#offering us mixed drinks at 8am

[copperbadge]

I'm traveling this morning and noticed everyone at the airport seems both stressed and confused, but then once we boarded...

"We do offer cocktails on this flight and we do not judge. If you see a look in my eye, that's jealousy, because the only thing between me and my day drinking....is you."

Okay, flight attendant Sheila, you and I are gonna get along just fine.

[feralforfruit]

Countertop Whispers

A/N: I am writing this on a whim at 8am and I legit created this blog at 6am. I am unhinged and these hours are unholy. We are all here for the vibes and I decided to take matters into my own hands because I have an AA in English that I need to put to use. And this is going to be short btw. You fic writers always tease me like this so this is payback for sure. Xx

Warnings: if you don’t like sex with fruits, I suggest scrolling. NSFW, idek what else this is my first time doing this so please be kind.

Pairings: Tangerine x fem!reader

You hear the shaking of keys and the turning of the door knob of the front door. You pause your mixing, “Hey, my love! I’m in the kitchen!”

He sighs as he sets his keys down and hangs up his coat, releasing all the pressure of today’s hit job as he slumps down on the couch. Blood is sprinkled over his white button down. He rolls up his sleeves and unbuttons the top to reveal his shiny, sweat covered chest.

You look at him, tilting your head sympathetically. You tighten your apron and shake off the bit of powdered sugar you have on you. You grab a cup of iced water and walk over to the living room where your husband is practically meditating in silence. He notices you get closer and he opens his eyes with a glint of relief.

You sit next to him and hand him the cup. His mustache lifts ever so slightly as he sips on the refreshing drink. He pants after he gulps it down, placing the cup on the coffee table coaster. He looks at you lovingly. “Darling, you have no idea how good you look right now,” he says as he grabs your cheek and places a kiss on your temple.

“And you look like a mess but I believe you look sexiest like this,” you say to him while smirking sweetly as his breath hitches at the remark. “Making some cupcakes, wanna help me, handsome?”

“Too knackered to help, love, but I’ll definitely watch.” He says softly as he places another kiss but now below your ear. You giggle at the tickle of his mustache before you get up to continue with your sweetest of hobbies.

Tangerine takes his seat on one of the stools directly across from you on the kitchen island. He admires your dedication to perfecting your baking skills, and definitely has no complaints considering how delicious everything you make is. Usually, on every Friday night, he would always make time to watch you do your thing. He would chat with you about how your days went, what happened at work, how Lemon is doing, all while taste testing everything you gave him. Sometimes he offers to help you out when you needed an extra hand. But tonight, his mind is wandering into a place that makes him grateful that the countertop is covering his lower half.

He can’t get enough of you in that apron. It is wrapped so tightly around your curves that he wishes it were his hands instead. The sounds of your hums put him into a blissful state and it is so cute to watch you sway to the music in your head. The bit of flour on your nose makes him want to kiss it clean. You are used to him staring at you while you bake but right now his eyes are burning right into your hips.

He stays like this for awhile up until you finish mixing up some buttercream frosting. You sigh happily as you grab some with the tip of your index finger and bring it to your tongue. You suck on it for a moment and moan sweetly at the taste. Tangerine’s breath has grown heavy and the tightness in his trousers is becoming unbearable.

“Come to think of it, love, I reckon I would like to help out a bit.” Tangerine slowly walks around the island and stands behind you with his hands on his hips, still looking so dominant as he waits for your command. You squeal at his willingness, “Ahh, yes! Okay, here is the cutting board with some chocolate. Cut it into little pieces for me, will ya?” You peck his cheek and he blushes as he goes to wash his hands before grabbing the knife and dicing up the chocolate.

He is not exactly sure how small you want it cut so he pauses and asks, “This to your liking, love?” You look over to him and say, “Oh honey, I’m sorry, let me show you how it needs to be.” You grab the knife from his hand and slide in front of him, your ass brushing against him as you position yourself to where he was.

He hisses quietly at the contact then bites his lip. He thoughts run wild so he gets an idea and takes this chance to grab your waist from behind and rest his head above your right shoulder to look over it. Internally, you’re swooning at the position, feeling your heart skip a beat. You try your best to focus on slicing the chocolate while his thumbs rubs circles into your back, and you’re struggling not to moan at the sensation.

Tangerine moves his lips to the side of your ear and whispers, “Oh I see how it’s done. You do that so good, baby.” You shiver in response to his praise. “My girl is so good with knives, ain’t that right?” He pecks softly at your neck and you can’t help but stop your movements from your legs beginning to weaken at his words.

“Love, why’d you stop? Don’t you want to finish what you started?” he says as you whine, arching your neck back to be exposed to his affection. His lips continue moving on to the sweet spot below your ear as he starts to lift his left hand from your waist, to your beating chest, moving on to your neck, gripping it ever so slightly.

“I’m fucking starving, and you’re going to be my dessert, darling.”

—

part 2 is up!

[katsukikiss]

“I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU WANT”

CHARACTERS ARE AGED UP // YANDERE AIZAWA X VIRGIN F!READER // MINORS DNI

WARNINGS: NSFW 18+, heavy noncon, dubcon, virgin reader, loss of virginity, restraining, forceful unprotected sex, mentions breeding, fingering, alcohol use (barely), physical harm, blood, creampie, implied kidnapping, blackmailing, use of the word ‘cuts’ (once), quirk use, manipulation, yandere behavior, etc

Aizawa sensei decided to give the seniors a relaxing beach trip after all their hard work at the end of the year, but is that the only reason?

AN: This idea came to me randomly while I was at the beach yesterday, not sure how much I like it since I’ve never written this kind of scenario before but let me know what y’all think!

WC: 4.2k

Masterlist

Your class was nearing the end of the school year, but not just any school year, your senior year. The fateful day was only two weeks away and you couldn’t be any happier. All your hard work and training with Aizawa sensei was finally going to pay off and you’d be working as a full time pro hero with a well known hero agency.

You guys had been relentlessly studying and training for finals, so Aizawa had planned a little relaxing trip for you all. He decided you’d all go to the beach, but you figured there’d have to be a catch; he wouldn’t take you guys to the beach just to rest and kick back. You packed a bag full of clothes, coverups and some drinks for you and the boys to share. When Kaminari heard Aizawa was taking you all to the beach, he had a mischievous plan up his sleeve and he knew his best friend would help him carry it out. You brought some reusable cups and poured an empty water bottle full of vodka.

You slipped into a pink bikini covered with little strawberries. Then you squeezed a tight white sundress in over it, keeping your UA uniform in your backpack, just incase the day had other plans in store. You arrived at school around 8am and got into a line outside the bus.

“Excuse me sir, did we need our training uniforms?” Iida asked astutely. Kirishima gave him a disapproving glance with a scoff, before bringing his gaze to Aizawa sensei.

“I told you guys already, this is for fun, so no..you don’t need your uniforms, just bathing suits” he uttered, looking at you for a brief moment. Why he did he look at you after saying that? You blushed, he probably knew that because you were a good student, you already brought your uniform. Nevertheless you were relieved to hear that there wouldn’t be any training at the beach. Everyone else laughed and cheered with relief as well. You shot Kaminari a devilish grin and he reciprocated the feeling back with a wide smile. You started to get on the bus and saw Kami waving in the back for you to come sit with him and the boys. You started to walk forward down the aisle and plopped down next to him. Bakugo and Kirishima sat in the two seater across from you guys.

“Wanna get started?” Kami beamed at you.

You nodded, “Hell yeah!” you tried to say quietly, but you couldn’t hide your excitement. You both poured a bit of vodka into your reusable cups and cracked open a ginger ale to mix it with. Bakugo scoffed at the sight of you two degenerates, while Kirishima leaned intently, waiting for you two to offer him some. Kami poured both Kirishima and Bakugo a cup, both of them accepting, despite Bakugo’s disproving attitude he had before.

After a 30 minute bus ride you arrived. You all scurried to get out the door, shoving and bumping into each other. Aizawa sensei stood outside the bus doors, counting each one of you to make sure he had you all. You walked out last, not in much of a rush, and feeling a little buzzed from the drinks you had on the way there. You stumbled down the steps and your teacher grabbed a hold of your arm, keeping you from falling flat on the pavement.

“Watch your step next time” his voice trailing off as he released his hold on you. He quickly turned away from you, trying to rid himself of the primal instincts he was feeling. He coughed and cleared his throat then began to address the class, all of them waiting patiently in the hot sun.

“You can all hangout on the left side of the beach, I’ll be watching over you all to make sure theres no messing around, so be on your best behavior, but do enjoy yourselves” he announced. His expression was always hard to read, but he seemed pretty excited for this trip. He doesn’t get much time off with being a pro hero and a teacher after all, so maybe this was some relaxation for him as well as the rest of you students. However, his tint of eagerness wasn’t because of the break from work, but because he would finally have you to himself. He closely watched you grow throughout your years at UA, and with every day that passed he felt his hunger for you increasing. He would stare at you through his long black locks, watching your mature breasts and round ass bounce every which way while training. He adored the way you twirled your hair with your dainty fingers while taking exams. You were a senior now, 18 years old, and he was ready to show you everything else he knew.

“Cmon guys lets sit over here” Kirishima gestured to you, Kaminari and Bakugo. He picked a spot right in the middle of the beach, not too far and not too close to the ocean. You laid down your towel and bag before you started to undress. These boys were like brothers to you, nothing was ever weird around them because they genuinely viewed you as a great friend. They all respectfully looked away while you pulled the sundress up from your legs and over your head. Aizawa was decently far behind you all, but with his eyesight he was watching you like a hawk, admiring how innocent you looked as you delicately removed your white dress. He finally got to see your exposed body, dawning a cute pink bikini set too, and his bulge in his pants couldn’t help but grow at the sight. He shifted uncomfortably in his beach chair before throwing a towel over his lap. He was alone at the back of the beach, closest to the parking lot. He put his hands in his pants and began to pump himself while watching you bend over.

You leaned down to talk to Bakugo.

“Hey, did you remember to bring the umbrella?” you asked him in a kind voice, not wanting to set him off.

“Tch you think i’m an idiot? Of course I brought it” he scoffed at you but you just smiled and laughed. He handed you the umbrella and you and Kirishima began to dig a hole for it. This was Kaminari’s idea; “I’m sure were going to be supervised on this trip, so we need something to give us some cover...and who doesn’t bring an umbrella to the beach?!” You thought back to Kaminari telling you all his plan a few days ago. You successfully angled the umbrella to be covering you guys and your bags from Aizawa sensei. Anger washed up into his eyes as he saw you disappear behind the large umbrella, but it wouldn’t belong before you popped out from behind it.

“Before we do anything else, can we pleeeease go swim alittle first, I am SO hot” you begged the boys, looking at them with pleading eyes. Bakugo stood up without a word and started heading towards the ocean. Kiri and Kami both nodded at you and stood up, each grabbing one of your hands to yank you up from the ground.

“Yeah lets just make sure Kaminari doesn’t activate his quirk or anything, he could fry us all to death” Kiri said chuckling. You laughed too and Kami gave you both a disappointed head nod, then let out a few laughs of his own.

You started run towards the water, your ass jiggling vigorously with every quick step you took. Aizawa quickened his pace as he watched you, half naked, bouncing around at the beach. What he wouldn’t give to grab you and take you away from all these people to enjoy for himself right now.

Bakugo was standing in the water, only up to his knees before he heard your voice coming closer. He was trying to get used to the chilly water, but he wouldn’t have much time to adjust. You took long strides as you ran through the shallow water, trying to get closer.

“DUDE LOOK OUT!” Kirishima yelled but it was too late. Before Bakugo could turn, you had jumped onto him, pushing you both down and into the water. You quickly got off of him and backed up to give him space. He stood up from the water and flipped his head back, shaking water out of his hair. He looked at you with a small grin, and your body told you to run. You tried to wade through the water as quickly as possible but he was right behind you already. His smile grew as he picked you up by your waist and slammed you down into the water. Aizawa sensei immediately removed his hand from himself and stood up. He took a few steps forward before focusing his eyes on you. ‘Is she you hurt? Why does he get to touch her like that? Does she like Bakugo?’ He wanted to be the one to put his hands on your body like that. Anger and jealousy filled his eyes as he watched you two together. However, he was relieved to see you come up from the water unscathed and smiling even. You splashed water back at Bakugo and laughed, and even he cracked a small chuckle.

“Alright alright I think you guys are even now” Kami said, walking through the water towards you two, Kirishima following closely behind. You all swam and played chicken for alittle before heading back to your umbrella. Aizawa sensei had seen enough of you interacting with all those boys. They got to be so close to you, laying next to you on the beach, holding you on their shoulders. Kaminari and Kirishima were laying out on towels in the sun, but then he saw you and Bakugo both crouch down behind the umbrella. ‘Thats enough, whatever is going on over there is unacceptable’ he thought to himself.

You two both poured a shot full of vodka into red solo cups. You tapped them together and you chanted “To graduating!” before tilting your heads back to swallow. Bakugo scowled at the taste and you threw your cup into a plastic bag. You stood up from your little shelter and was met with a firm hand on your shoulder. All three boys turned back to look at you nervously shaking under your sensei’s hand.

“There a problem or something?” Bakugo asked in his usual tone of voice. Aizawa sensei leaned closer to your face, making all of your eyes widen. He got close to your lips before taking a deep breath in through his nose. The boys were speechless, utterly confused as to why he was so close to you, but then the realization hit them.

“You know what I smell, right?” he said, staring at you with a stern look. You glanced back up at him with fear and dread painted in your face. You nodded before he grabbed your arm and started dragging you away.

“Hey wait sensei, it wasn’t just her you know...we’re all kind of guilty here” Kaminari stated, his voice trailing off. You looked at him sympathetically, he was such a good friend, trying to not let you take all the blame.

“I’m going to choose to ignore that, and you should let me...especially if you have any dreams of graduating next week” Aizawa answered plainly. You looked frantic ‘Wait what?! I wont graduate because of this?’ The boys all hushed and sat back, and you tried to give them a reassuring smile, you couldn’t expect them to jeopardize their lives as pro heros for you. Aizawa tightened his grip on you as he walked you back to the base of the beach. You made it so easy for him, he was going to take you one way or another, but you gave him a valid reason to be isolating you from the others. A wave of sinful glory washed over him.

Once you got to where he was originally seated in the sand, he turned, and began walking down the right side of the beach, away from your class, with your wrist still in his hand. You were in no position to speak or protest so you just complied. You felt a bit disrespectful bouncing around in your tight bikini next to the teacher you’ve known for years. He had only ever seen you in your school uniform, or so you thought.

You walked for what must’ve been at least a mile. His presence and demeanor was intimidating. The fear of being expelled when you were so close to finishing was making tears well up in your eyes. Aizawa looked down at you and stopped. You were under a dock now. It was colder under there in the shade. He let go of his grip on your arm and patted you on the head.

“Dont worry kitten, I wont let you get expelled”

He inched closer to you and you backed up into one of the large wooden supports for the dock above you.

“That is, if you let me take something from you” he said with a devilish smirk. You were confused, what did he want from you? He snaked his hands onto your chest, enclosing your breasts in them and squeezed. A lewd moan escaped his lips when he felt them, so soft like he had always imagined they’d be. You opened your mouth to yell but his scarf quickly wrapped around your lips.

“Oh come on, don’t be like that. I don’t want to cover your cute little lips but if you do scream, I will have to report your drinking to the school” he said in a wicked tone. He looked down into your panicked eyes, prompting him to caress your face. You squirmed under the touch. You went to lift your hands to push him away from you but then his scarf got a hold of them, wrapping them above your head, around the large wooden support beam. His eyes were glowing red now; you couldn’t use your quirk even if you tried. You writhed and struggled but it was of no use. He removed the scarf from your lips and shoved his perverted tongue down your throat. He flicked at your tongue but you were frozen in place.

“Ive wanted to do this for so long y/n, since your first day at UA” You shuddered at his immoral confession. You looked around, trying to avoid his gaze but he grabbed your jaw and violently jerked your head straight to look at him.

“Is this your first time kitten?” he growled at you, anxiously awaiting your response. You only looked at him with sorrowful eyes.

“Answer me, I just want to hear you say it” he impatiently demanded.

“Y-yes” you said shakily, looking down. He was delightfully surprised. He wasn’t sure what kind of relationship you had with the three boys, especially Bakugo and Kaminari, but now he was sure it was purely friendship.

“Oh, I’ll be sure to make it worth your while then” he uttered, salaciously liking his lips. You never thought your first time would be like this. ‘Why is this happening to me? Why do I deserve this?’ you asked yourself, tears flowing freely from your eyes. He started to suck and bite at your neck and collarbone, you strained your neck to the side trying to get away.

“P-please stop, I-I’m sorry for drinking” you admitted, hoping your plea and apology would change his mind. He laughed into your neck, making your entire body tremble with panic.

“Its too late for apologies kitten, time to pay for being a bad girl” he hissed into your ear. He didn’t even care about the drinking, he just needed something to use against you so he could keep you in his grasp. He had spent too many years watching you, in and out of school. He spit on his two fingers and tucked them under your bikini bottoms, instantly circling your little bundle of nerves. You couldn’t help but let out soft whimpers at his abruptness. He used his other hand to hold your face. He relished in how adorably helpless you looked, eyebrows furrowed upwards, eyes looking at him desperately with hot tears streaming down your cheeks. His fingers left your nub and moved lower. He prodded one finger at your virgin hole.

“N-no ahh please stop!” you squealed as he invaded your sacred space with his calloused finger. He went slowly, giving you time to adjust, because he knew he wouldn’t slow down once his cock was in you.

“How does that feel kitten? Tell your sensei how it feels” he muttered, eyes piercing into yours.

“I-I don’t like-AH” you cried out as he harshly shoved another finger into you. The stretch you felt was stinging and aching. He pumped his fingers slowly a few more times, than it started to get easier for you to bear; you couldn’t help the pool of wetness you were coating him with.

“Hmm guess you were wrong, the body doesn’t lie and it seems to be enjoying this very much” he affirmed in an unnerving tone. You tried to retort but he stuck his tongue into your mouth again. His fingers continued to work at your tight walls while his other hand slipped behind you to grope your ass. You kept sobbing, wishing this nightmare would end but even you knew it was far from over.

He retracted his lips from yours and pulled his fingers out from inside you.

“Open up kitten, I want you to see how sweet you taste”

You had no more resolve to disobey him anymore. The more you resisted, the worse and the longer this whole ordeal would be. You opened up and sucked his fingers, he pumped them in and out a few times before slowly dragging them back out of your mouth. His bulge grew at the sight and sensation of you sucking his fingers.

“I think you’re ready for me now” he cooed. Despite taking you by force, he was trying to handle you with care, but nothing could prepare you for what was about to unfold. He fiddled with his belt pulled his black slacks down, unleashing his long and erect member. You looked down and your whole body shuddered. You just barely adjusted to his two fingers, you couldn’t wrap your head around how he was supposed to fit that in you.

“Y-you can’t, it w-wont fit” you trembled. He looked down, shaking his head slowly while smirking. He raised his eyes to meet yours and places his hands on your face. He squeezed your cheeks together lightly.

“You’re so adorable when youre shaking like that kitten...I will fit in you, whether you like it or not”

He tenderly pulled your bikini bottoms down to the sand beneath you. His legs stepped closer to yours. You had your thighs pressed tightly together, a flimsy attempt at protecting yourself since your arms were still pinned above your head. He stuck his knee between them and dragged your legs apart causing your heart to race and your breath to quicken. His cock was in between your legs now. He used his hand to guide himself up and down between your wet folds, gathering your slick to use for lubrication. He quickly latched a hand onto each of your legs and hoisted them up, throwing them over his shoulders. He looked down at your untouched sex then back up to your face. You looked into his eyes, almost earnestly at this point, waiting for him to begin so you can get to the end already. He used his hips to align his head with your entrance before slowly leaning into you.

You let out soft cries and moans as you felt a tearing sensation.

“I can’t wait to ruin this ahh pretty little pussy kitten” Aizawa could feel your virgin walls pulsating intensely around him and his eyes rolled back. Your legs shook as he bottomed out inside you. He started to propel himself slowly, he didn’t want to hurt you just yet. What once felt like pain turned into sheer pleasure and you bucked your hips forward, your body begging for more.

“Oh? So eager are you? Who would’ve thought you’d turn into a slut so quickly at the feeling of my cock inside you” Aizawa mocked, a depraved smile creeping up on his face.

“F-fuck it fe-feels so good” You felt disgusted in yourself for the words you spoke. Your sensei of the last four years was blackmailing you into a fuck, and your mind changed so quickly once he was inside you.

“I knew you’d love it, playing so innocent before. You’ve been dying for this moment kitten” he grunted. His pace was quickening now. Its true, you’ve been wanting to have sex for awhile now, to know what everyone else had been talking about, but never with your sensei.

He finally removed his scarf from your wrists and they fell down. You instinctively wrapped your arms around his neck, leaning your chest forward into his. His hands clawed at your ass tightly as he pushed your body back and forth against his own. His thrusts became more aggressive, excessively slamming into your tight cunt. Your hands move to his head, running your fingers through his black locks before tugging at them. He let out a low whine, the sensation turning him on even more. You didn’t know what this feeling was. His cock was assaulting you in the most pleasurable of places. Your eyes rolled back into your head and your tongue lolled out of your mouth. Aizawa moaned seeing your face this way, pussy clenching desperately around his cock. Your legs shivered with the waves of ecstasy washing over you. You felt yourself spurt all over him, your cunt gushing and sloshing as his thrusts quickened, ramming into you with no mercy.

“There we go kitten, didnt that feel so good? Dont you want more of this?” he questioned you. You loved this feeling, but you didn’t want to. You couldn’t do this again. You subtly shook your head no and his face grew red with anger, his powerful pace never letting up.

“I don’t care what you want, I will have you, no one else, only me, got that?” he spat at you. He forcefully shoved you back into the wooden beam, leaving cuts and bruises on your back. You winced in pain from the agonizing sensation of the wood shredding at your skin. Leaning you into the beam, he removed his right hand from your ass and gripped your jaw tightly, mushing your cheeks and lips together.

“You will be mine, or your high school career at UA will be nothing but a distant memory” he shamefully threatened you. You began to sob again when you realized you had no choice; you needed to graduate or else you’d lose out on joining one of the best hero agencies. Your future would be ruined forever.

“Y-yes sensei” you mumbled out through your squished lips.

“Thats a good kitten, now i’m going to cum in you. You’re going to be mine forever so why not breed you now while I can?” he tormented at you with a smile. You’re eyes widen and you tried to speak but his scarf was around your mouth yet again.

“Thats enough talking out of you”

He was so foul and vicious, completely obsessed with you. Your eyes felt dizzy and your legs got numb the longer you thought about a life with Aizawa forever. He impaled your abused cunt at a ruthless speed. Your back was still being roughed up against the splintered wood and you started to feel warm liquid dripping down your back. You cried and let out muffled whimpers behind his scarf. You felt his cock twitch inside you, shooting hot spurts of cum deep in your cunt. He slowly pulled out of you, staring at the way his cum oozed out of you. He took a finger and abruptly shoved the drippings back into you. He lowered your legs to the floor, but you fell to the ground instantly. Your legs could no longer support your weight and your head was dizzy from all the bleeding and cuts on your back. You felt arms wrap around you and scoop you up.

“Its okay kitten, I promise i’ll take good care of you now” he whispered into your ear. You drifted off in his arms as he carried you further down the beach before reaching his car. He parked it far away from where he knew the bus would be, anticipating that you’d be coming home with him. His scarf wrapped around the back door handle, opening it. He gently laid you down into the leather backseat. You sat up for a moment and rubbed your eyes. You looked around at the expensive car you were sitting in then back at the man leaning down in the doorway.

“You’re sleeping at my place tonight, okay? I know you live alone so there shouldn’t be any issues. I’ll tell the boys you weren’t feeling well and that I took you home, sound okay kitten?” he asked in a more soothing tone than you were used to. Your head hurt, and you couldnt think straight anymore.

“Okay sensei”

[starlightrows]

Something Sweet

Chapter 0 - Chasing Dreams

Next →

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Modern!Paz Vizsla x fem!reader

Word Count: 3.4K

Warnings: angst, symptoms of depression (not graphic or diagnosed), brief mention of alcohol and drug use, hopeful ending

Summary: Paz finds himself trapped in a routine that’s keeping him tied to a lifestyle that brings him no joy. It’s not until a phone call from his good friend Din, that he realizes that there are better things waiting just over the horizon if you can just be brave enough to make the leap of faith

This chapter is labeled chapter 0, because it takes places before the events of the actual story and does not include the reader. If you’re only here for the couply-goodness, feel free to skip this chapter and sit tight the romance is coming I promise!

Chapter 0 - Chasing Dreams is dedicated to @maybege who inspires me to chase my fan fiction dreams every single day, and is single handedly responsible for my love, yearning, and obsession with the Big Blue Mando Man we all know and love as Paz Vizsla! This is one is for you May ❤️

The 5am train is full of commuters, heading into work with coffee cups in hand and more or less rested ready to start the day. Everyone seems to be on the same page, consume enough caffeine to be personable by the time you get to the office, use the time on the train to do your hair or makeup or start a little early on emails from your phone if you’re behind. It’s all very hustle and bustle, keep your head down and keep grinding to make it in the big city.

Paz rode the 5am train every morning. But not heading into the city. No, he got on the train at 5am and rode it all the way down to the end of the line to get back to his dumpy little shoebox of an apartment on the outskirts of the city around 8am.

Why he chose to move to the city after getting out of the Marine Corps was beyond him. His commander told him that he had a friend that was looking to hire some muscle as private security for his upper echelon nightclubs and it could be a good job opportunity for him fresh out of the service. Not having anywhere else to go, he took the job. Now his days blurred together in a lopsided haze. Wake up around 3pm, eat something cheap and tasteless, work out, shower and get dressed to work. Catch the 6pm train into the city and spend all three hours thinking about far away places. What his life might be like if he was someone else or somewhere else. Get to the club and start work at 9pm. Spend the night watching people dance and sing and scream, drink ridiculously expensive alcohol and take brightly colored party drugs that blow out their pupils and make them want to dance and sing more. By the time 5am rolls around again his head is pounding from listening to electronic dance music for 8 continuous hours, and he spends the remaining 3 hours of his day riding the train back out of the city and wishing he had made different choices in his life.

Of course he does get Monday’s and Tuesday’s off, those days he still doesn’t really know what to do with himself. It’s too expensive to have a car in the city, so he can’t drive anywhere. And he’s too far away from any of the attractions of the city to walk to them. So he tends to spend his off days either walking around the track at the local park, or in his tiny kitchen kneading bread dough and baking test batches until it comes out the way he liked it. This is one of the big things he spends his time wondering about. If he kept up working in private security, and paying for this shit apartment, would he someday be able to afford to move closer to work and spend less time commuting? Maybe he could eventually save up and get a place with a bigger kitchen so he could try making more things. He liked baking. Kneading bread dough, making cake batter, mixing frosting colors. It’s telling that a man like him dreamt about pastries and cooking every night, and spent his long commuting hours debating on saving up more for a better place or spending a little extra on culinary equipment.

He didn’t tell anybody this is how he spent his time and money, not that he really talked to anyone these days anyway. Since leaving the service he hasn’t been good about keeping up with his brothers in arms, or his friends from before getting deployed. He hasn’t really made new friends in the city either. It’s not that he doesn’t want to talk to any of them, he’s just busy and when he does think about reaching out to someone, he always figures they’re busy too. Every day the sun rises and sets, and it’s like he’s just floating through life, waiting for something to change.

One Monday, Paz is walking around the track at the local park. It’s scraggly and not well maintained but at least it’s outdoors. He’s thinking about the sourdough loaf back in his apartment rising right now. Hopefully this one will turn out good, he’s planning to try a dutch oven bake soon, but that requires buying a dutch oven and he’s trying so hard to save up for a better apartment. His phone vibrates in his pocket, and he considers just letting it go to voicemail figuring it was probably his boss asking him to come in and work tonight. But something in him tells him to look, the name on the screen surprises him. Din Djarin. His long time friend from way back before joining the service. Paz answered the phone.

“Hey buddy, Happy Birthday!” Din says. Paz stopped walking

“It’s not my birthday?” Paz stepped off to the side of the track and sat down on a bench running a hand over his face.

Din laughs on the other end of the line, “Yeah it is, April 30th right?”

Paz pulls his phone away from his face and checks the date, “Holy shit, it is my birthday,”

“Yeah man. Did you really forget?” Din asks, he sounds like he’s moving around Paz hopes he’s not bothering him or getting in the way of his day right now.

“Honestly yeah, it feels like April just started,” he admits

“Been busy then? Running around in the big city, making big money, romancing cute hunnies?” Din teases, Paz can hear another voice on the other side. He figure’s it’s Din’s son, he’s gotta be about two or three years old now.

“Yeah, something like that,” Paz mumbles

“Yeah? Then why don’t you sound happy about it?” Din asks, sensing his friends lack of enthusiasm

“It’s fine, really. The city is nice, I just wish I could actually live in it and enjoy it. Actually I wish everyone who lived here actually enjoyed it. Kinda just feels like everyone who lives here only knows how to work or be a strung out party goer,” Paz sighs

“Guess the big city life isn’t all it's cracked up to be huh,” Din says “Listen… you should come out to visit sometime. I feel like this city is more your style. We’re still a major city with nice attractions and events, but there’s more community here and things are a little slower ya know,”

“I can’t just drop everything and go all the way out there. You live over 2000 miles away,” Paz says, though the prospect of a smaller city with a community atmosphere does sound awfully appealing

“Paz, you’ve been working for a private security company for two years and I can almost guarantee that you haven’t taken a single hour of paid time off or sick leave. Flights are a little pricey, I’ll give you that, but you can stay with me so you don’t have to pay for a hotel or anything,” Din offers “I’ll pay for your half of your flight, call it a birthday present,”

“I’ll tell you what Din, I’ll think about it. You’re probably right, I do need to get out of the city for a bit. I’ll talk to the boss about taking some time off,” Paz says, standing back up.

“That’s the spirit!” Din exclaims “Call me when you figure out a time that’s good for you so we can book you a flight,”

Paz and Din chat idly for another couple of minutes before Din bids him goodbye, and happy birthday. Paz tucks his phone back into his pocket and smiles. For the first time in a very long time, he’s actually looking forward to something.

----

Two weeks later Paz is sitting on a plane for the first time since coming back to the states after deployment, with two weeks off of paid vacation time on his way to visit Din. It’s a long six and half hour flight and the seat is pretty small for how wide his frame is, but he’s hopeful. If nothing else, he was going to get to spend two weeks with his best friend.

Din is waiting for him at the airport when his flight arrives. He greets him with a bracing hug and the promise of a really good dinner waiting for him. The moment Paz steps out of the airport he knows he’s in trouble. Instead of a massive industrial looking city full of high rise buildings with thousands of people pushing their way through to get on with their day, he’s met with bright blue skies. Trees that are just starting to put out new leaves and flowers for spring. The air is fresh and clear. A feeling wells up in his chest, when he turns and can see mountains in the distance. It’s beautiful.

“You coming?” Din draws him out of his thoughts, tossing his suitcase in the back of his truck.

“Yeah, I just didn’t realize you lived so close to the mountains,” Paz admitted stepping up into the passenger seat.

“Everyone says that when they first come here. You should see them in winter when they’re covered in snow,” Din says. Paz can imagine it, but he hopes to see it with his own eyes.

Din drives through the city, it’s a lot like the city Paz had just come from, except older and less flashy. Less people, and less cars. All of the businesses looked unique and inviting.

Din passes a street and points down it without looking, “My studio is right down there. It’s a great little spot. All the business owners on the block are close, we play poker and shoot pool on Tuesday nights at the bar on the corner. You’re definitely coming with me for that this week,”

“I could shoot some pool,” Paz laughs.

Din turns out of the downtown area, and takes a main boulevard lined with fast food restaurants and dive bars. Din points again, “That’s the stadium for the university. Hope you like football, because it’s kind of a big thing here,”

“Still think I could have pulled a scholarship for football straight out of high school if I wasn’t so dead set on going into the Marine Corps,” Paz jokes

“It’s just as well,” Din shrugs with a smile “you make one hell of a Marine,”

Din turns down another road off the main drag. They pass parks, an elementary school, neighborhoods, and a lone Dairy Queen before turning into another neighborhood full of very nice houses with front lawns and trees giving off pink and white flower buds.

Din pulls the truck up into one of the driveways, and cuts the engine. Paz gets out of the truck and takes in the house. It’s massive by his standards.

“Is your girlfriend a CEO or something?” Paz asks with a laugh. Din gives him a look, and goes to take the suitcase out of the back.

“No? She and her brothers flip houses together,” he replies “why do you ask?”

“Your place is huge, man! When I was a kid these are the kind of houses I thought millionaires lived in,” Paz follows Din towards the front door.

Din laughs, as he unlocks the door. “Maybe in other states, but not here. The million dollar houses here are the size of castles. This house is pretty average for this area, and it didn’t cost us an arm and a leg to get,”

Paz nods and follows his friend into the house. It’s not just a house, it’s a home. Paz can tell because even though it’s clean on the inside it looks lived in, well loved. Pictures and art on the walls. The living room had a big tv and sectional couch, perfect for hosting game day events and watch parties. He could see a chest in the corner that clearly had toys in it. The kitchen was huge! A double doored refrigerator, cabinet space and marble countertops. He can see through a sliding glass door there’s a backyard, a play structure and home swing set sat in the middle of it for Din’s little boy. He didn’t have any pets but he could picture a dog running around out there too.

This is it. This is what he’d spent the last two years dreaming about on the train rides to and from the city. This is his far away place. He’s been here for less than half an hour and he already knows, he is meant to be here.

The next two weeks are the happiest Paz has ever felt. Exploring the downtown area, visiting the parks and the nature reserve just outside of town, the restaurants serve great food that doesn’t cost a fortune. He takes Din’s little boy to the zoo and out for ice cream. He gets to know Din’s girlfriend and her two brothers, apparently flipping houses in some of the older more run down parts of town is very rewarding and breathes new life into the city. He visits Din’s tattoo studio, and goes with him to the bar on Tuesday night like he promised.

Everyone there is friendly, welcoming and adamantly against him leaving at the end of the week.

“You sure you have to go back, you’re part of the crew man!” says Cara, she owns the boxing studio down the street.

Paz took a swing from his beer, and laughed “You think I want to go back there? I gotta figure out how to get out of my lease, quit my job. I gotta find somewhere to live and work here first,”

“If you’re looking for a job just to get on your feet, I could use another bartender,” Boba, the guy who owns the bar says “Fennec is looking to move to part time too, more time slots available for work,”

“If you’re serious, I’ll take you up on that offer,” Paz says.

Boba extends a hand to him, “Job’s yours if you want it,” Paz grins and shakes his hand.

A few days later Paz is genuinely sad about having to hug Din’s little boy goodbye, and get back on the plane to take him back across the country. Back to the city that never sleeps, and doesn’t appreciate the little things in life. Back to the six hours round trip of commuting. Back to the scraggly uncared for parks and dirty streets. He promised himself on that plane ride, he would not get caught up in the monotony and blinding routine like before. There is a better life waiting for him. All he has to do is make the leap of faith and take it.

———

He holds himself to his promise. In the first week when he got back he spent the entire three hour train ride to work researching apartments in the area he wanted to live. He was shocked to find out the exact same price he was paying for his shoebox apartment with no amenities and terrible maintenance; could get him a huge apartment with a big kitchen, access to a pool, gym, and shared entertainment space. It even came with a parking spot. And there were other options that were almost as nice for less money. And to think he had wasted so much time and money pretending he was happy, or was getting close to being able to afford to be happy living in the bigger city. What a joke.

He had Din submit an application to an apartment complex he really liked about a week after he got back. The second he found out he was approved and got the apartment, he put in his two weeks notice and started packing. Another six hours plane trip didn’t sound very appealing but, at least it was a one way trip this time.

Paz found moving out of his apartment to be exceptionally easy. He threw all of his belongings into two suitcases, and shipped the few things that wouldn’t fit in a box he could pick up at the post office when he got there. Everything else was not worth saving, so he put everything out on the side of the road in front of his old apartment with a piece of paper taped to it that read: FREE!

Unfortunately moving into the new apartment in the new city was a little more challenging. Furnishing an apartment from scratch is no small task. But to his amazement and truly heartfelt joy, all of Din’s friends he had met when he came to visit helped him move things into his new place. Boba even loaned him his truck to go pick up bigger furniture like the couch and bed frame he ordered. Cara and Peli, the woman who owned the auto parts store on the next block over from Din’s studio and Boba’s bar, sat with him for hours assembling IKEA furniture. Din’s girlfriend even came by with Din’s little boy, to visit uncle Paz and help him figure out how to appropriately decorate and furnish a “real apartment”.

He loves his new life in this new city. Working for Boba at the bar in the evenings is pretty low stress, and he makes quite a bit in tips. During the day he’s been working on sourdough starters, determining the best herbs and flavors to top focaccia bread, trying his hand at doing French baguettes. And more recently, he’s been trying to make chocolate croissants from scratch. Though he hasn’t had much success yet. But he keeps trying.

Every time something comes out perfect, he writes down every step in a blue notebook he found lying around with his things before he moved.

Paz never imagined his life turning out like this. If he was told just 3 months ago he would be moving across the country on a whim, to chase his dream of living a simpler life, he wouldn’t have believed it. And then things got even better.

About six months after moving, Paz really felt like he was home in this city. He split his time between working part time as an instructor at Cara’s boxing studio, bartending for Boba, and working on his culinary hobby. Until one day, the older couple that owned the bagel shop a few doors down from Din’s tattoo studio closed up shop. Apparently they were retiring, packing up the business and moving out of state to be closer to their grandchildren.

There was a sign on the vacant building indicating the unit was about to become available. A thought crossed his mind…. he had no idea where it came from or if he was remotely qualified to pull it off… but it couldn’t hurt to ask.

“Does anyone have a contact number for the couple that owned the bagel shop?” Paz asks the group

“Yeah,” Cara pipes up “I house sat for them once. Why?”

“I want to buy their industrial baking equipment, and takeover their lease,” he replies seriously

“You want to run the bagel shop?” Fennec asks

“No… I uh, I wanna open a bakery,” Paz admits

“You do make a mean sourdough dude…. I say go for it,” Din encourages him

“I’m sure they’ll sell you the equipment at a discount. Hell they might even leave it to you for free if you tell them what you’re gonna do with it,” Cara tells him, she writes down a phone number on a napkin and hands it to Paz. He pockets the napkin with a thank you and a nod.

The next day he calls the number, and has a lovely chat with the wife who, as Cara pointed out, was eager to get the equipment off their hands. She also provided a ton of helpful information on running a small business in this area, who trustworthy suppliers were, a good lawyer to get all the paperwork done, a good accountant to file taxes next spring, and more. Honestly it was a lot more than Paz has even considered, but something in his heart was telling him it’s the right decision. That this is a challenge he absolutely had to tackle. That maybe this has always been his calling.

And right he was. Vizsla’s Bakery had a grand debut the following autumn. And he knew, this is it. He’s finally made it. All of the time he spent in the Marines fighting in wars he never truly understood, all of his years spent working a mindless job in a depressing city, pretending he was not struggling. All of it has led him here. To a city he loves, with friends so close to him they’re like family, a home… a real home. And a dream he can finally live out.

Tag List: @maybege

[twinkleallnight]

A Twisted Tale

Chapter 1

Book: The Royal Romance AU

Word count: 1787

Characters: Liam, Leo, Riley.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to pixelberry.

Rating: Mature

Warning: None.

A/N: An AU of The Royal Romance paving its way through mixed emotions of wants, needs and desires, of revenge and regrets, of trust, faith and hope.

A joint venture brought to you with love by @annekebbphotography and @twinkleallnight .

Liam’s POV

It is one of those days again. I have to attend a UN function and I am not looking forward to it. There’s more than one reason, one is that none of my friends have joined me for this function, and the other reason is that the girl I am pinning for doesn’t want anything to do with me. How in the world will I win her over? I have tried everything, but I am almost sure she sees me as my father.

I look myself over in the floor length mirror, I look the same as always, the regal king. Did I want to be king? No, but when my father died unexpectedly and my brother took off, I had no choice but to take over. That is when things changed for me and now, I am fighting an inner battle with myself.

After a short drive, I walk into the hotel where the UN function was being held. Like always everything is posh and regal. What I wouldn’t give for something to be a little different. I scan the room and my eyes land on a petite brunette. She has a pink floor length dress on, it hugs her curves perfectly. My feet follow their own path as they walk over to her. She isn’t like everyone else, she’s open and her smile is divine.

I freeze as my heart stops when she laughs. Why am I feeling like this when I am in love with someone else? Maybe it’s just because I am feeling lonely.

She turns around and locks eyes with me and I swear I feel my heart skip a beat. She’s got the most dazzling blue eyes, but it doesn’t compare to the eyes that haunt my dreams. What I wouldn’t give to be with my love right now.

“Hi, I’m Riley Brooks.” She holds her hand out to me to shake. I take her small hand in mine and smile at her.

“Liam Rys.”

Her eyes go wide and she drops in a curtsy. Her cheeks have a faint pink tint to them.

“No formalities please. It’s just us.” I give her a reassuring smile.

“It’s nice to meet you.” She says relieved.

There was something about her that made me want to get to know her better, not romantically, but as friends. She makes me feel at ease.

A song comes up and I give her a wicked grin as she shakes her head from side to side. “Would you like to dance?” I hold my hand out to her as everyone else watches us.

“I would love to dance.” She says through gritted teeth and takes my hand. I lead her to the dance floor and pull her closer to me.

We move together perfectly, she leans in. “I am so going to get you for this.” She whispers, and for some reason that statement excites me.

“Do your worst.” I twirl her out and pull her back to me. She laughs as we move around the dance floor perfectly.

After the song ends, we walk off the dance floor and towards the bar.

“You are not what I expected. When they told me that a king was going to be here, I thought he was going to be old and uptight. I am happy it’s you though.” She glances at me to see my expression. All I could do was smile at her.

We order our drinks and take a seat at one of the tables. We talk about everything and anything.

I learned that she has a political degree and has applied for a PA position in Europe. I also learn that it is just her, no family and that she hopes to find that special someone one day. She is the fresh air that I need in my life.

I look at my watch and see that It’s almost time for me to meet Leo, but I don’t want to say goodbye to Riley just yet.

“What would you say if I offered you an PA position at the palace?” I ask without hesitation. I need a personal assistant and with what I see and heard, she will be perfect for the position.

“Are you being serious right now?” She basically jumps up and down in her seat.

“Yes… I want you to be my personal assistant. You will have to come back to Cordonia with me tomorrow.” I raise my brow and wait for her to explode with excitement.

“I would love to. Where should I meet you and what time?” Her eyes sparkle with excitement and I can’t help but get lost in them.

“Meet me at the airport at 8am. The flight leaves at 8:30. Please don’t be late.” I look at my watch again and know that I have to leave right now.

“I will be there.” She smiles as I get up.

“I have to go. I will see you tomorrow.” I lean down and kiss her cheek. It doesn’t feel the same as when I kiss HER. The one that has had my heart for so many years. I need to speak to Leo, he would be able to help me get my mind right.

I give Riley one more wave before I walk out of the room heading to where I have to meet Leo.

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

I walk into a dimly lit bar and see my elder brother sitting at the bar. He looks happy and relaxed.

“Sorry, I’m late…” I apologise.

Leo smirks at me. “Your majesty!” He curtsies teasing me.

“Always the funny one. How have you been brother?”

I take a seat next to him as he pushes a glass of whiskey over to me. I need this so badly. I have two pairs of eyes haunting me right now.

“ Never felt better.” Maybe he is trying to express his new found freedom after abdication.

“Are you alright little brother? You seem delusional.”

I have as I take a sip of whiskey letting it burn my throat as it goes down.

He continues prodding. “Are the kingly affairs burdening you or the extra affection for the king from the fairer sex exhausting you?”

“I…. I’m confused….” Leo raises his brow at me motioning for me to continue talking. “I’m in love with someone but she hates me or should I say our family. Or that’s what I gathered. And then tonight I met a girl with the most dazzling blue eyes and the sweetest personality. But she’s just not Her….” Leo nods in understanding.

“Green versus blue or green versus brown.. maybe we Rhys men are always in a dilemma to choose.”

I know he is comparing my situation with his own. Referring to Madeleine’s green and Kate’s brown.

“It’s not for me choosing. I know who I want, she just doesn’t want me. To make it worse I am taking the girl I met, back to Cordonia with me.

“Woah! You mean you have your baklava in the freezer back at home and you are buying cronuts to take home?”

I spit the whiskey I had just taken a sip of, out and cough. “What…. No not at all. She will be my new assistant.”

Leo sits there unaffected just smiling at my state. “The assistant, like the billionaire’s assistant from the romantic books?” He nudges.

“Nooo, it will strictly be professional….” I get half a smile as I take a small sip again. “And maybe a bit to make someone jealous.” I know I am all confident with Leo,but let’s face it I will never do anything more than just attend functions with her.

“All work and no play makes the king a dull boy”. Leo tries to push in his playboy streak.

“I will have you known that I am not dull at all. I have my fun.” I say a matter of a fact.

Leo’s eyes widen to take in the new image of his younger brother displayed in front of him.

“Close your mouth big brother, you will catch a fly.” It’s my turn to tease.

Leo’s open mouth turns into a wide grin. “I will make sure to follow ‘The Trend’ to read about your adventures. Make the Rhys blood proud, baby brother!” He raises his glass in a toast. “So what advice are you looking for Li?”

I consider him for a moment. What did I want from him?

“How do I make Her fall in love with me? How do I make her see I am more than just a Rhys.”

“You have been drooling over that girl since you grew balls. Had it been me, by now I would have given her the magic of my physical therapy. That always works for me.”

I wince at the imagination of my brother in action. Before Leo can give more varied ideas I raise my hand. “ I think that’s enough food for thought.”

Leo shrugs, “ As you wish. I would still say, be bold and try taking some risk. What fun life is without a bit of adrenaline rush?”

I nod and ask for the bill.

On that note, I bid Leo farewell and get back to my hotel to prepare for the journey back home.

********

I wake up with a heavy headache the next morning. Why can’t I get the two ladies out of my head. It is like they are playing ping pong in my mind. ‘I need to get back home. I need to make Her see that I care about her. I need her to see that I am not like my father.’ I get ready with that thought.

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

I have been waiting for Riley at the tarmac. She messaged that she was running late. I think of calling Her in the meantime. I heard the phone ringing and it dragged me into her thoughts.

She must be sitting at her tea table at this hour. Her slender manicured fingers playing at the rim of the cup making circles. Her pink lips touching the porcelain softly, sipping the hot beverage. The skin on her throat would be moving slowly, warming up as she would swallow her drink. I have imagined my fingers over her silk smooth neck, many times. Her sharp voice pulls me back from my day dream. “Hello” At the same time when Riley calls, “Hey Liam. Sorry I got late.”

I signal Riley to hold on for a minute.

“Good evening to you, Olivia .”

Olivia snaps, “You are with someone? And calling me?” She abruptly hangs up with that.

My head is hung low. Riley looks at me questioning.

All I can utter is, “Bad timing!”

∆|∆|∆|∆|∆|∆|∆|∆|∆|∆|∆|∆|∆|∆|∆|∆|∆|∆|∆

Tags : @ao719 @anjanettexcordonia @bebepac @charlotteg234 @choicesficwriterscreations @cordonia-gothqueen @drakewalker04 @eadanga @gkittylove99 @glaimtruelovealways @krsnlove @hopefulmoonobject @hopelessromanticmonie @iam-the-kind-and-thoughtful @idontknowwhysblog @jessiembruno @jovialyouthmusic @jaxsmutsuo @kat-tia801 @kingliam2019 @khoicesbyk @shewillreadyou @lisha1valecha @lovablegranny @mrswalkers-blog @mom2000aggie @neotericthemis @no-one-u-know @ntoraplayschoices @princessleac1 @ritachacha @secretaryunpaid @sirbeepsalot @speedyoperarascalparty @shanzay44 @texaskitten30 @txemrn @queenrileyrose @sanchita012 @sfb123 @sweatyrysconnoisseur @theroyalheirshadowhunter @aestheticartsx @yourmajesty09 @fluffy-marshmallow-heart @drakewalkerfantasy @els31 @rainbowsinthestorm @darley1101 @the-soot-sprite @ladyangel70 @rafasgirl23415 @anotherbeingsworld @callmeellabella @msjr0119 @walker7519 @ofpixelsandscribbles @cocomaxley @lodberg @jared2612 @gnatbrain @cmestrella @queenjilian @iaminlovewithtrr @marshmallowsaremyfavorite

[crashdevlin]

Jump The Shark

Author’s Note: This is part nineteen of The Best Laid Plans series

Summary: When John gets a call from the youngest son he never got to meet, Y/n goes with him to find out what happened to the one-night stand John had back in 1990.

Pairing: Alpha!John x Omega!Reader

Word count: 3597

Story Warnings: angst...A/B/O dynamics, canon divergence, angst, mentions of physical violence, mentions of mindfuckery, mentions of ferality, pining, did I mention angst?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You hadn't said anything. Not from the moment you and John found the truck. You climbed up into the cab and changed into jeans, a black and green plaid flannel and a pair of hiking boots. You dropped your suit skirt and blouse out the window going 80 down the interstate, and then you closed your eyes and listened to the Rolling Stones.

You had to open your eyes when your memories started attacking you.

Dean had been so sure that you were the one he wanted, the one he was looking for...but that was Dean Smith and Y/n Colt. That was a Stanford MBA and a former Miss Teen USA runner-up. The idea that he wanted to mark you was particularly hurtful and you were kinda glad you made him wait because you weren't sure if it would have reset like the first mark Sam gave you and the last thing you wanted was for Dean to be tethered to you when he could barely stand to be around you.

He only wanted you because he was someone else. He was someone else, but his soul was still stuck on you. You both felt that pull because you were connected but he didn't want you. Smith liked Colt, but Winchester would never love Y/l/n.

John just drove. It was obvious he had no destination in mind, he just pointed the truck West and drove. Part of you wished that he would go back to Mississippi but you knew that your semi-normal was gone...and it was better. You were a hunter and so were your alphas. No normal for you.

"It hit her hard, Sammy," you heard John whispering as he drove when you woke up a few hours into Missouri. "She hasn’t been that close with your brother in years and the fact that it was all fake is killing her."

A pang of sadness hit you as your brain called forth what John was talking about. The haze of sleep had taken the memory, but now it was clear why your heart felt like so many broken pieces shoved into a box in your chest.

"Yeah, we know that but he won't say it and she probably wouldn't be able to hear it now anyway." John sighed as Sam spoke through the phone. "Son, I don't know what we can do other than what we always do. If you need help, just call, but she definitely doesn't need to be around your brother for a while. All right. Keep me updated," John said before setting his phone on the dashboard. "I know you’re awake, 'mega. Can't fool me."

"Wasn't trying to fool you. Just letting you finish your conversation," you responded, sitting up and stretching as best as you could in the truck cab. "What'd Sam want?"

"Tell me that the whole deal in Cincinnati was the Angels fucking with us. Specifically fucking with Dean. They wanted to prove to him that he was always supposed to be a Hunter or something."

"And we just got pulled along for the ride? That was nice of them." You rolled your eyes and reached down for your purse, pulling out a travel mouthwash. "So, what, everything's dandy now?" you asked as you took a drink of the mint liquid, swished it around in your mouth and swallowed.

"You know, you're supposed to spit that out, right?"

"Only quitters spit," you said automatically. You ran your hand across your face as you dropped the bottle to the floorboard. Dirty jokes Dean told you as a teen were not what you needed to get out of your funk. “I’ve put worse things in my body.”

“Girl, we...we’ll get through this.”

“Not like we have a lot of options, right?” You licked your lips and shook your head. “I’m fine, John. I slept. I’m better. I’m fine.”

“When are you gonna learn that it’s useless to lie to me?” John asked.

“I’m sure it’ll sink in eventually,” you responded, chuckling. “I promise...I’m going to be fine.”

“I know you will,” John said, reaching over to pat your knee.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few weeks passed and you were getting better at putting it behind you. The might’ve-beens dragged up by the Angels in Cincinnati were slowly being pushed back into the recesses of your mind and you were feeling better. Sam emailed John to tell him about some jerk in Ohio writing books about the boys’ lives, someone Castiel revealed to be a Prophet of the Lord who was writing The Winchester Gospels. There were books about the boys’ lives, their actions, their innermost thoughts, just hanging out on bookshelves around the world. You wondered if you were in any of the stories, the gospels.

John’s secondary cell phone went off as you pulled the truck into the parking lot of a coffee shop and he frowned as he looked down at the screen before he answered, “Hello?” A beat of time as you parked the truck and turned to him. “He’s not available. Can I help you?” He had a severe look on his face and you shook your head at him, confused by his reaction to the call. “What’d you say your name was? Milligan...and, uh, what are you callin’ John for?”

He made a fist and hammered it into his forehead. “Right, well, uh, I hate to have to tell you this over the phone but John is dead. He died in 2001.” Your eyes went wide and John put a finger up to quiet you before you could even start to question. “If you need help, then I can meet with you, kid. I’m, uh, John Winchester’s son, Dean. Windom, Minnesota. Cousin Oliver Café. We’ll be there tomorrow at 8am. See ya then, kid.”

“What the fuck, John?!” you exclaimed when he ended the call.

“Fuck.” He scratches his fingernails across his forehead and sighs as he sets the phone on the dash. “I recognized the area code, knew it was Missouri, thought it might have something to do with...with this case I had around January 1990. Anybody I interacted with back then, they would’ve known me before I got hit with that hex. So, that’s why I answered the phone like that and I’m glad I did because...because the kid on the other end of the phone is…” He trailed off and you gave him a pointed look.

“The kid on the other end of the phone is what?”

“My youngest son, Adam.”

Your eyes went wide, confusion and anger filling your body. “Your what?”

“I told you...I told you that I had one dalliance before you after Mary died, remember? When I was on that ghoul hunt and I went into rut and I-I was almost feral and I had one night where I couldn’t fuckin’ control myself and-”

“You knocked her up with pups?” you whispered. For some reason, it hurt a lot more than it should, especially considering you were only seven years old at the time.

“Only one. Adam.” He shook his head at himself. “She never told me. I didn’t know anything about it until 2001...and by then…by the time Adam called the first time, I was a young man again. I couldn’t show up looking like a twenty-five year old and start a relationship with the boy. So I just never called him back, kinda put him on the back burner. I figured I’d go see him when we found the witch and fixed me but I never found the witch and-”

“So, why’s he calling again now?” you asked, trying to be understanding. It wasn’t John’s fault. He should have told you. He should have told his other sons, but he couldn’t do anything about it now.

“His mom, Kate, is missing.”

“And he called you because?” you asked.

“Because the cops aren’t worried and his mom told him to try to get a hold of me if anything weird ever happened. She knew about the hunting.”

“So, your plan is to...pretend to be your oldest son and go meet your youngest son for the first time and try to find his missing mother...who most probably is just normal-missing, not supernatural-missing?” you asked, cautious of your tone.

“I can drop you somewhere if you don’t wanna participate in this, girl,” he said, biting his bottom lip.

“No,” you responded vehemently. “You don’t get to leave me behind, Winchester. Not ever again, remember?”

“Okay, then I’m gonna need you to back me on this and you’re going to have to call me ‘Dean’.”

You nodded. “I can do that.” You weren’t sure you wanted to, but you’d do it for him.

“Thank you, darlin’.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

John was nervous. You could smell it in his scent. You leaned into his shoulder as you sat in the booth, trying to calm him with your own scent. You kept your head on his shoulder as he switched a glass of water out with a glass of holy water and set a trio of silverware on the opposite side of the table. “Just in case.”

“You really think-”

“I looked into him, ya know? Kid did real good without me in his life,” John said suddenly. “He’s real and he’s smart and he never had anything to do with this life. I’m scared it bled onto him anyway.”

You sighed and leaned up to press a kiss to his temple as the door opened and a tall, thin young man walked into the diner. He looked like a mix of Sam and Dean. “That’s him,” you whispered, recognizing him from the Facebook profile.

John, or rather ‘Dean’, stood and waved at the boy.

“Dean?” Adam asked, walking over. John nodded. The boy laughed. “Wow, you look just like the picture my mom had of-of John. You’re almost the spitting image of him.” He let out a scoff as he sat down, his eyes moving to you. “Who’s this?”

“My omega,” John said, a bit defensively.

“Y/n,” you said, offering your hand to him.

Adam took it with a smile. “Wow.”

You felt a cringe move through your body and you looked down. “What?”

“I just…” Adam cleared his throat. “There’s not a lot of omegas in Windom and none are as pretty as you.”

Another Winchester flirting with you was sending all sorts of bad signals through your body. You softly tugged your hand back and sat back down as Adam settled into the opposite side of the booth and picked up the water. You held your breath when he took a drink but the water went down easy so you relaxed a bit.

But not much.

He smelled wrong. John was lavender and orange and ylang ylang, Dean was lavender and honeysuckle and anise, Sam was vanilla and coffee and undercurrents of honeysuckle when he was in rut. Adam smelled like dirt.

Not grass and forest and mossy logs, dirt. Just dirt. He didn’t even have a secondary scent to him, no undercurrent or complementary smell. Just dirt.

There should have been some part of him that smelled like a Winchester, even if he wasn’t the same makeup of a Winchester as the ones you knew. He shouldn’t smell like that.

Adam didn’t seem to notice your musing or your deep breaths to try and find something else in his scent. He went off on a tangent as he ate his breakfast about how John and Kate met in the emergency room at the hospital room where she works and he went into rut after he got hurt and Adam tried to get a hold of John when he was a kid and John just never picked up the phone and he’s glad that ‘Dean’ answered the phone this time.

“At least I know why he didn’t answer when I was calling before. So, uh, what happened to John?”

“Heart attack,” John responded. “It was sudden.”

“Right, guess that makes sense. Heart disease is the number one killer of men his age in the US,” Adam said.

Your eyes focused on the silverware in the man’s fists. Not a shifter either then. But this was something. This was not a Winchester.

“Well, after we get done eating, why don’t you take us to the house and we’ll see if we can’t find something to tell us where your mom got to,” John offered.

“Thanks, Dean,” Adam said with a smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"He didn't react to silver or holy water," John argued as he followed Adam's car down the road.

"So? There's plenty of things that can alter people's perception of them that don't react to silver or holy water! Rakshasas, sirens, djinns, ghouls, do I need to go on?" you argued back. "He smells like dirt, John. That is not-"

"Maybe that's just-"

"What'd his mother smell like?" you interrupted.

"Passion fruit...and something else I can't remember."

"Not dirt. He shouldn't smell like that. He's not your son."

John sighed and scratched at his chin. "You might be right. He should smell more like one of us. He doesn't even smell like an alpha, honestly, but...if he's not Adam, then where the hell is Adam? And where's Kate? And why the fuck would whatever he is try to get me out here?"

"I don't know."

"Me either. For now, let's focus on finding Kate and we'll go from there." You held in a groan and focused out the windshield. "I know, 'mega. I'm just...I got this feeling...I lost my opportunity to be a part of this boy's life because of that witch."

"And that’s terrible, John...but you wouldn't have me if it wasn't for that witch so…"

“I’m not sayin’ I regret it, sweetheart, I just...wish I could have...met him once before I went after that bitch.”

“I’m sorry,” you whispered, biting your thumbnail. “Sometimes I wish things were different, too.”

“You wish I never came over when you were going into that first heat,” he guessed.

You swallowed, but you didn’t answer. The truth was, you had thought through a lot of different wishes and butterfly-effect ripples of how it would change everything. If John didn’t show up, you wouldn’t be a hunter. If Dean hadn’t pushed you to let Sam take you when those apple-pie assholes put you in heat, you would have just been Dean’s. If you never sold your soul for Dean, you might have been able to move on, find another alpha...a non-Winchester.

“I don't think I'd be myself if you hadn't shown up,” you answered eventually. “I'd have stayed stuck at Bobby's, never ended up with an alpha let alone two, and I would be dying from never getting a knot in a few years' time...it’s better you did.”

"I'm...glad I did, Y/n. I like the woman you are, the strong and beautiful omega you are.”

You smiled and your cheeks heated up at the praise. “Let’s just get this done, huh?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You weren’t exactly happy that you were the one who had to crawl through the vents but Adam said, and John fucking agreed, that you were smallest and therefor the best choice. When you found the blood and pieces of skull and blond hair, you were happy to be small enough to pull your phone out of your pocket and text the news to John so he could break the news before you crawled back out.

“Call the cops. We gotta get out of here, though,” John said as he offered you a hand to help you up out of the vent.

“Wait, but-” Adam started to argue.

“We don’t mix with cops,” you responded, before stomping away from them, roughly brushing dust off of your jeans and shirt. “Come on, J-Dean. Let’s get out of here.”

“You don’t mix with-” Adam started to argue, but you pushed past him and stomped out to John’s truck.

“There was no surprise in his scent. There was no anger or sadness. I’ve lost both parents, John, there should have been-”

“Maybe he’s numb or-”

“Maybe he’s made of dirt or something!” you snapped. “That is not-”

“He hasn’t done anything wrong yet, ‘mega.”

You shook your head. “Yeah. Yet. You know what, John? I’m gonna go ahead and look into things that could be pretending to be your illegitimate pup.”

You barely looked at him as you got out of the truck and headed inside to start researching. When Adam showed up to find out what was going on with his missing mother and you and ‘Dean’ leaving before the cops showed up and “what the hell?!” John decided to explain about hunting as simply as he could. He didn’t explain who he really was, though. And then John decided to take Adam to explore other options of finding Kate.

It was a couple hours later that you came across a mention in an online lore forum that said ghouls, while normally scavengers who feast on dead flesh, could actually eat living specimens and have been shown to greatly enjoy fresh human meat and blood...and just like feasting on the dead, the ghoul can take the visage of their victim and their memories.

“Didn’t John say that’s what he was after when he was here before?” you whispered to yourself as you picked up your cell phone and dialed John’s number. It rang through until it went to voicemail. You called again. It went to voicemail again.

Panic fell over you. Your alpha was in trouble. Your alpha was in trouble and you had no idea where he was.

“Fuck!” You were almost shaking as you stood up and looked around aimlessly. What could you do? Another string of expletives fell from your mouth before you forced yourself to focus. You took a deep breath and closed your eyes. Your soul was connected to him. You needed to find him.

It only took a flash. A flash of the dining room at Kate’s house, John tied to the table had you grabbing the keys to John’s truck and rushing for your alpha. You pushed that truck as fast as it would go to get it to the house on the outskirts of Windom. The truck tires screeched as you slid to a stop in the front yard. You grabbed your shotgun from the rack in the truck bed and ran into the house.

John was tied to the table, ‘Adam’ and ‘Kate’ standing over him as he bled from his wrists. “Y/n,” he groaned. “They’re ghouls!”

“I know!” you snapped, aiming at Adam’s head and shooting. Parts of his head exploded onto the wall behind him and Kate shrieked before running at you. You moved to pump the shotgun for a second shot, but Kate grabbed you and tossed you into the wall like you were nothing.

“Y/n!”

“I’m fine, John!” you shouted, rolling onto your hands and knees.

“John?” Kate spat out, her tone dripping with poison.

“Forgot to mention before you started draining me,” John groaned. “I’m the one who killed your daddy, sweetheart.”

“Witches are better than plastic surgery, bitch,” you said, sweeping the woman’s leg with your foot. She fell to the floor and you jumped up, grabbing the shotgun and shooting her in the head, too. You licked your lips and panted as you limped over to the table and pulled out a knife, getting him loose from his binds. “You okay?” you asked, grabbing a rag and ripping it in half, wrapping each half around his wounds.

“Yeah. You...you got here in time.” He sat up, his legs hanging off the table as you secured the wraps around his wrists. “How’d you know?”

“I figured out ghouls could eat fresh and then I couldn’t get you on the phone and...I…” You licked your lips. “I knew where to find you.”

“How?” he pressed.

“How’d you know what motel room I was cutting Sam’s mark off of me?” you asked in answer.

“You felt it?” he asked and you nodded. He reached out, barely wincing at the pull on his wrist, and pulled you in for a soft, sad kiss. “They were siblings, kids of the ghoul I took down last time I was in Windom. They called to get revenge for me killing their dad.” He looked away. “Killed Kate and Adam to get revenge first. I was hoping I wasn’t right about my life bleeding on his.”

“It’s not your fault, John,” you whispered.

He shook his head. “I know. Shoulda stuck around to see if the thing left behind little monsters for me to kill, but...I went into rut...and then I had to get back to the boys.”

“John...it’s really not on you.”

“He’s dead because of me.”

“He was alive because of you,” you insisted. “He had nineteen years before these things...he had nineteen years because of you. Please, don’t let this get to you.” You chuckled, ruefully. “I’m the one that’s supposed to be barely floating in an ocean of shit. You’re supposed to be my life raft.”

He smiled and nodded. “I am. I am your life raft, darlin’. Just...a little blood-deprived right now. I’ll perk up after a glass of O.J. and some protein. Come on. Let’s get outta here.”

You nodded and wrapped his arm around your shoulders, helping him off of the table and walking him out to the truck.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Kitchen Sink - @emoryhemsworth​ @flamencodiva​ @wasabiwitteks​ @rainbowkisses31​ @rissbennett @mariekoukie6661​ @officiallyunofficialperson​ @dolphincliffs​ @mrs-meghan-winchester​ @gayspacenerd​ @foxyjwls007​ @ilovefanfic86​ @marvelfansworld​ @f-yeahfandoms​ @wonderlandfandomkingdom​ @hhiggs​ @sev3nruby​  @hobby27​ @paintballkid711​ @divadinag​ @thewhiterabbit42​ @fantasymyth-1 @queenoftheunderdark​ @cosicas-cuquis @superfanficnatural​ @letsby​ @supernatural-bellawinchester​ @onethirstyunicorn​ @swinchester27 @chalicia​ @sunnyroadtrips​ @screechingartisancashbailiff​ @death-unbecomes-you​ @dayasvalkyrie​ @paryl​ @wereallbrokenangels​ @the-american-witch​ @that-one-gay-girl​ @tatted-trina6​ @sunshineandwings86 @lunarmoon8​ @wheezyeds​ @vicmc624​ Hunter Tags - @atc74​ @sandlee44​ @spnbaby-67​ @kalesrebellion​ @tumbler-tidbits​ @hoboal87​ @stoneyggirl​ @kbl1313​ @cookiechipdough​ @mrswhozeewhatsis​ @winchesterxfamilybusiness​ @holylulusworld​ @pretty-fortune​ @screechingartisancashbailiff​ @we-are-all-a-bunch-of-idjits​ @imperiusimpala​ @supernaturalenchanted​ @blueaura​ @quxxnxfhxll​ 

The Best Laid Plans Tags- @pink1031​ @sharlynn​ @viinchester​ @kalesrebellion​ @fabinaforever11​ @roonyxx​ @juggysgirlfriend​ @bobbie3939​ @vicmc624​ 

[nsheetee]

Can I make a request? Jaehyun x reader high school rivalry au. In which Jaehyun & reader are rivals in school when it comes to academics but one day they were informed they had to team up for a quiz bee against other schools. Some sort of enemies to lovers au I guess? 😅 THANK YOUUU!!

a/n: ugh I imagined Jaehyun in glasses throughout this entire thing and it killed me 😅 also, to include the academics and quiz bee part I wrote this based around debate team, that wasn’t exactly what you asked for but I hope it’s okay! 

(warning: mentions of doyoung, jungwoo, and sicheng  /swearing / y’all make out a bit in the end)

alright so let me tell you about your high school’s debate team

the team is as old as the school itself, but during doyoung’s sophomore year, he was given the title of president of the debate team 

(the first time a sophomore has been given the position, and he made sure everyone knew about it too dfbhjh)

every since then, the team has TAKEN OFF and made some amazing accomplishments 

doyoung crafted the team into what it is today

sicheng as head of research (and official tea-spiller of the team)

jungwoo as doyoung’s assistant (a.k.a. doyoung’s emotional support boy)

…and you and jaehyun, some of the best debaters doyoung has ever seen

your passion paired with jaehyun’s charisma and mixed in with both of your quick mouths was a sight to behold for judges

despite this, doyoung was very unwilling to let both of you stay on the team

because you fucking HATED each other

despite the amazing skill of teamwork you both possess on stage, the debate team meeting room was a nightmare

screaming matches every other day

snapped in half pencils

many, many, MANY disagreements

and how did it start? 

during freshman year, your first class in your first semester of school was math- your teacher seated you next to jaehyun :)

every morning at 8am you had to deal with his whining about being tired or how the material was “too easy” :)

and then when you got your first tests back, your grade was one (1) point lower than his :)

and jaehyun says :)

“oh man, that sucks. you should’ve taken up that tutoring offer I gave you”

:))))))))))

and ever since then, you couldn’t stand his big head with his too-clear-to-be-natural skin and his smile that he sent you every time doyoung agreed with something he said instead of one fo your ideas

but you loved debate team, you were all such close friends (despite someone who liked the act up) and those big dumbos were your everything :’)

now, it was the beginning of doyoungs senior year

as the debate team teacher sponsor quietly cried at the thought of doyoung leaving, doyoung was more focused on who would take his spot next year

jungwoo and sicheng were both great candidates, but everyone knew that the only people who could even come close to filling doyoung’s shoes were you or jaehyun

and when doyoung told you both this after a debate team meeting, the tension between you two quickly escalated 

“now, I expect both of you to get along; at least respect each other. if one of you is the captain then you have to be able to listen to them and right now…. the last thing you do is listen to each other” doyoung explained

with that thought, you and jaehyun made your way out of school

“ya know if you could just listen to my ideas every once in a while maybe we wouldn’t be in this kind of mess” jaehyun pointed out as you walked down the empty halls

“I could say the same thing to you” you snapped back and he suddenly stopped walking

“… is this what doyoung is talking about? I think… we both love debate so much, that we just don’t know when to stop” jaehyun laughs and you feel slightly uncomfortable with this seemingly truthful side of jaehyun

he legit doesn't seem like he’s about to laugh at your face 

he just seems like he wants to stop arguing

he does, he’s actually really tired of arguing with your cute face everyday :(

you don’t know how far you can trust jaehyun, but you’ve spent years working by his side

there has to be some sort of connection between you two that allows both of you to work together so successfully

after you tell that to jaehyun, he slowly agrees

“how about this….” you start “after team meetings, we can go to the library and try to… not hate each other”

jaehyun scrunches his face

“the library? how about… the cafe two blocks down?”

you were about to snap at him about “what’s so wrong with the library? huh?” but you took a deep breath in and out

if you were going to stop fighting, change had to start somewhere

“okay, let’s go” 

so you and jaehyun hang out at this hole-in-the-wall cafe after debate team meetings for a few weeks

you didn’t necessarily make your meet ups known to the other team members but… 

you didn’t really want to have the whole team freak out over what could possibly be perceived as dates

cuz trust me

they TOTALLY looked like dates

jaehyun would buy your drink for you 

(until one day he confessed that you drink was hella expensive and you rolled your eyes and started buying his drink from then on)

in return, he would help you on all the math concepts you didn’t fully understand

(you had flashbacks to the first class you had with him when he offered to tutor you but you shook that off)

and when your your brain was completely fried, he would listen to you talk about anything and everything

or if on one particular day you weren’t in the mood to talk, he would fill up the cafe with his low laughter and stories of the stupid things he and his friends do

(when the baristas found out y’all weren’t dating they started making bets on when one of you would confess ewfheb)

your relationship with jaehyun changed from snappy and argumentative to something like a friendship

and this was obvious to the rest of the debate team members 

they were soooo relieved that y’all weren’t fighting everyday 

and that they could spend the meetings getting prepared for competitions rather than settling your arguments

but of course, sicheng was a little too curious about the sudden change in behavior from you two

and he followed you guys after a meeting one day

he watched from outside of the cafe where neither of you could see him

he was shooooook

you guys looked so,,.., weird when you don’t fight but it was even weirder to see you laughing at something jaehyun said and leaning into him as you looked at his papers

he was ssososososoos sure you were dating

(although sicheng was awesome at researching stuff, he seems to have forgotten to confirm his sources on this one…)

(because you were not dating at all)

(yet…)

sooooooo fast forward to the next weekend, there was a debate team competition a few cities away

the school allowed the team to travel and stay over night at a hotel in that city

so the team packed up their things and took the long bus ride and settled into their hotel rooms once they got there

you were flipping through the tv channels in your room when your phone vibrated

with a text from jaehyun

“come meet me in my room”

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) hehe

it was against the rules that your teacher sponsor set before you left for the trip

but you were sure the teacher was already passed out in their own room and that if you were quiet and careful, the other team members wouldn’t hear you walking out of your room and into jaehyun’s

jungwoo, doyoung, and sicheng already broke the rule that the teacher had set for them

they were chilling in doyoung’s room, finished take out on the floor between them and face masks on as they relaxed 

“I keep texting jaehyun to come join us, but he’s not picking up” jungwoo frowned and sicheng snorted at that

“what’s so funny?” jungwoo asked

“we’re on a trip away from home with our own hotel rooms and little to no supervision,..,.. don’t you think jaehyun and y/n would take this opportunity to mess around?”

the room suddenly went very quiet as jungwoo and doyoung stared at sicheng with wide eyes

“…what?” doyoung asked lowly

“oh come on…. you guys seriously can’t tell me you haven’t seen how much closer they’ve gotten-”

“that’s because I told them that one of them would have to be president next year and they need to get along” doyoung defended

“yeah, that’s why they were getting real cozy with each other in a cafe after one of our meetings” sicheng absentmindedly stated, looking at his reflection on his phone as he tapped around his face to settle the mask in

tea? spilled

sicheng’s job? completed

jaehyun and you? in trouble

back in jaehyun’s room, you quietly close the door behind you as you make your way in

jaehyun lays on his bed with only the light from the bedside lamp illuminating his face 

his pajamas have little clouds and sheep on them and you take a moment to tease him about it as you come closer

he grabs your hands and pulls you onto the bed next to him and you both settle down to watch tv

both of your hearts are pounding so loud you think the other can hear it and you squeeze your hand into a fist to keep yourself from physically freaking out

jaehyun was right there… right next to you

if you turned your head, he would be only a few inches away

“there’s nothing to watch?” you ask, trying to get your mind off of your thoughts

“nothing seems interesting… let’s do something else instead”

and that’s how you end up making out with Jaehyun :-)

your lips are moving against each others and your hands are gliding down to wherever you can touch

he rubs your sides and when you react with a small moan he pushes you down and the kiss turns from a “wanting” type of kiss to something slower

like jaehyun wants to savor this moment of your kiss pressed to his for the very first time (it wasn’t the greatest setting or situation for a first kiss but hey, y’all take what you can get)

you barely notice doyoung, jungwoo, and sicheng storming into the room, turning on all the lights and standing in front of the bed, hands on hips or crossed in front of their chest, their face masks still on and frowns settled underneath

you and jaehyun separate from each other in fright, awaiting to be yelled at by doyoung, but instead you break out into laughter at the appearance of the three of them standing in front of you

“when I told you guys to get along, this is NOT AT ALL what I meant”

[imagine-loki]

Stubborn Independence

TITLE: Stubborn Independence 

CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: 1/10

AUTHOR: brightsun-and-darkmidnight

ORIGINAL IMAGINE: 

Imagine Loki struggling to adjust to someone who is independent and insists on paying for themselves all the time, even if it is a struggle sometimes. They need to do everything on their own. They never ask for help and refuse help. Just imagine Loki really wanting to spoil this person. Imagine how creative he would get to make life easier on this person who has captivated him.

+

Imagine being a talented singer at your local club. Loki comes in one night with Thor and the others (he’d rather be anywhere else but who turns down free drinks?) and gets ensnared in the voice of the beautiful singer on stage. Suddenly, his interest (and arousal) are more than piqued.

+

Imagine getting into a petty fight with Loki, so in retaliation, he puts everything on the top shelf where you can��t reach? 

AUTHOR’S NOTES: College AU. Loki is determined to take over Odin’s company. He works hard and has a strict schedule for success. However, with the interference of Thor and the other four, Loki’s plans are often interrupted so they can play matchmaker.

My Ao3: brightsun_and_darkmidnight

 ~ ~ ENJOY  ~ ~

Fandral smiled brightly with a loud laugh and in a desperate time to prove him wrong, Loki looked at his schedule with a smart remark on his tongue. Loki’s smile disappeared quickly. Damn. He did have the same class as Fandral.

Fandral smiled that bright smile and then winked to the side and Loki heard the high pitched giggles of flirting women, “Shall we walk together when classes start next week? Perhaps I could get you a date this year?”

With an eye roll and voice laced with sarcasm Loki replied, “yes because I want help from you." 

Sif held her hand out to Loki for his schedule. Thor insisted earlier she could mark where everyone would be this semester for easy communication. So, unwillingly Loki handed it to her knowing he was sentencing himself to public outings instead of the comfort of his room with books. He pondered if he should get out of those outings or try to get out of his room. Perhaps he would meet someone, or a few people, to hang out with instead of his brother during meal times.

Thor clapped Loki’s back, "this is going to be the time of our lives. College is full of possibilities. Last year was such a great time for the five of us! There were plenty of people I met! Last year all you did in your free time was study. Lighten up Brother, and develop friendships.”

Siff spoke up after scribbling on schedules, “Or he could get the best grades, and the honors scholarship for extra money.” Sif gave Thor a raised eyebrow after he chuckled, then she shrugged going back to scribbling. She muttered, “graduate top class and make more money than you. Support himself and whoever stumbles into his life.”

Valstagg’s boisterous laughter caught everyone’s attention until his eyes darted in the direction of a food truck. He mumbled, “That would be quite the stumble for Loki to notice.”

Hogun’s lip twitches a smidge as he looked at the schedules with Siff and marking them. Loki’s schedule was back and he looked it over. He had the 8am class with Thor and knew the idiot would miss too much class from the way Thor groaned over a class first thing on a Monday. Loki had the damn extracurricular art class that Fandral was also in.

Loki was excited for art class because he practiced occasionally by drawing what he imagined a scene looked like from his leisure readings. Although Loki was terrible at drawing realistic details, nothing stopped him from trying. This class filled a block in his major which further helped him decide to pursue some knowledge for his little hobby. No one would ever see such things due to drawing being a secret… well, for now anyway. Fandral was likely to tell everyone of his poor skills once their shared classroom of a three hour long session two times a week.

Fandral inquired, “so…Sif are we going to come to your dorm room for lunch?”

Sif smirked, “the invitation goes to everyone but you.”

“How cruel to keep me away from the sight of your beautiful dorm mate.”

Loki turned as he claimed he would see them later. Loki strolled to the dinning hall. It was a typical day; annoying brother and his friends, people all around him talking animatedly with others, some more intimately touching with the hold of hands or lips locked together. Loki tore his gaze from those people and observed where he was, and why he was there and NOT for some romantic adventure.

The buildings seemingly new due to constant cleaning and repairs. The pathways that seemed to be expanding due to hurried people walking beside the sidewalk trying not to be late. His night owl of a brother for example was always in a rush and did not go with the pace of everyone else. Otherwise, the grass was perfectly manicured. There were areas for decorative flowers, bushes, as well as well placed trees. 

Individuals gathered under trees seeking some comfort in the cooler shade. Loki glanced upwards to the sky that was currently cloudy. Then the sun shone thus pouring warmth onto him and momentarily blinding him. 

Loki was sure he somehow ran into something but with a curse word flying out of someone’s mouth realization struck instantly this was not an object. Loki instinctively held his hands out to catch the person. Short hair in blended layers caught the sunlight in wonderful variations of browns. The hair seemed to flow slowly as Loki hastily pulled the person closer to prevent a fall. Warm leather in his hands that helped with the grasp. Once stabilized Loki glanced down and noticed the petite and plus size girl in his grasp. 

Her eyes were shielded by huge sunglasses, her full cheeks framed by hair placed perfectly, except for a few strands dancing near her lips. A full lower lip pressed to her thin upper one as she pushed out of his grasp.

The trance seemed to end as Loki watched the girl pick up her phone. The glistening pieces around the device let Loki know instantly the screen was shattered. The woman ran her fingers through her hair and Loki was convinced that must be how her hair was supposed to be due to it looking better than before. Her eyebrows angled as she tapped on the phone and it seemed to be working.

Loki had money to replace her phone, even get his which was the newest model of over a thousand dollars. His parents had money due to his father, Odin, owning a software corporation that was supposed to be handed down to either Thor or Loki. Of course depending on who learned the most in college from their business majors. Loki actually had plenty of money he earned himself due to taking a position to work in his father’s business, a branch closest to the campus in an attempt to learn more. To inherit the corporation was the goal and was the reason he spent too much time in his room, practicing programming for his second major in computer science.

Loki quickly replied as soon as it registered, “I am sorry. I didn’t-”

The woman’s face turned to his with lightning speed and her lips parted with a harsh tone, “if you say you didn’t see me because I am short I will bring you down to my level with a punch to your gut.”

Loki blinked and finally noticed how short the woman was. He estimated a little over a foot smaller than himself due to him being able to rest his arm on her head easily, if he were to even attempt it. However with the fiery look he was getting, Loki stammered, “I can get you a new phone. Any phone you want.”

The woman was already tapping on her phone quickly as if sending a text. A few strands of her hair danced in her face but she seemed to ignore it. Loki however, needed to push back a single hair back in place to maintain his professional and clean appearance. Loki was not sure if she was ignoring him or not and he absentmindedly cleared his throat.

The dark haired woman placed her phone in a pocket, ran her other hand through her hair that parted in a different way..that was visually satisfactory as well. Her leather jacket protesting with sounds of attempts to stretch as she crossed her arms. Her eyebrows rose above her glasses and her bottom lip pressed to the thinner one. She seems to be annoyed, arguably she had every reason to have that right. She said nothing, nor did she make any attempt to even try to speak.

Loki wasn’t sure if this little ball of fire even heard a word he said. He spoke again as he took a small writing tablet from his inner coat pocket, “here is my information, we could meet later and you can pick out any phone you wish. There is a business not far from here that I work at-”

A casual, but with irritation mixed, voice spoke, “Not interested. I have the insurance on this one to have it replaced.”

Loki glanced up but did not see her. He turned and she was already walking away, quickly. Loki took long strides to her as he handed the woman the paper with his name, number, and location information to meet. The woman took the paper and seemed to be looking at it with a tilt of her head towards the paper but Loki already seen her eyelashes high up due to her obviously looking at the path she was on. The woman did nothing to stop her quick pace that Loki’s long legs easily kept up with.

As she crumpled up the paper and threw it in the recycling bin she spoke, “Thanks for the offer but I will pass.”

Loki’s eyebrows furrowed, “pardon?”

The small woman stopped as she replaced the sunglasses to her head. “Can you see now that I don’t want your help?”

Big eyes that were sharp and harsh with angled eyebrows. Eyelashes so thick they seemed to cast their own shadows among her face. Bright green eyes with flecks of dark brown and an inner iris of honey gold that stemmed into the outer green.

“You just cost me a ton of work to replace a dumbass phone. Nice work by the way to try to get me to call you. Clever plan, but it’s not something I fall for.”

“If you would let me help-”

The woman interrupted him, again with a scoff. 

All Loki wanted to do was help her. Atleast to replace what he had broken. Everyone else would jump at the latest phone with the best camera and larger screen. Top notch software that had lighting quick responses. A phone that stored everything for Loki; His contacts, everything in his calendar, personal alarms for daily routines, apps that helped with maintaining his body physique, and importantly he had access to the school web pages for homework-In conclusion, Loki’s phone was his life.

Loki tries again for a chance to talk quickly.

She waved her hands, palms to him and waved them with her head down, “Uh huh. Nope. Go try to woo someone else with your good looks of, ‘tall, dark, and handsome.’” Her eyes met his as her hands gestured to him and her eyes skimmed over him briefly with the burning rage behind them. “There are a ton of people out there to fall for someone to take care of them with your fancy handwriting that obviously comes from a prestigious schooling. As well as your expensive clothes.”

Loki’s mouth parted and then shut firmly. “You make accusations based on nothing but a few things. Maybe you should try not to judge a book by its cover.”

She rose an eyebrow, “how? Over dinner while playing some Q and A?”

Loki rose his eyebrows in shock and his mouth parted slightly. Loki did not miss a chance though, “If it could even things out. Perhaps.”

She scoffed and put her glasses back in place over her eyes, “I would pay for myself anyway.”

Loki gesture between them before she would turn, “You think that would make this even?”

“How about you just read my lips and understand you don’t owe me anything.” Her eyebrows rose over the glasses with a forced smile, “we good now?”

Loki stared at the woman in disbelief. “If you insist everything is ok but-”

The woman replied with a curt nod and side smile, “Everything is great. Try to have a good day.”

Loki looked elsewhere not believing he was going to let her leave, “I wish you well and give many apologies.”

The woman turned when her phone went off, “I have to go. Bye.” She did not look back but greeted the person on the other line with a happy melodic, “hel~lo! Sorry I am late. I bumped into someone.”

Loki raised an eyebrow at the odd change but paid no attention to it as he went to the dining hall for food. Loki was going to enjoy some of his remaining free time with a large serving of sweets before returning to his room in solitude before Thor, Fandral, and Hogun returned to their combined space. Loki thanked the school for having the set up of separate bedrooms, however cursed the common small kitchen and livingroom that he had to walk through to use one of the bathrooms.

They would always try to get him to join in their “fun” of watching each other play a fighting game while they drank energy drinks. Hogun would go to bed at a reasonable time but the other two would stay up talking loudly about the damn game until they went out to a bar.

Sometimes Loki would join in a few games of cards just to take some of their money. It got to the point where everyone agreed to use just change instead of dollar bills.

Loki smirked as he remembered to take the vase full of coins to the change machine, “Idiots…”

Loki ate alone and no one bothered him either. He did watch as others around him talking cheerfully. A friend might be nice to spend some time with once in a while. However, Loki’s phone buzzing in his pocket with his schedule alarm to start practicing programming made him remember he was not there for companionship. He was at college to get an education.

Loki picked up after himself and walked swiftly to his dormitory, swiped his ID card to get through doors and finally his pin password for his shared space with the others. Loki stomach sunk when the lights were still off and no one was there. He noted the feeling as odd while he walked in a daze to his room. He shut his bedroom door off to the rest of the world and readied himself for an hour of programming.

Loki programmed for about an hour and a half to figure out something new he stumbled onto. Loki needed a shower. Something about programming made him feel dirty, uncomfortable, and needing to feel fresh again. Loki’s cursed phone rang for the third time since he was getting ready to relax with a book. The most annoying sound he had on his phone was Thor’s ringtone. Loki purposely hit the end button to hang up and force the call to his mailbox. Grabbing a book and sitting in his comfortable desk chair Loki’s daily peace began.

[gb-fics]

Camping

Fanfiction:

Kiryuuin Shou x Kyan Yutaka (Golden Bomber)

Note: Happy birthday, Kirisho! This is not really a romantic fanfic, but rather one about friendship ^-^ It’s set during Shou’s on-going 24-hour livestream camping on his birthday - more precisely while he is in his tent to sleep, so I thought I’d post it before he gets up :D I know it’s not accurate (larger tent for example, because his is TINY XD), but I did my best to adjust it to the real setting (^-^)

Frustrated Shou put aside the leftovers of his meal and forced himself to flash a quick smile at the camera. Of course, there were plenty of leftovers. Shou had cooked too much for a single person. He had felt like he ought to treat himself on his birthday, but it hadn’t changed the fact that one person alone could only eat so much. There was something sad about that. Shou wished he hadn’t opened the second bottle of alcohol. It turned him sulky.

He closed his MacBook and waved at the cameras.

“Good night, everyone”, he said. “Let’s meet again tomorrow morning. Bye-bye. Good night.”

He wondered, if the fans were able to tell he was feeling down. He tried to cover it up with another smile.

Bustling to clean up outside of the pavilion had forced him to run through the rain. The downpour of the afternoon had turned into a slight drizzle, hardly audible on the roof, but still enough to make his black jeans cling to his legs damp and uncomfortable. Somehow, he hadn’t expected it would get this cold at night. Shou wished he could ignite the bonfire again to warm himself.

He put up the sign that told everyone to tune in on the livestream at 8am again. He felt bad for making the fans wait so long, but he needed the rest. And the fans were probably tired as well. He had kept them up long enough already, without having anything interesting to offer in the first place. Just a lonely, old man drinking by himself. Not very entertaining. Shou hoped the fans hadn’t been bored or disappointed while watching him. Maybe they had expected more action today. Hopefully they had had a good laugh at Shou setting up the tent by himself at least. It had been quite a hassle.

It was a big tent, large enough for a group of five and not easy to set up by yourself. Originally, he had hoped he wouldn’t be alone tonight. He had thought it would be fun for the band and the fans, if they all went camping together.

But his suggestion had been thrown out by the others immediately. Too bothersome, too rainy, it was Shou’s birthday anyway, they fans wanted the focus to be on him.

Shou had not dared to point out that mostly because it was his birthday, he didn’t want to be alone.

The fans were watching him of course and he was grateful for that. He always planned those events on his birthday to feel less lonely, knowing that so many people were watching him. But it wasn’t quite the same. He craved company right now. He craved being special to someone, not just as an idol, but as a person. He would have loved to know that the others cared enough to put up with the camping for him.

But they were co-workers first of all and Shou shouldn’t forget about that. Just because Yutaka, Jun and Kenji were the most important people in his life, didn’t mean it was the same for them. It was Shou, who lived for the work most of all and he couldn’t blame the others for having a life of their own. They had people in their life, whom they loved, while all that Shou had, was the music and his bandmates. It wasn’t their fault he felt lonely and not their duty to fix it, either.

The rain was getting stronger now. Shou felt several drops hitting the top of his head as he walked over to the tent. But it would be more comfortable inside for sure.

The camera was still running, the light still illuminating the empty camping chair and the message to the viewers. With the light turned on outside, it would be bright inside the tent as well. Shou realized he had forgotten his sleep mask.

Unzipping the front of the tent, Shou hesitated for a moment. The night was cold and rainy. He wasn’t sure he had brought enough blankets, either. Maybe he should just drive home. They had agreed on this earlier, in case the weather turned so bad, it became impossible to spend the night outside.

But it would be such a disappointment for the fans. He had promised them he would go camping. Anyone could sleep at home. It would be boring. He felt like he would betray them, if he did.

And maybe, there was a little spite mixed in with his motives as well. If Yutaka and Jun and Kenji were here tonight, and they had agreed to give up together, it would have been fine. He would have to think of his bandmates first. But they had abandoned Shou tonight – on his birthday. A part of himself wanted to suffer, just so he was allowed to be mad at them.

He bent over and crawled into the tent. As soon as he entered, he noticed the drip. The last time they had used this tent, the holes had been there already, but somehow it had become worse over the past few months just lying around.

Shou felt for his bedroll. The outside was wet.

Quietly he cursed under his breath.

He had tried to put additional cloth onto the tent from the outside, but it had kept sliding off. Shou had forgotten to bring anything to make it stay on.

He had thought of calling the staff to get something from the city, but it would have taken quite a while and the rain had already started to lessen. It hadn’t really seemed like that much of an issue. All the holes were pretty small by themselves. It was enough to turn the tent moist and uncomfortably cold, though.

Shou changed into his pyjamas. At least the pants were dry.

He had to take off his jacket and realized it was even colder than he had assumed. He thought of wearing the jacket over his pyjama while he slept. But the jacket was wet and he would have to crawl into his bedroll with it, turning everything else wet as well.

Maybe it would be the right decision to give up and head back to the city. But Shou had never been good at giving up. He was too proud. He had been too proud to beg the others to join him, too. Maybe, if he had asked more directly, they would have changed their mind. But that awful, stubborn part of Shou had decided it would be better to feel wronged than to show vulnerability.

He made sure the tent was properly zipped, then he crawled into the bedroll. The inside had luckily stayed dry, but water kept dripping in right next to Shou’s head. He hoped the floor wouldn’t be soaking by tomorrow morning. He was running the risk of catching a cold. His hair was slightly wet, too. He shouldn’t act this unreasonable at his age. He should take care of himself. A cold was always a threat for his voice, too. At the age of 36 years, he really ought to know well enough to not let his pride get the better of him. But then, he had always thought at the age of 36 years, he’d have settled down already. He had thought on his birthday he would be with someone, who loved him. He hadn’t thought he would spend his birthday all alone in a tent. The fans were watching him, sure, but the people he personally felt close to weren’t.

Even his bandmates had made a pretty big point out of not watching him tonight. 24 hours would be too long, they had said. They knew what he was like, they didn’t need a livestream to watch him, when they saw so much of him all the time. And somehow, they had a point. But Shou still wished they cared enough to watch him.

He closed his eyes. He felt too cold to fall asleep, but he had set the alarm for tomorrow quite early. He didn’t want to be caught sleeping in when so many people were watching him.

So many people, who weren’t even close to him. He knew that he shouldn’t be bothered by it, but if the fans could watch him, why not the people he considered his friends?

Especially Yutaka had been quite aggressive about not wanting to watch him. Shou told himself, that he wasn’t hurt about that. If Yutaka didn’t want to spend his time watching Shou camping, Shou couldn’t blame him. He had thought things were developing differently between them, but obviously, he had been mistaken. Not even wanting to watch his livestream on Shou’s birthday – least of all spending it together – clearly showed that their meetings lately meant nothing to Yutaka. They had just hung out, because they had nothing better to do – no concerts, no live appearances – and they had needed the company. It hadn’t been dates. And the fact that Shou had stayed over at Yutaka’s place several times and that his couch was so uncomfortable, that they had ended up sharing the bed, meant nothing either. They were just friends and not even very good ones as it seemed.

Shou tossed to the side. A drop of water landed on his cheek. He gritted his teeth. Judged by the clattering on the roof, the rain was increasing. Shou hoped it wouldn’t turn into a serious downpour.

He should just go home. Whom was he trying to prove something to, anyway? The fans? Himself? Yutaka, who wasn’t even here tonight?

A sudden noise from outside stirred Shou.

He heard a car approaching at rapid speed, brakes screeching, and then a door slamming shut. It sounded as if the driver was leading a personal vendetta against their car.

Shou shot up into a sitting position.

Who was that? Had something happened? Was there an emergency? Only the staff was supposed to know where to find Shou. Was he in trouble? Was everyone alright? The only reason someone might interrupt his birthday event, was indeed a case of emergency.

Shou heard footsteps approaching the tent rapidly now. A dark silhouette was showing against the light from outside.

Maybe a crazy fan had found out about his location somehow? Was Shou in danger? Would someone come in? Was someone going to attack him? Or make the situation very uncomfortable?

The entrance of the tent was zipped open with a violent jerk and Shou flinched back. He felt for the flashlight he kept by his side. He switched it on and pointed the light beam right at the entrance – the very same moment someone stuck in their head.

“Oi, what the fuck?! Are you trying to blind me?!”, Yutaka shouted and raised his hand to shield his eyes against the light.

Shou lowered the flashlight immediately.

“Sorry”, he mumbled sheepishly, too surprised to not feel guilty. For a moment, he forgot it was Yutaka, who had ambushed him.

Then Yutaka slipped into the tent and shook his head, getting the wet hair out of his eyes, like a dog trying to dry itself. He had obviously run through the rain.

He looked around the tent and flicked his tongue as if he wasn’t pleased with what he saw.

Shou stared at him. He was wearing nothing but over-sized shirt and sweatpants. He looked like he had forgotten to get dressed before jumping into the car.

“What are you doing here?”, Shou finally managed to get out.

“Oh, please”, Yutaka said and held something up.

Only now did Shou realize that Yutaka was carrying a huge roll of duct tape with him.

“I know this tent is a leaky motherfucker”, he declared.

Without much ado he took the flashlight from Shou’s hand, who was still too shocked to hold on to it. Yutaka pointed the light beam at the roof overhead. Then he ripped off pieces of duct tape with his teeth and plastered them across the holes. It looked awful and provisional, but Shou had to admit, that it was undeniably effective.

“Where did you get the duct tape from?”, Shou asked, just watching Yutaka for a moment. He was so caught up in his work, he was hardly paying attention to Shou.

“Home”, he said and tore another piece of duct tape off with his teeth. It made him look wild, aggressive and oddly sexy. “I started driving when the rain got heavier in Tokyo. I couldn’t believe it, when I saw you took this tent. It leaked the last time we used it already. You should have been prepared.”

“So, you were watching the stream”, Shou concluded hesitantly.

Yutaka lowered his arms, but didn’t turn to look at Shou. Instead he inspected his work, making sure he hadn’t missed any leaking spots.

“I was tuning in shortly”, Yutaka said after a long pause. He spoke kind of huffily.

“Thank you”, Shou admitted softly.

Now Yutaka did turn to look at him. His dark eyes were surprisingly tender.

“Well, someone has to take care of you. And you are doing an awful job at it yourself. You shouldn’t be sleeping out here in this weather. You’ll catch a cold.”

Shou pulled up his shoulders defensively.

“So, you want me to go home? Then why fix the tent?”

Yutaka shrugged and grinned. The light of the flashlight was casting weird shadows on his face. It made the bags under his eyes look very dark.

“I want you to go home”, he confirmed. “But I know you are way too stubborn to listen to me. Not wanting to disappoint the fans and all that. As if they give a fuck where you sleep, seriously. They just want to watch you.”

Shou opened his mouth to protest, but Yutaka just held up a hand to stop him.

“Yes, yes, I know”, he said. “And that’s why I fixed the tent. I don’t even want to try arguing with you. Now, you got a dry piece of clothing in here?”

Shou furrowed his brow, but turned to look through his clothes.

Yutaka was speaking more firmly than was usual for him. Somehow, Shou found that weirdly attractive. Yutaka seemed to have come here with a purpose. Maybe Shou was just happy, that he had showed up at all. Maybe the sleepovers recently had meant something to Yutaka as well.

Shou grabbed the shirt he had worn earlier today and held it out to Yutaka.

Yutaka took it and then leaned over without further explanation. Shou’s first impulse was to pull back, but Yutaka just put the shirt over Shou’s head and started to towel off his hair without warning.

“Look at you”, Yutaka scolded him gently. “Going to sleep with wet hair like that. You want to lose your voice, so we’ll all be left without a job?”

Shou snorted, but let Yutaka dry off his hair, although he wasn’t doing so very gently. The rough touch felt nice anyway. Shou felt cared for. He hadn’t expected anyone to show up here tonight.

Once he was done, Yutaka tended to his own hair, using the shirt to towel it off as well. Then he looked around the tent once more.

“Looks like I fixed it, didn’t I?”, he asked and his voice sounded strangely proud and insecure at the same time, as if he wasn’t sure if Shou would really be impressed by his accomplishment.

Shou looked around as well. No rain seemed to seep in anymore. The tent was dry now and almost cosy, although it could have been a lot warmer.

“You are going to stay?”, Shou assured, suddenly scared, that Yutaka might just leave now.

“Sure”, Yutaka said. “I didn’t come out here all the way to let you out of sight again. I need to make sure you survive this night and don’t die of pneumonia or something.”

Shou looked around the tent once more, although he knew that Yutaka had brought only the duct tape. He wasn’t even dressed properly.

“You didn’t bring a bedroll”, he observed.

Yutaka shrugged again.

“We can share”, he pointed out. “You don’t mind sleeping close, do you? We’ve been sharing the bed recently and I thought …”

“There are cameras outside”, Shou cut him short and nodded to the entrance of the tent. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea.”

Yutaka smirked.

“They can’t look inside, can they?”, he said. “Come on, it will keep you warm.”

He pointed towards the bedroll.

Shou bit his lower lip and hesitated for a moment. But then he was so happy that Yutaka had showed up and he loved sleeping close to him. And it was cold and no one would ever find out and what did it even matter and he really loved sleeping close to him.

With awkward motions Shou crawled back into the bedroll, leaving the zipper open, so Yutaka could slip in next to him. Their bodies were pressed together closely all of a sudden and Yutaka felt incredibly warm.

He tried to pull the zipper back up, but it got suck halfway. The bedroll was too small for both of them. But Shou didn’t think it felt too bad anyway.

He buried his face against Yutaka’s neck, his arm around Yutaka’s waist. They had fallen asleep like that often lately. Shou felt safe with his limps wrapped around Yutaka like that. There was nothing sexual about it – at least there wasn’t tonight. Shou had felt so cold and lonely before and Yutaka was warm and the sound of the rain played on the roof of the tent. It just felt cosy and intimate. Maybe there would be more in the future, but tonight, this shared bedroll was all that Shou had needed.

Ironically, Shou had always thought he would feel safer falling asleep in someone’s arms; that he would like to be held. But when he was with Yutaka, he just wanted to hold on to him desperately. Knowing that Yutaka wouldn’t leave was all that Shou needed to feel safe.

Yutaka switched off the flashlight. It remained bright, though. Shou missed his sleep mask again.

He could feel Yutaka’s chest heaving with each breath. His body was weirdly tense, as if he was trying to suppress a shiver.

“You are cold”, Shou observed.

His shoulders were growing cold, too. He wished they had at least one additional blanket.

“It’s fine”, Yutaka said.

Shou smirked, because Yutaka had called him stubborn before. Yutaka was quite stubborn himself.

“You should have brought blankets”, he teased him. “Bringing only duct tape. You should have known that was a bad idea.”

“And you didn’t bring blankets and even forgot the duct tape”, Yutaka reminded him. “I think I’m winning here.”

Shou chuckled and pressed his eyes shut again.

He was cold, yes, but with Yutaka this close to him, he already felt a lot better.

The fact that the others had not even wanted to watch his livestream had made him feel unloved. He wanted his bandmates to care about him as much as Shou cared for them. But at least Yutaka seemed to care.

Somehow, Shou was glad that it was just the two of them right now. They wouldn’t cuddle this openly with Jun and Kenji around.

He also felt a tiny little bit sad, though.

Yutaka was the only one who had shown up for him, because of their involvement with each other lately. He was here, because he had romantic interest in Shou. And that was great. Shou wanted Yutaka to have romantic interest in him. But that also meant, that if he blew this and if it didn’t work out between them, he’d be alone again.

On a weird level, Shou wished Yutaka would be here as his friend and not as his date. 36 years and he wanted to know that someone cared for him unconditionally. It seemed about time.

Next to him Yutaka made a funny little noise.

“You want to go back to the city?”, Shou asked.

Yutaka grunted.

“I won’t be the one to make you give up”, he said. “I couldn’t forgive myself that.”

Shou moved his thumb, gently stroking Yutaka’s chest where his hand was resting.

“If it gets too bad, we could try to call the staff to bring out more blankets.”

“It will be fine”, Yutaka soothed him. “Let’s just try to fall asleep.”

For a moment, they lay in silence. In the distance Shou could hear a faint noise; almost like a car engine. He wasn’t sure, though, until he heard a car pull up outside. It seemed to park in the area free of trees behind Shou’s shooting place, right where Yutaka’s car was already parking.

“Are you expecting any more men to tenderly hold you through the night?”, Yutaka asked mockingly.

Shou boxed against his ribcage lightly, which wasn’t easy, because in the bedroll together, they hardly had space to move.

A door fell shut. Shou held his breath, waiting for what would happen next. Maybe it was someone from the staff this time?

“Let me out”, he asked hoarsely, suddenly worried, that someone might open the tent and find him and Yutaka curled up together.

Surprisingly, Yutaka did not argue, although he usually loved to argue with Shou. He unzipped the bedroll and rolled over, so Shou could sit up and crawl towards the entrance on his knees.

He unzipped the tent carefully, squinting his eyes as he peeked outside. He could vaguely make out a person opening the trunk of their car. As they straightened up again and walked towards the tent, they were carrying so many blankets in their arms, that it was impossible to even see their face. All that Shou could spot above the blankets was a shock of washed-out purple hair.

“What’s going on out there?”, Yutaka asked from behind.

Shou smiled widely and opened the door of the tent more widely.

“We’ve just got ourselves some blankets”, he announced, although Yutaka could obviously see that. They were handed inside first and Shou passed them on to Yutaka, who immediately started to unfold them.

Only then did Jun pop in his head and crawled into the tent awkwardly, nearly tripping over while taking off his shoes.

“Jun, what are you doing here?!”, Yutaka called out. “Can you even survive a night without your silk towels and vegan soaps, or will that make you cry?”

Jun snorted and rolled his eyes visibly. He was dressed way warmer than Yutaka. He had even thought of putting on a proper sweater.

“Well, what does it look like?”, Jun said dryly and grabbed one of the thinner blankets, wrapping it around Shou’s shoulders without paying attention to his protest. “I saw on the stream, that this idiot here only brought a bedroll and no blankets. I knew he was going to freeze.”

Jun shook his head and made himself comfortable next to them. All of them were sitting cross-legged now, wrapped up in blankets. The rain outside had stopped for a while, but it still felt cosier inside.

“So, you were watching, too”, Shou said and couldn’t hide his smile.

“Sure”, Jun said and huffed quietly. “We know what happens when we let you out of sight.”

He turned to Yutaka.

“And what are you doing here?”

Yutaka shot him a dark glance.

“Don’t act so surprised. You stole my idea, when you saw me on the stream.”

“When did you get here?”, Jun asked.

Yutaka shrugged.

“Fifteen minutes ago? Half an hour? I don’t know.”

“Well”, Jun said. “The drive up here takes about an hour, genius. How was I supposed to know? I left home, before you got here.”

Yutaka pointed to the roof of the tent.

“I fixed the holes. You know the tent was leaking.”

Jun looked up and inspected the duct tape construction critically. Then he looked at Shou sternly.

“You knew the tent was leaking. And you knew it would be cold. You are hopeless. You’d be lost without us.”

Shou tried to feel offended, but still he couldn’t stop smiling. Jun had no idea how true that was. Shou would be lost without his bandmates. Without them, he’d never have succeeded at anything. They were the reason he was able to live off the music and the shows that he loved. Everything, he had reached in the 36 years of his life so far, he had reached thanks to them.

“Too bad Kenji isn’t here”, he said quietly to change the topic.

“We could text him”, Jun suggested.

Shou shook his head.

“I’m sure he is asleep already. It’s late.”

Yutaka cleared his throat and rubbed his palms together as if he was trying to warm up his hands.

“Still cold?”, Shou asked and wrapped the blanket Jun had given him around himself more tightly.

It was nice with which naturalness they had both shown up here to take care of him. Yutaka fixing the tent while scolding him. Jun wrapping him in a blanket while scolding him. And neither of them trying to make him go home. Neither of them was trying to make him give up. They just went along with his stupid ideas and did their best to support him. It had always been like this. It was how their band worked. Shou wished he could tell Yutaka and Jun, how much he loved them.

“I’m fine”, Yutaka said. “I could just use some …”

He was interrupted by the noise of another car pulling up outside.

“Well, fuck me, I don’t believe this”, Shou said and stared at the entrance of the tent incredulously.

Jun started laughing.

“Well, I’m curious, what he brought”, Yutaka said.

Shou shook his head and eyed Jun and Yutaka suspiciously.

“This was planned, right?”, he assured. “You planned this.”

“If we did, we’d share a car, idiot”, Yutaka said. “Think about it.”

Shou turned back to look at the entrance of the tent.

For a while, everything stayed silent, then someone rattled on the tent from the outside.

“Shou, Shou, you in there?”, Kenji’s voice called out.

“Where else am I supposed to be?”, Shou called back and shook his head in amusement.

Jun crawled over and opened the tent.

“Eeh?!”, Kenji called out when he saw him. “Jun? What are you doing here?”

He bent down and crawled inside, starting to cackle as soon as he spotted Yutaka as well.

“Oh, I’m last, really? And there I thought showing up here would be a great surprise!”

“You should have driven faster”, Yutaka said and pointed to the large backpack Kenji swung from his shoulders. “Now, what did you bring? I fixed the tent, Jun provided blankets. A snack would be nice now.”

Shou laughed and nudged Yutaka’s shoulder.

“It’s night, how can you be hungry?”

Kenji opened his backpack and got out a convoluted bedroll. Then he presented two Thermos bottles and a set of plastic cups.

“I brought hot tea”, he said and unscrewed the first bottle. “It’s important to stay warm and hydrated to not catch a cold. I was sure you wouldn’t think of that.”

He poured a first cup and handed it to Shou.

Shou closed his hands around it firmly. The warmth of the tea was seeping through the plastic and heated up his palms. He felt very warm on the inside, too.

He looked at Yutaka and at Jun and at Kenji, who were all filling tea cups for themselves now. And he knew that he hadn’t wasted his years, focusing on the band activities. Sometimes, he wondered if over all that work, he had missed the right timing to find someone to love him and someone to found a family with.

But he hadn’t missed his chance for finding love by giving everything to the band. His family was right here with him.

“Thanks for coming out all the way here, guys”, he said and raised his tea cup.

“Of course”, Kenji said and smiled. Even in the shitty beam of the flashlight, he looked handsome and his eyes were kind and his smile genuine.

“We wouldn’t let you celebrate on your own, would we?”, Yutaka added and grinned at him with his charming, aggressive smile, that made Shou’s heart pick up pace. He looked forward to their next sleepover already.

Jun raised his tea cup as well, the colour of his hair nearly washed out and faded completely. He looked affectionate.

“Happy birthday, Shou”, he said and they clinked their cups together.

And sitting in a dry tent, wrapped up in blankets and drinking hot tea with his bandmates, Shou felt like it might be his happiest birthday yet.

[naraism]

Two concerts. First rows. An afterparty and a meet and greet.

Aka the two best days of my entire life. My hands are still shaking, so pls ignore typos.

Okay, so, Bára/ @followthecreeper , Lucy/ @beauty-at-matrix, our friend Terka and Anna/ @062467 (who joined us to the first rows) and I attended the two concerts in Prague. I’m gonna write down everything I can and the girls are encouraged to add just as much they can. ♡♡♡

The First Concert

The first day we got to the arena at 8am and our waiting began. We managed to be right behind a couple so we were among the first people there – the waiting was annoying but so much worth it. When the gates finally opened we sprinted down into the venue and managed to get a spot in the first row right in front of Paul. (We risked by going to a different entrance than we had on the tickets, thankfully, all went well.) Then came a couple of more hours of waiting and the duo Jatekok started to play. Not your usual choice of a support but I rather liked it. Also during the waiting one of the security guys came to us, asked us how are we doing and then he opened his hand and had a number of Richard’s pick in it. They were gone in a matter of seconds lol – Lucy managed to get one, I had one gripped but a dude was stronger than me. The last ten minutes were the longest minutes in my entire life – though what came after them was the most beautiful thing ever.

Rammstein started playing at 19:40 – Schneider’s intro really knocked the air out of you and as each member started to walk out onto the stage, the madness began. I wanted to cry when I finally saw them all right in front of me and when Paul walked to our side and IMMEDIATELY started looking into the audience, we lost our shit. @babypaulchen was right, the man keeps staring at you, keeps smiling at you and plays with you the entire time! We could see he really loved when we started to headbang and our hair went flying everywhere – I can remember how he was looking at me, smiling, and then he started to headbang too, encouraging us to be crazy.

I think that somewhere in the beginning of the concert Till came to our side and sung right in front of us. Then the motherfucker looked at me and mimicked at me that I should take my shirt off and show him my tits. I just raised the crop top so my bra was visible but that was not enough for him and he kept raising his hands up, so I would take the bra off too. With so many people around I was too shy to do that so I just laughed and shook my head, screaming NO! at him. He pretended to be offended, waved his hand in dismiss and returned to the center. Later in the song he came back and did the leg thingy where he threw his leg onto the railing and kept singing.

Paul kept running from one place to another, being the sweetheart that he is, he even climbed behind Schneider to play with him and then kissed his forehead. My heart melted. And every time he was on his side he kept looking down, seeing us party down there and laughing so much. I never really could hold his gaze longer than for a couple of seconds, It just felt like you’re suddenly the only person it there. He also went down to the fence and signed a couple of things, then he touched our hands as he walked by. The same thing went with Till when he was kicked down during Mein Teil and he walked by us in all his butcher glory.

During Links one of the main security guys was walking down the row, stopped right in front of me and just offered me the Afterparty bracelet. I couldn’t believe my eyes as he strapped the band around my hand and told me where to go after the concert. Fucking speechless. He then continued into the middle, picking up some other random people as well. I also saw Joe so I waved at him, hen noticed me and winked back lol.

During the concert you could really see how much fun the guys were having, laughing all the time, goofing around, running around and enjoying the energy coming from the audience. The entire stadium flawlessly sung Du hast and Sonne, it really chilled us to the bones, hearing so many people sing in unison. And the same thing can be said about Engel – while the guys were moving to the B stage, the camera was pointed at the audience and guess who had her face shown to the entire arena – I diiiiiiid. They took shots of all different people and before you knew it, the sign to use your phone’s light appeared and everyone was singing their heart out. Really magical. The guys then returned on their boats and our partying with Paul continued. We were doing the fucking Macarena in front of Paul, making him laugh.

Also holy shit I think it was during Du hast Paul stood in front of us, hand nothing to do so he started FLOSSING. You know, that weird-ass dance. Or rather attempted it and then frowned, waved his hand in dismiss and then continued to dance his own little dances.

Rammstein and Ich Will took our breaths away, especially when Till spoke in Czech – ruce nahoru! – and the arena went nuts. A beautiful ending, Till once again used his Czech, charmed us with his thank yous and the guys disappeared into the tower. Also, I almost caught Schneider’s stick, he noticed my screaming and jumping and threw it my way, but a dude next to me had longer hands. Oh well. That was not the end of the day for me. I once again asked one of the security guys where to go, said goodbyes to the girls and went my own way to the Afterparty.

The Afterparty

There was quite a number of us people and even before the stadium emptied, we were ushered into a room with red lights, a bar, a DJ set and couches and chairs by the walls. I was feeling kinda weird as I didn’t know anybody in there so I just shuffled to the first group that was speaking Czech. Luckily, I befriended a girl, Camie, who was also in the Afterparty for the first time and as I found out, loves Paul just as much I do. We got some mojitos, the barman was happy to hear Czech lol, and we kinda stood there together talking about the concert – in like half an hour Paul was the first one to come out of doors that were curtained and lead to their dressing rooms. It was discouraged to follow them around, you were supposed to enjoy the free booze, the music and if you were lucky enough, one of the guys would start to chat with you. So Paul moved from one place to another, greeting people and talking to them. Then came Schneider and spend some time talking by the dressing room doors, talking to one of the girls I chatted with too.

LOL

While that happened we saw Flake emerge together with Ollie and holy shit, even when they’re both really tall, it’s so easy to overlook them. I think that Ollie immediately went back to the hotel while Flake hanged around for a bit and then also kinda disappeared. We were both freaking out, because holy shit, they’re suddenly so freaking close asjdhhkjasbdkjsad. Till then walked out as well and together with his body guard made a beeline to the exit. He looked like a fucking mob boss, in a dress shirt, suit and a cap. I think he had kinda different plans, as I saw somewhere a pic with him and couple of girls, that were supposedly pole dancers. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

And then the diva walked out. Richard was basically wearing the same clothes he was wearing during the Berlin aftershow, where he was dancing with Khira. He got immediately swarmed by girls, either asking for a signature or for a hug (pics weren’t allowed). We used the situation as well and joined the group, waiting for our turn. Richard was so kind, he was smiling the entire time, laughing, and generally being really friendly. When I asked him for a hug he was like “Sure! :D” and laughed and his hug was so warm and my heart melted. He was also so much smaller than I expected. It might have been also because I was still wearing my steel boots while he had his worn out pair of converse shoes lol. Nonetheless, he was really charming and welcoming.

We then moved in front of the DJ set, with new drinks and danced for a bit – Joe was mixing the songs and it was all really good, he played anything from Depeche Mode and Joan Jett to Billie Eilish and Britney Spears. (I wanted to make a short vid of us dancing later but Joe immediately told me not to do that and wanted me to delete the vid lmao, which I did. I just found it hilarious that we were dancing to Dschinghis Khan’s Moskau jsahajsfka).

We then took a break for a while and discovered that Paul was just next to us, talking to some people. We joined the circle and me and Camie took a vid of us hugging Paul. I talked to him for a bit, thanked him for the show, telling him how much I enjoyed it and that it couldn’t have been better. He smiled that adorable smile of his and offered me his hand so I took it and before I knew what’s going on he raised it and kissed it. Then he hugged me and thanked me as well. He is also so so tiny ksjaflshfkskfa. And because Paul’s attention span is non-existent, he was already turning to other people to talk to them. We were both freaking out, Camie shook me by my shoulders in joy, not realizing she was pushing me accidentally into Schneider’s back. We then went for more drinks, the poor barman was almost out of alcohol, so he tried to mix up anything drinkable lol.

(we weren’t allowed to take any pics but Camie managed to make a sneaky video, bless her - PLS DO NOT STEAL THE GIF, DO NOT REPOST IT)

We talked for a bit, saw Richard hanging by the doors into the arena – if someone wanted to smoke they had to go out, it made sense he’s going to be there. I told Camie that I’d like to talk to him but before I could come with anything sensible she was already pushing me towards him. We stopped by him and I just started to babble about how I like his work, that especially the last Emigrate album was great. He put his hand onto his heart and kept thanking me, doing these tiny bows and looking absolutely adorable/hot. I also mentioned that Brig was at the 1,2,3,4 video shoot and that it was really great and he just kept smiling, thanking and being happy in general. Then other people came to talk to him so we left them alone, going to relax a bit.

We could see that only Paul and Richard remained, although more and more people were dancing. We joined them and danced our hearts out, loving every song that Joe played. Not soon after Paul got up from the couches and joined the dancing group, dancing there with us. It was so surreal – he was dancing right next to me, being his little energetic self and also trying not to spill his wine. We kept dancing there for some time and Paul then slowly moved through the groups, dancing around till we lost sight of him.

I had to check if there were any trams going back to my flat as it was already after midnight. We danced for a bit longer but some drunk guy was trying to get our numbers and kept inviting us to him so we tried to distance ourselves. We also discovered that Paul had already left as there were not so many people – there could have been like 70(?) of us, now probably not even half. Richard was still there, though he was again talking to some girls. I was already getting tired and didn’t want to wait for another hour for the trams so in a hurry I said goodbye to Camie, looked around for the last time and left the afterparty. And because I was an idiot (and drunk) I fucked up my night trams and in the middle of nowhere, with dead phone I had to go to the nearest opened pub and asked for a taxi. I returned home around 2am and barely had any strength left.

The Second Concert and the Meet and Greet

Since I had the meet and greet event I did not have to wake up early – Bára left in the morning to wait with the rest of the girls again for the first row and I had a chance to sleep in till 4pm and get rid of the hangover. I asked the girls to write down everything that happened in the first row again, because apparently, it was wilder than the first time – just seeing Bára “pick her nose” in the gigantic screen while Lucy was facepalming made me laugh so hard. They returned with with drumsticks and a pink hat signed by Paul. And supposedly simulated sex with glow sticks during Pussy, making Paul lose his shit.

The Meet And Greet

(I will upload my pics on a separate post :) )

For a month or so I was in a group chat with the other people that were also attending the M&G and we agreed to meet a bit earlier to finally meet each other. I wanted to stop at the merch-truck but the queue was so fucking long I left it be (I just hope they’ll put the shirts into the rammshop like they did last time). We all met, chatted for a bit – there were people from all over Europe – from Germany, Poland, Sweden, Holland, Italy, Russia – I was actually the only Czech there lol.

We were picked up around 18:50 by the guy who was responsible for us, he checked our IDs and then took us through the VIP zone down the stairs to the same room where the afterparty was the day before. We had to wait for a bit as there were some other guest meeting the guys who were then escorted up the stairs. Thee guys apparently received Gold for the 7th album. Also one of the guys that was taking care of us told us that one of the grannies living nearby the arena called the fire department, thinking it was on fire lmao.

Anyway, after like ten minutes, we were let in and stood in a row against the wall where a couple of hours before I was dancing my head off. There was a woman that was telling us how it’s all going to happen, that the members will have pens, will sign one item and can take a pic. She couldn’t even finish her sentence and Richard already walked in, in his full stage outfit, took some pens from her and moved to one side of the line. She said something like “Ah, here is the first one.” And Richard, nonchalantly replied “I’m always the first one.” while beginning to sign stuff. What an experience. It got a bit chaotic then because the rest of the guys suddenly appeared too and stared signing stuff from the other side.

Before Richard could get to me, Oliver singed all of our stuff and apologized that he’s not taking any pics today as he is in hurry. I did not understand at first but then I realized he was the only one who was not in a stage outfit and they were supposed to play in like a half an hour. Then came Richard, now much taller with his boots and signed my album. Joe was again with him and because I did not really want to have selfies with the guys I asked him to take the pic. He did, just as he did it to other people as well.

Then came Flake in his glorious golden outfit, smiling and being friendly. A girl on my left complimented his outfit, pointing to her silver top, telling he inspired her. It was so cute seeing him thanking her and complimenting her outfit just as well. I greeted him, thanked him for the show, took a picture with and wanted to also thank him for all the books he wrote, though there was already a queue forming – Schneider was right behind him, so he had to move forward.

Let me tell you, Schneider is such a sweetheart. While he was getting ready to sing my stuff I told him how I started drumming because of him and how it helped me to deal with stuff and he immediately started grinning and going “Aawww, thank you so much, that is wonderful!” and was smiling like an idiot, just as me. There was nobody free to take a picture so with him I took a selfie – even when I tried to stay cool my hands were shaking a bit and he was patient enough to take a proper pic. Than he thanked me once again and moved forward.

PAUL. Paul, baby, I love you so much. Again a very cheery Hi! And that wonderful smile of his. When he was about to sign the album I asked him if he could draw that smiley face he does and he laughed and said “Sure!” and drew the prettiest self-portrait ever. It was so surreal to watch him draw it, focusing hard on it to make it perfect. He did a couple of re-touches until he was satisfied with it and then proudly smiled as he observed his creation. I asked the girl next to me for a pic. Her hands were shaking quite a bit so when she took the pictures, Paul was concerned with the results. “Are the pictures okay?” He asked as he looked down into my phone. “Are they blurry?” So we checked them together and they were fine; again, he was so happy with the result. Meanwhile Till was going from the other side of the line so Paul was stuck next to me so he turned to me and smiled – he pointed to my red crop top and told me: “Oh, we match!” he had the red beanie and red boots on and in that second I died inside. “We both have red!” he said happily and then slowly moved to the girl next to me. The last thing he did was that he looked at me and asked “Alles okay?” I just managed to laugh and told him that “Ja, just perfect.”

He then spent some time with the girl next to me, looking at the pictures she had brought for signing – he was amazed by the quality and took his time looking over them, looking at each individually. He even called Till over to look at them. That’s where I internally cried as my almost non-existent German did not help me. What I could understand was that Till looked at it, telling him that those were pictures from Instagram. Paul asked him where from and they both started discussing the pics and Instagram. It was adorable – Paul was in awe while Till just shrugged and continued signing, taking pictures. Paul signed the main picture she had and then she quickly showed Paul a picture of him, where he was striking a pose with his guitar leaning back. He was overjoyed and immediately copied the pose, leaning back, doing the same pose. He then laughed and signed some pictures and moved on.

Till was the last one to come, he quickly signed my stuff and I let the guy next to me take the picture. I can’t describe the feeling when he put his gigantic paw around me – he really is a bear turned into a human. I also loved how nonchalant he was about the whole M&G. He then moved to the guy next to me and signed his stuff and I was supposed to take the pic. Except I put my phone down onto the ground next to my things and expected him to hand me his phone. “No, take it with yours, it’s better!” so I bent down for it and heard Till laugh and say “Too late!” and moved to the next person. He was of course just joking and when I was ready with the phone he returned and I took the picture.

In another minute or two it was all over, Schneider and Paul told us to enjoy the show, smiled and then again disappeared into the dressing rooms. Us people with the standing tickets were escorted out into the arena and I had a pleasant surprise – on the other side of the doors stood Ulrike, in her beautiful black dress. Holy shit she’s really tall. I wanted to compliment her dress though she was busy herding their sons, it was hilarious. We passed, let her inside and went to find a good spot.

The Second Concert

I stayed with the guy who was next to me during the M&G, nicknamed Probo, who was from Italy. He told me he managed to not spoil himself the concert so it was really precious watching his reactions. We stayed near the B stage, meaning we had a beautiful view of the entire stage and the fire show. It was also nice to see the guys singing Engel and encouraging the crowd to sing as well. Especially Paul did jsahjsfkuftjhchd. Then we had a wonderful view of the guys on the boats – Schneider and Paul tried to stand up but fell down to their knees in a moment while laughing like maniacs. We enjoyed the rest of the show, danced and sung with the crowd. Last nice surprise was that People sang Sonne while the piano version was in the background as the guys kneeled.

Oh and when there was the camera from the backstage, filming the guys as they’re getting into the elevator, there was nobody to give Richard a cigarette, so he just stood in front of the camera, opened his mouth and kept pointing his finger into it till somebody finally came to him and put the cigarette right into his mouth. That was really… something.

Anyways, this is all from me and I hope @followthecreeper, @beauty-at-matrix, and @062467 will add their stories from the first row.

Best two days of my entire life. ♡♡♡

[brightsun-and-darkmidnight]

Stubborn Independence

TITLE: Stubborn Independence 

CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: 1/10

AUTHOR: brightsun-and-darkmidnight

ORIGINAL IMAGINE: 

Imagine Loki struggling to adjust to someone who is independent and insists on paying for themselves all the time, even if it is a struggle sometimes. They need to do everything on their own. They never ask for help and refuse help. Just imagine Loki really wanting to spoil this person. Imagine how creative he would get to make life easier on this person who has captivated him.

+

Imagine being a talented singer at your local club. Loki comes in one night with Thor and the others (he’d rather be anywhere else but who turns down free drinks?) and gets ensnared in the voice of the beautiful singer on stage. Suddenly, his interest (and arousal) are more than piqued.

+

Imagine getting into a petty fight with Loki, so in retaliation, he puts everything on the top shelf where you can’t reach? 

AUTHOR'S NOTES: College AU. Loki is determined to take over Odin's company. He works hard and has a strict schedule for success. However, with the interference of Thor and the other four, Loki's plans are often interrupted so they can play matchmaker.

My Ao3: brightsun_and_darkmidnight

 ~ ~ ENJOY  ~ ~

Fandral smiled brightly with a loud laugh and in a desperate time to prove him wrong, Loki looked at his schedule with a smart remark on his tongue. Loki's smile disappeared quickly. Damn. He did have the same class as Fandral.

Fandral smiled that bright smile and then winked to the side and Loki heard the high pitched giggles of flirting women, "Shall we walk together when classes start next week? Perhaps I could get you a date this year?"

With an eye roll and voice laced with sarcasm Loki replied, "yes because I want help from you." 

Sif held her hand out to Loki for his schedule. Thor insisted earlier she could mark where everyone would be this semester for easy communication. So, unwillingly Loki handed it to her knowing he was sentencing himself to public outings instead of the comfort of his room with books. He pondered if he should get out of those outings or try to get out of his room. Perhaps he would meet someone, or a few people, to hang out with instead of his brother during meal times.

Thor clapped Loki's back, "this is going to be the time of our lives. College is full of possibilities. Last year was such a great time for the five of us! There were plenty of people I met! Last year all you did in your free time was study. Lighten up Brother, and develop friendships."

Siff spoke up after scribbling on schedules, "Or he could get the best grades, and the honors scholarship for extra money." Sif gave Thor a raised eyebrow after he chuckled, then she shrugged going back to scribbling. She muttered, "graduate top class and make more money than you. Support himself and whoever stumbles into his life."

Valstagg's boisterous laughter caught everyone's attention until his eyes darted in the direction of a food truck. He mumbled, "That would be quite the stumble for Loki to notice."

Hogun's lip twitches a smidge as he looked at the schedules with Siff and marking them. Loki's schedule was back and he looked it over. He had the 8am class with Thor and knew the idiot would miss too much class from the way Thor groaned over a class first thing on a Monday. Loki had the damn extracurricular art class that Fandral was also in.

Loki was excited for art class because he practiced occasionally by drawing what he imagined a scene looked like from his leisure readings. Although Loki was terrible at drawing realistic details, nothing stopped him from trying. This class filled a block in his major which further helped him decide to pursue some knowledge for his little hobby. No one would ever see such things due to drawing being a secret… well, for now anyway. Fandral was likely to tell everyone of his poor skills once their shared classroom of a three hour long session two times a week.

Fandral inquired, "so...Sif are we going to come to your dorm room for lunch?"

Sif smirked, "the invitation goes to everyone but you."

"How cruel to keep me away from the sight of your beautiful dorm mate."

Loki turned as he claimed he would see them later. Loki strolled to the dinning hall. It was a typical day; annoying brother and his friends, people all around him talking animatedly with others, some more intimately touching with the hold of hands or lips locked together. Loki tore his gaze from those people and observed where he was, and why he was there and NOT for some romantic adventure.

The buildings seemingly new due to constant cleaning and repairs. The pathways that seemed to be expanding due to hurried people walking beside the sidewalk trying not to be late. His night owl of a brother for example was always in a rush and did not go with the pace of everyone else. Otherwise, the grass was perfectly manicured. There were areas for decorative flowers, bushes, as well as well placed trees. 

Individuals gathered under trees seeking some comfort in the cooler shade. Loki glanced upwards to the sky that was currently cloudy. Then the sun shone thus pouring warmth onto him and momentarily blinding him. 

Loki was sure he somehow ran into something but with a curse word flying out of someone's mouth realization struck instantly this was not an object. Loki instinctively held his hands out to catch the person. Short hair in blended layers caught the sunlight in wonderful variations of browns. The hair seemed to flow slowly as Loki hastily pulled the person closer to prevent a fall. Warm leather in his hands that helped with the grasp. Once stabilized Loki glanced down and noticed the petite and plus size girl in his grasp. 

Her eyes were shielded by huge sunglasses, her full cheeks framed by hair placed perfectly, except for a few strands dancing near her lips. A full lower lip pressed to her thin upper one as she pushed out of his grasp.

The trance seemed to end as Loki watched the girl pick up her phone. The glistening pieces around the device let Loki know instantly the screen was shattered. The woman ran her fingers through her hair and Loki was convinced that must be how her hair was supposed to be due to it looking better than before. Her eyebrows angled as she tapped on the phone and it seemed to be working.

Loki had money to replace her phone, even get his which was the newest model of over a thousand dollars. His parents had money due to his father, Odin, owning a software corporation that was supposed to be handed down to either Thor or Loki. Of course depending on who learned the most in college from their business majors. Loki actually had plenty of money he earned himself due to taking a position to work in his father's business, a branch closest to the campus in an attempt to learn more. To inherit the corporation was the goal and was the reason he spent too much time in his room, practicing programming for his second major in computer science.

Loki quickly replied as soon as it registered, "I am sorry. I didn't-"

The woman's face turned to his with lightning speed and her lips parted with a harsh tone, "if you say you didn't see me because I am short I will bring you down to my level with a punch to your gut."

Loki blinked and finally noticed how short the woman was. He estimated a little over a foot smaller than himself due to him being able to rest his arm on her head easily, if he were to even attempt it. However with the fiery look he was getting, Loki stammered, "I can get you a new phone. Any phone you want."

The woman was already tapping on her phone quickly as if sending a text. A few strands of her hair danced in her face but she seemed to ignore it. Loki however, needed to push back a single hair back in place to maintain his professional and clean appearance. Loki was not sure if she was ignoring him or not and he absentmindedly cleared his throat.

The dark haired woman placed her phone in a pocket, ran her other hand through her hair that parted in a different way..that was visually satisfactory as well. Her leather jacket protesting with sounds of attempts to stretch as she crossed her arms. Her eyebrows rose above her glasses and her bottom lip pressed to the thinner one. She seems to be annoyed, arguably she had every reason to have that right. She said nothing, nor did she make any attempt to even try to speak.

Loki wasn't sure if this little ball of fire even heard a word he said. He spoke again as he took a small writing tablet from his inner coat pocket, "here is my information, we could meet later and you can pick out any phone you wish. There is a business not far from here that I work at-"

A casual, but with irritation mixed, voice spoke, "Not interested. I have the insurance on this one to have it replaced."

Loki glanced up but did not see her. He turned and she was already walking away, quickly. Loki took long strides to her as he handed the woman the paper with his name, number, and location information to meet. The woman took the paper and seemed to be looking at it with a tilt of her head towards the paper but Loki already seen her eyelashes high up due to her obviously looking at the path she was on. The woman did nothing to stop her quick pace that Loki's long legs easily kept up with.

As she crumpled up the paper and threw it in the recycling bin she spoke, "Thanks for the offer but I will pass."

Loki's eyebrows furrowed, "pardon?"

The small woman stopped as she replaced the sunglasses to her head. "Can you see now that I don't want your help?"

Big eyes that were sharp and harsh with angled eyebrows. Eyelashes so thick they seemed to cast their own shadows among her face. Bright green eyes with flecks of dark brown and an inner iris of honey gold that stemmed into the outer green.

"You just cost me a ton of work to replace a dumbass phone. Nice work by the way to try to get me to call you. Clever plan, but it's not something I fall for."

"If you would let me help-"

The woman interrupted him, again with a scoff. 

All Loki wanted to do was help her. Atleast to replace what he had broken. Everyone else would jump at the latest phone with the best camera and larger screen. Top notch software that had lighting quick responses. A phone that stored everything for Loki; His contacts, everything in his calendar, personal alarms for daily routines, apps that helped with maintaining his body physique, and importantly he had access to the school web pages for homework-In conclusion, Loki's phone was his life.

Loki tries again for a chance to talk quickly.

She waved her hands, palms to him and waved them with her head down, "Uh huh. Nope. Go try to woo someone else with your good looks of, 'tall, dark, and handsome.'" Her eyes met his as her hands gestured to him and her eyes skimmed over him briefly with the burning rage behind them. "There are a ton of people out there to fall for someone to take care of them with your fancy handwriting that obviously comes from a prestigious schooling. As well as your expensive clothes."

Loki's mouth parted and then shut firmly. "You make accusations based on nothing but a few things. Maybe you should try not to judge a book by its cover."

She rose an eyebrow, "how? Over dinner while playing some Q and A?"

Loki rose his eyebrows in shock and his mouth parted slightly. Loki did not miss a chance though, "If it could even things out. Perhaps."

She scoffed and put her glasses back in place over her eyes, "I would pay for myself anyway."

Loki gesture between them before she would turn, "You think that would make this even?"

"How about you just read my lips and understand you don't owe me anything." Her eyebrows rose over the glasses with a forced smile, "we good now?"

Loki stared at the woman in disbelief. "If you insist everything is ok but-"

The woman replied with a curt nod and side smile, "Everything is great. Try to have a good day."

Loki looked elsewhere not believing he was going to let her leave, "I wish you well and give many apologies."

The woman turned when her phone went off, "I have to go. Bye." She did not look back but greeted the person on the other line with a happy melodic, "hel~lo! Sorry I am late. I bumped into someone."

Loki raised an eyebrow at the odd change but paid no attention to it as he went to the dining hall for food. Loki was going to enjoy some of his remaining free time with a large serving of sweets before returning to his room in solitude before Thor, Fandral, and Hogun returned to their combined space. Loki thanked the school for having the set up of separate bedrooms, however cursed the common small kitchen and livingroom that he had to walk through to use one of the bathrooms.

They would always try to get him to join in their "fun" of watching each other play a fighting game while they drank energy drinks. Hogun would go to bed at a reasonable time but the other two would stay up talking loudly about the damn game until they went out to a bar.

Sometimes Loki would join in a few games of cards just to take some of their money. It got to the point where everyone agreed to use just change instead of dollar bills.

Loki smirked as he remembered to take the vase full of coins to the change machine, "Idiots…"

Loki ate alone and no one bothered him either. He did watch as others around him talking cheerfully. A friend might be nice to spend some time with once in a while. However, Loki's phone buzzing in his pocket with his schedule alarm to start practicing programming made him remember he was not there for companionship. He was at college to get an education.

Loki picked up after himself and walked swiftly to his dormitory, swiped his ID card to get through doors and finally his pin password for his shared space with the others. Loki stomach sunk when the lights were still off and no one was there. He noted the feeling as odd while he walked in a daze to his room. He shut his bedroom door off to the rest of the world and readied himself for an hour of programming.

Loki programmed for about an hour and a half to figure out something new he stumbled onto. Loki needed a shower. Something about programming made him feel dirty, uncomfortable, and needing to feel fresh again. Loki's cursed phone rang for the third time since he was getting ready to relax with a book. The most annoying sound he had on his phone was Thor's ringtone. Loki purposely hit the end button to hang up and force the call to his mailbox. Grabbing a book and sitting in his comfortable desk chair Loki's daily peace began.

[lsesu]

Key bits of LSE Campus

Today, we are tackling the one thing that will have been on every incoming students’ mind at some point…LSE Campus.

There are maps and guides that you can download from the official LSE website, but we are going to give you a whistle-stop tour of all the key buildings, facilities and places that you need to know about, and where you can find them.

1.      Student Services Centre

This is your go-to place if you have a university-related problem that you need help or advice with. The Student Services Centre can help you with admissions, registration, fees, financial support, immigration and visas, exams, results and lots more. It is located in the LSE Old Building and is open Monday – Friday, 11am-4pm.

Find out more about the full range of services offered by the Student Services Centre here.

Address: Student Services Centre, (Ground Floor) Old Building, Houghton Street, London, WC2A 2AE

2.    The LSE Library

The LSE Library is the main building for study space and all study resources like books / journals etc. that you would use for studying. It’s open from 8am until midnight for anyone who has an LSE ID Card (if you haven’t got yours, you’ll need to enter during the hours of 9am-5pm).

There are 5 floors of mixed usage. From over 50 kilometres of books on the Lower Ground, 1st, 2nd and 3rd floors. To mixed study spaces on all 5 floors. Ranging from silent, to group study. There are also degree level specific study rooms on the 4th Floor, One for Undergraduates and one for Postgraduates.

Other services in the library include a copy shop for binding and printing, LSE Life and the Women’s Library (an specific collection focusing on women’s rights and for women’s equality).

Address: LSE Library, 10 Portugal Street, London, WC2A 2HD

3.    The Students’ Union building (that’s us!)

To be honest, we’re probably the most important one to know – because not only are we the home of all the fun things, but we can also direct you to all of the other places and services on here.

Your Students’ Union is located in the Saw Swee Hock Building (3rd Floor) on Sheffield Street.

If you want to get involved with or find out more about sports clubs, societies or media groups, we are the people to come to. In the building, we have our own gym, two cafes which are great study spaces, a club venue and student bar. You can also find your full time and part time student officers in here, who will be working throughout the year to represent you to LSE’s management.

We host a wide variety of events every term and we have our free and confidential advice service that can support you on any problem, whether it be university-related or personal.

Your SU is based in the Saw Swee Hock Building and is open weekdays 10am-4pm (except for the gym, which has its own opening hours).

Address: The Saw Swee Hock Student Centre, 1 Sheffield St, Holborn, London WC2A 2AP

4.    The Shaw Library

We often find that a number of students don’t even know that this little beauty exists, but it’s one of the best spots on campus! The Shaw Library is located in the LSE Old Building on the 6th floor.

It is both a study space and a common room in itself and is popular among students for its more relaxed atmosphere compared to the main LSE library. It has a selection of books that you won’t find in the main library – think fiction classics, poetry, plays, sports and travel guides.

The Shaw Library can also be used as a music practice room, so for any of you musicians out there, you should familiarise yourself with the booking process for this! We often see Classical Concerts being held in there or performances by the LSESU Music Society.

Oh, and we haven’t even got to the best bit…There is a gorgeous little terrace that can be accessed through the Shaw Library, and not many people know about this either! It’s a great spot for kicking back with your friends or for a quick breath of fresh air in the middle of your study session. This really is a hidden gem on campus, so make sure you go and check it out!

5.   Study Spaces

The Library can often get crowded at times, especially during exam season. But there are plenty of places on Campus that you can study.

The Centre Building, Old Building, The Peacock Theatre, Saw Swee Hock and the NAB Building all have comfortable seats and spaces that you can study. Most likely, these spaces will have tables, power sources and sometimes even beanbags so that you can get really comfy!

These are just a few of the many places you can study. The bottom line is, there is tons of space on campus, so don’t panic if you can’t see a spare seat in the LSE Library…go and find your own study space that works for you!

Find out more about the different campus study spaces here

6.   Chill spaces

It’s important to have your chill spots and places to relax. Lucky for you, there’s plenty of public and hidden gems around campus that you can make your own.

Lincolns Inn Fields is right opposite the NAB building, which is a great place to kick back and spend some time with friends or for a break between lectures. There are also two rooftops on campus that will give you some of the best views of London! Come and check out our 6th Floor terrace and the 12th floor balcony of the Centre Building (opens 12th August 2019).

We mentioned the Shaw Library Terrace earlier; this is definitely a great place to kick back and relax. Oh, and there’s also a beauty salon which is a short walk from Saw Swee Hock!

Everyone de-stresses and relaxes differently, so make sure you take a good old wander through all the campus buildings to find the chill spaces that work for you.

7.   Shops

There’s a number of shops on campus. Here in Saw Swee Hock, we have our two cafes (one being vegan!) that sell a range of hot and cold snacks, sweet treats as well as hot drinks. If you are looking for some protein bars and shakes, head on up to the LSESU Gym on the 4th Floor and they will be able to show you the full range!

Opposite the Saw Swee Hock Building, we have two LSE Shops that sell Official LSE Merchandise, stationary and various types of snacks.

If you are a book person, then Alpha Books is definitely a shop that you need to see! Located on the corner of Sheffield and Portsmouth street, they sell a wide range of books throughout the year. Oh, and if you want to get rid of your old textbooks at the end of the year, pop in and talk to them as they buy lots of unwanted books from students every summer!

8.   Common Rooms

There are dedicated common rooms on campus for students. There is an Undergraduate Common Room and a Postgraduate Common Room, which both have dedicated opening times. You can access these spaces with your LSE ID Card.

The Common rooms are kitted out with comfy seating, hot water access and microwaves, which makes them great spaces to catch a quick break with your friends between lectures.

And there you have it! Your whistle-stop tour of the key spots on LSE Campus is complete. Definitely pencil in some time to go exploring campus when you get here! You can book yourself a guided campus tour, but we personally think it’s better to go wandering yourself - we guarantee you will find loads more places that are of interest or use to you. See you in September!

[the-bark-is-worse]

HumaniTea- Rivetra

Chapter 6- Of First Days and First Customers and First Dates

Read previous Chapters of HumaniTea here on AO3!

Their day of rest had been just that. Though Petra had hoped to have spent the day in town visiting the shops, she quickly found she had been exhausted, drained from her episode the night before, with only enough energy for a trip to the bakery and a few household errands.

Levi had not brought it back up after their talk that morning; it was something she was thankful for, not only for her embarrassment, but to spare herself of the awkward realization she had asked him to share a bed with her. There was no denying the fact she felt something for him, and while her request for him to stay had no venereal backing to it (quite the opposite, in fact,) it still was a thought that made her cheeks feel warm with embarrassment, for herself and for the position she had put her captain in.

But…it was comforting…

She had always felt safe with her captain, but she had never felt safer than she did in his hold; a feeling and thought that caused those butterflies that danced the night she kissed him to flutter in her stomach once again.

And while Levi seemed to keep his focus on what waited for them the next day, he too was quietly thankful the subject did not resurface.

—————

“Alright, so let’s go over this once again…” Petra started, causing the man across from her to look up from his meal. His expression, seemingly masked, was a mix of amusement, disbelief, and if Petra was paying any sort of attention, she might have caught a slight roll of his eyes.

“Again…”

“Yes, again; we can never be too prepared,” she popped a chopped piece of carrot into her mouth, making sure to finish chewing and swallowing before speaking again.

“Now…wake up at 5am, get dressed, eat, and be downstairs no later than 6am…you’ll make sure everything is clean and in order and…’reclean as necessary,’” she mimicked his earlier words, and this time she caught him rolling his eyes.

“I’ll get started on the first couple of batches of tea biscuits and keep enough dough on standby in case we need to make more later in the day. 7am, we’ll make sure the stove is lit and the kettles filled and ready for heating, and by 8am we should be ready to open the doors…does that sound right to you?”

His gaze bore into her over the teacup he held before his face, gently blowing into the liquid to cool it down.

“…well?”

He took a sip, swallowed, and kept his cup suspended as he spoke.

“…you forgot to add in time for us to go over this plan again in the morning.”

Petra’s shoulders slumped, a long, exasperated sigh escaping her as she leaned back into her chair. She set her fork down on the edge of her plate in favor of picking up a cloth napkin.

“Look, I’m just nervous, okay? This is your shop, and I don’t want to let you down,” she said, wringing the napkin in her hands, gazing beyond him and into their kitchen.

“Petra…”

Her eyes glanced to meet his which were staring right into her. His cup had been set down on the table, no longer obscuring his face, though his features revealed nothing but his typical, stoic expression.

“In all of the time we’ve worked together, you’ve never let me down once.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but before any sort of noise could pass between her lips, Levi stood from his seat and carried his empty dinner dish to the sink.

“Including the 57th.”

Her lips pressed into a fine line, watching as he began cleaning his dishes. He knew her well, though he knew all his soldiers well. Perhaps that too was what made him so admirable to them as their captain…

——————

“Petra-“

Her eyes twitched, rolling over in the bed and mumbling out, “Just five more minutes, please-“

“…it’s 5:45…”

Her eyes flew open, an expression of panic plastered on her face, similar to what Levi would see when she would often show late to their early morning trainings. He had always found it to be amusing, though never could admit or express such in a superior position.

Quickly, she rolled out of bed, not bothering to straighten her appearance before the man as she began to make the bed.

“I can’t believe I woke up late!!” she exclaimed, smoothing out the blanket on top of the bed.

“I just knew this was going to happen,”

“Petra-”

“-and now I won’t be able to take a shower-“

“Petra-”

“-and I was hoping I could at least make you breakfast before we-“

“Petra!”

She glanced up to him, oblivious to the fact that he must have crossed the room towards her bedroom door while in her panic induced tirade. His face betrayed no emotion, no hint of annoyance or disappointment, though she thought she may have spotted a bit of weariness from lack of sleep.

Petra looked to him expectantly when he did not continue to speak, her brows raising in hopes to prompt him so that she may continue to do all she needed to in less than 15 minutes.

“I’ve got breakfast handled…,” he spoke his eyes casually looking from her to the clock on the dresser, “and it’s only 10 after.”

She was quick, though not as quick as him. Before she knew it, he was gone, the pillow from her bed landing on the floor where he once stood with a thud as she vowed to get him back at some point.

——————-

Despite Petra’s ‘late start,’ she and Levi had managed to start their preparations for the shop as planned. Levi took to making sure everything more or less gleamed while the shop filled with the warm scent of baking biscuits.

Time seemed to pass quickly, and with each passing second, that bubbling feeling of nervousness came over Petra once again. In just a few moments, they would open thee shop doors to the public for the first time.

“Are you ready?” Levi asked, standing a few feet beside Petra as he wiped his freshly washed hands on a towel.

“I- well…I’ve no choice but to be.”

Levi hummed in acknowledgement, folding the towel over a hanging bar and walking towards the shop’s front door. He placed a hand on Petra’s shoulder as he passed behind her, giving it a gentle squeeze. He understood. But he also knew what she was capable of. After all, a few old biddies coming in for morning tea was nothing compared to the war she had lived through. The war which she saw to the end and survived.

He tuned the lock on the front door, propping it open with a door stopper and set out a wooden sign Petra had decorated a few days before, indicating that HumaniTea was open for business.

No sooner had Levi turned his back and made his way to the counter again, it seemed that those biddies he thought of just moments before had trickled in, eager to put their long noses into the shop for something to gossip about later.

“My, it smells heavenly in here,” one of the older women spoke.

“Clean as well; certainly more of a refreshing look compared to the ale house here before,” another commented.

Petra looked to Levi, who stood beside her with his arms folded, leaning against the back work countertop. She gave him a quick, half smile, drinking up enough confidence just by looking at him before turning towards the women and smiling wider.

“Welcome to HumaniTea.”

Her voice was warm and melodious, able to melt any frozen heart that had the fortune of witnessing such a tune.

“Tell me about this shop, young lady,” one of the group of four spoke, standing closest to the counter while the others continued to hobble their way in.

“Well, it’s a tea shop,” she started, a slight and subtle clearing of Levi’s throat he was somewhat amused by her obvious response. Of course, she had no intentions of being rude to their first potential customers, and with a genuine smile she continued.

“There are plenty of different varieties to choose from, many imported from outside the walls.”

A hum of interest sounded from one of the women, two others listening as they squinted their weathered eyes to read the selections, while the fourth kept her focus on Levi.

“You can either sit in the shop while we brew tea for you to drink here, or you can buy leaves to take home.”

Another hum, and this time a different woman spoke, “Do you own this shop, dear? It seems like quite a feat for such a young woman.”

Scratching her cheek, Petra turned her gaze from the women to Levi, “Actually, it’s-“

“Co-owner; we manage the shop together,” Levi cut in, “would you like to order some tea?”

Nosy women were some of his least favorite people to deal with. Nosy women were all he ever dealt with at the height of his military career. They were unavoidable, that much he knew; and he’d have been a moron to think this business would not attract such women these. So for the sake of the business, he’d muster just enough politeness rather than telling them in his crude fashion just where they could stick their long beaks.

“What would you recommend?”

“Well,” this time Petra cut in, “my personal favorite is black tea. And we have plenty of different blends of that, though the last week or so I’ve been drinking a cup of green tea in the mornings. It’s refreshing, energizing, and a good way to start the day, I think.”

The four women began to lightly chatter amongst each other, and within a few moments, one of them spoke again.

“Very well; we’ll each have that then.”

Petra beamed, excited for their first sale.

“We’ll get started on that then. Pick a table and we’ll have it brought out to you,” she said, before turning towards Levi to speak, brows raising in surprise as she hadn’t even noticed the couple that had come in, now discussing their orders with him.

--------------

The day had kept them busy, a handful of townsfolk passing through just for a look, while majority of their visitors came for both a look and a taste of what HumaniTea had to offer. It was nice, Petra had thought, to see so many different faces, and yet she realized just how exhausting meeting so many new people could be. Exhausting, but exciting to see just how well their first day had gone, and how many people left satisfied and eager to return another day.

It was nearly 3pm, closing time for their shop, their last customer, another older woman, paying for the tea and biscuits she had just finished.

“You look quite familiar, young man, have we met before?” she asked Levi, handing over a few bills and coins.

“No, don’t think so,” he responded, placing her payment inside the till.

The woman looked him over a few long moments, sure she had met or even seen him previously, though could not place her finger on where. Her eyes glanced from him, to Petra, and with a smile, she spoke again.

“Your wife is lovely, and has excellent taste with her tea recommendations.”

“Ah-ha, I-oh no, ma’am, I’m not his wife,” she managed to quickly say, her cheeks hot and heart thumping in her chest. Dumbfounded at the woman’s words, she was unsure whether to be flattered by her compliments or embarrassed by her assumptions.

“Oh, what a shame. You’d make for such a lovely couple. Perhaps there’s hope for the future,” the woman said with curl of the corner of her lips and a hint of amusement in her eyes as she left the shop.

 After what seemed like an eternity (granted, the woman did walk with a cane and very slow at that,) a cough sounded from the raven haired former captain, snapping Petra out of her mortified trance.

She turned to him, face still flushed and unsure of what to say.

“I-“

“Let’s start cleaning up,” Levi said, walking towards the entrance to bring in their sign and lock the door.

Petra sighed, picking up a cleaning cloth for the tables to start working, too preoccupied with her own embarrassment to consider that perhaps he was just as equally.

Silently they worked, washing and wiping and prepping for the next day. It had taken them another hour and a half, but once again, the shop was in the same pristine shape it had been the moment they opened the doors that morning. Petra’s embarrassment was long gone, instead now replaced by the joy and sense of accomplishment that came from a successful first day.

“We did it,” she spoke, looking out the shop’s window as Levi counted out the money in the till.

“We did.”

“Everyone seemed to really like the shop as well.”

“They did.”

Silence fell over them once again, Petra watching fondly as a young boy walked past the shop, hands clutching the side of his mother’s skirt.

“I know this was only the first day but…I’m really glad I came with you,” she said, a soft smile gracing her lips.

He did not respond, continuing to count out the day’s earnings. Petra remained at the window, watching, a few minutes passing before finally turning away, stepping back in slight surprise to see he had finished counting and had started to approach her.

“Do you…” he started, taking pause in his words for a moment and tucking a leather pouch in his hands under his arm.

“I know we had already planned for dinner tonight but if you wanted, we could go somewhere…nicer than the pub…”

Petra bit her bottom lip before curling it into a grin.

“Captain…are you asking me out on a date?”

“Call it whatever you want, just give me a damn answer.”

She chuckled. Clearly he had used up all of his patience for the day.

“Yes, I would love that,” Petra said, her excitement for their success bubbling into excitement for something else.

[theolddarkmachine]

Four Years- Victory Lap

It’s his first year of college, and Takashi Shirogane understands many, many things.

He understands the extreme value theorem they’re currently covering in his 8am calculus class, and Rolle’s theorem that it helps to prove.

He understands the basic theories of astrophysics, and how they’ll apply to, hopefully, his future in astronautics.

He even understands fluid mechanics theory, even if just barely.

But what he doesn’t understand, is the boy with the night pitch hair, and eyes colored like dark amethyst. More specifically, he doesn’t quite understand his burning look that only seems to linger on him, even an hour removed from their game.

Which, he’d lost.

That’s another thing he doesn’t quite understand.

Though, maybe that’s just the alcohol talking.

Part 5 of 5

AO3

Tags: Shiro POV, All Four Years Wrapped Into One Neat Chapter, NSFW no really, this chapter only exists to write the sex scene i didnt get to fit in senior year lol

A/N: SURPRISE! Bet y’all thought I was gone, huh? help me its been.... a rough month to say the least lol Anyway, hope this last bit of the Frat AU is worth the hellish wait I put y’all through! 

Also, please excuse any scientific/mathematical inaccuracies. I have but one brain cell, Google, and a science friend who tried her best.

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

1.

It’s his first year of college, and Takashi Shirogane understands many, many things.

He understands the extreme value theorem they’re currently covering in his 8am calculus class, and Rolle’s theorem that it helps to prove.

He understands the basic theories of astrophysics, and how they’ll apply to, hopefully, his future in astronautics.

He even understands fluid mechanics theory, even if just barely.

But what he doesn’t understand, is the boy with the night pitch hair, and eyes colored like dark amethyst. More specifically, he doesn’t quite understand his burning look that only seems to linger on him, even an hour removed from their game.

Which, he’d lost.

That’s another thing he doesn’t quite understand.

Though, maybe that’s just the alcohol talking.

“He hates me,” the alcohol also talks, as Shiro stares into the abyss that is the Beta house’s backyard.

“Who hates you?” Lance asks from beside him, voice bored as he lets his gaze roam over the party. Something at the edge of the alcohol blur in his mind tells him Lance doesn’t quite care, but he humors him anyway.

He’s a good friend, Shiro thinks, dropping his back against the slightly greened fence behind him and groans.

“Him,” he says, emphasizing the word as if it clears anything up at all. It doesn’t seem to, if the thick sound of Lance’s silence is anything to go by.

Growling lowly, his grip tightens around his half emptied cup of mystery punch.

Which, with the way the backyard is fuzzed at its edges and the way his skin is running hot, he probably shouldn’t be drinking.

That, he could dispute with himself in the morning though.

“Him,” Shiro repeats, nodding his head toward the deck. There are several people there, all faded and fuzzed together in a conglomeration of Betas that he doesn’t know, save for one.

One with that dark, wavy hair, and that cutting gaze that Shiro can’t seem to shake.

Keith.

His name is Keith.

Keith Kogane.

From his 8am calculus class, and very possibly, his dreams.

“Dude, too much,” Lance groans in response, slight disgust filling his tone as Shiro realizes he didn’t just think those words. Scrubbing a hand at his nape, he smiles in sheepish apology just as Lance turns his attention toward the deck.

“Are you sure he hates just you?” He continues, arching a brow as he tilts his chin toward the scene before them.

“What does that mean?” Shiro asks, confusion lemon bright on his tongue as he turns back to the deck in time to watch Keith nod at something the bleary stranger beside him said. Whatever it is, it irons out his scowl into something more of a drawn line that makes Shiro’s chest hollow with something just shy of jealousy.

Which is just ridiculous since he’s only ever spoken to Keith the one time, and it was while he decimated him at flip cup.

It must just be the alcohol talking, Shiro thinks to himself as he turns back to Lance.

“You know,” he says, gesturing to his face, “the bitch face. It doesn’t look like he really likes anyone.”

“It’s not a bitch face,” Shiro says, ignoring the defensiveness of his tone as he turns his attention back to his classmate. Dipping behind the rim of his red plastic cup, he sucks mystery punch between his teeth as his gaze catches Keith’s hardened exterior crack and buckle beneath the weight of a smile aimed directly at his companion.

He almost chokes as the curve of it sinks deep into the meat of his chest.

“Or not,” Lance mutters, flicking his look back and forth between Shiro and the deck with what looks almost like pity.

It’s then, that Keith chooses to turn away from his friend, sweeping his eyes across the yard and meeting his with a bright spark. Breath seizing, Shiro watches in what feels like slow motion as his smile drops, followed quickly by his gaze before he turns away completely.

Beside him, there’s a sharp inhale and a low ‘oh’ as Lance reaches up and drops a warm palm on his shoulder.

“Sorry buddy,” he says, squeezing his fingers slightly in what Shiro can only assume is meant to be reassurance, but feels much more like pity as he feels his stomach drop low.

“There’s a slim chance he maybe hates.”

They both watched as Keith dipped close to his friend, saying something before pushing into the crowd of bodies on the deck without waiting for his answer. His retreat burns almost as much as the last bit of punch that Shiro sucks down after he can no longer see his dark waves moving in the thrush.

His head spins a big with the alcohol as it roils in his stomach, combining with a noxious mix of yearning.

“But don’t worry,” Lance says brightly, words slightly smushed at their edges as he slides his hand from his shoulder just to smack Shiro on the back. It makes his teeth click against the cheap plastic of his cup and spills punch down his chin as he pulls the cup away. Wiping up the liquid with the back of his hand, he turns to face the other pledge.

Lance’s smile is dangerous as he continues to speak.

“You’ve got Lover Boy Lance here! I’ll help you get the guy!”

It’s an offer, wrapped inside a very terrible idea, which is another thing that Shiro understands. Lover Boy Lance was nothing more than a moniker that Lance had given himself, and nothing good ever came from self proclamations such as that.

But there’s something about the confidence that he exudes that makes him consider.

Looking Lance over, Shiro hears himself say “I’m listening,” before he can think it over further, which only makes Lance’s grin grow wider.

It’s truly, a terrible idea to trust him.

Yet, in that moment, it doesn’t sound all that terrible at all.

Of course, maybe that’s just the alcohol talking.

2.

It’s his second year of college, and Takashi Shirogane has begun to understand many, many more things.

He understands the second law of thermodynamics, and how the change of entropy is equal to heat transfer divided by temperature.

He also understands that the entropy and environment of a system remain constant as long as the process can be reversed.

He even understands how the entropy and environment must, and will, increase if it’s irreversible.

What Shiro understands, is thermodynamics.

But what he doesn’t understand, is how he ever thought listening to any of Lance’s advice was a good idea, because now, he was certain he was closer to accidentally leading Keith to an early alcohol induced grave than actually getting to know him.

Of course, he hadn’t quite expected Keith to actually take him up on the offer to join him for a drink, or to actually go along with the game.

Of course, now that he thought about it, he should have known Keith wouldn’t be able to say no to kicking his ass at a game.

“Come on, Keith, we’re almost there,” Shiro says low, more to himself than to Keith as he tightens his hold around his waist.

It’s only half of a truth.

They aren’t quite almost there, but they have made it halfway down Greek row, which was much more progress than they’d had about twenty minutes ago when he’d found himself holding Keith’s hair back as he dry heaved in front of the Alpha Chi house.

Take that, Alphas, Keith had huffed, voice scratchy and raw from his efforts as he’d stared at the fraternity house with an odd mix of fascination and fire in his gaze. It’d turned his glare brilliant, and scorched, before he’d turned that very same look to him.

Something about it had made it intoxicating in a way that had gone straight to Shiro’s head, more so than the shots had.

Why do you hate us so much? He had asked, unable to look away from the incendiary stare.

Why do you hate me so much, he had meant.

I don’t hate you, Keith had replied, throwing emphasis on ‘you’ as he’d stabbed a finger to the center of Shiro’s chest before turning his attentions back to the house. The yellow of the street light standing guard over them had almost made his cheeks look flushed as he’d contemplated the simple brick of its walls.

His mouth had turned down in a half-hearted scowl before he said with entirely different inflection, I hate you.

It didn’t make sense in the slightest, yet Shiro had laughed then, loud and unrestrained, as Keith had looked back to him for just long enough for the scowl to flick upwards in a barely there facsimile of a smile.

And then, he had ducked forward to throw up on Shiro’s shoes.

He tried not to think too hard about the cooling warmth that’s seeped into his socks now, as Keith continues to ramble, sending his blurred words up toward the night sky.

“You know about stars?” He asked as he let his head lull to the side lazily to find Shiro’s shoulder. Never faltering in his steps, Keith continues his obedient shuffle while keeping his eyes turned upward.

“I’d like to think so,” Shiro chuckles, training his focus on keeping them both moving in some semblance of a straight line, and not the sharp profile of Keith’s face.

“They make up everything,” Keith continues, not paying him any mind. “I’m a star. You’re a star.”

Pausing, he pulls away to look at Shiro, filling the space between them with expectation.

His gaze cuts as he waits, silent in his inquiry as Shiro furrows his brow.

Biting deep into the meat of his lip, he pulls them both over the curb in front of the Beta house.

“We’re all stars?” Shiro guesses.

Satisfied with his answer, Keith nods before dropping his head back to his shoulder as Shiro continues to pull both their weights up the front steps of the porch.

“Keith, do you have your keys?” He asks, giving him another squeeze to make sure he hasn’t fallen asleep standing against him. It earns his nothing more than a disbelieving scoff as Keith shoves a hand into the depths of his front pocket.

Shiro can practically hear his eyes rolling, accompanied with the metallic click of keys.

“Of course I do,” he says, pulling them free and holding them straight out, never once pulling away from where he leans against him.

“If you leave your keys, you get party pickup duty. Never leave your keys,” Keith continues to mumble as Shiro grabs for them, swallowing down the buzz that rocks though him as their fingertips brush.

It stings through him in an entirely different way than the burning line that Keith presses against his side, and Shiro feels his mouth go dry before he squeezes his fist around the metal. The sharp stab of the keys forces him back down to Earth, and the Beta porch as he shifts through the sparse offering to find the key marked with a β.

The lock clicks quietly as he makes quick work of it. Inside, it’s silent, and dark, the house nothing more than an abandoned husk as it awaited its occupants to return.

“Which way to your room?” Shiro whispers, gently closing the door behind them.

Something about the peace of the house begs for his own quiet. It’s almost as if there’s a spell cast over the brick and mortar, and he finds himself scared of breaking it.

Humming lowly, Keith waves a hand vaguely toward the stairs in answer.

“Up and left,” is all he supplies before turning his face into Shiro’s collar.

His breath is hot, collecting in the fabric of his shirt in a way that sears down to his core as he continues their awkward shuffle up the stairs, dutifully following his simple instructions.

Passing a couple of doors, it isn’t until they’re in front of the second to last that Keith makes a small sound and pulls toward it, effectively stopping them both as he pushes it open clumsily.

Behind the plain door, stands Keith’s room.

It’s spartan in its furnishings, with a bed adorned by a thick black comforter, and a desk that sits in front of a single window. Closing the door behind them, Shiro catches sight of the dresser that sits behind it.

Atop it, sits Keith’s Beta Theta pledge paddle, a couple of crumpled dollars, and a sheathed knife.

They’re the only personal touches in the room, and Shiro finds himself reaching out to them, as if they might reveal something of Keith.

A sharp sound sticks itself in Shiro’s throat as Keith pulls away quickly. The motion of it drags him along, making him trip over his feet as he makes his way towards his bed.

Humming happily, Keith lands with a soft squeak of mattress springs as he starts to kick his shoes off, eyes lidded as he reached back at his comforter to push it down. Sitting there, he looks impossibly soft, swathed in the moonlight that’s pressing through his blinds.

Electricity turns Shiro’s veins to live wires as he steps back.

“Do you have any Tylenol?” He asks, turning away in hopes of quelling the heartbeat drumming in his ears. Waving his hand once more in the direction of the desk, Keith makes a noncommittal sound as  he starts to pull at his jacket.

Quickly closing the distance between himself and the desk, Shiro traces his gaze over the papers that are scattered over its surface. His writing is a scratch across the white sheets, and on the topmost page, there’s a doodle of an odd creature that decorates the margins.

It’s looks like it would be a caterpillar, if caterpillars had beaks and didn’t look much like caterpillars at all.

Biting down on his laugh, Shiro shakes his head as he opens the top drawer of the desk, eyeing a small white bottle in its corner. With a quick shake, he frees two pills before dropping it back into the drawer with rattling sound before grabbing for a cup that sits on the window sill behind the desk.

It looks relatively clean, and given the circumstance, he figures Keith won’t particularly mind even if it was.

There’s a soft grunt behind him, pulling his attention back toward him long enough to catch him still struggling with his jacket. Moonlight stripes the leather, and falls in his hair, tangling in the waves and turning them to midnight water.

He’s a vision, painted in darkness and sharp lines of light, and it takes everything in Shiro to turn away to make his way to the door tucked in the corner of the room. Throwing it open, he finds himself at the threshold of a small half bathroom.

Turning on the light, he finds himself before a porcelain sink and the oval mirror that hangs above it.

Shiro’s reflection stares back at him, eyes shining bright and pink spilling across his cheeks in an embarrassing way. With a small sound of indignation, he pulls his stare away before he can think too hard about the reason behind the flush that is decidedly not the alcohol before filling the cup.

Then, quickly turning on his heel, he returned to Keith.

Still sitting where he’s left him, only with the addition of his shoes and jacket on the ground, he watches Shiro closely. Keith’s eyes are cutting and clear, like a predator, and he wonders silently if he’s somehow sobered in the matter of seconds that he was gone.

Frozen beneath his stare, Shiro tightens his grip on the cup as Keith slowly tilts his head as he carefully scrutinizes him. It turns the night air thick, and hot, and it catches in his throat.

He thinks he even might choke on it before Keith’s eyes start to shudder shut, effectively pulling the breath from his lungs with a relieved sigh.

Stepping closer, he drops the pills and cup onto his nightstand.

“Why?” Keith asks breathily, not bothering to open his eyes.

Shiro wonders if he’s even talking to him, or just some phantom he sees in his dreams.

“I told you,” Shiro answers anyway, gently pressing a palm over his heart as he grabs for the comforter with the other, holding it back for him as Keith lets himself be pushed down into his pillows.

“You’re my type.”

A sleepy sound of acknowledgement brushes through Keith’s chest before he rolls to his side as Shiro pulls the blanket over him. Pressing himself closer into the pillows, he clutches at the comforter and smiles the smallest brush of a smile.

“Thanks,” he mutters around a yawn.

It takes all of three breaths before they’ve evened into the cadence of sleep that rises and falls softly beneath the sea of his blanket. Shaking his head slowly, Shiro grabs a sheet of paper and a pen from his desk before returning to the nightstand to jot out a quick note.

Take this, and learn how to hold your liquor :)

The blue ink stands stark on the white of the page, the marks each weighted with the same emotion that sits heavy on his tongue with the rest of what he wishes to add.

Instead, he drops the pen beside the note.

Turning away from Keith’s sleeping form, he almost makes it to the door when he sees a small plastic trash can beside it.

There’s another small sound, almost like a sigh, as Shiro grabs for it before turning back to see Keith’s face twitch with a near smile. Dropping it on the ground before him, the plastic is much louder against the hardwood, and it makes him shift slightly in his sleep.

“Shiro,” Keith says lowly, pulling the comforter up further over his chin. The sound of his name on his tongue, shortened with familiarity, crackles in his nerves as he reaches a shaking hand forward to brush a lock of hair from Keith’s cheek.

The lingering buzz of alcohol in his veins is what pushes him forward as he brushes his lips over the crest of it.

“Goodnight, Keith,” he whispers, his breath ghosting across Keith’s cheek before he fully stands.

The quiet sound of a returned goodnight follows him as he turns to leave, heating his skin until he’s certain he’ll burn.

In their class, they were given an example of irreversible thermodynamics. When a hot object meets a cold object, they may both reach a maintained equilibrium temperature, but once pulled apart, they would never naturally return to their original temperatures.

Their combining leaves them changed.

As he shut the door behind him, careful to ensure it only makes the barest sound of a click as it fully closes, he can’t help but think of that example.

Swiping a hand over his tired eyes, he pushes himself down the hall and toward the staircase that would lead him directly to the front door of the Beta house. It isn’t until he’s outside that he tries to swallow a bitter laugh as he drops his head back to look up at the sky.

As it turned out, he may understand the irreversibility of the second law of thermodynamics a little too well.

3.

It’s his third year of college, and Takashi Shirogane understands much, and yet nothing at all.

This much he learns half naked and stretched across a sticky bar table, with the hot line Keith has licked across his stomach cooling on his skin, and the sight of his retreating back before him.

He’d thought he’d finally understood the way Keith felt.

Thought he’d understood where they both stood on a precipice of shared flirtation and nothing more. Shiro was ready to die on that hill. If that was all Keith wanted to give him, he was more than happy to accept it.

There were worse ways to go.

But it was then, trapped between the heat of Keith’s chest and the strength of his grasp at his nape, that he realized maybe he hadn’t understood anything at all.

“Dude,” Lance says, drawing the word out until it’s painfully long before turning to Shiro. “What did you do?”

“I didn’t—” Shiro starts, staring out into the crowd that slowly folds back around the space that Keith had disappeared through.

I didn’t do anything, he means to say, but it sticks in his throat as he flips quickly through the mental photo album of the day. Nothing sticks out as extraordinary. From the start of the day, to just moments before, the only difference, was Keith.

Keith coming forward.

Keith, with that look in his eyes and that confident smirk.

Keith, and the sinful way his tongue had played across his skin.

Keith, Keith, Keith.

The answer comes to him, whole hearted and with all the force of a tank, and it crushes him beneath the weight of understanding.

“I didn’t do anything.” Shiro breathes out the realization, panic bright in his eyes as he looks to Lance. Gaze going wide, Lance shifts his attention between his friend and the crowd around them, almost in search.

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

Back and—

Exhaling loudly, Lance keeps his look on Shiro as he speaks.

“I’m not going to lie, buddy. I don’t get it,” he says, anticlimactic and with a measured shrug. Alcohol spills over Lance’s fingers as he raises the hand holding his shot, cutting off Shiro before he can push words through the open gape of his mouth.

The liquid drips from Lance’s hand and onto his leg, seeping into the denim in wet drops.

“It being you,” Lance continues, bringing the shot glass to his lips and dipping his head back with it before resurfacing with a shit eating grin. “Looks like he doesn’t hate you half as much as you thought he did.”

“You also thought he hated me,” Shiro points out, gaze sticking to the crowd like wallpaper in an attempt to avoid his friend’s stare.

It’s my all seeing stare, Lance had once said before demonstrating. At the time, Shiro had laughed so hard, he’d snorted beer from his nose because it looked a lot less all seeing, and much more like he’d just smelled the gnarliest shit.

Now though, Shiro isn’t too sure Lance couldn’t see down to his very core.

Swallowing thickly, he tries to settle the quick pace of his heart as it beats a harrowed rhythm into his ribs and sends fissures through the bone as he aches.

“We’re not talking about me, we’re talking about you,” Lance snarks, shoving an accusatory finger into the fault line at the center of his chest.

“He did,” Shiro breathes, closing his fist at his side as if he’s clutching on a lifeline, “he does.”

Clicking his tongue, Lance shakes his head with disapproval as he quickly pours another shot. Its smell is noxious, and it burns Shiro’s nose as Lance waves the glass beneath it in offering.

“You sure about that?” He questions, cocking a challenging eyebrow in Shiro’s direction.

Yes, he wants to answer. It’s what he would answer if Lance had asked it of him the year prior.

Or even the week prior.

Hell, it’s what he would have answered that morning when Keith had shot him that sharpened look from across the field.

Shiro had been so fucking sure that Keith never thought anything of him as more than just a friend. Friend in the loosest sense of the word, but a friend nonetheless.

But now—

The shot glass is cool to the touch as Shiro grabs it. It contrasts sharply with the acidic burn it sends crashing down his throat as he swallows the tequila.

Heated courage twists in his veins when he resurfaces from the crystalline edge, and it goes straight to his head as he drops the now emptied shot on the table behind him.

The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle suddenly comes to Shiro’s mind as he pushes himself off the table, leaving the sound of confusion behind him as he works his way through the crowd and in the direction that Keith disappeared.

According to Heisenberg, it was impossible to know both the speed and position of a particle. Only one could be known at any given time, as to know one, the other must be stopped.

All this time, Shiro had thought he’d known the speed at which he’d been chasing after Keith. Not quite ever catching up, but keeping him in sight.

Shiro had never considered stopping to see where Keith stood, in fear that he’d lose him.

Knowing both would be greedy, and an impossibility, and yet standing outside the bar’s bathroom, it doesn’t quite feel like an impossibility at all.

Taking a breath, Shiro rests his palm on the wooden door, admiring the chipped black paint as his mind runs over the uncertainty principle as if it’s a life line.

He can’t possibly know both.

But he wants to.

Exhaling, Shiro pushes open the door.

4.

It’s his fourth and final year of college, and Takashi Shirogane thinks he understands all that he really needs to.

He understands nuclear fusion, and how the stars themselves explode in order to manifest everything in existence.

He understands that all the elements around him, and of him, were all born from the death of far gone stars, and he even understands how poetic that sounds, even if it’s just science.

But what Shiro still doesn’t quite understand, is what makes up Keith. Even starlight didn’t seem grand enough to compose the atoms and matter that trekked through him. Keith was something more like the universe, made up of entire solar systems instead of just mere stars.

At least, that’s what Shiro thinks now as Keith’s smile breaks wide and blissful across his face as he lowers himself onto him, a moan parting his teeth before he drops his head back.

“Keith,” Shiro breaths, pushing his palms over his naked thighs before sinking his fingers into the meat of his hips. The touch stalls him with a shudder that brushes through him, his sharp intake a shattering sound in the otherwise quiet room before Keith lifts his head once more to look down at Shiro.

“Yes?” He asks, eyes half lidded and hands hot where he drops his palms to cover the backs of his own.

Like this, Shiro isn’t even sure that the universe could make up the breadth of wonder that Keith carries in his veins.

Nails prick his skin as Keith sucks his bottom lip between his teeth, waiting for some sign or answer.

The sensation of it races to his heart.

“I love you,” Shiro manages, rubbing twin circles at his hipbones before rolling his hips up to steal a gasp from deep within Keith’s chest. His nails cut deeper into Shiro’s skin before he traces his palms down his forearms.

Following the line of his arms toward his shoulders, Keith hovers over him, a thousand lifetimes bright in his eyes as he grinds himself down onto Shiro as if to prove a point.

“I love you,” he echoes.

It makes Shiro whine as Keith continues to move slowly, rolling sinuously against him, his heated skin burning against his own like a solar flare.

Shiro feels his fingers dig further into the meat of Keith’s hips, surely bruising, as he takes his wickedness in. Above him, lit by the soft glow of the street lights through the half open blinds, Keith is nothing but lean muscle and burning ozone; and the smoke of it leaves him on the back of his voice with the small sounds he makes with each steady movement.

He’s so beautiful, Shiro thinks as he arches up into him, chasing the friction of Keith’s rolling hips. The movement presses his head further back into Keith’s pillows, surrounding him with his scent and baring his throat up to the other fraternity president.

A burst of happiness, bright and charring, hooks the edges of his lips upward as he feels the soft slide of Keith’s palm across his collarbone before coming to a rest at the base of his throat.

“I love you,” Keith says again, words hitching as Shiro rolls his hips up into him. Time seems to seize around them then, ground to a halt with the quick suction of air from the room as he finds himself pinned beneath Keith’s half lidded stare.

Something sparks there, deep in his night sky irises as he drags his teeth along the full of his bottom lip, and then gently presses his fingers against either side of his throat.

Everything crashes around them with the near instantaneous rush of Keith’s fingers around his throat, and Keith’s body working down against him, and Keith, Keith—

“Keith,” Shiro rasps, pushing up into his palm as his own run a path back and forth across Keith’s thighs. They travel further and further upward with each pass, but never quite get as high as either of them would like.

“Please.”

He isn’t sure which one of them says it. Honestly, he isn’t sure it matters as his head starts to feel light, and bright stars start to pop in his vision.

With their hips moving together in frantic, staccato motions, Shiro loses himself to the way their bodies move and how the stars tangle in Keith’s hair.

Pushing a palm up from Keith’s hip, Shiro brushes along the line of his flank. It draws a shuddering moan out of him as he continues to move, the fingers around his throat twitching slightly as Shiro’s palm passes over his steadily beating heart.

Continuing his path, he slides his hand up further still until his palm is cupping the side of Keith’s neck, and his fingers curl gently in his hair.

“You’re beautiful,” Shiro breathes before pulling Keith down into a burning kiss that traps the sounds of their shared moans between them.

Each and every one of Keith’s, he notes, tastes like whiskey and starlight.

“Shiro,” Keith gasps into his mouth, hand slipping down to grip at the pillow beneath Shiro’s head in a vain attempt to ground himself as he continues to roll down against him.

It’s too late though.

For both of them.

Shiro wonders if maybe, it always had been, but that was a contemplation to have later as pleasure burns through them both with one final roll of their hips. The proof of it paints between them, coating their skin with ribbons of heat as they ride out the shared orgasm.

The smallest of eternities circles around the room, dipping it in silence only punctuated by their breaths as Shiro holds Keith against him.

It feels right, the way they breathe against each other in the quiet darkness. Almost as if they were both made up of pieces of the same star finally finding the peace of being reunited.

But maybe, that’s just the afterglow talking.

“So what’s next?” Keith asks, low and slow against Shiro’s pulse before pushing himself up. Moving just slightly, he pulls off of him with a small sigh of loss.

Chuckling to himself, Shiro nods down toward where Keith is still perched on his marked stomach.

“I think next we clean up,” he offers with a sharp grin.

His jackass grin, as Keith had deemed it.

“Shut up,” Keith growls playfully as he punches lightly as Shiro’s chest before leaving his closed fist pressed against his heartbeat.

“You know what I mean,” he continues, voice smaller in a way. Almost shy. “Next. After graduation. After—”

He gestures toward the closed door of his room with his other hand—

“—this.”

The future, Keith means.

Shiro wishes he knew. Wishes that, amongst all the things the past four year had helped him to understand, what they were to do next had been one of the them.

“I don’t know,” he answers truthfully, gently grabbing Keith’s hand and pulling it up toward his mouth. Keith’s sigh is soft as he brushes his lips over his knuckles.

“Care to find out with me?”

The streetlight turns Keith’s smile golden as he pulls his hand away and leans down close once more.

“Yeah,” he says, tucking the crescent against the skin of Shiro’s cheek. His answer is a hot puff of breath that rocks down his spine like a lightning strike.

Curling his arms around Keith’s waist, Shiro holds him close as he feels the smile grow.

“Yeah,” he says again, chasing the word with a chaste kiss.

“I think I’d like that.”

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

[goodproofingwater]

Wildfire Records - Chapter Twelve

Word Count: 3806

Warnings: slight non-con (although not really)

Playlist: Dear Prudence - The Beatles

press play when you see the *

It had been exciting to get up early to do something other than work. She had showered and blow dried her hair before 8am, knowing that Josh wanted to get going early so they could spend as much time in the studio as possible.

When she walked out, dressed in skin-tight jeans and a black denim jacket, her tucked in tank top allowing her to be comfortable but look good at the same time. After admitting to Juliet that she liked Josh, she was excited to be spending some time alone with him. Butterflies erupted in her stomach as he came down the stairs in jeans but shirtless, and she couldn’t help but bite her lip, eyes running over defined abs that she had not expected to be revealed.

“Morning..” he smiled with a hint of confidence as he watched her check him out. He had been unsure if she felt anything for him until that moment. It may not be feelings in the same way, but he was sure by the way her eyes devoured him that she was attracted to him. “I won’t be long, just had to get a shirt from the pile the cleaner left upstairs..”

Victoria nodded, forcing herself to look into his eyes and smile, a slight blush washing over her as she realised how obvious she had just been.

“I’ll wait for you upstairs with coffee..” she grinned, “want me to make us some breakfast?”

“Sure if you want something quick? I think Danny left some pancakes in the refrigerator yesterday, should be good to just heat them up.”

She nodded, walking toward the stairs and biting down on her lip as she let her eyes wash over him once more. He couldn’t help but smile at the turn of events, and he did everything he could not to think about what could have happened if he had bought her into his room…

She kept her mind on the pancakes as she flipped them to reheat, and tried her best not to remember how his hands had felt around her waist, his breath on her neck, his lips so close to hers. But then he was there, his fingers gripping her hips. She closed her eyes as she ran her fingers over his arms, letting her head lull back against his shoulder as his lips caressed her neck so softly.

“Mmm..” she moaned, pushing her hair to one side and biting her lip as his teeth grazed softly against her shoulder, his fingers moving to play with the zipper on her pants, his hand running over her breasts through her shirt in bold moves she hadn’t expected but fully endorsed.

“Why don’t we take this back to my room hm? And  I can make you cum till you can’t move like I used to...” The unexpected voice caused a shiver to run down her spine and her eyes ripped open as she elbowed Andy hard in the stomach.

“Fucking give up!” She screamed at him, turning and pushing him away, “I don’t fucking want you, I hate you!” She shouted in his face and he reached out to her, holding her arm.

“Come on babe please…” his eyes looked almost pained as they looked deep in her own, “please forgive me I… I didn’t mean to hurt you I was just trying to do something good for us...I miss you...”

Victoria shook her head and slapped him hard around the face, “I told you not to touch me, so don’t fucking touch me. If I didn’t have to work with you I wouldn’t even talk to you ever again.”

Andy stepped back, looking more hurt that Victoria had ever seen him, and she gulped as she turned back to the pancakes, putting them on the plate and pouring coffee into the two mugs she had waiting.

“I’m.. I’m sorry..” Andy spoke, gulping and taking another step back, pulling his cigarettes from his pocket and making his way to the roof.

Moments later, Josh happily jogged into the reception room, this time fully clothed.

“Mm that smells delicious!” He grinned, moving to pick up one of the coffee mugs and frowning when she flinched, “hey… hey what’s wrong? It’s just me…”

Victoria shook her head, pulling syrup from the cupboard and placing both plates on the counter.

“No.. come on..” Josh spoke, moving to stand closer to her, a hand moving hair from her eyes and her chin up with his forefinger, “tell me...what’s wrong?”

“Andy just tried something..” she muttered, and Josh was immediately angry. Eyes darted to the smell of smoke on the roof and he was about to make a move to go up there when he felt her small hand on his wrist, “just don’t.. he’s not worth it..”

Josh looked at the beautiful woman in front of him and nodded, then wrapped his arms around her. He kissed the top of her head once more, holding her like she was made of glass, and he never wanted to let go. She smelled of coconut and her perfume, and her arms wrapped around her waist just felt so right.

“No tears today, alright?” He pulled back to look down at her, moving her chin up with his finger once more and her stomach once again erupted with butterflies. She so desperately wanted to stand on her tiptoes and kiss him, to wrap her arms around his neck and feel those gorgeous lips, that sharp tongue moving against her own, but she knew she shouldn’t. She was too scared of losing him.

“Okay..” she nodded with a smile, resting her forehead on his, her breath shaking as she inhaled deeply and bit down on her lip.

It took everything in him not to close the gap between them, her gorgeous painted lips were sitting so close to his own but he didn’t want to confuse her, didn’t want to hurt her if she wasn’t ready. So he pulled away and sat down at the breakfast bar, sipping his coffee and clearing his throat.

“We’ll leave once we’re done, it should only take like 20 minutes on the bus so no rush..” she nodded, sipping her own coffee and licking her lips. Would this tension be there between them the whole day? Would they be walking around abbey road and seeing all these amazing things and all she would be thinking about is where she could pull him into a dark corner? This was so stupid, she knew that it could never happen now that she had been with his friend, knew he probably didn’t even like her, just cared about her because they had been close and liked the same things.

They are their breakfast quickly and he packed up their plates and put them in the sink, grabbing his denim jacket from the side and chuckling at their almost matching outfits.

“Well I’m not changing..” she grinned, picking a bottle of water from the fridge and sipping it before she placed it in her bag, glancing up at the spiral stairs for a moment before she moved toward the stairs to the front door.

It took them 15 minutes to get to the studio, getting the bus when they really could have walked, and Josh was practically bouncing as they walked across the famous crossing. She had been spending so much time with the boys that she forgot that they weren’t from here, that seeing Abbey Road was probably one of the most exciting things about being in London for two musicians who had barely been here (she didn’t count Andy as he was here every summer as a kid). She felt immediately bad for taking Danny’s ticket until Juliet sent her a text asking if she had any condoms that she could steal.

Walking around, the studio really was amazing. Andy’s dad's studio was impressive but this was something else, the mixing desks were easily three times the size of the one at their house, and that was just in one of the many studios that were housed within the complex. The most famous studio, the one where the Beatles, architects, and oasis had recorded, was bigger than the studio and the study put together, and Josh was so in awe of the guitars in there that she left him to it. Clicking open her Instagram, she took a few photos for her story and a video of Josh who had sat down and was playing a soft Beatles tune on a guitar which was apparently worth tens of thousands.

He looked adorable sitting there playing a song that she found out was called Dear Prudence. His fingers moved carefully and expertly across the guitar, his tongue running along the inside of his lip as he concentrated. She was so focused on him and recording him playing for the bands Instagram, that when he looked up at her with that devastating smile she was caught off guard. Her stomach did the now familiar backflip, and she bit her lip as he watched her as he played, licking his lips before he looked back at the guitar.

She grinned as he set the guitar down, “that was so nice, I’ve never heard that song before..”

He mirrored her smile and moved over to her, “Oh yeah? Well, I’ll have to play it for you more often..” he smiled softly, biting his lip as his eyes ran over her features, wondering if he could make a move. He didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable, wanted to take her mind off of everything that had hurt her, so instead of offering her his hand as he wanted, he offered his arm.

She smiled up at him and took it, spending the rest of the day entwined in him and it just felt right.

After the tour, they went to a pub just down the road for some lunch, and after they had finished eating they sat drinking pints of beer together, grinning at the dogs that came in with their owners. This was so perfect. She realised that this was the life she wanted more than anything. Sitting in a pub in the middle of London dog watching with this beautiful man beside her.

“So tell me,” she started, setting down her pint glass and resting her hand on the table, “was it everything you expected and more?” Victoria grinned, watching as he licked his lips after taking a generous gulp.

She had forgotten that beer was mostly served in bottles in America, and had likened the moment in which she ordered them pints to the scene in Lord of the rings were Merry and Pippin find out about pints.

“It was amazing wasn’t it?” He grinned from ear to ear, “so cool to see where the Beatles did it all, and to play one of the guitars that they used.. amazing!” She was sure that she had never seen him so happy, and the only thing that caused her smile to falter was his hand resting close to hers.

“Did uh.. did you have a good time?” He asked, looking up at her with an innocent look in his eyes, his hand moving closer to hers, his fingertips grazing slowly over the back of her hand as he listened for her answer.

She could barely think for the gentle touch taking over her, his calloused fingertips causing goosebumps to erupt all over her body, the intimate action making her bite down hard on her lip, “I did…” she spoke, nodding and then she moved her hand to pick up her glass, resting it down where he couldn’t reach it, a small smirk on her face. “Particularly when you played that song for me…”

From the way she was looking at him, it seemed like she was playing hard to get and it drove him crazy. He grinned at her, sipping his pint and licking his lips before he ran a finger over the rim of his glass. “I’ll play you some more when we get home if you want?” He looked up at her through his lashes, the innuendo not lost on him and she gulped at his dark eyes.

She wanted him, wanted to feel those lips against her neck, those deft fingers running through her hair, but she immediately felt a weird sense of guilt and sadness. It hadn’t been so long since she had been with Andy, and what if Josh was going to hurt her in the same way? She knew that he would never be so ignorant as to sleep with someone and try and justify it but what if he only wanted her because he couldn’t have her?

She gulped, sipping her pint once more and nodded with a small smile.

He was about to respond when his phone buzzed, his face lighting up as he read a message and she quirked her eyebrows as she watched him tap away eagerly.

“Danny’s planning a camping trip” He spoke with a smile that lit up his entire face, “do you wanna go? Juliet’s coming?”

Camping was not something that would be Victoria’s first choice, and it seemed odd to her that it was something that someone who had only been in the country a few months would suffer, but she supposed it was a very California thing to do.

“Where will we camp?” She asked, sipping her drink once more and licking her lips.

He was trying to focus on the messages that his friend was sending through to him but it was difficult when Victoria was sat in front of him looking as good as she did just then. Everything about her drew him in in a way that he had never experienced before.

Not only had he had one of the best days of his life because he got to tour abbey road, but he could also see how much it was helping her. Of course, he wanted to get closer to her, but he wanted her to be happy more than anything and the smile that she had given him when he had played those twinkly guitar tones had been incredible. He felt his heart race at the thought of them alone in a tent together, their bodies inches away from each other as they huddled up for warmth.

“Um…” he started, looking down at his phone and waiting for the reply to come through to that exact question that he had sent before she had even asked, “He says apparently there’s a campsite at a place called Lee Valley? We can rent a car to drive us up there but it doesn’t look too far away, have you got a tent or anything?”

Victoria shook her head with a small laugh, “does everyone in Cali have camping gear stored away?”

Blue eyes glanced up into her own as he looked up from his phone, and there was something in them that she hadn’t seen before. He smiled that cute smile which changed his whole face again and nodded, “I guess I didn’t realise that that was a Cali thing..” he chuckled.

“Me and Danny used to hike up to the mountains and go camping all the time when we were kids. One of the reasons we’re such good friends I think..”

It had been therapeutic for both of them to get out of their small town when they were younger. His mom hadn’t been the best after his dad had left, to the point where he had stayed at Danny’s house almost every weekend. It was okay when he had the distraction of going to school, but Saturdays with his mom drinking and smoking were the worst. It would be good to get back out into the open even when he didn’t know the landscape nearly as well. He also slept better outside than anywhere else, and it had been difficult to get a good night's sleep with all the partying and drama that had been circling their group as of late.

“It’s alright, we can buy a tent for quite cheap..” she spoke, and his smile widened

“You really wanna go?” She couldn’t help the smile that slipped over her features as he grinned up at her, the excitement in his eyes almost as much as it was when he had seen Ringo Starr’s drum skin.

“Of course, let's get out of the city. I’m sure I can handle not having hair straighteners for a day or two..” she chuckled and he sipped his beer, the excited grin never leaving his face.

“That’s more than Andy will do.. he will flat out refuse to come by the way.” She let out a breath she hadn’t realised she was holding and felt immediately more excited about the trip. After that morning she never wanted to be alone with Andy again, and the possibility of being alone and in the middle of nowhere filled her with something akin to fear.

“Oh thank God..” she chuckled a little in relief, and he bit his lip before he sipped his beer again, the realisation that he would be alone with her in such a small space washing over him again.

“Do uh.. do you wanna talk about what happened this morning?” He asked, eyes narrowing slightly as he broached such a sensitive subject, and by the way her face fell he immediately wished he hadn’t bought it up.

“It’s.. it’s nothing.” She shook her head and then realised that she had to tell someone, and why not him? He had looked after her so well and could speak to Andy to ensure that it didn’t happen again, “He just came up behind me and started kissing my neck and stuff…”

Josh let out a short breath of frustration and shook his head, and was about to respond when she continued.

“I let him for a little...I...i didn’t realise it was him until he spoke..” she licked her lips, her stomach filling with butterflies in apprehension of her next words, “I uh… I thought..” she gulped, “I thought it was you..” she looked up at him under painted lashes, heart beating at a thousand miles a minute as a blush blossomed in her cheeks.

He felt his stomach lurch as she spoke, his hands shaking momentarily as excitement and nerves ran through him. She had thought it was him? And… she had let him kiss her neck… God did he wish it had been him.

“Oh yeah?” he spoke, a confident smile forming and he let his eyes dart from her eyes to her lips as he licked his own,

“Yeah..” the blush on her cheeks as she looked up at him with a shy smile was more than adorable, and he moved closer to the table, running his fingers along her hand again.

“Well, it’s good to know you wouldn’t mind me kissing your neck… although it’s totally wrong of him to do that. I’ll make sure he doesn’t do it again..” his fingers slipped to the spaces between hers as he looked between their hands and her still blushing features.

She bit her lip and turned her hand gently so their fingers ran along each other, her entire body feeling like it was electric at his touch. She daren't admit that Andy's hands had touched more than her waist and that she had been more than happy when she had thought it was Josh. It was enough to admit she wanted his lips on her neck.

“Thanks…” she grinned, picking up her pint and finishing the last of it. She chose to ignore his comment if only to stop herself from getting closer to him. What she would give to feel his lips on her neck for real...

“Want another drink here or do you wanna go home and chill on the roof?” He asked, finishing his own pint before he looked around. It was a nice, typically English pub and he was having a good time, but he was craving a cigarette and they had beer at home.

“Let’s go..” she smiled, and after they had grabbed their jackets he moved closer to her and slipped his fingers into her own as they walked out of the pub.

His palm against her own was warm and comforting, and she felt giddy as they walked down the road with their fingers entwined. It felt natural to be walking along like this, and neither of them brought any attention to it until they approached the door and they both hesitated to let go momentarily. He knew that he couldn’t show that kind of affection to her in the house, that he was lucky to be able to hold her for the twenty-minute journey home, but he wished he could. He wanted to be close to her in any way he could, and it was going to be difficult to go back to how they were now that he knew how it felt to look into her eyes and know that she wanted him.

He almost fumbled the keys when his mind drifted to the thought of his lips on her neck, and as they walked into the apartment, he watched her walk toward her room with a desperation that he knew he had to snap out of. This was madness. Above all, she was his friend and he didn’t want to do anything to ruin that. He was also acutely aware that her previous relationship hadn’t ended that long ago, and that it had been entirely about sex. She had seemed happy, but judging from how it had ended she had wanted more, and there was nothing Josh wanted more than to give her happiness, to show her that affection wasn’t just drugs and sex and partying. She deserved more than that. Victoria Sanderson deserved the world, and he wanted to give it to her.

She looked over her shoulder as she shut the door to her room, and as she placed her bag on the bedside table, she couldn’t stop grinning. This was something else. This feeling, this warm, giddy little school girl feeling was like nothing she had ever felt before. She had been so happy just to hold his hand, so happy to let him run his fingers over her palms, and even though it hadn’t been long since she had been with Andy she couldn’t bring herself to regret the thoughts running through her mind.

She tapped a text through to Juliet telling her that they needed to catch up and laid back on her bed, closing her eyes as she imagined his lips, how they would feel pressed against her own as he held her close and made her feel safe.

[cinnamonsugarsheith-blog]

Prompt: AU where Shiro and Keith meet at Allurance’s wedding. Rating: Teen, there’s a singluar line that could maybe be classified as M. Pairing: Sheith, what else. BG Allurance

Side note: I HC human!Allura as being Indian. Briefly mentioned here.

Keith did not understand the hype around weddings. They were expensive and you had to invite everyone you or your family had ever met and if Lance didn't Shut The Fuck up about ecru he was going to kill himself.

And what was even the point of a rehearsal dinner? That just seemed like a really good way to waste a whole lot more money. Especia-fucking-lly if the maid of honor he was supposed to be escorting down the aisle didn't show up. If it wouldn't absolutely destroy Lance he wished the woman fell in the ridiculously high heels that he (and Allura! Lance would insist, but more likely it was Coran...) had the girls wearing. At least Hunk was cool. When he wasn't sobbing about oh my god my best friend is getting married or committing for nerves. And Pidge, who Lance was technically borrowing from Allura's friend group, and her brother Matt apparently loved to pester Lance, making them his new favorite people. Her cousin Lotor was creepy as shit. He'd met him before at some art thing Lance had dragged him to when he and Allura had first started talking. He basically told both of them they weren't good  enough to being his and Allura air and that she would be done with her little charity case in hanging out with then soon enough. Then he'd had the gall to ask Keith to dance. Fucking creep. Keith was just glad he didn't have to walk with him. And so glad all of this would finally be over tomorrow. And then he'd send Lance's crazy and Allura's patient asses on a plane to the Bahamas and be on with his life again. He was at the church at 8am, sitting in chairs that had been shoved against a wall in a room that he was sure was much smaller than the one Allura and her party was in. He and Pidge were both nursing coffee's, understanding that they were not on speaking terms until the whole pot on the cart by the door was gone. Lance was pacing around the room talking about he needed to put on his suit but then he couldn't put it on too early because it would get wrinkled. Hunk was blissfully unaware of all of this in the kitchen. He could not wait to get this shit over with.

At 10am, he was helping Pidge zip up her dress while Lance babbled nervously as he tried to button his pale blue dress shirt. "Lance." He and Pidge scolded together, for at least the tenth time. Keith stepped over and swatted Lance's hands out of the way, unbuttoning and rebuttoning the shirt with ease. "Pidge, tie." He flicked Lance's collar up and stepped out of the way. "On it." She looped the fabric around his neck and knotted it easily. Keith stepped back over with Lance's jacket as Pidge smoothed his shirt collar back down. He helped Lance into it and clapped him maybe a little too hard on the shoulder. "Shut up, Lance. You are going to get out there and do fine. Allura loves the fuck out of you and she is not going to leave you at the altar. And if she does Hunk and I will..." He trailed off, not wanting to threaten to beat up his best friends almost wife. "I'll beat her up for you." Pidge snickered and shoved them towards the door, purple dress bouncing when she walked. Hunk met them at the foyer and helped them pin flowers into their lapels, or in Pidge's case into her hair. He smelled like chiles and curry. Well there was that to look forward to at least. Eventually music started to fill the halls and this brought Lotor, followed by Matt, and then the most attractive man Keith had literally ever seen. Allura had a Man of Honor? "Hi!" The man said a little breathlessly. "You must be Keith! Sorry I missed rehearsal last night. I've heard a lot about you..." "Yeah I'm Keith." Ugh that jawline and the broad shoulders and his smile and well there went Keith's entire intention of leading down the aisle. He couldn't lead this guy anywhere if he wanted to. He was solid. "I'm Shiro." Then the music started playing and Pidge and Matt shoved Lance through the doors so he wouldn't see Allura, before retaking their places at the tail end of the group. Shiro offered his arm and he had no choice but to take it with the doors now open and the crowd watching. Hunk and Lotor were behind them, and the siblings were in the back. He tried to focus on his steps and breathing the short walk to the altar because this gorgeous man next to him was holding his arm easily, and their arms were touching... (Lance would remind him he needed to get laid if arm touches did it for him. Ugh.) A large hand on the small of his back guiding him to Lance's side of the altar when they parted was the last nail in the coffin.

He didn't interact with Shiro again until they were in the massive banquet hall where the reception was. That's right, they were expected to dance. Shit. Shiro took his hand with a warm smile and no questions, setting the other on Keith's waist as the DJ said some corny stuff about the new Mr and Mrs VonAltea-McClain. Keith settled his a little nervously on Shiro's shoulder. He didn't go to prom, but if he had, he imagined it would have been like a more tackily decorated version of this. "So you're Lance's best friend, brother, cousin, coworker...?" Shiro started after a moment of smiling at him in silence. "Foster brother." Keith swallowed and glanced away knowing what would follow that comment. "Cool. I hear your abuela is an amazing cook!" Well that was not the standard reaction. "Uh yeah... How do you know Allura?" "She um... My ex actually. Our fathers set up an arranged marriage when her family immigrated from India." Keith must have been looking at him like he was crazy because Shiro laughed. "I'll understand if you want to stop dancing with me, but I'm gay. It wasn't going to work for anyone." "Oh." Keith said simply. "Oh?" "Nothing, I'm just not used to gay men who look like they could snap me in half." Shiro laughed again. "I'll take that. You uh... Don't mind though? The dancing and all the other crap we have to do together tonight? Me and Matt can partner up and you have Pidge. Or vice versa. I've known them for years so..." "No, it's cool. I'm not straight either, so you're safe with me." He tried to give him the smile that Allura called "roguish" once. "Besides watching Matt and Pidge bicker was the highlight of the rehearsal dinner. I'm not missing them ramp it up tonight."

"What are you? If you don't mind me asking?" Shiro leaned in close, probably with Keith's privacy in mind. Fuck he even smelled good. Keith shrugged in response to the question. "It sounds stupid as shit, but I never really thought about it? Just like who I like." And right now he'd happen to like to do the dumb cliche thing where he fucked a bridesmaid on the wedding night. Bridesman? Fuck it. Whatever. Shiro raised an eyebrow. "How old are you? Am I dancing with a teenager?" "No you ass, I'm twenty two." Shiro nodded sagely. "Not a teenager. Still a child." "Oh fuck you." "Anything you want, Baby." Shiro winked and Keith was done for.

He spent the rest of the night in Shiro's periphery. And then, as previously planned, he went home. Drove Lance and Allura to the airport in the morning. Had basically forgot about the other man until Lance and Allura threw a cookout. And if Shiro looked good in a charcoal grey suit, Keith must have been in heaven seeing him in a tank top and swim trunks. He definitely gave an audible "oh fuck." Before getting hit squarely in the face with a volleyball. "Hey! Keith, right? I'm Shiro we--" "I remember you." Keith pinched his nose in hopes of stopping his watering eyes and shoved the volleyball back at Shiro. "Are you okay? Let me see..." Shiro pulled his hand away from his face and cupped his chin. He tilted Keith's face side to side slowly, looking at the red mark. He looked into Keith's eyes with just the barest hint of a smirk. "Looks good to me." Keith's cheeks turned as red as his forehead. "Shiro are you gonna bring the ball back or what?! Allura and I aren't finished kicking your asses yet!" Pidge yelled from the net.

"Sorry, Baby. Duty calls." Keith blinked as Shiro jogged off and tossed the ball to Matt to serve. Keith headed over to where it looked like Lance or Hunk had put together pitchers of mixed drinks. "Coran which one of these is the strongest?" He said over his shoulder. "Nunvil. The purple one." The man slurred from under the straw hat he'd pulled over his face. He gulped down half a cup before starting to look for Lance. "Hey man!" Lance was manning the grill under Hunks watchful eye. "Hey. Didn't realize you were having reception part two." "Haha, but nah. Lotor isn't here." He and Lance cheersed to that. "You bring trunks? I need a chicken partner for later against this guy --" he clapped Hunks shoulder "-- and Pidge." Keith snorted. If he remembered that correctly Allura had expressly forbids both herself AND Lance from playing chicken after they both ended up with matching broken arms for four months.

"Sure, man. How is married life?" "It's great. A few more months and we think we are gonna start trying for Lancey Lance Jr." "That's great!" Hunk lit up. "Yep, you and Keith gotta arm wrestle for god dad."

"What about me and Matt?" A playfully sulky voice came from right behind Keith. "Ehhhh. Matt's out. Pidge's god mom anyways." "It should probably be Hunk." Keith sidestepped to let Shiro into the circle. "Awwe Keith doesn't like my unborn child!!!!" Lance hung himself around Keith's neck dramatically. "Get off, weirdo!" Lance grinned. "You love it, dude." "Yeah yeah, Hunks about to give away your grill privileges. You're burning the mushrooms." "Oh shit!"

Shiro plopped into the grass beside Keith's lawn chair with his plate a short while later. "Hey." His shoulder was pressed against Keith's knee warmly. "Hey..." "So can I take you out sometime?" "That was forward." "You seem like a guy who doesn't like too much beating around the bush... And I've called you 'baby' and had my hands on you quite a bit with dancing and wedding photos and playing nurse... Seemed like you were into it." Keith shrugged. As if anyone wouldn't be into it. "So... Can I take you out sometime?" "Sure." "Okay, what are you doing after this?" "Uh... Lance bought fireworks, so I'm pretty sure going to bed?" "Mmmm come with me instead?" "To bed?" Keith raised his eyebrows. Knowing that was NOT what Shiro meant, but wanting to throw him off his game. Shiro blushed. "Not unless you want to, but I was thinking I could take you on a night drive? I rode my bike over."

He sat close to Shiro on the bike, letting the wind whip through his hair and tug at his thin shirt. He was thankful to have the bulk of Shiro in front of him as a shield. Shiro eventually pulled onto a dirt road and they ended up spread out in a field not too long after on a blanket Shiro pulled out of his saddle bag. He pointed out constellations to Keith and Keith watched him talk excitedly more than he paid mind to the stars. Keith hummed and shrugged his shoulder to nudge Shiro. "Hey..." "Yeah?" "Can I take you up on that offer?" "What?" "Sleeping." "Well that was forward." Shiro mimicked his earlier sentiment. "No. Not that. I just meant I'm tired, but I don't..." He could feel his cheeks darken. "Want this to end?" Shiro rolled to his side and boxed Keith in with a hand above his shoulder. "Yeah..." "Doesn't have to, Baby..." Shiro leaned down and Keith forgot all about being tired and cold and the lumpy ground under his  back when Shiro kissed him.