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short-black-diamond · 11 months

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I HAVE IDEAS FOR SHES A PRO PART 5 !!

Imagine they had a break so they went to a mall w Yena to see what she's into right??

( Cuz they're all DOWN BAD for her )

And Yena knows they r😘

SO!! She decides to tease them w a somewhat revealing fit🤭

IMAGINE :

Corset type of top

Hair down to flex ✨

Tight jean shorts around upper thigh

Thigh high socks or stockings?

WITH PLATFORM BOOTS💋

(MAYBE A LETTER JACKET?? 👀)

Her thighs be looking THICC

( isagi w the thigh fetish😱😍)

After that, the boys can't keep their eyes off of her, they also cant keep it in their pa-

Yena obvi teases them calling them a perv and (MAYBE??) get kaiser and ness to pay for her stuff (CUZ THEIR RICH🤑) and they do it because

Yena : 😘😚

Everyone : 🙏😋🧎🧎‍♂️

You can add wtv else u want!! :))

AYO YEASSSSSSSSSS THIS IS WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT

MAKE IT GOOOOOOOOOTHHHHHH💀💀

Is it okay if I try to bring an OC into this? it's a boy btw

However, I'd like for yena to not know that the bois are simping for her, so I will build up the tension and then let her find out!! Also I don't want Kaiser to pay for her stuff because she kicked him-she kicked ness too but he forgave her, you know? So I'd rather have Reo pay for her or she pays herself because Yena (you are) is a strong independent woman.

I DID NOT PROOFREAD

warnings/summary: you and teieri become besties, has Nagi a foot fetish?, jelly Rin, slurssss, you a bad bitch, soft/angst moments with kunigami, otoya whimpers and you have butterflies in your tummy from that, you meet kiyora, kurona and niko for the first time

Word count: 6.6k words wtf..

Just a quick and gentle reminder that everything I write is in headcannons and good fun, and if it bothers anybody, then they should stop reading this series.

---

"Yo, she's a pro." ...part five

part one, part two, part three, part four

You had tears flowing down your eyes, but you were also smiling with a blush. you loved seeing Rin smile, it just made your worst days more precious. you sighed as you closed Rin's door and made your wy to your dorm.

You were just rounding the corner when you nearly bumped into Teieri. She was just about to speak to you, so it was a good thing you two met. "Ah, yena, I just wanted to speak to you!", she said in a cheery tone, though you took a few steps back with a frown.

and...were you trembling...?

She flinched before she waved her hands around. "N-no! It's nothing bad this time, Yena! Please calm down! I just wanted to tell you that you'll be able to go and have some free time now. The weekend is free, so you can do whatever you like on saturday and sunday!", she exclaimed in a rush, not wanting the only other female in this facility to be scared of her.

you sighed in relief. "Thank you, ma'am. And will you have some free time too? I guess not...", you mumbled, feeling bad for the manager. she only shook her head wiht a smile. "It's all good, really-" "I heard there's a discount on the women's articles this weekend...", you interrupted her.

She pressed her lips together with a frown. "If you want to, I could look at some stuff for you. What is your style, teieri?", you asked politely. you felt bad for the woman and buying her something she liked would for sure come in sweet.

"w-well, I really like cute stuff and all...", she started, but you only raised your hand. "Cute stuff, got it. Let me surprise you.", you then said with a ghost of a smile before you retreated. She huffed in amusement at you.

"Oh, and yena?" "Yea?"

teieri smiled at you. "You know that you're holding the boys in a chokehold, right?", to which you turned to her completely.

"Hah?"

She giggled. "Yena, none of these players had shown this much enthusiasm and motivation to train until you came, you know? I think most of them got a crush on you~", she mused and poked your sides.

You squirmed with a blush. "N-no way that's true...", you wheezed as she started to tickle you. "Oh yes, Reo, Nagi, Rin, Bachira, Isagi, and all the other boys you've interacted with!" Anri was truly the mother you wished you had.

you may not look like it, but you were just the sweetest thing on earth...even if you kicked ness and kaiser in the groins and absolutely bruised Otoya up by shredding him with a ball.

She only shook her head with a fond smile before she went, you'd tell the others anyway.

---

"SHOPPING SPREE!!!", everyone cheered. more like reo, accompanied by Nagi who said it more sleepily and you in a monotone voice. rin only raised his fist. you were there with Reo, Nagi, and Rin. Bachira texted you that he was already checking out a store with Isagi, so it was just you four for now.

And, well, as you were strolling through the first few stores, disconnected from the outside world as your focus was directed towards a top which you were admiring... the boys only looked around sheepishly and blushing. They were all following after you like lost puppies, not wanting to part from you.

And now back to the top, it wasn't any type of top either. It was a dark green corset, with black embroidments and dark silver bones to uphold the form.

You were blushing at the piece. Something about this corset was just...so...etheral, so old-fashioned and pretty. you truly loved the victorian age and gothic aesthetic...and when they meshed...an impulse-buying Yena got born.

"This looks ravish...", you breathed as your eyes were wide, and you stood there for a moment before you quickly took all the other corsets you found and weren't similar to the ones you already had.

you felt like you were in paradise. You were glad that you came here early. you were glad that this shop was still nameless. you were glad that-

"Mind if I hold that for you?", Reo asked softly, tearing you out of your onslaught of praise to...no one. You blinked a few times before you dumped your items on him and went to the shorts section. you were too engrossed in what you were doing that you didn't even notice Isagi and Bachira come into the shop as well.

Rin's eye twitched when he saw Bachira's grin and Isagi's smile, both blushing when they saw Yena at the pants section. "what are you guys doing here?", the dark haired boy asked in a mean tone as he watched the two with a disgusted face.

Isagi and Bachira only frowned at him. "Yena invited us!", Bachira cheered before he slung his arm around Isagi's neck with a grin.

Rin groaned internally. you were a sly witch, he had to give you that. Wanna know how you managed to get him to go shopping? Chat:

Rin - Morning, Yena. You - Hey Rin. Wanna go out? Rin - (5 min later) In what way...? You - What do you mean what way, if you don't wanna hang out just say it damn😒 Rin - Well I'd like to know if it's Rin - Just the two of us You - WE CAN MAKE IT IF WE TRY~ JUST THE TWO OF US Rin - Or where we are going (WE CAN MAKE IT IF WE TRY~ JUST THE TWO OF US) ↳ Rin - Really? You - What that song slaps harder than you can score a goal👆🏻(middle finger*) Rin - ...ok You - also ye, we're going to that mall if you're ok with that. I need new clothes... Rin - ok, let's go.

Never in his life would he have thought that you meant only the first fifteen minutes alone with him, because right after the fifteenth minute ended, Nagi and Reo rounded the corner and he was surrounded by other boys who were crushing on you. And it also helped even less when Bachira and Isagi came.

He started to hate Bachira when he saw how you and Bachira were dancing with each other the day prior. Rin never danced with you, even though he was your childhood friend and knew that you did ballroom dancing before you turned into a soccer protégé. However, he knew your clothing style best out of all the males around you.

He was your childhood friend, after all. So, he made it his mission to look at other stuff you'd like, and he stumbled upon the jacket section. He rememberd vaguely that you once mentioned of wanting to have a leather jacket because you liked biker dudes and wanted to impress them (he started taking motorcycle riding sessions), which is why he looked at the one which would suit you the best.

Nagi watched as you were checking out some shorts when he caught sight of a white one. "How about this?" "ew, I don't like white, Nagi."

Cue him looking at you with a hurt expression. "...what?"

You looked at him with a raised brow, confused to his reaction. Then it dawned to you.

nagi had white hair.

"NO! No Nagi, not like that! You have great hair!", you exclaimed and shook his shoulders, trying to convince him.

He still pouted as he averted his eyes. You could make out the blush on his cheeks though. you remembered how he sometimes turned red when he was angry. "hey....Nagi, you're not mad at me, right?", you asked softly, genuinly feeling bad now.

"'m not mad...", he spoke quietly before taking the white shorts. "I still want you to try them out though. I want you to have a white outfit. Please.", he pouted.

You sighed deeply before you nodded. "Alright...make me a pastel goth.", and he quickly went away to pick you light coloured clothes, with you deadpanning at him.

Reo shook his head in amusement before he got another pair of shorts. Isagi stood next to him, looking through some skull shirts. "They're pretty cool...!", the blue eyed boy gushed, holding one up in the air. You turned around.

"Mhm, that would suit you, actually...", you said, a finger on your chin in thought as you took a step back after you took the shirt from his hands and held it in front of his torso, getting an image of him wearing it. You were having a serious expression on your face as you frowned at him and the shirt.

"Yeah, along with some eyeliner and a few rings on your fingers and earrings, you'd make a good goth.", you said before handing him back the shirt. "try it on later, alright?", and with that last question, you went away with Reo following you. Isagi held the shirt close to him with a precious grin and blush at your words.

You let your eyes wander through the shop before you found what you wanted. Thigh highs with boots right next to it. Perfect.

You went to the aisle with determined steps, but a voice caught your ears. "Yena?", Ness' voice asked and you turned to the boy. "Oh Ness, hi."

(everyone forgot to put away the earpieces, so everyone could understand each other, but not that you needed earpieces because you could speak japanese and german.)

Ness blushed a little when he saw your street outfit. As it was getting rather warm at the moment, you simply decided for a gown with a long vest and converse shoes, your hair put in a high pony. You didn't really look like a goth at the moment, but you were shopping, so maybe he could see what you'd wear on any other day?

At Blue Lock, you also wore a uniform, and that pastel pink dress (once) or your pijamas.

"You guys shopping as well?", Bachira asked with a grin and a red cheeked Isagi followed before frowning at Kaiser, who also came.

"Yeah...thought we'd check out some stores...", Kaiser answered, having a stare-off with Isagi. You were gone to let the boys attend to their meet.

'Whoah...look at the pattern! And the boots are to die for!!!', you thought as you glared at the thigh highs and boots you fetched quickly. 'Okay, now only changing the clothes to see if they fit and quickly before Nagi-' "Okay, I have everything.", you heard Nagi's calm voice.

You huffed under your breath. you really didn't want to wear something light, but if it was for Nagi's sake...

"Okay, I'll change. Gimme."

...

"Yena, please come out now.", Nagi spoke loudly, with Kaiser and Ness sitting next to Reo, Nagi and Bachira. "Why are you guys still here??", Rin asked after he came back with the (in his eyes) perfect leather jacket for you.

He saw Ness and Kaiser talk to the others and got a vague idea on their personalities, and he especially kept an eye on Kaiser. However, he was also looking out for Ness, who fidgeted with his hands and also looked down at them nervously.

"U-Um there was a snack shop Yena's been mentioning, and there were...um..."

"Penis waffles!", you yelled, opening the curtains violently as you looked at Ness with an excited grin. His mouth stood open and trembled as the german looked at you with a flustered and red face. you had white clothes from head to toe, and some strands adorned your face which fell down when you put on the shirt and thin vest.

you wore a tight white top, a white vest which went down to your knees, and a pretty white shirt, along with white thigh highs and also white high heels. You were surprised how fast Nagi purchased these items. Wait, he bought them...

"Nagi, did you already buy them?! Ah- HEY, STOP TAKING PICS OF ME!!!", you yelled in embarassment as you threw your high heel at Nagi. He caught it and then he examined the shoe. "Your feet are very small."

"Do you have a foot fetish or what."

nagi stared at you. You just closed the curtains again and changed your clothes. time for the second set. the better one.

the gothic one.

Nagi stared at the shoe. Reo leaned back. "Nagi...that's too much, even for you.", the purple haired guy spoke softly, and Nagi whipped his head towards him. he had a slight frown, and his face was beet red.

"I don't...", he only said softly.

Reo didn't believe him. Isagi didn't believe him. Bachira didn't believe him. Ness didn't believe him. Kaiser didn't believe him. Rin didn't believe him.

"uh...can somebody come in and help me for a sec?", you spoke as you held the strings to your corset. it had a different way of getting closed, and you didn't want to tear the threads apart.

There was a short moment of silence before you heard shoes shuffle, some voices, grunting and cursing, saying "fuck off!" "I wanna do it!" "I'm her childhood friend, I should do it."

However, all their efforts to come to you came to waste when a taller frame -taller than Nagi- came to view. he was a muscular, handsome and mature looking man. he had fierce black locks which made him look all the more etheral looking, like a greek god, and he stood in front of your curtain. "Yena.", he said in a calm tone. no emotions, just your name.

you flinched before you opened the curtain excitedly. "Victor!? what are you doing here!?", you exclaimed before you pulled him inside. He took care of the corset, pulling together the strings as you babbled away happily, although in another language. However, since everyone still had earpieces on, they could hear every word inside the cabin.

that didn't mean that they were okay with you chatting with a stranger or random dude. Ness's eye twitched and he bit his lip, Kaiser only glared at the boy man who stepped inside the cabin, Reo stared in shock, Nagi frowned slightly, Isagi and Bachira pouted while Rin stared at the guy who dared to come in as well.

they were all jealous of the "Victor" guy. what did he have that they didn't? Sure, he was taller and more muscular than them all, and he actually wore a suit, his blazer/jacket in his hand. And now, he was pulling the strings.

Rin was angry. however, his anger dissipated when you opened the curtains again, and you wore your goth-outfit. The dark corset from earlier having tightened your waist and pushed up your boobs, the black shorts which made your thighs spill out, making Isagi gulp down his oncoming stream of saliva, the thigh highs you wore only spurring his thigh fetish on more and also the black platform boots you wore had that little something which made the guys swoon for you. also, your hair was more disshelved and open, and Victor seemed to have given you a pair of earrings, because instead of the usual black diamond studs, you wore earrings which had a spider dangling from a thin chain on either earstud.

Still, you looked hot and cool at the came time. everyone blushed. However, they all had sour faces when they saw Victor who smirked at them. "Yena, who's this guy actually?", asked Rin.

He was the closest, and glared at Victor. you just tapped Rin's peck. "oi, no glaring. it's Victor. he's my ex.", you said in a nonchalant tone, and Rin, as well as everyone else turned surprised.

"you...had an ex?", asked Reo. you had never mentioned you were dating anybody. Nagi stared at the taller guy. Rin gulped. he never heard of a Victor.

why was there suddenly a Victor?

Bachira and Isagi, as well as Ness and Kaiser were dumbfounded. looking at the reaction of Reo, Nagi and Rin, it seemed like you kept your relationship with the guy a secret.

Victor stepped forth, out of the cabin and turned to you.

"Yena, would you be amenable to a wardrobe alteration? Numerous establishments in this locale await your perusal, and I am eager to explore them with you.", he spoke in a gentle, sophisticated tone, and you nodded before you walked back and closed the curtains.

Victor now stood in front of the curtain as some sort of warrior.

"Allow me to introduce myself as Victor Manchester, who, for a duration of two years, occupied the role of Yena's significant other. Regrettably, I opted to terminate our association before her involvement with Blue Lock ensued.", he said in a monotone voice before his expression turned into a solemn smile.

"I find myself harboring a wish that circumstances had unfolded differently.", he said softly.

"...why did you break up with her then?", Kaiser asked, and everyone else was dying to know.

"I must admit to possessing a rather pronounced inclination towards jealousy, and the prospect of remaining in a relationship with her while observing her amidst the company of other gentlemen proved untenable for my sensibilities. The strain upon my heart would have been insurmountable.", he explained, and he also had a pained expression on his face.

"The divergence in my emotional landscape was negligible when she transitioned into a state of singularity, despite her proximity to you. If anything, witnessing her in the company of your collective presence served to exacerbate the anguish in my heart.", Victor muttered, a slight frown on his face before he closed his eyes and sighed.

Everything about him screamed Yena's type. A calm, smart, mysterious lover, who took care of his body. His most noticable trade-mark must've been his piercing icy-cold, light blue eyes. Victor Manchester was nothing if not perfect. the way he spoke in such a deep and soothing, as well as overly sophisticated tone, or how he raked a hand over his jetblack locks, the slight blush when he spoke about you...Victor was still smitten for you.

These past months must've been hell for him, Reo thought. He really had guts to break up with Yena and destroying his life like that. how could he even just--watch her interact with a few boys like that?

Victor suddenly spoke again.

"May I inquire whether the young gentleman with tangerine-hued hair, by the name of Kunigami, is presently in attendance?"

"uh, no, he is not presently in attendance.", Reo spoke, trying to sound as sophisticated as him. Victor sighed softly before he had on a small smile.

"My apologies for any confusion. As a recent entrant into this milieu, I've been privy to information about Rin, Sae, Nagi, and Reo from Yena. However, my understanding is incomplete, as I am yet to acquaint myself with the other gentlemen in our collective. I would be grateful if you could facilitate introductions to the remaining individuals, as Yena has only shared details about Reo, Nagi, Sae and Rin.", Victor spoke again, and Bachira looked at Isagi.

"did you get a word he said?", Bachira asked, but Isagi only shook his head.

Rin stepped forth this time.

"I am Rin Itoshi, a longstanding confidant from Yena's formative years. Intriguingly, she has never relayed any mention of a figure by the name of Victor Manchester in the course of our discussions.", he said, and the others were surprised by how well mannered Rin spoke.

He stared at Victor, and Victor felt Rin's aura. they seemed to have a stare-off now.

"Indeed, Yena and I, by mutual agreement, maintained a discreet stance regarding our relationship, influenced by my inherent shyness in the presence of unfamiliar faces. Despite this discretion, my sincere desire is to cultivate a deeper understanding of your collective camaraderie, as an assurance that those with whom Yena associates are individuals of admirable character."

Victor then smiled at Rin, who glared at him.

"I can assure you that I am Yena's most trusted friend, but what about you? tell us about yourself. where do you come from? what do you do at the moment? are you at high school or studying? I don't know a damn thing about you and it's giving me the creeps that she'd hang out with somebody I don't even know.", Rin answered, still having his glare set on Victor.

"I hail from Great Britain, currently enrolled in studies at Harvard. My portfolio includes the oversight of several thriving business ventures. A notable aspect of my preferences lies in a genuine affection for biscuits."

Rin narrowed his eyes at Victor, but before Rin could say anything else, you stepped out with the items. "okay, Let me buy them real quick, you guys can go and check out the other stores.", you muttered as you checked if you had everything you needed.

the boys, however, didn't budge. Ness, Kaiser, Isagi, Bachira, Reo, Nagi, Rin and Victor only looked at you. Victor and Rin were the first to take the clothes from you. Reo and Nagi, as well as Kaiser and Ness were the first ones to take out their wallets to pay. Isagi and Bachira just stood there dumbly, not knowing how to please you or confused as to what the others did.

...

"I can pay for myself, you know?", you grumbled as you sat there with your chocolate milk in your hands as you huffed. the four boys were having a big slight argument over who got to pay for you, and they decided to split up the bill.

Bachira and Isagi were seated before you, Rin and Ness on either side of you, and Kaiser next to Ness, with Victor sitting next to kaiser, and reo and nagi between Rin and Bachira. You guys were sitting at a big, round table.

Everyone bought a small thing for themselves, Isagi also bought the shirt you told him would look good on him with a smile and blush. Nagi was content that you didn't give away the white clothes. Victor was stealing glances at you with a blush as you were grumpy. Rin waited for the food. so you guys were all just basically scrolling on your phones and waiting for the food at a restaurant.

"Huh, and here I thought you dissappeared, Victor!", an utterly high pitched voice broke the pleasant silence. You freezed, frowned, and turned to Victor. He looked at you in horror before he turned around.

Rika Shinkamu.

the blonde bitch he slept with.

Victor cheated on you with this japanese pick-me girl. her body screamed Barbie, with blonde hair, blue eyes, a thin body, but it seemed like she went underneath the knife, because she looked like shit. flared up tits, BBL on her butt, and also syrenged lips.

somehow, her body looked unnatural. she looked weird.

"Oh? and if this isn't Yena Hideyo...! wait...did you leave me, your girlfriend, alone to spend time with that slut?!", Rika exclaimed and stomped on her high heel.

Victor glared at Rika. "You're not my girlfriend, stop being so delusional.", he said, and his sophisticated demeanor was gone, instead a cold shoulder apparent.

ness, Kaiser, Isagi and bachira and the others just sat there, cringing at the girl. You sighed and rubbed your temple. They all however, didn't let Rika's comment slide.

Rin's eye twitched when he heard Rika call you a slut, when Rika looked like one, and a real ugly one at that.

"Can somebody please knock out that whore?", Rin asked, but he only stared at Victor, as if silently demanding him to leave with Rika.

"Hah?! The fuck did'ya just say?!", Rika scoffed before she turned to you. "All I'm saying is that Victor fucked me instead of you, which means he likes me more, and you're the one who is surrounded by boys! So, you're a slut! And look at your body, small boobs, eyebags, and your hair is sooo uncharismatic!", she exclaimed in a sassy tone before she whipped her blonde hair back and looked you up and down.

Victor stood up abruptly. You huffed in amusement. "I'm not going to argue with a person who had to undergo surgery for her body to look like mine.", you stated, and Rika glared at you.

But, you were not finished. "also, these guys are my friends, and I wasn't a whore or slut before I settled down with Victor, unlike some pathetic and poor excuse of a woman.", you said, and looked back to your phone.

everyone was silent after that. It was true what you said though. Rika has been hopping from male to male before she 'settled down' at Victor. Victor himself stood up and sighed.

"I'm sorry for ruining your day, I will leave now.", he said before he quickly went away, with Rika following after him, telling him to wait with tears in her eyes, her high heels being too much for her to actually go after him.

"that was...cringe.", Kaiser spoke, and you all agreed. Reo and Nagi, as well as Rin looked at you with either betrayal, concern, or both.

"What was that girl's deal, anyways? Starting a fight with you all of a sudden?", Ness asked as he pouted. you just sipped some more on your chocolate milk before the waitress came and served you guys your food.

"Long story short, I've been dating Victor for two years, but he cheated on me because he didn't really like me, and the person he cheated on was that blonde Rika. it seemed like they broke up, but Rika is just---delulu delusional and thinks Victor still likes her? she should go and seek therapy.", you muttered before you bit into your food.

Bachira huffed. "that's still no reason of her to call you these insults." "but Yena told Rika off good!", Isagi exclaimed after Bachira's words, and everyone agreed and you smiled softly. "thanks, guys."

"she looked like a fricking character from those old movies where the women look so weird...", Reo spoke with a frown, and again, everyone agreed, and laughed as well.

Rin then looked at you before leaning down to whisper in your ear. "please don't let anything get to you, Yena. you're the prettiest girl in the world.", he said quietly, and you blushed a bit. "thank you, rin.", you said back softly with a smile.

RIn nodded before he kept eating.

...

after everyone was done, and Kaiser and Ness bid their goodbyes, Bachira and Isagi had to leave too after a while to hang out with the others, and it was now only you, Rin, Reo and Nagi.

They all froze in place when you walked into a pink shop, with pink and cute accesoires. they blinked before they looked at each other with panicked expressions.

"Did she just--" (Reo)

"huh-" (Nagi)

"Y-yena!?" (Rin)

Yeah, they were all concerned. All three boys walked in after you, very concerned looks. Rin and reo took either side of your shoulder and pulled you back.

"quick, let's get her to the hospital!"

"Dial 911!!!"

"guys...it's for Teieri.", you spoke up with a huff. Rin and Reo let go of you, and Nagi forgot about his mission to take you out of the cutecore store as he looked at cute keychains.

"...cute..", the albino haired boy muttered. Nagi was at the other end of the store as you three were in front of the entrance.

"oh, sorry.", Rin coughed with a blush and took a step back to give you some space.

"but it really scared us when you went into the shop.", Reo exclaimed softly and with an apologetic smile.

you just shook your head. "it's alright, really. now I really wanna buy something super cute for Teieri..."

"I'll help you!", Rin and Reo spoke at the same time a determined expression on their faces.

You looked at them for a moment. They haven't really bought a lot of stuff, and you shook your head. "c'mon guys, go buy yourselfves something."

Nagi then came with one of the super cute keychains. "is it okay if I have this keychain? it looks...cute...", he mumbled with a small blush as he looked down on it at his hand.

Reo and Rin snorted, and you did too. "Of course, Nagi."

Reo and rin then left the store, and Nagi kept browsing through the aisles. you hummed in thought as you looked at the variety of goods.

'hmm...what would Teieri like...? I think I'll get a...a sweet notebook...with a cute pen...maybe an adorable pencil case? Hm!...and a few t-shirts would be nice too for her...oh, some of them have flowers...huh, it's actually good...I think I'll get her an M size...because of her...ahem...chest...', you thought with a blush as you put many products into a shopping bag.

Nagi appeared again. "I think this one looks better...no, this one...maybe the first one...? uh..such a hassle...Yena, help.", he spoke in his monotone voice and pouted.

you looked at the keychains. one was black and the other one white. "would you like to have one? you don't have a keychain yet..."

"huh, you're right actually...okay, I'll have the black one. and I think I'm done buying stuff for Teieri.", you muttered as you looked at the full bag with cute stuff.

nagi nodded and took the bag from your grip. "what are you doing?" "Don't want you to carry it. it's heavy...a heavy hassle..."

You only rolled your eyes playfully before you pai- no. Nagi paid.

you only shook your head.

...

"wha....wha...!? Wha-!?!!", Teieri exclaimed when you were over at her room as some sort of girl's night and smirked proudly when she looked at the different items with an excited expression.

She fell in love with each thing you bought. Pens, pencils, pencil sharpener, sweet jewellery, clothes, hair pins, an adorable hairbrush, a few plushies, you bought it all. anri cooed at everything.

"waaaaa! Thank you, Yena!", she exclaimed happily before she hugged you tight. you grunted before you hugged her back softly. "It's the least I could do, Teieri."

she took all the shirts and went to her cabin. "I-I'll put it on and show you, okay!?", she yelled in excitement and you threw a thumbs up.

You were scrolling on your phone as she changed and raised your brow. 'a message from Ego...one month left at blue lock...oh...', you thought as you read through his message. so you could only go to france, england and italy, because currently, you were slowly finishing it with spain, and you were at bastard münchen already.

thirty days. ten days with each team. then you're gone...unless...?

Victor said he had some businesses, and some of them included football. 'wait...he wouldn't, would he?', you frowned, but your train of thoughts vanished when Teieri jumped out of her walkable wardrobe to show you the t-shirt you bought for her.

"what do you think!? Super cute, right?!", she exclaimed with a blush and a huge smile. you smiled back at her softly. "yes, super cute."

you liked the fact that even grown-ups felt safe enough to act childish around you, and you huffed in amusement when anri hopped back into the changing cabinet to put on another shirt.

today was a sweet girl's night.

...

"Nine months, huh?", Kunigami muttered after you answered his question on how you became so good at football, and you explained it to him in the same way you did to barou. you and Kunigami were sitting together in the cafeteria and were now on your way back to the halls. you two would have to say goodbye to each other soon.

"yep, but there were also other games I played, nine months, however, was my absolute fave.", you said calmly before you looked at him.

'damn he's so fucking hot...' "what did you do this weekend, actually?", you asked. you were a bit down when he had rejected your offer to go to the mall with him, as he was the first person you asked. (you wanted it to become a date.) he said no and you went with Reo, nagi and the others instead.

"I spent some time with my family...I...I hope you bought some nice stuff for yourself?", he asked in a shy tone and blushed when he thought back about you wearing that pink outfit.

"yeah, I did actually. it was really fun at saturday, I wish you came."

Kunigami averted his eyes with a red face now. "N-next time..."

You blushed more. "...promise?" You asked gently and softly. Kunigami blinked a few times, looking to the ground as he did so, and nodded only.

You were celebrating in your head as you smiled at him. "I'm already looking forward to it."

Suddenly, Victor came to view as he bid Ego farewell. you locked eyes with him, and he smiled. "Ye-", he stopped when he saw Kunigami. He stared at him.

Kunigami raised his brow.

You frowned at Victor, not really wanting to see him at the moment. "Come on, Kunigami, let's go somewhere else.", you muttered and walked into the other direction. Victor, however, wanted to talk to you.

"w-wait, Yena! Please, let us speak for a moment!", Victor said urgently, as he took his steps to your direction. you sighed before you looked at Kunigami. "could you leave us alone for a moment?"

Kunigami switched his gaze between you and the stranger, then he huffed. "sure..", he mumbled and left.

"I'm sorry that I took your time away from...him...", Victor muttered, as he glared at the orange haired wild card's retreating form.

"Is it about saturday?", you asked with a raised brow.

"Yes, I-I'm sorry about what happened...Rika...she stalks me...", he sighed. Sucks for him.

"is this the only reason?"

"No, I...I wanted to ask you if we could be together again."

you just looked at him with a blank face, before you laughed your ass off. "AHAAHAH...HAUhahahahahahahajdwjjah.." and you kept chuckling for a bit.

Victor looked at you awkwardly, and with a hurt expression.

"no.", you said, and turned around to leave.

And...well...Victor...he...

he made the mistake of touching you without your consent.

the moment you felt his "soft" grip on your wrist, you gave him a roundhouse kick to the cheek, and he got kicked to the side. you glared at him.

"how dare you touch me without my consent? how dare you come back again after we resolved this peacefully, ah!?", you seethed angrily, as you looked down at Victor who held his cheek, looking up at you in fear.

"I'm not going to be together with you again, ever. now get the hell outta here.", you growled, and walked away.

still, Victor was persistent. "L-look, I'm sorry Yena. I'm sorry for having had intercourse with Rika when I was together with you. I'm sorry for having taken you for granted. Please, just give me one more chance..!"

you only scoffed. "you think I want you after you were inside another woman? you think I want to get back to a guy who didn't want me at first? keep on dreamin', bitch."

and with that, you left. you weren't in the mood for that, even less considering getting back together with him. Victor didn't follow you this time. you were glad.

Kunigami was waiting around the corner, his eyes closed. you blushed. "god he's pretty..."

oop-

Kunigami opened his eyes as he looked at you and blushed. "thank y-you...", he muttered and looked to the side sheepishly.

you were frozen. 'did I...did I just say that out loud...I did...'

"ah- s-sorry, it just slipped out-" "I-it's okay, I enjoyed the compliment, really! Y-you're pretty too!"

you two looked to the ground with red faces, being complimented by each other, and giddy smiles.

[get a room for fuck's sake...]

"so...you will leave in a month...did I get it right?", kunigami spoke softly after a while, and you two leaned against opposite walls on the hallway.

"yeah...", you answered, feeling sad.

kunigami sighed before he stood straight and walked towards you. you looked up at him, confused as to why he was walking to you.

he was blushing. even his ears were red.

"Yena, I li-" "Yena! Yena come quick, you've gotta see that!", Oliver exclaimed, having appeared from nowhere.

liver would've pulled you by the wrist, but then he remembered how you were, and he also saw you beat that guy.

Oliver held a save distance from you.

you frowned. "why should I?"

"Otoya has made a cool ninja trick but ended up hurting his nuts, now come on!", oliver yelled with a mischievous, but also childlike grin. Kunigami was glaring at Oliver.

"heh, serves him right. Kunigami, what did you want to tell me though? you "li-"?", you asked as you looked up to him.

Oliver scowled.

Kunigami averted his eyes in embarassment. "ah..i-it's not that important."

Oliver smirked. "alright, let's go then!!"

'I thought he wanted to confess...how stupid of me...he must already have a girlfriend waiting for him..', you thought, and walked away with Oliver.

once you two rounded the corner, Kunigami slid down the wall, his head looking up, and he covered his eyes. "why did I chicken out...? was it because of Oliver...?....fuck..."

...

you were wheezing.

ringing for air.

otoya was laying on the side as he curled up in a fetus position, both his hands on his crotch.

"y--you...huhehuehheuheehueheue...y-you...oh go-ho-hoooood...!", you wheezed as you pointed around in his dorm. Karasu and Oliver were chuckling at Otoya, and Yukimiya was still training.

otoya had made the mistake of wanting to do a backflip on a chair, and hi nuts collided against it's back when he landed.

"that's what you get for being such a dumbass, moron."

"shut the...fuck...up, karasu...oww...", he whimpered.

something stirred inside you. ()

oh yeah.

you were crazy for whimpering boys. you looked down on Otoya.

"Otoya, let me help you.", you said in a serious tone. he looked up at you through teary eyes. "Really?", he mumbled softly.

you were an angel in his eyes right now. 'maybe she'll massage them...hehe..'

never in his life would Otoya have thought that you'd kick his nuts. He was moaning, and mewling in pain, and curled up even tighter. he was now crying and whimpering on the ground.

Karasu and Oliver laughed more.

"this is for the sauna incident.", you lied. you just wanted to hear more of his whimpers. he had a good whimpering noise.

you looked at Oliver and Karasu, and both stopped laughing, holding their crotches. "We're sorry" "We're very sorry", they said.

you walked out of the dorm with a satisfied hum.

Then you encountered Kurona, Kiyora, and Niko. the cutest boys of blue lock until now. you didn't meet anybody else yet. "hellyu."

"hello, Yena." "Hi." "..."

ah yes, Niko Ikki was the shyest of those three. so cute.

"is everything okay with you guys? are you about to train or.."

"train, train.", Kurona spoke. Kiyora looked at you, having a small blush on his cheeks. "please train with us...", and niko nods with a heavier blush.

'huhgewfjwifjiejiofjqiowjfijiwofjo THEY'RE SO CUTE WHAT THE FUCK THANK YOU GOD FEIFJJFIWJIFI', you thought with a blank face, and nodded. "sure, let's go."

They were decent and humble players. Kiyora jin put up a respectable match, kurona was a great teamplayer, and Niko was also great with his vision. they all were.

you praised the hell outta them.

---

jeowefowfowp sorry guys I'm such a simp lol

@meryqi, thought I should tag you, love :}

guys if you want another part please tell me, or more interactions ejifiwjfiejwifjwi

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crystallizedkingdoms · 11 months

Text

TAZ NC: Forget

Avi’s memory fails for the first time.

wc: 1,210

you can also read this on ao3 <3

my first fic for @taznovembercelebration. twirls hair. I’m most likely gonna be veryyyy inconsistent (aiming for Sunday, Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays but no prommy) and very likely gonna be pretty johavi centric so well theres that. but it’s okay it’s gonna be very fun yayy!!! yippeee! Enjoy 💖💖💖

Memory falters on the third anniversary of the Day of Story and Song.

Avi’s memory was far, far too good on the first anniversary. Every single memory seemed to plague his mind that first night, his voice stuck in the cracks of his broken heart that no amount of drink could fill. The second anniversary went much, much better, as Magnus dragged him out of the house to enjoy the musical festivities celebrated all in Johann’s— his Johann’s— honour.

When the third anniversary comes around, Avi’s in his home, but there is no drink in sight. The living room window is open, sunbeams and symphonies from a nearby celebration fill the house with music and life. Avi hums along to every note, all of it memorized so deeply he’s convinced that each piece has been etched into his soul. Avi sits down on his chair closest to the window and lets his eyes rest. The afternoon festivals tend to be a little too happy than what Avi is ready for, so instead he waits by the window, listening to the sounds of bards trying their best to match Johann’s greatness.

Avi’s hums verberate in his chest. He follows along with one piece, the closest to him, and matches along with every note possible. This piece, oh how popular it’s gotten, is one that Johann had written after Magic Brian had died. The rumours surrounding the piece have been strange, and it was one of the first things to make him laugh in his first year of depression.

“…Can you believe they think it’s some secret love song you had for him?” Avi whispers. To nobody, to somebody, but not to everybody. “It’s a little funny, honestly. I’m not mad. You’ve written plenty enough cheesy love songs for him that I can actually make fun of you for. No need to make up another one.”

It’s kind of an embarrassing habit, Avi knows. Gods forbid anyone, especially Magnus, heard that he still falls into this little spell of talking to a lover who’s no longer here. Avi wouldn’t hear the end of it. That’s why he reserves it for quiet days like these. Alone and loving.

Avi strains his ears and listens. One, two, three… there! “Hah. They always fail on that one, you know? Yeah, you probably know. You probably get pissed about it all the time up there. Maybe, just maybe, you didn’t have to show off all the time, even in your intimate compositions.” It’s a silly jab, he knows that Johann wasn’t necessarily showing off. He was just that good, in private and in public. There was no need to pretend he wasn’t.

Still, Avi loves to poke fun at him and the performers. That connection, however frail, is easy and hard to forget. I mean, come on, it’s impossible to forget their banter from back then. It’s Avi’s own little form of song, something so unique to them that he remembers it like the back of his hand. Johann says something serious, Avi teases something about the way it was said or why Johann said it, and Johann would quip back.

Avi tries to imagine what Johann would say in response.

Not my fault they can’t reach my fucking level.

Wow. That sounds… weirdly mean. No, no, Johann wasn’t that rude. How silly.

I wasn’t showing off, dude. And it was barely intimate.

Ugh, no. Johann didn’t sound like that. He didn’t sound like that at all. Did he?

Avi feels his heart pound in his chest.

Hah, right. I think it cements my place as the best violinist ever. These guys can’t match my level if they tried,

That felt more right, but the voice in his head didn’t match. Johann’s voice was deeper than that? But, no, it wasn’t too deep. And it couldn’t have been that monotone, right?

Avi’s eyes open and he straightens up on his seat. The music from the outside world becomes loud, far too loud, and suddenly he doesn’t want to hear it. He can’t hear it. How could he stand to hear it, when he’s struggling to hear his boyfriend’s voice clear in his mind? Why couldn’t he remember what Johann really sounded like?

Avi. His own name. Avi would remember what Johann saying his name would sound like, right? Avi, Avi, Avi, Johann would always say his name like that, under his breath, like it’s the most important word in the world. Avi imagines it in his head, and he thinks that’s it. That’s Johann’s voice. No need to worry, he’s still there. Avi hasn’t forgotten Johann.

…but the inkling of doubt clouds Avi’s mind like a familiar static.

Avi stumbles out of his chair. He reaches and shuts the window closed again, and suddenly, the thought of ever opening them makes him feel sick. Avi casts away any thoughts of music or festivities and he tries to focus only on Johann, Johann, Johann as his hands search his living room. His brain scrambles to pick up each and every memory of Johann, searching deep for the memory of voice. Yet every memory sounds slightly different. Some sound completely stranger to him. Some sound almost like a parody of what Johann must have sounded like.

Avi opens the junk drawer of a console table. His hand dives into the garbage of years well-lived until his fingers grasp a smooth, round object. He picks it up with trembling hands. Shortly after the Day of Story and Song, Lucas Miller had created small copies of a device that recorded the knowledge sent out by the Voidfish. Including the bard’s final inspiration.

He had sworn off of using it during that second year, after he listened to it nonstop during his first year of pain. Avi wonders how terrible of a mistake he has made. Avi clicks the button right in the middle and his pounding heartbeat roars in his ears so loud that he worries he won’t hear Johann’s words. But they shine through. They always do.

“You’re going to have to fight. And… you’re gonna win!” Johann’s voice pierces through the silent room. Avi’s breath hitches in his throat. He has a low voice, as Avi remembered, but has it always been as deep as that? His voice is passionate, as all were on that fateful day, but even then his distinctive flat tone gives him away. The voice is so familiar, yet jarringly surprising to hear.

How could Avi forget Johann’s voice?

“Oh, Johann,” Avi cracks. Tears swell up in his eyes with no second to recuperate. He presses the button once again, and he listens to Johann’s voice. His heart aches to remember every single little inflection in every syllable, every tone, until Avi could never forget it again. How could he forget it? When all that Johann ever asked for was to be remembered, his boyfriend can’t even fulfill that only three fucking years later—

Avi pulls the device to his chest and sobs. “Johann,” Avi cries out. Repeating his name and pressing that button over and over and over and over again. Until it drowns out any piece of music in remembrance of Johann that plays outside. Until memory falters, and an obsession relapses.

#taz november celebration #taz nc #taz balance #taz avi #taz johann #johavi #my writing

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percahliaweek · 1 year

Text

Day 7: Free / Random Prompt

It's really hard to believe that this is already over.

I think I can speak for everyone when I say that I'm in awe of the creativity and passion of this community. As of writing this I can see 80+ fics in our AO3 collection and 40+ incredible pieces of artwork (of which I need to go back and tag more from day 1)! And with more to come - from people completing their WIPs past this date, to fics inspired by art and vici-versa, this blog will continue to be active as needed.

So... now what?

If you're looking for a last-minute prompt for today, we can recommend plenty of ways to get some (random) inspiration! Random page of the Encyclopedia Exandria / Random word generator / OTP prompt generator / AU generator / @ghostofwhitestone 's Spell prompts [roll 2d20?] / Wild Magic Surge table / Life events table

Comment, comment, comment! Gush in the tags of your favorite artwork, leave an essay or a massive keysmash on your favorite fics! Give back a little of the love all these creators have shown, especially the little ones that might be overlooked.

Speaking of: starting tomorrow, we'll be reblogging some pieces again to get more eyes on them!

Given the success of this celebration, we hope to give Perc'ahlia Week another shot next year! It will likely be from Monday the 23rd to Sunday the 29th, with the 29th keeping Yours / Later given it's the anniversary of Passed Through Fire. As for the rest of the prompts... well, it's a bit too early to start planning yet, but I can say there are plenty of excellent ideas for prompts going forward and we hope to make a poll to iron out the final list. Wayyyy down the line (as well as any other preferences for the event going forward: announcement date, anything to make it easier to participate, etc.).

I'd like to give a huge shoutout to all the participants: you've blown us away with your skill and creativity, and I really hope you got as much out of this experience as you put in. Thank you so, so much, you make this fandom a wonderful place to be in.

To those on the sidelines: your enjoyment of everything these creators share is half the fun! Thank you for joining us for the ride, and for letting your delight shine through. Hopefully you can join us next year!

And a final thank you to all the mods who helped this run smoothly: @essayofthoughts, @rightpastnowhere and @crithaus, it was a pleasure keeping this ship (hah! get it?) on course with y'all while also watching you offer your own contributions to Perc'ahlia Week. @burr-ell, my co-admin, thank you so much for helming this with me, your insight was always astute and your work dearly appreciated (im sorry for changing your nickname to butt-ell </3). Also thanks me @blorbologist i guess.

#percahliaweek #percahliaweek23 #day 7: free / random #criticle role #percahlia #perc'ahlia

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aidenlyons · 5 months

Text

It's early Sunday morning and Aiden is barely out of bed when Jake calls.

A: Hi.

J: Hey babe. Sorry, did I wake you?

A: No, I've been up a little while.

J: Good. I waited as long as I could stand. Miss you like crazy.

A: Watcher, I miss you too. How is it?

J: Still fun. We're really getting into a rhythm, it's going to be a good team.

A: I'm glad, I don't want to go and watch any boring games.

J: Ha Ha. How are things there? What have you been doing?

A: Classes are done now, so there's marching practice which is dumb. I've been painting some. Experimenting. It's.. not going well.

J: This your sexy stuff or other stuff?

A: Other stuff. Hah. Tony tried to show me one of her sexy Simstagram guys the other day.

J: Yeah? Should I be jealous?

A: She was hoping it might inspire me, but.. Just made me miss you more, actually.

J: Damnit... this long distance stuff is for the birds.

A: But.. you haven't changed your mind, right? It's just a little longer?

Aiden hates that he still feels insecure about this. He shouldn't. He can't help it.

J: Oh, babe, no. Of course I haven't changed my mind. I love you.

A: I love you too. I'm sorry.

J: Don't be. We knew this was going to be hard. A little distance won't change my feelings. I promise. When I get back you'll see me so much you'll be sick of me.

A: Yeah?

J: Mhm. Now tell me, what else have you been doing?

A: Oh! I might have found a place to stay. It's just renting a room from someone. I'm going to take a trip out there this week to meet him and look at it.

J: Really? That's great! Let me know when you'll be here. Maybe I can sneak out.

A: I will. That'd be nice.

J: Yeah, it would. Hey, I gotta go, I skipped breakfast hoping to call you early and I'm starving.

A: Jake, you didn't have to do that. You shouldn't skip meals. Go eat. Call me when you can.

J: I will. I love you.

A: Love you too.

#simblr #sims 4 #show us your story #the sims 4 #aiden lyons #Jake Lawson

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kinger-fr · 10 months

Note

Dad says act our age

You heard the man, it's time to rage!

[All]

Blast the bass, turn out the light

Ain't nobody home tonight!

[Ram]

Drink, smoke, it's all cool

Let's get naked in my pool!

[All]

Punch the wall and start a fight!

Ain't nobody home tonight!

[Kurt]

His folks got a waterbed

Come upstairs and rest your head

[Ram]

Let's rub each other's backs

While watching porn on cinemax!

[Heather chandler, kurt, ram, kids]

The folks are gone

It's time for big fun!

Big fun!

We're up till dawn

Having some big fun!

Big fun!

When mom and dad forget

To lock the liquor cabinet

It's big fun!

Big fun!

[Veronica]

Ok, ok, ok

So, it's salt, and then lime, and then shot?

[Heather mcnamara]

No, it's salt, and then

[Heather chandler]

You're doing it wrong!

[Veronica, spoken]

Really? 'Cause I feel great

[Preppy stud]

Veronica, you are looking good tonight!

[Veronica]

Whoa

A hot guy smiled at me

Without a trace of mockery!

[All but veronica]

Everyone's high as a kite

Ain't nobody home tonight!

[Veronica]

Stoned. Zoned. I should quit

Hey, is that weed? I want a hit

[All but veronica]

Fill that joint and roll it tight

Ain't nobody home tonight!

[Veronica]

Dreams are coming true

When people laugh but not at you!

I'm not alone! I'm not afraid!

I feel like bono at liveaid!

[All]

The house is ours

It's time for big fun!

Big fun!

Let's use their showers

That sounds like

Big fun!

Crack open one more case!

[Veronica]

I think that's what they call third base

[All]

Big fun!

[Veronica]

That actually looks like

[All]

Big fun!

[Kurt]

Alright, people, listen up!

What is westerberg gonna do to the razorbacks at Sunday's game?

[Ram]

Gonna make 'em go whee!

Whee! Whee! Whee!

[All]

Big fun!

[Heather duke]

Way to show maturity!

[All]

Big fun!

[Heather duke]

Quit it jackass, get off of me!

[All]

Big fun!

[Veronica]

Yo! Ram! Emergency!

I just saw some freshmen sneaking over the pool fence!

[Ram]

I hate freshmen!

Where are you little pricks?

I'm coming for you!

[Veronica]

Hey, are you okay?

[Heather duke]

I didn't need your help

[Veronica]

Aw, thanks, heather, but I don't really have to vomit right now

[All]

The party's hot, hot, hot

It's time for big fun!

Big fun!

[Kurt]

You need a jello shot!

[All]

We're having big fun!

Big fun!

[Heather chandler]

Martha dumptruck, in the flesh

[Heather duke]

Here comes the cootie squad

We should -

[Heather chandler]

Shut up, heather

[Heather duke]

Sorry, heather

[Heather mcnamara]

Look who's with her

Oh, my God!

[All three heathers]

Dang! Dang! Diggety-dang-a-dang!

Dang-dang! Diggety-dang-a-dang!

[Veronica]

I can't believe you actually came

[Martha]

It's exciting, right?

Oh, I want to say hello to ram

I brought sparkling cider

[Heather chandler]

Showing up here took some guts

Time to rip them out

[Heather duke]

Well, who's this pig remind you of?

Especially the snout

[Heather chandler]

Hah!

[All three heathers]

Dang, dang, diggety-dang-a-dang!

[Ram]

Where the hell are those freshman?

[Martha]

Hi, ram

I wasn't gonna come, but since you took the time to write that sweet note

[Ram]

What note?

Why d'you gotta be so weird all the time?

People wouldn't hate you so much if you acted normal

There's no alcohol in here! Are you trying to poison me?

[Kids]

Dang, dang, diggety-dang-a-dang

Diggety-dang-a-dang!

The folks are gone

It's time for big fun!

Big fun!

We're up till dawn

Having some big fun!

Big fun!

So let the speakers blow

They'll buy another stereo

Our folks got no clue

'Bout all the shit their children do

Why are they surprised?

Whenever we're unsupervised

It's big fun!

Big fun!

Whooo!

Mod: WHY?!?! WHY THE WALL OF FUCKING TEXT?!?!

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lackyghost · 2 years

Text

LOCAL ONSEN EMPLOYEE, MINETA MINORU, FOUND DEAD, NUMEROUS SUSPECTS BEING INVESTIGATED

—

Seated alone in his living room, lying across his faded black sofa, watching an overhyped and entirely lackluster horror movie is one Bakugou Katsuki.

His pale blonde hair is almost white against the dark of the sofa, flaring out around his head and face like an explosion of natural spikes.

His usually scowling face is neutral as he watches the woman on screen get brutally mauled by a chainsaw.

The blood is too bright, closer to the scarlet of Katsuki’s eyes than the deep crimson of actual blood. Just another mistake that makes Katsuki want to just shut it off and go to sleep.

Thoughts of moving to his bed are cut off by his phone buzzing on the coffee table. Katsuki lazily swipes for it and frowns at the unknown number. He ignores the call and drops his phone back down.

Almost as soon as his phone goes still again, it vibrates with another call from the same unknown number. Katsuki scowls as he grabs his phone, angrily swipes the answer button, and slaps the device to the side of his face.

“What the fuck d’you want?” Katsuki growls out, his usual deep, gruff voice even harsher than usual.

“Oh, so angry,” a deep, smooth voice says with a chuckle. “I’ve heard some interesting things about you, Bakugou Katsuki.”

“Big fucking deal,” Katsuki grouses. He’s certainly been in the news often enough, not in a few years though, but there is one type of person who still occasionally tracks down his phone number. “I’m not gonna give you a fucking interview, asshole.”

“An interview?” The voice asks, amused. “You’d want to confess your crimes to me?”

Katsuki groans loudly. “So, you’re one of those assholes, hah? You with Chisaki and his band of fuckwads? He didn’t get my goddamned message last time?”

Katsuki absentmindedly rubs his free hand over the old, faded scars hidden beneath his shirt, trying not to let his mind wander back to his time in the Yakuza’s ‘recruitment camp.’

The man on the other end of the line hums thoughtfully.

“No, I’m not part of his band of fuckwads,” the man finally says. “But you’re on my list.”

“Whoop-de-fucking-do,” Katsuki says dryly.

“It’s lots of fun, yes,” the man says, and lets out another deep, rumbling chuckle. “Don’t you want to know what list?”

Katsuki snorts derisively. “I don’t give a single fuck, asshole. I’ve been on shit lists for fucking years now, and you’re no fucking different from any of those other dumbfuck extras who start spewing shit without even knowing what they’re talking about.”

The man makes a curious huffing sound. “I think I—”

“What?” Katsuki snaps. He sits up angrily and shuts his television off. “Think you know how I refused to join the Shie Hassaikai? Think you know how even after that bastard Chisaki nearly killed me, I still fucking spat in his face and refused again? You think I give a single fuck about you and your goddamned list? News flash, dumbass, I fucking don’t! Pieces of shit like you have been adding me to lists like that for a long fucking time, and the answer will always be no! I’m not fucking interested in beating people up for money or kidnapping or what-the-fuck-ever. So, good-fucking-bye.”

Katsuki hangs up angrily. His chest is heaving with furious pants as he storms across his small one-bedroom apartment. He turns his phone off and plugs it in on his nightstand, and then he opts to take a long, hot shower to soothe his freshly tensed body.

—

‘TOUGH LOVE’ TEACHER TORINO SORAHIKO FOUND DEAD IN HIS APARTMENT

—

One thing many people don’t know about Katsuki is that he spends every Sunday deep-cleaning his apartment. Every nook and cranny, every item of clothing, every blanket and even his goddamn shoes get cleaned.

It’s a habit that started initially as part of his therapy when he’d been diagnosed with PTSD after his Yakuza incident back when he was a teenager. He finds it soothing now, and gets jittery any time he can’t complete his full regimen.

He loses himself easily in the ministrations, listening to music playing in his little Bluetooth speaker that he carries from room to room as he goes.

It’s been a week and a half since the strange phone call incident, and Katsuki has honestly forgotten about it. It wasn’t the first time he’s received a phone call from an assumed journalist, and he doubts it’ll be the last.

He gathers his full trash bag and leaves his apartment with just his keys in his pocket and the smelly bag carried at his side. He doesn’t bother locking his unit door, knowing he’ll be in and out.

It’s a bit chilly out, but summer is definitely approaching so he doesn’t whine too much about it as he takes the stairs down from the fourth floor to the sidewalk below.

He walks around the side of the building toward the dumpster and cocks a brow at the man standing there; tall and broad with black pants and a black hoodie that’s zipped up all the way and pulled over to hide his face in the shadow of the material.

The guy makes a soft, startled sound and jumps away from the apartment’s fire escape, but Katsuki just rolls his eyes and throws his bag in the dumpster. He’s about to turn around when he spots something unusual behind the man.

Katsuki starts walking forward and the guy holds his hand up, gesturing for him to stop. The blonde easily ignores him and walks past, squatting down in front of a little cardboard box. He frowns at the tiny orange kitten inside, shivering and looking absolutely pathetic.

“Hey, there,” Katsuki says gently as he lifts the tiny thing up. “Shit, you’re freezing.”

He cradles the kitten to his chest and wraps his unzipped hoodie around it securely. He stalks right back past the hooded figure, not really giving a shit what the guy is doing.

Once he’s back inside his apartment, he grabs a small bowl of water and sets it on the floor. He sets the kitten down next to it and tries to coax it to drink. After a few minutes, it finally does and Katsuki sighs in relief. The poor thing can’t be more than eight weeks old.

Katsuki gets back up and riffles through his cabinets for a can of unseasoned tuna in water. He always keeps some around, it's easier to season it himself and therefore more versatile.

He opens the can and dumps some of it into another little dish before setting it down next to the kitten. He squats down and strokes the tiny fluffball as it sniffs the food curiously. When it finally starts eating, he jogs to his room for his cellphone to look up the closest veterinarian.

—

CEO OF AFO CORPORATION MURDERED, STEP-SON IS TOP SUSPECT

—

Katsuki has owned ‘Dynamight Bowls & Curry’ for six years. He bought the food truck back when he was eighteen and spent two years working full time in a restaurant as an assistant chef while he attended culinary school. He also used that time to fix up the truck and save up for business startup costs.

He quit his job at the restaurant and started working on his truck full time when he was twenty years old, and he has never regretted it.

He works Monday through Saturday from 11am to 7pm, rotating on a set schedule of plaza venues that gets regularly updated on his social media.

Dynamight’s serves bowl meals, different choices of protein with various types of marinades and seasonings, sautéed vegetables, served over a bed of rice and sometimes pickled vegetables as well. All with their best matched added flavors and textures, extra sauces, and garnishes.

He also offers beef and chicken curry, served with a vegetable croquette and a side of rice, garnished with cilantro and pickled daikon.

His food is damn good, and he fucking knows it.

—

Katsuki has his apron tied tight around him, snug on his trim waist. He’s got several things cooking at once thanks to the lunch rush. He’s got a bit of a unique method of running his truck. People order using a digital touch screen outside and scan to pay for their meals, then the order shows up on a screen in front of him once it’s paid, and he gets to work. It’s unusual, but necessary since he runs the truck by himself.

“Grilled Salmon with Yuzu and Ponzu for Ashido!” Katsuki shouts as he pushes a steaming, covered to-go bowl onto the serving counter. Once it’s taken, he shoves another up and yells again. “Yakiniku Beef for Kaminari!”

“Thanks, Blasty!” Ashido and Kaminari say as they wave at him. Katsuki flips them off and they laugh at his antics.

“Teriyaki Chicken with extra soy sauce for Sero! Yakiniku Beef with extra meet for Kirishima!” Katsuki calls out as he pushes another two bowls to the edge.

“You’re the best, bro!” Kirishima says cheerfully.

“Yeah, thanks, man!” Sero says as he and Kirishima take their dishes and rush off to catch up with Ashido and Kaminari.

Those four have been religiously eating at Dynamight’s for over two years now, every single Friday they spend their hour lunch break at his truck. They’re not the first group to become regulars like that, but they are the first group who actually seem to like his prickly attitude and sometimes come by before he closes on Saturdays to hang out while he meticulously cleans and organizes his truck.

—

After the lunch shift has died down, Katsuki lets out a breath of relief at the short break. He turns away from the order screens and the open window so he can wash his knives and utensils quickly.

“Hey, I’m gonna try the ‘Death by Curry,’” a deep voice drawls from behind Katsuki, nearly making him drop his supplies.

Katsuki looks over his shoulder and takes in the man outside his truck. He’s tall and pale, nearly every inch of visible skin covered in black and deep purple tattoos, a face full of piercings, and almond shaped eyes that house vibrant turquoise irises.

His hair is snow white, spiky and untamed as it fans out around his head. He’s wearing a white t-shirt that clings to his broad shoulders and firm chest, the black leather jacket atop it only further accentuating the look.

Katsuki cocks a brow and moves to set his things in the drying rack before wiping his hands on his apron. He crosses his arms and steps over to the serving window. He leans his folded arms on the little serving platform and stares down at the man, who’s nearly at eye level even with Katsuki having the truck’s height at his advantage, putting him around 200cm, a full head taller than Katsuki.

Katsuki smirks at the guy. “You think you can handle it?”

The white-haired man returns the cocky expression. “I’m pretty sure I can handle some spicy food, doll.”

“Sure,” Katsuki says, too amused to even be bothered by the nickname. “Beef or chicken?”

“Beef,” the guy says.

Katsuki chuckles darkly as he pulls out the ingredients. No one has ever passed the ‘Death by Curry’ challenge. It’s Katsuki’s personal favorite; perfectly seasoned and spiced to levels that could arguably be considered lethal.

The white-haired man watches through the window curiously as Katsuki cooks his meal. When it’s done, the blonde dumps the contents into the take-out bowl and adds his usual garnishes. He snags a water bottle from the fridge and hands it to the guy.

“Good fucking luck,” Katsuki purrs as he hands the bowl over.

The tattooed man chuckles. “Don’t worry about me, doll, I can handle the heat.”

He heads over to one of the little tables of the plaza and Katsuki drops his elbow on the ledge and perches his chin on his open palm as he watches the white-haired man open the container and scoop up a good portion. He holds eye contact with the blonde as he blows on the spoonful and brings it to his mouth.

First, he looks pleased by the flavors.

And then Katsuki’s smirk widens into a grin as the man’s face flushes red and his eyes go glassy. The white-haired man gives him an incredulous look and cracks open the water bottle so he can chug half of it in one go.

“What the hell!” The man groans. “There’s no way anyone can eat that!”

Katsuki cracks up laughing. He pushes away from the window and shoves open the door of his truck. He locks it behind himself just to be extra safe, and stalks over to the table. He plucks the spoon from the guy’s bowl, scoops up a big serving, and pops it into his mouth. He hums appreciatively as he chews, thoroughly enjoying the mix of flavors and textures.

“You gonna finish it? Or is this my dinner now?” Katsuki grouses after swallowing his mouthful.

The tattooed man gawks at him for a moment and then pushes the bowl closer to Katsuki, who nods and picks it up. He chomps away at the meal, getting halfway through it before the white-haired man finds the ability to speak again.

“Damn, doll, you’re one hell of a spitfire,” the man says, sounding both impressed and mildly amused.

Katsuki cocks a brow and swallows. He holds his hand out for the water bottle still in the guy’s hands, and the man slowly hands it over. Katsuki takes a small sip before sighing and handing it back.

“It’s my favorite,” Katsuki says with a shrug. “Ain’t my fault no one else can handle my shit.”

The white-haired man gives Katsuki a once-over. “I think I could handle you.”

Katsuki snorts. “Sure, Patchwork.”

He turns away from the man, bowl in hand, and eats as he makes his way back to his food truck. When he gets back inside, he turns and finds the white-haired man already at the truck again, putting in an order on the digital pad. Katsuki chuckles and throws the now empty bowl away and drinks some water before checking the screen.

“Yakiniku Beef with spicy barbecue sauce?” Katsuki asks as he gives the white-haired man a skeptical look.

“Gotta work my way up to the ‘Death by Curry,’ I think,” the man says.

He winks at Katsuki, and the blonde rolls his eyes and turns to scrub his hands before getting to work on the man’s food.

—

EX-COP TAKAMI KEIGO CHARGED WITH MURDER OF BUBAIGAWARA JIN; FOUND DEAD IN CELL HOURS LATER

—

Katsuki doesn’t go out very often, it’s maybe once a month that he decides to head over to the nearby bar just to get tipsy and let off some steam.

He’s not interested in getting hit on, so he simply pulls on some loose jeans and an old black t-shirt with a white skull on the front. It’s tighter than it used to be and now hugs his muscles, but he pulls a black hoodie on over top and zips it half way up so he looks properly lazy.

The walk to the bar takes about fifteen minutes, but the night is decently warm. He kind of regrets bringing the hoodie already, but he’s not interested in turning around just to bring it back to his apartment, so he trudges his way into the bar.

It’s busy and half the patrons are already drunk, but he ignores them and stalks up to the counter. He plants himself on a stool and gestures for the bartender’s attention.

“Suntory Toki,” Katsuki says, and the bartender nods and reaches for the whiskey.

Katsuki sets the cash down and nods his thanks to the purple-haired man as he slides the glass over.

Katsuki is blissfully zoned out after two glasses of whiskey, just watching the boxing match on the television angled at the end of the bar, when someone taps on his shoulder.

With an agitated grunt, Katsuki looks up to see a tall man with black hair and brown eyes. Katsuki glares at him, already ready to refuse to get up from the bar.

“Wanna dance?” The man asks.

“The fuck,” Katsuki says. “No.”

He turns away from the man with a scoff and goes back to sipping his glass of water. It’s one of his drinking rules; one glass of water for each glass of alcohol.

Heat fans across his back as the man leans over his shoulder to whisper in his ear. “Come on, pretty boy. I’ll give you a night you won’t forget.”

Katsuki responds by slamming his elbow back into the man’s gut. The guy wheezes and stumbles back. Katsuki glares over his shoulder at the man for a long moment before going back to his water.

“You’re pretty feisty,” the man says, still breathless from the hit.

“And you’re pretty fucking stupid,” Katsuki grouses, still not looking back at the guy.

The man chuckles and walks back up to the blonde. He runs a hand down Katsuki’s arm as he speaks lowly. “Can’t wait to break that bad attitude.”

Katsuki sets his glass down with a sigh. He looks to the bartender, who is glowering at the black-haired man and looking absolutely done with his shit.

Katsuki clicks his tongue and turns around quickly, startling the man behind him. The guy smirks and opens his mouth to say something else, but he’s cut off by Katsuki punching him in the jaw. The man falls flat on his back and gapes up at Katsuki.

“Consent is key, asshole,” Katsuki growls out as he steps over the man’s prone body and stalks out the side door into the alley. His mind is fuzzy and he feels light, but he’s not stumbling, so he figures its safe to walk home.

He doesn’t even get halfway down the side alley before the bar door is slammed open and three furious men step out, all glaring at Katsuki.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” One of the men demands.

“How dare you punch Shindou like that!” The second yells.

“All you had to do was go with him and have some fun,” the third says as he cracks his knuckles. “But now ya gotta deal with us instead.”

Katsuki scoffs and crosses his arms as he turns to fully face the men. “You seriously think you assholes can take me?”

“Oh, we’ll take you down,” one says darkly.

“And then we’ll take you home so you can be Shindou’s new plaything,” another adds.

“Yeah, just keep repeating your boss’ name,” Katsuki says dryly. “Really fucking smart.”

All three men laugh and step closer to him. Two draw knives and then one retrieves a pair of glistening brass knuckledusters from his pocket. Katsuki scoffs derisively as he moves into a fighting stance.

“Cute,” one of the men says sarcastically.

“You assholes have no idea who you’re fucking talking to,” Katsuki snarls.

“Wait,” one says, squinting at Katsuki. He licks his lips nervously. “You’re not… you’re not that Bakugou guy, right? The Beast of UA?”

Katsuki’s lips turn up in a malicious smirk. “Oh good, you’ve heard of me.”

“Doesn’t matter who you are!” The knuckleduster man roars. “We’re going to fuck you up and drag you away so the boss can fuck you up!”

The back door slams open again, and all eyes shoot to the large, white-haired, tattooed man. He launches himself forward and Katsuki watches, fascinated, as the man knocks the largest man out with a single hit to the face. He then spins around with incredible speed and sweeps the feet out from under the second man, who’s head hits the ground with a sickening crack that renders him unconscious.

The third man rushes for Katsuki in a desperate attempt, clearly believing he’s the lesser of two fights. Unfortunately for him, Katsuki didn’t gain his title of ‘Beast’ by being the gentlest MMA fighter in his University.

Katsuki slams his hand down on the man’s wrist, spins around, and kicks his knee out of place. The man yelps in pain and Katsuki smashes him face first to the ground before karate-chopping the side of his neck in the perfect spot to knock him out. Katsuki straightens up and looks at the white-haired man, who is once again gaping at him.

“I fucking had that, Patches,” Katsuki grouses. “I ain’t some damsel in distress.”

“I see that, doll,” the man says, and then he grins broadly. “You’re really something, aren’t you, spitfire?”

“Fucking obviously,” Katsuki says with a scoff.

He can feel his face heating up, but he blames it on the alcohol and not on the obscenely attractive and obviously incredibly strong and well trained man in front of him.

“You heading home?” The white-haired man asks.

“That was the fucking plan,” Katsuki says with a shrug.

“Want to get something to eat first?” The man asks.

“No,” Katsuki says dryly.

The tattooed man pouts, and tilts his head in the most out-of-character puppy dog expression the blonde has ever seen.

It’s stupid—the guy is huge, and the back light in the alley shines off of his piercings and casts an ominous shadow across his tattooed skin, making him look like a demon.

Even his turquoise eyes seem to be glowing. He does not look like a cute, innocent little puppy and Katsuki absolutely should not give in.

But fuck if he doesn’t do just that.

Katsuki lets out a long sigh. “Fucking fine. But you’re buying.”

“Fuck yeah!” The man says cheerfully, a lopsided grin on his lips. He walks up to Katsuki and gestures for the blonde to walk with him. “There’s this ramen place close by. Not as good as your food, but they’ve got an extra spicy tonkatsu that you’d probably like.”

“Fair enough,” Katsuki says with a shrug.

“I’m Todoroki Touya, by the way,” the white-haired man says.

“Bakugou Katsuki,” the blonde says.

Touya chuckles. “I know who you are. I’ve watched your old matches. Guess you quit to focus on the food truck, huh?”

Katsuki shrugs. “Cooking’s better. I still go to the gym daily and train several times a week. Ain’t no chance of some fucking extras taking me on.”

“I believe you,” Touya says, looking pointedly to his shoulders. “What gym do you go to?”

Katsuki squints at the taller man. “Why? You stalking me?”

Touya scoffs loudly and waves his hand nonchalantly. “Wouldn’t dream of it, doll.”

“Fucking weird ass, patchwork fucker,” Katsuki grumbles. Touya laughs and Katsuki cocks a brow at the unexpected response to being outright insulted.

“I like you, Bakugou,” Touya says with a grin. “I think we’ll be really good friends.”

Katsuki rolls his eyes. “Whatever, Patches.”

—

DOCTOR UJIKO DARUMA FOUND DEAD IN HIS OFFICE, NO BIRTH RECORDS CAN BE LOCATED; WAS HE A FRAUD?

—

Katsuki opens his apartment door, fully intending to go down to the mailboxes.

He blinks in surprise at the massive box waiting just outside his door. With a furrowed brow, he reads the address on the label, and cocks a brow when he finds his name there.

He knows it isn’t from his parents, they haven’t contacted him since he moved out at eighteen and he prefers it that way.

It could possibly be from Deku, that asshole sends Katsuki random things for his birthday, but it’s June and his birthday was in April, so scratch that.

Katsuki shrugs and lifts the box up. It’s incredibly heavy and awkward to lift, but he manages to get it through his door with only one tiny scratch to the frame that he will easily pretend he doesn’t notice.

He sets the box down in his entryway and shuts and locks his front door before heading to the kitchen for a knife. He carefully cuts the box open and then sets the knife on the kitchen counter.

He pulls the box open and at the top is a piece of heavy cardstock paper with a border lined in various animals. It’s got a printed message on the front and Katsuki lifts the paper to read it curiously.

Doll, I volunteer at Kouda’s Veterinary Clinic, and when I saw that you have a kitten set for an appointment next week and read the note attached saying you rescued little ‘Queen Murder Mittens,’ I couldn’t help myself. – Patchwork PS, here’s my phone number, spitfire (xx-xxx-xxxx)

“Huh,” Katsuki says, for lack of a better response. He sets the note aside and starts pulling out the items.

There’s a five-pound bag of high-quality dry kitten food, a 24 pack of the same brand in different canned flavors, treats that claim to be good for dental health, a twenty-pound bag of cat litter, various cat toys, a scratching post, and a huge five-tiered cat tree.

Katsuki gapes at it all in absolute shock for a long minute before whipping out his phone and punching in Touya’s number.

Katsuki: What the fuck? Why’d you send me so much shit?

He’s barely pocketed his phone again before a response comes through, forcing him to pull the device right back out.

Patchwork: It’s not for you! It’s for Queen Murder Mittens!

Katsuki: …fuck.

Patchwork: Yeah, don’t argue, Spitfire. Just let me know if she likes it.

Katsuki sighs and puts his phone away. Queenie, as he calls the kitten for short, is already sniffing curiously at the new items.

Katsuki gets to work building the cat tree, and he only messes up once, thank-you-very-much. He sets the thing up by his large living room window, so the little hammock thing near the top will get plenty of sunlight.

He opens up the other toys, some are just loose mice and balls with bells and rattles inside, while others are sticks with a dangling toy and a suction cup on the end. He could easily stick them to windows so she could still play when he’s at work. It’s weirdly touching to know that the white-haired man’s gift is so considerate.

By the time he’s done getting things put up and the food stored away, Queenie has found her way up the cat tree and is snoozing away in the hammock. Katsuki kisses her head and strokes her back before snapping a picture to send off to Touya.

Katsuki: [Image attached.] She says thanks.

Patchwork: Adorable. She is very welcome. I haven’t even met her, and I would kill for her.

Katsuki snorts aloud and accidentally startles the poor kitten. He whispers an apology and kisses her head again before walking to his bedroom so he can get ready for work.

Katsuki: Riot Gym. I go every morning at 6am.

—

SMALL TIME GANGSTER SHINDOU YOU FOUND DEAD ALONG WITH THREE OF HIS MEN

—

Katsuki is only a little anxious about meeting Touya at the gym for the first time. The more he gets to know about the man, the more he likes him.

So, Katsuki devises a plan in his evil gremlin brain.

He pulls on his favorite compression outfit; black shorts with orange trim, and a black tank top with an orange ‘x’ across the front. It’s tight and hides absolutely nothing.

Katsuki secures his black sneakers and grabs his gym bag, swinging it over his shoulder before heading out. He’s got his clean clothes, water bottle, phone, and wallet shoved inside the bag along with his shower bag and towel.

He’s somewhat surprised to find Touya standing outside of Riot, scrolling aimlessly on his phone with his gym bag on the ground by his feet. Katsuki takes a moment to just look him over, clad in loose eggplant purple shorts and a low-cut black tank top with slits down the sides, giving a delightful view of the tattoos where they travel down his pecs and ribs.

“You ready for me to kick your ass?” Katsuki asks.

When Touya looks up, his eyes widen as he scans over the blonde’s body, which is as close to exposed as he can get without actually stripping down.

“Damn, doll,” Touya drawls. “You sure know how to taunt a guy.”

Katsuki snorts and scans his entry key, trying to hide his smug grin and light blush. “Whatever, Patchwork. We’re starting with stretches. You any good at yoga?”

Touya hums as he steps inside after the blonde. “I’ve never actually tried yoga.”

“S’ good shit,” Katsuki says. “Let’s put our shit away and I’ll show you some of the basics.”

“Lead the way, doll,” Touya says.

Katsuki just grunts his acknowledgment as they go to the locker rooms. He pulls his water bottle out before shoving the locker closed. He leads the white-haired man to the room usually reserved for instructor-led courses.

“Earliest class starts at eight, so we’re fine to just stretch in here,” Katsuki explains simply as he goes to the little shelf with mats and tugs two out. He hands one to Touya and leads the way to the center of the room. “Don’t hurt yourself trying to copy me.”

“Please, I’m limber enough for yoga,” Touya says with a scoff.

Katsuki smirks and starts in a basic standing pose before stretching up into upward hand. He holds it for a moment, ensuring that the white-haired man is watching, and then Katsuki folds forward into a perfect standing fold, arms curled around the backs of his calves as he bends completely in half. The man’s tattooed face flushes red, but he manages to grip his ankles.

Katsuki snickers and arches up into a half standing forward fold. Touya follows him, and Katsuki notes that he’s biting down hard on his tattooed lower lip, which contrasts heavily with his unblemished, pink upper lip.

Katsuki moves into a triangle pose, and holds before switching sides. He goes into a warrior A pose, then switches sides and repeats with warrior B pose. Then, deciding he’s given Touya enough of a break, he folds down into wide leg forward fold pose; hands flat on the ground and legs spread as his head brushes the ground.

Touya nearly falls over and Katsuki has to bite his inner cheek to hold in a laugh. While holding the pose, he stretches his arms out behind himself, and then moves into a half-bound lotus, holds, and then switches sides.

Then he adjusts himself into downward dog and holds before sliding into upward facing dog. He goes back up into downward dog and then sits back on his ass and grins at Touya as he extends his legs straight out and reaches forward to grip his toes, folded in half once again.

“You okay there, Patches?” Katsuki teases.

“You’re killing me here, doll,” Touya groans, face flushed as he does his best to copy the blonde. Katsuki cracks up laughing and Touya pulls his knees up as he looks at the ceiling, letting out a long breath. “It should be illegal to do that with shorts that tight.”

Katsuki snorts. “Glad you like ‘em.”

He stands up and walks to the wipes dispenser, grabbing two. He hands one to Touya before he wipes his mat clean. The tattooed man grumbles in mingled agitation and embarrassment as he wipes his mat down. Katsuki chuckles as he rolls his mat up and puts it back on the rack. Touya leans over his back as he puts his own mat away.

“I’m picking next,” the white-haired man says, voice deep and husky. The sound sends a shiver down Katsuki’s spine.

He looks over his shoulder at the man, nearly kissing him on accident from the unexpected closeness. He doesn’t back away, but he does let his breath fan over the man’s lips when he speaks lowly, “Whatever you want, Patches.”

“Fuck,” Touya groans as he pulls away. “Why are you so fucking hot? You’re playing dirty, Spitfire.”

Katsuki scoffs as he follows the white-haired man out. “You’re one to talk.”

Touya smirks mischievously back at him before looking around for his goal. With an ‘Aha!’ he leads the way to the bench press. He starts loading up plates and Katsuki cocks a brow when he only adds 90kg.

“Warm ups?” Katsuki guesses.

“Yup,” Touya confirms with a sharp nod. “We’re gonna see who can bench the most. You wanna go first?”

Katsuki shrugs and slides onto the bench and into position. He gets his grip and easily pushes out ten reps before racking it. He gives the other man a bored look, but Touya just shrugs and gestures for them to switch places.

They keep up the pattern, ten reps each, add 10kg, repeat.

Katsuki maxes out at 205kg, but the white-haired man just gives him a cocky smile and tells him to add more weight. Katsuki shrugs and adds ten more. Then ten more… and ten more…

When the bar has 230kg on it, Katsuki looks down uncertainly at the white-haired man. “You fuckin’ sure about this, Patchwork?”

“Aw, don’t worry about me, spitfire,” Touya says with a grin.

Katsuki clicks his tongue, but gets into spotting position as the other man finds his grip. He lifts the bar, and there’s definitely some straining, but he does ten slow reps. Katsuki quickly reaches in to help rack at after the tenth, and he just stares down at the smugly grinning white-haired man.

“What the fuck,” Katsuki says eloquently.

Touya laughs loudly and sits up. They work together to remove the weights, each taking one side so the bar doesn’t get upended. When they finish that, they move on to Katsuki’s next choice.

—

“I think we’re a good match, doll,” Touya says as they step out of the gym together, both freshly showered and in clean clothes. “You’ve got the flexibility and speed, and I’ve got strength.”

“You weren't the worst fucking person to work out with,” Katsuki says with a shrug. He’s really trying not to focus on how fucking hot the tattooed man is.

“We should do this more often,” Touya says. “I felt way more motivated today than I have in a long time.”

“Me too,” Katsuki admits.

“So, doll, you wanna go on a date with me?” Touya questions.

Katsuki looks up at him and blinks in surprise before his lips betray him with a small smile. “Yeah.”

“Hell yeah!” Touya says with a loud whoop. He beams down at Katsuki, smile wide and turquoise eyes glinting. “I’ll plan something for after seven, yeah? So it doesn’t mess with your work?”

Katsuki shrugs. “I can always take a day off. No boss to call in to, just have to update my social media.”

Touya gives him a surprised look. “You would take a day off… to spend it with me?”

“Fucking obviously,” Katsuki says with a scoff. He averts his eyes as heat rushes to his face. “I really fucking like you. ‘M not gonna bitch out of a date because of work.”

Heavy, hot hands land on his shoulders and Katsuki looks up in surprise at Touya, whose eyes are full of affection as he smiles down at the blonde.

“Next Saturday? We could start with dinner?” Touya suggests.

Katsuki nods. “Fine. But I’m cooking dinner. Use my stolen address to find your way.”

Touya huffs out a laugh and nods. “Absolutely.”

—

SHIE HASSAIKAI LEADER CHISAKI KAI FOUND DEAD AMONGST THE BODIES OF THE ‘EIGHT BULLETS’

—

Katsuki is going all out for his dinner date with Touya. They’d agreed on 6pm and Katsuki spent a good part of his afternoon grocery shopping for a killer meal.

He knows Touya likes meat and hates fish; something he’d learned over the past couple weeks of the guy going to Dynamight’s for lunch, which seems to happen more often than not since his first time there.

For tonight, Katsuki had settled on rice, clear soup, steamed vegetables, and pan-seared steaks cooked in his beloved cast iron pan.

He also has homemade strawberry mochi in the freezer, and he picked up two bottles of wine when he was out.

His little two-seater dining table is already set with plates and cutlery the way he was taught in culinary school, water glasses filled, wine glasses ready and one bottle of wine at the edge of the table. He even fan-folded the damn napkins, for fucks’ sake.

Okay, so he’s nervous.

He’s gotten to know the white-haired man pretty well over the past few weeks, especially after the damn bar fight, and more so after the unexpected gifts for Queenie.

They text every single day, and Katsuki is fairly certain that he’s falling for the bizarre tattooed man who sends funny pictures and sarcastic quips, flirts and snarks with equal ease. He’s kind, sarcastic, strong as fuck, and he finds Katsuki’s attitude endearing rather than something that should be kept away with a 50-foot pole.

A strange clatter from Katsuki’s bedroom makes him look up from the pan he’s heating up. Queenie is napping on the cat tree’s hammock, per usual. The blonde furrows his brow and walks to his bedroom.

Touya is climbing through his window from the fire escape, a single red rose held in his mouth.

Katsuki leans on the bedroom doorframe and watches him until the white-haired man suddenly freezes and looks up, one ankle still out the window. His turquoise eyes lock with Katsuki’s scarlet orbs, and they just stare at each other in stunned silence for several long moments.

“Go wash your hands before dinner,” Katsuki says and then turns, heading back into the kitchen.

Touya cheers loudly and the window slides shut. Katsuki snorts out a laugh and puts the first steak on the pan, swirling it to keep it coated with the butter and herbs.

He hears Touya walk to the bathroom and the man hums cheerfully as he scrubs his hands

Katsuki chuckles to himself as he flips the steak, just allowing himself to breathe and try to calm himself down.

Warm, thick arms wrap around his waist and a chin drops to his shoulder, totally enveloping Katsuki’s back in Touya’s broad, firm chest. The blonde finds himself leaning against the man without actively choosing to do so.

“That smells so good,” Touya says.

“It’ll taste even better,” Katsuki promises.

They stay like that, relaxed and warm as Katsuki transfers the first steak to a plate and covers it with foil to keep it hot as he cooks the second steak.

Touya inhales deeply, squeezing the blonde a little tighter, and Katsuki is definitely in love because he has never felt more content before in his entire goddamn life.

“So, tell me about your mortal enemies,” Touya says and Katsuki spurts out a laugh.

“Fuckin’ mortal enemies, seriously, Patches?” Katsuki questions, shaking his head lightly.

“Come on, tell me who you’ve secretly wished would just fuck off,” Touya says.

Katsuki hums thoughtfully. “Well, I’d say Chisaki, but seems like that fucker finally got what was coming to him.”

“Seems that way,” Touya says, hiding his pleased smirk in the man’s hair.

“Probably my old high school teacher,” Katsuki says after a minute.

“Oh?” Touya questions curiously.

“I won this competition in my first year, but it was a fuckin’ joke of a win and I didn’t wanna accept the award, so she fuckin’ chained me to the podium while the news broadcasted the fuckin’ thing live,” Katsuki says, sighing.

Touya’s grip tightens on him and he hums. “I’m sure karma will get her eventually.”

“Sure,” Katsuki says, snorting softly.

When Katsuki moves to place the first steak to a plate, he does his best to not dislodge Touya without being too obvious that’s what he’s doing. The rumbling chuckle through his spine suggests he’s not as coy as he’d hoped, but he just moves the second steak to the pan to repeat the process.

“You’d make such a nice house-husband,” Touya says teasingly.

“Fuck off,” Katsuki says, but the man just snickers. “I ain’t some fuckin’ bride to keep locked up in a damn tower.”

Touya hums what sounds like an agreement. “True, I would rather show off my pretty husband everywhere we go. Let everyone see what they can’t have.”

“Who the fuck says that shit on a first date?” Katsuki mumbles, and he can feel the shit-eating grin on the taller man’s face.

“Someone who knows what he wants,” Touya says, voice low and husky, hot breath fanning across Katsuki’s ear, and fuck, if it doesn’t have his cock swelling.

“Shut up and sit down,” Katsuki says, elbowing the man lightly.

“Fine, fine,” Touya says. He places a soft kiss to Katsuki’s neck before releasing him, leaving the blonde stunned and frozen for a moment.

He swallows thickly and plates the second steak, adding the rice and steamed vegetables to both before turning to carry them to the table. The red rose the man had carried inside is placed neatly at the center of the table, and Touya quickly picks it up.

Katsuki quirks a brow at him as he places the plates, but the man just moves the flower safely aside. Katsuki brings the miso soup over next, setting it at the middle of the table.

“Made with vegetable broth,” Katsuki says, and Touya grins.

“Aw, you remembered,” Touya says; his voice is teasing but his expression shows the genuine fondness he feels for the blonde.

“Shut up and eat,” Katsuki mutters as he grabs the bottle of wine.

Touya chuckles as he watches the man expertly spin the corkscrew and tug the cork out with a pop, dropping it to the table and swiftly filling both glasses with the red liquid.

Katsuki slices into his steak and Touya does the same. The blonde lifts the first bite to his lips and his eyes flick up to the tattooed man as his lips close around his own forkful.

His turquoise eyes flutter closed and a deep, satisfied groan comes from his chest. The sound has Katsuki’s cheeks pinkening and his pupils dilating.

“You’re perfect,” Touya says, eyes opening part way.

“Fuck off,” Katsuki says, scowling as he scoops up some of the steamed veggies.

Touya just hums; the sound is deep and delighted and it has Katsuki flushing darker without even looking at the man. He can feel the tattooed man’s gaze burning into him.

The rest of dinner is quiet, just the sounds of them eating, the scraping of utensils, and the occasional chirrup from Queenie whenever birds fly past the window.

The air is thick with tension between the two men; the kind that has their senses on overdrive.

Touya, finished with his meal, takes a sip of his wine and stands up, grabbing the red rose. He walks around the small table, placing one hand on the back of Katsuki’s chair, using the other to hold the delicate thing out for the blonde.

“The brightest I could find,” Touya explains, locking eyes with Katsuki when he finally raises his gaze. He slowly takes the flower, unsure of what to do with it.

“Thanks,” he says, voice barely above a whisper.

Touya chuckles softly, leaning closer and licking his lips. His newly freed hand cups the blonde’s jaw and his whole face goes soft.

“Your eyes are a much more stunning shade of red,” Touya says.

Katsuki’s cheeks flush even as he narrows his gaze defiantly. Touya just grins at that, leaning closer and pressing his lips to Katsuki’s.

There is an immediate jolt through his entire system, and Katsuki drops the flower on the table so that he can bury both of his hands in the man’s silky white locks. Touya nips at his lower lip, then sucks on it, and Katsuki moans.

A feral growl rips from deep within Touya’s chest as a darker side of him breaks through the cracks in his self-control. He roughly wraps his arms around the blonde’s hips, shoving them down to his ass and lifting him up off the chair.

Katsuki gasps in surprise, but the show of strength is so fucking hot that he can’t even find it in himself to be angry. He lets out his own growl as he bites down on the side of the man’s neck, and Touya moans as he starts walking toward the blonde’s bedroom.

He falls onto the bed atop the blonde, making him grunt, but he refuses to move any further away than necessary as he crashes their lips together again.

Katsuki roughly grabs the hem of the man’s shirt and tugs on it, and Touya lets out a shaky chuckle as he pulls it off, then immediately rips Katsuki’s off as well.

Their mouths connect again as their hands roam down each other’s exposed flesh, both delighting in the muscles that move beneath their fingers. Katsuki reaches the man’s jeans and cups the obvious bulge, squeezing lightly and making Touya bite down on Katsuki’s lower lip.

The blonde moans again, squeezing his covered cock once more and making Touya snarl against his lips as he starts undoing the buttons for Katsuki’s pants, while the blonde does the same to his.

Their boxers go with the pants, shoved somewhere to the floor where neither of them gives a fuck.

Katsuki reaches over to his nightstand, growling when he has to move from Touya’s lips to rip the drawer open, making the few dildos inside clatter together. He shoves them aside, grasping the slick little bottle of lube.

Touya licks his lips as the blonde clicks the cap open and grabs Touya’s hand, drizzling the cool liquid over his fingers, some of it dripping down to his abdomen.

“You’d better fucking prep me well, your cock is fucking massive,” Katsuki snarls and Touya grins.

“And I’m sure you’ll scream so nicely on it,” Touya says, leaning in to kiss him as a distraction as he roughly shoves two of his long, thick fingers into the blonde’s hole.

Katsuki gasps and moans, precum leaking from his cock at the stinging from the stretch. He licks over Touya’s lips, shoving his tongue into the man’s mouth as soon as he opens up, dominating the kiss while the man thrusts his fingers in and out, scissoring and twisting them.

When Touya adds a third finger, he pulls back to pant for breath, both of their chests heaving, and he chuckles as he starts kissing and sucking down Katsuki’s neck.

“Fucking what?” Katsuki snaps, though he tilts his head for the man.

“Just didn’t think you’d be a pillow princess,” Touya says, snickering lightly. “Don’t worry, I don’t mind, Katsuki.”

The blonde just smirks, humming as the man continues kissing down him, knowing he’s going to surprise this fucker pretty goddamned soon.

“Condoms?” Touya questions.

“Nightstand,” Katsuki says.

Touya kisses his neck once more before leaning up, pulling his fingers free from Katsuki’s ass to lean over. He makes a curious sound when he spots the toys inside, but carefully tucks that information away for later and pulls out a large, heavily used box of condoms.

Jealousy soars through him and he rips one from the bundle. He grits his teeth as he rips it open, rolling it down his length before looming over the blonde.

“Get fucked often, doll?” Touya questions, obvious anger in his tone.

Katsuki smirks devilishly and leans up as he hooks a leg around the man’s hip, flipping their positions in a quick move that has Touya blinking in surprise and gripping the mans thighs.

“Hmm, jealous, hah?” Katsuki taunts, gripping Touya’s cock as he lines himself up.

“I don’t like to share,” Touya says, eyes locked on where the tip of his dick is kissing the blonde’s hole. He rolls his hips up, but the man doesn’t budge, and he growls.

“Good thing those condoms were for my dildos then, eh?” Katsuki says.

Touya’s jealousy simmers out and his eyes flick up to the blonde. “Wait, wha—fuck!”

His question is cut off by Katsuki dropping down, spearing himself on the man’s cock. The sudden envelopment of the tight heat around Touya’s dick has him moaning, fingers digging harshly into the blonde’s thick thighs.

“Ah, fuck, that’s good,” Katsuki says, leaning forward and planting his palms on the man’s tattooed pecs as he starts to rock slowly.

“God,” Touya groans, moving along with the man to smack their bodies together, feeling his cock move deeper with each thrust.

“Oh, fuck,” Katsuki moans as Touya’s cock drags along his prostate. He starts moving faster, grinding down harder. “Sh-shit, Touya.”

The man beneath him growls, flexing his grip on the man and waiting for the perfect moment to slam up, ramming his cock harshly up to meet his downward movement. Katsuki gasps, his own nails scraping along Touya’s chest as he fucks himself down.

Touya grits his teeth as he drills up into the man, making him bounce with each movement, but the grip on his thighs doesn’t let the man move far. He can feel the band of pleasure quickly approaching it’s peak and he pants as he forces his hips to move faster.

Katsuki reaches one hand down to grip his cock, stroking only a couple times before he cums with a keen, his ass clenching around Touya’s dick as his spend spills out over his hand.

Touya manages a few more thrusts up before he tugs the blonde down, burying himself as deep as possible as he fills the condom. His chest is heaving, but the pleasure is so fucking good that he just keeps rolling his hips, drawing it out, not stopping until the blonde flicks his nipple to gather his attention.

“Fuckin’ stop,” Katsuki says, his entire body shuddering.

Touya grunts, but complies, reaching up instead to grasp the back of the man’s neck, pulling him down for a kiss. The blonde kisses back, pressing his cum soaked hand to Touya’s abdomen as he pulls himself off the man’s dick.

He slumps down next to the man, too tired to move at the moment, and Touya lets out a breathless laugh as he wraps his arms around Katsuki, ignoring the sticky condom on his cock.

“I’m going to marry you someday,” Touya announces.

“Uh-huh,” Katsuki says with a snort.

“You wait, it’s gonna happen,” Touya says cheerfully, planting a smacking kiss to Katsuki’s temple.

“You’re a fucking sap after sex,” Katsuki mutters and the tattooed man laughs.

“You’d better get used to it,” Touya says, his eyes darkening as he leans his head against the blonde’s. “I’m not letting you go, Katsuki.”

—

UNFORTUNATE CAR CRASH CLAIMS THE LIFE OF NEMURI KAYAMA

#dabibaku #bakudabi #dbbk #my hero academia #ao3 fanfic #ao3 link #yandere dabi #strangers to lovers #stalking

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drakenology · 4 years

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Don’t Ignore Horny Daichi - Daichi Sawamura

author’s note: hehehe... so I’m officially a Daichi fucker yall.. his fine ass. im on my ✨period✨ so im extra thirsty rn. enjoy!

summary: daichi’s horny but you’re preoccupied with something sooo..

warnings: smut, cunnilingus, pure love making, established relationship.

Today was a lazy Sunday. Daichi was out at practice and you were in his apartment chilling like a villain, lounging around in his hoodie and some shorts while playing his playstation.

You had no clue what you were doing, pressing all the wrong buttons and definitely ruining his stats, but who cares? You were bored and your boyfriend wasn’t home so what’s a girl to do?

You sigh and put the controller down and grab your phone to text him.

“Daichiiii 🥺” you text, throwing your phone somewhere while you continue the game. 20 minutes go by and he texts you back.

“I know, babe. We’re wrapping up now, I’ll be home in thirty.” He said, so readily aware that you were going to say something about missing him. You sigh and pout, grabbing the controller to continue to play the game.

Even though the game you were playing was really hard, it was kind of fun. It was some first person shooter Daichi and the boys would play, him shouting call outs over the voices of everyone else in the middle of the night and waking you up in the process. What was it called, call of duty or something? Either way, you were starting to get the hang of the game and you were dominating the lobby right now.

A bit of time passed and you heard the door of Daichi’s room open, your tall boyfriend throwing his gym bag next to his closet as he sighed.

“I’m home, babe.” He grinned, kissing you on the cheek. You smile at him and turn your attention back to the game and welcomed him home.

“Call of Duty? Since when did you game?” Daichi asked, looking at the T.V in confusion.

“I was bored but now I kinda like it. I see why you play this so mu- Oh come on!” You shout after being killed. Daichi giggled and kissed your forehead, saying something about getting in the shower before getting in bed with you. You nod, half hearing what he said as you continued the game.

Daichi got undressed and grabbed a towel, walking into the bathroom of his room and closing the door. You hardly notice him get naked in front of you as you completely demolish everyone in the lobby, laughing maniacally as you get last kill.

A few minutes go by and Daichi comes out of the bathroom, his hair wet and sticking to his forehead. His muscular body was glistening wet, practically dripping onto the floor as his towel hung lazily on his hips. You stare at him as you wait on a loading screen, causing him to let out a low chuckle.

“Enjoying the peep show?” He teased, taking his towel off to dry himself. You pick your jaw up and turn back to the game and start playing again, ignoring Daichi getting changed directly in your peripheral vision.

“Fuck sake!” You cuss, getting destroyed by an absolute douchebag of a player. Daichi sits on the bed next to you, laying his head on your thighs as he caressed them.

“Been thinking about you all day, baby.” He hums, taking in your scent as he played with the hem of your shorts. You bit your lip, unable to take your eyes off the screen as you lay back a little in bed.

Your attention was so focused on the game you didn’t even hear him say he was horny, something about him getting hard at practice and having to go to the bathroom and adjust his shorts to hide his raging hard-on.

“You suck at this, you know?” Daichi teased, hoping that would at least get you to look at him but no dice. You kept playing, unaware of your boyfriends blatant requests for sex.

Daichi sighed and sat up, staring down at you on the bed as you shift your eyes a little to look at him as he got up, unsure why he moved away from his position.

Daichi crawled on top of you and started kissing your neck, you letting out a small gasp as he expertly found your favorite spot and nibbled a little. You shuffle in bed, eyes still trying to look at the game and play as he kissed and sucked on your neck.

You’re slowly getting turned on as Daichi grabbed you and kissed you with such feral hunger, pausing the game as you throw the controller onto the floor and run your fingers through his hair.

“Oh don’t stop playing now, Y/N.” Daichi said, sarcasm coating his tongue, pulling his hoodie off of you. You say nothing, blinking at him dumbly after the sloppy neck kisses he gave you.

Daichi went down and grabbed your breast, taking the other in his mouth as he licked and sucked on your exposed nipple, drawing soft moans from your throat.

“Go on, baby. Finish your game. Don’t mind me.” He said smirking, continuing his work on your breasts. The pit of your stomach was fluttering, the spot between your legs gettign wetter with each lick on your nipples.

Your focus on the game became hazy, running around aimlessly as players kill you easily. Your breathy moans fill the room as Daichi trailed kisses down to the waistband of your shorts, pulling them and your panties off expertly as he gathered your slick on the tips of fingers.

You arch your back, struggling to even get a single kill as Daichi slurped on your pussy, growling into you as your legs quiver and close in on the sides of his head. He chuckled, shoving two fingers inside as he fingered you and devored you at the same time drawing long drawn out moans from your lips.

You’re AFK at this point, players getting a free kill off your stilled character as Daichi devoured your aching pussy.

“Daichiiiii-hah! I-I can’t take a-anymore.~” you whine, at this point not even playing the game. You want to touch him, ruffle your fingers into his hair or something but he insists that you keep playing.

Your eyes could hardly stay open, your whole body convulsing as Daichi makes his assault on your clit with his mouth, his fingers hooking to poke at that spot you love. He laughed as he listened to you whine and get killed in game, you’re so fucked out that you can hardly focus on what’s in front of you.

The pit of your stomach formed a knot raring to snap in seconds, your face pulling into a lewd look as you pant and moan loudly into Daichi’s room. Finally you’re pushed over the edge, a raspy moan leaving your mouth as Daichi licked you for all you had. Before pulling away, he licked up your thigh, looking you in the eye as he smirked at your cute exhausted face.

You squirm, watching limply as Daichi sat up to pull down his sweatpants and boxers.

“You ready, baby? I can’t wait to be inside you.” He huffed, revealing his hard dick as it slapped against his stomach. You nod, spreading your legs open wider for him like a good girl should.

Daichi grabs the controller off the floor; since you dropped it while you were screaming his name, and handed it to you, telling you to keep playing.

“Don’t drop the controller no matter what, understand baby?” He coos, inching himself inside you slowly as you gasp as the stretch of his entrance.

You’re still sensitive from being eaten out, wet and ready for him as he slips deeper inside you. And here you are, desperately attempting to play Call or Duty while your boyfriend rearranged your guts in an agonizingly slow pace. You let out little whimpers with each rut of Daichi’s hips, clenching onto the controller as you just stare at the screen. Your eyes roll back, panting as he started to pick up some speed.

“D-D-Daiichii, f-fuck!” You squeal, earning a low chuckle from Daichi as he pinned your legs down on the bed, your feet above your head now. He obviously didn’t care if you paid any attention to the game now as he fucked you so hard it was impossible to focus on anything else but Daichi’s dick kissing your cervix as he rubbed circles on your puffy clit.

“I’m cumming soon, baby. Wait for me, okay?” Daichi cooed, leaning in to give you a wet kiss. You struggle to kiss him back, huffing into his mouth as he fucked you brain-dead.

He’s urging you to cum now, mumbling something to you about how close you are, he can feel you clenching down on him; let go baby he hummed.

That’s the last thing you hear before you’re screaming, your back arching off the bed as Daichi fucked you through your orgasm. Daichi came hot inside you, painting your insides white as he groaned against your neck.

He climbed to the other side of the bed and laid beside you, breathing unevenly from the work he just put in. You’re a fucked out mess, laying limp in your boyfriend’s bed as you turn your head to look at the t.v.

You had been kicked out of the lobby for inactivity, getting a few hate messages from angry teammates but whatever. It was Daichi’s account anyways. You sigh, leaning into his chest as you listen to his heartbeat and cuddle with him.

Cuddling with Daichi after sex was the best part, other than the mind blowing orgasms he’d give you he was always sure to make you feel loved and adored afterwards.

Daichi chuckled weakly and landed a playful pat on your ass, as a “good game” praise.

“That’ll teach you to ignore me.” He said breathily, causing you to bury your face into his chest in embarrassment.

#haikyuu x reader #haikyuu smut #daichi sawamura #daichi smut #haikyuu hinata #haikyuu kageyama #haikyuu tobio #haikyuu nishinoya #haikyuu tanaka #haikyuu keiji akaashi

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anonymous-dentist · 3 years

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Truth in the Tales: The Masquerade, Jack the Ripper, and America's First Serial Killer

Good morning everybody! Let's talk about murder.

Hi, I'm A.D., and I'm a history student. Today, fitting with the darker themes in The Masquerade, I'm going to be talking about two contemporary serial killers of the time that The Masquerade would have taken place, both of whom are more myth than fact at this point. For further discussion of The Masquerade, I did a little mini-lesson the other day that I'll link here. This post will be long, but it will not be comprehensive, but I'm always happy to elaborate in reblogs or asks!

I'm going to tell you now...

graphic content ahead.

(Image: 'The Nemesis of Neglect' cartoon 1888.)

As usual, let's grab the episode description from the wiki to begin with:

The episode stars Karl Jacobs, BadBoyHalo, Fundy, Nihachu, Quackity, Ranboo, Sapnap, and Technoblade. It takes place in the past and follows several upper-class people at a Masquerade in a large mansion. The Masquerade quickly goes south when someone starts murdering the guests. The episode ends by connecting current SMP events to the Masquerade and by introducing Karl to the Inbetween.

Why serial killers, you may be asking? Well.

It's hard to call a sentient evil Egg a serial killer, especially seeing as it's more of a cult leader than anything else. But I figured this would be more interesting for you folks to read about than my original topic of unions and the first red scare. (Get it, red? Egg is red? Hah...)

Before I begin, it's important to mention, hey, don't fucking glorify serial killers. I've been going through crime scene photos for this post, and they're really not fit for general audiences, to say the least. I'm not going to add the photos to this post for obvious reasons (read: they're fucking gross and I don't think anyone under the age of 20 should be looking at a mutilated woman's corpse.)

Alright. Let's go.

Part One: Jack the Ripper

(Disclaimer: most of this information is coming from the Wikipedia page because I will be fucked if I have to look at more crime scene photographs than I have to. Wikipedia is not an inherently bad source, and anybody who says it is sucks eggs.)

Anybody who's anybody has heard of Jack the Ripper. Hell, even Buzzfeed Unsolved did an episode over him. I recommend watching that as an auxiliary to this just because Ryan does good research and it's a bit more fun of a way to learn about the topic than some moron in a tumblr post.

The fact of the matter is that Jack the Ripper is a legend at this point, though his origins are based in the gritty reality of Victorian London.

As a bit of background, let me set the stage.

It's the late 19th century. The East End of London has just received an influx of Jews fleeing pogroms in Tsarist Russia. On top of that, the still-booming urbanization coming as a result of Britain's most recent industrial revolution has left London overcrowded and overwhelmingly under resourced. An underclass developed made up of people who couldn't even afford to be poverty-level. Robbery, violence, alcohol, it was all over the place. Also all over the place, and notably in the district of Whitechapel, was prostitution. Women were driven to prostitution as a result of economic instability and the ever-increasing disparity between workers and the bourgeoisie and middle class. There were an estimated 1,200 women working as prostitutes in Whitechapel around the beginning of the murders. On top of that, all of this overcrowding and turmoil had begun building and building into social strife. Hate crimes, attacks, you name it, it was going on towards anybody and everybody. Jews, Catholics, women, nobody was immune. There was even a case now known as Bloody Sunday in 1887 when the police beat the shit out of a group of protestors in London. So let it be said that the people weren't very happy with the police at the time.

(Map: The first seven Whitechapel murder locations.)

Okay, I'll say this first: not every murder attributed to Jack the Ripper was actually committed by Jack the Ripper. No, he's only been certainly identified as the murderer in five cases, and those are the cases I'll be talking about to try and keep things nice and simple.

The first was a woman named Mary Ann Nichols. She was found at 3:40 a.m. on August 31, 1888 with two deep cuts to the throat and two stab wounds on her vagina. Her abdomen had been partially disembowlled. Some of the stab wounds went clear through to vertebrae. The second was Annie Chapman, discovered at 6 a.m. on September 8. Her throat was in much the same condition as Nichols', but her abdomen had been cut completely open with her various organs being displayed over her shoulders. Her uterus and parts of her bladder and vagina had been removed.

(Photo: 29 Hanbury Street, where Annie Chapman and a 'mysterious man' had been seen and where her body was discovered.)

The third and fourth victims were both killed on September 30. Elizabeth Stride was found at 1 a.m. with the cause of death being attributed to a single slash across her throat, which really wasn't the Ripper's M.O. Catherine Eddowes, though, was almost certainly one of his. Her body was found in much the same way as Chapman's with her organs removed and some of the not missing ones spread around her body.

The final confirmed Ripper victim was Mary Jane Kelly, discovered in her own bed at 10:45 a.m. on November 9. Interestingly, she is argued to be the only actual prostitute of the lot. She was "hacked beyond all recognition", with her face in shreds and her body completely hollowed out of organs. Her heart was missing from the room entirely. There was also evidence of a fire at the scene suggesting further attempts to disfigure the body.

Now, note how the five Whitechapel Murders took place over several months. They weren't even investigated for a good murder or two because the victims were all lower class women considered to be prostitutes. However, whether or not they were prostitutes is still debated to this day. Some researchers claim that saying the women were all prostitutes is a result of good ol' fashioned Victorian misogyny.

(Image: 'Blind Man's Bluff' cartoon depicting the public's opinion of the police force's reactions to the murders.)

At any rate, we still don't know who committed the murders or even why he committed them in the first place. That's because the police were inept as hell, and because a lot of their records on the Ripper were reportedly destroyed during the Blitz in the 1940s. That being said, there are a couple of suspects that are still under real suspicion almost two hundred years later. They range from a Polish Jewish immigrant to Queen Victoria's grandson. At any rate, the Ripper was almost seen by the public as an extension of the aristocracy. Jack the Ripper was generally depicted as a well-dressed man in a black top hat. His murders, though, did draw attention to the poor conditions of the slums of London and eventually led to the slums being completely torn down. They also brought attention to the increasing wealth disparity between the lower and upper classes, and the newly-emerged middle class.

But, like, fuck Jack the Ripper. That doesn't really need to be said, does it?

Part Two: H. H. Holmes

Now to switch gears back to my wheelhouse, we go to Chicago, Illinois, to look at America's first identifiable serial killer, a certain Herman Webster Mudgett, otherwise known as Dr. Henry Howard Holmes, or H. H. Holmes for short. This guy isn't quite as well known as Jack the Ripper or other, more modern American serial killers I refuse to name, but he did get a season of American Horror Story based off of him, so that's something, I guess.

I'm not gonna spend too much time talking about Holmes himself because, frankly, it's boring. He was a pretty normal kid, none of the torturing animals crap that serial killers are known for these days. Maybe. That information contradicts itself depending on who you're talking to. Again, this guy and Jack the Ripper, possibly as a result of the increasing (blegh) popularity of serial killers over the past decade are known more as myth than fact.

(Photo: Holmes' mugshot.)

At any rate, Holmes was always interested in medicine and science. He became a pharmacist and moved to Chicago, and that's when he began going a bit apeshit. See, he had already been a criminal in the past. He was a con artist, a fraud, a scam, and a thief. Reportedly, he stole corpses while studying at the University of Michigan and used them for insurance fraud (and maybe experiments, but take that with a grain of salt.)

(Photo: Holmes' "Castle.)

The most famous thing about Holmes might be his "murder castle", pictured above. He had it constructed himself beginning in 1887. The first floor was to be storefronts, the second apartments, and the third floor was meant to be a hotel to be used by attendees of the World's Columbian Exposition. Holmes also had a factory that was maybe used to destroy evidence of his crimes. That isn't confirmed, though.

A lot of the information on his murders comes from so-called yellow newspapers or yellow journals, which really began picking up steam in America at this point in time (that is a lecture for another time, though.) Yellow papers, to put it simply, published information with little to no evidence or legitimacy. Think those magazines you see at the grocery store by the checkout lanes talking about how Queen Elizabeth is actually an alien or something.

Anyway, there's only one actually confirmed victim here. He's suspected of having killed at least nine others, with more blown-out numbers going up to as many as 200 victims. After being arrested, he confessed to 27 murders, though some turned out to just be flat-out lies.

Here's about how it went:

Holmes had this friend, Benjamin Pitezel. Pitezel kinda became his partner in crime, described as "Holmes's tool... his creature" by a district attorney. Most of Holmes' victims were women he reportedly seduced at the hotel-slash-Murder Castle. They were never seen again after entering.

(Image: August 11, 1895 issue of "The World" showing a fictional floorplan of the Murder Castle.)

The Murder Castle, unfortunately, was actually really kinda just that. A castle. For murder. There were over 100 rooms, some of which were soundproof. There were secret passages, trapdoors, kilns, all of which useful to murdering people and disposing of their bodies. Some rooms had gas lines put in that allowed him to gas inhabitants to death with at will. The basement apparently was his lab, complete with a dissection table. All employees, guests, everyone involved with the hotel had to have life insurance policies that he paid the premiums for as long as he was listed as the beneficiary.

Shortly after the conclusion of the World's Fair, Holmes and his buddy Pitezel took off on a cross-country road trip to commit insurance scams and pretty much abandoned the hotel in favor of regular old murders, including Pitezel. Later, Holmes scammed fellow scammer Marion Hedgepath, who got so angry about being scammed that he told the police about Holmes' scams. The police began tracking him down, and eventually caught up to him in Boston.

And from there, it's history.

The bodies they discovered were so decayed that they were basically impossible to identify. Again, he was confirmed to only have killed one person, but he did confess to 28 while being interrogated.

He was executed on May 7, 1896 for Pitezel's murder. He didn't break his neck, but was rather slowly strangled to death over 15 or so minutes. The Murder Castle stood until 1938. Now, it's a post office.

(Image: Holmes' execution.)

Part Three: Conclusions?

So the hardest part about discussing serial killers is sorting through fact and fiction. People like to sensationalize. People like the grotesque. My favorite episodes of Buzzfeed Unsolved were always the true crime ones. True crime podcasts are more popular than ever, and it's kinda super disgusting. Pardon me for soapboxing, but it's perfectly fine to be interested in true crime. Becoming obsessed with it, though, is a bit too far. Like. I was a criminology and criminal psych major for a good bit. I almost went into criminal law. I am interested in serial killers. I think they're absolutely fascinating. But when people begin twisting their characters to make them more interesting to a wide audience is where I begin seeing a problem. H. H. Holmes may have killed 200 people. He may not have. Nobody knows who Jack the Ripper is because so many people fucked around during the investigation pretending to be him. It's gross and weird and, uh. Well.

Anyway.

I think it's fun to note that this episode of Tales is the first to include our favorite evil time dimension, the Inbetween. God knows what that place is getting up to at any point in time. Maybe it's a Murder Castle. Maybe Karl is going to Fucking Die. Wouldn't that be fun?

Next 'week': The Wild West and Yet More Cannibalism Talk From A.D.

#mcyt #dream smp #dsmp #tales from the smp #tftsmp #karl jacobs #c!karl jacobs #c!karl #dsmp analysis #tftsmp analysis #long post #truth in the tales

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karasimpno · 4 years

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Hi! I just stumbled onto you and I'm really happy I did! I don't really know if you take more requests but I'll shoot. Some scenario where Daichi, Bokuto or Kuro help cheer you up with little things or not so little things. You know fluff or smut 😅 Hope you're doing well and that the next year treats you good! ❤

HI LOVELY you submitted this ages ago I’m sorry for the tardiness with everything <3 but I adore you and this was fun :)

Also I got your suggestions and threw them in my draft, they’re very good ones :)

OKAY I’m going with Kuroo AND because it’s @bluntkingkuroo‘s BIRTHDAAAAAYYYYYYY I’m also writing this in honor of her. GO FOLLOW HER Y’ALL SHE’S THE REASON I’M HERE!!!!!

pairing: Kuroo x cisfem!reader contains: sleepy cuddly sex, fingering, mark-leaving/mention of hickeys, light biting

Despite the bright, warm light spilling through your window shutters, you remained in bed, curled up in your sheets with your back to the invasive radiance. Nothing made you want to get out of bed, even the thought of seeing some other part of the house for the first time today.

“Babe?” a deep voice croaked out beside you. In spite of yourself, you smiled a little. Even if you were feeling a little grumpy and hungover after your houseguests had stayed wayyyy too late last night, you were glad Kuroo remained in bed beside you. Even the harsh reminder of how late in the day it was couldn’t outshine the fuzzy feeling you got from seeing him in your bed.

“What’s up?” the voice prodded, clearly as tired as you felt. A hand snaked its way around your waist. You always slept in on Sundays, but this was late late. You heard Kuroo sigh and shuffle as he shifted in closer to you, tucking his knees behind yours and pressing his chest flush against your back. The arm that had snuck around your torso pulled you in close and you felt a warm nose and pair of lips press themselves to the sensitive skin at the base of your neck.

“Mmmph,” was all you groaned in response, but you relaxed into the spoon, squeezing Kuroo’s hand with your own.

“Mmmm,” was Kuroo’s answer, his still-sleepy voice cracking in a way that shouldn’t be as sexy as it was, sending vibrations reverberating down your back as his chest resonated with the sound. “Is somebody grumpy?” he teased, lifting a finger to poke annoyingly at your cheekbone. A child. You swatted at his hand lazily, offering a tired grunt in response.

“Awww, c’mon,” his voice grew saccharine sweet. “You need something to make you feel better?” Kuroo asked.

You felt the lips that had been pressed against your skin, breathing hot air over you whenever Kuroo spoke and making your hair stand on end, begin to move. You shuddered in a shaky breath when they parted to allow the quick swipe of a tongue to dart out across your neck, chased by the gentle scrape of teeth.

“Ah-hah...” escaped the involuntary sigh from your lips.

“...’cause I think I can probably manage that,” Kuroo teased, followed by an exaggerated sound of chomping as his lips affixed themselves back to your neck again, his tongue laving over a larger area than it had previously. Heat rose to your face at the sensation and you allowed yourself to let go and give into the wet contact, squeezing the hand against your chest closer to your body.

Kuroo felt the loosening of your muscles and took advantage of the opportunity to dig his teeth deeper into your skin, unable to resist the sweet taste of you. He wanted to focus on making you feel better but damn if you didn’t just make him crazy for you.

With a wet suck, Kuroo drew his teeth together, pinching your sensitive skin between them, making you sure it would leave a mark as the arousing pain elicited a gasp from you. You bit your lip, rubbing your thumb across the back of Kuroo’s large, veined hand, noticing how your breathing had already begun increasing in spite of your bad mood. Damn this man and his irresistible tongue, you thought.

Suddenly, you needed more of him, the heat rising in your neck becoming too much for you as he continued the focused attentions of his tongue and teeth. If you could have seen the way his brows furrowed in concentration at sucking feverishly at your neck, you would have grown even wetter than you were already becoming. Shifting slightly, you let your hand reach back to find the long locks of hair that always fell into his eyes, and you threaded your fingers against his scalp, encouraging the hot press of his tongue.

Kuroo groaned against you and moved the hand that had been resting around you further down your body, the pressure of the contact exhilarating as he determined to feel every part of you as he moved. Licking a quick stripe over one of the already ripening bruises on your neck, he slipped his fingers past the waistband of your shorts, dipping into your thin panties and seeking out the apex of those legs he so adored.

Fingertips sliding past your curls, he groaned into your shoulder when his index finger ghosted over your slit, slickness already gathering there at his eager touch. Relishing in the movement, he eased the digit past your outer lips into your slippery folds, and you felt his breath hitch before his lips crashed into your neck again, his self-control slipping at how good your sweet little pussy lips felt wrapped around his finger. With still such little space between your rear and Kuroo’s hips, you felt a growing bulge begin to harden behind you.

As if the coating of his finger in your arousal was the most agonizingly pleasurable feeling in the world for Kuroo, he swirled the lone digit with hedonistic slowness through your slick. He breathed almost as heavily as you were against your neck as he found your clit, giving it a few experimental flicks with the pad of his finger, relishing in how your body jolted in response to his touch. Kuroo groaned again and picked up the pace, making steady circles around the apex of your pleasure as you keened at the sensation.

You were shocked at how much you were already gushing around him, your hips beginning to tremble as he stimulated that most sensitive of all spots in your body. He caught your ear between his teeth, the pants from his nose falling straight into your ear, making your body even more sensitive to his touch. You felt yourself cry out involuntarily at one particularly deft flick of his finger, and the hand that you had tangled in his hair shot down to grip onto his impossibly muscular forearm, encouraging exactly what he was doing. Absently, you felt your head being shifted as Kuroo slipped his other arm under your pillow, reaching for your opposite hand and interlacing his fingers with yours, pulling your entwined arms to your chest so he could hold you even closer as your hips started bucking against his touch.

Kuroo’s pants were just as hot and needy as yours were now, getting off on feeling you fall apart in his arms. His low groans and insistent huffs filled your ears as his finger continued circling with increasing vigor around your practically-humming clit. You barely noticed as he added a second finger, his strokes growing in pressure and speed. Your brain was clouded with your impending high and you let yourself moan out his name, everything seeming to move too quickly and yet not at all.

Kuroo’s tongue returned to your neck, drunk off the feeling of tasting you, and he groaned loudly and wantonly by your ear. The earnest sound of his pleasure at your own reactions sent you over the edge and both your hands tightened on the places where they were already gripping him hard. You let your mind leave your body for a second as you came completely undone in Kuroo’s arms, feeling so safe and secure as he helped you prolong your bliss, holding you close with his other arm while your body went completely slack in his embrace.

You half-sighed, half-panted as the post-orgasm high replaced the high of the climax, and a tired, dopey smile spread across your lips. You released your death grip on Kuroo’s hand and forearm and you felt him sigh against your back. He shifted slightly behind you and you were suddenly hyper aware of how much his body heat had been warming your back. You half-rolled over to chase the warmth as he pulled his hand from your shorts in the same motion. As you rolled, Kuroo’s knee came to rest in between yours, hovering above you with a tired but loving expression on his face. The warm yellow light that spilled across his face seemed to light his eyes from the inside, and his slight blush combined with the way the sun made his golden eyes sparkle made you feel like putty beneath him. You sighed contentedly and reached up to bring him into a sweet kiss. Chaste, thankful.

“Feeling any better?” he smirked as he pulled away slightly, looking at you through hooded eyes.

You just laughed and pulled him closer, aware of the growing hardness resting against your thigh.

“Oh, very,” you grinned, feeling bubbly in your bliss. “But I think I can feel even better, don’t you?”

karasimpno ml general taglist (send a message to be added!): @goddessofchaosleo @kodzurin @honeybunny-sawamura @bluntkingkuroo @waitforitillwritemywayout @kuroos-simp

#kuroo tetsurou #kuroo x reader #kuroo tetsurou x reader #kuroo smut #kuroo x reader smut #kuroo #elle writes #elle answers #leo <3

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tinyyoungblood · 4 years

Text

pillow fort tragedy | peter parker

summary: what do you do when you have the entire compound to yourself? that’s right, you build a gigantic pillow fort with your boyfriend and the two dudes you have to babysit—an enhanced ex-soviet assassin and the god of thunder from outta space. good luck with that.

pairing: peter parker x avenger!reader

warnings: language, fluff, tiny bit of conflict and mention of injury

word count: 2.6 k

a/n: absolute crack fic lmao enjoy! x

* * *

It was another Sunday at the Compound which meant that something completely stupid had to go down at some point. This time, it was a real team effort and Steve would’ve surely been proud to some extent. Only, Steve wasn’t there and if he were, all of this wouldn’t have happened in the first place, which probably would’ve been better for everybody involved. Wherever you looked, miles and miles of pillows and blankets covered what used to be the comfort of their home. Now, it was a new empire.

Turning on the comm in your ear, you continued squeezing through the narrow passage of blankets that were poorly draped over some wobbly chairs and shelves. “Guys? Pete, can you hear me?” No answer. For a second, your back touched a blanket and the whole interior started to wobble, making you hold your breath. Who would’ve thought that a highly trained assassin and an invincible God were absolutely terrible at building something as simple as a pillow fort? Hah, not you.

It all started at 11 a.m. sharp when the others left for a mission that neither you nor Peter were allowed to join, but that wasn’t anything new. The two of you were used to it and almost always found something to occupy your time with. The same thing couldn’t be said for Bucky and Thor though, who were both incredibly offended to be treated like “dense punks”. Dense punks as in Peter and you. But then again, the only reason you both weren’t allowed to tag along was your age.

The former was denied because he kept forgetting to put down the toilet seat despite various warnings on Cap’s side and death threat’s on Nat’s and the latter wasn’t allowed to join because of the smell coming from his room that was almost tearing off the wallpaper in the hallway. They were practically grounded which was hilarious, especially since this was quite a rare combination of team members that the Compound had never witnessed before. So, to break the ice and get properly acquainted, Peter had the revolutionary idea to build a pillow fort with every godforsaken pillow, blanket and bedsheet that the Compound had to offer.

And so it began. Every bed, except for Thor’s because you were almost 100% sure that something lived underneath it, was brutally stripped off its covers and used to build the most atrocious and unsteadiest one of its kind. From the Common room to the elevator, every square meter was covered. Your heart race had honestly never been as high as when you tried to get yourself something to drink after having to dodge every pillow tower on your way to the kitchen. You still managed to end up with a wet shirt and a swollen ankle.

It was honestly all fun and games until the games turned into the mission of their lives. Peter had jokingly commanded them to not let this fort go down, under any circumstances—a stupid thing to say to the Winder Soldier and the King of Asgard. And it wasn’t because of their admirable determination and ambition, no—it was because both of them were stubborn idiots who would never dare lose a game.

And from there on, it kind of went downhill. Things started to escalate, highly expensive items were shattered, people were thrown, pillow fights happened inside the pillow fort—it was awful and you were just glad that nothing had caught on fire yet. Suddenly the subtle ‘click’ in your ear made you halt and you listened carefully. “Y/N? Babe, can you hear me?” Peter’s voice was shaky and you hastily answered. “Yes, I—I can hear you, Peter.” He let out a long sigh, relief flooding over his aching limbs. “Oh, thank god, you’re still alive—Where are you? Are you okay?” You nodded eagerly and looked around. “I’m fine…but I think I’m lost. Actually, I have no idea where I am. The tiles all look the same. Stupid Tony and his stupid monochronic taste in architecture,” you mumbled under your breath and you could hear him chuckle.

“Okay, that’s fine. Your ankle’s still swollen, right? Don’t move it, we’ll come get you. I think I can hear your heartbeat—“ He paused for a moment and you thought he expected some kind of reaction so you hesitantly responded, “…Aww?”

“Hm? No, that—sorry, Thor is holding an inaugural speech and he just started to list off his childhood best friends and one of them, you won’t believe it, is called Bob.” He snickered on the other side of the line and you furrowed your brows. “Bob?” He hummed. “Oh, well. Uhm, anyway, why exactly is Thor holding a speech again?”

“Oh, he just pronounced himself King of Blankard.”

“…Come again?”

“Blankard? Because it’s a pillow fort? But we also used blankets? And Pillowgard just doesn’t have—”

“—the same ring to it. Got it.” You glanced in each direction of the tunnel but it seemed like you were still the only one in this area. “Peter, when are you guys going to get here?” He didn’t respond and the only thing you heard was a slow clap and a whistle. You rolled your eyes. Your boyfriend was cheering for the new King of Blankard so you might as well have to start thinking about ways to fend for yourself once dusk would fall. You heard some shuffling before his voice came back. “Sorry, babe, I just assumed it’s bad manners to interrupt a God while they’re monologuing.”

It wasn’t biologically possible for you to roll your eyes any harder but you made it work.

“Just get here.” You sighed and he smooched a kiss into your ear. Your ankle started to pulse so you decided to sit down for a while until they would find you.

A few minutes passed and you finally heard distinct chatter. Crawling toward it, you felt like a big toddler when Peter’s eyes locked with yours and lit up. “Baby!” He cupped your face with both hands and excitedly planted kisses all over your face, making you giggle. Parting from you, you shot Thor a smile who gave you a friendly nod. “Please, do not expect a greeting of that same manner on my behalf, Lady Y/N.”

You laughed. “That’s totally cool, Thor, don’t worry.” Leaning forward to look past Peter, you realized that Bucky wasn’t with them. “We’ve lost him,” Peter explained as he watched your face turn into pure horror.

“…To death?”

He almost choked on air. “Dear god, no. He took a wrong turn and now we can’t find him. He’s still very much alive…I think.” You nodded swiftly and glanced at your watch. “Okay, guys, it was really fun while it lasted but I need to get to my room now to send in that Biology paper. And maybe put some ice on this bad boy.” You gestured to your ankle but they stared at you blankly.

“What?”

“You can’t get through the hallway, Lady Y/N.”

“What?” You repeated yourself, brows knitted. “Why?”

“Blanket collapse. Kind of like an avalanche,” Thor explained and you stared at him in disbelief.

“Guys, I don’t want to play anymore. I really have to hand in the paper now. The deadline’s in 10 minutes.”

“But you can’t get through.” Peter tried to reason.

“What do you mean? It’s blankets and pillows. You just…” You gestured a sweeping motion. “…push it aside.”

He pouted. “But then the fort will collapse.”

“Peter, I don’t care.” You sucked in a sharp breath to speak calmly. “Can’t we just tear the fort down?”

“No!!” The two suddenly shouted horrified as if you had just suggested to run over a puppy. The terror on your face turned blank.

“…What?”

“Y/N, I love you, but I swore to Thor that, as a rightful citizen of Blankard, I would put my life on the line for this fort. It’s my home now and he even made me swore over a pillow and everything, it was really cool, you should’ve seen it.” Thor nodded proudly.

You pinched the bridge of your nose to stop the steam from coming out your ears. “Okay, how about this? I’m not a citizen of Blankard, right?” Your laugh edged on insanity. “So I could just…” You imitated the sweeping motion again. “…right?”

Not meeting your gaze, Peter fidgeted with his hands. “Well…”

You let your head fall back with a groan. “Peter!”

“I’m sorry, okay! But you’re technically one of the Founding Fathers,” he explained sheepishly and you wanted to pulverize him. Your glare sent shivers down his spine. “Peter Benjamin Parker, I am not going to miss my deadline because of a pillow fort. Now, get me…to my…room.” With every word you inched closer to him until you were pressed flush against his chest, piercing eyes boring into his soul.

He gulped and didn’t found the right words, or any words really, to escape his mouth so he just nodded stiffly. Racking his brain with all the movies he had ever watched, Peter came up with a quick idea. “Okay, how about this…” As he started to ramble about his plan, you took notice of Thor who was comfortably sitting behind Peter while stretching out his arm with an open palm. You’ve seen that movement far too many times and thus knew exactly what he was doing.

Catching you look at him, he smiled brightly at you while giving you a friendly wave. You waved back and averted your gaze back to your boyfriend.

“…So once I’m outside, I can easily climb through your bedroom window, open your laptop and turn in the paper for you. There’s no way that we could fuck that up, right?” He laughed nervously and you had to suppress your shit-eating grin.

“Sorry to disappoint, Pete, but looks like Thor’s already on that case. Don’t worry about it.”

With furrowed brows, he whipped around and you could swear you saw his soul escape his body. “Thor, NO!!”

But it was too late. Like domino stones, each and every pillow started to collapse and pull the blankets with it. Everything was happening in slow motion as Thor realized what he had done and once Mjolnir was in his hand, he quickly scooped you up and threw you on his shoulder. Peter landed on the other one and with both of you protesting, he ran away from the falling pillows and toward the elevator. Right at the doorway where the paths were lower, he let the both of you fall to the ground, screaming “CRAWL!!”.

Doing as told, you crawled as fast as you could in front of them, ignoring the sharp ache in your ankle but once you rounded the corner, you bumped into a hard chest. It was a very confused Bucky. His hair was tousled, he had a scratch to his cheek and overall looked like he came back from wrestling a bear. In unison, the three of you yelled “CRAWL!!” and he whipped around to lead the way.

It was all for nothing though. The walls around you started to give in and in the blink of an eye, four Avengers were buried under a pile of pillows and blankets.

It was silent for a second, no one comprehended what just happened. In some way, it was like the deadly silence that followed after defeat—a battlefield of buried hopes and duvets.

But you couldn’t help it and started laughing.

Of course, it was muffled but you laughed hard. The realization that you had missed your deadline because of a pillow fort that you built with earth’s best defenders was comically genius to you. Your belly shook with laughter while tears brimmed your eyes and you knew you were seconds away from running out of oxygen when suddenly the distinct ‘ding’ of the elevator caught your attention and your laughter abruptly died down.

Peter caught your eye as he suddenly looked…very excited? He wasn’t sure what part of his biological whereabouts made him feel this spur of adrenaline for being busted, maybe it was the teenage set of rebellious hormones, but it was for sure questionable.

Rising with the others, an all too familiar voice bellowed from the hallway. “WHAT THE HELL.”

A faint ‘Language…” followed and the corners of your mouth quirked up. Dizzily looking around the room, you had to bite back your laughter again.

It truly was like a battlefield. The others were scattered close to you on the ground, still halfway buried under a few layers while sharing silent looks of fear. Well, except for Peter maybe, who looked like he was standing in line for a roller coaster.

The footsteps came closer and within a second, they all stood at the doorway, still geared and everything. As expected, Tony’s eyes roamed through the room with bewilderment plastered on his face. Steve just portrayed pure confusion whereas Nat and Sam both had an amused smirk dangling on their lips, some might even say they were impressed.

When Tony’s eyes landed on the four of you, sitting in the middle of the room, looking like lost puppies who had no idea what maniac instincts overtook them to create this beautiful mess, he was speechless. Tony Stark was speechless.

The others glanced at him sideways, anticipating another explosion but instead, he looked like 10 years were capped off his life and he let out a long sigh. “…Pillow fort?”

The four of you nodded silently. Another moment of silence followed but this time, he had just accepted his fate. That’s what he signed up for when he left two men-children and two actual children at home all by themselves. This one was on him really.

When he noticed that the others were staring at him and expecting him to handle the mess, he almost looked offended.

“She's crying—“ He pointed at you and then Peter. “He's excited, I'm confused, nothing new. Now are we going or not?” Not waiting for an answer, he whirled around and left the room. Sharing a collective look of confusion, Steve informed with an amused smile. “We’re going out to eat Shawarma. Let’s go.” He nodded in the direction of the elevator and walked away, Nat and Sam following closely behind.

The room was silent again as Bucky picked himself up and Thor dusted off his clothes, both avoiding each other’s gaze. It was like nobody wanted to admit or even believe what had happened for the past few hours. Peter helped you up and wrapped your arm around his neck to steady you before leaving a soft kiss on your cheek. You smiled at him and together you walked, or more likely limped, toward the elevator. At the doorway, the four of you halted and turned back around to let your gaze fall on the remains of a fun afternoon. And just like that, it was another Sunday at the Compound.

* * *

this was so much fun to write and if i could make even one of you smile just a little bit with this one, it would absolutely make my day. thank for you reading! i’m playing with the thought of making a mini series just about the chaotic sunday adventures at the compound so a lot of domestic!avengers/au involving boyfriend!peter ofc so make sure to leave some feedback! xx

masterlist

taglist: @honeypie-holland @nerdyandproudofitsstuff

#peter parker x y/n #peter parker x reader #peter parker x avenger!reader #peter parker oneshot #peter parker fanfiction #peter parker fic #avenger!reader #peter parker fluff #peter parker funny

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laurenairay · 4 years

Text

Take a Chance - D. Hamilton

Word Count: 12.7k

Summary: Ashley Miller is a Sunday-morning regular at her local coffee shop. Dougie Hamilton is the associate art curator who catches her eye.

Warnings: coffee shop au, some bad language, a lot of cute fluff, anxiety

A/N: This is my @hockeynetwork winter gift exchange fic for @huttons! I had a lot of fun researching & creating this fic gift, and I tried to incorporate all of the preferences you stated and that we discussed. This is very self-indulgent too, definitely the longest thing I’ve written on here, and I’m not going to go into the very niche research rabbit holes I fell down! Bringing this OC to life made me so happy, and I had a blast incorporating the coffee shop au element. I hope you enjoy this! 💚

Also tagging @danglesnipecelly, @texanstarslove and @itsbadgerbadgermushroom because they all listened to me stress while writing hah.

“Large latte for Ashley!”

Ashley Miller looked up from her laptop, smiling at her favourite barista at the counter. She got up from her table, leaving her laptop and scone briefly as she collected her drink, before heading back to her seat. Sunday mornings were the same every week – arrive at Storm Surge coffee shop when they opened at 7am, park herself at a table in the back corner, and consume a steady flow of coffee as she worked. Sure, her work might vary – teaching Medieval History at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill meant her lesson topics were all over the spectrum – but she just found that everything from writing notes for her classes that week to marking essays at the end of the semester became easier if she had the thrum of the coffee shop around her.

That, and she knew she’d just spend her entire weekend burrowed in her house if she didn’t get out.

Having moved to Raleigh 6 years ago to undertake her PhD, Ashley had accepted a teaching job at the very same university she’d studied at when she’d completed her studies a year ago, and she hadn’t looked back since. There was just something about Raleigh that she had fallen in love with, only a 30 minute drive away from her workplace, something that had spoken to her very soul, and actually being able to pass on knowledge about the subject that she was so passionate about made her so incredibly happy. Sure, her parents had never understood her love for 11th to 13th century European history (nor anyone else from her small town in South Dakota) but Ashley had never cared about that – New York had given her the opportunity to grow as a person during her undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, but Raleigh had given her the opportunity to thrive.

And she would forever be grateful for that.

Sundays though…Sundays were something she cherished. This independent coffee shop had been a blessing when she’d found it early on in her PhD research, and they had never complained about her taking up a table for essentially the whole day (and she did pay for each of the many coffees she consumed). Baristas and bakers had come and gone over the past 6 years, but there were a couple that had stuck around recently - and a year ago when she officially became ‘Dr Ashley Miller’, her favourite barista Andrei had even given her a piece of chocolate cake on the house to celebrate. Storm Surge coffee shop was a home away from home.

Of course, there was another reason that Sunday coffee shop time was one of her favourite things in her week…

Tall Cute Guy.

He was a regular every Sunday morning, and had been for the past year - three Sundays a month he would order a mocha and an americano to go, but one Sunday a month he would come in an hour earlier and order just an americano, and drink it in the shop instead while reading an old paperback book. Every single time, like clockwork.

Okay, yes, that sounded a little stalkerish. But he was so cute. Ashley pretty much always had her earphones in playing music so she had never caught his name, but his blonde curls, pretty blue eyes and warm smile had caught her eye straight away. And he was so tall, she couldn’t have missed him if she’d tried. She’d never spoken to him, never even said hi in passing, but occasionally she would link eyes with him and he would smile at her. And that smile was enough to send her heart fluttering. Ridiculous really, but it brought her a little joy.

What was the harm in smiling back at a cute guy every now and again, right?

Dougie Hamilton walked into the North Carolina Museum of Art with a smile on his face. To be honest, it could’ve been for a multitude of reasons. His career was finally heading upwards, having moved museums to become Associate Curator of European Art a couple of years ago, and he loved his work. He had recently renovated his kitchen, which was now looking pretty sleek and awesome, if he did say so himself. His colleagues had genuinely become some of his closest friends, and he had a standing monthly poker night with several of them. But his smile today wasn’t because of any of that.

No, his smile today was because it was Sunday morning, and he’d just picked up his regular coffee order for him and his boss.

Speaking of…

“So, did you finally talk to your coffee shop crush, or did you just awkwardly stare at her like a weirdo again?”

“Oh fuck off,” Dougie grumbled, feeling his cheeks heat up in a fierce blush as his boss Jordie’s words.

It was far too early for this – he’d only just walked into their shared office for fuck’s sake! Jordie just hooted laughter at his embarrassment as he took his mocha from Dougie, making Dougie groan. “One day you’re going to have to talk to her, man. It’s just getting sad now,” Jordie teased.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t we have a museum to open?” Dougie scowled.

Jordie just beamed even more, wiggling his eyebrows as he left their office. Dougie groaned again, running his hands through is unruly hair before he sighed. Coffee shop crush. Hah. Jordie wasn’t wrong though. Not really. His crush…Mystery Laptop Woman…was one of the reasons he always volunteered to pick the two of them up coffee before the museum opened up on a Sunday morning. Jordie had come along with him only once to pick up their coffee, about 6 months ago, and ever since then he hadn’t let Dougie’s shy smile at her go. Of course, Dougie barely knew anything about her – only that she was always in early on a Sunday, always completely consumed by her work, and she had such a super cute concentration face, whatever it is that she worked on. He could never quite tell – sometimes she had a book or two with her, sometimes it was a stack of papers – but he knew for sure that she appeared to mainline coffee like a pro. Probably some kind of teacher?

He’d certainly never had a teacher that beautiful, that was for sure.

Her long dark hair was always down and always a little messy, like she ran her hands through it often (which she did, he’d noticed). Her warm hazel eyes were hidden behind tortoiseshell glasses, and her lips were always coloured in varying shades of dark pink and red. He’d only seen her standing a couple of times, but he’d caught enough of a glimpse of her long legs to have some very inappropriate thoughts. She just looked so kind, so friendly…and so beautiful. Dougie had never been able to catch her name though – she’d always had a full coffee or at least half a coffee left whenever he was in the shop, so he couldn’t even find out sneakily that way. But whoever she was, whatever she did, when he occasionally got lucky enough for her to look at him, her smile made his entire body light up like a fireworks show. It was a bit pathetic really, how much just a smile from her made his entire day, but he was a year into it now and he wasn’t going to stop that for anything. He had a great career, some great friends, and a pretty great life, even if he was tragically single.

What was the harm in smiling at a beautiful woman whenever he got the chance, right?

“Alright, we’ve nearly run out of time now, but just one final thing I want you to think about for Monday’s love in the middle ages class,”

On cue, her students groaned, making Ashley grin.

“Hey, I’m giving you a head’s up here – I could just let you walk into our general lecture blind?” she shrugged, teasing.

That got her a few laughs at least. She’d take that.

“Okay, so we know through our focus on the Medieval Expansion of Europe that one of the biggest tales about Eleanor of Aquitaine in the latter half of the 1100s was of her role in the courts of love. What I want you all to look into is whether these courts of love have the possibility of being a real thing, or whether they feed into the chivalric notions of her contemporaries and were fabricated from the courtly love dynamics of knights and maidens. Just to give us some talking points, okay?”

Her students murmured their agreement, with most of them writing down a reminder. That would have to be good enough for her. At least this way, hopefully someone would discuss the talking points with her in class – she’d found out the hard way last year that there was nothing worse for a university professor than completely uninterested students. She needed something to feed off.

“Alright then, class dismissed. Have a great weekend everyone!”

Ashley moved to her laptop, switching off the projected powerpoint presentation as her students filed out of the classroom, but jumped in shock slightly as she noticed the head of her department sitting in the back corner. How long had he been there?! What was he doing there in the first place? She just hoped her smile didn’t look as nervous as she felt, as he walked up to the front of the room.

Rod Brind’Amour was a legend in the History department for a good reason. His knowledge of military history pre-1800s was unmatched by anyone, but it was his research on the first and second crusades that had inspired Ashley through much of her PhD. Sure, he wasn’t her direct supervisor, but their work interlinked enough that she’d spent many office hours with him debating the second crusade with fervour. For such a big man, he was such a nerd, and he’d made her feel so welcome as soon as he offered her the teaching position at the end of her PhD, with the promise that she would be able to continue her research to inspire future minds. She had been so moved by his words that she hadn’t hesitated to accept the job. How could she not, when someone of his calibre believed in her?

One year in, she wasn’t regretting it at all

“Very smart, setting up some talking points for Monday’s class. I’m so glad I volunteered you to run this year’s Love in the Middle Ages lectures. You’re much better at them than I was,” Rod mused.

Ashley snorted, rolling her eyes playfully. Oh thank god. It’s true that this seminar was one part of the large mandatory Medieval and Early Modern Studies course…but it suited her perfectly.

“That’s because my research focuses on Medieval Queens and the exchange of power they brought to their marriage countries, whereas yours is the effect of each of the crusades through military history. Bleurgh,” she snickered, “Linking today’s Medieval Expansion of Europe class with the generic Love in the Middle Ages lectures on Mondays is just easy,”

“Speak for yourself,” Rod laughed, “give me military tactics any day,”

Ashley just grinned. Some things never changed. “Was there anything you wanted in particular?” she asked, packing up her laptop into its case.

“Just wanted to check in with you, in general,” Rod shrugged, sitting down on the edge of her desk.

Ashley couldn’t help but smile at the thoughtfulness. “I’m doing okay yeah, thanks. Last year’s first semester was more of a struggle for sure, but I don’t have that transition from PhD student and TA to full teaching this time round. I’ve definitely settled in quicker – and this batch of freshman feel a lot more engaged already,”

“That’s good! It definitely shows that you’re handling things well,” Rod nodded, smiling back at her, “But I meant in your life outside of the university too,”

Ashley frowned. What? “What do you mean?” she asked, confused.

Rod laughed softly at her expression. “I know last year you were trying to find your stride, but this year you’ve already got it, so I’m just checking that you’ve got things balanced outside of work too. It’s far too easy to make teaching your entire life – and I don’t want you to burn out,” Rod explained. “I value you here too much for that,”

Ashley’s heart melted a little at his concern, but she just shook his head. “I may not have much going on for me outside of work, but I do get out. I spend my Sundays in a local coffee shop,” she admitted.

Her mind briefly flashed to Tall Cute Guy, but she pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind before she started blushing. So not appropriate for work.

Rod frowned slightly, but nodded. “At least you’re getting out of the house. Just promise me you’ll work on finding time for yourself too?”

“I promise,” Ashley nodded, “I intend to be here for a long time, so I definitely don’t want to burn out,”

“Good, I’m glad to hear it,” Rod grinned, “I’d better get going – see you at the faculty meeting later?”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Ashley grimaced.

Rod just laughed at her disgruntled face, lifting his hand in a wave as he left the room. As she packed the rest of her belongings, Ashley couldn’t help but to think over Rod’s words. Was she in danger of a burn-out? Surely not, so early on in her career? Maybe she did need more of a balance in her life…but how?

Another Sunday, another early morning. Sure, Ashley could give herself a lie in every now and again, but that would mean not being able to relax on her Sunday evening, to not have the chance to unwind and reset before the working week starts up again on Monday morning. Spending all weekend in her little 2 bed house wouldn’t do her any good, even as comforting as she’d made it.

Besides, Storm Surge coffee shop was such a part of her routine now, that it would feel wrong to not go in at her usual time. Seeing Andrei the morning barista, Marty the supervisor and Jaccob the baker (who occasionally popped his head out) always made her happy – and as Rod said only a couple of days ago, she needed to make sure she actually kept a balance in her life.

So, as always, just after 7am, Ashley walked through the coffee shop door. She’d skipped eating any breakfast this morning, intent on getting one of the shop’s amazing scones fresh out of the oven, and as soon as she spotted her favourite blueberry-lemon scones in the display, something in her chest settled. Yes, this was exactly why she came every week. This feeling of home.

“Good morning Ashley! Your usual latte?”

Ashley smiled at Andrei, nodding. “Yes please. And one of the blueberry-lemon scones!”

Andrei smiled even wider, if that was possible, and immediate set about inputting her order into the cash register. It was then that she noticed something new on Andrei’s nametag. A pink sparkly kitten sticky. Huh. That was new.

“Nice sticker,” she teased.

“Very sparkly, no? Marty gave it to me,” Andre nodded.

“Oh, Marty did huh?” Ashley grinned.

Interestingly, Andrei blushed. She knew she hadn’t been imagining things. The poor Russian guy just blushed harder, spluttering incoherently, until Ashley took pity on him. It wasn’t like she could be mean to Andrei – he was just too adorable.

“I think the sticker is really cute, Andrei. It was sweet of Marty to give it to you,” Ashley said with a fond smile.

“Thank you! I will tell Marty you like it,” Andrei beamed.

Bless him.

Andrei handed her a scone on a plate, allowing her to go to her usual table in the back corner, setting up her laptop while she waited for her coffee to be ready. She heard a door out the back open, and Andrei quickly slipped away, making her smile.

“AHHHHHHHHHH MR SVECHNIKOV!”

Marty. Ashley just giggled, shaking her head before putting her earphones in for her background music. Yeah, this coffee shop definitely felt like home.

She quickly got lost in writing her lecture notes, going off on tangents that she knew she’d have to rein in later when she edited. It was a full hour before she even looked away from her screen, only to see the shop busy and bustling, every single table full. What the hell? She looked over to see both Andrei and Marty working the counter, only confirming her suspicions that they really had gotten busy while she was lost in her thoughts. Wow. Full at 8am was a new one for sure. Maybe a convention of some kind?

And it was then that she saw Tall Cute Guy walk in. Today he was wearing a pretty blue sweater, bring out the beautiful blue in his eyes, making her smile on instinct. So cute. But then she noticed him being given just the one coffee…he was planning on drinking in, and there were no tables? No!

It made her heart clench to watch him looking around the coffee shop, becoming more and more disheartened…until he noticed her. Maybe, could she, yes. Ashley bit her bottom lip but tilted her head towards the empty chair at her table, earning the biggest smile. She actually did it. She actually offered him the chair at her table. Shit. Her heart started beating faster as he walked over, and she took her earphones out as he came to a stop next to her seat, looming over her.

“I, uh…do you mind if I sit with you?” he asked softly.

Huh. Such a gentle voice on such a big man. Yeah she could totally handle this.

“Please, go ahead,” Ashley nodding, smiling as she waved her hand to indicate, “it’s so busy in here today,”

Oh no. Was that too forward, acknowledging that they’re both regulars?

“Definitely busier than usual, eh?” he mused, “I’ll try not to disturb your work, I’ll only be here for about an hour,”

Ashley laughed, but shook her head. She was just glad he hadn’t been weirded-out by her acknowledgement. That would’ve been so awkward. Her stomach was filled with enough butterflies as it was. “You won’t disturb me, I promise. Sit as long as you like,”

He smiled widely at her, pulling out the chair opposite and sitting down, Ashley just quickly shuffling her papers out of the way for him. He nodded his thanks at her, pulling a paperback book out of his satchel. Then he cleared his throat, so she looked up at him curiously.

“I’m Dougie, by the way,” he said, almost a little shy.

Dougie. That was a nice name. Oh, wow, she finally knew his name! Ashley couldn’t help but smile at him. “I’m Ashley,”

He smiled back at her. “It’s nice to meet you properly,” he said happily.

Ashley just laughed, nodding as she blushed lightly. To have him acknowledge their smiling-from-a-distance definitely sparked something inside of her. Nice to finally meet him indeed.

They sat in comfortable silence, Ashley typing up her tangent notes so far for the morning, and she couldn’t help the feeling of contentment that sat in her chest. The cute guy she’d been smiling at for a year was sitting at her table with her…and it wasn’t awkward at all. In fact, it was really quite nice. And he’d introduced himself!

No, cool it, keep calm Ashley. No-one got anywhere by acting like a giddy schoolgirl. Play it cool.

That promised hour flew by far too quickly. Every now and again she would glance up and find his eyes on her. Every now and again she would glance up only for him to look up and catching her looking. Every time she would blush. Every time he would send her a wonderful smile. But all too soon her table companion was standing up and putting his book in his bag.

“Um…”

Ashley looked up from her work at him, a smile naturally spreading across her face at his nervous expression. Why was he nervous?

“Yes, Dougie?” she said softly, smiling at a little more at finally getting to say his name.

Dougie. Dougie. Dougie.

“I’ll see you soon?” he said, almost hopefully.

“I’ll be here,” she nodded.

Oh god. Well that was stupid. Of course she’d be here. Why couldn’t she just act smoothly for once in her life?

But then Dougie smiled, such a happy little smile that it made her breath catch in her throat.

“Until next time then,” Dougie murmured, “Bye, Ashley,”

“Bye,” she breathed, watching him walk way.

Well, that could’ve been worse. What a Sunday.

Things felt different after that fateful Sunday. Dougie (she knew his name!) hadn’t sat down with her again, or even sat in the shop again yet, but now…now he always made a point of waving at her, waiting until she had waved back to smile. Those waves sent her into even more of a tizzy, a light blush always on her cheeks, and she couldn’t help but cherish them. Maybe it was a bit pathetic, but he was so handsome and he noticed her. It didn’t hurt to pretend it was more than friendly acknowledgement, right? A girl could dream at least.

It was only Wednesday today, but that meant only one thing. Her weekly phone call with her mom. Knowing Susan Miller, Ashley could picture exactly what her mom was doing. Her phone would be propped up on speakerphone while she pottered around the kitchen, finishing off making dinner while also planning what desserts to bake at the weekend. Her mom led a simple life, a retired teacher herself (although she’d taught at the local elementary school rather than ever leaving town), but it was a happy life. And it was these phone calls that were the only thing that made Ashley miss home.

Nothing was the same as a hug from her mom with a slice of homemade apple pie. But those were the sacrifices she made for her love of Medieval History. They never stayed on the for more than half an hour, but it was just enough to fill Ashley’s heart, at least for a little while.

“And I swear, if he doesn’t stop leaving those nasty cigar butts on the front porch, I’m going to whoop some sense into him!”

“You’ve been saying this for over 20 years mom – I don’t think dad is going to change at this point,” Ashley mused, rolling her eyes fondly.

Her dad had been set in his ways for as long as she could remember. Nothing was going to change that, not even a little nagging from the love of his life.

“Yes, well, he could at least clean up after himself,”

Her parents really were ridiculous human beings – but they loved each other, and that was all that mattered. Even if her dad didn’t clean up his cigar butts.

“You wouldn’t know what to do with yourself if you weren’t complaining about his cigar butts,” Ashley grinned. “Maybe threaten not to make that corned beef hash he likes. That might help,”

The laughter that flowed down the phone made her smile even more. Fuck she missed hearing her mom’s laugh in person.

“Oh I miss you sweetpea. Are you sure you’re okay down there by yourself?”

“Yes mom, you know I love my work and my life down here,” Ashley said, sighing softly.

Here we go again.

“I just worry about you rattling around in that old house by yourself!”

Rude. It wasn’t that old.

“I promise I’m fine!” Ashley insisted.

Her mom stayed silent, making Ashley bite her lip to stop herself getting frustrated. Her mom would come out with it eventually…

“I worry about you being lonely, that’s all. You’re such an introvert, you always have been,”

And there it was.

“How could I be lonely mom? I have great colleagues that I talk with. And I’m around students all day and I interact all the time with them! And the baristas at my coffee shop know me by name and we chat too,” Ashley listed.

“The baristas don’t count, Ash,”

Poor Andrei. He definitely counted. Ashley couldn’t help but giggle at the sigh in her mom’s voice though. “Okay maybe not, but there is a guy that I’ve talked to,”

“Ooh a guy?”

Oh no. Oh what had she done? She had to nip this in the bud now.

“No, mom, not like that, just a friendly face to wave at,” Ashley insisted.

Dougie’s shy smiles filled her mind, but she shook her head. Now was not the time.

“Oh boo, you should work on changing that,”

Hah. If only.

“You’re impossible, mom,” Ashley sighed fondly.

“I love you too darling,”

Today he was going to do it. Today Dougie was going to get to Storm Surge coffee shop a little early, get his americano to drink in…and hopefully sit with Ashley again. Ever since that amazing Sunday morning where she offered him a seat at her table (she offered him!), he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. He could kick himself for not being able to do more than wave at her the past three Sundays, but even just the few smiles he seen in passing since have blown him away. Especially with that cute little blush she always had when she waved back at him.

But today he was coming in an hour before he had to get to work, just to have that chance to sit with her and talk with her. Was it a little desperate? Sure. But Dougie never claimed to be anything other than desperate to get to know the beautiful woman he’d only ever seen in passing until now. His schedule didn’t usually allow him the chance – every Sunday the North Carolina Museum of Art opened from 10-5, and he usually got there just after 9 with coffee for him and Jordie, but every fourth Sunday Jordie came in a little later, so Dougie took the time to sit in and read a little before heading into work…and it was the fourth Sunday today. He could only hope that all the nerves and butterflies would be worth it.

Oh fuck, what if she wasn’t even there?

No, she would be. She always was. Enough stalling.

Still…

Dougie walked into Storm Surge with a little ball of nervous anxiety in his chest, praying that Ashley wouldn’t stray from her routine, until he looked over into the back corner…and there she was. He waited until Ashley looked up at him to wave at her, earning a sweet smile and a wave back. Wow, her blush really was so sweet.

“Dougie! You must be drinking in today, yes?”

He snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of Andrei’s voice, quickly nodding. “Yeah just the usual americano, thanks,”

“You got it,” Andrei nodded, beaming at him.

Dougie quickly paid and moved to the end of the counter to wait for his coffee. The shop was only half-full at this time in the morning, unlike last month, so he didn’t have the excuse of busy tables. Maybe…he could just walk up to her, right? He could take that chance, right? Yeah, he could do this.

“Here you go!” Andrei said cheerfully.

“Thanks,” Dougie murmured.

The barista gave him a strange look at his distracted tone, and Dougie knew that Andrei was watching as he walked over to Ashley’s table…but here goes nothing. He could totally do this. He was an adult. He paid his taxes on time and everything. He could definitely ask a pretty woman if he could sit with her again.

“Hey, Ashley,”

She looked up from her laptop with a bright smile, making his breath catch in his throat.

“Dougie! Hi!” she said happily.

She remembered his name! Wow. No, focus.

“Do you, um…do you mind if I sit with you again?” Dougie asked.

Oh god, why couldn’t he just sound cool for once in his life? Why did he always have to be the least smooth version of himself that he could possibly be?

Ashley took one look around at all the empty tables and blushed even more, before she bit her lip and nodded. “Sure, go for it,”

That was a good sign, right?

Dougie sat down with a nervous smile, putting his coffee gently on the table.

“So, um, how have you been?”

Ashley looked surprised (oh god, was she only being polite before?) before that melted into a pleased look. Okay, he could work with that.

“I’ve been pretty good thanks, yeah. I’m just revising the list of essay topics that I’m giving my students on Monday, so not too much work to do today thankfully,” she said, “How about you?”

“I’ve been alright yeah. Work has been a little nuts with the new exhibition at the museum but it’s all come together really well!” Dougie said, beaming. What? Could a man not be excited about artwork? “what do you teach?”

Ashley smiled shyly, looking a little hesitant again. Dougie couldn’t help but frown a little. Had people made her feel awkward about her work before? That wasn’t okay! “I’m a Medieval History professor at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. My general focus is on the power of Medieval queens, but I teach everything from the expansion of medieval Europe to love in the middle ages, as well as on the general medieval and early modern history modules. I did my undergraduate and masters degrees at NYU, but I moved down here for the PhD opportunity. It’s now my second full year teaching and I just…I love it so much,”

A PhD?! Holy shit, that’s impressive. Wow. Just…wow. How could she be any more perfect?

“That’s incredible!” was all that Dougie could say.

“You don’t have to pretend, I know having a PhD isn’t exactly the coolest thing in the world, especially in medieval history,” Ashley mused.

Well it was definitely pretty fucking cool to him, no matter what other people had ever said to her. “I’m definitely not pretending, I promise. Medieval history is fascinating,” he insisted.

Ashley pursed her lips like she didn’t believe him, making Dougie laugh.

“I’m serious! I may not have a PhD but my masters thesis was a specialism in Rembrandt’s work. I’m a total art history nerd – 14th-17th century in particular,” Dougie explained.

Come on, let the nerdiness pay off for once…

Her face immediately lightened, her mouth forming into a surprised ‘o’, making him laugh again. At least, he hoped it was a good surprise?

“One of the classes I’ll be teaching next semester is Italian Renaissance and European History to 1650,” she murmured.

Holy shit. What a match up.

“Told you I wasn’t pretending to be interested,” Dougie grinned, “I’d definitely love to learn more about that class when you start it,”

Ashley blushed again, but her nervous smile had shifted into a full beaming smile, and his heart could only just about take it. Then she froze slightly, blinking, as if she’d forgotten something. What?

“Sorry, did you say museum earlier?” Ashley said suddenly, “like, you work at a museum?”

“Oh, yeah, I’m an associate curator at the North Carolina Museum of Art,” Dougie nodded.

He did his best not to puff out his chest in pride. He’d worked damned hard on his career and he was proud of it.

“I just…wow, I wouldn’t have expected it,”

Dougie laughed, raising an eyebrow at her sheepish smile.

“A guy who looks like you, like such an athlete’s build…oh god, sorry, that’s so rude of me,” she groaned, burying her face in her hands.

But Dougie just laughed, shaking his head. “Believe me, it’s far from the first time I’ve heard that,”

And never with such appreciation of his body either…

Look, he knew how the world perceived him on first glance. Tall, muscled guy, blonde hair and blue eyes, probably an all-american jock right? How he loved proving them wrong.

“Still doesn’t make it okay,” Ashley winced, “so I’m sorry,”

“Apology accepted,” Dougie mused, “I love my work, so it’s fun surprising people. Especially people with similar interests,”

Ashley bit her lip again but nodded and smiled, tilting her head to show she was listening. Wow, he could definitely get used to her looking at him with this much interest.

“Like I said, I’m an associate curator at the North Carolina Museum of Art. I’m actually Canadian, but I finished my masters degree in Boston and went straight into working at the MFA, but after working on a brief project in Calgary, I realised I wanted to work more in my specialist interests, y’know? So I applied for a role at the Museum of Art here, and became the associate curator of European Art. It’s…it’s everything I could’ve wished for, when I was studying,”

Dougie took a sip of his coffee while Ashley processed that flood of information, hoping he hadn’t come across too strong. People really did tend to zone out when he talked about his work…but hopefully because she also had an interest in European history and art, she wouldn’t be put off?

“I can definitely relate to following and achieving my passions for a niche subject,” Ashley grinned, “and I love that you love it so much. It’s rare, to find someone who gets such genuine joy out of their work. Even though work can sometimes be super stressful,”

“Stressful, but worth it. Especially when a new exhibition comes together so well,” Dougie agreed.

“Oh?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Dougie licked his bottom lip, trying not to look too nervous. This exhibition is such a big deal, and it had been such a lot of work. He could get a little excited about it now, right?

“Yeah, I’ve been working solidly for the past few months on the new exhibition – it’s opening next weekend. It’s a collection of Italian Renaissance Art,” Dougie said, a little hesitant.

Hesitant…because maybe that was a bit flashy? Did it sound like he was bragging? He really hoped not – not just because he was so proud of his work but he genuinely did want to excite Ashley…

“Oh no way! Really?” Ashley gasped.

Dougie bit his lips to control his grin. Oh thank fuck. Finally, someone he could actually impress with his love of art history. “Yeah, last quarter the museum acquired over 30 paintings from the 14th century from various collectors and this will be the first time they’ve all been together in the same room,”

“I bet they’ll be so beautiful all together after so long,” Ashley said, her voice a little wistful.

Wistful? He could fix that. Maybe. Yes, this was the perfect opportunity…

“Maybe we could…I know this might feel a little soon, but I’m…

Dougie trailed off with a frustrated groan, making Ashley giggle. For once, just once, let him be smooth! He took a deep breath, before trying again.

“Would you like to come to the exhibition opening with me?” he asked softly.

Ashley’s jaw dropped slightly, but she quickly nodded, making Dougie’s heartbeat kick up a notch. “Really?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’ve got a plus one as the associate curator, and there’s no-one else I could imagine going with. I think you’d love it,” Dougie explained, “and I’d love to show you the artwork,”

Was that too desperate?

“I’d…wow, I’d love to go with you,” Ashley said, her expression shy but pleased.

Shy but pleased. He could work with that.

“Great, it’s a date!”

Oh God. Dougie could only freeze…but then Ashley smiled. Huh, maybe not so cringey?

“A date huh? I’d love that too,” Ashley said shyly.

Oh thank fuck. Ashley just giggled at Dougie’s blush.

“Give me your number and I’ll text you the details?” Dougie suggested, trying to salvage at least a little bit of his dignity.

As Ashley took his phone from him and entered her phone number, Dougie could only sit in shocked silence. He’d done it. He’d actually asked her on a date. On a date where he could impress her with a topic they both loved so much. All he had to do now was not fuck it up.

That wouldn’t be so hard, right?

Ashley had been in a little bit of a daze when Dougie had left for work. He’d asked her on a date. On a date! And they’d exchanged numbers, Dougie having sent her a little smiley face so she had his number in return. She was just thankful that there wasn’t much work for her to do that day – there was no way she wouldn’t been able to focus otherwise.

And then throughout the week, they’d started exchanging cute little messages. Just sweet little things, like how was your day? and look how cute this dog is and I had the loudest school tour group come through the museum today and which of these texts is going to give me the worst teacher rating? – it was all silly and sweet and fun, and Ashley couldn’t remember the last time that the potential of a relationship had excited her so much.

There was just something about Dougie that made her heart beat a little faster every time she thought of him. It was bad enough when he would smile at her in passing in Storm Surge…but now, with every little text, she felt herself smiling even more than she could’ve imagined, like a giddy little schoolgirl with a first crush.

Because at the moment, it really was just a crush. They hadn’t gone out on their first date yet – in reality, they’d only sat together twice, with one of those times essentially being the exchange of their names. They’d only had one conversation in person. And the texts were so sweet and lovely…but they were just texts. She didn’t want to get ahead of herself and get her hopes up, you know? God knows that had happened enough times.

She couldn’t help but hope that finally, she had met someone with real potential. Dougie made it easy to hope.

Ashley supposed that their first date would be the real test of whether she’d just built up all the excitement of Tall Cute Guy in that coffee shop fantasy in her head, or whether he was the real deal. Their conversation in person on Sunday had been such a good start, but fuck please make him the real deal.

Was it really that much to ask?

Finally Friday rolled around and she was finished with work for the week. Well, mostly. Ashley had just come out of a bi-monthly faculty meeting and just had to check some emails before she could go home for the weekend (and to shave her legs because she found the cutest dress for her date on Saturday) – but as she got to her office, she noticed that Rod had stopped in the doorway, waving to some of their colleagues as they strolled past. Hmm.

“So…you’re looking incredibly chipper for someone who just got out of a tedious faculty meeting,” Rod teased, leaning against her doorframe.

Ashley just laughed, rolling her eyes fondly as she sat at her desk. “I don’t know why you complain so much – you’re the one who runs them,”

“Not through choice, I promise that,” Rod mused, shaking his head, “But you are looking extra cheerful today. Just feeling a little nosy, I guess,”

Ashley bit her bottom lip, hesitating. Should she tell him about her date? It’s not like Rod was a gossip…and it’s not like she had a whole host of friends to tell…

“I may or may not have a date tomorrow night,” Ashley eventually admitted.

His eyes immediately lit up. Oh God.

“Ooh a date, exciting!” Rod gasped dramatically, fanning himself like a southern belle.

“Oh my god, shut up,” Ashley giggled. That could’ve gone worse – but his excitement definitely lit up the butterflies in her stomach all over again.

Rod just laughed, holding his hands up in surrender. “I’m just glad you’re giving someone a chance to sweep you off your feet,” he teased, “Who is he and where is he taking you?”

“He’s a guy I met in that coffee shop I go to on a Sunday, and he’s taking me to the new Italian Renaissance exhibition at the North Carolina Museum of Art,” she explained.

And she couldn’t wait.

“A cultured guy or a try hard?” he smirked.

“A cultured guy,” Ashley giggled, rolling her eyes, “he’s actually the associate curator who worked on setting up the exhibition,”

“Don’t we all love a man who knows his history, even if it is art,” Rod grinned, winking dramatically, earning another giggle, “Let me know how the exhibition is - I know my wife would love to go if it’s any good,”

“I’ll give you a full review on Monday,” Ashley agreed, nodding.

“And a full review of your date,” Rod grinned.

“Okay, out, out. I need to finish these emails before I leave,” Ashley laughed.

“I’m going, I’m going,” Rod mused, “If you need anything, even an escape clause tomorrow night, send me a text, okay?”

Her heart softened a little at his kind gesture, and she found herself nodding. “I don’t think it’ll come to that, but thank you, I appreciate it,”

“Any time,” Rod nodded.

Ashley bit her bottom lip to hide her grin as he shut the door behind him on the way out, and the butterflies in her stomach were still there. Saturday night couldn’t come soon enough.

Tonight was the night. Ashley only had a few minutes left before her uber arrived to pick her up to take her to the museum, and she couldn’t resist having a final glance in the mirror by her front door. She’d had a little panic over what the hell the dress code would be for a gallery opening, but after Dougie confirmed it wasn’t black tie, just formal dress, Ashley had consulted with some of her college friends (who were buzzing about the fact that she was actually going on a date), and decided that a midi cocktail dress was the way to go.

And she’d found the perfect one.

The dress she’d picked out in a local boutique was a beautiful forest green colour, complimenting her dark hair and hazel eyes perfectly. It fell to the middle of her shins, as her friends had recommended, and had thick shoulders straps, no sleeves but a neckline with a deep enough v that it should a little cleavage (classy cleavage of course, very sophisticated in her opinion). Her favourite part though was the Marilyn Monroe-esque twirl to the skirt – something she’d tested out several times already – and she just felt glamorous in it. She’d straightened her usually-messy hair and put on a little make-up too, to match the effort she was making with the dress. To be honest, Ashley felt beautiful, and she honestly couldn’t wait to see Dougie’s reaction. It was a hell of a lot different to her usual Sunday Storm Surge outfits, that’s for sure.

Soon enough, her uber was pulling up outside of the Museum of Art, and she thanked the driver as she got out. Thankfully, Dougie was already waiting at the top of the steps for her, and the smile that he sent her way made her breath catch in her throat. Ashley took the time to check him out as she walked up towards him, and she felt those butterflies start up again. He was wearing a gorgeous navy blue suit with a white shirt and grey tie, bringing out the colour of his eyes beautifully, and the stunned expression on his face as he looked at her made her blush a little. That was a good reaction, right?

“Wow. You look…amazing,” Dougie murmured, looking her up and down with awe.

Definitely a good reaction.

“You look really good too,” she grinned.

Dougie grinned back at her, before offering her his arm. “Shall we?”

Ashley fought not to squeal as she tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow. What a smooth move. “Lead the way,”

Dougie walked her inside, picking up a glass of champagne each after they dropped their jackets off. Then they were off. The two of them wandered around through the exhibition, Dougie guiding her and giving her the most indepth information she could’ve possibly hoped for. She’d never had such a personal tour like this, and he was so shy yet so knowledgeable that she couldn’t help but to drink up every word. This was what she had hoped for out of tonight, that passion coming through Dougie, and she was receiving it tenfold.

“This one is one of my favourites. Batoni’s The Triumph of Venice. There’s just so much going on, and I swear I notice something different every time I look at it,”

Ashley looked at the painting, taking in the many figures, the details, the colours, and couldn’t help but smile. It truly was a masterpiece.

“Oil on canvas? Maybe…early 1700s?” she guessed.

“Fuck that’s hot,” Dougie breathed.

He immediately flushed bright red, making Ashley giggle. Good to know that her vague art history knowledge was paying off. And that she could make him react like that…

“I love all the finessed detail in this one. Especially on the carriage – it’s exquisite,” Ashley murmured, looking back at it.

“Isn’t it?” Dougie grinned.

Ashley squeezed his arm gently, smiling up at him, earning a happy smile back. He was so clearly in his element, and she was loving every second. The way his entire face lit up when he talked about art…there was something just so beautiful in that. Those beautiful blue eyes were even more alive than ever, that spark of passion adding such a gorgeous element, and she really wanted to see more of it. That was a good sign, right? That she was already imagining more.

They moved on to the next painting, and Ashley’s breath caught in her throat. Wow.

“And this…this is the star of the collection. Giotto’s Peruzzi Altarpiece, the only complete altarpiece by the artist outside of Italy,”

Her jaw dropped a little. That was a big deal. “The only one?”

“The only one,” Dougie nodded.

“Holy shit,” Ashley mumbled, eyes wide.

Dougie grinned at her. “My sentiments exactly,”

“All of that gold. So much gold. And the details in their faces. Holy shit,” Ashley murmured.

“One of my favourite frescos, and I get to see it every day,” Dougie sighed happily.

“Well count me as jealous,” Ashley teased, nudging him with her shoulder.

Dougie just smiled shyly, rubbing the back of his neck. He was just so cute.

“Would you, um…would you like a new drink?”

“Sure, another couldn’t hurt,” she nodded.

It’s not like she drank champagne that often after all. And it was a special occasion…

They stayed in the museum for another hour, looking over some of the art again as well as mingling with Dougie’s colleagues (including a mostly silent guy Dougie introduced as ‘Foegs’, who gave Dougie a double thumbs up when he thought she wasn’t looking, and a very enthusiastic big blonde man named Jordie, who she learned was Dougie’s boss – which, wow). Their conversation just flowed, and the doubts that she’d had earlier were easily shoved to the back of her mind.

She’d never thought it would feel so natural spending the evening arm-in-arm with a guy, but Dougie had just blown her away.

All too soon, it was time to leave the museum though, and while Dougie got their jackets, Ashley opened her phone to request an uber. 5 minutes away. Perfect.

“I had a really great time tonight,” Dougie murmured, when they were waiting outside.

His own uber was only a couple of minutes behind hers.

“Me too,” Ashley admitted, smiling up at him, “Thank you for inviting me,”

“There’s no-one else I would’ve wanted to take. I just glad you enjoyed it,” Dougie smiled back.

“I enjoyed spending time with you. The exhibition was just a bonus,” she said softly, looking up at him through her lashes.

Holy shit she just flirted. Blatantly flirted. Too much?

But then Dougie blushed a little, before a small smirk spread across his lips. “Yeah?”

Ashley just bit her lip, nodding. Dougie’s blue eyes flashed a little darker, sending a hot jolt running through her body. Oh wow. Just like that huh. But then her phone buzzed, the uber car pulling up to the curb, breaking her out of her thoughts just before they started to spiral.

Calm down Ashley, it’s only the first date!

She waved at the uber driver to signal that she’d seen him before turning back to Dougie. “See you tomorrow?” Ashley asked hopefully.

“Yeah, I’ll be starting work a little later on the one off, as it was the exhibition opening tonight,” Dougie nodded, “I’ll be there,”

Ashley grinned at him, before leaning up and pressing a kiss to his cheek, laughing softly as his jaw dropped.

“Bye, Dougie,” she said softly, walking over to the car.

“Bye,” she heard him murmur, just as she closed the door.

“Hot date?” the uber driver teased.

“The hottest,” she grinned back.

That earned her a laugh, and she couldn’t help but smile as the driver pulled away from the curb. Ashley glanced out of the window, only to see that Dougie hadn’t moved at all – other than his fingers brushing over where she’d kissed his cheek, a hopeless smile on his face.

What a first date indeed.

To: Ashley

From: Rod

So how did the date go?

To: Rod

From: Ashley

The exhibition was incredible. You need to take your wife, for real.

To: Ashley

From: Rod

I actually meant the guy but sure…

To: Rod

From: Ashley

He was a perfect gentleman and…amazing.

You’ll get your full gossip on Monday.

To: Ashley

From: Rod

Boo fine.

I’m glad you had a good time though!

See you on Monday

“I had a really great time tonight,”

“Me too,”

“I had a really great time tonight,”

“Me too,”

“I had a really great time tonight,”

“Me too,”

Wasn’t the saying that if things seemed too good to be true, then they probably were not?

Ashley had gone to bed feeling over the moon, elated, bubbling with excitement. But when she’d woken up, it was like a dark cloud had settled over her, a heavy rock of anxiety sitting on her chest. Everything had gone so well last night. So well. Too well? This wasn’t the first time that she’d gotten her hopes up only to have things fall apart around her – and her hopes had skyrocketed last night. All she felt was like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. And it made her feel sick.

That niggling negativity had swum around her brain over and over again, and she hadn’t been able to shut it off – not when she showered, not when she got dressed, and not when she sat on the sofa debating whether or not to actually turn up at the coffee shop.

Was this really what things had come down to? Tempted to break her solid routine, the exact routine she’d had every week, just because a guy made her nervous? Was he really that important? Was she really that much of a coward?

She sat on the sofa so long that she passed the time she would normally leave. Hell, she passed the time she would normally be sitting down at her usual table. Oh god she couldn’t take this. It was too much. Her legs bounced nervously as she pulled up the message thread she had with him, typing out a message to cancel…

…and then she deleted it.

Fuck that shit. No matter how anxious this whole dating thing made her feel, nothing was worth this. She couldn’t just not show up, that wasn’t right. That wasn’t her. Fuck this. As quickly as she could, Ashley grabbed her laptop and her handbag, driving as fast as she could to Storm Surge.

When she parked her car, she noticed that she had a few texts from Dougie. Oh god.

To: Ashley

From: Dougie

Hey, I’m coming a little earlier than usual today!

To: Ashley

From: Dougie

Are you running late?

To: Ashley

From: Dougie

Are you coming?

Oh god. Ashley winced, practically running to the shop, immediately spotting Dougie at her usual table in the back. The sheer relief on his face made her wince again. Fuck. His expression dimmed at little, but she quickly ordered her usual latte from Andrei, who looked an interesting mix of confused and concerned, but she headed over to Dougie without hesitating.

“Hey, um, sorry I’m late,” she murmured, setting her coffee and her laptop down on the table.

Dougie frowned at her briefly, clearly taking in whatever the hell her face was showing.

“Is everything okay?” he asked softly.

Ashley bit her bottom lip, hesitating. Might as well tell him the truth, right?

“I, uh, I was second-guessing everything?”

“Second-guessing?” Dougie asked, frowning harder.

Ashley just sighed. “Yeah, um, it’s dumb. I just…it all seems too good to be true? I woke up feeling like I’d gotten my hopes up and…fuck, I’m sorry. I just feel stupid now,”

Looking up at Dougie’s sad face immediately made her regret telling the truth, but it was too late now. Fuck. Why did she have to ruin everything? The fact that he was staying silent just made everything worse. Should she just go?

“What do you want to do now then?” Dougie eventually asked “or do you not know?”

Ashley swallowed heavily, looking down at her hands briefly. Hah. The million dollar question. “I know that I like you?” she offered.

Dougie huffed a laugh. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m not going to get mad if you don’t want to go on another date,” Dougie said with a sad smile.

Oh god that was worse. He should never sound that disheartened – it wasn’t right. And it was all her fault.

“Would you even want to go on a date with me again when I’m this much of an anxious mess?” Ashley sighed.

After last night, this really wasn’t where she’d seen her day going. Self-sabotage was a bitch. But it was her own damn fault. It always was. But then Dougie reached his hand forward, fingers brushing over hers lightly to get her attention, making her blush as he smiled a bit more genuinely.

“Yeah, I would like to,” he nodded, “I had a really great time yesterday night, and I still want more,”

Oh, so maybe she hadn’t ruined everything then. What? Well shit, she was grabbing this second chance with both hands.

“I had a great time too,” Ashley admitted, blushing a little bit more, “even with this stupid anxiety,”

“Good. That’s…that’s really good,” Dougie laughed, “well, not the anxiety part, but I’m going to prove to you that this isn’t just getting your hopes up,”

“I’d like that,” she murmured.

Dougie smiled at her, a truly genuine happiness, making her breath catch in her throat. Fuck she didn’t deserve this. But there was no way she was going to let herself ruin this, not now.

“Maybe we could just talk for a couple of hours before I have to go into work? Have some coffee, a couple of those delicious blueberry-lemon scones, and just see where things go?” Dougie suggested.

Ashley nodded, the tight ball in her chest immediately loosening. God, he was such a nice guy. “I’d definitely like to get to know you more,” she agreed.

“Scones are on me then,” Dougie grinned.

Hope. A second chance. Bring it on.

When Dougie eventually walked into work, his shared office had more people in it that he cared for. Well, okay, that was a little mean. But right now was not the best time for the combination of Jordie and Foegs as well as Sebastian and Teuvo, especially not when all four of them had met Ashley last night. Not when they were all so intense. Not while things were still so tentative.

“So, how did it go?” Jordie asked excitedly, “it looked like the two of you were having fun!”

And here we go.

“Well last night, at the exhibition, went really well, but…”

Jordie and Foegs frowned as he trailed off, Sebastian and Teuvo just looked confused. Dougie sighed and sat down heavily at his desk.

“She was really hesitant this morning. Like, so full of anxiety that she almost didn’t show up for coffee,” he admitted, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck awkwardly.

“What do you mean?” Jordie asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion.

“She thinks it’s too good to be true?” Dougie winced.

Foegs looked a little stunned, Jordie’s jaw dropping. But then Sebastian jumped to his feet from where he was sitting on Jordie’s desk.

“Well then you’ll just have to sweep her off her feet!” Sebastian said firmly.

Really? Dougie sent him an unimpressed look, but Sebastian’s pout stayed serious as Teuvo giggled.

“As much as I hate to say it, Sepe has a point,” Foegs shrugged, making Sebastian stick out his tongue at him, “the two of you looked like you’d really hit it off when we were all talking, and the fact that Ashley did meet you this morning means a little anxiety shouldn’t stand in the way,”

“Take her on another date. Wine and dine, man. It’s a classic for a reason,” Jordie added, nodding seriously.

Well shit, if Jordie was being serious then maybe it would work.

“Thanks guys,” Dougie murmured, smiling softly.

“Anything to land you the woman of your many dreams,” Jordie beamed.

Dougie just blushed. Sebastian wriggled his eyebrows, Teuvo just punching him on the arm. It was almost a nice moment.

He waited until Foegs, Sebastian and Teuvo had left to start working before he pulled his phone out, biting his bottom lip as he thought of what to say.

To: Ashley

From: Dougie

Hey, I’m glad I saw you today.

I hope you’re still doing okay.

How do you feel about getting dinner with me?

Dougie jiggled his leg nervously as he logged into his computer, waiting with baited breath for any reply.

And then eventually, his phone buzzed. Ashley. Thank god.

To: Dougie

From: Ashley

I’m alright thanks. That scone definitely helped ;)

I would love to get dinner with you.

Dougie couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face. Good. This was good. They exchanged a few more messages, eventually figuring out that because of his next few late nights with the exhibition and her essays she had to mark, neither of them were really free until next Saturday. A whole week away again. Fuck. No, this was going to work. Dougie knew it was worth it – and if she needed him to text a lot over the next few days to remind her that he was all in, that he wasn’t just going to disappoint her like those other guys, then he absolutely would.

Wine and dine next Saturday. He could absolutely do this.

“Hey, what was the name of that place you took your wife out for date night a couple of weeks back?” Dougie asked, looking up at his boss.

Jordie’s face lit up. “Oh man, it was so good…”

As Dougie promised himself, they kept texting throughout the week. He told her fun stories from visitors to the exhibition. She told him silly comments her students made that she couldn’t respond to without laughing in class. He told her all about his time in Boston. She told him all about her time in New York. He sent her a picture of the cutest trio of dogs his neighbours adopted. She sent him a picture of a sunset that took her breath away. Things were…good. He was just glad that Ashley seemed as enthusiastic as she was before their first date.

All he could hope was that he was proving to her that he was different. That he was serious about giving their budding relationship a shot. He hadn’t bonded with someone as quickly as this, as deeply as this, ever – so he wanted to see where it went. The unknown with Ashley genuinely excited him, and he wanted her to feel the same excitement.

He could only try to be good enough to deserve her.

By the time Saturday rolled around, Dougie was a nervous wreck. He’d left work exactly on time for once, Jordie giving him a thump on the shoulder and Foegs a thumbs up (he mostly ignored Sebastian and Teuvo’s shimmies), racing home to change into a nice sweater and his favourite pair of smart jeans. Casual but like he cared about making an impression. That was what he was aiming for.

And then Ashley arrived 10 minutes early, just after he’d arrived himself, looking nervous but happy in the prettiest baby blue tea-dress he’d ever seen, with her hair curled and wearing a pretty pink lipstick. Wow.

“You look beautiful,” he blurted.

Oh god. Mr Smooth, again.

Ashley just blushed, smiling up at him. “Thank you. I love your sweater,”

Dougie blushed in return. What a pair they made.

“After you,” he said, opening the restaurant door for her.

As much as her anxiety had worried him, he was so glad he didn’t give up – she was absolutely worth it. They were lead to their table, Dougie being a bit extra and pulling out Ashley’s chair for her, but the giggle he got in return was what he was aiming for. Wine and dine. Sweep her off her feet. That’s all that he wanted to do, and if it was working then he wasn’t going to stop now.

“I was thinking we could split a bottle of wine tonight, if you want?” Dougie offered.

“Yeah that sounds good to me,” Ashley nodded, “Maybe a white wine?”

That was more than okay with him. Red wine made him a little…over the top? He definitely talked too much when he had red wine, he knew that much, and he wanted to save at least a little dignity tonight. Hopefully, at least.

The wine was ordered, and by the time they each had a cold glass of sauvignon blanc, Ashley looked as relaxed as Dougie felt. He could only hope the rest of this night turned out the same way.

“So did I tell you what one of Rod’s students said to him yesterday?”

Dougie grinned, shaking his head. “No you didn’t!”

Ashley grinned back. “Well…”

They talked for hours, sharing stories about their jobs, their interests, their families, not stopping when any of their three courses came, not hesitating even once. Nothing was awkward in the slightest – their conversation just flowed like they’d known each other for years, and Dougie’s heart was just so happy. This was everything he’d wanted for so long, someone he could truly been 100% himself with, and he couldn’t believe that she seemed as into him as he was into her.

How was this possible, after only two dates?

Time flew by so fast, too fast, and they did eventually have to leave their table, even as much as Dougie didn’t want the night to end. He just felt utterly consumed by her, completely and utterly lost in her very being, and he didn’t want this feeling to stop for anything.

It probably didn’t help that they’d split three bottles of wine though.

It wasn’t enough to make either of them sloppy drunk, not with the delicious food they’d eaten, but Ashley was definitely a bit more giggly than usual, and he was definitely smiling like an idiot.

“I wish your uber wasn’t on its way,” Dougie sighed, when they were outside.

“I’m actually not a far walk from here, so I was just going to walk home?”

At this time of night? Absolutely not! Ashley saw the look of indignation of his face and burst into laughter, making him blush (again). What? He wasn’t wrong for being worried about her getting home safely.

“You could always walk me home?” she suggested.

Oh. Oh. Oh yeah okay, he could do that.

“Yeah, definitely,” Dougie nodded quickly.

Dougie’s heart started beating a little faster as she looped her arm through his, and it was all he could do not to smile at her too helplessly. How did she manage to affect him like this? He’d never fallen so head over heels so quickly. And she seemed completely oblivious to how gone he was for her – in the most innocent of ways.

They walked slowly, leaning on each perhaps a little more than they would without the wine, but it just meant that they had more time for talking. Dougie was blissfully happy to let Ashley rant about the indignity of the black myth surrounding Eleanor of Aquitaine, taking in everything that she was trying to teach him. He loved how much she loved her medieval history, just like he loved his art. It was quirky and different and so unique to her. And honestly, he could picture them doing this together for years, discussing their passions and their love for their careers and…

“Okay this is me,” Ashley announced, breaking him out of his thoughts.

Dougie looked up at the old two-storey home with a smile. So this was her home. Pretty.

“That wasn’t so bad a walk,” Dougie grinned.

“I feel bad now though, making you get further away for your own journey,” Ashley frowned.

But Dougie shook his head. “It’s fine really. I’m sure there are plenty of ubers still running around here,”

“Well…”

Ashley trailed off, biting her lip, making Dougie smile. What was on her mind?

“You can stay, if you want?” Ashley said, a shy smile on her face.

Oh fuck. Stay? Ashley saw the shock on his face, before she blushed furiously, quickly shaking her head.

“I have a spare bedroom! I swear I didn’t mean it like that,” she groaned, covering her face with her hands.

Dougie couldn’t help but laugh, tugging her hands away gently. Not that he was opposed to…sharing a bed with her, but that wasn’t the vibe of tonight. Tonight was for building them up, getting them to a more comfortable level. And fuck did it feel good tonight.

Waking up to see her first thing in the morning would only be icing on the cake.

“I would love to stay, as long as you don’t mind,” he said softly, brushing his hand against hers.

Ashley inhaled sharply but nodded, wordlessly reaching in her handbag for her keys. They stayed silent as they walked into the house, Dougie barely moving a foot away from her as she showed him the kitchen, the bathroom and then the spare bedroom. He could do a proper tour in the morning, he knew that. He was just a little stunned that he was even still with her, to be honest.

“So here’s some basketball shorts that my cousin left last time he visited. I don’t have a shirt big enough for you though,” she apologised, handing him a soft bundle.

Dougie just shook his head, smiling. “This is more than enough. I usually sleep shirtless anyway,”

Ashley’s lips parted a little in surprise, her eyes glazing over slightly, making Dougie grin as she shook her head as if to clear it. Good to know he had that effect on her.

“There are spare toothbrushes under the sink from when I last when to the dentist’s office, so help yourself to whatever one?” she offered.

Dougie just nodded, squeezing her hand as he walked into the bathroom. He willed himself to retain at least a little bit of chill as he got changed, quickly washing his face and cleaning his teeth with one of the toothbrushes she’d offered. This was all still a little bit surreal, being honest. But he was going to seize this with both hands – this was a chance he was never going to get again if he fucked up.

Ashley couldn’t seem to keep her eyes off him as they swapped places in the bathroom, and Dougie tried not to grin as he flexed his abs a little, making her blush. He could have a little fun, right? Especially since he knew the boundaries he needed to stay behind, he wasn’t dumb.

By the time he’d put his phone on charge and folded his clothes onto a chair for tomorrow, and then headed back out into the corridor, Ashley was back, dressed in a cute little pair of shorts and a giant t-shirt. Oh wow, he could definitely imagine her wearing his t-shirt to bed one day. No, not the time!

“Hey,”

Ashley’s voice brought him out of his thoughts, and he couldn’t help but smile down at her.

“Hey,” he murmured.

“See you in the morning?” she said hopefully.

Like fuck he was going to leave. “Bright and early,” he nodded.

But when she didn’t go anywhere, her hand moving to rest on his bare arm, Dougie couldn’t stop himself from stepping towards her. Fuck. She inhaled sharply, but didn’t push him away, and that was all he needed.

“Can I kiss you?” he asked lowly.

Ashley’s lips parted in a soft gasp, but she nodded. “Yeah, please,”

Dougie raised a hand to cup her face, giving her one last out, but as she raised up on her tiptoes he didn’t hesitate any further. He leant his head down, and pressed his lips to hers softly, barely able to stop the moan that wanted to tear from his throat. Holy shit. Ashley clutched at his biceps, leaning up into the kiss even more, making Dougie’s head spin as he kissed her softly, slowly, over and over again. This was so not what he expected from tonight, or even hoped for, but fuck did it fill his body with butterflies. Holy shit, kissing her was everything. Eventually, he brushed his tongue against hers gently, before pulling away, knowing there was a stupid smile on his face.

“Wow,” he breathed.

“Wow,” she nodded, laughing softly, “That’s one hell of a goodnight,”

Dougie laughed softly too, pecking her lips in a soft kiss one last time before stepping away. She leaned against the wall, looking a little stunned, making him grin as he walked into her spare bedroom. If he didn’t walk away, he knew he would do something stupid to break them out of this perfect little sweet bubble, and that wasn’t what he wanted. Not tonight.

Tonight had been perfect.

Ashley woke up slowly, a little groggy, feeling like she was forgetting something. Then she heard the bathroom door opening, and everything came flooding back to her. Dougie was here. He’d stayed over after their date last night. They’d kissed. Holy shit. Holy shit. She took a deep breath to calm herself, fingers rising to her lips without a second thought, and it was all she could do to smile.

Dougie had kissed her. And it was everything.

She squealed softly into her pillow, feeling stupidly giddy, before quickly picking out a cute jumper and her comfiest skinny jeans to wear. She could hear him moving in the spare bedroom, so she quickly darted into the bathroom, washing and then brushing her teeth, unable to stop the smile that spread across her face at the sight of the toothbrush that Dougie used resting in the holder. There was just something about it that felt right.

She took a deep breath, running her hands down her sweater to smooth it, before she headed out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. It didn’t take long for Dougie to join her, and he accepted the glass of juice that she passed him with a smile.

“Good morning,” he murmured.

“Good morning,” she said softly back.

Dougie seemed to hesitate slightly, before his face became determined. She didn’t have time to ask him what was wrong before he leant down and pressed his lips to hers in a firm kiss. Ashley whimpered softly into his mouth, earning a soft noise back, and it was all she could do to clutch at his sweater. Holy shit. This was just as incredible and sweet as she remembered from last night. Wow. Dougie cupped her face with his free hand, thumb brushing over her cheekbone as he slowed the kiss down to a few gentle pecks, before he pulled away with a smile. Ashley just smiled back up at him, a little overwhelmed in the best way. Wow.

“Coffee shop?” he said.

“Yeah, if that’s alright,” she nodded.

He understood her routines. And he didn’t care that she wanted to stick to them. How could she not appreciate that?

Dougie just nodded in response, smiling as he sat down at her kitchen table, taking a sip of the juice she’d given him. “I wouldn’t mind changing out of last night’s clothes though. Not really my vibe,” he teased.

Ashley giggled, understanding perfectly. It wasn’t her vibe either.

“I could drive you over to yours, to get a change of clothes, and then we could head to Storm Surge together?” she suggested.

“Yeah? You want to walk in together like that?” Dougie asked, a little hopeful.

Holy shit, that would be one hell of a declaration. But…

“Yeah, I want that,” she nodded.

The grin that spread across Dougie’s face made the butterflies in her stomach worth it.

“Let me just put on some mascara and lipstick, and we can go?”

“Sure, whatever you want,” Dougie smiled.

Now that was a dangerous thought.

All too soon, Ashley was parked down the street from the coffee shop. She took a deep breath, Dougie sending her an encouraging smile, before she steeled herself and got out of the car. This was nervewracking. Storm Surge was her home away from home, her safe space, her comfort, and now she was completely changing the status quo. But as Dougie walked to her side, smiling down at her with such hope in his eyes, she knew it was worth it. He was worth it.

“Ready?” Dougie asked, holding out his hand.

Holy shit. Bring it on.

Ashley smiled up at him, taking his hand in hers, embracing the butterflies that came with the warmth of his grasp. They walked to the coffee shop together, Dougie squeezing her hand gently as she opened the door and walked through.

“Ashley! And…Dougie?”

Andrei’s gasp made her blush, Dougie just laughing. Then Andrei’s face broke into a huge grin, and he spun around.

“Marty! It’s happened! It’s finally happened!” Andrei yelled into the back of the shop.

What the hell?

A door slammed open in the back, and then Marty came barrelling out. He took one look at them holding hands before punching his fist in the air.

“LET’S GOOOO!”

Ashley flinched at Marty’s loud voice, but couldn’t help but giggle when he bounded over to Andrei, swinging an arm over his shoulders.

“Finally! Do you know how long we’ve been rooting for you two?” Marty beamed.

Oh god. Ashley blushed furiously, as did Dougie, and she couldn’t help but laugh. “Was I that obvious?” Ashley asked shyly.

“Both of you were. It was so frustrating but so sweet,” Marty shrugged, Andrei nodding enthusiastically in agreement. “We just hoped you guys would take a chance,”

Take a chance. Hah. That’s definitely a good way to describe it. And he was so worth taking a chance on. Dougie smiled fondly down at her, before pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head.

“Well I’d say our second date went pretty well,” Dougie said softly, squeezing her hand.

Ashley smiled back, nudging him with her shoulder, earning coos from Marty and Andrei.

“Okay, you two are giving me cavities,” Marty said cheerfully, not even slightly annoyed, “Coffee and anything you want to eat, on the house. I need to tell Slavs – he’s going to be thrilled!”

Ashley just giggled, leaning into Dougie’s body as she looked over the cakes and pastries on display. Being with Dougie, this fledgling relationship, was scary – but it was also so exciting. She couldn’t wait to see what happened next. This was the start of something amazing, she just knew it.

#my writing #winter gift exchange #hockeynetwork #dougie hamilton #dougie hamilton fic #coffee shop au #yes i do have a medieval history masters how can you tell?#mildly self indulgent and super fluffy & cute #the research holes i fell down were unbelievable - and yes all the courses and all the job titles are all real things #dougie hamilton x oc #dougie hamilton imagine #dougie hamilton fanfiction #hockey writing #hockey fic #hockey fanfiction #nhl writing #nhl fic #nhl fanfiction

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draken-rotzi · 3 years

Text

Bug Man x Reader Part One*

Read on AO3

SO, wanted to write something of this topic bc we all need some more Musical!BJ in our lives, it’s a nice comfort ngl, I enjoyed writing it and hope you do too c:

(Got carried away so here's the first half while I edit the second one in the meantime, it takes a bit to get to the main part we all want to read forgive mE it's better in th next one believeme)

I'd love some feedback since I haven't written anything since 2019 ;v; some wordings might seem odd since my brain speaks spanish first english second

Summary; Old boring university life and a broken but hopeful heart meet the supernatural and whacky demon/ghost with the most, reader-chan needs to get out from a toxic relationship and what's a better help than a magic dead man? Cutting ties might seem easier when someone else arrives and flips your world upside down with no warning.

Mostly fluff, bits of angst l8r

Female reader, but tried to not give any other specifics to the character themselves, OCs appear

It was a fresh autumn afternoon, birds still chirped before migrating to warmer areas for the winter, the wind was cold but nice, not yet freezing but enough for people to wear light coats. You sit on a school desk, a class about taxes and fees, you drift off a bit looking at the window while half-listening.

You lived in a medium but popular city, it was a great place, with nice, kind people for the most part, huge malls, restaurants and lots of places to go out with friends or alone.

...

"Miss ___? Care to answer this equation here for the class?" The teacher asks, a tall, slender woman that radiated authority, it made some students shiver in times like this with a direct question.

"Oh? Yeah- sure miss Adams" You replied, while trying not to look confused since you just missed the topic, hopefully you remembered from the last lesson by the time you walked up to the blackboard and took the marker to write.

...

After class, you were walking with your friends to the cafeteria next to the main exit to wait for an uber to arrive; your side job as a freelance wasn't good enough yet to afford a car, but it helped pay the bills and to have enough for a bit more more than the basic needs.

Your two best friends at college were Itai and Rob. Itai was a funny dude, with a darker tone on his skin, not so tall and full of charisma. Rob was a bit more collected, but still a lot of fun to be around, being the voice of reason for you three most of the time, emphasis in most, because sometimes he got carried away too.

"Man I hate that class, I don't understand a thing! Why do we even need math?" Itai tells the group, sounding annoyed as usual, he was a simple guy, but simple guys need a degree too, to secure a better job.

"Well if you paid attention instead of eating that cold baguette in class you won't be that confused my man" Rob replies, laughing a bit at the end

"At least you weren't asked to do math in front of the class" You sigh, putting down your backpack and sitting on a table next to the building's exit, looking at your phone to know how much time was left for the driver to arrive, around 10 minutes.

"Yeah everyone felt so bad for you, but hey, if you’ll be daydreaming at least look at the front instead of the window next time, it might help you" Rob said while opening a bottle of apple juice, his favorite, he wouldn't drink any other thing, he was probably 60% apple juice after years of drinking it that often.

A few minutes passed by, the three friends chatting about the day's events, their plans for the weekend, and how to get the next assignment done. A figure appeared behind you putting a hand on your shoulders.

"Well hello ladies!" A man chirped, you turned around laughing softly

"Hey yourself!" you replied "Already off?"

"Yeah I've got the last hour free so I'm gonna head out to Kris' place, we'll play some games and work on that big project I told you the other day"

"Great, have fun! You say hi to Kris from me yeah?"

"Sure thing, see you later!" He says with a squeeze of his hand on your shoulder, then a quick pat on the head, turning around to leave.

"Bye, take care Nick!" you say as the man walks out of the cafeteria's door waving a hand.

Silence lingers for a bit until Itai breaks it

"Hey so, you're still going out with him?" He says with a crooked smile and a nervous look, Rob has a similar expression

"Yeeeah... it's been okay for some time now, you know? Hah" You look down for a second, pondering "Maybe this time is the good run?" Uncertainty fills the question, but you still smile to your friends.

Nikolas wasn't the model boyfriend, at least not for your friends; he was full of sweet words, hugs and kisses, only in private places though. When it came to the campus he treated you just like any other friend.

There was a small reason, according to him, he wanted to wait a bit more to make it public, get to know each other better, just to be certain from both sides.

That was the excuse a year ago.

It wasn't like he was out and flirting with other people, not at all, but one could expect to be treated like a love partner after so much time and moments together, you’ve gone to the movies, to dinner, to each other's houses, hell your families knew you two were dating, it just wasn't more than the bare minimum from him, seemed more like a thing someone does if they have free time, not make time for that thing, the thing being the relationship.

It seemed to be only a problem of neglect and apathy, probably, though you were so dumbly in love with him at first, you have been hoping and asking for a change since the relationship escalated to more than just holding hands and light kisses.

"I don't think anything's gonna change, he's been stalling for a whole year now" Itai mumbled, looking at Rob, he nodded in agreement

"Yeah, just dump him already, you deserve way better, you give him everything you got and he just throws the leftovers at you."

"I guess, but we're going out this weekend! You know he doesn't like going out often"

"With you" Rob adds

You hesitate a reply, it was true, most of the times you asked him to go out for a change, he was either too busy or decided to change the event the same day, turning it into a make out session in his house every time. Even though you saw each other 2 days every week, you have seen him go out with his friends more often, on actual enrichment outside activities.

"I know..." you sigh " I'll think about it, I'll try to talk with him about it next time”

Both of your friends let out a small groan of annoyance, they knew you weren't gonna do it, or that he'll just brush it off as always, between the lines of 'oh you're overreacting'

"Ah my ride's here!" You got up from the table and grabbed your backpack, tossing it over one shoulder.

"See he can't even give you a lift to your place!" Itai teased, they knew how you felt about the whole situation, but joking around sometimes made it a bit less bitter.

"Ha-ha, you know we live in opposite ends of the city! Besides none of you give me a ride either" you said while sticking a tongue out on your way outside the cafeteria

"Yeah because you live at the ends of the earth for some weird reason!" Rob joked back

Everyone said their quick goodbyes, and after a calm ride back home you remembered something just as you were locking the door, tossing your backpack into the living room’s couch you walked over to your room.

You flopped onto the bed, looking at your phone you opened some pending messages on the family group chat, apparently a distant relative of yours had died, and the family was gonna hold a small funeral tomorrow morning on the local cemetery, you didn’t enjoy those kind of events since you’d get really emotional, but since it was something really small, no more than 20 people, it was private and most likely no strangers would see you cry over someone you barely knew.

Tomorrow was saturday so it was okay to spend one free morning humoring your family.

After some mindless browsing on your phone, it was already 12:30am, you haven’t even got off your sneakers since you got home, you did a quick self-cleanup in the bathroom, tossing today’s clothes to the side to change into an oversized shirt with no pants as a makeup pijamas, it got a bit warmer in the afternoon so you wanted to enjoy wearing something light before winter fully arrived, getting under the sheets and you were out fast, maybe from all the overthinking of what’d tomorrow might bring, you’ve forgotten what are funerals like.

But there was certainly no way you’d know what would happen at all the next day

...

The event was simple, thankfully there was not much crying, seemed like everyone accepted already what had happened, some kind of illness you heard, at least they weren’t suffering anymore and they’ve come to terms with everyone close to them, that was nice you thought, it sure felt a bit heavy in there, as usual for funerals. After the ceremony, the family offered a barbeque in the departed’s honor to bright up the mood a bit; right at the cementery, maybe it was cheaper than renting a place for it.

Free tasty food was something only an idiot would decline, so you spent some time doing small talk with the relatives you knew best, but still you mostly just listened and ate in silence.

You saw a glimpse of color and movement out of the corner of your eye, since everyone was wearing dark tones it stood out, turning your head there was just an empty plastic table with some half-full plates and glasses, still, you felt a shiver up your spine, it was probably the weather.

When you looked back at your phone's clock it was already 6 pm, guess dad jokes and food made time fly, you said your goodbyes and condolences to everyone and headed out, you were still at the cemetery, so you had to call a ride back home, the driver dropped you near a convenience store just around the corner of your apartment, since you needed to buy a snack for dinner, on sundays you usually had takeout, so no need to worry much about it right now.

_______________________________________________________

“I know I didn’t imagine anything, that breather saw me at the cemetery! we even locked eyes for a second! It may work this time, just gotta get closer while they're alone”

_______________________________________________________

…

Walking down the street, humming a bit to some music and a bag of snacks in hand, dusk started to set, some stars could be seen and the sky was a beautiful fuchsia tone with oranges and purples mixed in the clouds. On instinct, you took your phone out of your jeans pocket to take a picture of the cute sky.

Just as you took a couple of pictures, to make sure at least one was good to share, something caught your attention out of the corner of your eye again

You felt a shiver like a cold wind out of nowhere, similar as to when a car drives a bit too close to someone on winter, but there was not even one driving car on the street.

"Oof, should get back now, it's getting colder" picking up the peace to get home faster-

A piece of paper slapped you in the face

“EW- wind trash” you muttered while grabbing what seemed to be a flyer, and it flew indeed.

You naturally took a closer look at it when you took it into your hands and out of your face, it was a very faded print, with an image of an… insect? man? holding a hammer over a small house and people, you chuckled, it was a funny irony cartoon, a bug crushing people.

Half of the flyer was unreadable because of some liquid or dirt, already dry but you couldn’t read what was supposed to be, written under the drawing was the end of an ad;

“Ghostly services one name away!

RESIDENTIAL - INDUSTRIAL - COMMERCIAL

Call BETELGEUSE

BETELGEUSE

BETELGEUSE!”

“Betelgeuse? ...Like that one star?” There was that shiver again, Halloween was a week ago, so this kind of paper seemed normal to be hanging around with the wind.

As you walked down the street, some lights started flickering, the cold wind seemed stronger and the sky was a deep dark purple now, strange, it was supposed to be clear dark blue by now, fall nights came quickly this time of the year, still it didn't feel like the usual night. You were just around the corner of your street when the closest light bulb exploded and zapped with a loud 'CRASH', making you stop for a second cowering from the shards

"What the-!? No one told me we'd be getting winter thunderstorms sooner what the eff" muttering swears you made a run to your apartment, scurrying for the door keys in the process, lights kept flashing and the wind made windows sing a high 'oooo' noise, you have seen this kind of weather before but no one would like to be outside when it happened, nervously and quickly you finally fit the key in the lock and opened the door, hurrying inside and closing it behind, a loud bang thundered through the silent room, the unexpected storm slamming against the walls and windows, you left the lights on before going out.

After a minute it seemed to calm down, wind turning into a breeze and the sky now it's usual black, no stars in the sky.

You let out a sigh and walked to the counter to drop your keys, the phone and your purse, you had to make sure all the windows were closed for the night, luckily it was Saturday, so no need to go out tomorrow on that crazy weather.

Windows secured, you changed into your winter pajamas, a gray pair of pants with a pattern of a cat on toast and eggs, with a pastel blue loose shirt. Making your way to the kitchen you decided a light snack would be enough for tonight, after that run and emotion on the way back home you had no energy to cook a proper dinner, not even microwave, it was also too late for it anyways you thought.

You put the snack bowl and a cup of water on the kitchen counter, looking to grab your phone. You noticed you still had the dirty flyer, forgot to drop it between the commotion maybe?

Placing it aside and unlocking your phone screen, you opened the ‘best friend's’ chat group

You. 'Hey guys, did you get any of that weird winter storm action today after school?'

Rob. 'Nah, it was a clear sky for me'

Itai. 'Same, also I was asleep all afternoon'

You. 'Strange, I got caught on this whirlwind on my way back home from the store, just my luck I guess >:('

Both of the boys. 'Lol yea'

Putting the phone down and chomping on some of the snacks, you thought about the events, it was indeed a clear sky earlier, only a couple of common clouds you took pictures of before it. You grabbed the phone again, quickly to see if any of the photos looked good.

"Pleasepleaseplease" you muttered in excitement, it was a very cute view, hopefully one picture captured it nicely.

And they did, a couple looked stunning, you smiled, thinking at least it was worth getting your hair all messed up by the wind, you were about to delete one picture it since it was blurry when you noticed a different kind of blur, it was gray with splashes of green in the corner, similar to what you saw at the funeral.

"There was nothing green on the other pictures, was it?" you looked through the other photos and they were pretty normal, full of pink, purple and blue from the sunset.

You looked back at the flyer

"Betelgeuse, betelgeuse, betelgeuse huh" You said in a playful tone, grabbing the torn paper from the counter, you felt a shiver, a strong one this time, well that was the opposite of a calming experience, but still the word felt strange when you said it, it wasn't like you hadn't said before, Orion was a popular constellation, and the Betelgeuse star was on it; but this time the air inside had a tense feeling.

All the lights went off after a second "Now a blackout? What's with today ugh" picking up your phone to use as a flashlight, after a couple of seconds before you could turn it on, all the lights came back again, but you almost had a heart attack when you saw someone standing in the center of the living room, enveloped in a green mist.

"FUCK wh- WHO THE FUCK-" you stuttered before turning around and grabbing the closest thing to use as a weapon, a wooden spoon used for beating eggs this morning "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE? WHO ARE YOU? GET OUT!"

The figure was a man, taller than you, dressed in a striped black and white suit, dark hair with green tints at the end, a wicked smile plastered on his face, he took a look around, then back to you, endless chills went down your spine when you met his eyes, you could feel the tense aura from before growing stronger, anticipating, colder.

"Well who might I be? You should know, you called my name baby! Glad to make some business with you tonight!" He said as he extended a hand and walked, floated? quickly towards a paralized you, frozen in place, you only managed to put the spoon up in self defense from whomever this man could be, the lights were out for just a few seconds, was he inside the apartment all this time?

"S-stop right there you!" tried to threaten the man with the wooden tool, he didn't seem to notice nor care, wrapping an arm around your shoulders, then placing a sloppy kiss in your face, petrified, you shivered and gripped the spoon harder, he felt oddly cold.

...Did he just kiss you? Who does he think he is??

"No no, no stopping now! We just got started cakes, and now that you said my name three times, I can finally interact with you and everything here in the world of the living! Gotta say thanks it's been real boring being invisible for so long lemme tell ya-"

*WHACK*

You hit the man in the head with the wooden spoon as hard as you could.

...the spoon broke.

The man's smile grew wider

#hope it's o k a y #I'll reblob this tomorrow with tags it's 2am help me #fanfic #fanfiction #beetlejuice #betelgeuse #beetlejuice x reader #beetlejuice x you #musical beetlejuice #draft #female reader #could be both Blum or Alex I love them both sm #or any other that u seem fit #I need a name for this jhfdsdfj #is 'whack' the correct sound?#sorry for the cliff #might edit later

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