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#thank you all so much again for viewing him with your eyeballs! i can now rest
beamiesbuddies · 16 days
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Part 2: A Dream of an Autumn Garden
A few more photos of Mr. Morpheus, continuing from my post here!
As I said on the other photoset, I'm very happy & proud of him! I'm happy I decided to take my time to get him just how I wanted & edit the photos I took nicely. I hope you all love him too. Sweet dreams~
I have included a bunch of Cool Facts about how I made him under the cut if you are so inclined!
Started: Late Jan 2022 / Finished: Dec 30 2022
Approx work hours- 273 hours (worked on average every 3rd day out of 274 days; averaged 3h/session)
Times I remade something because I messed it up/wasn't happy with it: Hands- 2; Feet- 2; Head- 2.5; Body- 1; Clothes: 3
Pattern: trial, error & determination
Height: 3ft tall
Materials:
stretch jersey knit (body)
polyfill (stuffing)
brushed out acrylic yarn (hair)
star sapphire x2 (eyes)
pipe cleaner (hand armature)
wooden dowels/18 gauge wire (elbow/arm skeleton that keeps snapping I may add)
acrylic paint/pastels (shading & details)
acrylic thread (body sculpting & upper eyelashes)
stretch velvet/velvet burnout, cotton (clothes)
Fun facts:
his look was inspired by his overall appearance in the comics; I particularily like the depictions done by Jill Thompson, Mike Dringenberg & Marc Hempel!
his arms and legs are jointed in the same way as many teddy bears are: you use a washer, nut & bolt to butt-up the limb against the body internally and it gives the limbs full rotation. First time I have tried the method and it's definitely something I'll try again!
I had no idea how I was going to do the inset eyes, but I was determined to have them as some sort of stone. I had to redo his first head completely because I cut too far in! Eventually I got it to work by creating a "backcushion" with clay for the stones, and then closed and sculpted the eyelids overtop to secure them in.
You can't see in most of my photos but his eyes are star sapphire: when light hits them correctly, it causes a ✨to appear just like his eyes in the comics~!
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making his hand & feet were a challenge, especially thinking about where to put the needle through to sculpt tendons, nails, etc (and also deciding how detailed to get without looking strange). I think I learned a lot tho and I'm very proud of the hands
my favorite sculpted parts are the collar bone/chest, the right hand & the nose~
because the skin is white, he gets very dirty with his black clothes, so I had to line all of them in white. He also has to soak in bleach once in a while to maintain his complexion (LOL)
A signature somehwere on his person xD
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Thank you all again for your nice tags & comments so far on my work. If you guys would like for me to share some behind the scenes photos of this photoshoot, or WIP photos of me making him, let me know and if there's enough interest maybe I'll make a post down the road!
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gildeddlily · 1 year
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we stan homosexual behaviour (so dazai knew he was somehow already important to chuuya?) (woah that's gay)
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[1. We Stan The Flags 2. We Stan Adam (Paul bby what are you doing)]
3. We Stan the "Demon Prodigy" (the homo prodigy maybe) (he ab to flip Verlaine off)
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Adam's point of view? nothing better than it
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yk what Mori how about you fall down the stairs and oh so accidently break your neck? no bad feelings just go die in a ditch (he's actually right, cause they're in the damn mafia and Chuuya has to kill the man who slaughtered his family. but he's mourning them and that patronising voice is killing me)
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well maybe. but reading things like this makes sense, like who even thought ab just chewing something for a long time without eating it? ppl who didn't know ab it must have felt like Adam, they have my solidarity (Chuuya's about to kill him right there, first with the chocolate now with gums. imagine if he saw him eating pure sugar like it was water)
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because he's a self harming asshole who still thinks he deserves the sheep's betrayal cause he was a "bad leader" sugar they were shitty people, and even if you were all fifteenish you didn't stab anyone without any second thought at least
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No, you didn't get anything, you're a dumb bitch who makes me want to rip out my own eyeballs every time I have to read one of the stupid sentences you says. one thing I didn't miss about Stormbringer was Shirase talking again and again and again about things he didn't know and treating Chuuya like he was the one at fault just don't talk
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ADAM STOP IT NOW they're always dropping height jokes about Chuuya and it makes me cry everytime (Asagiri thinks he's funny) (he is)
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EVEN MURASE no I don't know why but I totally forgot everything about him. and I don't know if I'm happy or not, knowing how he'll end up...
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why so romantic Chuuya him talking ab Dazai like he's a piece of trash is funnier than everything. this following the "dazai fell first" headcanon that basically is my bible (it's canon shut up, chuuya started to really love him after stormbringer just trust me)
and talking ab Dazai
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so he thought of Dazai as someone dear enough to Chuuya to tying him to the Mafia? wow that's some serious charges Paul are you sure ab it? (I just imagine Paul about to kill him and Dazai being like "hey, you're the dog's lost brother, why are you here? me? tying him to the mafia? I don't think so, but you can kill me if you need it so much, thank you!")
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you'll find something one day honey please stop you're making me cry (i love Odasaku but straight up telling him that he'll always feel empty is a little fucked up but I understand that you're traumatized too so dw)
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he's so teenager just stop please (his writing is so pretty and the he-learned-to-write-properly-thanks-to-the-mafia hc is as canon as his name)
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shut the fuck up. shut up. I don't wanna hear you. you're not even my shoe's king, just shut up.
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AH AH TAKE THIS YOU ASSHOLE Adam doing what Chuuya wasn't able to (admit he wasn't the guilty one in that fucked up situation) Shirase needed someone telling him that he wasn't the fucking centre of the universe
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Murase is the man every kid in bungou stray dogs needed. He already knows that is late for Chuuya, that he has already became a tool in the mafia's hands, but he doesn't want him to see it happens to others, or to be the one doing it. (think about Akutagawa, that entered the organization in some months I think, and became a tool in Dazai's hands. Chuuya was made executive in little time and he was for sure busy, but he was still there to look at Akutagawa craving for someone's approval to the point of becoming with time the Rabid Dog of the Mafia, Dazai's dog (funny) and he remembered what Murase said to him. just- him remembering. need more Akutagawa and Chuuya contents btw)
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I hope you die (I love you but stop with the "little brother" thing you're hurting my eyes) (you're depressed like anyone else so stop pretending to be cheerful) (parallels with future Dazai? no alr stop)
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not Chuuya knowing how to speak but not what bread is (people joke a lot about it but it made me cry the first time, and it's still fucking sad. and Shirase calling him disgusting when they were almost in the same situation? shut up please)
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...yeah bby you're the mildest person I've ever seen
mild adjective, mild·er, mild·est. -amiably gentle or temperate in feeling or behavior toward others -characterized by or showing such gentleness, as manners or speech
yeah ofc you are bby
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I hate them so much Chuuya still doesn't see the mafia as "family". his family has been killed by the only person in that world that could understand him. he doesn't trust Dazai, and he doesn't trust Mori, even if he respects him. He truly is desperate about the fact that the only man who ever tried to give him a chance died, cause the truth is no one will ever do something like this for him again. And the hitting his chest things is so immature and childish- like yeah we'll tell you ab his strength and power every two sentences, just to remind you he's been around killing people for years, but then we'll drop something like this to remind you he's a mere teenager
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invisibleraven · 2 years
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Friday! 29 for peterpatterlina?
All her life, Victoria Alvarez had been involved in every committee that she could. Never content to sit idle, she volunteered to help every noble cause, every worthwhile charity, and every down on their luck individual that she could. And she usually dragged her family into it.
Whether it was making Rose sing songs in the sick children's ward, or having Ray volunteer free headshots for the women's shelter. Then when Julie and Carlos came along, they were roped into helping as well, doing pageants and bottle drives galore.
Of course, as they grew, they protested, so she let up on volun-telling them to help. But she did insist they come to a couple events a year. This year, Julie picked the haunted house that was benefitting the local animal shelter.
Of course, her tia didn't need to know that she had a couple of supernatural guests with her on this go around. The woman was still convinced there was a demon in her house (thanks Reggie) so the less she knew about the true nature of Julie's band, the better. Sure, she could see and touch the guys now due to her connection with Julie, but there was no way anyone was telling her they were genuine ghosts.
Julie had also roped Flynn into coming, because even though Julie knew it wouldn't be scary, there was nothing lamer than doing a haunted house on your own. Plus she could talk to the guys through the guise of talking to Flynn without looking certifiable. She hated that ghost magic never made sense and she was hoping one of these days she could figure out how to make the guys visible all the time, but it was slow going, since, no one really believed the whole ghost thing.
Alex and Willie had raced ahead, or Willie had raced, Alex was more so dragged, but given the besotted look on his face, Julie didn't think he minded as much. They were tagging along with her dad and Carlos, so hopefully that would keep them out of relative trouble, but that was a feint hope when Willie and Carlos were together.
She and Flynn ventured in together, Luke and Reggie hot on their heels. They giggled at the sensory table full of peeled grapes and spaghetti that were supposed to represent eyeballs and intestines, but when the next room opened with the creak of a coffin, they were instantly silent. Julie wondered if they had wandered off or something, but nope, there they were. A bit paler than usual, and Luke looked to be clutching at Reggie's jacket sleeve when someone in a werewolf costume let out an impressive howl.
It kept getting worse as they went on, the boys jumping with fright at each new scare, one time Reggie even screamed when a fake bat swooped down. Julie turned and hissed at them "You are literal ghosts!"
"But it's scary!" Luke protested, Reggie nodding right beside him, then the both of them turning their pleading puppy dog eyes on her. "Can we hold your hand please?"
Julie sighed and rolled her eyes, but held her hands out, shaking her head with fond exasperation. The boys shimmered into view, and Julie was thankful they were in an empty room, though she was sure the staff would question the extra guests. "Come on you big babies. I swear I'm never going to another haunted house with you again."
Flynn led them into the next room, giving an incredibly fake shriek when the mummy popped up, but Luke and Reggie gave genuine whimpers, hiding their faces in her neck. And Julie couldn't help but shiver, because when they were tangible, they had a weird facsimile of breathing, a chill of cold air. They had faint, sluggish heartbeats, and while their skin was usually icy, it warmed up when she held onto them.
But it was more than that right now. Sure, these guys were cuddly himbos, but not usually with Julie unless she invited it. Which she rarely did because it just reminded her how right their hands felt in hers. Something she couldn't dwell on if she wanted to keep her heart intact. But that didn't mean she was letting go. Not right now when they needed her anyways.
They made it through each room, the boys shrinking further and further into her side, with Flynn cackling at them at every turn. Julie felt like her face was on fire from how fierce her blush was, but she still kept muttering that they were okay, they were safe. Even when one or both of them were screaming in fright right in her ear.
"How are you not terrified?" Luke whimpered as they neared the exit.
"Yeah, this is petrifying," Reggie whispered, shuddering as the loud holler of a monster sounded in the distance.
"I think after having three ghosts literally fall through the ceiling of my garage screaming their heads off scared me for life. After that, not much seems all that scary," Julie retorted.
"For what it's worth, I'm glad we fell into your life," Reggie whispers.
"Me too," Luke echoed.
Finally, blessedly, they exited the haunted house, the boys finally prying their heads away from Julie's shield of curls. They whooped that they made it through, and Julie had to roll her eyes. "You big fraidy cats only made it through by hiding in my hair," she snarked. But she noticed their hands were still in hers, and she didn't exactly mind them being so close to her.
"Julie!" Carlos yelled, running towards her. "That haunted house was so lame! But the group behind us was terrified, they were screaming the whole time!"
Julie shot the boys a look, and snickered as they blushed and rubbed at the back of their heads. "Oh yeah, I guess some people just can't handle being scared."
"Can we go get caramel apples now?" Carlos asked.
"Ooh, can we?" Luke asked.
"Please Julie?" Reggie pleaded.
"You guys can't even eat them!" she said, but then sighed. "Yeah, we can go get apples."
The guys beamed and all but pulled Julie towards the apple stall, never letting her go the whole time. Not until she had an apple in hand and they stared longing at it... and her.
Maybe haunted houses weren't so bad after all.
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dr4kenlvr · 3 years
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dating baji keisuke
pairing: baji keisuke x gn!reader
genre: fluff, slight bickering but that's normal in relationships no?,
a/n: yes nana is in love with baji <3 read tokyo revengers guys! i went a little crazy but- it's baji so it's okay.
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dating baji keisuke has to be one of the most chaotic, fun-filled, and loving experiences on earth
like his relationship with the toman founding members, he views you as his treasure and he would put his life on the line if it meant you would be alive and well
baji seems like the kind of guy who would rather have you far from the gang in order to ensure your protection
he's a bad bitch and the guy can fight thats for sure, but he can't always be near you especially when things get hectic in toman
he'd rather have you at home, and he can visit you whenever
despite that, he would love for you to meet his close friends!
baji believes that getting along with your s/o's friends is a good way to build trust, and to simply spend more time together <3
so you bet he's gonna try to get along with your friends too
if you're a studious person (good job! <3), baji's gonna ask your ass for help because we both know he needs it
whip his ass into shape because he's got a science test coming up LMAO
if you're not so studious (that's okay <3), then cue the half-assed study sessions
he would ask for a break every 10 minutes because 'chemical formulas are making his eyeballs melt'
he's so dramatic i can't
now, considering his violent nature- baji will beat bitches up it's called for, even if someone looks at you weirdly he won't hesitate to call them out
"the fuck you lookin' at turd?!"
"you look like literal dog shit, shut your ass up."
you laughed out loud at his vile words before telling him to quit it and move on
when you two have time off of school, clubs and the gang (LMAO), baji would take you on rides around the city!
spontaneous rides are his fav, he'll text you to get ready to go at 10 PM when he's already outside your house
(will leave in respect if your family won't allow you out so late)
when you two do go, it varies what ya'll do from getting take-out yakisoba to trying to save a cat from a tree
speaking of cats, when you go over to his place (his mother adores you), stray cats are often seen roaming his room
the two of you love to take care of them together; buying them food, rubbing their tummies, and even showering them
baji can't thank you enough for coming over to take care of the cats with him
he seems like the kind of guy who would love going to bed holding you in some way, shape or form
spooning you? yes. spooing him? of course. you lying atop him? go for it. him lying atop of you? more often than you think.
just having you with him through the night makes him feel loved and so warm inside
sometimes a cat will join ya'll and he'll tear up from the cuteness ngl
if you slept over, baji would 100% follow you into the bathroom and while you're brushing your teeth, he'll wrap his arms around your waist and slump his head atop yours
has a cute morning voice, and he's whiny
if you often tie your hair or if it's at a length that can be tied at times, baji'll keep a couple extra bands on his wrist to lend to you whenever you need
likewise, you do the same because his weave breaks all his band elastics tbh
whipping it and shit in every fight
at times when he comes over to your place injured, you scold him, telling him that you don't want to see him like this ever again
he knows he's capable, telling you these scratches and bruises are nothing to him
you two bicker over this quite a lot, it's one of the only thing you two fight over
you know that his affiliation with toman is built from love and trust, not fighting and drugs
it's one of the many reasons why you haven't tried to get him out of it
he loves his friends so much, but he also loves you
baji doesn't want to argue with you any longer, so he does this thing where he holds your hand, rubbing his rough fingers across your palm before mumbling a soft "m'sorry."
you forgive him, only because you know he's sincere with his words despite getting in fights all over again
you love him, what can you say?
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skzsauce01 · 3 years
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Bird Is the Word
Synopsis: A series of drunk texts leads to one of the best and worst things that has ever happened to you. Or, Han Jisung is never going to let you forget the time you forgot the word ‘bird.’ College AU. Not a text fic but does include some texts.
Warning: alcohol, a lot of bird puns
Word Count: 8.1k
Pairing: fem!reader x Han Jisung
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2:23 AM [Me]: sOS SOS SOS SOSOSOS 2:23 AM [Me]: I NEED HELPPPP 2:23 AM [Jisung Bio]: You okay?? 2:23 AM [Me]: YOU SMART HELPPPPP
2:24 AM [Jisung Bio]: Do you want me to call the police?? 2:24 AM [Me]: WHAT ARE THE FLUFFY ANIMALS THAT GO FLAP CALLED 2:24 AM [Jisung Bio]: Is this a code word? 2:24 AM [Me]: THEY GO FLAP AND EAT SEEDS 2:24 AM [Jisung Bio]: Do you mean birds? 2:24 AM [Jisung Bio]: Are you drunk?
2:25 AM [Me]: [blurry_photo_of_your_window.jpg] 2:25 AM [Me]: HERE LOOK 2:25 AM [Me]: YES BIRDS 2:25 AM [Me]: THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH 2:25 AM [Me]: LOVE YOUUUUU
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In your defense, you were drunk. And when you are drunk, your critical thinking skills disappear and are replaced by pure, uninhibited stupidity. It’s like some twisted Jekyll and Hyde situation, but only when you drink, you transform into this other version of yourself instead of suppressing it.
You mostly remember the things you have done and said while under the influence. The most embarrassing ones tend to be fuzzy. If it weren’t for the grainy phone video taken by Seungmin and your own voice cheerfully declaring that you had an idea, you wouldn’t have realized that you were the idiot who tried to make a chalk mural at the four-way intersection in the middle of the night. You didn’t even have chalk, but that didn’t stop you from drawing on the asphalt with a broken pen you found on the sidewalk.
Good thing Seungmin had the foresight to drag you back to the crosswalk before a car could come speeding by.
However, that legendary act of idiocy doesn’t even compare to this new one. Forget the fact that you could have died.
Your biology class just went over survival of the fittest using Darwin’s finches as an example. How in the world did you forget about the word ‘bird?’ Why did you think it was a good idea to ask the cute guy in your bio study group about “THE FLUFFY ANIMALS THAT GO FLAP?” And why, why, why did you insist on telling him that you loved him? The ‘THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH’ was already enough.
Jisung is never going to let you live this down.
It’s fine. You’re fine. It’s not like you spent the entire Sunday morning knocking back glasses of water and wishing it was vodka instead. It’s not like you drafted about five different apology messages and deleted them all. It’s not like you have to see him in class tomorrow.
Really, you’re fine.
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You go out of your way to make yourself as inconspicuous as possible, which probably means you are very conspicuous. Do normal people not wear hoodies and sweatpants to class now, or are you just overthinking everything? The two people in the row in front of you are wearing jeans, and the girl heading down your row has a polka-dotted dress on. A secondary glance at the girl tells you that it’s another member of your study group. Speaking of the study group, maybe you should find another one. Preferably one without Jisung in it.
“Morning,” Lia says as she takes the seat beside you. She sets down her purple water bottle on the floor with a light clink. “How was your weekend?”
Terrible, but you say, “It was fine. I finished up the readings and did some notes. How about you?”
“Those readings took me forever!” she groans. “I was trying to finish everything on Saturday, so I could go out on Sunday. Which I did manage to do, so it all worked out. I got a new dress!” She plucks at the bodice of her dress, and you finally take a closer look at the pattern.
They’re not polka dots. They’re freaking birds — swoopy doves with outstretched wings. Or at least you think they’re doves. Your lack of bird knowledge speaks for itself.
“It’s pretty,” you hollowly say. The universe seems determined to remind you of your texts. Lia’s face falters, and you realize your disdain came across as you lying. “No, it’s not like that! Just… bad experiences with birds. You look really nice in this.”
She brightens up. “Oh, thanks! What do you mean by ‘bad experiences?’ What happened?”
“Good morning, birdbrain!”
“That happened.”
Looking far too happy for a Monday morning, Jisung takes the other seat beside you. He has a cup of coffee stacked high with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle, and you wonder if his extreme cheerfulness is from the caffeine or from your impending public humiliation. Why did you have to pick this guy to have a crush on? Sure, he’s cute and smart and sometimes nice, but there are plenty of people who have those traits without his witticism.
Lia looks at you with more amusement than concern. “So what happened?”
You tell her about what really happened during the weekend, and Jisung laughs all the while, reenacting his facial expression when he received your first frantic SOS message. Meanwhile, you sink lower and lower into your chair, ignoring your tailbone’s cries of pain as you slide further down the thin cushion.
“You can’t hide forever,” Jisung remarks as he looks at your slumping form. “C’mon, it wasn’t that bad. And you were drunk anyway.”
Yeah, you were, but the whole thing is doubly embarrassing because of how much you want him to like you. The overenthusiastic, all-caps messages are normal whenever you text while drunk, but ‘I love yous’ and the even rarer ‘I LOVE YOUUUU’  are few and far between. Only six people excluding Jisung have received them: your parents, your best friend, and your statistics group project members because you accidentally sent the message to the wrong chat.
On the bright side, seven is a lucky number. It means absolutely nothing in this case, and it’s hardly relevant to how you’re feeling, but everyone copes differently. Yours just happens to be clinging onto any silver lining available for solace.
“Anyway,” Lia cuts in, saving you from replying, “you’re here early, Jisung.”
He shrugs and flashes her a playful smile. However, his eyes are focused on you when he says, “You know what they say: early bird gets the worm.”
You give him a pitiful attempt of a withering glare. “I hate you.”
“Okay, fine.” He tugs at the shoulder of your hoodie to motion for you to stop trying to melt into the ground and to help you up. “It’s ‘cause I knew you would be here early.”
You are calm, you are fine, you will not be flustered. He just teased you five seconds ago; you should not be this willing to forgive him under these circumstances. Nonetheless, you slide back up to a more normal sitting position and try to pretend that you are still mildly upset. His next sentences make that impossible.
“You guys want brownies? Felix was stress-baking again.”
One may call you easily swayed by food, and they would be right. Jisung lets you have a coveted corner piece, and you decide that he’s alright again. He stretches an arm in front of you to get to Lia, and you lean back to avoid bumping into him. It also gives you a clear view of his profile. Wow, is he pretty. Look at that jawline. Suddenly his eyes go wide, and his mouth splits into a familiar excited grin.
“Are those birds?”
“Yep,” Lia answers, looking over at you to check your reaction. She tries to hide her smile, but it’s clear as day. You’re not entirely sure what she’s going to say next, but you already know it’s going to involve your current least favorite animal species. “Pretty… dove-ly, don’t you think?”
At least you were right about them being doves. “I hate you both.”
Jisung laughs at her pun and holds out his palm for a high-five. “You know what they say: birds of a feather flock together.”
“I really hate you both.”
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Your initial prediction that Jisung is never going to let you live this down is correct. When you meet your bio group again Thursday night to study for the upcoming quiz, Jisung brings lemon poppy seed muffins for seemingly no other reason than to tease you. His housemate is still stress-baking, and judging by the bird silhouette made of glaze, Felix is very stressed and very eager to indulge in Jisung’s ideas.
“They’re finches!” Jisung proudly announces as he sets one right in front of you. The stupid decoration on top mocks you, but the muffin looks and smells delicious.  
Hyunjin, who does not know about your current plight but does know about Darwin’s finches, appreciatively coos at them. “They’ve even got different beak shapes! These are so cool. Man, Felix must hate econ right now.”
“No kidding,” you mutter as you begin peeling off the wrapper. Felix must hate you as well because one bite of this is almost enough for you to forgive Jisung again. It’s that good. How are you supposed to stay mad at Jisung when he gives you free delicious food? “Forget college, he needs to be in culinary school.”
He smirks from across the table, and it takes a lot of willpower for you to pretend you’re unphased. “What if I told you that I made these?”
“Then I would call you a liar.” He better be lying. You do not need another reason to justify your crush on him.
“And you would be right.” He slides his plastic container down to Lia, who has just arrived and is eyeballing the muffins like a predator. “But I did help him.”
“It’s really good,” you admit. You continue nibbling on it, determined to make the muffin last as long as you can. “What part did you help him out with?”
“The birds on top. Turns out drawing them with runny glaze is hard. I gave you the prettiest one, so don’t get mad about the whole bird thing. It goes with what we’re studying too.”
“Fine,” you sigh as you fold the wrapper into halves over and over again. “But only because these are amazing.”
Hyunjin leans in closer, effectively popping the intimate bubble you and Jisung were in. “What’s ‘the bird thing?’”
Fortunately, Yeji has finally arrived, which gives you the perfect excuse to stop Jisung from letting another person know of your drunk texts. You make a big production of pulling out your notebook from your backpack and rifling through your pencil bag for a pen.
“Should we get started?” you ask. Lia nods and uncaps one of her many highlighters.
“I’ll tell you later,” Jisung whispers to Hyunjin, winking at you. You could cry, melt, die. You could do a lot of things, but you opt to stick your tongue out at him. So what if you’re being childish? You can barely concentrate on the real world after that wink. To Yeji, he says, “There’s snacks, if Lia hasn’t eaten them all yet.”
“Hey!”
Hyunjin laughs at her notorious sweet tooth before turning to Yeji. “He gave Y/N the prettiest one, so there’s probably only his fails left.”
“They’re not bad!”
Lia has only had two, so there are more than enough to choose from. Yeji peers inside the container before selecting the one closest to her.
“Is this a plague doctor?” she asks as she suppresses a laugh. “It’s got a top hat.”
Jisung shakes his head and groans. “You chose the worst one on purpose. It’s one of Darwin’s finches. You would have known if you studied.”
“It’s not my fault you can’t draw.” Taking no notice of Jisung’s affronted expression, she takes out the textbook the five of you split the cost to buy. “Okay, plague doctor cupcakes out of the way, what are the four main theories of evolution?”
“They’re lemon poppy seed finch muffins,” he clarifies.
“That’s not an evolution theory,” Hyunjin cheekily replies, earning him an elbow nudge from Jisung and a laugh from everyone else.
You end up answering Yeji’s question and reward your correct answer with another muffin. Besides them being addictive, you’ll need some energy for the rest of the study session if all this talk about birds persists. You select the most plague doctor-ish one out of the box, and Jisung notices.
“Seriously?” he pouts. “I give you the best one, and this is how you repay me? I thought you said you weren’t mad about the bird thing.”
You ignore the last sentence. “What? You’re not proud of these?” you say, mock astonished as you give him a good view of the glaze on top. “They look exactly like plague doctors.”
“I hate you.”
You smile and shrug before returning back into the discussion about Lamarckism. Let him get a taste of his own medicine.
Unfortunately, as promised and as possible revenge, Jisung tells Hyunjin about ‘the bird thing,’ and Yeji overhears since she is only two chairs away. You try melting into the ground instead, but Lia holds you in place as the story continues, so you are stuck reliving the memory. You knew Jisung wouldn’t let you forget, but you didn’t account for everyone else in the group finding out and joining in on the torture.
But thanks to Jisung’s brilliant idea to bring those spectacularly decorated muffins, he doesn’t go unscathed either. It’s a mediocre consolation prize, but you’ll take it.
All around, it’s a productive study session, if a bit long, courtesy of everyone’s unrelenting shots at you and Jisung.
Your study group splits off in three separate directions once you’re all at the library entrance: Yeji back to the on-campus dorms where she’s an RA, Hyunjin and Lia to the off-campus apartments a few streets down, you and Jisung to the bus stop to your apartments on the other of campus. There’s a few people already sitting at the bench, so you and Jisung stand under the streetlight nearby. A moth intent on reaching the light source rams itself repeatedly against the glass covering, and you tiredly watch it. You yawn.
“Not much of a night owl?” he asks. With no clever reply ready, you gently shove him towards the bushes, but he only sways at your push. He throws his hands up in surrender. “Alright, I’ll stop for today.”
“I’m really sorry for sending you that,” you say. You haven’t touched the chat between you and him since the incident. “And for not apologizing earlier.”
“It’s alright. Although I almost had a heart attack when you sent me ‘SOS’ like five times.”
You grimace as you remember your frantic texts. If you think back hard enough, you remember furiously tapping at your screen, trying to get his attention as quick as possible because you really, really, really needed to know what the animal that landed on your windowsill was called. Your housemate was in the next room over. You could have asked her instead, but no, you decided that Jisung from bio was the best option. Not even the group chat, just Jisung himself.
“Sorry again,” you weakly reply.
“It really is alright. Finding bird puns is my new favorite hobby now.” He wryly smiles. “I have so many more to try on you. You’re gonna love it.”
Is that endearing or annoying? Living rent-free inside his head isn’t terrible, especially since he seems to do the same in yours. You’ll probably have to endure lots more puns from him in the future, but for now, you’ll decide that it’s endearing.
The bus arrives, and you sit in the back with him. The ride to the apartment complex is quiet; only a group of people near the front are speaking to one another in low voices. Jisung makes no attempt at continuing the conversation, and you are content to stare out into the neon lights outside the window. You can see him in the reflection on the glass. The empty container devoid of muffins sits on Jisung’s lap, his phone placed face down on the lid. If it weren’t for all the other passengers on the bus, you would be convinced that it was just you and him, enjoying each other’s company.
You’re almost sad when you reach your stop.
“Do you want me to walk you to your apartment?” he asks as you step down to the pavement. “Yours is farther down, right?”
“Isn’t your place right here?” you say. You’ve seen him walk out from this particular complex several times while waiting for the bus. That’s not stalking. “You don’t have to go out of your way. It’s just a block away.”
“Yeah, I’m definitely walking you home.”
You hesitate a bit, but Jisung is already taking small steps in the direction of your apartment. A little more time with him doesn’t sound too horrendous right now. “Okay.”
Just like the bus ride, no conversation, which suits you fine. Jisung seems more enthralled by looking into the windows of apartment residents anyway. You can’t blame him, especially when it appears that someone is having their own mini rave in their living room. Once at the doors to your building, you thank him and tell him good night.
“No problem and good luck tomorrow.” His voice is softer at night, or maybe it’s because he’s tired as well.
Your tone matches his as well. “You too. See you in class then.”
“Good night.”
A few minutes after midnight, just as you’re about to get into bed, a message from Jisung pops up. Not Jisung in the study group, just Jisung.
12:04 AM [Jisung Bio]: Hey, I know you’re not much of a night owl, so would you call yourself a morning lark? 12:04 AM [Jisung Bio]: You’re always an early bird to class 12:04 AM [Jisung Bio]: Are you emu-sed? 12:04 AM [Jisung Bio]: :D
Well, he did say he would stop for the day. It’s technically the next day. You reply with an annoyed face before burrowing yourself under your blankets. There are other things to worry about, such as your quiz in nine hours.
You dream of birds, namely finches, that night. Thanks, Jisung.
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“This is why I tell you to never drink alone,” Seungmin laughs. He picks up the last slice of pizza from the pan and folds it in half like the heathen he is before taking the first bite. “Bad things always happen.”
“To be fair, Ryujin was home.”
“In a completely different room from you.”
You groan and supplement your exasperation with an extra aggressive tear on your crust. “Okay, fine. I’ve learned my lesson. The point is, he won’t stop with the bird jokes, and I’m going insane.”
Seungmin, having been collateral damage from your drunken mishaps before, is unsympathetic. He still hasn’t quite forgiven you for the time you tried to make a Molotov cocktail in his kitchen. Look, the clickbait video you watched online promised that it would be a fun and easy science experiment, and your other self decided that it was a fantastic idea. Nothing bad happened in the end though since you couldn’t find a lighter. So, Seungmin, it really wasn’t that big of a deal.
“You have a crush on this guy. Why are you upset that he’s flirting with you?”
“He’s cute until he opens his mouth and starts giving me grief about birds.” You sigh as you remember the last text he sent: a photo of the sunset from his apartment window with the caption, A bird’s eye view of the neighborhood. On one hand, you were thrilled to have received a non-homework related picture. On the other hand, bird joke.
“You would do the same.”
“I know, but it still sucks.” You wipe your fingers with a napkin and amuse yourself with spinning the empty pan as Seungmin (slowly) finishes eating. “No more Jisung talk. How was your date?”
Seungmin turns flustered, just like you knew he would. “It wasn’t a date! I’m just her photographer. This is a business arrangement, nothing else.”
“Sure, sure. Whatever you say.”
“Hey, is that Jisung over there?” he asks, nodding over your shoulder.
“I’m not that gullible,” you sigh, though you can’t say you aren’t tempted. Seungmin loves to make fun of you, and he probably wants to get back at you for teasing him about the girl he’s been spending a suspicious amount of time with.
“Gull-ible?”
“Not you too," you plead. It's already awful with one person. To deter him any further, you continue, "Anyway, back to your definitely-not-a-date date—”
“Hey, Y/N, is that you?”
Seungmin has his “I told you so” face on. After sending him a glare, which he promptly pretends not to see, you turn around, resting your forearm on the back of your chair. Jisung, holding a pan of oven-fresh pizza, smiles back at you.
“Hey,” you greet. He's wearing the same black and red sweatshirt he usually has on, but why does he look so much better in it when he's in a pizza place than in class or in the library? “How are you doing? How’s your Saturday so far?”
“I just woke up like an hour ago, so it’s been pretty good, I guess.” His eyes go to Seungmin, who is now sipping on his soda, pretending to not eavesdrop. “Is this your…”
“This is my friend, Seungmin,” you quickly answer. Other than the fact that you need to make it abundantly clear that you are available, there is no way you’re ever going to date Seungmin. Apart from the girl he claims to not be dating, he’s even more merciless when it comes to reminding you about your drunken ideas. You can’t pass the intersection without him nudging your arm. “Seungmin, this is Jisung. We have bio together.”
Seungmin nods like he hasn’t heard of Jisung before. “Hey, nice to meet you. So, do you guys learn about birds in bio?”
Jisung lights up like a Christmas tree, and you want to cover yourself with the pizza pan. Praying for the ground to swallow you up also sounds like a decent option. In the midst of debating whether hiding under the table would be too odd, you notice that Seungmin has finally finished his slice.
“We should get going,” you interrupt. You do not need Seungmin to start sharing other stupid things you’ve done. He’s about five seconds away from telling Jisung about the intersection chalk mural. “And you probably want to eat dinner.”
Jisung sees right through your act, but he lets it go. “Yeah, Felix is probably starving. See you on Monday?”
“Yeah, see you.”
You expect him to go to wherever Felix is, but he still remains behind you. With a lopsided grin, he asks, “Should I expect any quail-ity texts at 2 AM tonight?”
Seungmin laughs, Jisung laughs, and you stare at the ceiling, wondering what you did to deserve this. Surely there were other people you could have in your life besides these two jerks.
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“Winner, winner, chicken dinner!” Jisung sings as you correctly answer his question. This week’s study session consists of a game show Jisung has created, and you almost want to believe that he put in all this effort just to say that phrase. “Another point for you.”
You sigh as Yeji slides a wrapped piece of candy towards you. It’s her turn to bring snacks, and though milk chocolate the size of golf balls are great, you’re still dreaming of those wickedly delicious cake slices Jisung shared with you yesterday. Hummingbird cake, he claimed, it was called. Bananas, pineapples, and pecans, all combined together to make a sweet treat. When you cheekily asked why his housemate was so stressed all the time — you really don’t mind. Sorry, Felix — Jisung cheerfully informed you that he made the entire thing himself. After you picked up your jaw from the floor, you stammered something about it being passable. Not nearly as good as Felix’s stuff, you said, lying through your teeth. Jisung, again, saw right through it but let it slide. See? Sometimes he’s nice. However, you did not need another reason to be attracted to Han Jisung, but here you are.
“Seriously, Yeji?” you mumble as you pull apart the blue foil. “You just had to pick the brand named after a bird?” It doesn’t stop you from popping the chocolate into your mouth though.
“They were on sale!”
While you and Yeji bicker about Dove chocolate and how the universe is conspiring against you, Hyunjin answers the next question correctly. Yeji absentmindedly pushes his reward towards him.
“No chicken dinner for me?” he asks.
Jisung shakes his head. “Your question was easy. You get a pheasant instead. Or a quail. Any bird smaller than a chicken works.”
“A hummingbird then?” you suggest. You really need to stop thinking about that cake. “But I hear those aren’t that great.”
“You already ate every single crumb of that cake I gave you!” Jisung says, but there’s not a drop of displeasure in his tone. In fact, he seems rather happy that you liked it so much that you remembered about it. “All my hard work gone in five seconds.”
“You made her a cake?” Lia gasps in disbelief, secretive note checking forgotten. She’s in last place with only six points, so no one cares too much about her cheating. “What about us? We’re your study buddies too!”
Hyunjin and Yeji chorus their agreements, and you realize that he only shared his cake with you. He followed you out of the lecture hall and gave it to you in a plastic container, so you assumed that he also hand delivered a few slices to everyone else. Never mind that he oh-so-conveniently had a fork with him. Never mind that he sat with you at a bench and watched you try a few bites before devouring it all. Never mind all that.
Wait. Does this mean he likes you too?
You fold and unfold your discarded foil wrappers as you contemplate over this revelation, sneaking glances at Jisung all the while. He looks… normal. Infuriatingly so. Same carefree smile, same arguments with Hyunjin, same lackadaisical chair leaning even though he fell backwards that one time. How is one supposed to tell if someone actually likes you when said someone is the same all the time?
Jisung promises to bring something for the next study session to make up for not sharing his cake and continues on with the review game like nothing has happened. However, those thoughts are still in the back of your mind when the session ends. You have gained five more pieces of chocolate and no further information as to whether Jisung is actually into you or not. As per usual, you and he head to the bus stop together. It’s more crowded than last week since it’s only eight.
“Did you have a pheasant time today?” he asks, pausing next to a hedge.
You keep your eyes on the asphalt instead of looking at him. It’s much easier to pretend you’re calm when you don’t have vision of his face. “I see you discovered pheasants recently. And yes, it was fun. Thanks for making it.”
“You don’t want to crow about winning the game?” When you grimace — you did kind of want to point out how amazing your score was but now you don’t — he quickly adds, “Okay, okay. But you’re going to ace that quiz tomorrow.”
And you simply say, “I know,” because you are and because you have nothing else prepared to say.
It goes quiet, and with only the sounds of cars racing by, Jisung abruptly says, “This is a little awkward now. Or should I say… hawk-ward?”
You groan and break your staring contest with the road to give him an exasperated look. A mistake because he’s smiling so wide, squirrels would be jealous of his cheeks. He has no right to be so cute after those jokes. “Why do I feel like you searched up ‘bird puns’ online and are trying to insert them in every possible scenario?”
“Because I did and because I am.” He sighs in contentment. “Those were the best texts I’ve ever received. I’m never letting you forget it.”
You were right about that, and now you have verbal confirmation from the man himself. Another mediocre consolation prize you will gladly accept. But for now, you say, “Well, toucan play at that game, plague doctor Han Jisung.” The only perk of hearing all these wretched jokes is that you are now rather knowledgeable about them. Thank you, Seungmin, for making that one a few days ago.
“They looked just like finches!” he protests, but he’s laughing along, head tilted back. He sighs again. When he turns to face you again, his eyes are soft. “That was a pretty good one.”
“Seungmin came up with it.” There’s a warm feeling spreading across your chest, constricting your air flow and making all your blood rush to your cheeks. It was one compliment; why are you like this? What are you going to do if he keeps looking at you like that? You swiftly go back to the road, counting the number of cars that pass by. One, two, three, four…
And a gray bus pulling up to the curb.
“Bus is here,” you uselessly announce. Jisung follows you into the growing crowd surrounding the entrance. He hovers behind you as the two of you wait for the people in front to board, and his presence is more palpable than usual. “There’s a lot of people today,” you remark in a vain attempt to distract yourself.
“Yeah, everyone’s heading home for the day.” He pauses dramatically before adding, “The birds are all going back to their nest.”
The joke successfully snaps you out of your haze. “That’s not a real saying.”
“I think it should be. It makes perfect sense!”
“You’re—” As the line shuffles forward, you try to think of something bird related, but he beats to the punch.
“Cuckoo?”
It’s almost impressive how much time he has invested in annoying you. Does it make you fall for him more? No, not really, or so you try to convince yourself. It’s strangely endearing, just like everything about him. You merely answer, “Yes.”
He chuckles and nudges you forward up the steps of the bus.
Even though there’s a little bit of daylight left, Jisung walks you back to your apartment building. You’re not upset by this, but where was this chivalry two weeks ago after the first study session? You teasingly ask him about it, and he turns bashful. How unlike him.
“I thought you lived in my complex, for some reason. You were always at the bus stop before me, so I assumed you lived nearby. I didn’t know until I overheard you and Yeji talking about it,” he says, hiding himself with his collar.
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
“Well,” you say, stopping in front of the walkway to your building, “see you tomorrow then. Thanks for walking me back. Good night.”
The Jisung you’re used to seeing, is back with a mischievous smile and yet another joke. “Good night-ingale.”
You bite the inside of your cheek and try not to seem too amused by it. He’s not charming, not even a little bit. “That was awful.” It’s the smile, you tell yourself. No one should have one like that. It has too much power.
“Yet I can see you smiling at it.”
Remain calm. You can do that. You’ve faked this before, so why is your head not cooperating right now? Jisung really needs to stop looking at you with anything more than a neutral face. It’s bad for you, like really, really bad. No witty remarks at the ready is typical, but you can’t even think of anything to say.
After an excruciating five seconds, you manage to stammer out, “Good night.” Cheeks aflame and your heart threatening to pop out of you like a cuckoo clock, you roughly yank open the door and bolt up the stairs. You have too much adrenaline in you right now. Waiting for the elevator knowing that he could be observing your twitchy movements, would be too nerve wracking.
Ryujin asks if you’re alright when she sees you hunched against the kitchen counter, out of breath and muttering to yourself.
“I decided to take the stairs,” you say, which only partially explains your dishevelled state. “I’ll be alright. I think.”
“I’ll get you some water. You look like you're about to collapse.”
Then your phone chimes with a new message, and you decidedly won’t be alright.
8:22 PM [Jisung Bio]: Did my nightingale pun quack you up that badly? 8:22 PM [Jisung Bio]: Was it that ducking good? 8:22 PM [Jisung Bio]: :D
8:23 PM [Jisung Bio]: Anyway, good luck tomorrow. Sleep well and sweet dreams, morning lark
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There is no food in the fridge. Well, no proper food. A bag of spinach that expired three days ago but still seems okay, does not count. The same goes for the half empty jar of peanut butter, but Ryujin would likely disagree with that. There’s a reason why the jar is half empty. However, if you actually want to eat something for dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow, you need to go shopping.
For some strange reason, it does not occur to you that you can run into Jisung at the grocery store. Jisung belongs in four locations: the bus stop, the lecture hall, the library, and the pizza place you saw him at last week. Not the dairy aisle on a Wednesday night.
“Hey.” You stop in front of him, basket at your feet and hands folded in front of you like the world’s worst defense. Heart, stop beating so fast.
Jisung looks up from his phone to search for the owner of the voice and brightens when he sees that it’s you. “Hey, morning lark.” He has taken to calling you that ever since he sent that particular message. You wish it produced another reaction from you besides pure bliss, but that is the price you pay for pretending to be still annoyed by his jokes. That’s how bad your crush on him now is; you are increasingly beguiled by the puns. “Oh, did you need milk?”
“Yeah.” You grab a blue carton with a picture of a smiling cow from the shelf and place it in your basket. In the meantime, you can’t help but peer into Jisung’s. There is a bag of chocolate chips and a packet of gelatin. “Is this stuff for tomorrow’s study session?”
He nods and grabs the same brand of milk as you did. You get a rush of excitement, much to your chagrin. It’s just milk, and this is the most popular brand too. “Yeah. Felix is trying a new recipe, so you guys get to have some of the failed ones too.”
“What is it? Cheesecake?”
“You’ll see,” he mysteriously says. Then he adds, “You’re gonna love it,” which immediately gives away the theme.
“It’s something to do with birds, isn’t it?”
“You’ll see.”
And when you do see, you’re wrong. Library food rules ignored, at each seat, Jisung has set a slice of layer cake topped with chocolate ganache, no bird motifs of any sort. You take your usual spot at the end of the table and find that yours is slightly larger than the others. Well, except for maybe Lia’s. He has to placate her sweet tooth and her disappointment of not being able to have hummingbird cake.
“Did I not get a message or something?” Hyunjin asks when he takes in the over-the-top display. “Is this a dinner party?”
“Isn’t this against the library’s rules?” Yeji asks as she surreptitiously looks around for any librarians. The surrounding tables of fellow students won’t care.
Jisung elects to not answer Yeji’s concerns. “This is tonight’s snack,” he proudly replies. “Also, Felix wants feedback on it.”
You cut a section off with the plastic fork and marvel at the airiness of the cake. It’s unlike anything you have ever had. The frosting in between the sponge layers is so light, and the ganache is so dark and rich. “This is really amazing. It’s so fluffy. Wow. Tell Felix that he really needs to consider culinary school.”
“Wanna guess what it’s called?”
“Isn’t this just an extra fancy vanilla cake?” you ask. You take another bite, but other than the chocolate ganache on top, you can only taste vanilla. “I don’t know. The… vanilla fluff cake?”
“Nope.” He leans forward, face inches away from yours, lips curled into a smirk, and slowly says, “Bird’s milk cake.”
This can’t be real. Birds don’t even produce milk. “No way. You’re lying.” Even as you say the words, they sound false to your ears. Jisung has made it his mission to find anything and everything bird-related for you, so you doubt he’s lying.
“It’s called this” — he holds up his phone screen — “in Russian. It translates to ‘bird’s milk.’”
Ptichye moloko.
“You convinced Felix to make this, didn’t you?” you say. What are the chances that Felix conveniently wanted to make bird’s milk cake without any nudging from Jisung? Absolutely none. You have never even heard of this dessert before, let alone by it’s Russian name, and you’re willing to bet that Jisung searched up ‘bird cake’ or something of that nature just for this. Maybe that’s how he found out about hummingbird cake too.
“It’s all for you, morning lark,” he cheerfully replies, winking at you. He leans back in his chair again, precariously balancing on the two back legs. “I knew you’d like it.”
Jisung is really not making this easy for you. Forget subtleties, he’s just shamelessly flirting with you now. And in the sanctity of the library of all places! In a poor attempt to save yourself from this mess, you unconsciously begin to slide down the chair, trying to shield your hot face with your raised shoulders. Lia notices this — one of the perks having sat next to you for nearly four weeks during lectures — and grabs your forearm.
“No melting,” she reminds you, “or else you’re going to hit your head on the seat again.”
“I wasn’t melting,” you protest as you wriggle back up. Slowly dying might have been a better descriptor. That wink shot arrows into your already fragile heart. “We’re gonna get in trouble if one of the librarians sees this.”
“Guess we should get started then,” Hyunjin says. Yeji, the only responsible one in the group, begins pulling out the textbook, and everyone laughs at her eagerness. “Not what I meant, but that too.”
After you’re done with the cake and while the others are preoccupied about the timeline of human evolution, Jisung whispers across the table, “Did you still like it?”
“Yeah. No hard feelings about the name because it was good,” you whisper back.
“I thought it would turn out like this, morning lark. I know you love free food too much to be mad.”
The nickname again. You rest your cheek against your palm in a vain attempt to tamp down the growing heat. “Can I get a different name, plague doctor?”
He’s not at all phased by his own nickname, which doesn’t bode well for any future snarky remarks from you. “What, you don’t like birds or something?” He blinks so innocently back at you that you have to stifle a giggle.
“Yeah, well, that’s the—”
“Hey, lovebirds,” Hyunjin interrupts, making you profusely blush and Yeji lightly laugh at the expression, “we’re gonna move on to the next section now. Is that okay?”
“It’s okay,” you reply even though you are most definitely not okay. Jisung, who you notice is uncharacteristically sheepish, echoes your sentiment.
It’s difficult not to stare at Jisung during the remainder of the study session. It seems to be true the other way around as well.
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You’re sober when you read the messages, but you don’t think Jisung was when he sent them. Oh, how the tables have turned.
3:02 AM [Jisung Bio]: Good morning morning lark!! 3:02 AM [Jisung Bio]: Winner winner chicken dinner remember? So yes or no?
3:03 AM [Jisung Bio]: Or maybe yes or yes? 3:03 AM [Jisung Bio]: I really want to go on a date with you 3:03 AM [Jisung Bio]: Not lying I swear
3:04 AM [Jisung Bio]: I can’t stop thinking about you. You’re always on my mind and every time I see a bird, I think about you 3:04 AM [Jisung Bio]: I bought grey goose because of you 3:04 AM [Jisung Bio]: [jisung’s_hand_holding_grey_goose_vodka.jpg] 3:04 AM [Jisung Bio]: I don’t even like it that much
3:05 AM [Jisung Bio]: You make me dizzy sometimes and I don’t know what to do 3:05 AM [Jisung Bio]: You’re probably sleeping so good night larky 3:05 AM [Jisung Bio]: Or morning
3:06 AM [Jisung Bio]: Fly high in your dreams!!!
He must have been wasted and under no responsible supervision because this is what you would have done if you were in his place. Does he not have a Seungmin in his life? Or a Ryujin? There’s a Felix, so where was he when all of this happened?
But forget about Jisung’s own problems.
He wants to go on a date with you. A real date, not a study date with three other people and fake quiz questions. If his words are to be taken literally, then one involving a chicken dinner. Possibly a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, but a chicken dinner nonetheless.
He can’t stop thinking about you. All those bird jokes had you charmed, and all those cakes were baked with you in mind. They weren’t just for show. They were all about you.
You make him dizzy, which is hilarious because he does the same to you. He smiles at you so brightly, laughs so easily, and flirts so shamelessly that you never realized that you could ever make him feel that way.
And “fly high in your dreams?” You’re practically soaring in real life. Han Jisung, cute bio boy, plague doctor, pun enthusiast, surprisingly decent baker, wants to go on a date with you.
You, you, you!
While you alternate between hyperventilating and forgetting how to breathe as you process all this, three gray dots appear at the bottom of the chat. You clutch your phone as you wait. Apparently, your body is on the ‘forgetting how to breathe’ cycle.
11:14 AM [Jisung Bio]: I am so sorry about that. I was very drunk when I sent that
11:15 AM [Jisung Bio]: You can just ignore them or delete them 11:15 AM [Jisung Bio]: Highly recommend deleting 11:15 AM [Jisung Bio]: Also sorry if I woke you up
Your fingers hover over the keyboard. Should you answer him over text, call, or in-person? Is in-person too dramatic though? You feel like something like this is supposed to be done face-to-face, but he’s probably hungover beyond belief.
11:16 AM [Me]: It’s okay. A morning lark is always up early anyway :) 11:16 AM [Me]: Were you serious though?
11:17 AM [Jisung Bio]: Can we meet up in an hour? At the bus stop? I want to talk to you 11:17 AM [Me]: Yeah. Me too
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The bus stop is neutral territory or maybe just the closest meeting spot you and Jisung have. If it’s supposed to be neutral territory, it most definitely is not since his apartment complex is right behind it. Despite his close proximity to the spot, you arrive first, so you make yourself as comfortable as possible underneath the sign, standing in its shadow. It’s silly when you think about it, but you wish you dressed in something nicer than a hoodie. In your rush to leave the apartment, you threw on whatever, but maybe you should have worn something prettier for this confrontation. Make Jisung go dizzy and gain a little bit of power from that.
This is even worse than when you had to face him after you sent your drunk texts. At least then it was just a middling attraction and not a full-on crush.
“Hey, morning lark. You’re early. As expected.”
“Hey. You’re… alive.”
Jisung is strangely fresh-faced, not a hint of hungover clouding around him. Why can’t you look like him after a night of seemingly heavy drinking? Where are the pinched eyebrows from the blinding lights? The ghostly gray face? The haunted eyes as one remembers all the incredibly stupid things they did the night before? Unfair. Completely unfair.
“Yeah.” He’s wearing his usual sweatshirt, but his hands are stuffed into its pockets instead of being out and about. He rocks back and forth on his heels. “Well, uh, I meant everything I sent. And I’m serious about taking you to dinner, so do you want to go on a date with me?”
You anticipated this. Why does it feel like you have just finished running a marathon? “Yeah, I do. I really want to.”
He smiles so brightly, the sun would be jealous. Correction, should be jealous. You don’t think you’ve seen a prettier sight than this since he sat down next to you on the first day of class and asked if you wanted to start a study group. He pumps his fist in the air like he’s a movie character, and you hide your laugh behind your hoodie sleeve. You’ve never seen him so happy before.
“How are you not hungover?” you ask as he raises his face to the sky, taking in the afternoon light, basking in the moment. He’s really living his movie character dreams. “You said you were really drunk.”
“I kind of lied?” he says, sounding more wistful than you would expect. When he looks back at you, you finally see dark circles underneath his eyes, but he is still as jubilant as before. “I was more tipsy than drunk. So, when do you wanna get that chicken dinner, winner, winner?”
It’s amazing how shy, excited Jisung disappears and how the usual casual, teasing Jisung reappears. That’s his Jekyll and Hyde moment, you suppose. And the switch is all activated by his one-track mind of bird jokes. How wonderful.
“Next week, after midterms? I’ve got two this week to study for. I should be free on Friday night.”
He enthusiastically nods. “Sounds good to me.”
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2:57 PM [Me]: I’m done with all my midterms! Are you free tonight?
2:59 PM [Jisung Bio]: Free as a bird :D 2:59 PM [Jisung Bio]: Also congrats on being done 2:59 PM [Me]: I hate you
3:00 PM [Jisung Bio]: So chicken dinner? The restaurant next to the pizza place just opened 3:00 PM [Jisung Bio]: I heard it’s really clucking good 3:00 PM [Jisung Bio]: A hen out of hen
3:01 PM [Me]: I might actually kill you during our date
3:02 PM [Jisung Bio]: Don’t you mean 3:02 PM [Jisung Bio]: [flock_of_crows.jpg] 3:02 PM [Jisung Bio]: Murder :D
3:05 PM [Jisung Bio]: I’ll see you at 6? 3:05 PM [Me]: See you then
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You do not end up murdering Jisung on your date, though you do come pretty close after you audibly ask the ground to swallow you up when he compliments your egg-cellent outfit.
“Swallow?” he slyly says. “Like the bird?”
Instead of committing a crime, you kiss him on the cheek, effectively silencing him. You’ve been waiting to do both those things for some time now, and look at you now, killing two birds with one stone.
Jisung turns a delightful shade of pink and mutters something about needing to get to the restaurant before it gets too crowded. All of his bluster from just five seconds ago is gone. You merrily follow him down the pavement, feeling a little bit like the cat who swallowed the canary.
Yes, you did search up bird expressions beforehand. Jisung will be Jisung, and like you told him before, toucan play at this game. You will not spend your first date with him being humiliated by his large repertoire of puns. Besides, if he retaliates like you expect him to, you will have the perfect excuse to kiss him again.
See? No fowl play at all.
Then he takes your hand into his, his warmth enveloping yours, and everything suddenly isn’t fair again.
And based on his all-too-pleased grin, Jisung knows this as well.
~ ad.gray
412 notes · View notes
some-kindofgnome · 3 years
Text
tastes so bitter (tastes so sweet)
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You’re driving back from an out-of-town mission with Hawks when your car breaks down on a very sparsely-populated highway. While you await relief, things get... personal. 
characters: takami keigo (hawks) x f!reader
word count: 7.1k
warnings: smut (18+ please!), car sex, pro hero!reader, angst, emotionally unavailable hawks
notes: ta-dah!!! the car sex fic! this turned out way longer and way more feelsy than I ever intended it to be. but I’m grateful for the chance to show you how I play with plot and emotion as well as some good porn. porn with feelings, y’know? 
EDIT: The supremely talented @la-saffron​ has created an absolutely spectacular piece of artwork for this fic! Please go and look at it right here, it’s really quite splendid
Masterlist
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The shadowy trees on either side of the highway cast a chill across the pavement as the sky went dark.
It was far from sunset, but the woods were so tall and thick that the light had disappeared from the road a long time ago. The overpriced navigation system laid into the dashboard of Hawks’ luxurious car was no help at all; not when you were taking the only road for miles around.
The highway narrowly passed for two lanes, winding precariously down from the mountains. Dotted with reflective yellow signs- deer crossing, bear crossing, creatures-of-unimaginable-horror crossing. Bigfoot himself could have wandered into your headlights and you barely would’ve flinched.
But that was to be expected, given where you’d come from.
That day’s mission brought you both far, far away from the city. There was a national forest about three hours away- one of the biggest in the country- and you and Hawks had been called in at the crack of fucking dawn to drive all the way out to the woods and investigate some ‘strange reports,’ as the rangers cared to call them.
Most park rangers knew what they were seeing when guests came in from the woods reporting abnormal happenings. Nobody was truly immune to fear, though, when faced with the impossible.
Whether there were paranormal creatures lurking in those woods or not, you couldn’t have been sure. But after spending the day exhausting both your quirks combing every spare inch of those woods, you were relieved of your overnight duties by a group of other, more nature-savvy heroes.
Hawks had been miffed, but too exhausted to argue. He didn’t like to think he’d been overshadowed. You were just thankful to be going home to your own bed.
“Okay,” you sighed, nursing the last of a lukewarm soda from a burger joint at the edge of the only one-horse town you’d passed through. It was a pretty unassuming stop for dinner, but you and Hawks both agreed that the burgers were way too good to be sold to so few patrons.
Keigo was driving, with one palm splayed lazily across the bottom edge of the wheel. His scarlet wings stretched into the backseat, draping over the shoulders of his black leather backrest like some bizarre kind of seat cover.
The fact that his car was so luxurious was not lost on you- although you were more surprised to find out that he had one at all. Hawks seemed like the last person in the world to need a car, after living in a fantastic downtown penthouse. And owning a pair of wings, come to think of it.
He owned it because he could. And because he knew how good he looked in the driver’s seat.
“What?” He turned a curious eye toward you, though he never quite pulled his gaze from the road.
“I know we started this conversation on the way here,” you began, “but… we never exactly finished it.” You swirled what was left of the ice chips in the bottom of your cup, considering the best way to voice your thoughts.
“Alright.” He sounded vaguely amused, slouching a little further down and drawing an idle palm over his feathered hair. “Shoot.”
“Well…” You trailed off. “You’re kind of… a city guy.” You were already starting to talk with your hands. The racket coming from your half-drunk soda was proof enough.
“What makes you say that?”
“You are,” you defended. You let a playful edge creep into your tone. “And the agency’s kind of a city thing.”
“Am I really as one-note as you’re making me out to be?” He was chuckling. Your cheeks were going hot. You weren’t sure how this became a personal conversation, but you were determined to steer it in the proper direction. You course corrected.
“I just mean, we don’t take a lot of jobs outside the city. Like… ever. So, what’s with this one? Why this call?”
He didn’t answer right away. When you glanced across the car, he was licking his lips and appearing to be, very genuinely, thinking.
“Well,” he began. There was an immensely appealing depth that wore around the edges of his voice when he was deep in thought. You hung on tightly, trying your best to hide how intently you listened.
“I was just… bored, I guess.” He gave a lazy little shrug. His eyes were still trained on the windshield, but you could feel the weight of his urges. He wanted to look over. You turned your head, willing him to.
“Probably sounded like bullshit, now that I think about it,” he confessed, “but if there really was somethin’ freaky in those woods… I dunno. I wanted to see it.”
You resisted the urge to snort.
“Maybe you should start a ghost hunting branch at the agency.”
“Aw, c’mon,” he protested. This time, he really did drag his eyes away from the road for a second. They glinted playfully in the dark. You got a flash of pearly canine from the barest hint of a grin, but it was enough to put a stupid smile right across your face.
A sickening thud from beneath the hood zapped any false confidence you’d been building. There was a dull pop, then the engine died.
“What the- shit.” Hawks scrambled to put both hands on the wheel, navigating the car with what momentum remained over to the narrow shoulder. The tires hit gravel and soft mud, rolling pathetically to a stop and settling in damp silence.
“What the hell was that?” You leaned over the dashboard as your pulse came down from near-terminal velocity. There were half a dozen lights blinking away on the dashboard- symbols you couldn’t understand.
“Not sure.” Keigo was doing his best not to sound too perturbed. As a result, he was just perturbed enough.
You knew what those lights implied, though. Service due. Oil change due. Battery maintenance due.
“Jesus Christ,” you hissed, “when was the last time you took this car in for service? It’s a miracle you even made it out of the goddamn garage.”
Hawks was in the process of mashing the engine start button like an arcade game. When you spoke up, he pushed it down and held. The engine gave a dull, sad sort of sputter, but nothing roared to life.
“Look, look,” he dismissed, waving a hand in your direction as he unbuckled his seatbelt. “I don’t drive this thing that often, okay? I’m gonna go check under the hood.”
He climbed out of the driver’s side and slammed the door before giving you the chance to remind him to pop the hood. For a minute, you let him wallow in his mistake, watching gleefully as he pried at the seam of it. Finally, you unbuckled yourself and leaned over, flicking the release for him.
He gave an unamused glance toward the windshield and lifted the hood, obscuring all but the very tips of his drooping wings from view.
After about fifteen seconds, he ducked back into the car with a rush of cold air behind him. He rubbed his palms together as you watched, arms folded over your chest.
“So?” You prompted. He gave a sideways glance in your direction, blowing into his chilled hands.
“So what?”
“Oh my g- what’s wrong with the car?” You tried your best not to let panic set in.
“I don’t know. It’s just a bunch of pipes and wires under there. They didn’t exactly give me a map of the thing when I bought it.”
You’d seen Hawks pull people out of burning buildings before. You’d see him think on his feet, devise a plan and act on it in the blink of an eye. Usually, he was impulsive. Confident. Clever.
Tonight, on the other hand, he was demonstrating a very clear affinity for money over brains.
You flopped into your seat, scrubbing your hands over your face. You were not going to freak out. You refused to. It didn’t matter that Keigo had suddenly become useless in the face of disaster. You were heroes, even if you had to save your damned selves.
“Oh,” he quipped from beside you. “Still got bars. See?” As you peeked over at him through one cracked eyeball, he waved his illuminated phone screen at you. “It could be worse, kid. If this were a horror movie, this thing’d be dead.”
He tapped away on the screen, seeming very pleased with himself. Even his wings gave a little ruffle, draping themselves smoothly over the back of his seat again.
“I’ll call us a tow. We’ll be outta here in no time.”
A few minutes later, you had a map pulled up on your phone while Hawks’ brow creased deeper and deeper.
“Uh-huh.” His voice had taken on that irresistible deepness to it again, but this time it was sending pangs of dread through your gut.
“Right.” He brought a palm up to smooth over his jaw, fingertips bending and pressing idly against the patches of scruff that dusted it. “Y-yep, yeah, I understand. Fifty miles is a long way. I know it’s gonna be a lot to send a truck that far. But-“
As he was abruptly cut off by the other end of the line, those idle fingers slipped up to his temple, pressing inward and rubbing in stiff little circles.
“Okay. Alright. Yeah, I guess we’ll wait, ‘cause there’s not much else we can… I understand. Yes, thank you. Thank you. Okay, we’ll be here. Or within a ten-foot radius. Thanks. B-“
He blinked rapidly at the screen as he pulled it away from his ear. “Have an excellent night, sir,” he muttered under his breath. He let out a deep sigh, lifting a hip to tuck his phone away again.
“They said they would send someone,” he said, “but the depot is, like, fifty miles from here. Could be a couple of hours.”
“A couple hours?” That cold dread was settling into your chest again. So much for sleeping in your own bed.
“Yeah. C’mon, get out.”
“What?” You glanced past him at the frosted driver’s side window. “It looks freezing out there.”
“Well then, you’d better bundle up. C’mon. I’m gonna fly us back to the city.”
“No way. Hawks- Keigo.” You grabbed his arm and squeezed tightly as he made to get out of the car.
“What?” Exasperation was creeping into the edges of his voice. The sides of his gaze, too, as he landed against the seat back with a thud and turned his cheek to look at you.
“You’ve been flying all day. Your wings are shot. You’re not flying anywhere.”
“What? They’re fine.” He gave the appendages in question a defiant flutter and a cloud of expiring feathers floated into the backseat.
You folded your arms across your chest. Hawks gave a frustrated growl.
“What do you suggest, then?” He retorted in fierce opposition to your silence. “Just sit around and fucking… die of old age before the tow truck comes?”
“Oh my god, you’re the number two hero,” you snapped back. “When did you become such a drama queen? Yes, we’re going to wait. Like a normal person would have to.”
“I’m not being dramatic; I’m presenting you with a legitimate solution and you’re ignoring it!”
“If you try to fly us both out of here, you’re gonna hit the ground before we’re halfway home. And then we’ll be really stranded, with no water and no shelter. So, if you’d like to fly back all by yourself, I can’t stop you. But I’m not going to let you kill both of us.”
“Fine!” Hawks’ cheeks were flushed with temper as he kicked the door open and clambered out of the car. He kicked it shut again so hard the whole body rocked, and for a moment you were left, trapped in shocked silence.
He was really going to leave you out here. Alone.
Half a dozen heartbeats passed before his boots crunched on the shoulder and he wrenched the door open again, flopping back into the car with an immense sigh of irritated defeat.
“Fuckin’ freezing out there,” he muttered as quietly as possible.
You wanted to punch him.
“You ready to wait?”
His wings stiffened behind him, then drooped so lowly they seemed to disappear into the backseat. He looked at you from the corner of one tawny eye.
“Yeah.”
For the first hour, you honestly enjoyed yourself. As soon as Keigo accepted his fate, he got much closer to his usual mellow self. You finished off cold fries from dinner, listened to true crime podcasts on your phone, (you listened- he talked over the whole thing) and played a few ruthless games of hangman on a couple of napkins you found in the glove compartment.
You’d spent a lot of time with Hawks in a professional capacity. As partners, you took most of your missions together. You were well-versed in the way that he liked to think, the way he approached a job, a conversation. You worked well with each other and you were drawn to his quick wit and laid-back humour. Even if he was a piece of work at times, you made a strong team. But you didn’t do a whole lot of hanging out.
“Okay, that’s it,” he chided as you added an extravagant top hat to the completed, dressed hangman scrawled onto the inside fold of your last napkin. The word he’d failed to guess was ‘patience,’ and the irony of his struggling was not lost on you.
“Aw, c’mon,” you protested. “You’ve still got gloves and a bow tie left.”
“No, no, no.” He held up a palm, shaking his head. There was a good-natured grin curling his lip as he bowed toward the door. “I’m callin’ it. I gotta take a leak.”
You snatched your soda cup from the drink holder, clutching it protectively against your chest.
“You’re not going in here.”
Next, it was Hawks’ turn to shoot you a deadpan stare.
“How about in the woods? Is that allowed?”
Your cheeks went hot. “It’s pretty dark out there.”
“Aw.” Hawks shoved the door open. There was an unfamiliar glint to his eye as he tossed a mischievous look over his shoulder. “Guess you won’t be able to sneak a peek, then.”
You slammed your fist into his back. “Shut up and go take a piss.”  
As the car door clicked shut, you turned the other way out of sheer habit. All you could see in the opposite window was the reflection of your own face. Maybe it was just the dim light, but you looked exhausted. Keigo had seen you caked in blood, streaked by mud and soot before. But you’d both been awake since four o’clock that morning and there was a special kind of ugly feeling that came with overtiredness.
You were dreaming about the first thing you’d do when you got home again when Hawks climbed back into the car. He looked considerably brighter as he ducked inside, and he brought a flush of rich, earthy forest-smell along with him.
“Don’t tell me you couldn’t find it in the cold out there,” you quipped. Payback.
But Keigo just chuckled, shaking his head.
“Close the door,” you whined as the frigid air from outside finally reached your bare arms. “It’s already cold enough in here.”
“Aw,” he crooned, tugging the door shut behind him. “You scared of a little cold now, kid? It’s not so bad out there. Feel.”
He lunged at you, ducking rapidly to rub his frigid cheek against your shoulder. You let out a terse yelp and squirmed, trying to shove him back amid a sea of chilled giggles. He got a few passes of his icy skin on yours before you both realized how close you’d gotten.
Hawks cleared his throat and scooted away from you. In the bare light from the shitty overhead lamp, you were starting to see the outline of a flush creeping into his cheeks.
The light abruptly went out, leaving you in darkness again.
“Tell me something,” he mused, grabbing for the abandoned takeout bag and digging a hand into it. He produced a tiny wrapped square and tore it open with his teeth, removing the folded alcohol wipe from inside and gliding it with impossible grace over his fingertips. He eyed you sideways.
“How come we don’t hang out more?”
Your chest went cold. You’d been dreading that question all night. Longer than that, even.
“What d’you mean?” It was a gut response, but you instantly kicked yourself for even attempting to play dumb.
“You know,” he chided, dumping the wipe back into the paper bag once he was finished with it. “We work. We do interviews together. We do those bullshit PR functions together. I’ve known you- what, two years? And we’ve never even been for a drink. What gives, kid? Don’t tell me I grate on you.”
“I get plenty of you on company time,” you retorted. You were starting to panic. You weren’t ready for this conversation, but it didn’t seem like you were going to be rescued by the timely arrival of the tow truck.
“Okay, okay, I’d take that,” he laughed, “if you hadn’t agreed to take this mission with me. C’mon, this wasn’t exactly a nine-to-five gig.”
He paused. “Come out with me this weekend.” He nudged your shoulder with a bony elbow. You tried your best not to snap.
“Stop,” you pressed quietly. “You know why we don’t.”
The smirk slipped from Keigo’s face.
“What? Why?”
“Don’t make me say it.”
“Wait a second, there’s an actual reason? What the hell is it?”
The confusion was genuine on his face. Hawks could be a smarmy little shit when he wanted to be. But you could tell he wasn’t fucking with you.
“Oh my god.” The words slipped out like a deep breath. Your hand drifted to your mouth as cold shock ran over your skin. “You really don’t remember.”
“No.” His confusion was bordered with fear. He sat back a little, letting his eyes drift over your expression. “No, I really don’t.”
You swallowed hard. You should have known that you’d have to talk about this eventually. But he didn’t even remember the night that had been changing the way you acted around him for nearly a year.
“Last Christmas,” you began. Your breath was so short that it put a desperate hush to your voice that you absolutely hated. You revelled in your ability to act casual around him, but the more probing he got, the harder that composure was slipping.
“At the agency gala. You remember the party, right?”
Hawks rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, and I got trashed.” He paused. Realization dawned on his face, and he shot you the deepest, most sincere look of concern you’d ever seen. Even more sincere than the look that crossed his face when you got shot off the roof of a house and broke a rib.
He leaned forward.
“Did I do something?” He swept a palm over his mouth, fingertips dallying at his chin. You knew exactly how he felt in that moment. You’d been there before, too, realizing that you’d lost control. Blacked out. Understanding that you might have done something you were going to regret.
“You really don’t remember a thing?” It was your turn to be horrified. How could something that consumed your every thought stay so damned far from his?
His fingers were still curved around the point of his chin. He’d gone white, and he shook his head as his eyes cast down to his lap.
“You fucking kissed me, okay?” You snarled with a whip of frustration. “There was mistletoe and you kissed me under it and-and Christ, I can’t believe you.”
“What? What?” He demanded as his voice grew defensively sharp.
“I had no idea what you were gonna do. What you were gonna say, what was gonna change between us. I showed up to the agency the next morning and your hungover ass acted like nothing had ever happened.”
“Of course I did,” he defended, “I didn’t think anything did happen. Oh my God, did I really kiss you?” His wings were coming to life all of a sudden, bristling on either side of his seat. There was a dull whisp as one edge of them brushed against the window. They seemed to expand, along with his horror, to fill the entire car.
He pushed further. “Well, did you… did you want me to?”
You could see where his thoughts were taking him. The answer was an impossible dilemma. To lead him further down that path would not only be cruel, it would be untrue. But to tell him the truth- that you had wanted it- would be to shatter the fragile illusion of casual, platonic intimacy that you’d been building over the last two years.
You chewed your lower lip. Hard enough to hurt.
“Oh god, you didn’t,” he gasped. That was enough for you to lift your chin and shoot him a sudden, sad, pathetic little look.
“Jesus,” he gasped again, deeper this time. “You did.”
“Look,” you snapped. “I was never gonna say anything to you. I was never gonna push it. You didn’t feel that way and I knew that and I just wanted to work.”
He told you enough about his personal life as it was. Every date he swung in from on Monday morning, every Friday night he spent preening in the last hours of the workday hurt enough already. If you’d grown close, fallen harder, it would’ve become too much to bear.
“What do you mean, I didn’t feel that way? What way don’t I feel? How could you even know that?” He was beginning to raise his voice back at you and the adrenaline was pushing you way too far to listen.
“Because you never said a fucking word to me about that kiss! You pretended like it never even happened, Kei! What was I supposed to think!”
“If you’d asked me, you woulda known that I didn’t speak up ‘cause I didn’t remember a goddamn thing!” Keigo jammed a finger into his temple. His golden eyes flashed. He was so fucking hot when he was angry, but this was not a fight you ever wanted to have.
Luckily for you, he was having it without you.
“What do you want me to say to that?” He snarled. “Huh? What- you want me to tell you that I’m sorry for not having psychic powers? That I’m sorry I didn’t hire a mind-reader to tell me what the fuck was going on with you?”
He scrubbed his hands over his face. You were on the verge of tears.
“I-I never-“ you began, but Keigo beat you to the punch,
“You know, maybe I noticed that you were actin’ funny around me. And maybe I should’ve asked. But maybe if you ask yourself, and if you really, honestly give yourself the truest answer, you’d be able to admit that you knew how I felt about you. That you always knew.”
“Of course I knew!”
Your response echoed raw and deafening in the silence of the car. You’d lost your temper and shouted it at him with every decibel left in your breathless chest. Your fists were clenched atop your frigid thighs as you bent over in your seat, shivering. To your immense embarrassment, warm tears trickled down the sides of your nose.
He was right, after all. Every sideways smile he’d given you was just a little too broad to be friendly. Every time he caught you by the hand, he held it just a little too long. Every time he offered you the crook of his elbow at a stuffy charity gala and every time he poured you into a cab at the end of the night, he promised to take good care of you. Every time he looked at you at all it was with a depth that you had recognized, but never understood.
“But look at us, Kei. Look at what we do to each other.”
You sniffled, scrubbing tears off your cheeks with the heels of your hands. He reached for you, seeking to comfort, but his hands twitched midair and he drew back instead.
“Yeah,” he croaked. You tossed a glance in his direction. He looked more dejected than you’d seen him in a long time. He rested both hands on top of the wheel, the rest of his body sagging against the seat back.
“Except now I’ve told you,” you continued. “And now we both know, so everything’s fucked no matter what.”
You were met with silence. The truth was dawning on you. You hated to even consider it, but it felt like what needed to be done.
“When we get back to the city,” you started. Hawks interrupted you with a low rasp of your name.
“No, when we get back, I’m giving you my resignation.”
“Fuck, stop.”
Keigo lunged, grabbing you by the back of the neck and pulling you toward him. He rested his forehead against yours and closed his eyes. The warmth of his closeness weighed on you like a heavy quilt. You couldn’t even pretend not to be immensely comforted by affection from him.
“I’m not gonna let you do that, kid.”
You were both drawing deep breaths- slow, rolling gulps of air that matched over gradual time. You licked your lips, bracing your chilled palms on his shoulders. Your fingertips brushed the very edges of his feathered hair, dull and soft in the dark.
You’d talked each other down from bigger, badder edges before. But this one had sharp, jagged rocks waiting at the bottom. This one, you were going to have to jump from together.
“I can’t do this,” you pleaded. “I can’t keep myself away from you like this.”
“Don’t.” His voice was hushed and so achingly tender, like he couldn’t take the command himself.
“I can’t-“
“Then, don’t.”
He was firmer this time, and the pad of his thumb brushed the bottom of your lip. He pulled back just a hair, grazing the tip of his nose across yours. The heat of his breath puffed over your lips and his blonde eyelashes threatened to tickle your cheek.
He drew in a slow, calculated breath.
“Lemme kiss you. Lemme try again. I’m not gonna forget it this time, I swear.”
“Keigo, please.”
“Just lemme try. Just once. I’ll never ask you again, if you don’t want me to.” He pulled back the rest of the way and your body keened at the loss, but he looked deeply into your eyes. Deeply like he’d never been allowed to look before.
You licked your lips. Considered it for half a heartbeat. Then you gave a slow little nod.
“Okay.”
To your surprise, he didn’t lunge again. He took his time with you. He cupped your cheeks tenderly between his bare palms, memorizing the curve of your face. He stared, taking you in like this. At his mercy.
Finally, he leaned in and captured your mouth in a soft kiss, heartbreakingly loving. You responded eagerly, blossoming beneath his touch and bracing your hands on the broad plane of his chest. Your fingers curled in the fleece that lined his coat.
You kissed back with near-desperate urgency, shamelessly showing him how touch-starved you’d become. Dating was pointless when Keigo stole your whole heart every time you showed up to work.
The quiet press of his tongue had your jaw going slack in his hands. Your kiss went needy all at once, and he licked into your mouth with a hunger behind his movements that you never anticipated sensing from him.
You broke from him first, turning your cheek to him as your lungs burned. Your mouth was swollen, and you gasped greedily for whatever stale air lingered between you. He grabbed your chin and forced your eyes back to his.
His gaze was fearsome. Ravenous. You were powerless beneath it.
You combed your fingers through his hair like you’d always wanted to, settling your palm at the nape of his neck. Your own voice was nearly unrecognizable, nothing more than a feral growl.
“Get in the back.”
Hawks took one look at the narrow gap between his seat and yours and sat up, nudging the driver’s side door open. He climbed eagerly into the road and then back into the back seat, settling in the center with his legs and wings splayed wide.
Meanwhile, you took the opportunity to wiggle out of your boots and pants and slam dunk everything into the foothold of the passenger’s seat. You climbed over the center console in your underwear and settled into his lap.
Even though you had to bow your head against the cushioned ceiling, it was a holy sensation. Your thighs settled perfectly into the crooks of Keigo’s legs, and his hands slid so naturally over the curves of your hips. It was as if you’d done this before.
You kissed him again, using the weight of your newly boosted height to descend hard and loving against his lips. He grabbed you hard by the ass, drawing you smooth and tight against his hips.
“God,” he groaned eagerly into your mouth.
“You’re so. Fucking. Perfect,” you hissed back into his, and he squeezed you harder, breaking his lips from yours to trail a hungry path of kisses along the edge of your jaw. His scruff scratched at your chin just like you imagined it would. You loved him like this- trimmed, unshaven. The rougher, the better.
“Don’t say that,” he purred dangerously close to your ear. “You’ve seen me at my worst.”
You tried not to grin, remembering Keigo barfing over the balcony of the Plaza after one too many charity-benefit martinis. Keigo caked in ooze after cutting open that sludge villain from the inside. Keigo on the verge of tears, just a few minutes ago.
“I still think so,” you pressed, and he smiled against your cheek. His wings, tired and bruised but majestic as ever, stiffened proudly. They were capped firmly by the cramped space that surrounded you, but the feathers that spread across the back seat were sleek and graceful.
You dug your fingertips between his jacket and his t-shirt, feeling the warmth of his torso all over. He did his best to shrug it open, but the material was caught up on his wings- no getting it off now.
He wound his hands into the hem of his shirt and tugged it up for you. The skin you could feel by slipping your fingers underneath was all you were going to get.
Not that it mattered to you. It was far more than you’d let yourself so much as picture before. While you felt your way across his heated abdomen, he dipped his head to your pulse point. He scraped the points of his teeth across your tender flesh, making you sigh and shiver. He pressed a hand to the small of your back to keep you close and nibbled all the way down to your neckline, leaving a trail of tiny welts in his wake.
They would fade by morning. Tonight, the feeling was enough.
He glided smooth, tender fingers up your sides. You straightened, letting him wedge your long-sleeved t-shirt up around your shoulders. You had to bend even further and press your forehead awkwardly against his shoulder to wrench it off. Once he peeled the fabric over your head, you tossed it haphazardly toward the front seat. Keigo was already going to work on his fly.
The tender press of his erection had grown apparent by that point, stiff and needing down one thigh of his thick pants. You reached between your legs and palmed it indulgently. There was an answering throb of arousal in the pit of your belly as you felt the shape and thickness of it trapped against his body, and an even stronger one when his hips pressed into your touch and he gave a low rumble of approval.
“Don’t act so surprised,” he crooned. With his pants unfastened, and the bulk of his cock shifted to the stretchy pouch of his undershorts, he slid a fingertip down the plane of your belly and curled two graceful digits between your thighs.
“Are you wet for me yet?” He shot you a deep, lustful stare. You rocked your hips against his fingers, hopeless in resisting the pleasure he offered. Keigo nudged the crotch of your thong easily aside, dipping his middle finger against your slit.
He sucked a sharp breath through clenched teeth as you gave a simultaneous yelp of stimulation. When he looked up at you again, he bore a sly little grin. You’d seen it a thousand times before, but never with such desire. And never all for you.
“You’re drippin’, kid.” He arched his palm, slipping that finger slowly upward and easing it inside you. There was no stretch, but the sensation of intimacy- of being felt in such a way by those hands that you’d never dared to fantasize about- was intoxicating in its own right.
Keigo was, apparently, feeling it, too. His eyes were deeply lidded, glazed completely by his own desire. The tip of his cock had found its way over the waistband of his undershorts, weeping shiny precum against his stomach and the bottom of his shirt.
He curled a blunt fingertip inside you, massaging your tender front wall. The feeling rappelled up the column of your spine and brought deep trembles forward. It brought fresh handfuls of wet slick from your depths, gliding down his palm and between his fingers. He took the hints your body offered and rubbed faster, watching the way your expression morphed from desire to pleasure.
“Stop,” you hushed, leaning forward and pushing your lips to his. He drew his hand back from you immediately, settling it on your thigh. The wet little print it left against your skin wasn’t lost on you.
“Something wrong?”
“No,” you replied. “Just ready for you.”
He gave a low, loving little chuckle and shifted beneath you. “Can’t hold out any longer?”
You smiled into his hair. “Don’t want to.”
“Fair enough.” His smile was even, but the tug in his voice betrayed his fraying nerves. It thrilled you to know that you weren’t the only one putting way too much emotional stock in this. It was immensely validating to discover that he’d been anticipating it, too.
He wiggled and squirmed against the backseat, shucking his pants and underwear down over his thighs and letting his cock pop out. It bobbed against his stomach- thicker than you’d imagined- framed by a trimmed scruff of tawny hair that disappeared under his shirt.
“Fuck,” you sighed in spite of yourself.
“I know, right?” He rasped. He reached for you, cupping your jaw. He brought your forehead down to his, giving a weak laugh. “What the hell have we been waitin’ for?”
“We just needed the bottle episode to shove us together,” you giggled. “C’mon, we’re a walking trope right about now.”
“We’re about to become a different trope if you don’t let me fuck you.” It was his turn to play the desperate card. But the ache between your thighs had not dulled, even a little.
He wrapped his fingers around the base of his shaft and you lifted your hips. He gave the heated tip a playful little swipe along your slick slit, but his game backfired when both of you let out tight cries of sensation.
You rocked your hips forward, taking his tip eagerly inside. The sensation was toe-curling, made even better by the way he held you tightly against him, nosing at your ear and kissing any patch of skin he could reach.
He brought his free palm to your ass as soon as you were situated, helping you slide the rest of the way onto his cock. With your knees braced on either side of his lap and your feet pressed tightly against the front seat, you let him bottom out. And for a moment, you just sat there.
“Jesus,” Keigo sighed, lolling his head against the seat behind him. You still had your head deeply bowed, trapped in the space that seemed just an inch too tight.
“I…” Your thighs shuffled. Your hips gave a little squirm. It felt good, but it wasn’t enough. Keigo cracked an eye and lifted his chin, sensing a problem.
“What’s the matter?”
“I just…” Your cheeks went hot. You licked your lips. “I can’t move.”
His gaze cast downward, to the place where you were joined. He took in the press of your thighs, the curve of your neck. He snorted.
“No, you can’t. C’mere, kid, I gotcha.” He planted that palm on your ass again, drawing your hips forward and up, as far as you could take them. Your head and neck bowed with the rest of your back as he draped your upper body over his chest and held you tightly against him.
Then he planted his feet and gave one good, deep thrust. Your innards gave a jerk. Oh, fuck.
“That’s it,” you panted into his ear. He nodded tensely.
“Yeah?” He prompted. “That’s workin’ for ya? Alright, alright. We’ve got this, kid, c’mon. Lemme show you somethin’ good, okay?”
One thrust sent you spiralling. But the rhythm that he dove into- steady, tough, fluid- sent every nerve through your body into meltdown. You were entirely incapable of dealing with such pleasure, combined with the emotions that swirled through your lovestruck brain.
It felt as though you had been holding out needlessly for all this time. Like all the hurt and frustration and heartbreak you shed over him would be evaporated, now that you understood that he wanted you like this, too.
Like that was all there was. You, Hawks, and the free love you could now share.
“I’m n-not-“ Keigo stuttered, piping up after a series of breathless pants and airy groans, “n-not gonna last much longer, kid, you’re… really gonna make me feel it.”
“Yeah,” you breathed back. You looped your arms tightly around his neck, tilting your hips forward. You could feel the barest hint of stimulation when your clit brushed his belly, so you leaned into it- aching for your own release.
His rhythm doubled as the intensity of your pleasure spiked dangerously high, and when you gripped him hard and rocked your hips in time with his, there was a low, warning pull that echoed all the way up to your throat. You were close. Very close.
Your head dropped backward and Keigo leaned forward, drawing his mouth up the vulnerable column of your throat. He panted hard and heavy against your pulse point.
“That’s it, kid, that’s fuckin’ it, baby, oh, God, I’m g-gonna f-fucking… I- shit, I- can’t… fffuck!”
Keigo let a vicious roar tear from his throat as he reached his vibrant peak. His erratic thrusts brought you to a tight little climax, too, and you clung to him and whined and rode through the pleasure as he fucked madly up inside you, spurting messy shots of cum into your depths.
Gravity took hold of his pleasure, dripping it onto his shaft and pooling it in a sloppy mess between you. And when it was all finally over, you collapsed against his body and you both stayed, airless and spent, wrapped tightly around one another.
It was the bright flash of headlights on the back of his neck that brought you to the surface, moments later.
The inside of the car was warm and stuffy and damp. Had you just come in from outside, you might have realized that it reeked of sex. Sweat and breath and fluid and feeling. The windows were near-opaque, fogged by the dampness of your lovemaking.
It was a moment you might have loved to capture, if you weren’t about to be so rudely interrupted.
The light in your rear windshield was bright white and flashing orange. Unmistakable.
“The tow truck,” you wheezed, scrambling off of Keigo’s lap. “Oh, fuck.”
“Get dressed,” he muttered weakly, already scrambling to get himself cleaned up and decent. He was far more dressed than you were, so you did your best to climb back into the passenger’s seat and slide back into your own clothes. You banged your shin hard on the center console, and your head on the ceiling as your body flailed in retaliation. You crumpled into the front seat and nearly kneed yourself in the mouth trying to scramble back into your pants.
By the time you climbed out of the car, fully dressed, with a few additional bruises, Hawks was already standing on the shoulder, talking to the driver. The driver was wagering a few guesses on what might be wrong with the car. Hawks’ eyes had already glazed over.
“Hey,” he greeted, as he spotted you emerging over his shoulder. He introduced you quietly to the driver before the ballcap-wearing, bearded man spoke again.
“Yeah,” he gruffed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ll give you a lift to garage nearby. It’s kinda late, but he keeps weird hours. I bet he’ll take a look for you, it’s prob’ly an easy fix.”
“That sounds great,” you gushed, clasping your palms together. There was a lot of stiffness settling in around your hips and thighs. You couldn’t be sure if it was a result of the compromising position you’d nearly been discovered in or the whole lot of not moving you’d done for hours before that.
Either way, it felt good to stretch your legs.
“You c’n go ahead and hop in the back,” the driver directed, waving the key that Keigo had apparently already given him in indication. “I’ll get you hooked up, no problem.”
Keigo opened the truck door for you, and you climbed over the passenger’s seat into the back. He followed closely behind you, tugging the door shut and slouching into the opposite side.
You sat in silence; hands clasped between your knees. A confusing air settled between you.
You felt vulnerable and raw and moony. You wanted to hold his hand and curl up to him in the back seat. Kiss his cheeks and tell him how good it was, tell him how much you felt.
For you, though, it could never be that simple. There was no free love for heroes like you.
Pay later, always.
Keigo felt the weight of your gaze. He turned to meet your eyes and shot you a thin smile. You’d seen the look that he’d turned to hide from you, though.
The truck driver climbed into the front seat before words could pass between you. But you didn’t need to hear them to know what they were going to be.
You didn’t need a warning to understand what Monday morning at the agency was going to look like.
936 notes · View notes
zafirosreverie · 3 years
Note
Can I request a Agatha x reader where there in west view and its the final battle (but let’s pretend there having it on the ground) and Agatha gets distracted by something and isn’t ready so human reader stands in front of Agatha and takes the blast so then Agatha goes full on witch and like almost kills Wanda and then goes a takes reader home and heals her. Happy ending please.
Sorry it took me so long dear! But here it is! Hope you like it <3
Harkness or Y/L/N? (Agatha x Fem!reader)
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Where the fuck were they?
One second you were having breakfast and the next one hell exploded in front of your face. Agatha and Wanda broke out of the floor and quickly disappeared in the sky. Red and purple magic wrapping them. You blinked and looked at the giant hole in your house. You could see your basement from there. Oh no. Agatha must have revealed herself to Wanda. 
Oh shit.
You ran out of the house, looking at the sky, but you couldn’t see any of them. This was bad, really bad. 
“Y/N!” you turned to see Tommy running to you. 
“Tommy! What happened?” 
“Mom and aunt Agnes are fighting! There are soldiers and dad is fighting another dad but white” he quickly said and you frowned
“What the-”
“Billy said to come for you” he said, taking your hand and not giving you time to process it all. 
A second later you were in the park. You gasped. People were running away, soldiers were entering Westview, Vision flew away with White Vision, Geraldine Monica had Billy against herself, protecting him, and Wanda and Agatha were in the middle of everything, throwing magic balls at each other. 
Chaos.
You ran to Monica, holding Tommy’s hand. She sighed in relief when she saw you. She thought something had happened to you for a moment. 
“What’s going on?” she asked 
“The hell i know?” you said and turned to look at the two witches. “They’re going to destroy everything if we don’t stop them”
“How?” 
“Why is aunt Agnes attacking mom?” Billy asked and you frowned.
“She’s not. Mom’s the one attacking her” Tommy said before you could answer. See? This is why he was your favorite.
“It doesn’t matter” you said “We need to stop them. Now” 
“How?!” Monica asked again. 
You looked around, trying to come up with a plan. You knew that you could calm Agatha, convince her to take this fight to another place, somewhere with no people around. 
“Ok, here’s the plan. Do you think you could stop the soldiers?” They nodded “Good, I’ll try to talk with Agatha, maybe i can make them stop at least for a moment. That should give you enough time to take everyone out of here”
They nodded again and ran to fight. You took a deep breath and turned to the witches. Agatha was powerful, but Wanda was furious. You didn’t know what the hell happened between them in the basement, but it wasn’t good. 
“At least they’re not flying” you thought. It would have been harder to stop them if they were.
One of Wanda’s power balls made a building fall and you gasped. There were people under it! They could die! But a purple smoke stopped the concrete pieces in midair, giving people time to run and escape unscathed. You smiled to yourself. At least your girlfriend wasn't completely evil after all (Not that it mattered, you'd follow her to the end of the world even if she was). 
But it seemed that the other witch didn’t care, using the distraction to attack Agatha.
It all happened too fast. You saw Wanda’s angry expression and the giant ball of red energy forming between her hands. Agatha wasn’t paying attention. You ran to her instinctively, yelling her name. 
You screamed in pain as the red ball mercilessly struck your body, sending a wave of electricity through your veins and raising your body temperature significantly.
In other words, you were burning alive from the inside out. And hell it was painful.
Wanda gasped as you fell unconscious on the floor. Where the hell did you come from?! But she wasn’t the only one staring at you in disbelief. Agatha not only heard you yelling her name, she also felt your pain when you took Wanda’s attack. 
“Y/N!” She ran to you, kneeled beside you and tried to wake you up “Please, love, don’t do this to me” she begged you. 
Wanda was still in shock. She didn't want to hurt you! You weren’t supposed to appear out of nowhere just to help Agatha of all people! She knew you were her girlfriend, but she assumed you would change your mind when you discovered Agatha’s real colors. Little she knew, you were a huge fan of that color palette.  
“Ags” you whispered and the witch sighed in relief, hugging you close to her chest. You felt her heart racing. 
“Why did you do it? You shouldn’t have done it. I could have lost you” she was almost crying.
“Because I love you, silly” you smiled. You were too weak, but you managed to caress her cheek “Aggs..”
“Yes, love?” She asked, confused at the smirk that was slowly appearing on your face.
“Unleash hell” you said before closing your eyes again. 
The witch gasped and you knew she thought you were unconscious again, but you weren’t. You waited until she let you on the floor carefully, and heard her steps getting away from you, to open your eyes again. 
Wanda took a step back when Agatha turned to her. Her eyes weren’t blue anymore, not even purple like the first time she used her magic in front of her. They were completely black. There was no trait of white in her eyes, as if she didn’t have eyeballs at all. And then there was the purple glow again, coming out from the darkness. 
“What-”
“You shouldn’t have done that, little witch” Agatha interumped Wanda “You Really. Shouldn’t. Have.”
Before Wanda could do anything, a purple smoke swallowed her. It was strange, because she didn’t feel much power coming from it, but looking at Agatha’s lifeless eyes, she knew she was in trouble.
Vision, Monica, Billy and Tommy turned to the women when Wanda screamed of pain. Agatha was just standing there, your body lying on the floor behind her. Wanda was trying to attack her, but every time she threw a spell, it would hit the purple dome Agatha put around her and then hit her back with more strength. 
Monica took the twins away while Vision flew to the witches. She knew what was happening. 
Wanda was slowly killing herself.
You smirked. Damn your girl was hot. You felt bad for Wanda for crossing paths with an angry Agatha, but well, she tried to kill her, and that’s something you wouldn’t forgive. Nobody touches your witch.
When the younger witch fell to her knees, too tired and injured from her own spells, Agatha smirked. She felt Vision floating to them, but she didn’t even turn to him while she put a dome around him too. At least the android knew better and didn’t try to attack. He knew it would just come back to him.
“When your little wife wakes up” she said to Vision, but kept staring at Wanda “be sure she understands how lucky she is. Tell her how thankful she must be. Thankful that my precious Y/N has a bigger heart than any of us together and that she loves those children of yours. Because that, dear Vision, is the only reason i won’t kill her.” 
With that, she released the android. He just nodded and watched as Agatha made the dome around Wanda get smaller and smaller until the purple smoke was wrapped around her. She threw one last ball to Wanda’s head and the witch fell unconscious on her husband’s arms.
“If she ever places a single finger on my girlfriend, ever again, i’ll kill her without a second thought” she warned Vision, her eyes still black. The man nodded again and flew away with his wife. 
You smiled as Agatha approached you and took you in her arms. Her eyes slowly turned back to normal when she noticed you were awake. She couldn't believe you. You knew! You knew the power you had over her.
______________
Three days after that, you were still in bed. Agatha had taken you back home, your real home, and quickly healed you. It didn’t take much time and almost all your physical wounds were gone. But your head was still hurting like hell. So, of course you would make a drama out of it. Currently, you both were lying in bed.
“I love you” you whispered and took Agatha’s hand “Please remember that”
The witch smiled and kissed your temple. “I love you too”.
“Please take care of our beloved son. He might be a bunny, but he can take over the world, Aggie. He can”
“I have no doubt of it, Y/N” she giggled and rolled her eyes.
“You know what’s my biggest regret?” you asked, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her closer to you
“What?” she asked, trying so hard not to laugh.
“that my gravestone is going to say Y/N Y/L/N and that’s unfair” you pouted.
Agatha lost it and laughed. God, you were so cute. 
“That’s your name, love” she chuckled and kissed you softly. You smiled against her lips. 
“Yeah, but it shouldn’t be” you argued. 
“First of all, stop being so dramatic, you’re perfectly fine, you’re not going to die” she said “second, what in the world should your name be then?”
“Y/N Harkness” you answered without hesitation. 
That made her freeze and you laughed as her cheeks slowly turned pink 
“Or maybe yours should be Agatha Y/L/N, haven’t decided yet. It’s hard to take such big decisions on your deathbed”
“S-shut up” she mumbled and you laughed again, kissing her head. “Aren’t you supposed to be dead by now?”
“Aren’t you supposed to be grateful I'm not?” you said, loving her grumpy face “besides, I’m not leaving this world until i make sure my gravestone will say Y/N Harkness” 
“Your name won’t change until i make sure you’ll stay with me forever” she said, taking your head on her hands.
“Deal” you said, kissing her again. 
__________
“Which one do you think he’ll like better? Señor Scratchy Harkness or Señor Scratchy Y/L/N?”
“Y/N, I love you, but it's 2 a.m, go to sleep, I’m begging you”
“Señor Scratchy Y/L/N is it then”
“The hell it is!”
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chicksung · 3 years
Text
The Firsts With My Last || Park Jisung
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Genre: fluff, lil bit of angst, best friends to lover au
Pairing: childhood best friend!jisung x reader
Word Count: 6.3k
Warning/s: small argument, food 
Synopsis: a collection of firsts with Park Jisung
A/N: Aaaaaahhhhh!!! it’s finally here! I cannot express how happy and excited I am for this! I worked so so so hard on this and I hope that you enjoy it! Feedback is welcome! Thank you to the lovely Elle @joh--pping for making the header! 
Networks: @nctnetwrite​ @nct-writers​ @kpopscape​ @neoturtles​ @neoswitchnet​
Taglist: @moonbeamsung @lebrookestore @jaeminpeachy @joh--pping @kyuwoyo @nksideblog @ncvltrtchnlgy @vera-liscious @ncteaxhoe @neojaems @ethaeriyeol
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First meeting
First grade, a time where your biggest worry was if you would be home in time to watch your favourite cartoon. That was also the age you met Park Jisung. Your teacher had handed out a simple colouring-in to keep the students entertained for the few minutes before the lunch bell rang. You had been peacefully drawing when one of your classmates, Chenle, had tried to grab the blue coloured pencil that was in your grasp. It was part of a pencil set your grandmother had given to you and you held it very dear to your heart, so the fact that one of troublemakers was trying to take it from you, made you severally upset. Despite the discouragements from his friends to leave you alone, you and Chenle continued your intense game of tug-o-war on the pencil until you heard a heart stopping snap. The pencil splintered down the middle, unable to take the pressure anymore. You could only eyeball it in shock, reality finally settling in that Chenle had broken your favourite pencil. The bell rang and you stared at Chenle, scooping up the two halves of the broken pencil into your chubby hands. You were the first one out of the classroom, tears streaming down your face as you grabbed your lunchbox and disappeared into the playground.
You hid behind a tree, attempting to summon your much needed magical abilities to somehow stick the two halves back together. No matter how hard you pressed them into each other, they wouldn’t bond together with an invisible force. At this realisation, you began to sob again, hiding your face into your knees, quiet wails escaping your lips. You continued to cry until you saw a pair of red and blue shoes come into your tear blurred vision from beneath your legs. You looked up and were met with a chubby cheeked child, a child you recognised as one of your classmates and one of Chenle’s friends who had tried to convince him to stop roughhousing with you.
“I’m sorry about your pencil. Chenle can be a bit of a butthead,” The boy gave you an awkward smile before shifting the wood chips and dirt around with the toe of his shoe. “Do you mind if I sit with you?” He asked politely, his eyes big and friendly. As much as you wanted to be alone and definitely did not want to be accompanied by someone who was on friendly terms with the culprit of the state your pencil was in, you couldn't find it in your heart to say no to his friendly gesture. You nodded sadly and he immediately occupied the space next to you. He looked at the broken pieces in your hand and a smile crept to his face. 
“There is one good thing about your broken pencil,” He stated, making you snap your head towards him.
“What is there good about this? My favourite pencil is broken because of your dumb friend,” You didn’t mean to snap at him, but you were so overcome with emotions and anger for what had happened, it slipped out. The boy looked at you, a little shocked at the fact you had called his friend dumb, but at the same time, he had called him dumb on multiple occasions. 
“Think about it! If you sharpen this side of this one,” He pointed to the more splintered of the two pieces, “you could have two blue pencils,” He said with such innocence and optimism that it was infectious. You looked at the half and smiled. You had never thought about it like that. You were too caught up in the fact that it was broken to focus on anything else. 
“You’re right!” You squeaked, a small laugh erupting from you. You turned to the boy once again, an unanswered question lingering in your mind.
“What’s your name?”
The boy smiled again, but this time it wasn’t awkward. “Park Jisung. What’s yours?”
“Y/N.”
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First Realisation of Feelings
The 7th grade school dance, where the room is cramped and hot, full of hormonal preteens to early teenagers. Not exactly the place Jisung expected to see you. You had often expressed your dislike for the majority of the grade and you never liked being in overcrowded places, the perfect word to describe the gymnasium that was decorated for the occasion. Yet here you were, standing in the corner, hands behind your back, looking down at your shoes and playing with the hem of your dress. Jisung quickly ditched the conversation he was having with Sungchan and Chenle and made a b-line towards you. You were glad he saw you. You didn’t want to be here, only here by force from both your friends and your parents, your parents saying that you should socialise more outside of school hours and your friends saying it would be fun. However, your friends had made a b-line to the boys they liked from the grade, leaving you to stand there awkwardly until you could no longer stand watching your friend drooling over quite arguably the biggest jerk in the grade. As for your parents’ word, the only thing you could think to tell them is ‘why socialise when I’m most comfortable around the clumsiest boy in the class?’
“Hi,” Jisung said, the same awkward smile on his lips.
“Hi,” You replied. You didn’t need to be a psychic to know that Jisung wasn’t exactly here on his own terms, most likely only here for Chenle (who you had since reconciled with after the incident in first grade) 
“You told me you weren’t coming,” He pointed out, trying to get rid of the slight awkwardness in the air. Why was it so awkward? It wasn’t normally like this.
“I wasn’t until I was made to by my friends and my parents,” You explained, shooting a glance to your friends, who were practically at each of their respective male attention giver’s beck and call. Why were they your friends again? “Is it just me or is it getting hot in here?” You brought attention to the sudden rise in the temperature, fanning your neck as you looked around for a possible air source, more so, a possible way out. Jisung nodded. He didn’t feel hot, but the gymnasium was cramped, and there were a lot of warm bodies inside of it, so he didn’t blame you. 
“Yeah, let’s go outside. The breeze is really nice out there.” 
After checking that the coast was clear of any members of faculty that might force you and Jisung to go back inside the gym, you ran to the gardens, a place that was quite pretty. Right next to the school flowed a river, which connected to the parent pick up area, accessible by bridge. You and Jisung stood side by side, watching your reflections ripple with the current of the water. The moonlight danced prettily with the water, creating a type of reflection that Jisung had only ever seen in movies. The cool summer breeze brushed against his skin, diminishing the sweat on his forehead. 
Then he looked at you. 
Your hair was lifted off your shoulders by the wind, the moon casting a silvery shadow across your face, fitting neatly across your facial features like a glove, but his breaking point was when you looked at him. It was as if someone had taken all of the stars in the galaxy and placed them one by one in your eyes. You looked so...beautiful. His heart rate increased dramatically and he was sure there was an intense blush that spread from his cheeks to his ears. Did he always feel like this when he saw you? Surely not. His heart had never raced like this before, and he definitely had never felt so speechless. What could this all mean? Could he...like you? “Hello? Earth to Park Jisung?” Your voice cleared the clouds of doubt from his mind as he finally closed his gaping mouth. “Are you okay? Do I need to tell a teacher?” You asked, a slight furrow in your brow appearing out of concern.
“Y-Yeah, I’m fine. Just spaced out for a second.” He looked away in embarrassment, his eyes drifting over his reflection. Oh God, he was blushing. “The view was pretty and I guess started daydreaming.” 
“Were you daydreaming about someone?” You asked simply, before a smile broke across your face. “Were you daydreaming about me?” Jisung almost choked on his spit at your words.
“Was not!” Your laughter only picked up in volume, Jisung having to shush you and remind you that you were not supposed to leave the gym. 
“I’m only teasing you, I know you wouldn’t daydream about people. You just like to think about video games and food.”
“Hey, I do not! What’s with the Jisung slander?” You laughed. Something about your laugh was addicting, like a song he had just discovered and was unable to stop the lyrics from playing in your head. 
It’s been three weeks since the dance and you and Jisung were in the library, studying. Well, if you were to classify copying your science homework as homework because he had completely forgotten about it. You were currently working on your analysis for your Literature class, reading over the assessment outline to make sure you could get the best grade possible. You looked over and Jisung and he looked so relaxed. His round glasses perched comfortably on the bridge of his nose, his eyes scanning your answers before jotting them down onto his own page, his fingers wrapped firmly around his pen, and his lips pushed into a little pout as he concentrated. He looked so laid back, so relaxed despite the fact he had nearly had a heart attack when you told him that the homework was due by your next class, which didn’t give him enough time to do it at home. With your thoughts swimming through your head and so far into your daydream, you hadn’t noticed that his head had picked up and you were now staring (quite awkwardly) at each other.
“Is there something on my face?” Jisung asked, trying desperately to break the awkwardness between you two. You shook your head rapidly, assuring him that his appearance was fine and you had just spaced out. Well, you hadn’t completely lied. His appearance did look fine, and you had spaced out, you had just decided to leave out the reasoning as to why you had spaced out. 
Your cheeks burned harshly, like you were sitting in direct sunlight at the beach without any sunscreen. Is this what a developing crush felt like? Surely not. There’s no way you could have a crush on your best friend. That was weird, according to your friends, but then again, these were the same friends that said that you and Jisung were perfect for each other, so you don’t think they are a very credible source. 
Was this how crushes develop? Yes. Yes it was 
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First Confession
Sophomore year of high school. People are calming down from exam week, finally getting the recommended hours of sleep after the countless number of all nighters that were pulled to cram, drinking water instead of the copious amounts of caffeine. The autumn air was starting to set in and the leaves were starting to fall, catching the wind and creating a train for oranges and browns. You and Jisung were walking home from school, your head pounding after the amount of brain power wasted on several test packages that weighed too heavily on your overall grade in your opinion. 
“How about we go get ice cream and go to the park? My treat to the both of us working so hard?” You suggested, turning to the equally emotionally drained best friend beside you. At the mention of a delicious sweet treat, his head perked up and he nodded.
“Yes! Anything to stop my head from hurting,” His lips formed the most relieved smile, your pulse increasing at the sight. In an attempt to calm your racing heartbeat, you watched the leaves, long fallen from the huge oak trees that towered over you, crunch underneath your feet, a little bit of stress releasing each time you stepped in them. Jisung seemed to pick up on this, his smile taking on a playfully mischievous role. He raced ahead of you and jumped, his feet landing firmly in a pile of leaves. The dead leaves flew up around him, creating a skirt of sorts around his waist. You couldn’t stop yourself from laughing, a stupidly large smile shared between the two of you. 
“Come on, let’s get this ice cream before the store closes. We’ll never get there if you keep acting like you’ve never seen leaves before,” You rolled your eyes, continuing down the path, your back now facing Jisung. He jogged to your side, bumping your hip with his when he did.
“You don’t know that.”
“We have literally been friends since we were 5, I think I would know,” Jisung cursed inwardly after taking a second to process what you had said. 
“T-That’s not fair and I- hey! Hey! Wait up!” 
Walking down a simple path in the park, the bumpy texture of the wafer cone in your hand, and the occasional playful cheers of children and dog passing by was simply relaxing. The simplicity of the noises of everyday life, the perfect natural remedy for an exam induced headache. 
You and Jisung came across a beautiful area that overlooked the huge lake in the middle of the park, a popular skating attraction during the winter. There were a few ducks waddling around the water’s edge, a few gliding gracefully along the water and few attempting to ruin a couple’s picnic by stealing their sandwiches. As you sat down on the ground, the crisp breeze whipped lightly across your face, you were relaxed, almost completely forgetting about the exams you had taken only hours earlier. 
Jisung was staring at you, he was sure of it. In fact, he’s pretty sure that the elderly couple sitting metres away from the both of you would see it. He followed your gaze when your eyes fell on the most adorable mother duck, being followed by her clumsy ducklings. You liked the one at the back the most, always the most clumsy. You turned to Jisung, a teasing smirk dripping from your lips.
“You see the one at the end?” You pointed to the duckling, whose little webbed foot had caught on a twig, sending it rolling onto its side. Jisung nodded. “That would be you as a duck. The overly clumsy baby of the family,” Jisung’s eyes widened in slight offense at your comment.
“What do you mean? I’m not clumsy!” He tried to defend himself, only gaining a snort from you.
“Right, and I’m the Queen of England,” You said sarcastically, looking back towards the ducks. Between the time you had turned away to tease Jisung and right now, another duck had come back in search of it’s sibling. The duckling looked curiously at the fallen duck, before turning its head and let out high pitched quacks to its mother and signalling her to come back. Jisung watched as the mother duck picked the duckling up by the scruff of the neck and put it back on its feet. 
“And if you were a duck, that would be you. Always looking out for the clumsy one,” He commented, watching the family waddle off to a different area of the park. Taking another spoonful of his ice cream (you refused to let him get a cone. With how accident-prone he was, there was only fate for that poor ice cream cone, and it involved Jisung dropping ice cream down his crisp white shirt) before sighing. 
“Ducks are cute like you too,” He thought out loud, forgetting that the you in question was sitting right next to him. 
“Did you say something?” You asked.
“I-I said ducks are cute, and then I stopped talking!” Real smooth, Park. 
“Right…” You said, knowing damn well that isn’t what he said, but you didn’t wish to press further. “My legs are asleep, let’s walk a little more.” You suggested, almost leaping from your spot on the ground. Jisung scrambled to stand up too, his ice cream almost slipping through his fingers. 
You walked for what felt like miles, talking about everything under the sun. You hadn’t realised how far you had walked until you were facing the street, with the name of your street written in printed letters on the sign. 
“Guess my legs knew it was getting late before I did. I should probably get home before my mom yells at me. See you at school tomorrow, right?” Before you could walk away, you felt a hand on your wrist. Jisung’s hand. 
“Wait, I need to tell you something,” Jisung’s voice sounded desperate, like if he didn;t say this now, it would kill him. 
“What? Did you leave your jacket at the park again?” You tried to joke, but Jisung’s eyes just pleaded with you.
“Please just listen,” Jisung said, his tone coming out a lot sterner than he had meant to. He exhaled deeply before placing both of his hands in yours, his head swimming with thoughts. 
“I like you.” His eyes, his tone, the slight smile on his lips. They all were dripping with sincerity. 
“What-” 
“I like you. I don’t expect you to accept my feelings but I just really needed to get this off my chest because I’ve been wanting to tell you for a while and-”
“I like you too,” You interjected with a smile, squeezing Jisung’s hand.
“Y-You do?” He repeated your words in his head like a broken record, watching as you gave him a confident nod. 
“Yes. Now, can I go home now?” Jisung flustered himself and nodded, letting go of your hand and waving as you disappeared down your street. His cheeks were glowing red, surely resembling a firefly. You liked him too? He felt like a giddy schoolboy, a smile plastered on his face. This was quite possibly the best day of his life.
First Date
“No, no. Absolutely not, I refuse,” Jisung screeched as you swung into an empty parking space in the car park of the ice skating rink. You giggled evilly to yourself. 
“You said I get to pick the location of our date, and I choose the ice rink,” You reminded him smugly, giving him a sickly sweet smile. You sunk down in his seat, grumbling unheard profanities as he knew you were right. He had given you the power to choose where you two would have a date together, a power he was now regretting giving you. 
“Lighten up, will you? One ice skating session isn’t going to kill you,” You rolled your eyes, making your way towards the entrance to the building. 
“I seriously doubt it,” He grumbled, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jacket.
There weren’t many others on the rink, some small children with their parents, the odd couple or two, but it was quiet. Well, quiet customer wise.
“Don’t let go of me! I’m too young to die!” Jisung squeaked, your arm wrapped in a death grip from the boy.
“Jisung, you’re not gonna die, not on my watch,” You assured him, helping him up as his knees shook like a newborn giraffe. You were able to shake the grip he had on your arm and hold both of his hands before skating backwards very slowly. “You trust me, right?” “More than anything,” He affirmed. You smiled and tugged him along, giving him perfect momentum to stay on his two feet. You swung yourself around so you were now skating besides him, intertwining your fingers together like puzzle pieces. Gliding together, you felt like you were skating in the middle of a snowy escape, a winter wonderland. You felt as if you were skating with the Snow Kingdom’s prince (except if the Snow Prince didn’t know how to skate) and the snow was falling gently around you delicately. 
This fantasy ended when your hand was jerked backwards. Your skates hit an oddly slipping part of the ice, causing you to slip over and fall promptly on the ground, finding yourself face to face with the culprit, your clumsy boyfriend. 
“Heh, sorry,” He apologised, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. You couldn’t find it in yourself to feel any kind of unamused emotion towards the boy, only bursting into a fit of giggles. 
“You’re too darn cute,” you admitted, knees knocking as you got back onto your feet. You extended your hand, offering it to Jisung as assistance to get him back on his feet. 
“Do you wanna try again?” It was more of a suggestion than a question, but you still hesitated, afraid of him saying no.
“What are my chances of getting a concussion?” The boy joked, a bright and gummy smile breaking across his face. You stifled a laugh.
“Pretty high when you assess the situation,” You answered in an amused tone. Jisung suddenly pulled you closer and placed his hands on your cheeks. His slender fingers were freezing cold against the rosy tint of your cheeks, but you didn’t seem to mind all that much. You could see him having an inner battle with himself before grinning in victory. He leaned closer to you, placing a peck to the numbed tip of your nose. Your heart fluttered like it had been caught up in a whirlwind of butterfly wings, delicately carrying them to a higher level than before. You swore you were giving Jisung really obvious heart eyes, but from the way he was looking at you, the exchange must’ve been mutual. 
Jisung finally pulled himself together, slow realisation sinking in of what he had just done. “S-Sorry,” he apologised softly, his fingers slipping away from your cheek. You caught it, bringing it down to the height of your shoulder and intertwining your fingers with his. 
“Don’t be,” you said cooly, cautiously skating towards the exit to the rink. “I’m starving. Let’s go find lunch. You can pick this time,” you smiled cheerily at him. He snuck a glance to you as he untied the laces of his ice skates. There was something about your smile that was so enchanting, sort of subtle, and perfect, and real. He couldn’t help but wonder if you even knew how wonderful your smile could make someone feel. Especially a someone like Jisung, someone who would find elegance and serenity in the tiniest things you do. He cursed his heart for fluttering stupidly fast, not that it heeded his thoughts, only beating harder the more he stared at you.
“Let’s go,” You announced, extending your hand to him. He grabbed it without a second thought. This felt like home to him, with someone who meant the world to him.
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First Kiss
“Jisung, this is crazy! My parents will find out about this!” You whisper-yelled at Jisung, reluctantly throwing on your coat and shoes. Jisung smiled like a fool, feeling like a modern day Romeo as he waited on your front porch. You threw the front door open, seeing your boyfriend, absolutely drenched from head to toe with rain. The rain had been falling heavily for half an hour, so you couldn’t help but wonder what inside his mind decided that he would walk to your neighbourhood in the pouring rain just to see you?
“Jisung, it’s two in the morning. Why are you here?” You interrogated once you shut the door.
“I wanted to see you. Is that such a crime?” He countered, a sly smile resting on his pretty lips. You scoffed, playfully pushing him away. Jisung took a few paces back, extending his long fingers to you.
“Huh?” You vocalised your confusion.
“Come dance with me,” He said, waiting patiently. You hesitated for a moment. You feared the fact that your parents would definitely ground you if they found out that you were escapading at ridiculous hours of the night just to be with a boy, but on the other hand, this was Jisung you were talking about. The night, or morning if you were to be technical, wasn’t getting any younger and nor were you. In that moment, you didn’t care if your parents found out about your late night adventures. You grabbed Jisung’s hand and smiled.
“Show me to the dance floor,” You announced confidently.
To the rest of the world, the two of you probably looked like idiots. Running and shoving each other in the rain, willingly. However to the both of you, you were the only two people in the world. The only light to remind that the world was still there were the dim streetlights, illuminating only within its reach before fading back into darkness.
You danced under the streetlamp, your very own spotlight. You risked the chances of a cold, for the feeling of freedom, to be two dumb kids, fooling around at forsaken hours of the night. You had a smile to your ears and your laughter rang out loudly throughout the slumbering neighbourhood. You squealed when he pulled you closer to him by your hips. Your hands instinctively rested on his shoulders, eyes focusing on him, the water droplets that fell from his soaking wet hair and the goofy smile on his lips.
The laughter that the two of you died down, both of you completely infatuated by the other. How pretty they looked with raindrops kissing their skin, how their eyes sparkled when the light hit them at this angle. Jisung bit the inside of his cheek in hesitation. What if he was reading the signs wrong? What if you didn’t want to? He cautiously leaned forward, and you followed suit. Your lips met briefly before Jisung pulled away, scanning your face for any sign of discomfort or disgust. Instead, he was met with your eyes sparkling brightly, a huge smile breaking across your face. 
“You kissed me,” You said, slightly astonished at Jisung’s bravery.
“Yeah, I did,” He mumbled, trying to come to terms with the event that just played out in front of him.
“Do it again,” You egged.
“Excuse me?” His eyes blew wide at your comment.
“Kiss me again.”
To the rest of the world, the two of you probably looked like idiots. However to the both of you, you were the only two people in the world. The only two people in your world. 
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First Time Falling in Love
The stars twinkled brightly in the dark sky above, like silver glitter that had been thrown into the depths of space. You admired the stars, wishing you could fly up there for a second just to dance among them. It was your calming activity before bed, talking to the stars about your day, especially if it wasn’t particularly a good day. The best part about today however, was that you weren’t gazing up into space in your bedroom, instead lying in the grass with the cool breeze on top of a hill that overlooked the city lights, and you weren’t gazing up into space alone, instead in company of your boyfriend, Jisung.
The two of you had spent the last hour and a half stargazing, talking about everything and anything, the big things like school systems, and the little things like the ladybird that had crawled it’s way up a blade of grass before taking flight above you. You were sleepy and ready to go home. You and Jisung were standing, facing each other, giving the sky one more quick glance before you left. When your vision came back down, you met Jisung’s eyes. They were pretty, a dark chocolate brown, the type of brown that when light hits them at just the right angle, they turn into pools of honey. They were entrancing, glittering, beautiful. It seems like he was just as entranced by your gaze as you were his, as the both of you stood in silence. Finally, Jisung mustered up enough courage like the day he asked you out, and cupped your face. His hands pressed flush against your cheeks, feeling the warmth from your blush underneath them. His lips parted and closed again, like he was trying to tell you something but was second guessing himself.
“I think,” Jisung started, trying to collect his thoughts before speaking. “I think I’m in love with you.”
“I’m glad I’m not the only one,” You laughed softly, your eyes flickering from his eyes down to his lips, so full and kissable. Without a second to think, he pulled you closer, pressing a soft kiss against your lips, a kiss full of sweetness and amateur love, but you wouldn’t have it any other way.
The two of you broke away and smiled. “Shall we go home now?” You asked with lovestruck eyes. He noticed. He smiled.
“Yes, we better,”
You were maybe just a little bit in love with Park Jisung.
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First Argument
You can only recount one argument with Jisung. 
You sat there at the cafe, looking around nervously for him. The constant checks of your phone and the cafe door every time the bell rang to signify a new customer, you silently hoped it wasn’t true. He wouldn’t do this to you. You refused to believe it. There was no way, right? There was no way Park Jisung had forgotten your date, right?
Wrong.
“Jeno, has anyone ever told you, you suck at MarioKart?” Chenle asked teasingly, pillow colliding with his head, which caused Toad to fly off the edge of the course. Jisung laughed hysterically, tears forming in his eyes as he drove Yoshi to victory. Amongst the commotion going on inside, the doorbell rang. Renjun, who was not participating in his friends’ antics, decided to answer it. Upon seeing you, he was a bit shocked to see you there. You barely showed up there, so to see you standing outside the door, with your coat folded between your arms and a displeased look on your face, took him by surprise.
“Jisung, it’s for you,” Renjun called into the door, abandoning you at the threshold to take over Jisung’s controller. 
When your boyfriend saw you, he smiled with a twinkle of confusion in his eye.
“Hey, what are you doing here? We were just playing MarioKart if you-”
“You forgot, didn’t you?” You interrupted bitterly, boring holes in his soul from your gaze alone. Jisung looked at you for a second, trying to comprehend the words that had left your lips moments ago. 
“Is it your birthday?” Jisung asked stupidly. Anger flashed in your eyes before you grabbed him by the shoulder of his t-shirt and tugged him out of the dorm. With the door now acting as a barrier between the argument and the fun his friends were having, you could now speak freely.
“3pm, Culture Cafe. Does this mean anything to you?” You interrogated, your tone bitter and upset, a lethal combination. Jisung’s eyebrows furrowed in thought, wracking his brains to try and make connections between the two. 
“Our date, Jisung! Our fucking date!” You yelled at him, growing bored of watching him try and remember. “We planned this three days ago, how can you not remember?” Your voice softened in disbelief. “It was just this one thing, but instead I come here and find you playing video games with your friends.” The more you spoke, the more tears blurred your vision. 
Jisung swore he heard his heart break when he saw a fat tear roll down your cheek. He had caused those tears, over just how forgetful he really is.
“If there was a more sincere way of saying sorry, I would say it. I can’t think of the words to-” Jisung was cut off by your sobs. He immediately panicked, grasping your shoulders, feeling like a kicked puppy. “No, no, no, baby don’t cry. I promise I’ll-”
“I can’t be here any longer. Just give me a few days,” you used those words as your salutations of farewell, turning on your heel and walking away from him. You silently screamed at yourself for getting so upset over a stupid date, but this wasn’t like Jisung. He was so adamant about not forgetting the important things, so why would he forget this? 
It had been five days since the confrontation with Jisung, and you had not spoken to him since. You left him on read with every text message, and deleted every voicemail he left you. You acknowledged you may be acting a bit brashly, but you wanted him to feel the same forgotten feeling that sat in the bottom of your stomach when he left alone at that cafe. 
You wanted Jisung to apologise. You just didn’t expect him to apologise the way he did.
Your doorbell rang repetitively, clearly trying to divide your attention from your comfort show. You reluctantly stood up from your comfy spot on the couch, and walked towards the door. Upon opening it, you saw a boy with dark dishevelled hair with a cake in hand. The cake was messily decorated and seemed a bit squashed, but you could still tell it was supposed to be a heart shape. 
“Is this your way of apologising?” You asked him monotonously, your eyes still on the cake. Jisung nodded. His eyes seemed puffy.
“I don’t mean to ruin the apology, but why does the cake look a bit…”
“Squished?” Jisung finished, a sad smile playing at his lips. “Chenle, the stupid ass, sat on the box before I left. All my hard work, now flattened,” He gave a half hearted chuckle before silencing himself.
“Look, I am really, really sorry. I was stressing, and the boys thought it would be a good idea if I spent time out of my room and play some games with them to stop moping around, and I didn’t realise how fast the time went and I forgot about our date and then I felt horrible and I-” He rambled on, an embarrassed blush colouring his cheeks and the tips of his ears. He stopped when he heard you giggle, a soft, almost whimsical sound. You took the cake box from him and smiled. 
“You put all of this work in, just for an apology?” You asked, a soft smile subconsciously creeping across your face. 
“You weren’t answering your phone, so I got desperate,” Jisung admitted, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck at your reaction. You stepped forward to kiss his cheek, his skin warm against your lips. 
“So, am I forgiven?” He asked nervously, feeling cold sweat dribble down the back of his neck. 
“Depends. Are you gonna share this cake with me?” You countered, stepping aside to invite him in. 
“Who did you bribe to allow you in the kitchen by yourself?”
“Hey!”
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First Dance
“Hurry up, we’re going to miss the sunset,” Jisung tugged you up the hill, sunlight casting over his face the higher he hiked up the mountain. You let out a tired laugh as you allowed him to drag you up the mountain. Once you reached the top, you finally understood why he wanted to show you this place. The view was spectacular. The sunset gave the landscape an orange hue to it, even the ocean sparkled like magnificent glitter. The orange specks glowed like millions of fireflies, creating a picture perfect landscape, one that belonged within the walls of a world famous museum.��
“This is stunning,” You sighed in awe, the dusk lighting flicking its rays into your irises. Jisung nodded firmly, pride bubbling in his chest at knowing he picked the perfect place.
“Baby?” He asked, hiding his shyness as best he could.
“Yeah?” You answered, eyes breaking away from the beautiful atmosphere to him. He held his hand out, suggesting something.
“Dance with me?” He asked politely, a pink tint colouring the tips of his ears. You giggled lightly.
“Dancing is meaningless without music,” You informed, warm breeze whipping past the exposed parts of your skin. Jisung whipped out his phone, briefly tapped on the screen and waited before a soft and calming song played from the speakers. He slipped it into his back pocket, quickly taking your left hand in his right, his left hand coming down to rest on your waist and steadily rocking you to the melody. Your head rested against his chest, inhaling his warm scent. He smelt of fresh cotton sheets and something else that can only be described as the sweetest fruit of the summer. 
The moment felt like a scene out of a fairytale, a nonsensical world that only manifested in the creative young minds of children, however the way the gentle breeze kissed your cheek and ruffled your hair, the last of the sun’s rays pressed a warm glow to your skin, it felt too real to be make believe. 
Jisung twirled you around on the spot, a giggle escaping your lips as you fell gracefully against his chest. As you spun around to face him again, the look in his eyes could only be truly explained with one word; ‘Lovestruck’, like his whole world revolved around you. You were his moon, his stars, his world. You might as well have been his whole solar system, dammit. He pressed a soft chaste kiss your lips, pulling away and leaving only centimeters between the both of you.
“I love you,” Jisung’s face lit up like the fireflies that played in the valley beneath you. You cracked a giddy smile, lacing your fingers with him.
“I love you too,” You requited, realising that the song you were originally dancing to had faded out some time ago, only dancing along to the beat of each other’s heart. He laughed at this discovery, holding you closer and hearing the faint drum of your thumping heart. He hummed to himself as thoughts of you swam through his head, but only one stuck out to him. It was less of a thought and more like an idea, a wish, a dream, a promise.
You are my first love, and I intend for you to be my last
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Freak (One Shot)
Loki x Reader Avengers The Office AU (Slowwwwww Burn)
Warnings: your writer being a dick about the otp
Word Count: this is the first time that I had to remind a therapist about a session. Usually it was me who would forget about sessions or even booking sessions. But that was also because I was scared. Now I know that in order to get better I need to make a few changes with my way of thinking. Bonus? I did not cry during this PMS cycle.
MASTERLIST in bio, darlings. Tags are open (check bio)
"...in summary, you touch any of my playthings, you will have to deal with the consequences." Kruge wants to pierce those eyeballs out but he has to stop himself in case he is taken a prisoner for harming the new king of Jotunheim on the very first night. "Understood, your grace," Helbindi gives a little bow and waits for Loki to open the door to his chamber before he lets his fangs out in pure animosity for the God.
Loki makes sure to close the door behind him before he closes his eyes and rests his head on the silver frame with a thud. At least he won't have to keep up the facade of being composed all the time in this room. Did I make the right decision? His thoughts are running at a speed that would be considered normal for Pietro. This is the last place Aellae would invade. He inhales a lungful, his mind addressing a hint of lilac in the cold air. That is if she hadn't already done that. And all the fingers are pointing at Helbindi. I am sure Helbindi has something to d-wait...Lilac?
Those computing brows are suddenly furrowing in curiosity while those eyes open to dart around the room in question. At the other end of this immaculate and massive bedroom, you walk out from the direction of the bath, your wet hair a beautiful mess, your skin glowing in the faint light reflecting off the shining frost, your dark blue pyjama shorts showing off those legs that seemed to have toned a little, thanks to the workout this deadly trip has provided. Out of nowhere, winds are blowing into the bedroom from the balcony to bring Loki more of that lilac scent you are covered in right now. Those teasing soft punches of air are doing their best to tickle your exposed skin while teasing the God with a little bit of peek of some more. He does not realise it but Loki's eyes are stuck on you, his throat trying to gulp down whatever is frozen in there, just not ready to digest the poetry unfolding in front of him. Normally he would have scolded you for putting your used towel on that chair, but right now all his brain can comprehend is you raising your leg on his bed to apply some lotion on it. Your head turns in his direction and he is suddenly finding himself running into the sole vase on his right side. He is Loki- the God of mischief- so, of course, it does not take much time to bring that vibrating vase to a standstill. But he still keeps holding for another moment or two, for the fear that it might move again. Any third person witnessing this can tell it is not exactly the vase he is trying to still. "This painting is nice," he murmurs to himself while looking at a pictureless frame decorating the wall to his side, pointing to it and pretending to appreciate it. His hands, though, cannot seem to find a comfortable position. "You're back?" you ask him, still working on your leg. "Hmm?" He pretends to notice you for the first time, still not ready to lock his eyes with you, instead, playing with his fingers. "Oh, yes. Just...had to give a couple of instruction to the...uhh...boys." "I don't like that Helbindi guy-" you screw your nose and Loki seems to lose a couple of ounces of air- "he gives off bad vibes." "Yeah, yeah he does," he agrees with you, walking slowly and calculatingly towards the bedroom part of the room. Your leg switches. "I'm glad that you have the majority though. That too considering you have been away for a looooong time." You raise your head and he busies himself in the ferns kept at the entrance of the bed-chamber before asking himself what his idiotic ass was trying to do. Finally finding the strength, he looks back up at you and nods with a smile. Walk to the other side of the bed, he is practically giving the basic instructions to his brain now. She isn't going out like this, is she? That one part of his brain clad in some dark crevices questions him. That one simple thought seems to raise multiple silent alarms in his body. "So-" he tries to point at you and the door but fails and instead takes his finger to scratch an itch at the back of his neck- "you're going to sleep in now?" That glowy leg worth months of hair growth suddenly drops on the floor. And so does your face. Loki cannot make out what you're thinking because he is busy waiting for your answer. "You want me to sleep somewhere else?" It's just a softly put question. But your eyes seem to glimmer in sadness as if he just betrayed you some way. "What?" he is more surprised by the fact that you did not think of it as a possibility. Why would she sleep somewhere else? We've been doing it the whole trip! Well, the whole trip did not have rooms like this one, balconies like this one and certainly not a view like this one. Loki breathes, opens his mouth to say something but nothing comes out for a good few seconds. He is still trying to make his mind look away from all the stray water droplets falling from your hair inside your clothes. "No-" he blinks, bringing his eyes back to yours, licking his lips, he is soft in his speech- "um, you stay here." Loki, you are a God. With the sudden reminder, he clears his throat, straightens his back and brings back that dominating energy in the room. "You stay here," he orders this time. Your quick smile is already melting that robust core of his. And that quick jump on his bed catalysis the effect. "Cool!" You sit there with your legs folded under you, thighs spread, and that shirt not covering as much as it is supposed to. "Woah!" you snapped him out of his trance as you took a little jump on the bed. The sudden glow in your eyes was sending a tingling sensation down his spine. "Oh," you exclaimed, going up and down on your thighs, "we finally have a hard mattress! God, I'm old!" Loki just stood there, watching you arch your back as you went up and down, testing the bed, and at the same time testing his fortitude. Why-why is she not wearing a bra? Loki smacks his inner self. That's what concerns you right now? "Stop that," he growls. One final jump and you are falling on your back with a long sigh. That tingle seems to have subsided but as it is going back, Loki's gaze cannot seem to come off your body- you lying with your limbs spread out as you groan out loud to remove that fatigue from your lungs. That double chin of yours is quite evident when you raise your head just a little to look for the quilt and bring it closer to you with your feet. Who does she think she is? A part of Loki asks. Beautiful, his inner voice answers without a pause, all dreamy eyes for you and your double chin. "By the Norns, you have to stop," the God growled again, making you pause your leg mid-air with the quilt in between your toes. You drop that quilt just like that and turn to rest your head on your palm. "Stop and...?" that low hoarse tone of your mixed with a wicked glow in your eyes lights up a section inside the God he should not be thinking about. Especially when it has the power to take over his brain.  The next time he opens his eyes, you can witness a change in that usually brooding boy to something more...feral? Those bloody eyes of the only Jotun you know are sending you mixed reverberations. By the time you are trying to figure out what it is behind those eyes, Loki's leg is already on the bed and his body over you within two strides. Your hips are locked in by his thighs and he is looking down at you with a simmering gaze.  You are definitely questioning all your freaky actions tonight. But I thought I would tease him a little! You know, to get his mind off serious stuff going outside that door!! And here you are, lying under Loki, your hands clasped close to your chest while your eyes are trying to figure out his next move, all the while unconsciously biting your lower lip. Not gonna lie, this blue version of him kinda looks sex- Loki's hands go down, right between his legs. You are about to catch your breath and cross your legs when his hands yank out the quilt from between the two of you to lay it over you. Your lips are still apart, mouth gaping, breaths at a pause while Loki flattens the fabric out over you till your neck before tucking it on your either side to the point that you cannot escape it even if you wanted to. Your brows furrow in disappointed confusion. Your hands are making that universal gesture of 'what the fuck???' under that damned sheet whereas Loki is proudly looking at his work. "That should keep you warm." “Dude!” Is all you can let out from your lungs before letting your body struggle to get out of this cosy prison. Loki gets up and away from the bed to undo his coat, looking away from you and smiling at this little achievement. “Don’t waste your breath, darling. I learned it from my mother. You cannot get out of that  hold unless you have calmed down enough to-“ His words disappear when he turns back to witness you already deep in sleep; your lips parted, your head practically drowning in the pillow, and little snores already forming in your nostrils. “How exhausted were you to sleep within seconds?” He whispers, never taking his eyes off. I need to teach her not to sleep with her guard down in suspicious places.
.
The coat lay on the floor along with the familiar pants and shirt. Loki sits on the bed in a nightgown, letting his back rest on the bed frame while his eyes gather some much needed light sleep. The night outside is still if not for the periodic interruptions of crows here and there. The chill of this frozen land comes as a blessing for this Jotun, who is no longer regulating his temperature as per the Midgardian ways. His Jotun form too is breathing fine, even feeling better than before. A true blessing in disguise. “Mmm…no…I don’t like it…” you mumble in your sleep, opening Loki’s eyes before he knows what’s happening. His hand automatically reaches out for you, coming to rest on your forehead before realising he cannot use magic to get rid of any bad dreams. So, instead, he softly pats your head. Your sleep laden crinkled brows seem to find some peace from those soothing pats, going back to dreamless sleep and loud snores. Loki cannot help but burst into a silent laugh at those snores. How can someone so small and comparatively frail snore worse than a giant?! That laugh that crinkles the edge of his eyes seems to be slowly melting into a smile; and not any ordinary smile at that. It is bringing a sweet realisation with it; a realisation about this human. Among seven billion humans, this one seems to have brought him the comfort he never even dared to feel. The past few days spent in this human's company were far lighter and chirpier than the most extravagant days spent as a child in Asgard. There was no anxiety, no restlessness. Whenever he was not able to collect his thoughts, looking at this human used to bring everything to a standstill. Knowing that he is not alone this time brought a certain peace to his soul; brought solutions faster and escape routes quicker than his enemies could calculate.  Is this what it's like to have a friend? To have the want to protect them, fight them, tease them, make their life miserable but never let anyone else lay a finger on them? Is this what friendship means?? As if to answer his question, your snores break into a snort before you wiggle inside your duvet to crawl closer to him in your sleep. Your hand stretches out from under the warm cover, take an elongated sigh till it touches Loki's arm and wraps those toasty fingers around his cold muscle. Loki has paused his existence for a second to make sense of this moment. She feels safe with you, a soothing voice inside him resonates in his core and he is watching you in a new light. Some moisture seems to gather at the edge of his eyes before he blinks it away and slides down to rest his head on the pillow right next to yours. He does not realise it but his arm is frozen in that place for you to hold on to it and there is a slight smile on his lips while his eyes are observing every single detail on your face. The God does not seem to notice a bubble being projected out of the bed to overtake the room with a warmth that is emanating from the celestial being himself. And most of all he does not seem to notice the voice hiding in the dark corner somewhere looking at you with heart eyes. I like this human. She can stay.
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gguksgalaxy · 4 years
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Personal Space | JJK
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›› AU: Friends to Lovers ›› Genre: Fluff ›› Rating: PG-13 ›› Word Count: 1.7k ›› Prompts: Small space + First kiss ›› Jungkook Snuggle Drabbles
That time when Jungkook's shower got interrupted.
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Rapping your fist against Jungkook’s door, you pull your soft lilac robe tighter around your body. The dorm building’s hallway is cold and you forgot to put on socks. What even is he doing this time of night? It’s just past midnight on a Wednesday, he has a 9am class tomorrow. The only reason that you know this is because you also have a 9am class, and you two usually walk together. 
You knock again, louder this time, switching weight from foot to foot in an attempt to stay warm. It’s not like him to not be home at this time. He didn’t even pick up his phone when you called him, because you have some courtesy to at least not show up unannounced at his dorm in the middle of the night. But this was a real emergency and you need him to open the damn door. 
Just when you’re ready to knock again, the door opens and your spit just about goes down the wrong pipe. Coughing, you double take Jungkook standing in the door in nothing but a towel—hair and body dripping wet from a shower. Tattoos and muscles on full display, you shake yourself and meet his unreadable gaze. 
“You never shower at night.” The words tumble out of your mouth before you can even think about what you’re saying. You sound like an absolute fool. Why again is it that you’re crushing on him? Oh yeah, because he’s your best friend who also happens to be the sweetest, most loveable person in the world. And he looks like half a god. 
He raises an eyebrow. “You never show up at my apartment at night wearing nothing but a purple robe, either.”
You look down at yourself, cheeks turning red. “I’m wearing something under this! It’s an emergency,” you say, pushing past him so that he can close the damn door. It’d be a nightmare if someone caught the two of you like that. 
“What kind of emergency?” he chuckles, flicking his damp hair out of his face. Water splatters everywhere. Jungkook peers down at his own body, realising he's still soaking wet. “You know what, let me finish my shower and you can tell me.”
Jungkook disappears into his bathroom while you make yourself comfortable on his lounge chair. Unlike you, he has a solo dorm. You have to share yours with your friend which is currently the reason that you are here. This is more like your second dorm, even if you can’t remember the last time you spent the night here. Probably before you realised your feelings for Jungkook were getting out of hand. 
You remember how comfortable his bed is, how nice it is to just lie cuddled up in it. It’s not that you stopped doing that, but it’s definitely been a while since you slept here. You miss it, but it’s hard to be around him knowing he doesn’t feel the same way.
“So,” he says, exiting the bathroom, shirt still halfway up his chest. The fabric falls down, hiding his chest from view. “What is it you need rescuing from so badly that you didn’t even get dressed properly?”
Sighing, you play with a pen on his desk. “You know that awesome mission where we succeeded in getting Taehyung and Kat together?” Kat being your roommate, and Taehyung being Jungkook’s soccer teammate. 
“Yeah?”
“Well,” you mumble, “I think Kat forgot that I was home and when I exited the bathroom I saw things I wish I could scrub off my eyeballs.”
Jungkook laughs, doubling over. “I would say that I can’t believe they would do that but, I know Taehyung better than that sadly. I’m sorry on his behalf.”
You huff. “Can I wait them out here? I don’t really want to go back there just yet.”
Your best friend’s eyes dart to the clock on his desk. “You want to go back?”
“I mean, at some point yeah. I need to get some sleep.” 
“Let’s sleep then,” Jungkook states, throwing back the sheets on his bed as if he’s inviting you. 
You just give him a look. 
“Oh come on, I don’t know what’s been up with you lately. Have you bought an expansion pack for your personal space?” 
“What?” 
He smiles, walking over to you. With one hand on the desk, he leans into you. Your body betrays you immediately, leaning back, cheeks flushing. “Why are you so shy lately? You never used to have a problem with proximity.”
“I—I,” you stutter. “I’ve just been feeling self-conscious about it.”
Jungkook frowns, sitting down on his chair. “In a bad way?”
“Is there a good way?”
He purses his lips, stilling your hand where you’re tapping his pen. “I hope that it’s not because of something I did? You’re important to me, and I want you to be comfortable around me.” 
“Oh.” You think over his words. You’re important to him, but you’ll always just be his best friend. It’s something you get reminded of enough, even Kat has mentioned that you and Jungkook have been awfully disgusting. That you act like a couple, and that you shouldn’t make yourself so obvious. “It’s not that, I’ve just been overthinking everything. Someone said it’s weird that we’re so close.”
“Why would it be weird?” His face holds genuine confusion that edges on a smile. “I know people who are just friends who are way more disgusting.”
Your eyes widen. And so do his the second he realises what he said. 
“You know what,” he says, getting up and trying to shake off his previous words. “This is a no overthinking zone. Take off that ugly robe and let's get into bed.”
Jungkook plops down onto his single mattress and you stare at him for a second. He’s not wrong. Regardless of whether he means that you are more than friends—which is unlikely—or just best friends rather than normal friends, there are people who are worse. You shouldn’t overthink being with him. You shouldn’t let your feelings for him get in the way of being with him. 
“Fine, because you asked so nicely.” You shrug off your robe and settle down into the bed with him. It’s way too tight of a space for two people, especially with Jungkook not being the smallest person you know. He takes up an unnatural amount of space in a bed. Even when he curls up he’s somehow pressed against you. 
He turns to face you. “You’re okay though, right? We are?”
You nod, pulling up the covers. “We’re good Jungkook, don’t worry.” 
It takes you five entire minutes to realise that this would be harder than you thought it would be. You twist, bumping into his body in an attempt to find a comfortable way to sleep without being pressed against him. An impossible task. 
Jungkook stills you by throwing an arm over your waist. “Can you lie still?” 
You snort. “Can you move over?”
“I’m with my back against the wall.”
“I’m with my ass on the edge.”
“Seems like we’re at an impasse. You have no choice but to just scoot over.” 
“I could sleep on the floor,”  you retort. 
He snorts. “Get over here, silly.” Jungkook being much stronger than you, pulls your body towards his on the bed. One of his legs over yours, his hand splayed over your back. Even in the dark you can see the way his eyes shine. You hold your breath. 
His expression changes, just barely. Tongue darting out to lick his lips, he seems a little tense under the touch of your fingers against his chest. Your heart starts racing at the proximity. The familiar scent and feeling of him around you. A strange thought passes your mind; What if he does have feelings for you in some non-platonic way? 
Before you get the chance to refute that idea, Jungkook grabs your cheek and presses his lips to yours. You let out a gasp, fingers tightening into the thin shirt that he’s wearing. Is he…kissing you? Jungkook’s kissing you. Why would h—
“Stop overthinking,” he mumbles against your mouth, moving his hand to your neck. 
You let out a shaky breath. When he kisses you again, all the tension in your body seeps away. You kiss him back, closing your eyes and leaning in. Bodies slotting together, Jungkook twists his body so you lie over top of him, lips gently moving against yours. 
His hands tremble, just like yours, where he holds your waist. You’re just as nervous yet you’re overcome with a feeling of euphoria. Finally, after so long, you’re kissing him. Lips moving together, parting and deepening. Just for a moment. Your stomach swoops as you feel his tongue flick over your bottom lip. It ends way too soon. 
Jungkook parts, opening his eyes and meeting your hesitant gaze. “I meant what I said earlier.“ He keeps his voice hushed, only for you to hear. The moment is so warm, yet it feels fragile. Trembling like you. “I feel like there’s more to us.”
“I feel that too,” you whisper, almost giggling when he pecks your lips. 
“Let’s talk about it tomorrow, okay? I really just want to hold you for now.”
You nod, lying down with your head on his chest. There’s so many words swimming through your mind, worries and concerns, but also excitement and relief. After all this time of worrying that Jungkook wouldn’t feel the same, he’s been waiting for you. 
With one arm slung over his waist, you snuggle up to him. Finding that familiar spot where both of your bodies are entwined and your mind just relaxes. It’s a safe space. He is. You can still feel his lips on yours—you want that again, but you can wait until tomorrow. For now, you let your lips brush over his exposed collarbone. Feeling him shiver, you smile. Maybe you should thank Taehyung and Kat for violating your dorm. Just maybe.
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© GguksGalaxy 2020
Thanks to: @yoongs-jeontae​ Requested by: Anonymous + Anonymous
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awanderingdeal · 3 years
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Hello there, Lucy! I really enjoyed the injury aspect of the O'darwin fic, I thought it felt very maturely handled to me. I was wondering if you'd perhaps write a continuation based on the last sentence where he stays busy healing in Gryffindor by spending time with Finn? I respect that you don't take hurt/comfort prompts so I'm very sorry if this is too much angst for you but I was hoping we could see Finn helping his brother through his recovery, please. Thank you!
Hi! Sorry this took so long to do 🙈 This isn't 100% what you asked for, but I hope it is satisfying!
You can read the prequel to this fic here which will provide context.
CW: healing from an injury
Rating: T
Let me know if you think I missed any content warnings or need to change the rating.
All characters and the sweater weather universe belong to @lumosinlove
Alex watched mournfully as the bright yellow ball soared past him again, the muscles in his thighs twitching with desire to chase it. Not even a year ago, he'd have met Natalie's serve easily. “Alright, that’s me out," he sighed, pride swelling in his chest. It was still difficult to temper his competitiveness like, but he’d learned his lesson the last time he’d over - done it. Besides, the berating he’d received off his physio hadn’t been worth the slight smoothing of the dent of his ego. 
"You good?" Finn spun the racket in his hands, hair plastered with sweat against his forehead. By this point Alex had gotten used to his brother's boring stare searching for any hidden ribbons of pain in his face. 
"You know the doc said I’m good to play again as long as I listen to my body. I’m listening. Do you want me to bring you a signed permission slip?” Alex bit back a comment about how Finn was only so concerned, because overstepping his limits was well within his own remit of personality flaws too. 
“Sorry for caring, dickface.” Finn stuck his tongue out and picked up a slow jog across the court to grab the ball. He tapped the edge of his racket appeasingly against Alex’s shoulder as he passed. “Blizz, Nat. You two play. Winner stays on?”
“Sir,” Kasey drawled, knocking the tips of his fingers on his temple in a lazy salute. 
Alex met Natalie's eyes across the net just briefly before their mouths split with a loud laughter. Next to her, Kasey blinked slowly at the two of them, his expression clearly indicating he thought they’d lost their minds. It only served to make them laugh harder until air forced itself out of Alex’s nose in a snort. He clutched his side, the muscles there beginning to complain about the lack of oxygen they were receiving. “Did Finn just possess you?” Alex finally managed to gasp out. 
“You become more of an amalgamation of your team each day, Sugar,” Natalie said, a smile still settled on her lips as she pressed them to Kasey’s cheek. “Now go -" she pushed him away playfully, "- onto the other side. I have a game to win.” 
“I’m influential," Finn grinned.
“You’re something, but influential isn’t the word I would choose." Kasey raised an eyebrow. The ball was thrown in his direction at speed, but he plucked it from the air with ease, Kasey's expression smug as he curled long fingers around it. "Do you want another attempt at that, Harzy."
"Just watch your back, Winter," Finn laughed lightly, showing Kasey his middle finger. 
Kasey snorted. "Well, alright. While Finn perfects his supervillain act, Nat, are you good to play first to ten points?" 
"Sure thing," Natalie nodded, her ponytail bobbing. She snaked her tongue over her lips to wet them and smirked. "Don't worry, I'll go easy on you, babe."
"No you won't," Kasey deadpanned. 
"You're right, I won't, Natalie laughed. Alex loved that laugh; it was almost childlike, loud and unapologetic but warm and inviting, just like the rest of her personality. It made Alex want to laugh when he heard it.
"I get ripped into when I look at my boys like that," Finn said, nudging Alex’s shoulder as they sat on the bench, metal warm against the back of their legs under the unseasonably warm early afternoon sun. 
“Like what?” 
“Like you’re falling in love all over again.” Finn had flung his towel over his shoulder, head tipped back slightly, gulping water from the bottle pressed to his lips. He looked far too nonchalant for the sentence that had just left them. 
“You really should have been a brooding artist," Alex teased. Brooklyn would welcome you with open arms." Finn wasn’t wrong though. Alex seemed to find a new way to fall for Natalie and Kasey every day. 
“And deny the world the joy that is Finn O’Hara on the ice? I think not.” 
“So modest.” Alex nudged Finn this time, taking the opportunity to swipe Finn’s water bottle from his hands. He had his own, but he’d dumped his backpack on the other side of the court. Finn made a weak protest, huffing as he hauled his bag onto his lap, grumbling something unintelligible whilst he dug through it. After a lifetime of living with Finn, Alex had learned not to try to decipher the conversations his brother had with himself, instead drumming a beat against the bench until eventually Finn pulled out a silver pouch, grinning triumphantly.  It looked like the sort of thing you would take on a long hike. Alex peered closer at it. “Is that tuna? Just plain tuna.”
“I’m gonna put hot sauce in it,” Finn said, setting the pouch carefully to the side. He shoved his hand into the front pocket of his bag, seeking out a fork and the aforementioned hot sauce. Alex watched in horrified silence as Finn tore the top of the pouch open to release a waft of fish and dumped an obscene amount of the sauce in there. 
“I -” Alex had so many questions he wanted to ask, except he knew asking them would probably only result in having more questions. “That is so gross.”
“Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.” 
“I’ll pass, thanks.”
Finn shovelled a forkful into his mouth, smacking his lips together noisy. “More for me.”
Alex was too distracted to respond. Kasey had just won his first point; Natalie having taken the first, and he took the lull in play as an opportunity to remove the thin headband keeping his hair out of his face. He shook out the brunette strands, neck exposed as he stretched to comb his fingers through it. 
"Didn't he do a shampoo commercial like this once?" 
Alex hummed, glancing briefly at Finn before setting his eyes firmly back on the view in front of him. "A while back...think I'd just left for Florida. I watched that thing more times than I care to admit."
He didn't have to look to feel the eyeball directed at him. Alex expected some teasing quip, but Finn's voice came at him concerned. "How are you-”
“My knee is fine, Finn," Alex sighed, a little irritated. He just wanted to enjoy watching Natalie and Kasey play. "Stop fussing, will you? I'm still the big brother here.”
“You know you can be a real bitch sometimes. I was going to ask how you were feeling about everything." Finn leaned forward, hand outstretched and precariously close to Alex's eye. He laughed as Alex leaned back to avoid the digits. 
"Do not put your tuna fingers near my face.” 
"Stop changing the subject," Finn admonished. "Where's your head at? You said last week you were struggling to find stuff to fill your time?"
Alex scratched at the stubble sprouting along his jawline. "God, when did you get so mature? You were knee high last time I checked."
"Alright, old man. 30's really hitting you hard, huh?" Finn dug his fork back into the foil pouch, pouting when it came out empty. "I've got water balloons in my backpack if that makes you feel better. Not full of water, of course."
"Of course," Alex laughed. "Why do you have water balloons in your bag?"
"Harry is coming over tomorrow afternoon and since the weather is a little nicer now -" Finn paused, halfway through crumpling the pouch into a tight ball. "-Hey, I see what you did there. Stop trying to distract me." He finished compressing the ball, cocking his head slightly to look at Alex properly. "You really don't want to talk about it?"
Alex breathed out heavily, slouching back against the bench. "Not today, Finn. Today I just want to enjoy," he gestured vaguely at the court. "But, I promise we'll go for breakfast sometime next week and we can talk."
"I just don't want," Finn started, the opening and closing of his mouth resembling his nickname. "No, you're right. You're a big boy. If you say you're okay then I'm going to believe you. Just...I'm here if you need me, alright?"
Alex sat up pulling Finn into a hug, his brother's arms wrapping tight around him. "I know. I know. I really am doing better, sometimes I just don't want to have the conversation, y'know? Love you, kiddo."
"Don't call me that," Finn grumbled, squeezing Alex tighter one last time before he pulled away. "Love you too."
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The Nearness of You - A Harry Styles One Shot
A friends to lovers one shot feat. birthdays, pining and stolen purses.
Hello, please enjoy this fever dream fic that came to me a week ago and is now somehow 13.5k and gracing your eyeballs. I’ve never written a one-shot of this nature before and it was quite a refreshing distraction from my usual, long-form fics. Thank you to Anne @oh-honey-styles​ for the encouragement (bullying) and for posting the pic that inspired it all. To everyone else, read on x katey *Because this is quite lengthy, I’d recommend opening in a browser because the Tumblr app can be glitchy*
My masterlist Chat to me here
“When you're in my arms And I feel you so close to me All my wildest dreams came true” The Nearness of You, Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
++
You love the cold.
London in February isn't everybody's cup of tea, but you feel positively giddy walking down the icy Soho street in your new & Other Stories snow boots. The hard, black leather is already making your toes ache, and they're rubbing against the heel of your left foot, but they'll stretch to size, and you can tell these are going to be Your Signature Boots. The wind whips against your cheeks, red flushing them as you cross the laneway and push open the door to the chic little restaurant you've followed on Instagram for years but never had an excuse to try. Figures Harry chose it for tonight. Sometimes you wondered if the coincidences were a little too … Coincidental.
"Hi," you smile brightly to the maître d', "I'm uh … I'm here for the birthday? For Harry?"
Do I need to say his surname? You think to yourself.
"Can I have your name, please?" The suited man pulls a piece of paper out of the reservations book and waits for you to identify yourself. Your chest is rattling from the cold and the flurry of nerves you're all too familiar with ignoring.
"Y/N," you say your full name, taking in the dark floor of the restaurant, the flickering candles on the tables and lining the bar that takes up the entire left side of the room. The whole place is beautiful, just like you've double-tapped online; all deep reds and burgundies, vintage posters, and mismatched, dark wooden furniture. A jazz record plays just loudly enough to fuse the conversations at all the tables into one comfortable sound. It would make for a sexy place for a date, you decide, stolen touches under the table would feel thrilling and seductive.
The maître d' nods, you're on the list, "Back in the private dining room," he says, "Follow me this way."
You push your evening bag further up your shoulder and walk half the length of the bar, your eyes adjusting to the darkness. You catch the bartender watching you as you go, he's cute, and you give him an awkward little wave before calling out ahead of you.
"Sorry, excuse me," you get the attention of the man leading you through, "Can you point me to where I need to go? I'm going to get a drink to take in first if that's okay?"
"Just there," he points to the doorway at the back, next to the kitchen pass, "The curtain on the right."
Thanking him, you watch as he walks back to his station by the front door. You turn to the bar and rest your hands on the cool wood. They've stuck the pages together of old Little Golden Books for the drink menus, but you'll be ordering what you always get on birthdays, so don't take in the beverage options as you flip through The Tawny Scrawny Lion. You remember it from when you were a kid.
The bartender moves to stand in front of you, a gleam in his eyes and flirtatious smirk on his face, "Pretty good read, that one. You have to order a drink though, this isn't a library."
You laugh, he's laying it on a bit thick but probably just after the tip, "I was more a The Poky Little Puppy sort of girl."
He gives you a grin of approval, flipping a napkin up onto the bar in front of you, "What can I make for you?"
"I'll have two Old Fashioneds, please," you lean forward onto your elbows to give your feet a rest as he pulls up a second napkin and then two crystal, lowball glasses. "They're pretty," you comment without thinking.
"It's all about the glass," he confirms quickly, dropping brown sugar cubes into each one and then shaking bitters on top. Your eyes focus on the way the squares dissolve and fall in on themselves as he speaks again, "I'm Jack."
"Y/N," you give your name for the second time, throwing a brief smile his way, "I've never actually watched someone make these before."
Jack pauses and gives you a teasing look, "Do you want me to stop so you can get something to write this all down?"
You laugh and roll your eyes at him as he goes back to making the drinks. You're stalling. You know when you go through the curtain in the back there'll be a dozen people who're all dressed nicer than you, with more impressive jobs than you, who have funnier, more outrageous stories about the birthday boy than you. You'll need to stand awkwardly in the doorway for a few moments too long before Harry notices you, and then your greeting will be watched by all his cool, London friends.
You know better than to let any of that dull your shine—you really do—but you've had a rough few months, and if you're honest, you'd like your first time seeing Harry since the summer to be a little more low-key than this. So that's why you're wearing the new boots that hurt and might not suit the dress code because they're new and you feel good wearing them with this outfit. It feels a little special to be out celebrating Harry's (belated) birthday in a semi-new ensemble. You managed to fluke getting your hair and makeup just right, and yes, your legs do look pretty fantastic in these tights with the short, roll neck, knit dress, thank you very much.
"Here you go," Jack brings your attention back to him, you can smell the citrus twist in front of you, and the crystal glass deflects the light from the candles, "Can I put this on a tab for you? You're with the birthday?"
"I'll pay," you tell him, already digging for your card and holding it out to him.
"Oi!" You hear a very familiar voice call out from the far end of the bar, the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and you shiver, "What're you payin' for? What's she—don't take her money!"
You keep your arm out steadily to Jack and raise your eyebrows at him, "Take it," you urge him quickly, feeling him pluck it from your fingers just as you turn towards the voice you know so well.
That familiar Tom Ford cologne hits your nose just as Harry hurries up and deposits himself heavily against the bar, right up in your personal space. His broad frame blocks out the room to you, and he's lit softly in the dim light and looking radiant from within, as per usual. He's got his crazy eyes out—accusing you—and his eyebrows are pinched together slightly, but he looks good. Happy. Rested. Pleased to see you.
Harry's always pleased to see everyone, you tell yourself, Hold it together.
He pulls you into his chest for a hug. Your cheek presses just below his pecs, and you feel the way he's grown more defined since you last saw him. The material of his t-shirt is soft and smells clean. It's a tight squeeze he gives you, one that you resist reading into. Was it healthy for there to be so much comfort in a simple hug? Was your whole body allowed to tingle and fizz from the embrace of a friend? Was it pathetic to have been carrying around in your ribcage the same crush from when you were thirteen?
Affirmative. Without a doubt. Yes.
You haven't seen Harry since mid-September, the last time he was in London. Well, the last time he was in London and had time to see you. You're sure there were probably business trips, Christmas definitely. And going off Instagram, you think he might've flown into Manchester and spent a long weekend with Anne back in October, but if it was any of your business, it would've been your business. You needed to be grateful simply for what you got; intermittent texts about books he'd read or maybe a happy drunk voicemail if he thought of you at the right time. He sent an email at Christmas with a charitable contribution in your name instead of a gift.
"It's so good to see you," Harry says as he pulls away, all crinkled eyes and broad smiles. You don't know your grin has launched his heart into space and that despite having just gone to the bathroom, Harry feels due for a nervous wee. He thinks you look fucking gorgeous tonight. Knowing you've done your hair, and eyeliner, and picked that dress to come out and celebrate his birthday … It sends a jolt of desire straight to his groin—beauty blooms in front of his eyes in you.
Tell her, you idiot. Twenty-seven could be the year.
"Hi," you chirp at him happily and pick up one of the glasses in front of you, "I got you a drink."
Harry watches you fondly and then dramatically looks off to the side, lets out a little huff, "Typical Y/N, buying her own drink … You really think I wouldn't have one here for you?"
Nevertheless, he says a quiet thank you, takes the glass from you and deliberately sniffs it as if he's not sure what's inside or if he'll like it. You smack his arm lightly at the show and pick up your own glass, chinking it to the side of his and watching him over the rim as you both take your first sips. The familiar taste and view fill your tummy with gurgling happiness that sits high in your chest. He's dressed almost exactly how you expected him to be—smart, high-waisted dress pants and a printed t-shirt. You're glad you didn't go too formal, the restaurant is nice, but it's not Hatted or anything, not like the place he took you in LA that time, where you felt like the biggest idiot in the world for not realising beforehand, was properly fancy.
"Fuckin' delicious," he rumbles slowly, bringing you back to the cocktail, "A classic."
"Happy birthday," you tell Harry sweetly, thankful for what's likely to be your only quiet moment with him all night, "Sorry I couldn't make it to the LA party."
"Ah," Harry waves you off, "Your job's much too important here."
He means it. Harry's beyond proud of you. He's always telling people you work for the NHS, saving lives and keeping the country going. The party in LA was thrown together by some people at the last minute, and even though most of the friends he left in the backroom when he went to find the bathrooms a few moments ago were able to fly across for it, Harry's not the least bit put out by you not being able to. Would've been a big trip for you to do on your own and he knew there's no way you'd miss his London celebration. And you sent over a gift, which shouldn't have surprised him. His actual birthday was spent in LA, and that morning a parcel arrived from you—two new notebooks and a novel Harry read the back of and instantly knew he would love. It's what he read on the flight home to the UK.
Trust you to want him to have the gift on his birthday—go to all that trouble of packaging it and sending it over—when you were going to see him in London ten days later anyway. Harry could do worse than a friend like you.
"I just need a bit more notice than four da—
—Please," Harry's shaking his head at you, hating watching you apologise for something he really doesn't care about. "I'm glad you're here tonight," he tells you genuinely, fingers reaching out to brush your bangs away from your eyebrow briefly and—did the room just spin around you?—get a glimpse of the bronze sheen over your eyelids, "I haven't seen your new hair in person, looks lovely."
Lovely? he scolds himself, Lovely is a nice jam scone, lovely is a hug from mum …
"Oh," you coo, automatically sending your own fingers up to where Harry's had just been to reposition your newish bangs, "Thanks, still getting used to it, wanted to do it forever but wasn't brave enough to I guess."
"I like your natural hair colour, too," he continues slowly, eyes running over your whole head, "I mean, I loved how it used to be … But I like this a lot."
Shit, Harry's already failing to adhere to the strict series of pep talks he's given himself over the last couple of days. He's babbling, and he's probably just made you think he's not liked how you've had your hair for the previous twelve years. Is he buzzed from the cocktail or from the way your cheeks have gone a little pink since he touched you? His compliment made you squirm, and Harry wants to do it again and again until what he's feeling makes sense.
"Just, you know, feels like a throwback to the old days," he mumbles through another sip of the cocktail you both love, a glint appears in his eyes as he continues, "When you had Barbie overalls and would spend half a day plaiting your whole head in those tiny little rat tails."
Your mouth opens into a horrified O, and you let out a single laugh, "Rat tails? They were cool. And I was eleven when we met, I'd definitely already outgrown the Barbie overalls."
"Whatever you say," Harry smirks at you, signature dimples appearing on his cheeks, "I just remember those little beads from the ends of them ending up all over the bottom of the pool."
You smile at the memory. You remember duck diving with Gemma to collect all the beads so they could be put back into your hair the next day. Nearly drowning from laughing so hard at Harry and the other boys trying to stand on your backs in the water. Summers with Harry were always spent laughing. The local pool and skate park saw all your adventures. When Harry's dad moved in next door to your family after his parent's divorce, you and your brother hung off the fence, peering into the backyard to see if any toys or a trampoline might appear signally new kids next door. They didn't, and it wasn't until the summer when Harry and Gemma arrived for their holidays that you jumped the fence with ice lollies and offered yourself up as a new friend.
"Simpler times," you muse to yourself, looking up and catching the perplexed look Harry was giving you, "Spaced out a bit, sorry."
"I've missed my little weirdo," he grins at you affectionately, angling a little closer and levelling his head down to yours as he bit his lip and frowned, "Are you doing alright though?"
You let out a little sigh and avert your eyes to where Jack, the bartender, is busy making trays of drinks for different tables. Harry observes you carefully, a twinge of guilt forms for causing the sad look that's come over your face, but also for not having asked the question weeks ago. Gemma told him at Christmas, an off-handed comment about you being newly single. When he heard the evil gremlin in him was fucking relieved, just like he always was.
"I'm fine," you try a smile out and pull your lips up higher when you don't think Harry buys it, "Better. Had my crisis haircut and drank myself to tears with my work friends. Just a normal break up, really. M'getting used to them at this point."
A small, white lie.
Each breakup bruises you deeply. Talking about it afterwards fills you with a shame that makes you feel naked, like everyone else can see what's wrong with you but you. As though it's obvious why nobody's picked you yet. You don't ever want to talk about it afterwards, (especially not with Harry) don't want to draw attention to it. Prefer to let the disappointment and loneliness pool in your tummy and sit there heavily, weighing you down, waiting for the One Day someone spectacular might come along and be buoyant enough to float away with you.
You're looking for your forever. You want the cheesy romance, and the love, and marriage, and kids, and the whole stupid thing. You want to be wanted and loved and cherished. That's what you're ready for. You just can't find anyone who's ready for that with you. So, you date, have mediocre boyfriends who rarely make it to the first anniversary, then pick up the pieces and try again.
Wash, rinse, repeat.
"Well," Harry swallows, reaches out for your arm to make sure you look at him, "You look beautiful tonight. And it's his loss, he's clearly a monumental idiot."
You give Harry a noncommittal hum in response. Just as you're about to say something you shouldn't—get into details you bet Harry really isn't that interested in knowing—you catch the movement of someone appearing from the doorway behind Harry and then approaching you both.
"Harry, mate," you don't know the guy who's recognised Harry's back and is calling out for his attention now, "Thought you might've fallen in."
Harry snaps around quickly to the voice, blocking your view. You take another sip of your drink and pull in a deep breath. Not fitting into any of Harry' groups socially has its downfalls. If his sister wasn't around, you tended to have to make friends at anything Harry invites you to. You're not part of his Holmes Chapel crew or his LA friends, and you definitely don't fit into the London group. Over the years there have been faces you've come to find familiar, but you're still the singular, hanger-on friend from Harry's second childhood home.
Peering around Harry's shoulder, you catch the end of a look between the two guys you think alludes to this new friend gauging whether Harry needs rescuing from you. You briefly wish the ground would open and swallow you whole. You know that look well.
"Aiden, this is Y/N," Harry raises his arm and angles to pull you around in front of him.
You hold up your drink, awkwardly, "Hi."
Aiden gives you a hesitant smile, "Hello," then he raises his eyebrows at Harry, "Harry, you coming back in, mate?"
Harry bites his lip and chuckles, reading the look on his friend's face, "You're a prick, I don't need saving. Known Y/N since I was twelve, we were just catching up."
You feel yourself go bright red, and you're thankful for the forgiving lighting. This isn't the first time this exact scenario has happened to you. You've been on the receiving end of that uneasy look before—his friends checking if the girl who isn't there with anyone else is supposed to be there at all. Backstage at the O2, a member of Harry's security once hauled you to the tour manager's office to check your VIP credentials were legitimate. You'll take that story with you to the grave.
Aiden deflates slightly and waves a hand your way, "Shit, sorry, thought he'd been cornered by a fan again … I mean, a pretty fan to say the least but …" he coughs into his hand when Harry gives him a glare you don't see, "Great to meet you."
"No worries," you wave it off like it's nothing. The truth is your brain has short-circuited at Harry's palm resting on the small of your back, he's not moved it from when he first brought you forward. Friendly touches weren't strange between you, but this lingering, comforting hand is burning a hole in you tonight. You haven't been out and had anyone touch you since your breakup, and Harry is setting off all you nerve endings. You tilt your weight onto your other foot to pull back from him slightly, but Harry's hand travels with you. "We should go back, I might use the loo first though, is it that way?"
Harry watches you point in the direction of the bathroom, you're flustered and he really wishes he could tell Aiden to buzz off so he could just take another few minutes with you. Brief you on who was in the room you were about to go into. You wouldn't know any of them, and Harry always appreciated that you came to things on your own, particularly when you wouldn't know anyone aside from him once you got there. He should have invited his sister so you'd have a buddy. Or told you to bring a friend. Not a boyfriend, though.
He watches you take the final drag from your drink and put the glass down on top of the bar, "Thanks Jack, t' was dee-lish," you catch the attention of the bartender, throwing him a beaming grin. And Harry watches the way the guy's features light up at being called on by you. Envy rumbles in Harry's gut, he recognises the dumb smile and dopey nod of Barman Jack's head. Has felt it a hundred times himself when he's been on the receiving end of your quirky humour.
You walk away, and Harry feels Aiden watching him, "She's fit," he comments, trying to get a rise out of Harry, reading the room perfectly.
"Fuck you," Harry grunts at him.
++
Harry sits opposite you at the long table in the private dining room.
You nurse a glass of rosé and eat the food slowly, savouring it. You deliberated over the menu for a long time before settling on what to order, you've seen photos of most of the dishes online, but there were several new ones too. Harry goes off your recommendations but spends a lot of the dinner talking to the people sitting beside him. He knows if he tried talking to you right now, he'd just get lost in you, which is both rude for a birthday party and bound to be too conspicuous.
You insert yourself into a conversation with the girls sitting next to you and pretend you're good at making friends. They spend most of the meal talking about something that was on the telly the night before. You were on shift so missed it, but pretend to be interested or like you might've seen it—anything to not stick out like a sore thumb.
Harry watches you out the corner of his eye the whole time. You've shrugged off your jacket, and he recognises the gold necklace you've got around the collar of your dress, sitting over the black fabric on your chest. He's pretty sure it was a gift from Gemma a few years ago, you wear it all the time. Harry makes a note to get you something that compliments it for your birthday coming up. You're chatting to one of his mate's girlfriends and Lisa who's been on his publicity team for years. Those would've been the two he'd have introduced you to first as well. He can't stop watching the way your lips turn up every time something funny is said, or one of the girls makes eye contact with you. Watching you try with his other friends always makes Harry feel warm and giddy for some reason.
Fuck, he's missed you. And he berates himself for the fact he never seems to remember that until he sees you again. (It's strategic usually, his heart doesn't take your company well when he knows you're going home to someone else) You're so engaging and kind and unintentionally charming, and you always have time for him. Harry knows he's not an easy human to be friends with; he constantly ducks in and out and is never around for the big things, let alone being available to call on a random day to just hang out with. The friendship is always on his terms, and he knows it makes him a selfish prick. You definitely could've done with a call a couple of months back when you had your heart broken. Like always, he missed it, and by the time he was sending you a message about an episode of Midsomer Murders, he felt as though the moment to console you had passed, and Harry didn't want to draw attention to the fact he wasn't around for it.
"Harry?"
"Hmm?" His head snaps back around to the person next to him, thoughts still on you across the table. He agrees with whatever was said and does his best to catch up.
Harry's got to stop thinking about how you're single at the moment. He really does.
++
A few hours later, it's the girl sitting to your left, Lisa, who first mentions the idea of kicking on.
It's after dessert—after everyone sang happy birthday to Harry over a round of espresso martinis—and you're starting to think that if you leave now, you'll be home before midnight, which means the tube won't be too deserted to feel safe. You're also at a comfortable place to wake up without a hangover in the morning. Two cocktails and a glass of wine over dinner, because any more and you're scared you could say something stupid to the wrong (right) person.
Harry's face lights up, and he looks around the room, eager at the idea of going to a bar or two for more drinks. He's not been out in London for the longest time, and he's happily buzzed enough to not be too worried about running into people. Feels like this group of friends have gelled well together. How often does he get to have a night like this in London? Hardly ever.
"Yeah, let me sort out the tab and then we're good to go," Harry says, pushing his seat back from the table and standing up, his hands hunting his pockets for his wallet and phone, "I'll be right back."
When he goes, you decide now's as good a time as any to split. You pull your coat on and say goodbye to the friends you made over the meal. Lisa gives you her business cards as if speaking to you had been part of her job, you slip it straight into your coat pocket and can already picture it at the bottom of the garbage in your kitchen. You revisit the bathrooms, and when you come back out into the main restaurant area, Harry's still leaning against the front desk, chatting to the maître d' from earlier.
He feels your small hand land on his back and jolts upright at the contact, your gentle voice calling his name softly, "Harry, I'm going to head home."
He spins around, and you catch the fall of his face, "What? No … No. You're the one I want to hang out with the most," his bottom lip juts out and his brows furrow. "Y/N."
"Thanks a fuckin' lot, mate," you hear a male voice laugh at your back, they slip behind you and out into the chilly air, and Harry flips them the bird. You were pushed closer into his chest as they jostled past and he steadied you with his arms latched onto your forearms. Still watching outside, you see a cigarette lighter flare-up on the footpath and the end of an orange butt glow spectacularly in the night. When you glance back at Harry, he's not looking happy.
"Don't pout," you tell him lightly, you reach up and press the skin taut between his eyes smooth again, "Can't wrinkle that rockstar face of yours."
His face lights up, and his skin heats where you made contact, "You can't go yet."
"Harry," your features tangle into something like a grimace, "You'll have a better time without me. Everyone seems to be pretty tight—"
—Y/N," he gives you a final, pleading look, "Please come."
You make out like you're stomping your foot in defiance, "Fine."
"Score!" Harry cheers under his breath, shrugging his jacket up over his shoulders and saying a final round of thank yous to the staff. When you're out on the street at Harry's side somebody mentions the name of the next place and points the direction of it, Harry places a hand on your shoulder as you start to walk and leans down to your ear, "I just have one condition for you coming."
You pull back and look at him, "I don't think you get conditions when you've begged me to be here."
"A birthday condition then," he edits, pressing his lips together and smiling at you with his eyes, "You have to promise to do what I say before I ask it."
You narrow your eyes at him, "I suppose you only turn twenty-seven once. You can have a single wish from me."
Harry laughs and slips his fingers under the strap of your evening bag, "Give me this."
You think briefly he means to carry it for you, which is a strange thing for Harry to request. But then he unzips it in front of you and starts rifling around inside it, slipping your phone under his arm so he can move around the lipstick and tissues and emergency Galaxy bar to eventually pull out your small purse.
"Harry! What are you—
—Ah, ah!" He holds it all away from you and reminds you of the promise. "This is mine for the night," he says, slipping your purse into his coat pocket. "Otherwise you'll end up buying too many rounds."
You try to sneak your hand into the pocket after your wallet, "Don't be stupid. It's your birthday, I'll buy every round if I need to."
"Exactly my point," he steps away from you down the street, and you skip to be back at his side. He's stolen your money and your chocolate bar.
"Harry, give it back."
"Nope," he pops the 'p' and hands you back the bag, the Galaxy bar hanging from between his teeth, still in the packet, "You promised. Now hurry up and walk, and I might give you a bite of this. 'm freezing my balls off, we are not in LA anymore."
So that's how you end up in the next bar, your handbag a little lighter, squished into Harry's side with a pleasantly sour cocktail he paid for between your fingers. The booth is so far into the back wall you're not even really sure which direction the front door is anymore. Somehow, you've managed to sit ten people around a booth probably designed for six, but nobody seems to be bothered.
Your whole right side is on fire, though.
You can feel Harry from the top of your shoulder all the way to your ankle. His hip sits neatly next to yours, Harry's left elbow rests just above your right thigh, and your knees press together every time he gets excited when he speaks and unintentionally opens his legs up. If Harry's bothered by it there's no way you'd know, he's hardly looked at you since you all sat down, much less uttered a word of discomfort about the seating arrangements. Makes no sense really, when he seemed so desperate for you to stay out with them.
(Next to you Harry's felt like he was high most of the time, he's flashing in and out of the conversations around him. Because he can smell your perfume—Stella by Stella McCartney, he'd know that fragrance anywhere, you've been wearing it since you were seventeen—and you're warm and snug beside him. He feels completely insane. But he also feels inflated with a heart-crushing joy at having you so close. He's trying his best not to draw attention to it or to you because what he's always liked most about your friendship is that you're just his. God, he needs to do better at seeing you more often, talking more, being more. Each breath as he's touching you is like a crack of electricity through his chest that aches beautifully. Nobody else feels like this. Even when he's dated, what he's felt with them can't hold a candle to his boyhood crush on you.)
You sip your drink and laugh at the embarrassing story that's being told about Harry, oblivious to his torment. Oblivious to how Harry feels your forearm brush his leg and has the overwhelming desire to deposit his palm on your thigh and keep it there, probably forever.
It strikes you that the last time you saw Harry was before the current anecdote about him in Italy happened, and at the table, it's being spoken about as though it was ancient history. You wonder what historic classification your memory of thirteen-year-old Harry would get, that time he attempted to bleach his hair with lemon juice. He ended up with second-degree burns on his forehead from the acid reacting with the sun.
Or the time Gemma stayed in Holmes Chapel for the summer because she had her first boyfriend, and so you spent six weeks learning that maybe you'd been wrong about who your favourite Styles child was. Maybe the boy who, when you were eleven, didn't impress you much, suddenly at thirteen, demanded all your attention. Made that summer become the first where you considered your outfits and whether your mum sending you next door with homemade snacks made you look lame.
"… And of course, Harry can't walk away from a dance floor when he's on the tequila …" everyone around the table laughs. Harry peeks at you to make sure you are too, but he's not very good at it because you notice, a smile flares on your lips.
You're used to long periods of not seeing each other, it's how it's always been. Harry and Gemma spent the summers with their dad and then returned to Holmes Chapel for real life. Sometimes that's what it still felt like, as though each time you saw either of them you were acutely aware there was a foreign Real Life they would go back to without you.
Harry in particular. You were used to not seeing him for months on end, usually the whole school year. Just a few messages over MySpace and birthday cards, and then, when you were out of school, invites to parties Harry couldn't come to anymore—'I'm in Australia, how insane is that? Sorry, I'll miss your 18th …' or 'I can only stay until the 8th, could you maybe graduate a week earlier? ;)'—and emails every other month with a new mobile number for you to overwrite his contact in your phone with. You're not saying you feel hard done by in your friendship, you don't. It's just always very take-what-you-can-get with Harry.
"You've got your thinky eyes on," he's pivoted his whole body towards you, hips twisted in an entirely uncomfortable looking position. Harry's got his resting elbow on the table right next to where your hand holds your drink, and he's looking down at you with careful eyes, "Where are you?"
"The pool a dozen summers ago," you answer easily, pursing your lips together and running a knuckle along your hairline, "Thinking about your ah, burn incident."
Harry's face explodes in a grin, and his eyes roll up to the ceiling and then capture yours again, "For fuck's sake, you're never going to stop bringing that up, are you?"
"You were a horrible blonde," you remark quickly, "If you ever so much as blink in the direction of a packet of bleach you have to call me, okay? I'll have no issue telling you, categorically, you should never dye your hair."
"Categorically," Harry mimics you childishly, "Alright, I get it, you went to uni. No need to use words with fifty syllables to make me feel stupid."
You bring your glass up to your lips, "Come off it, Harry, you're ten times smarter than me."
His forehead raises, "You're the cleverest person I know. Don't make me call Gem to confirm it."
"Don't bring your sister into this, Harry," you deadpan.
He goes to reply but holds back, something unnamable travelling across his eyes as he watches you lick your lips after taking another sip of your drink. Harry's leaning a little closer than he might usually, and despite the fact he's a few drinks in he still smells only of Tom Ford and clean clothes. He's just about to ask you what you're doing the next day when he gets hit in the side of the head with a coaster.
"Hey," he cries out, pulling back from you and frowning around at the group trying to figure out who the culprit is," 'M the fucking birthday boy, watch it."
Lisa is the girl directly across from Harry and yourself, and she's is the one who threw it. She's giving Harry a coy smile and holds up her empty glass to him, a not so subtle request makes the drink in your hand feel like a concrete brick. Something dirty you don't like having. She's got captivating blue eyes and straight blonde hair—exactly Harry's usual type. Your heart sinks as he slides out of the booth next to you, laughing at her flirtatious request and taking a tally of who else wants a new drink.
"Y/N?" Your name is delicate on his lips, and it makes you want to cry. Why is it so easy for you to make things feel like they mean more with him?
You direct your smile his way, "I'm good, thanks."
His head tilts to one side, "You sure?"
"Positive," you nod, feeling your cheeks burn as everyone watches the exchange.
"Okay," Harry taps the table with the corner of his phone, "I'll be right back."
After a few moments, you sneak off to the bathroom, happy to see Harry's beaten you back from the bar when you return. He's sitting in your spot, deep in conversation with the person beside him who you recognise from the radio. Tentatively, you slip in next to him, careful not to touch him this time. Harry's got his hand casually resting on the table, turning your glass forty-five degrees one way and then back the other way as he speaks. You think about reaching over and pulling it out of his hand gently (you're losing your buzz, and Little Miss Bombshell across the table has made you feel silly and juvenile) but it looks to be an almost serious conversation, so you don't. With a smile plastered on your face, you look around the table, resisting the urge to pull out your phone to check if either of your flatmates has text you to meet up with them somewhere.
It's a delicious whiff of your perfume behind him that turns Harry's head. You're back from the bathroom, although nobody was able to confirm that's where you went when he got back from the bar and asked after you. Harry pushes your drink over and gives you a smile, taking note of the fresh layer of lipstick and messy oomph to your hair that perfectly shows off the new style and bangs.
Golden, he thinks, As always,
"Your new hair really does look beautiful," Harry tells you, the bar stilling around you as his face becomes all the world is for you at that moment, "Next time, don't wait for a dickhead to break your heart before doing something to make yourself feel good."
You swallow down the thickness in your throat, "Thanks, Harry."
++
Walking to the next bar, Harry can't stop himself from asking.
"What happened?"
You kick your foot out as you wait at a set of traffic lights, half the group ran to cross, but you, Harry and a couple of others were too slow, "What happened with what?"
Harry watches his breath fan out in front of his face, "With your ex, with …"
"Tim."
"Tim, yeah," he turns to look down at you, hands tucked into his coat pockets, "What happened with Tim?"
"Nothing really," you start strong, then shrug one shoulder as you think about it. It's safe to cross so you wait until you're stepping up over the gutter and onto the opposite footpath before you continue, "Probably a lot of little things but … Always felt like he thought I was asking for a bit too much. I guess in the end he just didn't like me all that much."
The way your voice drops kills Harry, he's not detecting self-deprecation but something far worse. He's detecting acceptance or acknowledgement or like you're confessing some truth that should have been obvious.
"Y/N," he stops walking and halts you as well, lets Adrian and Lisa walk around and out in front of you, "If he didn't like you very much then he's got some kind of chemical imbalance. I mean it, this guy's not worth a second of your heartache."
It's not like Harry's a dickhead about it, not like he thinks you should date people with more money or status or who are more impressive. A person isn't their job or what car they drive, he knows that. Harry's not about judging anyone, but you really do seem to date guys not worthy of you. He hasn't met many of them, but Harry knows this to be true because if they were worthy, you simply wouldn't be single right now. If you dated someone half-decent, there wouldn't be a chance in hell they'd let you go. You're beautiful and thoughtful and intelligent and funny—so funny—which means Harry knows without a doubt that this Tim guy was an absolute fuckwit.
"It's not necessarily about the guy," you start and Harry can hear the thick emotion in your voice, "Is it? It's about the idea. The disappointment is more about not getting the fairytale, not finding my person. Not getting the whole package everyone else seems to have found. I know Tim wasn't right—truth be told I didn't end up liking him very much either—doesn't stop me from being sad that I still haven't found it."
"'It'… That's what you're looking for?" Harry asks, eyes out front where the rest of the group are all stopped waiting at another set of traffic lights.
They're laughing and chatting loudly to other people on nights out, and hanging off street poles to get funny pictures. He doesn't want to catch up to them, not when the two of you are in the middle of this conversation that's making his heart race and his hands sweat. He starts taking smaller steps.
"Yeah," you breathe out, almost sounding ashamed of yourself, "Don't seem to be looking in the right places."
Look over here, Harry thinks.
"But I mean, each breakup I end up getting something out of it," you've flicked your positivity switch, "This time I got these boots and bangs," you kick out your foot and watch Harry take note of your footwear, "Last break up I got four houseplants and a new watch … It's not all bad. What about you?" you turn it back on Harry, "Are you seeing anyone at the moment?"
It's hard to tell with Harry. You either find out from his sister or sometimes, social media. Although that's all usually trash. Generally, when Harry's seeing someone, you'll hear it confirmed from Gemma, and the next time you see Harry, it'll be something you're assumed to know. You haven't seen Gemma since Christmas time though, for your annual festive get together, and she didn't mention anything. Tim had ended things with you a few days before, so that was the main topic of conversation.
"No," Harry confirms what you'd already deduced—and hoped—in your head, "Not for a while now."
"Got your eye on anyone?" You quiz faux cheekily, your smile a little too wide.
Yes, you, he says to himself as he looks at the side of your face.
You hope he's not got some girl in LA he's into. Just like you'd hoped his answer to the previous question. But the hope was silly, something that bloomed in your chest each time you saw him and died again before you were home in your bed, alone.
"I'll let you know," he says aloud.
You think you see something else there in his expression, but you know you can't have. Your mind is swirling, and you're feeling a tingling sensation all over that you know you shouldn't. It'll only leave you disappointed when you part ways tonight and don't see him for another few months. The tiny bits of maybe mores and perhaps are dangerous to things to cling on to now, they'll all turn into Nothings very quickly.
Someone steals his attention away from you when you get to the next street corner. Most of the group are gathered there, and you're not sure whether to believe it when Lisa says they missed the green man to cross the road because they were talking. She sides up to Harry and starts waving her hands around in an animated story about something or other. Harry crosses the street with her, and you give him up for the night.
But he's acutely aware of what's happened. Harry's not stupid—he's emotionally intelligent, and spent enough time with Lisa on nights out before—and he can see that she's deliberately pulled him aside. He likes her, quite a bit, but she doesn't make his insides flip, or his toes curl. She's firmly Just A Friend. Harry hasn't spent countless hours over the years thinking about her, lying to himself about how he's completely fine when she starts dating someone new. He's never thought about an alternative life, one where he stayed at school and went to uni and got a regular job and maybe (definitely) ended up with her.
He's imagined that life with you—more than once. More than a dozen times, if he's honest. For years now, Harry's bitten his tongue and smiled through the pain of not being able to have you. And sure, most of the time it's a dull ache, deep in the recess of his mind, that needs to be called on or conjured to really be felt, but it's always been there. He's always had an (Astronomical) Soft Spot For You. Ever since that summer you broke your arm falling off the back of the ramp at the skate park, and he first saw you cry. At fifteen he didn't know what the hollow but sharp pain through his heart was as he rushed to your side, but now he knows that was the first sign he didn't see you as just a mate. Would never again see you as just a mate.
And now, hearing you use the word 'it'. You say you're out there dating idiots trying to find it and Harry's just unwaveringly sure he that could be him. He wants to be it for you.
You've pulled out your phone and fallen behind, face pulled down as you type away furiously. Harry watches you out of the corner of his eye, half just to watch you and half to make sure you don't get separated entirely from the safety of the group.
"Y/N," he calls out, unable to keep up with Lisa's story and unwilling to try to tune back into it. She stops short, and annoyance flits across her face, but Harry still turns to you, still crosses his arms over his chest and gives you his best scolding look, "It's the oldest trick in the book," he goads you. Lisa sighs behind him, and he ignores it.
Your head slowly comes up and takes in Harry (and Lisa sulking behind him), "What is?"
"Fallin' behind so you can peek at my bum."
You point at the long coat Harry's wearing that goes to his knees, "Can't see half of you under that thing."
"Ah, ha!" He calls out, his pointer finger floating in the air right in front of your face, "So you've tried."
You shove his shoulder and step around him, trying like anything to act neutrally. You're aware Lisa is still watching on, and you're not used to your friendship with Harry being quite so carefully observed. You know your face has gone red and you're really not going to involve yourself in a pissing contest with her. It's not classy and certainly not your vibe.
As you walk away, boots clip up behind you, and Harry heavily drapes his arm right across your shoulders, pulls you into his side, "Was just teasin', love."
"I know," you respond quietly, not upset, not really.
"Though I might've made you sad," Harry continues solemnly, "Know you get embarrassed in front of people."
Your face cracks into a smile, "Opposite of you, hey, you're practically an exhibitionist."
He should flirt because you've led him to a pretty easy window into a dirty joke, but something has Harry hanging onto his regret, "I mean it, shouldn't tease you …Should be old enough to use my words, tell you what I think."
You've got no idea what he's on about, "Harry, the teasing was fine. Where's this bloody bar though?"
Up ahead, everyone's standing on the footpath in a clump. Harry can feel the next words on his lips but has to hold them in when his mates turn and see he's finally caught up. They're waiting a few minutes for a table, someone explains, then they'll be able to go in. Harry thinks how little he feels like another drink at another bar. A few people walk away from the group to share cigarettes. You're standing a little bit away, under the sign for the butcher next-door and kick your foot back against the wall like the slight movement might warm you up.
As he steps up to you, Harry watches you get distracted by the group of people spilling out of the bar you're all about to go into. He doesn't want to take advantage of knowing you're newly single also doesn't want to let this opportunity pass. You're always dating someone, or he is, or there's some other reason not to. There's always a reason to hold back from you and Harry refuses to believe it's the drinks he's had nudging him into this. Neither of you is drunk, he wouldn't even say he's tipsy anymore. Just warm and contemplative and less inhibited than usual.
"C' mere," he calls softly, the tips of his boots landing right in front of yours, your bodies a hands' width apart. He wants you closer.
"Harry—
He opens up his coat to you and when you don't move—your brain is busy short-circuiting—he acts for you and winds his arm around your shoulder to encase you in the warmth, "Get in," Harry says, "You're shivering."
You're shocked by the contact, at him being so close and inviting you in and then just taking you in his jacket. He's wrapped the lapels around both your bodies and forced you against his chest. He hums against you, but you're feeling incredibly awkward with your arms hitched up against your chest and pressed rigidly into his shoulders. You've not been in a hold like this before and certainly not with Harry.
He pulls back and digs around for your wrists, "You've gotta put them around me," he stretches his arms behind his back, taking yours with them and instructing you to really settle against him. "There, that's better," he wraps the jacket back around you, and the two of you stand like that—hearts pressed together, scents converging and your whole frame shaking against his—for what seems like far too long for it mean nothing. Right? Your thoughts ricocheted around inside his jacket and go nowhere, solve nothing in your mind.
Over your shoulder, he sees the rest of the group have gone into the bar. He's not surprised none of them called out, Harry's angled you both away from the door and with his head ducked down against yours they probably (hopefully) missed you both there.
It's Harry's twenty-seventh birthday, and maybe that's made him sullen or introspective. Made him think about the passage of time and how another year has passed him by, yet here he stands in the same place as ever—wanting you. Wishing for more, or waiting for a moment that feels right, or hoping something will happen. With growing older comes a sense of regret and an acceptance that twenty-six has happened and anything he wanted to achieve by that age but didn't he never will. There's only the future. Only the things he can do. And the mix of all that with the cocktails has Harry feeling as though he has to act on this. Every birthday he thinks maybe by the next one the Somethings or the Maybes might have happened, and you won't be standing in front of him as just his friend.
"Always had a thing for you," Harry says, his chin resting against the crown of your head while his arms link around low on your back, holding you against him, "I've always liked you more than I should."
Oh god, you think, your chest freezing in place, I'm hallucinating.
"What?" Now your heart is really racing. Or maybe it's completely stopped, seized up and fallen out of your chest onto the salt-covered footpath.
His voice comes out evenly as he repeats himself, "Feels bigger than a crush, but I guess that's what it is … Since we were kids."
(Oh, how those words have been his best-kept secret for all these years but now, in less than two seconds, he's let go of them more easily than almost anything else he's ever done)
"Y/N?"
Harry thought he'd be scared. Thought this would be a moment of panic. Every time he's imagined this he's thought 'and I'd be absolutely shitting myself because what if she doesn't feel the same way?' but now that he's said it he's almost completely calm. The only reason he's worried is that he can feel how hard your heart is beating—even through the layers of clothing—and surely that quickly can't be good for your health.
You're speechless, and he leans back so he can see your face and, oh your eyes. Why on earth didn't he say it to your face, so he could be looking in your eyes? Watch his words project across your expression and settle into your mind.
You look worried, and Harry's transported back to that time he had you on FaceTime when he was somewhere on tour with One Direction. He was telling you about how management was going to let them fly friends out on tour, bring a little bit of home along and give the boys some needed space from each other. You were nodding along and so excited for him but sure Harry was talking about someone else, that this was just news and he'd called up to tell you how he was inviting the boys he went to school with in Cheshire or people he met through X-Factor. Of course I'm bringing out you and Gem, you idiot, he'd told you when you were surprised to get an invite, Who else did you think I was talking about?
He kind of loves watching the look on your face right now, the cogs turning in your head and wheels spinning, furiously trying to figure out what Harry means.
Why isn't he terrified of what you're about to say?
"Why … but you've… and I've…"
Your hands have moved to his hips so you can see him properly, and Harry's encouraged by the fact you haven't pulled away or pushed him off you. You're watching him with a puzzled look on your face and a burning heat across your cheeks.
He brings his forearms up to rest on your shoulders and smiles at you, "I wasn't brave enough to act on it … Guess I didn't want to fuck it up. Didn't want it to not work out. Couldn't stand you becoming an ex."
"Oh."
"Yeah."
"Right." You don't seem capable of more than one word at a time.
"You feel bad for yelling at me about the chocolate bar now, don't you?" Harry's narrowed his eyes playfully.
That does it.
Your eyes snap back up to his face from being fixated on staring at his neck, "Chocolate bar … No, what the fuck, Harry."
He laughs. A real laugh that comes from the base of his tummy and squeezes his eyes shut and crinkles his nose. His head falls back, and it's a deep, uninhibited laugh, "Don't stomp your new boots at me," he eventually says, crooking his head down to be almost pressing his forehead against yours. "You've been my favourite girl for years, I've always been a pansy idiot who didn't want to wreck the friendship."
"Oh, and now you don't mind wrecking it?" You bark back sarcastically, unsure why you're angry at him but you are.
"No," Harry says softly, moving through your emotional responses seamlessly, "I don't think it's going to wreck it, do you? Think twenty-seven has finally given me the balls to pursue it. To tell you how I feel. How I've always felt."
Your eyes instantly ball with hot tears you weren't prepared for, "You're an idiot."
"I am," he agrees readily, fingers playing with the ends of your hair.
"Why have you told me this now," your voice is small, unsure.
Harry frowns, now he's starting to panic, "Do you … Do you not feel the same? Or do you not think maybe you could?"
Oh, if only he could have been in your head every time you saw him these last few years. Heard you talk yourself down and away from anything more than platonic, from any thoughts that might elevate you in his eyes. You've spent all this time trying to convince yourself to believe you were nothing more than a friend to him, and now this.
"Harry, are you sure you—
—I'm sure," he insists quickly.
"I just—
—I'm sure."
You're suddenly very embarrassed by the conversation the two of you had earlier about your ex. The conversation where you basically told Harry you're incredibly desperate to settle down and find The One. He's so achingly cool, and you feel like a little tinned tomato, thin-skinned and persistently flustered.
Tinned tomato? Really? You berate yourself, Case in bloody point.
"Y/N"
You scratch roughly at your forehead and grimace at whatever thoughts are going through your mind, "I'm just …"
Harry brings one hand up to fix your bangs, carefully sweeping the hair back across your forehead evenly, letting the pads of his fingers dust over your skin, "I think if you didn't feel the same you'd have said No by now."
His words steal the air from your lungs, "Harry, you've just always …"
"I've always?"
"I never thought …"
The smile comes up over his face gently, "It's me, Y/N, please finish a sentence. I'd really like to kiss you, but you haven't yet said anything to imply you'd be open to that …"
You pull your lips together like a reflex you can't help, you've rarely let yourself fall that deep into imaging things with Harry, but your body reacts to his words in an instant, "Promise you're not kidding …"
"I promise I'm not kidding," Harry said sincerely. "I'd never kid around about this, Y/N."
You believe him, and ten seconds of bravery comes over you, "I was thirteen."
His eyes narrow slightly, trying to figure out what you mean, "Thirteen?"
"My thing for you," you continue quietly, heart racing as adrenaline swamps your legs, "Started the summer I turned thirteen."
Harry hears the slight shaking to your voice and almost misses what you've said. Then it hits him.
"Oh yeah?" He squints at you and pulls up his nose with a smile, a secret little smile that will never belong to anyone but the two of you. The Smile that happened just before Harry leant down and kissed you for the first time, pressed his warm lips against your cold ones and really breathed you in.
He holds it like that for a moment, your lips touching but not moving. Then his hands come up to cup your face, and Harry moves his mouth to one side, just a touch. You open up to him, and he has the brief thought that this is probably the Most Important Kiss Of His Life. His insides curl in on themselves as he gets completely lost in you. Completely lost in how perfect this moment feels and how much finally kissing you feels like a relief.
You can't believe this is happening. You're still tucked into Harry's coat—warm and safe—but now you're joined at the mouth, and Harry's a really really good kisser. He's got his thumbs pressed into your cheeks and his fingers laced through the hair around your ears. When his tongue first licks your bottom lip and then goes searching for yours, you don't think you've felt yourself flicker On so quickly. A soft moan escapes your lips, and Harry's kiss somehow becomes harder, his nose bumping yours where he'd been good at keeping things smooth until then. As quickly as it intensifies, Harry takes a slight step back and drags his mouth away from yours.
"Y/N," he breaths out your name, sealing your lips with one of his thumbs as he pulls back. Harry's taking stock of your face (hopefully) getting used to being this close to you. Noting the way your eyelashes kink out at an odd angle right at the corner of your eye, and the freckle that's so close to the edge of your mouth he's never noticed it before. Harry's can feel your heart has slowed down, and the expression on your face right now is content, but curious. He's also sure he can see fear under it all.
"Well," your voice shakes, because Harry's looking at you like you've only dreamed and now that you're here you're not really sure what happens next. You kissed Harry.
He clears his throat lightly and his hands both fall to hold either side of your neck, "There's no way I'm going back to not being able to do that whenever I want."
Then, he kisses you again. You feel yourself melt against him as Harry's chest presses back against yours. You link your arms around his waist, clutching the back of his shirt between your fingers as Harry leads the kiss with a hand on your neck and the other holding your chin carefully. You've picked up right where the last one let off, hungry and exploring and a little bit desperate (perhaps a lot desperate) to have more of each other.
But then his phone rings in his trousers pocket, right against your hip, and you jump away in surprise.
"Shit," Harry mutters, pulling the stupid machine out, cursing the universe, "Sorry … It's Aiden," he tells you with an eye-roll.
And then you're back to reality. Your drinks have all worn off, your feet ache, your ears are freezing, and you've just made out with one of your oldest, best friends. Shit.
"Oh," you take a hearty step back, hands slipping out from Harry's coat and your body bracing the full brunt of the cold night, "Yeah … That's—
—Aiden," Harry barks the name of his mate down the phone while at the same time hooking his free arm around the back of your neck and pulling you close again. He's not giving up touching you that easily, and he doesn't care, quite frankly, about giving you any room to start internalising or retreating from him, "No, we've gone to get some food … I'll see you during the week sometime. Tell everyone thanks for—Yes, I'm serious … I don't care, saw all you lot last week … I'm hanging up now. Bye."
You listened in on the conversation because it was really all you could do. Aiden was obviously inside the bar, and they were all wondering where Harry got to. We've gone to get some food, Harry told him, so they'd know he was with you. (You supposed he was hardly going to say, 'oh yeah we've been out the front making out') Bits and pieces of the other end of the conversation, you were able to pick up on, but not enough to truly know what was said. By the end of the call, Harry was smiling though, you could hear it in his voice.
His nose found the shell of your ear and Harry leant into you, "Come back to mine, or we can go to yours … Watch a movie, play Scrabble, anything … Just wanna be with you."
"It's two o'clock in the morning, Harry," you murmur, your mind struggling to make sense of what's just happened. You're outside a club in Soho held against Harry's chest with lips that know what he tastes like and a body that's on fire.
"I'm not tired," he shoots back, "Are you?"
"Well, no but—
—Great," Harry turns towards the road, takes a few steps to the curb (you trot along with him under his arm), as he flags down a black cab. "Mine or yours?"
His question is simple, he prompts you to answer by calling your name as he opens the door for you and gestures for you to hurry up and get in.
"Yours," you say.
Harry doesn't speak much in the cab, you figure it's about privacy. You hope it's about privacy. The thirty-minute drive out of the city and to his place feels much longer. Halfway through he reaches over for your hand and gives you a reassuring smile across the back seat. You thought the journey might make you sleepy, the sitting down in a warm car would bring the haze over your eyes and bring the long day to a close in your mind. But you could never feel sleepy with Harry's fingers playing with yours, or when he leans over and kisses your cheek for no reason at all.
At his house, Harry tells you to make yourself at home while he turns on the kettle for a cuppa. You kick your boots off in the hallway, and your feet start throbbing in relief as you follow his retreating form. It's certainly not the lusty, hurried entry you imagined you might have. Which only plants doubts in your mind about what's actually going on between the two of you.
"I'm just going to use the bathroom," you call out ahead of you, turning back to the stairs and taking yourself up to Harry's second storey.
Upstairs you don't take long. You're looking a little worse for wear—who wouldn't at 3am—but you're not really in the mood to try to fix yourself. Even if you did Harry would notice, and that felt like something you wanted to avoid. As you walk back to the landing, you wriggle your toes in your socks and happen to look back down the upstairs hallway. You've been in this house dozens of times before but this time feels different. It feels quiet and intimate somehow. Just as you're about to go down the first step, you see Harry's bedroom door is open on the opposite side of the stairs to the bathroom, and you notice something that makes you stop.
The book you got him for Christmas is sitting on his bedside table.
You're standing over it before you realise that your legs have started moving, looking at a picture of Anne, Gemma and Harry, a bottle of water and the book. You pick it up, the cover a little bent and the spine cracked to where he's read. Harry's using the birthday card you send along with the gift as a bookmark. The top of the familiar design sticking out the top of the pages, you can't even really remember what you wrote inside. Something generic probably. Platonic.
Happy birthday, old man! Have a wonderful day, sorry I can't be there in person. Love, Y/N.
The floorboard at the top of the stairs creaks and you turn around to Harry looking surprised to see you standing over his bed. He's got two cups of tea and a family-sized Dairy Milk bar under his arm. Something churns inside you, this was Harry as you'd always known him. Except now you looked at his lips and wondered why the hell you weren't kissing him.
"Oh, yeah, I've been reading that," Harry sees the book in your hands and walks towards you, "It's excellent, unsurprisingly."
A smile starts on your face, "You doubted my selection ability?"
"Never," he returns quickly and then raises his eyebrows at you, "Looking for anything else?"
You feel your cheeks heat and you drop the book back into its place, "No, sorry, I was coming down the stairs and saw … I'm sorry."
Harry passes you a tea, "It was really kind of you to send something over. Was fun having something to unwrap on the day."
"I'm glad," you smile and take a sip of the tea. It's sweet, and you screw up your face, "This is yours."
Harry watches you with a strange expression on his face as the two of you swap mugs. He's worrying his bottom lip, obviously weighing something up in his mind. You see it when he decides what he' going to do about it.
"I've got something I want to show you," he tells you finally, tilting his head back to the door. "Wanna come see?"
"What is it?" You ask automatically, but Harry's already walking out the door, and you have to hurry to catch up.
He leads you into his study, and you hover in the doorway as Harry sets his tea and the chocolate down on the desk. He pulls Bananagrams out of the draw and places it next to the mug.
"We're actually going to play Bananagrams?" You ask.
He looks back at you, "You'd prefer actual Scrabble?"
"I didn't know what you meant by—I guess I …"
Realisation dawns on his face, and he widens his eyes, "Oh, you thought it was a euphemism."
"No!" You snap back quickly, feeling the heat rising to your cheeks (for the record, yes, you thought 'a movie or Scrabble' was a thinly veiled way of Harry suggesting … something else), "No, I just … I just don't think I'll be able to spell words right now."
"I didn't think you were still tipsy" Harry states, shit-stirring.
"I'm not!" You squawk at him. "I'm… I' m—You kissed me!"
He grins, loving the fact he's driven you a little crazy, "Yeah. Want me to do it again?"
Harry's playing with you. He's teasing. And you know it but what you don't know is how he's so confidently jumped to it. Not when you feel like you've been left on the street outside the bar trying to figure out what the hell this means, and what's going to happen tomorrow when he stops looking at you like that. You don't like to think this whole night could've been him playing with you, you don't know Harry to be that cruel. But there's a tripwire in your mind you keep getting snared on.
It's Harry.
"C' mere," he reaches his hand down across the room between you both, "C' mere and kiss me again. You don't seem to be getting it."
"Getting it?" You're cut off by Harry taking two big steps toward you and then planting his lips on yours again.
His palms find your hips, and you hold him in the same spot. It takes a moment for the two of you to find a rhythm, and even then, you're too in your head. You're struggling to remember what little Harry's said about this whole thing. You know he said he had a crush on you and you've gotten the distinct impression he wasn't too fond of your ex. But for all you know Harry's been kissing his mates like this for years but just never gotten around to kissing you. You might've been next on the list. He's a friendly guy. Maybe a crush isn't what it used to be. Or maybe—
He pulls back from your lips with a huffy expression on his face, "Y/N," he says quietly, "I'm a man with an incredibly fragile ego, whatever you're worrying about is really getting in the way of kissing you."
"I'm just—
—Let me show you what I brought you in here for," he interrupts you, takes your hand and tugs you towards the window. Then, he puts a hand on each of your shoulders and directs your attention to the wall.
It's lined with record sale plaques for singles and albums over the years—double Platinums and Gold-Somethings. Harry watches you eyes run over them all, a proud but unsure look in your eye. You're not sure why he's showing them to you, he knows that. He hopes you're not intimidated by them, he's certainly not showing you to try to score any points. There's a sweeter gesture behind it. He points to one leaning against the wall, not hanging. He's got it resting on the bubble wrap it was sent over in.
Stepping up closer behind you, Harry rests his chin on your shoulder, "That one's for you."
"What?"
"I want you to have it, been saving it for you … If I ever got brave enough."
The question falls from your lips before you really think about it, "Why would you want me to have it …"
Harry waits to see if you'll let on you've figured it out, he thought it was pretty obvious really, but you've never been one to elevate yourself or assume, and Harry knows that about you. So, when you don't keep talking, he confirms it for you, "That song is about you."
You just blink, eyes on the framed plaque taking in the name of the song and hearing it in your head.
It's about me? You think you want to hear it, you need to Google the lyrics and make sure you have them right in your head. Harry wrote a song about you. Harry wrote that song about you.
"When … When did you write it?"
"You mean why?" Harry raises his head and steps to stand next to you, he observes your face carefully.
"No, I mean when." You're starring at it like the plaque might answer the question, "When did you write it?"
Harry runs a hand over his head as he thinks, "A few years back, after that time you came out to LA … Didn't record it until this year though …"
Harry watches your face expand in surprise and then crumple back down to confusion. You really don't get it. He's not sure how to make you in one night. He supposes he can't. So he trails his hand up the back of your arm and then around your back, tilting his head down and waiting to see if you'll pull away. When you don't, he kisses the corner of your mouth and then opens his wider to take you lips in his properly.
It's different to the kisses outside the bar, now that you're both out of your outer layers Harry can feel your body against his in ways he's only dreamed, and it's sending everything straight between his legs. Harry's hands explore your back and the curve of your hips, thumbs almost reaching the underside of your breasts but not quite. It's a little awkward when he senses you've felt him hardening between you. Usually, lust clouds that moment, and Harry doesn't mind intimate partners being acutely aware of how they're affecting him. But with you he's a little hesitant, he senses the awkwardness on your side. Friends don't feel those body parts on each other, friends don't… He almost groans when your mouth leaves his without warning.
You think he'll probably change his mind about all this.
"Have you changed your mind?" You ask, not able to stop it.
Confusion colours his features, and his lips smack together, like he's savouring tasting you, "Wha—
"About wanting to be kissing me," you clarify.
"What? No." Harry's eyebrows have shot up, and he's shaking his head, "I barely even started! Didn't I just say I wrote that song about you—why the hell would I—want to do more than just kiss you—You think I'm gonna change my mind?"
You shrug, "Maybe. I don't know."
"Well," he stands up straighter and pins you with his stare, "I'm not. I promise I'm not going to change my mind. And I promise I'll never make you feel like you're asking for too much. Ever."
"Now you're trying to make me cry," you say, hearing him repeat back to you the insecurity leftover from your conversation about your ex. You're half kidding with your words but also not. You believe him. You trust him.
Harry grimaces, sways your bodies together gently, "I really hate seeing you cry, could you not? I had other plans."
You sniff through a laugh as Harry wraps his arms around your middle tighter," What plans are those?"
"Well, I literally thought Scrabble," he tells you through a smile, trying his best to make you laugh, "But I'm open to whatever dirty things you were thinking as well."
"You'll win Scrabble."
So, Harry instructs you to bring your tea and your sore feet back into his bedroom. He gets you a fluffy pair of hiking socks and tells you to take yours off, and your tights, and get comfortable on the bed with him and the block of chocolate. You've polished off a family size together before, the sugar going straight to your heads and always leading to a giggly night of reminiscing and Almosts.
This time though, you only get halfway through the tea and Harry pushes the chocolate off the bed onto the floor in favour of you straddling his hips. It started with a stolen kiss against your temple, and then another on your cheek, and one close to your lips, and then you captured his face in your hands and really kissed him. Within a few moments, Harry was dragging you over to him. His hands settle on the swell of your backside as it sits against his thighs and your lips trace the line of his jaw. This was really happening. You'd really let him peel off your dress and flick off your bra. His shirt was somewhere with the forgotten snacks, and you seemed extremely eager to keep feeling his hardness pressed between your legs.
"I swear to god, I never dreamed this would happen," he murmurs, hissing when your hips pressed into his at a different angle, "Was sure I'd be going to your wedding one day, completely miserable and probably end up drunk and causing a scene. Embarrass you so badly you'd never want to see me again, and you'd just run away with your stupid husband."
You pull back and watch Harry ramble, your bare chest rising and falling against his, "You're a real glass half full kinda guy, aren't you?" you smile at him.
"I just," his eyes drop to your chest, nipples puckered for him, and he scrunches them shut then drops his forehead onto your sternum with a big sigh, "This is fucking unreal, and my brain is just struggling to comprehend—you're breathtaking, and I feel like my chest is gonna explode."
"It's also 4am, so there's always the potential your brain is just plain tired," your index finger is drawing circles on the back of his shoulder as Harry leans against you, you pause and run your hand over the back of his head, "Maybe we should sleep for a little … I'll be here when you wake up," you say in response to Harry squeezing his arms around your waist tightly as if you were going to disappear. Or worse, leave.
His indescribable green eyes find yours in the light from the bedroom lamps, "Will you let me hold you while you sleep?"
"Yeah," you nod, although somehow that question seems more intimate than the lack of clothes between you at the moment. You're distinctly less dressed than Harry, who's still got his trousers on, you're only covered by your underwear.
"We don't have to rush this, right? Got all the time in the world now," still, as he speaks his palms trail up your back and then down again, skimming the sides of your breasts, "Just don't wanna miss anything is all."
"I promise I'm incredibly boring in my sleep, won't miss anything," you tease, "Might be the only time you get any peace."
Harry tightens his forearms around your back and finds the soft skin below your ear with his lips—once, twice, three little kisses—"I feel pretty at peace right now, just having you here. Feels like I'm living a dream."
You don't reply for a moment, but you let your body rest against Harry's in a comfortable hug, your voice is quiet, "You really wrote me a song?"
"I did."
"I've always loved that song."
“Well, it's been yours all along."
"Nobody's ever written a song about me."
"I should hope not."
"Are you going to write another one?"
"Without a doubt."
++
Chat to me here
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heyitsyn · 4 years
Text
Keeping Up With Seijoh Ep. 2
a/n: lmao this is set in the first ever inter-high so no kyo yet 😢 
for more seijoh content, check this masterlist out!
anon:
I can't wait for yn to meet other volleyball teams. Oikawa refuses to let her see Tobio
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I LOVE THIS GIF AND MY HEART LEAPT OUT OF MY CHEST WHEN I SAW THIS LIKE AAAAAAAA
again, we go with the crackheadery
so, basically,,
at this point,, you werent exactly very familiar with the boys but not new so you were kinda already part of the family but there hasnt been any,,,,, deep attraction (??) that developed by the others yet
but this doesnt mean that they arent territorial or protective you!!!
when yall walked in the hallway, you were already catching looks bc wow seijoh just has everything huh
you were walking behind coach irihata until you overheard someone asking where oikawa was and you saw yahaba sweat a little when he didnt know where his captain was
while iwa went to go and get the captain, you had to do a head count to make sure no other player was missing 
kunimi and kindaichi were glaring at other players who were eye-ing you since they were in charge of you whenever iwa or oikawa were gone
but mattsun and makki were publicly making it clear that you were,,, theirs
‘y/n-chan, come give senpai a hug. hes nervous for today’
makki whined and again, you werent very familiar with them yet, but familiar enough to give them their hugs
he hugged you from behind while you reviewed their notes and with his chin on your head, his eyes mockingly glared at the different schools with a smirk playing on his lips
my god were they such drama queens like bls
finally, oikawa arrived and he skipped over to you
‘y/n-chaaaannnn!!!! oikawa-san is sorry for leaving you aloneee!!!!!!’
but you didnt even look at him, continuing your review
‘dont do that next time, oikawa-san. you made iwaizumi-san look for you and held up the team’
you bluntly scolded and oikawa had teary eyes
‘y-y/n-chan, im really sorry! y/n-chan!’
he wailed and ripped you away from makki and into his arms instead
meanwhile,,, the other teams are like 👁️👄👁️
you continued your walk to the gym but oikawa had his arm around you, as if telling others you were his while iwa held your hand as he sent everyone a warning with his eyes like if they laid a finger on you, he would snap their arms in half
it made their blood boil as the eyes of these,,, testosterones,,, kept staring at you and running their eyes up and down and you squeezed iwa’s hand before he could go over and rip their eyeballs out of their face
woah there mister
as you entered the gym’s bleachers, oikawa kept you in his arms and the karasuno team were confused bc they didnt see a manager when they had their practice match
‘yohoo, tobio-chan, chibi-chan’
you sighed and gave the black and orange team an apologetic smile
when iwa smacked oikawa, you bowed slightly
‘sorry about him’
oikawa hurriedly hid you behind him and pouted
‘no, stay away from their sights, y/n-chan. theyre not worthy to lay their eyes on you’
you elbowed him though
‘what kind of nonsense are you spouting?’
‘but you are oikawa-san’s, y/n-chan!’
he whined and tobio was like, ‘oh, another girlfriend then’
bahahaha, hes so used to seeing his upperclassman with a girl and hes just like, ‘best of luck’
you shook your head and raised a hand with a smile
‘hello, my name is l/n y/n and im their manager. please excuse my captain and carry on to your warm-ups’
karasuno nodded wordlessly, taken aback by how cold yet pretty you were
it was like the younger version of their own kiyoko shimizu!!!
the others settled on their seats while iwa and kindaichi leaned over the railing to get a better view but oikawa was disinterested, arm around your shoulder and you were only closer to him due to his warmth
you pouted bc iwa-san was standing and you missed his warmth but oikawa would have to settle for now
the nearby teams that came to watch the match were giving you looks and especially the green-jacket team were staring so,,,, so hungrily,, at you and oikawa twitched at how disgusting it was
you were watching the game but was distracted when oikawa leaned his head on your neck, breath hitting your skin
‘oikawa-san? are you okay?’
you asked but he shook his head
‘oikawa-san really loves you, y/n-chan’
he made his voice a little louder to make his point across and the others diverted their gazes in a hurry when his cold smirk met their faces
you shrugged
‘thank you, oikawa-san’
makki and mattsun snickered at the dismissive answer but oikawa didnt care because all he wanted was to make the other boys back off
you heard oikawa mumble serveral times about some tobio-chan and you guessed it might have been the blueberry looking head that he taunted earlier since he couldnt have been a chibi
ngl, you were attracted by how seemed to ooze talent and you leaned forward, wanting to get more of a look of him
ofc OIKAWA THREW A RIOT and he pulled you back, placing a hand on your thigh
‘y/n-chan, careful, you might fall forward’
he stiffly warned but he truthfully didnt want you to get a closer look on his kouhai
you kept your gaze on the karasuno setter and held oikawa’s hand to get it off of your thigh
‘im okay, oikawa-san. i just want,,, a better look’
you mumbled and oikawa was staring at you intensely
oh my god, what if you recognized kageyama as a better player?
would you leave him?
would you think hes a terrible setter?
worries racked up on his brain but he snapped out of it when you turned your head after feeling his stare
‘are you okay, oikawa-san?’
you asked, worriedly since he was pale and his eyebrows were furrowed
‘y/n-chan, do you think tobio-chan is better than me?’
he asked, eyes focused on your face but so faraway
you quirked your eyebrows but still answered
‘no, i dont think so. ive never seen him play before and this is my first time so ive never really gotten a gauge of his skills. besides, youre really good so its unlikely hes better than you, or anybody else for a fact. your sets look so much,,,, whats the word,,, connected?,, yea, much more connected therefore better for our team but his is very,,, glitchy,,,?? other than that, youre still better than anybody else in my eyes. why? are you doubting yourself again, oikawa-san? because if you are, i will bonk you again’
you threantened but he let out a relieved chuckle
he placed a hand on top of your head and ruffled your hair, a smile on his face then bowed his head low
‘go on, then, y/n-chan. bonk oikawa-san’
you turned to share a bewildered look with yahaba and watari
‘no. because you asked me to, i wont. youre so weird, oikawa-san. wanting me to do weird things to you and being so confusing’
you mumbled cutely and oikawa bit his lip to contain his squeal but held your hand tighter
‘y/n-chan, youre not good for oikawa-san’s heart’
he whined but you punched his arm
‘be quiet, oikawa-san. look, that chibi’s flying!’
you pointed and that was enough to distract him from you and towards the game
when his gaze was away, you gave him a worried glance
you heard from iwa that he was insecure and suffers from inferiority complex but you didnt know it was this bad
that was it
you were going to help him realize he was a great player and he is equal with everyone and no one is above him because hes talented and his hardwork makes up for those losses
when karasuno emerged as victors, the team stood up to make their leave and prepare for their own match but you strayed away, claiming you needed to use the bathroom
‘we’ll wait for you, y/n-chan!’
oikawa said but you waved your hands no
‘i-,,,  need to use it and besides, i have a friend here! please, go ahead!’
iwa gave you a suspicious glance
‘who is it? we can still wait’
you pouted and huffed before giving them your puppy eyes
their eyes widened and they nodded, stuttering that they will meet you in the gym
when they were finally out of sight, you ran down hallway and finally found the black-jacket team gathered by an entrance
it was hinata who noticed you and pointed at you, claiming you are the goddess seijoh manager
but you didnt mind and focused on the blueberry
‘kageyama-san?’
you heard iwa mention him and you figured it was his last name
the poor boy was stuttering and awkwardly nodding in greeting
but you clenched your fists
‘i might not be a professional or a volleyball enthusiast but oikawa-san recognizes your talent and he considers you a rival so i do too. kageyama-san, karasuno, we will defeat you. you will face oikawa-san and iwaizumi-san and mattsun-san and makki-san and the others and you will tremble at our strength so play with everything you got because no matter what, we will win. congratulations on your win with your match but i noticed you holding back on them. if i see you, karasuno, kageyama-san, not playing your best, you will face my wrath. keep that in mind.’
you bowed deeply and they were so taken aback bc adkfj;sadfkjask what is going on why is this little chibi threatning them why is kageyama being pointed out what
sugawara let out a shocked chuckle before fussing at you to stand back straight and to not bow at them
you nodded but you held out your phone to the blueberry, a gentle smile on your face
‘i understand you are iwaizumi-san and oikawa-san’s underclassman from middle school. if you would, please exchange contacts with me and you can tell me stories about my boys so i can use it against them to rein them in whenever they get out of control, especially oikawa-san’
lmao y/n whos child are you
poor kagellama tobiyolo stopped functioning and it took sugawara to put in his contact for him
YOU CANNOT TELL ME SUGAMAMA DOES NOT MEMORIZE HIS CHILDRENS CONTACTS
you finally gave everyone a bright smile and waved your hand
‘ill be going now. thank you for your contact, kageyama-san, and expect a text from me later. karasuno, continue playing and the next time i will see you will be in the court. thank you’
when you left, they were still frozen
and kageyama was so red and so flustered bc not only did a girl talk to him, but a PRETTY GIRL talked to him
‘kageyama?! oh my god kageyama’s broken! help!’
seijoh saw you entering the gym and they fussed over you and asked where you went off to since it took you a long time
‘i just talked threatened to kageyama-san’
at the mention of that name, everyone stood still 
but when you mentioned you exchange contacts
oikawa screamed
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forever--rain · 3 years
Text
A Master List of Ever’s Fics
G-Rated:
Wind-Songs in the Pines
Pairings: Zutara, minor Sukka
Summary: Life on idyllic Kyoshi Island hasn't been the same for Katara since her mother passed away. Still, she has high hopes for the future: college, a career, world travel... Confident in her intelligence and armed with a keen sense of confidence, Katara aims to accomplish all of this and more. But always on the periphery is Zuko with his knife-sharp intelligence and his knack for showing up whenever there's trouble. Katara knows what he represents, and it's nothing that bodes well for her plans.
Critical Information: This is an Anne of Green Gables-inspired AU! (No background knowledge of AOGG necessary.) REALLY fun, super sweet! Give this baby some love!
Status: In progress
The Answer
Pairings: Zutara
Summary: Mai, Katara, and the moments where yes was not the answer. (And the moment where it was the only answer.)
Status: Completed; short one-shot
T-Rated:
All the Lights are Shining
Pairings: Zutara, minor Sukka, minor Tyzula
Summary: The amber-eyed woman can’t help the smirk that tugs at her lips. She’s looking to help Zuko to do something of a one-eighty in his love life. That means any girl he gets involved with must also be a one-eighty from Mai. Though Azula treasures Mai, loves her dearly, even, she and Zuko had been a poor match, a miscalculation that Azula does not intend to make again.
“Listen,” Azula says with a sigh. “He comes off surly and prickly, but he’s not. He’s shy and he lacks the confidence to talk to pretty girls. If you’re interested in him, you’ll have to make the first move.”
Blue Eyes scoffs a laugh. “I’ve dated guys like your brother before,” she says. “I won’t make that mistake again. Hard pass.”
--
Zuko just wants to get through the winter solstice without acknowledging its existence. Thanks to Uncle, Azula, and a secret society, he may just end up getting into the holiday spirit and finding exactly what he wasn't looking for in the first place.
Critical Information: Rating may change
Status: In progress
Your Soul has Crushed Mountains
Pairings: Minor Zutara, minor Sukka
Summary: “It never turns out to be what people make it out to be does it?” she says. “Life, I mean. Five years ago we were all just trying to make it to the next day in one piece and now…”
“Now we don’t know what to do with the multitude of days that follow.”
____
Or: Five years post-war, six young women learn the advantages of being what and who they are.
Critical Information: A post-war fix-it fic that focuses on female friendships and giving the ladies of ATLA better endings than the creators gave them. Because we all know Bry.ke shafted them. It’s my intention to keep romantic storylines to a minimum, but there will be some because I am a hopeless Zutara and Sukka shipper.
Status: In progress
Partners in Learning
Pairings: Zutara
Summary: All of Izumi’s teachers prior to this one have used the term “partners in learning.” But never before has it seemed true. And now, here he is, eyeballs deep in markers and glitter glue, somehow the most involved parent in the classroom.
----
In which Izumi idolizes her new teacher and Zuko falls a little bit in love.
Critical Information: single dadko; minor character death
Status: Completed; long one-shot
Kisses
Pairings: Zutara
Summary: A series of Zutara kisses inspired by prompts given to me on Tumblr.
Status: In progress
Ten Strides in the Right Direction
Pairings: Zutara, minor Sukka
Summary: These coming days will bring darkness and destruction, but if these little flecks of happiness continue to blaze through the bleak blackness, then nothing that is bad will prevail.
Critical Information: Book 3 AU
Status: Completed
M-Rated
Covered in You
Pairings: Zutara, mentions of Sukka
Summary: Zuko can’t keep a Southern Water Tribe ambassador to save his life. Ten years post-war and he’s gone through eight of them. They all keep leaving to get married and start families. The Fire Lord is getting desperate.
Critical Information: Ambassador Katara and Fire Lord Zuko; post-canon fix-it; so much pining it’s a forest...like...a REALLY dense forest
Status: Completed
Lost in You Still
Pairings: Zutara, minor Sukka, minor Kata.ang, minor Ma.iko
Summary: Something unknown and unspoken is entombed underneath it all. It’s calling to her, daring her to burrow deeper, enticing her with the temptation to unbury something well-hidden and deeply felt. And Zuko has long been such an enigma, such a beacon in her life that Katara dares, just for one moment, to reach out and touch that unknown emotion, brushing the edges of it with her subconscious.
____
The night after the final Agni Kai sends out shockwaves that ripple into the future and demolish several idealized views of destiny.
Critical Information: Infidelity, major character death, post canon fix-it except I set everything on fire and it hurts. If you’d like to read this and want a hand to hold, my ask box and DMs are open.
Status: Complete
A Delicate Balance
Pairings: Zutara, minor Sukka
Summary: Katara is a person of layers and complexity as much as Zuko is, but something about the way he casts his golden eyes at her often makes her feel like he can peel her defenses back and see right to the center of her soul. Exchanging one glance with him can induce her to feel utterly bare and startlingly seen—for everything that she is.
There are some things Katara doesn’t talk to Zuko about. The way she feels when he looks at her is one of them.
--
Or, the twenty-four hours that change the dynamics of a relationship.
Critical Information: Modern AU, friends to lovers
Status: Completed
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kirishoshego · 3 years
Text
Moneypulated//Aizawa
!!!MINORS DNI!!! 18+ ONLY!!!
Summary: Sadly your husband isn't meeting the end of his deal with the mob boss Shota Aizawa. After Aizawa's right-hand woman told him about the lowlife's pretty little housewife he decided to take the matter into his own hands. Words: 3.2k+
NOTE: Big big thank you again to @misterhoneyyandere for letting me use their ideas to inspire this and my recent KiriBaku fic! I changed the boyfriend into husband to make the situation a bit more incriminating for him :) TW: nsfw: mention of alcohol and gambling, Voyeurism, non con, mention of blood, being tied up, slight degrading, praise, oral (male receiving), anal fingering, (kind of cheating? I definitely wouldn’t say you’re cheating but some see this as cheating), mention of death threats and a gun, hair pulling, choking, spitting, slapping
Your husband always has been the sweet guy next door. Holding the doors open for you, paying attention to the small things, always remembering your favorites. Haruto supported all your dreams, all your goals. Sure people looked at you a bit weirdly because of your age difference, but you never minded that. It was always the two of you against the world. At least for the first year of your marriage. You were still somewhat in your honeymoon phase but Haruto became more and more stressed because of work. He took a job offer that would pay him a lot of money, but the down side of it was the huge responsibility he was suddenly holding. For the first few month things went great but then his bosses demanded more results. Faster, better.  Of course you understood the situation he was in and you didn’t mind his outbursts. Tried to satisfy him the best way you could. He had to take trips more and more often and at first you didn’t question it. Your husband never lied to you, he knew he could always be open and honest to you about anything. But then you noticed a change of behavior, hiding his phone screen whenever he was around you, leaving the room when someone called. You asked him about it but he denied hiding anything, saying you’re just a bit paranoid and apologized for it. Yet, nothing changed.  So when he was out again for the weekend you couldn’t take it any longer. Now you sat in the kitchen, looking at the red numbers of your husband’s bank account. They must have made a mistake right? Your husband isn’t into gambling, he never had any addictions before, never smoked, never drunk, nothing. The dates all aligned with his “business trips”. One one side you were happy that he wasn’t seeing someone else, but when you noticed the name of the casino you turned pale.  PEONY CASINO Owner: Aizawa, Shota Accused (but never sentenced): Money Laundry, Murder, Drug Cultivation and Manufacturing, Assault, Kidnapping, Robbery, Bribery, you name it. Everyone knew he was one of the biggest mob bosses, but no matter who worked on these cases, they all failed. People and evidence disappeared or were never even found. Sometimes those who pressed charges then would drop them because “It was all a misunderstanding”.  Why would your husband willingly be associated with someone like him? There were plenty of casinos out there, why did it had to be Peony?  You changed into one of your dresses, there was no chance you would get into the casino without the right look. After getting done you jumped into your car, the moon already shining brightly upon you. The closer you got the angrier you turned. How could Haruto lie straight to your face? How could he hide this from you? How could your husband be so stupid to gamble with the devil?
The casino looked absolutely luxurious, you couldn’t deny that. Yet every little hair on your body stood up straight when your eyes landed on the huge building. There was a buff, blond security guard at the front door. His name tag read Bakugou. The couple in front of you tried their luck but were kicked out of the line for violating the dress code. A slight bit of sweat started to form on your forehead and arm pits. What if you failed here already?
“ID?” he barked, holding out his thick hand in front of you. You pulled it out of your purse and handed it to him. When he looked you up and down you fluttered your eyelashes, hoping to work your charm on him. Bakugou licked his plump lips before giving it back to you and letting you pass, his attention already on the person behind you.  The blue and gold color scheme surrounded you everywhere you went. Every table, every worker’s uniform, every card, every dice. It was hard to find your husband in between among thousand of other people but it wasn’t impossible. You spend round about half an hour in the huge hall before your eyes fell upon your cheering husband’s from. As you made your way over to him, a waitress suddenly appeared in front of you, offering something to drink. You debated shortly, but maybe some alcohol in your system would do you well before confronting Haruto. After grabbing a glass filled with expensive liquor you thanked her. Once she walked away you looked at the sport he occupied just seconds ago only to see his seat now empty. You looked for him frankly and spotted a tall red haired man carrying your struggling husband away. Panic bubbled up inside of your body. Fear of what is going to happen. You picked up your speed, almost bumping into another waitress when a guy with purple hair and prominent dark eye-bags cut you off. “May I help you Madame?” he asked you, making sure to block your view from the long hallway. “I want to talk to my husband,” you demanded, eyes squinted together. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he tried to make himself seem taller so you would feel more intimidated and crossed his arms.  “I saw him getting carried away by that red haired man, right into this hallway, so stop acting stupid and let me through,” you argued with him and he sighed, talking into his walkie talkie device.  It was impossible for you to hear what the guy on the other line said but Shinso’s demeanor changed. He let you pass, following you at every turn and making you stop in front of a black door. “Mister Aizawa will meet you shortly,” he explained and as you turned around in shock at the mention of his name you were knocked out cold.  You don’t know how long you were out, it could have been hours or days. Your head felt awful, dizzy and confused. “I’m glad you decided to join the party, I don’t think your husband could wait much longer,” a deep voice in front of you spoke. His long black hair was slicked back, his scar on full display. He was wearing a completely black tuxedo, a few golden rings adoring his fingers and you noticed that his knuckles had some bruises. Aizawa was crotched down in front of you as he inspected your face, his eyes wandering up and down your body.  “It’s a real pity that we had to meet under these circumstances,” he seemed genuinely upset when he stroked your cheek.  “My name is Shota Aizawa. According to your ID your name is Y/N Tanaka if I’m not mistaken? And I am pretty sure you know him as well,” a sinister smile was plastered on his face when he stepped out of your view, thus your eyes now falling onto your beat up husband. “Haruto” you whispered. He had a deep cut over his left brow, eye black, his lip was busted, blood was all over his ripped white shirt. A few of his fingers seem broken too. “What have you done to him?” you struggled against your restrains, tears welling up in your eyes.  “The question is what has he done to himself? Has he told you about his debt?” you looked at the man in front of you and he could see you didn’t. “Oh no, hiding something from your wife Haruto?” he clicked his tongue as his eyes fell unto the almost unconscious business man. He looked at you the best he could and you could see his eyeballs had turned red. In that moment you didn’t see your happy, carefree husband, no, you saw a scared little boy who just got caught. “I-I’m so, so sorry. I thought I had it under control-” he was caught off by his coughs, blood dripping down from his mouth. “Turns out he didn’t. Gambling is a real bad addiction, wouldn’t you agree?” he asked you.  “I don’t think it’s the gambler’s fault but the game master’s,” you answered him with a nasty look. He laughed at your comment, nodding his head in agreement.  “The reason why you’re here is because you’re going to help your husband with his debt. We made a deal. I get to play with his wife and therefor he only owns me 50.000 instead of the original 100.000. Sounds fair doesn’t it? I got that idea when you arrived here,” he sounded so nonchalant, as if he told you what he had for dinner today.  You looked at your husband, hoping to see him in as much shock as you were right now but he only looked down in shame. “He wouldn’t-” “Oh but he did. All it took was a knife to his throat,” he cut open your restrains, massaging your wrists and pulled you up to him. He brushed your hair from your shoulder, kissing it gently. 
The moment his lips met your skin your fight or flight instinct kicked in and you slapped him across the face, turning the whole room quiet. Once you realized what you have done, who you just raised your hand again, your face twisted up in pure shock and you stumbled back, apologies tumbling from your lips. 
The mob boss took targeted, heavy steps towards you, his eyes the one of a predator ready to pound on his prey. He crotches down to pick you up by your neck, his grip tight when he walked you back to your original place.  “If you try to pull shit like this again, I will gut your husband in front of you, understood?” his voice was low, dangerous and you knew he wasn’t one to joke around.  You could only nod, apologizing again, your hands flying up to his wrists when his grip got worse, silently pleading for him to release you with your teary eyes. “Now you will go down on your knees and show me what that mouth can do other than whine.”
His black eyes didn’t leave yours, watching with a hint of a smirk as you compeled to his orders. You unbuckled his black pants, the metal clanking as it fell to the floor. You were seemingly impressed by his dick print through his tight boxers. He wasn’t pleased when you turned your eyes away from him and to your husband so one of his hands gripped your hair and pulled your attention to him. His other hand slapped you, not hard but enough to send pain through your body, straight to your cunt. As you pulled down his boxers, his dick sprung free and hit his happy trail right under his navel.  “Be a good girl and open wide for me,” he squished your cheeks so you opened your mouth, not expecting him to spit into it. He patted your head as if he was praising you before shoving his dick down your throat. His hands held you in place so you wouldn’t move, loving the way you choked around him, your attempts to swallow causing his thick cock to twitch. There was no mercy in his thrusts, hard and deep, lost in pleasure. Once your tears mixed with your drool he had enough and pulled you off almost completely. He still had his slick fingers in your hair but wasn’t as rough with you anymore. You started bobbing your head on his meat, one of your hands on his balls to massage them. Maybe if you try hard enough he would cum quick and this all would be over soon enough.  Grunts and moans left his lips, his eyes never leaving your frame, the sight in front of him throwing him into full bliss. You definitely knew what you were doing, swirling your tongue around his tip, licking his shaft up and down whenever your jaw needed a small break, joined by your other hand. The way you looked up at him from time to time made him almost go feral. How could someone look so innocent and yet so full of sins at the same time? Where have you been all his life? Maybe he should kill your husband afterwards, keep you to himself. But where would he get his money from then? Not that he needed it, but still, debt was debt. He could still always kidnap you when he felt like it. He really should. Your mouth now concentrated on his tip, tongue licking all around it, hand going up and down, the grip just right and damn, your hand really worshipped his balls. He couldn’t keep himself from fucking your face, hearing those choke noises send him over the edge. Of course he pulled out first, shooting his load all over your face. 
“You’re such a good little whore for me, you did such a great job,” he praised you, his grey scarf cleaning your eyes so you could open them again. He wanted you to look at him, wanted to see your eyes roll back when he fucks you in front of your spouse and his men.  “Something like this deserves a reward, what do you think Kirishima, should I fuck her, take care of that sloppy wet hole?” he asked the man in the shadows, looking at the doors. You couldn’t see his reaction but fear spread through your body. 
“But... I thought-” you stammered, the man in front of you put his pointer finger under your chin so you’d look up to him. “What? That I would be satisfied by one orgasm? Oh darling, I’m so sorry you’re so used to awful sex. But no, I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I leave you so needy,” he pointed down on the floor and you noticed your wetness dripped down onto the hard floor.  “Your body betrayed you,” he whispered into your ear as he crawled on top of your smaller frame. 
“No, please,” your husband gasped, a painful groan followed suit after. Aizawa only had to look at one of his man, your husband gagged within seconds. “Sir please stop,” you pleaded with him, your hand pushing against his chest in an attempt to stop him from going further.  “I like it when you call me sir,” he told you, kissing and nibbling on your soft skin. With one swift motion he cut open your dress, your body fully exposed. “Naughty girl, you’re not even wearing a bra and now-” he cut open your slip, the cold blade against your hot core sending shock waves through your body, your nipples turning hard, “not even underwear,” he groaned into your ear. His attention immediately went to your in goose bumps covered tits, licking the sensitive nubs alternately. When his fingers went to play with your pussy you pushed it away, shaking your head no. “Stop it, I don’t want this,” you told him when he looked at you angrily. Tears welled up in your eyes again as you saw his dark smile.
“Your mind maybe doesn’t, but your body is craving this,” he told you, holding your hands up with one hand, the other one aligning his still wet dick with your glistering folds. “Please, you’re big,” you whimpered when his tip was now at your entrance. “Oh don’t worry,” he assured you, pushing his full length into you at once. He covered your mouth with his hand to quiet down your scream that left your lips as he filled you up so suddenly. “It will only hurt for a little bit,” his waist snapped back and forth, in and out of you, the room soon filled with the sound of your wet cunt being abused by the one and only Aizawa.  “Stop suppressing your moans darling, let me hear them. Don’t be shy, I feel you clenching your needy hole around me.”  His other hand played with your clit now, drawing slow circles around it, tapping it from time to time to feel your body jolting. He had enough of your quietness, so he bit down on your neck hard, making you yell, which turned into a moan. “There we go,” he grunted. 
The black haired man grabbed his grey scarf, wrapping it around your throat and pulling it shut tightly. Your hands hit him and your nails scratched his arms and chest, making him moan in pleasure. Before you could pass out completely he stopped. He wanted you to remember every single second. Aizawa wanted you on top of him, watch your tits bounce up and down with his thrusts, so he turned you around, holding you up so he could pound into you. The new angle made your eyes roll into the back of your neck and you could’t help it now. Moans slipped past your lips as the shame and refusal slowly turned into pleasure. He hit all the right spots, his finger playing with your clit skillfully. Whenever he felt like it he would tuck on the scarf around your neck, choking you until he saw tiny veins pop under your eyes. At a certain point he pulled your body close to his, one hand in your hair, the other one trailing down your back. Before you could objectify against it, he had his finger inside of your puckering, empty hole. You bit his shoulder because it burned, never experiencing something like this before. “Fuck, you really like this darling don’t you? You’re such a good slut for me, letting me abuse all your holes like that,” he moaned and pulled you back by your hair, feeling you clenching around him more frequently.  He picked up the speed, pushing another finger into you in scissoring motions, watching your eyes roll back into your head as you came undone.  Aizawa made sure your husband’s eyes were looking at you. He had to know that Aizawa ruined you for him, that it was him, not Haruto, who gave you the best fuck in your life. 
The black haired man will never forget how your nails dig into his skin when you fucked yourself through your high on his dick, will never forget the way you moaned out his name, forgetting everything around you but the feeling of your best orgasm.  When you looked down at the man underneath you he couldn’t see a hint of fear in them and for a moment he just wanted to pull you in and kiss your cum covered face, you fitted perfectly around him and he had so much to show you. He wanted to ruin you, destroy you and build you up again, form you into his perfect little wife. Just the thought of having you anywhere possible: his car, his office, his yacht, his suit, his balcony, in his pool, his jacuzzi, so many places, so many kinks, so many positions. His thrusts became sloppier and he followed you quickly, painting your insides white. Aizawa held you close, taking in your mixed smell and enjoying your little spasms that went through your body every now and then. When he pulled out he made sure nothing would spill and took of his scarf from around you, wrapping you inside of it.  “I’m gonna take better care of you than he did, darling. You take care of him,” he told his men, ordering Bakugou to stop the camera and put the DVD in his safe for later.
©Kirishoshego
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mrpenguinpants · 3 years
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I have,, a new Genshin oc 👀 hope u don't mind me sending in so many asks dsdjgjshd but I had to tell someone about her
Her name is Lilith (Lily) and she's a cryo catalyst user from Mondstadt and a senior member of the investigation team. She was childhood friends with Kaeya and Diluc but the Crepus incident pulled them apart. I don't have too many details of her backstory pinned down yet but I've already figured out all her skills and talents and her voicelines lmao so I guess I'll share those instead:
About Kaeya - Friendship: Captain Kaeya… he's an enigma alright. It took me years just to get under that mask of his, and even now I'm still not sure if what I'm seeing is the real him. That said, once you get to know him, he's a loyal and reliable friend. The best anyone can ask for.
About Kaeya - Eyepatch: Kaeya's eyepatch? Why are you asking me?…you think because I'm the closest to him that I would know what's under there? Haha, don't be ridiculous, I hardly know him well enough to pry into his secrets.
About Diluc: I knew him when I was still a knight in training. He was… different back then… happier. Now, after all that's happened… well, best if you go talk to him yourself if you want to know more.
About Albedo: He's brilliant! I admire him a lot—not just for his alchemical genius, but for his dedicated work ethic. Unlike a certain other captain whose name I won't mention, Captain Albedo would never drink on the job.
About Jean: Ah, Acting Grandmaster Jean… though, she's been doing this for so long I feel like she should just take the title of Grandmaster. She seems to be good at everything except taking care of herself. Maybe I should bring her some lunch again today…
About Rosaria: Would it be sacrilege to say I agree with her views on the church? In fact, I have never been a fan of the Church of Favonius. If Mondstadt is the City of Freedom, should not its citizens have the freedom to choose how they worship their Archon?
About Lisa: Is she still calling me her "little helper"? Ugh, when will I be rid of that nickname…
About Venti: Ah, that bard who has recently become Kaeya's drinking buddy? I… admit I may have a distorted judgment of him, as I have yet to see the lad completely sober.
About the Vision: Ah, this is my proudest achievement… though, I'm not sure if I can call it that. I was just in the right place at the right time. Anyone else would've done the same.
Favorite food: Nothing warms the heart and soul like a nice bowl of soup! What, you think just because I wield cryo that I can never get cold?
Least favorite food: I will never understand this city's love for alcohol. Not only is the taste repulsive, it clouds the mind and impairs judgement. …How can Kaeya drink so much of the stuff?
Lilith's Hobbies: Did you know that there's a grand piano in the Knights' headquarters that no one uses? Such a shame that this beautiful instrument goes unappreciated. Say… when you next have time, would you like to come in for a private concert?
Lilith's Troubles: There's just not enough time to do all the things I want to do. If only Captain Albedo's alchemy could add more hours to the day… hmm…
More about Lilith - I: My research? Oh, you misunderstand. I'm merely a member of the investigation team, not an alchemist. However, I have helped Captain Albedo with various experiments, so I've picked up a few things.
Kaeya's About Lilith: Lilith? Heh, I've known her for quite some time now. Yes, we're friends. Are we close? Hmm… let's just say that she understands me in a way that most people in Mondstadt cannot.
Fun facts/backstory?:
Kaeya calls her his little lily (only in private or when he's trying to tease her)
She and Kaeya drifted apart after Crepus' death, but once Diluc returned to Mondstadt Kaeya began approaching her once again. They rekindled their friendship but Lilith knows Kaeya's keeping secrets from her. She just hopes he can one day trust her enough to reveal the truth.
Kaeya hasn't told her about Khaenri'ah or his past, but just the fact that she was one of the few people who were actually friends with him before the Crepus incident puts her in his circle of trust
She's shorter than Kaeya and he will not stop teasing her for it
They're not dating (yet)
Lilith got her Vision when the library of Mondstadt caught fire (this is canon but it happened like way back in the day so I'm bending the timeline a little lol) and she rushed in to save the books. This was before she became a knight and was just working as a helper around the library (hence her voiceline about Lisa). She was able to save several rare manuscripts thanks to her newfound power keeping the flames at bay. Afterward she was awarded a medal by the Grandmaster but she always considered the Vision her true reward. This event is also what pushed her to become a knight in earnest so she can use her powers to protect Mondstadt
I just realized that both of my Genshin OCs' visions match the characters I paired them with lmao
As a playable character she'd likely be a main/sub DPS whose focus is critting the hell out of your enemies. She'd synergize well w cryo resonance. You'd want her on a freeze team bc her charged attack summons an icicle and counts as a heavy attack so it can deal shattered damage
Haha whoops this became really long dskfjdjd but uhh hope you enjoyed reading about Lilith!! I'm still trying to figure out what she looks like so there may be art on the way soon 👀
Blinking at this 20 page essay in front of me haha but please don't worry about sending me too many asks. If you're okay with my shit reply times then spam my inbox with anything.
Is there a cyro catalyst in genshin yet? I don't think so (maybe signora but she's not playable yet) but it's such a good fucking concept and I want it. It would look so pretty or elegant or we could be throwing snowballs goddammit. But can I say how much I love voice lines??? As much of a lore junkie that I am, there's something about voice lines that send me. If you have any more voice lines. please feed me.
Side note: "…How can Kaeya drink so much of the stuff?"
I'm pretty sure it's borderline confirmed since Venti drinks to forget his ptsd...I'm hard eyeballing Kaeya for the same reasons.
Can I say how fucking hot it is when characters don't pry into each other's business? Just having that mutual trust that you can take care of whatever you're dealing with, and if you can't, you can come to me for help without feeling ashamed. I'm not self-reflecting at all, what do you mean? But I'm enjoying this dynamic a lot. Feels very healthy and I support that. But hey, double cryo has a pretty good element synergy bonus haha. Speaking of criting, my Eula has a 15% crit chance....
But if you do create art or more lore, please share with me! Unless you already have and I haven't seen the ask yet haha.
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