#they deal in pretty small numbers. you as a player only ever interact with them one piece of gold at a time

[risingsunresistance]

i think more worldbuilding should include more numbering systems. like obviously when creating a fake world or language our first thought is to take the basic 0-9 and make a representation of those, but does it actually make sense for your people here to be using base 10? what about base 2, base 16, other systems we use and systems we dont commonly use? what would make the most sense in the context?

[itsmoonphobic]

Phil's character and his life system on the DreamSMP won't leave me alone....Here is some interestin' facts I can't stop thinkin' about :)

We all know that the butcher army's number one target is Techno right? And they are planin' to get rid of him the fastest way possible by gatherin' information from people who interacted with him in order to find out where his current location is becouse nobody knows.Tubbo said that he expects posters to be hung up everywhere through L'manberg for propaganda,they want to gather as many people as they possibly can to be on their side against Technoblade,becouse together they are more affective.

So what would happen if the BA somehow reveals that Phil is in the possession of Techno's compass? That thing leads them straight towards his hideout in the north,without a doubt I think that the BA would immediately hurt/kill or hold Phil hostage in order to get the compass.Now if they actually decide to murder Phil,he would lose his only life becouse unlike the rest of the SMP Phil is stuck in the gamemode hardcore and he needs to play with a single canon life- while the other two lives he was meant to own were gifted to his eldest son Techno.

The thought of Phil dyin' to such a harsh reason like the government's revenge on his son is terrifyin' and truly heartbreakin'- I'm already scared for Phil and now long he will last before he loses his life,I don't want him to pass away this early into the new Arc.On one side,Ghostbur would finally have some spirit company from his father but both Tommy and most importantly Techno would be absolutely devastated and furious.I don't think that most of the players on the SMP are aware of the fact that Phil's life consists of only one chance at said life,they most likely believe he will just respawn and continue on with the rest of his lives- But that's not the case.

If he dies once it's all over- so to imagine that Phil gets killed becouse the BA requires the compass to track Techno down makes me really sad and also excited??We all know how much Techno cares for Phil,we know he would kill in order for his father,his only friend,to be safe.He has shown the overprotective nature he has around Phil's presence and we have also noticed how much of Techno's trust and loyalty rests on Phil's shoulders.Not only did his son give him a compass to always run to him in the need of help or anythin' really- but he practically opened his heart for him.Afterall,Techno did mention that he would give Phil the world if he desired so.

Now I already know the reaction we would get out of Techno if the BA or anyone really was dumb enough to try and go agaisnt Phil- It would end in mass genocide and complete destruction over the whole server.Techno might be in retirement right now,takin' a small break from his violent and bloodthirsty nature,but I wholeheartedly know that the moment somebody even lays a single finger on Phil it's already too late and pretty much over for them. Techno would,without hesitation,ruin them and make their life a livin' definition of a nightmare you can't wake up from. He would go so far as to destroy everyone and everythin' in his path to avenge Phil and his life,becouse in Techno's eyes his father was the last person who deserved to die.

Now that Phil's gone Techno is all alone,by himself in a world that's controlled by a government he so desperately tried to tear apart and let it crumble to pieces- He would be confused,scared and thirsty for revenge.Phil's death is a major problem in the whole plotline,especially the one Techno is writin' for his character! I really hope that nobody attempts to try to get to Techno by usin' Phil,it wouldn't end well in any way whatsoever and would only make things worse.I don't really know how Tommy would react but I know that his relationship towards his father in the SMP isn't the best,we all know that he's careful aswell as skeptical around Phil becouse he sticks close to Techno, Tommy's eldest brother and the person he hates the most. [for now atleast,i just have a feelin' that both Tommy and Ghostbur will join Techno's side soon and that the right time hasn't come yet for them to realize this-]

What I'm tryin' to say here is that if Phil dies,he's gone forever.There are no second opportunities,once those ten hearts are all drained from their red color it's over.I would be so dejected and sorrowful if the BA actually considers the idea to take that one,precious life away from Phil.And now that I think about it- Phil is conflicted.

On one side,the first thing he did when he arrived in L'manberg was murder his own son in cold blood,and the worst part was that Phil didn't even want to do it- He was handed over the blade by Wilbur himself.And by rebuildin, the city,Phil is workin' on finishin' his son's unfinished symphony for him since he isn't here to do it himself.And not only that but he also has to take care of the ghost of said dead son which is extremely tragic to think about.He wants to gain the citizens trust and wants to keep all of them under control by keepin' the atmosphere light.Phil's grandson,Fundy,is now also under his care which is a extra task on his part,add the fact that Wilbur forgot most of the things he committed and Phil tries his best to make him remember and recollect his lost memories.

Then there's Tommy,the most complicated son he has to deal with throughout all of this.Not only did Tommy get exiled- but he lost his best friend,his brothers and their beloved city they created together.His discs are the only thing dancing around in his head and keepin' him sane,due to the neglect and loss of major importance he became suicidal,thinkin' about losin' his last life to himself.He's all alone and is blamin' everyone else as the bad guy,he doesn't understand that half of the reason this happend to him was his own fault,his own selfishness and greed.Phil knows Tommy's stubbornness and temper,his hot headedness and that all he wants is everythin' to be the way it was at the beginnin' when it all started-

How Techno is,no doubt,Phil's favorite son.Their relationship is strong and built up on solid ground due to the past they spent together by eachother's side.Their bond and healthy correspondence makes them an unstoppable duo and Phil would do anythin' to keep it that way and enjoy his son's company as long as he can.He helps Techno with both small tasks and difficult quests,if he invites him of course,Phil would never tag along if Techno doesn't want company.He understands Techno,he understands the way he thinks and acts,the reasons behind his decisions and all of his activities.Phil was the first person to show Techno what it felt like to be loved and cared about,to be accepted into a world full of misery.And in return Techno granted him his respect,kindness and loyalty to keep up their parallel.Phil knows if he would join Techno that the way others view him would instantly change and shift towards bein' negative.

The fact that he has a Antartic Empire shield proves how much he wants to be on Techno's side and bring back the vibes of the empire they lead in the south,it's pretty much obvious that he's virtually already on Techno's side but he doesn't make a final statement on it whatsoever.He never spoke up about it genuinely,he never confirmed the suspicions of him joinin' Techno but I think it's self explanatory who's side he will be on.

And now comes the prison- Probably the most fucked thing that has ever been created.The idea was requested by Dream and Sam is the one deconstructin' it righ now.As for now we don't know much information or details about this jail but we for sure know who it's meant for- Techno.Like Dream stated when asked about it "Somebody who is very capable" and "Somebody I can't kill" which clearly describes Techno- He may never die,but it can be attempted to contain him in a cell.Now my prediction is that the BA and maybe even more people [Dream,Sam,the Badlands,etc.] will capture Phil and hold him imprisoned there until Techno willingly comes along to save Phil's life,they will certainly lure Techno in there by usin' his father as bait.

I have no idea if ANY of this stuff wiln actually happen' in the SMP,but even if they don't- Phil's character and story progress is one of the most underrated and interestin' ones.

[inventors-fair]

Animal Planet - Full Commentary

Like I mentioned earlier, there were a lot of great entries this week. Full commentary below the cut. - @teaxch​

@bread-into-toast​ - Indomitable Tardigrade

Tardigrades are famous for their ability to live through anything, and indestructible plus protection from everything covers almost every effect in the game that might remove a creature, with only non-targeted non-destruction removal getting through. I also like temporarily gaining indestructible on a tardigrade more than I like it on some other creatures that have gotten it as a replacement for regeneration (Drudge Sentinel, Icehide Troll), because Tardigrades really do become indestructible, rather than just putting themselves back together.

@deg99 - Anikole-Watusi

The flavor text is doing a lot of work on this card, helping justify an ability that otherwise would be a bit incongruous. With a reasonable statline at base rate, the card is less reliant on the second ability than the similar Stormwild Capridor, and it’s also threatening enough that preventing it from being bolted or fighted to death is valuable even if you have no ways to trigger it yourself.

@demimonde-semigoddess​ - Beetle Colony

The design of this card is interesting in that it is both a card that you don’t want to play in a deck with no forests, but also has incidental added value if your opponent is playing forests. (You could play the card in a deck with no forests, with the intent of only ever using the last ability, but that’s pretty far below rate, so I don’t think it makes the cut if you’re on that plan.)

The big boundary-push on the card is that it’s an aura that taps, and one that goes on a card type that people often tap pretty casually. Tapping enchantments appeared in Future Sight as a thing that Magic hadn’t done yet, but otherwise haven’t appeared. I’m not sure that this card crosses the threshold of what it would take to be worth breaking that rule on its own (as opposed to being an additional upkeep trigger or something), but it would be reasonable in a set that included other tapping enchantments.

@dimestoretajic​ - Bara, Friend to All

This is a strong tech piece; a fair number decks across a range of formats have few, if any ways to deal with a card like this mainboard. It’s fast enough that it’s not practical to go under it, it requires specific pieces of removal to handle, and even if it is handled eventually it can often put an aggressive deck effectively out of the game. (That said, most decks do have answers for something like this in the board, although not reliably great ones.) This might be safe in a product that skips standard, but it’s not totally clear whether this is something that would make it in a commander-focused product. (It’s not too powerful for Commander as a format, but it’s not something that all commander-product decks have many good ways to deal with.) I’m also not sure whether this could go in a product meant to be drafted. If this was introduced into certain non-rotating formats, it could certainly be an interesting role-player.

@fractured-infinity​ - Cunning Cuttlefish

There’s currently no shapeshifters in Magic that use this technology in quite as straightforward a way as this - Cryptoplasm might come the closest, with Dimir Doppelganger also playing in that space. This was one of a few Cuttlefish entries this week, and shapeshifting with controlled size is a pretty clever way to implement a Cuttlefish’s abilities. This card also allows for some shenanigans if you control an evasive creature and a creature with a saboteur effect. I wasn’t initially sure whether this should only last until the end of the turn, but precedent suggests that it’s fine for it to persist.

@ghoulcaclulator64​ - Snake-Head Larva

Morph and saboteur abilities go together naturally, enough so that Headhunter, Silent Specter, and Haunted Cadaver all play in this space. For its morph cost, this card has a fairly brutal saboteur effect, and it’s appropriate to put it at rare for that reason. That said, as long as it only connects once, it’s pretty fair, and if the other morph cards in the set obey the KTK-forward soft rules about the size of creatures with cheap morph costs, then it can at least be blocked safely.

@gollumni​ - Zhalfiran Zebra

This card homages two existing cards, Master Decoy and Zhalfiran Decoy, rather than alluding directly to something that the animal is known for outside of Magic, which is a novel twist on the prompt. The card entering the battlefield tapped presumably references those two cards needing to tap to use their abilities. It reads a little oddly in a vacuum, as it’s not a drawback that appears often on white cards, but the connection to the second ability helps to to feel part of a piece. I do think that there’s room to push this card a bit - even at common, sorcery-speed tapping for one turn isn’t worth a huge amount.

@grornt​ - Nude Defenders

Surprisingly one of three cards this week that made use of the Skulk mechanic, Nude Defenders is a spin on Rat Colony that’s more insular and that has less power, but gains the aforementioned mechanic. I’m not sure whether Skulk plays well into the fantasy offered by the rest of the card of building up a large group of creatures that are themselves individually large, however. It still has some utility in that it can help get a last few points of damage in and generally prevent very large creatures from blocking (the Defenders in many circumstances will at least trade, rather than just getting eaten), but the two parts read as negative tension.

@helloijustreadyourpost​ - Clever Octopus

The second of the skulk entries this week. It’s clear what this card is doing - it steals small objects when it attacks (including things like food and treasure, which octopuses value) - but executing that ends up requiring a lot of text. I see the value in keeping your opponent from sacrificing whatever it is you target with the ability by preventing sacrifices of artifacts entirely, but most card just accept the fact that sacrificing a permanent is an answer to abilities that would steal it. I think that the extra text may be worth it here because the set of things that the octopus can steal includes a lot of things that can easily be sacrificed, but it’s on the line.

@hypexion​ - Abyssal Angler

I really like this design overall. “Creature that can force a creature to attack, but also must block the attacker” is a combination of abilities that I was a little surprised doesn’t already exist on a creature, given the very clear story it tells. I’ve gone back and forth on whether or not I like the subtle drawback of the ability being mandatory; if your opponent has only a 4/4, you must commit your Angler to blocking that creature if it’s untapped, which is a missable but relevant interaction. It does tell an interesting story of an Anglerfish in over its head, however.

@i-am-the-one-who-wololoes​ - Battle-Ready Emu

It’s hard to do a card with a single short line of rules text that’s both novel and a complete and understandable reference to a real-world phenomenon (or event, in this case), and I think this card pulls it off. In many environments, the Protection is largely trinket text, but as evergreen colored artifacts allow Wizards to print more and better equipment at lower rarities, it’s something that has a growing chance of mattering.

@jsands84​ - Eclipse of Moths

Cards that allow your opponent to escape part of their effect by paying a certain color of mana aren’t common, but I like this more than Quenchable Fire for two reasons. First, the hybrid cost to buy out of the effect means that more, but not all, decks have the option to do so. Second, the repeatability of the effect means that the cost can legitimately add up over time. There are shades of the not-so-popular Rhystic mechanic, but I think in small volumes it’s fine, especially when tied to clear flavor, as this is.

@juggernaut-is-a-metalhead - Decaying Waverider

I wasn’t completely sure what to make of this card; the card mostly holds together, except for the art (although the dog is very cute), and doesn’t seem to be a top-down representation of the animal depicted, unless I’m missing something. Skulk and the ability to destroy cheap things on ETB is an interesting combination, as depending on your opponent’s curve, this might remove the only creature that can block it. 

@loreholdlesbian​ - Coveted Rabbit

This is a strong design for a card that goes in a deck with spells that target your own creatures, specifically because it itself is a creature. The simplest execution of the mechanics of this card would be to just make the foot itself an equipment card, but this implementation allows you to up the creature count in an aura- or combat-trick-heavy deck by being a creature itself.

@misterstingyjack​ - Beaver Dam

The bulk of the power of this card is vested in its last ability. Being able to pitch lands for business is worth a lot in the late game, and the defensive nature of the card as a whole helps support a longer-game plan. The rest of the card tells a nice and flavorful story as well. +0/+1 counters aren’t a tool that’s used any longer, and I’m not sure if this card crosses the threshold for making it worth bringing them back; the card could use another counter type and scale with the number of those counters, if +0/+1 counters weren’t being used.

@nicolbolas96​ - Protective Mother Boar 

I’m not sure if there are any “mom will fight you if you hurt one of the other ones” cards that represent the mother creature itself rather than the baby, which is an interesting point of novelty. This card represents potentially quite a lot of face damage, but cleverly uses the Crested Sunmare trick of tying a powerful effect to a tribe that tends to be used for limited filler rather than for serious constructed shots. (Although the number of Constructed-interesting boars has gradually crept up over time.)

@nine-effing-hells​ - Aposematic Display 

Menace and Deathtouch as a combination mean that blocking the creature is very costly, so there’s some synergy there - your opponent will generally treat the creature as unblockable. (Which is completely fair for the card’s cost - in blue, auras that make creatures unblockable can cost a single mana.) What I mostly want to talk about is the interaction between menace and the last ability. Because of the nonobvious way those abilities interact (if your opponent has only one creature that can block the enchanted creature, they don’t have to block it, but if they have two or more, then the targeted creature and another creature both have to block the enchanted creature), putting the two abilities on the same card is probably a complexity flag, but the card is uncommon. The specific combination has the interesting (but not necessarily desirable) effect of making Menace a drawback a significant fraction of the time, as the second ability is nullified entirely as long as your opponent doesn’t leave up two or more blockers.

@reaperfromtheabyss​ - Sandfish Skink

I didn’t think much of the ability at first, but the more I thought about it, the more impressed I was with its flexibility. It spoils a range of combat tricks, it lets the Skink block a large creature and then swap to a small one, and it allows the Skink to block things it wouldn’t normally be able to block. There’s a lot packed into a simple ability, which makes for an impressive design.

One small note - it should probably be limited to targeting attacking creatures that are attacking you or a creature you control. While I believe the game rules can handle the circumstance where you target one of your own attacking creatures, the Skink itself, or a creature attacking another player in a multiplayer game, it’s probably better to sidestep that entirely by limiting the legal targets.

@snugz​ - Bombardier Beetle

This is an interesting design, and another in the category of cards that seem like they should already exist. The big question with this card is: Is it green? Almost all similar effects (with a fixed amount of damage) are red, and in practical terms the ability functions a lot like Double Strike, but only against creatures. Not every card needs to be in the color that’s number one in something, but this ability feels borderline in Green, which doesn’t have a long history of creatures being able to one-sided fight nonfliers without external help. (That said, I guess the fact that it’s blocked or blocking is sort of like it’s fighting?)

@starch255​ - The White Whale

This is a wrath attached to a large body, with a bit of a twist that players o-ring one creature each instead. Putting a card that some players will interpret as a Whale tribal card in a color with no Whales might disappoint some players slightly, but it’s a pretty on-flavor way to keep the card from affecting itself or other copies of itself. This is currently one of the easiest to cheat out/reanimate/blink wraths in the game - it’s pretty standard for creatures that wrath on ETB to only get that effect when cast from hand, or to require some additional investment or action.

@typical-davinci-impersonator - Leyline Cuttlefish

This is already a bear, so the card is basically serviceable in limited even if the ability doesn’t end up mattering, but I’m assuming that this exists in an environment where color matters. Depending on the way that color-matters is implemented, there’s an argument that this could maybe cost 1 instead, but given that 2/2 for 2 isn’t a statline that colorless gets much, the ability can be pretty marginal and this is still an interesting card. Being directly tied into what Cuttlefish can do in a very literal way limits the environments where it makes sense as a card, but makes it quite resonant if there were a reason to print it.

@walker-of-the-yellow-path​ - Blue Glaucus

I had to look this one up - for the benefit of anybody who’s in the same boat, this is a slug that preys on jellyfish-like creatures and actually stores their stinging cells in its own body for defense. It’s also immune to the stings of some such creatures.

The card has a lot going on, and a lot of it is novel, although most of the text directly references the abilities of the actual organism. The third ability is interesting in that it can be proactively built around, although Deathtouch creatures more often die on your opponent’s turn than on yours, making the mana potentially more difficult to use.

I’m not totally sure that the creature needs morph, but morph + deathtouch is a good combo, so it’s reasonably justified if the set it appears in already has morph.

@wolkemesser​ - Magical Hat

If I had done Honorable Mentions this week, this would definitely have made the cut. It’s super rare that such a clear and clever story can be told with just one relatively straightforward line of rules text. I respect the decision to leave off flavor text even though cards with three lines of rules text almost always have it; the card doesn’t need any help explaining what’s going on. I had a hard time gauging the rate on this card, but I think it’s within the band of fair.

[partywithgyu]

𝓢𝓬𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓒𝓸𝓵𝓸𝓻𝓼

//𝓒𝓱𝓸𝓲 𝓢𝓸𝓸𝓫𝓲𝓷//

♡♡♡♡♡

Pairing: Soobin x Reader.

Tag: Café!au.

W/C: 1810.

Chapter summary: Soobin starts working at Screaming Colors.

Chapter 1.

♡♡♡♡♡

1

Sage green were the tiles on the wall. you faced as you arranged the many things placed on the counter. Packets of sugar you placed in a cup. The cup was to be placed on the collection counter. There were a series of tasks you'd have to do every morning to prepare for the day ahead of you. You enjoyed doing them. At least, now you did. For life seemed to be more monotonous, you found tiny packets of joy in tasks as simple as arranging packets of sugars. 

 The sound of the door swinging open made you look up. Finally, your co-workers Huening Kai and Beomgyu had arrived. It was something you'd anticipate. Working in a busy café all by yourself would be difficult. The place was understaffed because it had opened recently. You even brought the issue up to the owner once. The old lady told you, with the sweetest smile, that she would hire another person soon. All you could do was try to not get distracted by her colorful, fancy earrings as she spoke. Seeing her smile, you smiled, hoping she'd stick to her word. Well, she didn't hire anyone very soon. 

She stuck to her words, though. Today was the day the new guy was going to start working. "Good morning," said the two boys in unison as they walked toward you. "Morning," you greeted them. Your eyes then landed on the boy who had walked in behind them. The tall boy gave you a small, polite smile. "Good morning," he said awkwardly, making Huening Kai laugh. Laughing when nothing funny had happened was a very common thing for Huening Kai to do. You were used to it. "He's Soobin, the new guy," informed Beomgyu. "Oh. Nice to meet you." "You too." 

 On your first day of work, you were unsure of if you would be decent at the job even. Well, you were pretty good. The best thing about being a barista was the power you held. You had the power to set the tone of someone's day. People walking in, yet to consume their daily dose of caffeine, interacted with you every morning. You tried to make the interactions as positive as possible, even though some of them seemed rather cranky with clouded minds. 

 Your interactions with the customers were amazing. At least, that's what Soobin thought. Taking orders was your job. Preparing the drinks and meals, were the jobs assigned to Beomgyu and Huening Kai. Though Beomgyu had taken over the duty to explain to him how the café would be run, you had managed to gain his interest. You truly enjoyed the job, he could conclude. The morning he had spent placing muffins and pastries on the plates, when they were demanded and then washing the rather colorful plates and cups. 

 "I hope you had a good first day," you said to Soobin. There was a smile on your face as you adjusted the bag over your shoulder. The shift did come to an end after all. It was evening when the four of you found yourselves walking down the same lane as you always did. "Yes. Thank you," he said to you, making you chuckle. You found the formality cute. His nervousness showed through his awkward mannerism.  "Don't thank her. I taught you everything," said Beomgyu, confident as ever. He really did take pride in his mentoring. Soobin shyly turned to him. "Thank you," he said to Beomgyu. It was a rather funny sight to watch someone actually take Beomgyu seriously. Huening Kai and you shared a look before laughing. "Wow. He's so nice," you praised. "You were like this when you joined too. Look at you now," said Huening Kai, earning a light slap on his arm. "I am nice." 

 The not so meaningful conversation came to an end when the lane did. Waving at the other three guys, you turned to the left. Everytime you'd part ways with them here. This was when you felt more lonely because someone once waited for you, right at the turn, on weekends. The boy named Yeonjun, was your lover. Outside the café, you were lonely because most of your time you would spend with him. Living in apartments just a series of steps away, made it easy for you to do so. When you two were kids, you would build sand castles with him. That was your earliest memory of being his friend. The latest memory was the one of him ending the relationship for he had to move to the states. You two were distant, soon the memories would be. He hadn't even cared to call you once or twice. Not even his new number you knew. The birthday wish you had sent to them on instagram, was never read. As if, he had realized that he was happier without the relationship. 

Still you tried to convince yourself otherwise. You held onto meaningless hope, you wished you could let go of. You couldn't. Such things weren't as easy to you as you wished they were. 

On Sunday, Soobin was the second one to arrive. He had walked in to see you lost in your thoughts as you stared at the green tiles. The golden sunlight highlighted the tip of your nose. Your lips were curved into a frown. It was a sight beautiful but sad. You were more cheerful the day before. He cleared his throat to earn a cheerful greeting. You smiled when you saw him standing there. "Good morning," you said to him. "Good morning," he said shyly before heading to the back room. 

Few minutes later, you watched Beomgyu and Huening Kai running into the store. Startled, you could only question the reason. "Why are you guys running?," you asked. The two boys were panting. Beomgyu even sat down on the floor. This only made you wonder if you should lock the door or something. "Will you guys answer?" Huening Kai decided to destroy your curiosity. "We saw Miss Park's car on our way here. Didn't want her to know that we were late," he let you know. The two of them then rushed into the back room. Soobin who walked out as they went in, gave them a look of curiosity. "The owner is on her way," you let him know. "The two of them don't want her to know that they're late again so the rush," you explained. The tall boy came and stood beside you. "They're late often?," he asked casually.    

 "Yeah. The two of them plan on coming here together. Beomgyu oversleeps. Huening Kai is an angel who waits for him without complaining. That's how they get late," you went on. Soobin's lips formed  a small 'oh.' His face to you seemed rather beautiful. The comforting kind of beautiful. It was his nose that caught your attention. It was so cute. You wished you could tell it out loud or maybe poke his cheeks. You couldn't. That wouldn't be a normal thing to do. So, you didn't do it. You looked outside, through the glass door to see the owner of the café named Screaming Colors, getting out from the red SUV. 

Bright colors really were her thing. At least it suited her bright personality. Even this early in the morning she could get herself to walk into the café with a smile on her face. 

 "Good morning, Miss Park," you greeted the lady. 

  "Good morning, Y/N," she said to you with a warm smile. Miss Park was a stylish woman. Anyone you knew her, knew that. On this day she wore an orange coat over black trousers. To compliment the coat, she wore huge, sunflower earrings. The yellow color was indeed eye catching. "How are you?," she asked. Dragging your attention away from the yellow earrings you looked at her. "I am fine. How have you been, ma'am?," you asked her. "I've been good. I thought of coming in and checking if everything is going well," she said as looked around the café. 

"So, this is the new guy?," she asked. "Yes." "Nice to meet you. I am Choi Soobin." The tall boy bowed slightly while introducing himself. "Nice to meet you, Soobin. I hope you work diligently," she said. She always smiled as she spoke. Some giggles too were heard as she spoke. This woman always sounded so happy, you felt rather dull compared to her. "Where are the other two guys?"

  "We were cleaning the staff room," lied Beomgyu as he walked outside the room. The taller boy, who definitely didn't seem like a good liar, followed the older. "Ah. Good. Good." Them being praised by the older woman for work that you did wasn't the best thing in the world. It just made you stare at Beomgyu with a blank expression. He just gave you a small, mischievous smile. These were the things you had to deal with quite often now. 

 "I know we don't have a lot of staff. It's a new café. There are no dorms around. It's difficult," she said to the four of you. Her apologetic tone made you  feel the need to tell her to not worry. But then again, the manager wouldn't even arrive before noon. Also, Beomgyu really couldn't even get up on time. On a few days, he had definitely arrived much later than he had today. You noticed that his apron wasn't even tied properly. He wanted to make you facepalm so hard. You could not do that. So all you did was give him a small glare. 

 Soobin looked over at you, secretly wishing for this boring conversation to end soon. It was rather awkward to him. Especially since it was just his second day of work. But then again, he didn't have a lot of plans for the day. His best friend who seemed to have been making their friendship complicated had moved to the states. No explanations for the impulsive kisses were left behind for him. He was left to remain curious. Wondering if he was just one of the many people Yeonjun had made such impulsive decisions with. He wished he would have been more than that. Somehow, no one in college felt like they were more than that. They were all left to wonder if there was a reason he didn't date anyone. He was a player they assumed. To Soobin, he didn't seem like one. He was so caring and genuine. Someone Soobin could connect with. He had to be more than just a player.

He would forget about him sooner or later, he assured himself. His classmates had stopped talking about him. His name was not mentioned as much in conversations anymore.

"Well, what about your friend who was interested?," the old woman asked you.

 "Yeonjun? He moved to the states." 

♡♡♡♡♡

To head to my masterlist click here.

[wowtobio]

Hi! Can I request headcanons where Atsunu and Oikawa are in love with the same girl and compete for her love? I

New Neighbor? Where Atsumu and Oikawa try to win your love

thanks for the request :) i hope u enjoy! 

warnings: slight angst and implied sexual content

-

*pretend hinata is you hehe ;) 

“(y/n)-chan!! I can’t believe you’re leaving me!!” Oikawa complains as you pack the last few things in your overflowing suitcase.

It was a hot, sunny Saturday afternoon in your home in Miyagi and you found yourself in your room with Oikawa casually laying on your bed. 

“Tooru, I’m sorry you know this was not my choice.” You spoke softly, Oikawa sat up and continued his whining 

“But still! We’ve been together since we were kids and you’re just gonna abandon me?? After everything we’ve been through!!?” You threw a pillow at the loud mouthed setter.

It was true, when you moved to Miyagi when you were 6 years old, you two hit it off and are still as close as ever today. Your parents had demanding jobs that required them to travel all over Japan leaving you home alone. Your parents were close with Oikawa’s so they trusted to look after you. You were practically raised by them but over time you learned to fend for yourself with a little help from him and his family. 

“Quit your screaming! And don’t make it out like we’re dating hmph. You still have Iwa-kun to cling onto. You’ll be alright.” You stood up and clasped his hands with yours. A fire sparked into your eyes as you looked at him. 

“Besides, you have to promise me that you’ll go and win nationals. Win the dream with your team!” Oikawa glances at your hands before letting them go and hooking his pinky with your small, dainty ones. 

“Mm, you can count on me (y/n)-chan” 

You smile brightly and without warning wrap your arms around the brunette’s neck. He pauses before allowing his hands to gather at the small of your back and hugging your waist. As a goodbye, you squeeze him closer and bury your face in the crook of his neck and he digs his face into your shoulder. Your breath hitched in your throat as you swear you felt him press a kiss on your neck, but you didn’t mention it. You two just savored the moment and each others warmth as it was probably going to be the last time you two would be in each others presence for awhile. Probably.

-

It has been two months since your family made the move to Hyogo, your parents as expected were not home as usual and at first it was hard for you to adapt without the presence of your parents and your childhood best friend who you texted every single day.

“heyo tooru!” 

“(y/n)-chan! i miss you ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっ do you miss mee~?” 

“yah wish idiot, i’m just checkin up on yah”

“YABBEI!! ୧(๑•̀ᗝ•́)૭ you already have the kansai accent noo!!” 

“shut up! i adapt! and fyi i do not talk like this irl”

“okok whateverrr, how’s inarizaki?” 

With your high grades and excelling in academics you were able to transfer into Inarizaki high with no problem. You did not have any friends though, you did not really fit in or belong to certain cliques at the school.

“it’s been alright, kinda prestigious though and ppl have egos but nothing i can’t handle. def better than dealing with you hehe~” 

“im hurt (y/n)-chan! but that’s good, watch out for their volleyball team they’re pretty strong (ง’-‘︠)ง“

You raised an eyebrow as you realized that your new school did indeed have a volleyball team. You’ve heard about them quite a lot as they are supposedly really good, placing at nationals consecutively. You made a mental note to yourself to look further into it whenever you cared too and you bid Oikawa a quick goodbye text. You remembered an important package was waiting outside so you slipped on some shoes and ran out to get it. 

Upon approaching your mailbox, you notice two guys walking towards your direction and you glance up at them. One blonde-haired guy rambling to an uninterested sliver-haired who was practically an exact replica to him. Twins? You thought to yourself as you took a double-take.

Despite their similarities in looks, your attention gravitated towards the blond twin. Just the way his soft looking locks parted to the right over his hooded, dark eyes you could lost in. His overall energy was one that interested you. He felt your lingering gaze on him and made eye contact with you and smirked. 

You blushed lightly and hurriedly grabbed your package. You rushed since you were just wearing short shorts and a crop top. Avoiding any interactions with the pair, you walk away and miss the eyes of the blonde twin looking up and down at your body. 

Slamming your door shut, back against it you let out a sigh of relief and peek out the window to see the twins walk into the house right next door to you. The blush on your face still burned slightly, your curiosity heightens 

“New neighbors? How interesting”

-

School has ended, yet you found yourself aimlessly walking the now empty halls of Inarizaki. You wanted to avoid going home, as you did not want to be spending anymore time in an empty household and without your best friend you missed dearly. 

Your aimless wandering has led you to the volleyball gym, curiosity killed the cat and you found yourself entering the gym and stepping up at the balcony to watch practice from afar. Your eyes immediately went to the golden yellow haired guy who was apparently also your neighbor.

He sets to his teammate effortlessly and you couldn’t help but watch with amazement of his moves and how he brought out the best in the spiker. His technique was similar to Tooru’s, just a bit different. It was like his own twist. You always watched Tooru play with awe, however this guy’s setting just hit differently within you. 

You stared for a bit too long, as said setter looks up the balcony to see your form. The fangirls nearby you screech for his attention, only for him to send you a smirk and you blush profusely and immediately break the eye contact once again. 

Eventually, you found yourself coming back to the same gym at the same time everyday for the week. You went because of how much the players practiced and played flawlessly, but secretly because you wanted to watch the blonde setter in action of course. And since you were not enrolled in any clubs you killed time after school on that very balcony. 

Blonde twin has noticed you at every practice, every now and then he would nod towards you and/or throw a lopsided smile to you that made your heart jump lightly. 

It was the end of practice and you were about to walk out of the empty gym until you felt a hand grab your wrist, pulling you back. 

“Wait!”

You gasp slightly upon seeing the blonde setter. A little too close for comfort. A tint of pink dusted your cheeks as you gulped and stared into his eyes.

“Miya Atsumu, who are you?”

-

“TOOOORUUU YOU WONT BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED” You jumped into bed and called your childhood best friend with no warning.

“E-eh?? (y/n)-chan are you okay?? Are you finally coming back to mee????” 

“NO SILLY! okay hear me out for a moment” 

You rambled on and on about your interaction with the setter, a hint of excitement in your tone that goes unnoticed by Oikawa.

“(y/n)-chan, you do know that Miya Atsumu is one of the best setters in Japan right?” 

You immediately shut up, mouth open slightly and you noticed Oikawa’s sudden drop in mood.

“A-ah, I did not know that, sorry..” You rubbed your arm out of nervousness as the line went silent for an uncomfortable amount of time.

“You.. you still support me though right (y/n)-chan?” 

“Of course Tooru!”

“You promise?”

“Yeah, of course. I believe in you”

-

Over the next few weeks, you and Atsumu have been interacting a lot more than others would’ve expected. You two slowly got closer to each other, exchanged numbers, walking in the halls together, eating lunch together, even during passing time he would come visit you in your class. Rumors erupted here and there but you would ignore them, all you cared about was the fact that you were getting close to the handsome setter and you couldn’t help but feel a weird sensation in your chest whenever you were around him. 

Being neighbors, you two sometimes catch each other walking by the window and laugh at how both of you were caught off guard. He would even text you about it.

“you looked pretty cute there (n/n)-chan~”

Your heart flutters and you giggle replying back. Then you two would text the whole night away.

One night, you were on the phone with Oikawa as usual updating each other about your lives. 

“And then! You won’t believe it (y/n)-chan, Iwa-chan then threw the volleyball! At the back of my head!! How embarrassing uwaaah” 

You giggled cutely, “But I do believe it!” Oikawa just grumbles on the other side of the line and you continue to laugh. A text message then pops up from Atsumu, wishing you a goodnight. You subconsciously smile and were reminded that you should probably tell your best friend of the recent closeness. 

“Ne Tooru, I have somethings to update you about Atsumu.” It was absolutely silence on the other side, you worried slightly but took it as a sign to continue.

You ranted on about the progression of your friendship with Atsumu, almost in a dreamy tone. You finished and were met with silence which worried you even further.

“Toor-”

“We have a match with Karasuno tomorrow.” You were caught off guard with the sudden subject change. 

“E-eh? That’s Kageyama-san’s team right? And you should be sleeping then!” 

“Yeah, that guy drives me mad. But we’ll be fine, we will win” Oikawa says. You admired whenever Oikawa was passionate and serious about his dreams. 

“Of course, I wish you luck! I’ll watch you guys from home.” 

“Thank you~ Sweet (y/n)-chan” You laugh and cringed at him, but his tone went serious unexpectedly once again.

“Ne (y/n)-chan I have a question for you.”

“I’m all ears Tooru.”

“Do you have feelings for Atsumu?” 

Your breath got caught in your throat. Feelings?

“I- uhm. I think it’s too early to have feelings like that, right Tooru?”

“Mmm.” 

On the other side of the line, Oikawa frowns. 

-

They lost

They lost against Karasuno

You sat on your coach, tears forming as your hands cupped your mouth in shock. 

They can’t go to nationals

You watched painfully as you saw the cameras zoom in on the victors of Karasuno and cuts to Oikawa’s face of disbelief alongside the team members’ similar reaction and a few crying faces. Tears were as of now flowing down your face.

Tooru’s dream

You spent the next few days constantly calling and texting your best friend to check on him and remind him he did his best. He barely replied back, answering with blunt and passive answers that worried you to the core. Oh what would you give to take a train to Miyagi and comfort him. 

You heard a knock at your door, ears perked up and you walk over to answer. 

“A-atsumu??” You were shocked at the sudden appearance of him at your front door. 

“What’re you doing here??” He leans against the doorway, hands in his pockets. His casual attire being fitted black joggers, a green hoodie and a nice jacket over. You couldn’t help but stare. 

“Am I not allowed to visit yah (n/n)-chan. And it is rude to stare yanno. Not even allowing a guest in?” He smirks as you fumble with your words and let him in your home. 

“I was just making lunch, w-would you like to join me?” He smiles attractively as he takes off his coat and hangs it up. 

“Don’t mind if I do.” 

The afternoon was spent with you cooking lunch for the two of you, jokes cracked up and you both laughed and bonded. 

“What do yah mean? You never saw the movie??” You giggled.

“Hah, you expect me to be going out all the time? I’m the loner here.” 

“Nope nope, not with me around. I am taking you out to see this movie right now.” He grabs your wrist and drags you towards your room. Your heart did a thing.

“Go get ready.” You blushed red questioned frantically what was happening.

“W-what? What do you mean? Where are we going? WHat??” Atsumu waves his hands.

“Don’tcha worry about it doll. I’ll pay for your ticket, and it’ll only be the movies. Yah parents aren’t even home and I’ll bring yah back home in one piece.” 

With further convincing you sigh and agreed to his offer. As you slipped on a casual, fitting dress along with a bit of touching up of your hair and makeup your mind wanders to Oikawa. You still worried about him.

“I hope he’s doing okay..” You mumble to no one in particular. 

“Hope whose doin okay?” You jump at Atsumu’s sudden intrusion in your bedroom. 

“N-nothing! Well I’m ready now so let’s go.” Before heading out, Atsumu blocks your path and checked you out real quick. 

“Wow~ You look gorgeous (n/n)-chan” You blushed heavily and ushered him out of your room and the house. 

-

You two arrive at the train station, making light conversation where Atsumu would drop compliments every now and then that would make you redder than a tomato.

Casually strolling side by side, your shoulders bumping into each other. You stop in your tracks as Atsumu does the same, your eyes widening at the sight of Oikawa.

“T-tooru!” 

“…(y/n)-chan” 

Atsumu raises an eyebrow. 

“W-what are you doing here Tooru? Are you okay??”

“I simply just needed to see you… I missed you but I see that I am interrupting something?”

Your eyes widened, you wanted to run into Tooru’s arms but Atsumu was right beside you..

Conflicted

“Well well well, if it ain’t pretty setter Oikawa. How did that game the other day go?” Atsumu says in a taunting manner, you backhanded Atsumu’s chest lightly scolding him. However, Astumu continues 

“I think you should let her go lover boy, she’s mine.” Atsumu wraps and arm around your shoulder. You gasped as Oikawa ticks at that.

“You barely know her, don’t even think about touching her!” Oikawa growls out.

“G-guys please stop!” You felt so conflicted with your feelings. You did recently felt interested in Atsumu. On the other hand, you constantly missed and cared for Tooru. 

“She obviously likes me over you boy, I dunno your problem but I will be taking my lady out if yah don’t mind.” 

“To hell! (y/n)-chan’s been mine.” Oikawa grabs your wrist and pulls you towards him. 

“(y/n), what are you doing out with him? Is this a date? Do you actually like him more than me?” 

You flustered up at Oikawa’s words.

“No! W-well it may seem like a date, but we’re just out watching movies together alone! W-wait that sounds like a date oh my goodness. I don’t even know anymore ugh-” 

You felt so overwhelmed to the point you could not help but break your grasp from Oikawa and run from the two. 

“(n/n)-chan!”

“(y/n)!” 

You kept running, ignoring their calls.

What were you going to do? 

Who were you going to choose?

You did not know anymore

-

a/n: heyhey sorry if that turned out bad ;; i am conflicted on how to end this short headcanon so I was thinking of writing something with both endings where you either choose Oikawa or Atsumu. Only if you guys want so please let me know! And also at that last interaction I made Oikawa seem more serious since I imagine he would still be affected by losing ofc poor boi. Sorry if that seemed too ooc for Oikawa. N e ways, thank you guys sm for the support and reading my writing. PLs let me know if you would like that part two! ily :)

[rayne-storm]

AUgust 6 - Gaming

Title: MOON QUEEN

Fandom: Hyperdrive

As always, Hyperdrive belongs to my beautiful and talented BFF @rad-infiniitum / @starburnedfarrago

This was just super fun to write, and although the logistics as presented are just absolutely whack, I hope you enjoy!!

She smiled as she hit the buttons with routine familiarity, starting her stream. She smiled gently as she addressed her followers and her little intro video played.

There was her channel name: STELLA-PY , and the letters rearranged themselves to some bubbly synth music to: LETS-PLAY and faded out to reveal the title card for the game that she was tackling today.

"Good afternoon, guys! It's me, Stella-Py!"

"Py" in this case was pronounced "Pie," and the comments she had received about the similarity mixed with her heavier frame were old news long ago. She kept herself in a small frame at the corner of the video, just because she knew she tended to make silly faces playing spookier games, and if anyone really got a sense of her size from that, she applauded their eye for detail. Any hate got pretty quickly removed from the chat thanks to a friend who maintained it, and her lovely (if few) fans.

"Today, we're doing something new and short, while I recover from the awful, awful fetus monster. This is one you guys have been telling me to try!"

She pulled up the application on her computer, and a solid wall of blue illuminated her screen. From the wall, white letters in a vintage font appeared one by one to reveal:

"QUEST FOR THE MOON QUEEN"

Stella smiled and let the elegant chiptunes that came after the letter play for a moment before starting to speak again.

"That's right, folks! Quest For The Moon Queen was published seven years ago to itch.io by an anonymous, indie developer that only called themself 'BL00 SCR33N.' It's remained relatively obscure since then, which is a shame because it looks so cute! From what I've seen, this is an adventure game where the player is this adorable little knight, trying to rescue and woo the titular Moon Queen. I'm super excited to get into it, and please make sure to put asterisks before any spoilers to hide them!"

She paused to let the chat catch up, answering a couple of questions about her day, how the baby cow was doing, and when she would do a baby cow reveal (the poll for the baby cow name was still going, Moomin being the leader by far). The chat satisfied, she hit ENTER on her keyboard, and the screen slowly darkened.

First came a little tutorial.

There was a little blue knight in front of a white screen, and little floating text walked the player through the various movements they could do. It was relatively simple, arrow keys to move, space to jump, and a couple of keys or mouse clicks to shoot a little spark.

After the tutorial came an adorable side-scrolling adventure where the little blue knight jumped over hurdles and shot sparks at bees and little black boomerang-like shapes.

Three levels of slightly increasing difficulty later, there was a boss fight.

The boss was labeled "THE DICTATOR" and a chiptune-version of ABBA's "Voulez-Vous?" played. The knight grew a little taller, and was faced suddenly by a giant black tarantula with a hundred glowing red eyes.

The sparks were ineffective, and Stella began to panic when she noticed a small sword icon. Interacting with that froze the boss and brought up an option screen:

"CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON"

MY STRENGTH

MY SPIRIT

Well, wasn't that unique?? Stella immediately chose to fight with "SPIRIT" and the scene dissolved into a cute little cutscene.

The little knight stood before THE DICTATOR, trembling only slightly in the presence of the fierce enemy.

"I must go!" The knight proclaimed in chiming little chirps

"But why?? You have served me loyally all this time!"

"I must find my own path, and you must care for your fallen kingdom."

The scene dissolved again, and the spider rolled over, defeated.

Stella felt there was more to the story, but could only really comment on how sweet that was.

"This is such a cute little game! You guys are the best, and if anyone has any idea how to get in contact with the person who developed this, please let them know that I love it so much!!"

The next levels were water-themed (of course), leading up to a new boss fight:

THE EXILE.

This boss was a massive squid, with pink tendrils that acted as hair. The blue Knight's sparks again were ineffective, and again Stella was presented a choice:

THE EXILE HAS REPLACED YOU. CHOOSE YOUR REACTION:

COMPASSION

CRUELTY

Stella again went for the softer route, and again, the screen dissolved.

Surprisingly, the squid-like creature shrunk to being smaller even than the Blue Knight.

"I am afraid, Knight."

"Why are you afraid? You have everything you could ever want, now."

"Because I am so small, and this world is so big."

The knight knelt and gently hugged the little creature.

"Take heart, EXILE, for there are many large things, but there is only one of you. Develop your skills, grow your talents, and the world will bend for you."

The EXILE bobbed happily, nodding.

"Thank you Knight! Good luck on your journey!!"

The EXILE swam away, and the Knight progressed.

So it went, with such bosses as:

THE CORINTHIAN, an eagle dressed like a glam-rocker, who the Knight could either PLUCK or APPLAUD. Applause led to the Knight clapping and giving the creature a CD to sing along to.

a giant troll THE BEAST that offered a stealth option to SNEAK around or SLAY.

THE PRETENDER, a shadowy silhouette of a woman, and the Knight could choose KILL or KINDNESS. Kindness led to the Knight patting the shadow on the back, and with each little pat more of the sprite filled in until the shadow became a dark-skinned woman in a space suit.

Finally, about two hours of play later, the knight was jumping on clouds and was faced with the final boss:

THE DEMON.

This boss was a massive metal insectoid, and Stella waited for the choice to appear, but a minute of waiting led to her health being knocked down halfway, and a message popping up:

NOT EVERY BATTLE HAS A SOLUTION. DRAW YOUR SWORD AND FIGHT.

That felt… wrong.

The chat was exploding to fight back as the monster hit the Knight, but she just couldn't.

Tears in her eyes, she removed her hands from the keyboard.

The health bar was knocked down to zero.

NOT EVERY BATTLE CAN BE WON the screen proclaimed, as it began to fade.

Suddenly, a shower of pink and green lights fluttered down.

The chat began to go crazy. This, it seemed, had never been discovered before. Everyone always fought the monster, and gained a trite little victory screen, the little Blue Knight doing a little dance.

This was something completely new.

NOT EVERY BATTLE CAN BE WON.

BUT SOMETIMES LOSING YOURSELF ALLOWS ANOTHER TO LIVE.

The metal shell of the boss began to melt, and out floated a beautiful woman, pale-skinned with pink and green hair, and nearly translucent green wings that shimmered and glowed.

She floated down to the body of the little fallen Knight and kissed his head. The knight slowly stood.

"Thank you, Blue Knight, for your compassion. Thank you for setting me free. You do not have to hide yourself any longer."

The armor melted away from the knight, and an adorable little creature with blue skin, long ears, and yellow eyes remained.

The descriptions of the characters changed. The Blue Knight became THE REGRETFUL SOUL, and what once was THE DEMON became…

THE MOON QUEEN.

"Thank you, my lady," the REGRETFUL SOUL chirped, and they took each other's hands.

The MOON QUEEN scooped up the little creature, and began to fly up the screen with him. As they reached the top, they turned and faced the screen.

THANK YOU, PLAYER, FOR ABSOLVING OUR GUILT AND SETTING US FREE.

The screen faded to black, and Stella initially thought it had completely ended. She was about to exit out of the program (still sobbing), when a little message slowly flowed up from the bottom:

TO LUNA.

I LOVE YOU.

I LOVE YOU.

I LOVE YOU.

-NEIL

Stella couldn't help crying harder, and blubbered out her closing spiel. The chat still kept going absolutely crazy, some claiming that this was a hacked copy of the game, or that they totally knew about the secret ending. Suddenly a new kind of message began exploding:

The game was gone.

It wasn't on itch.io, or any other site that the chat could find.

What in the world…?

Stella figured that she would deal with the implications of that later, saying goodbye and logging out of her stream.

She gave herself a few more minutes to cry before she heard the soft ping of a new email.

She sighed and opened it, ready to be assaulted by some kind of anger (per usual when she streamed), and was surprised to see the sender was going by "BL00 SCR33N."

She opened the message, and it simply read:

"You saved the knight and the Moon Queen. Congratulations. Want to meet up?"

After that was a phone number.

This was a terrible idea.

She called.

[tanyawritesstories]

Jesse's Girl | Jesse x Reader

I had this fic idea and wrote it, only finding out after that the actual song goes with perfectly (at least from Fives' perspective) so I threw in the last couple lines to seal the deal.

Also, thank you to @simping-for-fives for being the only and unanimous answer to which fic I should post next.

Warnings: fluff, secret relationships, Jesse is v protective, adorable ending, Fives is oblivious

•••

The crowd at 79s was buzzing tonight, everyone anticipating their main form of entertainment this evening. A small group of dancers were set to do a dance routine and hang around for the rest of the night.

This particular group of dancers were very talented and always drew many excited cantina-goers, including the men of the 501st. Jesse, Fives, Kix, and Hardcase sat in their booth close to the dance floor waiting and watching for it to start.

Kix and Hardcase were discussing which dancer they thought they could buy a drink for while Fives and Jesse stared into the distance impatiently. Finally, the usual music stopped and the dance floor was cleared. Everyone quieted down and drew their attention to the dance floor. New music started to play and six dancers sauntered out from the crowd, taking their places. Two of the dancers were Twi’leks, there were Zabraki twins, one human, and one Chiss. All beautiful. They started their routine, moving gracefully with and around each other, sending winks and smirks to the soldiers.

As Jesse watched, one dancer stood out to him. While all the dancers wore skimpy clothing, the human woman was wearing the most. She was wearing a skirt that hugged her waist and hips but it was long enough to cover everything when she moved and bent over. Her wrap top covered her chest completely and went around her neck, which left her arms, legs, and stomach exposed. Her hair was let down, the (h/c) locks falling perfectly around her face. Jesse was star struck and he stared at her with what she would call ‘lovey dovey eyes’. She made eye contact with him and smiled brightly, exaggerating her moves and keeping in sync perfectly without breaking eye contact with him.

He loved how she could pick him out of a crowd of people, most of whom he shared the same face with, and he knew it wasn’t because of the republic insignia tattooed on his face. She had told him it was because of the way he looked at her, she could feel his eyes whenever he looked at her. That was a good thing because most of the time the only thing they could afford was stares, glances, and occasional hand holding.

Jesse knew well enough that none of them were allowed to have relationships other than quick hook ups. That’s why his relationship with you was a secret. He was pretty good at hiding it, as were you. Whenever he was on Coruscant he made sure to see you no matter what excuse he had to use, or who he had to bribe.

Your routine ended and the room erupted in applause. All the dancers bowed and, as the normal music and chatter resumed, they scattered throughout the establishment. Most of the other dancers moved through the soldiers, hanging on their arms and talking, hoping for drinks or tips and generally providing good company for the war-worn men.

You walked slowly around the room winking and waving at anyone who looked your way, taking your time to get to the table where your boyfriend sat. 

You saw one of the Zabrack twins pull an officer towards one of the rooms in the back and you shook your head with a smile. Undoubtedly he had paid her for a private dance. Technically, none of you were supposed to accept their offers for a personal experience. But sometimes they offered large amounts of credits that some of the girls couldn’t turn down, whatever happened was up to the dancers. Which is probably why said certain Zabrack twin was always coming back with red marks all over her neck. You were never like that, you never accepted any money no matter how much, you were loyal to Jesse.

Little did you know, one ARC trooper had his eye on you the entire night and wanted you to himself.

Fives threw back the rest of his drink and set it down sharply on the table, he looked over his shoulder and noticed you coming towards their table. He leaned over to the rest of the boys. “Wish me luck,” he said. “Maker knows you need it, but why specifically this time?” Kix asked. “You remember all those credits I won at the sabacc tournament against the 212th?” The three other men nodded, “Well, I just found the perfect way to way spend them.” Fives motioned to you where you were talking with a couple members of the Coruscant Guard.

“You want to buy a dance from her?” Hardcase questioned, eyebrow raised in curiosity. Fives nodded and Jesse’s heart just about stopped. “You know they don’t accept private dances, right?” Jesse said, trying to dissuade his determined brother.

“They do for the right price,” Fives added before sliding out of the booth and heading towards you. You had just bid a good night to the two guards you had been talking to when an ARC trooper bearing the signature blue of the 501st approached you. He had a number five tattooed on his left temple and a suave smile on his face. You guessed this was Fives, one of Jesse’s brothers. Jesse had mentioned him before and said he was quite the charmer.

You returned the smile and greeted him, “Hello soldier.”

“Evening, doll. That was quite the performance,” he said, “Glad I could see it.”

“Why thank you, umm..”

“Fives,” he told you, a smug smirk on his face. “Thank you, Fives," you smiled, "ARC trooper right?” He nodded, “Yes ma’am, for the 501st.”

“Impressive,” you smiled, there was no harm in talking to him just as long as he didn’t try anything else. You glanced behind him and saw your boyfriend glaring daggers at the back of Fives’ head. “I did want to ask you one thing,” Fives said, he reached forward and gently laid a hand on your bicep.

Jesse was unable to pay attention to anything Hardcase or Kix were saying, his eyes were glued to you and Fives as you talked. He observed your body language, making sure you weren’t uncomfortable or that Fives didn’t cross a line. The interaction was completely normal until Fives put his hand on you.

Jesse jumped out of his seat and walked towards you. “Fives what are you doing?” He said, coming to stand beside you and his brother. “I was asking for a dance before you so rudely interrupted,” Fives glared at his brother. “We’re not allowed to ask for private dances,” Jesse scolded. “Yes, we are!” Fives argued back. “No, we are not!” Jesse said sternly, “Besides she probably doesn’t even want to give you a dance anyway.” “Well let’s ask her,” Fives proposed, “Would you mind giving me a dance, darling. I can pay you.”

Fives took a pouch off his belt and was going to hand it to you when Jesse stepped in between you both. “She doesn’t want your money, she’s not a sex worker. Have some decency, Fives!” You watched the two men argue and rolled your eyes.

You hadn’t planned on accepting Fives’ offer but you were going to let him down slow. Instead, Jesse barged in and shut him down without giving you a chance to speak. They would go on forever if you didn’t interrupt. You began coughing quite loud, catching the attention of both troopers.

"Are you alright?" They both asked at the same time, glaring at each other afterwards.

"Yes, I just think I need some water. Excuse me gentlemen," you made your way to the bar, Fives tried to follow you but Jesse pushed him back. "C'mon Fives, she's not feeling well, just leave her alone," Jesse pleaded. Fives sighed and put his hands up in surrender, "Fine." Jesse patted his brother on the shoulder and headed off to the refresher.

You drank two glasses of water just to sell your act and was sitting at the bar waiting until you thought it might be safe. You turned when a hand was placed on your shoulder, it was Fives.

"Are you feeling better?" 

"Yes, much, thank you," you replied. "Look, I don't wanna pressure you but, I can pay you." He took the pouch off his belt and opened it, showing its contents to you. Your eyes widened at the amount of credits inside. "How much-"

"500 credits," he answered before you could ask. 

That was the most anyone had ever offered you, how had he acquired so many! "Where did you get all these?" Fives smirked proudly, "Evidently, I'm the best sabacc player in the GAR." You were speechless. "It's yours," Fives placed the pouch in your hands, "I just want to watch you dance again. I won't even touch."

"Fives! Leave her alone!" 

You saw Jesse running to you from across the room. You smirked deviously and clutched the bag of credits in your hand. Jesse reached you both, obviously about to dig into Fives about you again, but you cut him off.

"Well, that's awfully nice of you to buy a dance for your brother, Fives," you said, "What do you say Jesse?"

Your boyfriend thought for a minute trying to figure out what was going on before he smiled devilishly. "I would love a dance," he said. Jesse put his arm around you and led you to the back of the building.

Fives stood there stunned, mouth agape as he watched you walk off with Jesse and his credits. He growled to himself and went back to sit with Kix and Hardcase. He slid into the booth and found Kix laughing so hard he was clutching his stomach and Hardcase had rested his head on the table, laughing into it. 

"What's so funny?" He asked.

"You just got bested by Jesse and his girl," Kix said between laughs. Hardcase lifted his head up, "Oh they are one hell of a couple." 

"Couple?" Fives questioned.

"Are you kidding me, you haven't noticed them before?" Hardcase said in disbelief.

"He's always with her when he's here. And you've heard the dumb excuses he comes up with whenever we're on leave," Kix added.

One could see the gears working in Fives' head as he thought it through, everything starting to make sense to him now. He looked in the direction Jesse and you had gone before looking at the table. "I wish I had a woman like that."

Kix clapped his brother on the back. "Face it, Fives. You're not going to get Jesse's girl."

[toplinetommy]

You Bring the Moon and Stars to Me (Part Two) - Tyson Jost

Synopsis: A Soulmate!AU where your soulmark only appears once you fall in love with your soulmate

Words: 4.8k

Part One

--

September 2017 - Denver, CO 

NHLers + 1 Tucker: heard you got a job in Denver Tucker: you know who else got a job there Y/N: what are you going on about Brock: tyson jost plays for the avs Brock: you should catch a game when the szn starts Y/N: he barely knows who i am Tucker: he thinks youre cute *Brock emphasized the message* Y/N: that was months ago Brock: whats the worst that can happen Y/N: hes literally a pro athlete Tucker: im a pro athlete and I still talk to you

You set your phone back onto the patio table, changing it out for your margarita. You were sitting on your new best friend and coworker, Caitlyn’s, back deck enjoying margaritas in the early Denver fall when she said a name you hadn’t heard in months.

“So, when were you going to tell me you know Tyson Jost?” 

You nearly spit out the alcoholic beverage, choking as it goes down the wrong pipe. “Uh, because I don’t? He played hockey where I got my undergrad, not a big deal.”

“Then how come I’m scrolling on Instagram, and Tyson Jost shared to his IG story a picture that you, my friend, are in?” She pushes her phone across the table to you and you look at the picture. Sure enough, it’s a picture Brock had shared to his story, that Tyson had reshared, from the 2017 senior banquet. You’re standing between Brock and Tucker in the back of the photo, barely seen as you were tucked in a large group of hockey players. You weren’t even tagged and yet, somehow Caitlyn had been able to pinpoint you, with none other than Tyson Jost standing right in front of you.

“I’ve had maybe three conversations with him? He only played the one year there and I wasn’t tutoring him.” You shrug, not getting what the huge deal was.

“You were a tutor?”

“Yeah, for athletes, but towards the end I was mainly tutoring the hockey team. That’s why I’m in that picture, I was pretty close to a few of the guys. That was their senior banquet my senior year and I went as one guy’s date, and no, it wasn’t with Tyson or Brock. It was with a guy named Tucker, he plays for the Jets actually.”

 Caitlyn asks a few more questions about your college life before the sun starts to set, and the hockey conversation gets dropped.

“Trust me, I’m not ‘immersed’ into the NHL community or whatever. I just have a few friends in the league that I don’t even talk to that much besides sending memes in a group chat.” You say closing out the topic, choosing to move onto something else.

“Anyways, tell me more about Jack! How come I haven’t met your soulmate yet, huh?” You ask giddly. Soulmates were one of your favorite things to talk about, mainly because you were a hopeless romantic at heart; always fantasizing about the day you’d meet yours and listening to other people share their stories about it.

“Well we met in March when we were at a tech conference while he was still going to school, but I had already graduated and moved here. He still has another year before he graduates and he plans on coming out once he does, depending on if he can get a job in the area.”

“Do you think he’ll move to Denver?”

“I think so, he loved it here when he came and visited over the summer. He loved this house, and he loves the outdoors. I don’t really want to leave, either. I mean, Denver’s my home.” She says, smiling at the thought of her current surroundings.  

Hearing others talk about their soulmates kind of made you envious, but you were happy for your friend. Watching her face light up as she talked about Jack was something you only wished for and couldn’t wait to experience for yourself.

--

Two days later, you’re back over at her place for your weekly Taco Tuesday’s - a tradition the two of you had started not too long after you met at your job a few months back. You hop out of your SUV, noticing the moving truck next to your friend’s house, and definitely not missing the large group of burly men unpacking it.

Walking into the house you shout, making your appearance known. Entering the kitchen you set the grocery bag on the counter. “Did you see that people are moving in across the street? Looks like it’s a group of guys.”

Caitlyn shrugs before continuing, “Took ‘em long enough to sell the house. That house was up for sale when I moved here in June.” She starts walking around the island, back towards the front of the house to further inspect the new neighbors, you close behind. A few of them have their shirts off, even in the brisk fall Denver air, and even with the distance, the both of you can tell there’s some serious man-candy going on across the street.

The both of you retreat back to the kitchen, getting ready to make your weekly tacos, catching up on work, friends, drama, and what had happened on this week’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy. As Caitlyn was finishing up the taco meat, you went to get beers from the fridge in the garage when you heard a voice other than your friends’ in the kitchen on your way back.

Walking into the room you’re shell shocked at the group of men in front of you. No, scratch that. Shocked at one particular man in front of you. Your jaw drops as none other than Tyson Jost looks right back at you.

He marveled at the sight of you, “y/n y/l/n?”

“In the flesh” You laugh lighty.

“You live here?” He inquired, with a hint of shyness in his voice.

“No, Caitlyn lives here, but I live in the area” you respond pointing over to the blonde standing in between the two of you. You look around at the rest of the guys, remembering that it’s not just the two of you standing in your friends kitchen, having what seems like a reunion of sorts.

A deep cough comes from next to you, pulling you out of your confused, yet awe-struck state. “Hey, uh, I’m JT,” comes from the burly redhead standing a few feet away from you, “This is Alexander, Nate, and then Tyson, who I guess you already know?” He points to everyone as he says their names, a hint of question in his tone when he goes over Tyson’s name. 

At this, Tyson jumps in, “She went to North Dakota, too. She knew the hockey team.”

“Oh?” JT asks, eyebrows raising towards his hairline in question.

“Uh, yeah, I was one of the tutors.” You explain briefly.

“You still talk to any of them?” Tyson asks, centering the conversation around you rather than the relationship between the two of you.

“I talk to Brock every now and then, and I’m still pretty close with Tucker.” You answer, not wanting to give too many details about your friendships with other NHLers. Tyson nods his head at you, before JT speaks up once again, steering back to the original reason of the conversation.

The boys had stopped by because they saw the open garage and needed a pair of scissors. Something you assumed a group of guys would have when moving into a new house. As the conversation came to a halt, and the boys started to leave, wanting to let you guys get back to your dinner, Tyson stops on the front porch to continue talking to you. 

“So, you ended up in Denver, eh?” He asks, shoving his hands into his short pockets.

“I did, and I like it a lot so far. I got offered a job as a project manager for a company that has their corporate offices here. Couldn't pass up the opportunity to move to a new city.” As you finish talking, you realize you had started rambling a little bit, a slight blush rising to your cheeks.

Tyson smiles widely, noticing the joy and passion in your voice. A voice in the distance calling out for Tyson breaks the moment you two are having. “I should probably get back, but, uhm, if you ever want to catch up or anything don’t hesitate to text me or something.”

“Uh, yeah, for sure. I’ll let you get back to moving.” You exclaim with a hint of nervousness. You weren’t sure if you should hug him goodbye, but you were a big hugger, so you awkwardly go in for a hug, to which Tyson happily consumes. The two of you go your separate ways as Tyson jogs across the street back to his house. 

Walking back into Caitlyn’s kitchen, you’re snapped back to reality by the look on your friends face. Dropping your shoulders, you groan, “What?”

“I don’t know Tyson Jost, she says. We just went to college together, she says,” she mocks in a high-pitched tone. “That interaction had way too much something in it for you two to have just been acquaintances or whatever you were.”

 “I promise you I barely know him. I just always thought he was cute like everyone else did and the guys loved to make fun of me for it. He’s also four years younger than me.” You reveal embarrassingly, a small smile coming to your face thinking back on some of the memories you had. “Like, my senior year, they made me show up to a jersey party at the hockey house wearing his jersey. I think I was the only one at the whole party even wearing something NoDak related, too. It was just dumb, little stuff.” 

“Aw, that’s kind of cute.” Caitlyn gushes, taking a sip from her beer. The two of you start to make your tacos, and sit in a comfortable silence while eating.

It’s halfway through dinner you realize you don’t even have Tyson’s phone number, contemplating on whether or not you want to text him. “Should I text him?” You ask. “I barely know him and now he’s an up-and-coming professional athlete.”

“You’re both new to the city, so I don’t see the harm in it?” Your friend reasons.

You nod in agreement, trying to figure out how you’re even going to get his phone number. Picking up your phone, you go to text Tucker.

Y/N: would you happen to have tyson josts number :-) Tucker: thought you didnt want it Y/N: yeah funny story actually Y/N: i guess he lives across the street from my coworker now Tucker: ur kidding Y/N: i wish i was Tucker: i knew you two would somehow find each other Y/N: whatever

Tucker ends up texting you Tyson’s phone number a little bit later, and after a lot of typing and retyping you finally settle on a simple “hey” with a simple smiley face, letting him know it’s you.

--

Once you had sent the first initial text to Tyson a few days ago, it seemed like the two of you had been friends all along. Conversation flowed easily between the two of you, only texting one another when you really had the time to. 

Part of you was nervous that the two of you had really never hung out, apart from those few occasions back at school, but even then it was never just the two of you. You had contemplated asking Caitlyn to come over in case it got awkward. In the end, you didn’t let your nerves get the best of you and you went through with going over to his house to meet up with him.

Knocking on the front door, you twist your hands together in anticipation. 

The large wooden door swings open to reveal a very smiling Tyson, “Hey!” He moves to the side to let you in but as you pass him he opens his arm signaling for a hug. 

You wrap one arm around him, half leaning into his side for a side hug as you greet him in return. “How are you?”

“I’m doing great, development camp just ended. I got the letter saying I made the opening day roster, so still trying to get used to that.” He answers with a small laugh. His hands are resting in his front hoodie pocket, and you notice how nice his posture is. You look over him, also noting that his legs look much thicker than you remember and his chest is much broader, even under the expanse of his hoodie.

“That’s great” You compliment, feet planted to the ground once you slip your shoes off. The two of you are still standing in the foyer of his home. The air around the two of you almost makes it feel like one of those ‘we met online and we’re now meeting each other for the first time’ moments. 

Tyson starts walking, leading the two of you to his kitchen before asking if you want anything to drink.

“Water would be awesome.” You answer, moving to take a seat on one of the barstools at the kitchen island.

Tyson closes the fridge, handing you a water bottle. “So how long have you been in Denver?”

“Since June, so three months?” You say, counting on your fingers. “I got the job not too long after I graduated but I went on vacation with some friends before moving. What about you?” 

“I actually came down in April after the UND season ended, but only for a few games. I just got back, like, two weeks ago.” He starts, leaning his elbows down against the counter in front of you. “I was in a hotel until you saw us moving in the other day, actually.”

“Why’s that?” You ask, knitting your eyebrows in confusion.

“So like, the way it works is that you have to make the team during development camp and if you don’t you’ll go back to wherever you were playing before. I already lost my NCAA eligibility when I left, so if I didn’t make the team I would’ve gone down to San Antonio where our AHL team is.” Tyson explains, hands moving around in the air as he speaks.

You nod your head as he speaks, starting to understand the process of how one makes the NHL. “Well, I think you’ll love it here. I’ve only been here for a few months and I can’t stop thinking about how perfect this place is.” You gush.

“Yeah, I’m really excited for the season. The guys are all really nice and welcoming already.” He muses. His eyes crinkle a little bit, a sure sign of happiness as he smiles.

You smile in response, “From what I remember back at school, you were pretty good, too.” 

A small blush rises on his tan cheeks and the tips of his ears. He pushes a hand through the curls on the top of his head with a shrug. “You majored in marketing?” Tyson asks, changing the subject. He was never one to talk about himself too much, even with all of his accomplishments.

“I did!” you exclaim, surprised he even remembered that about you. “I’m a project manager, so I basically manage a few different projects at a time at a marketing firm. I like it a lot so far. That’s how I know Caitlyn, the girl across the street.” You point in her general direction, gesturing to the house across the street.

“What part of the city do you live in?” He asks curiously. He stands up straight again, leaving his hands resting on the counter. 

“Over in Westwood, in a townhouse.” You answer, once again stunned at his ability to remember small details from previous conversations. “It’s just southwest of downtown and like, 20 minutes from here.”

“I haven't really gotten the chance to really explore the area too much, so I have no idea where that is.” He laughs. 

You laugh along with him, “We can always figure it out together if you want, because I haven’t done too much either.” You freeze up slightly at your request, not really knowing where your bravery came from. 

“I think I’ll take you up on that offer,” He agrees. “Being around a bunch of hockey players all the time can be a little much. Besides, it’s nice to have familiar faces around, eh?” He quirks his eyebrow at you.

“For sure.” You agree, taking another sip from your water. “You have any other plans for the day?”

“Other than this, no.”

“I was thinking,” you start, “we could order food or something? I can start showing you the best food places around.” 

“Yeah, I’m actually getting kinda hungry. What’re you thinking?” He asks, making a show to rub at his belly.

“I found a really good ramen place a few weeks ago that I really liked if you’re down to try that?” You suggest, pulling your phone out planning to pull up the menu for the two of you.

“Sure, I’m down to try anything.” 

You stand up from where you were sitting to move over to him, placing your phone on the counter so both you and Tyson can look at the screen. He moves closer to you, shoulders now touching as you both look down at the phone in front of you quietly. He’s comfortable enough to scroll on the website on his own, even with the newness of your friendship. 

As you move to fully stand straight up next to him, the brush of the side of your upper arm against his sends a sort of static through your body. You shrug your arm, moving a few inches away from the man next to you.

“Do you know what you want? I can call and place the order.” You suggest, gesturing towards your phone. He pushes the phone over to you, telling you what he wants before saying he’ll venmo you for his part. 

A little while later, once you’ve driven to downtown Denver and back, you have ramen in front of you as the two of you sit out on the back deck trying to enjoy the last of the warm weather.

The two of you sit across from one another eating in the quiet when JT walks out. “You guys got food and didn’t ask me if I wanted any? I’m hurt.”

Your eyes gaze between him and to Tyson, before Tyson speaks up, “Not my problem you weren’t around when we ordered it.” 

You chuckle lightly at the interaction in front of you as JT rolls his eyes looking for a response. Instead of verbally responding, he walks over to take a seat next to his roommate, giving him a shove as he passes by him.

“So, y/n, have you found your soulmate yet?”

“Bro, what is with you and your need to ask every single person you know that?” Tyson groans, dropping his fork into his bowl.

“What, it’s fascinating!” He exclaims, leaning back into his seat.

“Yeah, because you basically already know who yours is.”

“You already have a soulmate?” You ask, swallowing the bit of noodles in your mouth.

“Technically, no,” He starts, dragging out the ‘no’. “But I’m convinced I know who it actually is.”

“He met this girl over the summer and felt some ‘connection’ to her or whatever.” Tyson says, doing finger quotations around connection. 

“Shut up,” JT groans. “I swear the world stopped when we made eye contact and then we talked and I was just blown away.”

You look at him as he talks, but you notice Tyson next to him, mouthing the words JT is speaking. You giggle a little, causing Tyson to smile.

“I think that’s great, you’ll have to keep me updated on it all.” You say with a smile on your face. Tyson and JT continue to bicker like the best friends you're starting to see they are, as you sit and continue eating your ramen. The way Tyson easily chirps him and laughs makes your stomach do tiny little flips. 

January 2018 - Pepsi Center, Denver, CO 

“Have I ever told you that you’re the best friend ever?” Caitlyn exclaims with glee.

You laugh loudly, holding open the door to the Pepsi Center for your friend to walk through. “You mean have you ever told me that you love that I’m friends with NHL players so I can get good tickets? Once or twice.”

The Winnipeg Jets were in town, meaning Tucker would be playing Tyson for the first time at the NHL level. Tucker had let you know a few weeks ago that he would be in town briefly to play the Avs, and what he didn’t know was that Tyson had also told you the other day about the game. Tucker offered to get you and a friend tickets to the game, which you happily took.

Now, the both of you are walking around on the concourse level, looking for a good place to stop and get drinks before puck drop.

Caitlyn turns to you after you both get your drinks, “Does Tucker know that you’re talking to Tyson?”

“No, I’d thought I’d let him figure it out on his own. I mean, he was one of the guys that always pushed us two to get to know each other so I don't want to make a big deal out of nothing yet.” You shrug.

“Didn’t you say we’re all getting brunch tomorrow though? Won’t he know then?”

“He knows, yeah, but he doesn’t know that I know Tyson will be there. Just a little payback for all the pranks he pulled back in college.”

You guys finally locate your seats in the lower bowl, drifting your conversation to the game itself. You knew Caitlyn was a big hockey fan, her being from Michigan and all, so you were happy you finally got to see her in her element.

The Avs scoot by with an overtime win, not seeing too much action from either Tyson or Tucker on the official score sheet. As you guys exit the arena, you shoot a text to both Tyson and Tucker individually, letting them know they played good games.

The next morning both you and Caitlyn are running a little behind getting to brunch, catching an odd amount of Denver traffic on the way to the chosen restaurant.

Walking through the glass doors of the restaurant, you wipe your snow covered feet off on the mat before looking up trying to either spot the mop of curls atop Tyson’s head or Tucker’s broad shoulders.

You catch Tyson’s eyes before Tucker spots you, giving him a small wave and smile before you and Caitlyn make your way over to their table. Tyson stands to give you a hug before Tucker can and when you pull away, you see a look of confusion on Tucker’s face. You move to give him a tight hug, letting him know how much you’ve missed having him around.

Once Caitlyn introduces herself to Tucker, the two of you take your seats across from them in the booth.

“I feel like the two of you are all grown up! My two not-so-little NHLers,” You squeal jokingly. Tyson laughs with a slight blush at this, while Tucker, who’s across from you, rolls his eyes.

“No no no, we’re not doing that.” Tucker laughs. “You can see how we’re doing with one google search. How’re you? How’s work?” 

“Very good!” You exclaim, “Caitlyn and I have this really innovative project coming up that we’re super excited for.”

“The one with Finish Line?” Tyson jumps in, taking a sip of his coffee.

“Yeah that one!” Caitlyn answers. You can tell she’s about to explain it further with the way she leans forward over the table.

Tucker cuts her off before she can continue to explain it, “What the fuck? How did you know that?” 

“She was telling me the other day about it when I was at her place.” Tyson answers quickly.

“You were at her place?” Tucker asks, growing even more confused.

“Yeah, he was helping me with my new desk. Caitlyn was out of town so she couldn’t help.” You answer without hesitation.

“Oh! You got it set up?” Caitlyn asks the two of you. “You’ll have to send me a picture when you get home.” The way Caitlyn jumps into the conversation doesn’t help Tucker’s confusion one bit as he stares at the three of you blankly,

“So you’re telling me the two of you, like, hang out?” Tucker asks, pointing between the two of you. 

“Mhhm,” you hum with a tight-lipped smile. “Not too often, though.” Before Tucker can muster up a response the waitress appears to take your breakfast orders.

“We’ve only really hung out a few times since we reconnected a few months ago,” You continue once the waitress walks away. “Like, maybe two or three times?” You look at Tyson for confirmation to which he nods his head with a quick ‘yep’.

“So, you actually ended up texting him?” Tucker asks you.

“Uh, yeah? Why wouldn’t I have?”

“You literally avoided him all of spring semester.” Tucker states. Realization of what he’s talking about hits you and you sink back into the cushioned booth, your stomach tightening up with nerves.

Tyson, who looked like he was just checking something on his phone, whips his head up to look at his old teammate next to him.

“I did not,” You stutter, eyes shooting daggers at the Jets player across from you. “He drove me home from the bar once and then I didn’t see him again until a few months ago.”

“And you guys hooked up and then we never saw you in the same room again.” He says casually, reaching for his glass of water and bringing it to his lips. You choke on your coffee at his remark, going into a fit of coughing once you set your mug back down in front of you.

“Dude,” Tyson warns roughly and slaps at Tucker’s chest.

“What? No one knew where the two of you went and you wouldn’t really say anything about it when we all asked!”

“You told everyone we hooked up?” You ask, staring blankly at Tyson in disbelief.

“I literally told the whole team that some asshole spilled his drink on her and drove her home and then ended up going home right after instead of back to the bar.” Tyson says through gritted teeth. His stern gaze turns from Tucker towards your face, eyes turning soft when he sees your mouth slightly agape.

“I swear I never said anything happened between the two of us.” He promises to you, eyes locked on yours. Your eyes stay focused on him for a while longer. The breath you didn’t mean to hold in is let out a huff of air once you see the sincerity behind his eyes.

“Tucker, that was literally just a coincidence that we never saw each other, and besides, Tyson told me he left school to come down to Denver right after the banquet.” You say, turning your attention back to him.

“Okay, sorry about the assumption.” Tucker apologizes, moreso to you than to Tyson. A smirk plays at his lips and you know exactly where he’s taking this conversation. Before you’re able to derail him and switch the topic to anything else he opens his mouth once again. “Everyone knew you guys were attracted to one another so it wasn’t a stretch to think.”

Your previous embarrassment comes back full force with your cheeks heating up. You pick up your coffee mug once again taking a sip, this time to hopefully hide the pink tint on the apples of your cheeks. You take notice at how Tyson doesn’t move to discount Tucker’s comment this time and especially notice the tips of his ears turning pink.

It’s almost like you’re saved by the bell as the waitress walks up the table, arms full of your food. The rest of your brunch is spent catching up and telling Caitlyn all about what it was like at UND, while she shared stories about herself as well as her soulmate.

All throughout brunch, you couldn’t shake the feeling of the pull you felt towards the man that was sitting kitty-corner to you. Even as you and Caitlyn parted ways from the guys once you left, you swore you felt a part of yourself walk away with them. It may have been a feeling you couldn’t shake, but you still chose to ignore it as the two of you walked back to the parking garage Caitlyn’s car was located.

tag list: @REAVENEDGES-LIES (if you want to be added just let me know)

[vventure]

Liar - Atsumu Miya Must Die, Ch. 2

Series Mini Mlist: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Pairing: Atsumu Miya x fem!reader

Genre: Angst (only lightly this part), Fluff

Word Count: 1.4k

Warnings: cheating, small spoiler for post time-skip manga

Summary: Atsumu Miya is a player; dating three girls from three different friend groups so they don’t find out. What happens when they do, though? And how does [Y/N] play into their plan for ultimate revenge?

A/N: Apologies on this taking so long to come out. I hope you like this next part. You’ll get to meet Osamu, and it gives you a little insight into what’s to come in the next chapters. Atsumu’s character is kind of assassinated this chapter, sorry sjfddfkjk

Taglist: @for-ests​ @miyulovestowrite​ @letmeshouyou​  @babyboytsutomu​ @captain-shittykawa​ @writeiolite​ @lunarknox​ @heccingdead​ - let me know if you’d like to be added (or taken off)!!

Last Time:

“[Y/N]?” Ami’s voice drifted through the open door as she looked for you. “We’re gonna go get something to eat now, actually. Riku is hungry and I think I am too.”

She thinks she is? You rolled over and sat up to look at her.

“Y’know, Riku seems really nice. I don’t think you have to, like, change yourself for him or whatever you usually do for the guys you date,” you said while swinging your legs over the edge of the bed to stand.

Ami just rolled her eyes and rejoined Riku in the living room. You were fast on her heels, slipping out of your house shoes and putting on your sneakers.

“Alright!” Riku said with a smile. “Let’s go get onigiri!”

The walk to the onigiri shop from the apartment was short, but lovely. Tall buildings had the slim, asphalt street surrounded and the paved sidewalks were bustling with life. You passed by food stands and flower shops as well as manga cafes and bookstores, each location giving off a leisurely and homey vibe.

Ami and Riku walked hand-in-hand in front of you, Ami pointing to various locations with a whispered comment that only Riku could hear. They were making you the third wheel, but as long as you got a tasty meal out of it you could deal with them.

The bell on the door jingled brightly as Riku held it open for you and Ami, a satisfied smile gracing his face. A tall man with black ruffled hair who appeared to be around your age was reading a little from a newspaper when you walked in, but immediately dropped his leisure activity as he took in the new customers. 

“Welcome to Onigiri Miya,” he spoke, a smile spreading easily across his face. “Good to see ya again, Riku!”

“Hey there, Osamu,” Riku responded with a small wave, striding across the length of floor between the front door and the counter where the guy stood. The guy Riku called Osamu produced three paper menus, passing them to your sister’s boyfriend.

“Who ya got with you? I’ve only ever seen you come alone,” Osamu queried, his eyebrow raised in genuine interest.

“Oh, this is my girlfriend Ami, and her sister [Y/N], they just moved down here. Ami is living with me and [Y/N] just transferred to the local university.”

“Pleasure to meet ya, Ami and [Y/N],” Osamu said, his eyes lingering on you. He spoke with a distinct accent that you found rather endearing. “By the way, Riku, do you know anyone that’s lookin’ for a job? I need to hire another assistant.”

“Hmm,” Riku said, gripping his chin. “Not off the top of my head, but I’ll ask around.”

“There’s a reason you’re my favorite customer.”

Riku stepped from the counter and gestured to one of the four-seater tables in the main area of the restaurant where the trio sat and peered at their menus.

“So, you come to this restaurant often?” Ami asked Riku, barely looking at her menu. 

“Yeah, it opened a little while ago and I like supporting the small businesses in walking distance. Osamu is a good kid. He’s actually 21, just like you [Y/N].”

“This is a big responsibility for a 21-year-old to handle on their own,” Ami said, looking over her shoulder at the young man who was now making sure all of his various ingredients were in order.

“He has help,” Riku said, closing his menu and placing it onto the laminated surface of the small table. “He’s got Chika, who’s a little older than he is and helps with cooking and the books, and he also has his twin brother Atsumu. His brother is in college, though, maybe that’s why he needs new help.”

“You should apply, [Y/N],” Ami said, setting her menu on top of Riku’s. “It’d be nice for you to have a little extra money for booze and stuff.”

“Ami,” you whispered, narrowing your eyes at her. Yet again, your sister’s brain was acting on whims, and this time she was directing them at you.

“I’m not wrong.”

“It could be a good way for you to meet new people, it’s really close to campus so a lot of university students come here for a cheap meal,” Riku interjected.

“Booze money and friends!” Ami said, clapping her hands together. You rolled your eyes at the double-team assault on this matter, but they did have a point. Having extra cash in uni was helpful and it could expose you to a lot of people you’d never get the chance to meet normally.

“I guess you’re right, I’ll ask him,” you said with a huff. “What do you guys want to eat? I’ll order while I’m asking for an application.”

You swept the menus into your hand after taking their order down mentally and walked over to Osamu, handing him the small stack of pamphlets.

“What can I get ya?”

“Can we have two salmon and a minced chicken onigiri, please?”

“You got it,” he responded, writing it down on a little pad of paper. “Anything else?”

“Uh, yeah,” you said, smiling sheepishly. “Can I have an application?”

“I don’t really have a formal application, and I’m guessing you don’t have a resume on ya,” he said, giving you a little smile. You shrugged and showed him your empty hands in response. “Well, then lemme take down your number and I’ll give ya a call for an interview. You can bring your resume then.”

“Okay, cool,” you said, taking the pad of paper out of his hand and jotting down your digits.

“Your order number is 22, I’ll give you a shout when your food is ready.”

--

Osamu called you the next day to ask you to an interview. On the way out of the restaurant that night Riku had lagged behind, putting in a good word for you so that when you got to the interview with the young entrepreneur it was more of an orientation than anything else. He provided you with an apron and baseball cap and started in on teaching you how to make each of the onigiri on the menu. 

It wasn’t expected that you’d know what you were doing right away, so in the following days he made sure to put you on the schedule with either he or Chika. This type of partnering saddled you with bussing tables and checking on customers while they were eating, which you were more than happy to do. 

You got to know Osamu pretty well, but really bonded with Chika. She was older than you were, but she’d gone to university at the same school you’d be moving into at the end of the week. Her insights into the school--such as quirks about your dorm building’s location and what food was best--were invaluable and you were thankful that you’d gotten to spend so much time with her.

The week between moving to Hyogo and starting university flew by with your new job, as Osamu put you on the schedule almost daily to free himself up to do paperwork and budgeting for the flourishing establishment. 

It was midday on the eve of moving into your dorm, and Onigiri Miya was quiet. Chika was playing on her cell phone as you read from the book you’d been trying to finish before school started when the chime on the door rang to announce the entrance of a customer.

You looked up from your position behind the counter with a smile, but had to do a double take when you examined who’d entered. The guy looked exactly like Osamu, but his hair was bleached blond and he had a girl dressed in a tight-fitting tracksuit attached to his hand. 

“Hey, Atsumu,” Chika said, barely looking up from her phone to acknowledge him. 

“What’s up,” the young man said with a wide smirk, pulling a chair out from one of the tables with two seats and offering it to his companion. “You know the usual, right?”

“Yep, coming up,” Chika said, putting her phone in the pocket of her apron and getting started on the food that he’d ordered without even saying what it was. 

Atsumu--it sounded familiar to you, and you wracked your brain to find the solution to your confusion. He looked just like Osamu, hadn’t Riku mentioned a brother? One with that name? 

“Who’s that?” You questioned Chika. She turned and gave you a small chuckle.

“That’s Atsumu, Osamu’s twin brother,” she replied, shaping the onigiri. “And one of his little friends.”

“Twin brother? One of?”

“Yeah, that’s why they look exactly alike, dumbass,” she said, elbowing your side playfully. “And you’ll see what I mean later today.”

You took another glance at the couple seated in the dining room. Atsumu had his hand over his date’s, his eyes fixated lovingly on her as she stared moonily back at him. They made a cute, sporty couple in your eyes.

That image of Atsumu’s infatuation with his obvious girlfriend quickly disappeared when he entered the restaurant for a second time that day, another woman on his arm but this one with a pastel, preppy style. Same order, same interactions between Atsumu and his companion.

“What the hell,” you murmured to Chika, grabbing at her sleeve and gesturing. 

“Help me with this,” was all she said, dismissing your confusion.

The final straw came when Atsumu waltzed through the door for a third and final time that day, 45 minutes before closing. Yet another woman accompanied him, this one different from the last with an adorable teal dress and wedges. You didn’t question it while he was in the business this time, opting to wait until you and Chika were closing to grill her about the situation. 

Stopping your sweeping, you called to Chika, her head popping out from the back room where the dishwasher was.

“I’m guessing you want your answer now,” she said, wiping her hands on a stained white towel before slinging it over her shoulder. “Sit.”

Chika laid down the facts: Atsumu was dating three different girls from three different friend groups. It was a secret to everyone but he and Chika, and now you, that he was doing this. Atsumu would only come to Onigiri Miya when Osamu wasn’t working. 

He was somewhat of an idiot in that respect, and Osamu had caught him with different girls at the establishment before, but the bleached twin had played it off as him seeing different girls every week; something that wasn’t outside of the realm of possibility for the player.

Chika went on to explain that while Atsumu used to work at the onigiri shop for his brother, he had taken time off in order to focus on university and his club volleyball team at the school. He was arrogant and self-centered, and often lied to his brother even about small things. The picture Chika painted was far from flattering.

You sat looking at her during her spiel, your jaw basically on the floor. 

“So, yeah,” she finished. “He’s kind of a mess and a jackass.”

“Thanks for the warning, I’ll try to avoid him.”

“About that,” her smile strained as she spoke her next words: “He’s moving into the same dorm as you tomorrow.”

[selfindulgentpoorlywritten]

Oh (Sidney Crosby Imagine)

Alright, I didn’t end up proofreading this one because I spent several hours cheering myself up via vines, so... enjoy whatever the hell came out of me the other night!

Rating: T

Pairing: Sidney Crosby/Reader

Words: 1625

Warnings: none

Requested: yes/no

Summary:  “You found the ring I lost at this bar last week and, oh, okay, you’re cute, I swear it’s not a wedding ring”--- with Crosby

Only after about a half hour searching the bar is your ring found. Not by you, of course, but found nonetheless. You’d searched all the tables, under the booths, around the jukebox, along the bar. No luck. Until the small group in the corner makes a bit of a commotion, enough to get you to look over, to see one of them holding up a silver ring. Your ring. It’s two flowers, entwined, with opal and amethyst in the centers, still shiny silver glinting in the low light of the bar. You move without necessarily meaning to, just desperate to get your ring back. You don’t notice who’s holding it, or the group surrounding them, or anything, really. You’re just relieved down to your bones to have found it at all.

By the time you reach the table, the guy who found it has stood up and started scooching by the others to get out of the booth. Hopefully he’s the kind of guy who’s inclined to return it, because you’re not in the mood to fight anyone, let alone someone as thick and strong-looking as him.

“Oh my god,” you sigh, taking the hand holding your ring into both of yours, “Thank god you found it.” Only then do you look at the man for real, taking in his big brown eyes, strong jaw, slightly crooked nose… He’s cute. Like really cute. You’re kind of staring at his mouth- his mouth that’s so dark pink it’s almost red, a little wet from a single flick of his tongue- when you realize it’s moving, because he’s talking to you as you stand there and stare silently like a creep.

“Thank you so much,” you blurt out, almost cringing at how high your voice comes out. You clear your throat and take a deep breath, trying to remember how to act like a normal fucking person in the face of the most beautiful guy you’ve ever seen.

“Thank you,” you repeat, “I, like, freaked out when I realized I didn’t have it.” You don’t mention that the reason you lost it in the first place is because you’d taken it off to scarf down wings with your friends and forgot to put it back on. Not exactly the image you want to project to someone attractive. Someone attractive whose hand you’re still holding in your own, holy shit. You rip your hands away like he’s a hot stove, wiping your suddenly sweaty palms against the rough material of your jeans.

“Sorry,” you say, still not quite sure what he’d said when you weren’t paying attention, but wondering nonetheless. Probably something about how unbearably awkward you’re being right now.

“It’s okay,” he replies, chuckling a bit. He has a nice laugh. You still want your ring back, first and foremost, but you keep getting distracted from that goal by his… everything.

“I’m sure whoever the lucky person is will be happy that you found it,” he continues, tilting his head just the slightest bit to the right. You must look confused, because he shifts the ring up between his thumb and forefinger. Oh. Oh.

“Oh no!” your left hand flies up to press against your breastbone, “It’s not an engagement ring!” Why are you defending this to him? Oh, right, probably because he’s gorgeous and you’re already weak for him. And if you want to go home with his number, you’ll need a miracle, even without him thinking you have a fiance.

“No?” he asks, an inscrutable expression overtaking his face.

“No,” you confirm, adding “It’s from my mom”, because you’re a dork nerd idiot who tells cute guys that they wear a ring from their mom. It’s both of your birth stones, with “Never Alone” engraved on the inside, given to you last holiday season. It’s sweet, and sentimental, and probably kind of sappy to wear constantly, but you do.

“Oh,” is all he says, a sly smile growing on his face. You’re not entirely sure you like the look of that grin, except for the part where it’s gorgeous and makes a smile start on your own face without your express permission. He looks vaguely familiar, but you’re too focused on the way he smells like slaf water and the taffy named after it (despite being nowhere near a seaport) to figure out how you know him.

One of his friends from his table comes up behind him and slaps a hand down on his shoulder, making you both jump. Now him you recognize. Kind of hard not to recognize a superstar Penguins player in Pittsburgh, especially when he’s 6’4 and so distinctive-looking as Evgeni Malkin. Which is what you’re going to use as an excuse for not immediately recognizing that the guy you’ve been acting a fool in front of is Sidney Crosby-- no hockey player should be that good looking.

“Sid, why you make pretty girl stand?” Geno asks, and you’re thrown enough by Geno Malkin calling you pretty that you miss most of whatever they bicker about for the next thirty seconds. It’s kind of funny to watch two world famous athlete squabble like an old married couple, though. You’re not sure how to deal with this entire ridiculous situation, so you’ve just decided to embrace it at this point. Besides, you don't have to meet your friend for another hour anyway, so might as well get as much of a story to tell as you can. They’re still going back and forth, something about you, and you can’t help but giggle at the sheer absurdity of everything. The sound of your laughter finally shuts them up, and they both stare at you for an impossibly long moment before they start laughing as well.

The commotion gets the attention of the rest of their table, who all start calling out different things at once, while they beckon the three of your toward the table. Geno wastes no time taking your elbow and guiding you over, huge hand gentle and warm against your skin. You go willingly, kind of excited to meet everyone, thought nervous that you won’t live up to their clearly high expectations. Then again, they’ll probably forget all about you the second you leave, so does it really matter? It’s only when you’re ushered into the booth that you realize you’d never actually gotten your ring back, despite how long this interaction has gone on for.

“Hi, I’m Zach,” one of the group introduces himself, sticking out a hand for you to shake, which you do. Then you’re introduced to Patric, Bryan, Brian, and Matt, in turn. You don’t quite pretend you don’t know them, but you try not to act too invested in them or their careers, or the fact that you’re sitting at a table with multi-time Stanley Cup champions. Just keep breathing and keep it cool. Which you’ve been excelling at since you got here, obviously.

Sid is squeezed into the booth next to you, barely an inch of table space before him, but he doesn’t seem to care. His left thigh is pressed against your right, hip to knee. You’re trying not to think about it, but it’s not exactly easy to ignore. The guys are asking you questions; how old are you, where do you work, do you come to this bar often? You answer to the best of your ability, asking your own questions in return. It’s a weird dance where they know you know them, but none of you are acknowledging that fact. They all seem to be pretty cool guys, though, so it’s not as difficult to fall into the conversation as you’d thought it would be. The guys mostly talk about their families; wives and children spoken of with reverent adoration, and it’s nice. It’s not much different than talking with your own friends, honestly.

Eventually you’re startled out of the back-and-forth by the blaring of your phone alarm, letting you know it’s time to leave to meet your friend. You’re amazed by how quickly the time has passed, an hour seeming fleeting. You apologize and excuse yourself, Sid standing to let you out of the booth. You say your goodbyes, getting handshakes and hugs from varying members of the group. Geno gives you a tight squeeze before you leave, warm and impossibly huge around you.

You’re almost at the door when you hear the shout from behind you, turning to find Sid jogging toward you. Your heart is a butterfly in your chest, watching him come closer, captivated by the way he moves. He stops just in front of you, reaching into his pocket and pulling out your ring. Oh.

“Thanks,” you say, taking the ring and slipping it onto your left hand. You’re about to bid him adieu and leave when he takes your hand in his own, digging in his pocket. You can only imagine how confused you must look, because he giggles when he sees your face. He’s taken a pen out of his pocket and uses it to gesture to your hand held captive. You nod, still not sure any of this is real. He writes a series of ten numbers on your skin, giving you a crooked smile before he lets go.

“See you around, eh?” he says, before pulling back and returning to the table, throwing glances over his shoulder as if he’s not sure you’re receptive to the idea. The idea that he just gave you his number, his private, restricted number, so you can presumably text or call him, or in some way communicate with him in the future, like that’s not an earth-shattering development. You wave before heading out the door, having one hell of a story to tell your friend.

[linkspooky]

Hey could you do your top 5 Durarararararara characters?

Before I start I want to say that my faves are not trash, and I do not have trash taste. In fact my faves are incredibly sexy and I have amazing taste in people. I feel no shame at all for liking the characters that I like. Anyway, here’s my list of favorite Durarara!! characters that’s Izaya, Izaya, Izaya, Izaya’s best friend, and Izaya’s employee. You can’t shame me because I physically lack the ability to feel shame. I love my faves and I love my taste in characters. 

1. Orihara Izaya - What I love about Durarara! as a series is it doesn’t feel the need to moralize the characters. Every character present is flawed, some more than others, and instead of trying to sort them into good or bad people the series is way more interested in just exploring them as characters, their interactions with others, and all of their various flaws. It lets them be people first before anything else. 

Izaya is my favorite character not because I think he’s a cool mastermind who always is in control of things, and always sees through people, but rather because he’s nothing like that. Izaya is not the villain he desperately wants to be or for other people to see him as. Izaya at the center of his being is a very fragile and delicate person. He’s sensitive, and he knows that his sensitivity especially towards the feelings of others is going to break him badly if he ever tries to form any real relationships, so he just doesn’t. He loves humanity as a whole, because loving any one person would be too much for him. 

I like Izaya because he’s a kid playing games. He’s so desperately out of his league, but just clever enough that he tends to keep people hoodwinked. Underneath it all he’s just kind of a petty person, but the ways in which he is petty are so complex and fasicnating. The way I’ve always read the Izaya and Shizuo foiling is that Izaya has always been more sensitive and aware of other people’s feelings than Shizuo in a way that would actually hurt him, whereas Shizuo is pretty dense to people’s feelings over all. That’s why they want opposite things, Shizuo wants to be closer to people, and Izaya wants to run away from them. 

Izaya’s at his best when he’s convinced that he’s the one forcing everybody else to play his game, only for the world to smack him in the face and show him that he’s just another player in the game like everyone else. He’s incredibly small scale and petty, but because of that he feels more human than most villains. He’s not even that much of a villain in the end, just kind of annoying over all. 

2. Kuronuma Aoba - Izaya Ripoff #1. Some people can’t bring themselves to like Aoba because he’s not as good as Izaya, but that’s always read like the point to me. Thematically I think the entire second half of Durarara is supposed to read like a lesser and cheaper rehash of the first. (That kind of mirroring is something Ryohga Narita does in the structure of his stories a lot, it’s called Chiastic structure technically). Well anyway I love him, and my taste is awesome. 

Aoba’s response to Izaya is that he met Izaya once and noticing their similiarities decided to develop into Izaya’s opposite mainly out of spite for him. Izaya loves humans, and Aoba hates them, but for both of them they need to be at a certain distance from other people in order to function. They both fundamentally can’t get close to others, Izaya because he’s a little too smart for his own good, and Aoba because he’s a victim of trauma, but also an active one who needs to take absolute control of everything including his trauma. 

Aoba is interesting because he has this longing and desire to be human (we see the reverse in Kuon.) He will spend time with the Orihara Sisters specifically because as a way to remind himself he’s still human and capable of making connections with people. Aoba gets genuinely touched when Mikado shows him the most mundane concerns like bandaging his hand and offering to help with his summer homework, because Aoba’s never really been a part of the normal everyday life that Mikado just has naturally. He’s always been rebelling against someone, either his brother’s abuse, his parents who let that abuse happen, etc. etc. He’s only ever realy engaged with other people through his crafted fake persona that would smile during the daytime and be liked by his classmates and then go home to be beaten by his brother. Those moments of genuine feeling really get to Izaya, because unlike Izaya whose content to be fake and keep playing games Aoba is chasing after the real thing. 

3. Kotonami Kuon - Izaya ripoff number two! No regrets! I like Kuon and Aoba so much because writing wise they read as very interesting responses and remixes to Izaya for me. I like that kind of thing, foiling, mirroring and the like. 

Aoba wants to become genuine but he’s a little too good at controlling people, and a little too smart to fully surrender himself to the normal everyday life he wants so badly. Kuon’s the exact opposite, he desperately wants to  become a fake like Izaya, but he’s way too human, cares about his connections with other people too much to go all the way. Kuon wants to be Izaya but he sucks at being Izaya, which is ironically why he can have friends in the first place. 

There’s a special subtrope of bastard characters that I like called Wannabe Bastards. That is they’re kind of too incompetent to truly ever be the mastermind they see themselves as. Izaya is definitely already a bit of a wannabe, so that makes Kuon the Wannabe of a Wannabe. So what I like about Kuon is how genuinely weak he is, but also how motivated he is in spite of that weakness. 

He’s a character you get to watch continually fighting against his own weakness in the story. He’s such an underdog you almost want to root for him, even though he’s usually the cause of his own, and everyone else’s problems. He’s motivated by very strong and genuine sentiments that neither Aoba, nor Izaya have because they’re both kind of too delicate to feel strongly about anything. He’s also very self aware of how low and petty of a person he is. It’s interesting to watch him throw himself into his pretend-Izaya act already knowing he’s not good enough to be Izaya, and trying to make up for the difference in effort alone. 

4. Kishitani Shinra - Shinra Kishitani is a terrible heterosexual. He’s a character that would have been annoying in any other author’s hands, beucase Shinra kind of refuses to grow. He’s so codependent that the moment his roommate shows any small inclination that she might leave him, he’ll immediately resort to lying, cheating, and doing anything he can to control her.

What saves Shinra’s character is a lot of self-awareness on Shinra’s part, and also how frank the story is about his flaws. Shinra is genuinely detached from people in a way Izaya wishes he could be. He plays nice with people, and thinks it’s good to have friends, but really Shinra can just shut off his feelings and stop caring about another person or what happens to them the moment they become an inconvenience to what he wants. Even the person he loves the most he has a hard time seeing as a person separate from himself, with wants and needs that are separate from his. Shinra calls himself a villain in love and he might have better claim to the title of villain than Izaya. The only reason Shinra doesn’t go out of his way to hurt people is because he’s relatively benign, if they don’t interfere with him and Celty then he doesn’t have a reason to care about most people.

Shinra is excellent because his foiling and relationship with Izaya is one of the most compelling in the manga, due to how much they both call out each other’s flaws. They’re really the only people that they can genuinely feel attachment to like as people, but that’s also why they can’t stand to be around each other. They’re best friends but also at a distance, kind of more like pen pals. Shinra and Izaya both have big gaping holes in their hearts, and they both want to pour their love into something, Shinra just pours it all into one person, whereas Izaya loves all of humanity. 

5. Yagiri Namie- Once again I like Namie because she’s a parallel to Izaya, surprise, surprise. Ignoring the weird parts of her character (because Narita just has to be weird sometimes) I think there’s actually a lot of intersting ideas at play with Namie. She’s someone who claims to live for the sake of love, but she’s just kind of cold and cut off from absolutely everybody. 

Namie was smart enough to realize that her parents had no affection for her and her uncle was only in her life to use her, so she kind of just decided on her own to treat her brother as her only real family. Namie’s just kind of using Seiji the same way that Mika does. Obsessing over Seiji is just kind of an excuse to deny herself the pain of having to actually try to form connections with people. 

Namie loves Seiji but she really kind of doesn’t. The two of them don’t even have that great of a relationship, Namie steps over Seiji’s boundaries, and Seiji just kind of ignores her and only pays attention to her when he explicitly needs something from her. Seiji just uses Namie like the rest of her family, but Namie’s fine with that because she’s using Seiji to. Seiji is just kind of an excuse for Namie to deny herself love. Because love is something she’s never had and it’s something that would most certainly hurt her. Both Mika and Namie are choosing to obsess over someone who isn’t really capable of loving them back (and I mean in a familial way in Seiji’s case he’s just kind of annoyed by Namie).  And that’s the point. They don’t want to be loved. They don’t want to deal with other people’s feelings. It’s ultimately all about them.

Which is also the foiling to Izaya, both Izaya and Namie are incapable of loving because of the pain involved so they just seek out subsitutes to obsess over instead. They see themselves in each other, and because of that they’re constantly cutting at each other, and yet somehow cozy up to each other in this weird mutually trusting relationship. They’re both really cold people and they can get along because they’re used to freezing. 

[sephythespooky]

reader insert: back in black mesa

PART 2

Passport acquired, but what now?

words under cut

“Here,” Tommy gently pressed the document into your hand. “Show this to Benrey. I’ll handle e-everything else.” Seeing how pale your lips were, he frowned, then hugged you tight. “It’ll be o-okay, friend. W-we’re the science team! We can do any-anything!”

Reluctant, you stepped out of the hug when Tommy released you and held out your passport at Benrey, whose bright eyes hadn’t left you since you picked it up. “yo, man....that seriously you? you look, uh....look a bit shit in that photo, not gonna lie.”

You look at the photo and snort. It’s your school photo from years ago, the one you hated most. “Yeah, yeah I do.”

Agreement, that was something you knew Benrey didn’t get a lot of from Gordon. But he seemed to like it, grinning with his razors before gently shaking Dr. Coomer out of the repetition of what you now realize was the Wikipedia article for lockers. “old man, like, i get it, but we gotta, uh, gotta do stuff now.”

The white haired scientist shook his head, turning to you and lighting up, “HELLO PLAYER!” He called, then seemed confused. “I should know your name. Why don’t I? Hm...”

Tommy interjected as Benrey began circling you, tilting his helmet this way and that as he analyzed your form, “Dr. Coomer, w-we don’t know them yet. We’re supposed to be waiting for Mr. Freeman!”

“yo, feetman? where’d he go?” Benrey asked, suddenly more interested in what Tommy had to say than in you.

You watched as Dr. Coomer looked between them, then snapped his fingers, “Oh! that’s what I’ve been wanting to say! HELLO GORDON!” He grins, then slumps a bit, “Oh...but he’s not here. I still have to give him his interest playcoins.”

“Dr. Coomer?” you ask softly, almost afraid to speak up, “How did I end up here? Gordon finished the game. You guys should still be with him, but now you’re with me?”

The older gentleman chuckled, “Not to worry, Not-Gordon, we will figure this out. I do love a good puzzle! Let’s get Bubby and have a good ol’ chat about it.”

“least i don’t have to watch you. like i did him. you’ve got your passport,” Benrey still pushes you ahead of him and you squeak, rushing forward to hold onto Tommy’s sleeve.

Tommy moves so you can hold hands, and he swings his arm a bit, sunny smile in place, “We’ll be careful with you, I-I promise! Nobody will be doing any OSHA violations with me on the-the case!”

His presence was comforting, even if you were more than aware of his lack of gun-safety training. But there weren’t guns right now. At least besides the ones you could access.

The closer you get to the test chamber, the more tense you get, so you yelp when Benrey TELEPORTS in front of you and stands in the doorway, “dudes...these are the guys. i told you about them. not thinking about....about anything besides froot loops.”

The basic guards are unaffected, and the door opens behind Benrey with no other fanfare. Dr. Coomer laughs, “Well, I do love sugary cereal with colorful mascots. I prefer Frosted Flakes, though.”

“you would, old, old grampa man.” and then he’s gone, running ahead of you with that cackle that shook a nervous laugh out of you when it used to make you happy.

“Um...would...would petting Sunkist help you? He’s a good boy, and I-I always feel better when I pet him,” Tommy offers and you nod before he can even finish. Sunkist is immortal, and well trained. You’d pet the dang JPEG but you have a feeling things will be different for you in here.

“Okay. I’ll call for him once we find Bubby,” you’re getting close to his room, you think, but being so very near the test chamber is enough to make you jitter.

Your group enters the room with many scientists and you hear Bubby, “GOOD GRIEF! Not only are you late, but you brought an entourage. What kind of bastard are you?”

The yelling makes you flinch, and Dr. Coomer says helpfully as he takes hold of Bubby around the waist, pinning his arms, “Hello! We’re here to fetch you for a confab. We have to figure out how we help our new friend here and then get back to Gordon.”

“Gordon?” Bubby questions, his struggles against Coomer slowing until he’s finally released. “Wait. That’s right! Then why are you wandering around with that fucking idiot Benrey?!”

“bro, not cool.” Benrey hides behind you and blows a raspberry at Bubby. “came here tryin’ to be a great cool and you’re being mean. dr. mean man.”

“I live mean, and you tried to kill me! And everyone else!” Bubby huffs, waving his arms around and fire glinting off the tips of his fingers. “Someone explain this to me!”

Tommy takes a deep breath before he speaks, “Bubby, I know it was scary, but Benrey’s our friend. He only acted weird on Xen because it amplifies negative emotions. That’s why we felt so afraid and hopeless, otherwise it’d be pretty funny for Benrey to be so big, right? And, and fun to jump around like Moonshoes!”

“He has a point, Bubby.” Coomer takes a seat, and you follow suit, even if Benrey does leave and go sit on top of one of the other scientists who, for some reason, are not paying attention to your group. “I would have loved to see how my Power Legs did with the low gravity.”

“Well...I guess a little murder between friends isn’t that big a deal. And we didn’t die so we’re good for now. Maybe,” Bubby makes the hand sign for ‘i’m watching you’ toward Benrey, who is too busy tea bagging the scientist in mid-air to notice.

“Have,” Tommy looks at you hopefully, “Have you seen Mr. Freeman since my birthday party? Dr. Coomer tried to send him a message, but we’re not sure if he received it.”

“I have,” you say, closing your eyes to try and relax yourself, “Gordon Freeman is a streamer on Justin TV, like I am. I actually was...streaming myself doing this!”

“Good for him, he lived his dumb dream,” says Bubby.

“you’re streaming this, friend?” Benrey hops off the scientist and shuffles over, “you ever stream heavenly sword?”

“I haven’t yet,” you admit, “but I only heard of it through you talking about it to Gordon, so it took me a while to get hold of the game. I was planning on doing that next week.”

“nice,” the guard flops on the ground, just spread out all over. “m’gonna take a nap now. it’s boring without feetman here to bug. no offence, bro, but you’re too nice.”

“None taken,” you huff, very cautiously giving a pat to his helmet. You get a chuckle out of it.

“I hate to admit it,” Bubby isn’t looking at any of you, picking at the sole of his shoe, “but Gordon’s at least somewhat competent a leader.”

Tommy raised his hand, and Coomer gave him a nod to continue, “Mister....Mister Freeman might know what to do so we can get our friend out of here. But how do we tell him we-we need help? Oh,” he remembered something, then called out “SUNKIST!!!”

A woofing came, and you were suddenly bowled over by a large golden retriever.

“Good dog! Sunkist, you should let our friend up and sit with them. They’re, they’re very nervous.” Tommy giggled sweetly as Sunkist backed up and let you right yourself before laying his big head in your lap. You gently rub your hand down from his head to his shoulders, finally glad for your ability to touch things here. Even through your gloves, you felt how soft Sunkist’s fur was, how warm and strong the body beneath. Tommy had been more than right that Sunkist would make you feel better, and you murmur soft nonsense to the sweet pup.

“Can,” you’re nervous as you begin, “Can I ask why the other scientists don’t seem to notice us? They didn’t seem to really interact with Gordon, or you guys either.”

“I don’t know,” Bubby says as he waves a hand at the folks near the computer in the corner, “Somehow we’ve woken up and have some personality. These goons are dull as dishwater and twice as boring.”

“guuuuuuuuys,” Benrey whines loudly, “unless you know something about games or how to talk to freeman, i don’t caaaaare.” You pat his helmet again, getting a grumpy hurmph and a heavy hand falling on your knee.

“Why are you asking me? I don’t know! It’s not like I have his phone number!” Bubby snaps in response.

Dr. Coomer said with a perk of his head, “Our friend is a streamer, though. Does that mean you and Gordon work in the same department?”

“N-no,” you giggle a bit at the idea. “We all work in our own homes, or in office spaces we rent with others in small groups. Gordon has no idea I exist. He’s far too popular to bother with me.” But an idea comes as you speak and feel the steady, gentle weight of Sunkist on your lap, “But maybe my chat could go raid him? He might be streaming now and if they would go talk to him about this....maybe he’d listen?”

The team nods, and Tommy questions, “Didn’t you say you were streaming before you came here? M-maybe they’re still listening!”

“Might as well try,” you take a deep breath, “Guys in the chat, if you can hear me, go find Gordon Freeman on here. Message him, donate, do anything you can to get his attention on this stream! We need his help or....or I might never get out of here.”

You could only hope that your words got through...and that Gordon was in a mood to listen.

[possibly-starker]

CherryDust. [Starker]

Murray smiles, greeting the audience, “Thank you! Thank you, you’re really too kind,” he says, taking his seat in the iconic velvet chair.

“Today we have the honor of having Peter Parker and the Cherrybombers on today’s show!” Murray beams as the crowd goes wild, whooping and cheering, Murray winks at the camera as he begins again, “Please, put your hands together, for what I think might be the most influential band of this generation!”

The sideline band plays the Murray Franklin jingle as Peter Parker and the Cherrybombers emerge from backstage, blowing kisses and throwing up peace signs. The crowd eats it up, losing their minds over the boys. Murray gives them all sort of half-hugs as they take their seats.

Finally the crowd dies down a bit. “Boys!” Murray greets, “It’s been so long since we’ve had you on the show,” Murray starts, exaggerating his motions, “Last time we had you on you all were about 16, right?”

Peter smiles politely, “Actually, Steve was 17.” Murray nods, “Yes, of course, and although we’re so happy to have you on the show, and of course we all love you, we have to talk about the recent drama going on between you and a rival band- ElectricDust.”

The crowd boos at the name, once thought of as few boys skipping supper with their family and refusing to go to church, now associated with drugs and statism, sex before marriage and cuss words.

Peter giggles, “They’re not much of a problem, Murray. They’re just a bunch of little boys thinking that if they behave badly enough, they’ll get somewhere.”

“They’re mongrels.” T’challa laughs. The audience laughs along with him. Murray chuckles, “Yes, but what are your thoughts on their new song ‘Rotten Cherry’? People are speculating it’s about your band, Peter.”

Peter fakes a smile, “I don’t think I’ve heard it, Murray.” He turns to his band-mates, “Have you guys heard it?” They all collectively shake their heads, murmuring ‘no’.

Murray nods, “Personally, I don’t think that Stark guy could carry a tune even if it was in a bucket!” Everybody in the studio laughs again.

“Tony tries too hard to be hardcore, he ends up looking like an idiot.” Peter sneers, “He’s a child.” The crowd makes noises of agreement.

Peter fakes a smile when Murray leans over and touches his thigh, “You know, they’re degenerates, Peter.” Murray says, almost lovingly. Steve looks like he wants to say something, like he wants to stick up for his band-mate. “I know, Murray.” Peter says, shifting away a bit.

Murray looks at Peter longingly, before turning to the camera, “We’re going to take a short break, and afterwards Peter Parker and the Cherrybombers will play their new hit single- Dewdrop Daisy!”

The cameraman gives Murray a thumbs up, and the beeping light on the camera turns off.

“Why don’t you meet me in my dressing room, Peter?” Murray says, standing up and adjusting his tie.

Peter feels sick to his stomach

“Okay.” He says sweetly.

-

The mosh pit smells like weed and sex, and Tony adores it. ElectricDust had a full house, not one ticket left over. Tony cards his hand through sweaty hair, “I hope you motherfuckers are having a good night!” he yells into the mic. The crowd screams back something obscene and Tony grins.

“If you want to fuck our bassist, scream at the top of your lungs!” Tony laughs, the crowd erupts in a loud roar, and Bucky, ElectricDust’s bassist, blushes.

The crowd dies down, and Tony speaks smoothly into the mic as he adjusts his guitar strap, “This next one was written for a nice piece of ass and his cronies,” the crowd ‘ooo’s and Tony can’t help the smirk forming on his lips, “‘Rotten Cherry’ is dedicated to my very good friend, who I know inside and out- Peter Parker!”

The crowd chants Pe-ter Par-ker over and over, and Tony hopes this preformance is somehow seen by the small brunette.

He feels like a god among men.

-

“You’re fueling the flames by talking about them.” Natasha scolds, leaning against he desk as the boys sit in her office. “You’re supposed to be a good christian pop/rock band- calling people ‘mongrels’ isn’t what you guys are supposed to do.” she glares at T’challa.

“ElectricDust is a problem, I, as your manger am supposed to deal with, is that understood?” The boys look at their suede shoes and mutter statements of agreement.

“Good.” Natasha says, placing her hands on her hips. She goes behind her desk and digs in a cabinet, retrieving a sleek styled red velvet envelope, “I’ve accepted an invitation to a little something I think you all might like.” she smiles, handing Peter the envelope.

Peter holds it carefully, looking up at Natasha with wide, confused eyes. “Go on and open it, we haven’t got all day.” She says in a motherly tone. The boys all gather around Peter as he opens the envelope cautiously, as if he was scared of what was inside.

He pulls out a dazzling blue card, very official looking.

‘PETER PARKER AND THE CHERRYBOMBERS HAVE BEEN NOMINATED FOR ‘BAND OF 1981’ ALONG WITH THEIR SONG, ‘DEWDROP DAISY’.

PLEASE REPORT TO ASGARD, U.S.A. FOR THE AWARDS CEREMONY.

LOKI LAUFEYSON, PRESIDENT OF OPALITE RECORDS.’

It says, in a swirly gold font. Peter keeps re-reading it, eyes shifting like crazy, looking for a sign that this is a fake or a joke. Steve’s breath hitches and Beck lets out a whoop of laughter, high-diving T’challa.

Peter finally looks up at Natasha again, who’s smiling softly. “Is this real?” Peter asks, out of breath. Natasha nods, “As real as they come.”

Opalite Records.

Opalite Records.

Who cares? It’s only the most exclusive record brand in the world, It was only the award ceramony that turned David Bowie and Bob Dylan down- no big deal.

Peter began to hyperventilate.

-

“Dude!” Quill yelled, grinning ear-to-ear as he entered the band’s trailer, holding up a velvet envelope.

Tony looked up from his guitar, “What do you want?” Quill slapped the envelope on the coffee-table in the middle of the trailer, looking quite proud of himself. “Open that shit up, Stark.”

Tony rolled his eyes, but leaned forward and picked up the envelope nonetheless, “If this is another bill for your porno-mags, Quill, so help me god-” he stopped mid-sentence after pulling out the card inside the envelope, face controrting.

‘ELECTRICDUST HAS BEEN NOMINATED FOR ‘BAND OF 1981’ ALONG WITH THEIR ALBUM, ‘MAN OF IRON’.

PLEASE REPORT TO ASGARD, U.S.A. FOR THE AWARDS CEREMONY.

LOKI LAUFEYSON, PRESIDENT OF OPALITE RECORDS.’

Quill beams as Tony looks over the letter, “And you said I was a shit manager.” Tony leans back into his chair, “You are.” Quill completely deflates, walking over and snatching the card out of Tony’s hand, huffing, “Do you know how many strings I had to pull to get you considered for the ceremony?”

Tony tries to look stern, but Quill looks like he’s going to bitch all day if Tony doesn’t cave in, “Fine, fine, whatever man, thanks, you did well.” Tony sighs. Quill smiles again, “Finally, I’m getting the recognition I deserve.” Tony snorts but doesn’t reply.

Quill clasps his hands together, “I’m gonna grab a beer, they opened a bar just down the street- wanna come?”

Tony shakes his head, “Grab me a pack of Marlboros while you’re out.”

-

“Looking sharp, Parker.” Steve smiles, leaning against the dressing room doorframe. Peter grins, fixing his cuffs in the mirror, “You really think so? It’s not too much?”

Steve shrugs, “It’s nice. Very you.” Peter shoots Steve a playful glare, “Is that supposed to be a compliment, Rogers?”

“You overthink things, Peter. You look fine.” Steve sighs, crossing his arms. Peter scoffs, “Fine is for church, I need to look better than fine; we’re going to the awards ceremony to top all award ceremonies, Steve. It’s going to be televised.”

Steve lets out a soft laugh, “You’re so different from the Peter Parker I knew in highschool.” Peter looks confused, “That’s a good thing, isn’t it? I was a nobody in highschool.”

“You were my friend. Just because you didn’t have people fawning over you left and right doesn’t mean you were a nobody. You liked Star Wars and turning your homework in early.” Steve looks slightly offended, and Peter gives him an unamused stare, “As much as I love you, Steve, being your nerdy little highschool friend in the middle of NowheresVille, Wisconsin doesn’t get you invited to the Opalite Records ceremony.”

Steve’s offended look blends into a sad one, “We started this band out of your uncle’s garage. It was for fun. This isn’t fun, anymore Peter. It’s not fun when it’s all you think about.” he says softly, walking out of the room.

Peter doesn’t realize that Steve’s gone until it’s time to leave.

-

“Baby, listen to me,” Tony says over the phone, “I know I cheated on you, but I’m a changed man, just come to this shindig with me for a few hours.”

Pepper sighs over the phone, ���You know, I would, Tony, but I just can’t be bothered right now. Goodbye, love.”

click

Tony curses under his breath as he flips through a few more pages in his notebook, settling on a one night stand he had met last week. He dials her number.

“Hi, you’ve reached Wanda Maximoff-”

“Wanda!” Tony smiles, remembering her name, “Listen, babe, how’d you like to go on a little date with me tonig-”

“-I’m not here right now, but you’re welcome to leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible!” the recorded message chirps and Tony’s face falls, he slams the phone down on its hook.

He groans. He’s called just about every girl he’s ever interacted with, and not one wanted to accompany Tony to the awards ceremony.

“Woah,” Scott, ElectricDust’s keyboard player, says, entering the trailer’s makeshift livingroom, “Someone’s havin’ a bad day.”

“Wanna go on a date with me, Scott?” Tony says with a strained laugh. Scott fans himself, “On a date? With you? How could I possibly say no?” Tony buries his face in his hands, obviously stressed. “Yeah, that’s pretty much what I figured.”

“Have you tried, you know, actually being nice to your dates?” Scott says, grabbing a canned beer from the minifridge. “I heard that works wonders.” Tony narrows his eyes, “What do you mean? I’m always nice to my dates!”

Scott raises his brow, opening the can, “Really? You made me drive that blonde girl home yesterday because she didn’t want to so much as look at you.”

Tony stays quiet. Point taken.

Scott takes a few sips of his beer before belching, “Hope you find somebody, Tones. You got about,” he checks his wristwatch, “6 hours before we gotta leave.”

Tony groans again and then continues to flip through his notebook.

-

The theater is gorgeous, a large crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling and painted angels on every wall- Peter feels almost inferior in a place like this.

“Darlings!” Loki announces from across the room, striding over to Peter and his bandmates, “You all look absolutely ravishing.” he smiles. “So glad you could make it!”

Peter nods dumbly, blushing. “Thanks so much for inviting us, Mr. Laufeyson, it's a real honor.” Steve steps in, firmly taking Loki’s hand in his and shaking it. “Yes, well, the media would absolutely die if you all weren't invited- there's champagne and wine being served at the lounge if you want any.” Loki quickly says, before sashaying away.

Peter’s practically glowing as he turns to face his bandmates, “I think that went really well.” he grins.

-

“Jesus, Scott, could you be any worse of a driver?” Bucky sneers, holding onto the door handle as Scott swerves. “You’re lucky I'm not making you take the Metro, tin-man.”

The car is cramped and hot, making it difficult for Tony to snort a nice clean line. “We’re 30 minutes late,” Bucky says, almost annoyed, “Step on it.”

Scott turns around to face the brunette, running through a red light, “You know, you're a real bitch, Buck.” Tony sighs, finally getting a good half of the powder up his nose, “Eyes on the road, Scotty.” he mumbles, sinking back into the leather seat.

Scott says something under his breath, but turns back around and continues to drive.

-

Peter chokes on his sparkling water when he sees a very certain group of people get pass security.

What's worse is the fact that they're completely ignoring the dress code, showing up in denim jeans and t-shirts. Peter thinks he's going to puke.

Tony feels ecstatic when he spots that tuft of curly chocolate hair in the crowd, excusing himself from his bandmates as he pushes through the sea of Hollywood's elite.

“Parker!” he yells, and Peter tries to pretend he didn't hear it, turning away and taking another sip of his sparkling water.

“Don't be that way, princess!” Tony grins, finally catching up to the small thing, ”I just wanna talk to you.” Peter doesn't respond, which just makes Tony more restless, ”Parker, c’mon, baby! Let's catch up, preferably in the back of Scott’s car, but whatever works for you.”

Peter gives in, reluctantly, looking around to make sure nobody important is looking before speaking, “What the hell are you doing here? Did you come here just to ruin my night?” Peter hisses. Tony laughs, which just puts Peter more at unease, “Don’t flatter yourself, sweetheart, me and my boys were invited.”

“Unlikely.” Peter scoffs. “Invited to clean the floors more like it.”

Tony looks more annoyed now than anything, “My boys have worked just as hard as yours to be here, Parker.” Peter huffs, “You’re kidding. You don’t actually think you deserve to be here, right?” Peter let’s out a breathy laugh at the idea. “You’re nobodies, Stark,” he begins, poking at Tony’s chest, “You make music for losers, for outcasts. You’re only here because you gained popularity by dissing my band.”

Peter smiles up at Tony and walks away, leaving Tony alone with his battered ego.

-

Peter and Tony avoid each other for the rest of the night, despite their bandmates mingling and laughing with eachother, enjoying tiny cheese platters and white wine.

Peter’s too stubborn to make amends.

Tony just wants to give him space.

Finally, at around 12, the lights dim down and everyone is ushered into the seating area. Loki walks on stage, holding several envelopes in his hands.

“Thank you all for coming,” he says, sweetly, into the mic, “It means a lot to my record label that you took time out of your busy lives to visit little ole’ me.” the crowd giggles at that, Peter included.

“Now, without further ado- I give you the 22nd annual Opalite Records awards ceremony!” the crowd cheers and claps, buzzing with excitement.

Peter crosses his fingers, and Tony wishes they had something stronger than champagne.

-

After a grueling 2 hours of watching other bands and solo artists receive awards, Loki finally announces that he has the final and most important award of the evening.

“Everyone in this room is awfully talented,” Loki says, smiling softly, “But these people are just... better. Don’t take it too harshly, now.” he opens the card, slowly and teasingly, Peter thinks he’s going to pass out from the anticipation. Tony’s on his fifth glass of red wine, and he’s showing now signs of stopping.

“And the winner for band of 1981 is...”

Peter’s palms are sweaty, and he’s on the edge of his seat.

“My, what a surprise, it’s ElectricDust!”

Peter’s world comes crashing down around him, he glances over to where Tony and his goons are getting up, stumbling over their own feet.

It’s not fair.

It’s not fair.

“Woah, hey Peter, are you oka-” Steve begins, trying to comfort his friend, but Peter jolts up, interrupting him.

“I’m... going for a walk.” he declares, voice breaking.

Tony watches as Peter quickly makes a bolt for the exit. He taps Scott on the shoulder, “I’ll be right back.” he mumbles.

Scott’s eyebrows furrow, “Dude, it’s speech time! You gotta go up ther-”

“Make up something!” Tony grins, already making his way towards the exit as well, “Thank my mom for me!”

-

Peter sits on the cold, concrete steps outside of the theatre, hot tears streaming down his face. He had worked so hard, and it didn’t even matter.

“Is this seat taken?” a familiar voice softly speaks from behind Peter.

“Did you come here to rub it in?” Peter sniffles, pulling his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. Tony takes a seat next to Peter, “No. I came here because I care.”

Peter laughs, rolling his eyes, “Am I supposed to believe that?”

Tony shrugs, “Believe what you want, Peter. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

They sit in silence for a while.

“Thank you.” Peter says softly, not daring to look up at Tony. “What you’re doing it’s- you’re a good guy.” he says, shyly.

Tony smiles, “I don’t give a shit about the award, or being even nominated, in all honesty, that Loki guy gives me the creeps.”

“Why’d you come here then?”

“I wanted to see you. I was hoping writing a song about you would grab your attention, but I think I like talking face-to-face better.”

Peter smiles, a gorgeous ‘I-don’t-know-I’m-smiling’ kind of smile, and Tony’s heart swells.

“I’m sorry I said all that stuff about you.” Peter finally says, gaining the courage to look Tony in the eye.

“I’ve been called worse- no hard feelings.”

Peter’s eyes light up as he giggles.

“Listen, I don’t exactly have a date for this thing,” Tony jabs a thumb at the building, “Know anybody who might wanna, I don’t know, get together? Even if it’s just for tonight.”

Peter pretends to think for a second. “I might; but he’s really hungry, so you might want to ask him after a burger. Or 5.”

Tony laughs, standing up, extending his arm so that Peter can grab it, “The night’s still young, princess.”

Peter beams, letting himself get heaved up by Tony, “We best make the most of it.”

🌻🌻🌻🌻

The absolutely beautiful moodboard was made by the fantastic @starkermoodboards !! She makes fucking stellar boards so why are you not following her.

This fic took forever to write, so appreciate it please 😔 i’m also sorry this is so long????

-Red.

[nochanchu]

more than this

pairing: park jimin x reader (unnamed oc) genre: college au | romance, not really drama drama but it’s internal, theme of pining, includes alcohol mention and player!jimin wc: 3,101 description: [based on number seven of this prompt list] Jimin struggles to express his feelings—it’s a given for such a frivalous lifestyle—but she makes it so hard and so easy to crave something else, something more. 

It’s a chance meeting. Nothing more, nothing less.

Jimin knows how this interaction will go. He will talk to her, she will engage him in some witty repertoire, probably flirt back just a teensy bit, then before he can seal the deal, she will shut him out and wrap up her defenses as high as New York’s skyscrapers just to keep herself safe. It’s admirable, endearing actually, that she doesn’t fall into him, that she fires back responses with a curve to her lips and a hand on her hips, because when someone as divine as she gives him the time of day, he can hardly contain himself from returning with a measured grin and hazy eyes filled with interest and a dash of curiosity.

There’s something about her, he has often noted. She doesn’t care about him or his reputation. She doesn’t care for his dyed red hair or his piercings. Hell, she doesn’t comment on any of it, lest he tries to cross the platonic boundary with some teasing suggestions, then she reminds him of his previous flings with a raised brow and a pursed lip. It’s an effective way for him to shut up—something she has prided herself in for the last few months—and it makes him wonder how he has done it. He’s used to Yoongi shutting him up. Sometimes even the jeers of his friend group easily silencing him, but it’s good-natured and sometimes well-deserved. But her? When she shuts him up, he feels like he has done something wrong, like he’s playing with a boundary that can’t be crossed with that method, and yet in all his fucked up experience, he isn’t even sure how he can bridge the gap with just a simple, “Hi, how are you?”

It’s not him. Not anymore. He doesn’t know how to fucking function in normal relationships. What is normal anyway? Is it giving her flowers before a date? Walking up to her doorstep and watching her walk inside? Is he supposed to wait to kiss her or does he just do it because it feels right? When he takes her to the restaurant, is he supposed to open the door for her? How about the car—

He shakes his head at the thought, heaving a long and drawn out sigh along the way. Because he doesn’t fucking know. He has no clue at all. That part of him—the oh-so-romantic side—is long gone, and whatever conception he has left of love is nothing more than phone number exchanges at his frat parties, overnight stays in his bed or theirs and a few dark splotches as a temporary reminder, and the faint recollection of what may have transpired before he is back to step one, if you can even call any of that shit love, that is.

When she sees him, she throws a coy smile in greeting.

Jimin does the same, waiting for her usual jabs.

“This is a first,” she casts an up and down look at him. “No one’s hanging off your arm or sucking on your face.”

There it is, he thinks, feeling a little nauseous at the thought. He hopes he sounds as nonchalant as he thinks he does. “Is that an expectation for me?”

“Isn’t it for all you fuckboys?”

He sighs, a part of him already resigned to the label she has been keen on reminding him of since the two of them first met.

On any normal day, Jimin probably would’ve enjoyed this sort of thing. His own notoriety preceding him well if anyone knew him. Their crowds ran in different circles. Greek life meets org life. Which isn’t much different from one another, if not for the fact that she was the one making shit the Juneteenth happen while he made beer pong, mild hazing, and the frequent stomp performance at Rush Week a thing. It was inevitable for the two of them to meet, and yet it only happened when he found her moving in on his floor as his second year of being an RA.

“I suppose it is,” he replies before a sip of his beer. The bitter taste is without even a hint of the citrus fruits that were promised at the start of the night, though even as the alcohol dissipates into his system, he still feels that bitterness when he realizes that it isn’t the beverage bugging him.

Perhaps he should, instead, say that if this were with anybody else, then he wouldn’t have minded being withered down to a simple fuckboy status. But because this is her—the very active presence in the background of his thoughts with your kind, inquisitive smile and witty quips that get him to flush with laughter—he is bothered at himself than anything else.

She tilts her head at him and asks, “What’s wrong?”

He catches himself before he can ask how she knows something’s up, because he isn’t sure how he would respond. Truthfully, he doesn’t want to admit to the truth that has been bubbling up inside him like Coca-cola fizz, or the result of an extremely bad hangover. The aftermath is far from pretty, jarring even if she hasn’t suspected anything from him.

“Nothin—” Her glare stops him.

“You’re terrible at bullshitting, Jimin. I hope you know that.”

“I’m just tired,” he says, hoping to convince her (and himself), but he would take anyone’s belief right now. He would arguably appreciate one of his idiotic frat brothers coming over to steal him away, so he won’t have to face this reality.

“Let’s go then.”

“What?” he blurts out, unsure if he heard her correctly. 

She grabs onto his arm before he can say another word, already taking a few steps before tripping over herself. He reacts quickly, of course. Her own body now leaning against him as he navigates her both out of the too-warm house and into the cool, crisp air outside. It swarms them both and whisks away the smell of sweat and booze as they both walk down the street toward the dormitories. He almost can’t believe she isn’t pulling away. In fact, he almost goes into shock when she actually gravitates back to him when he tries to create distance between them.

“Stay here. I might trip and die if you keep leaving me,” she says with a small frown.

Jimin swears it’s actually a pout, but her pouting is an image he never thought he would live to see. Because while they both often talked casually, the space she puts between them is intentional. By disallowing him the privy of seeing her in any other aspect but surface, it is to make sure he knows that she has no intentions of falling for his charms and becoming one of his many fling casualties. He has long since accepted this, conditioning himself to the quips and the distance if only to remain in her life. It’s kind of pathetic. He never would’ve thought he would be like this with someone, walking on eggshells and still hoping to have a moment longer with them, but she makes it easy for someone like him.

“Are you sure you want me walking you home? I thought you didn’t trust fuckboys like me.” He doesn’t mean to sound so self-deprecating, but he figures he can pass off his behavior as being tipsy whenever she confronts him about it.

But she surprises him yet again when she doesn’t. Instead she shrugs with a sway as each steps on the blemished gravel makes a steady path harder.

“You’re my RA. Shouldn’t I trust you?” There’s a twinge of sarcasm laced between her words, but he knows the semblance of truth is still there. Even if he has to squint to see it.

“Well, true...” When she stumbles into his bicep, a realization strikes him as quickly as her cheek does and he has to make sure to be extra careful when walking with her. He’s dense as hell, so he has to ask to make sure. “Hey, are you drunk?” 

“No!” She tries to tell him with a straight face, but a peal of laughter escapes past her lips, making his heart beat out of pace and into some sputtering wreck. “Yeah, okay. A little.”

Of course, she’s drunk. 

Considering she has never really let him stand this close to her (something he has respected), it should’ve clicked before, what with her stumbling out of the house and clinging onto him like a lifeline. Normal circumstances would’ve put them at a whole meter distance instead of this millimeter one. Nor would he have an opportunity to walk with her unless it happened by chance. And, he doesn’t mind at all, really walking with her is its own bonus to keeping her safe.

Jimin’s only concern right now is getting her back to her dorm, away from the danger that lurks on dark, empty streets, from the copious amounts of booze offered at every corner of his frat house, and most of all, his brothers either lurking about to spill his dreaded secret or just to flirt to get a response out of him (though it would’ve also been out of their own prerogatives as well). He hates to think that there’s some need to stake claim to her, because he just can’t see that with her, or anyone really. He’s never been that territorial kind of guy, as raunchous as his reputation precedes him, things just happen. Perhaps there’s a game of hard-to-get, but too much hard isn’t his forté, nor is too easy either. He likes the middle ground, where there’s a push-and-pull, an equilibrium of sorts that can subdue and enthrall him all the same; where he’s more himself than just bits and pieces conjured at times that necessitate certain him’s; where as shitty as he feels, he can still somehow feel better, even in situations where he is simply walking back home. He likes, well, her.

It’s such a stupid thought when he reiterates to himself that she isn’t just anybody to him, because no fucking shit she isn’t just anybody. To anyone at all. She’s a godsend, a damn gift, a person that—if he ever had to guts to say—makes him want to connect, to finally bridge a gap with someone that hasn’t been his friend for more than five years, because he loves his friends. They’re the best people in his life. But her? She holds down her own tier, effortlessly.

He realizes they’re both almost back at the dorm, her room, to be very exact. He’s disappointed at not having been able to talk to her, but he blames his mouth’s current inability to open and create sound. He wishes to brave that jump and just let her hear what his heart wants him to finally say. But when he looks at her underneath the bright fluorescent lights, he suddenly finds any and all words caught and jumbled in his throat like a bad traffic jam on a three-day weekend. He just can’t stop looking at her. Like really looking at her. It isn’t her constant rejection that bugs him, or even her at all, it’s what he knows she sees that really gets to him.

“What?” They both seem to say, breaking away the faintest of tension in the air. He laughs and so does she.

The more he urges himself to speak, the less he feels brave enough to do so. Even though a part of him wants to hear the truth so he can finally get over this, another doesn’t want to. That part would rather live in the suspense and hope for reciprocation.

“You look like you want to say something,” she points out. Her gaze flickers over his visage with careful consideration, though it looks more adorable with the small pout adorning her lips. He can’t say this is the first time he’s seen her like this, but that memory is faint and fading in favor of this new one. Whether it’s good or bad makes him even more nervous. “Jimin, spit it out.”

“I—” He pauses. “You’re still drunk right?”

She snorts, giving a nod as she leans against your door. “That can’t fade in a ten-minute walk, J. Why?”

“Okay, good… I wanna ask you something then.”

“Is it another pick-up line? Because, c’mon now, those are getting old. At this point, they’ve become keep away sirens like ‘wee-woo, fuckboy alert! Wee-woo!’” He can’t tell if she’s joking. He wants to say yes, but the joviality in her eyes barely matches the fatigue in her tone, and the reality of rejection seems to sink in more than ever.

“No, not that,” he says in a small whisper.

“What then?” She tilts her head, either out of curiosity or increasing sleepiness.

For obvious reasons, he expects the words to refuse to come. His courage dissipating alongside them. He doesn’t want to face reality with her, he prefers the comfort of the usual, he likes her jabs and their banters, he likes being this close without being too close, and even though he hates the unknown, he likes not knowing whether she likes him back or not.

“I’d been planning on saying this for a while, but…” He shakes his head, instead he says, “It’s nothing. Have a good night, okay?”  

She blinks, unsure of what to make of the sudden change probably. “Are you sure?”

He nods. “I’ll just wait until you get in, and I’ll leave you be for the rest of the night.”

She softly says okay, fumbling with her keys but managing.

Jimin watches as she gets inside, he swears she pauses and it looks like she has more to say but seems to decide against it, and instead an exchange of small waves passes between them before she shuts the door.

He can suddenly breathe properly then.

Maybe next time.

/

Next time finds its way to him the following morning.

She sent him a text just to see if Jimin was awake and she came knocking not too long afterwards. The know is a simple beat, one of which she came up with for the sole purpose of having someone to corroborate a potential alibi with, not that any of the other RAs have ever cared. But it was something Jimin and she shared, and it was something he was grateful for nonetheless.

“What’s wrong?” she asks, just as she did last night but this time sober.

He opens his mouth before shutting it immediately, falling prey to the hard stare she gives him.

“No bullshitting, Jimin.”

He steps aside to let her in. She takes perch on his desk, while he remains leaning against the now shut door. His nerves are bubbling back up again, but there is no escape this time.

“I know there’s something on your mind. You were so… quiet last night, even brooding you has more to say than you did last night, so as your friend, someone that knows you were running away from something—I have no idea what—please talk to me. You sounded like you had something to say, but you didn’t and I’m both curious and concerned to hear it.”

“Can you be honest about something with me?” he asks softly. He sits on his unmade bed and meets her eyes. Despite how much he would love to read into the fact that she caught on to how odd he was acting, he chalks that up to her being the observant person that she is, not a testament to feelings she probably isn’t harboring for him.

She nods.

“Am I just a fuckboy to you? It sounds ridiculous aloud, but with all the jabs you throw my way, it makes me wonder if that’s the only way you see me. I get it, I definitely deserve it. My reputation and all that precedes me. But it’s hard when I hope you might see me otherwise… I guess, if that makes any sense.”

He says all this with a wandering eye, the bulletin board with photos of his friends and family looking a lot less intimidating to even the awfully patterned carpet. 

“See you otherwise…” she repeats, catching his attention with clearing her throat. “Jimin, do you want to know how I really feel about you?”

“Yeah, of course.”

She smiles a little. “I think you’re a great guy. Surprise, surprise right? I mean why else would I hang around you? You’re funny and sweet for the most part, and what you did last night stuck with me well into the night, because if I thought you were just like any other fuckboy on this campus, I would’ve accepted a walk home from any one of my other friends willing to do it. I wouldn’t have asked what was bothering you, in fact I was hoping you’d tell me on the walk, but Jimin, you didn’t try to make a move on me like any other asshole who would’ve when I was drunk, and besides that… I feel very fond of you.”

Jimin is speechless. The shroud of uncertainty lifting like clouds parting to make way for the sun. He can’t help but break out into a large grin.

“Does that clarify a few things?”

“It does. Thank you,” he says, running a hand through his hair. “Holy shit.”

“Who knew you were so shy?”

He wants to scoff, but he can’t and they both know it. “I’m sorry, I’m shit at this kind of thing. I don’t know how to do the fairy tale kind of love. I thought I could once upon a time, but you know how that went—poorly—and here I am, struggling and trying. Even if this wasn’t an ideal confession, I want you to know that I feel very fond of you too, by the way.”

“None of this has to be fairy tale perfect, or well, Disney fairytale perfect. It can be Brothers Grimm perfect, sans all the death and gore. I don’t mind that you’re learning. I am too, alright? We can learn to get something right together. That sound good?”

“It sounds Disney fairytale perfect,” he says, and she snorts.

“Good, because I think Disney fairytale perfect entails that we deserve some non-dining commons breakfast food. Me, especially for coming here despite having been drunk last night.”

“How does breakfast at Black Bear Diner sound?”

“It’s a date, you ready?”

“With you, of course.”

He grabs his keys and shucks on a sweatshirt from his closet, her soon following suit, as they have the first of many dates.  

[asiryn]

here’s the second update post about my playthrough of ffviir! at this point in my life, with my worsening disability, i’m just gonna have to admit defeat and that i’m going to be making very slow progress from this point on. like....limit myself to playing a chapter a day (or even every other day) so that i don’t make myself Regret Everything.

spoilers below the cut. i finished ch 3, and i think i’m most of the way through ch 4? maybe?? i haven’t finished it, i stopped right before the second (official) mission, and tbh, i have no idea how much is left of the chapter. 

i’m going to try to go in chronological order through the chapters, but i can’t make any guarantees

- i absolutely love marle, she’s a great new addition to the cast 💖💖💖

- the remake is going way more in-depth on everything from the original, and is really adding in a lot of that connective tissue that wasn’t really there before. like, it wasn’t necessarily a glaring issue in the original game, but everything was clearly focused on the main plot, and moving the player along so they can get out of midgar faster; plus, with the limited scope of the 2d environment (the 3d in the environment itself was more like it added a bit of flavor (and frustration) to navigating), there wasn’t really much to explore. and with the limited hardware, the npcs only had a few small bits of dialogue, and the number of npcs in general was limited

- by contrast, this entire game is only covering the midgar sections of the game, so it can flesh everything out to its heart’s content. and at least so far, i’m all for it, and i’m a big fan of the way they’re doing it. it doesn’t feel like they’re just padding it out and wasting your time, but rather it’s giving the story and characters room to breathe, and breathing new life into characters that are pretty forgettable in the first game (i’ll talk more on that in a bit)

- the bulk of ch 3, therefore, is for the most part just cloud and tifa, hanging out. everything’s still being grounded in more realism, with talk of cloud needing to find work to get money and savings, so having him....actually being a mercenary, and getting hired for a bunch of side quests makes a whole lot of sense. plus, tifa’s along for the ride, so you also get to see her interacting with the other residents of the sector 7 slums. and we get a lot of nice conversations with cloud and tifa, and giving their relationship way more development

- i also love that tifa and cloud are making further dates plans to hang out, it’s cute

- also, i love the way the npcs are done in this game. again, they’re being used to enhance that message i talked about last time, and in general, they just....actually react to the things happening around them? their dialogue is always evolving more over time (and it has great synergy w/ cloud and tifa’s mission of getting cloud’s name out there, as the more side quests you achieve, the more they start talking about you and recognizing you, even thanking you). plus, all the npcs have different opinions, ranging from pro-shinra, to wondering if avalanche has a point, to conspiracy theorists, so it’s not all one-note 

- in the category of, technically there in the original, but far expanded on with the remake, was everything with johnny. tbh, i always forget about him in midgar, so i don’t remember what triggers him to show up in....costa del sol, i think? but that whole scene in the remake really helped to highlight tifa’s later concerns, on how she doesn’t agree with the means that avalanche is using to achieve their ends (which again, was somewhat there in the original, but not explored that much), with her refusing to let cloud kill him, even if it would have been the wisest tactical approach to silence him to protect avalanche

- an interesting change is that avalanche was originally planning to do the second mission of bombing reactor 5 without cloud

- also....what’s up with those thugs wanting barret? are they working for don corneo? bc that’s the only other faction that i could think of. if so, i like the fact that they’re starting to establish the groundwork for this sooner, bc it....came a bit out of nowhere in the original

- probably my favorite thing so far about the remake is just how much they’re expanding the characters of jessie, biggs, and wedge. tbh, i never gave two shits about them in the original, bc they were barely even in the game. and not just bc they died early, but bc even when they were there, all the interactions you could have with them were super limited. and when they did die, it wasn’t really dwelled on, and everyone quickly moved onto saving aerith from shinra, and from there the main thrust of the story took off and we barely looked back

- but now, jessie, biggs, and wedge, are fully realized characters, and it’s fantastic. jessie is my favorite of the three, both in terms of the character herself, and what they’re doing with her. her backstory is excellent, her va is great, and i love her peppiness, and i love her relationship with cloud (her playful flirting is great and really fun)

- i also loved the moment where biggs and wedge showed up to help her with her secret mission, just bc they knew her so well

- i’m.....pretty sure roche is a new character?? i don’t remember ever hearing mention of him in any of the rest of the compilation, but my knowledge of before crisis in particular is sketchy, so who knows. in any case, i’m curious to see if he’s going to become a recurring character

- i also loved that they’re showing cloud slowly bonding with biggs and wedge too, it’s sweet

- wedge with his cats is a Mood (and ppl were right, there really are a lot of cats in the game)

- i absolutely ADORED the way they did the flashback scene with cloud and tifa, it was spectacular. they even sounded noticeably younger, and they nailed the looks and mannerisms from the original scene. plus, i love that cloud remembered his promise to tifa on his own, and that he’s the one to bring it up to her later, instead of her guilt-tripping and continuously prodding him about it

- i knew that in before crisis, there was the original version of avalanche, that was essentially at war with the turks in an effort to take down shinra, but i guess i always assumed that it ended up either disbanded or defeated by the time barret’s avalanche was created. so it’s therefore fascinating to me that it’s still operating in the remake, and that barret’s group are a different branch that the og group disapproves of. makes me wonder how that’s going to play out, especially with everything set to go down soon

- what is the deal with these ‘ghosts’?? are they the black-robed seph clones? i think one of them spoke to cloud in seph’s voice during his nightmare, so....maybe? it’s the only thing that makes sense to me. but what are they doing??

- i find the way cloud was roped into the reactor 5 mission interesting, with him replacing an injured jessie

okay, i think i’m gonna end it here for now. on my next session, i’ll finish ch 4, and hopefully ch 5, and i’ll get to see aerith again soon!!!!💖💖💖

[emilyschoi]

Emily Choi College Au

-

Emily let out a frustrated sigh as she sat down on the bleachers, it was late in the afternoon and if her timing was right which it generally was it was mid-way through basketball practice. She would have been here earlier but the reason she was in a mood was the exact the same reason she was late – she had an argument with her cousin, who unfortunately decided to be petty and refuse to take her order all because she asked if he could use his influence over Tyler Lee to get him to ease up on his team, more specifically on Lucas who was under a lot of stress, both physically and mentally. Daniel wouldn’t hear any criticism of his boyfriend and of course, just suggested Lucas stop sitting on the fence and actually pick a team. Emily feeling rightfully offended for her boy who is more than a friend but not a boyfriend, pointed out that a good captain would do the right thing for his team and put his own ego to the side. Their argument ended up with Sungjae coming over and taking her order while the cousins glared at each other until Emily was handed her order.

Taking a sip of her Iced Green Tea Latte, she tried to reign in her annoyance and focus on what was happening on the court. As expected Basketball training was the only time the boys of Theta Sigma could be serious (apart from their feud with the Kappa Alpha boys) and their trio of co-captains were putting the team through their paces. Both the Basketball team and the Football team had made the finals so they had really amped up their training in an attempt to win. As usual the teams groupies fans had gathered in the bleachers, Emily had never interacted with any of them before but she knew a few things, Jaehyun’s fan group was the largest and the messiest – one week there was an actual fight among them (which lead to Johnny scolding them and kicking them out which was the highlight of the practice), Mindy kept showing when she clearly wasn’t welcome (and she was unfortunately here again) and Lucas’s constantly evergrowing Fanclub all seemed fascinated by her which was strange, to say the least. Usually, she ignored them, she either sat there and studied, occasionally looking up to give Lucas a thumbs-up whenever he did good which was a lot – that he was just showing off, she was never sure, or she managed to convince one of her friends to come with her, usually, it was Soomin or Nora(, but the rare occasions Eunmi came along with her were memorable, to say the least) but today it was hard not to notice.

Emily couldn’t help but frown her eyes trailing after Lucas who wasn’t as energetic as he usually was, he still played decently but the weight of being in two championship-worthy sports teams and studying for finals was getting to him and Emily was concerned. She had tried to convince him to take a break, he could miss a practice, sure Tyler and Jaehyun would be jerks about it but at least Johnny would understand – maybe, Emily hoped. If not she would go full-on WWE on them, she might be short but she could be deadly. In fact, the first thing her mother and sister ever taught about boys was to hit them when it hurts. It was an interesting lesson for a ten-year-old.

A whistle blew signalling a water break for the players, Lucas jogged over with a big but tired smile on his face. “How was I?” he asked taking a gulp out of his bottle of water before reaching over and grabbing his coffee.

“Good? Very basketbally,” she said as Lucas chuckled, Emily flushed her knowledge of Basketball was still pretty limited, she just knew that he looked good playing and to cheer when his team scored – other than that it was just a bunch of tall people running around throwing a ball. “Shut up,” she said nudging him. “Sorry I was a bit late,” she apologized.

“It’s all good,” Lucas said with a shrug. “Is everything okay though?” he asked, “Do I need to beat someone up?” he joked, or Emily thought he was joking.

“I just had a disagreement with my cousin,” Emily shrugged trying to play it off as no big deal, hopefully, Daniel’s personality would cover and she wouldn’t have to explain what they were disagreeing about. “And honestly as much I love my cousin you will have to join a pretty long line if you did want to beat him up,” she said causing Lucas to laugh.

“Ah well I hope you two sort out your disagreement,” Lucas commented, leaning back slightly and closing his eyes. Emily took that as a chance to really look at him, he was tired the dark circles under his eyes made that obvious. “I know, I know I am too handsome,” he commented opening one eye.

“You are actually sweating like a pig so not that handsome,” Emily huffed.

“Hmm I am pretty sure you like me all hot and sweaty –“ Lucas smirked. Emily’s eyes widened as her face heated up. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Lucas, now with both eyes opened grinned over at Emily. “You are so cute,” he cooed.

“Shut up,” Emily said nudging him with her elbow. “You are so weird and you smell so there,” she muttered as Lucas straight up laughed in her face before wrapping an arm around her and pulling her closer, she struggled to get away not wanting her nose anywhere Lucas’s sweaty self.

“Come on one hug for good luck,” Lucas said with a grin.

“You don’t need luck,” Emily huffed flicking his arm, Lucas pouted at her lip jutting out. “Seriously,” Emily muttered.

“Yup,” Lucas nodded. “You can ask the guys I’ve been off today,” he whined. “Don’t you want me to be at my best?” he added. Emil scoffed, even if he wasn’t at his best, she doubted he was bad. “You don’t?” he said dramatically, placing a hand over his heart as if he’d been fatally wounded. “My heart. It’s broken,” he fake sobbed.

“Oh my god,” Emily muttered under her breath. “Shut up,” she said before quickly pecking his cheek. Lucas broke out into a wide smile and Emily well she couldn’t even look at him, her cheeks were burning from embarrassment. Lucas and herself had kissed multiple times and in much less of childish manner but this was the first time Emily had initiated any sort of affection and certainly never in public.

“Water breaks over,” Jaehyun called out and like that all the team made their way back onto the court.

“And that would be my cue,” Lucas said with a wide grin. “Unless of course, you want to give me more good luck kisses?” he teased. Emily overwhelmed by embarrassment squeaked out a ‘leave’ which caused Lucas to chuckle again.

“Zhang that means stop flirting with your girlfriend” Johnny called out. Emily flushed hanging her head letting it cover her face, through her hair she spotted Lucas looking down with a sheepish smile, she could barely him when he said that he will be back soon.

It took Emily at least 10 minutes to look up again, her cheeks were no longer bright red, her heart was no longer hammering and she was pretty sure with the boys back on the court no one would even spare her a second glance. She was right for the most part, except for Lucas’s fangirls everyone was back to what they were doing before. Jaehyun’s friends were being thirsty, Mindy was being delusional as usual and Emily was considering throwing her now-empty plastic cup at her head (she ultimately decided against it was better to recycle than throw plastic cups in or in this at the trash.) and the team was ignoring it all and focusing on the game.

She naturally founded Lucas, he was hard to miss one of the tallest in a team of mostly giants, he seemed to be more awake than before. Maybe it was the small amount of caffeine or just maybe it was her, no no definitely the coffee she though physically shaking her head to rid herself of that thought. She had blushed enough today. It was easy to get caught up in watching the team play, silently cheering for Lucas – sometimes having to bite her lip to stop herself from physically cheering for him.

Immersed in the on-court action time seemed to fly by and all too soon the team was packing up for the day. Once again Lucas was jogging over this time flanked by his friend who Emily knew was coming because usually, her friends had some sort of treat, Soomin was full of sugar natural so of course, she always had some sort of candy with her and Eunmi had come to the conclusion frat boys could help her business so she usually bought a container of cupcakes with her.

“I’ll just shower real quick and then we can go,” Lucas said. “Unless of course, you decided you don’t’ mind my sweaty self,” he said wiggling his eyebrows at her.

“You two do know your flirting is weird,” His friend, Connor, spoke up looking between face contorted in disgust. “Like its cool, if you are into that but not in front of innocent ears,” he said pointing to himself.

“Innocent ears my ass,” Lucas snorted. “And stop being weird just because your last girlfriend had a weird obsession for your feet doesn’t mean mine does,” he said shoving his friend playfully. “Not that Emily is my girlfriend, she is a girl and is a friend but we haven’t –“ he started, nose scrunching up as he tried to figure out who to explain their relationship. “ I am just gonna go shower,” he said scratching the back of his neck as slowly backed away.

“Like I said before weird,” Connor said eyes flickering between Emily and Lucas’s retreating figure. “So your friends aren’t here? Does that mean no treats?” he asked sounding hopeful. “Because Jaehyun has put the entire team on a no sugar diet and I am dying here,” he pouted.

“Sorry,” Emily shrugged not sounding sympathetic at all. “Soomin had a meeting today and Eunmi says no more freebies you lot either order or you starve, either way, she wins,” Emily explained, nodding that was the short version of what Eunmi had said when Emily asked if she wanted to come today.

“And you didn’t think of bringing me, the number one Lumily shipper, anything?” He asked fluttering his eyes at Emily dramatically.

“No I didn’t and now I am glad that I didn’t - what the hell is Lumily?” she said shaking her head.

“Rude,” Connor snorted. “I am dying over here and you are picking on a ship name? priorities Emily priorities,” he said dramatically. “Anywho,” he continued. “What do you and Lucas have planned for tonight?” he said wiggling his eyebrows. “Anything interesting?”

“Helping prep for his exam?” Emily offered if the gleam in Connor’s eyes was anything to go by she was pretty sure he didn’t believe her or thought it was some kind of innuendo that Emily really didn’t understand.

“Prep for an exam,” Connor snorted, “Is that what you kids are calling it these days,” he said. “Prepping for exams, I am sure,” he grinned. “I remember when I used to prep for an exam with a girl –“ he said wistfully.

“Was she imaginary?” Emily asked.

“Again rude,” Connor said eyes narrowing. “I remember when I first officially met you were so nice and now just mean,” he said. “Was it because I was there that time in the café when you said you want your own frat boy and then your cousin was like no she doesn’t she is a virgin,” he said. Emily groaned covering her face with her hair, why did he have to bring that up.

“Yes well my cousin is dating Tyler Lee so he is clearly delusional,” Emily snapped, her annoyance at Daniel returning full force as she remembered that awful event.

“Oh so you are saying you aren’t anymore, I knew it!! Lucas never tells me but he was too whipped to be not getting any –“ he exclaimed, practically bouncing on heels. Emily’s eyes flicked down to empty coffee cup and back to Connor’s face, she could throw it at him easily but then would she get in trouble for injuring a member of the team.

“Leave me alone,” Emily whined. “It’s embarrassing – “

“Aww no, don’t say that Lucas’s fangirls will get angry,” he said. Emily’s nose scrunched up wondering exactly why they were being mentioned when Connor was embarrassing her. Honestly, why people were invested in her non-existent sex life she will never understand.

“What why?” she asked curiously. “Wouldn’t they be happy you are embarrassing me? Or do they think I am going to cause an argument between you and Lucas?” she asked glancing behind her.

“Are you planning on that?” Connor asked frowning. “No even if you were you wouldn’t be able to because our friendship is better than that,” he said matter of factly. “And firstly you accidentally implied that having sex with Lucas is embarrassing which I mean give the guy a break and secondly they live vicariously through you so if you dislike me then they will dislike me and I don’t have the energy for dealing with them,” he sighed.

“What no? They probably can’t stand me and want me out of the way,” Emily said.

“Nope,” Connor said shaking his head. “You’ve got them confused with Jaehyun’s Harem,” he said. “You got think about who they fangirl, like with Jaehyun he probably has at least hooked up with half of them so they know they have a chance, plus it plays into that whole bad boy thing like maybe I can change him,” Connor said pulling a face of disgust. “Johnny is way too nice and flirty so they live in hope thinking they are the special girl,” he said. “And Taeyong, well that guy is pretty and somewhat aloof so it plays into some sort of trope not sure but I am sure as it has become abundantly clear that I am no expert in women so I am not sure which one,” he said with a shrug. “Anyway the point is Lucas gave them nothing, like crumbs at most, but then you run into him one day,” he continued. “And you get a whole loaf of Lucas,” he said. “So since they have no hope they use as their your name moment,” he said.

“You have a lot of free time don’t you?” Emily said with a roll her eyes. “And if that is true explain Mindy?”

“I have literally no free time,” Connor said pointedly glaring down at the court where Jaehyun stood talking to Johnny and Taeyong. “And I can’t explain her, I am but a mere human boy, you expect me to understand that mess?” he exclaimed.

“Well no but it defeats your weird theory so,” Emily shrugged.

“Well there is an exception to every rule,” Connor shrugged. “Oh and look who is coming back now, that is the quickest he ever showered –“ he said smirking. “Though I suppose he’d probably just get sweaty again during your study session,” he smirked.

“We are actually going to study,” Emily huffed.

“Who is studying?” Lucas asked as he reached them looking between the two. “Oh no he is smirking,” he said looking at Connor. “What have you done?” he asked, brows furrowed accusation clear in his voice.

“Oh I have done nothing, it’s about you will be doing,” he said wiggling his eyebrows at Lucas. “Yana about this, she is going to flip,” he said gleefully.

“What?” Lucas started to ask but Emily was not going to let herself be embarrassed again today stood up grabbing his arm.

“Let’s go,” she said pulling him along causing Lucas to chuckle. From behind them, she could hear Connor call out a cheeky have fun making her ready to commit to Eunmi’s destroy men and take their money agenda, the current company excluded of course.

“ So what did he say to make you flee like that?” Lucas asked with a frown. “Whatever it was – I,” he started but stopped, Emily glanced at him curiously, since she knew Lucas she had seen many sides of him mostly his confident semi flirty self but right now he seemed unsure, almost scared. “He is a good guy and just teasing but sometimes he doesn’t know when to stop – “ he continued. “Don’t hate me,’ he murmured looking down.

Emily hummed, standing on her tippy toes so she could grab Lucas’s face in her hand. “You are a complete idiot if you think I can hate you,” she said squishing his cheeks together. “And he didn’t say anything about you, not really, he was just teasing me about when we met in the café and how my stupid cousin decided to ruin my life,” she said eyes narrowing. “If I could stand being a room with Tyler Lee for more than a minute it would be over for Daniel that is all I am saying,” she said.

“Oh,” Lucas muttered his own hands reaching up to pull Emily’s hands off his cheeks and intertwining them together, letting them fall down. “You could always tell me or Tara whatever you have on Daniel, we could pass it on, I am sure Tyler would love to hear it,” he said. Emily’s face fell now that he mentioned Tyler wanting to know embarrassing things about Daniel she suddenly didn’t want to tell him.

“Anyway, what did you think Connor told me?” Emily asked curiously.

“How about I tell you when we get inside?”Lucas suggested shifting nervously from one foot to another. “It’s getting a little chilly, do you need a jacket? I have one in my bag,” he offered.

“Fine but you have to tell me as soon as we get to your dorm,” Emily said. “And no I am all good and to be super honest I kinda have 10 of your jackets in my closet already,” she said with a laugh. Somehow every time they meet she would end up with one of Lucas’s jackets.

  “So 11 won’t hurt,” Lucas shrugged. “Especially if it means keeping your warm,” he nodded. Emily rolled her eyes, it was hardly a chilly night.

Emily opened her mouth to respond but quickly stopped when any idea popped into her head, a little revenge for all the times Lucas would leave her flustered by saying some cheesy line. “Plus why would I need your jacket when I have you here to keep me warm,” she said snuggling into him. “Ahh nice and cosy,” she giggled. Lucas froze for a second before chuckling wrapping arm around her waist.

“Is this your way of saying I am super-hot?” he teased.

“Ah you’ve ruined it,” Emily said struggling to get out of Lucas’s grip.

“Nope it’s my duty to keep warm, bask in my warmth,” he said tickling at her side. “Bask!” he said before coping an elbow to the side. Emily making a quick escape raced forward but Lucas athletic abilities worked against her because mere meters later she was once again trapped in his arms.

“I can’t walk you know?” she said with a frown, back hugs and movement made for a very awkward situation. “I should have just taken the jacket,” she muttered pouting.

“You should have,” he chuckled in agreement.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

“Okay before we start,” Emily said once she finished laying out all stationary on Lucas’s desk. The boy himself was sitting on his bed legs crossed, notebook balancing on his lap. “What did you think Connor told me?” she asked leaning against his desk, enjoying the slight height advantage she had, it was nice to be taller than Lucas for once. “Because you made it sound really bad, especially if you think that I was going to hate you,” she said with a frown.

“It was nothing,” Lucas said sheepishly. Emily narrowed her eyes, stomping her foot in frustration.

“You agreed to tell me so –“ Emily said lips pursed. “Don’t be a liar Lucas,” she said with a huff.

“Fine,” Lucas said frowning. “But you have to promise you won’t hate me,” he said face scrunching up.

“We’ve been through this,” Emily sighed. “I am not going to hate you,” she assured him as she sat down on the chair across from him. “I really can’t imagine you doing anything that would make me hate you,” she said. Her mind went blank as she tried to figure out something that could make her feel anything but the very very strong like she felt for him now. Hell, she even accepted him being friends with Tyler Lee and Jung Jaehyun and if that didn’t say how much she liked him what would.

“Okay, so you know how I was failing in my forensic class?” He said. “And the whole reason we actually started talking was because I kinda blackmailed you into helping me,” he said with a sheepish smile.

“Yes,” Emily said. “Instead of letting me pay for your jacket to get cleaned you were like you can tutor my instead,” she nodded.

“Well I mean I wasn’t actually failing the class, like yeah I had to make up that particular test but really I do okay,” he said looking down. “I just – well – it’s just you always ran away whenever when we were in the same place and I’ve been wanting to talk you for a while and,” he said cheeks flushing, peaking up at Emily.

“So I learned about forensic science for nothing?” Emily asked scandalized.

“Uh yeah kinda,” Lucas said scratching the back of his neck. “Shouldn’t you be madder about me lying to you?” he asked.

“I’m still processing it,” Emily said holding a hand up. “So really you didn’t need my help at all?” she asked with a frown. The hours she spent on making easily understandable notes for him – she colour coded them and even did cute doodles to help.

“I mean I wouldn’t say I didn’t need your help, my grade has gone up since you helped me,” he said. “But was it as bad as I might have made it out to be…. Perhaps not,” he said sheepishly.

“Right,” Emily muttered. “Okay now up to the rest of it, did you really do that just to speak to me because that was –“ she said waving her hand in a so- so method. “Did you get tips from one of your many step frat bros?” she asked curiously.

“No,” He pouted. “You’d always run away, I wanted to talk to you since that day on the quad but anytime I tried –“ he frowned. “I mean I figured you might not be interested but I thought if we could hang out you might give me a chance,” he said not meeting Emily’s eyes.

“Me give you a chance?” Emily said exasperatedly, “You are kidding right?” she laughed. “You, looking like that, wanted me to give you a chance,” she snapped. “The only reason I ran away all the time because whenever I was around you, I somehow always managed to embarrass myself,” she said.

“No you didn’t,” Lucas said with his brows furrowed, “And what do you mean looking like that? Is it my ears?” he said his hands coming to his ears. “I can wear a hat,” he added.

Emily’s eyes narrowed, “Are you being purposely silly right now, I meant you attractive and kind and popular, you are a genuinely good person who manages to look some sort of god and its not fair. And then there is me running into you or spilling drinks on you –“ she ranted.

“So you like me to?” Lucas asked eyes lit up and a big smile making its way onto his face.

“I feel like we have established this already, there was the whole Valentine thing and then – Wait did you think I didn’t like you?” Emily asked in shock. “I wouldn’t have – Lucas, I have a wardrobe full of your clothes, I started to study an extra class just because I wanted to help, I show up to every game of yours and almost every practice, I fought with my cousin cause I wanted Tyler to stop being a dick and realize you are only one person –“ Emily said. “I am pretty sure no person would do that for people they don’t like,” she said.

Emily frowned as her mind finally caught up with her mouth. “I mean – as a girl who is your friend but not a girlfriend but not just a friend –“ she started to say. Lucas grinned throwing his computer to the side causing Emily to squeak, he was going to destroy his laptop and lose everything, then he really would need her help.

He leapt up off his bed, standing up once again much to Emily’s dismay she was back to being the short one. “You are so cute,” he cooed. Emily’s nose scrunched up suddenly finding her shoes very interesting. “Emily, look at me,” Lucas said standing right in front of her. “Please?”

“I mean my shoes are pretty interesting,” she muttered. Lucas hummed placing a hand on her cheek making her look up and at him. Honestly why his hand so big, what business did they have been that big.

“I like you too obviously,” Lucas said. “I really have no idea why this became such a mess, I am sorry for lying though, I just wanted to know you even if it was a friend or not a friend who is a friend or whatever else we’ve explained our relationship as before,” he said lips quirked up in a smile. “Maybe we should just make it easier and I can be your boyfriend as in the single word type, not the whole boy who is a friend way,” he said.

Emily’s ears turned red as she nodded. “Okay,” she muttered. “We could do that,” she added. “If you want to?”

“Of course I do,” Lucas said rolling his eyes. “So cute,” he said kneeling down so Emily had no choice but to look at him.

“Okay,” she said. “So we are together now?” she asked as Lucas nodded grinning gleefully.

“Cool,” Emily said.

“Cool,” Lucas mimicked.