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1d1195 · 1 day ago

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Under Construction I

Read Under Construction here | ~5.6k

From Me: this is going to be a bit of a slow burn, totally unsure how many parts it will be and how on earth it's going to go. I have no end in mind right now or any climactic parts. P.S. I had to give her a last name, I couldn't see a way to get around it, but I tried to pick on that would match the nickname Harry was going to give her.

Warning: fluffy, cute, maybe a little angsty in my teacher-brain mind.

Summary: Harry nodded. “I’d be happy t’help.”

“Oh, that’s completely unnecessary,” she assured him. “I can’t imagine you really want to be here after a long day of manual labor on a Friday no less and—”

“Miss Bird, I would imagine s’not nearly as draining as trying t’wrangle and keep the attention of twenty-something six-year-olds, for six hours a day,” he interrupted and looked at her knowingly. “M’happy t’help.”

“Miss Bee! DJ took my crayon right out of my hand!” She turned from the table of four she was working with and glanced behind her to see DJ coloring and Janie pouting. She sighed.

“Janie, my love, there’s more crayons in the craft drawers,” she reminded her.

“But I was using that one!”

“I know, and DJ, you know better than to take something out of someone’s hand while they’re using it, please give it back,” she said knowingly. He frowned and dropped the crayon on the table. “Thank you,” she nodded appreciatively and turned back to her table.

“Miss Bee, I think DJ like-likes Janie,” Mae giggled.

“Ew,” Kaleb wrinkled his nose.

“It’s not polite to gossip, Mae,” she said knowingly. “Now can you guys tell me what’s wrong with this sentence?” She asked and held the whiteboard out. She watched the eight pairs of eyes scrutinize the marker.

The other students were at their stations learning and discovering. It was the last round of rotations. When the little bell chimed from the countdown on her SmartBoard they would head to the carpet for story time.

Her classroom was the stuff of dreams—or at the very least her dream. There were colorful posters around the room. Inspirational messages and words of kindness all about her space. The cubbies were filled with lunch boxes and snacks. Their little closet spaces hung their fall coats and backpacks. When they headed to lunch, she would sift through their take-home folders and make sure to gather notes and questions from parents and fill it with the weekly letter she sent to their family.

It was her fourth year of teaching kindergarten, and she loved it so much. The kids were so happy to see her each day, and it felt like she had a family of twenty. Each of her students was so sweet and lovely. This year she had really felt she had won the lottery with how good they were. Over the weekend she missed them. On holidays she was antsy about coming back to school and ask how they enjoyed their family time.

She was exhausted too, there was no doubt about that. Little ones were needy—over the smallest of things. Like the crayon stealing. Or the tummy aches. Sometimes the six-year-olds were just overtired or overstimulated and needed a hug.

But even her toughest kids loved her too. The parent night held just a couple weeks into the school year told her that. “He has never been excited for daycare or for school, but he is so excited for this year of kindergarten.”

The timer sounded off and like little, adorable robots her sweet students picked up their stations and settled all the items they were using back into place. She thanked her current group, and she marked where the current four were so she could pick up where they left off on Monday.

The group of students hurried to the carpet, sitting cross legged on the colorful squares. “All my friends love to sit quietly on a primary color while we wait for story time!” She had a lilt in her voice that wasn’t quite singing, but perhaps close to it. She watched as the students giggled helping each other remember what a primary color was as they all shifted around the rectangle looking for a spot. What they didn’t know is it helped spread them out a bit and would help them keep their hands to themselves while they waited much more patiently than any six-year-old had a right to.

“All my friends love to be super quiet,” she whispered putting her fingers to her lips. “We have to pick our friend who will lead us through the opener for the day,” she reminded them.

They all put their fingers on their lips; their eyes hopeful of being chosen. She pulled a popsicle stick from a cup and pulled out the name. “Milo,” she grinned. “Would you like to lead us today?” She always gave them a choice. Sometimes the little ones were much too shy.

He grinned shyly. “Okay, Miss Bee.”

She sat on her chair; a rocking one she thrifted from a local shop. A lot of her classroom was that way. A teacher on a budget. Organizing drawers and old bins that were a little worn and loved. Bookshelves that had been found at garage sales and even her office chair wasn’t brand new.

But she loved it and her students loved it too.

She watched Milo walk up to the board where she had everything spelled out for him and she waited patiently for him to read. “Today is Friday, October 5th,” he said softly. “We have art at specials time today,” his voice got quieter with his nerves of speaking in front of his whole class. A small snicker started and she turned to the culprit narrowing her eyes at him not harshly, but enough to make him know she meant business. The little one silenced himself and she returned her attention to Milo.

“Isn’t Milo doing a great job?” She whispered to the little one beside her.

Milo pushed his shoulders back a little and continued. “Today we’re going to start Char-lotties Web.”

“Good job sounding that out Milo!” She cheered. “It’s a tough name. It’s called Charlotte’s Web. Can everyone say that?”

She waited while everyone repeated, and Milo continued.

“It’s the thirty-seventh day of school.”

She watched all the little ones with rapt attention on their classmate while he read through the daily schedule. This was his second go around and by the end of the year she anticipated he would do it with ease and no anxiety. He was adorable, just like the rest of her group.

“Before we have our little math lesson we’re going to read the first chapter of Charolotte’s Web. Based on the title and the picture on the front does anyone have any guesses about what the story is about?”

A fleet of hands shot into their air and she smiled. She was a lucky teacher. “Hadley, do you have an idea?” She asked.

“A spider,” she wrinkled her nose.

“I know,” she agreed dramatically. “We all know how much Miss Bee hates spiders.” The class giggled as she pulled the book from the shelf. “Can anyone tell me who the author is?” She asked holding the book out for everyone to see clearly. “Raise your hand!” She added as they all opened their mouths to say it.

The little hands fluttered into the air again and right as she spoke Amara’s name, a loud bang sounded from outside. The little ones screamed; their eyes filled with horror as they were clearly terrified by the loud noise. It even spooked her so she went to investigate.

“Shh, shh,” she whispered. “It’s okay,” she placed the book on her chair and headed toward the window. Instantly her eyes were drawn to the construction crew next door dropping piles of wood and building materials. Fuck, she mouthed to herself and if the kids weren’t so freaked out, they might have noticed her saying the bad word in the reflection of the glass. “Don’t worry everyone, it’s just the construction workers.”

“Construction paper isn’t that loud Miss Bee,” Mae frowned. “It sounded like an elephant fell down!”

The rest of the class giggled, and she smiled. “I suppose it did,” she hummed. The noise continued. The sound of trucks backing up and the like. It was going to be a long few months of work and trying to teach at the same time. “Construction workers, my love, not paper,” she corrected. “It’s people who make buildings and things.”

They chatted behind her to one another offering instances in which they had seen construction done in their neighborhoods or that their uncle was a construction worker. Or that even they had helped their mom and dad with some work around the house.

For a few moments she considered her next plan of action. She briefly turned to the schedule Milo was reading. A quick detour and impromptu lesson on future career options, math in motion, and communication skills, could be managed and even helpful if it meant she could convince her class there wasn’t anything to be scared of nor would they need to find the noise distracting if they knew what it was and could work on tuning it out.

“Alright guys and gals, why don’t we put on our coats and see what our neighbors are up to?” she said with the air of going on an adventure while she grabbed her own coat from the small thin closet behind her desk. It housed her school bag, her coat, and her lunch bag.

The kids all hustled excitedly to put on their coats while she called the main office to let them know she would be outside with her class, and she was bringing the walkie talkie in case of an emergency. Tyler was line leader, so he led the group behind her, and her line ender was Zara making sure the back half of the group was okay too. They walked in a straight line and followed one another at about an arm’s length. A trick she learned in student-teaching so her students wouldn’t want to touch one another with excitement.

They headed outside and they played a couple rounds of eye spy as they made their way up the path toward the parking lot. She turned around, walking backwards grateful of her early morning outfit choice today was pants with comfy shoes and not a dress and her favorite wedge booties. “All my friends love to be really careful near the parking lot, and listen to Miss Bee so no one gets hurt,” she reminded them. “All of my friends know they have to listen to Miss Bee or they will not have show and tell this week.”

They all zipped their lips and threw away the key as they walked toward the fence where the playground’s baseball field turned into the driveway next door where the construction was beginning. The little ones all oohed and ahhed over the big trucks and pressed their faces against the chain link fence as the materials were brought into the area.

“Wow, that’s the biggest truck I’ve ever sawed,” Brayden whispered.

“Ever seen, my love,” she corrected gently. “Okay, who can tell me one thing they’ve never seen before and have a question about?”

Immediately hands flew up into the air but before she could call on anyone, they were interrupted.

“They told me we were going t’have a young crew for this job, didn’t think everyone would be this young.”

She turned her attention to the man approaching the fence and she felt her heart flutter like a hummingbird against her chest. The man was tall, sinewy from being part of a construction crew and doing all the manual labor, she was sure. He wore a T-shirt with the company’s logo across the front Under Construction that stretched perfectly over muscular pectorals. A white hard hat was on top of his head but she could see swirls of brown hair peeking out from underneath. There were the standard work boots and pants of a construction worker on his lower half but that was all she really noted of his body.

It was his face that drew her in. His eyes, his smile, even his eyebrows seemed to catch her interest. His face had the slightest scruff on his cheeks and over his top lip. He was deadly handsome and she momentarily forgot she and her little ones were the only thing there. “We’re not here to work,” Mae giggled.

She shook her head and smiled. “No, sorry we can’t be part of the crew,” she said apologetically.

“We were going to do math, but Miss Bee wanted to show us the scary noises,” Milo explained bravely.

“Ah,” he caught her eye. Did his smile grow? She must have imagined it. Was it hot out? It was early October, and the nice fall breeze was blowing a chill in the air, and she felt like she was about to sweat through her clothes and wish she hadn’t worn her jacket. Holy shit, he was hot. “Are you Miss Bee then?”

“It’s actually Miss Bird,” Kai explained. “But Miss Bee is a nickname.”

“Bird,” he repeated. “Nice to meet you, Miss Bird,” he held his hand out. “I’m Harry, Harry Styles.”

“Harry,” she answered. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Styles.”

He smirked at the formality but held her hand an extra second longer before letting go. Surely, she imagined that.

Harry saw the gaggle of children and the woman alongside them about five minutes prior as they approached the fence between the playground and the building site. “We got company boss,” Niall smiled while he moved some of the materials across the site with the help of his forklift. Harry turned toward the group and was in awe of the woman that could wrangle a group of little ones like that so effortlessly. As he got closer he became a little more entranced by her. She was all bright colors, her pants were firetruck red, and her jacket was a bright pink. She had an off-white bandanna or wrap in her hair of some kind that came to a knot at the top of her head from underneath her hair. She was beautiful. Obviously. Harry thought she was lucky she didn’t teach older kids because they would probably get nothing done staring at the pretty woman for hours on end. She looked so young too—no way older kids would take her seriously. But the little ones seemed to adore her, waiting patiently while they looked on with fascination.

She held a walkie-talkie in her left hand while she shook Harry’s hand during introductions.

He couldn’t keep his eyes off her smile and the way she looked fondly at her students while he introduced himself.

“We didn’t mean t’scare you all. We’re putting in a new fire and police station here t’keep you safe,” he explained to the little ones. “The noises y’heard were us putting the materials down.”

They all watched expectantly, waiting for him to continue. “Could they ask a question?” She smiled sweetly at him. “They’re waiting for you to say they can ask questions; it’s kind of a thing in the classroom,” she wrinkled her nose so cutely as she explained.

“Oh—right, yeah,” he chuckled. Harry wasn’t totally sure how a group of six-year-olds could have questions about what very little they had seen thus far, but he couldn’t wait to hear it. “Of course...do y’have questions?” Harry felt a little silly not seeing what inquisitive little minds she was molding behind the fence barrier.

However, all twenty hands shot into the air. She giggled and shook her head. “We aren’t getting to all the questions,” she laughed. “Mae, you can start,” she said.

One of the girls in the middle turned to Harry. “Why’s your hat white?”

“It means I’m in charge of everyone over there,” he explained. “It’s called being a foreman.”

“So, you’re like Miss Bee, she’s in charge of us,” Mae reminded him.

“Yes, just like Miss Bee,” he agreed catching her eye. She bit the inside of her lip and glanced at her line of students.

“Milo, do you have a question to ask?”

The boy toward the end of the line looked shyly at Harry and he grinned before looking at his feet. He mumbled something toward the ground and Harry took a few steps closer, bending in front of the fence. “Can y’repeat that for me, lad? I didn’t catch it.”

“How do you know where to put stuff?” He asked.

“We have maps and outlines of where stuff is going to go,” Harry grinned.

“It’s kind of like the maps we made of towns, remember?” She prompted. “Where we would put the school, the houses—”

“The ice cream shop!” Someone else called out from the other end of the line. The rest giggled and she nodded with her beautiful, ever-present smile.

“Yes, the important things if you recall,” she glanced at Harry apologetically. “One more question, then we have to head back inside for snack time.”

“But Miss Bee! I have a lot of questions!” DJ pouted.

“Me too!”

“I do too!”

The chatter started to become a little loud and overwhelming as they reminded her that they had many questions for Harry and he smirked at her as she shook her head. “All my friends love to turn on their listening ears and turn off their voices,” she practically sang. Instantly, they were soundless.

“Wow,” Harry murmured. “I should try that on my crew.”

They all giggled, and she smiled at him apologetically once more. “Zara, do you want to ask your question?” She asked.

“How do you know what tool to use?”

“It depends on what y’have t’do, but I had t’learn which tool t’use by going t’school,” he explained.

“You went to school too!?”

“That was another question!”

“It doesn’t count!”

“Miss Bee!”

“Hey, hey, hey! Hocus pocus,” she called gently.

“Time to focus!” They all silenced themselves.

“Wow,” Harry was in awe of her. That was almost superhero powered in nature.

“Mr. Harry, could we write our questions down to have you answer?” Tyler asked.

“That’s a great idea Tyler, but Mr. Styles has to—”

“I would love t’do that,” he offered immediately and caught her eye. “This project is going t’be a while,” he explained.

“Mr. Harry,” Janie asked pulling on his pant leg through the fence. “Could you fix Miss Bee’s desk? It’s all crooked,” she explained.

“Janie, my love,” she said softly, her cheeks turning the same shade of pink as her jacket. She was adorable and Harry was putty already. “That’s not very polite to ask. Mr. Styles is working,” she explained. “It would be like asking you to do your adding while you’re doing your sentences.”

Harry grinned almost apologetically as he caught her eye once more. “I could take a look at it,” he offered. “When does school get out?”

“Oh, that’s okay—”

“We line up for the bus at three-fifteen. That’s when the clock looks like this,” and they all turned to put their hands together to the left of their bodies, surely to mimic the hands of the clock where indeed, it would look like three-fifteen.

Harry grinned. She was a cool teacher to teach all these inquisitive little minds. “All my friends love to thank Mr. Styles for taking time out of his day to teach us about construction work,” she said knowingly and looked at him once more.

“Thank you, Mr. Harry,” they all sang.

“I said Mr. Styles.”

“But Mr. Harry is like a nickname, like you Miss Bee.”

She rolled her eyes. “Alright, Tyler, are you ready to lead?” She asked and waved to Harry.

As the line departed, he watched until he couldn’t see the pretty woman or the cute little ones any longer before he turned back to his job site. Niall rolled over on his forklift once more and popped out of the seat to stand beside him. “How was kindergarten?” He asked.

“They’re funny,” he smirked. “And very cute.”

“The kids or the teacher?”

“Both,” he shook his head, smiling to himself. “Get back t’work,” he mumbled and headed toward the other workers.

Harry watched the little ones boarding their buses and their teachers wave from below the overhang of the drop-off port as the kids left for the weekend. He could see the bright red pants and pink jacket from where he stood by the fence once more and a few students called out to him. “Bye Mr. Harry!”

She turned instantly and found him there. Harry’s crew was also leaving (trying to beat the buses before they got stuck behind) but Harry was without his hat now, waiting by the fence. He waved to the little ones, feeling a bit like a superstar with all the eyes that looked over at him. But he swore he could feel the pretty woman’s eyes boring into him more than the others.

He hopped over the fence now that the children were on the buses and parents had their children in cars. “Hi,” he smiled as he approached her. Her pretty lips parted ever so slightly in surprise. Her eyes scanned his face for recognition as to why he would be approaching her after the kids had left. “M’here t’look at your desk,” he explained.

“Oh!” She shook her head. “That’s okay. It’s Friday. I’m sure you have better plans than—”

“I don’t mind,” he offered with a shrug.

“Um...” she swallowed. “It’s really alright, I don’t want to put you out—”

“S’very okay, Miss Bird,” he teased. “M’happy to take a look.”

She nodded. “Okay, well...we just have to get you signed in at the office.”

“Sure,” he smiled.

“Do you have your license?” She asked.

He nodded and followed after her. They stopped at the front of the office, one of the older women greeting and going through the spiel of being a visitor. “Will you be here often?” She asked. “We could do a background check to make things simpler.”

“Oh, he’s just working nex—”

“That would be great, thank you, ma’am.”

She pressed her lips together, but Harry swore he could see the corners of her mouth twitching upward. Harry quickly filled out the information on the form and once he had a visitor tag on the front of his shirt, he followed her down the hall. The school was definitely older. It was part of the reason the safety buildings were getting an upgrade. The whole town was a bit older. They were silent as she led down the hall, her arms crossed over her stomach, he followed her down a stairwell and they stopped as a custodian greeted her.

“Hi Miss Bee, staying late today?” He asked.

She nodded. “Yeah, I think so. I’ll keep my mess to a minimum,” she promised.

“Not a problem Miss Bee,” he was a bit older too. Clearly, he was used to seeing her around after hours. Late? How late did she stay? It was Friday. Didn’t teachers race to get out of the building on Fridays?

“I like to set up my classroom for next week,” she explained. “It’s a little easier to have everything planned out.”

“Well, I won’t keep you,” he promised.

“You really didn’t have to do this,” her cheeks flushing pink once more. “I’m a little embarrassed,” she explained unlocking her classroom door.

“S’nothing t’be embarrassed ‘bout. M’happy t’take a look.”

“I guess...but they shouldn’t have said anything. Six-year-olds. You can’t tell them anything.”

He chuckled. “S’fine,” putting his hands in his pockets as she pushed the door open. It felt like being transported into another world. A bright, colorful, sunny world. There were windows overlooking the yard separating the building and a soccer field. There were string lights around the top of the wall, along with floor lamps placed around the room as well. There was almost a separate room for her colorful carpet where an old rocking chair was situated in front of the whiteboard. On the other side of the room were her play items for the kids as well as tables and little chairs for her kids. There was artwork and displays of all her students’ work around every free space of the walls. All organized and stapled properly at regular spaced intervals.

Harry would have loved being her student, he thought, but he was glad he could get to know the pretty lady as she was right now.

At the back of the class near another door, there was her desk. Underneath one of the legs was a stack of old books. Harry frowned. It was very crooked.

“It’s really not as bad as it looks. I like to believe I’m pretty resourceful so that was one of the easier fixes of the classroom.”

He sucked his cheek a bit and nodded. “Is there anything else you’d like me t’look at?”

She shook her head. “No, really. It’s okay, this is too much as is,” she said hurriedly. It was hardly anything. “You’ve had a really long day.”

But as if her classroom knew that Harry was there, the wooden sign above the door they just walked through fell off the wall. He smirked while her cheeks turned another shade redder and she winced practically with her whole body. “M’happy t’look around,” he offered. “You’re here late?” He asked and knelt beside her desk inspecting it. It was old. A fairly solid wooden structure but Harry could see it was made mostly of cheap particle board. There was no way that this was up to the fire code instructed by the public buildings in town.

“Uhh...yeah. I have to make copies and cut some stuff out for my new bulletin board,” she explained. “I also like to do a little extra cleaning on Fridays. The custodians have a lot to do so I try to do my fair share,” she went to the little closet behind her desk built into the wall. The door stuck a bit as she pulled it open and she hung her pink jacket up and pulled out a broom and disinfectant wipes.

Harry nodded. “I’d be happy t’help.”

“Oh, that’s completely unnecessary,” she assured him. “I can’t imagine you really want to be here after a long day of manual labor on a Friday no less and—”

She watched Harry for a few moments surprised by how kind he was to a complete stranger. “Could I take these drawers out?” He asked.

“Um...” she swallowed. “If you can open them.”

He tilted his head at her with a smirk. “Is there a point t’having this desk?”

“I found it at a yard sale. It’s kind of my thing,” she explained. “Most of the shelves, chairs, et cetera are from yard sales. I’m a teacher on a budget kind of thing. They just need some TLC. I say I’m going to do it over the summer, but I tutor a bunch, babysit, and whatnot so I haven’t had the time. This is my fourth year of teaching so I’m hoping this summer will be different now that I won’t be preparing lessons much now that I know what I’m doing for the most part.”

Harry watched her as she spoke, a gentle smile on his face. God, she was cute. Without her coat, she was wearing a blue almost denim looking shirt and she looked so adorable he wanted to pick her up and twirl her around like she was a princess. “I think you’re a superhero,” he told her.

Her face flushed once more and she turned to the tables lower than any normal table Harry had ever sat at (especially for his tall frame) and she knelt to wipe the surfaces. Harry turned to the desk letting her settle with the compliment he offered. He tugged the drawers out, with effort. A piece of particle board splintered a bit but given the drawer was empty, he didn’t think she would mind much. But Harry would rather build her a new desk altogether. “I don’t sit much,” she added.

“Mm,” he hummed. “Shouldn’t take an act of God t’get a drawer open.”

He lifted the desk off the books once the weight of the drawers was out of the way. He carefully moved her piles of items and organizers onto the floor taking mental pictures of her setup. There was a framed photo of her and a man and his heart almost gave out at the thought that the pretty girl was taken. He glanced at her wiping the desks, her left hand bare of any rings. It didn’t necessarily mean anything, but there was no way he could ask if she was taken. He gently placed her laptop on the back counter behind him and then tilted the desk onto it’s side.

The weight of her gaze was prominent on his face, but he ignored it, focusing on her desk and hoping to make her life a little better. “S’this little screw for the leg.”

“Yeah, I figured. It was too stuck for me. I tried using some WD-40 but I didn’t get much luck.”

He pictured the pretty girl in her bright red pants trying to get her desk to unstick. Resourceful she was. “I think I have some in m’car, I’ll go pop out.”

“Let me prop this door open,” she offered and went to the classroom door labeled with a giant two. Just follow that path up,” she pointed. Harry hurried out waiting until he was out of her sightline to all but run to his car and back. He returned with a selection of random tools he grabbed and walked back to her classroom.

“—shouldn’t stay late on a Friday,” he hated how jealous he was of a man’s voice. “Come out with El and I,” the voice offered.

“Louis, I’m exhausted. I will come over tomorrow. I can’t even imagine talking to the two of you right now and I love you guys.”

“I know,” the voice sighed. “Do you need help?”

“No, I’m good.”

“Course not.”

“Shut up,” she rolled her eyes.

“That isn’t very kind of you Miss Kindergarten,” the voice answered with attitude.

Harry cleared his throat as he returned. “I gotta go, Louis. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Don’t stay too late, Miss Bee,” he sang.

She continued sweeping and glanced at Harry’s tools. “You really don’t have to do this,” she reminded him.

“Happy t’help,” he assured her. She seemed pretty adamant though. He wondered why she felt so uncomfortable asking for help. His eyes dropped to her left hand once more looking for a tan line or any indication she was taken. “M’a big fan of teachers,” he promised. “Had some really good ones,” he explained.

She took a deep breath and nodded. “If you’re sure. I don’t want to be a bother.”

Harry wondered who on earth made this saint of a woman feel like a burden. Her desk was old and rickety. It was hardly rocket science to fix it and it wasn’t even that heavy. The drawers stuck, which Harry would tackle next, but otherwise what was so difficult? He sprayed the screw at the foot of her desk and gave it a spin, but it didn’t work. He pulled a wrench from his toolbox and tried to get better leverage. “There we go,” he mumbled to himself as the screw unstuck. He untwisted it all the way and sprayed both the screw and the hole. He twisted the metal piece back in and smiled feeling glad he made her life a little easier. He stood, tipped the desk back to it’s rightful position. He put weight with his hands to ensure all the legs were the same length and he wiped his hands on his pants.

“There’s a bathroom through that door—everything is low because of the kids though,” she pointed toward the one right near him.

“Thanks bird,” he smiled and headed through it. Whoops, he thought to himself.

He rinsed his hands with soap quickly admiring the bright, neon green paper that said you should sing Happy Birthday to yourself twice to get the germs off while washing your hands. He imagined she heard happy birthday all day long and found that adorable.

When he reentered her room, she was already putting things back, including trying to get the sticky drawer back into position. “Oh, I can do that, love. Don’t hurt yourself,” he hurried over and grabbed the drawer from her grip.

“Thank you so much for doing this, this is so lovely,” she frowned. “Can I pay you or something?”

“Absolutely not,” he chuckled. “S’hardly anything, bird,” he assured her and jimmied the drawer back into position. “Y’can keep doing your thing. I’ll put everything back.”

She bit the inside of her lip. “Thank you,” she repeated.

“You’re welcome, seriously. S’hardly nothing.”

“No but it is,” she assured him. “I don’t mean to dump this all on you but my ex-boyfriend made it very clear that I put too much effort into my job and that all the extra time I didn’t get paid for didn’t mean anything because caring so much didn’t get me anything more. But I love this room and all it’s little quirks but this means the world to me, honestly. I want one of those Pinterest perfect classrooms in some ways, but I don’t think I’ll ever get it because this school is old and I don’t have the money, time, or energy I’d like to fix a lot of the things I probably need to. I don’t think I’m explaining it quite right and I’m sorry I just dumped all that on you, but I don’t think anyone has ever done anything this kind for me.”

Harry felt bad that his assumptions were correct, but he loved the way she let all of that out. He listened to every word with bated breath grateful for the word ex. It didn’t mean she didn’t have a current boyfriend, but it put into perspective why she was so overwhelmed by Harry’s little help. “Well, Miss Bee, m’at your service,” he assured her.

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@dontforgtme @lizsogolden @me-undiscovered @you-sunshine @rose-girls-world

@claimingharrystigertattoo @inlikea-coolway @theseaview @lunaharrygurl @emmie2308 @fruity-harry @somebunnybaby @avas-queen-black @mema10 @tulips4harry @spinninc @sassamanda77 @ell0ra-br3kk3r @mp-269 @jmp1494 @fangirl509east @sideboobrry11 @drewrry @dutchtheatrelore @copiastricycle @mypolicemanharryyy @harry2121 @inharryshelter @fandomxo @sarah-thatstings-ann @yourlocalstilinski-valdez

I'm sorry if I missed anyone in the taglist. Please let me know if you'd like to join, if it didn't work, if you no longer want to be included, etc. :)

If you like this, check out my masterlist here

#harry #harry styles #harry styles writing #harry styles blurb #harry styles blurbs #harry styles fic #harry styles imagine #harry styles fluff #harry styles smut #harry styles angst #harry styles sad #harry styles x reader #harry styles x y/n #one direction #one direction writing #construction worker!Harry #teacher!reader #under construction

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what-even-is-thiss · 16 hours ago

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Free or Cheap Spanish Learning Resources So You Can Run at Windmills in Fluent Spanish

I will update this list as I learn of any more useful ones. If you want general language learning resources check out this other post. This list is Spanish specific. Find lists for other specific languages here.

For the purposes of this list "free" means something that is either totally free or has a useful free tier. "Cheap" is a subscription under $10USD a month, a software license or lifetime membership purchase under $100USD, or a book under $30USD. If you want to suggest a resource for this list please suggest ones in that price range that are of decent quality and not AI generated.

WEBSITES

Dreaming Spanish - A website that is also a YouTube Channel. This is a comprehensible input site with videos about a variety of subjects with multiple hosts from multiple countries. It has content for learners from absolute beginner to lower advanced. It lets you sort videos by dialect, subject, length, etc. The free version has a lot of content. The paid version is $9 a month and has many more videos and allows you to track your listening hours. The website is in English but all videos are entirely in Spanish.

Lawless Spanish - A free website with resources to learn Spanish relating to grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary. The website also has worksheets, charts, an AI chatbot, and reviews of different learning resources. The website is in English.

Spanish Boom - A free website with beginner lessons and free readings with audio and visual aids. They're also associated with a service called Esidioma that provides paid courses with tutor help for around $23 and also sells books. Prices are in Euros but they also sell to people outside of Europe. The website is available in multiple languages.

studyspanish.com - A website with free verb drills and grammar lessons. It's commonly used by high school Spanish students. They also have a blog that hasn't updated in a while but there is an archive to read through. They have a paid tier with access to their podcasts, vocab lessons, and their Spanish learning app which is $10 a month or $120 for a lifetime membership. The website is in English.

Speaking Latino - A website marketed at Spanish teachers but it's in English and has guides to colloquial Spanish and slang in a lot of different countries and a free blog with tips on sounding like a local in different countries. It has a paid tier but that's mostly useful for Spanish teachers. They also sell slang dictionaries for various countries that are usually less than $10.

UT Austin Spanish Proficiency Exercises - A bunch of free grammar, vocab, and pronunciation guides for various tasks you should be able to do in Spanish at various levels from one of my alma maters, the University of Texas at Austin. It's got videos of people from different countries pronouncing things. The podcast links often don't work for some reason but the grammar, vocab, and video links should work fine. The website is in English.

SpanishDict - A free dictionary website and app with a search feature that also has curated vocabulary lists on various topics and articles. They have a paid tier at $13 a month with a writing coach and subscriber only curated lists and articles. Personally I don't think their paid tier is all that special but it's up to you. The website is in English.

BBC Bitesize Spanish - Bitesize is a free study resource for kids and is sorted by level. It has articles aimed at little kids as well as secondary school aged teens studying for their exams or planning to study abroad. The website is in English and available worldwide, not just in the UK.

YOUTUBE CHANNELS

Hola Spanish - A channel by a woman named Brenda from Argentina who makes videos about grammar, pronunciation, culture, media, and general Spanish tips for upper beginner to advanced learners. The channel is almost entirely in Spanish with occasional vocabulary words translated into English onscreen. There are subtitles in Spanish onscreen but sometimes they randomly disappear.

Butterfly Spanish - A channel with free lessons from beginner to lower intermediate. The host also makes videos about useful phrases and listening practice videos. The channel is mostly in English.

Spanish After Hours - A comprehensible input channel for beginner to intermediate learners with vlogs, history, Spanish tips, and news. The descriptions and video titles are in English but the videos are all in Spanish. The channel host is from Spain.

Easy Spanish - A channel part of the easy languages network that makes a combination of videos with useful phrases and terms for beginners and interviews on the street with locals. They have teams in both Barcelona and Mexico City and there are dual language subtitles in Spanish and English onscreen. The hosts also have a podcast for intermediate to advanced learners.

My Daily Spanish - A catchall channel that has lessons, discussions of grammar, culture topics, vlogs, vocabulary, and other various things. The host is from Spain and also makes a lot of YouTube shorts. She mostly speaks in Spanish but occasionally uses English or has English translations onscreen.

Spansh Boost with Martin and Spanish Boost with Mila - These channels are run by a couple from Argentina who also work as tutors on italki. They often appear on each other's channels and both have their own podcasts and vlogs and general content videos that they make discussing their lives, giving tips, and discussing culture. Mila also makes a lot of videos playing the sims.

Spanish Boost Gaming - Run by Martin from Spanish Boost, this is a lets play channel in clear and easy to understand Spanish. Subtitles are available in English and Spanish and a few other languages as well and it's an actual let's play channel. He plays a variety of video games, makes jokes, and says cuss words and everything.

Mextalki - A channel run by a couple of guys from Mexico city that has listening practice, podcasts, street interviews, and Mexican Spanish specific lessons. Some videos have dual language subtitles onscreen while others do not. The channel is majority in Spanish but in a few lesson videos or portions of videos they will speak in English a bit.

Espanol Con Juan - A channel that teaches Spanish in Spanish from upper beginner to upper intermediate. Juan has grammar lessons, vocabulary lessons, and videos about culture. He is from Spain and the channel is entirely in Spanish. He also has a podcast for more advanced learners.

READING PRACTICE

Vikidia - A wikipedia type website specifically made for kids. The articles are short and written in more simple easy to understand Spanish. The website is in Spanish and made for native speaker kids.

Spanish graded readers by Olly Richards - Spanish has short stories and dialogues for beginner and intermediate, books in easy Spanish on world war 1, world war 2, western philosophy, and climate change. There's also dialogue books specific to Mexican Spanish and Spanish used on social media. The books usually go from $5-$20 new depending on how old they are and whether or not you bought a digital copy. These are really easy to find at used bookstores for cheap though, especially in the US.

Conatilteg Digital - This is a mobile app that provides digital versions of the free textbooks for children provided by the Mexican Ministry of Education both historic and current. The link I provided is for iOS but the app is also available on android and the app is available in multiple countries and not just Mexico. The app is entirely in Spanish and categorized by grade from preschool to secondary school so it's a resource appropriate for all levels and may be enjoyable for any kids you know that are learning Spanish. You can also view their browser website here. (also entirely in Spanish)

Hola Que Pasa - A free website with news articles for learners from beginner to intermediate difficulty. They also provide audio and have the news articles available in podcast form. Every article has certain phrases highlighted that you can hover over and get and English translation of. The website is in a mix of English and Spanish.

Spanish in Levels - A world news website in Spanish for learners. The articles are separated into three different levels and the website is in a mix of English and Spanish. Each article also has audio.

PODCASTS

Spanish for False Beginners - An unscripted podcast about various topics hosted by a guy from the UK and a guy from Spain. The podcast is aimed at people who find beginner content to be boring but still find intermediate content to be too difficult. English is very rarely used.

Uforia/Univision - Uforia is a free app aimed at native speakers in the US and has Spanish language radio, music, and podcasts. Univision in general is also useful if you like American and international news and programming in Spanish.

Radio National de Espana - Another site for native speakers, this is Spanish National Radio. They have a variety of free podcasts and radio programs.

Spanish Obsessed - This is a series of lessons in podcast form for learners from absolute beginner to advanced.

Storylearning Spanish Podcast - This podcast tells different short stories in Spanish and is aimed at upper beginner to lower intermediate learners.

Radio Ambulante - A Spanish language podcast from NPR that's similar to something like This American Life that tells stories from around Latin America. Although it's aimed at native speakers, the language used is clear and understandable and transcripts are available. They're also aware that a lot of intermediate and advanced learners use them for listening practice and they have developed a free app that helps with comprehension and vocabulary when listening to their podcast.

SELF STUDY TEXTBOOKS

Madrigal's Magic Key to Spanish - A self study textbook written in the late 80s that still mostly holds up for beginner to upper beginner Spanish. A paperback edition of the textbook is about $25 and used copies and ebooks are also usually available wherever you like to buy books. It's also half off on Amazon pretty often.

Complete Spanish step-by-step by Mcgraw Hill - This is a complete version of the McGraw Hill budget option, the spanish step by step series that focuses on the most frequently used words and grammar. It's $25 new but the individual books in the series usually cost less than $10 and used versions and ebooks are available.

Complete Spanish Grammar from Mcgraw Hill - This is a workbook as well as a textbook that usually costs around $20. The complete Spanish all in one version of the book costs about $40. Used versions of these books can be difficult to find because people tend to write all over them but ebook versions are available. You can also find their beginner workbook for around $18.

Practical Spanish Grammar - This book is usually around $25 but because it's not a workbook it's fairly easy to find used copies. An advanced grammar textbook is also available.

SERIES FOR LEARNERS AND KIDS SHOWS

Destinos - This is a series of over 50 episodes of a telenovela made for Spanish learners. The plot revolves around a group of siblings searching around the world for their long lost half sibling they just learned that they had so the series includes a lot of different Spanish dialects.

Extra Spanish - A 13 episode sitcom made to show in Spanish classrooms that revolves around a group of friends in Spain and a student that just moved there.

Dora la Expladora - Yeah if you remember Dora the Explorer from your preschool days it also unsurprisingly exists in Spanish. You can watch clips and some full episodes on YouTube and buy full seasons for around $8 each on Amazon.

PBS Kids in Spanish - A few PBS Kids shows like Cyberchase and Daniel Tiger have been dubbed into Spanish. The link I've given goes to a place to buy them on Amazon Prime but if you go digging on their YouTube channel or the PBS Kids website you also might be able to find them for free. They don't always make it easy to find though.

Plaza Sésamo - The Spanish language localization of Sesame Street for Mexican audiences with its own unique characters. The YouTube channel has a huge amount of content on it and often has episodes streaming live.

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sakurai96 · 3 days ago

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Please, don’t let them deport my siblings back to Gaza. Please share this !!

Please don’t let them send my sisters back to Gaza, simply because we can’t afford a piece of paper.

Hello everyone, As some of you may know, my name is Amal. I’m an architect from Gaza, currently living in Berlin. I came here before the war on a work contract, but I was fired as soon as the war started because of my Palestinian identity.

With a heavy heart, I launched this fundraiser to help my family. Thanks to your generous donations, I was able to evacuate them from certain death in Gaza to Egypt. But they fled with nothing — no home, no income, no future. And for those who remember, I was also scammed out of $20,000 during my desperate attempts to save them.

After I got my family to safety, I felt I had already asked for too much. So I stopped posting for 9 months. I didn’t want to burden anyone. I tried to carry everything on my own, working 3 exhausting jobs, barely sleeping. But now, I’m drained. I took on three jobs in Berlin and kept going, hoping I could carry this weight alone. But the truth is: I can’t anymore.

I’m supporting five people on my own. I don’t sleep. I’m drained — physically, emotionally, financially. Rent in both Berlin and Cairo is crushing me. I cover every single expense for my family — food, shelter, medicine — and still, it’s not enough.

Every step a Palestinian takes in Egypt costs a fortune.

Now I’m being asked to send my sister out of Egypt just so she can come back and reapply for residency, meaning I need to buy her plane tickets. They also asked us to pay $2,500 just to activate her student residency. On top of that, $3,000 is required for her next semester.

My other sister, Abeer, has just graduated from medical school after 7 years of studying in Egypt, but she’s not allowed to receive her diploma unless we pay $9,000 in overdue fees from the past 3 years. We couldn’t afford the last 3 years because of the war.

I’ve attached proof of this payment demand.

I honestly talk to myself in the street out of exhaustion. I’ve been quiet because I felt guilty asking for more. But I can’t do this anymore. I’m just one person trying to carry a mountain.

Please help me. Please share my story. I am just a human. I am breaking.

Please don’t let them send my sisters back to Gaza, simply because we can’t afford a piece of paper.

Here is the GoFundMe link Any donation or share could save their future. Thank you for reading.

This campaign is vetted, listed under Line 24 -Amal Abushammala's family- in the Vetted Gaza Fundraiser List.

Vetted by @riding-with-the-wild-hunt

Vetted by @nabulsi

Vetted by @el-shab-hussein

Vetted by @northgazaupdates2

@sayruq @90-ghost @sar-soor @dlxxv-vetted-donations @nabulsi @bixlasagna @maester-cressen @mysharona1987 @mobiused @coco6420 @pcktknife @papasmoke @paper-mario-wiki @tieflingkisser @wellwaterhysteria @warm-mangoes-with-chai @ghostofanonpast @anyonghalimaw @akajustmerry @amygdalae @a-shade-of-blue @aurinko-inen @khanger @just-a-queer-fanboy @kyra45 @komsomolka @khizuo @determinate-negation @namtans-jean-jacket @newsentrygun @tortiefrancis @ibtisams @riding-with-the-wild-hunt @gaza-evacuation-funds @doweesig @enkiooo @prime-adeptus @irrealismora @forever-deep-below-creation @pxnklemxnade @ @punklesbiancherry @some-multifandom-stories @gothgleek @dragonboots10 @josie-marks @junjiya @edmunderson @weepingoceans @startouches @meshimellow @calyxthenerd @wheresthewater @zapvendo @gladsomevarangian @rhys-ravenfeather @kururu666 @adrienneleclerc @bazookat @sensitively-taken @flowermeanings @greensonickid @kaydreamman @tnyashaaa @yetisidelblog @thegirlwiththeblush @argentleif @ilybigman @cherry-pop-soda @arcticat @12furbies @momiji-kitsune @boxeboxer @jdogandherthings @missstreelight @frog4278 @smashburro @crazysodomite @fruiteggsaladit @gay-frog-is-an-understatement @thebearme @possum-vomit @darwuzhere @rampalago @themerrywarlock @t4tranpoes @shellem15 @carnuatus @stele3 @neutronstarss @iadossus @cuileeann @shartreuse1312 @yourfavereminds @mr-jackson-or-smtg @g0at0ad @tonysstressball @duckhumangirl @languagenerd24601 @128alteregos @wholesomes-sauce @sleepy-crocuta @alyfoxxxen @iri-desky @16-puppies @awesomeart-83 @iamfarfromvibingrightnow @probablyadhdapparently @idontknowanametouse @kindregards-liya @yousnasss @chinzhilla @the-kickster @low-po1y-princess @moralcandy @monmiiii @amariemelody @silliestgeese @cosette-s @reddbuster @thevampirearmandwrites @pepsicoughdrops @digitaldiseas3 @butiknowiloatheyou @naradreamscape @satinmetal @yangvik @feuerbluete

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niiwa-angel · 2 days ago

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It's also like, this is 2025... Most colleges/universities nowadays are recognizing that mothers want/need education and are trying their best to accommodate.

The university a lot of my friends went to have dorm options for mothers so their kids can stay with them. It also offered free/discounted daycare for the students and faculty of the school right on campus, and it's often students in ECE or something child related working the daycare for experience/learning/paid coop.

Why couldn't the movie make a focus on programs like these, and show Nani getting support from a university like that so that she can follow her dreams AND take care of Lilo? Why couldn't Agent Cobra be shown helping Nani apply for grants and financial assistance that a lot of programs will offer for post secondary students with kids. I know I'm Canadian and the US has a different system, but a young woman like Nani, recently orphaned, lowish income raising her little sister? In Canada she would qualify for serious financial student aid, why not make up a program that could help Nani get that financial assistance so she can go to school AND keep her sister?

One thing that bothers me about the ending of the Lilo and Stitch remake (among the other things people have already rightfully complained about) is how it acts like Nani has to go to college NOW or she's lost her chance forever.

As someone who was raised by a young mother that didn't get to go to college, because she got 2 kids at 18-20, but then went to college in her early/mid 30s when me and my sister were old enough to be left home alone, it just feels really insulting.

It really adds to the harmful mindset that someone's life, especially that of women, is over if they haven't "got their life together" yet before the age of 25.

There would've been no harm in Nani delaying college for like 5-10 years, instead of abandoning her sister during the most vital years of her development only 2-3 months after already having lost her parents. Animated Nani would never.

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dduane · 2 days ago

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…So once again it’s the time of year when I return to this piece of digital art in its most recent version, tweak it a little in the attempt to get closer to what I see in my head, and repost it for Pride. (ETA, 1 June 2025: this year's version of the image is rerendered to reflect the ongoing business of getting the varying skin colors of the Five properly nailed down.)

At the moment I’m looking at These Two Idiots (because honestly, in some ways they are...) and considering, once again with the usual bemusement, how long I’ve been working with them. Of all the characters I’ve worked with in print, the only ones I’ve known longer would be the crew of NCC-1701—and (as of autumn 2024) for the first time in paid writing, a couple of gentlemen named Holmes and Watson.

I first “met” the two characters above in late 1970 in the form of two fellow college students on whom they’d be loosely based: a couple of gents—not gay, as it happens—who were friends to me when I badly needed some. They were a tall dark-haired guy and a short blond one with a mustache that came and went… so that, not even knowing the word “trope” at the time, I'd fallen sideways into at least one.

Less than a year after I met them, I changed schools and educational tracks, and we all drifted apart. But something about those two stuck with me. The nature and depth of their friendship was unusual. So was one way it manifested itself: in ruthless snark that had no meanness or cruelty about it whatsoever—just (sometimes slightly rueful and eye-rolling) affection.

In the late sixties I’d pivoted from the Star Trek fanfic I'd been writing practially since the series premiered, to start in on writing some very derivative epic-fantasy fic strongly influenced by Tolkien. Rather to my surprise, though, as I started nursing school in 1971, the nature of that fiction started to change, and began rearranging itself around two characters who had a friendship like that of my college friends. With them at its core, a rather different and subversive kind of medieval-flavored fantasy world started knitting itself together from various scraps of themes and imagery lying around in the back of my brain.

Even so early in the construction phases of this world, something the characters quickly made plain to me in the writing was that their relationships with one another were not what mainstream 1970s culture would consider conventional. They were unquestionably what we'd now think of as queer… but that was a background issue,* and not at all the most important thing in their lives. They had far more important business to deal with—as became clear as their personalities and priorities started filling themselves out in the foreground.

One of them turned out to be the deliberate, analytical, methodical son of a provincial nobleman, all too aware of the expectations of those around him: that he was eventually likely to wind up running that province himself. Yet at the same time he also became aware that he had other more serious problems—chief among them the discovery that he possessed a nascent power that would kill him young if he failed to master it. And in the last thousand years, no one of his gender ever had.

The other presented himself more and more clearly as a difficult case: someone who wanted very much to be good at the family business, but wasn’t… and knew it. Kind of a screw-up, full of romanticized and unrealistic takes on the world and his relationship with it: repeatedly doing the wrong things for what he was sure were the right reasons. Yet no matter how often he screwed up, he was also the kind of person who keeps picking himself up and trying again, because he’s been told over and over that that’s what people like him have to do: otherwise they’re no use to anybody.

Imagine my shock when I realized that these two men—initially canonically enemies in their adolescence, then best friends as they grew, and eventually much more—were the (incomplete) answer to the question I’d once asked my Mom at the end of the bedtime reading of some fairy tale or other: “Why can’t a prince rescue another prince?”§ Because one of them got himself more than once into situations where he really needed one kind or another of rescuing. The other one obliged him, while once or twice getting rescued (in different modes) himself. Those interlocking patterns started to solidify out of concept and into character detail and plot, while their world grew and proliferated into its own detail around them.

Then, without warning, in 1978 both world and characters decided they were ready to get real. I was abruptly dragged gasping and flailing under the surface of a novel that would begin the tale of what those two characters had yet to become. The period it took to produce that first draft was possibly the most interesting six weeks of my life… and that includes the six weeks during which I first scrubbed in on brain surgery. Day and night, for days at a time, I barely even existed except as something for a novel to come out of. When it was done with me, it just as abruptly dumped me back into my life and wandered away, leaving me staring around, blinking and wondering if anybody’d got the number of that truck. Nothing like it has ever happened to me since, which may be just as well. I’m none too sure that these days I could handle the strain.

The book—which sold within a couple of weeks of its manuscript landing on its first publisher’s desk—kicked off my career as novelist and screenwriter, and in its way proved that the world was at least slightly ready for epic fantasy in which the basic culture was pansexual, polyamorous, and inclusive in ways that hadn’t been attempted before.

So I owe them a debt, those two gentlemen up there: the tall dark curly-haired guy with the amateur strategist’s mind, the blacksmith’s shoulders, and the peculiar sword, his background thought always nibbling away at the question of how to heal the world’s wounds: and the short fair gent who if he could would stay at home, live quietly in town, and work in the local library… except for when saving the world (or his found family) requires him to subsume his work-in-progress kingship and his being into that of his ancestral demigod. Due to the success of the book in which they made their debut, these two became, in their way, the fairy† godfathers of the Young Wizards—and additionally enabled all that Star Trek fanfic I’d started writing a decade before to proceed to its logical conclusion.

More to the point, though, a lot of people in the 1980s and ‘90s who’d never seen queer representation in a fantasy novel, found it first (or at last) while following Herewiss and Freelorn down their shared road. It’s been my pleasure to hold that space for new readers, and to keep adding to it… because—if you ask me—it’s needed more now than ever.

So, to the readership of the Middle Kingdoms works (now pushing half a century old) and everybody else who’s celebrating the season: happy Pride!

ETA: Just noting here for those who might be interested that, as usual, the LGBTQ Pride Bundle at Ebooks Direct is discounted more deeply than usual for Pride Month. With the usual warning to UK readers: friends, our apologies, but due to Brexit we can no longer sell ebooks to you directly. However, most of these works are currently available to UK readers through Amazon.com.

*Not least because everybody else in their world is (at least potentially) some shade of queer, including God.

§ For certain values of "prince". See here for more detail.

† (snicker)

#Pride #Pride 2025 #Pride Month #Happy Pride #LGBTQ #lgbtq community

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serasalvatore · 2 days ago

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˚˖𓍢ִ໋🦢˚. PIROUETTE !

single dad!jh86 x fem!reader

𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔. mentions of single parenthood, brief emotional vulnerability, mild language, lots of fluff, found family themes.

𝒔𝒚𝒏𝒐𝒑𝒔𝒊𝒔. you’ve been teaching ballet for a few years, but no student ever made quite the same impact as winnie hughes, she’s a chatty six-year-old with wild curls, energy, and stories about her superhero dad. you’ve never met him, never seen him at drop-off, but you’ve heard plenty about he’s good at skating, he makes the best grilled cheese, and he’s apparently okay with winnie calling her ballet teacher her bestfriend ever. and then one day, he shows up and asks you to be his date to a wedding, because winnie refuses to go unless you’re there. maybe it starts with ballet slippers and a flower girl dress, but where it goes next… well, that’s a story still being written.

𝒂𝒔𝒌 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒚𝒏. an ask for everything, you can send questions, recommend fics, self-promo, or even share your thoughts on my work.

winnie hughes never walks — she twirls.

everyweek, she bursts into the studio in her glittery pink leotard, ballet shoes in one hand and a lopsided bun already falling apart on her head. she always greets you the same way,

“hi miss y/n!!” l like you’re the highlight of her entire day.

kind ellen, her grandmother or sometimes a sweet neighbor lady named sandy, drops her off and waves through the window before leaving. and yet every single week, winnie talks about her dad like he’s a legend.

you’ve never seen her dad. only know his name is jack hughes and nothing more.

“my daddy skates sooo fast. faster than lightning.”

“he used to be on tv! and he says ballet is even harder than hockey.”

“daddy said he tried to do a plié once and fell on his butt.”

you smile at each story. you learn that her dad makes blueberry pancakes every saturday. that he once let winnie wear his jersey to school because she spilled orange juice on her favorite dress. that he tells her bedtime stories in funny voices, even when he’s tired.

and then, one rainy tuesday, while tying the ribbon on her slipper, winnie says it casually.

“i told daddy you’re my bestfriend ever, miss y/n.”

you glance up in surprise. “you did?”

she nods with a grin. “yup. i said, ‘miss y/n teaches me to fly with my feet.’ and he said that was a very nice thing to say.”

your heart swells in your chest.

then comes the day he walks into the studio.

you’re cleaning up after class, stacking mats, helping a student zip her coat when the door creaks open. for a split second, you think maybe sandy came early today.

but instead, it’s him.

tall, blue-eyed, a little unsure as he steps inside, one hand shoved in his hoodie pocket. his hair is tousled like he’s run his fingers through it too many times. and winnie? winnie lights up like she’s powered by sunshine.

“dadaaa!” she squeals, running toward him and nearly tackling him at the knees.

jack hugs her back without missing a beat, lifting her effortlessly.

“hey, bug.”

then she turns in his arms and gestures right at you with a dramatic flair.

“look, dada, that’s miss y/n! my bestfriend that i told you about!”

you blink, a little stunned. your cheeks warm as jack’s gaze meets yours.

his smile is crooked and gentle. “so you’re the famous miss y/n.”

“and you must be the skating superhero,” you say, still caught off guard.

he chuckles, the sound low and kind. “she talks about you all the time.”

“she talks about you, too,” you admit.

he nods, there’s a pause just long enough to feel the buzz of something unspoken and then he clears his throat.

“so… this might be kind of weird,” he says, “but my cousin’s wedding is this weekend. and winnie’s supposed to be the flower girl.”

you nod politely, unsure where this is going.

jack glances at winnie. “she told everyone she wasn’t going unless you were there.”

you blink. “me?”

“yeah. she told the whole family. says you’re her best friend and she wants to dance with you at the party. and she might’ve said… you were coming already.”

you look at winnie, who grins like it’s the most normal thing in the world.

“so,” jack continues, “would you maybe come? as my date. or guest. or emotional support ballerina. whatever works.”

you smile, soft and a little amused. “well… how can i say no to my bestfriend?”

the wedding is held at a beautiful vineyard just outside of the city. you wear a dress that makes you feel light and graceful, and when winnie sees you, her eyes widen like you’re a princess from one of her storybooks.

“you look like a fairy, miss y/n!”

jack, beside her, just stares for a second too long.

“thanks,” he says, finally, clearing his throat. “for coming. really.”

winnie doesn’t leave your side the whole afternoon.

you help her tuck flowers into her basket before the ceremony. you hold her hand when she gets nervous walking down the aisle. you cheer the loudest when she nails her toss of petals and runs back to the front row giggling.

jack keeps glancing your way like he’s watching something unfamiliar and comforting all at once.

people make assumptions.

“oh, you must be jack’s girlfriend!”

“are you winnie’s mom? you two look so close!”

you always smile, always say the same thing. “no, i’m her ballet teacher.”

but the word “just” doesn’t feel quite right.

you hold winnie’s shoes when she wants to dance barefoot. you braid her hair when it gets messy. you wrap her in your cardigan when the night breeze picks up and she starts to yawn. she falls asleep leaning on your shoulder and you don’t move not even when your arm goes numb.

jack eventually walks over and sits beside you. he looks at her, then at you.

“she’s usually pretty shy at these things,” he says quietly. “but… not tonight.”

you glance down at winnie, breathing softly, hand still curled around yours.

“she’s such a nice little girl,” you whisper.

he nods. “she is.”

there’s a stretch of silence. the lights above you glow gold and soft.

“you’re really good with her,” jack says after a moment.

“i love being around her,” you reply honestly.

he doesn’t say anything else, but the way he looks at you, don’t know what this is yet.

you don’t know if it’s something or just a lovely moment made of lace and laughter and winnie’s sunshine smile. but when jack helps you carry her to the car and buckles her in gently, then opens the door for you, you feel something slow, something warm.

and maybe it’s the start.

#nhl imagines #jack hughes imagine #jack hughes x reader #jack hughes fanfiction #jack hughes #hockey imagine #jack hughes fluff #hughes brothers #jack hughes fanfic #jack hughes fic #jack hughes x fem!reader

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yukioos · 2 days ago

Note

Heey! I love your writing so so much! Can you do something about Aizawa? :3

leaving a kiss on shota’s cheek before he teaches his class

sunlight peeked through the curtains, causing you to wince and curl further into the warm, burly arms that wrapped around you protectively. the alarm clock beside you rang loud, and the man holding you sighed, waking up from his deep sleep. he turned and turned off the alarm clock, then turned back to you to pet your hair and rub your back.

shota kissed your forehead and grumbled, “good morning,” then softly spoke, “i need to get ready for work.”

you sighed and dug yourself deeper into his grasp, emitting a sigh and soft chuckle from him. after a few more minutes, you untangled your limbs and sat up, walking out of bed to make breakfast and put on some lipstick, which you would put to use later.

not even half an hour later, breakfast was done, and shota’s feet thumped down the stairs, revealing the outfit he normally wore to the school. you already plated the food, and. both of you sat down at the table, eating together while shota spoke about what had happened in school.

“i might stay after school to help shinso with his form for fighting. he wants to train more and learn how to use his scarf,” he stated, pausing in between bites to speak to you.

you nodded, “fine by me. that boy has great potential, i’m glad you’re his teacher, shota.” you complimented.

he gave you a soft smile, and once the two of you were done with your food, he walked to your side of the table and took all your dishes in one hand, then washed them one by one. you gave a small thank you and kissed his bicep, making his face heat up.

a few minutes later, he walked near the front of the door and stepped into his boots, leaning down to kiss you on the cheek. with everything going on with the league of villains, he never liked leaving without saying a heartfelt goodbye. he never knew if it would be his last.

you grinned into the embrace he brought you into, and you rubbed your hand against his chest, softly pulling him down to give him a big, fat kiss on his cheek. it clearly left a mark, very visible, very clear that he had a wife at home.

you grinned at your work, and shota asked, “what?”

shaking your head, you spoke, “it’s nothing.” you murmured, “you’re just so handsome,” you paused. “anyway, have a good day with the kids!”

he chuckled and rubbed your cheek with his hand, speaking, “love you,” waiting for you to respond, then leaving to drive his car to UA.

you locked the door after him and laughed. you wondered how his students would react to the kiss mark on his cheek.

when shota walked into the campus, he got some weird looks from students passing by and even stares. he frowned right back at them, sternly speaking, “hurry to class.” and they would do so, sometimes even doing so much as running in the halls so they wouldn’t be late.

but when he walked into class 1-a’s room, everyone fell silent. it looked like some of the students, such as kaminari, sero, and mineta were trying not to laugh, but that wasn’t out of the ordinary. those three, though not always together, were always messing around in one way or another.

shota rolled his eyes and began teaching the class during their first period, and hours passed, students from different classes joined his room and they all looked like they were trying to not look at something. maybe people were feeling off today, it was a monday, after all. students were never normal when coming back to school.

it wasn't until his lunch break that he noticed the kiss mark on his cheek.

hizashi barged into the room, yelling, “heyyyy, shota— woah!” he cut himself off, grinning wildly and placing his hands on shota’s desk.

shota sighed and asked, “what?” curious as to why he was acting weird too.

“got some lovin’ from your lady back at home, huh? must love you a lot based on that mark!” his childhood best friend exclaimed, pointing to his cheek.

shota raised his eyebrow and pulled out his phone, opening the camera app and panning it to his face. there stood a dark red lipstick shape on his cheek, from you.

he grinned and sent a quick text to you, ‘let’s try out your other lipsticks later.’

he was interrupted by hizashi’s loud, booming voice, screaming, “you’re as red as a tomato, shota! you must really love this, huh?”

shota rolled his eyes and scoffed, “shut it.”

he did indeed love it.

i’m so happy you love my writing, so i hope this is up to your expectations as well!

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horrorhot-line · 3 days ago

Text

metanoia

(n.) the journey of changing one’s mind, heart, self or way of life.

➵ pairing: saiki kusuo / immune! reader

➵ word count: 14.2k

➵ genre: of avoidance and coincidences

➵ warnings: none

➵ summary: s1 ep 3. for the life of you, you couldn’t understand why your peaceful life had been turned upside down. no matter what you did, you always found yourself dragged into saiki’s problems. worst of all? at first you wanted nothing to do with him, and slowly, without even realising it, you didn’t mind being around him as much.

➵ masterlist (requests are open)

➵ previous part - serendipity

before you read:

‘saiki telepathically communicating with reader.’

‘reader thinking or interacting with saiki through thoughts.’

“saiki talking without moving his mouth.”

“saiki talking using his mouth.”

if you use the above format of speech in your fanfic, please credit as I was the first to come with it, thank you <3

author’s notes: this post is a rewrite from my friends to lovers series that I first posted back in 2020, the relaunch you’ve been waiting for is finally here! it’s still pretty much the same with a few changes here and there, hope you all enjoy <3

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵

Your plan to swerve the scary psychic you had the pleasure of calling your classmate worked well enough—until it didn't. It all started going downhill when you ran into Saiki at the park.

He just happened to be there because your paths intertwined on the way home from school. What's worse is you had taken a different route on purpose to avoid getting involved with the man, only to find yourself in the same crowd as him, watching a magic show.

From your first encounter with Saiki, you had decided to keep your distance, especially after you found out he was probably the most powerful psychic in the world. You had promised not to tell anyone his secret and made sure not to be caught near him, yet there he was.

Truth be told, you were terrified of him. You didn't have enough fingers to count how many times you had caught sight of him in your peripherals in the days following your visit to his house, following you to make sure you held up your end of the bargain and didn't tell anyone of his powers. Which? Rude, first of all, bold of him to assume you were a snitch; if he was a telepath, then surely he knew you weren't the type to spill secrets.

"Who's ready for another très bien trick by me? Master illusionist Uryoko Chono!" The magician performing the show asked as he pulled out a cone you recognised all too well from birthday parties, and you moved swiftly to the side so confetti wouldn't land in your hair. You didn't have the time to stand idly by and watch— you needed to be home for the new soap opera that would launch that day!

That, and you didn't want to get caught in any situation that involved a particular psychic. You decided to do a U-turn when you saw Saiki's pink hair in the crowd; turning on your heel, you were ready to hightail it out of there until the magician addressed you.

"Hey, student! Why don't you stay and join the fun? You too, pink hair! I'll do a trick to put a smile on those faces!" Chono exclaimed, leaning on the table before him and putting a hand out to stop the two of you. There was little chance of that happening; you were sure Saiki didn't even know how to stretch the corners of his mouth.

You sighed, fully ready to leave, only to be greeted by the crowd of people staring at you expectantly. Great! Now you had to stay. It seemed like Saiki felt the same, shooting a side glance your way before staring at the green-haired magician as the both of you decided in silence that the attention of leaving wasn't worth it— being a sheep would have to suffice for now.

Finding yourself at the front of the crowd, you deadpanned at the magician. "Oh! I see you're a sceptic." No, that wasn't it. It was more the fact that you could think of a million other things that called your attention, and this magic show wasn't one of them. "Well, once you see my show, you will become a believer in my powers to amaze." You could only purse your lips at the statement; you weren't buying it.

All magicians were hacks who used their ability to misdirect to achieve their illusions. What was the saying again? The closer you look, the less you see. That, and after finding out about Saiki and how vast his powers were, nothing this man had to offer would phase you. Yet, you watched anyway because walking away would be way too awkward now.

Saiki walked towards the crowd, joining it at your side. How had this caught his attention, you wondered. Did the magician really have supernatural powers? 'No— I'm watching, so he leaves me alone.' Saiki had yet to think something at you in weeks, and when he did, you nearly jumped out of your skin.

You were sure you'd never get used to his voice echoing inside your brain. At least he had cleared up your misunderstanding, you thought to yourself before moving away slightly, so the man in question wasn't too close to you. From where you stood before, you could practically feel his body heat and your touch-starved brai— Stop! Don't think anymore, and just focus on the show.

The magician pulled out a box with a cartoon-like shooting star on it. "Right. I hold here an ordinary cardboard box." Chono stated, holding it up for the crowd to see. 'Nope, there's nothing ordinary about it.' Saiki thought at you, his expression dead, as always. You still couldn't understand why Saiki was talking to you. Curiosity peaked, you replied anyway, 'What do you mean by that?'

"As you can see, it's empty inside." The magician tilted the box, opening it so all could see, and he was right. 'At that angle, you can't tell there's a partition.' So that's how the performers did it; you always wondered how they accomplished tricks like that. You were right— this guy was a hack!

At least his showmanship was on point. "But, watch! Just a couple taps and it's party time." Chono said as he tapped his cane on the box before opening it, only for birds to shoot out and fly away into the distance. "Aren't they amazing, folks?"

The crowd cheered and clapped for the magician, not knowing what you and Saiki did. "Hey there, kids! Très bien, am I right?" The magician asked as he pointed a finger at the both of you. Not to you, they weren't, but the trick probably would have perplexed you either way if it wasn't for Saiki telling you how the box worked.

'It's not très bien. If anything, I'm worried about that dove.' Saiki remarked, and you turned to look at him questioningly, his gaze fixed on the magician. 'What dove?' You inquired, confused as to what he meant. Saiki answered, but his eyes never left the green-haired man's form.

'He has a dove under that hat, but I think he forgot about it.' You examined the magician's maroon hat, guessing Saiki could see through it with his X-ray vision. 'Shouldn't we tell him?' You looked from Saiki to the hat and back, your concern growing. 'After. I'll tell him once he's done here.' So the rock of a man next to you did have a heart, after all.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, please turn your attention here for the main event of our show, my super illusion!" Where had Chono pulled out those massive boxes from in the few seconds you looked away? His hat, you mused, chuckling quietly to yourself, stopping only when you noticed Saiki shoot a look of dismay your way.

Wow, tough crowd— then again, the psychic didn't really have a sense of humour to begin with. "Magically teleporting from one box to another will be my lovely assistant, Michael!"

Chono snapped his fingers before looking to his right, and you followed his line of sight only to see an old man with a straw hat on his unruly grey hair. 'Lovely is a stretch.' You winced. Were those flies buzzing around him— and what was that foul odour he was emanating?

You had to agree with Saiki on that one. You could think of a lot of ways to describe him off the top of your head, but 'lovely' definitely wasn't one of them. Then again, from the looks of it, he was probably homeless, so who were you to judge? At the end of the day, you felt sorry for him. Too busy lamenting is sympathy; you didn't notice Saiki staring at you before looking back at the show.

"The beautiful Michael is entering the box." The assistant was definitely not beautiful, either. Maybe Chono was blind? Now, if that were true— it might've gotten a clap out of you. The magician explained the trick yapped as you watched the old man get in before the lid was shut behind him. Chono snapped his fingers again, "And, drum roll," before doing some weird dance and making sound effects with his mouth. Guess he had to raise the level of excitement somehow.

This act had better blow your socks off, your legs hurt from standing in place this long. 'This is so sad.' You nodded at Saiki's thought, 'It's almost painful to watch.' The second-hand embarrassment you were getting was through the roof, 5 more minutes of this and you were sure you'd be a victim of spontaneous human combustion.

Was it too late to regret your choices? You did not waste 20 minutes of the airing of the new soap just to be disappointed. The crowd murmured in anticipation. 'What expression am I supposed to be making right now?'

Even you couldn't tell Saiki the answer to that, 'A smile maybe?' You mused, only for him to shoot a glare at you, causing you to put your hands up in surrender. Chono released the ball of confetti in his hand, and you watched as it fell to the ground. 'His overconfidence makes me cringe.' Your face scrunched at the scene— you weren't sure how much more you could take. 'You and me both.'

'And I'm still worried about that dove. Does that hat have air holes?' From what you could tell, no, it didn't. At least Saiki cared about the well-being of animals. 'I'm not worried, I just don't wanna be around to see a bird die.' You rolled your eyes as you folded your arms over your chest. Of course, he was the type to deny it. God forbid he actually had the ability to express concern for something.

"Alright, let's open the box!" Chono said as he walked over to the other box, putting his hand on top. 'Uh oh, lovely Mike isn't done teleporting yet.' You were beyond confused, turning to Saiki, who was still facing the stage. 'He's under the table.' Your eyebrows unfurrowed as realisation washed over you. That made sense, so the trick was to use the table to go to and from the box.

You shifted your weight from one foot to the other, dreading what was to come. "3, 2, 1... It's party time!" Chono exclaimed, a huge grin on his face. Michael came out, alright— just not from the box. He crawled out from underneath the table and raised his arms as if he had completed a feat. Chono stood with his back to Michael, his hand gesturing to the empty box.

A comical sweat bead formed on your forehead, and you cringed internally. Listening to the sound of a fork on the chalkboard probably would have been a better use of your time. You bit your fist as if that would help ease how uncomfortable you felt. Was it too late to make a run for it?

The crowd was deathly silent, and it was no wonder why. 'Now I really don't know what expression to make, maybe this one?' Saiki remarked as he observed the magician. You watched as Chono's expression fell, a hideous grimace taking its place as if he'd just witnessed an entity of cosmic horror like Cthulhu. 'Yeah, that seems appropriate', Saiki confirmed, and you were glad his unintentional comedy saved you from losing further brain cells.

The crowd dispersed shortly after that, and you stayed behind with Saiki to witness the aftermath.

"Why should I pay you for ruining the illusion?!" Chono exclaimed at Michael, who only retorted. "I moved at the normal speed— it was your darn pattern that got too fast. Now, you hand over that 500 yen." The assistant put his hand out, expecting his payment.

"No one tipped me for this performance, so I couldn't pay you even if I wanted to," Chono stated before he noticed your and Saiki's presence. "Hey, why are you two hanging around?" The magician said as he turned his back to Michael. Saiki wordlessly raised his finger to his head and bent it repeatedly.

"What, oh, you wanna give me a tip? Haha, I could never take money from a kid. The look of joy on your face—" Chono cut himself off when he looked down at the hat he took off his head. "—PICO!" That poor bird, you couldn't help but think.

"I completely forgot she was up there," Chono said, now sitting down as he stroked the dove. So that's why Saiki chose to linger even after the show had ended— he was still worried about the bird. Truth be told, you'd nearly forgotten after you saw the last trick. 'How can you forget there's a dove on your head?' Saiki stood at Chono's side as he looked down at the white creature.

You questioned the same thing- surely the animal had rustled and moved around up there. "So, you weren't trying to tip me; you were trying to remind me. Wait— does that mean... That you're a magician? That's how you knew she was up there." Saiki clenched his fist, a frown forming on his face. No, he was an esper. 'I should've kept walking.' Saiki lamented.

"With instincts that good, you must have hated my show." At least the green-haired man was right about one thing. Saiki had, in fact, hated the show, but he only had his powers to blame for that. "Maybe I'm not cut out for the magician game after all." Cue the sad music in the background— where did the sound even come from? Was there a hidden speaker somewhere in the park?

You were sure the universe had some sort of playlist, like a version of a 90s TV show's laughing track, the one that went off at the right moments. "Until a few months ago, I was your average office drone," Chono told the two of you, bowing his head as he sat on the park bench.

Hold it. You did not agree to listen to whatever existential crisis he had going on. "Then, I made a small mistake." Of course, you'd have to hear his sob story anyway. 'Oh, boy.' You sighed, waiting for the magician to get it all off his chest. "Corporate fat cats laid me off. Then, my wife skipped town."

Damn, homeboy was really going through it, alright. 'Is it too late to walk away?' Saiki questioned no one in particular, but you answered anyway. 'It is.'

"With no job, I couldn't pay the mortgage anymore. One little mistake and my career, wife and home had all disappeared, and then it dawned on me. I should become an illusionist." This was heartbreaking and all, but you had to wonder where he was going with this story. "Wait- what?" Was it you, or was Saiki's voice hot as fu— No! Now was not the time!

"Because so many things had vanished from my life, I thought it must mean that disappearing them was my talent!" You nearly choked on your spit. Well, that took a turn. The plot twist gave you whiplash. Oh, dear. This poor man... somebody help slap some sense into him. "Your only talent is self-delusion," Saiki was right— the man needed a reality check.

"So, even though I had been offered another office job, I turned it down to start my new life doing street magic." At least Chono looked pumped about it all. "Again, what?" You were just as bewildered as Saiki was, questioning the green-haired man's logic. "If I can save up 1 million yen, I can buy the 'sawing a body' in half trick— then, my wife is sure to come back!"

You shook your head in disappointment; the man had clearly lost his mind, another reason to add to the list of why not everyone should be allowed to procreate.

If left like this, he'd end up a victim of loan sharks or worse. "Don't be so sure," Saiki commented, and you almost thought he was talking to you. He was addressing both. Why would his wife come back if he did that? And how did Chono plan on raising that kind of cash when he had just lost his lovely assistant? "But then I wonder if I chose the wrong path."

'Yes, yes you did.' Saiki thought bluntly, and you agreed mentally. At least the magician finally saw clarity and the error in his ways. 'He needs to quit street magic and get a real job.' You thought back. "Sorry, didn't mean to get so gloomy." Chono apologised, looking up at the two of you.

'What'll it take for him to give up?' You pondered at Saiki's question, bringing your hand up to your chin to think. Maybe showing him an impossible illusion? If it was something he'd never be able to do, he'd quit. "Let's get back to your background as an illusionist and how you knew I had a dove up there." Chono gestured at his hat, and you watched realisation dawn on Saiki. Over what, you had no idea. 'That's it.'

You observed as Saiki wordlessly walked to stand directly parallel to Chono and you, pulling his school bag off his shoulders to hold it in front of him. "Whoa! Gonna pull something out of your bag?" Chono commented as you watched on.

Saiki held up his other hand as his eyes suddenly widened. You raised an eyebrow; this was the most expressive you'd seen him since he found out about your immunity. 'I'll do a trick that's so beyond his ability, he'll realise how far gone he is and give up.' Was that why— Did Saiki take inspiration from your thoughts? He did.

"You're gonna pull out... a dove!" Chono guessed before stating he could pull out a bowling ball himself. 'Hmph.' Saiki's stoic expression remained even if you could feel the smugness emanating from him. Then your eyes widened when he pulled out the hand that was rummaging inside his bag. Nothing could have prepared you for what the psychic did.

He pulled out Michael by the hat on his head, though the man looked like a scrunched-up piece of paper. Saiki placed the old man on the floor, and you watched Chono's eyes bulge from his socket as he gasped. Surely, that would be enough to get the aspiring magician to stop his foolish ways. If you didn't know of Saikis's abilities, you would have become a believer.

"That's impossible!" Chono exclaimed as he fell to his knees, his jaw still slacking. 'Aren't you supposed to say très bien? At least this will make him give up.' Saiki stated as he moved to walk away and turned his back to Chono. You tried not to stare at Saiki's dump truck— and failed.

"Thank you. Now I can see. If your talent was hair, it'd be a flowing mane, while mine is just an eyelash." You stifled a laugh at the example Chono used, and who could blame you? 'I don't quite understand using hair for that metaphor, but at least he's finally—' Saiki didn't get to finish that thought when he turned his head; Chono had already left your side to kneel behind the psychic.

"Make me your apprentice." The scene reminded you of One Punch Man, where Genos asked Saitama to make him a disciple. 'Should've seen it coming.' You only gazed over Saiki's shoulder to watch Michael hold up a 500 yen coin, talking about how he was going to eat a hot cup of soup.

Maybe sticking around and missing the airing of that soap opera was worth it— you had to admit, this was far more entertaining.

➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵

Saiki may have walked the same way home as you, but his house came before yours. After the whole fiasco with the magician happened, and you realised your goal of not bumping into said psychic had failed, you chose not to take a detour but to walk with the guy instead.

No point wasting more time, you had reasoned. Your original plan to go home in hopes of catching the last few minutes of the TV show you wanted to watch was a bust because when you neared the Saiki household, you noticed Mrs Saiki standing outside the house in the front yard trimming bushes with gardening scissors.

Before you had a chance to make your getaway after greeting her, she exclaimed that it was far too late in the afternoon to walk home without eating, and even though you found her caring demeanour sweet, you weren't grateful for the sentiment when it meant spending more time with Saiki. He could still kill you, after all. He would never, not when you gave him coffee jelly.

Sure he hadn't done anything yet, but the man did threaten to smite you off this earth the last time you were in his house. Could anyone really blame you for wanting to keep your distance? Try as you might though— you couldn't say no to the lovely woman who was Saiki's mother. Her smile threatened to blind you, and you didn't want to upset her by refusing.

Dinner with the Saikis was eventful, to say the least.

Mrs Saiki had ushered you inside quickly, but her son hadn't followed the two of you in. You didn't question it when she locked the front door. When he did step into the kitchen minutes later, he was followed by his dad.

Mr Saiki didn't acknowledge your existence— instead, he rushed over to his wife. "I can't believe you changed the locks on me again!" He complained, and you felt in that moment that you chose the wrong day to come over.

Were they having marital issues? You swore that the last time you were here they were getting along just fine. What had happened? "I hope you're hungry Ku-Ku. I'm making you breaded pork chops for dinner!" Mrs Saiki chose to ignore her husband, talking to her son instead as if the angry man behind her didn't exist.

"Hang on— now you're choosing to ignore me? Besides, I told you I wanted to have steak tonight!" Mr Saiki pointed his finger at his wife before raising his arm up and down as if he was throwing a tantrum— which he was. "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot— but I can boil you a leather shoe." Mrs Saiki replied in a sickly sweet tone, turning back to her cooking. "I don't want a shoe, leather or not!"

You wanted to laugh but thought it wasn't the right time; you chose to snicker to yourself quietly from your seat on the sofa. 'I wonder when it went wrong for them. they used to be so passionate.' You watched on as Mr Saiki claimed his hate for his wife was as wide and deep as the Pacific Ocean, and she retorted by saying she hated him like a fish hated air.

Why did you have to be caught in the middle of this? 'Well, they're still passionate now, but it's a little different.' Saiki was not helping you keep a straight face; his commentary was genuinely the only thing keeping you going.

When the food was ready, you took up the seat next to Saiki at the dining table, staying silent as you dug into the rice with your chopsticks. "Gorge yourself, guys— I made a ton!" Mrs Saiki said with a smile on her face. "Hey, hey, hey! Hey!" Mr Saiki stood up from his seat at the dining table, slapping his hand on the surface like an angry restaurant customer.

You couldn't blame the guy; you and Saiki had gotten pork chops for dinner. Mr Saiki, however, had received a leather shoe filled to the brim with rice, garnished with gravy on top and chopsticks placed inside it. "Is it good, Ku? Y/n— Oh, honey, would you like something else?" Mrs Saiki gave a closed-eyed grin to her husband, who stood in front of her. "No, because I bet it's just the other shoe."

"Bon Appetit!" Saiki's dad had guessed right; it was another shoe, but it was a blue sneaker. "That's not even from the same pair!" You watched steam flow out of the shoe, wondering how this situation was real. You felt like you had been sucked into some comedy show. 'They've been going at each other for a year.' Your eyebrows shot up at Saiki's revelation, watching on as the couple argued.

Mr Saiki gave up on trying to get his partner to be civil, turning to his son with the cooked leather shoe in his hand. "Hey, Kusuo— use your powers to turn this old shoe into a steak for Daddy." Saiki's thoughts flooded into your brain, stopping you from hearing his dad's rambling.

'So, in case you forgot, this pathetic dude's my dad, Kuniharu Saiki. He's lazy and irresponsible— and asks for help with everything in his life. But surprise, surprise, the more I help, the more useless he gets. So, lately, I've stopped doing him any favours.' Wow, Saiki sure was cold, dissing his father like it was nothing.

'I guessed all that already— Who are you talking to?'

'The audience.'

'...Stop breaking the fourth wall, please.'

Your only reply was a side eye from the psychic, which you ignored as you took another bite of rice. You observed as Mr Saiki stopped rambling as he realised his son wasn't going to listen to him. "What?! How dare you take your mother's side in this?! Do you have any idea how many shoes I have to lick each day to buy that food you're eating now?!!" Mr Saiki shouted, and you silently watched as Saiki continued to eat his food quietly with no change in his expression.

"So, you do like to eat shoes?" You guessed that much was enough for his father to realise his son wasn't going to lift a finger to help. Mr Saiki gave in, "Alright, I'll eat it—" He shovelled the rice into his mouth after he picked up the plate only to shoot up out of his seat seconds later, "It stinks! What did you do to this shoe?! Are you trying to poison your father?!" Mr Saiki exclaimed at his son.

"I'm pretty sure that's how they always smell, dummy," Saiki commented, still eating his rice. You watched as Mrs Saiki addressed her son when he put his bowl down, a shining bright aura around her. Where did that bright light come from? "Hey, Ku? Now, just remember what I've always said. Please don't use your powers for evil."

'This is my mom, Kurumi Saiki.' Mrs Saiki clasped her hand around her son's, "You must only use your powers to help those in need. Or those people who you're certain are genuinely nice—"

'She's a big reason why I haven't let my gifts turn me to the dark side.'

'Is that a Star Wars reference?'

Saiki ignored your question— continuing his not-so-inner monologue, 'She's a caring soul— well, to me.' You were taken aback when the sweet air around Mrs Saiki changed to something sinister. "—But, feel free to use your powers to hurt Daddy." This whole situation was getting more and more preposterous. 'She kinda has a dark side herself.' You could see that.

Mrs Saiki seemed to notice her husband scoffing down Saiki's food when she was distracted around the same time you did, and you watched as she slowly turned and her expression shifted from a smile to a cold glare. "Stop eating Kusuo's dinner, you thieving son of bi—h!" Mrs Saiki looked extremely pissed off, a tick mark appearing on her face. Hang on— she knew how to swear?!

You felt sorry for Mr Saiki, but there was no way you'd get involved; you didn't want his wife to aim her anger at you instead. "That's it! We're taking this outside!" She shouted, and you had to admit the situation was getting interesting. Who would win? Your bets were on Saiki's mom.

'In truth, I could break up this fight whenever I feel like it, but this is something they're going to have to work out themselves.' Did he think things at you on purpose even though he could just not talk to you? You didn't want to admit it, but the idea made something inside you churn. Were the two of you closer than you realised?

You watched Saiki's attention shift from the brawl to the dessert that was placed near him on the dining table when the food was laid out. 'Hm? Coffee-flavoured jelly? ...Hmm, doesn't taste bad— earthy with a slightly citrus finish. Don't let the name fool you— this jelly is a mature, dignified treat.'

You couldn't pay attention to Saiki fangirling over the dessert, too busy watching Mrs Saiki handle her husband like she was some WWE fighter and he was her opponent. She put him in all types of chokeholds before raising him over her head, preparing to throw him. Was now a good time to take your chance and sneak away?

'Better still, when you add just a splash of whole milk, it becomes an entirely new flavoured sensation,' Saiki continued to eat the coffee jelly, turning away from his parents to take another bite, '—and that hint of decadence is everything I ask for in my dessert.'

When you looked back at Saiki, you froze. The fight was long forgotten as you watched the corners of his mouth lift. You realised then, that was the first time you had seen Saiki smile. You didn't want to admit it, but he suited him. Really well, too well, actually.

Saiki didn't get to eat any more of his treat because when he raised his hand to his mouth to consume another spoonful, Mrs Saiki launched her husband across the room, and he crashed into his son, which forced the jelly-filled utensil out of the psychic's hand. You watched the jelly fall from the Saiki's hand in slow motion until you saw a flash of pink.

Saiki had managed to catch the dessert in his mouth before it fell on the carpet. He was now on the floor, and you couldn't help but think about what you had done for the universe to force you to stay at the Saiki household during this whole fiasco.

"You wanted to eat jelly that bad?" Mr Saiki had gotten up, whereas Saiki was still on his stomach on the ground, chewing what was in his mouth. "Forget the jelly— We got bigger problems! Your mothers turned into a monster!" Your eyes travelled to where Mr Saiki was pointing, thinking he was exaggerating.

He wasn't— Mrs Saiki's face had transformed into what could only be described as a Japanese Onii mask from folklore. "Stop running from me, you coward." Even her voice had changed as if she had been possessed. Oh, dear. "You've got to stop her! You're my only hope to stop her reign of terror. Do it! Slay the demon!" You wanted to run your hands down your face in exasperation, but you couldn't bring yourself to look away.

Mrs Saiki let out a demonic laugh as she grabbed onto the dining table. "You're not leaving 'til I say so!" She exclaimed before she raised the furniture above her head to throw it at her husband— how had the food not slid off? You wanted to leave but didn't want to incur Mrs Saiki's wrath. Mr Saiki tried to shield himself by bringing his arms up to cover his face as he closed his eyes. "Ahhh! Oh god! Ah— Huh?"

When he opened his eyes, Mr Saiki realised the table was floating above his head, all thanks to Saiki using his psychokinesis. "Hey, Kusuo!" Saiki's father went from shocked to smug, smirking as he realised he'd been saved. 'I've got the weirdest parents, I don't really care about stopping another pointless fight, but I can't help myself.' At least Saiki had stepped in, lest the house gets trashed and you get dragged into the war.

"So now you're on your dad's side? But I even made you pork chops!" Mrs Saiki's face was finally back to normal, her voice too, and you let out a sigh of relief. You were still confused by Saiki's comment. 'Why do I say it's pointless? Just wait.'

"I want nothing to do with either of you again!" When Mrs Saiki's voice flooded into your brain, you nearly jumped. 'That's a lie. Truth is, I love them!' Your head whipped to look at Saiki's back, guessing he must have used his powers on you. At least he had helped clear your confusion.

You couldn't help but wonder why she was lying, why she wasn't honest about her true feelings. What was the point of this fight again? 'No matter how hard they try, the voices in their hearts always bubble up. In other words, all these fights they have— are a sham.'

Your brain hurt— because trying to wrap your head around why the couple was acting like they despised each other when they didn't was nothing short of difficult. You rubbed at your temples, Saiki using another power you weren't used to had gotten to you. When Mr Saiki claimed he hated his wife and son, his inner thoughts told you he just wanted to snuggle.

They fought on the surface, but the voices in your head told you that they were just complimenting each other internally. 'Like I said, another pointless fight. There is one person here who has real reason to be upset, me—'

'Don't forget me, buddy. I didn't ask to be dragged into this.'

'—Those weirdos interrupted my dessert. I guess only a psychic can fix this.'

Mr and Mrs Saiki stopped arguing when they started saying they loved each other telepathically. You watched in amusement as they started blushing, getting confused as to why they could hear each other. Realisation dawned on them as they turned to their son, "Kusuo!" They both exclaimed.

'Forced shared telepathy. I used my psychic powers to link their minds at the neural level. In other words, thanks to me, they can now hear each other's thoughts.' Even though it was late, you were somewhat grateful he explained to you how you could hear what his parents were thinking.

Mr and Mrs Saiki told their son to stop his powers because they didn't want the other to realise they were still in love. What a disaster. At least the fighting had stopped. You watched the psychic's parents go from being embarrassed to pronouncing their adoration for each other.

With a hand on his wife's waist, Mr Saiki declared that he loved her, and she did the same. Where had the flowers surrounding them come from? 'Cool. The end.' Saiki deadpanned. Finally, the fighting was over.

While his parents apologised to each other profusely, Saiki went back to his seat at the dining table to finish his dessert. You sat across from him, relieved that the war in his living room had passed. 'What a pain. Normal people are complicated. At least now I can finish my dessert in peace.' This time around, when Saiki smiled, you had the chance to properly observe it.

He looked handsome, you had to admit. You knew the man was attractive, but he looked 100x better when he was showing normal emotions. It was over dessert, but still! Did Saiki have a sweet tooth? Would he smile again if you got him something from the bakery? You shook your head, choosing to find interest in the furniture around the psychic's house.

You didn't know how to feel when you found out that the fight started when Mrs Saiki ate her husband's coffee jelly, overhearing the conclusion of their argument. Was all of that because of some dessert? This was ridiculous.

You gazed on as Saiki's expression fell when Saiki's mom twirled over to her son and snatched the coffee jelly the psychic was eating right out of his hand so she could present it to Mr Saiki. Saiki's smile was replaced by a dark expression as he stared at his hand where his snack had just been.

Oh, no... He was super angry. You ignored the man's father, claiming the dessert was a mature, dignified treat, rummaging through your school bag to find what you needed.

The rumbling of the windows in the Saiki household stopped when you placed the bag on the floor beside your seat and used your hand to slide the coffee jelly you fished out onto Saiki's side of the table. It only took the psychic a few seconds to realise what exactly it was in front of him, and you grinned.

What could you say? The guy looked cute when he was confused. Burdened with the knowledge of how powerful he was, you sometimes forgot that the man sitting across from you was like any other human.

After a beat, he made eye contact with you, and you swore you saw his eyes sparkle. Your smile dropped in slight shock, your lips parting.

"Coffee jelly?"

You gulped, catching your bearings, too distracted to realise he had used his actual voice to talk.

"Yeah, I forgot to eat it at lunch— you can have it, Kusuo."

When you called him by his first name without thinking, having heard it so many times today from his parents— you thought he'd complain. Instead, Saiki grabbed the treat and gingerly peeled back the seal before digging in, a soft smile gracing his face again. You ignored the weird feeling that washed over your heart.

Maybe the psychic wasn't all that bad.

➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵

When night fell, you headed up to Saiki's room. The psychic knew of your inner turmoil of not being able to catch the show you wanted to watch and said his mom had most likely recorded the pilot episode before you two had reached his house. 'I'm only doing this because I don't want to owe you for that coffee jelly.' That was fair; you couldn't fault a man who kept up with his debts.

Grabbing the cassette from his living room, Saiki walked past you and up the stairs. When you stood in confusion, expecting to watch it on the living room TV, he turned to tilt his head toward his bedroom as if telling you to follow him.

'Hurry up. Before I change my mind.'

That is how you found yourself seated on Saiki's bed, with him sitting in the chair he had pulled from his desk, right in front of the television.

He had left the room earlier to change into more suitable clothes: a white sweatshirt with blue sleeves and brown pants. This was the first time you had seen him in casual clothes—when he kidnapped you to interrogate you in your first real meeting, he hadn't bothered to change out of his school uniform. You had to admit that even though he didn't have an eye for colour coordination, he still managed to pull it off.

Truth be told, you were disappointed. The show didn't live up to the promotions you had seen all over social media the past week. You were expecting a love story starring Mikoto Teruhashi. Was it you, or was that name familiar?

What you got was some twisted joke of a romance. The female lead's family died in a car crash, she got cheated on with her sister no less, and she got married to a stranger to save her family only to find out that her ex-boyfriend didn't sleep with another woman; she had walked in on his long-lost twin brother instead. All in one episode.

You felt like you had whiplash with all those plot twists, and honestly, what a letdown— you expected better writing. Sighing, you shifted yourself on Saiki's bed when you felt pins and needles assault your feet. You chose to cross your legs, yawning into your hand. Was now a good time to go home?

"Is binge-watching shows your favourite pastime?" You asked, trying to make conversation between the infomercials. It was better than telling him immediately that you wanted to leave after he went through the trouble of doing you a favour. "I like watching TV. It's one of the few things that can surprise me. I don't know what's coming next because I can't hear the actor's thoughts." The psychic replied.

"Makes sense." You nodded, not really knowing what to say next. "Speaking of next, that new mystery show's supposed to start soon." Saiki moved to sit with one leg on his chair, his arm resting on his knee for support. You nearly lost your mind when he used his index finger to change the channel.

Oh, yeah— he's a psychic; of course, he could do that, you thought, ignoring that your brain had decided to short-circuit on you. "Tonight, you will witness a miracle!" Sure, you heard the host of the TV show talk, but his words didn't quite reach you, too busy looking at his fingers and wondering what else they co— Dear, lord, you needed to go outside and touch the grass, hug a tree, probably both.

Clearing your throat and trying your best to practice self-awareness, you turned to the TV screen, a mixture of green and maroon pixels coming together slowly as the cameraman zoomed in. No way... that man in the distance looked too familiar for your liking. It couldn't be. "What." Saiki mirrored your shock, his eyes widening as he leaned forward in his seat. The host on the TV continued. "A stupendous amazing illusion performed by the former homeless man turned master magician, Uryoko Chono!"

"Now that's Très Bien!" Chono said through the screen, and you watched Saiki's face deadpan. "What did I tell you about TV surprising me?" You didn't have a witty reply for him this time— far too stunned that the magician from that afternoon had managed to get his own segment on live TV mere hours after you met him.

Was that even possible? Then again, after the month you'd had, was there any point in questioning what was and wasn't achievable? "After losing it all, he became a street magician and mastered tricks that others can only dream of!" The host came into view— a mic in his hand, as he praised the green-haired man beside him. You brought a hand up to hold your head, baffled into silence.

"But this isn't just a surprise; it's unbelievable. How is a man who almost killed his dove good enough to be on TV?" Even you didn't know the answer to that. You would've broken the fourth wall and asked the writer in your desperation if Saiki hadn't done it one too many times during his parents' argument. Too bad, even the author of this fanfic doesn't know.

You watched as the pink-haired psychic stared at the screen, gobsmacked. "You might wanna close your mouth, flies will get in. Never mind that— we just saw him before. How's he gotten on TV so soon?"

"Blame the author; it's for plot convenience." Finding out your guess was correct brought you anything but relief. You exhaled in exasperation, a new headache forming in your skull. "There you go, breaking the fourth wall again." You commented, shaking your head as you tutted at him. "What I'm attempting tonight is the most dangerous escape you'll ever see!" Chono's voice coming from the TV filled the room.

Your face slowly lost its colour as they showed snippets of what was to come. A box, chains, then knives, followed by a drop, fire and— was that a bulldozer?! You were sure of it now; the green-haired magician was toast. "No way he's this good." Saiki had taken your advice and shut his mouth; it was no longer hanging open. You side-eyed him from the bed, "He's a goner."

"But live or not, they'd never put someone on TV that might get hurt, right?" You shook your head to yourself; they would— they had. "Don't be too sure. If he dies, the show's view count will skyrocket." You could already see the hashtags trending on Twitter X.

The camera panned to the magician in question. "As you can see, folks, Chono's hands and feet are both shackled. As he makes his way to the crate— Oh no, he fell!" You observed as Chono faceplanted and kissed the floor. Was this second-hand embarrassment you felt? "Just a trip; he should be fine." You weren't sure you fully believed that statement, and by the sound of it, neither did Saiki.

"He's safely inside the box. And now, Mr Micheal— Chono's formerly homeless assistant, will lock him in." You could only watch on in horror as realisation dawned over the magician's face, and he exclaimed to wait— that he wasn't ready. You didn't like where this was going. From the tricks you had seen that afternoon, you highly doubted that the green-haired man could pull this off. He wasn't going to make it.

"Him screaming isn't a good sign. Neither is all that banging he's doing." Saiki's face paled at the implication. "Thank you for that, Captain obvious." The psychic only glared at you, and you were too busy biting your fist while watching the TV to notice. The host told the audience that Chono only had 5 minutes to escape or the box would be destroyed with him in it. The camera cut to a shot of the timer counting down.

"I'm sceptical he can do this." So were you. There was only 3 minutes left. "Should I help? I don't even think I can. I'm not close enough to jump in and save him without being seen." You were on the edge of your seat.

Two minutes left. "Then again, if he fails, he dies, and I can't have that happen." You imagined what was to come, the TV announcing that Chono was burning alive inside the crate.

"It would ruin my night." You swore the psychic was just talking to himself at that point. At least Saiki cared; the boy did have a heart, after all. The pink-haired psychic stood up from where he was sitting on the chair. "If he fails, the footage would cut into my mystery show—" You took your statement back; he was heartless. "Is there a way to teleport in without getting on TV? ...Yes. The one place the camera can't find me— inside the box itself."

With that, Saiki was gone. He vanished into thin air; and when your mind finally caught up with the fact that he could teleport, you guessed he was now inside the box. At least he was doing something, even if his heart wasn't quite in the right place. You just hoped he didn't get himself caught.

All alone in the room, you could only keep your eyes glued to the screen, waiting with bated breath. 'Kusuo?' You hoped he could hear you over everyone else's thoughts, hoped he was within range. He did, and he was.

'He's not here.'

You breathed a sigh of relief when you heard his voice reverberate in your head. Then, his words hit you.

'What do you mean he's not there?!'

'...He really has gotten better. I mean he's not here, L/n— the banging was coming from a CD player.'

So Chono hadn't even been inside the box when they chained it up? Why wasn't Saiki back then? There was no point in him staying there. The 5-minute timer was up, and you watched Michael come into view, struggling to hold the swords he was about to pierce the crate with.

'Hurry, Kusuo— you need to come back.' You winced at the heavy concern lacing your voice— thought?

'I can't. I have to think fast; I can't just teleport back out. Th at power needs to be recharged for 3 minutes before I can use it again.'

You watched as the magician's assistant started to put the swords in one by one. 'Oh, crap.' 17 more to go.

'You still there?'

You couldn't help but stress when he didn't respond. Chewing on your bottom lip, you tried not to think about the cold sweat at the idea of Saiki not making it out. 3 swords left. How did Saiki plan to survive this one?

'Yeah. No one could— except me. I dislocated almost every joint in my body.'

With just a few words from Saiki, you felt like a boulder had been lifted off your shoulders. The relief you felt was short-lived, though, as dread pooled inside your stomach at his words.

'Are you okay?!'

'I'm not gonna lie— it hurts.'

You wracked your brain to try to find a way to help him, but you came up empty. Sure, you wanted nothing to do with him, but you weren't comfortable knowing he was in pain. Why? You had no idea. You chose to blame common human decency, but the feeling of your heart sinking suggested otherwise.

You watched as the TV crew hooked a line to the crate before it was announced that a crane would lift it and drop it from a 30-metre height. You raised your hands to cover your face because you weren't sure you wanted to see, only for you to move your fingers so you could peer at the screen seconds later.

'The only way to avoid certain death... is...' You watched the crate collide with the floor, the bottom of it crumpling from the impact. '...To jump. Flawless timing.'

You stopped tensing, visibly relaxing, when you heard Saiki in your head again, never more grateful than now for his telepathy. He managed to save himself again, and you hadn't appreciated his powers more than in that moment. After the dust from the crash settled, the host on TV announced that the box would be set on fire. You furrowed your eyebrows— did they really need to go that far? It was too much overkill, in your opinion.

'Didn't even get a chance to catch my breath. At least with all the hot weather lately, I've been able to hone my psychic powers over temperature.' You honestly didn't know how to feel when the support crew doused the crate in gasoline, lit a match and set the box alight— only for the host of the show to reveal that fire wasn't the final boss.

'There's more?'

How was he planning on getting out in time when he hadn't passed his 3-minute limitation over teleportation? Wait— how had the crew managed to do so much damage in that time window? The host confirmed your fears when they brought in a yellow steamroller. No way— were they planning to run over the box and flatten it completely, with Saiki still inside?!

You watched the stream roller reverse and then drive over the box, crushing it under its wheels. You watched silently, your heart beating out of your chest in worry. The host asked the audience how anyone could survive inside the box— until lights turned on behind him, showcasing Chono.

"Hold on, who is that I see? It's the miraculous illusionist himself, Uryoko Chono! He's alive!" The crowd went wild, breaking out into applause and screams at the trick. You couldn't care less! Where was Saiki?! Was he okay?!!

'How annoying. His wasn't the only great escape, but I got lucky. The soil was extra soft.'

It was your turn to go radio silent.

'...Did you dig a hole like some groundhog?'

You were just happy he was safe. God forbid you had to live with the fact that Saiki died and you had witnessed it. Then again, he was an all-powerful psychic— what did you expect? Of course, he'd make it out alive.

'I know. I said I liked TV because it can still surprise me— but this is too much.' You couldn't help but snort at the comment; his dry humour was growing on you. Saiki was right; the amount of turmoil the day involved was not something you had mentally prepared yourself to handle. Exhaustion took over you, and you let yourself fall back onto Saiki's bed.

Was Saiki's life always like this? Downright disastrous to the point where it was funny? You kinda felt sorry for him. "Très Bien, right?" Chono exclaimed when the host stated that the escape was great. You exhaled, placing your hands on your stomach and trying to relax.

"Hey, stick around for what's next—" Your head shot up, recognising the voice from the countless trailers you had seen for months plastered every time you opened an app. It was the male lead of the new mystery show everyone was looking forward to.

Your mind worked at a million miles per hour, and you were sure there were drawings of algebra floating around you. Saiki was a psychic, and if he was near the new show's star, he'd no doubt hear spoilers from the actor.

'Kusuo, come back.'

'I can't; I still have 13 seconds to go.'

Great. The show he was looking forward to, the reason he went to save Chono, would be spoilt because he chose to be a good human being. All because the lead actor was around, and of course, the guy knew what was to come— he had just finished filming it.

You made a decision then, one you knew you'd regret. Concentrating on controlling your breathing, you forced your mind to go blank. Then you imagined Saiki at the park he had transported to so he could save a certain magician.

You clenched your jaw. Saiki wasn't too far away, and if you used your immunity on him, it'd work, right? You had to try, at least. You reached out your hand in your mind, and when it came into contact with his shoulder, you saw what you were looking for.

The familiar thin white strings, millions of them shooting off from his temples in all different directions and disappearing into the distance when your eyes tried to follow them. You had no doubt they were the strings that connected Saiki's mind to anyone in a 200-metre radius.

With your hand still on Saiki, you imagined the actor who starred in the show's premiere as the love interest. That's when you found the thin line connecting the two, all the others melting in front of you as you forced yourself to focus. You had to hurry; you didn't have much time.

"The world premiere of a mystery called, 'Love Fantasy.'" You tried to dismiss the voice of the actor; he sounded like he was speaking from right next to you, and damn it, if his yapping wasn't as distracting as it felt. "My character will try to uncover the mystery of his girlfriend's death."

You clenched your jaw at the pain invading your skull, ignoring it as you reached out, using your index and middle finger as make-shift scissors, closing the two to cut the string. All the while, you questioned why you had chosen to use your talents for the psychic. Oh, yeah— it was because you felt bad for the guy.

The headache you experienced for the better half of the day skyrocketed when you opened your eyes. Damn, it hurt. You wished you had stayed on Saiki's bed.

As your vision began to swim, a familiar wave of nausea hit you. You felt the ground shift beneath you, unable to do anything as you realised you would fall face-first into Saiki's table. You hoped it wouldn't bruise. Closing your eyes, you braced for impact, expecting pain.

When it didn't come, you forced your eyelids to open, using the last ounce of energy you had left. Why did they have to feel so heavy? You still couldn't see clearly, but what you could tell was that someone had caught you before you kissed Saiki's carpet.

Your body was limp; try as you might, you couldn't get your limbs to listen to you. It hurt to breathe; the sharp pain in your ribs ensured that. You couldn't even raise your head to see who had caught you. Was it Saiki's dad? Had to be.

"...od grief... what happene..." You strained your ears to hear whoever was talking to you, to no avail. You scrunched your eyes shut when another wave of nausea hit you. You felt yourself getting picked up before being placed on something soft. The bed?

You took in sharp breaths, trying to ease the pain. No such luck. When you felt a hand on your forehead, you opened and squinted your eyes to see. Even with your fuzzy vision, you knew you recognised the pink you saw.

'Kusuo?' You thought at the psychic, hoping you had guessed right. 'Yes?' The relief that filled you when the pain seemed to ease at the sound of Saiki's voice in your head— was incomparable.

'Is that you?' A brief pause followed, and he answered before you could think of anything else. 'Who else? How did this happen?' Right, stupid question to ask. You closed your eyes again, assuming he asked about your deteriorating condition. 'I used nullification on you.'

Silence followed for a few seconds, and you missed Saiki's voice inside your brain. 'Why?' Was all he had asked, and you looked at him. You could see his face clearly now, and if you didn't feel like you would throw up the food Mrs Saiki had made for you earlier, you were sure you'd be flushed.

He was so close— you could feel his exhales fan your neck. You noticed the faint wrinkle in between his eyebrows. You returned to looking at his eyes, trying to name the emotion. Worry. 'Because you were looking forward to watching the show, and that actor would have spoilt it by accident.'

You shut your lids, feeling sheepish when you said it aloud; it wasn't like it was your job to care to begin with— but you did, and you couldn't understand why. That question would have to wait; first, you had to get better.

You didn't see Saiki move so much as you felt it. The moment he tried to lift himself off you, your stomach churned, and Saiki halted altogether. Your tense muscles relaxed as the pain dulled with the psychic's gesture. You opened your eyes to look at him, finding him looking at you already.

Granted, the pain wasn't as bad as the last few times, but you still appreciated the action. He broke the silence first, the staring contest between you two along with it as he looked away. 'Good grief. Stop doing troublesome things.' Was all he replied with, and you had half a mind to furrow your eyebrows in disbelief when you realised he was referring to your last comment to him. Your lips parted to shoot a retort at him, and that's when you saw it.

The corners of his mouth twitched. You almost thought it was a trick of the light in your peripherals until you looked at his lips.

Utterly shell-shocked, your mouth gaped open at the sight. Was Saiki smiling at you? Where was the coffee jelly? It was gone with a flash, replaced by his iconic deadpan. 'I was not.' He totally was! What a tsundere— not even able to admit that some part of him was low-key touched that you had done something for him out of consideration. 'I'm not touched; what you did was stupid. You have a fever.' You could only huff at Saiki's statement with the last of your energy.

'Yeah, that's normal. I mean, you're the most powerful psychic out there, and another person was involved.' You shouldn't have expected anything less. Turning off your immunity to using your nullification and severing a connection between two people was a giant leap. When Saiki didn't respond, you couldn't help the thought that came to mind. 'So if two plus two is four, and five plus five is ten, then...'

Saiki's eyes narrowed once he registered your words. 'I want you to know I only tolerate that reference because you're sick. You didn't even get it right.' You chuckled softly at his comment, ribs not yet ready for a full laugh. Lips stretching into a grin from his leniency or his last statement, you weren't sure. Your cheeks hurt, but you couldn't bring yourself to care. That was until you realised how cold you felt, shivering when goosebumps appeared over your arms.

You hadn't felt like this since childhood, but could you be surprised at your situation? Especially when it involved the world's most potent psychic to ever live. It was no surprise that the fevers you experienced as a child when Saiki was running around changing human biology with crazy hair colours would make a comeback. You went back to rest your eyes.

You were in no position to retaliate when Saiki picked you up and transported the two of you into your bedroom. The familiar feeling of your mattress helped relax your body some more.

'I'm leaving the second I can transport again.'

You said nothing as the pink-haired boy quickly tucked you under the covers and placed a cold compress on your forehead. He waited until your hand was secured to it before he backed away.

You half expected him to kiss your forehead like you had seen in all the romance manga you had read— where the female lead got sick, and the male lead took care of her. No kiss was exchanged, to your disappointment.

'Thank you.' That was all you could think of him, not knowing what other way to express your gratitude. He was silent for a bit, then he turned his back to you, and just like that, he was gone. You sighed, running a hand through your hair— what a day.

You were too busy dealing with your inner turmoil to realise that Saiki had stayed for more than three minutes.

➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵

Nothing had changed the next day at school— and you were glad for it somewhat. You had thought things between you and Saiki would be awkward.

They weren't; when he saw you that morning, all he had done was nod at you, acknowledging your existence before he turned to face the blackboard at the front of the class. You ignored your disappointment; it's not like you expected him to be your best friend or something.

When the school bell signalled the end of the academic day, you got ready to pack your things and leave. That was until you noticed a light blue-haired boy walking up to Saiki, who was in front of you, also shoving his books in his bag so he could make his getaway. Too late.

"Guess what? I've been summoned." You deadpanned at Kaidou's statement, something you were sure you picked up from Saiki. Was he rubbing off on you? Nah, no way. Not possible. "If I told you why, I'd have to kill you both."

Your expression relaxed when Kaidou's eyes met yours, and you gave him a confused smile, signalling one thing. 'I have no idea what you're on about.' You watched as the blue-haired boy puffed his chest like some peacock.

"But for now, let's just say the world's in store for some pretty big changes." With that, Kaidou waddled away like some penguin. What was with that walk, and why were his hips swaying side to side as he continued down the hallway? Shakira, es tu? PK couture, you mused to yourself— he was going for a catwalk.

"What? Did he make a friend?" Saiki asked, and you were surprised when he turned his head to the right to make eye contact with you. You looked back at him, still leaning half your body out of the classroom with your hands on the door frame. You simply shrugged your shoulders before the both of you gazed at where Kaidou had turned the corner.

When Saiki moved forward in the same direction, you took a step toward him. "Where are you going?" You asked, mind already guessing the answer. Saiki looked over his shoulder at you, "I'm going after him because I'm curious." He stated before continuing down the hallway. You decided you were too, so you followed in tow.

The two of you spotted Kaidou not long after. The light blue-haired boy walked to the doors leading to the storage room on the second floor. He whipped his head around to see if anyone else was about. You didn't expect what came next; you were caught off guard when Saiki pulled on your arm to hide the two of you behind a wall.

You saw a flash of pink before you were brought face to face with the guy's chest, and when you looked up, you realised he was staring down at you. Damn, he had a sharp jawline. If you didn't know any better, you'd think Saiki was sculpted by the likes of Micheal Angelo himself. You felt your ears burn and chose to ignore them. Why did he have to be so close, and why was he caging you against the wall?

"It'll be troublesome if he sees us," Saiki stated as he stepped away from you. You shook your head to eliminate the thoughts swirling through your mind before the two of you peered at the blue-haired boy from your hidden spot. "Thurisaz, isaz, hagalaz, sowilo, gebo, fehu." You couldn't help but think Kaidou sounded like he was summoning a demon. Was it that Jet Black Wings nonsense again?

When the door opened, the light blue-haired boy walked in. Saiki left your side and started to walk over to the door where Kaidou had been moments earlier. You followed soon after, and you strained your ears to hear what was happening in the room.

The following 5 minutes were nothing but painful. You heard two voices; one was Kiadou's, and the other, you guessed, was a student who must have been his friend.

You and Saiki listened as the blue-haired boy claimed it was hard to believe that he used to be part of the Dark Reunion before he figured out that the organisation was evil, went rogue, performed some technique when he got cornered and managed to transmigrate into Shun Kaidou's body when he was unborn.

Was this some— sort of weird realistic roleplay? Sure, having his fantasies come true through acting was nice, but you weren't sure it was a good idea to spur on his delusions. Kaidou was too far gone already. His 'friend' told him they would do anything to help Kaidou regain his memories because his power was needed.

Who was 'they'? You couldn't help but question the whole situation. Something about it felt sketchy. Kaidou seemed to have the same thought, wondering who his friend was referring to.

Apparently, there were four other phantoms in the room. It got weirder and weirder. You had to give it to both of them; you wouldn't have been able to keep a straight face if you were in there to save your life. The 'friend' claimed that if Kaidou couldn't see them, he could never help.

Kaidou jumped to try and save face, saying he could see the phantoms. What a joke. You weren't so curious anymore; now you just wanted to leave. You stopped paying attention to the conversation until you heard the 'friend' exclaim, "Stop!" followed by, "Mannaz, ingwaz, wunjo!"

Great, someone else who liked to talk in gibberish. You cringed when you heard Kaidou's friend state that the Dark Reunion had gotten into the room and killed the four phantoms. Since when could phantoms die? Wasn't all of this too much? You had to commend the 'friend' at least— for staying in character so long.

The friend stated they needed to create a barrier to protect them before telling Kaidou to place all metal objects into the bag since it would interfere. Now, things were getting interesting. When Kaidou asked if the change had to be given as well, that's when the realisation hit.

The whole thing was a scam. That kid was trying to steal all of Kaidou's money under the guise of roleplay! What was worse— was that the poor blue-haired boy believed the whole thing was real. The only thing Kaidou actually got out of the charade was losing his wallet. Poor guy didn't even get to take his train pass back. This new friend of his was pure evil.

'Good grief.' You heard Saiki think at you, 'Good grief, indeed.'

The 'friend' told Kaidou that the Jet Black Wings was a saviour and to come back at the same time tomorrow. Something about not forgetting to do the sworn ally absolution. Panic engulfed you when you heard the doorknob turn.

Looking left to right hurriedly, you barely had a chance to notice that Saiki wrapped a hand around your waist and teleported you inside the room. When your gaze refocused, you realised you were behind some sort of curtain. You had no idea why Saiki didn't decide to handle things on his own, instead opting to take you with him.

'Why couldn't you have just left me out there? I don't want to get involved—' You stopped mid-thought when Saiki looked down at you and glared. The audacity he had! To not only drag you into this mess but to shut you down when you rightfully complained? Meanie. You huffed to yourself in annoyance but stayed quiet nonetheless.

You proceeded to fold your arms over your chest, only to realise that in your exasperation, you hadn't noticed Saiki was still holding onto you. He stepped away, putting distance between you two the second the thought crossed your mind, something you tried not to be hurt over. Why? You didn't quite understand yourself.

You didn't have time to ponder anything else; the guy who scammed Kaidou stole your attention when he spoke up from behind the curtain. "That guy and his stupid fantasies are the best thing ever. He couldn't tell the absolution was my homework! All I had to do was play along with him. I even got the idiot to give me his wallet!" What a disaster. Poor Kaidou got ripped off and taken advantage of, all because of his love for make-believe.

'What a pain. Kaidou, as your one friend, I'm telling you— do a better job choosing your other friends.' The exasperation in Saiki's voice was palpable. How would you break the news to the poor blue-haired boy? That his new friend was a good-for-nothing liar.

The sad excuse of a swindler was still gushing over how he had tricked Kaidou, and you could only shake your head. Would dumping the truth work better? Or hinting at it? Saiki already had a plan in mind, you realised, as the lights turned off in the room. "What the? Who did that?" The scammer asked.

"Dark reunion."

What happened to the guy in glasses next was not spoken of after.

When Kaidou dragged the both of you to the same room the day after, saying to keep it a secret no matter what— the whole place was trashed, and the words dark reunion were plastered on the wall. The graffiti had been your handiwork.

➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵

"Hey buddy, ready for the beach? I was walking by, and I saw the last name Saiki on the mailbox, so I figured this must be where ol' Kusuo lives." Nendou stood on the step to Saiki's household, explaining himself as he pointed at the mailbox behind him, a blow-up dolphin in his other hand. He was dressed for the day, clad in a red shirt with floral patterns and shorts.

You made eye contact with Saiki only to get a glare back. You looked off to the side, feeling like you were in trouble. 'Why are you here?' He thought at you, and what an excellent question, indeed. If only you had stayed home, Nendou wouldn't have spotted you on the streets and dragged you along for a day by the seaside. You looked to Saiki again, 'I didn't choose to come here of my own free will.'

You were still somewhat peeved that you didn't get a say in the matter. Nendou had assumed a yes from you and decided for himself that you would accompany him, dragging you by the arm down the streets of your peaceful little town. You hadn't paid much attention to where he was taking you until he neared Saiki's neighbourhood, and before you could steer him in a different direction, he noticed a name on a mailbox. The rest was history.

"Ku— Ku— Kusuo, is this your friend?" For a second, you thought Mrs Saiki was terrified of Nendou. Something you wouldn't fault her for; he did look like a gangster, after all. "He's not my friend." Saiki's comment fell on deaf ears as Mrs Saiki burst into tears, a handkerchief manifesting into her hands out of nowhere. "Oh, dear! My little boy finally has another friend! In less than a week, too— I'm so happy!"

This was definitely one of the reasons why you loved Saiki's mom; she was just too precious. "Sorry girly girl, but me and him ain't friends— we're best buddies!" Mrs Saiki started weeping into her handkerchief again, "Oh, dear! My little boy's finally getting a normal life!" You wanted to comfort her but thought better of it since she was crying tears of joy and not sadness.

"I never knew you had a sister, pal." Nendou's comment practically made Mrs Saiki putty in his hands. She gushed about how the wannabe gangster thought she was young enough to look like Saiki's sister. You couldn't tell if Nendou was buttering her up or if he was being serious. Knowing him, it was probably the latter.

'How many times is he going to make her cry?' Saiki wondered from next to you. 'At least they're tears of happiness.' A warm smile stretched on your lips; the woman needed to be protected at all costs. Movement in your peripherals broke you from your thoughts. You turned to Saiki, who was now standing beside you, looking up at him when you felt his stare out your peripherals.

His lips parted as if he was about to say something when Saiki's mom commented that Nendou taking Saiki to the beach sounded like fun. "Uh, yeah— I'm not going." The smile on Mrs Saiki's face disappeared in an instant, and the glare she shot Saiki's way sent chills down your spine. "Your best buddy went out of his way to ask you in person. You're going to the beach, Kusuo."

"Oh, dear."

A snicker fell out your lips, and you immediately covered your mouth with your hand so as to not draw attention to yourself. By then, it was too late; your plans to quietly try and slip away from the group were foiled by your own hands. Saiki's mom finally noticed you, pushing her son aside so she could hug you.

For a moment, you wondered if you could spend the afternoon with Mrs Saiki, until you caught sight of her esper son over her shoulder, narrowing his eyes at you. You knew what that look meant, but still, he chose to invade the privacy of your mind yet again to think at you, 'Oh, no, you don't. You're coming.'

Mrs Saiki continued to gush over you, and the plan to spend a lazy day indoors seemed to be further and further away.

➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵

That's how you and Saiki ended up going to the beach.

Kaidou had joined the group as well, a fact you pitied when you observed how much Nendou teased him about having a phobia of the sea. You watched from your seat on the blanket next to Saiki as Kaidou denied it all, fresh tears in his eyes. "N—no. Th—that's not true. I know how to swim, jerk! I—I'm not afraid of the water." You almost felt bad for him; why was he here again?

'Well, he's turned on the waterworks.' Ironic. Saiki's comment nearly made you choke on your drink, and you coughed. The psychic's hand on your back, patting lightly, surprised you, to say the least, but you welcomed it. Anything to clear your airways. You chalked up the help to him feeling guilty.

You watched as Kaidou proceeded to enter the sea, only to slip and start drowning in inch-deep water. That's when you decided the second-hand embarrassment was too much to handle, placing your drink down to stand up and walk over to the sea.

You stopped in the middle of your task, turning to Saiki, who stared you down. 'Yes, I'm leaving you here. You're on your own, nerd.' You thought at him, glancing between Saiki and his book. He stayed silent, only glaring at you over his glasses. You could tell what he was thinking already; how could you just leave him to deal with everyone else? Hah— so long, sucker!

You looked from Saiki to Hairo whose pants had slipped when he ran to save Kaidou from drowning, Nendou— who stared at the other girls on the beach with a blush and smirk on his face, then back to the psychic.

'Yeah, I'm not about to watch any more of their shenanigans; I'm out of here.'

You greeted Hairo briefly and walked towards the water in time to overhear that the red-haired boy had decided to volunteer as a lifeguard over the summer. Walking further into the water, you stopped when you couldn't feel the sand underneath your feet and started to swim further out until the voices of your classmates sounded distant enough that you couldn't make out the words.

Sighing, you floated on your back and stared up at the sun. The weather was way too warm, and you hated the heat because of how it caused you to sweat. At least now you could have some peace and quiet; your social battery had run out a while back.

The silence didn't last long, you felt a ripple in the water and opened one eye, only to realise the cause was Saiki. He sat on a blue swimming donut that had sun patterns on it. That's when you noticed he was shirtless, only wearing his yellow swimming trunks, and you tried not to stare, opting to look at the beach instead, coughing awkwardly.

You watched as a group of girls ran across the sand— Nendou not far behind, chasing them. 'I don't want people knowing I'm with him.' You had to agree with Saiki; being associated with Nendou was never a good thing. Looking away from the girls fleeing in terror on the beach, you turned back to the young esper.

'I get that— but why did you have to come here?'

'I draw less attention when I'm with you than when I'm by myself.'

'So, you're using me?'

'... Don't make it weird.'

When you made the comment, your mind had not been in the gutter, but now it certainly was. There was a brief pause before Saiki looked back at the beach. He sighed and closed his eyes— then he tilted his float sideways until his body crashed against the water. You shot up, no longer floating on your back. You kicked your legs to stay above the waves and looked around to see if you could spot Saiki who was no longer on the water donut.

'You won't find me, I'm all the way at the bottom. When I want to be alone or get some serious thinking done, I come down here. I find the seafloor relaxing.'

You jumped in your skin at the sound of his voice in your head, not yet used to hearing it without seeing him. You raised an eyebrow to yourself when your brain registered what he had said. You didn't get the chance to reply to him, the sound of Nendou shouting stealing your attention.

"Saiki! You going pee-pee?!"

'Oh man, next time, I'll have to go deeper. Better go back before they start looking.'

You stopped paying attention to what Saiki was thinking at you when you noticed a girl in the water. Was she... She was drowning!

Your body moved before you could think. The water around you splashed as you started swimming, trying to get to her as fast as you could. You heard Nendou and Kaidou in the distance. Now, hang on a minute, you swore the blue-haired boy had no idea how to swim— how had he made it this far out? As if on cue, Kaidou started drowning as well, and you watched in horror.

You relaxed somewhat when you watched Nendou save the idiot, carrying him on his back. By then, you had made it to the girl, but the other two boys were still making their way towards you. You tried to grab onto her to save her, only for her to jump on you in her panic. She clawed her way up, trying to get on your shoulders.

You realised then that both of you were screwed. "No! Don't—" You didn't get to finish your sentence as you felt your body give way under her weight, water filling your nose instantly.

You ended up underwater along with the girl, your legs spent and tired. Surely, this wasn't how things ended. You had so much left to do— so many sites to see! Your mind went into overdrive as you sank deeper.

When you felt something brush against your feet under the water, you nearly lost it; the safety of your classmates and the random girl next to you be damned!

You calmed down when you recognised the pink underneath the clear waves. 'What a pain. Everyone around me is so needy.'

Saiki placed his hands on your waist and effortlessly lifted you until your head was above water. Your fight or flight kicked in, adrenaline pumping through your veins, and your legs started kicking lightly to keep you afloat. You looked around until your eyes landed on Nendou, who was standing on the water as if it was a solid surface, with Hairo, Kaidou and the drowning girl from earlier on his back.

"What— Nendou! You're walking on water!" Hairo exclaimed as he looked down. "When'd you learn how to do that?!" Kaidou chimed in, and you already knew the answer. It was Saiki, using his strength to lift them all so they wouldn't drown. You watched as all five four of them sped off towards the sand.

'See? I told him he'd have more luck walking on water than picking up girls.'

You snorted to yourself at Saiki's comment before tilting your body so you were on your back, letting the waves carry you as you caught your breath. You closed your eyes, exhaustion kicking in as the adrenaline ran out— only to open when you felt the water move, making you rock.

You squinted as the sun invaded your gaze, only for you to see Saiki. He turned around in the water, showing you his back, "Get on. I'll carry you to the beach." His closed statement left no room for discussion, and even if you had it in you to retort, you were too tired to argue.

You wrapped your arms around his neck, mindful not to squeeze too hard and rested your head on his warm back as he swam to shore. You tried not to pay attention to how close the two of you were or how you could feel his body heat since he didn't have a top on.

After drying off, you watched as the girl who nearly drowned you, apologised to Nendou. "Sorry I joked about how ugly your face is." She said, and you guessed it was her way of thanking him for saving her.

"Hmph, I'm glad you didn't ask for her number in return for your heroics," Kaidou said, giving the wannabe gangster a nod of approval when he returned as you packed up to leave. "Heh, I try to be a gentleman, but if that hottie fell in love with me, I'm not gonna turn her down," Nendou replied, closing his eyes as if he was proud. You had to give it to him, the man had confidence. You walked alongside Saiki as the group left Hairo and the girl.

"She wouldn't," Kaidou whispered under his breath, a smirk on his face. Nendou whipped his head around to shout at him. "What'd you say?!"

The day at the beach ended, and you could finally go home.

➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵

bonus:

After the four of you got back in town, Nendou and Kaidou split off so they could head home. Truth be told, that was the plan for you as well until Saiki stopped you.

"Do you want to come back to my house?" You turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow at him at the suggestion. You were sure he thought of you as a nuisance like everyone else, yet here he was— inviting you to his place.

"Don't get any weird ideas. Mom told me to bring you back for dinner. She likes having you around." Mrs Saiki hadn't specifically told him to bring you back, but Saiki did know that she liked your company.

A small smile graced your face at the sentiment. Being liked by someone else's parents was a different type of validation. You shrugged and walked beside him back to the Saiki Household, the day not yet over.

➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵

next part - anemoia (coming soon!)

➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵

2025 taglist:

@too-many-fandoms666 @nikolaisfingersinfyodorsmouth @crescent-bluemoon @beehoppingaround @budijojo @shrewbles @art-missy @zenmiren

comment below to be added <3

#saiki x reader #kusuo x reader #saiki k x reader #saiki kusuo x reader #saiki k #saiki kusuo #saiki kurumi #shun kaidou #nendou riki #hairo kineshi #tdlosk #the disastrous life of saiki k.#friends to lovers #x reader

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dangerousstrawberryshark · 2 days ago

Text

Assigned to You

🐺Pairing(s)🐺🠞Isaac Lahey x shy!male reader ⚠️CW⚠️🠞 gay, gay-sex, top Isaac, bottom male reader, Isaac is an ass lover, ass eating, size kink, breeding, Isaac is bigger than you (6 '2 to 5' 6 or something), anal-sex, Isaac has a big cock, both of you are 18, Isaac cums quickly, and needy reader. 🔞Rating🔞🠞 Explicit and fluff 🐺Requested🐺🠞 Yes

🖊️Word Count🖊️🠞 4.1k

🐺Summary🐺🠞You and Isaac were pinning after each other for a long time, but you were too nervous and shy to say anything. That changed when your English teacher assigned you to be partners in a project. Feelings were confessed, and both of your closeted desires sprouted into reality.

Read before continuing: IF YOU ARE YOUNGER THAN 18 OR ANY OF THE WARNINGS MAKE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE, DO NOT CONTINUE READING!

Note: I haven’t watched Teen Wolf, so there might be some mischaracterization. I’m mainly using Google and other sources to get a better understanding. This happens after Isaac turns into a werewolf.

“Today, there will be a group project! Before you get excited, you will have assigned partners…”

The moment Ms. Ramsey mentioned “group project,” you internally groaned and felt your heart sink. You weren’t keen on working with a random classmate, you barely knew their names apart from a few notable ones. Group projects are the worst, you would much rather work alone than with someone else.

You were very much a loner and a shy person, staying in the background and among the shadows of hundreds of other students. High school was overwhelming enough, and you didn’t need to add the pressure of speaking to other students to the mix. It's not like you’re gonna have contact with them after graduation is over, they’ll fade away into the obscurity of life.

Although there was someone you liked (or loved), Isaac Lahey, you shared the majority of your classes with him, so you naturally saw him everywhere. Your eyes would follow him, filled with love and desire for him. He was your hallway boyfriend, seeking him out in the hallways and giving subtle glances when he walked by. To anybody, it was creepy and obsessive, and they’d be right.

You don’t know what pulled you towards him. Maybe it was your similarities: quiet nature, shy, and lonely. Although you did notice him becoming more confident and dominant, he still had compassion and kindness. It only made you like him more.

Or maybe your attraction was to his physical appearance; he was tall, standing at 6’2 (187 cm), with a lean, muscular stature after being on the lacrosse team for a year. You found that out by sneaking some glances whenever he would lift his shirt. Oh, how you love his dark, blonde hair; you want to run your fingers through his soft hair, staring into his large blue eyes.

Though you doubt he feels the same way, he’s definitely out of your league. You didn’t want to confess for fear of rejection.

The number of students was thinning out, with only four remaining. You prayed that the teacher would pair you with a random person rather than Isaac. However, your prayers weren’t answered as the other two students were paired together.

“And the last pair is Isaac and Y/n. You’ll have a week to complete this…”

Your heart stopped, mouth hanging open as those words went through your ears. You couldn’t believe you were assigned to Isaac! Out of all the students in the classroom, it had to be him. You didn’t mind working with anyone else because they weren’t Isaac, they weren’t the guy you were crushing on.

You glanced at Isaac, sitting in the middle section of the class. He glanced back at you with a smile on his face; it was a genuine smile, soft and warm. His eyes looked like they were sparkling as they made contact with yours. You felt your heart beating faster, cheeks turning red as you looked away from his gaze.

“Use the rest of class to talk about what you’re gonna do.” Ms. Ramsey said, returning to her desk, turning on the monitor, and entering the different groups into the system for grading once the time comes. “Oh, and please don’t procrastinate,” was the last thing she said before returning to her work.

“Hey, Y/n! So, what do you want to do for this project?” Isaac’s voice snapped you out of your inner thoughts, causing you to jump a little. You felt embarrassment wash over your body, getting scared by your crush, who was your partner for the next week.

“What was the project about…?” you said, voice barely louder than a whisper. You were stuck in your world, not hearing what the teacher was saying.

“It’s an analytical project on any piece of literature, as long as it's appropriate,” Isaac paused so he could grab a chair. “She probably thinks someone is gonna analyze a pornography book.” Isaac continued, chuckling at the thought, before placing his materials on your desk and taking a seat.

“Anyways, wanna start? And maybe let's go to your place to continue working,” you agreed to Isaac while you were internally battling yourself. You were stressed over inviting your crush over– what if he judges your tastes, or what if he judges everything about you?

You didn’t feel as excited as you should have.

Isaac was honest with himself, and he was ecstatic that you got to be his partner. He always noticed your discreet glances whenever he was not looking. Even before he accepted Derek’s idea of turning him into a werewolf, he had eyes for you. Everything about you attracted him, the same way you are with him.

He also couldn’t get the courage to approach you. He thought you didn’t feel the same way; hell, he didn’t think you knew he existed. So, he admired from afar, doing the same ministrations as you, without the other knowing.

Idiots in love.

His attraction changed after he was transformed into a werewolf. His sense of smell became so enhanced that he could now detect the scent of different people; whether it was an unpleasant or average smell, yours was distinct. Your scent was unique, and he could smell it change whenever he was close to you.

Your scent blended in with others, but it was still distinct to his nose. When you were in his vicinity, it would spike; he could smell your scent wafting in the air, turning sweet and delicious at times, while other times it would sour and foul. He could attribute the foul and sour smell to your nervousness about confession and fear of rejection.

He was going to try to slowly approach you, help you feel less tense around him, and hopefully less shy. Maybe even open up and confess to him.

xxx

Over the next few days, Isaac eased you into his presence, hoping to get you out of your shell and open up to him.

He did this by being gentle with you, speaking softly and lightly – never teasing, never pushing with his voice. He regulated it so as not to seem obnoxious and loud. Sometimes, he would lean in slightly, pushing the boundaries while speaking to you.

Whenever he would sense your fear and anxiety spiking, he would back off and give you space. He apologized for getting too close and intruding on your personal space. “Sorry about that. Got carried away.” Isaac says, scratching the back of his head, cheeks flustered from embarrassment.

He made small talk, disregarding the project, with you, wanting to learn more about you. He listened intently to every word you said, sometimes getting lost in your soft, spoken voice as you talked about random topics and your interests. You kept rambling until the assignment was forgotten under a pile of conversations.

Isaac was proud that his ministrations opened you up. Maybe the time was right.

“Oh… I’ve been rambling!” you mumbled, looking at the time; you rambled for almost two hours about [your interest]! “Sorry for wasting time, we should get back to work,” you continued, mumbling, looking into Isaac’s eyes for anything negative; there was nothing. He stared at you, his elbows resting on your desk, with one hand holding his head. His eyes were soft, shining as if he were enchanted.

“No, no, I liked your rambling. I like listening to your voice.” Isaac said without a second thought. His old self would’ve been mortified for saying something like that, but he wasn’t like that anymore. It was the truth, and he had no qualms with himself.

You froze, mouth open, but no words were coming out; your face was flustered before breaking eye contact. “Really… why?”

Isaac laughed softly, causing your face to turn redder. “Why not? I like hearing your voice and learning everything about you! You’re more interesting and genuine than many others. Kind, thoughtful… I’ve always noticed you.” Isaac said, his remaining on your figure as he slides closer, but not too close.

You looked into Isaac’s eyes with shock, attempting to see if the other man was pulling at your heartstrings. There were no ill intentions, no joke, or cruelty hidden behind those deep-blue eyes; his words were authentic, and he really meant them. You awkwardly laughed, trying to recollect some words to say, your mind reeling from the truth in Isaac’s words.

“I… didn’t think you noticed,” you said, biting your lip, your heart hammering. Alarms were blaring in your head, this was actually happening, this isn’t a dream. Your breathing became heavier; it was happening fast, but you felt relieved. Like a heavy weight was lifted off your shoulders, knowing that Isaac possibly feels the same.

“I’ve always noticed you. In fact, I thought you didn’t notice me.” Isaac said gently, sensing your heart rate getting faster, placing his hand over your smaller one. He squeezed it softly, smiling with his teeth as he felt you calming down and settling. “I like you, Y/n. A lot.” Isaac finished, waiting for your reaction and response.

You didn’t move, your brain scrambling for a response to Isaac’s confession and grasp on your hand. Your heart was beating faster, and your breathing was strained as you choked out: “Oh… I like you too! I thought you were out of my league.” You replied, your tense body relaxing and breathing returning to normal levels.

Silence filled the atmosphere, the quiet breathing, and the humming sound of the ceiling fan as its blades rotated. Isaac broke the silence, “Can I… kiss you? Or is that too soon? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable!” Isaac rambled before you shushed him with your finger, smiling warmly at Isaac’s cuteness and words.

“Of course, I want this…”

xxx

Isaac was lying down on the bed, your body pressing against his as your hands were on both sides of his head. You could feel the other man’s hand moving and gripping your hips, grounding your smaller body against his larger one.

Your lips are moving in sync, and you could feel your body melting into his grasp as he deepened the kiss. The kiss was wet and sloppy as you opened your mouth to Isaac’s invading tongue. Your eyes fluttered closed, enjoying Isaac being the dominant one. Your teeth clack against one another, Isaas’s tongue beating yours in dominance, and the erotic sounds of wet kissing, quiet moans, and groans slipped through

Isaac was getting more aroused, his bulge grinding against yours, his grip tightening as he thrusts against your bulge. The bed squeaks from the dry humping, your two bodies moving in sync. Isaac’s eyes rolled back as his cock was straining in his pants, his breathing getting heavier as he needed more. Isaac broke the kiss with a light snicker, placing a light kiss on your nose before tracing his mouth down to your neck, leaving a trail of marks and saliva.

You were breathless after the heated kiss, and your breathing transformed into soft moans. The werewolf’s lips found your neck, giving sloppy kisses and bites. You could feel Isaac’s large hands groping your ass through your clothing, kneading the flesh like how a baker would with raw dough.

“You wanna continue, baby?” Isaac said, breathing heavily as he desperately wanted to touch your naked body, feeling it underneath his fingertips as he showed you what it means to feel and be loved by someone.

“Yes! Please, I need you,” you replied needily, humping Isaac’s clothed bulge. Your once timid and anxious brain was clouded by need and lust. There was no shame or embarrassment left in your body as you begged Isaac to continue his ministrations. You needed his touch, you needed everything Isaac could provide, now that you have him wholly to yourself.

This was the type of drug you could get behind and become addicted to.

“My baby is needy? Let me fix that.” Before you could blink, Isaac had suddenly switched positions with you, flipping you onto your stomach with your ass pointed up. He made quick work of your pants and underwear, hastily removing them until your fat ass was bare before his eyes. Unbeknownst to you, Isaac’s eyes glowed yellow, his werewolf side clawing its way out. He could feel himself going feral from the sight of your ass, but he didn’t want to lose control and expose his secret to you, not yet.

He let out a bellowed growl before leaning down, his hands holding your hips in place. Isaac fondled your cheeks, hypnotized by the way your fat ass was wobbling and jiggling from his hands. “Ngh…” The pillow muffled your whine and moan as you felt Isaac’s tongue run over your bare ass.

“Oh God!” you gasped softly, biting the pillow as you felt Isaac spreading your cheeks, your little hole revealed to his lustful eyes, glowing brighter like your hole was a prize from a carnival. Without hesitation, Isaac leaned forward and licked a long stripe, his wet tongue making contact with your hole.

Your eyes widen before fluttering closed. The werewolf made out with your hole, coating the muscle with saliva as he kneaded your flesh. His lips give light kisses around your hole before pulling out and biting the flesh of your ass. Isaac’s groans were muffled as he buried his head in your ass, wrapping one arm around your legs and yanking you closer to him.

“O-oh fuck… I-Isaac.” You cried, pushing back against his face. You could tell he approved from the satisfied groans and growls. Your cock was twitching, bobbing in the air, precum dripping onto your bed sheets. Your mind was going blank, you’ve jacked off and fingered yourself before, but this was different, more pleasurable and intense, and it was with Isaac.

“Love this ass, baby…” Isaac groans, pulling back to breathe, taking long gulps of air as he admires his work. Your hole was soppy, coated with saliva, with your cheek having bite marks and scratches. He could see your hole fluttering, gaping, and clenching around nothing, begging for something to fill it.

With due time.

“You’re gonna feel some pain, baby…” Isaac said, lathering two fingers with saliva, bringing the digits closer to your hole. Slowly, he pushes them inside you, groaning as he feels your hole fluttering and clenching around his fingers. He could feel them sucking his digits deeper.

“I-Isaac!” you gasped softly, whining from Isaac’s intruding fingers. You clenched the sheets, biting down on the pillow as the werewolf spread your hole, preparing you for something bigger and thicker. Although you didn’t need preparation because you fingered yourself a couple of minutes before Isaac arrived.

“It hurts? Sorry, I… you don’t feel… tight?” Isaac said, brows furrowing as he felt your hole being loose. The gears in his head were turning before the realization. “Didn't take you to be that person, baby. Fucking hot if you ask me.” Isaac grins, still pressing his fingers as deeply as he could, scissoring and stretching your hole. The werewolf didn’t expect a shy, introverted person like you to be naughty and needy, but he liked that.

Your face grew slack, jaw dropped as Isaac’s fingers sheathed deep inside you, unknowingly riding his fingers. He touched your gummy, pink walls, spreading them as he searched for the fabled spot that was taught in sex education: the prostate.

“That’s it, baby. Doing good.” Isaac praises as used his other hand to grope and fondle your right ass cheek. He was so caught up in his ministrations that he forgot about his own needs. He looked to see his cock bulging out, throbbing with a precum seeping through the fabric. “Jesus Christ…”

You could hear your heart pounding in your ears as his words repeated. Your moans and cries of pleasure fell from your tongue, mixing with the sinful sounds of his fingers thrusting deep inside, accompanied by wet squelching. “Oh God… feels so good… making me feel so good…” You arched your back and pushed your ass further into the werewolf’s grasp.

Something was blooming in your stomach, its petals were blooming as the roots sank deep into your nerves. Your breathing got heavier, your body tensing and clenching around Isaac’s fingers, halting them and making the digits unable to move. It was a dizzying sensation, and drool seeped from the corners of your mouth, soaking the pillow.

“Feel good? Yeah… it does… cum for me.” Isaac growled as he abused that special bundle of nerves

Your response was immediate, a myriad of messy and muffled cries of pleasure and relief. Your cock throbbed before spurting its load, coating the bed sheets. Your body was sweaty underneath the shirt, trembling and shaking from the orgasm, and you collapsed onto the bed. Your vision was blurry and white.

“Do you wanna continue or…” Isaac said, pulling his fingers out with a wet plop sound. He didn’t want to continue until you gave him confirmation. He couldn’t finish his sentence before you moved back, grinding your bare ass against Isaac’s clothed bulge. The werewolf moans as he feels his dick being squeezed between your cheeks, his eyes roll back as he fells his climax nearing.

He wasn’t even inside you, and he was already about to cum.

“Yes! Please… need more… need you!” You begged, arching your back and desperately grinding against Isaac’s clothed bulge. It was just as you imagined it to be: large and thick. Your hole twitched at the thought of being filled to the brim with that beast. You were lost in the sensation of lust, your body developing a mind of its own as it disobeyed your brain. It needed Isaac to satisfy the thirst that had been denied for a long time.

“Okay… okay, I’ll give you what you want, but I don’t know if I’ll last long,” Isaac admitted. He could feel himself teetering on the brink, a single thrust would send him into an orgasm. He was slightly embarrassed by confessing it, but it was his first time being intimate with someone, so you couldn’t blame him.

“I don’t care! I just wanna feel you inside of me… just fuck me,” You replied, whining from waiting for too long for Isaac to penetrate your aching hole. You didn’t care about Isaac admitting to cumming early, you just wanted to feel connected with him. That’s all you wanted: a connection with your lover.

Isaac nodded and began stripping his clothes, tearing them off along with his pants and underwear. He groaned when his aching large cock was released from its cage, it twitched from the cold breeze with precum oozing from the cockhead. “Let’s take that shirt off,” Isaac said, reaching down and pulling the hem of your shirt up. You lifted your arms when he yanked the fabric over your head and tossed it to the side with his clothing as well.

“I’m going in…” Isaac gave you the heads up, grabbing your hips and pulling you closer to his abdomen, his cock resting between on top of your ass. His chest heaved as he held his length and aimed it towards your saliva-coated hole. He gulped as he pressed his cockhead against your hole, sweat dripping down his body as he braced himself.

Your heart was pounding, your breathing hitched as you held onto the pillow. You could feel the blunt shape of his cockhead pressing against your entrance, the pressure increased as your breathing got heavier until your rim gave in and the swell of Isaac’s cock sinks in. Your body trembled from the force. Isaac’s grip on your hips was firm, nails digging into your flesh as he didn’t stop until he cock was fully sheathed.

“Isaac… It's so large! How…” you moan shakily, back arching to give Isaac more access. Air was leaving your body as your insides were being stretched to accommodate the werewolf’s large cock. It stopped when Isaac hilted into you, his cock swallowed by your tight, warm hole. It didn’t hurt as much, thanks to your previous enjoyment and Isaac stretching you with his fingers.

Isaac growls and groans, removing his hands from your hips before collapsing onto your smaller frame. His hands find yours, holding them as his larger and stronger body covers your smaller one, his head buried in your shoulder. He was able to control himself for a while, but the cracks were shattering his composure as he felt your rim squeezing and spasming around his cock. His train of thought was becoming cloudy as the only thing on his mind was to fuck and breed your hole.

“Lose control… I don’t care if you cum early,” you said with a heavy breath, tilting your head back to kiss Isaac on the cheek.

That was the last straw for him. Isaac stood up, removing his hands from yours to your hips. His grip was firm as he pulled back with his cockhead being left inside before ramming back into your hole. Your eyes widen as Isaac began aggressively fucking your ass, his cock reaching deeper than ever before. The bed squeaking got louder with the headboard slamming into the wall.

A symphony of moans and growls mixed with the bed squeaking and wet squelching, with the topping of wet skin slapping and balls slapping against yours, echoed through the house. You were grateful that your parents were out for the evening, so they wouldn’t have to hear their son getting his guts rearranged by his classmate. The bedroom was hot and sweaty, with sex permeating the air.

Your fingers gripped the pillow tighter as your moans grew louder with Isaac’s cockhead ramming directly into your special bundle of nerves. Your body was becoming overstimulated as it was still recovering from the previous orgasm, your cock was hard as it bobbed with each thrust Isaac was giving. Your cries for more grew louder as base instincts took control, begging to be claimed internally by Isaac’s thick cum.

With Isaac being inexperienced, he didn’t last long. He gave a couple of rough thrusts before reaching his climax. He was lost in the feeling of your warm hole swallowing and tightening around his throbbing length. He couldn’t handle the spasming and clenching of your hole trying to milk his cock of its load.

“O-oh god… I’m cum… can’t pull out.” he was gonna pull out but it was like your ass knew and prevented it. His breathing hitched as he grounded his hips, growling as his cock spurted its load deep inside, flooding your hole with waves of hot cum. His balls tightening as it pumped more cum that began to seep through your plugged ass, soaking the sheets with the sticky substance. You came at the same time, adding more cum to the sheets, more watery than thick globs.

Isaac collapsed beside you before his strong arms wrapped around your chest, pulling you into his embrace. He peppered kisses on your shoulders and nape area, his hands rubbing circles on your hips to soothe the aching he caused.

“Sorry for cumming early…” Isaac apologized, nuzzling into your shoulders. He moves slightly, his cock, which was still inside your hole, rubbed against your sensitive spot causing you to moan and clench which in turn caused Isaac to groan. You could feel his heavy breathing rubbing against your skin as he held you close, his lips touching your salty, sweaty skin.

“It’s okay… I don’t care about that… does this mean you wanna be my boyfriend?” you asked, leaning into Isaac’s warmth, grabbing the comforter and pulling it over your bodies. The comforter provides extra warmth, and you don’t even care about the cum on the sheets or the cum oozing out of your hole.

“Of course.”

THE END

Author’s note: Hello, my strawberries! I hope y’all enjoyed this fic! To be honest, I don’t know if I ate with this one. Very special thanks to my proofreader🠞 @sagethegaywitch Taglist🠞 @hiddens-eden @spnfanboy777 @buckyshusband0 @zamfam4272 @raspberryyuuki @maxxioislost @furiousflowercreation @ghostking4m @sluttyhusband @wolf-knights @your-cow-boy @mack-thedork @starboye @boypied @sleep-0-deprived @cronasluvr Join my taglist! Masterlist here! I have K*-f* if you wish to support!

#x male reader #male reader #male reader insert #smut #male reader imagine #x male reader smut #teen wolf x male reader #teen wolf #isaac lahey x male reader #isaac lahey #isaac lahey x reader #isaac lahey x you #gay #gay smut #bottom male reader #x bottom male reader #teen wolf x reader

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slaybinnie · 3 days ago

Note

I loved your sieun fic, it was so cute and intimate..

do you mind doing something similar with suho but they make up after suho gets jealous over how much the reader is spending with a male classmate.. please and thank you🩷🩷

JEALOUS BABY

ׂ╰┈➤ suho x fem!reader

𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃 warnings: explicit sexual content (18+ mdni), explicit language, jealousy lol, no protection used (sorry), slight communication avoidance, slight breeding kink (🤭)

about: suho feels that you’re spending a little too much time with your new classmate. he feels a little down about himself and avoids you.. but don’t worry, he’ll make it up to you.

note: anon! i'm so sorry it took me so long to answer. i've been so busy doing school work but im free now. here you go! hope you all love it < 3

╰┈➤ WORD COUNT: 4k

Suho trusted you. He really did, but Mingyu? Not so much.

Mingyu was the new transfer student at school and of course you just had to have an open seat next to you for him to sit in. Suho usually isn’t a jealous person. You have had guy friends, but this time it’s different.

Mingyu was tall, muscular, smart, not a fighter. Sometimes Suho felt that he couldn’t amount up to that. Even before you started dating Suho he’s been a fighter. Even though Suho only fought to defend, a hole still burns in his heart with the thought of you hating him for it.

The first week of Mingyu's arrival had been normal. You introduced him to your friend group and even helped him navigate the school. Suho had been nothing but supportive. That was just who Suho was. He was (usually) understanding and secure in your relationship.

But as the days of Mingyu being around turned into weeks, something shifted.

It was the little things that started to bother Suho. Mingyu would linger after class to ask you questions that seemed a lot more personal than academic. He'd save you a seat in the cafeteria when Suho was running late from his own classes. He'd even walk you to your locker when Suho couldn’t.

Suho noticed everything

“How was your day?” Suho asked one afternoon as you met him by the school gates.

“Good! Mingyu and I worked on the chemistry project during free period,” you said, adjusting your backpack strap. “Oh, and he asked if I wanted to go to that new bubble tea place downtown this weekend to continue working on it.”

Suho's jaw tightened subtly and his eyebrows furrowed. “This weekend?”

“Yeah, Saturday afternoon. The project is due Monday and we're nowhere near finished.” You looked at him with concern when you noticed his expression. “Is that okay?”

“Of course,” Suho replied quickly, forcing a smile. “I was just thinking we could spend Saturday together, but your project is more important.”

You reached for his hand and intertwined your fingers. “We can do something Sunday? Or maybe you could come with us? I'm sure Mingyu wouldn't mind.”

The thought of watching Mingyu charm you for hours while pretending to focus on schoolwork made Suho's stomach hurt. Hell no. “No, it's fine. You two should focus on your project.”

That Saturday, Suho found himself walking past the bubble tea shop three times, each time catching glimpses of you and Mingyu through the window. The last time Suho walked past, he finally stopped and thought about what he was doing. Gosh, he had to look like a stalker, he thought.

Suho exhaled a breath he didn’t even know he was holding before he forced himself to walk away.

Monday morning was supposed to be better, your presentation was finished and now Suho had you all to himself. Not. Your friendship with Mingyu had blossomed outside of a school environment. You couldn’t believe how much in common you had with him, and so couldn’t Suho.

The next few weeks passed in a blur of stolen glances and forced smiles. Suho watched as you and Mingyu discovered shared interests in everything. Every time you mentioned something new you'd learned about Mingyu, Suho felt a little piece of his confidence chip away.

“He's really funny,” you'd say after repeating some joke Mingyu had made during lunch. “You know the volunteer hours we have to do? He chose to volunteer at the animal shelter on weekends.”

Of course he did, Suho thought bitterly. Perfect Mingyu probably saved orphaned puppies in his spare time while Suho spent his weekends nursing his bruised knuckles and mopping restaurant floors for extra cash.

The breaking point for Suho came on a Thursday afternoon when he arrived at your usual meeting spot by the school gates to find you weren't there. He waited for fifteen minutes before his phone buzzed with a text.

Y/n: Baby! I’m so sorry! Mingyu needs me to go over a couple exam questions with him. Meet you at home instead?

Suho stared at the message, his chest tightening with an ache. This damn Mingyu guy. This isn’t the first time plans have changed because your friend needed help but Mingyu just irked Suho. He was jealous.

Instead of heading to your house, Suho found himself walking through the neighborhood, his hands shoved deep in his pockets and his mind racing. By the time he finally knocked on your door, the sun was setting and his mood had soured.

“Suho!” You opened the door with a big smile. “I was wondering when you'd get here. Come in, I ordered your favorite food.”

He followed you inside quietly. “How was your talk with Mingyu?” Suho asked, trying to keep his voice calm as you both settled on the couch with your food.

“Oh, it was fine! I just explained why he got a couple answers wrong then we talked a little about music. He was telling me about this music festival he went to last summer. Apparently, some of my favorite artists were there. Small world, right?”

“Right. Small world.” He picked at his food, his appetite gone.

You sensed something was and sat down your fork and turned to face him fully. “Are you okay? You seem... down?”

Suho wanted to tell you everything. About how he felt like he was losing you, about how Mingyu seemed perfect in all the ways he wasn't, about how the thought of you realizing you deserve better kept him awake at night. Instead, he just shrugged.

“I'm fine.”

“Suho.” Your voice was gentle. “Talk to me.”

He looked at you and saw the genuine concern in your eyes. But instead of reassuring him, it only made him feel worse.

Before Suho could respond his phone buzzed. “A delivery, I got to go.”

You watched Suho grab his jacket and head for the door, confusion written all over your face. Something was definitely wrong, but he was shutting you out completely.

The next few days were torture for Suho. He kept showing up, kept being the supportive boyfriend, but there was a wall between you two that hadn't been there before. Every time you mentioned Mingyu's name, Suho felt that familiar twist in his chest. Why couldn’t he just tell you what was wrong?

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to tell you. He just didn’t want to seem like a controlling boyfriend. This feeling was new territory for Suho. He'd never been the jealous type because he'd never had something this precious to lose before.

Friday afternoon, Suho was cleaning tables at the restaurant where he worked part-time when his phone buzzed.

Y/n: Movie night tonight? I miss you :(

His heart clenched. He missed you too, desperately. He had to make things right tonight. No matter how it makes him look.

Suho: I’ll be there after work. 10:30 PM.

Y/n: Yay! I love you I love you I love you.

Suho laughed at your reply and for the rest of his shift, he was thinking about you.

The clock on your living room wall read 10:45 PM when you heard Suho's familiar knock at your door. You'd been curled up on the couch in your favorite oversized sweater and soft shorts, having already set up snacks and a movie queued that you both loved.

“Hey,” you said softly as you opened the door, immediately noticing the tension in his shoulders.

“Hey, baby.” His voice was quieter than usual, his eyes softening the moment he saw you. Despite everything weighing on his mind, you still had that effect on him. He loved you.

You led him to the couch and he settled beside you.

“I picked a movie,” you said, reaching for the remote, but Suho's hand gently caught your wrist.

“Can we... can we just talk first?” His thumb traced small circles on your skin, a nervous habit you'd noticed over the months you'd been together.

You turned to face him fully, tucking one leg under you. “Of course. What's been going on, Suho? You've seemed a little upset this week.”

He was quiet for a moment, staring down at where his fingers were still wrapped around your wrist. When he finally looked up, there was something vulnerable in his eyes that made you frown.

“It's about Mingyu,” he said quietly.

Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Mingyu from school? What about him?”

Suho took a deep breath, and you could see him gathering courage. “I've been... I've had this feeling in my chest. Like I can’t help but feel upset or annoyed when he’s around or when you talk about him. And I hate myself for it because I know you haven't done anything wrong. You're just being a good friend to him, the same way you are with everyone. But watching you two together, seeing how easily you connect with him.” He paused and bit his lip, searching for the right words. “It makes me feel like I'm not enough for you. I’m jealous of him.”

The confession hung in the air between you, and Suho immediately looked like he wanted to take it back. His hand started to pull away from your wrist, but you caught it, intertwining your fingers with his.

“Suho,” you said gently, your heart breaking a little at the pain in his voice. “Look at me.”

His eyes met yours again. “You think you're not enough for me?” you asked, your voice barely above a whisper.

He shrugged, “He's everything I'm not. Smart, clean record, probably going to some fancy college. His biggest worry is probably which volunteer opportunity looks best on his resume, while I'm over here with fighting and doing part-time job barley getting by and trying to help my grandma with rent.”

“Stop.” Your voice was firm. “Don't talk about yourself like that.”

You shifted closer to him on the couch, bringing your free hand up to cup his cheek and he leaned into your palm.

“Suho, you want to know what I see when I look at you?” you spoke as your thumb brushed along his cheekbone. “I see someone who only fights to protect people he cares about. I see someone who drives me home after late study sessions even when he's exhausted from work. I see someone who always makes sure I get home safely.”

“I see the person I fell in love with,” you whispered, then his eyes locked with yours

“I was feeling annoyed,” he admitted pouting, “Annoyed that he was getting your time and attention. You’re my baby only.”

And that’s your Suho. Playful and silly. You couldn't help but smile at his confession, the way he got possessive but still managed to be endearing about it. “Your baby only?” you teased gently, watching as a slight blush crept up his neck.

“Don't tease me,” he mumbled, but there was a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “I was being serious about the jealousy thing.”

“I know you were,” you said, your thumb still tracing gentle patterns on his cheek. “ I'm being serious too when I say you have absolutely nothing to worry about. Mingyu is just a friend, Suho. He could never be what you are to me.”

Suho's eyes searched yours, looking for any hint of doubt or uncertainty. When he found none, his shoulders seemed to relax for the first time in weeks. “I feel stupid.”

You laughed and kissed his cheek “Can I tell you a secret?”

He nodded.

“I get jealous too. Do you know how many times I wanted to fight the girls and boys around us because of how they look at you? How they talk sweet to you.”

Suho pursed his lips and replied, “You shouldn’t get jealous, they’re not you.”

“Exactly my point,” You replied smiling.

The two of you stared at each other before Suho spoke again, “I’m sorry for how I treated you this week. It wasn’t fair to you. And I love you,” he said, the words carrying all the emotion he'd been holding back for days.

“I love you too,” you whispered back before his lips were on yours.

The kiss started soft, almost hesitant, as if he was asking for permission to be close to you again. But when you melted against him, your hands fisting his shirt to pull him closer.

“I'm never letting my insecurities make you worried again,” Suho murmured against your lips. “You're too important to me.”

“Good,” you breathed, trailing kisses along his jaw. “Because I was starting to go crazy without my boyfriend giving me proper attention.”

Suho pulled back slightly, a familiar spark coming to his eyes. “Proper attention? Are you saying I've been neglecting you?”

The playful tone in his voice made your stomach flutter with anticipation. “Very much so,” you said confidently.

“Well,” he said, his voice dropping to that low register that made your pulse quicken, “I guess I have to make it up to you.”

His hands slid down to your waist, pulling you closer until you were practically in his lap. The atmosphere in the room shifted into something more heated.

“Suho,” you whispered, your voice already breathless as his lips found that sensitive spot just below your ear.

“Hm?” he hummed against your skin, his breath sending shivers down your spine.

“I need you,” you admitted, your fingers tangling in his hair.

“Come here,” he murmured, guiding you to straddle his lap properly. The new position brought you directly against him. You both gasped at the contact.

His hands slipped under your sweater, his palms warm against your skin as he slowly pushed the fabric up and over your head. You weren't wearing anything underneath. Suho's breath caught as he took in the sight of you.

“You're so beautiful,” he murmured, his hands skimming up your sides to cup your breasts gently. “So perfect.”

You arched into his touch, a soft sigh escaping your lips. “Suho…”

He leaned down to press kisses along your collarbone, his lips warm and soft against your skin. “Let me show you,” he whispered between kisses, “let me show you how sorry I am.”

His mouth traveled lower, pressing gentle kisses to the swell of your breasts before taking one of your nipples into his mouth. You gasped at the feeling, your hands tangling in his hair as he showered his attention on your nipples.

“You taste so sweet up here,” he murmured against you, his tongue swirling around your nipple before he moved to give the same attention to the other side. “I could spend hours doing this.”

The thought sent heat coursing through your body, and you tugged gently at his hair to bring his face back up to yours. “I want to feel you,” you whispered against his lips. “In me.”

Suho's eyes darkened at your words, but he didn’t want to go that far just yet. “Can I taste you first?”

“Yes. Please do something.”

He smiled, that soft, loving smile that was reserved just for you, before his lips were on your body again. Gently, he rolled you onto your back, positioning himself above you. “Is this okay?” he asked, his voice heavy with desire as his fingers hooked in the waistband of your shorts.

“Yes,” you breathed, lifting your hips to help him slide the shorts down your legs.

He took his time with you, pressing kisses to your exposed skin and his hands caressed your thighs. His hands slid up your thighs, thumbs brushing teasingly close to where you needed him most.

“Suho, please,” You begged.

He groaned at your neediness. One of his hands slipped between your legs, his fingers ghosting over your folds, now slick with your arousal. He stroked you slowly at first, teasing, watching your reactions like they’re the only thing in the world that matters.

“You’re soaked,” he whispered, more to himself than to you. “All this for me, even after I was such a dick?”

Your hips buck against his hand in response, and Suho leaned up to kiss your throat, dragging his lips across your skin as his fingers finally pressed more firmly against your clit. When he finally settled between your legs all the way, his eyes found yours.

"I love you," he said simply, before his mouth was on your cunt to show you exactly how much he loved you.

His tongue slid through your folds slowly, like he was trying to savour the way you taste. Suho didn’t stop until he licked up every bit of your arousal and dragged his tongue all the way up your cunt, making your whole body jerk. The moan you let out was loud and desperate.

Suho glanced up at you through his lashes, his lips shiny. He offers you a soft, almost smug little smile.

“Fuck, I missed this pussy,” he murmured, his voice thick and heavy. “My poor baby, I’m so dumb. I’ve been neglecting you this week huh?”

His words spark a new wave of heat through you. You run your fingers through his hair, pulling him closer. “Yes. Please. I need your mouth,” you whisper, tears starting to well in your eyes.

Suho groaned and the sound vibrated against you as he licked a long, slow stripe over your clit before wrapping his lips around it again.

Your head fell back against the pillows of the couch as your fingers tangled tighter in his hair. The knot in your stomach became relentless with every lick of his tongue.

“Suho. I'm gonna cum if you don’t stop.” your voice broke into a whimper.

He didn’t stop, instead he doubled down and lapped at your cunt faster. His tongue wrapped against your clit while two of his fingers slipped inside you with little resistance. The stretch made you cry out, and he moaned against you, like your pleasure was the only thing he needed to survive.

“Let go for me,” he whispered, fingers thrusting slowly, curling just right as his lips wrapped around your clit once more.

Your body shook as your orgasm hit and a sob of his name left your lips. Your thighs tightened around his head and you tried to push his head away, but you were too weak and Suho kept going, lapping as much cum up as he could.

“Suho, please! Too sensitive.” You pleaded.

Suho pulled off you with a pop, and gave your clit a soft kiss before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He kissed up your body until he was hovering over you, his eyes full with lust.

“You okay?” he murmured, pressing a soft kiss to your lips.

You nodded shakily against his lips, still catching your breath. “Y-Yeah.. I’m more than okay. I think I just had the best orgasm of my life.”

Suho chuckled softly, brushing his nose against yours. “You’re so perfect.” he whispered.

You wrapped your arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer, needing the weight of him against you. You could feel how hard he was, his length was throbbing against your thigh, and when you shifted, he let out a moan.

“Please, Suho. I want you inside me.”

Suho licked his lips and pulled back to take off his remaining clothes. When he pushed his pants and boxers down, his cock sprang free, thick and hard.

You sucked in a breath at the sight of him, and his mouth twitched into a smirk as he leaned back over you, catching your lips in a slow, heated kiss.

He reached between your bodies and guided himself to your entrance. He pushed in slowly and carefully, giving you time to adjust to his size. The stretch burned in the best way, your walls clenched around him as he filled you inch by inch until he was fully inside you.

“Fuck,” Suho whispered, his voice trembling. “You’re so warm. So tight.”

You wrapped your legs around his waist, making sure he had no room to pull out. “Move, please,” you breathed.

Suho drew back slightly, then rolled his hips forward again, slow and deep, making sure you feel every inch of him. His pace was unhurried but intense, each thrust drew moans from your lips as he rocked into you. His eyes never left your face, watching every flicker of pleasure cross your expression.

“Faster,” you whispered, your voice trembling as your nails dug into his shoulders.

Suho nodded then continued, his movements getting faster with every thrust. Your living room echoed with the sound of gasps, whispered names, and the quiet slap of skin on skin.

Your legs tightened around his waist, holding him to you, grounding yourself in the feeling of him. “Suho,” you moaned, fingers sliding into his hair, holding on as he moved faster.

“I can’t believe you’re mine,” he murmured, his voice rough. “You were made for me. You’re mine. I love you so much.”

Your eyes welled with tears, not from pain or even pleasure, but from the overwhelming love you felt from him. You lifted your hand to hold his jaw, brushing your thumb gently beneath his eye. Suho slowed down with your action.

“You’re the only man I want.” You cried out.

He smiled, a real one, the kind that reached his eyes and softened his tense face. “I know that now,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

Suho rocked into you again, slow and deep and your body arched into his. His free hand slid between your bodies and his thumb brushed gently over your clit in slow circles that made your whole body jolt. You moaned softly, your hips rolling to meet his.

“Just like that,” he encouraged, his breath warm against your cheek. “Do that again baby, roll into me.”

You let your hips move again, trying to match his rhythm but it was a little sloppy. Soon, you felt another wave building but this time it was softer and slower. “Suho… Suho,” you whispered, grabbing him tight. “I’m going to cum again…”

He rested his forehead against yours, “Let go for me, baby. I’ve got you.”

His fingers moved faster on your clit, while his cock inside you dragged slow and deep. It was overwhelming for you in the best way. Your body burned in pleasure as you finally came, your whole body shaking.

You cried out his name and your legs trembled around him. Your hands were gripping his arms as your vision blurred. Suho held you close, slowing his movements, kissing your tears away.

You were still coming down when Suho groaned, his pace faltering. “I’m so fucking close,” he choked, burying his face in your neck. “Wanna come inside you.”

Your hips tilted up sloppily without thinking. “Do it,” you whispered, breathless.

Suho cursed under his breath and snapped his hips harder, deeper, his rhythm growing even more frantic and desperate. “Fuck. You’ll look so fucking pretty stuffed with my cum,” he said, his voice shaking.

“Want you to fill me up. Wanna feel all of you.” You begged.

That broke him and with a choked moan, he came, his hips pressed flush against yours as his cock twitched inside you.

You gasp and you felt his release inside of you. Your legs tightened around him automatically for the 100th time today, like your body was trying to keep every drop in.

Suho was out of breath above you, panting against your neck and quietly saying your name over and over.

“Fuck, you’re everything to me,” he whispered as he slowly pulled out of you, drawing a soft moan of out the both of you.

When the room fell into a peaceful quiet, Suho stood up then gently helped you up from the coach, guiding you to the bathroom. “Let’s take a bath.”

Suho ran the water while you sat on the bathroom counter, watching him with sleepy, content eyes. When the tub was finally full, Suho carefully helped you into it alongside himself.

“Is the temperature okay?” he asked softly, settling behind you so you could lean back against his chest.

You hummed in approval, letting your head fall back against his shoulder.

His arms wrapped around you from behind, and you could feel the tension finally leaving both of your bodies.

“I really am sorry for how I’ve been acting. For this whole week I mean. For shutting you out instead of just talking to you,” Suho apologized.

“I’ll really accept your apology if you make sure to skip all your training sessions with Sieun next week and cuddle me instead,” you said.

“Deal.” Suho said smiling.

It got quiet again before you asked the questioned that was nipping at you a little bit, “How do you want me to deal with Mingyu?”

Suho was quiet for a moment, considering “I don’t want you to do anything,” he finally said, “He's your friend, and I trust you. I'm sorry I let my insecurities get in the way of that.”

“Are you sure?” you asked, wanting to make sure he was really okay.

“I'm sure,” he said, pressing another kiss to your head. “Besides, I realized something tonight.”

“What?”

“He might be smart and perfect and all that,” Suho said, his voice getting playful, "but he's not the one who gets to fuck you.”

You gasped and playfully hit his chest. “Suho!”

Done! My 2nd fic of whc! Thank you guys so much for reading 🥹 Thanks for all the love on my sieun fic as well!

I’d love for more people to rec any writing and request! I also write for the groups who are listed on my masterlist!

#weak hero class #whc #whc1 #whc2 #whc x reader #whc imagines #whc smut #whc1 x reader #ahn suho #ahn suho smut #suho #suho x reader #suho smut #weak hero class x reader #weak hero class 1 #weak hero class 1 smut #weak hero class smut #choi hyunwook smut

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