#the smol child who follows him around and clings to his leg is no different

[admirableadmiranda]

Possibly an unpopular opinion.. but wwx was not a father figure for A-Yuan during their time in the burial mounds. He was more like a cool, but crazy uncle imo 🤣

Everyone be like, wwx did a good job... It was lwj who raised him 🤔 I mean, don't get me wrong.. our boy Wei did saved him twice and is so happy to have him in his life again. But lwj deserve most of the credit ✌️

Anon, I'm afraid I will have to disagree here and say that I don't agree with this take. If you are ascribing parental figures to one of them, then they both should get the credit, it’s not Wei Wuxian’s fault he was killed after only a year. I’m sure if you ask any number of people who have lost a parent young but they remember their parent being a parent while they were alive, that’s still the feeling they have now.

Yeah, Wei Wuxian plays with him a lot and teases him. That's not necessarily behavior that's only relegated to uncles. Not only does that sound pretty similar to Lan-furen playing with little Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji, but it also sounds like my dad, who definitely was a parent, just one that did his guidance through much more play related activities. There is more than one way to be a caring, good parent.

Also that being said, there are plenty of interactions and character moments that feel very parental in nature. Here he is scolding A-Yuan for eating corpse dirt:

Wei WuXian bent down and picked up the child, letting him sit on his arm, “What do you mean get him away? Can’t you talk properly? A-Yuan, why do you hug the leg of everyone you meet? Off you go! Don’t bite your nails right after you play with mud. Do you know what the mud is made of? Move your hand! Don’t touch my face either. Where’s Granny?”Wei WuXian bent down and picked up the child, letting him sit on his arm, “What do you mean get him away? Can’t you talk properly? A-Yuan, why do you hug the leg of everyone you meet? Off you go! Don’t bite your nails right after you play with mud. Do you know what the mud is made of? Move your hand! Don’t touch my face either. Where’s Granny?”

Here they are with some soup, and I double checked, Wei Wuxian is teasing A-Yuan and saying he's being a good son here. Filial piety is specifically the respect from a child to a parent or ancestor.

Wen Yuan couldn’t stop after just a few mouthfuls, yet he still knew to give the bowl to Wei WuXian, speaking as though he was presenting him with a treasure, “… Brother Xian… Xian eat.”

Wei WuXian seemed to like it a lot, “Yes, very good. So you do know what filial piety means.”

As well as A-Yuan seems to think of Wei Wuxian as a father secretly. A-Yuan gets lost in the market and while looking for Wei Wuxian, discovers and gets scared by Lan Wangji.

In the beginning, Wen Yuan was still holding onto his leg. Wei WuXian walked back and forth, picking out potatoes and bargaining. Hanging on his leg, Wen Yuan felt tired just a while later. His short arms were sore, so he let go to rest for a bit. Yet, in just a few moments, the rush of the people on the streets made him reel left and right, losing his sense of direction. His line of sight was quite low. He walked here and there, but couldn’t find Wei WuXian’s long legs and black boots. Everything in front of his eyes were pants so grimey that they were the color of dirt. He grew more and more petrified. As he spun around dizzily, he bumped into someone’s leg.

Hiding in the crowd as he heard the words ‘his dad’, Wei WuXian almost exploded with laughter. Lan WangJi immediately looked up, denying it, “I am not.”

Wen Yuan didn’t know what the people were talking about. When children were scared, they always called out to those they were close to. And so, sobbing, he called, “Dad! Dad…”

A-Yuan has not even officially met Lan Wangji yet. The narrative tells us he's scared and calling for those that they were close to. The only person who could hear him is Wei Wuxian. He calls him "A-die".

Wei Wuxian’s parenting is definitely a lot more unorthodox than most parenting we see, but let’s keep in mind that he is twenty-one at the most at the time. He is a very young man who is putting himself in the position of caring for a child in a hellistic time on earth. His main goal is to make sure that A-Yuan grows up feeling happy and cared for without ever worrying about their situation. He can’t erase all of it, but he can sure as hell make sure that A-Yuan never feels like everyone’s miserable. A-Yuan also seems to be the only child in the camps, who else does he have to play with?

The relationship between the three of them is interesting because there is no singular term that Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji use for Sizhui, nor does Sizhui quite define them in one particular relationship. He calls Wei Wuxian “Xian-gege” most of the time, but also “A-Die” once when he’s scared. He describes Lan Wangji as being like a “father and brother” to him. The two men clearly both take pride and interest in his upbringing and even take him out on special trips alone with just the two of them.

If you conclude that Lan Wangji feels more like a parent to Lan Sizhui, keep in mind that they both give Sizhui the same sense of safety. He connects the two with the same emotion.

Wei WuXian turned to him, “SiZhui, you’re the most sensible one here. Guide them a bit, won’t you? Can you do that?”

Lan SiZhui nodded. Wei WuXian added, “Don’t be scared.”

Lan SiZhui, “I am not.”

“Really?”

“Really.” Lan SiZhui smiled, “Senior, you are so much like HanGuang-Jun.”

Wei WuXian was puzzled, “Us? How are we alike?” They were obviously like fire and ice. However, Lan SiZhui only grinned in reply, and led the rest of the group out.

He continued his thought silently, I do not know, either, but they just feel similar. It is as though if either one of the two seniors are present, I will not need to be scared or worry about anything.

And both of Wangxian conclude that they are both responsible for how he turned out, as well as the same soft look in their eyes.

At least, Lan SiZhui couldn’t hold it any longer. With a loud cry, he leaped up. One hand around Wei WuXian and the other around Lan WangJi, he pulled the two into a tight embrace. Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi bumped into each other from the hug. Both of them were surprised.

Lan SiZhui buried his head between their shoulders, “HanGuang-Jun, Senior Wei, I… I…”

Hearing his muffled voice, Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi exchanged a look, only inches apart. They both saw something soft within each other’s eyes.

Wei WuXian fixed his mood and put his hand on Lan SiZhui’s back, patting, “Enough, what are you crying for?”

Lan SiZhui, “Not crying… Just… I suddenly feel so frustrated, but so happy as well… I do not know how to describe it…”

After some silence, Lan WangJi laid his hand onto his back as well and patted. Lan WangJi, “There is no need to describe it then.”

Wei WuXian, “That’s right.”

Lan SiZhui didn’t say anything. He hugged them even tighter.

Soon, Wei WuXian exclaimed, “Hey, hey, hey, why are your arms so strong? Definitely deserving of HanGuang-Jun’s teachings…”

Lan WangJi glanced at him, “You taught him as well.”

Wei WuXian, “No wonder he grew up so nicely.”

There is no single defined relationship, but it is clearly close, affectionate and Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji definitely have a mentor/parental interest in his life and take a close hand in guiding him on the road to adulthood. However the thing that is clear is that Wangxian both share the same feelings and give Sizhui the same emotions. If one is an uncle, both are. If one is a parent, both are. 

Also again, I think it’s super unfair to blame Wei Wuxian for not being involved in A-Yuan’s upbringing while he was dead, especially since every time Wei Wuxian thinks of Sizhui, Sizhui keeps making him proud and thinking of how good a child he is. Lan Wangji also clearly is raising Sizhui to be aware of Wei Wuxian as he was and to when he is ready, know the other family that he lost.

If Wangxian were together and Wei Wuxian still died young, would you say that Lan Wangji still deserves all the credit? It’s not like Wei Wuxian walked out or chose not to be involved. He died. Of course Lan Wangji has put in the more time, but that’s not something either of them ever wanted.

So yeah, it probably is kind of an unpopular opinion. And not one I particularly agree with either. Sorry!

[darkeninganon]

Ha, more Gream (Ghost Dream). Ranboo is weak to smol things. Want proof? Tubbo and Michael.

Gream stared out the window. His room was looking out over a grave. Tommy's grave. It was... something that made him feel strangely bitter. Like, he felt like he should be happy, but wasn't actually happy. Staring at the grave made him want to laugh and spin and cheer; but yell and scream and cry at the same time. Gream huffed, flopping onto his bed. It was green, like his curtains, rug, and anything else he could make green in his room. Ranboo had kicked up a storm about how weird it would look and that it wasn't a good idea, especially the window, but Tommy and Tubbo had talked him into accepting the changes.

Well, accepting wasn't really the right word, he still refused to accept the green room, but he didn't do anything other than glare at the door or window when he passed it. At least... Gream thought he was glaring. It was hard to tell because he had no eyelids.

Gream shuddered at that. Ranboo produced tears, and didn't need to blink in order to keep his eyes moist, but his tears hurt him when he cried. The guy was a disaster and probably shouldn't even exist, yet he still did. The ghost tried to avoid the half enderman as best as he could, but wanted to speak to him about... something.

With a sigh, Gream left the comfort of his bed, leaving his room to wander the mansion. Ever since that siren had sounded, the two teens told Gream he legitimately couldn't leave the mansion, or else the man with the gold tooth might find him and... and...

Gream shook his head, acid burning at the wood beneath his feet. "Oh, oh no. Not good, not good!" The ghost looked around, desperate to find a chest filled with spruce wood to replace the slowly eroding material.

"You thinking about what Tommy and Tubbo told you?"

Gream spun around, Ranboo standing there with a baby zombie piglin clinging to his pant leg. Ranboo looked... bored? Angry? "I'm... I'm sorry, I'll replace it! I just need to find-" Ranboo sighed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry..." Gream muttered, pulling his feet up to float noticably off the ground.

"It's fine. Just... keep an eye out for Michael." Ranboo huffed, picking up the little piglin. "Yes! That's right, we need to be careful with you." Ranboo cooed, nuzzling his child.

Gream just watched, surprised at how different the half enderman was acting. "you... Yeah. I'll be super careful." The ghost stated, lowering his legs back down to appear as if he were walking. He floated over to the two, smiling behind his mask. "hey there Michael. You... You need to stay away from me, okay?" Michael let out a little snort, "are you the monster? You have a mask like the monster." Michael then took out a wooden sword...

And smacked Gream with it.

"Ow! I didn't- I mean... I'm sorry?!" Gream looked between Ranboo and Michael, confused what he had done to be hit over the head.

Ranboo rolled his eyes, taking hold of the toy sword. "He's not the monster Michael. Good effort though. Yes! Such a good effort!" Ranboo resumed nuzzling him again, earning a laugh from the piglin. Ranboo stopped for a moment, looking to Gream.

The ghost stared back at the half enderman, literally shrinking under his unbreaking gaze. "So, um... Where is the-"

"Take some emerald blocks from the chest near the front, and trade with one of the villagers. One should have spruce planks to make into slabs." Ranboo turned and left, leaving the now small ghost to float and find his way to the trading center inside the house.

Gream sighed, floating towards the front of the house to look for the chest. Ranboo's directions weren't the best as there were at least five or six chests near the front, and Gream had no idea what was in which chest. He'd never bothered to look before.

"You're sure you haven't seen anything?"

That voice. Gream froze, listening in to the muffle conversation.

"You an Tubbo built your house close to the prison. If he was going to look anywhere for supplies, he'd probably look here."

That voice sent chills down his spine, making him want to shrink down to his smallest size and hide inside the chest. The chest lid dropped from his grasp, slamming shut loudly. He had shrunk to his smallest size. He really needed to learn to control his abilities.

"What was that?"

Gream ducked behind the chest, clamping his hands over his mouth to stay quiet. The voice couldn't find him here... he'd be in deep trouble... his food would be taken away, his bed, his flags, his books, he'd be taken away to someplace terrible.

"Probably just Michael." Ranboo. Ranboo was... lying to that voice? Was Ranboo insane?!

"Since when could zombie piglins open and close chests?"

Silence followed. Heavy and tense. Neither person was backing down. Even from his hiding place, Gream could imagine Ranboo glaring at whoever had that voice. The Warden. That's the name that came to mind with that voice. That cruel, cold, heartless, paranoid voice.

"What? You think I'd let Dream stay here? You'd think I'd be that dumb?" Ranboo hissed after the silence. Ranboo... was he working with the man with the golden tooth? Was this... Warden guy one of his goons? Gream shook his head, tangling his hands in his hair. He wanted to remember... he needed to remember.

"You two had a secret conversation, and when I asked you about it you didn't remember. Then you come crawling to me, demanding to be let in-"

"I said to put me in the prison. As an inmate. But you said I was a good person!"

"Are you saying this wouldn't have happened if I locked you up?!"

"Maybe! I don't know at all! I don't know where Dream is, and even if I did I wouldn't be able to tell you! Just like how I can't tell you that I b-" Ranboo's voice suddenly died. He growled, a static noise coming from deep within his throat. It stopped, somewhat, lessening to background static; "Put your sword away. I'm not going to attack you. I have better control than that."

"What the hell kind of noise was that?!"

"The kind of noise I make when someone attacks me!" Gream could hear the Warden backing down now, thrown off by Ranboo's suddenly inhuman noises. It made sense though, Ranboo was half enderman. "You come into my house, accuse me of harboring a fugitive, who you know would kill my husband if given the chance, and you call into question if I had anything to do with it when you know I have a terrible memory and apparently was a traitor! Yes! I'm angered! Now get the hell off of my property."

Silence followed. Gream peered over the top of the chest, finally spotting the duo. Purple puffs flew around Ranboo frantically, similar static and garbled chirps coming from all of them. Some were buzzing around the Warden, clearly trying to intimidate him into leaving. Even with his mask on, Gream could see the glare the Warden was sending towards Ranboo. "This isn't over. If you come anywhere near the prison-"

"You'll kill me on sight. Yeah, whatever. That's your battle cry these days." Ranboo stepped up, getting right in the Warden's face. "If you come near my family ever again, I'll return the favor in such a way, you'll wish you were dead."

Gream listened to the heavy footsteps of the Warden retreat, ducking low  in hopes of not being seen as Ranboo turned to enter the house. The ghost heard the hybrid sigh, sinking to the floor with his back against the door. "You can come out now. Sam is gone."

The small form of the ghost man peered out from behind the chest, acid bubbling against the wood. He pulled his hand back, cringing behind his mask and ready to be scolded. Ranboo was staring at him, and he stared back, curling in on himself so as to not accidentally dissolve anything. "I'm-"

"Why do you shrink?"

Gream jolted. Ranboo was still staring at him with that pseudo-angry look he always seemed to have around the ghost. "I... I um... I don't know... I just... I really don't want to be seen, then I'm small like this, and burning things with acid, and... I'm sorry, I'll learn to control it."

Ranboo sighed, standing up and walking over to Gream. The half enderman knelt down, scooping up the tiny ghost and holding him up to his face; "Relax. It's fine. Did you... do you know who that is?"

Gream shook his head, pausing before shrugging. "I... Not really? His voice sounds familiar... badly familiar, but as for a name... Warden... The Warden." Gream looked up to Ranboo now, hugging himself as he stood on the teen's hands, the netherite protecting his hands from the acid Gream always seemed to drip. "Do you... I mean are you... Is he-"

"Relax. I don't pick sides. Unless they're Tommy and Tubbo. I'm on the side of those two, but only if I need to be." Ranboo wished he had eyelids right now, then Gream probably wouldn't be so scared of him. "Sam... The Warden is... He's stressed easily, and..." Ranboo glanced at Gream's eyes, or where he thought his eyes were, a cold stone of pity resting heavy in his gut as he was hit with the realization of just how scared the little ghost was. "I'm not really working with him, but... I am pret-" his mouth suddenly sealed shut, as if he had just swallowed a block of honey. Ranboo tilted his head in confusion. No, that couldn't be right... "I'm pla-" Again, he was stopped from speaking. With an annoyed sigh, he set Gream down on the chest. "I can't tell you. I'm sorry. I wish I could, but... I'm stopping myself, as you can see. Much like you and your... shrinking and acid, it's not something I can control. Please, don't tell Tubbo or Tommy."

Gream nodded. "I won't. I promise, just... help me with the floor please? I'm not sure how to get big again or turn off... Turn off? Stop? The acid issue going on." He muttered, picking up one foot to reveal a growing puddle of slimey acid. Ranboo chuckled, a gentle smile coming to his face. "Alright. But only if you use the magic word."

"Please and thank you?"

"There we go." Ranboo cooed, patting Gream's head. The half enderman set the little ghost down on the chest and went to repair the floor.

[hhunjins]

Pairing: Changbin x gender neutral reader (with housemate Minho)

Genre: college!au, fluff, lowkey strangers to lovers

Word Count: ~4,600

Warnings: Alcohol, language

Notes: I started this almost three weeks in advance but I still ended up posting late so…oops. Hope you guys enjoy it nevertheless! Happy 20th to the buffest smol boy I know! You deserve all the happiness!

Summary: Changbin was nothing like you thought he was, and maybe, just maybe this party might not turn out so bad.

Every moment that passes by is another one spent in regret. Minho is currently getting shitfaced on the other side of the room and having the time of his life, so you’re stuck sitting in a spinning barstool as tipsy college students continue to yell around you.

Listening to Minho is always a hit or miss, mostly misses, but your housemate was so adamant about dragging you to his frat’s party that you felt like you had to indulge him this once. You regretted it the moment you heard the party from a block away. Minho’s gleeful expression as he pulled up to the curb and dragged you out of the car with a firm hand wrapped around your wrist eased the swirling in your stomach a bit but then he ditched you for his friends and now you’re lonely.

While you knew everyone here, it wasn’t like you could hold a conversation with them. They were Minho’s friends, and you were Minho’s other friend. Two different worlds that didn’t mix. But at least they were nice and offered you drinks.

You make another rotation in your seat, using your feet to spin yourself around in the chair as you fiddle with your phone. The air is hot and somewhat sticky from how many people there are packed into this house, even spilling out into the front and back yard. You’re surprised the cops haven’t been called but living in a college town where the majority of the residents were students has its perks. After all, Saturday nights are the best time to drink to forget. If only you dared, of course. Minho called you a wholesome child but, in your defense, if you went as far as Minho, there would be no one to get him into bed and deal with his whiny ass when he wakes up the next day with a massive hangover. It was more of a favor for him than anything, but Minho would beg to differ.

“Hello!”

You flinch when you feel an arm sling itself over your shoulders and a head press against your shoulder. “Hi, Felix,” you say when you recognize the familiar weight of the boy who loves to cling onto you whenever possible.

Felix grins lazily, leaning even more into your personal space and draping his entire body over your back like a cat. “I didn’t know you were into this life.” He speaks slowly, like he’s processing his words as they come from his mouth. His cheeks are warm, and his cheeks are dusted pink. “Why are you sitting here being lonely?”

“Minho dragged me here,” you say, as if it answers anything.

But it seems to suffice since Felix lets out a low hum. He swivels you side to side on the chair, twisting his body just enough to create movement. “I’m going to get something to drink,” he mumbles after a while.

“Okay.”

And then Felix’s warmth is gone from your back.

You make another round on your chair, daring to swing your legs back and forth just a bit to give yourself something to focus on. The way the zippers on your jeans reflect the dim light when you sit at the perfect angle. The way your hands are clammy as they grip your phone because you want to leave but Minho has the keys to his car and he’s not going to let you go without a fight.

Though you’re slumped over in your seat, Felix’s blond head catches your eye as it bobs around in the sea of dark hair. He appears a few moments later, walking slowly and holding his cup with two hands like he’s cradling something precious. His eyes are trained on it, to the point where he’s almost cross eyed, as he inches closer and closer to you as if walking faster than snail’s pace would spill his drink.

At this point, you’re sure Felix is at least halfway gone because normal Felix is kind of an idiot, but not like this. He looks up when he’s about two (large) steps away from you and gives you a look like a child during Christmas. “This is for you!” he says.

It’s kind of like a movie, how everything seems to move as fast as Felix did in the next few seconds. Like someone slow-moed this exact moment just to make you suffer. It takes a simple elbow to his back to knock him off balance and Felix’s drink goes flying right into your white shirt. If life were a comedy, there would be the corny recorded laugh track going off in the background because you’re stunned into silence as Felix stares at this cup on the floor.

You knew you shouldn’t have come.

Apparently all the money Minho pays for his dues doesn’t go towards decent toilet paper because your shirt is still soaked and there are flecks of it stuck to the fabric where it rubbed off with your incessant dabbing. Felix is groaning right outside, probably slumped against the wall beside the door as he mumbles apologies through sniffles. You’re not sure if it’s the alc that’s getting to him or if he’s actually so sad about the drink that he’s crying, but your desperation to go home is too high to be thinking about Felix’s hurt feelings.

It takes a moment to process Felix’s slow “hey” and the door to the bathroom suddenly opening with a loud slam against the wall, but then you’re face to face with Seo Changbin, who looks surprisingly sober as he stares back.

“Oh. Sorry, but I really need to use the bathroom.”

You wince. “Okay.” You roll out a handful of toilet paper around your hand and slip out the door.

“Ah, wait.” Changbin’s hand is warm as it wraps around your wrist and you stare at the hand for a moment before looking up at him with a raised eyebrow.

Changbin seems to be surprised himself at the touch but he immediately lets go of your wrist and begins shrugging off his hoodie jacket. “To cover your,” he gestures vaguely at the wet stain on your shirt and gives you a pitying look as he says, “I’ll find you some paper towels that might help better.” Then he nudges you into the dim hallway by swatting the air like he’s shooing a fly.

The hoodie in your hand is soft and still has his body heat clinging onto its fibers. You’re not sure if you’re more shocked that Seo Changbin is here out of all places, that he talked to you, or that he gave you his hoodie like you were close friends.

“Y/n?” Felix tugs at your pant leg. “I’m sorry,” he says, eyes wide and pouty like that one Puss in Boots meme floating around on the internet.

“Felix, it’s fine.”

“I tried to stop him,” Felix continues. His fist is still holding onto your jeans. “He walked in anyway.”

“It’s really fine, Felix. I think we need to get you to bed though.” The words come out with a little soulless laugh. You can’t really believe your luck. Dragged to a frat party you didn’t really want to go to and now you’re going to be D.D. for your economics seatmate because he can’t even walk straight. What a night. You squat so you’re eye to eye and put a both hands on either sides of his cheeks, wad of toilet paper forgotten. “Did you drive here?”

Light spills out from the bathroom when the door opens again and you flinch a little at the sudden brightness.

“Uh, am I interrupting something?” Changbin questions. He raises his hands in mock surrender when you raise an eyebrow. “Okay. Nothing. Sorry,” he says quickly. “Lix, you okay?”

Felix lets out a sleepy mumble and promptly slumps forward into your shoulder. Out like a fucking light.

���Umm, would you happen to have somewhere to let him sleep?” you ask as you maneuver Felix into a position where his head isn’t digging into your collarbone.

“Do you know where he lives? I’ll just take him home.” Changbin gives you a hesitant smile, just a little tug of the corner of his lip, as he squats down beside you to poke Felix’s cheek. “I don’t think leaving him here would be a good idea.”

In all the years you’ve known Changbin, this is probably the most you’ve ever talked to him since…ever. He was always kind of untouchable, but not because he was way out of your league or popular at any point from elementary to high school. Actually, he was that weird kid everyone kind of avoided because he was always wearing black, even in sweltering hot, humid summers and hunched over a desk or any hard surface while scribbling into his barely-held-together notebook.

And that was why it was so weird to see him at 11 a.m. at a party because you never would have taken awkward, quiet Seo Changbin to be a frat boy. College changes people you guess.

You let out a small noise of assent as you struggle to stand while balancing Felix’s weight against you. Your still damp shirt presses against your skin again and makes you cringe all over again at the feeling.

Without a word, Changbin lifts Felix from your grip. “Help him onto my back. My car’s just down the block.”

All the times you’ve compared Felix to a cat is nothing compared to the way he is curled up in the backseat with his head on your lap…like a cat. Your pat his head mindlessly as you watch Changbin’s eyes flitter occasionally to check his mirrors through the rearview mirror.

Changbin drives consistently, carefully, unlike Minho’s random bursts of speed and quick braking. You’re not sure if he’s purposefully going slow so Felix doesn’t throw up all over his car but you’re thankful for a smooth ride nevertheless.

“Make a right. It’s the third building. You can probably just park in the street. I’ll call his roommate.” How you seem to know everyone in Minho’s circle of friends will always be a miracle, and for once you’re thankful that he’s a social butterfly that somehow snagged every useful phone number out there.

Changbin drums his fingers against the wheel as he changes lanes and follows your directions.

To say Jeongin is annoyed when he picks up is putting it lightly, but he grumbles that he’ll be out to collect his “lightweight bother of a friend” after he finishes this round of Smash.

Changbin has found a parking spot during your lengthy call with Jeongin and has the windows rolled down. The crisp night air is refreshing to inhale and you roll up the sleeves of Changbin’s hoodie so your arms can feel it too.

“He’s here.” Changbin’s voice breaks the silence and you look to see Jeongin walking towards the car with an angry pout. It would be great teasing material if his roommate wasn’t passed out on your lap. Poor boy.

You open the door and scoot out first, letting Changbin carefully coax Felix out of the backseat when he appears by your side. “Alright, Lix. Time for bed okay? Be good to Jeongin.”

Felix’s incoherent babbling might be an indicator that he still has some consciousness but, judging from the way Jeongin has to shift his weight to balance, that might just be him sleep-talking.

“Watch my car? I think Jeongin needs help.”

You nod and cross your arms over your chest. “Okay.”

When Changbin returns ten minutes later, he finds you sitting on the curb in front of his car, bright light from your phone illuminating your face. “Do you want to go home or back to the–”

“Home. Please.” The part of you that isn’t super drained shudders at the prospect of returning to that place. Instead, you flap your arms so the sleeves of Changbin’s hoodies are unrolled and then pull them to cover your hands. “I don’t think I’d ever go back.”

Changbin laughs a little at that, offering you a hand and pulling you upwards. “Actually do you want ice cream before I take you back? I’m craving.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Somehow, ice cream ends up being sitting on the trunk of Changbin’s 2010 Civic in your driveway as you hold your half of a twin popsicle while pointing out tiny, flickering stars in the sky. Changbin has long finished it, biting through it like the heathen he is, and is leaning back on the back window with a little cup of vanilla ice cream while sucking on the wooden stick used to scoop it.

For some reason, this doesn’t feel awkward. You would expect it to be with how much, or rather little, history you share. Maybe it was because neither of you tried to force conversation and just let comfortable silence blanket the two of you. It’s nice. You would go to parties more often if it meant doing stuff like this afterwards with Changbin.

Wait. No. Scratch that last bit. Why did that even become a thought anyway?

“Y/n?”

“Hmm?”

“When was the last time you visited home?”

The list of weird things that have happened between you and Changbin in the span of two hours just keeps getting longer and longer.

“Home?” You shrug. “A month ago or so.” Glancing over at him, you ask, “What about you?”

“I haven’t come back since we went off to college,” he confesses. “There isn’t much to come back to, really.”

“Oh.” The words could be taken as passive aggressive, but his tone doesn’t sound so.

Another glance to Changbin results in eye contact, which he breaks first to scoop his ice cream. “You know, I was surprised to see you at the party.” He nudges your shoulder with his arm and tilts his head to the side. There’s a little smile that’s threatening to form. You can tell by the way the corner of his lips twitch and how his eyes seem to glitter like the faint stars you were supposed to be looking at.

You laugh a little, finally biting a chunk out of your popsicle since you sucked out all the flavor from the end of it. “Wasn’t really my choice.”

“I’m glad you went though. Even if you ended up having to deal with drunk Lix and a dirty shirt.” He nudges you again, but there’s a smile this time.

Your heart kind of maybe flutters a bit. “Yeah. I’m glad too.”

Silence blankets you again, but this time your heart is beating a little bit faster since Changbin is that much closer. In all the years you’ve known him, he was always background noise, but now when he’s the only person you’re with and the only remnant of home, there’s something different when you look at him. It wasn’t just the physical changes from skinny, lanky Changbin to toned arms and fuller cheeks. Nor was it the slit in his eyebrow that made him look almost completely different from the boy you knew since you were in grade school. It was the confident glint in his eyes and the way he carried himself that made him feel untouchable this time.

Maybe it would be an overstatement to say that you may or may not have a little thing for this new changed Changbin, but there’s something definitely there that makes your cheeks warm and your heart palpitate.

“You little shit, you left me last night!”

You are rudely awaken by a pillow to your face as Minho smacks you roughly with it again. “What the–”

“You left me! I was looking all over for you! You didn’t even bother to check your phone!” Minho smacks you one last time for good measure and huffs. Crossing his arms on his chest, he musters up the meanest looking glare he can and watches you rub sleep out of your eyes. When the world is in focus, you find that Minho is still in the clothes from last night, though his hair is a little messy. “When did you get back? Or better, how did you get back?”

“You sound like my mom,” you grumble, pulling your blanket over your face to block him from view. “I told you I didn’t want to come and I had to take care of Felix and I got a ride home around 2 a.m.” “From who?”

Minho’s eyes scan the room and zero in on a hoodie that definitely isn’t yours draped over your chair. “Oh my god. Whose jacket is that?”

Before you can untangle yourself from your blanket and tell Minho to mind his own business, he’s already swiping the hoodie off the chair. He ignores the weird look you give him when he sniffs it and then lets out a bark of laughter. “Seo Changbin?”

“What the fu–” You wonder exactly what frat boys do that lead them into knowing who is who based on their smell, but that might be Minho? You’re not sure, but at this point you’re too flustered – and scared – to ask.

“Changbin drove you home?”

“Yes?”

“He gave you his hoodie?”

“To borrow,” you clarify. Your mind immediately thinks back to his sweet smile after bidding you goodnight.

Minho’s narrowed eyes remind you of what his cats look like when they’re sleepy. “How do you know Changbin? And exactly what did you do last night after leaving a party I took you to with another dude?” he interrogates.

“He’s from home. And we took Felix home and got ice cream. That’s literally it.” You’re going to leave out the part where Changbin gave you a playful wink after leaving you with a promise of meeting up again hanging in the air. You’re also going to neglect to mention how it totally sounded flirty and how he wrote his number on your wrist after telling you to hold onto his jacket for the time being.

“It gives us a reason to meet up again,” he said. And it totally didn’t make you go a little weak at the knees. You’re not in love with Seo Changbin. You’ve known (of) each other for far too long to fall so easily. Nope. Definitely not.

You soon find that Changbin is a fervent emoji user and meme connoisseur. He double (honestly, quadruple texts) like a monster but he never fails to leave a smile on your face. It’s gotten to the point where Minho is seriously doubting that you “just got ice cream” last week but he won’t – can’t – say anything in case you decide to suffocate him in his sleep. It’s irritating to have him peek over your shoulder whenever you walk into the room while on your phone and ask, “what’cha doing?” like the nosy shit he is. And If you answer with anything other than “texting Changbin” he’ll go on a lecture about hiding things from your housemate when you’re supposed to be best friends, and you’ve heard that spiel too many times you’ve basically memorized it by heart. So you reply with, “texting Changbin” and disregard the smug grin and eyebrow quirk on his face.

Life is good. Peaceful for the most part. And a little bit warmer now with a new hoodie and friend.

“I never would have thought this day would come.”

Changbin looks up from his bowl of jjajangmyun and blinks. “Huh?” he says through his full mouth. For anyone else (namely Minho), you would have called it obnoxious and told them off but Changbin looks kind of cute with his cheeks full.

“I didn’t think I would befriend you at all, even though I knew we were going to the same college,” you explain. “You were really different back home.”

Changbin slurps up his noodles and takes a bite of picked radish before going back to scribbling notes into his tablet. “I guess? I didn’t really have the chance to change back home. There’s no one here to stop me from doing what I want.” He finishes off the rest of his radish slice.

“What does that mean?”

“Everyone kind of deemed me the weirdo at home and I was okay with it, I guess. At least there wasn’t bullying or anything. We all had our respective groups and I did better on my own.”

It all sounds so nonchalant, but you can’t help but feel guilty for not even trying to reach out.

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Changbin says, like he can read your thoughts. “It’s really nothing. I’m here now and living my life.” He smiles to reassure you. “But if it makes you feel better, you get the title of being my first friend from home.”

The words make your heart to a tumble in your chest. Your ears are tingling, probably turning the same shade of pink your cheeks have taken. “Oh. Cool.”

You rearrange your legs so you’re sitting cross-legged on your chair and resume your work. There is the occasional clinking of your chopsticks against the bowl when you eat, but no words are exchanged as you continue with your studying. It isn’t until you hear the front door open and Minho’s loud voice announcing his entrance that you realize that hours have passed since Changbin came over.

“Y/n, you won’t believe– oh hello Changbin.”

Changbin looks up and gives a little wave. “Hello.”

Minho’s eyes flicker to you, back to Changbin, and then to the mess scattered on the kitchen table. “Studying?”

“Yes,” you answer quickly, recognizing the glint in his eyes. “You can join us, Minho.”

Minh grins, almost evilly, and shakes his head. “That’s okay. Have fun on your little study date.” He leaves after making fake kissy faces at you and ignoring your “it’s not a date.”

Honestly you don’t even know if it is because you migrated here after meeting up somewhere on campus and grabbing boba. And this isn’t the first time either. It’s the fifth, in fact, but it’s not like you’re keeping track of how many times Changbin has planned a rendezvous and bought you food. You’re also not keeping track of how many times you check your phone in hopes that the recent notification is a text from Changbin (at least once every ten minutes). And you’re definitely not keeping track of how many nights you’ve fallen asleep with a smile on your face after texting Changbin (every night since you texted him back the morning you were rudely awakened by your dear housemate).

Changbin watches your roommate leave and only turns back when the coast is clear. “So if this isn’t a date,” he says.

“Huh?”

Changbin tilts his head to the side and sucks in his lower lip between his teeth to bite. His eyebrows furrow in concentration. “Since this isn’t a date, do you want to go on one with me?”

What.

The word apparently gets spoken out loud in that exact, dead tone and Changbin looks amused before he shrugs and goes back to scrolling through his fancy touchscreen device. “Just a question. No is an option.”

Your heart is doing a gymnastics routine that you didn’t know it could ever do just because a boy asked you out on a date. But this isn’t just any boy. This is Seo Changbin! your mind screams. So you flounder like a fish out of water.

“What,” you repeat.

Changbin smiles to himself, ducking his head and resting his chin on a fist on the table.

Changbin’s hooded jacket has made itself at home in your closet, along with his sweater with his fraternity’s name on it and three of his t-shirts because you like oversized t-shirts but have no money of your own to buy them. He indulges you in raiding his closet every once in a while and secretly loves the fact that you wear his clothes around on lazy days and even to class if you’re really feeling lazy. What’s even better is that some of the clothes he wears himself finds a home in a special section of your closet.

It’s quite frightening how fast your lives intertwine and how he has become a constant. The first person you text good morning and the last you text goodnight. The first person to come to mind when you see something new to eat around campus. The first person you call when something funny happens and you need to let someone else hear about it. He’s just the first for anything and everything.

Changbin jokes sometimes about this being part of his lifetime master plan to make you fall for him after learning about the mere exposure effect in his psychology class, but you think it’s more than just history and proximity that pulls you to him.

There are times you wish you knew this Changbin before, because then college wouldn’t have been so terrifying. He is everything you need, even if it’s cheesy as hell to admit. Minho has hinted at (more like shoved down your throat with his unceasing lectures) how Changbin never seems to shut up about you and it’s getting annoying and how “you should get your lovesick boyfriend to stop so I don’t have to see and hear about you every moment of my life.” You pay no mind every time just to spite him.

It just feels surreal sometimes, like when you’re sitting on the passenger’s side in his car and his right hand just tugs your left one from your phone to slot his fingers between yours. Or when you wake up from a nap and find him still seated next to you on the bed while working on his homework. Or even when you brush your teeth together in your tiny bathroom with matching toothbrushes distinguished by the names you’ve stuck onto them after you got your hands on Minho’s label maker.

“Oh my god, you still have that thing?”

Changbin jerks upwards, slamming the cover to his notebook closed and pressing both hands on the cover before he realizes that you’ve finished your shower and currently have a towel over your head. “Oh, yeah. I’ve had it since forever,” he says.

“I know.” You plop down at the edge of his bed and begin to towel your hair dry. “It’s falling apart.”

It doesn’t take long for Changbin to put away this things and scooch over to you. His hands stop your movement, taking the towel from your grip, and begin to gently dry your hair. “Don’t fall asleep on me,” he chuckles when you slowly lean forward after being lulled to sleep with his ministrations.

“Feels nice,” you mumble.

It’s back to being quiet again until Changbin begins to hum lowly, like he’s trying not to make it obvious.

“I’ve never heard of that song before,” you comment as you turn your head just enough to see him out of the corner of your eye.

Changbin looks thoughtful, biting his lower lip before letting it loose. It’s shiny with saliva and just a tad more pink and you kind of want to kiss him.

“I wrote it for you.”

Changbin leaves the towel on your head and disappears from your side before you can even process what he means. He makes a loud noise when you reach to lift it so you sit with obscured vision until he returns to the edge of the bed. From under the towel, you can see his laptop and his finger tap the spacebar. The same song he was humming begins to play, and while it’s kind of rough on the edges (you can tell he recorded with his phone mic) it sounds like a masterpiece.

“What is this?” you ask.

“For you.” Changbin lifts the towel before capturing your lips in a soft kiss.  

[vannahfanfics]

7. Fireflies. I need me some gaara in my life. Give my child some happiness! You're the best!

Here it is! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to attend my own funeral because I died writing these beautiful smol beans ~sobs~

Glowing 

“Heyyyy! Gaaraaaaaaaa~!”

Gaara looked up with slightly narrowed eyes as someone excitedly called for him. Since he and his siblings had successfully rescued the Leaf ninja from some pretty gruesome fates at the hands of Orochimaru’s monstrous henchmen, they had been staying in the Leaf village. The village had yet to completely recover from the snake-like man’s previous attack during the Chunin exams, and upon seeing all the destruction still yet to be amended, the three of them had made the collective decision to remain there and assist in the reconstruction efforts. They had been central in causing all that grief and chaos, after all- especially him, so it was a pretty important matter. Gaara was trying very hard to turn his life around and make himself a better person, and he thought righting the wrong he had committed at the lowest point of his life was a pretty good way to do that. Some of the villagers still looked at him apprehensively and avoided him, of course, and he tried not to let it get to him.

It was easier to do with people like Rock Lee.

The taijutsu master grinned down at him from the third-floor window of Konoha Hospital, his teeth flashing in the sun as he grinned absurdly and waved his hand frantically to get his attention. Gaara turned off the road and walked down the path toward the hospital, intending to check himself in and go visit him, but Lee had other ideas; he literally jumped from the third-floor window to land unceremoniously in the bushes lining the hospital walls. Gaara just stared in mild concern at the wriggling green leaves. He knew Lee was tough enough to survive a jump like that, especially landing in the cushiony embrace of the bushes, but sometimes he just couldn’t follow the excitable boy’s thought processes. Lee was all-smiles as he clambered out of the hedges, twigs sticking out of his bowl cut and clinging to his green jumpsuit. “Hello, Gaara! I am glad I caught you passing by! I have not yet had the chance to see how you were recovering after your fight with Kimimaro!” he announced as he bounced happily over to him.

“Oh. I’m doing well. I didn’t really get that hurt in the battle,” Gaara answered awkwardly and looked himself up and down. Thanks to his sand armor he had escaped relatively unscathed; Lee was the one who had been beaten up, really. On top of that, he had still been recovering from the injuries he had sustained from Gaara during the Chunin exams. He tried not to think about that. “What about you? Are you well?” How foolish. Of course he’s doing well; he just jumped out of a window, he immediately thought with a hot rush of mortification. Gaara had yet to pin down the intricacies of social interaction. Thankfully, Lee didn’t miss a beat.

“I am wonderful! I am in the prime of my youth, after all!” he crowed, quite unnecessarily Gaara thought but not unexpectedly, really, and threw his arms in the air as his eyes went ablaze with passion. “Everyone else is recovering as well! Neji and Choji’s surgeries went great, and Kiba and Naruto are both awake as well!” At the mention of the boisterous, blonde-haired ninja’s name, Gaara’s mouth drew into a taut line and he cast his head down.

Naruto Uzumaki. He was a strange boy, a boy so like him it was frightening. It was Naruto who had made Gaara see that the path he was on was the wrong one. He owed him a lot. And yet, he hadn’t said a word to him since that day…

“Is… Naruto still in the hospital?”

“Oh, yes. His fight with Sasuke left him with quite a lot of injuries. He has decided to leave on a training mission as soon as he is healed!” Lee reported, then looked up at the sky with quivering lips and eyes swimming with tears as he gripped his fist tightly. “Such determination and dedication to a friend! Naruto is truly remarkable!”

“Yes… He is…” Gaara mumbled in agreement. His face felt kind of hot. He’s leaving, then…

“Why do you ask? Would you like to see him?” At that prompting, Gaara jumped and began to sputter some excuses, embarrassed. Lee didn’t really listen to his answer, though. “Come with me! Let us go see Naruto together~!” he chimed and grabbed him by his red sash to literally drag him into the hospital. Gaara was so in shock he was able to little but force his feet to move as Lee carted him around the hospital and deposited him in front of the door to Naruto’s room. At first he just stared blankly, unable to cope with so much happening in so little time, so Lee took the initiative to throw the door open and shove Gaara inside. “Naruto! I have brought you a visitor!” he cheered in delight. Meanwhile, Gaara’s face was flushing the color of his hair, and he was pretty sure his brain had been reduced to jelly because all he could do was gawk pitifully at the bandage-wrapped boy sitting in the hospital bed staring out the window. As he saw Naruto’s head turn, he inhaled sharply and ducked behind Lee, peering around his shoulder with wide eyes. “Huh? Why are you hiding, Gaara?”

“Gaara?” Naruto blinked and leaned forward to catch sight of the redhead huddling awkwardly behind Lee. Gaara’s shoulders hunched up to his ears as he short-circuited. No! I can’t do this! He thought wildly as he looked everywhere but at Naruto. As his eyeballs rolled around in his head they still managed to land on him, though, and found him smiling kindly. “Shikamaru told me all about how you guys came and saved everybody. Thanks.” Gaara’s pink cheeks continued to burn as he finally forced himself to look at him.

“Oh… It was… Nothing…”

“It was not ‘nothing’ at all! You should have seen the way he dealt with Kimimaro, Naruto! It was quite spectacular indeed!” Lee crowed. Gaara smiled weakly, glad that Lee was singing his praises and appreciated his efforts. It made him happy that he could move past the awful things he did and look at him in such a way. If he can… Maybe Naruto will, too… He took a small breath and slowly stepped out from behind Lee, holding his head up a little bit as his fingers twitched awkwardly.

“I… Wanted to see… If you were well,” he told Naruto slowly. The blue-eyed boy blinked a few times, then grinned broadly, so broadly that his eyes and nose scrunched up. He looks really glad that I asked! Gaara thought with a flutter of hope.

“Yeah, o’course! It’ll take more than this to take me down! Just wait ‘n see, I’ll be up and at ‘em again in no time!” Naruto’s boundless energy and optimism soothed Gaara somewhat, and he felt himself relax a little. He hadn’t reacted with anger, so that was at least something.

“That’s good.” He felt his lips curling into a small smile. He then jumped as Naruto threw back the covers and jumped out of the bed to scamper over to him. Gaara stiffened like a board as Naruto literally looked him up and down, bobbing and weaving to inspect him at all angles, then brought his face close to his own with squinting eyes.

“You’re different.”

“I am?” he squeaked in alarm. It was true, he was, but the entire situation still had him sparking like fulgurite in the sand. After a second, he realized what Naruto meant, and he nodded eagerly. “I-I am. Y-You see, Naruto, I, uh…” he trailed off, his gaze falling to his feet as he struggled to form the words. He knew Naruto would appreciate it most if he just came right out and said it. I want him to know the truth… “After we fought, I realized that I could be different… I wanted… to be like you,” he muttered as he flushed slightly, and looked up to meet his curious gaze. “Life is… different for me now, and I was… I was wondering if… we could be friends.” His voice grew quieter and quieter as he went on, until it was nothing more than a whisper. As he finished, Naruto’s eyes went wide as moons, and he just stared at him for a second. Gaara internally panicked, thinking that perhaps Naruto wanted no such thing.

However, the boy gave him his happiest, most friendly smile.

“Of course, Gaara! I’ll be your friend! Your very first friend!” he agreed adamantly and nodded his head up and down. Lee jumped over to give him an identical grin and a thumbs-up.

“I will be your second friend, because two friends is much better than one, yes?” Gaara looked between the two of them, then smiled shyly and nodded with a pink hue to his cheeks. Friends… I have friends… He felt an unfamiliar feeling bubbling up inside him that made him feel warm, fuzzy, content. Is this… What it feels like to be happy? He glanced up again to find that the room was filling with gold, spilling in from the window as the sun outside set. It cast Naruto and Lee in its brilliance, highlight the sheer joy on their faces, and then washed over Gaara, making him feel even warmer. Yes, it must be.

“Hey, the sun is setting,” Lee remarked as he looked over his shoulder. Naruto followed suit, and then looked back at Gaara with a devilish grin.

“Hey, I’ve got an idea.”

A few seconds later Gaara was watching with extreme concern as Naruto hung from the frame of the window, his legs kicking and his tongue sticking out as he judged the distance to the ground.

“Erm… Naruto… Why don’t we just go out the front door?”

“Because I’m not allowed to leave, duh!” he barked back as his sandals scraped the outside of the wall. Before Gaara could comment, the boy dropped down to the ground and landed in the bushes with a frightened aaack! Gaara watched with a frown as he thrashed around in the quivering leaves, then crawled out from underneath the hedges, wheezing and covered in the green plant growth. He stood up and brushed himself off with a weary sigh, then called up to him impatiently. “Hurry up! We don’t have a lot of time!” Gaara had no idea what they were rushing for, but he obediently climbed out of the window and dropped down to the ground, landing quite more gracefully than the pair of leaf ninja. He had left his gourd at the hotel, otherwise he would have used his sand to glide down. As he stepped out of the bushes, brushes the little leaves out of his clothes, Naruto grabbed him by the wrist and yanked him into a run. “C’mon, c’mon, we gotta hurry!”

“O-okay!” he squawked as he stumbled after him. Once again, all he could do was struggle to keep up as the pair of Leaf ninja bustled him along the streets of Konoha, laughing and hooting excitedly. Their shadows were stretched and distorted in the setting sun, playfully bobbing along beneath them as they weaved around shopping stalls and small crowds, jumping about and startling the vendors and shoppers and earning frustrated yells in response. Lee and Naruto just laughed it off, continuous to raucously race through the town until they arrived to a lush, green wood. The golden sunlight of the sunset vanished beneath the shade of the green, and the scent of dust and the market was replaced by loamy earth and forest must. The tall grass whipped at Gaara’s legs and the tree branches plucked at his hair, while the moisture condensed on his face. Just as the golden ball dipped below the horizon and left the world in cool shade, they burst out of the undergrowth into a clearing, where a canvas of stars instead of a blanket of leaves lie above their heads. “What are we-?”

“Shh!” Naruto hissed and put a finger to his lips. Gaara obediently pressed his own together despite his acute befuddlement. “Just wait a second. They’ll be out soon.” “They”? Who? Naruto and Lee kept looking at the clearing’s edge excitedly, bristling with anticipation, while Gaara wondered who they could be waiting on. Turns out it wasn’t a who at all.

Gaara stared in amazement as little flickering lights began to drift out of the trees. The little white balls drifted along the breeze, shambling along the current as they blinked softly. It seemed like the stars themselves had descended to the ground to dance, circling the three young boys in a silent waltz just above the grass. Gaara crouched down and cupped his hands as once of them drifted close, his blueish eyes reflecting the soft glow as he gazed at it in absolute wonder.

“What are they?” he whispered, afraid his breath may startle it away. The little light hovered in his hands, casting his face in that soft white brilliance. He didn’t move as Naruto and Lee leaned over his shoulders.

“They’re called fireflies.”

“You do not have them in the desert, right, Gaara?” He shhok his head slowly, weighing every movement carefully to avoid startling the little creature. As it settled on his hands, he could discern that it was a little bug with a blinking bulb on its tail end. It tickled his palm as it scurried around, and then it fluttered its tiny wings and flew off to join the rest of its sparkling brethren in their moonlight dance. Gaara’s eyes followed it, almost saddened to see it depart.

“They’re beautiful…”

“I knew you’d love ‘em!” Naruto snickered as he stretched out in the grass. A torrent of the fireflies rushed into the air as he laid down, rising above him in a swirling, glittering cloud. He exhaled deeply as he put his hands behind his head. “Sometimes I just like to come out here and watch ‘em fly around, y’know? Makes me forget the stressful things.”

“Indeed! Plus they are simply marvelous to look at!” Lee agreed as he flopped down in a similar fashion. Gaara noticed that there was a significant amount of space between them. “Come on, Gaara!” Lee insisted and patted the ground. With that similar feeling swelling in his chest again, Gaara nodded and laid down on his back between them. At first, feeling the grass was a bit odd since he was not used to it, but soon he found it comforting. As he stared up at the clouds drifting across the starry night sky, and the fireflies flitting about in the air between that sky and them, he did feel at ease. He smiled as one of them landed in his bright red hair, and then giggled. “I am very glad you are having a good time!” Lee beamed at him. The brightness of his smile could rival the moon.

“You said it! You know what, we should get ramen after this!” Naruto agreed with a nod of his head and his eyes scrunched up in joy. Gaara was exceptionally happy, surrounded by the strange bugs and beside his two very first friends, until he realized something.

“… I have to go home soon.”

“Oh. Yeah, that is kinda a bummer, isn’t it?” Naruto frowned and scratched his cheek.

“Not to worry!” Lee interjected, and Gaara looked at him. “It does not matter how far apart we are! We are always friends! That is a fact!”

“Yeah! And besides, you can come visit. And we can go visit you! I’m sure there’s lotsa cool stuff in the desert you can show us!” Naruto chimed in. Gaara swiveled his head to look at both of them again, smiling brightly, and then laughed.

“Yes, you’re right. I’ll remember that.” He smiled in contentment and laid his head back, watching the little glowing lights flit about while his own happiness glowed within. Not only had he made friends, but some good ones.

That was something he could hold on to forever, along with the memory of the fireflies in the night, carrying all the wonder and beauty of a future untold, and the promise of a friendship to last a lifetime… 

Enjoy this oneshot? Feel free to perusemy Tableof Contents!

[cannedapricot]

Christmas Shopping with! Yoon Jisung

another installment of the chirstmas collab with @alliwannado-w1 and @jihoonslattee ft. toy store worker! yoon jisung!!

jisung works at a toy store in a mall on the second floor

and he loves it

he loves seeing children’s faces glowing in happiness after entering the store

he loves helping children find the perfect toy

jiSUNG’S JUST FULL OF LOVE FOR WHAT HE DOES

when children start throwing tantrums, jisung’s the first person to rush over

the child stops crying after 5 seconds because thE FACES JISUNG MAKES TO CHEER THEM UP ARE LEDGENDARY

co-worker! sungwoon swears that jisung would marry his job if he could

everyone who’s ever visited this specific mall knows of yoon jisung

i mean, he’s the resident sunshine who glows so brightly whenever he smiles that everyone in the mall stops to wear sunglasses

he’s also the reason why every kid ever wants to go to that one toy shop lol

the boss wanted to make jisung the mascot at one point but jisung was like,

“oh no!! i’m probably going to scare people away from the shop haha!”

and that’s how sungwoon was forced into being the mascot because he was “smol and fluffy”

jisung never lets sungwoon live because of it

“oh look!!! sungwoon’s on our poster again!!11!111″

“...TEAR IT DOWN”

chirstmas is jisung’s favorite holiday

part of it was because of the snow and quality family time 

but mostly it was because mORE SMILEY KIDS WOULD WALK INTO THE SHOP

CHEEKS RED WITH COLD

AND EYES GLEAMING WITH EXCITEMENT 

the shop has this thing where the staff can wrap your presents for you

and everyone h a t e s being put on gift wrapping duty

because its??? so??? boring???

they’d much rather do something else

aka find a corner where the boss can’t see you and go on your phone smh

so when the boss calls a meeting and announces that the gift wrapping duty is back!!!

all he gets are groans in response

except from jisung though

he puts his arm straight up and with sparkling eyes, he says

“I VOLUNTEER”

“uh ok i guess jisung’s on gift duty for the fourth year in a row”

but daniel and jaehwan are also selected for different shifts

jisung nearly has a heart attack when he hears that jaehwan’s also on gift duty

beCAUSE THAT BOY CAN’T WRAP GIFTS FOR SHIT

so jisung spends his lunch break teaching jaehwan how to wrap a gift properly and prettily :’)

jaehwan tries to learn because he doesn’t want to deal with screaming kids if he wraps their gift shittily

it doesn’t turn out as perfect as jisung’s but it’ll have to do :’’’)

jisung’s also the only person who happily wears the santa hat uniform addition 

jiSUNG’S WILL HAPPILY DO ANYTHING FOR THIS SHOP

HE LOVES THE SHOP WITH HIS WHOLE HEART SIDVBIS

even if the pay isn’t as high as other jobs, jisung’s content :’) 

he’s such an angel i love him

you worked at a local kindergarten!

you’ve only been working for a couple of months but the kids there absolutely adore you!!

you’d step in the classroom and everyone would rush over to hug you

the kindergarten once had a popularity vote among the teachers and you ranked first even though you were new :””)

everyone wanted to be in your class

and the other teachers are lowkey offended 

it was a tradition every year to bring the kids on a trip to the mall for them to write small wish lists to send to santa :’’’’’)

the kids were thrilled obviously

“sCHOOL TRIP TIME WHEEEEEEEE”

it took a while for them to calm down

but they eventually did 

you’ve never been to the mall in this area,,, so you’re kinda scared that you’re gonna get lost or lose one of the kids etc

you tried getting out of it

“hey uh cough cough minhyun? cough”

“yeah?”

“sneeze i think i’m down with a cold”

“oh no!!!111!!1!1 would you like to take a few days off???”

“yes-”

“is what you think i’d say right? too bad we’re already low on staff as it is we don’t need another ‘sick’ one”

THERE GOES THAT PLAN OUT THE WINDOW

you knew that there was no point in arguing anymore :’)

on the day you were a nervous wreck

you had planned to go around the mall yesterday but that didn’t happen

thanks to your close friend suddenly dropping by

yoU WERE SWEATING AND YOUR EYES WERE DARTING EVERYWHERE

EVEN THE KIDS THOUGHT SOMETHING WAS OFF

“miss y/n? are you okay?”

“o-OH YEAH I’M FINE TOMMY”

WIPES SWEAT

after herding the kids into the bus, you tried to make a run for it

but minhyun catches you with his signature “where do you think you’re going” smile on his face

then proceeds to fling you onto the bus

upon reaching the mall, the kids immediately screamed to go visit the toy store

having no choice but to do so, you bring your little group of kids towards the toy shop on the second floor

while looking at the map you have on your phone lmao

you let out a sigh in relief when you reach the store without anything happening

you tell the kids not to wander off by their own and stick close together

entering the shop, you catch a certain worker’s eye 👀👀

i mean you would catch my eye as well

it’s not everyday someone walks into a shop with 10 kids around them

but of course the shop expected your kindergarten to visit this time of year

and that particular worker slides up to your party while in the lego section

“hi! i’m jisung! is there anything you’re looking for?”

you were about to respond but the kids responded before you could

“wHERE ARE THE BARBIES???”

“BRING ME A STUFFED BEAR PLEASE”

p a ni c s

“i’m so sorry- n O EMILY STOP CLINGING ON THE WORKER’S LEG”

jisung lets out a hearty laugh,

“don’t worry! i’m used to it”

anD BOY WAS HIS LAUGH ATTRACTIVE

is it getting hot in here or is it just jisung? 👀👀

jisung squats down to the little girl’s height and talks to her in the s o f t e s t tone

and you think that’s he’s possibly the cutest man you’ve ever m e t

“miss y/n!!!! stop staring at him!!”

buoVOUVODUV???????

jisung’s draws his attention from the little girl to look at you

yOU GLOW BRIGHT RED

“I WASN’T- UH- I WAS LOOKING AT THAT STUFFED RABBIT BEHIND YOU YEAH”

AND JISUNG CHUCKLES AT YOUR OBVIOUSLY FLUSTERED FACE

deciding not to make you glow any more red, he says,

“hey, i’ll help you deal with the kids today yeah?”

“OHMYGOSH THANK YOU SO MUCH”

BECAUSE

FINALLY 

SOMEONE WHO KNOWS THE MALL WELL

“i’ll go tell my boss!”

he doesn’t

he tells sungwoon to cover for him

“heY YOU TOLD ME TO POSTPONE MY DATE TO WORK HOW COME YOU GET TO-”

covERS SUNGWOON’S MOUTH

“it’s not a da t e”

sungwoon rolls his eyes

“sure ok”

and so jisung joins your party!!

y’all look like a cute family with 10 kids :’)

throughout the day, jisung’s interaction with the kids and his funny personality made you feel like melting

was it possible for a man to be this adorable??

you didn’t know but,,

jisung was also melting for you too :’)))

so when minhyun calls you and says that it’s time to leave

jisung doesn’t want to let you go

neither did you tbh

so as you herd the kids into the bus once again, jisung pulls you back for a moment

“hey,,,, uh,,,, have you done your christmas shopping yet?”

“not yet!! i’m planning to do so this sunday”

“oh!! great!! um,,, i was wondering if you wanted to do it together? sunday’s my day off too,,,”

hE WAS AVOIDING EYE CONTACT AS HE ASKED YOU AND YOU WERE SQUEALING INSIDE

“yES! I MEAN-- sure!”

and then jisung looks at you with the whole galaxy in his eyes

his cheeks were flushed but you had no idea whether it was because of the weather or because he was flustered

“REALLY???”

you reply with a smile and a nod of your head

he then digs through his pockets for a pen

and asks you to write your number on his hand

the pen was in the shape of a giraffe

minhyun screams for you as soon as you finished writing the last digit

“i’ll text you!!”

jisung yells as you run towards the bus, waving at him with a huge smile

he does

and you two don’t stop texting until sunday

“y/n! over here!!”

you rush over to the waiting jisung 

“i’m sorry did you have to wait for a long time?”

he smiles and claims that he just got here

and you two head into the mall

as soon as you two step in, you guys were surrounded by couples who were also christmas shopping

and it felt awkward for the first time since you’ve known jisung

clEARS THROAT

“so,,, y/n, where do you want to go first?”

you randomly point at a stationary store 

and you two exit a few minutes later

with a bunch of bags in hand

“i knEW WE SHOULDN’T HAVE GONE INTO THAT STORE”

hOLD IN YOUR TEARS Y/N, YOUR WALLET WILL BE O K

jisung laughs 

“THIS ISN’T SOMETHING TO LAUGH OVER”

“sorRY”

HUFFS

and you two continue your raid of the mall

exiting a new shop with more bags each time :”)

at one point y’all entered a furniture shop and accidentally walked into the beds section

the worker there mistakes you for a couple and smirks at you two 👀👀

yOU TWO SUDDENLY REALIZE WHAT THE SMIRK MEANT

AND HURRIED OUT OF THE STORE

y’all also entered the toy store jisung works at

and jisung’s co-workers are all staring at you two

especially sungwoon and jaehwan who followed you two around the shop talking loudly about how jisung was boyfriend material

“DID YOU KNOW JISUNG IS GREAT AT COOKING RAMEN???”

“OH REALLY???”

“YEAH WHOEVER MARRIES HIM WOULD BE LUCKY”

JISUNG WAS SWEATIN G

WHY ARE HIS FRIENDS SO EMBARRASSING

“y/N LETS LEAVE THE SHOP”

“what- i haven’t finished-”

PUSHES YOU OUT

but doesn’t forget to buy you a gift from the shop

after wandering around the mall more, you two end up in front of the giant christmas tree 

the lights casted shadows around 

and you turn to face jisung, finding him looking up at the tree with those stars in his eyes

then he turns to face you with that huge smile of his

and bOY HIS FACE ILLUMINATED BY THE LIGHT WHILE HE SMILES HNNNNG

then he suddenly pulls out a rabbit soft toy

“merry christmas y/n! here’s your present!!”

this was the same rabbit you had claimed to be staring at while you were actually staring at jisung

“you were staring at this the other day right?”

yOU BURST INTO LAUGHTER

jisung thought you were laughing at his gift :(

“IM NOT LAUGHING AT THE GIFT, I’M JUST LAUGHING BECAUSE,,”

“because??”

“I WASN’T ACTUALLY STARING AT THE RABBIT, I WAS STARING AT YOU,,,,, THANK YOU ANYWAYS THOUGH”

and yOU SNATCH THE RABBIT FROM HIS HANDS

TO HIDE YOUR REDDENING FACE

jisung’s face lights up at this

“y/n?”

“yes?”

“what do you think about today being our first day?”

“??first day??”

“yeah, as a couple”

STATIONARY SHOPS MAKE ME GO BROKE OSFDGBOSB

also this was lowkey kinda shit,,,,, jisung’s actually a ray of sunshine in human form and i love him so much anyone who says he’s ugly can come fight me

[thejojosanctuary]

Could you please do headcannons for La squadra with a short S/O. Thank you!

Bless you for sending a La Squadra request

Hope you like it~!

- Ghost 

RisottoNero

·        With Risotto being the leader of La Squadrahe’ll know that regardless of their height they could still be a terrifyingopponent in battle (especially if they have a stand and/or work for La Squadra)so he wouldn’t think to treat them differently

·        Only really cares or notices thedifference is when they try to reach for things that are waaayy too high forthem to even grab

·        He’ll be walking past the kitchen only to pause,take a step back so he’s standing in the doorway and watch in mild disbelief asS/O struggles to reach for a box of cookies, standing on a chair that is waytoo unstable but is the only thing high up enough to give them enough leverageas they nearly fall off of it

·        Risotto’s going to have to step in at thispoint, walking up to his partner, plucking them off of the thing before itbreaks or falls, setting them down and then grabbing the box himself with ease

·        S/O will reach for the cookies only to watch himwalk away with them into the living room as a way to get them to follow and thetwo would sit down on the sofa; only explanation S/O’s going to get is his headtilting to rest right above their head as he states “Call me next time you tryto do that” before the two of them sit together, enjoying the mutual silencethat sets comfortably between them

Ghiaccio

·        Ghiaccio’s never going to admit it but having asmall S/O, especially one that is significantly shorter in height is going toabsolutely fluster him since they ‘justlook so cute’; if anyone ever brings up the fact that a tiny, tiny blush flickers across his face whenS/O’s standing next to him he’s going to both vehemently deny it and startsquaring up for an argument/fight

·        Ice babe’s tsundere as heck but practically melts (*high five for the bad pun…anyone?*)if his small S/O tackles hugs him and rubs their face against him – he’sstill going to yell about it though, yelling (and screaming) is his copingmechanism for cuteness

·        Given the height difference if they wantaffection he’s going to have to lean down to their height, which is a beautifulsight to anyone who’s lucky enough to stumble upon this rare occurrence

·        Nothing is funnier than watching a man with aconstantly rage-induced looking expression having to essentially bend down topress a smooch to the forehead of giggling, blushing smol person while tryingto maintain said rage-induced looking expression (God help them if Melone seesthis – he’ll never live it down)

·        He will break if S/O tries to reach his heightinstead, hopping onto counters to deliver a quick peck to the lips being theirpreferred method given that they can simply hop back off and walk away whilsttheir curly haired boyfriend clutches to said counter for dear life on theverge of hyperventilating with how heavy he’s breathing as a blush creeps ontohis face

Melone

·        Melone is going to be an absolute tease to his small S/O, doing everythinghe can to constantly act as a reminder that he is tall and they are smol

·        His favourite way of going about this is byswiping them off of their feet and lifting them up into the air as if they werea child, making some bullshit excuse to go with it ‘Ah amore, I seem to have misplaced something – tell me can you seeanything out of place up there?’

·        He’s grinning like the little demon he is, even asS/O’s foot and knee make contact with his chin and head as they snap backflatly ‘yeah – your face’

·        Having his S/O hanging off of his back or jetpacking (it’s sort of  like cuddling orspooning with little spoon trying to act like big spoon – it’s weird) while heworks or when they’re lying down is both relaxing and amusing to him; the feelof their breath as it hits the back of his neck when S/O falls to sleep likethis is comforting to him in a way

·        If the short jokes get too much his partner’sgoing to have to bring him down to their level (via kick to the back of theknees of course) and tell him that sternly (think Risotto or Prosciutto stern –any other way’s not going to stick); if he apologises earnestly, telling themthat his jokes were merely for fun then S/O will relent and give him a littleapology accepted kiss – unless he didn’t, if he didn’t, no kissy for Melone

Pesci

·        Pesci is no small person, so he’s going to towerover his small S/O quite significantly and this is going to make him cautiousbeyond belief

·        He’ll be incredibly cautious around them, scaredto even touch them in fear of doing something that can hurt someone who’s sosmall and ‘fragile’ as he’s scared ofcausing harm to someone he cares so much about

·        The only way for S/O to get across that they areanything but fragile just because of their height is the hard way – and by hardI mean taking him down in their next hug with their sheer power; and the purelook of shock on his face as they crouch above him with a smug grin is going tobe priceless

·        With S/O being small it’ll be easier for them tocurl up against his chest or practically hide in his coat, leaving him red inthe face as he stares down to find them looking right back up at him with sucha lazy content smile

·        People will be confused when he ducks his headinside his coat, only to jump out of their skin as he rises back up with S/Onot far behind, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheeks and lips with a chuckle

Prosciutto

·        Prosciutto would be similar to Risotto in thesense that he wouldn’t underestimate S/O since he knew what they could becapable of, however at the same time he wouldn’t

·        He’ll be a little more cautious around them –not as much as Pesci but then again not a little either – and this would showwhenever they try to do something that may be classed as ‘dangerous’

·        When this happens he’ll just escort them away fromthe situation, still keeping his normally cool composure but it’s still easytell that he’s a little concerned; he’s like team mom of La Squadra, he has themotherly care streak even towards his own S/O

·        If S/O tries to justify some of the things thatcould have gotten them hurt it’s not going to work, and if they think they canget away with it again then they are poorlymistaken; it’s going to go something like “So…I’mjust going to-” “No” “You don’t even know what I was-” “You wantto go and climb that thing you nearly broke your leg on yesterday, and I’msaying no” “Well what if I do it anyway?”“…” “…I’m going to go lie down” “Okay”

·        There’s no getting past him on this, but thebest time S/O’s going to their way is if they sit in his lap – he loves seeingthem snuggled in his lap, running a hand gently through their hair as theyslowly fall asleep, leaving him a little more susceptible to agreeing with S/O

Illuso

·        Illuso would probably be the most helpfulconcerning S/O’s height – he wouldn’t be concerned about it like Pesci and Prosciuttobut he wouldn’t tease or get flustered like the others – he’s a happy middle

·        He understands the repercussions that come frombeing short so he would alter little things to make it easier for them(basically the reverse of Formaggio)

·        If large crowds run the risk of them getting separatedhe’s finding the nearest mirror (he tends to keep one on hand) and moving themboth to the mirror world to ensure that S/O isn’t too overwhelmed or shoved byall the passers by

·        Illuso is guilty of petting his small partner ontop of their head sometimes, not because of their height but because he likesthe see the pout that spreads across their face – the fact that their head iseasier to reach with how short they are is just a bonus

·        He’ll also call them out on looking so cutebeing small, which may make S/O even more pouty because ‘they’re supposed to be hot not cute goddammit!’

Formaggio

·        Formaggio is pretty chill about a lot of thingsand anything concerning his S/O’s height is definitely up there in the list –it doesn’t really matter to him

·        He sometimes forgets that some things that hedoes to them may annoy them – such as resting his arm on their head from timeto time or leaning down when they take pictures together

·        The finishing blow for S/O is when he leaves thethings that they want or need on the top shelf, every. Single. Time.

·        And he wonders why they gets constant bumps and scrapeswhen he places their food in the highest cupboard in the room (he also wonderswhy the cupboard door has broken off of its hinges but it’s not hard to figure itout

·        If his small S/O doesn’t mind it he’d likecarrying them around either on his back in a piggyback or bridal style, becausehe finds it cute when they cling to his back and press the occasional smooch tohis cheek