheroacademia]

The whole time traveling children has me feelin some type of way tbh. Imagine Mirio, Kaminari, and Tamaki walking into their respective rooms and there are just small children vibing. Mirio with his daughter, Kaminari with a daughter and Tamaki with a son. 😭

as i said, parent!bnha is SUPERIOR

A/N: So, instead of making these separate asks, I’m just going to make it one giant post. I thought it would be easier that way. Probably the only post that’ll have more than three characters lol

Warnings: none

Kaminari Denki:

when kaminari walked into his room, he didn't expect to see two children on his bed fighting like wild animals

the younger girl was totally beating the boy’s ass tho

kinda embarrassing bc she’s gotta be like, seven, at most

as if it’s not the weirdest thing he’s seen (bc it’s not) he rushes in to break them apart

he manages to separate them with his arms 

the boy with yellow hair snaps his jaws at his sister’s fingers

“hey! bad! no biting!” he scolds

the little girl blows a raspberry and taunts “yeah! papa says no biting!”

the older sibling just rolls his eyes “rat”

meanwhile, denki is literally malfunctioning

papa?

PAPA? HUH???

the only person’s pants (and heart) he’s been trying to get in to for the past three months was y/n’s and he sure as hell would remember if he did

he didn't have kids

especially one that was his age

“sorry! you two are cute, but i’m not your pops”

thus, they begin to tell denki about how they mayhaps followed him and their mother into a dangerous mission and got hit with a time travel quirk

denki just nods his head

tbh, he’s not that weirded out

weirder things have happened

but, he does have one question

“who’s the lucky woman?”

coincidentally, you bust into his dorm room, wet from a recent prank and head steaming with anger

“Kaminari Denki!”

his son juts a thumb over to you

“the woman that’s about to murder you”

“oh say less”

his life literally couldn't get any better

before you get the chance to throttle him, the little girl jumps in your arms and your anger is immediately quelled 

“hey mommy! i just wanna let you know that it was [son’s name]’s fault that we followed you when you told us not to”

“WHAT!?”

you’re to busy trying to get them from killing each other to comprehend anything that’s going on

kaminari is in a love-struck gaze bc hot damn, he won the jackpot, huh?

if he wasn't in love with you before, he’s in love with you now

you and your feral children

it was nice being God’s favorite

Kirishima Eijirou: 

funny thing was

kirishima woke up from his afternoon nap with his mini-me in his arms!

at first, he was really confused as to why there was an 8 yr old boy with spiky teeth and (your hair texture) black hair on his bed

he thought he was dreaming

then the little boy bit his nose and grinned like he had done the funniest thing in the world 

“WAKE UP DADDY! WE GOTTA GET SWOL TODAY”

did he get hit with some duplication quirk?

and what was that he said...daddy?

as in, father?

kirishima is wide awake now, but before he can ask the kid what’s going on, the boy is up and making use of his punching bag

he decides it wouldn't hurt to get a morning work out in, so he decides to humor the kid

after a mini workout, kirishima is in near tears as the boy tries to flex the little muscles he has 

eventually, he gets the kid to tell him what happened and finds out he was hit with a time travel quirk of some sort

instead of being weirded out, kirishima is ESCTATIC 

he has a family in the future 

he’s so excited and proud that he just has to show his son off to his friends!

the first thing he does is go and bother bakusquad in the common room

he’s bragging like shit to them and his ego swells as they all swoon over how cute and handsome the kid is 

you and bakugo come out of the kitchen to see what all the commotion is about and the little boy excitedly runs to you and jumps into your arms 

“momma! you’re here! you’re so pretty! why’d you marry daddy when he looks so unswol?”

it’s silent before bakugo fucking dies of laughter 

“y-you finally let shitty hair hit it? and got knocked up?? LMAO”

everyone’s dying and kirishima wants to die

he can’t believe this was how his long-term crush on you was getting outted

by an 8 yr old boy

so not manly

you look confused before you put the pieces together

the kid did look like you and kirishima

you want to console kirishima about the crush that you lowkey knew he had on you, but your son was one step ahead of you

with a gracious smile, he hits bakugo’s head

hard

“what the fuck kid!?”

“don’t make fun of daddy, uncle bakugo! at least daddy didn’t faint at his wedding″

Bakugo’s contemplating murder and everyone’s rolling on the floor

“WE BEEN KNEW YOU WERE THE BIGGEST SIMP”

even ten years later, bakugo still holds a grudge against your son

Togata Mirio:

i’m about to kill y’all w this one

since year one, mirio has been feigning over you 

but 1) you were too dumb to notice 2) you both were really busy with, y’know, school and 3) he lowkey gave up bc he thought you deserved better

so imagine his surprise when he sees this four year old girl on his bed

and she looks like you with his features

mirio might not be the brightest crayon in the crayon box

but he’s got eyes

and it wasn't like he’s memorized your features to the T

the tiny girl is swinging her legs absent-mindedly before exploding with happiness when he sees him

she runs to mirio and he catches her with open arms 

“daddy! daddy! i got hit with the coolest quirk at school today!”

proceeds to tell him about her best friend discovered her quirk and it was a teleportation quirk 

mirio can’t help but giggle along with her even tho he knew it was a scary situation for the parents

speaking of which...

he innocently asks her who’s the mom

“mommy is the prettiest mommy in the world! she has e/c eyes, hair like me, and the most beautiful s/c skin! her name is togata y/n!”

if he wasn't geeking before, he’s geeking now

not only did he manage to marry you, but you let him be your baby daddy?

him?

big bet

mirio doesn't even care at this point

he’s parading around UA with the fattest smile as he introduces his daughter to damn near everyone 

everyone’s freaking out bc wtf when did mirio get someone pregnant??

maybe he should've explained himself, but he sees you at your locker and makes a b-line for you

“good morning, y/n!”

he doesn't notice that you slam your locker close and hide the confession letter you wrote to him behind your back

you’re a stuttering mess and he’s too busy basking in the fact that he’s holding y’alls child 

y’all look like a mess

but he’s ready to lay it on thick when the little girl kisses your nose and cheers,

“mommy, i missed you”

he explains the situation 

you cant help but smile, “you know this could potentially ruin the timeline?”

and you feel like melting as he gives you the softest smile 

“there’s no way I’m letting that happen. not when i end up with the woman i’m in love with. we’ll just have to twist fate together”

and twist it you did

Tamaki Amajiki:

tamaki wasn't the bravest person ever 

and he knew his crippling anxiety got in the way of a lot

but he had never been more proud of himself for managing to invite you to his room

it was supposed to be a study date

despite how bold you normally were, he took comfort in how nervous you seemed 

now, you two were leaning in, about to kiss

and then a voice from behind interrupts 

“uh, am i interrupting something?”

you two let out the ugliest squeal and jump 50 feet away from each other 

you’re all over the place, trying to explain the situation

tamaki’s heart is barely beating at this point

it takes the kid, who looks about 16, about thirty minutes to calm you down and revive tamaki

explains that he’s from the future and a descendant of tamaki’s family

decides to leave out that you two are his parents so he doesn't risk possibly erasing himself from the space continuum 

that would be bad

despite how surprised you two were, you two take it rather well 

you three spend the day together bc you and tamaki feel this weird sense of responsibility for the guy even though he’s only two years younger

the boy is trying his hardest not to expose himself, but it’s so hard

you two are asking him everything from his favorite food to if he has any siblings

he’s good at pretending that he’s cool, calm, and collected, but he wants nothing more than to jump into his parents’ arms and cry about how scared he is of messing up

but he won’t 

bc he’s a strong boy

but he slips up

“how far are you down the future?” tamaki asks

“uh, about like 100 years or so--”

“you’re lying”

the kid nearly chokes on his food as his father blinks at him

you try and scold tamaki but he continues

“i don’t mean to be mean, but your nose twitches when you lie. y/n does the same thing”

that’s when the jazz record stops and everyone is staring at one another

“....wait”

this time, you nearly pass out

y’all had a kid together???

THE HELL??

the boy, coincidentally, starts fading and he thinks he fucked up

now he’s full out sobbing into the both of your chests, scared that he’s disappearing

despite the news, you and tamaki calm down, look at each other, and hold your son

“don’t you worry, baby” you coo, kissing his fading hair

“i have a feeling we’ll see you quite soon” tamaki comforts, closing his eyes

Bakugo Katsuki:

bakugo finally understood when his mom said

“the meaner you are to your parents, the nastier your kids will be to you”

he regretted being such a demon bc his kid was literally the spawn of satan

katsuki didn’t need an explanation to know that that...thing was his kid

he looked damn near identical to him with features that he couldn't quite place

but anyways, that wasn't the focus rn

rn, he was trying to figure out a way to keep that animal caged

as soon as katsuki took his eyes off him, the six yr old ran out the door as fast as his little legs could carry him

“catch me if you can, you old bastard!”

yup, it was his kid

“GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE FUCKER”

his son is blasting his way through the halls, skillfully evading Katsuki’s grabbing hands 

he’s wildly laughing as he flips and turns through the doors, watching with glee as his father falls on his face

multiple times

the small boy latches on to a cupboard and smirks

“no wonder mom always beats your ass! you weak!”

katsuki nearly looks like the devil, eyes white, and face red with fury

his pride suffering by the second

he’s about to cuss the kids to hell when you come out of the kitchen, confused

you were about to ask why katsuki looked like a rat with rabies before you caught sight of a basket of fruit teetering on the edge of the cabinet, above the little boy’s head

“look out--”

the basket falls on the kid’s head and he’s on the floor, reeling from the hit

katsuki would've normally laughed his ass off, but he felt kind of...concerned?

he watches you run towards the child who’s trying his hardest not to cry

the boy holds his head, fat tears in his eyes as you pick him up and coddle over him 

“i’m sorry, baby. I'm sorry i didnt get there in time” 

cue the waterworks 

the boy is full-on sobbing into your chest about how his head hurts

you bounce him and kiss his forehead as katsuki checks over the red bump 

“you’ll be okay, brat” he comforts, voice softer than usual

in that moment, katsuki can’t help but notice how much a family y’all look like rn

then the dots start connecting and he goes 

oh shit 

so, maybe, he’s had a tiny crush on you

and it didn’t help that you two were friends with benefits bc yall were horny teenagers

but who knew he’d get the balls to ask you out on a proper date one day

he was such a simp for you gosh it was ugly

“you have to be more careful from now on,”  you say to the boy 

the brat suddenly looks innocent and katsuki wants to throw him

“sorry, mommy. i’ll be gooder”

the look on your face is priceless 

bakugo uses it as a chance to kiss you 

“huh?”

“i guess now’s a good time to tell you that i want to be your dick on demand but with feelings and shit, dumbass”

[joonkorre]

what canst thou give?

@drarrymicrofic prompt: caught

yall cant expect me to watch the witch (2015) and not go insane trying to fit a quote into my work. also, this is the first time i ever write something veering into the 15+ category. so. go easy on me lmao

AO3

“Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?”

Draco’s breath catches in his throat.

“But only if you want to, of course. No pressure at all.”

It’s sweet, that tone, as sweet and numbing as the saliva dripping down his nape. If Draco is someone else, an unfortunate bastard even more miserable than he is, he might have believed it.

“I don’t know,” he replies, the unnatural chill on the back of his bare neck too visceral a feeling. Too real. “I think having to choose between that and rotting in a back alley is at least a little bit pressuring.”

“Not too much, though?”

“Oh, no, never.”

“Good,” Edmund whispers. At this point, Draco wouldn’t be surprised if that’s not even his real name, “good.”

Draco stays quiet. With smooth jazz crooning through the walls of bars and eateries to complete the easygoing ambiance of a mid-autumn night in Muggle London, it seems to be the least likely time of the year to find oneself bargaining for their life. But here he is.

“Now,” Draco’s pulse jackrabbits so quickly he can hear it. A delighted chuckle leaks into the night. “Your answer, please.”

When he doesn’t give one, the canines on his exposed shoulder threaten to break the skin. Unexpectedly, they lift off.

“You might want to think it through a little faster, doll,” the large hand pinning Draco’s wrists against the brick wall clenches around them, then drifts down his chest. Lays flat on his quivering stomach, a persistent pressure against Draco’s thrifted bomber jacket. “We have an audience.”

Draco sucks in the stale air with a hiss. He’s pulled his date this far into the alley because he didn’t want curious onlookers as they snog. Bad fucking idea that was. Still, the thought of strangers witnessing this horrid moment fills him with dread. They can’t do anything to help anyway, only to humiliate him even more.

“What—”

“Don’t look,” Edmund nips his ear lobe, “unless you want further mortification. You mortals are ashamed of the strangest things, I can smell it on you.”

Heat rushes through his body. Draco blinks, dizzy with… with something. He doesn’t know whether he wants to rebel, turn his head, and meet the stranger’s gaze head-on, or just rest his forehead against the grimy bricks and find reluctant comfort in Edmund’s instructions.

“What do you,” Draco murmurs, sour notes of alcohol floating back into his nose, “what do you propose I do then? Just stand here and wait for them to get lost?”

“You can make it easy for yourself and say no,” Edmund says.

Those canines are back on the base of his neck. The arm that isn’t wrapped around his middle slithers across his chest, calloused palm an anchor on his shoulder blade. Draco wonders if this looks intimate, possessive—protective, even—to their observer, when he simply feels choked. A mouse gripped within the gentle loops of a snake’s body.

“You’d look like you’re swooning in my arms while I drink from your,” the tip of Edmund’s nose travels up the length of Draco’s neck, ending at where his baby hairs are matted with cold sweat, “gorgeous, delicious essence. And it’d only take a blink of an eye. Our little voyeur would never know.”

“Merlin, can’t I have a single good date?” Draco grits out. “Just fucking say blood.”

“Oh, but you’re no fun,” Edmund says. “Being poetic has its merits, I think. Makes life interesting.”

“Life will be even more interesting when I get to live it, actually.”

The hand on his shoulder takes its time trailing to his face, and when it does, it tilts his jaw to the side. Draco’s eyes automatically slide shut.

“Oh, you will. Once you get used to the ‘undead’ part of it, life will be a joy to live.”

His hands shift against the grimy bricks, one seeking familiarity and warmth as it grips his other wrist, grounding him.

“You must’ve realized by now how anxious I am to have you by me, by us. If I’m not, I’d just pick you up from a club, drink from you, leave you behind that dumpster over there, and you’d wake up feeling hungover with no memory of me,” Edmund goes on, his face close. If Draco tries, he reckons he can swallow down the intoxicating spice of cologne wafting against his cheek. “But I’m not doing that, now, am I?”

Perhaps it’s not even cologne, perhaps it’s all Edmund.

“You see, the blood of mortals is our life force, yes, but few of them ever smell and taste like anything more than diluted shite. Blood like yours, though, that’s rare. Power like yours. That raw, untapped, repressed power hiding under masks and marks. Given enough time, enough resources, it can be brought forth, and you can prosper.

“It’d be a shame if all of what you are made of withers into nothing, don’t you think?”

Draco thinks and thinks. It’s all one can do when they’re held so firmly, quite literally stuck between a rock and a hard place. A bead of sweat trickles down his temple. Edmund kisses it away with false reverence, dotting another kiss behind Draco’s ear. Draco would have jolted if he has any energy left in him.

He realizes it now. Ever since the day Edmund’s gaze lingered a second too long, it was over. There is no one left to remember him, and if he ‘makes it easy’ for himself and says no, nothing will change. Sooner or later, he’d die without a purpose, alone.

What if he eliminates dying from the equation altogether?

He realizes it now. There has never been any choice.

Only one foggy, crooked path forward.

“Yes.”

Draco’s eyes open with a heavy drag, allowing in but a sliver of light. In the misty blurriness, he sees a smirk. One stark-white canine pulls the bottom lip inward, pierces through papyrus skin.

Draco’s vision darkens as red lips touch his. His nose clogs up for a brief moment, overwhelmed by the onslaught of scents and tastes. With every languid swipe of a clever tongue, copper as bitter as Charon’s obol forces its way into his mouth. A sharp needle of pain pricks his bottom lip. Draco flinches, tries to take a step back but the hand on his jaw keeps him close. One long finger sneaks into his mouth, prying it apart.

Swallowing the harsh tang of iron down, a rich, foreign sweetness floods his senses. It’s the nectar of late-June peaches and lingonberry syrup swirled in chamomile, coating his palate with a luscious glaze. A low moan escapes as his muscles relax. If it’s not for the steady hand on his stomach, Draco’s knees would have hit the dirty ground already.

“There we go,” Edmund whispers. His hands guide Draco to lean against him, back to chest, sending intermittent shivers to rack through Draco’s body. It’s cold, so cold, but he can’t pull away, just lets Edmund takes whatever he wants to take. “Good boy.”

“Don’t call me that,” Draco gathers enough of his declining wit to argue. “Sounds like you’re calling a dog.”

“Ah, you’re cute. The Sisters will adore you.”

“Sisters...” Draco says, the furrow of his brow easily smoothened by another leisurely kiss.

“Sisters,” Edmund says. The hand on Draco’s jaw edges to his neck, thick fingers adding a slight squeeze to the vulnerable valley on either side of his Adam’s apple. Draco sighs into Edmund’s mouth. “Surely you don’t think there’s only one of us out there?”

Not very certain of what to say, Draco purses his lips instead. Edmund lets out an amused hum and indulges him, sucking on his bottom lip. It’s good, so good, until it becomes sickening, like raiding the entirety of Fortescue’s stockroom. Being a creature of the night is rapidly losing its novelty.

“Okay, enough, enough, thanks,” he says, tapping the muscular arm around him and turning away. Edmund only continues his little ministration below Draco’s jaw.

He doesn’t know how long his eyes have been closed, so he opens them once more. It’s like… it’s like he’s been floating on thick water and is only recently dragged into shore. Rubbing the creak out of his neck, Draco squints.

Past Edmund’s sturdy form and angular lines, out in the main street, the thin crowd of pedestrians pass by in chattering groups and pairs. Opposite to the alley, however, one lone figure stands just out of reach of the street lamp. The yellowish light merely suggests their existence as they lean against the restaurant Draco and Edmund exited from earlier. The bright tell-tale red of a cigarette butt is visible but other than that, no detail to be discerned. Looks like someone who’s just minding their own business.

“You must think yourself funny,” Draco says, arching his neck to accommodate the kisses peppering his skin, “using my own shame against me. I doubt people even remember there’s an alleyway here.”

“Don’t forget that when a being has lived for as long as I have, has accumulated this much power, nine times out of ten, he knows what he’s saying. I’m powerful enough to catch the scent of every mortal walking by, even know if they’re actually mortals or not. Our little voyeur? He’s still here. He’s watching. He’s waiting for you, doll.”

Edmund pauses, then:

“And whether he’s a mortal? That remains to be seen.”

Draco pushes away as far as Edmund’s firm grasp allows, which is only a few centimeters away. Whatever his blood did with Draco’s own, it snaps him awake with startling clarity just as swiftly as when it’s reduced him to a little more than a rag doll. Everything is so sharp it’s almost disgusting, like his eyeballs are gouged out, scrubbed clean, then shoved back in again. Draco locks his legs, willing himself not to stumble.

“That makes no goddamn sense,” he says.

“You don’t feel them now, but wait until they set in,” Edmund tries to tug him back, shrugging when he doesn’t obey. “Your abilities. We’ll go back to the House of Collective tonight and when you wake up tomorrow, you’ll know what I’m talking about.”

“I,” Draco says. “Please say that again. With actual information.”

“So demanding,” Edmund leans back and looks at Draco like he’s seeing him for the first time, a hint of humor in his serene demeanor. “The House of Collective is where the majority of us in Britain frequent and reside. The newly Turned are brought there to be with their brethren. Trying to deal with these new abilities alone is what makes them go Rogue and lands them on the front page. Think Jeannette McDermott, the poor woman.”

Jeannette McDermott drained and devoured 6 people in a single weekend. The Aurors got to her first before the news outlets. Being a shut-in and hating being perceived in general—Merlin knows how she got bitten in the first place—the only pictures ever taken of her as an adult was of her mangled body, torn by her own claws and twisted into stillness. It was a once-in-a-century scandal that paralyzed Wizarding Europe for 2 months straight.

Draco frowns. “I’ve always wondered. How did she—why wasn’t she brought back to the House, then?”

“That’s what irresponsible Turning looks like. If we want to Turn someone, it must be carefully considered and planned, for there must always be more prey than predators. Such is the law of nature,” Edmund says it like it’s a walk in the park rather than changing people’s entire lives. “Deacon Frangos was careless—amateur little weakling—and wanted something more thrilling than, say, going to clubs for gullible drunks.

“During the official trial at the House, he confessed that he spent days working through her wards and broke in. Never expected that McDermott was a fighter. She couldn’t get to her wand, but she did have a knife. She stabbed him 3 times as he was drinking from her. Their blood mixed, and Frangos ran off to lick his wounds before we found him. That was Friday.”

“Merlin and Morgana,” Draco breathes, “that quick?”

Edmund only looks at him, silent as he waits for Draco to weigh his decisions. Or lack thereof.

“What about, what about my apartment? My things?”

“You’ll only be at the House of Collective until we get you accustomed to your new life, then you can return home. Or,” Edmund tilts his head to the side, “you can stay. It’s akin to a commune, there’s space for all. It’s in the middle of the woods, too, hidden behind extensive wards and Charms, very private. Don’t you love your privacy?”

“What, do you live there?”

“Yes! Just so you know, I built my own dwelling. It’s stunning, if I do say so myself. Marble floors, 5 balconies. Just added a new pool last month. Plenty of space to… christen, unlike your studio apartment.”

Edmund lets a casual grin grace his face, all jokes. Draco curls his lips. It’s a mystery for the ages as to how he’s ever found this man charismatic.

“I’d rather the, um, the studio apartment. It does have its charms. Checkered bathroom tiles, and, hmm, a working oven. I might paint the fireplace next week, who knows?”

“Big plans, big plans,” Edmund nods solemnly. “However, you will need to pay a visit at least twice a month for resources and news within the community. There are tons; we even have a matchmaking service so you wouldn’t have to explain yourself to some bumbling mortal and worry about lifespans. Isn’t that so very neat? But, you already have me.”

Edmund shoots him a wink. If he’s not, well, Edmund, Draco might think it’s attractive.

“I think,” he starts. His neck is aching something fierce the longer he looks back, so he turns to face Edmund directly, “we need to have a talk about ending this entanglement.”

“My,” Edmund adjusts without trouble, interlacing his hands behind Draco’s waist, just above his bum. “Must you hurt me so? After all we’ve been through in the past three dates, you want to cast me aside?”

“Those three dates were nothing more than bouts of insanity. My apologies, I was in a moment of weakness and was somehow fooled by your… Merlin, I don’t even know. Basically, you were a passing fancy that I will rue ever having for the rest of my life.”

Edmund sighs and lowers his head until it’s nestled where Draco’s neck joins his shoulders.

“My 161st love has broken my heart. Oh, how can I recover from this pain?”

He lifts his head up, meeting Draco’s unimpressed gaze with a smirk. “Perhaps one last kiss will be the balm I need. Come on, just one more for closure.”

Draco gnaws his bottom lip and wets the still-throbbing cut on it. Then, he rolls his eyes, sliding them shut. No big deal.

“You’re so generous, Draco,” purrs a deep voice right at the corner of his mouth. Draco parts his lips, breathing in the hushed words. “Can’t say I won’t miss this. Your blood truly is a delicacy.”

“Hurry the fuck up.”

Sweet, sweet wine.

Draco sags against Edmund’s strong chest, head lolled to the side, panting. They have stopped before it got too much this time, yet Draco still teeters over the edge of insanity with every suckle of lips, every caress of tongue. Edmund has been gentle, large hands cupping Draco’s face like he’s a priceless treasure made of opals and emeralds, combing through the slightly wavy hair Draco has grown out. He has fixed Draco’s shirt as he plucked off every scrap of sense remaining in Draco’s head, has stroked the purple marks in bloom, and covered them with the bomber jacket.

As Draco clutched those broad shoulders and wrinkled the expensive fabric adorning them, he had half a mind to demand Edmund to be rougher, to stop trying to savor it. Stop making it something to go breathless over.

Toying with the shiny button on Edmund’s wool suit, he reminds himself that it was smart to end whatever they had between them. Otherwise, he can see himself becoming addicted, and such a problem has no place in his life.

“It’s getting late,” he says. The street outside is still bustling with people, bursting with sound. The person leaning against the wall opposite is lighting up a new cigarette.

“Oh, doll,” Edmund hugs him tight. “Darling. You’re right, it’s getting late. ”

They stand there for a few moments more nonetheless, clutching each other. Then Draco sees it. Sees him.

As if on cue, the person straightens from their position against the wall. They step forward, one foot after the other, slack and loose, into the buzzing light. Draco can’t observe intricate details from this far away—has to wait until tomorrow, apparently—but he still has eyes.

A pair of snickering women stroll by, and the street seems empty for a split second. It’s enough for Draco to see large, black boots (Dragonhide, the part of his brain that never forgets Mother’s fashion books notes) and dark, well-fitted pants stretching over thick thighs. Sleeves rolled to the elbow, exposing dark arms with a myriad of pink-white scars. White button-up, wrinkled and stained, tied by leather harnesses crisscrossing at the chest, like the wearer has forgone changing after work and instead hurried off to deal with an urgent task. An unusual outfit for urban London, but somehow, it works.

Left hand tucked in a pants pocket, the other tapping the fine ash from a cig into a puddle on the concrete. It lifts to hover in front of full, waiting lips. One sleepy bloke trudges by, a heavy bag slung over his shoulder. A hazy billow of smoke spills forth lazily as the bloke walks out of view, opaque clouds masking an expressionless face before disintegrating into the night.

“Doll.”

Draco glances back at Edmund, who is staring at his lips. His hands run tiny circles over the small of Draco’s back.

“We decided on one kiss.”

“I know,” Edmund’s thumb swipes over the cut, as soft as a brush dipping into paint. “There’s still blood.”

“Obviously,” Draco says with a slight snort, “you bit it. Like a brute.”

Edmund’s reply comes in the form of his thumb pressing against the cut as if wanting to both stopper the blood and squeeze it out. Draco assists by opening his mouth, slipping the finger into moist warmth. And for some godforsaken reason, his eyes travel back to the street beyond.

This time, both hands are in the pants pockets. The cigarette has stopped its light bouncing, now lying still between pillowy lips. Like before, the voyeur is a statue amidst a sea of movement.

Draco swirls his tongue against the pad of the thumb, tasting himself and gulping it down. It’s bitter and sour without Edmund’s blood to sweeten it up, but he keeps licking until all he can feel is the saltiness of skin, the clenched fistful of his jacket against his hip, and—

And green.

“It’s getting late,” Edmund whispers against his forehead, his lips a touch away from kissing his fringe.

Letting the finger fall from his mouth, Draco whispers back.

“Okay.”

The voyeur never stops looking. Draco knows because neither does he.

“We’re never doing this again.”

Draco’s eyes glide back to Edmund. “I never thought you’d be the one to say that.”

“Me, too. But I’m serious,” the man says, but doesn’t clean his finger. “From now on, we keep our hands to ourselves.”

“And mouths.”

“Yes, those especially.”

Draco huffs out a laugh, “Okay. Very well. I’m glad we’ve reached an agreement.”

Edmund shakes his head, then blinks. He looks up at Draco, mischief in his eyes.

“Alright, Draco, you’ve done enough for the night.”

“Pardon?” Draco says, sliding his arm into the crook of Edmund’s. “You Side-Along us.”

“Of course, and I meant. Merlin, you’ve done quite enough. Oh, goodness, that’s pungent.”

Edmund pats Draco’s hand on his forearm and leans toward his ear.

“Say goodbye to him.”

Draco’s fingers tighten around Edmund’s arm in warning. He doesn’t say ‘goodbye,’ but he does look to the street light opposite the alleyway. Before the Apparition wrenches all the thoughts out of his head, Draco vows not to think about the expression on that face.

[bubbleteaa]

The second button [Bokuto Koutarou x Reader]

the second button;; pairing: bokuto koutarou x reader, slight akaashi x reader fandom: haikyuu!! genres: angst, slight fluff word count: 1k or smth (drabble)

a/n: i want to give an special thanks to @drainedjaz​ ( @boomboomjaz​ go simp for jazz and her work pls) for beta reading and giving me recommendations <3 ily baby. also, i want to thank to the entire cheese cult just bc i love them so much and im simping so hard for them, like, a lot-. Please stay safe, drink tons of water, eat your meals and sleep at least 8 hours (do it at least for me cuz i canT AKSJHDJS)! I love you <3

Summary: You asked Bokuto for his second button after the graduation ceremony, but it was too late.

°:.   *₊        ° .   ☆     ☾　 °:.   *₊      ° . ° .•

Time goes fast. Too fast. One day you are in diapers and the next in hakama, with a diploma in your hands and looking for the second button. The button of the boy you had fallen in love with.

You smiled lightly as you searched for Bokuto, the crowds at the ceremony starting to condense as you walked down the halls. You looked for it with your gaze, which stopped when you found the boy, you looked at his back to a few second-year girls you recognized.

“Taro!” You called him without erasing your smile. Bokuto lightly turned his head towards you and gave you one of his best smiles. His smile. His smile made your knees tremble, created convulsions in your heart, confused your thoughts. You were still behind him when he answered you, the number of girls after they saw you started to decrease.

He didn't talk until the last one left.

“Hey hey hey! Y/N-chan” he smiled, fixing his clothes and his hair. His smile was different from that of other days, his eyes shone with an intensity that he only dedicated to volleyball “We graduated!” He laughed, turning around fully to face you.

Your eyes were glued to his face, his expression of joy. You wanted to see his expression over and over for the rest of your life. You wanted to be able to see him grow as a professional, you wanted to help him, encourage him, love him, and shower him with words, kisses, hugs.

You loved him. So much.

“Yes” you replied, closing your eyes and smiling at him “Congratulations, Koutarou” you took his free hand and squeezed it a little. Bokuto acted as always before you displayed affection, he only corresponded “You did a good job, you are too cool, I am very happy” you swallowed to open your eyes and look him in the eyes “Uh..., I wanted to ask you something”

“Uh, what's going on Y/N-chan?” before the compliments, the boy with golden eyes looked at you with emotion “What's wrong? What's up?"

The love you felt for Bokuto was different from the one you had with any other boy you met before, it was not the same, it was not even close to being the same. Bokuto was different. It was special. He was someone who was always there for you, regardless of time or place. Someone who always gave you love, hugged you, caused you things you never thought you would feel.

Your love for Bokuto made you weak.

“I like you, Taro. Like, I have like you for a long, long time. I wanted to ask you if you could give me your second button” the words came out softly, a deep pink sneaked down your cheeks while you did not break eye contact with Bokuto. The grip of his hand with yours tightened a little, nervously.

“Ah...”

You blinked slightly confused when Bokuto released your hand and scratched the back of his neck. He avoided looking at you. At his action, your gaze began to slide down the features of his face, then down his neck to reach his shirt. Your heart began to beat strongly and quickly, your head began to process things slowly, your knees weakened, threatening to touch the ground.

His second button was missing.

His second button did not belong to you.

“I gave Rin-chan my button” his tone started to drop as if he was scared of hurting you “I really like her...”

Your ears stopped listening to his words, your lips trembled strongly. You shook your head, trying to push out negative emotions. You had to be happy for him. You had to be strong for him.

Bokuto had always been strong for you.

“Ah!” you said, closing your eyes and waving your hands nervously “I understand, don't worry, Bokuto!” you denied again, without opening your eyes “You must be very happy. Rin-chan is very pretty”

“Yeah…”

“I should go, Bokuto. Good luck” the last words were said softly, but they were loaded with sadness and pain. A bittersweet taste appeared on your lips "I love you very much"

Before he could answer you, you bowed to him and left.

Time goes fast. One day you have your heart beating for someone and at other, it's broken. One day you use dresses and you look beautiful in them, and at others, you wear a hakama that covers your whole body full of sadness.

You walked differently than how you walked when you wanted to be in his arms, how you wanted to jump and kiss his lips, how you walked when you were with him.

You weren't walking, you were running away.

You left through the main entrance to the building where the ceremony was taking place. Your breathing seemed to catch for every breath you took, your heartbeat that hurt, weighed, hitting the inside of your chest with so much force that you did not recognize if you were being beaten or you only had a broken heart. Your breathing quickened, it seemed to be following the pace of your heart. The same one that was aching and felt heavier than usual. It pounded with force against your chest that you weren’t sure if it was due to the running or because it shattered to pieces.

Little tiny pieces.

He does not love you.

“Y/N-san, congratulations”

Akaashi didn't know that your eyes could look so sad. He had never seen you cry, yes, he had seen you discouraged a few times, the way they looked so dull and broken, he could not ignore it. He couldn't ignore how sad you looked, worse when he knew why.

But he does.

“Akaashi -kun” you gave him a small cordial smile, his eyebrows furrowed slightly when you closed your eyes, small tears ran down your face "Thank you very much"

Akaashi's arms were not as huge as Bokuto's. They were not so muscular, so shocking, so strong. They did not look alike. They could not be compared.

But the hug he gave you, the hug that shook your whole body the moment you burst into tears in front of him reminded you of the hugs the gray-haired boy with black gave you whenever they won a game. It was a hug full of emotions, not joy or sorrow, emotions intertwined with feelings that could not be expressed in words.

As you broke into Akaashi's chest, you realized he didn't have a second button either.

“I know it shouldn't be me, but I'll give it to you, I want to give it to you, Y/N-san” he said softly, handing you the button while looking you in the eye “Please, accept it”

The second button is the one that is closest to the heart. It is the one that can feel the most as the muscular organ inside your chest flutters and calms down when you are close to the person you love.

The second button is your heart.

And that day, yours got broken, just to receive another one.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧*:･ﾟ✧ ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧

c h e s s e  c u l t: @akaashichigo​ @drainedjaz​ @haikkeiji​ @annalyn-annalyn​ @mlkytobio​ @sosugasweet​ @cali-writes-sometimes​  @simping4ratsumu​ @shishinoya​ @ushiwakaa​ @from-left-to-write​ @akaashit-baeji​  @kxgeyamasmilk​ @agaassi​ @hanibuni​ @cupofkenma​  @kawanisshi​ @milkandc00kiez​ @thiccbokuto​ @shinsukestan​ @sufiawrites​ @wakaitoshi​ @skyguy-peach​ @fern-writes-ig​ @briswriting​ @airybby​ @kawaiikraykray​ @miyuswriting​ @raevaioli​ @ouikarwa​ (wifey ily sm pls marry me again <3) @hakueishirei​ @hanibuni​

also please check out their work, they r legit so fucking good and every single one needs more recognition. Please<3

[askyancy]

I dont wanna be free

As friends gather to the outdoor stage area, it’s a lot different than how it looked last time folks were here. 

Chairs are parted, there’s less seating as a result of space, there’s a big plexiglass screen between the stage and its audience.  Protection and safety first. 

Several familiar inmates are bustling about on the stage.  Sparkles McGee currently pestering poor Bambam who’s carrying around a handheld red piano and trying to shoo their sibling off them long enough to do some last minute practice and tuning.  That is up until someone with fairy wings happens to waltz right in and steal Sparkles’ full attention. Hands and nose pressed up against the glass like a child looking in at a candy store. 

“mffmmf!”  It’s sadly not.. possible to hear through the glass without the microphones on! -THUMP THUMP- “MFFHMFFH!” A lot of rapid pointing to the wings and bouncing up and down with a stupid grin on their face.  Its only stopped once Bambam comes over to grab Sparkles by the shoulder and whisk them away as they get ready to start. 

Once everyone was seated, things were in place and everything ready to go, Warden Murderslaughter headed up to the front and straightened his jacket out.

“Welcome welcome one. and. all. We have quite the auspicious evenin’ fer ya tonight. Our wonderful and FINEST RE-HA-BIL-I-TAYTED prisn’ers have put tagether quite the spectacle. So without further aDO I present ta you the Happy Trails Penitentiary Singin’ Sparklin Quartet and their FULL version of I dont wanna be free!” 

There’s a round of applause as the Warden heads back to the side of the seating area, lights dimming and stage lights coming on for the four wandering on stage. 

Yancy, Bambam, Sparkles and Jimmy the Pickle (Hank is so proud) take their spot on stage, all hooked up with microphones and ready to go.  Yancy starts of course

“De outside woyurld recoils in fear t’inkin’ if dey slip up dey’ll get locked up in here”  Bambam joined now with the piano, Sparkles with some lil shakers and eventually Jimmy with a deep bassy hum to help the mood. 

“Ya killin' ya'self to make ends meet while I'm workin on my tan and kickin' up my feet Ye cant be livin in prison deres always something ta do And you know who's payin', everyone but you Every day I wake up to a nice hot shower don't pay the water bill so I'm scrubbin' for hours“

Bambam took over singing as the quartet move around the stage in silly yet stylish dance moves.  “Shoot some hoops then lift weights in the yard maybe blow off some steam, shiv a rookie guard“  there’s a cheeky wink sent to officer Free who fixes Bambam a squinty face 

“And there's nothiiiing more exquisiteeeee than when I get my 40 minute conjugal visiiiit~” As yes Sparkles, just as sparkly as ever, turns out those shakers are actually the wrist bands they’re wearing! How bout that. 

“C'mon on meet the gang there's Jimmy the Pickle” A wave “and Shithole Hank he makes the best hooch wine in his toilet tank there's Bambam” Bambam strikes a pose with a grin  “and Tiny and Sparkles McGee” The group band together in a line for some jazz hands “and every single one of us scumbags agree”

“I don't wanna be free leave me in luxury why try a prison break when hard times is totally great I got a trash pedigree but in here I'm bourgeoisie I never think about the world beyond and I'd recall how I killed my mom no I don't wanna be free“

It’s at this point that Yancy takes up a verse most hadn’t heard before and those that have heard it may have long forgotten it. 

“Crocheting and my mail-in law degree take up so much time can't eat all my free meals I'ts like fun college without student loan debt Surrounded by the friendliest guys I've ever met!” The group dance around again as the lights change colors and some of the guards (Mostly Officer Free who’s not doing his job at all) start tapping their toes and dancing on the spot. 

“I don't wanna be free leave me in luxury The justice system's haven't sent me and you end up paying the rent Got no responsibilities in the penitentiary Except designing my next tattoo and perfecting the kitchens' mystery stew”

The group start to wrap it up, building up and pulling out the big broadway part

“no I dont wanna be free not the life for me no I don't wanna be free of these amenities if I tried to live this good out thereeeeeee I'd have to be a thousandaireeeee this is where I wanna grow OOOOOOOLD!” Nailed it “so I'm just prayin’ I dont make paroleeeeee cos I don't wanna be free!”

POSE!

A roar of applause greets the group and they take their bows, panting but all very pleased that they’d each nailed their parts.  There’s a little bit of a muffled cracking sound that comes from behind the glass as Jimmy scoops the other three into a broad bear hug and may slightly possibly snap their spines a little. Just a little. Jimmys a very happy pickle.

The Warden soon shoos them off stage “Braavo. Braavo. Bravo. We here at Happy Trails Penitentiary are very proud of our prisn’ers and how far they’ve come on their journey to becomin upstandin members of socety! now with that all done n over.  Get de hell outta mah prison” 

Yup. time to leave! shoo shoo!  Maybe if you’re quick enough you can catch Yancy at the booths again before you have to leave! 

OOC: I recently discovered that there’s a full version of this song that folks have..never spoken about? Ive never seen the full lyrics anywhere and honestly grabbing them was a pain (i might be off on one or two but you cant blame me heh) so here’s the full version! Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/N1xn5gXFch4?t=209

[kotalefanzu]

Pitch Pearl  ATUS AU- Part 2

so where we last left off, danny has been experiencing some weird stuff. it all comes to a point when he finds a DP symbol drawn onto his fogged-up mirror.

at this point, danny has to come to terms with what this all means. he has told nobody about his experiences in the ghost zone, let alone explain the significance of the cursed symbol, made by phantom as a way to ‘tease’ him about their unity and relationship. the royal insignia is a crown lit aflame with green fire. nobody in the human realm should know about DP. the only logical and possible answer is phantom is back.

he starts panicking

but days go by, then a few weeks and no ghosts have shown up. none at all.

sometimes he finds little trinkets on his desk or under his pillow or other little places where he would notice them. he’d get a few nightmares here and there as well. nothing big though. he can almost pretend like it isn’t happening, like phantom isn’t here at all.

but then at lunch, the lights flicker off and a glowing green fog slowly rolls in from the walls. the students watch in quiet horror as is solidifies into a misty DP symbol. danny throat closes up and he is paralyzed. a haunting whisper carried into everyone’s ears.

“The Tale of the Ghost King”

they sit blankly as the voice tells a story, the fog twisting and condensing into vague shapes like a storybook. 

the king used to be a small ghost, it says, a small ghost that just wanted the best for his people. he freed them from the tyranny of the old king and promised them that no longer would they ever have to be treated like the lowest class. he uplifted them higher than they could imagine. it tells about the king finding a new realm, a new place to explore, and how cruel the people who lived there were, treating them like monsters and beasts. the king decided to find an ambassador to show the humans the ghosts’ true kindness. to show the humans just how stupid and foolish they are. the king slowly realized that as long as the desire to return home persisted, the human would never see the truth, and with a heavy heart concluded for the sake of education, people needed to die. the human was too blind and naive to appreciate his people’s sacrifice and tossed the poor king’s hospitality and love in his face, sealing the gateway so that they could never meet again. it was so silly to think the king would never find another way. they have a new entrance now. this time, the king’s dear gullible human would never escape.

as the mist fades and whispers and gasps break out around the cafeteria, people slowly putting together the story that danny never told, danny shakes with fear and anger at the patronizing and misleading way his fears were brought to light. he wants to scream and cry and hide away and as people begin asking for answers from him, he taps into a power he never wanted to feel again and vanishes.

he isn’t seen for weeks on end, held up in his room and only leaving when the coast is clear. the other fentons stop trying to catch him out of his room because he knows when they are there and they rather make sure he stays alive and doesn’t starve himself. sam and tucker make sure to keep him informed about the school by leaving his homework and copied notes at the door and setting down by it, just gossiping. they don’t know if he is listening or not but the homework and notes are always gone when they come back the next day so they have hope.

danny focuses on trying to locate the portal by meditating and practicing his magic again. his back up plan to escape amity and leave town if he gets short on time. the ghosts can’t drift too far from the portal. he will be safe if he leaves, but it would be better if he doesn’t have to. 

the trinkets and gifts continue showing up and danny stores them out of sight so he doesn’t have to look at him. each one gets progressively more and more sentimental and personal until one day as he is making his bed, he catches sight of a glinting object he never wanted to see again.

the circlet.

bile rises to his throat and he rushes out to the bathroom, emptying his guts into the toilet. the sound alerts jazz, who peeks in and finds him sobbing over the toilet seat. she kneels downn by him, gently rubbbing his back. glancing over she spies their parent watching in concern from the doorway. their mom gets him water and their dad gets him some fudge to help clean the taste out. when danny comes back to reality he looks at them and starts crying all over again, basking in the comfort of his family. they expect him to lock himself away again when he has calmed down, but instead he site there for a second before telling them they need to talk.

in the living room, danny explains in with as much detail he can handle about what happened when he was taken away into the ghost zone. he tries to communicate how he didn’t like it and he really didn’t want to do any of it, like they would shun him if he didn’t. he confesses to the powers and promsises that he is still human and he isn’t a ghost. finally he opens up about what’s happening now and what he needs to do if they want to avoid the apocalypse. he tells them that if he cant find the portal, he will need to flee and hope that phantom doesn’t change targets.

they listen quietly and reassuringly up until that moment before completely vetoing that idea. danny is not leaving. this is his home and nobody is going to take that away from him. they tell him that its best if he starts opening up more about what he knows so they can actually help him. danny is hesistant, but agrees. 

the day he returns to school, an assembly is held for him to explain the events of the infamous lunch period and what it all meant. students listen in fear and rage as he talks. by the end some are terrified that they will die, some are yelling to sacrifice danny for the protectionn of the town, and some are standing their ground and demanding war. danny barely manages to calm them down again, promising that everything can ba avoided as long as they just find out where the new portal is and close it down.

going back to vladdy bo baddy, he finally comes back to town and has  managed to power himself up. he is ready to go flirt with maddie and kill jack, however, when he goes to visit them, he senses a lot of ectoenergy radaiting from the house, more than he would expect without the presence of the portal. vlad is very clueless about the current events and doesn’t really even know much about what went down freshman year. he uses this visit as a way to learn a bit more about the current affairs and greets the family, complimenting maddie, giving a backhanded compliment to jack, kissing up to jazz, and-

he freezes when he looks at danny because there is a lot of ecto energy raidaiting off of him and it but scares him a small bit and excites him. potentially another half, he thinks. after a few hours of small talk, he excuses himself as its getting late and invites them over 

maddie is hesistant and tries to find an excuse not to go when danny happily accepts vlads proposal. she reads in between the lines and takes danny’s lead on this. if he thinks going to vlad’s mansion will be beneficial, then its best to trust him.

a few days later, they welcome themselves at vlad’s house and danny tries sensing for the portal. after locating the rift he excuses himself to go use the bathroom and starts trying to track it down. his senses say its behind a wall, but he can’t find the door. he starts messing around with some of the books of bookself that seemed peculiar before quiet footsteps catch his attention. turns out its just a cat.

the cat meows at him and guides him over a bit before pawing at him to pick it up. once lifted, it swipes ato some of the books causing some to fall but one stops mid tilt and a door opens to a hidden lab.

in it, is the portal. danny immediately starts preparing the concentration needed to seal it up. the last time he did it, it was instinctual and he didn’t have a clear grasp on what exactly he did. he needs to fiddle around a bit before he can do it. unfortunately, hologram maddie senses someone in the lab and scans them, sending an alert to vlad about an intruder. vlad rushes off to fight them off half expecting it to be another weak ghost crawling through, but instead sees danny concentrating on destroying the portal. he yells at him, causing danny to fire prematurely and only somewhat seal the portal, but vlad launches into combat before he can continue building up strenght.

vlad goes on a tirade about how clueless he mist be about himself and how halfas work if he thought that was a good idea and explains the importance of having a portal fueling you as a halfa while attacking and shooing away danny who is hellbent on destroying the portal. midway through he transforms when he notices danny isn’t catching onto what he is talking about and when danny still shows confusion, balks. the misunderstanding allows danny a slight moment to build up more energy while engaging vlad in a standstill about what he is and how danny is different. he doesn’t expand to much on it, just clarifying that he indeed is a live and not a halfa or whatever it is. vlad notices danny is about to fire again at the portal and redirect at the last second, restarting the fighting again. thoughout the fight he continues trying to convince danny that he is mostly likely dead and he should be able to transform but none of what he is saying is getting through to danny and its getting frustrating at this point. 

the turning point hits when the fenton’s stumble into the lab after hunting down the two missing people across the entire mansion. their arrival, mainly maddie’s, throws off vlad long enough for danny to finally seal up the portal and for the fentons to rip vlad a new for the complete indangerment he brought upon them. luckily the portal is sealed and they are safe now.

everything is quiet for about a month.

one peaceful month of no paranoia, no nightmares, not trinkets.

then danny has a dream, more like a nightmare, about waking up in a too large bed, cold and the sickeningly familiar weight of the circlet on his head. the room is the one that haunted his nightmares for the rest of freshman year and the first few weeks of sophmore. he slowly pulls off the covers, he is dressed in too fancy night garb that he never wanted to wear, and tip toes over to the mirror hanging over the dresser. 

his skin is sickly pale and his eyes are glowing a bright icy blue. the circlet is there, heavy and silver with sparkling emerald gems and its so cold andhe jsut stares at himself in the mirror, unfamiliar yet familiar and so very afraid.

he is so out off it he doesn’t notice another figure creeping up behind him until cold, tight arms lock him into place. there is a low amused chuckle and the figure leans up to his ear and whispers the name he tried so hard to forget.

“Starlight~”

“Did you really think that was the end? That I wouldn’t have anticipated you were going to seal up the new portal? You are still so silly.”

danny freezes and tries to question him btu no sound will come out. he can’t talk.

“You know, at first there weren’t any more portals. I was determined after the new rift formed to rush through and drag you back before finishing where I left off. However, unlike you, I think ahead. I decided to take my time with it. To guarantee no repeats. You were planning to run away to where I couldn’t reach you if I dared take a step too far and that was out of the question. What would I have done without you, Starlight? DId you ever take a moment to think about me.”

nails dug into his skin and his voice hitched.

“Luckily I thought about you. One of us has to put in effort into this relationship. I came up with something genius. I asked myself, why not tear more rifts? Once a cut was made, it was easy to make more from it. Why not fill you entire realm up with them, so that any place could be accessed with just a hint of energy? It took me so long, I was almost ready to stop halfway, but I have so much patience when it comes to you. Now I’m finished and there is not place on your stupid little earth that I can’t find you.”

danny’s blood froze from the cold and the fear. phantom only laughed and tightened his grip before pushing away. as consciousness slowly faded in, he heard slight whispers of phantoms last words.

“I’ll see you soon Starlight. You’ll come running back into my arms soon enough.”

he woke up in a cold sweat, jazz standing above him with a grim look.

“Sam and Tucker have gone missing.

[byunsboyz]

Jamais Vu - Part Two

Exo Fanfiction

Baekhyun x Female Reader

Warnings: none? 

Genre: Fluff/Angst

W/C: 3507

Part One Part Three

_____________________________________________________________

You watch as Baekhyun turns away from your front door and disappears inside the next apartment.

No way.

*Slam*

Shit.

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

Later that night you lie wide awake. 

Replaying the interaction over and over in your head.

Each time making you want to sink further into a hole of shame. 

Guess it’s time to become a recluse? 

You groan out loud as you roll over and try to shake all thoughts of Byun Baekhyun from your mind.

You nose fills with the smell of fresh cotton and magnolia that seeps out of your sheets from the movement. 

“Byun Baekhyun is that you? It’s y/n from university! Wow, what are the chances….” 

All the things you should have said verbalising in your mind when its already too late.

He would have realised and you both would have laughed and reminisced but no!

You knocked him over, stole his groceries and invaded his personal space.

Your chest feels tight with regret and embarrassment. 

You can’t even remember the last time you were left speechless, probably because you stopped letting your guard down a long time ago. 

You clutch your pillow against your face and let out the frustrated yell that you’ve been holding in all evening. 

The next morning you make sure to leave your apartment early. 

The main reason being that it’s your first day in a new department and you want to get into work to set up early and talk to the Director of Corporate Accounting, Mr Do regarding the accounts you’ll be managing.

You also want to have a quick check-in with Jaehyun to make sure he has everything he needs in place to start managing your old team. 

But NOT because you’re planning on avoiding Baekhyun until your lease runs out. 

Because that would be ridiculous...

“You’re being ridiculous!” 

You sigh, as you friend Aria scolds you on your lunch break.

“I don’t know what you mean” you huff, stuffing a tuna maki roll into your mouth.

Aria has been your best friend since you joined Kim & Partners almost six years ago. 

You often grab lunch at the small ramen restaurant around the corner from your company.

You both started at the same time and hit it off during your induction week.

Aria worked in the IT systems department and helped develop and manage aspects of the different software systems used at the company. 

You were utterly clueless and would often be on the phone to the support desk because you’d managed to crash or break something that should be impossible. 

Aria knew of Baekhyun, you had drunkenly ranted to her about him a few years back triggered by him leaving you a dry happy birthday message on your SNS page. 

You’d told her everything. About how you met, how close you’d been and how you’d felt about him at college.

You remember the tears hitting around the point you explained the last couple of years he had faded away.

“I know that he never could never have known how I felt, but-like” you had paused to down another shot, “...he still should have cared about me in some capacity right?”.

“Then delete him, he’s not worth it” she had soothed, rubbing your back.

You probably sounded so desperate but truthfully you felt abandoned.

You swallow down the uncomfortable memory with a sip of water as you continue to justify yourself.

“It’s not even like we really know each other anymore. Maybe HE’S avoiding ME”. You point your chopsticks at her accusingly. 

Aria raises her eyebrow at your words, accompanied by a glare. 

“Stop it! You’ll make the ramen taste bad!” you gasp, shielding your bowl.

She scoffs at your dramatics. “You live next to each other, it’s not like you can avoid him forever”. 

You look up from your bowl, a glint of determination in your eye.

“Challenged accepted”. 

“Stubborn ass”.

“Says the Sagittarius!” you shoot back.

When you get back from lunch, you head straight to see your new manager.

“I’m back Mr Do, are you ready to go over the client files?”. 

“Please don’t call me Mr Do, that’s my father’s name,” he sighs, looking up from his Laptop. “I’m not that much older than you, call me Kyungsoo”.

He grabs a stack of papers and files from his desk and walks around to plonk them onto yours opposite. 

“Are you sure it’s fine for me to invade your office?” you ask, flipping through the first document.

You were surprised to learn that you were sharing the office with the department director. 

The rest of your colleagues were sat open-plan adjacent to the office. 

You snort loudly.

“You can tell your background is auditing” you add, admiring the uniform presentation of each set of financial accounts. 

“Is it that obvious?”

His voice sounds closer than you expect. He’s still leaning against the edge of your desk as he looks over the file in your hand, a slight smirk on his heart-shaped lips. 

It’s not common to come across such a good looking accountant. A far cry from the crusty old white men you’re accustomed to working with.

Well, Jaehyun is handsome but you only see him as a younger colleague.

Kyungsoo, on the other hand. With his deep whiskey brown eyes and short black hair, complimenting to the warm hues of his skin. Is just plain hot.

His shirt sleeves are rolled up past his elbows and you can’t help but take notice of the tone in his forearms that cross over his chest. His voice snaps you out of the slight trance you’ve fallen into. 

“...and yes, it’d make sense to share the same space since we’re going to manage the biggest clients together. Did Mr Kim not explain that this is a promotion,” 

You nod in understanding and he steps back to his desk, looking up once last time with warm assuring smile. “Let’s work hard together”.

Then his attention is back to his laptop, his expression full of concentration.

The rhythmic tapping of his calculator and keyboard filling the room as soft background noise.

You cant help but smile as you look back down towards the files in front of you, a new feeling of determination ignited. 

Working with Kyungsoo for the rest of the day makes you forget about the previous day’s events.

That’s until you step into the lobby of your apartment building and instantly feel anxious at the sight of the elevator. 

You don’t fancy another run in with Baekhyun, so you opt for the stairwell.

You trudge up the stairs until you reach the top floor. Catching your breath as you stand on your tiptoes to peek out of the small glass window that looks out towards your hallway.  

The coast is clear so you make a stealthy dash past Baekhyun’s apartment into your own. 

Aria is right, you this is childish but you don’t want to deal with any awkwardness or confrontation. 

You leave early again the next morning, work late into the evening and take the stairs. Doing the same the next day. And the day after that. 

Most people don’t talk to their neighbours anyway. You’ve lived plenty of places and hardly interacted with the people in your building.

Maybe this was your new normal. 

The weekend is here before you know it. 

You open your eyes groggily. The last thing you remember was reading through some files that you brought home with you yesterday to make notes.

You blame your passing out on the two glasses of chardonnay you had to accompany the reading. 

There’s an ache in your thighs and knees that you attribute to the number of stairs you’ve climbed recently. 

Perhaps this will count towards your yearly cardio. 

You snort at the thought as you rub your eyes. Stretching your arms above your head as you try to loosen the stiffness of sleep from your body. 

Faint jazz music plays in the distance, drifting through the wall you share with Baekhyun's apartment. 

You close your eyes and listen, a soft piano and guitar medley you think?  The double bass thumping along like a gentle heartbeat. 

A feeling of melancholy washes over you causing you to sigh so you force yourself to get up and take a shower. 

Feeling more awake you decide now is the right time to sneak out of your apartment and grab some groceries while it’s still early.

A few hours later than you expected you return to your building, a bag full of groceries clutched in one arm and a couple of extra bags from an impromptu retail binge. 

You couldn't help yourself when you walked past your favourite clothing store Privé and spotted this beautiful pastel blue off-shoulder skater dress.

It literally called out for you to purchase and before you knew it you were also picking up a few new makeup and skincare items to indulge in for the rest of the day. 

‘I don’t splurge often… I work super hard and I deserve this!” you reason with yourself, grimacing as the total of your purchases flash across the cashier screen.

There's always a pang of slight guilt that accompanies any shopping high. The accountant aspect of you scolding your more impulsive side. 

You don’t dwell much on it as you approach the end of the hallway and find yourself contemplating a new dilemma. 

Haul everything up the stairs or risk the elevator. Realistically you’re carrying way too much so the only logical option is taking the elevator. 

It’ll be fine you assure yourself as you step onto the elevator, pushing the button for the top floor. 

Just as the elevator doors are almost closed a hand shoots through the gap and you yelp in surprise.

“Didn’t you hear me calling out to hold the eleva-!” gasps Baekhyun as he shoves his body through the door gap. 

His words cut short as his eyes land on you. 

Your stomach twists into a knot, tightening your grip on the grocery bags as you step to the side to create more space between you.

“I didn’t hear you...s-sorry” you manage to stutter out, trying your best to keep your voice even and eyes straight ahead.

You catch your image in the mirror of the elevator, your hair looking slightly windswept from the outside. 

A sudden conscious sensation of being watched sends a shiver down your spine and you feel your eyes being drawn to the figure reflected next to your own.

Baekhyun is staring, directly at you. His head turned towards you and lips slightly agape.

As if he’s about to say something. 

You internally plead with the elevator to move faster and as though it’s heard your thoughts, you feel the soft judder beneath your feet as it comes to a halt.

When the door spring open, you walk straight for your apartment. Not daring to look behind you.

Your hand trembles as you rapidly punch in your lock code and push open the door, stepping into your apartment and using your foot to kick the door shut behind you.

The door thumps, obstructed by something and you place the items on your counter thinking that your umbrella stand has probably fallen over.

Instead, when you turn around Baekhyun is standing in your doorway. His arm stretching out to hold your front door open.

“Are you avoiding me?”.

You freeze, feeling yourself flinch at his words. Caught off guard by the sudden accusation.

“No why would you-”. 

“Aw come on Y/N! you can’t even look me in the eye right now.” He cuts you off, his tone exasperated. 

“Who are you to suddenly act as if you know me?” You spit back without thinking. 

A tinge of heat rises to your cheeks. Annoyed with yourself for biting back so easily.

Baekhyun's expression softens. 

He lets his arm drop from the door and shoves both hands into the pockets of his jacket. 

“Look. I’m sorry.” 

“Wha-why?” 

“For yelling at you the other day...for the last couple of years?” he winces at his own words. 

“In my defence, you knocked me over” He looks at you like a kicked puppy, “and your hair is much longer now.”

He’s apologising?

“I don’t know what to say” your thoughts spilling directly from your mouth. 

You feel overwhelmed, unable to pint point exactly how you feel. 

Angry. Relieved. Happy?

You hear a half sigh, half laugh from Baekhyun.

“Hi?” He offers.

“Hey...” you reply weakly. 

You both stand there, for what feels like a while.

“Can we start ove-,” you begin, words cutting short as Baekhyun blurts out the same.

You laugh this time.  

“Please.” he adds.  

You note that his hands are now resting at his sides, a sure sign he’s also feeling less on edge. 

You feel ridiculous for even remembering that.

“Good...well. I’m glad” you agree. 

Not knowing what else to say. 

“Yeah, me too,” he continues. “So we’re finally neighbours.”

“Uh-huh” you nod. 

“Awesome” 

You cross your arms over your chest. “So what brought you to move here?” you ask.

“Work, new job!” 

“Congrats”

“Thanks…” He rocks back on his heel. One hand returning to his pocket. “What about you?”

“Huh?... Oh, the same”.

You cringe at the dry turn of the conversation. 

Is it appropriate to ask him to leave?

“So-uh, yeah. I guess I'll be seeing you around?” You opt for something subtle.

He seems to understand, his eyes widening slightly as he quickly steps back from the threshold.

“Ye-yes of course! Catch up soon?” 

You're not sure if he’s asking you or telling you, so you just offer him a weak nod as he closes your door behind him. 

You hold your breath, straining your ears for the sound of his door closing. 

The moment you’re sure Baekhyun is back inside his apartment you jump straight on the phone to Aria. 

Words of confusion spilling from your mouth as you fill her in on what’s happened.

“What does this mean!?” you whisper/shout over the line.

“How am I supposed to know?” she deadpans, always the most sympathetic. “What do you want?”

“What?” 

You flop onto your couch dramatically.  

“Like, do you want to be his friend again. Address your feelings and issues and rebuild a relationship or just keep things in the past and remain as you are?”.

“I...I don’t know. I’ve spent so much time avoiding him I didn’t even consider anything like that”.

You hear her sigh on the other end. “So think about it carefully, you were really upset last time” 

You respond with a groan.“I know”. 

“Do you want me to text Key and we can all meet up, get some drinks and debate this further. You know he’s always opinionated on things like that.”

“Tempting, but I have to work on some client files and think this over for myself...” you pause, suddenly realising something. “Wait, Key knows?”.

“Yah, I’ve been texting him this whole time.”

You press two fingers against your temple, feeling a headache coming. “Thanks mate.”

Kim Kibum, Key as he prefers; is your other best friend.

You met at a night school you’d attended a few years back, after sitting next to each other by chance on the first day. 

You would meet up at the weekends for joint study sessions, usually followed up with a few drinks and sharing mutual complaints about the difficulties and stress of working and studying at the same time. 

You’d introduced him to Aria and the rest was history. 

You usually meet up together once a month, sometimes hanging out with his roommates Minho and Taemin. 

“Tell Key I’ll text him later, rain check on the drinks. Maybe next weekend...uh-huh, ok. Text you later.” 

You end the call, looking up at the ceiling. 

Chest feeling heavy as you try to put your thoughts towards Baekhyun into one place.

Was this a friendship worth salvaging. You were close past tense, but also people grew and changed. 

He wasn’t the only friend you grew apart from so why did it sting so much when you did?

It’s not like you were still in love with him or anything, or that you were waiting for him all this time.

It’s not a romantic comedy. (Even if you do enjoy watching them).

You feel cursed in the relationship department anyway, the last ending terribly with your ex cheating on you with someone you considered to be a friend. 

Remaining single is currently a choice. Aria and Key constantly threaten to drag you to some speed dating event but you refuse. 

The rest of the weekend goes by peacefully, you meet Key for coffee Sunday afternoon for a change of pace from looking over client files and cleaning your bathroom.

“I think...,” you start, taking an extra-long sip of your iced latte “It would be nice to be friends again”.

“We were friends?” Key looks up from his phone, a smirk on his lips. 

You smack his arm playfully. “You know what I mean!”. 

“So you’re not planning any love confessions this time?”.

You grimace, “I was eighteen! It was a crush...now I’m a grown-ass lady who knows she’s going to die alone with seventeen dogs”. 

“Hmmm, well if you don’t want him, I’ll have him” 

You choke on your coffee.

“How do you know he’s not an ugly ass?”

He holds his phone up to you. 

“Because SNS is a wonderful thing darling”. 

You gasp, snatching the phone out of Key’s hand. Baekhyun's profile photo staring back at you.

It looks like he’s on a beach somewhere. 

His hair a light shade of blonde, wearing a tight fit shirt which only emphasises the broadness of his shoulders.

He’s grinning cheekily at whoever is taking the photo and you feel the corners of your lips tugging upwards in response. 

You don’t think it’s the sun that brightens the picture.

A hand suddenly waves in front of your face. “Earth to lover girl!” Key calls out, removing his phone from your hand. 

“Stop stalking Baekhyun.” you huff. 

“Fine fine fine” he deadpans. “but only if you add him yourself”. 

“How do you know we aren’t already friends?”

He looks up at you with a raised brow. Ah yeah he’s already checked. 

You chew on the bottom of your lip nervously as you press send on the friendship request. 

Pangs of guilt emerging over the fact you had even deleted him in the first place 

But you needed to back then, it used to hurt to look at him. 

Monday morning as your leaving your apartment your surprised to see Baekhyun leaving his apartment at the same time. 

He looks you up and down curiously.

“Morning” He smiles, “this is a bit late for you?” his tone slightly teasing.

He’s not wrong, you’re back to leaving your usual time. 

“or maybe you’re early” you respond, mimicking his tone. 

He laughs and shakes his head. “No, I leave this time every day”. 

He falls into step as you head towards the elevator. 

“I started working in a new department last week so I went in early to try and adjust faster.” 

Wait. Why are you justifying yourself to him? 

“So you’re a big fancy accountant now?” he asks, smiling as you wait for him to step onto the elevator before you push the button for the ground floor. 

“And you a fancy architect?” you offer, he laughs and nods in agreement. 

The rest of the elevator ride is in silence, but this time you're not itching to escape. 

Baekhyun hums randomly to himself as he fiddles around on his phone. 

*ping* 

You reach into your pocket searching for your phone at the sound of the notification tone.

‘Byun Baekhyun has accepted your friend request’.

You look up from your phone but he’s not looking. His expression serious as he continues to look down at his phone. 

Does he feel bad that you deleted him?

You step off the elevator and leave the building at the same time.

Keeping a half step ahead as you turn off towards the subway station.

In your peripheral you see that he’s turned in the opposite direction. 

Should you say goodbye, is it weird to wish him a good day? 

You start wondering as you walk further away from each other. 

“Kick some accounting ass!” Baekhyun suddenly calls out, making you spin around in surprise. 

You snort at his word choice.

“Architect the shit out of some buildings!” you call back. 

You’re rewarded with one of his loud melodic laughs and you catch yourself sighing dreamily.

Ah Shit.