#mutually pining disasters

[echosong971]

AH! I got tagged by @fortunatelyseveregrimwhispers, so I am DEF gonna use this as an excuse to share this lil drabble hehe

Rules: Post the last line you wrote (from any wip) and tag the same number of people as there are words.

(i know it says to just post the last line but we just…we’re just gonna…ignore that…..)

“You’ve…never kissed another Exo, have you?” Cayde questions curiously, lazily tilting his head to the side.

Echo whips around to glare at him, her bright eyes piercing through the darkness of the closet.

“Alright then, Mr. Vanguard, why don’t you show me how it’s done?” Echo finds herself curtly blurting out without thinking, immediately regretting her words the moment they leave her mouth.

Cayde cocks an eyebrow, eyes glistening as his head snaps up to look at her. The faceplates of his lips twitch up into the semblance of a smile.

“Do you want me to?” He questions with a low voice, scanning her face for answers.

Echo feels her Void light flicker along her arms, her heart sinking as her mouth lights up, accompanied by that annoying hum in the back of her throat as her internal fans kick on. The urge to cloak herself and disappear into the shadows of the closet was overwhelming, but she pushes those feelings aside and stands her ground.

“Come over and kiss me, Cayde,” she quietly commands, doing her best to mask the quiver in her voice as she meets his eyes with a determined stare.

Cayde laughs as he turns towards her, pushing away from the wall he was leaning against as he sits up.

“No, no, no,” he remarks, wagging a finger at her, “You didn’t seem to like me gettin’ close to ya earlier. So, if you really want this, you can come to me,” the Hunter directs, gesturing with his hands as he leans back into a more comfortable, open position, his lap looking more inviting by the second. He pauses for a moment, his lamp-like eyes growing wider as a sudden realization dawns on him. He grins devilishly, a deep chuckle rumbling from within his chest as he meets her stare with half-lidded, teasing eyes.

“Unless….you’re lookin’ for someone to…take control~?” He questions, voice rich and smooth like a chocolate decadence as he tilts back his head, cocking an eyebrow.

Echo swallows hard, acutely aware of her racing heartbeat as she feels the warmth in her core beginning to spread throughout her entire body. She stubbornly sets her jaw in spite of this, keeping her gaze locked with his.

“Well…you’re the one who seems to know what he’s doing,” she remarks with a forced laugh as she crosses her arms, “So, go ahead, Cayde. Come over here and show me what I’m missing out on.”

Cayde requires no more convincing as he swiftly slides himself over to the Nightstalker, Echo watching his movements with sharp, attentive eyes. She couldn’t help but admire the way he moved, how his synthetic muscles rippled beneath his leather armor, how effortlessly he maneuvered around the shelves; even in this cramped space, his motions were just as graceful and practiced as they were in the Crucible.

Within seconds, Cayde had closed the distance between them.

Echo’s breath catches in her throat as she looks up at him, feeling strangely exposed as those mesmerizing azure eyes stare back at her, roaming over her face, studying every feature. She feels her heart flutter and spine tingle as he takes her chin between his fingers and slowly tilts her head up, the Hunter leaning towards her before stopping an inch from her lips.

“Do you want this?” She hears him whisper, sincerity in his voice and his breath hot on her lips.

She narrows her eyes, doubt creeping into her heart.

Did she want this?

With him? Yes. Man alive, yes. She wanted this with every fiber of her mechanical being. But…not like this. Not so superficial. Not so….casual. She wanted this to mean something. She wanted this to mean more than just the two of them making out in a closet, to be more than just some tutorial on how to kiss people. She wanted this to be a kiss that would occupy their thoughts for days on end, a kiss to fuel their fantasies.

And to her, that’s what this was.

But, she thinks as she stares into his warm, inviting eyes, it wasn’t like that to Cayde.

Never to Cayde.

To Cayde, this was all just some game. Just a little bit of fun. Just another funny story. This was nothing more to him than some casual make out session, and she was nothing more to him than just another one of his Hunters vying for his attention.

And yet….

Sensing her hesitation, Cayde furrows his brow, starting to back away.

Echo grabs his scarf and pulls him back—much to the Hunter’s surprise—as she meets his gaze with bright, determined eyes. She swallows down her anxiety as she finally gives him her answer:

“I want this,” she states, voice quiet but definitive.

Cayde blinks, taking a moment to process her words before his expression softens, a soft chuckle escaping him as he leans in closer, gently taking her chin in his hand.

“Me too…” Echo could’ve sworn she heard him whisper, a thought that sent a pleasant shiver up her spine.

Then his lips were on hers and suddenly nothing else mattered.

—

@aislinavalbane @wrenandthemachine @missmirakell @eosofspades @destinyanddumbassery @screaming-for-eternally @a-driftamongopenstars @chosendestiny @omeganixtra @i-do-trash-fanfictions @anyone who wants to share their wips! (Feel free to tag me 👀)

*grabby hands* your wips. hand them over.

[fromxxthexxashes]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 9-1-1 (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV) Characters: Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Evan "Buck" Buckley, Henrietta "Hen" Wilson, Christopher Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Sophia Diaz (9-1-1 TV) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Writing & Publishing, Canon Compliant, sorry yes it is both of those things at once, Gay Disaster Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Mutual Pining, morons to lovers, Idiots in Love, cannot emphasize enough they are stupid here but it's how i like them, Not Actually Unrequited Love, First Kiss, Getting Together, Christopher Diaz Has Two Dads, you know all the classics, Making Out Summary:

Romance is a lot easier to write about than it is to put into practice, and Eddie is the world’s most ridiculous living example of that. He can practically hear the kind of jokes that Shannon would make about it, if he ever told her about the books but - he didn’t. And somehow, probably just because he didn’t start writing until after they weren’t living together anymore, she never found out.

  There’s actually only a handful of people in the world who know that Eddie is a writer - and more specifically, that he’s E. Diaz, one of the bestselling romance authors on the market.

or - the one where everything in canon is the same, except eddie diaz is secretly a bestselling romance author, and nobody knows. Yet.

Notes: I love this one so much. It’s one of my favorites. Not enough people depict Eddie as the hopeless romantic that he is. I just love love love it.

[chocoenvy]

scuttles in well don't mind if i do >:)

yandere ei/shrine maiden reader/yandere miko. that's it that's the post

ei getting attached to you the few times she visits the shrine. the meek, quiet shrine maiden that always hides away out of sight when she visits. a shame your attempts to escape the notice of your all seeing God fell flat, and only drew her towards you instead.

she starts leaving you little gifts, visiting more and more until seeing the almighty Shogun becomes a regular occurrence.

until one day you leave the shrine — not far, but far enough that you get cornered by treasure hoarders/nobushi.

just your luck that the Shogun was paying the shrine a visit, hm?? a coincidence, that she was there to save you.

but now she knows she's been too lenient. it's far too dangerous for you, all alone. so she takes you back with her, and seals you in the plane of euthymia. for what place is safer then where no other can reach you but her??

miko, obviously, notices because a) one of the shrine maidens is missing. her favorite shrine maiden is missing. and b) ei doesn't visit anymore.

ft her storming into the plane of euthymia just like you kidnapped my shrine maiden >:(

WITHOUT ME??? - eros

warnings: YANDERE!!! kidnapping, yae x reader x ei

yae is like "I thought we agreed we'd BOTH kidnap them! You're so greedy."

no bc this <3333

ei being like a little bird that leaves shiny trinkets and stuff at your door. Like she'd give you clothes and jewelry and if she sees you wearing it the next day you have no idea how happy she'd be.

Yae catches on too of course and she starts doing the same, just to mess with Ei a little bit. But instead of leaving them at your house when you're not looking, she gives them to you directly. Who knows, maybe she'll even flirt with you a bit.

She revels in the way Ei stares so jealously at her. Yae just wants her to break out of her shell and approach you more, that's all.

It'd make the transition to the plane of euthymia (read: kidnapping) a lot easier considering you'd be more acquainted with Ei.

I think Ei is pretty jealous of Yae flirting with the reader - not as much as if it were someone else but Ei doesn't like feeling left out. While Yae isn't jealous at all of Ei (probably bc she's lowkey a loser (affectionate)). But both of them get dangerously jealous whenever someone else flirts with you.

They see you wearing a bracelet neither of them gave to you? All they have to do is share one look and Yae is already approaching you all friendly. Her eyes sparkle with curiostiy as she gently but firmly grasps your wrist and asks, "Where'd this come from little one? Hm?"

Her tone is falsely sweet but of course, Yae had perfectly curated your perception of her, so there was no way you could think much ill of her.

"Oh!" you responded cheerfully, "My friend gave it to me, my neighbor actually that person with the long hair y'know?"

Yae hummed and nodded, "I see... well that was sweet of them." Her grin revealed a bit of her fangs.

You agreed, blind to the thinly veiled threat (or perhaps blatantly ignoring it) and what would happen to your neighbor later that night.

And then afterwards when your life was in danger, not just your emotions, it was apparent to Ei that there was no other option than to keep you safe in her little bird cage. Yae would've gladly helped - in fact the two have entertained the thought of kidnapping giving you a better home for a while now - but Ei preferred to act in the moment. You were lightheaded from the adrenaline high, fear, and whatever else the nobushi were able to do to you. Once you were in Ei's arms, sturdy soft and safe, you were out like a light. And she took you into her plane to rest.

Ei is not forgiving in the slightest, and will not hesitate to tear anything and everything down in her path to have you for all of eternity.

Yae is more susceptible to the fact that things and circumstances change over time, no matter how contained you may keep them.

Therefor making Yae the more reasonable of the two. If you wanted something, Yae was your best bet.

And Yae being your best bet was never a good thing. Because you never knew how she'd respond to your requests and questions.

Ei was a big softie once you were docile. When you weren't throwing a fit, crying and sobbing and beating your fists against her, she was very loving. Having you tucked against her chest after you'd cried yourself sleepy, her running her fingers through your hair as you laid limp in her arms. Your breaths were comforting as she sang an old forgotten tune to you.

But of course you can't forget Yae. She'd visit the Plane quite often, at least once a day you believed though time spun strangely there. She'd join you too and add quite a bit of chaos to the normal "routine". The routine being: you waking up in Ei's arms, trying to escape, her forcing you to stay, you eventually lash out, and she forces you to stay docile

Yae, however, threw it all for a loop. She loved it when you acted out. Found it absolutely adorable when your eyes would go all red, your cheeks would puff out and a whine would escape the back of your throat.

Ei, of course, wanted punishment for you, to "correct" your behavior. When Yae was there, though, she opted instead to laugh at your grief. She'd giggle when you escaped Ei's arms to either swing at her or grab onto her and beg her to reason with Ei.

She'd do no such thing, of course. She loved seeing you and Ei perk up as she entered the plane. And Ei had never been happier. The sky in her plane lit up a bright color to show how she loved having you and Yae around all the time.

Yae's favorite moments though, were when the three of you would go out into Inazuma.

It was an absolute joy to watch you and Ei's reactions to everything.

The confusion on Ei's face as she inspected something she didn't know too much about, the happiness as she discovered her new favorite sweet, her angry pout as Yae took it away from her, every little emotion she ate up.

Yours were even more ammusing.

How ecstatic you were to hear that you'd be leaving the plane, how you hopped up in place even as Ei held your hand. The bright smile you held towards Yae even as she brushed your hair back, so close to you. How giddy you were, asking her if she was serious

and the absolute dread as she snapped the collar around your neck.

"Let's be off then since you're so excited!"

The way you're shoes dragged against the floor, your head shaking no. But since when have they listened to that?

Your cheeks stained completely red as the three of you explore Inazuma city. The desperation as you attempt to escape. The tears that fill your eyes as you're dragged back to Ei by Kujou Sara, not an ounce of sympathy in anyone's eyes because

they all know what's going on and they all know there's nothing they or you can do to stop it.

[lily-cmdier99]

037/365

[elephant-in-the-pride-parade]

Personally, I don't think Commander "Where Fun Goes to Die" and Captain "Boy Scout" are romantically into eachother. But keep reblogging it. I'm willing to be persuaded.

[franeridan]

ratio saying "...mutual? wait, what did he say about me" I want to say this is straight out of a fic but not even fics characterize him like this oh sweetheart sweetheart

[digitalsatyr23]

Night at the Carnival (Commission)

Setting: Earth (urban fantasy AU) Characters: Aki, Jaune Genres: Slice of Life, Romance Word Count: 6,606

It was a late night in September, and there was a chill in the air. Aki, a university student, was trying to make his way back to his dorm very carefully. He was out past curfew, and if he didn’t make it back in time, he’d be locked out of the building. This didn’t mean he’d be trapped outside, but it did mean he’d have to reveal himself in order to get back in. He had gotten plenty of flack for sneaking in and out before, and he didn’t want to know what would happen this time. So, walking softly on his white-furred paws, Aki sneaked through the darkness.

In this world, there are many different kinds of people. Some tall, some short, some fat, some thin. Some people have pointy ears, animal-like legs, or even bushy tails. In Aki’s case, he was a kitsune – a humanoid fox with minor shapeshifting abilities. Kitsune were often touted as beings of great power and mischief in folktales, but in the modern era, people like Aki proved they were just like everyone else – just a bit fuzzier.

Despite the physical differences between humans, kitsune, and the other races, they all got along quite well in the modern era – with some exceptions – and any separation between race was a thing of the distant past. As such, Aki was considered a perfectly normal student at Whitewater University in Benard City, and despite not always following the rules, Aki was considered a capable student among his fellow fashion majors.

Aki stepped lightly on the pads of his paws. The sidewalks leading up to the entrance of the dorm were well-lit, so he made his way around to the back of the building. A certain tree with branches reaching just close enough to his dorm window was his aim, and unless something unexpected occurred, there wouldn’t be any trouble getting into his room.

In time, Aki made it to the tree and scurried up the trunk. After wriggling along the branch that reached towards his dorm window, he noticed something. The blinds weren’t down. On one hand, this made it easier to see if Aki’s roommate was awake – which was likely, given the light was on. However, he didn’t see his roommate anywhere. As strange as it was, there was no reason to stop now, so Aki wriggled along the branch further and further until he could start tapping on the window. Then, he saw the bathroom door open around the corner in his room. His roommate, Jaune, just got out of the shower and was wearing nothing but shorts.

Steam billowed into the room as Jaune walked out, light shining off of the condensation on his athletic body. The young man was rubbing his hair dry with a towel. Aki wasn’t sure why, but he could feel his cheeks getting flushed and his heart rate quickening. Then Aki saw Jaune about to change and let out a yelp, losing his grip and falling onto the bushes below. The commotion caught the attention of a patrolling security guard, who was quick to run over and help Aki out.

“Aki, what are you doing out here so late, man?” asked the guard. He was a cyclops named Murphy, and he was well-acquainted with Aki’s troublemaking ways.

The kitsune picked leaves out of his clothes and said, “Oh, it was just my restless leg syndrome acting up.”

“Restless leg syndrome?”

“Yeah. It’s when… My legs are restless. And I need to move them around a bit.”

“Couldn’t you do that in your room?”

“How many cubic feet do you think I have in there?”

“Fair point. Still, you really need to cut this bad habit of yours. The school takes curfew very seriously, and I can only cover for you so much.”

Aki grumbled at this and said, “Fine. But I’m gonna be a grump about it.”

“Good enough for me,” said Murphy. After the guard escorted Aki to the dorm’s front door and unlocked it for him, Aki turned momentarily to the guard.

“Thanks, by the way.”

“No problem, kid.”

Aki made his way up the stairs to his right. The dorm building had three floors in total, and his room was on the second floor on the eastern side. The kitsune’s legs felt heavy, not because he was tired, but because of the circumstances. Murphy was right. Despite it being a half-decent school, Whitewater University was still old-fashioned, being one of the few schools in the area that even had a curfew. Supposedly it was tied to an unfortunate incident that happened to students decades ago and the rules were never changed. Rules were fine and all, but locking up the building before 8pm? Most businesses in the surrounding area didn’t close until 11pm. It was ridiculous! At least, that’s how Aki felt about it.

Then there was the matter with Jaune…

Why did I react that way? thought Aki. I’ve been roommates with Jaune for a while, and it’s not like I’ve never seen him shirtless before, but…

The image was still crystal clear in Aki’s mind. The angle, the lighting, the circumstances. He felt weird, almost like he had become a voyeur, but he couldn’t stop thinking about it. As Aki turned the key in his room’s doorknob, he couldn’t help but mutter, “I don’t get it.”

Once inside, Aki noticed that Jaune was huddled up in his blanket across the room, half-sitting up on his bed with a laptop out and headphones in, gaming. It didn’t take long for Jaune to notice Aki, to which he simply slipped one of his headphones off with one finger like Jaune had done it a million times before.

“How was the show?” asked Jaune.

“It was fine… The show was fine, at least,” Aki said, realizing there were still leaves on his clothes. His ears drooped. While he continued grooming himself, Aki said, “Everyone’s outfits were so pretty! And the way everyone used their materials was great too. I’ve never seen tires used in that way before.”

“It sounds like there’s a ‘but’ waiting in the wing.”

Aki sighed. “Yeah… I got caught again.”

“Did you not make it to the window? I would have let you in like normal.”

“I…” Aki mulled over whether he wanted to be honest and decided against it. “I just didn’t make it to the tree this time. Murphy was on patrol and spotted me right away.”

“Damn, I’m sorry.”

“No…” Aki put his jacket away and flopped face-first onto his bed. “It’s all good. I’ll figure something out… Eventually… Hopefully the staff don’t hear about this. Although,” Aki spun around, facing Jaune, “I have half a mind to tell the dean how I feel about this stupid curfew. Most of the people here are adults, and I’m tired of being treated otherwise! If I can smoke, drink, buy porn, or drive a car, I should be able to live by my own schedule!”

“I mean… You could if you were an off-campus student.”

“Do you know how much rent is around here? I ain’t dealing with that shit!”

“Well the way I look at it is this is the school’s house, and since we live in the school’s house, we follow the school’s rules. It’s sorta like living with a distant relative, except they still ask for rent… At a reduced price, though.”

Aki buried their head under their pillow, grumbling, “Man, fuck rules, fuck rent, and fuck the system. Let’s just tear it all down and do whatever.”

“I’d be happy to join you, but I don’t think I’m gonna find a conch shell in the middle of Benard.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing…”

Aki wasn’t sure how to respond, so they just kept grumbling. Complaining and cursing always made him feel better, so he just kept doing it until it was out of his system. Once he could breathe again, he sat up, his hair now messy from rolling around in bed so much. He blew a strand of hair hanging over his good eye and decided, “Dammit, I should probably shower too.”

“Shower… Too?” Jaune asked.

Aki’s face went red as he said, “Nothing!”, then he ran into the bathroom.

With the bathroom door locked, Aki stripped down and got in the shower, running the water nice and hot. There was still a bit of condensation on the bathroom mirror, so Aki drew a little heart in it before taking their shower. Despite his legs’ shape and fluffy tail, showering wasn’t too difficult for someone like Aki – it just paid to be thorough. He went through the motions of scrubbing, shampooing, and rinsing, all while thinking about his circumstances. Aki wasn’t anywhere close to graduating, but he could already feel the strain of having to follow the school’s schedule. He was doing fine in class, and he even made some connections with fashion designers in the city, so it’s not like he wasn’t getting anything out of it, but what Aki cherished above all was freedom. The freedom to go where he wanted, do what he wanted, and say what he wanted. The more people tried putting him in a box, the more he tried breaking out of it. He had always been like that, ever since he was old enough to climb out of his baby crib. But the thing was, he didn’t want to live off-campus. He had friends at the school, clubs, easy access to events, and…

Aki shook his head. Something about Jaune of all people suggesting he live off-campus just didn’t feel good. He knew his roommate meant well by it, but he didn’t want to part ways like that. He liked being roommates with Jaune. They understood each other, even if they didn’t always verbalize it. But was that really all he felt?

“Man… Feelings are bullshit,” Aki muttered, turning the shower off. He scrubbed himself down with a towel, slipped on some clothes, and wiped away the condensation in the mirror to get a good look at himself. Aki considered himself to be a fairly handsome kitsune, with smooth skin across most of his slender body, save his lower legs and tail, which were dominated by white fur. His hair was white as well, and long enough that he preferred keeping it in a ponytail if he could, and his head was topped with two white-furred fox ears. His eyes were gold in color, though he usually kept an eyepatch over his right eye. He didn’t know what was wrong with that eye, but it didn’t always see the world right, so he kept it shut and covered with an eyepatch. He thought it made him look cool and mysterious anyway, so that was a plus.

After walking out of the bathroom, Aki noticed Jaune was still on his computer, but he wasn’t wearing his headphones anymore.

“Feeling better?” Jaune asked, eyes glued to his screen.

“A little bit,” said Aki.

“That’s good. By the way, I had a question for you…”

“Oh? What is it?”

For the second time that night, Aki took a good look at Jaune. He had fair skin, a handsome face, silver eyes, and very light green flowing hair that seemed to naturally float around. Jaune was a sylph, a race of people who were once thought to be wind spirits, but outside of being quick on their feet and having hair described as “lighter than air”, they were fairly ordinary folk.

“Are you free this weekend?” asked Jaune.

Aki tensed up. “What?”

“Are you free? I ask because sometimes you go to those local fashion shows.”

“I… Uh… No, I don’t think I have anything going on this weekend. Why?”

“Well,” Jaune turned his laptop, showing an advertisement for an upcoming event, “there’s gonna be a carnival not too far from here for the next couple of weeks, and it seems like you’ve really be struggling with cabin fever. I figured maybe going someplace fun on the weekend could do you some good.”

Aki’s hands were feeling clammy. He tried to play it off, leaning against the corner of Jaune’s locker. “Aaah, I see how it is. So you’re finally making a move on me.”

“I mean you can call it that if you want to. I just wanted to go and thought it’d be boring if I went by myself, and you’re right here, so… You know…”

“Then it’s a date,” the kitsune pointed, wearing a false grin. Smooth, Aki. Real smooth, he thought. Jaune seemed to chuckle at the line, so it made Aki feel a little better about it.

Aki flopped onto his bed once more. Even though he had already said yes to going to the carnival with Jaune, he couldn’t help but have mixed feelings about it. Was it a date, or not? Did it matter? Aki and Jaune were friends, after all. If anyone asked, it was none of their business anyway. Still… Aki couldn’t help but be preoccupied with the idea, and he twirled a bit of his hair with his finger as he thought about it, and when he finally went to bed, he dreamed of carnival games, bright lights, and overpriced, delicious food.

---

The week that followed felt agonizingly long to Aki. Nevertheless, he gave each class his all, doing homework as he received it instead of putting it off until the weekend (or as he most often did, the day before it was due). Aki even followed all of the rules, making sure he was back before curfew. He didn’t realize it at the time, but in hindsight, it was clear what was motivating him so much.

Then the day finally arrived. As Aki still worked part-time at a coffee shop, he and Jaune agreed to meet at the carnival after Aki’s shift around 4pm. This gave Aki just enough time to run back to his dorm, shower, change, and catch the bus. Aki decided to wear a black t-shirt, a flannel overshirt, and jean shorts. He made sure to brush his hair too, so it looked extra fluffy the way he liked. As he was ready to head out, he stopped and thought, Wait a minute, why am I overpreparing like this? It’s not like this is a date or anything. I’m just going out with a friend…

The kitsune rolled his shoulders to relax, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, centering himself. It was just an excuse to have fun. Just an excuse to have fun. Just an excuse…

When Aki finally showed up, he saw that Jaune was wearing slacks, a sweater vest over a buttoned shirt, and a nice jacket.

“What is that?” Aki asked.

“What’s what?” Jaune asked.

“Look at what you’re wearing! You’re like one of our professors!”

Jaune frowned slightly, looking himself over. “I like these clothes, though…”

“H-hey, I didn’t mean you looked bad or anything.”

“Then why are you laughing?” Jaune glared.

“Be… Because…” Aki did his best to hold in his laughter. “You… You look like such a dork.”

Jaune shrugged and said, “Well, whatever. You still wanna do this?”

“Of course! Do you know how amped up I am right now? I’ve been waiting on this all week!” Aki’s good eye beamed and his tail wagged behind him.

“Then let’s get going.”

“Hell yeah!!”

The two got in line, and when the time came, Jaune got both himself and Aki little wristbands. This would let them go in and out as they pleased all day, as well as let them ride every ride. Games and food, of course, were a separate matter, but they’d play that by ear.

Once inside the carnival, Aki had a sudden surge of energy beyond how he already felt, causing him to check out every colorful attraction he saw. There were the rides, of course, but there were also game booths with prizes, weird food stands that smelled of batter and frying oil, and a petting zoo. There was even a concert zone for bands – though no one was playing at the moment.

“Aaaah, what do I do first? Everything looks so fun! Should I have made a checklist or something? Maybe I should go pet the animals first, or maybe get some food? But if I do, I might spew everywhere on the rides. So maybe rides first?” Then Aki stopped, turning around slowly. “Ha ha… Sorry. I got a little carried away. How do you wanna do this? Should we stick together, or pick a meeting spot so we can do whatever we each like?”

“I think it’d be better if we moved as a group. Who knows what could happen with so many people around. I don’t know what to do first either, so I’ll follow your lead. And don’t worry about expenses either. I got us covered.”

“Wait, seriously? You really mean it?”

“Yeah!” Jaune beat his chest, looking proud of himself. “I found some gigs to do on the side, so a day at the carnival should be no problem for me.”

“Are you sure? It’s not like I don’t have money…”

“It’s fine. I just want you to enjoy yourself.” Hearing this, Aki stumbled, feeling weak in the legs. He clasped his heart, feeling it beat a little faster. Jaune moved in and put his hands on Aki’s shoulders. “Hey man, are you okay?”

“Y-yeah, I just need a minute…”

What was that feeling? Aki wondered. He decided to ignore it for the time being and turn his attention back to the carnival. Curfew on the weekend was a little more forgiving, but Aki didn’t want to risk getting in trouble again. With no time to waste, Aki decided to start with some rides, and the pair walked deeper into the carnival.

There were plenty of people moving back and forth around Aki and Jaune. Just about every race Aki could think of passed him by. He saw humans, people with horns, pointed ears, multiple eyes, animal people like himself, and everything in between. Many people dressed warmly like Jaune, while others, who were obviously used to the chill of Autumn, dressed lightly and showed off quite a lot of skin. Aki couldn’t help but compliment all the pretty and handsome people he passed by before finally settling on the roller coaster.

“You ever been on one of these bad boys?” Aki asked.

“Nope!” said Jaune. “Looks kinda dangerous. You think accidents ever happen?”

“I mean… Yeah… Probably. But that doesn’t mean it’ll happen to you. Half the fun is the thrill, the danger! You aren’t gonna chicken out on me now, are you?”

“Nah… I should be fine. Probably…”

“Well if you ever feel nervous, you can always hold my hand.”

“You really mean it?”

“Ye… Yeah…”

Goddammit, what was I thinking?

The line for the roller coaster was long. It was clearly the fan favorite among the carnival goers. The pair stood in awkward silence as they waited five… Ten… Twenty minutes, still waiting in line, all the while the line kept growing. At one point there was someone who cut in line behind the pair, and it seemed like a fight was about to break out. Aki’s ears and tail drooped. Then, Aki felt Jaune grab his hand.

“Jaune?”

“Don’t worry about them, Aki. I’m here for you.”

Aki’s face went beet red, his muscles tensed, and his ears perked right up. “Thanks man…”

“No problem. We’re roommates, right? Of course I’d look out for you.”

“Yeah… Roommates…”

It was long until the commotion was settled by security nearby, and after a painfully long wait, the pair finally got to the front of the line. One of the staff manning it, who had red skin, horns, and a pointed tail, looked Aki and Jaune up and down.

“Hmm. Yeah, you guys should have no trouble. Just be careful with your arms, and make sure the locking device clicks into place.”

After they were given the go-ahead, the pair went up the stairs, got in the roller coaster, and locked themselves in with buckles, straps, and the overhead metal bars for extra security.

“All right! You ready, Jauney-boy?” asked Aki.

“About as ready as I’ll ever be,” said Jaune.

“Good enough!”

When everyone was in place, the roller coaster started moving. It was a slow, steady climb up, and Aki could tell Jaune was getting nervous. He decided to reach out and hold Jaune’s hand, almost as a way of repaying him for the favor earlier. And then, the roller coaster descended, moving at a fast, exhilarating pace. Both Aki and Jaune screamed – one from joy, the other from terror. They sped around corners, went upside down through loops, then started the ride all over again. Aki lost track of how long the ride lasted, but around the third or so loop, Jaune seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself, and they both threw their hands in the air.

After the roller coaster was over, they left through the exit and were handed a photo.

“Huh? What’s this?” asked Aki.

“The ride takes photos at certain points. Just a way to treasure the memories,” the staff said.

Aki and Jaune looked at the photo closely. It was near the beginning when Aki was having fun, all while Jaune was tensing up and clasping his metal safety bars like his life depended on it. The kitsune nearly killed over laughing, and Jaune tried to snag the photo from him, but Aki was too quick and ran off.

“You want it? You gotta catch me!” said the kitsune.

Then the race was on. Aki led Jaune from ride to ride, using the embarrassing photo like a carrot on a stick. Together, they rode on the Zipper, the Scrambler, the Tilt-A-Whirl, the Gravitron, bumper cars, and even the carousel. Aki was laughing his head off, having the time of his life. Looking back at the man chasing him, it was clear Jaune was having lots of fun too. They were like a couple of kids, just going wherever they wanted to and doing whatever they pleased.

Several rides later, Aki and Jaune took a break in the carnival’s food court, grabbing yakisoba and funnel cake. While eating, Aki remembered something.

It’s just like before… Aki thought. Me and my sister were sitting just like this… Eating food after some rides, just like this…

“Is something wrong?” Jaune asked.

“Oh, it’s… I used to go to the carnival a lot with my sister. Our parents weren’t the most dependable sort, so my sister was always the one to look after me. Our time spent together at fairs like this are some of my nearest and dearest memories.” Taking a big bite out of his funnel cake, Aki asked, “Do you have any memories like that?”

“No, unfortunately.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. This is the first time I’ve even been to a carnival.”

Aki’s eye went wide. “Get the fuck out. You’ve never been to a carnival before?” Jaune shook his head, and Aki couldn’t help but join in, totally flabbergasted by his friend’s words. “But… But… Kids always go to carnivals!”

Jaune shrugged. “My mom never had the money for that kind of thing, and my dad was never really around, so… Yeah. This is my first time.”

“Then… We have to make sure you see everything. If I’m the one to pop your carnival cherry, then we gotta do this right!” Aki took Jaune by the hand and pulled him along. “Come on, the rides are waiting for us!”

“But… My yakisoba…”

“Food can wait! Rides, now!”

And they both got right back to it. Jaune had trouble earlier with the rides, but he had gotten used to them by this point. Aki, on the other hand, did not fair so well. The food getting tossed around inside made him nauseous, and it took every ounce of willpower for Aki not to spew on the other riders in the Gravitron. As soon as the ride was over, Aki ran off to the bathroom, making some real nasty noises inside his stall. It took a good deal of cleaning, rinsing, and spitting to make Aki feel even remotely normal again, and by the time Aki left the bathroom, he looked woozy.

“Hey… Why don’t we… Take it a little easy?” said Aki.

Jaune gave Aki a shoulder to lean on and said, “You were the one that wanted to run around everywhere…”

---

From that point on, the pair was done with rides. They moved onto carnival games, such as the strongman game (which Jaune did surprisingly well at), a water gun game that Aki got a little too heated while playing, and balloon popping with darts. The pair walked away with some fun little toys and prizes, but nothing substantial. Most of the games only offered trinkets. But then, Aki noticed one of the booths had huge plush toys as its top prizes, including a fluffy fox doll the size of Aki’s torso. Just looking at the doll made Aki squee with delight.

“That’s so fucking cute!!” Aki said, his tail wagging.

“You like the fox, eh?” said the guy manning the booth. “If you can beat my game, it’s yours!”

The person running the booth was a short but muscular man with long red hair and a full beard, with green eyes and somewhat pale skin. He was a dwarf, by Aki’s reckoning, with fine clothes that included a nice vest and a bowler hat.

“Who are you? You look… Familiar,” said Aki.

“Me? The name’s Ratigan. I can’t say we’ve ever met before. I’d remember a distinguished kitsune like yourself if we had.”

“Trying to butter me up, huh?”

“Is it working?”

“Maybe a little.” Aki then looked at the game. It was a kind of hunting-themed game, with a pellet-shooting rifle and metal ducks with targets on their bodies. “Hm… How does this game work, exactly?”

“It’s quite simple, really. That rifle can hold a total of ten shots. The goal, of course, is to knock down the ducks! If you can knock down ten ducks, you win a prize! If you can knock down the goose as well, you win the BIG prize, such as that fox doll up there,” Ratigan pointed with his cane. “Of course, if you don’t hit enough, you get squat. Them’s the rules, take it or leave it.”

Jaune stepped up and asked Aki, “You really want that doll?”

“Yeah!” Aki said excitedly.

“Then let’s do this,” Jaune said to Ratigan. “I’ve handled rifles before. Should be no problem.”

“Confident! I like it. Just remember: your best bet for knocking the targets down is hitting them dead center. If you only hit a corner of the target, there’s a good chance they won’t fall, so make sure your aim is straight and true.”

Jaune slid Ratigan the entry fee. “Just give me the gun already.”

Ratigan counted the dollars and said, “You got it.”

Aki couldn’t help but be surprised by Jaune. He had never seen his friend so serious before. As the man took up the rifle, put the butt against his shoulder, and looked down the iron sight, Aki thought, Wow… I know I called him a dork earlier, but he… Looks pretty cool right now.

Despite the cool aura Jaune gave off, he didn’t get enough to win a prize the first time. Or the second time. Or the third time…

“Ah, almost, almost! You can give up now if you want. I wouldn’t blame you…” said Ratigan, a twinkle in his eye.

“Sorry, but my friend wants that fox doll, so I’m getting him that fox doll,” said Jaune.

Ratigan smirked. “So be it!”

“Are you sure about this?” Aki asked. “We could always do something else…”

“You don’t understand,” said Jaune. “It’s not just about helping you. It’s… A matter of pride. I used to go to marksmanship contests all the time when I was growing up. I helped my mother hunt. I can’t just let a carnival game beat me.”

Aki nodded. “Then do your thing. I know you can do this!”

Despite Aki’s words of encouragement, though, Jaune still struggled to win that prize. The goose in particular seemed to be a difficult target. It was larger, but faster, and anything shy of a perfect shot barely made it budge. Then, Aki noticed something peculiar. He saw Jaune make a clean shot on a target, dead center just like Ratigan said he should, but it didn’t fall. Not at first, at least. There was a small delay between the hit and the target falling over.

Wait… What was that?

Stranger still, Ratigan was watching the targets as well. He expected someone manning a booth to not pay much attention. And yet, Ratigan was watching the targets like a hawk.

Hold on, his arm. Did it just move?

Aki watched closely, and every once and a while, Aki saw Ratigan’s arm move ever so slightly, like he was hitting something behind the cover of his booth. He didn’t know what, but at this point he was certain something foul was afoot. When the game was over, Aki walked up and said, “Okay, let me try.”

“Are you sure?” asked Jaune.

“Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”

Aki slid Ratigan a few dollars for the entry fee, but instead of taking the rifle, he picked up a rock and hucked it right at the goose. Not only did it hit the goose dead center, but it didn’t move at all. Everyone nearby was so shocked; they didn’t say a word.

“W-what the hell was that?!” shouted Ratigan. “Are you trying to break my game?”

“I can’t break something that’s already broken. This whole thing is rigged!”

“No it’s not!” Ratigan slammed his fist. “The pellets set off the targets! A rock wouldn’t make them fall!”

“But all you said was that they needed to be hit dead center. Why would a tiny pellet be enough, but a rock wouldn’t?”

“That… Is strange,” said Jaune, rubbing his chin.

“You two are just crazy. I already laid out all of my rules, so if you don’t like the game, you can go somewhere else.”

“What’s going on?” said a nearby security guard.

“Ah, officer! Thank heavens! These two are trying to break my game!”

“You are?” the guard asked.

“I’m doing no such thing!” said Aki, his hairs standing up. “We’re getting ripped off because the game is rigged! Ratigan is pushing some buttons or something to make the targets fall! The timing is all off! Here, I’ll show you!”

Aki picked up another rock and hucked it at a target. This time, the target fell.

“Ha! I told you it wasn’t rigged,” said Ratigan.

“You were just prepared this time!” said Aki. “Show us what that arm of yours is doing!”

Ratigan glared, saying, “My arm is doing nothing but tapping wood. I have nothing to show you.”

“I’d like to take a look, though,” said the guard.

“B-but officer!”

“If you don’t have anything to hide, what’s the problem?” asked Aki.

“It’s a violation of my rights! I am a perfectly legitimate businessman, and this is my perfectly legitimate business!” Ratigan pointed with his cane.

“Then what does this do?” the officer asked from behind the booth. Ratigan jumped from the guard getting close so suddenly. Then a few taps later, Aki and Jaune watched as targets just… Fell. “Huh. So it really is rigged.”

Aki turned and gave Ratigan the stink eye. To this, Ratigan said, “Hold on, there’s a perfectly good reason for this.”

Of course, the guard was radioing in, talking with a superior officer to see what he should do. Based on the conversation, carnival staff got involved as well, and by the end, Aki heard, “… The dunk tank? If you say so,” from the guard. The guard then turned to Ratigan and said, “Come with me. The staff have a new job for you.”

Ratigan wasn’t so eager to comply, so the guard had to drag him along. The dwarf kicked and yelled, “Get your hands off of me! I have rights, you know! I have riiiiights!!!” until he disappeared into the crowd.

“You know, I kinda feel bad for him,” said Jaune.

“I don’t,” Aki crossed his arms. “He must have cheated you out of fifty bucks! Speaking of which…” Aki climbed onto the booth and pulled the fox doll down. “I think you earned this.”

As Jaune looked at the fox doll, he said, “But… I was trying to get it for you.”

“Well yeah, I get that, but…”

“Go on, it’s okay. It’s yours,” Jaune smiled.

“You don’t even want a look? All riiiight. But it’s mine forever now.”

A bead of sweat slipped down Jaune’s face as he said, “Well… I wouldn’t mind looking at it for a little bit…”

“Nope!” Aki pulled it away. “No takebacks. His name is Ivan and he’s mine now.”

Jaune’s shoulders drooped at this, and he said, “Dang. I hope he makes you happy.” Jaune then looked around and said, “Shoot, it’s getting kinda late. Should we call it, or is there something else you wanted to do?”

Aki looked around as well. It was dark but it wasn’t quite time to leave. Then he noticed the Ferris wheel light up in the distance and said, “There is one thing we could do.”

---

Aki and Jaune arrived at the line for the Ferris wheel. Only couples were in line – mostly guys and girls. Aki’s ears drooped at the sight, hiding part of his head behind Ivan.

“What’s wrong? Are you nervous?” asked Jaune.

The kitsune’s heart started to beat fast. He didn’t know what to say, so he spoke in a purposefully deep voice from behind Ivan, holding the doll up and puppeteering its limbs.

“Ivan says he’s scared of heights, so he’d feel a whole lot better if someone held his paw.”

Jaune smirked and said, “All right, if that makes you feel better.” He then grabbed Ivan by the right paw while Aki held onto Ivan’s left paw. Aki felt dumb over the whole thing, and yet… It was nice of Jaune to go along with it. He wasn’t sure if his friend knew what was up or not. Frankly even Aki wasn’t sure. Was his heart beating fast because of the Ferris wheel, knowing the day was almost over, or… Something else?

After a bit of waiting, the pair were finally let onto the Ferris wheel. They sat across from each other, with Ivan to Aki’s right. Then the wheel started turning, and they rose further and further into the air. The slight shaking of the cart made Aki tense up even more and he practically went stiff. But then… He looked to his left out the window. He could see most of Benard City in the distance, the lights of its cars and buildings sparkling in the night and dancing across the river between the carnival and downtown. It was… beautiful. All the tense, nasty feelings welling up inside Aki just sort of disappeared. Even Jaune seemed in awe, as Aki looked over and saw his friend looking out the window wide-eyed too.

“Woooow. That’s really the city we’re from, huh? It looks so different from up here,” said Jaune.

“It really does. That’s why I like the night so much,” said Aki. “You get to see the other side of the things you’re familiar with…”

When they reached the top, everything seemed quiet. Aki saw the way the Ferris wheel’s lights hit Jaune’s face, making his skin and eyes look as pretty as the sight outside. The sensation in Aki’s chest intensified once more, and he couldn’t help but grip his knees. Why was he feeling this way? He had known Jaune for such a long time. What was it about tonight that made him feel such… Longing?

“Jaune, I know this seems kinda out of left field, but… I think I li-”

Before he could finish, Aki’s words were interrupted by the boom of fireworks. Pop after pop, fireworks flew up into the sky and burst into a dazzling display of colors. Once more, the pair was in awe, yet at the same time, Aki felt… Disappointed. He had worked up the courage to say what was on his mind, but he had been cut off. He sighed, feeling like he’d never get that chance ever again.

When the ride was over, Aki walked slowly. He was still carrying Ivan, and he watched Jaune move on ahead, the distance between them growing more and more.

It was just one outing. Why am I making such a big deal out of this? Is it really so… Important?

Then they were at the bus stop. Jaune was looking around, but for what, Aki wasn’t sure. They were the only ones there, so perhaps it was for the bus?

“Hey Aki,” said Jaune. “About what you said earlier… I think I like you too.”

“What?!”

Aki’s face got flushed once again, and he hid behind Ivan in embarrassment, but Jaune pushed the plush doll down and kissed Aki on the lips. Aki froze in place. What was happening? Was it real? How could it be? This wasn’t the Jaune Aki knew! But… It was real. This was really happening. Aki felt the warmth of Jaune’s lips for just a few seconds, and then Jaune pulled back.

“That wasn’t too soon, was it?” Jaune asked, rubbing the back of his head and smiling like a dork.

Aki grabbed Jaune by his stupid sweater vest and started shaking him. “Are you telling me you wanted to kiss me and you waited until we were at the fucking BUS STOP to do it?! You could have done it anywhere! The food court, the Ferris wheel! Anywhere but here!!”

Jaune’s voice shook with his body as he said, “But you didn’t say you liked me until we were done on the Ferris wheel! I didn’t want to make a move if you weren’t into it!!”

“How could you even hear all that with those loud ass fireworks?!?”

“Because I was paying attention!!!”

Aki stopped, taking slow, deliberate breaths. He put his head on Jaune’s chest and said, “I can’t believe you… You dork.”

The pair kept their distance from one another for the rest of the night, sitting in different seats on the bus, and walking with a gap between one another. When they finally got in their dorm room, Aki just sat in silence waiting his turn while Jaune showered. Somehow, Aki couldn’t even look at Jaune.

When night came, Aki rolled around restlessly in bed. There was so much he wanted to say, but he just couldn’t. Even Jaune noticed all the kicking and rolling Aki was doing.

“Aki… What is it this time?”

Unsure how to respond, Aki talked in that deep voice again, holding up the fox doll. “Ivan said… He’s cold… And he needs someone to help warm him up.”

Jaune sighed and got out of bed, moving over to Aki’s bed. After slipping under the covers, they both laid there, staring at the ceiling while Ivan sat between them. They didn’t do anything too physical that night, but… Aki did reach out for Jaune’s hand, and he reached out his. Feeling the warmth of Jaune’s fingers intertwined with Aki’s, the kitsune fell fast asleep. The last thing he heard was from Jaune.

“Good night, Ivan, and good night, Aki. Sweet dreams…”

---

Author's Note: This was commissioned by a friend who likes to do AU-type stuff with their D&D/pathfinder character, and asked if I could do a write up of a modern slice-of-life/romance idea they had involving theirs and their spouse's characters. In the game I ran for them in the past, Aki was a kitsune sorcerer and Jaune was a sylph gun chemist. Aki is exactly as much of a hot mess as a sorcerer as he is here as a university student. Quite fun to write for, as well. This also features a guest appearance by another one of my player's characters, Ratigan, who in the normal game is a dwarf/dhampir multi-classing guy who loves gambling and swindling people, so after I got the player's permission, I slotted him in as a minor antagonist for fun. Ironically for how much Aki and Ratigan would cuss each other out in-game, they're actually pretty good friends. They just try to kill each other sometimes. You know... Friend stuff.

I like how this comm turned out and my friends liked it too! I'm glad they gave me permission to share it here. Hopefully whoever is reading this got some enjoyment out of it too. :D

[justlemmeadoreyou]

rain-kissed* (footballer!harry x

nerd!y/n)

summary: y/n and harry, former rivals turned reluctant partners, find unexpected chemistry. heated glances, playful banter ignite a spark. a near-tragedy makes y/n confront feelings, and...will they be reciprocated? ft. lots of mutual pining

words: 6.1k

warnings: Angst, fluff, mentions of a major injury, cursing, kissing, hints of smut, mutual pining.

Y/N groaned as she walked into the lecture hall for her literature class. "Are you kidding me?"

There in the very front row sat Harry Styles - captain of the football team, president of one of the biggest frats on campus, and certified douchebag extraordinaire. His feet were obnoxiously propped up on the desk in front of him as he laughed loudly with his friends. 

"This class is gonna be a nightmare," Y/N muttered, taking a seat as far away from Harry's circle as possible. She couldn't stand arrogant jocks like him.

Class started and the professor cleared her throat loudly, shooting Harry a pointed look until he dropped his feet to the floor with an eye roll. "Alright, since this is an upper-level lit course, we're going to kick things off with a big group project."

A collective groan went through the class. Group projects were the worst, especially when half the group didn't pull their weight. Harry raised his hand lazily.

"What's the project, Millers?"

The prof narrowed her eyes at Harry's casual address but proceeded. "You'll be analyzing the themes and formatting an anthology of poems, plays, and short stories from a particular era or movement. I'll be assigning the groups and topics."

Y/N mentally prepared herself to get stuck doing all the work as usual for her group when Millers started listing off the pairings. 

"Styles and Y/L/N - you'll be covering the Romantic period."

Y/N's head whipped up in horror as Harry scoffed loudly. Of course they'd get partnered up. This was quite literally her worst nightmare.

"Fucking kill me," Harry grumbled, slumping back in his seat rudely.

"I'd rather work alone," Y/N couldn't stop herself from retorting. Immediately, Millers zeroed in on her with a stern look.

"I don't recall there being a choice, Ms. Y/L/N. Unless either of you plans to drop this course, I suggest you learn to work together effectively."

Gritting her teeth, Y/N forced out a tight, "Yes, Professor."

Harry was already texting rapidly on his phone, not paying any attention. This project was going to be utter hell.

The rest of the semester only proved Y/N right about what a nightmare it would be to work with Harry. Their first meeting to divide up the work went about as well as could be expected - which is to say it was a total disaster.

"Look, I don't have a bunch of time for this bullshit poetry stuff," Harry kicked back in a creaky chair, looking entirely too at home in the empty classroom they'd claimed for their work session. "How about you just do the whole thing and I'll, like, proofread it at the end or whatever?"

Y/N stared at him incredulously. "Absolutely not! This is a hugely weighted project, Styles. I'm not doing all the work myself."

He shrugged impatiently. "Why not? You seem like a big ol' nerd who'd be into this."

Biting back a retort, Y/N forced herself to remain calm and reasonable. If he was going to act like a damn child,she had to be the adult in the relationship–or whatever this was.

 "Forget it. We're going to split everything 50/50 whether you like it or not. I'll take the poetry analysis and you can have the plays. We'll swap sections to proofread before compiling the final thing."

Harry made a face like she'd asked him to perform surgery. "Do I have to? Plays are so boring."

"Don't care," Y/N said flatly. "You're pulling your weight on this one way or another."

With a melodramatic huff, Harry finally agreed and they were able to separate the reading materials and due dates before parting ways, both dreading the long weeks ahead.

Except...after trading several heated email chains and a couple disastrous coffee shop meetups, something shifted. Maybe it was the punctuality that struck after virtually living in the library for a week straight. Maybe it was how they both surprised each other by not being complete idiots about the subject matter. But at some point, the bickering and resentful silences turned to a bearable truce and even - dare Y/N think it - a hint of reluctant respect between them.

Y/N had assumed Harry was just another brainless party bro who skated by on his looks and family money. But to her surprise, he actually had intelligent insights into the Romantic poets and playwrights - even if he still whined about having to read "this dramalogy crap." 

And Harry, who had fully expected Y/N to be an uptight, pretentious book nerd, found himself caught off guard by her whip-smart analysis...and her unexpected sarcastic quips that had him stifling laughs more than once during their study sessions. He called her nerd instead of her usual name, but was now slipping back to using Y/n more often.

"Oh my god, you did not just say that about Lord Byron!" Harry snickered as Y/N made another scalding comment about the poet's arrogant womanizing. 

"What? The man was an infamous manwhore by all accounts," Y/N shrugged unapologetically. "Self-important dickhead thought his brooding and philandering made him a genius."

Harry gasped in mock offense. "How very unromantic of you, love! Have you no poetic soul?"

Without missing a beat, Y/N deadpanned, "I prefer to admire poets who didn't give the clap to half of London."

The startled laugh that burst from Harry's lips was so warm and uninhibited that Y/N felt an unexpected little flip in her stomach at the sight. Whoa, what was that?

Shaking it off, she hid her face behind her book again, tamping down an oddly giddy–sort of feeling. Just because she'd managed to find Harry slightly less insufferable lately didn't mean anything.

And so it went, their bickering gradually becoming more lighthearted and playful rather than biting. The weeks ticked by as they somehow formed an unlikely...friendship? Bros? Sure, they'd go with that for simplicity's sake.

At some point, they started expanding their hangouts beyond just study sessions too. Grabbing food after class turned into actually sitting together, Harry regaling Y/N with stories from his frat's latest shenanigans as she pretended not to be entertained. 

On the rare nights Y/N wasn't holed up writing papers, she started joining Harry and his boys at their favorite dive bar, quickly becoming the calm voice of reason trying in vain to talk them out of their next boneheaded plan.

"Come on, PlainJane! Live a little!" Harry teased, throwing an arm around her shoulders at the bar. 

The rowdy group cackled at Harry's horrible attempt at a literary-themed nickname for Y/N, as per tradition when any new face got absorbed into their friend circle. Personally, Y/N thought it was a lame pun, but she secretly loved how easily she'd slotted into their bizarre fratty family...and maybe especially how Harry always seemed to plaster himself to her side whenever they went out.

The camaraderie and effortless banter flowing between them should've been a huge red flag that something was shifting. But Y/N was quite stubbornly oblivious, as was Harry in his own way.

At least, that was until their big group presentation day rolled around. They'd been prepping and quizzing each other for weeks, reviewing notes and analysis essays till they were cross-eyed. Harry had really stepped up, much to Y/N's surprise, retaining way more than she'd expected about the playwrights and their major works.

The whole lit class was spread out in the lecture hall, with bullet-pointed notecards and thick anthologies ready as the first group took the floor. When it was finally Harry and Y/N's turn, they moved to the front in sync, Harry shooting her a subtle wink as he grabbed the microphone first.

"Buckle up, kids - this is how you do a proper literary presentation," he drawled cockily.

Y/N rolled her eyes on reflex, biting her lip and bumping his hip with hers in playful admonishment. "Shut up and just start already."

Neither of them noticed the amused looks being swapped by their classmates at their easy rapport. Or Millers leaning back with a knowing smirk, clearly recognizing the chemistry flying between her formerly antagonistic partners.

For the next hour, Harry and Y/N launched into their meticulously prepared overview of the key figures and works emerging from the Romantic period. Their back-and-forth was flawless yet casual, almost playful at times with little ad-libs and jokes only they were in on.

At one point, Harry lightly mocked Lord Byron's arrogance with a pompous impression that had Y/N doubled over giggling into the mic, barely choking out the next lines through her laughter. When she managed to catch her breath, she shot him a look that was equal parts fond exasperation and...something more heated.

There was a noticeable spark between them that had clearly evolved far beyond the adversarial classmates they'd started as. And if anyone could miss that subtext, it became blindingly obvious at the end when they seamlessly transitioned into their concluding remarks, standing shoulder to shoulder.

"So in summary, while the Romantics may have been a pretentious bunch of melancholic lads-" Harry began.

"-their pioneering works cemented their place as quintessential figures in literary history," Y/N picked up without missing a beat. 

They shared a grin before finishing in unison, "And that's the tea, no cap."

A surprised burst of laughter rang out from their classmates at their cheeky sign-off, even the prof hiding a smile behind her hand. Everyone could see it - the easy chemistry, the almost electric undercurrent between the former rivals.

Everyone, that is, except Harry and Y/N themselves. 

As they moved to return to their seats amid the applause, neither seemed to register the weighted looks and muffled whispers following them. Harry just ducked his head with an almost bashful smile, still riding the high of how flawlessly they'd worked together. While Y/N felt her cheeks flushing under the weight of what she convinced herself was just residual adrenaline.

In the weeks after their wildly successful presentation, that same strain of electrifying connection only grew stronger between them. You'd never know they'd spent the first half of the semester low-key loathing each other based on their current vibe.

Now, when Harry's frat brothers tried to rib him about his "study buddy" at their typical dive bar hangout, he just threw an arm around Y/N's shoulders and proudly declared, "More like my brain twin!"

Y/N would just duck her head with a bashful grin, pointedly ignoring how her heart did a little somersault at both the affectionate nickname and Harry's easy touch.

Or like when they sprawled out on the quad between classes, passing a bag of chips back and forth as Harry ranted about his coach riding his ass over the big rivalry game next week. Without even thinking about it, Y/N would reach out to squeeze his knee consolingly as he huffed out his frustrations. It was such a simple, natural gesture between them now that she didn't even register the slightly stunned look Harry shot her before clearing his throat gruffly.

Even their friends couldn't resist commenting on their respective obliviousness at this point.

"Bruh, Y/N literally lets you call her 'love' without punching you in the dick," Niall pointed out bluntly one night when Harry claimed, once again, he and Y/N were "just friends." His Irish buddy arched a skeptical eyebrow. "Pretty sure she wants to ride your lancer if you know what I mean."

Harry smacked him hard while trying not to get flustered. "Shut the fuck up, asshole."

While on Y/N's end...

"Sooooo, when are you gonna admit you have a huge crush on Styles?" Her friend Riley asked point blank over brunch, making Y/N nearly choke on her mimosa.

"What? No I don't!" She insisted a little too quickly, refusing to meet Riley's all-knowing gaze. "We're just...really good friends."

Riley hummed disbelievingly. "Right. And I'm the Queen of England."

Y/N opened her mouth to protest further before clamping it shut as her mind started helplessly rehashing all her favourite little moments with Harry over the past few weeks. His warm, anthracite eyes crinkled at the corners when he laughed at her jokes. The proud grin he'd get whenever she successfully understood something he'd tried explaining. The way she felt this inexplicable magnetic pull to stay pressed into his side for as long as possible whenever they hung out...

"Oh my god," she breathed out, smile slipping as the enormity of her revelation dawned. "I'm in love with Harry fucking Styles."

That's not to say the smitten epiphany immediately changed anything between the two. Well, maybe it made their lingering hugs and casual touches go on for a few beats too long. Or had them both shyly stealing glances when the other's back was turned.

***

Mostly though, they just continued their cozy, obliviously pining routine of late night FaceTimes and weekends holed up studying together for finals. All while Harry's team prepared for their annual football rivalry game - the biggest matchup of the season that would make or break their championship chances.

The night before the game, Y/N found herself inexplicably anxious as she sat in the stands amid a drunk, raucous crowd. Harry kept shooting cheesy grins and double finger-gunged winks her way whenever he trotted past her section, clearly buzzed on adrenaline.

"Go get 'em, superstar!" She shouted at one point, laughing as Harry blew her an obnoxious kiss before getting back in the huddle.

The energy in the stadium was electric and infectious, Y/N finding herself caught up in the cheers and chants despite not being a huge football fan normally. Something about watching her...Harry out there gave her swirling butterflies low in her belly though.

As the intense game raged on, Y/N was on the edge of her seat, nails digging into her palms whenever Harry took a brutal hit or made a heart-stoppingly risky play. At one point he got absolutely leveled by a linebacker twice his size, his helmet bouncing sickeningly off the turf.The roar of the crowd faded into the background as Y/N watched in horror as Harry's body slammed violently into the turf. She felt her heart stop as he didn't immediately get back up after the brutal hit.

"Harry!" she screamed, her voice drowned out by the gasps of the other spectators. 

The medical team rushed out onto the field as Harry lay unmoving. Y/N's hands shook with fear as she watched them carefully roll him onto a backboard and load him into the ambulance. She felt tears streaking down her cheeks as the ambulance pulled away, sirens blaring.

After what felt like an eternity, she finally received word that Harry was going to be okay. The doctors said he had suffered a severe concussion and possible spinal injury from the whiplash of the hit. He would need weeks of rest and recovery.

Y/N rushed to the hospital, desperate to see him. When she entered his room, her heart broke at the sight of Harry's battered body hooked up to various machines, a cervical collar immobilizing his neck.

"Harry..." she whispered, taking his hand gently in hers. "I'm so sorry."

Harry's eyes fluttered open at the sound of her voice. "Y/N? You're here..."

"Of course I'm here, you idiot," she tried to joke, blinking back more tears. "I was so worried about you."

A small smile tugged at his bruised lips. "I'll be okay, love. Harry is a thick skull, remember?"

Y/N rolled her eyes but couldn't help grinning at his terrible joke. "Don't scare me like that again, Styles. I don't know what I'd do without you."

A look of tenderness crossed Harry's face that made Y/N's breath catch in her throat. But before either could say anything further, the doctor entered to check on Harry's condition.

***

Over the next week, Y/N diligently stayed by Harry's side in the hospital. She helped feed him, kept him company, and supported him through the difficult early recovery stages. Harry quickly grew restless being cooped up, but every time he tried to get out of bed against doctor's orders, Y/N was there to scold him.

"You heard what the doctor said, Harry. You need to rest and let your body heal properly," she chastised him one day as he tried to get up.

Harry groaned in frustration. "But I'm going stir crazy in this damn bed! I feel fine, Y/N, honestly."

"No, you don't," Y/N said firmly. "You could have had a serious spinal injury. You're lucky it wasn't worse. Now lie back down before I get the nurses to strap you in."

Grumbling, Harry reluctantly complied, though he continued to hate being so confined and immobile. Little did Y/N know, he was already hatching a plan.

A few days later, Y/N arrived at the hospital only to find Harry's bed empty. Her heart leapt into her throat as she rushed to the nurses' station in a panic.

"Where is he? Where's Harry Styles?" she demanded.

The nurse gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, he checked himself out against medical advice earlier today."

"What? No, he can't have!" Y/N cried. She knew immediately where he would have gone.

Sure enough, when she ran across campus to the football practice field, she found Harry standing on the sidelines in his gear, acting as if nothing had happened. White hot fury blazed through her veins.

"Harry!" she yelled, storming toward him as the first raindrops began to fall. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Harry turned with a cocky grin as he saw her approach. "There's my favourite nerd. What's got your panties in a twist, love?"

"You insufferable asshole!" Y/N exploded, not caring that they had an audience of his confused teammates. "The doctor said you needed weeks of rest and recovery! You could have permanently injured your spine!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Relax, babe, I feel great. Probably just overreacted with that whole backboard and neck brace nonsense."

"Are you kidding me right now?" Y/N seethed, hands balling into fists at her sides. Rain began pouring down around them, quickly soaking them both, but she didn't care. "You're incredible, you know that? You have zero self-preservation! No regard for your own safety and well-being!"

"That's a bit dramatic, don't you think?" Harry scoffed, though his casual demeanor faltered slightly under her furious glare.

"Dramatic? You could've been paralyzed, Harry! Doesn't that mean anything to you?" Her voice broke with frustrated tears. "Don't you understand how terrified I was watching you lying there, not moving? I thought...I thought I might lose you."

Something flickered across Harry's features then. His cavalier mask slipped for just a moment, allowing a flash of guilt and tenderness to shine through that sent Y/N's heart lurching treacherously. Then it was gone, the wall snapping back into place.

"Well, I'm right as rain now, so you can quit your worrying," he said gruffly, turning his back on her.

That was the final straw for Y/N. She grabbed his arm and whirled him around to face her, not caring that they were getting drenched by the downpour.

"You're so fucking reckless with yourself, Harry! Like you have zero self-preservation or even an ounce of common sense! Do you have any idea how scary that was to see you lying there, not moving? How I thought..." Her voice hitched, throat growing too tight to continue as burning tears pricked the corners of her eyes.

Through the rapidly blurring vision, Y/N registered Harry staring, chest heaving like she'd actually winded him with her outburst. His hands hung frozen at his sides, knuckles going white as he watched her come completely unraveled. And still she wasn't finished.

"You can't just keep putting yourself in danger like that! Pulling stupid fucking stunts and flipping off your own safety like it doesn't matter! Because it does, Harry. It matters so much to...to me," she finished in a thick whisper, finally allowing a tear to escape and streak down her flushed cheek.  

A weighted silence stretched between them, Y/N struggling to regain her ragged breathing as Harry continued gaping at her, utterly shocked by her reaction. Waves of tension rippled through the small space separating them.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity but was probably only seconds, Harry seemed to recalibrate. His expression went utterly blank for a beat before, out of nowhere, his eyes hardened into flashing jade. When he spoke, his tone was laced with a chilling detachment.  

"Why?"

Y/N blinked owlishly. "W-What?"

"Why the fuck do you care so much, huh?" Harry exploded, eyes flashing as he aimed his scathing hostility directly at Y/N. "Last I checked, I'm not your boyfriend or your family. I'm just some dumb jock you study with, right?"

Y/N flinched at the biting sarcasm, feeling tears prick her eyes anew at his harsh dismissal. But Harry was on a roll, fists clenching and unclenching as he visibly wrestled with...what? Anger? Fear? She couldn't tell, but his next words sliced deep regardless.

"So why do you get to flip out and pass judgment every time I take a hit, huh? You think I don't know how to handle myself out on that field?"

"That's not what I-"

"No, clearly you don't think I have any sense of self-preservation or whatever psychobabble bullshit diagnosis you want to armchair next!" Harry barreled over her attempted protest, voice rising in a sharp crescendo. 

He took a menacing step closer, using his full height to loom over her in a move that likely would've been intimidating...if his eyes didn't look so pained and conflicted behind that mask of bitter anger. "Tell me, Y/N - what gives you the right to freak out like that, huh? To look at me with those scared eyes like you have any claim over whether I live or die or-"

"Because I love you, dammit!" The confession exploded from Y/N with the force of a meteor strike.

A stunned silence fell over the field as Harry gaped at her, mouth hanging open in shock. Even the rain seemed to pause in the heavy tension between them.

After several moments where Y/N felt her panic rising, Harry finally found his voice again. "You...you what?"

Y/N took a shuddering breath, bracing herself. She had come too far to back down now.  

"I love you, Harry," she repeated, slower and more sure this time. "I have for a long time, you idiot. But you're always so reckless and careless 'bout your own safety. You take stupid risks and shrug it off like getting hurt is no big deal!"

She stepped closer, feeling tears mingling with the raindrops on her cheeks. "Don't you understand? The thought of you being seriously injured, or worse...it terrifies me. Because I couldn't handle losing you. You mean everything to me."

Harry continued staring at her, eyes blown wide and lips parted as if her confession had utterly short-circuited his brain. Y/N pressed on, needing to finally unleash all the feelings she had kept bottled up for far too long.

"I love your stupid jokes and your kind heart. I love how passionate you are about football, even if it drives me mental sometimes. I love the way you always smell like sandalwood and make me feel so safe when I'm with you. I'm in love with every obnoxious, laddish, reckless part of you and I can't keep ignoring it anymore."

She let out a wet chuckle, wiping futilely at her drenched face, her hands still shaking. "So yeah, that's why I care, you absolute wanker. That's why seeing you get hurt destroys me every single time, because the thought of being in a world without Harry Styles in it is just too much for me to bear!"

The words hung heavy in the rain-soaked air between them. Y/N watched Harry open and close his mouth a few times, clearly struggling to find a response. For once, his swagger and cockiness had completely deserted him as her feelings poured over him in an unstoppable tide.

Just when the silence was becoming too much for Y/N to bear, Harry finally seemed to find his voice again.

"You...you love me?" he rasped out, the disbelief and wonder evident in his tone. "Like, you're in love with me?"

Y/N felt her cheeks flush hot despite the cold rain. She gave a small nod, unable to meet his intense gaze. Her heart was thundering so loudly in her ears, she barely registered the shouts and hoots coming from Harry's teammates who had witnessed the whole emotional outburst.

"Shut it, you wankers!" Harry barked over his shoulder, never taking his eyes off Y/N.

In two long strides, he closed the distance between them until they were mere inches apart. Y/N's breath caught in her throat as Harry reached up with one hand to gently cup her jaw, tilting her face up toward his.

"Y/N..." he murmured, emerald eyes searching hers intently. "Why didn't you ever say anything?"

She let out a shaky laugh, leaning into his touch despite herself. "And ruin our friendship if you didn't feel the same way? I couldn't risk that, Harry. You mean too much to me."

Something blazing and tender flickered across Harry's face at her confession. Slowly, giving her every chance to pull away, he leaned in until their foreheads were resting together. Y/N shivered at the intimate proximity, at the way his familiar woodsy scent surrounded her completely.

"You daft woman," he murmured, the words fanning warmly across her lips and making her shiver for an entirely different reason. "Don't you know there's nothing I want more than for you to be my girlfriend? To be able to love you the way you deserve?"

Y/N's eyes fluttered closed at that, her heart feeling fit to burst from her chest. She had spent so long forcing herself not to hope, not to read into the heated glances and lingering touches she shared with Harry. Could he truly feel the same earth-shattering connection she did?

Her eyes blinked open again at the feeling of Harry's calloused thumb brushing reverently across her rain-soaked cheek. He was staring at her with such naked adoration and longing that it stole the breath from her lungs.

"I'm so bloody gone for you, Y/N," he confessed roughly. "Have been for ages now, if I'm being honest. Thought maybe I was imagining things between us or reading too much into it since I couldn't fathom someone as incredible as you wanting a mug like me."

Y/N opened her mouth to protest, to reassure him that she wanted every infuriatingly charming part of him, but Harry pressed on before she could get the words out.

"Then today, hearing how scared you were when I got laid out...how you thought you could lose me?" He shook his head slowly, curls dripping rivulets of rainwater down the sharp planes of his face and throat. "Don't know how I didn't see it before, love. The way you care about me, put up with all my shite...it's because you love me. Isn't it?"

It wasn't really a question, more like Harry was testing the words out for the first time and savoring the way they sounded. A thrill went through Y/N at getting to be the one to put that Look of rare, hushed awe on his handsome face for once.

"Yes, Harry," she answered anyway, both hands coming up to cradle his beloved face. "I'm desperately in love with you. The good, the bad, the reckless...all of it."

A crinkly-eyed grin stretched across Harry's lips then, brighter and more vibrant than Y/N had ever seen before. He wasted no more time closing that minuscule distance between them, capturing her mouth in a searing, all-consuming kiss.

Y/N gasped against his lips as the dam finally broke, months of too-long denied want and need bubbling over in heated waves. Harry's hands slid into her soaked hair, angling her head to deepen the embrace as he licked hungrily into her mouth. Y/N clung to him just as fiercely, fingernails scraping against his scalp and shoulders as if trying to physically pull him closer.

They were both panting harshly by the time they wrenched apart, sharing the same air in the infinitesimal space between their swollen mouths. Y/N felt drugged by the glazed, predatory darkness swimming in Harry's blown pupils,by the intimate glide of their rain-drenched bodies.

"Fucking finally," he growled against her lips before diving back in, one large hand splaying possessively across the small of her back.

Y/N hummed in ardent agreement, getting lost in his dizzying taste and scent and touch once more.  It felt like a cosmic star had been reborn between them, the force of their crashing inevitability obliterating all the hurt and confusion from before.

Neither was sure how long they stayed like that, trading desperate, drugging kisses amongst the pouring rain. But eventually, Harry pulled away just enough to nose his way along Y/N's jaw, lips dragging hotly up to her ear.

"Let's get out of this downpour, hmm?" he husked, teeth grazing her shell and making her shudder. "Got some making up to do for being such a blind tosser."

Y/N pulled back just enough to catch the incandescent fire blazing in his darkened gaze. Her breath hitched at the onceiled promise flickering there, at the tips of his wicked fingers already slipping beneath the drenched hem of her top.

It seemed she wasn't the only one who had been harboring some pent-up longing and hunger.

Still, there was one loose end she couldn't resist tugging before allowing Harry to whisk them away...  "Does this mean you're finally going to start taking better care of yourself?" she asked archly, arching one pointed brow. "No more stupid, reckless stunts for my idiotically brave footballer?"

Harry audibly groaned, dropping his forehead dramatically against her clavicle as his hands flexed with bruising force against her hips.

"Whatever you want, love," he conceded gruffly. "No more injuries or shite, I swear it. Now can we please get the fuck out of here before I embarrass myself further by ravishing you in the mud right in front of my teammates?"

Y/N gave a squeak of surprise as Harry abruptly ducked to gather her up in his arms, hitching her legs around his waist in one fluid movement. He sealed his wicked promise with another lingering, molten kiss that left her head spinning.

"Now, where were we..." he growled darkly before striding determinedly off the field, Y/N clinging just as fiercely in his embrace.

The teammates' raucous catcalls and laughter faded into the rainy background as Y/N tucked her face into the curve of Harry's neck, savoring his familiar sandalwood and smoke and the feeling of being wrapped in his arms at last.

She was never letting him go again. Not if she had any say in it.

♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡~~~♡

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[sensitiveheartless]

Part 4 of the "Dazai and Chuuya being competitive, mutually pining disasters" comics!

<- (Previous part) (Next part) ->

Most of this one is under the cut because it got LONG

[temptaetions]

spellbound secrets ✩ stray kids (m.list)

welcome to the spellbound institute of magic! have a look around, but don't peer too much — you could end up in a sticky web of secrets, lies, and love.

general content warnings: fluff, smut, angst, possible darker/heavy themes. warnings for individual fics vary, please read them accordingly before proceeding.

˖⁺‧₊ angel eyes - bang chan ₊‧⁺˖

✩ sorceress: @temptaetions

✩ pairing: bcc x reader

✩ specialty: healing | memory inducement

✩ genre: teacher x student | strangers/idiots to lovers

✩ synopsis: you’ll think you’re in paradise, and one day you’ll find out he wears a disguise, don’t look too deep…

✩ read here!

˖⁺‧₊ one's elixir - lee minho ₊‧⁺˖

✩ sorceress: @felixitate

✩ pairing: lmh x reader

✩ specialty: alchemy | potions

✩ genre: acquaintances to lovers | academic mentor

✩ synopsis: you’re a walking disaster. not just in minho’s eyes but for anyone in the academy so when he was asked to supervise you, he had to agree to ensure everyone’s safety. but is it worth the risk to involve himself in something that even you can't control?

✩ read here!

˖⁺‧₊ sweet escape - seo changbin ₊‧⁺˖

✩ sorceress: @temptaetions

✩ pairing: scb x reader

✩ specialty: interdimentionalism (pocket dimension creation) | empathic transference

✩ genre: friends to lovers | secret admirer

✩ synopsis: forever, perfectly together…and tell me, boy, now wouldn’t that be sweet?

✩ read here!

˖⁺‧₊ fleeting mirage - hwang hyunjin ₊‧⁺˖

✩ sorceress: @felixitate

✩ pairing: hhj x reader

✩ specialty: illusionism | phantasmagoria

✩ genre: rivals to lovers | childhood sweethearts?

✩ synopsis: as both the top students in your program, getting along should always have been maintained between you. however, something always sparks any feud, hindering your cooperation by whatever means necessary. would you be able to put it aside when your positions start to get threatened?

✩ read here!

˖⁺‧₊ cherry bomb - han jisung ₊‧⁺˖

✩ sorceress: @temptaetions

✩ pairing: hjs x reader

✩ specialty: fusionism | sentimental awakening

✩ genre: coworkers to lovers | mutual pining

✩ synopsis: lips on my lips, hearts beating as one…but you slip out of my fingertips, every time you run.

✩ read here!

˖⁺‧₊ in bloom - felix lee ₊‧⁺˖

✩ sorceress: @felixitate

✩ pairing: lyb x reader

✩ specialty: floramancy | herbalism

✩ genre: classmates to lovers | forbidden love

✩ synopsis: watching him from afar while he tends to those flowers never fails to make your heart flutter. but for the sake of your secret, you’ve kept your distance. until when can you avoid him before he notices the signs of your waning abilities that only he can maybe help with?

✩ read here!

˖⁺‧₊ silver springs - kim seungmin ₊‧⁺˖

✩ sorceress: @temptaetions

✩ pairing: ksm x reader

✩ specialty: catoptromancy | empathic transference

✩ genre: exes to lovers | semi-first loves au

✩ synopsis: i know i could've loved you, but you would not let me, i'll follow you down 'til the sound of my voice will haunt you.

✩ read here!

˖⁺‧₊ shifting feelings - yang jeongin ₊‧⁺˖

✩ sorceress: @felixitate

✩ pairing: yji x reader

✩ specialty: polymorphy | divination

✩ genre: enemies to lovers | soulmates

✩ synopsis: he’s an enigma. with enchanting eyes that became everyone’s whispers each time he passed by but you’re not shaken. who’s to say you can’t unravel the truth when he slowly reveals this part of himself that he’s been persistently guarding the more you pry?

✩ read here!

host notes: hey! thank you for reading our collab, we planned this so quickly it makes my head spin. just for reference, all specialties in italics are secondary to their primary specialty, or an extension of it. everyone is a wizard. if you’d like to know more about each story then please head to our respective mail boxes! feel free to comment or send an ask our way to be added to a taglist. please have your age and/or year of birth in your description, otherwise you will not be added to the taglist. we hope you enjoy!

temptaetions © 2024 || felixitate © 2024. no translations, reposting or modifications are allowed. do not claim as your own. viewer discretion is advised. your media consumption is your responsibility.

[hadesrise]

𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗬 𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥.

summary ➳ harry noticed you’re not like any other slytherin

pairings ➳ harry james potter x male reader

warnings ➳ fluff, mutual pining, foul language, reader being an adorable slytherin, touch-deprived harry, just the chosen one thirsting over reader lmao, mentions of making out, soft!slytherin reader, pet names ( darling, love )

author’s note ➳ rewatching harry potter made me recall the time when i used to fantasize about two persons from supposedly rival houses falling for each other and saying “fuck it” to their rivalry before making out. yes, it's typical, but i like it just the way it is.

Of all the houses in Hogwarts, it’s well known that Slytherin is the most disliked one due to their personality that doesn’t seem to include kindness regardless of how others treat them. This might have only been a stereotype that students from other houses pushed on Slytherin, but they had a very reasonable excuse for thinking of Slytherins that way because of a particular blonde haired snake and his goons that terrorize anyone and everyone they come across. Not only that, but most people from Slytherin are unpleasant to say the least and Harry can only name a few who aren’t, like Professor Slughorn for example.

So, understandably, Harry thought you’re going to be as unpleasant as other Slytherins too after Hermione accidentally bumped into you and dropped her books to scatter all over the ground. The Golden trio were walking down the hallway leading towards Hagrid’s hut, talking to one another about how Professor Trelawney freaked out again today at Divination, with Hermione carrying books more heavier than usual (the two boys offered to carry them but she refused), before they turned a corner and she collided on a rather hard chest.

She was going to apologize, but her eyes — in sync with Harry’s and Ron’s — landed on the green colored tie with silver stripes, and the blood immediately drained from her face. It’s not like she can’t defend herself, considering she sucker punched Malfoy on the third year, but dealing with a bunch of snakes can be really exhausting sometimes and frankly, she isn’t in the mood to fight with them today.

Without a word, Hermione crouches down to pick up her books. Much to their surprise, the Slytherin knelt down to help her gather the heavier and thicker books Ron and Harry were about to pick up.

When they finally made an effort to look at the unusual Slytherin Hermione bumped into, Harry was surprised to see a very good looking and attractive boy with (h/c) hair and (e/c) eyes that seemed to spark under the light. Despite the books being heavy, you carried it easily as if they have the weight of a feather, placing another book on top of them — Harry figured you were reading it before the disaster struck.

“Are these books from Hagrid?”

The Chosen One felt his stomach fill with butterflies and heart suddenly beat rapidly at the sound of your soothing voice.

He was so used to Slytherins having that obnoxiously annoying voice, where he doesn’t know whether to cover his ears or rip them away from the sides of his head. But your voice was, even with a tone deeper than average, smooth and gentle. There was no hint of venom, distaste, unpleasantness, or despise. Just curiosity and interest. Harry also noticed you called Hagrid by his name rather than the awful big oaf other Slytherins call him all the time.

“Oh, uhm... Yes.” It took a while for Hermione to overcome the surprise and provide an answer.

“Interesting,” You hummed quietly. “I should drop by Hagrid and burrow some of his books too. He must have the book of Ancient Magical Creatures.” Muttering to yourself, the Golden trio couldn’t help but crack a smile when you seem to forget for a split second that you weren’t alone.

Gathering some courage, Harry decides to break your little bubble by hesitantly speaking. “Er — excuse me?”

“Yes?” You turn to look and catch his emerald eyes.

“You can come with us if you want. We don’t mind.”

A tiny bit of smile forms on your lips, almost unnoticeable. “With pleasure. Though, I don’t suppose it’s alright for Gryffindors to walk around with Slytherin.” You glanced around, “Some of the people from your house doesn’t tolerate their fellow Gryffindor hanging out with the rival house.”

“I think you’re okay,” Ron says reluctantly.

“If you say so.” Amusement flashes across your eyes. “Also, I’ll carry these books instead.” You didn’t let Hermione protest as you began to walk nonchalantly towards Hagrid’s hut with a slight delay to your steps; Harry figured you were purposely walking slower than your normal pace so it would be easy to walk with your shoulders lining with theirs.

You introduced yourself to them after successfully burrowing a book from Hagrid that you were searching for.

Ever since then, Harry would find himself scanning every classroom he’s in to look for you, taking mental notes of the similar classes you have together, and if you’re nowhere to be seen, he would just attempt to at least catch a glimpse of you in the Great Hall by the Slytherin table. Sometimes, when he’s fortunate enough, your eyes would meet his across the hall and you would give him the faintest of smile before returning to your meal. Other times, when the both of you are free, you would talk with each other for a while until the next class comes.

Spending his time with you made Harry notice things — such as how you’re mostly quiet, which isn’t very common in Slytherin; their loud voices being very distinguishable in the Great Hall explains that. You’re also a bit of a bookworm as he often sees you carrying or reading them around, it made him wonder why you weren’t placed in Ravenclaw, but he suppose being interested in books doesn’t automatically make someone a Ravenclaw. He also noticed the way your facial expression rarely shows rapid or strong emotions, mostly expressing boredom to anyone and anything around you, if not, your face just remains emotionless with a what Harry knew was called resting bitch face. Though, your wonderful eyes do spark seemingly brighter when you’re with him.

Another brilliant thing is finding out you don’t tolerate any of Malfoy’s bullshit.

You seem to disagree with everything the blonde says, which leads to Malfoy spitting some nasty insults in attempt to get under your skin, only to cower away when you raise a brow at him paired with deadly calm expression, which is much scarier than anything in Harry’s opinion. You were definitely not like any other Slytherin he’s ever met.

“Ron, getting a detention at potions isn’t a good reason to set Professor Snape’s office on fire!” Hermione hissed.

“But ‘ermione, he’s horrible!” Retorts Ron and turns to his best friend to plead, “Back me up here, mate!”

However, he doesn’t receive a response as Harry was too busy ogling at a particular someone by the Slytherin’s table, his hand not moving from the parchment that began to be soaked in black ink due to his quill being pressed on it. Ron and Hermione looked at each other questioningly and followed Harry’s gaze, their eyes landing on you eating quietly while ignoring the chaos members from your house were bringing. You almost looked peaceful despite surrounded by loud chattering, laughter, and the clinks of utensils against the plate.

Your patience isn’t high; you often get annoyed easily, but the way you’re unbothered no matter what’s happening around you made it seem like your patience was limitless.

Hermione rolled her eyes after realizing Harry was waiting for you to notice and rolls up the parchment she had before whacking the back of his head with it, successfully snapping him out of his daydream. “What do you think’s gonna happen if you just stare at (Y/n)?”

The Chosen One cleared his throat, taking a glance at you and quickly returning it to his best friends. “What am I supposed to do then? I can’t just walk up to him in front of other Slytherins.”

“I’d rather see you do anything than ogle at him everyday and act like an idiot.” She sighs exasperatedly.

For a boy who survived the Killing Curse and Voldemort’s multiple serious death threats, he was one hell of an annoying dork when it comes to love. He was painfully obvious with his growing crush towards you, even other Gryffindors had begun to suspect it, yet haven’t done anything to change the relationship you two have — sure, it can be called friendship, but Hermione and almost all of their friends could agree it is more than that. They couldn’t honestly contain their frustration at Harry being content with just this.

“It’s no use, Hermione.” Ron whispered when Harry went back to ogling at you. “He says he’s not going to do anything about it unless he’s sure there’s a chance.”

Sighing, the bushy haired girl shakes her head and slumped on her seat defeatedly.

How long do they have to deal with a lovesick Harry?

Searching around the school grounds, Harry finally found you reading by the Black Lake, not caring that your robe might get dirty as you sat on the ground and read another book. It was a windy day that sent calm energy throughout your body, the rustling of leaves and the sound of lake soothing you more than usual, allowing you to focus more on the context of your book. You loved the silence where no voices or other noises can be heard, just the sound of nature slipping into your ears.

Harry slowly approached as to not startle you, but felt himself relax after you pay him no mind and sat down beside where you are. The sky seems brighter than he remembers, with only small particles of cloud littered all around.

“Are you feeling well?” You asked without looking up from your book, and Harry hugs his knees to his chest, watching the wind cause waves of water on the lake.

“Better now that I found you.” The seemingly flirtatious sentence was uttered in complete sincerity and seriousness that even Harry himself didn’t expect. The tip of his ears turned bright red in increasing embarrassment as you snapped your eyes to him, seeing an adorable blush spread rapidly across his cheeks, avoiding eye contact with you at all costs.

You hum, slamming the book shut. Harry was now staring straight ahead at the lake, as if there was something interesting in it, making amusement appear on your usually expressionless face. “Look at you blushing, Potter. So adorable.” You whispered the last part, almost teasingly, and he blushes even more.

“Well, you’re adorable as well.” Harry dares meeting your eyes. His heart bangs even more loudly in his chest after seeing the almost loving look in them, finding himself admiring you.

All playfulness leaves your face as you stare into each other’s eyes with a mirroring hint of adoration. You shift to lean back on one of your hand while the other rise to brush a hair out of Harry’s forehead, before cupping his cheek, admiring the way his emerald eyes sparked under the warm sunlight. This is your first time seeing his face close and having the time to focus on his features more; you knew Harry was attractive the moment you set eyes on him, but you realized he looked almost ethereal at this point, making your heart flutter.

“Your eyes are really captivating,” You muttered, barely audible but reached Harry’s ears nonetheless.

He chuckled breathlessly, “I got it from my mum.”

“She must’ve been such a wonderful woman then.”

Your thumb gently rubbed his cheek and Harry couldn’t help but lean to your touch and close his eyes. He’s been touch-deprived for long, being touched with care and gentleness made him weak in the knees easily. A coo escape from your lips; an unlikely sound for Slytherin to make. Before Harry could process what was happening, you had set aside your book and pulled him to your lap, settling him between your legs. Harry blinks, surprised.

“I’m seriously soft for you, Potter. Too adorable.” You sigh, burying your hand through his dark locks and softly scratching his scalp.

Getting over his initial shock, Harry relaxed and made himself comfortable, letting his body rest against yours as he laid his head on your chest. It worried him that you might hear his rapidly beating heart, but honestly couldn’t bring himself to care when you were being so generous, holding him, playing with his hair. If others were to see you and him like this, they would certainly assume it’s the end of the world for two rival houses to be cuddly with each other when they usually spit hatred.

Though, after meeting you, Harry had begun to believe not all Slytherins are bad — it’s just that people, including himself, unfairly stereotyped them as a bunch of evil-doers only because of the choices that older people from Slytherin made in the past, which the young Slytherins are definitely not in control of. There are questionable Slytherins like Malfoy and his goons, but they’re not a reason for others to start generalizing that all students from the snake house is evil.

Slowly and albeit hesitantly, Harry wraps his arms around your back and nuzzles your chest. You’re absolutely different from other Slytherin members, but he still found it odd that a Slytherin is this nice and affectionate, especially when you’re usually quiet and socially distant, preferring to be alone with slightest bit of annoyance directed at your fellow housemates.

Closing his eyes as sleepiness start to fall over his eyelids, the Chosen One wondered why you’re only doing this with and to him. He’s never seen you with anyone before, and when he did, you always maintained clear distance from them, as if they held contagious disease. It made him feel special in any way, but also confused.

“(Y/n)?”

His sleepy voice make you chuckle softly. “Hmm?”

“Why are you so affectionate with me?”

Your hand playing with his hair abruptly stops, and for a second Harry thought he made a mistake of mentioning it. However, relief floods him when you went back to massaging his scalp. “Isn’t it obvious, Potter?”

He shakes his head. Don’t want to assume.

Silence falls as you stop your hand again. Curiosity of your expression plaguing his mind, Harry opens his eyes and looks up without moving from his laying position — his breath almost stopping when he came across a very loving gaze staring at him like he was the entire universe. His heart swell as heat rushes to his cheeks. He attempted to hide his face by burying it on your chest, but you held him still, hand cupping his cheek once again.

You don’t even give him time to react before you captured his lips on yours, practically stealing Harry’s breath away. Just a gentle kiss on the lips, but enough to make his brain fuzzy.

Pulling away before he could reciprocate, you smiled. Not a forced one, but genuine and coming from the bottom of your heart. “Does that answer your question, Harry?”

Despite the fluttering of his heart and the urge to jump up and down in pure joy, Harry pouts. “Not enough.”

You chuckled. “I need to be persuasive then.”

Needless to say, you both missed the next class making out by the Black Lake and not caring about getting caught.

Ron and Hermione were freaked out. The reason lies with Harry, who’s been in an awfully good mood the entire day to the point even Malfoy can’t get through him and he began noticing some good qualities in some of the Slytherin members. Don’t get them wrong, Harry being in a good mood is great because the boy deserves a day without constantly fighting for his life and feeling like everyone’s against him, but attempting to find the good qualities even in Malfoy? That’s when the two gets really concerned.

When lunch break comes around, Harry was still in a brilliant mood, smiling to himself because of whatever merlin knows. Ron and Hermione shares a look as they continue to eat, observing their best friend who began to look for you in the Slytherin table, his smile immediately widening after he sees you.

Hermione turns around just in time for you to look up from the foods and meet Harry’s eyes. Unexpectedly, a soft smile appears on your lips as you wave at him, not caring when your housemates see it. Harry chuckled, waving back, before you returned to eating your food in silence. The three of them witnessed Malfoy mutter something that caused you to roll your eyes and smack the back of his head with the book you were reading before.

“So,” Ron began after he and Hermione looked back at Harry. “Is there something you’re not telling us, ‘arry?”

The said boy only raised his eyebrows, unable to contain his grin.

“Come on, Harry!” Hermione urged.

Before anyone could respond, however, someone took a seat on the empty space beside Harry — turning their heads, they were surprised to see you there.

“Hello, love.” Harry almost melted at the pet name. You gave his best friends a polite smile, “Excuse him from your conversation for a moment, Hermione, Ron.”

“Of course, go ahead.” Neither of them could honestly deny a polite Slytherin no matter how much they want to.

“What is it?” Harry questioned, more than welcome to talk with you. However, you seem to have a different idea in mind as you leaned in without a word and captured his lips in a lingering kiss, hearing gasps erupt from multiple places — mainly Ron, Hermione, any Gryffindor who were wondering why a Slytherin paid Harry Potter a visit, Malfoy, his goons, and some other Slytherins who just happened to catch the moment. Few students from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw had their mouths open in shock as well.

There was a smug look on your face when you pulled away, smirking at Malfoy who was previously babbling some nonsense that you couldn’t possibly like Potter and are probably just using him. By the looks of it, you had succeeded in proving the blonde ferret wrong.

“What was that for?” Harry asked breathlessly. You caught him off guard.

“Oh, nothing. Just proving to gits that Gryffindor and Slytherin are sometimes compatible if it’s with the right person.” You shrugged, resting an elbow on the table and putting your chin on the palm of your hand. “In short, I wanted to prove people wrong who says we can’t be together since you’re a Gryffindor as I am a Slytherin.”

“Wait, someone told you that?”

“Rumors of us being seen making out by the Black Lake travels fast,” You sipped on Harry’s pumpkin juice, which he didn’t mind even the slightest as he blushed, avoiding Ron’s and Hermione’s wide and intrigued eyes. “One little bird from Ravenclaw thought it’d be wise to practically squeal it in the hallways that the rumor’s impossible because of our houses rivalry.”

You snort, “As if we give a fuck about that.”

For the first time, Harry actually saw the Slytherin in you.

And he wasn’t going to complain, not when you’re not like any other.

© ᴀʟʟ ʀɪɢʜᴛs ʀᴇsᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʜᴀᴅᴇsʀɪsᴇ. sᴛᴇᴀʟɪɴɢ, ᴘʟᴀɢɪᴀʀɪᴢɪɴɢ, ᴏʀ ᴜsɪɴɢ ᴍʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋs ғᴏʀ ᴍᴏɴᴇᴛᴀʀʏ ɢᴀɪɴ ɪs sᴛʀɪᴄᴛʟʏ ᴘʀᴏʜɪʙɪᴛᴇᴅ. ᴀsᴋ ᴘᴇʀᴍɪssɪᴏɴ ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ ʀᴇᴘᴏsᴛɪɴɢ ᴏʀ ᴛʀᴀɴsʟᴀᴛɪɴɢ.

[rageserenity]

It's 2024. Are you still thinking about movieverse!Cherik? Because I am.

For the past several months, there's only been a very slow trickle of posts/fics in the xmcu cherik tag. Let's try to breathe some life back into this incredible pairing!

With one clear winner of my poll, here's thirty prompts for the thirty days of April. (This is a super chill, laid-back event---do these in any order, interpret them as loosely as you like! Create in any medium! Fic, art, gifs, meta, incoherent screaming about the otp…all winners in my book.)

The only rule here is to cherik too close to the sun. Alright. Here are the prompts.

Mutual Pining

Doesn't really even need elaboration! Write that horrifically slow slow-burn. Gif every time McAvoy made insane fuck me eyes on screen. Make a playlist of songs about impossible love.

2. Alternate Meetings

There are endless quotes about how these two complete each other in a way no one they'd met before or after ever did. How else could they have met?

3. Erik Has A Telepathy Kink

This is basically canon. Let my boy get freaky!

4. Canon Fix-It

All the times Fox fucked it up. There are endless options.

5. Hurt/Comfort

Put them in that Situation. Put them in that Blender. Break them apart and put them back together ❤️‍🩹

6. Canon Compliant

Draw that missing scene! Gif your favourite cherik moment!

7. Beach Divorce

Make it worse. Make it better. Show it to us exactly how it was. Break it down in a 3,000 word meta. Go wild!

8. Domestics

Sometimes you just want to see them doing normal couple things. Erik put the gun down.

9. Found Family

The real heart of x-men!

10. Time Travel

There are SO many possibilities here. Stick them in a time loop. Give them a chance to change their past.

11. AU

Love a good AU!

12. There Is Only One Bed

Had to get this one in here. What better way to amp up the tension?

13. Genosha

By some miracle, cherik actually did end up together at the end of 2019s trash bag disaster Dark Phoenix. We aren’t making a big enough deal about this.

14. Declaration(s) of Love

Who says it first? How do they say it and when? Have they said it…without saying it?

15. Jealousy

Need I say more.

16. Reunion

These two have absolutely no chill.

17. Soulmates

Classic prompt, had to get this in here too.

18. The DOFP Aircraft

The TENSION here. Break it down for me. How does Charles feel about his injury? How does Erik feel about his injury?

19. Gay Mutant Road Trip

You already know.

20. Body Swap

SO fun when people have superpowers.

21. First Kiss

When? How? Who initiated it?

22. The Mansion

Mansion!content is a genre of its own.

23. Conflicting Ideology

Give me your theses. Who’s right? Can they ever reconcile completely? Write a fic where it drives them apart.

24. Sebastian Shaw

A trope unto himself.

25. Team As Matchmaker

They had to have known something was going on, didn’t they?

26. Cooking

Charles deserves a good meal. Also, imagine Erik using his powers in the kitchen. The sheer domesticity…

27. Hurt No Comfort

Plenty of scope with these two 🥲

28. Growing Old Together

Giving Sirs Ian Mckellan and Patrick Stewart their props as well!

29. Making Up

*pushes chess board across the table* sorry babe

30. Charles Xavier Did More For Mutants Than You'll Ever Know

Rising to each other’s defense. Only I can insult this man.

I will be tracking #revivecherik to reblog stuff! Here’s a fic collection for the same. Let’s get this ball rolling! Please feel free to send me an ask if you’ve got anything to say! And most importantly, let’s all have fun 😁

*I know a few of you preferred something like a gift exchange because of the commitment factor—I’m super down to organise a tiny one for the handful of us! If this promptathon doesn’t flop horribly, we can hopefully do a whole bunch of stuff :)

If you read this post all the way through, please reblog for reach! Thank you! Hoping you participate come April.

Shoutout to @inmymagnetoera for reaching out and helping with this!

[jjunieworld]

from the start ⊹៹🎐༉‧₊˚

pairing: choi soobin x fem!reader

genre: fluff, bestfriends to lovers, first love!soobin, mutual (unknown) pining, a drop of angst (i can’t help myself)

synopsis: you never really understood the saying “you’ll always remember your first love,” but that was before you fell in love with your bestfriend soobin. now all of it makes sense. you notice everything about him, from his dimpled smile to the way he could go on and on about the things he loves. and that just makes you fall for him more. cupid has shot an arrow through your heart and you can’t take keeping your feelings for him inside anymore.

word count: 3.1k┊v-day event masterlist┊masterlist

a/n: based off from the start by laufey and part two of my v-day event! you already know i had to write for the first love!soobin agenda, it’s just too good! hoped you got the movie reference i threw in there ૮₍ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ₎ა enjoy! ♡

if you were being honest, you weren’t listening to a single thing that soobin was saying to you. you had your head in your hand that was resting on the table, a lazy smile grazed your lips. the drinks and food the both of you got at your local café had been long abandoned. staring at him intently, his words went through one ear and out the other.

instead, you were more focused on the way he was speaking. arms flailing around as he explained to you whatever it was that he was talking about, his face shifting from expression to expression. the way he would look at you occasionally with slightly wide eyes that shined brightly, the corners of his lips always tilted upwards. god, you were so in love with him. just watching him talk made you fall deeper and deeper.

“y/n… are you listening?”

your ears perked up at the sound of your name. there was a slight awkwardness hanging in the air as soobin awaited your answer. soobin looked at you with those slightly wide eyes, still shining. there was a sheepish smile on his face, making you look at his dimpled cheeks. “of course i’m listening!” you replied. “keep talking!” soobin laughed shyly before continuing.

this time you focused on what he was saying. “—and, i don’t know, i just feel like she would really like it! do you think a locket is too much? would you like a locket in this situation?” you held down the urge to roll your eyes at the mention of your best friend’s crush. it killed you inside knowing that he didn’t feel the same way about you.

“a locket is cute! i’d like it if someone got me a locket! would wear it everyday even,” you pushed out, a practiced fake smile appearing on your face. soobin’s smile widened and you felt your heart leap at the sight. “really?” he asked. “it’s not too much?” you shook your head, your smile becoming ever so slightly less fake. the way he was staring at you like you held all the answers in the universe, you couldn’t take it anymore. why did he have to look at you like that?

you thought of confessing your feelings for him right then and there, even if you knew it would end in disaster. you could practically feel cupid’s arrow in your heart. if only soobin did too. the scenario rang in your head, the crushing, unrequited heartbreak, the end of the two of you being best friends. you could never do it, not that you would anyway. ever since you admitted that you were in love with soobin, you were a giggling mess around him, cheeks always heated. quietness hanging between the two of you that you so desperately wish he’d fill. tell you how much he liked you too.

when you first heard the saying “you always remember your first love,” you didn’t really understand it. but then again, you were never in love before. not until now. not until the feelings for your childhood best friend hit you full force. not until soobin. though you knew you would never be together, that didn’t stop you from melting everytime he smiled at you. laughed at one of your lame jokes. sat close to you, head on top of yours as you watched a movie together. a burning pain shot through your heart.

“should i get it in gold or silver?” soobin asked, oblivious to your inner turmoil. you shrugged a little, “depends on her, really. just pay attention to the kind of jewelry she wears.” he nodded, deep in thought, as his eyes trailed along the rings on your fingers. “everyone’s different,” you added. “perfect! thank you, y/n! i don’t know what i’d do without you.”

you laid your hands onto the table, trying not to let the hurt show through your smile.

everytime you asked who this mystery girl was, soobin would always divert the question to something else. it was bad enough that he was clearly in love with someone else, but it was even worse that he wouldn’t even tell you who this someone else was. you were his best friend, for crying out loud!

soobin would go on and on about this girl, tell you how perfect she was, how she was his dream girl. “she’s everything i’ve ever wanted,” he had told you once. you thought he was thinking a little too far ahead. it’s only been about two months since he’s been telling you about her, at least openly, asking for your input on various gifts or conversation topics.

you were brought back to reality with soobin sighing dreamily. his head was in his hands, tilted to the side, and his body was leaned onto the table. “y/n, she’s so perfect. you don’t understand—“

blah blah blah, you thought. you lifted your eyebrows, nodding along at his words. you couldn’t take hearing any more of it. the idea of confessing your feelings became more and more tempting. even if it did ruin your friendship forever, at least you wouldn’t have to hear him daydream about some other girl.

“binnie, i’m sorry to cut you off, but i gotta go…” you trailed off, lying through your teeth. soobin’s smile faltered slightly as he glanced at his phone. “o-oh, okay!” you both stood to your feet. soobin handed you your bag of food and your drink, which you took from him with a smile. he pulled you into a tight hug, his hands resting at the small of your back, as he said, “don’t forget about our movie tonight.”

soobin pulled away, but still held you in his arms. “wouldn’t dream of it,” you replied, causing him to smile. the two of you were so close, faces inches away from each other, that your heart started to beat rapidly. he let go of you and you felt empty without his warm embrace. soobin’s eyebrows raised suddenly, his face falling into a serious expression. “and you’re sure the locket isn’t too much?”

you just smiled, “if it were me, i would love it.” you exchanged your goodbyes and you speed walked to your car. you didn’t even know why he bothered with these gifts. the last two gifts he gave this mystery girl, she didn’t even end up liking.

“she didn’t really like them,” soobin had told you, the two of you were walking down the streetlight illuminated sidewalk. the cold winter air pierced through your thin jacket. he handed the gift to you, it was still in its elaborately decorated box. you opened it, a shocked smile on your face at its contents. it was a pair of knitted mittens that he clearly had gotten handmade. you remembered him telling you about it a few weeks ago. “but when i asked you, you said you’d really like them. so why let them go to waste!” soobin added.

that’s usually how his gift giving to this mystery girl went. it made you really dislike whoever she was. all these well thought out gifts from soobin and she couldn’t even have the common courtesy to accept them? it made your blood boil.

you looked to your hands that were resting on your steering wheel. those same knitted handmade mittens soobin had gifted you a month ago covered them. sighing at them, you pulled them off and threw them onto your passenger seat as you drove home.

laying on your bed, you looked through your window at the setting sun. the hues of dark blue and burnt wisps of orange perfectly visualizing how you felt. the moon shined brightly against the darkening backdrop, illuminating you.

“what should i do?” you asked the moon. the moon didn’t give a response. instead, she shined brighter as the world got darker. you sighed and sat up, it was almost time to meet soobin as his place for your movie night. “should i just tell him tonight, after the movie? face the terrifying unrequited instead of letting my love for him drive me insane?”

again, there was no response from the moon. you stood and walked to the window, staring up at the moon from the open blinds. “either way, damage will be done. you’re right, moon.”

tonight, you were gonna confess your feelings. you were gonna spend the whole movie taking in as much of your best friend before you ultimately lose him. you began getting ready, laughing wryly. “i sound like a lunatic,” you muttered to yourself.

just as you had finished getting ready, making sure to keep your outfit casual, you had gotten a text from soobin asking when you were coming. you shot him a quick text back, telling him you were on your way, as you raced to put your jacket on. you made sure to wear the gifts he had given you that this mystery girl didn’t want; the handmade mittens, a charm bracelet, and a pair of cute but simple earrings.

soobin had flung his door open, a wide smile lighting up his features. he ushered you in, to where he already had everything set up. a big bowl of popcorn sat on the living room table. the movie that the two of you were gonna watch, flipped, was ready to play on the tv.

“wow, you already have everything ready!” you commented as you took a seat on the couch. soobin sat down directly next to you, so close that your arms were pressed together. he gave you a shy smile, a chuckle on his lips, “i take our movie nights seriously!”

at some point in the movie, you had cuddled up into his side, your head resting on his shoulder and his arms wrapped around you as you stared at the screen. it was hard to focus on the movie with soobin playing with the charm bracelet he had gifted you absentmindedly. you shifted slightly, trying to focus your thoughts on the movie.

it was proving more and more increasingly difficult as the movie drew nearer and nearer to the end. the only relief you got was when soobin had paused the movie to make more popcorn.

the two of you had gotten slightly distracted. you were trying to see who could catch the piece of popcorn in their mouth first and you were both failing horrible. the sound of your giggles filled the room as the piece of popcorn somehow bounced off your nose and landed in your mouth. you raised your arms in the air as you cheered, laughing happily. “i can’t believe i got that!”

“you must’ve cheated somehow!” soobin pouted lightly. the two of you were facing each other, popcorn bowl between you. you took a couple pieces of popcorn from the bowl and ate them smugly, “no… i’m just that good!” soobin laughed and it was so infectious that it made you join in as well.

“how could she sit there and laugh and look so beautiful?”

you doubled over onto his chest, briefly forgetting about the movie and almost spilling the bowl of popcorn between the two of you. you and soobin’s laughs filled the room, seemingly laughing at nothing at this point. laughing because the other was laughing. you wished it could be like this forever.

soobin glowed in the silver light of the tv screen, and you had to refrain yourself from staring openly at him. you snuck looks at him when he was distracted, looking down to get more popcorn or throwing his head back slightly to laugh. it wasn’t enough.

once the movie ended and you had helped soobin clean up is when you really felt like your heart was gonna escape your chest from how hard it was pounding against the cage of your ribs. this was it. this was your time to confess.

you took in your best friend's appearance for what would probably be the last time, taking in every last detail. the way he stood so tall that he towered over you. the way he walked around the room making sure not to knock things over. the way his dimples appeared when he talked or smiled and how said smile was always directed at you. you took a deep breath and tried to steady yourself for what you were about to say next.

“hey, binnie?” you called out to him. he turned from where he stood next to the tv, messing with the buttons on the side of it. he had turned the lights on so you both were no longer in the dark. a small smile spread across his mouth, “yeah?” you took another deep breath, you had to get this off your chest. it was now or never. now or watch him obsess over someone else for the rest of your life.

“i love you,” you said. soobin turned to you fully from where you sat curled into the side of the couch, remote control hanging from his fingertips limply. his features softened and he looked at you fondly, “i love you too, y/nie.” you smiled slightly but shook your head. “no, i mean—i love you, love you,” you tried to clarify, looking away as your cheeks heated.

out the corner of your eye you saw him move towards you and felt the couch cushion dip next to you. his hand entered your vision as it cupped your cheek, guiding your face to look at his. soobin had a big smile on his face. your brows furrowed, “why are you smiling? i’m being serious, soobin!”

soobin just laughed a little, causing your confusion to deepen. did he really think you were joking? your eyes widened when instead of the rejection you were expecting, soobin instead softly joined his lips together with yours. “you idiot,” he finally replied against your lips, deepening the kiss as he pulled you closer to him.

after he pulled away, you were left breathless and even more confused. soobin looked at you with so much love in his eyes it had taken you aback. it was as if the veil between the two of you had been lifted. “i love you, love you, too,” soobin smiled.

“b-but, what—the mystery girl you’ve been talking about, what about her? didn’t you say she was your dream girl? your soulmate?” you stammered.

soobin chuckled as he got up from the couch. he walked back over to the tv and reached behind it, grabbing a small, nicely decorated box. soobin walked back over to the couch and sat down next to you again. he held the box out to you, “you beat me to the confession.”

you were in such shock all you could do was take the box numbly. when you opened it, you let out a gasp. there laid the locket soobin had been going on and on about earlier today, it’s intricately designed heart tugging on your emotions. you looked up to him, a bright smile on your face.

“there was no other girl,” soobin spoke, “only you. i guess i kinda messed up with my whole approach. i didn’t mean for it to seem like there was someone else, i was only trying to gauge your reactions to see if you liked me back…” you lightly shoved him, mouth still open in shock. “so you’re saying your dream girl, your soulmate, was me?” you asked. you desperately needed the clarification, to hear it come out of his own mouth in his own words.

soobin laughed, his features brightening with his smile, “yes, it was you! i have loved you from the start!”

you gently sat the locket box on the table and practically threw yourself onto his lap, attacking his lips with kisses. soobin laughed throughout the whole thing, holding your waist. “you idiot,” you started as you pulled back. “why didn’t you say anything?”

“why didn’t you?” he countered, then grimaced slightly as he remembered his mistake. “nevermind,” soobin added, making you laugh. “i didn’t want things to change between us for the worse. i didn’t want to lose my best friend.”

you kissed him again, “you could never lose me.” you grabbed the locket box and took the necklace out of it. soobin gently took from your hands and motioned for you to turn around, which you did. he clasped the locket onto your neck and you looked down at it as you turned back to him. it matched your charm bracelet and earrings perfectly.

“open it,” soobin said lightly. inside, on each side, was a picture of you and a picture of him. “when you close it, we kiss!” he exclaimed, demonstrating for you. you giggled and pressed your lips to his. “thank you, binnie, i love it. i love you.”

you and soobin had been dating for almost a year when he presented you with one of his many gifts over the span of your relationship. the two of you were at the park where you had met as kids, taking in the lush scenery and cool air.

“you have to stop giving me so many gifts,” you muttered as he showed you the box. your words got caught in your throat when you opened it to find a ring inside. the ring matched all of the other jewelry he had gotten you. you looked at soobin with eyes so wide they were gonna pop out of your head. “this isn’t the real thing,” soobin stated. “that moment will be a lot more special. but take this as my promise to love you forever.”

soobin slipped the ring onto your left hand ring finger and pressed a kiss against it. tears brimmed in your eyes as you pulled him into a tight hug. when you pulled away, the tears had fallen and were trailing down your cheeks. soobin cupped your face and wiped them away with the pads of his thumbs, then kissed you passionately.

you wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him to you. “i love you so much, soobin,” you said against his lips with a warm smile. you rested your forehead against his. “i love you more,” soobin replied.

© jjunieworld - all rights reserved. please do not repost on any social media sites, translate, or modify any of my works.

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[pinkrelish]

𝐭𝐡𝐞 "𝐲𝐞𝐬" 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲.

singledad!mechanic!eddie x fem!reader

✶It's a dreary start to the week, but as the days go by, the dynamic between you and Eddie shifts. You both ask questions with hidden motives, and after a significant morning, he tells you about Adrie's mom. Then, Steve shows up unannounced with a proposition Eddie can't refuse. Literally.✶

NSFW — slow burn, mutual pining, flirting, light angst, depictions of poverty, 18+ overall for eventual smut, drug/alcohol mention/use

chapter: 2/20 [wc: 5.3k]

↳ part 01 / 02 / 03 / 04 / 05 / 06 / 07 / 08 / 09 / 10 / 11 / 12

AO3

Chapter 2: Whimsy as the Wind

Monday was a storm.

There was no better stimulant than the rush of a morning against the rain. Hitting like bullets on the skin when Eddie clutched Adrie to his chest to shield her on the way to the car. Spelling disaster for the braids she asked for, then complained about when he pulled her hair too tight. Dripping into his eyes as he fumbled with the buckle of her car seat in the jet black hours. Drenching the bottom of her favorite pants despite his efforts to protect her.

“Daddy’s sorry,” he mumbled on her wet forehead shining under the dim overhead light.

On the way to preschool she was quiet. The rhythm of the fat drops pounding on the window soothed her, and he was grateful, despite the rising sensation of lateness grating on his nerves.

Everything moved slower on stormy days. Yet he moved faster. It didn’t matter if he skipped eating his breakfast at home to get out the door quicker, the red stop lights took longer, he swore it.

Life was against him. But Adrie was quiet, and Mrs. Teresa was in charge of helping the little ones out of their cars. She was an out-of-towner, meaning, she wasn’t aware of Eddie’s reputation, and therefore was nicer to him than the other teachers, taking care to go beyond superficial greetings.

“Good morning, my dear,” she said to him, voice rough with age. She held an umbrella above his head as he got Adrie out, and followed him to the awning. His coveralls were already darkened by rain, but the gesture was kind, as was him offering his arm for her to hold onto as she stepped over the whirlpool circling the sewer drain.

Eddie sank into a crouch to ease his daughter’s vice grip from his neck. “Give Daddy a kiss goodbye, ‘kay?” Begrudgingly, she stood on her own two feet, and gave him a quick, annoyed peck on his cheek. “You gonna be good today?”

The attitude radiating off her was not promising.

“Your friends are waiting for you inside,” Mrs. Teresa said. “I think they’re playing dress up.”

An offer which proved enticing, as demonstrated by Adrie bolting from him for the front doors.

“No running,” he sighed to himself. The older woman chortled along, and wished him to have a good day as well. He should’ve taken the heart-palpitating lightning strike and simultaneous adrenaline-inducing clap of thunder as an omen when she uttered those words.

If not those things, then certainly his breakfast was a harbinger of the day he was about to have: instead of making two grape jelly biscuits, and two with egg, he ended up making two with both jelly and his daughter’s cold leftover scrambled eggs, and the others were left plain.

He ate the plain ones first before venturing into uncharted territory.

“Fuck no,” he said, mouth full of grape flavored egg-mulch. At least no one had to witness him spit it back into the container.

David’s Auto Repair didn’t have much in the way of shelter to keep him dry during his smoke break, so he sat in his car in the alleyway to pass the time until it was acceptable to arrive early.

‘Early’ being the time when you usually arrived, and an hour before Carl.

Til then, he cranked the heat and reclined his seat back, hugging himself to relieve the constant shiver his damp coveralls caused sticking to his skin.

Now, the heavy rain patter became a lullaby. Pelting the roof, easy on his falling eyelids. Precious seconds, minutes under the guided meditation of tap, tap. Tap, tap. Responsibilities drifting to the recesses of his mind. Thinking back on the days he spent doing this in the high school parking lot, promising Wayne he’d work hard to graduate only to end up napping in his van for most of the morning.

Eddie willed his eyes open. His watch told him he’d been asleep for fourteen minutes. Still early for work, but he felt a jolt of anxiety anyway.

He couldn’t blow things off like he used to. Not with people relying on him. Adrie and Wayne both depended on him to not be a fuck up. And if they weren’t motivation enough, he had another..

You should be sitting at your desk right now. If he timed it right, he’d pass by while the scent of dried coffee still clung to you before it had started brewing, which was an odd association he didn’t know he craved at the moment until it was at the forefront of his mind.

“Already following her around like a lost puppy, Munson,” he chided himself, turning off the car and bracing himself for the sprint to the employee’s entrance at the back of the garage.

And when he entered, the employee’s entrance at the front of the garage slammed open on a flashing cue of lightning, and there stood what he could only assume was a Creature from the Deep.

You huffed in two breaths, “Holy. Shit.”

Eddie tactlessly stared from across the room. You were beyond soaked. Your primary colored all-weather jacket appeared to not be waterproof in a monsoon, sagging on your frame like a melting street light of red, yellow, and green. Much like his coveralls, your once light-wash jeans were now dark blue. Somewhat adorably, though, was your pissed-off face being scrunched in a glare due to your hoodie drawstrings cinched tight in a circle, framing from your brows to your lips.

Your shoes gushed out puddles of rain on the concrete as you shoved your bike forward and let it fall in a clatter.

“I fucking hate this town.”

“Why are you riding a bike?” he asked, thinking you’d gone insane.

“Because I don’t have a car?”

“Why don’t you have a car?”

You sputtered sarcastically, gesturing at your bike. “Because I’m from the city! We have things like public transportation. Trains, taxis, buses.. walking! I've never needed a car to reach my mailbox before.”

Thinking himself helpful, he suggested, “I know a place where we can get you one for cheap.”

“Dude, I don’t even have a license.”

“Why don’t you–?”

“Trains!”

Eddie’s face collapsed into his own glare right back at you, and he waved his hands about the auto repair garage for automobiles where he fixed cars for people in need of transportation in which you answered their calls regarding said transportation and ordered parts to repair said personal automobiles at the garage intended for cars where he worked. You got the irony.

“None of this matters,” you said, dismissing him. True, it didn't matter, and he knew from your exaggerations your anger at him was in jest, but he appreciated the banter regardless. It was a nice break from reality. “It took me so long to get here because my whole street was flooded, and I’m guessing it’s flooding outside of Hawkins where the storm is coming from. We were supposed to get a delivery yesterday, but it never showed up.”

There was a pause where both of you accepted the arduous day ahead.

You said, “I’ll start calling around to see where our delivery might be stuck.”

“And I’ll do what I can without it,” he agreed.

Inhaling a breath of fortitude knowing you’d be informing a few upset individuals today that their cars wouldn’t be ready, you unzipped your jacket and loosened the drawstrings, dropping your hood back. You froze.

“Oh God, don’t look at my hair,” you begged, scuttling through the lobby and into the bathroom.

There were no more exchanges after you ran away. There was no time to entertain the lingering gazes, or small conversations where he thrived on your smile. He had to process what he could to earn money before sundown, and you played phone tag until you yawned, and stared blank-faced at the wall while customers bitched at you.

By normal closing hours, you were both too beaten down to do more than walk past each other on your way out without a goodbye.

A part of him wanted to do the chivalrous thing and offer you a ride, but that seemed too forward, too intimate, too invasive in his small car where his backseat was partially taken up by his daughter’s car seat, and he couldn’t come to a conclusion about your surprise when seeing her, nor unpack the loaded question of why he cared.

Whatever.

At least the rain stopped.

————

Tuesday was overcast.

You looked at Eddie leaning on the countertop to your desk and spun your hand while rolling your eyes, wishing the person on the other end of the phone line would hurry up. Eventually, you hung up, and interrupted him from picking at his nails. “They said it’ll be thirty minutes before they get here.”

“Guess I’ll wait then.”

He didn’t make to leave, and you didn’t have anything else to do, so you laced your fingers and leaned onto your forearms towards him, hoping through giving him your attention, he’d willingly talk to you for once.

“Um,” he drew out, searching the expanse between your hands, where he encroached on your space if only to the wrist. He tapped his knuckles on the vinyl. Swallowed visibly “About your policy thing.. Did you really move here just because your roommate asked you to?”

You drew your gaze up from his descending Adam’s apple, over the soft edge of his jawline, and grainy stubble on his chin. “I mean, kinda, yeah. Obviously, she’s been my best friend for years and needed help moving anyway, so I was up to make the trip, but when she asked if I wanted to stay, I said yes. Seemed intriguing enough; discovering what else was out there after living in cities for so long. See what sorta trouble I could get into when not surrounded by the usual nightlife options.”

“And how’s that going so far?”

“Bobbie’s mom and I are real good at solving the Wheel of Fortune before the contestants.”

Eddie snorted.

He dropped his focus to the looping circles he was drawing with his fingertip. Breathing deeper than necessary, and holding the air in his lungs for a few taut seconds. He rambled, “Sounds like Hawkins isn’t the place for you. Just somewhere to blow through, waiting for someone to ask you to, like, go to Chicago and be a bartender or somethin’.” He ended with a laugh aimed at his hands. Hollow. Empty of the humor he was pretending. “No responsibilities. Ready to get up and go whenever you want. That’s cool.”

“Been there, done that,” you mitigated the tension with a joke. “Bartending in Chicago, I mean.” He wasn’t being purposefully cruel, but the bitterness creeping into his words stung.

You glanced at his ringless fingers. Was he envious of your lifestyle because he was tied down? Your gut instinct told you he wasn’t the type to hold that sort of resentment towards his wife or daughter, so it had to be something else.

“Or,” you countered, “Someone could ask me to stay in Hawkins, and then I’d be obligated to, if we’re abiding by the policy. Who knows, maybe Kevin needs someone to walk his dogs, and then I can lead a nice, quiet, boring life here, absent of any fun or risks, hanging out with dogs for the next eternity. Is that what you want? Me bothering you until you’re in the grave?”

He squinted. “Fair point.” The laugh lines bracketing his mouth enhanced his appeal, joining the crow’s feet, and the harsh crease between his brows as he raised one in smug curiosity.

Perhaps you were staring at him for longer than you realized.

By chance, a chime signaled you both to a customer walking in the door in need of an oil change, and you reaped any opportunity to tease him. “Sorry, but some of us have work to do and can’t chit chat all day,” you cooed with the absolute cockiest head tilt to taunt him.

Shooing him away with a manila folder was extra, you had to admit, but upon recognizing the manner in which he rolled his lips inward to disguise the fact he was smiling, you figured smacking his hands was well worth the weird look from the woman waiting to speak to you.

————

Wednesday was a gale-force.

You went for it.

Arriving at dawn, you prioritized catching Eddie at the beginning of his morning cigarette.

He was leaning against the wall, upper body hunched with his hand cupped around his mouth, flicking his lighter until more than sparks stood against the gusts whipping the collar of his coveralls against his neck. His hair was blown back from his face, granting you the full picture of his raised eyebrows.

“Good morning, Eddie!”

“Hey? You’re early. I thought you’d get swept away on your bike like Dorothy, and I’d have to seek the courage to find you.”

“So in this scenario you’re the Cowardly Lion?” you asked, sidling up next to him to be heard above the wind.

He considered the implication and shrugged. “Guess even in my wildest dreams I’m still a coward.” Like any nice person, you sprung to assure him that despite your very short month of knowing each other, he (probably) wasn’t a coward, and he caught you. He caught you with your mouth wide open, ready to defend his honor.

Smoke slipped from his coy lips.

You tutted, “I think you’re the Scarecrow.” No brains.

“Anyway,” you went on, back to the reason your calves ached from pedaling like a mad man to get here at the same time as him. “It’s not like I bike that far. Bobbie’s parents live on that street next to the big open field, like, fifteen minutes away. Maybe twenty. Or ten?” You pointed vaguely north.

There’s a reason you never navigated on road trips.

“I thought they sold that empty lot forever ago,” he said.

“Well, unless they sold it to a bunch of tiny white mice who scurry every time I open the back door, I think it’s still abandoned.” You took your hands out of your jacket pockets and displayed them. “Not just mice, either. The other day I swear there was a spider the size of my palm in the bathroom.”

Taking the cigarette out of his mouth, he tipped his head back to blow the smoke above him before leaning over to study your hands up close. Contemplating them with keenness under the gray wash sky. Mumbling numbers to himself as if he were taking measurements.

He straightened up, and concluded, “Eh, not that impressive with how small your hands are.”

“Are they small?”

You faced him and presented your right hand.

Take the bait. Take the bait. Take the bait.

Eddie rolled onto his shoulder, body still at an angle from his legs crossed at the ankles. With a blank face, he understood what you wanted and decided to indulge your silliness, even if it meant sacrificing his warmth.

Uncrossing his arms, he wiped his hands on his clothes first out of habit.

Come on, Eddie.

None the wiser, he matched your thumbs. Pressed his left hand to yours.

Holy shit. He fell for it hook, line, and sinker.

“Mm,” you hummed. You leaned in for a better look.

His hand was warm and damp from sweat. Concentrated heat emanated from his palm sealed to yours, securing the soft cups together, aligning the stretch of your fingers. Where yours were soft, his were rough. Lines of thick calluses. Hardened exteriors acting as a barrier from your tender self discovering what his skin truly felt like brushing over your own.

He wore three rings. All gaudy and themed. Costume-y. Definitely not of the wedding variety.

That didn’t mean he was single, but you doubted he was taken when you turned to him, and found his large nose to be inches from yours, and his gaze to be fond of your cheeks before meeting your eyes.

He bent the top joint of his fingers over yours, and slid his thumb to the outside, crowding your bones in a tight squeeze, establishing his advantage. “Still small,” he said, toothy and boyish; mouth crooked, and hand rolled cigarette bouncing on the syllables. “Let me know when you see a spider as big as my palm.”

Hypnotized, you agreed with whatever he said. “Duly noted. I’ll keep an eye out.”

His Cupid’s bow had no business being that sharp, nor his bottom lip that plump.

————

Thursday was raw.

Nighttime was a purple haze chasing the orange glow behind the trees. You walked around the garage with a small trash can in your arms, tidying up the place. Eddie was staying late again. He said it was to make up for Monday’s mess, but those jobs were completed days ago.

You nudged his boots to get his attention on your way to clean up the work bench. Though you wouldn’t consider yourselves close, you collected the few details you knew of his life, and held them dear to your heart, feeling privileged to know them. “Is your uncle not working today?”

His thighs flexed under the strained fabric of his uniform as he cranked a wrench. “He is,” he grunted from beneath the car, “I’m just trying to get in some hours before he leaves for the night shift.”

Fuck it, you’ll just ask. “How come you work late so often?”

The grinding stopped. For a moment, Eddie laid there, stomach rising and falling as he debated with himself. Seconds went by until he set down the tool and rolled out, sitting up on the creeper board.

Your question struck pink across his pale cheeks. Rather, the way you avoided it brought shame to his face. Why don’t you want to spend more time with your family?

The societal judgment of what he was about to admit weighed on him. He curled in on himself. Drew his knees to his chest, and wrapped his arms around them loosely, latching at the wrist. He braced the words on his tongue–raw and vulnerable–and slipped a finger under his bandana to scratch at his temple.

“Sometimes I’d rather just be here,” he began slowly. “As soon as I get home, I’m the problem solver, you know? Whatever needs to be done, I have to do it while Adrie’s talking a mile a minute, screaming every question under the sun at me, and climbing all over me. I’m doing shit like trying to not burn her dinner while switching over the laundry and picking up the living room and telling her not to touch the stove and fighting with her to take a bath and making sure she has clothes picked out for the morning because if she doesn’t, then I have to spend twenty minutes calming her down before we leave for school so she can decide which shirt she wants to wear, and God.” He screwed his eyes shut, pressing his fingers on either side of his nose, muffling his voice. “I know I’m a shit dad, but sometimes I just want to turn my brain off, and stay here instead.”

“You’re not a shit dad,” you said with soft conviction.

He disregarded you with a mean scoff. “I sound like I hate my kid.”

“You sound overwhelmed, and tired, Eddie.”

“Maybe..”

Remembering you were holding the trash can, you set it down and leaned your hip on the workbench, settling into a comfortable position with a gentle ease of kindness to your expression, showing him it was okay to vent. You’d listen. It was safe. It was safe to show you the ugly parts of him. It would be okay.

You approached the next topic with care, though you could infer the answer for yourself now, “Is there no one else you can rely on besides your uncle to help alleviate some of the stress?”

“No. It’s just us. My parents have been out of the picture for a long time, and Adrie’s mom, uh..” He surrendered to the need for eye contact, wanting to see you, and stated evenly, “Adrie’s mom and I were never together. She was a customer of mine–”

Darting your gaze around the room, you pointed at the garage in an expression of ‘Really, dude?’

He turned puckish. He pinched his index and thumb together and tapped them to his smirk, indicating a much different line of work. You ‘ahh’d.

“Yeah, not a frequent flier either, just someone I saw here and there at parties or whatever. All it took was one night of stupidity. One fucking night of mistake after mistake, man.. N-Not that I think of Adrienne as a mistake! God, no. Just–y’know–the events leading up to her weren’t ideal.”

You held your hand up to stop him. “I’m not judging you. My parents never bothered to correct themselves.”

Mutual pain converged in your matching shrugs. Both of you were the undesireables. Though, he couldn’t imagine you being called a mistake when his failures were glaring.

Sinking into the solace of your presence, he explained further, “Adrie’s mom said–at most–three sentences to me after giving birth, and that was it. Everything else was handled by the court. She made it clear she wanted nothing to do with us, so sole custody should’ve been easy, but the system fucking sucks. Not once did I say anything contradictory; I made it clear from the beginning I wanted my daughter, but I know how I look on paper.. Trailer trash through and through. Busted for drugs more than once. Living with my uncle in a single bedroom piece of shit. Taking three attempts to pass high school. No real job at the time, and beyond broke. They kept trying to convince her to split custody, at least for the first year, but no.” There was a cynical dejection about him. One of haunting acceptance, thinking lowly of himself with his head hung, and glazed over eyes staring faraway. “She found someone better. Some guy with money who lived in Indianapolis, and she wanted to start a life with him. Move on from Adrienne. And me.”

“Eddie?” you called out to him.

“Hm?”

“You may not view my opinion highly, but I think you’re a great dad, and person. Money, reputation, criminal record or whatever else can go fuck itself.” You folded your legs under you, and sat opposite him with your back resting against the table leg. He scooted closer on his board, narrowing the swath of concrete between you to a few feet. “Beat yourself up all you want, but your love for your daughter is apparent. She’s happy. She’s safe. She’s fed. You take care of her just fine, and you’re allowed to feel frustrated, and you’re allowed to feel like you need a break.”

When he remained unconvinced, you insisted, “Adrie adores you, that’s for sure.”

“Yeah,” he snorted. “I know. That’s why Wayne never has these problems with her. It’s only me she’s ultra clingy with. Like if she’s not attached to me twenty-four-seven I cease to exist and she’ll never see me again.”

Something beautiful occurred in his shy glance. In his bashful smile. In the clumsy removal of his bandana, pulling his hair free from the ponytail and shaking it out. Wild.

His big brown eyes regarded you, and you beheld him in a similar light.

Something changed.

No longer casual acquaintances; you two looked at each other like you were friends.

“Sorry for rambling so much,” Eddie said.

“There’s nothing to apologize for.”

“Good. Because I’m not done.” He crept forward a few more inches, and aired his grievances in a lighthearted tone, bitching for the sake of getting it off his chest, “This time of year is really rough on us. Gotta buy her all new school supplies with whatever franchise or animal she’s obsessed with now. Which is unicorns, by the way. And, y’know kids grow like crazy. If it’s not an entire new wardrobe, then it’s the shoes. I swear this kid goes through shoes like she’s ruining them on purpose. I’m almost certain I buy new ones every time I blink.” 

A car passed on the street outside; the only break in the suffocating silence of a brick building echoing Eddie’s dramatic hand gestures as he sought sanity.

“She starts kindergarten next September and I’m already dreading it. She’s made lots of friends, which I’m grateful for.. Seriously, I’m really grateful that she’s made friends so easily, but she always wants to dress like them, do the things they do, go the places they go, and I try to figure out ways to afford it, but sometimes it’s too much, and I fucking despise telling her ‘no.’ Then there’s also the birthday parties basically every other weekend, and you can’t attend those empty-handed either, can you?”

You nodded patiently. “I suppose you are correct.”

“Kids are expensive, and it’s only worse at Christmas,” he concluded. Your stomach growled. “You want to leave, don’t you?”

Remaining in your slumped over position with your elbow propped on your thigh, and your cheek to your fist with your eyes closed, you asked, “What gave you that idea?”

He could mock you to his heart’s content, but you were right.

“Shit,” he exhaled, reading the wall clock. “We should go. Wayne leaves for work soon.”

“And Bobbie’s probably waiting for me to get home to gush about her girlfriend.” You stood up and stretched. “It’s cute, like a long-lost lovers situation, but yeah, she can go on for hours.”

————

Friday was cloudy with a chance of sun.

Tires screeched to a stop in the driveway of the garage, and someone honked their horn incessantly.

Startled, Eddie hit his head on the hood of the car he was bent over, and hissed between his teeth. He rubbed at the sore spot and glared behind him, ready to tell the nuisance off.

Except, if he did that, he’d be telling off his best friend.

“Of course it’s you,” he projected in a clipped voice, making his annoyance known.

Steve slammed his car door shut, and leaned against it, lighting a cigarette while Eddie made his way over. “Yeah, yeah,” he muttered, “I’m here on my lunch break, so if you wouldn’t mind gettin’ a little pep in your step, Munson.”

Passing by your inquisitive face smashed to the window beside your desk, Eddie raised his hand to show you everything was okay, and that there was no need to chew someone out for causing a disturbance.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Eddie asked, shuffling up to him. The sun was warm on his skin; a nice change from the shadowy cold warehouse, and Steve basked in it as well, golden hair flopping in the gentle breeze.

There was a moment where they both displayed their nervous habits. Eddie with his tongue prodding the inner corner of his lips, and Steve taking inventory of his surroundings during the drag of his cigarette.

“Look,” Steve stressed. Eddie sighed. “We haven’t seen much of you lately, and Nancy had the idea to go to the theater to see that horror movie that came out a few weeks ago. We’ll probably have the whole place to ourselves, and she, ah, invited someone else. Someone who is also single, if you catch my very obvious drift.”

Eddie’s hand immediately climbed its way to his throat, stroking the column and making a sound of disinterest. “I dunno, man.”

“Well, we’ve already paid the babysitter to watch a third kid, and we don’t mind Adrie sleeping over for the night. You can drop her off at 4 and, uh–” He nodded at his coveralls. “Get cleaned up, or whatever and meet us at 6. Make a good first impression.” At Eddie’s apathetic grunt, he sighed, “I know what you’re gonna say, but your date’s already agreed to go, and it’d be a shame if you left them hanging.”

Rolling his shoulders, Eddie forced himself to stop fidgeting by stuffing his hands in his pockets, and focused on the clouds crawling across the sky. “Fine. What’re they like?”

“Your date?”

“Yes, my fucking date you moron.”

Steve shrugged with a mischievous grin. “Dunno. I said Nancy’s the one who invited her, not me.”

Eddie faltered, “So, you don’t even know if she’s into someone like me?” When Steve quirked his eyebrow, it just increased Eddie’s agitation. He made sweeping motions down his body. Steve continued to smoke with a dumb pout. “Jesus, dude.” He stamped in a circle, making a big show with his arms, imploring with an exhausted bite to his tone, “You know what I’m asking.”

“No, I don’t know if she’s into metalhead freaks who are dads, sorry.”

“You’re the bane of my existence.”

“So it’s an official ‘yes?’” he asked without the sarcasm. “I mean, you might as well show up. Wayne’s got his poker tournament with his friends today, doesn’t he? That means you’ll have the place to yourself. Hey, play your cards right and you’ll get some action tonight. I imagine you haven’t gotten lucky since Adrie’s conception, yeah?”

Steve’s laugh was explosive and loud, but it petered out to a pitying noise the longer Eddie squinted into the distance.

“Really? I was just trying to joke with you. Sorry, man.”

Eddie lifted one side of his mouth in a dull grin. “S’kay.”

“Well,” Steve said, flicking the rest of his cigarette. “Just be yourself. Maybe keep the nerdy talk to a minimum, and you’re golden.” He turned to leave, and stopped. “Oh! And Robin’s back in town, if you didn’t hear. She’ll be there tonight too, serving as the fifth wheel, so at least you won’t be the most awkward one there. Come to think of it, I think it’s her friend who’ll be your date.”

“Sounds promising.”

“See ya at 6!” Steve said as he opened the door and fell into place behind the wheel, beaming pure sunshine up at Eddie.

“Yeah, bye.”

Going back inside the garage, it took a second for Eddie’s eyes to adjust to the darkness, and his first inclination was to look over at you behind your desk, totally filling out the paperwork in front of you, regardless if you were holding a pen or not.

Many thoughts crossed his mind upon watching you open random drawers, and shuffle papers to appear busy. Rationally, he should’ve jumped at the chance for Steve’s offer. A night out with someone without the looming responsibility of adulthood sounded like heaven.. But there was a knot in his stomach telling him to reject the date–not because he couldn’t be bothered, like Steve assumed, but because he pictured someone specific the instant he spoke the arrangement into existence.

The jaded, pessimistic part of him argued it shouldn’t matter what you thought about his love life. You two were hardly friends, and you were a drifter in search of your next big adventure. This small town wasn’t your home. You’d move on. And he should too.

He opened the glass door, and you feigned like you hadn’t been staring at him and Steve attempting to read their lips for the past few minutes. “Hey, I’ve got somewhere to be later, so I’ll actually be leaving on time today.”

“Oh, good!” you said. “Me too.”

Eyeing your thumbs up, he snorted and shook his head.

Yeah, he should move on before this feeling in his chest evolved into something bigger.

Taglist: @tlclick73 @kimmi-kat @hanahkatexo @eds1986 @mirrorsstuff @creoleguurl @loveshotzz @hazydespair @trashmouth-richie @omgshesinsane @lightcommastix @rose-tinted @lmili @wisestarlightwolf @secretdryrose @reefer-robin @aysheashea @eddiemunsons-world @mystars123 @bebe0701 @yeoldedumbslut @tayhar811 @christalcake @junggoku @fantasy-is-best @wendyfawcett @vintagehellfire @fezcoismypimp @xxsunflowerloverxx @jessepinkmanloml @nwhspidey @violetsandroses8 @kennedy-brooke @ughli @alana4610 @bmunson86 @sikirukn @hayleeshar @it-is-up-to-you @feralgoblinbabe @sammararaven

[tqmies]

Baseball (& Other Disasters)

Description. Everyone admired Mark Lee, starting pitcher of your school’s baseball team and famed ladies man. You, on the other hand, only know him as the boy who broke your dorm lobbies microwave the first time you met.

Too bad that was all it took to grow an embarrassingly huge crush on him. 

So when he comes to you, in need of a new baseball manager, how could you say no to that face? (Spoiler: You couldn’t) 

Pairings. Mark Lee x Female Reader

Genre. Romance, F2L, Idiots to lovers, Mutual Pining

Warnings. Cursing, An awkward scene of you walking in on the deed being done, suggestive comments,  (I think that’s it?)

Word count. 10k ... 

Note: I had so much fun writing this, sorry if it seems like it moved too fast, I didn’t want it to be too long since it’s been sitting in my drafts forever! Anyways, enjoy and remember feedback is always appreciated <3

Mark Lee is out fifty dollars, a phone bill, and most recently, a baseball manager. And he’s about to pull his hair out, because seriously, who quits right before the season starts? Not to help that he could’ve never seen it coming. 

Kim Jungwoo, their former manager, had quite literally bailed on them. He was a player who injured his ankle, so he settled on the manager position, hoping one day to become a coach. His excuse was simple now though, he graduated university a few years ago, and was ready to move on. Mark just thinks the passion for the sport was gone, but you don’t just lose it overnight? How had no one seen it coming?

There was no point on dwelling on it, Mark shakes his head. Jungwoo was gone, and they needed a new manager stat. Unfortunately, Coach had kind of put that responsibility on Mark’s shoulders. But what did he know about this anyways? He had enough on his plate already to be scouring Indeed dot com for a baseball manager. Why couldn’t the assistant coach do it? Isn’t that was Doyoung was for, to do stuff like this? 

And the worst part? He has two weeks to find someone, which is pretty much impossible. Especially considering that they would still have to train the manager to adjust to their schedules and learn their positions. 

In short, Mark really hated Kim Jungwoo right now. 

You on the other hand, had not a worry in the world. Well, at this moment at least. Your only problem was the fact that you had to boil your ramen in the common kitchen, instead of being able to just pop it in the microwave. Yeah, you have Mark Lee to thank that for. 

You remember it like it was yesterday, (it was two months ago), when Mark Lee practically blew up your microwave. And even after an attempt to plead with the floor’s RA, they ultimately deemed it unsafe to have one on your floor. Which meant no more Hot Pockets, Cup ‘O Noodles, or soggy pizza. A tragedy for a college student.

Understandably, most people were annoyed with Mark’s accident, but it didn’t last very long anyways. It’s hard to hate the boy who led your school games to constant victories the year before. Overall, Mark was just a likable person.

Before that day, you didn’t even know Mark had played baseball. You didn’t care a lot for sports, opting to keep up only with your friend Chenle’s obsession, basketball. But even then, you didn’t know much about either sport. 

To you, Mark Lee was just the guy who awkwardly spoke while putting ranch on his salad. He was introducing himself, asking why you were up cooking at three am as well, before shifting back to his food. He then started telling you how he liked his salads with boiled eggs on top, a good source of protein according to his coach. By the time you realized the microwave was on, with the egg inside, it was already too late. 

It literally burst in the microwave, causing a rather unpleasant smell to spread throughout the common floor. Your face scrunched in disgust as you trashed the ravioli you were waiting to cook in there. “You put a boiled egg in the microwave?”

“To heat it up!” He had defended, staring at the messy appliance in horror. 

“For 50 seconds?!” 

He raised his hands, eyes wide. “I like them hot!” 

Foolishly, that also happened to be the exact day you fell for Mark Lee. Something about his slight awkwardness, and the fumble of his hands when he spoke. You would’ve never guessed what kind of reputation he had held. 

Your best friend, Yeri stops you there with the raise of her hand. She chews aggressively on her chicken while shaking her head and swallowing. “You’re such a loser.”

You laugh as you fake a pout, “Stop! Don’t tease me.”

“I can’t believe that’s what made you like him.” She furrows her brows. “There’s so many other reasons to like him, that’s all.”

You twirl your ramen on your plastic fork, sitting in the dining hall so you could eat with Yeri. (She had always offered to buy you a meal, but this food was a rip off! The pricing was crazy and you’d die before you let her buy two meals, call you a good friend.) 

“You know I have a thing for awkward boys.” You speaks truthfully, because the point was supported by your track record of crushes on other shy boys.

“Well,” Yeri begins, knowing she’s about to get shot down. “You should try talking to him, as more than a friend.” 

“Never!” You shriek, not believing she had even suggested that. “You know, I’m content with admiring from afar.”

“Which is why you’re still single!” She puts another forkful in her mouth before mumbling. “He’s nice, you should at least try.”

But you were a person of your word, you were not going to make the first move with Mark. That’s just the kind of person you were, you weren’t going to put yourself out there only to be rejected! 

Or worse, have your confession accepted. 

You see, due to never confessing, you had never had a boyfriend. That left you sorely inexperienced in the dating world. Meaning if you ever did ever ask someone on a date, you’d have no idea what to do on it. That would just likely lead you into a breakdown over the entire thing, which you would like to avoid. 

You didn’t mind being single too much either, you had two great best friends who you could count on. The other actually just arrived right now, taking his seat as he looks at the two of you. “What? Did I interrupt something?”

“Just them avoiding talking to their crush.”

“Again?” Chenle laughs as he shakes his head. “I didn’t even know you had a crush.” 

“I don’t.” You deny, glancing at Yeri. “I just think he’s cute.”

Yeri raises her fork in defense, stating matter-of-factly. “Everyone think’s Mark Lee is cute.” 

“He’s not even all that.” Chenle dismisses, pulling out his phone to play some mobile game. “You could do better.”

“Better? Than Mark Lee?” Yeri’s jaw drops, and your glad she sees your side. Well, half the female population of your university did anyways.

“Who could be better?” You scoff, counting off your fingers. “Mark is talented, funny, and super cute! He’s like the entire package!” 

“Yeah, you definitely have a crush on him.” Chenle says, turning his attention away from his (regrettably) best friends. 

“But seriously, who wouldn’t want Mark?” Yeri nods, “You have the right idea.”

“I know, when have I ever liked someone questionable?” You ask, noting their lack of faith in your taste.

“Well..” Yeri starts and you sigh, knowing where she’s going with it. “Na Jaemin.” 

“That was before I knew he was..” You trail, your nose scrunching, not wishing to reminisce on that phase of affection. 

Chenle stops you, narrowing his eyes. “Don’t you dare call him a slut!” 

“I wasn’t going to call him a-” 

“Liar!” The boy yells, not even letting you finish. “Don’t talk bad about my friend!” 

“I wasn’t going to! You’re the one who assumed I was going to call him a slut!” 

“Cause you were!” Yeri instigates, laughing at you two. 

“I wasn’t.” You maintain. Your crush on Jaemin was short lived anyways. You had seen him donning a basketball jersey, playing along side your friend on the first day of the semester. 

Yeri would say you had heart eyes bursting out the moment you spotted him, you’d disagree, but he had definitely caught your attention. Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time before you found out he definitely wasn’t the type to be tied down. Not that it bothered you or anything, like you stated previously, you weren’t going to make a move. 

Though, it was kind of hard to crush on a boy with a different girl around his arm everyday. Eh, not exactly your taste. 

“Anyways, Mark has a ton of girl’s chasing after him. Thought you didn’t like guys like that.” Chenle states, attention not moving from whatever shooting game he’s engaged in. 

“The difference is that Mark clearly hasn’t spoken to a single one of those fangirls in his life.” Yeri points out, never having seen it happen.

“You’re not that dumb are you?” Chenle finally puts his phone down. “Mark definitely messes around with all of them.” 

“What does it matter?” 

“Is this because your girl is one of his little fans?” You ridicule and Chenle shoots you a killer glare. The girl he liked, Nagyung, was one of the girls who’d attend baseball games just to see Mark. All of the girls in that section were recognized because they’d always start screaming from the stands when Mark would make a pitch. Squeals and cheers just for him to look their way.

You were one interaction away from joining them.

“What does he have that I don’t?!” Chenle throws his head back at the reminder.”Wish I had fans bringing me lunch every day too. I’d never have to eat with you fools again.”

You contemplate throwing your hot ramen on him as you narrow your eyes. “You’re no longer invited.”

“Hey!” Chenle whines.

Yeri pushes your shoulder lightly as she ignores your friends pleas. “I’m serious about talking to him! You’ll never know if you don’t try.” 

“Yeri, just because you’ve had like 200 hundred boyfriends doesn’t mean we all want to!” Chenle digs, making a face at her. 

“200?!” She yelps before her face goes straight. “I’d say 400 is more accurate.” 

“Yeri!” You widen your eyes as she giggles. It was no secret your best friends was far more experienced in the dating realm than you were. Even Chenle had a girlfriend here and there. 

Yeri even had a boyfriend now, an exchange student named Sicheng who she learned Mandarin for. They’d been steady together for about two years now, her ‘crazy highschool days’ were over and she was ready to settle down. All her words. 

“Well it doesn’t matter now, clearly Sicheng and I are gonna get married-”

“Yes and have a million babies and live in a big house,” You interrupt her, reciting the statement you’ve heard so many times. “We know.” 

“That could be you and Mark!” She nods, winking. 

“Please, babies? You won’t even talk to him, and he’s like the nicest guy in the world.” Chenle scoffs, sipping from his drink, and that hits you particularly hard.

“You know what?” You say boldly, quirking a brow. “I will talk to him! I’ll show you.” 

You have not shown Chenle. 

It’s only been two days but you had yet to spot Mark anywhere, let alone strike up a conversation with the boy. It’s not like you two were close or anything, did he even know your name? Would he remember you? Were you just severely overthinking this? Definitely.

Even if Mark didn’t remember you, he’s not the type to act all weird about it. He’d likely try to greet you back and start a conversation, or at least that’s what you keep telling yourself. 

Because here he is, in the very area where you first met him (And that exploded egg.) In the common kitchen. And you’re about to fall over.

He’s wearing glasses while dressed in sweatpants, since it is midnight after all, and staring at something on his laptop. The bright blue light illuminating his features as he sits in the dimly lit area, eating something from a takeout container. Eyes heavy from clear exhaustion as he presses on the temple of his forehead. And yet you think you’ve never seen him look cuter. 

You walk in steadily, ready to boil some instant oatmeal. (It was all you had found in your dorm, you don’t even remember buying it.) Mark looks up, smiling as he makes eye contact with you. 

That damn famous smile. 

“Hey stranger.” He greets, looking you up and down discreetly. “Haven’t seen you here in a while.” 

You laugh, “Decided maybe it’d be best to stay away from here for a minute.” 

“I don’t blame you.” He nods, holding his hands up in defeat as his eyes flicker back to his laptop. 

“So, big project coming up or?” You say, turning to open your oatmeal, grimacing at the powder on your hands as you wipe it off. This is your attempt at starting a conversation that would hopefully go better than it did last time. 

“Not exactly.” He drags, scrolling on his mouse pad.

“Is that Zip Recruiter?” You giggle, looking over your shoulder as his laptop faces you. “Job hunting?” 

He shakes his head, before realizing you couldn’t see him. “No, actually. I’m job.. hiring.” 

You hum in acknowledgement, even though you didn’t know what he meant. 

“I have a week and a half to find the team a new manager.” Mark elaborates, sighing as he leans back into his chair. “Nothing but dead ends so far.” 

“Is it that hard to find candidates?” You ask, genuinely curious. Also, had Kim Jungwoo quit? You had seen him around campus a few times, mostly chatting up Yeri, but he seemed to be super loyal to his team. What had changed, and so suddenly? 

Mark continues looking. “Only two people have responded to my posting so far. One had a criminal background and the other wanted higher pay.” 

“That sucks.” You stir your food. “Have you thought about hiring a student?”

Mark turns to look back at you. “I don’t know. Coach didn’t want to do that again after Jungwoo, but maybe if they had all the qualifications then he wouldn’t mind.” 

“Cool,” You speak absentmindedly. “I’m sure you’ll find someone soon.” 

“What about you?” 

You glad you weren’t facing him or else you would’ve surely agreed to it in an instant. You regain your senses as you notice your spoon falling into the hot mixture, almost burning yourself as you retrieve it. “Oh- Uh, Mark I don’t think I’d be a good fit.”

And you assume that’s enough to drop the subject but he actually closes his laptop as he continues. “But Chenle mentioned something about you managing your team in high school.” 

First things first, you were going to kill Chenle! Leave it up to him to meddle in this, when did he even speak to Mark? And now he was going around lying to him?

Sure, you had vaguely helped your friend take baseball stats in highschool once; but it was nothing like this. How did Chenle even remember that?

You need to get it together and say no, there is no way in the world you could be a baseball manager. For several reasons, one being that you only know surface level things on the sport. Two, your schedule is hectic enough as it is without being apart of a team. And three? You’d have to deal with Mark Lee more often than you’d ever imagined. 

Well, the last one didn’t sound so bad. 

Mark takes in your silence. “Maybe just think over it, it pays well and we travel a lot. It could be fun.” 

You want to throw something, why was this even an option for him? “It’s just, my time as a manager was very brief. Don’t you want someone more confident in what they’re doing?”

Mark’s mouth draws into a thin line. “Well, we’re really pressed for time right now, and you have experience. We’re short on options, plus I kinda know you.” 

“So you’re trusting me with the fate of your entire team,” You start, closing your eyes. “Because you kinda know me.” 

He foolishly nods, before getting up. “It’s not a hard job I promise! I’m sure you’d have no trouble with it!”

You open your mouth.“Mark-”

“Consider it?” He speaks as he now stands next to you. Your eyes pretending to be engrossed with the stupid oatmeal in front of you. You’re trying your hardest not to give away how nervous you are, you’d never been this close to him before. Sure, you could only see him from the corner of your eye, but you know he’s watching your face as he awaits an answer. “Please?” 

He is so cute.

“I’ll do it.” You blurt, before you can stop the words from tumbling out.

His eyes light up, a smile growing. “What? Really?”

No! Not really, I’m just an idiot who’s weak to such a perfect boy in front of me. I’m taking it back before it’s too late! Sorry, maybe I can help you find someone else! That’s what you should be saying.

Yet nothing comes out, as you just nod. Idiot, you think. You know this is a terrible idea but you’re too far in now! (Not really, you’re just dramatic.) But you’d be damned if you were the one to wipe such a pretty smile off his face.

“Woah, okay. I’ll have coach do the paperwork and then I’ll email you the schedule.” He sighs in relief, before looking at you and placing his hand on your shoulder. “Thank you, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

You really wish he had said that in a different context.

..

Knocking on the apartment door harshly, your anger fizzles down a bit when Park Jisung, Chenle’s roommate, opens the door. “Oh hey, what are-”

“Is Chenle home?” You ask, not seeing him in the kitchen as you look through the door. The poor boy looks confused, you usually love small talk with him.

“Well, yeah but he’s-”

“Thanks.” You mutter before you push past the boy, ignoring any words that followed. Jisung took note of the look on your face though, and decided he did not want to stand in your way, definitely not.

You don’t even bother to knock, swinging Chenle’s door open with full force. Though you quickly regret it, as you’re met with a half naked Chenle with a girl on top of him. Well, that’s definitely not Nagyung.

You shield you eyes before yelling. “Dammit Chenle! Where are your clothes?”

“Oh my god,” The girl squeaks before pulling away, picking up her shirt as she clutches it in front of her chest. “You said I was the only one!” 

“You are-” Chenle begins but is interrupted by a slap on his face. He sits there, stunned at the sudden action as she gets off of him. The girl runs out of the room, grabbing her phone off his desk and running past a startled Jisung, who gapes in the doorway. 

“Was that-”

“Shut up Jisung!” And you register the sound’s of Chenle running after her, too afraid of seeing his penis again that you don’t open your eyes until he’s gone.

The front door slams and you look at Jisung, who just shrugs and smiles awkwardly. “So that was- um...”

“What the fuck.” Chenle storms back in the living room, pants halfway on, before approaching you, pointing a finger in your chest. “You just cock blocked me!”

“You fucking idiot.” You spout back. “I’m only here because of what you told Mark!” 

“Are you kidding?!” He responds, scoffing as Jisung look’s around confused. Truthfully, Chenle had barely remembered what he had even said to Mark. “I was trying to help you!”

“I don’t need your help!”

Chenle rolls his eyes, you’re acting like he did the worst thing in the world. “Whatever! So sue me, I just wanted you to actually speak to him!”

“Oh I definitely will now because I’m the new fucking baseball manager.” You drop, the two males staring at you in awe. Jisung looks confused and Chenle genuinely looks like he’s seen a ghost. 

Chenle himself swears his jaw dropped and rolled on the floor beneath him. “What?!” He exclaims, running his hands through his hair.

Jisung raises a brow at that, ignoring as Chenle has a meltdown in the corner of their shared living room, before turning to look at you. He had never seen you at any of the games when he went to see his friends, so he didn’t think you wanted anything to do with that. “You like baseball?” 

“Hardly.” You groan, facing the youngest boy. “But Mark was being all nice, and he had that cute smile and-” 

“So you said yes?!” Chenle raises his voice, throwing his hands up. “I was just trying to get you to talk to him, not to invade his team!” 

“This is you’re fault! You know I can’t say no to him!” You whine, and Chenle literally is at a loss of what to say. Out of all the possible outcomes, he didn’t think you’d actually ever take up the spot. 

“Okay,” He tries to calm down, nervously pacing around as he tries to think rationally. “Well, what now?” 

You shrug, whining before throwing yourself on his couch. “I don’t know, I think I dug myself in this inescapable hole.” 

“Deep,” Jisung agrees and earns a slap on the arm from an annoyed Chenle. 

Even if he was upset about having blue balls, he did feel for his best friend. He knew you didn’t do super well in high pressure situations, and in front of a crush too? You were toast. 

“Shit! You know nothing about baseball! What were you thinking?” Chenle exclaims, as he throws himself on his couch. 

“You were the one who told him about me helping Gowon with paperwork back in high school! How do you even remember that?” You ask, sitting next to him on the dingy couch.

He gives you a dirty look, as if you should’ve known why. “Because I had a crush on her, duh! Could’ve remembered anything related to her.” 

“Well excuse me,” You press sarcastically. “You crush on anything with legs.” 

“And I still never had a crush on you, says a lot.” He responds, and you’re about to start throwing punches at the insult.

“I did.” Jisung speaks out of no where, you two looking at him wordlessly, and you forgot he was here. Wait, did he just admit to liking you before? He opens his mouth again, “If that helps?”

“No Jisung, why would that help?” Chenle exasperated as he furrows his brows, shakes his head. He couldn’t believe his closest friends were all idiots. 

“What I was saying,” Jisung elaborates. “Is that you’re a catch. I’m sure Mark will come to his senses sooner rather than later. Maybe joining his team is a good thing, forced proximity and whatever.” 

“You’ve been playing too many otome games.” Chenle scoffs and the younger male starts stuttering defenses. Maybe he did download too many dating simulators.

You just nod, albeit awkwardly. He did kind of have a point though. “Thanks, I guess.” 

Jisung just shrugs and scurries off to his room, you and Chenle watching as he does so. Chenle clears his throat before speaking. “That was weird as hell.” 

But you had other things to worry about, one being getting home to your safe warm bed. Especially after seeing your best friend naked, you felt the need to bleach your eyes, at least three times. Maybe four for good measure, hopefully it’ll erase your memory too. 

Unfortunately, this didn’t happen, as you had spotted into problem number one on your way out of Chenle’s apartment complex. 

He’s dressed in casual attire, adjusting his backpack it sits too loosely on his shoulders. You hope he doesn’t see you, as you’re still a little flustered from the previous events. 

But you wish isn’t granted as he yells your name across the parking lot. Waving to you animatedly as he stands with another boy beside him. You offer a small wave back, hoping you can run to your car after this, but all thoughts of a quick escape are down the drain the minute he jogs up to you.

You pretend to be enamored in your phone, calmly as Mark gets closer. “Hey! What are you doing around here?” He asks, looking happy to see you. 

“Oh I had to come see Chenle for something.” You nod, avoiding eye contact. 

He looks down for a minute before speaking again. “Nice! Oh, this is Haechan by the way. He’s our second baseman.” 

Mark nudges the aforementioned male, and you suddenly come to notice him. You had barely even taken note of the male, giving him a nod as he looks back at you with a smirk. “Nice to meet you, Mark says you’ll be at practice on Monday?”

You smile, “I will.” 

“Great, then we won’t bother you-” Mark begins but Haechan isn’t done talking. Somethings brewing in that boys head, and you’re a little nervous about it. 

“Actually, Mark and I were just heading up to my place to discuss the opposing teams stats for the first game. Mark likes to brainstorm possible plays, so if you’re not busy, you should join us.” He proposes, and you can see Mark’s eyes widening. 

You almost short circuit at the sudden invitation, and you assume its pretty obvious. If not by your facial expression then definitely by the way your hands got a little shaky. Also, of course it was your luck that Haechan had lived here! 

“You don’t have to!” Mark cuts in, waving his hands. He doesn’t want you to feel pressured into spending your Saturday afternoon with them. “You’re probably busy, it’s not a big deal.” 

You shake your head. “I wouldn’t want to intrude anyways.” 

“It’s not intruding.” Haechan speaks up, crossing his arms. “I invited you, plus we always had Jungwoo’s opinion on these things.” 

You look between the boys, Mark smiling and Haechan awaiting an answer. You assume you look like a lost puppy, pleading eyes looking for an escape. 

But this is Mark you’re talking about, and possible time with Mark is at stake here! Not forgetting the fact that you’re also his team manager. “Okay, sure.” 

Haechan adjusts his glasses, perched on his face, and turns as he leads the way. You’re too busy in your phone though, texting the group chat about the sudden update. 

You: You two will never guess who I’m with

Yerim <3: i have your location idiot, you’re with chenle

Lele: She left like five minutes ago.. 

Yerim <3: wtf

Yerim <3: then who

Lele: Bitch I know you see the texts

You: CHILL I’m listening to Haechan talk about his flat screen tv

Lele: LEE HAECHAN? THE GUY WHO LIVES DOWNSTAIRS? 

Lele: Who are you

Yerim <3: LMAO what

You: Mark is here...

Yerim <3: i expect a 3 page paper about this encounter on my desk tomorrow morning, mla format 12 point arial font 

You giggle at the last text and shove your phone in your pocket, attention on Haechan as he flips his laptop towards the you and Mark. You’re seated on the floor around a small table in his living room. Mark opting to sit next to you as Haechan sits across. The male has a playback of their game against this school last season playing on the tv behind him. 

You have to admit, the two seem as determined as ever. The game wasn’t for another two weeks and yet they were already getting familiar with the other teams players. This was nothing like the high school level you had dealt with, and you were admittedly a little lost. 

Mark often turns to you, handing you papers to which you just nod and skim over. You’re struggling to remember what they numbers mean but fake it till you make it, right? 

Eventually, Haechan abandons the footage, in favor of talking your head off. But you were honestly thankful for the change of pace, one more home run review and you would’ve exploded.

“Two weeks and then I’ll be on a beach after we take home the win.” He nods, and you can tell he’s already looking forward it. 

“That’s assuming we win.” Mark jabs him with his elbow, pulling him out of his day dream. 

“The beach?” You ask, wondering why he would be there.

“The Cyclones school is about a five minute drive from a beach. Every time we play them, we head there after. Just have to sneak past coach and we’re home free.” Haechan says, enthusiastically referring to their upcoming opponent.

“Would you want to come?” Mark speaks, a little anxious as he lands his gaze on you. 

“Oh, I don’t know. I wouldn’t want to get caught by coach at my first game with you guys.” You speak, smiling nervously. 

“What, like how we caught you?” Haechan raises his brows, but you don’t get what he’s referring to.  

“Caught?” You ask, looking to the other male for answers. 

“Haechan.” Mark warns, sending the male a glare. 

The male doesn’t heed his warning though. “We caught you slipping out of Chenle’s! So you’re the mystery hookup, huh?”

“Mystery hookup?!” You exclaim, before processing what he said. 

“Yeah! Chenle told us he was going to bang some, and I quote, ‘sweet ass’ today.” Haechan nods, winking at you. 

You just about throw up in your mouth. “Oh God, no! He wasn’t talking about me!” 

Mark looks towards you, head whipping around almost comically. “He wasn’t?”

“No,” You admit, recalling the embarrassing situation that occurred. “Actually I kind of walked in on him and the so-called sweet ass earlier.”  

That sends Haechan into a fit of laughter. “No way!”

You nod reluctantly. “I went over trying to talk to him about an issue we had, but I opened the door and - Actually, I’d rather not remember it.” 

“So that’s why you were running out all flustered.” Haechan laughs even harder. “I thought you were trying to avoid being seen.” 

“Oh come on,” You giggle back. “I’d never sleep with Chenle, we’re just friends.” 

“Just friends,” Haechan subtly (not really) nudges Mark. 

“We should really get back to the plays.” 

Coach Minho was a lot nicer than he looked, or at least, that’s what you deduced. The players would say he ruled the batting cages with an iron fist, and you’d seen it in action a couple times, but he was always kind to you. 

Even when you asked questions about things that any old baseball manager should clearly know, he never berated you, only explaining the concept and sending you on your way. 

Assistant Coach Doyoung, on the other hand, was a little more wary of you. He didn’t speak to you beyond two or three words, and when he did? It was usually to doubt your abilities as a manager, but you just figured he was frustrated. 

He did have to deal more with the manager more one-on-one, so you figured he was just having trouble adjusting. He kept you in line though, correcting any mistakes and issues you had right away, even if he made an offhanded comment. You heard the boys say he was a tough love kind of person too, so maybe he was hard on you cause he wanted you to do well. 

Or at least you hoped so. 

The team was a whole different story. Really, you only knew Mark and Haechan, and that was barely. Either way, they couldn’t be on your side when you were handling other problems, so you were basically all alone. 

Xiaojun, one of the designated hitters, came up to you on your first day. 

And then decided you were his new best friend. 

It was nice too, to have someone else on the team that was on your side. Most of the boys hadn’t opened up yet, most doubted your inability to manage the team as well, for reasons you really don’t care to get into.

But thankfully, once Xiaojun had warmed up to you, some of the others followed suit. So now you could say you could count on a handful of them when Doyoung got a little too aggressive. 

Currently, he was showing you pictures of his dog Bella at six in the morning as you all waited to board the bus. You’re usually not a morning person, but with Xiaojun’s infectious smile, you couldn’t help but coo at Bella as well. 

Their first game is today at seven, and to say they were nervous was an understatement. Yangyang, your third basemen, was pretty much shaking as he boarded the bus ahead of you two. This was his first time starting so you’d give him credit for that. 

You were outside the bus as the others loaded up, rushing in to take naps you presume, but you were waiting on two missing pieces of your team.

Namely Mark and Haechan. 

Would it kill those two to be punctual? If you learned anything over the past few weeks it was yes, it would kill them. 

You sigh in relief as Mark and Haechan finally arrive, and the two profusely apologize to Doyoung, who just watches with a scowl as he sips his coffee. 

“Coach isn’t even here yet, just get on the bus.” The older male directs them and they nod as he walks into the bus himself. 

“You guys seriously got here ten minutes before we had to leave?” You ask, still groggy from such an early hour. 

“You think this just happens without beauty sleep?” Haechan lolls his head, and you almost laugh at his appearance. He clearly intends to sleep as hes dressed in pajamas and a neck pillow, with a eye mask in his hands.

“Oh lord, get in the bus Haechan.” You speak, and he obliges, too tired to fight back. 

But as he steps on, he looks back. “Come sit with me Xiaojun.” 

“No thanks.” He replies, narrowing his eyes. “I’m gonna sit with our dear manager.” 

You smile but Haechan shakes his head, getting off the bus momentarily to grab Xiaojun. “Keep your mouth shut.” 

You stare with wide eyes as you watch them, weird. You finally allow yourself to look at Mark, and he’s wearing black Nike sweatpants and a simple white t-shirt with the school’s name on it. Yet you think he looks great, and you almost voice it. 

“You look very.. awake.” You smile, surprised at your save. 

He chuckles. “I’m really excited. Well, nervous but also very excited.” 

“Can’t wait to see you in a real game, you’re gonna kill it.”

His eyes light up, “Thank you-” 

“Alright kids, lets go.” A voice speaks as he slaps his hand on Mark’s shoulder. You hadn't even seen Coach Minho arrive, but he just offers you a nod as he gets onto the vehicle itself. 

You just follow behind, and coach takes his seat in the very front, across from Doyoung. You’re not sure where you’re supposed to sit, so you tap Minho’s shoulder. “Do I sit in the front?”

“You could, Doyoung has an open seat next to him.” He replies, and you look over to a undesirable sight. Doyoung’s furrowed brows as he looks over a playbook, grinding his teeth as he scribbles something down. You can see it going two ways, either he makes you study plays the entire way, or he calls you incompetent again. 

Minho must notice hesitance on your face because he offers you another option. “Or you could always fit a seat among the players.” 

And you nod, looking behind you and struggling to see an unclaimed seat. Oh, well there’s one next to Mark. To Mark?! Could you last a two hour ride next to Mark without fainting or embarrassing yourself? Or worse, exposing your feelings.

“Haechan! Psst,” You speak, careful not to bother the others around him, and shaking his shoulders. He pulls his eye mask down to give you a bored look. 

“How can I help you?” 

“Let me sit there.”

“No way! I’m not getting up.” 

“Please,” You beg, coming up with an explanation. “I want to uh, look at more photos of Xiaojun’s dog!” 

“Just go sit next to Mark.” He says, pulling his mask down as he ignores both you and Xiaojun’s protests. 

Xiaojun just shrugs, “Sorry. I can send you more pictures though!”

You just nod and defeated, you begin your walk towards Mark. You see the light of his phone illuminating his face, and you place your bag on the side. 

“Oh hey, I’m surprised you didn’t sit with Doyoung.” He whispers, pulling up his arm rest so there’s no divide between you two. You almost heat up at the move, why would he do that?! 

“Hm well, I didn’t want to bother him, he seems busy.” 

“Wanna watch this movie with me?” He asks, handing you a headphone before you can even accept his offer. “I moved the arm rest cause it would’ve gotten in the way.” 

“What movie is it?” You inquire, but nonetheless take the headphone. 

“The Truman Show.” 

“Jim Carrey? I love that movie!” 

“No way,” Mark perks up. “Yo, I’ve been trying to get someone to watch it with me but everyone says it looks boring.” 

“Nothing is boring about accepting the reality of the world as it’s presented.” You quote, as Mark’s eyes widen. 

“It’s as simple as that.” He finishes, staring at you. “You can quote it too, that’s so sick.” 

“Thanks, I guess I’ve just seen it so many times.” 

“You’re seriously so cool,” Mark begins, leaning over. “You know that?”

“I’ve been told.” You giggle, and he laughs as well.

He gets quiet as he looks down. “You know, I never got to thank you for like, saving my ass.” 

“You don’t have to thank me, the money is thanks enough.” You state, lips stretched as he agrees. 

“I told you it payed well, even if you have to read until your head spins.” 

“You could say that again.”

“Will you two be quiet?!” A voice groans, and it’s Haechan from three seats away, being shushed by Lee Jeno.

“Will you mind your business? That’s what the headphones are for!” Mark retorts, and the boy sends him glare before digging through his bag for the mentioned headphones, but not before flipping you two off.

Mark turns back to you, “You know, I made an egg this morning.”

“Hopefully not in the microwave.” You comment, and his nose wrinkles at the memory. 

He shakes his head, “No, definitely not.” 

“Then it probably came out really well.” 

“You think so?”

“As long as you didn’t blow anything up..” You say, moving to face him. “Then I’d say it was a success.” 

Mark grins at that, then turns to press play on his phone. The only matter now was, why was his heart beating so hard? 

...

“Bottom of the ninth.” The announcers voice echoes, as his voice fills the baseball field. You’re just about biting your nails as he comes onto the intercom again. “Bases loaded, and the Neo’s are leading, but if the Cyclones hit one out of the park, they’ll take home the win.” 

The score board read ‘Cyclones 7 - Neo’s 8′ And it’s been an amazing game so far. You never thought you’d be this into baseball, but since you have a front row seat in the dugout? You finally understood the hype. 

But now there was a lot on the line, if this batter made a good hit, then your team would be toast. What a great first game. 

The batter is Jung Woo-Young, and you’ve seen his stats. He’s not one to be messed with, and they definitely saved such a killer batter for last. 

But you had your star pitcher on the field! One that could throw an amazingly accurate, yet fast, curve ball. You’d be fine!

And you’re telling this to Lee Jeno, while he nods along to your nervous rambling, but he’s clearly not really listening as you chew the skin on your nails. 

And Wooyoung hits. 

“No no no!” You exclaim, standing from the bench as you feel the boys beside you do the same. Everyone’s eyes darting to the ball in the air, looking far too out of reach. 

You can hear the collective sighs of the team around you, as well as Doyoung’s mutter of disappointment, already dismissing the game in his mind.

Across the field, Mark’s trying his hardest not to shit his pants. But his eyes trickle over to Haechan in the outfield, and as the boy runs, farther and farther. Everyone’s attention on him as they wait.

And Haechan catches the ball.

You swore the entire place erupted in cheers, watching as the boys around you rush out to the field. You smile at the sight until Yangyang grabs your wrist and yanks you along the way, Xiaojun pushing your back as your feet hit the grass.

Even Doyoung’s face is light up as he follows behind you all.

A few seconds later and the announcer proclaims your victory, then suddenly Haechan is tossed into the air, held up by some of the other boys.

“Haechan! Haechan! Haechan!” You join the chanting in unison, waving your hands in the air with the rest. It’s a euphoric moment, filled with only joy. You spot Mark as he cheers, looking genuinely excited from such a win, and you can’t help but smile dumbly.

When the team finally calms down, Coach Minho gives them a great speech. And yes, Doyoung chirps on about how one win doesn’t mean they can slack off now. But you swear you heard him mutter a “Good job.”

You’re ready to walk back towards the locker room, ready to shower after such a long day (Minus the fact that you hadn't even played.) and take a nap. Though when you turn, all you see are expectant faces.

“What?” You blink, wondering what the staring was for.

“C’mon, you have to give a speech!” Haechan shouts out, practically jumping up. Doyoung and Minho give you a nod, like you were expected to as well. What were you even supposed to say?

“Um, good job?” You smile, and their faces remain bored.

“A real speech!” Someone shouts from the team.

“You guys all did great.” You admit, letting your honest thoughts carry you. Every word being genuine. “Even though it was such a close game, but when we thought all hope was gone, you guys pulled through! I know I’ve only been your manager for a  short time, but I see the dedication and heart you all put into the games. Thank you for giving me such a strong team to be apart of! Let’s widen that gap, yeah?”

“Yeah!” They collectively shout back, slapping each others backs in congratulations. Yangyang and Xiaojun even hold each and pretend to cry at your words.

You just roll your eyes as they all walk past you, high fiving some of the other members as they stroll by. Mark stops in front of you though, “We’re meeting in Jeno and Haechan’s room in an hour, don’t let coach spot you. Or worse, Doyoung.” 

You stare back in confusion as he sighs in defeat, he just leans in as he whispers. “The beach, remember?” 

You let out an Oh and nod your head, shooting Mark a thumbs up as confirmation. How could you say no to him?!

“Oh, by the way, I’m sure you already know but you did great out there today.” You smile, heart beating fast in your chest. 

“Thank you, that means a lot coming from you.” He responds before being dragged away by his teammates. But not before flashing you that famous damn smile. 

...

“The beach?” Yeri screeches over the phone as you updated her on the latest plans. “With tons of hot - Probably shirtless - Baseball boys in the middle of the night?”

“Are you really thirsting over them right now? I’m calling Sincheng.” Chenle, who is also on the FaceTime call, scrunches his nose.

“You know I love my honey bear-” She defends but her pet names are cut off by your groans of annoyance. “Please shut up Yeri.” 

“Whatever, never mind the others, have you made a move on Mark yet?” 

You sigh. “Well we talk.. a little bit more?”

“Oh lord.” Chenle comments.

“That’s a step in the right direction!” Yeri confirms.

“It doesn’t even matter, I’m not even sure I want to make a move. I have no clue what I’m doing.” You rant, face palming.

Chenle snorts. “Oh we know.” 

“Maybe try and get some one-on-one time with him at the beach, that could help?” Yeri suggests, and you nod. 

Though it was shaping up to be harder of a task than you had initially thought. Yes, Haechan caught the winning ball, but Mark was always the MVP. You learned that at these gatherings, even impromptu ones, Mark was the star.

You were debating why you even came out, was it really necessary? Was it worth losing a few hours of sleep to see Mark? Why even ask that?! The answer was definitely yes.

Haechan currently held out a beer from a cooler towards you, attempting to shove it in your grip to which you shake your head. “I don’t drink.”

“What?!” Xiaojun exclaims from a few feet away, spilling some of them liquid he was dousing in his mouth from the keg someone had quickly picked up from the store.

“Also, I don’t want to deal with a massive hangover when we leave tomorrow at six again.” You shrug, to which Haechan narrows his eyes. “Okay, Doyoung.”

You just giggle and gaze into the dark water. Noting how some players are splashing each other, as others violently throw their friends into the water. 

They were all dressed in swimming attire, you sticking out as you wear simple shorts and a t-shirt. In your defense, you had no intentions on coming to the beach before, you had barely even packed a clean shirt in your overnight bag. So you stay away from the water, instead standing by a makeshift bonfire as you laugh to yourself, it wasn’t even cold enough for a fire.

Mark was in the water as well, surrounded by others as they drop him playfully into a face full of the sea water. He laughs and returns the favor, and you have to stop yourself before he catches you staring. God, you were so down bad.

“So Mark, huh?” A voice springs you from your attention on the male. You had barely noticed anyone had even approached you. 

“Uh, I’m sorry?” You ask, confused.

It’s Jeong Jaehyun, smirking as he realizes he’s caught you. “It’s just that..” You stand, still very puzzled as he continues.

He takes a deep breath. “You have about ten other boys with their abs on display to ogle on the beach, and yet you’re drooling over Mark Lee in a dri-fit Nike shirt.” 

You turn away as you avoid eye contact, defending. “I’m not drooling.”

“Yeah, and I don’t have eyes.” He remarks sarcastically as he rolls his eyes. “But, if you’re not into Mark.. does that mean I could have a chance?”

And you’re sweating on the inside because, yes you have a raging crush on Mark Lee who is swimming only a few feet away, but Jeong Jaehyun is currently leaning in as he’s dripping wet from the water. And even worse?

He’s shirtless.

You’re only human, you think as you attempt to curb the heat rising up in your body from the close proximity. You’re actually about to reject him when, “Hey, back up! You know that’s Mark’s girl.” 

The nickname getting lost on you as you look for the source of the voice, but wait, did you just get referred to as Mark’s?

And Yangyang is clumsily stumbling towards you two, making steps in the stand as he positions himself between you guys. Jaehyun leans back, “She said no, she’s free game!” 

Yangyang shoots him as scowl as he points his finger at the latter’s face. “We all know it, don’t act stupid Jaehyun.” 

“What’s going on?” Lee Jeno approaches, wanting to simmer down the weird tension happening.

“Nothing-” You start.

Though you’re interrupted by a seemingly already-drunk Yangyang. “Jaehyun’s trying to hit on Mark’s girl.”

There it was again, the declaration that made you heat up ten times more than what you felt when Jaehyun leaned it. Just the simple words feeding your silly delusions of belonging to Mark Lee.

“Oh, so Jaehyun has a death wish.” Jeno declares, shrugging as he walks back the other way.

“What are you guys talking about?!” You let out, looking towards Yangyang as he seems sure to spill his guts sometime soon. You just hope its information and not his lunch.

You, however, make the mistake of glancing back at the sea. You spot Mark staring back at you, eyes wide as he looks away fast. He undoubtedly heard what was said and definitely thought you were a freak now. 

“I don’t know.” Yangyang slurs. “Mark has some weird alpha claim on you, starts growling when someone gets too close.”

Jaehyun laughs. “Mark doesn’t do that.”

“You’re right, he’s too nice to do that, but I can see it in his eyes! He does that in his brain!” Yangyang speaks, nodding as he tries to convince you. “Everyone knows why he asked you to be manager in the first place!” 

“Well it doesn’t matter, she should still be able to talk to whoever she wants. Right?” Jaehyun asks as his eyes meet yours.

“Actually.. I sorta have a crush on Mark.”

“You what?!” Xiaojun stalks over, Haechan right behind him. Had they both heard that?

“I fucking knew it!” Haechan squeaks, fist pumping into the air.

Xiaojun stands there with his jaw dropped, unnerved. “My money was on Jeno..”

“Is that why you joined the team?”

“No-” You deny but you can tell they’re not going to believe you.

“Liar!” Haechan gasps, “It’s okay to admit it!” 

“No seriously! I felt kinda bad that you guys were like abandoned and I wanted to help!” You explain, trying your very best to lie. It was somewhat the truth, just that Mark had helped sway your decision tremendously. 

“Sure, not buying it.” Xiaojun shrugs, waddling his drunken body back to the log he was sitting on. 

You really hope they’re all too drunk to remember this later, judging by the way they all gather you into a group hug and ruffle your hair while stupidly laughing. 

So much for one on one time with Mark. 

They were not too drunk, you learned after yet another teasing jab was pointed your way by the team. They’d do things like whistle when you and Mark were in close proximity, or very obviously nudge you when Mark was about to pitch. You weren’t sure how the news had spread like wild fire among the team, but it was annoying and you were sure you were going to pass out if they shoved you and Mark together one more time. 

Mark, on the other hand, doesn’t notice at all. In fact, he thinks everything’s proceeding as normal, well except for what Haechan had just said to Yangyang when they thought Mark hadn’t walked in yet. 

It had to be a joke right? They weren’t serious were they? 

Well, now Mark had to find out. He couldn’t just brush that off, and knowing Haechan, he’d be happy to fill Mark in (Not really, he just can’t keep a secret, that’s why the two are best friends).

He catches the male after practice, both of them bidding you goodbye after a particularly rigorous training day. Haechan says something to him as they both enter the parking lot but it’s lost on Mark as he turns to his friend. “Why did you say she liked me?”

Haechan looks perfectly caught off guard, rushing to save face. “Who?”

“Our manager, Haechan. I heard what you said to Yangyang earlier, what’s with that?” Mark scowls, upset Haechan was spreading rumors. 

“Shit! You weren’t supposed to find out!” Haechan exclaims, running his hands through his hair. “You can’t say anything!” 

Mark’s stunned at this, did Haechan really expect him to side with him? “I’m not going to help you be an asshole to her.” 

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re trying to start some rumor about her liking me-”

“Huh? Mark she told us she liked you.”

Mark deadpans, out of all the excuses he’d expected from Haechan, he hadn’t expected that. “What?”

“You thought I was lying?”

Mark looks down at his hands, he was serious?. “A little.”

“You think that low of me?!” Haechan pretends to be offended, but Mark knows better than to let him change the subject. 

“Wait let me get this straight, you know for sure she likes me?”

“Yes.”

Mark shoots him a glare. “And you didn’t tell me?”

“No.”

“Why not?” Mark throws his hands up, and he can’t understand why Haechan would keep this from him. Some friend he was! 

“It’s not my place!” Haechan complains as he rolls his eyes. “And we swore we wouldn’t say anything!”

“But you know I have the biggest crush on her!” Mark facepalms, groaning before realization dawns on him. “Hold on, did you say we? Other people know she likes me?”

“She was loud about it.” Haechan shrugs. 

Mark smiles to himself a bit. He had to say, the thought of you proudly admitting your crush on him to the others made his heart stupidly swell up a bit. “Why did she trust you guys anyways?”

“She didn’t really, I think she was rejecting Jaehyun and it slipped out.” 

And Mark can’t believe that at all. 

Well firstly, he couldn’t believe you had liked him at all. You liked loser sport fanatic Mark Lee? Yeah right. 

Secondly, you passed up on a chance with Jeong Jaehyun for him? Mark had eyes, and he saw how other girls on campus went insane for the male. But you sidelined him for Mark?

He was losing his mind.

“Mark? Hello  - Earth to Mark?” His best friend pulls him out of thinking.

“What Haechan?” 

“Well now that you know, are you finally going to ask her out?” Haechan crosses his arms, not knowing what to think. He knew Mark was confident in himself for the most part, on and off the field. But for some reason, when it came to you? The poor boy was an entirely different version of himself. 

In other words, Mark was putty in your hands.

“I don’t know man, you know how she is about relationships.” Mark replies, having heard your boyfriend qualms on the late night bus ride back, something about being scared of confessions in general.

“I know,” Haechan responds, teasing his friend. “But she’s crazy about you, and you’re batshit insane about her. I’d say it’s worth a shot.” 

The ball is in his court now, and he’s never been one too well with aim. 

..

“-And then I confessed my feelings about him to the entire team while he was in the ocean.” You finish recounting your nightmare come to life from the other night to your friends. 

Chenle’s eyes grow comically wide as Yeri gapes her mouth open at you, both at a loss for words. Your girl friend just slowly shakes her head, staring in disbelief.

Chenle can feel his left eye twitching. “So.. you can tell everyone else about your feelings.. but not him?!”

You want to bang your head against the table. “...Yes?”

“You rejected Jaehyun?!” Yeri spouts, and Chenle hits her in her arm. “Ouch! Nothing wrong with that, you’re just more whipped for Mark than I thought.” 

“I just really don’t want him to find out.” You put your head in your hands.

“Well he’s coming this way.” Yeri says, and you realize she’s looking directly behind you. It’s a public courtyard, of course Mark could just be passing through right? 

Well maybe not, especially with how he’s directly coming towards you. Oh no.

Relax, it was probably just to speak about something baseball related.

“Hi Chenle, Yeri.” He greets the two as he approaches, while you look at him expectantly. He finally meets your eyes. “Hey.”

“Hey?”

He nervously rocks on the balls of his feet. “Can we talk?”

Talk? Talk about what? Baseball? ..Hopefully.

“Sure.” You squeak, ignoring pointed looks from your best friends as you try your best to not seem like you were shitting your pants. 

“Yeah! Um- Chenle, we have to go feed Daegal right?” Yeri says loudly, shooting you a little wink as she awkwardly drags Chenle away. 

“But I wanted to see-” Chenle protests, Yeri returning a punch into the boys arm, much like he did earlier. And you almost laugh at the sight, of course the boy who started all of this wanted to witness your demise. 

Mark takes a seat on the bench beside you, “I don’t want to throw him under the bus but Haechan told me something yesterday.”

Your heart drops to your stomach, of course Haechan said something! “Oh really?”

“I actually wasn’t supposed to hear but then I confronted him about it. He’s horrible at keeping secrets.” Mark laughs, but he won’t meet your eyes. 

Oh no, here it comes. Your very first rejection. 

You stay silent as Mark goes on. “I’m really flattered and-”

“Oh my God, could you do this anymore staged?” Your eyes widen as Mark looks confused. “What?”

“How many times did you rehearse rejecting me in front of the mirror? Goodness, did Haechan help you practice what you were going to say?” You tease, wanting to keep everything light but Mark wasn’t giving. 

“What do you mean?”

“That’s a text book rejection Mark, saying you’re flattered but you don’t see me that way.” You respond, trying your best to hide your aching heart under a joke. 

“Is that really a thing people say?” And Mark know’s he fucked up.

“Well-”

“I like you too.” Mark lets out, not wanting anything to be caught in confusion. He had heard of way too many instances where confessions went wrong, he had to make it crystal clear. “I’ve liked you since that first day we met.”

“S-since the first day we met?” You repeat, face growing hot. 

“Well, probably since before that. I always thought you were pretty when I would see you in the commons, and then that night when we first met, I learned you were even prettier up close. Actually, it’s your fault we don’t have a microwave.” He chuckles as you sit bewildered. 

“My fault?”

“You were so pretty that I got distracted and forgot about the stupid egg. But you know, I wasn’t too upset about the situation since it got you to talk to me.” Mark admits, looking to face you. 

He continues. “I was actually scared I’d never get to talk to you again, so when I saw you with Chenle, I started asking him about you a lot. Then he dropped the ball about you having taken stats for a team before, and I knew I had to ask you.” 

“And you asked me to be your manager because you had a crush on me?” You smile, scooting closer to him. 

“And you said yes because you had a crush on me?” He teases, cocking his head to the side. 

“Touche.” You cross your arms. “So are you going to ask me on a date or not?”

“Oh shit- Of course.” He clears his throat as he beats himself up mentally for not already asking. “So-”

“Yes Mark, I’d love to finally get to go on a date with the boy I’ve been embarrassingly crushing on for way too long.” You smirk. “As long as you swear to protect me from your fangirls.” 

“You have my word.” 

“Does this mean I can’t be your manager anymore?”

“Just don’t pull a Jungwoo on us, not sure anything else matters.” 

“Not like you can be picky right now anyways!” 

“What-”

“My jersey!” Mark speaks, holding up the garment to your face as you stand there awkwardly. 

“Babe,” You begin but your sweet boyfriend is too excited to hear anything about it, not even paying attention to the looks the rest of the team are giving him.

“You can wear it to every game now and cheer me on! And we’ll be like the campus sports couple and everyone-” He says enthusiastically before you cut him off. 

“Mark, I can’t wear that.” You say, watching his smile fall. 

“Why?” He frowns.

“I have a uniform.” 

“Right.” Mark nods as he slowly lowers his jersey. He had been so excited about having you don his number that he didn’t even think about how you literally wear a manager required uniform to all of the games. “But then how will number fifteen on the other team know you’re mine?” 

“Number fifteen?” You ask, quizzically. 

“Yeah! The one who always stares at you!”

“Does he? I didn’t even notice.” You state truthfully, but it was a little silly to see Mark get all jealous. Could you blame him? He had ran around in heart shaped circles around you for too long to let number fifteen think he had a chance.

Mark groans. “Are you serious?”

“Sorry, but I only watch you on the field.” You smile and Mark is about to lean in for a kiss. 

Too bad Haechan interrupts, ruining the moment. “Bullshit! You take stats, you watch all of us on the field.” 

Mark pulls back, and gives you a look telling you to deny it. 

“He’s right.” 

“Baby-” He whines.

“It’s my job Mark!” 

In embarrassment, he buries his face into your shoulder and you giggle a little. You weren’t sure of what you had been so afraid of before. Mark made you feel safe, made you feel loved. Even so that your fear of navigating a relationship was taking over by your adoration for him. Loving was a little easier with someone like Mark around. 

“What did I say?! Strictly no P.D.A. on the field!” Doyoung’s voice echoes throughout the field. 

“God, we need to get him a girlfriend.” Mark mutters as you watch Coach Minho tell Doyoung to loosen up. 

“We have playoffs to win!” Doyoung states to the older male. 

“Happy players mean good results on the field!” Coach responds, as Doyoung gives him a look like he grew three heads. “That’s not statistically proven!” 

“Come on Markie, we have playoffs to win.”

“Yeah, and we have number fifteen to jump.” 

“I promise I have no idea who that is.” 

“If you did then I’d be way more upset.” 

[rinniessance]

TEENAGE FEVER ༊*·˚ - suguru geto x fem!reader x satoru gojo

SUMMARY. you, satoru and suguru have been taking care of the fushiguro kids and the twins since your teenage days. after your latest mission, you reminisce about the beginnings of your little family. and during an impromptu trip, unspoken feelings finally come to a boil.

꒰ warnings: pure fluff! idiots in love. friends to lovers, mutual pining, family dynamics, non-canon compliant, megumi calls you mommy once ♡ // word count: 11.6k ꒱ ꒰ notes: another repost from my old account .ᐟ.ᐟ just really wanted to have this piece on my new blog <3 ꒱

sometimes you wonder why you agreed to be a part of madness that is the geto/gojo/you in a co-parenting throuple (you internally scream every time you remember how nonchalant satoru was about that description. what? i think that’s kind of adorable. you and suguru did not agree; somehow the name still stuck around). you would think that a pair of strongest sorcerers would be able to handle four first graders yet dozens of notifications that finally came through to your phone prove otherwise. your left eye twitches.

[ groupchat notifications: co-parenting throuple ] ‘toru /ᐠ. ᴗ.ᐟ\: girl dinner ! ‘toru /ᐠ. ᴗ.ᐟ\: [picture] sugu ₍ᐢ⑅ᐢ₎: im sorry i wasn’t there to prevent the disaster sugu ₍ᐢ⑅ᐢ₎: shall i prepare the casket?

messages are stamped two hours ago, and you’re too afraid to open the picture, dozens of different scenarios popping up in your head at the speed of light. when you finally unlock the messages, you think suguru was considerate enough to even suggest a casket because once you’re done with satoru gojo, there will be no body to bury.

you: you fed them cake for dinner ??      toru  /ᐠ. ᴗ.ᐟ\ responded: it’s sunday! they deserve a little treat!         sugu ₍ᐢ⑅ᐢ₎ responded: it’s a 12-inch cheesecake you responded: satoru, i know what you want to say, zip it. you’re in so much trouble already.

you: and why is it only you with the girls, where is megumi????      toru /ᐠ. ᴗ.ᐟ\ responded: and ‘gumi ate regular dinner like a child-man he is :<          you responded: it’s called a man-child satoru… toru /ᐠ. ᴗ.ᐟ\: responded: no, megumi is a child-man because he has a soul of a man trapped in a body of a seven year old      sugu ₍ᐢ⑅ᐢ₎ responded: so you’re calling him benjamin button?           you responded: that’s why he doesn’t like either of you.

the frustration you felt towards satoru mere two minutes ago dissipates and gives space to something much warmer; the feeling that was tugging at you the whole weekend as you travelled to korea, sent away on a mission (you found yourself missing your little family more than you expected); the feeling that made you treating exorcising curses with utmost care because for the first time in a while, you want to come home safe. with a simple reminder of how lucky you’re to have satoru and suguru protecting the little piece of safe haven you carved out for yourselves; all the anger is gone as if it was never there in the first place.

you’re about to scroll through the earlier messages but flight attendant announces that the passengers are finally clear to get off the plane, so you shove the phone into your bag, grab your carry-on and hurry out. security check is surprisingly fast, and you’re riding a taxi back home in no time. you send a quick message to the group chat that you’re on your way and close your eyes.

quiet hum of the radio, steady movement of the car, and familiar surroundings immediately bring you peace – you’ve been feeling restless during your whole weekend trip, and now that you’re almost back with people you want to be with the most, you cannot help but smile. you’re being lulled to sleep by something pleasant playing on the radio, and your thoughts drift back to the day you found that being teenage parents can come in different forms.

3 years ago

you sigh again as you look at your watch. 4:23pm, satoru was supposed to be here 23 minutes ago. not only that, but he’s been ignoring your calls, not responding to your messages and did not tell anyone where he’s suddenly gone off to. suguru cannot be reached either, you know he has a mission today, so now you’re stranded in the middle of shibuya, your least favorite place to be, alone. you think this is the day you finally stab satoru gojo because he has the absolute nerve to beg you to come to this new dessert cafe, the one that just opened. supposedly, it was so good, you just have to try it - satoru convinced you to join him, knowing that you hate being in overcrowded spaces, only for to him to ghost you.

buzz of your phone brings you out of your thoughts.

[ incoming call: toru /ᐠ. ᴗ.ᐟ\ ]

“i swear to god, satoru, you better have to save half the planet as an excuse or —”

“where are you?”

“what? what do you mean where am i? in shibuya, where we were supposed to meet almost 30 minutes ago!”

“we’re going back to the school now, come back as soon as you can.”

and then he hung up. you blankly stared at the screen of your phone like it would somehow explain what just happened. with a deep sigh, you put the phone away and massage your temples, feeling the headache coming. satoru gojo might be the one who’s getting migraines from having six eyes but he always makes sure you have one too, just for the company.

ride back to the school is quick and easy – thankfully you’re in time to beat the rush hour, and currently, you’re standing in front of tokyo high. now that you’ve had time to calm your anger and frustration down, you realize that gojo would’ve at least texted you if he was late. something must’ve happened, and you feel panic start spreading its icy tentacles all over your body. picking up the pace, you almost run through the courtyard, pass the temple decorum and straight to doctor’s office – you assume he would be there if something happened.

you finally stand in front of the door: your breathing is heavy and you’re dizzy from how fast you sped up. the horrors of last year’s mission flash before your eyes, painting it blood, sorrow and anger, and you pray to every god known that it’s not a repeat of that failure. you almost lost suguru to the darkness that preyed on him, stalking his shadows, seeping through his skin – you are still haunted by how hollow his eyes became. you’re sure seeing him like this again will break you instead this time. you try to steady your breathing and knock.

“you can come in.”

of course satoru would know you were here. pushing the door and walking into the room, you are met by two little girls sitting on each suguru’s side on the hospital bed. satoru is standing next to them and observing his best friend who is gently murmuring something to the twins. both of them look unharmed which means shoko already worked her magic if it was necessary. it seems none of you want to bring up the elephant in the room so you just take a sit in the chair next to the desk.

“what happened?” your voice sounds loud in the hushed murmurs bouncing off the wall, and all four pairs of eyes are directed at you. it seems you startled the girls as they grabbed onto suguru’s sleeves – you cannot help but stretch your lips in a pretty smile, waving to them. “sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” you tell them in a hushed tone this time, “would you tell me your names if i told you mine?”

brunette twin shakes her head for the both of them, and you introduce yourself. same girl responds to your curiosity.

“i am mimiko, and we’ve never met our parents but i know i am older by 5 minutes. and this,” she points at the girl on the opposite side of suguru, “is nanako. she is always a little shy so i make sure to talk for the both of us!” blonde girl curls a little more into your friend, and you finally make eye contact with him. you’re a little lost by what you see – hurt, anger, tenderness, confusion, he looks so defeated yet relieved at the same time. you’re turning to look at satoru instead but he only shrugs his shoulders.

“don’t look at me, he didn’t really share any details with me either.”

you hum in response and get up from the chair, walking to where the hospital bed is and squat to face them, extending your hand.

“well, it’s really nice to meet you, mimiko and nanako,” and as you get a little closer to their face, you whisper as it’s meant to be a secret, “i think we’ll become really good friends.”

from what satoru told you, it seems that him and suguru hadn’t had a chance to talk yet – girls looked very attached to dark-haired man already, it’s most likely they wouldn’t leave his side and whatever gojo wanted to discuss was not meant for children’s ears. you’re too scared to overstep the friendship boundary you just started building with the girls but you know the look on your friends’ faces, and they tell you they need to have a serious and most likely unpleasant conversation (not too hard to guess what about). standing up, you tentatively reach out your hands to nanako and mimiko.

“have you ever tried crepes? there is a very good place that sells them nearby. what do you say if we go and grab some dessert, just us girls?”

you could see their eyes lit up as they looked back at suguru, looking for a confirmation you’re safe to go with. he smiled at them (that smile that sometimes makes your heart skip a beat and makes you yearn for something you know you could never have), making wrinkles appear in the corner of his crescent-like eyes.

“she is my friend, you can go with her. i’ll meet you in a little bit,” and as he looked back at you, he mouthed quiet “thank you”. you only smiled in return: suguru never needed to thank you, not after the near escape to hell you guided him away from; not after the sleepless nights you spent keeping him a quiet company on the rooftops of jujutsu tech because silence was everything he needed in those moments; not after tight embraces you had to hold him in when you witnessed a sliver of panic attack creeping up on him when he least expected it. in the year that followed the disastrous star plasma vessel mission, you were the light that guided suguru back to himself, back to satoru, back to you. geto didn’t need to say thank you, at least not to you, not anymore.

grabbing two little girls by their hands, you lead them out of school.

“i promise you we will have the best time.”

present

the particular rough bump of the car brings you back to the present moment. you look at the time on your phone, display showing 11:23pm, and you smile looking at the picture on your lockscreen: it’s a picture of satoru with nanako and mimiko, their mouths stuffed full of crepes.

after suguru decided to take the girls in, you and satoru made it a habit of coming over and helping him take care of them. geto and gojo used to be inseparable but the rift that broke in between them in the year that followed amanai riko’s death was a surprise. being close to both strongest sorcerers, you knew why it was there, you knew the sheer trauma of it for both of them. so you stayed with gojo when he needed you to keep reminding him that his shoulders do not have to carry the weight of the whole world, and you’re here to share it. and you stayed with geto when he was plunged into the coldness of heart-wrenching guilt and needed you to pull him out from under the deep. after suguru adopted nanako and mimiko, you were the bridge that crossed a seemingly bottomless crevice between the two of them.

making satoru see what he was missing with suguru’s behavour at the time and asking suguru to understand why satoru was seemingly oblivious to it in the first place – the confusion, the pain, the loss of innocence, and everything unsaid that went on between them – was almost as difficult as being a sorcerer in the first place. by a miracle, you stopped being their overpass as they started rebuilding their bridges themselves. yet, the connection you weaved with the sacred geometry of your hands between the three of you created a special bond that prevailed until this day.

unlocking your phone, you scroll through the earlier messages in the chat: messages that kids already miss you (sent 30 minutes after your plane took off on friday), stories about their successful disneyworld trip on saturday (traitors, you think, you’ve been begging them for a family outing there for months now), and cake-baking adventures today (you internally dread the mess that will have to be cleaned up in the kitchen). looking back at you from your home screen is the picture of megumi and tsumiki on their first day of school, proud suguru holding both their hands (megumi refused to hold satoru’s hand so he refused to be in the picture – sometimes you wonder who is the older out of the two). warmth takes over your entire being once again, and you allow yourself to recollect the memories of how the last pieces of your family all came together.

2 years ago

“i am going to meet with that kid fushiguro was talking about before he, you know,” and satoru dramatically slashed his neck with his finger, poking his tongue out, imitating a dead face. nanako and mimiko laughed from the opposite side of the table while you kicked him on the shin.

“please, satoru, i didn’t sign up to babysit three kids. eat your breakfast, i need to get girls to pre-school, we can talk about it once i’m back.”

“what if i drive you? and then we can go grab kikufuku from the new place that opened near shinjuku station, i heard it’s really good.”

“satoru, it’s 7am in the morning. unlike you, i am a normal human being who cannot possibly consume that much sugar this early. and,” you lean in closer and whisper so the girls cannot hear, “please don’t say stuff like this in front of the twins, they will think it’s normal to be asking for dessert at this ungodly hour.”

satoru thinks it’s adorable, how you huff and puff at the girls like a mother hen. ever since the girls started living with suguru, you made it your mission to come over at least once a week to make sure they have everything they need – and nanako and mimiko, as they once confessed to geto, love your presence. after everything they’ve been through, the girls learned to recognize the intention behind people’s auras, and yours only gave them peace. and, unbeknownst to them at this tender age, they have craved peace for a very long time. so he bites his tongue and keeps the snarky remark he wanted to say, instead quietly whispering “sorry”, and you appreciate the gesture that may seem small to another, but speaks volume to yourself.

“fine. we will be leaving in,” you look at the watch, squinting and thinking about how much time you have left, “30 minutes, make sure you’re ready or we’re leaving without you.”

you let the twins finish their breakfast and rush both of them to brush their teeth before you prep their outfits. suguru was sent out on a mission for the whole week (you worry; satoru tells you that with how much you worry about everyone and everything, you’ll be grayer than him in couple of years) and asked you to stay with the girls until he returns. you won’t lie – you’ve grown attached to them within the short amount of time you’ve been helping taking care of them so you agreed to babysit in a millisecond.

you didn’t expect that a third child will be living with you all this week too.

“why don’t i get my outfit chosen for me?” you feel satoru before you can even hear him, the never-ending reach of his limitless tingling your senses, rushing the goosebumps up your spine (this is totally normal, right? friends make other friends feel like this, right?). and you wish he would only be the omniscient presence that makes your knees weak because as soon as he opens his mouth, you want to roll your eyes and smack the back of his head. you learned to treat him like a child, if he wanted to behave like one.

 “because mommy is busy and you’re old enough to do it on your own.”

satoru did not expect you to say that, sudden blush rushing to his face making his thoughts drift in a direction incredibly inappropriate for a friend. great. you’re so gross, satoru. he suddenly turned away and rushed out from the bedroom (if you had more time, you would’ve asked him what his deal was but alas, you were already running late). then he proceeded to stay quiet the whole morning: while you were getting nanako and mimiko dressed, while he was driving all of you to school, while you waved goodbye to the girls and made your way back to the car. the phrase kept running through his mind the whole time until you cleared your throat and looked at him with your brow raised.

“what’s gotten into you? you’ve been suspiciously quiet the whole morning. didn’t you want to talk about something?”

he forced all the wrong thoughts to stay hidden for now, patted them away like crows nibbling at the forbidden nerves of his sudden need. he cleared his throat and started driving away from the school, not knowing where he was taking the two of you yet.

“uh, yeah. i was telling you that i am going to meet with the fushiguro kid tomorrow.”

“okay… and?”

“and what?”

“what are you going to do?”

megumi fushiguro was discussed among you before, but no concrete decision was ever reached. what if the kid doesn’t even want to go with him? he won’t be able to drag him by force unless he wants to be accused of child abduction.

“i don’t know. if he does want to come with me, i have the resources to keep him out of whatever deal his father cooked up for him with the zen’in clan. but if he doesn’t… by the time he realizes what zen’ins are, and if he ever wants to leave, it’ll be too late,” satoru clicks his tongue at the mention of one of the three big families. it’s no secret gojo clan has not seen eye-to-eye with zen’ins for a long time now but for satoru, it’s personal.

“you know, if you decide to take him in, it’s not like one more child will really make a difference. you’ll just have to stop coming around and it’s like nothing changed,” the words come out of you with such levity, satoru sometimes thinks you don’t even realize that your presence alone can make a wilted flower spring back to life.

he can only laugh in response. you haven’t even met the kid and you already welcome him like it’s nothing to worry about. gojo always wanted to compare you to the sun, the stars or any other celestial being that shines so brightly, they illuminate every shadow in their reach. but as the time passed, he realized that he didn’t want you to be a sun, or a star – then he will have to share your light with everyone else. no, you’re a flame in the home’s fireplace, warm and inviting to anyone who’s welcomed into your humble abode but lost to everyone else.

“you say that now. let’s see what happens when i show up with two kids instead of one.”

present

the memory makes you chuckle. sometimes you wonder if he knew megumi had a sister because when he did show up with two kids instead of a promised one, you swore he looked as smug as ever.

as the time went on, spreading yourself thin between going to university (you said you wanted to finish your degree in case your career as a sorcerer doesn’t work out), helping out geto and gojo on their missions when they asked you, and helping take care of both suguru’s girls and fushiguro siblings was proving to be too much. so satoru, for all his seemingly unlimited resources, decided that buying a house and living all together will be better. you knew that it was easier to move a mountain than change gojo’s mind once it’s been set on something so you didn’t argue. to no one’s surprise, living together for all of you came as naturally as breathing. who said a family cannot be three barely functioning not-even-yet adults and their four adopted children?

the familiar silhouette of home comes into view, and you sigh with relief. when the cab stops, you pay the driver, grabbing your things and rushing our the car. it’s the moments like this you envy satoru’s teleportation ability though you will never admit it to him out loud, lest you inflate his ego even more. you’re barely able to step away from the gates when the front door to the house swings open and you see the person you were just thinking about poking his head out.

“need a hand?”

gojo is as cheerful as ever, and you cannot help but smile back, lips stretching in that tired way he finds almost domestic, and he feels something prick inside him. not now. you want to say something back, but you’re interrupted by the sound of little footsteps running past satoru, towards you.

“you’re back, you’re back!” nanako and mimiko are the first rushing to greet you, with tsumiki hot on their tail. you see megumi standing in the doorframe trying to pat away satoru’s hand resting on top of his head as he comes out to greet you as well.

“oh my god, ‘toru, what are they still doing up, it’s past 12am!” you redirect your attention to the kids instead. “what are you little rascals still doing up, uh? just because you don’t have school tomorrow doesn’t mean you don’t have a sleeping schedule anymore!”

“gojo-san and geto-san said we can stay up today!”

“3 years later and you’re still the only one they call by your first name,” you hear suguru before you can see him: he is standing on the opposite side of megumi, letting the kid hide behind his leg to get away from gojo’s assault on his hair. you smile at them and decide there is no point of staying mad at them any longer.

the men help you to bring your bags inside, and you collapse on the couch as soon as you pass the threshold of your home.

“how was your trip?” megumi asks as he slowly crawls to sit on your right side. out of all the kids, megumi was the hardest to read – for a child his age, he was overly perceptive and did feel almost like an adult at times. what did satoru call him? a child-man, that’s right.

“it was good, ‘gumi. ‘m just tired now. how was your weekend? i saw someone took you to disneyworld when i was asking for it the whole time,” you said, raising your voice at the later part of the sentence so it can reach gojo and geto’s ears from where they were in the kitchen. you could only hear a light chuckle back.

“it was so fun! mimiko was scared of the ride we went on, but i was so brave!” nanako’s eyes twinkled with so much joy, you really wish you witnessed the moment yourself. satoru was right all those years ago, you were a mother hen back then, you’re a mother hen now.

“no, i wasn’t! tsumiki was scared more!”

“why are you lying? no, i wasn’t!”

 “ay, ay! i’m sure all of you were equally brave. now, can you tell me why you stayed up this late?” you finally sit everyone down, satoru and suguru joining you with freshly brewed tea, and think this is the most at peace you’ve ever felt.

“we were waiting for you…” tsumiki shyly confesses on behalf of everyone.

“oh,” your vision gets blurry and you feel pearly beads of tears pool in the corner of your eyes before quickly blinking them away.

“ughhh, you cute little puppies, i just want to eat you up,” you say before anyone can question your tears and pull all of the kids into a bear hug. time is late, however, so you make a quick work of tucking everyone into bed now that they’ve seen you. you say your goodnights and leave their rooms.

“do we not get a hug now?” satoru asks, wearing his signature smirk, and you want to clap back with a retort of your own, chastise them for letting the kids eat cake for dinner and stay up past midnight, or remind them that they are not seven years old anymore; but the car trip and the memories you revisited bring out something nostalgic in you making you slowly walk up to satoru and hug him instead. he is taken aback at first but gojo has always been good at recovering from momentary stupor so he’s pulling you back into a hug in no time.

“you two are rude,” comes from suguru’s side and as soon as you’re untangling yourself from gojo, you’re walking up to the raven-haired sorcerer to do the same.

“i missed you two idiots.”

“we missed you too.”

the silence stretches across the room but it’s comforting and inviting, like an old friend who hasn’t visited in a while, enveloping the three of you in its embrace. you look at the clock on the wall, showing you 1:05am, and suddenly your whole body feels heavy.

“sorry guys, i think the trip is finally showing its signs… i am so tired, don’t even have energy to take a shower,” you say and groan in disgust. you hate going to bed without washing the grime of the day off your body but the fatigue is clinging onto your skin like humid air. “i’m going to bed now, see you guys tomorrow.”

���good night.”

“sleep well.”

and if you paid closer attention, you would’ve noticed the deep seated longing in the men’s gazes, the one that you sometimes have to hide from them too; you would’ve noticed how suguru’s hand is following yours long after you’re out of their sight, and how satoru’s tongue darted out to wet his lips when you were pressed against him, even if for a second; you would’ve noticed that the feelings you’ve been trying to push deep down for your two best friends are reflected all the same somewhere in the constellation of their eyes.

next morning you wake up as a result of someone laughing your name and jumping on your bed. sunlight is peaking through the curtains, making sun bunnies dance on the walls of your room and kiss your cheeks. you try to open your eyes but your head feels heavy like you’ve just fallen asleep and you struggle to make out your surroundings – feeling disoriented first thing in the morning is definitely your least favorite thing. you groan softly and finally force yourself to lift your eyelids – as you do so, you’re met with two little girls using your bed as a make-shift trampoline.

“wake up! wake up! gojo-san and geto-san told us we will be leaving to go to the sea in an hour!” and they swiftly left, just as quickly as they had come in, leaving you to stare up at the ceiling in confusion.

“uh?”

once the words really settled in, you’re getting up from the bed in record time and putting on the first clothes you lay your eyes on. you find the strongest duo already up and ready. all of the kids, worryingly, also look like they are ready to leave the house, and there are bags near the door with both satoru and suguru looking too smug not to be suspicious about it.

“what is going on here?” you ask from the doorway that connects the hallway leading to your rooms to the kitchen. “why am i hearing that we’re going to the sea, and why are you dressed like this?”

“well,” satoru starts, “because we are going to the sea so we’re wearing appropriate clothing. you’re the only one who’s still not dressed.

you close your eyes and massage the bridge of your nose. mentally you douse whatever feelings you were having for these idiots yesterday.

“why am i hearing about this only now?”

“surprise?..”

“i know it’s last minute, but satoru made a promise to drive so you can relax in the car while we’re on the way there. just get ready and we can leave right after,” suguru says from his place on the couch, and you cannot help but sigh deeply and return to your room to shower and quickly pack.

when you’re out of earshot, geto shoots gojo a look.

“what are you planning, satoru?”

“why would i be planning anything? she’s been really stressed recently, and then the higher ups have the audacity to send her away for a whole weekend and give you a mission that took your whole sunday at the same time she was sent away. i was overworked the week before that. sometimes it feels like they are doing this on purpose. so maybe we should all disappear for a couple of days with no way of contacting us, maybe they’ll stop pestering us like we’re the only sorcerers available.”

“very mature of you, ‘toru.”

“yeah, yeah, whatever.”

the two of them finish packing the last of the food that gojo bought in the morning while waiting for you. reserving a spot this late in one of the most popular vacation spots in japan was hard, but nothing is impossible when you’re satoru gojo.

you’re ready in record time, and the kids are all yelling and arguing about who is going to sit where. you need to intervene and say you will be sitting in the back of suv with nanako and mimiko, while mugumi and tsumiki agreed to sit in the middle row; suguru is riding shotgun and satoru has agreed to be your driver for the ride. unsurprisingly, not even an hour out of the city, the car is filled with snoring as the kids fell asleep shortly after you started driving. you feel yourself getting drowsy, closing your eyes and swearing you will only sleep for a moment. however, the next time you open them, you’re informed by suguru that all of you are already halfway through the trip.

“oh my god, i can’t believe i slept for that long,” you mumble through a voice heavy with drowsiness. “i think it’s best if we stop somewhere now, i’ll wake the kids up so they can eat quickly and pee. i suggest we all do it.”

“yeah, i think it would be best, i don’t know if we will have the opportunity to stop any time soon,” satoru agrees with you, and the drive continues for 20 more minutes until you’re stopping at the gas station. you gently wake the kids up and let them know that they need to have a snack and go to the restroom (time is 11:20am and they should be able to fall asleep again with no issues after that).

“how much longer do you think we have to drive?” you ask satoru as he is refilling the gas tank. you’re watching suguru watch the kids where they are running around nearby.

“maybe 2.5-3 hours, depending on the traffic.”

“did something happen during the weekend?”

“no, why would you ask?”

“hm…” you quickly hum, “this is all too sudden for it to be spontaneous.”

“oh, common, don’t be like that. i just think the little family of ours needs a mini vacation, that is all.”

as soon as the words leave his mouth, gojo can feel the blush creeping up all the way to his ears and he clears his throat, walking away. you don’t know what makes you giggle more – the way he admits that whatever it is you have, he also sees it as a family, or the way the confession makes him feel embarrassed. you observe him preparing to get into the driver’s seat – sometimes you wonder what is happening in that handsome head of his. you glance at suguru and wonder if he would have a better guess.

gojo lets you know that you’re good to depart again. the second part of the trip is as chaotic as you would imagine it go and you give up on trying to make kids to go back to sleep. instead, you’re breaking up the fights between almost everyone: nanako and mimiko argue about their friendship bracelets across from you; you keep having to remind gojo that he is indeed an adult in this situation while he wants to continue arguing with megumi; and suguru somehow breaks the AC so the last 30 minutes of the drive everyone is suffering in silence.

once you finally pull up to the little vacation house gojo somehow procured at the last moment, you’re already feeling at your limit: you need the sun and to dive into warm water before you start losing your hair.

geto helps you with the bags while gojo unloads everything into the kitchen – you’re not sure how long you’re staying here for but the amount of food they brought will last you a nuclear winter. the children are excited about their rooms, and you must keep reminding them to be careful and to not run into any corners despite their enthusiasm. you help them unpack and choose outfits for the day – it’s been decided in the car that you will be going to the beach as soon as you’re settled.

everyone is ready in half an hour – you helped the girls get into their swimming suits, while megumi insisted he can do it himself (you suggested geto or gojo help him, but he closed the door in their faces and didn’t come out until he was done). both men were already waiting by the door with the picnic bags and beach essentials – you had to admit they looked a little too good, making a knot twist in your stomach.

satoru was dressed in a simple white button up that matched his hair and a pair of navy swim trunks. maybe he was right, this trip was long overdue for all three of you, as gojo looked more relaxed and at peace than you’ve seen him in a while. his lips were stretch into a lazy smile and his eyes, unobstructed by the glasses or a blindfold, had a glint of mischief that reminded you of a 16 year-old boy you met all those years ago. he tried his best to style his white unruly hair but the surrounding humidity only made it frizzier.

gojo makes it seem almost effortless, with how good he looks, and maybe part of it is true – despite never admitting it out loud, you know he won the genetic lottery when it came to his appearance. but you also know that satoru has an unrelenting skin care routine (because you buy your products together); that he asks what you think about his outfits even though you keep repeating you should be the last person he asks for fashion advice (don’t worry about it, princess, your opinion is the only one that matters anyways and you hate how your heart clenches at these words); and that he spends 45 minutes taking his showers. but what gojo doesn’t know is that you adore him the most first thing in the morning – eyes so sleepy he can barely keep them open, voice gruff and low asking what’s for breakfast, wearing his sleeping gray sweatpants and nothing else. and he will never know lest you want to ruin everything you’ve worked so hard to build between the three of you.

you moved your eyes away from gojo to where suguru was leaning on the door. he was wearing a blue hawaiian shirt with the three top buttons popped off, paired with simple black swimming shorts. his hair was put into a perfect manbun, however, unrelenting bangs always make themselves known untangled from the rest of his locks. you noticed it back when you were teenagers and got used to carrying bobby pins for him – he somehow always leaves them at home (you will never admit but you love the fact that he always forgets them – it gives you another reason to run your fingers through his hair) – and this habit stayed with you all the way into adulthood. while satoru was handsome in a regal way, suguru was all sharp edges that made him look almost dangerous – pronounced jaw, pointy nose, almost cat-like eyes; the kind of beauty that always makes you weak in the knees.

“see something you like?” satoru’s voice takes you out of your daydream and, shamefully, you realize you’ve been standing in the corridor doorway, gawking at them like it’s your first time seeing their faces. you only groan in response and roll your eyes, trying to hide the blush that adores your neck and flushes your cheeks red.

“if i saw something i like, i would’ve told you,” and you stick your tongue out. liar.

“are you feeling well? you look a little red, maybe you got a fever?” comes from suguru’s side now as he tries to reach for your forehead but you swat his hand away.

“ugh, i hate both of you.” liar. they only laugh when you rush past them, megumi and nanako on either side of you holding your hands while tsumiki sits on satoru’s shoulders and mimiko takes her rightful place on suguru’s back.

“whatever you say, sweetheart.”

the way to the beach is short and sweet, your attention is fully dedicated to megumi and nanako as they re-tell you the stories from their weekend. ‘gumi won a plushy and gave it to mimiko because she asked him to play in the first place, and tsumiki, apparently, had the highest score in the game where you punch a bag to see how strong you are. nanako says that helping satoru bake the cheesecake on sunday was her favorite part of the weekend, and you make a mental note to let her help you the next time you do it.

from behind you, geto and gojo observe your interactions with the kids, each of them in their own thoughts, yet both mulling over the same thing – you, letting tsumiki and mimiko chat between themselves.

neither of them thought you would become a constant in their lives when they decided to take in the kids – after all, none of you were in a relationship, despite their feelings for you, and you had no obligations to be giving them so much of your time. but as the time went on, all three of you fell into a comfortable routine that was both a blessing and a curse – they couldn’t confess that the boyish crush they had on you in your teenage years not only endured but blossomed into something so much more. that something kept growing inside their ribcages, weaving and building a home there, rooting itself so deep, they forgot what life was like before you offered them your light.

satoru and suguru only discussed this once between each other. the unspoken feelings they had not only for you but also for each other made already complex situation even more complicated. the fear of damaging the carefully built dynamic between the three of you was overwhelming - so overwhelming in fact, both agreed to never speak of this again. pandora’s box was sealed, and only you behold the power to open it. the strongest duo knows why this little box of wonders needs to be locked far away from them - however, it’s moments like this, when megumi asks to be carried in your hands (even though he’s getting too big for that) while nanako clenches your hand harder and you indulge both of them without a moment’s delay, that make them wish you knew: knew how much suguru adores the little tilt to your head when you’re confused about something, knew how much satoru loves smoothing out the wrinkles on your head when you’re deep in the thought, knew how both of them yearn for your laugh after a long day.

the cute white bikini you’re wearing is definitely not helping the ever-running thoughts two men are trying so hard to push down. it’s not the first time the absolute indecency of their desire is sparked by the slight bounce of your tits and the swing of your hips. memories of countless times they had to take an extra shower in the morning because you would show up in the kitchen in one of their shirts, without a bra, nipples hard and visible through a thin fabric, should make them feel embarrassed, yet the shame never comes. when did the longing for you start feeling so right?

as the years progressed, this dance the three of you did around each other became familiar, and none of you dared to switch the melody.

sometimes you wish you were brave enough to do it.

“look, look, we’re finally here!” mimiko yells from suguru’s back and then instructs him to put her down. nanako lets go of your hand as tsumiki’s climbing down satoru’s shoulders, and three girls run away towards the sea.

“be careful! you still need to put your sunscreen, don’t run away too far!” you move your attention to the little boy you released from your hold as you entered the beach, “‘gumi, you’re not going with them?”

you wiggle his arm back and forth (his hand is so tight in yours, gripping now harder than before) but he refuses to look at you so you don’t push.

“did you forget he doesn’t know how to swim?” satoru says from behind you, and you shoot him a look. god, was he purposefully trying to rile megumi? fushiguro only digs his fingers further into your hand, and you honestly want to bite satoru’s head off.

“that’s okay, baby, i’m sure your dad needed support of his whole clan when he was trying to learn how to swim.”

“he is not my dad.”

your brain goes blank for a second, and you hope satoru did not hear what you just said (he did; but he thinks he’ll spare you the further embarrassment; he also doesn’t want to admit that it makes his stomach turn in a way he wish it wouldn’t).

“you’re right, dummy like him could never be your dad.”

you find the spot not too far from where the girls are playing, and you help geto and gojo set up the blankets and umbrellas. while they are making sure none of it flies away with the first gust of the wind, you search for the sunscreen in your bag.

“girls! come here, we need to put sunscreen on you!”

you hear the tatter of 6 feet rushing towards you, trying to get first in line so they can all get back to playing in the water. you hand satoru and suguru two other tubes you brought.

“help me to put this on them. i think if we don’t do it in the next minute, they will actually explode,” you say, smiling at how impatient tsumiki is being in front of you as she keeps bouncing on her legs. before you start on the sunscreen, you turn her so her back is facing you and let her hair out of the ponytail as you try to retie it. she winces a bit and lets out a small ouch.

“’m sorry baby, didn’t meant to hurt you, you okay?” you ask as you rub on the roots of her hair.

“yeah, i’m okay!” she exclaims loudly, making you giggle. once her bun is all set in place, you quickly put the sunscreen on her whole body, finishing with the face, and boop her nose. tsumiki scrunches it in her adorable way, and you feel your heart swell with joy and love.

once the girls run off again, suguru comes up to you with the tube of sunscreen in hands.

“don’t you think you need a little help too?”

the smile adorning his face is so sweet, he doesn’t realize the summersaults it’s making your heart to do. and when you think about those hands on your shoulders, on your back, going lower where you want them most, you realize you actually might be burning up. but you can’t come up with an excuse fast enough not to let him do it so, without any words lest you’ll be embarrassing yourself, you just turn around and present him your back.

geto start slowly with your shoulders, squeezing the tube and spreading the sunscreen on your soft skin. you swear you can hear him sharply inhale, and your heart involuntarily skips a beat. you let yourself wonder, just for a second, how these hands would feel on the parts of your body where you want them most, if geto would be as gentle squeezing your breasts and tugging at your nipples. and when his hands start travelling lower, caressing the space between your shoulder blades and running his fingers down your spine, you wonder if his long digits would reach the spot inside your gummy walls that you’re unable to find yourself. you absolutely lose yourself to the indecent thoughts when he starts massaging the sunscreen into your lower back. that man, you think, if only he knew what he was doing. it takes all of your willpower to prevent yourself from moaning out loud and not tremble at his mere touch. you want to lean back and tilt your head to the side so geto can leave a trail of wet kisses on the side of your neck, following the curve of it to your jaw, and capture your lips in a way that only lovers can.

you can feel your skin grow hot and your white bikini better not show how embarrassingly wet you got from your best friend’s touch. you’re so sick, you think to yourself and before it becomes any worse, you’re untangling yourself from suguru’s arms and call out for megumi.

“i… uh… will go swim with him, don’t want him to get bored,” you breathlessly whisper as if too afraid to speak any louder, and call out to the boy.

“‘gumi, common! grab your floaties and we’ll go play a little further away from the girls,” you wait for him to grab his stuff, and you notice one of his rare smiles – he never hid the fact that you were his favorite out of three adults, and he always feels a little smug when your undivided attention is on him. satoru shoots him a knowing look which megumi successfully ignores, clinging to you.

you pass the girls as you show them the direction you’re taking megumi in and they all say “okay!” at the same time like it’s rehearsed. mimiko, nanako and tsumiki are in a competition to see who can gather the most seashells and are left under the attentive gaze of gojo and geto. you help megumi put his floaties on and gather him into your arms so you can walk a little deeper: once you’re satisfied with the distance, you try to let him go but he is attached to you like a baby koala.

“common ‘gumi, i promise i won’t let you go, okay? i’ll be right here in case you need help, and i’ll be also holding onto you the whole time.”

fushiguro only violently shakes his head, not wanting to be in the water by himself. you wonder where this fear comes from and think you’ll have to revisit it later. you don’t push any further, and hug him closer, running a smoothing hand on his back while he puts his head on your shoulder. you squat a little to help him get adjusted to the temperature, and he shrieks from the sudden rush of water above his waist while hugging you tighter, almost choking you. laughter bubbles in your throat but you don’t want to make megumi feel worse than he already does so you try your best not to let it out.

“hey, baby, it’s okay. i am holding you, yeah?” and as you say that, you try to push him away from you one more time, to let him experience the ocean by himself but he only tightens his hold as a sign he is not moving away. so you resign to gently swaying with him in the water, letting the salty waves wash around you. you can feel the sunlight dancing on your skin, warm breeze carrying all your worries away, if just for a moment, and you close your eyes allowing yourself to take all of it in. megumi’s head is pleasantly heavy on your shoulder, and you walk little bit further away from the beach until you bump into someone.

“oh, i am so sorry!” you instantly apologize and turn around. what you don’t expect is to be met with the pair of the most beautiful green eyes you see (your mind involuntarily goes to gojo and how even these emerald eyes pale to comparison to the infinity carried by his gaze). you think if your heart didn’t belong to the two most annoying human beings you’ve ever had a pleasure of encountering, you would’ve fallen head over hills right here, right now.

“please, no need to apologize.”

surprise number two: this stranger is not only handsome, but also has a voice that makes you want to do whatever he asks you to, as long as he keeps talking to you. and again, you think how unfortunate of you to fall in love with two people you can’t have when men like this walk around for free.

he smiles when his attention falls to megumi - little boy appears not to be happy with this encounter. who does this man thinks he is? maybe megumi didn’t want to learn how to swim, it doesn’t mean that he is willing to share you when he just got you away from two men on the beach (he is not old enough to rationalize that what he is feeling is jealousy; you never noticed but, geto and gojo excluded, he never liked how other men talk to you in the first place).

a handsome stranger doesn’t seem taken aback by the attitude from megumi, and for a seven-year-old, your little boy has a mean death stare.

“he is very cute, what is his name?”

“he’s megumi,” you give him your name as well and extend the arm for introduction. before a man can even respond, megumi is tugging your arm away and whines, speaking loud enough for satoru and suguru to hear, who, unbeknownst to you, have been watching the interaction this whole time (spoiler – they are not very happy about it but proud of the kid, truly an oscar-worthy performance).

“mommy, i want to learn how to swim now!”

you think you heard him wrong – he has never called you this before. if it happened any other time, you think you would’ve cried tears of happiness. now it only makes you feel stupor. how does he even know to call you mommy in this situation? megumi has always been the most well-behaved one out of all four kids, the disbelief at his attitude is written all over your face. what is he playing at?

“oh, i’m sorry, i didn’t realize he was your kid,” the man says but hurries to add, “i adore children though; i work at a pre-school. hi megumi, my name is rei.”

the boy looks at the outstretched hand the man offered like it personally offended him. all of a sudden, he points to the beach where satoru and suguru seat and announces, yet again loud enough for them to hear.

“my daddies are just right there!”

what happened to “he’s not my dad?” you think in panic.

you’re not sure if gojo and geto can hear the full conversation, but they wave back at you anyways. rei moves his gaze from you to megumi to two men on the beach, trying to decide if he should believe it or not. you, on the other hand, are speechless and currently wishing someone would be kind enough to curse you right now, or for the ground to split and swallow you whole with how hot and embarrassed you feel. megumi is so grounded today. you can feel the inner temperature rise to the inappropriate levels, feeling like a kettle that is about to overheat – you don’t wait for rei’s response while saying awkward “bye, nice meeting you!” and rushing away.

“welcome back, mommy,” satoru teases when you settle back at your spot. megumi is sitting on the opposite side of you, munching on the watermelon like he didn’t just make an absolute fool out of you in front of a random man. you try your best to ignore satoru, but his comment only makes you groan, sound almost bordering a sob.

“please, for the love of everything holy, don’t say another word. i bet it was you who put this idea into his head.”

“you know as well as we do that you can’t make megumi do anything he doesn’t want to,” gojo responds with the knowing smirk, and you only sink into yourself further. your face is burning up, and now you think it’s not because megumi’s whole afternoon mission was apparently to embarrass you in front of a stranger but because of what he said. the shock of the moment is finally dissipating, instead giving the space to indescribable tenderness. you will have to cry about it later on your own so to save yourself further shame, you hide your face behind your hat and lay down, contemplating how this one simple word somehow turned all of your insides upside down.

what you fail to notice is the proud smile satoru shoots to megumi, mouthing “good job” and suguru passing him his favorite candy knowing he’s not allowed to eat it before dinner.

you feel absolutely drained. after the incident with megumi, you stayed in the same position until the kids started complaining that they were hungry. the sun is getting low, painting the skies ochre and pink, giving everyone its glowing kiss. you dare to peek at satoru and suguru, and they looked almost ethereal – sunshine dancing on satoru’s white eyelashes as he dries tsumiki with a towel and nodding enthusiastically at the collection of shells she is showing him, while suguru tries to untie nanako’s wet hair so he can wrap a towel around it. mimiko slowly drags her legs towards you, poor girl absolutely exhausted, and as soon as you open your arms to embrace her with a towel of her own, she plops against you and almost momentarily falls asleep.

suguru offers to carry her home, but you wave him off, asking to grab megumi’s hand instead.

“i am not cooking once we get home, we better buy food now or we can drive into the city.”

“ugh, i don’t think i have the strength to drive,” satoru whines like he is the youngest out of the bunch. “let’s just buy something here, it smells pretty good.”

suguru only hums in agreement, listening to nanako and tsumiki argue about who got the most shells (both fail to count their shells correctly), and with that, your dinner plans are decided with satoru ordering your food from the stall nearby.

“what do we say when someone gets you food?”

“thank you, gojo-san!” three little voices echo each other, and you’re surprised even megumi joined in. the way back home is quick as you’re standing in front of your door in no time.

“oh my god, my legs are killing me,” you complain as you pass the threshold of the house. mimiko has been sleeping in your arms the whole way back, and you don’t know if you should wake her up and ask her to eat, or if you should just let her sleep. you can still smell the ocean on her skin, and you decide it’s best for her hygiene and your peace of mind that she is clean before she goes to bed too so with a heavy heart, you’re gently shaking her awake once you sit down on the couch.

“hey sweetie, we’re home. let’s eat, bathe and then i’ll put you back to bed, yeah?” her eyes are unfocused as she opens them, and she’s letting out a long yawn before slowly nodding her head and getting up.

“okay, everyone, go wash your hands, dinner will be ready soon,” suguru says from where he already stands in the kitchen, and all four pairs of legs excitedly hurry away.

“i hope the adventure today is enough to put them all to sleep right away,” you wistfully say.

“with their tummies full, i’m sure they will pass out in no time,” suguru says back while satoru circles around him to grab the plates from the overhead cupboards. you want to get up and help but looking at them like this, all domestic and familiar, the side of the strongest sorcerers only you get to see, makes you stall for a second to appreciate this moment for a little longer. the dull ache in your chest starts throbbing again as if someone’s picking at the rough edges that never seem to fully heal, and you wonder if you could have it all if you were a little more selfish. you shake your head banishing all unnecessary thoughts from your head.

the dinner is eaten quickly, everyone so hungry, you barely exchange any words. you can see the children are struggling to keep their eyes open, tsumiki almost falling face first into the plate, so you make a quick work of their unfinished dinner and hurry them into a bathtub. megumi insists he is old enough to take a bath separately from the girls so you ask either satoru or suguru to help him (megumi makes it known who he prefers by grabbing suguru’s hand and dragging him to the second bathroom). bath time is also surprisingly quiet, low energy in the room being an indicator of just how exhausted everyone is.

with the kids finally tucked into bed (megumi apologized for misbehaving, and you think about how far you’ve come with the boy who wouldn’t utter a full sentence to you for the first 6 months), you grab the beer from the fridge and make your way onto the patio where satoru and suguru are already engaged in conversation.

they turn their heads toward you once you step outside and offer you the space between them which you gladly take. you can see suguru is nursing his own beer, while satoru opted out for a bottle of virgin mojito.

“did neither of you really ask megumi to call me “mommy” today?” you wonder out loud as you’re looking out into the horizon, where the last rays of sun melt into the ocean, clearing the canvas for the stars to spark to life.

“nah, you know how stubborn that kid is,” satoru drawls as he takes another sip of the drink; you scrunch your nose just imagining how sweet that concoction is but smile, nonetheless. “plus, it was nice being called a dad.”

both you and suguru turn to look at him, but he stubbornly keeps staring forward. you snort, seeing geto’s smile in your peripheral vision, but there is no malice behind your action. both you and suguru always knew that gojo cared in the same capacity as the two of you for the kids, he was just a little more stubborn about admitting it. you can see it in the way he handles them after they wake up from nightmares (because he knows the same thing haunts him), how he packs them lunches to school when neither you or suguru are able to do it (i know i am not as great of a cook as those two but it’s better than buying stuff from the store), how he allows them to have sweets from his secret stash when everyone else (even you and geto) are not permitted to even think about it. the two of you always knew how much he cared – satoru just needed a little push to say it out loud.

you’re about to say something witty but suguru speaks up first.

“would you have continued flirting with that man if it wasn’t for megumi?”

“flirting? i wasn’t flirting with him!”

“whatever, talking,” geto waves a hand at you like it’s all unimportant details. “would you?”

the air suddenly feels charged with electricity, years of longing and yearning threaten to rip everything at the seams. you tried so hard to move past them, move past your silly little crush, failing miserably. not that dating other people was an option for you anyways – you are sure anyone, upon hearing that you take care of four small children at only age 21, will run away in the opposite direction. it’s a good thing it didn’t matter to you either way – the kids became an integral part of your life, and you would not give them up for anything. but sometimes, just sometimes, when the loneliness creeps into the parts of your bones that have no space for it, when the heart becomes a little too big for your own chest trying to escape through rushed beats, when you tremble from how longing encompasses your whole being, you wonder how it would feel if romantic love was made for you too.

you tilt your head to look at suguru, trying to find something in his face. he doesn’t know why he asked that question – maybe it’s the sun rush of the day, the good mood he’s been in recently or how that man looked at your body – but it felt right. and he knows he’s being selfish without discussing it with satoru beforehand, but he’s so tired of hiding, so tired of pretending like he doesn’t dream of waking up next to your warm bodies, so tired of thinking about what ifs and could haves - asking that question only felt right.

“no, i don’t think i would’ve returned his sentiment,” you simply state and hope that they would leave it at that. you know they never do.

“why?” it’s satoru’s turn in this interrogation, and he looks at you in a way that makes your pulse pick up its pace.

“because…” you don’t know what you’re supposed to say. because you’re in love with your best friends? have been since you were 16 years old? you’ve been carrying the weight of unrequited love for so long now, you think you’re afraid what will happen to the space it occupies if you confess. you hope you know them enough to realize they will not make fun of you for your confession, at most making lighthearted jokes about how they always knew you were not immune to their charms, but your palms are getting sweaty just anticipating their reaction.

“because?” satoru nudges you again, and you dare to steal a glance into his baby blues. satoru’s eyes have been compared to the most prized sapphires, an ocean that will never be fully explored, the skies that are bigger than life itself – all the metaphors that describe him to the outside world perfectly. however for you, his eyes are the color of blueberries that he painstakingly picks out of tsumiki’s desserts and gives to megumi; they are the color of his favorite shirt that is more gray now than blue with how much he washed it but refuses to throw away; it’s the blue ribbons he picked out for nanako’s and mimiko’s hair for their first day of school. you look into his eyes and see a sparkle of something familiar, something you’ve seen in your eyes times and times before, staring back from the reflection in the mirror.

unexpectedly, you feel dizzy and don’t know if it’s the summer breeze that makes your head feel heavy, the alcohol swimming in your veins, or the present company, but you’re brought back to when you were all 16 and innocent, to the moment before the steady ground was violently ripped from right underneath your feet. you think about amanai and that she still loved and cared despite knowing how all of it would end for her. you think about haibara, and how he was full of promise and life and so, so much love, you almost feel sick again.

you’re quiet as you contemplate, and the men don’t interrupt your train of thoughts. memories flash before your eyes like snapshots of old cameras, making them wonder where you have gone off to.

but then you think about how it ended, for the both of your friends, in blood and violence and guilt, their life threads cut short before either of them knew what life even is. amanai and haibara didn’t get enough time to figure it all out: have they loved anyone the way you love satoru and suguru? would have they have had time to figure it out if it was a fair world?

you can feel your best friends’ body heat wrap around you, encapsulating you in their scent and presence, and you decide you’d like to stay like this forever. you think about everyone who didn’t get to spend another hour with someone they love, and you realize you’d regret it your whole life if something happens and they didn’t know how they make you feel. and with the life you lead, something can happen at any moment. you steady your hands and take a deep breath, reading yourself. now or never.

“because i am in love with you two, and i have been since we were 16.”

you close your eyes, waiting for the laugh to come, for them to say oh, you little silly girl, to chastise you for falling for the only two people that will never be yours. you wait and wait but nothing comes. instead, you feel someone’s knuckles brushing lightly against yours and gasp, opening your eyes. what you didn’t expect to see is your two best friends looking at you as if they are seeing you for the first time, their lips stretch in smiles so wide, it looks like it’s supposed to hurt. and eyes, their eyes, say so much without them needing to say anything at all.

“so… what you’re saying is that we’ve been blue balling each other since we were 16?”

“ohmygodsatorupleasestop,” words leave your mouth all jumbled up, you’re sure they didn’t understand what you said. gojo might be a little crude but the meaning behind his childish metaphor is not lost on you – three of you have been oblivious to each other’s feelings for five years now, and a pang of regret shoots through you. how different would everything be if you were brave enough to confess all those years ago?

“have both of you really known since you were 16?”

“yes.”

“yes.”

both of them say it with such conviction, you feel yourself get lightheaded. you don’t want to cry but tears are pooling in your eyes involuntarily, and you sniff a little into satoru’s shoulder.

“aw, why are you crying? i thought we all finally agreed to be happy,” suguru coos at you from the side. the warmth of your hand in his still feels unreal – like it’s someone else’s arm attached to him, and he‘s just observing as a passer-by. he brushes your knuckles with the pads of his fingers and it feels right, how your digits perfectly intervene with his and how your head fits just right into the crook of satoru’s neck, and how your lips look so perfectly kissable and shiny right now. but he doesn’t want to rush the fragility of the moment, so he only squeezes your hand tighter.

“because we could’ve had this all this time… if we were just a little braver.”

“don’t you think we are already brave enough, all the time?” satoru asks this time. “maybe it’s okay for us to be a little cowardly, even if it’s not entirely good for us. we have next memory to look forward to anyways.” gojo lifts your head and looks into your teary eyes – you’re so beautiful, it almost hurts. he let his daydreams to be full of you and your lips and your touch, that it takes everything in him not to cross the distance in a searing kiss. but he knows it’s not the right moment, so he just swipes your tears away and kisses you on the forehead. behind you, you can feel suguru’s lips gently touch your exposed shoulder.

and just like that, all worries dissipate like sand through the cracks between fingers. what is the point of worrying about the past when you have future full of love in front of you? you don’t know what tomorrow holds for three of you with your souls now bare for each other, but you have the time to discover it together. for now, you’re content with this moment, salty ocean breeze dancing on your skin, the warmth of suguru’s palm in yours and satoru’s shoulder lulling you to sleep, and you think that maybe you’ve always meant to end up here, between them.

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