#to enter the building where my exam is today

[crackedpumpkin]

|| ʙʟᴀɴᴋ ᴄᴀɴᴠᴀꜱ || ᴘᴛ. ᴛᴡᴏ ||

[ 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 ] | [ 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 ] | [ 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 ]

The sun is annoying, and the world can survive without vegetables.

This is the conclusion you’ve drawn after waking up to warm, yellow rays that shine directly onto your closed eyes. You blink groggily, rubbing your tired eyes with a free hand while the other brushes your teeth. 

“Honey, you’re gonna be late!” 

You mumble out an incoherent reply to your mom from the bathroom, quickly tossing on a thin cardigan after rinsing your mouth to rid the intense menthol sting that lingers on your lips. Entering the kitchen once done, however, provides you with a delicious reminder of how amazing of a cook your mom is. 

You grab a fork, devouring the scrambled eggs on toast. Sriracha stains the plate as a result of your messy eating habits, placing the now-empty plate in the basin with a satisfied hum. “Thanks, Mama!” You grab your school bag and rush to the door. You pause at the small alcove before the door, stepping down and slipping on your shoes. 

“Bye, Mama! See you later!” You call out before shutting the door behind you. The walk to school is as usual, with loud car horns being beeped as people rush to work while you stroll past graffiti-filled walls on the side of buildings. The street outside your school is already crowded with various cliques chatting away, and you enthusiastically greet some of them with nods and half-smiles as you enter through the main gate.

You polish off your taco, throwing away your napkin after using it to wipe your lips of any grease stuck on them. You look up at the sound of your name being called, grinning once you see a short brunette walking down the hallway. “Morning,” You greet Nicole cheerfully, opening your locker and pulling out the textbooks and notebooks you need for the day.

“What’s with you today?” 

You hum at her question, glancing at her with a quick shrug as she scrolls through Instagram. Nicole’s the first friend you made here in Brooklyn High School after transferring here four months ago. She had been the first to approach you, asking to borrow a pencil after she forgot to bring hers to class. 

Like any other teenager being forced to move cities to somewhere completely new, you stick to her like glue after that, eventually infiltrating your way into her friend group. 

“You know me, studious and independent’s the vibe I got goin’ on,” You grin at Nicole, draping an arm around her shoulder and giving her an affectionate squeeze. She looks up from her phone with a frown, using her finger to push up her glasses which had slid down slightly from their usual perch on her nose.

“Don’t be so uptight,” You chuckle, nudging her side. She sighs, rolling her eyes in amusement instead. You’re interrupted from your conversation on where to hang out this weekend at your name being yelled out from a distance away. 

“Eyyyy, que pasa!” You laugh at Michael’s greeting as he comes up to you with an outstretched fist, bumping it gently after removing your arm from where it was resting around Nicole’s shoulders. “Have you studied for the quiz today?” He asks, slinging a casual arm around your shoulders while you walk down the hall with Nicole beside you. 

You hum with a quick shrug. “Think so?”

“Man, you gotta get your head down from the clouds, bro.” He chuckles, trying to move sneakily to stand beside Nicole, who simply holds up her hand, stopping him from coming any closer with a glare. He retracts the arm he’s about to sling around her shoulders with a sheepish grin, holding it up in surrender.

“Anyway,” He brushes off her clear rejection, focusing back on you, “I’m planning a hangout with a few friends to celebrate the end of exam season. You in?” You immediately nod with a wide grin, already excited at the thought of goofing around with your friends. 

“Of course, you’re invited too. Maybe we can have our own little hangout-” 

“I’d rather stab my right arm.” Nicole cuts him off with an angelic smile, though her venom-filled words elicit an amused laugh from Michael. “Ah, how I love that icy nature of yours,” He sighs with a shake of his head.

“Who’s coming?’ You ask absentmindedly, adjusting the two notebooks in your arms. 

“Jeremy, Ally, Geoff, Tiff, Miles…”

“Miles? As in, Miles Morales?” Nicole finally speaks, eyes wide in surprise.

“Who’s that?” You don’t recognise the name. The rest you’re familiar with, though. They’re all in Brooklyn High, just in different classes. You’d seen them in passing around the school, and they recognised you in turn as one of Michael’s friends. 

“Right, you don’t know him. He transferred a while before you joined. He’s in Brooklyn Visions now. Here,” Nicole holds up her phone to your face, and you squint at the picture on her screen. Huh. He’s kinda cute, you suppose.

“Cool. Guess we’ll meet during the hangout then.” You sit down at your desk, Michael sitting at the desk beside you while she takes her seat in front of you.

“Wait, how do you know Miles?” Nicole rolls her eyes as she turns around in her chair, placing her elbow on your desk as she leans on her palm. 

“He helped me out a couple of times.” She answers simply. Michael frowns slightly. “Were you two….?”

“Why? Are you going to be devastated if I say yes?” Nicole smirks. “Unfortunately, it’s actually because our moms knew each other.” She sighs, holding up her free hand to observe her nails.

Before Michael can respond, the bell rings to signal the start of classes. They pass by in a flash, and all too soon, you’re outside the door to the art classroom. You’re hesitant to enter, eyeing the doorknob as if it’d burn you as soon as you touch it. 

“Well? Will you stay outside collecting dust, or will you enter?” You flinch at the sudden voice, looking up to see Miss Dawson looking at you with an expectant gaze. Her arms are crossed, waiting for you to go inside. 

“Y-yeah, I was just about to, but then I realised I forgot my…. brushes?” 

“You stored them in my desk drawer last week because they were too heavy to carry home with you.” 

Damn it. You purse your lips, huffing at your forgetfulness. “Fine,” You mutter, grabbing the doorknob and turning it, walking to your usual corner of the room. You pull out your sketchbook and pencil case, leaning back in your chair and waiting for Miss Dawson to start her lesson.

“Today, I’ll be assigning you a task for your end-of-year exams. I know some of you are interested in building up your portfolio to apply for the Brooklyn Academy of Fine Arts or maybe even to other schools in different states.” You perk up slightly at the mention of art school, placing your hands on your sketchbook. Miss Dawson speaks slowly yet surely, looking at each student with pure conviction. When her gaze lands on you, you’re a hundred percent sure she can see every thought that crosses your mind, each doubt that lingers in your heart. 

“Your topic is, Your Favourite Scenery.”

Murmurs spread through the class, everyone looking at each other with worry. You bite your bottom lip, chewing on it in thought as you furrow your brows. Sure, the topic might seem simple enough on the surface, but the fact that it’s so broad is exactly what unnerves you.

Having a chosen topic is good as a guideline, even more so when you know precisely what your favourite scenery is. With the addition of inspiration and motivation, it’d be a breeze to complete.

The problem is, you have none of the above.

You’re not sure what scenery you enjoy, much less have a favourite. Sure, sunsets are pretty, and skyscrapers are cool, but not much really struck you as deeply. You’re made aware of Miss Dawson gesturing for you to come over to her desk, hesitantly standing up and walking there while everyone else is discussing among themselves about the topic given.

You part your lips to greet her, only to be cut off when she holds out her hand expectantly. You huff, handing her your sketchbook. She flips through the pages, frowning slightly when she sees the random doodles and mindless sketches until she stops on a specific one.

She hums, taking in whatever’s on the page. You can’t remember what you’ve drawn, but you’re more than reluctant to admit how much of a slump you’ve been in lately. It’s not like you can come into class, declaring your lack of talent whilst waving your hands in the air.

You focus on Miss Dawson's makeshift jar of pencils on her desk, recalling someone else gifting it to her for Teacher’s Day. The blunt nibs are a testament to how much she uses them, a bedazzled one drawing your attention. You pick it up, observing the tiny sequins firmly glued to the wood with a fascinated gaze. 

You flinch when Miss Dawson suddenly clears her throat, automatically moving your hands behind your back and focusing your attention back on her. “So, I assume you had an encounter with our city’s local hero?”

“How’d you know?” You ask, eyes wide in surprise. 

She simply turns the sketchbook around to face you, the sketch you’d made last night of Spiderman clear as day. Your cheeks warm, the drawing having slipped your mind. “Looking through your sketchbook, it’s obvious that you’ve been in a slump, honey. But this sketch…This is really good, maybe even one of the better ones you’ve done.”

“Thank you?” You’re not sure if she just complimented or insulted you. 

“Seeing him must have helped your inspiration somewhat, didn’t it?”

“I guess so. I dunno, it’s not like a switch I can turn on and off anytime I want.”

“Well, you’ll have to learn how to keep it on. And for this assignment in particular, I want you to focus not just on your favourite scenery. I want you to focus on what exactly makes it your favourite.” Miss Dawson hands the sketchbook back to you with a knowing smile, and you take it from her unsurely.

“Right…” You return to your desk with one dismissive wave from her hand, sitting back down with a defeated groan. You prop your chin onto your hand, staring at the sketch blankly.

An art slump is the worst. Besides, it’s just a drawing of Spiderman; although it is admittedly some of your best work, it’s not like you can just channel that again at the snap of your fingers.

You need inspiration. You need motivation. You need….a muse, which can only mean one thing.

You’re gonna attempt to find Spiderman.

Attempt #1: Have a friendly run-in!

“This is such a bad idea; why am I even trying to find a superhero? I’m literally just going to ask him to be my muse and he’s gonna say no, which is gonna be so embarrassing and I’ll never be able to show my face around here again and what if next time I’m being robbed he turns away because it’s me??”

“Okay, calm down. He’s not going to turn away because he rejected you, or he wouldn’t be a superhero. Also, you’re literally being paranoid because I’m not there with you.” 

You frown, pulling your phone away from your ear to check if it really is Nicole you’re calling. “That’s not true.”

“I know when you’re lying.”

“Okay, maybe I’m being slightly paranoid, but for good reason! Why can’t you just come with me? You’re good at getting people to do what you want.” 

Nicole’s soft chuckle somewhat relieves you, knowing she took it as a compliment. “I’d come over, but I have to help plan the outing with the group, remember? And I’m not the one with a ride to an Art Academy on the line - you are.”

“Wait, outing?”

“Yeah, remember this morning? You’ll meet Miles then; I think you’d get along. Anyway, you’ll do fine. Michael told me Spidey swings by the hotdog cart every Tuesday, so I guess it’s reliable information.” Nicole reassures you, though her last few emotions are filled with a tinge of doubt. She pulls the phone away to mumble something to someone, and you’re sure it’s an insult based on the irritated bite in her voice when she returns to the phone.

“Fine, I’ll see you tomorrow then…” You say reluctantly, unwilling to hang up the phone.

“Yeah, bye.”

The monotonous dial tone greets your ears after Nicole’s curt goodbye. You shut off your phone, flipping your sketchbook to an empty page with a sigh. You rifle through your pencil case, picking up the sequined pencil you’d accidentally taken from Miss Dawson and tapping it against the blank paper.

Draw your favourite scenery.

You look around, taking in the vibrant green trees and serene lake, the joyful laughter of children and parents filling the air. It’s peaceful. Dogs wander around, some leashed and some set loose. One approaches you, but you wave it away, flinching when it gets too close for comfort. It’s no longer peaceful.

“You can go away now…” You mumble, poking its side to hopefully urge it to move away from you. Your legs automatically move up to the bench, drawing your knees close to your chest. “Shoo, bad dog! Where’s your owner?” You glance up to check if their owner is nearby, only for your bedazzled pencil to be snatched out of your hands.

“Hey!” You exclaim angrily, reaching out to grab it from the dog’s mouth. You hesitate when you see the dog drool dripping onto the end of the pencil, eyeing it with a shudder. You take a moment to steel yourself, grabbing the slimy end with as much force as possible, trying to yank it free from its mouth. 

“Let go of my stuff! That’s not yours! I have to return it to Miss Dawson, you stupid dog!” Your grip slips, and you land on the ground with a yelp, wincing when your knee gets scraped by the coarse dirt through your ripped jeans. 

“Give it back!” You demand, lurching yourself forward and grabbing the pencil again. However, the dog growls playfully, thinking of it as nothing more than a game for entertainment. “This is why,” You grunt between shallow breaths, “I prefer cats!”

Your sketchbook had fallen beside you, the beautiful cover now stained with dirt. You narrow your eyes into a glare, scowling at the dog. “Let go!” 

It finally does, maybe because it sensed that you wouldn’t be playing with it. You fall back once more, your back hitting the ground harshly. The breath is instantly knocked out of your chest, and you inhale deeply, trying to force more air back into your lungs with a choked gasp. 

You sit back up, holding the pencil up victoriously until you remember that there’s dog drool all over your hand. You groan in disgust, searching for a tissue to wipe it off. Wait. Your sketchbook is missing. 

You look around frantically, only to see the exact same dog from earlier now burying a half-open sketchbook into the dirt. Your sketchbook. A strangled yell rips itself from your throat, practically throwing yourself at it with a glare that could rival even Karen herself. You push the dog away, scrabbling at the dirt to uncover your almost completely buried sketchbook. 

“Bye, Spiderman!” Your head instantly turns at the sentence, spotting the familiar black silhouette nodding his thanks to the hotdog cart owner, his hotdog securely held in his hand. He flicks his free hand and shoots a web onto the side of a building, beginning to leave.

“Wait! I have a ques-” 

He swings off into the distance, already blocks away in the span of a few seconds without hearing your cry. Your arm falls to your side, collapsing back onto the ground to catch your breath while your sketchbook lies buried in the dirt. 

Damn it.

Attempt #2: Get Mugged!

“God, I hope this works,” You mumble. The streets around you are dimly lit, and you’re armed with nothing more than your bulky pencil case and a whistle, both stored in the deep pockets of your hoodie. The handbag containing your wallet and phone bumps against your waist, the strap loosely slung across your shoulder.

You’re the perfect walking target to be mugged.

Granted, this is probably one of the worst ideas you’ve had in the history of bad ideas. The chilly Brooklyn night breeze tickles your ears with an icy breath, and your body gives an involuntary shiver. You scan the empty streets hopefully. When was Spiderman – or better yet, a robber, going to show up?

Whether it was desperation or pure adrenaline driving you forward at this point, you couldn’t tell.

But you’re here, and you’re determined to see things through.

Minutes pass of you wandering the dark streets like a fool, and you’re just about to head back home when you sense that something’s off. Your steps slow, and you hear someone else’s shoes scuffle a short distance behind you. 

You start to speed up, fingers gripping the heavy pencil case in your pocket. You’d been hit by it before by accident and did not get away unscathed by any means. Your heartbeat quicks its pace in your chest, sensing them get closer with each step. 

There he is.

You finally spot Spiderman chilling on the roof of a nearby apartment building, breaking into a run. The mugger behind you grunts in surprise, and you hear him start to run as well. Your breaths are short and ragged, and you finally reach just below the building. 

“Stop right there, missy!” Looking up from where you’ve bent over to catch your breath, you see the sharp knife blade held up at you. The robber is slouching, just as out of breath as you are. However, he straightens his back and flashes you a yellow-toothed smirk from under his cap, and you shudder at the bits of dirt clearly seen in his beard. 

You hold your arms up in surrender, risking a quick glance up, only for Spiderman to jump down and land smoothly right in front of you. “Hey man, didn’t your mother ever tell you not to play around with sharp objects?” He tuts, shaking his head as he uses his web shooter to tug the knife away from the robber.

The knife lands in his hands with ease, the robber immediately turning to flee. “I don’t like doing this bit, but you leave me no choice!” Spiderman does a quick frontflip and lands before the robber, grabbing his shoulder and tilting his head. “You should’ve known better,” You hear him scold, and spot a light blue electric current flowing from his fingers to the robber, knocking him unconscious. 

Spiderman lets go, taking a surprised step back as the robber falls to the floor, unconscious. He winces, dusting off his hands and walking toward you. “You shouldn’t come out here during the night,” He chides playfully, grabbing the knife that had fallen to the floor when he caught the mugger. “You’d be in a lot of trouble if I wasn’t here.”

“Yeah, thank you. Actually, I wanted to ask-”

“Whoop.” He cuts you off, glancing at his watch, “I’d love to stay and chat, but duty calls! You’re gonna want to take a right down here, another left, and then one more right and you’ll be at the main street. Stay safe!” He gestures down to a more brightly lit street, patting your back before shooting his web shooter at a nearby building.

“Wait- Ugh,” You groan in defeat, watching him swing off again without hearing your question. Your arm is outstretched, fingers barely brushing against his arm before he leaves. 

DAMN IT.

Attempt #3: If he doesn’t stop and listen to the goddamn question, you’re going to lose it.

“Calm down, pinto.”

“I spilt pinto beans on myself, one time, people. One. Time.” You frown, crossing your arms. Nicole smirks, shrugging nonchalantly in response. 

“Yeah, yeah. Michael told me that he saw your Spidey boy swing around the taco truck down the street a couple times every Thursday, so we should keep a lookout. Don’t want your sketchbook taken away from you again, do we?” 

“How does Michael even know all this?” You mumble. 

“Look, we don’t ask him questions, and he doesn’t ask us any. It’s a two-way street, pinto. Use those brains of yours.” You shove Nicole lightly with a roll of your eyes. Falling back, she leans against a wall, immediately pulling out her phone and scrolling through it. 

God, she has a serious internet addiction. You choose to scan the crowd instead, your gaze sweeping over the kids from the Brooklyn Visions Academy filling the street, having just gotten out of their clubs. You look somewhat out of place with your own uniform, shuffling your feet slightly when they glance over with confused gazes. 

You raise your brows in response to a few of them, and they leave with a haughty scoff. You roll your eyes. Stuck up snobs, the lot of them. Hopefully, the information Michael provided is accurate, though you’re sure you’ll never know where he gets it from. 

“Hey, is the bowling alley chill with you for the hangout? Miles sucks at bowling, so we can team up to obliterate the boys.” 

“Sure,” You reply absentmindedly, only to pause and turn to face her. “Is he not free to meet up before, though? I’d like to get to know him first, so it won’t be as awkward.” 

“Nah,” Nicole frowns at her screen, “He’s busy on all the days I suggested. Something about homework and stuff. Maybe he’s turned into one of the snobs.” She puts her phone away with a snort. “Also, there’s your Spidey-guy.”

“What?” True enough, he’s at the taco truck right now, ordering a taco and waiting patiently. Spiderman has to have lunch breaks too, you suppose. You watch him tap his fingers against the metal table, bobbing his head along to a beat playing in his mind.

You grit your teeth, grab your bag and keep your now clean sketchbook, having wiped off all the dirt with a cloth and the best surface cleaner you own back home. Your eyes shine with a determined glint, practically marching through the crowd to him.

“Hey!” You stumble back, looking down at the bright yellow mustard on your pristine white shirt. “Are you kidding me?” You growl in frustration, looking up to see a girl dressed in the Brooklyn Visions uniform holding up her ruined basket of fries, the small toppled tub now on its side and most of the sauce on you.

“Watch where you’re going!” She huffs, looking at you with pure disdain. 

“Watch where I’m going? Watch where you’re going!” 

Oh God, please let him still be there-

Spiderman is holding his taco now, trying to slip away through the crowd. Your eyes narrow into a glare, pushing past the girl with a muttered apology, running as fast as possible to catch up to the superhero.

You spot him jogging into an alleyway, following suit. You stop, however, when you see that it’s empty. “What?” You mumble, looking around frantically for him. You hear a loud coo, looking up to see the very hero you’re looking for crawling along the wall of the Academy dorms. 

“Wha-?” Now you’re baffled. You watch him reach a specific window, using an arm to open it and enter before sliding it shut behind him. Three floors up and the last one down the hall. Got it. You run to the entrance, only to be stopped by a security guard.

“Woah, woah, woah. Only students of Brooklyn Visions Academy are allowed inside.” He chuckles, holding a hand in front of you to stop you from entering. 

“No, you don’t understand! I need to talk to someone inside.” You try to plead, but he merely raises his brows. 

“Okay, what’s their name?”

“W-well. You see, here’s the thing.” You laugh nervously, rubbing the back of your neck. 

“Mmhm. Come back when you have their name, and I’ll call them down for you, okay?” He dismisses you, using his hands to turn your shoulders around. He pats your back slightly, sending you on your way.

You frown, brows furrowing in thought for a way to get in. Maybe Nicole would have an idea. She’s eerily good at stuff like this. Your feet pound against the pavement in a steady rhythm as you run back to where you had left her waiting.

“Nic!” You call out, panting heavily once you reach the girl who’s still in the same position as when you left. “I need help; I gotta sneak into the dorms of the snob school.” You say through your gulps for air, your lungs screaming for more oxygen.

“You need to sneak in?” She asks, looking up from her phone with raised brows.

“Yeah. I can’t explain right now, but I really need your help.” You confirm breathlessly.

She mulls over your plea for a moment before shrugging, moving away from the wall and pocketing her phone. She stretches her arm above her head momentarily. “Stay here.” She orders before stepping out of the alleyway and out of your sight. 

You wait, albeit impatiently, tapping your foot as urgency consumes you. Nicole soon returns with the Academy’s blazer in her hands, tossing it at you with a grin. “Got it for free; you can keep it. I gotta go for a study session. Will you be okay on your own?”

“Yeah, thanks, Nic.” She never fails to impress you every time. You thank her quickly before returning to the dorm entrance, wearing the blazer on the way. You halt once you reach it, keeping your head down and fastening the buttons securely, hiding the bright yellow stain on your shirt. 

God, it’s probably going to get onto the blazer too, you wince. Spotting a group of girls walking into the entrance, you jog over and stick close to them, walking past the security guard from earlier. 

Once you’re inside, your tense shoulders sag with relief, a massive weight being lifted off your chest. The atrium is pretty cool, but you don’t have time to admire any architecture right now. You glance at the two winding staircases, signs directing the students to the boys' or girls' side.

You recall the window being on the right side of the building, walking up the respective staircase. Luckily, not many students are around. Most of them have gone out. 

Third floor, last room down the hall.

You take the lift up, exchanging an awkward smile with another girl who’s clearly sneaking in as well. She gets off at the second floor, and you spam the button to close the lift doors. As soon as they close, you practically collapse against the wall with a long, drawn-out sigh of relief.

The lift doors open to the third floor. You peek your head out, looking around. Good, there’s no one.

Stepping out of the lift, you pause. Do you go right, left, or straight? From what you recall of the exterior structure, you’re pretty sure it’s the hall on your left. Steeling your resolve, you walk down the carpeted floor, your footsteps muffled. 

There it is, the room at the end of the hallway. You raise your hand, knocking on the hard wood once, twice, three times.

Silence is all that greets you.

“Is anyone there?” You call out softly. When no one responds, you grip the doorknob just to check. To your surprise, however, the door swings open with a single push, revealing the room inside. 

It wasn’t locked.

“Pardon my intrusion….” 

You step over a pile of clothes on the floor, your nose scrunching at the smell. Deodorant and musk fill the air. A picture frame sits on a desk to your left, with a photo of a short boy.

That can’t be him; his stature is too different.

Another picture sits on a small nightstand, and you pick it up to see a familiar face. The boy in the picture with his family is tall, with chocolate brown eyes and raven-black hair. You frown, tilting your head. Where had you seen him before…?

A soft thud draws your attention. Something had fallen to the floor from where it was squashed between the bedframe of the bunk bed and another piece of furniture. You bend down, picking it up. 

Spiderman’s mask hangs loosely in your grasp.

You look multiple times from the mask and the poorly-hidden suit to the picture, finally connecting the dots. You pull out your phone, hurriedly texting the one person who could confirm your surefire theory.

yo, Nic. send me the picture of the guy - Miles, i think? - Read, 2pm

Sure ig. dont go stalking him tho - Nicole, 2pm.

The strong vibration of your phone alerts you to a new text. You look down, thankful for Nicole’s fast reply. Opening the text, an image of the ever-so-elusive Miles Morales fills your screen. 

Oh my god.

Your eyes widen, your suspicions confirmed.

It can't be.

But it's the only explanation that makes sense. 

Miles Morales is Spiderman. Spiderman is Miles Morales.

You hide the mask back where it's dropped out of its hiding place, swallowing thickly when you hear the lift ding, making your swift exit.

Rushing down the hall, the last thing you expect is to bump against the very boy you’ve been looking for. You don’t dare risk a glance, recognising him just by his shoes alone. Ignoring his apology, you run off, making your exit.

Once you exit the dorm entrance, most of the tension leaves your body. Making your way back home, your mind reels from the discovery.

Miles Morales is Spiderman.

While you slip away from his notice, Miles spots something in his peripheral vision. His suit had fallen slightly out of his hiding place. Thinking nothing of it, he goes to stuff it back in when he sees a small spot of yellow on the side of his mask.

Yellow?

He brings the mask up to his nose and takes a sniff. His brows furrow at the familiar scent.

...Mustard?

He wipes it off with a shrug.

[tom-holland-stuff]

Displeasing Encounters & Passionate Debates // Chapter 2

My Masterlist

// Chapter 1 // Chapter 2 - mood-board // Chapter 3 //

Pairing: Coriolanus Snow x Fem!reader

Summery: After returning form district 12 Coriolanus snow has had everything handed to him on a silver platter. Wealth, status, power, he's got it all. What happens when he discovers that Dr Gaul, his mentor, has taken on a new assistant.

Warning: SFW - for now. Swearing. (let me know if i forgot any)

A/N: Hey Hey everyone, i'm so beyond glad that you all like chapter 1!! I honestly couldn't wait to share this next part with you all and i hope you enjoy it just as much if not more. Chapter 3 is actually already done, i just have to proof read and let me just say things will be gettin spicy...

Word Count: 2.3K

The past week has been less than manageable for Coriolanus. Around this time of year the capital enters into a season of continuous social events. From opulent galas to extravagant balls and leisurely brunches, every imaginable type of festivity adorned the calendar. Not that the capital is known for anything less than a good time, but at this time of the year it seems to be occasion after occasion.

Yet, for Coriolanus, these events were more burdensome than enjoyable, especially since the war. There was a time when his family flourished in these festivities, but even with his new found riches and elitist status, Coryo has not developed a likeness for these such things.

To compound matters, the university's exam period loomed over him like a menacing spectre, casting a shadow over his already overwhelmed schedule.

Buried under a mountain of study materials and invitations, Coriolanus finally found a momentary respite as he made his way to visit his mentor, Dr. Gaul. His interactions with her have been limited to brief consultations after her office hours or clandestine meetings in the university's labs, where time for anything beyond academic pursuits was a luxury he couldn't afford. Needless to say, Coryo is keen to return to the lab and commence working with Dr. Gaul.

He makes his way down the sleek hallways of the Citadel. Being a weekday in office hours the building is busier than he is used to seeing it. People clad in white coats smoothly streamline through the halls at a steady pace.

Within no time he is approaching the all too familiar doors to the main lab. The surroundings jog memories from the past few weeks when he has attended brisque meetings with the professor,

because no matter how brief his meeting may have been he always managed to run it her. 

Y/n would always be seated in the same position as she was when they first met, and every-time he would walk past they would acknowledge each other with a harsh stare. If Coriolanus didn't know any better he would think her resting face was a constant look of utter displeasure. 

What a waste of a pretty face.

He quickly shakes his head, disgusted with the fact that he even conjured those words in his mind. 

The distasteful thought prompts him to look to his side ready to engage in the brief - displeasing interaction. But to his surprise, the desk is empty. 

A wave of relief washes over him, mingled with a tinge of curiosity.. 

He tries to affirm to himself that he is relieved to not have to see her face today, but he can’t help but wonder why y/n is not seated in her usual station.

His relief, however, was short-lived, replaced by a sense of unease as he collided with something—or rather, someone—unexpectedly.

It makes a disgruntled huff, causing Coryo to look down in the direction of where his body made impact. There he sees y/n. Kneeling on the floor in front of him…

She scrambles to pick up the papers and folders that are now in a heap on the floor. 

Coriolanus makes no attempt to help her, rather he watches in amusement. As she struggles to regain her composure, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.

He crosses his arms and looks down on her. 

Once she has pulled herself together and neatly stacked her paperwork, y/n looks up at Coryo with a piercing gaze, still kneeling at his feet. 

His smirk drops as an unfamiliar feeling rushes over him, far to aware of the site he finds himself in. The position he and y/n found themselves in went from funny to…. to….

He can’t think of a word to describe it. (or he'd rather not think of it)

He takes a step back to give her some space to stand, her eyes never leaving his. 

“How kind of you to offer me help'' she states, words dripping in sarcasm. Seemingly unaffected the same way he was.

Coriolanus quickly straightens himself and plasters that dumb smirk back on his face.

“You're very welcome,” he grins, matching her tone.

With that, y/n huffs and rolls her eyes, making her way back to her desk.

Coriolanus takes this as his cue to continue his venture into the lab, but he can’t help but look back and examine y/n as she annoyedly rummages through her now disorganised papers. He can’t seem to shake that odd feeling he experienced before. So rather he focuses on how her current displeasure brings him joy.

As the days passed, Coriolanus's encounters with Y/n grew increasingly frequent, each interaction punctuated by a palpable sense of discord. Whether it was their chance collisions in the university halls or their confrontations in Dr. Gaul's lectures, their dynamic seemed fraught with unresolved tension.

That brings us to the present moment. Coryo was attending university, walking through the halls with his fellow peers when he once again hit something hard as he turned a corner 

For god's sake, he thinks. 

And then he looks down...

For fuck's sake

One the ground once again is y/n scrambling to pick up the papers she had dropped… once again.

“Are you following me?” he asks semi-demandingly, annoyance hidden in the back of his throat.

y/n Stands up and quickly straightens her self “for me to have been following you would require me to watch where you're going, and based off our collision i would say no” she says matter of factly, barely even looking at him as she flicks through her papers to make sure they are all in order.

Coriolanus gives her a once over. Y/n is not dressed in her typical business attire, instead she adorns a crisp white lab coat and red scrub like top and pants.

Before he is able to say anything else, y/n squeezes between Coriolanus and his friends in the direction of Dr. Gauls office he assumes. As she moves she brushes past him, the contact making his nostrils flare in annoyance. 

And He Prays that he doesn't have to see her aggravating face again… for at last a while 

Coriolanus is not a religious person, but he is certain now if there is a god they definitely do not faver him. Not even a few hours later he is entering one of the university's lecture halls for Dr. Gauls tutorial in (think of a name for a subject that discusses the ethics of the hunger games) and there she is, Y/n, standing in the centre of the room taking notes as Dr. Gaul speaks to her.

The lecture hall is shaped like an amphitheater of sorts. Levels of chairs with desks cascade down and around a flat space in the middle of the room, similar to a stage. 

Coriolanus moves quickly to a seat not wanting to give y/n the satisfaction of his attention (not that she was looking anyway). 

As the class settles and Dr. Gauls takes her place in the centre to address her eager students, y/n sits down at a small desk on the floor, its space occupied with what looks like an acrylic black box, its colour a stark difference to the rest of the room. Coryo now can’t help but stare now as y/n reaches into the box… no cage, and pulls out a white snake.

y/n holds it softly in her hands as it weaves around her expenditures. She lifts the snake above her head and places it around her neck, it looked to be maybe two feet long, it wrapped it's self easily around her shoulders.

He brings his attention back to Gaul as y/n’s head shoots up in his direction. Quickly settling his gaze away he tunes into what his professor is explaining.

“This new form of technology allows the wearer of the device, similar to a headband, to control their chosen mutt , making them do as they wish. The device scans and mimics the waves made by our brain and delivers them to the chip implanted in the mutt's nervous system through electromagnetic currents.” 

Dr Gaul then turns in y/n’s direction, silently giving her a cue to demonstrate. Y/n looks at the snake and it pauses for a second, as if they are having a mental discussion, and then wraps itself around her torso, spiralling down her frame until it reaches the floor.

The reptile makes its way towards the stairs of the auditorium, swiftly slithering off the hardwood floor. Gasps and small squeals can be heard as the snake passes under Students feet, making its way higher and higher. Clemensia Dovecote lets out a blood curdling scream and stands on her table as the snake passes her bye. Unfazed the slithering creature makes a direct line for Coriolanus's table. 

The Reptile wraps itself around Coryo’s leg, spiralling upwards until it lays atop his desk.

He is Tensing every muscle in his body, Coriolanus didn't hate snakes but he certainly wasn’t fond of them (not having a great history with them himself). The slithering creature lifts its body up until its face to face with Coryo.

Its stark black tongue darts out rhythmically as it tastes the air, The dark colour contrasts the unnaturally silky white scales that adorn its body.

Coriolanus scrunches his face in unpleasantness. 

And then, as if it was able to register Coryo’s distaste for it, the snake let out a violent hiss, spreading its mouth open and flashing its fangs. He tries his best not to flinch, but he can’t help but lean back as the snake halls itself higher arching its body as if it was reading to strike.

“Thank you y/n” Dr Gaul’s voice echoes through the room and the snake freezes.

Coriolanus dosen’t let his gaze fall from the snake until it begins to move. He follows it with his eyes as it slithers away, noticing y/n now positioned directly in front of his desk. The snake curls around her arm and makes its way to her shoulders where it hangs comfortably.

“If i didn’t know any better i’d say you were afraid” Y/n taunts as she strokes the body of the reptilian creature. 

“You must be mistaking me for Clemmy here” he deflects her comment and points notedly at his peer who still remains curled up in her chair shaking with her eyes closed. 

y/n simply hums, and brings her attention back to the blonde haired boy in front of her.

Just as he thinks she is about to walk away the snake darts out, mere inches from Coriolanus's face. He only allows himself to get a glimpse of its sharp fangs before he screws his eyes shut.

Y/n chuckles deeply, the snakes behaviour clearly still under her command.

“Get that vile creature away from me before I turn into a belt myself” Coriolanus spits out, his words laced with venom.

“Now, now…” y/n tuts, slowly stroking the back of the snake as it resumes its position on her frame.

“... you should know better than to insult your own kind” she smirks.

y/n swiftly walks away before Coryo is able to get a last word in

The nerve on this bitch

He is barely able to focus on the rest of the lecture, far too riled up by the class's previous events. He sits rigid in his chair, nostrils flaring as he stares y/n down for the remainder of the class.

She however, never once looks back in his direction, but oh he knows she can feel his burning gaze by the way she shifts almost awkwardly, forcing herself to place her eyes anywhere other than him.

He barely even registers that the lecture is being dismissed until students begin to push past his desk. He reaches down for his bag and makes an effort to leave his chair, stopped by the sound of Dr. Gauls voice ringing through the almost empty hall. 

“Mr. Snow, a moment” she beckons him.

He makes his way steadily down the stairs of the room. Reaching the lower level, he surveys the area quickly, eyes falling on y/n as she whispers something to the black box that now holds the reptilian mutt, eyes locking with his. He refuses to look away, attempting to assert some sort of superiority to her. 

y/n narrows her eyes fiercely at him, picking up the cage and walks out of the room. 

Coriolanus shifts his attention back to his mentor. 

“In such fast paced times, one can only spread themselves so thin” Dr. Gaul plainly states. Unsure what she is vaguely referring too, Coriolanus offers her a curt nod in acknowledgment.

“I have a request,” she continues. 

“In the next coming nights there is to be a gala of sorts and i require you to be in attendance”

Coriolanus holds himself higher, the flattery of the innovation overpowering his distaste for such events. 

“Thank you, Dr. Gaul. i would be honoured” he asserts.

Dr. Gauls' already wicked grin grows wider, sinister even. She chuckles deeply, amused.

“How wonderful ... y/n and yourself will have the most splendid of times”

Are. 

you. 

Fucking. 

Serious. 

His jew clenches, he wishes he was able to protest. Instead he simply offers a strict nod in Dr. Gauls direction and races out of the room. 

As he leaves the lecture hall, Coriolanus found himself consumed by a turbulent mix of emotions—anger, frustration, and a gnawing sense of unease.

His interactions with Y/n had left him unsettled, his usual facade of indifference crumbling in the face of their escalating conflict. The prospect of spending more time in her company filled him with a sense of dread, his resentment simmering beneath a veneer of polite acquiescence.

As he swiftly makes his way through the halls of the university, wishing nothing more than to forgot the events of today, he swears he can hear the echoing of Dr. Gauls amused laugh.

what a strange, strange women.

A/N: Soooooooo... what did we think?? what are your guy's thoughts on whats to happen next? please let me know if you have any suggestions ideas or ask me a question x you can do that here.

Also i don't give permission for my work to be posted without credit or whatever.

TAG LIST // Let me know if you want to be tagged!!!

@secretsicanthideanymore

[strawberryblue-blog]

neighbors in trouble part 2. —Gavi.

summary: After having meetings for a while, you realize that it is much more than sex. first part.

warnings: YES. +18. smut.

words count: +2.5k.

#SEXYNOTE: English is not my first language, I apologize for any mistakes. To the anonymous person who gave me the idea i love you 🩵

The starry night lit up when you poked your head out of the balcony smelling the fresh air rushing by.

"Hey" a hoarse voice greeted you, you turned your body as you heard your neighbor.

"Hi Gavi" you greeted leaning over the balcony railing, seeing the boy in his typical workout outfit.

"Rough day?" he asked doing the same as you.

You lifted your shoulders snorting. It had been quite a busy day, you had been working on a report and reading books for hours, but now you felt calm and relaxed as you arrived home.

"How about you?" you replied when you saw the tension in his name.

Gavi used to look more relaxed sometimes but today you were surprised to see him a bit tense when you went out on the balcony.

Especially because he didn't respond. He just stood there and looked at you with those eyes. He looked tired and stressed, the training had surely been heavy.

"I need you, baby" he admitted when you smiled at him as you felt your body vibrate.

His voice sounded caramel and it had an effect on you, something that was fucking exciting for you. So you moved close enough towards his balcony, as he was just a few inches away from yours until you saw him up close. Gavi reached out his hand and stroked your arm. He shook his head, beckoning you over.

With that you understood everything, you entered your apartment and he also entered yours, closing the balcony windows until you were inside your room. You ran to the door, crossing the short corridor that united you and at the moment you opened his door without security, you were cornered against it while Gavi kissed you fiercely.

You had missed your neighbor, you weren't going to deny it.

Now, Gavi's hands knew your body to perfection as they cupped your bare thighs, caressing them and your fingers anchored themselves in his locks of hair, tugging at it. You both gasped when your center rubbed against their crotch as Gavi took the time to kiss every nook and cranny of your skin, filling them with lust and longing to be felt.

"If you didn't show up tonight, I was going to come for you myself" he murmured unhinged with desire. A chuckle escaped your swollen lips.

"You really had a bad day" you teased grabbing him by the collar.

He narrowed his eyes nodding. "And I was really looking forward to seeing you" he squeezed your ass, making you gasp.

"To see me or fuck me?" you questioned amused.

"To fuck you i have to see you, right?" he laughed looking at you as he bit his lip.

What you guys had was hard to explain. Neighbors with benefits? Neighbors who helped each other? You didn't quite know but since what had happened that night, you hadn't been able to take your eyes (and other things) off your sensual neighbor.

You were kind of like friends who fucked and helped each other. It was nothing serious but something like a relationship where you didn't need labels and each one decided whether to continue or not. Kissing and touching was something you did often when you were together.

You were attracted to each other, yes. But only enough to fuck and then move on with their lives. You had been doing it for a few months since you first met and nothing had changed between you.

You both lived in the same building it was obvious that you passed each other and saw each other all the time but you acted like you didn't know each other or sometimes just said hello. Whatever you had only worked within the four walls and involved you both naked and full of pleasure.

Pablo trained every day, while you were 100% dedicated to your classes and exams. And although it's still very unclear how you got to this point, you both used to call each other when you needed to relieve stress. So just going out to the balcony or knocking on the door was enough to give Gavi permission to fuck you uncontrollably.

You still remembered how his lips had felt for the first time, the night you came to ask him for silence, two hours later you were making all the noise in the world while he fucked you like an animal. Just like now. On his bed, as your hands squeezed his muscular back and his hands spread your legs to settle between them.

"You're so fucking beautiful" he moaned against your breasts, sucking them vehemently.

A chuckle came out of your mouth as you heard it.

"I told you pretty words aren't your thing, Gavi" you teased amused. His face became more serious.

"Can't i say something nice to you for once?" the question took you by surprise.

Of course he could. But he never done it before, even though he tried the first time.

You nodded a little, biting your lip. He really thought you were beautiful? Your heart skipped a beat at the thought of his words. You moved closer to him and kissed his lips tenderly in an aggregate way feeling your belly stir.

His lips took your nipples again as he felt them so needy for pleasure, teasing you when you squealed at the pain he exerted when he bit it. A pleasurable pain that coursed through your whole body and anchored itself in your crotch.

"I'm going to fuck you so hard, baby" he indicated taking off his pants and his underwear.

"That's more your thing" you smiled grabbing him by the back of the neck to slam your lips against his all at once.

It didn't take him long to move his hand down to your panties, touching you over them and then moving them to the side making sure you were ready to receive him and shit you were. A loud squeal came out of your mouth when Gavi entered you without warning, entering your body desperate to have you. His hand held you tight when his lips released you, still stunned by his action.

His hand took place on your hips, while the other one held against the mattress so as not to fall on top of you. Pleasure began to invade every corner of your bodies as Pablo continued to move inside you, in a hard, steady thrust that was driving you crazy.

It was hard to control the noises coming out of your mouth, as Gavi's cock made it almost impossible. You loved it so much, it filled you so much, it made you feel so good. Who knew you would start needing each other, asking for each other, enjoying each other after that time, something you would have never thought of doing. Something that started as a romp and ended in thousands of hot sessions of pleasure every now and then.

Now his hand left your mouth and was replaced by his lips, kissing you wildly to silence you moans. His lips were lovely and you felt it so intimate, so delicate.

It felt so good.

Every time Gavi fucked you it was fantastic. Even before you didn't care so much about sex but since that day you couldn't stop feeling wanted. Your relationship was weird and not as normal as any other, you knew Pablo would be there for you when you wanted to fuck but he would also be there if you needed a shoulder to cry on or someone to come out and clear your head when everything was bad. Because that's what he did when you were tired or needed a friend.

Although you'd always prefer to have him on top of you, fucking you like it was the last time you ever did it. Feeling the pleasure in every fiber of your bodies, feeding off each other, trusting and being free.

Gavi knew every part of your body and you knew about his, what you liked and what you hated, how he liked it and what you didn't. What you two had felt intimate and dirty at the same time, like fucking your apartment neighbor and then acting like complete strangers. You complemented each other so well when you were together and you didn't need anyone's permission or approval. Just each other's and you were doing a great job with that.

"Look at me, Y/n" he asked as your hips lifted to generate more friction. Orgasm was very close and Gavi knew it. "Look at me" he said again.

Your eyes focused on his and although it was hard to keep them open because of the amount of pleasure you were feeling, you were able to look at him as he wanted. Your hands held his chest and the penetrations were erratic, unbridled, desperate.

"Look at me making love to you" he whispered as his forehead rested against yours.

His words sent an electric current coursing down your back, sparks erupted from their bodies as his gaze remained glued to yours. The gleam in his eyes were like lanterns of light and you knew yours also looked like sparkles in the darkness.

He was making love to you. It wasn't just sex.

Maybe the first few times and for a few months but not today. Today it wasn't just sex. And you were loving it. You were enjoying it and you wanted me to make love to you.

He wanted to watch you as he made love to you, wanted to see how your body reciprocated his, how you took what he was giving you, how you felt what he felt. And shit, you felt it. You'd felt it from the first moment he showed up on the balcony today, you'd felt it two days ago when it was the last time you fucked, you'd felt it a few weeks ago.

You were his.

You loved his eyes. The black color that stood out of them when he laughed, how delicate his white skin looked when you were close to him, his strong arms taking you and holding you, his slender fingers when they touched your skin, his smile when he said goodbye to you after their encounter.

You loved everything about him.

How he would get overprotective when he saw you coming home with your friends, when he pretended to be sick so you would take care of him, when he called you at night to see if you were okay.

And now you were making love.

Maybe all this time you had been doing it but none of you wanted to admit it. Out of fear or denial but you were in love. You were stubborn and neither of you wanted to lose the fight, but you were right for each other.

Your hands ran up his chest gently, groped his neck and wrapped around his face as the pressure in your belly increased. You wanted to see him making you orgasm, you wanted him to see how he made you feel. Your legs trembled around your body and as you let yourself go, fire swept through your system. You screamed his name in a moan as your expressions went out of control, your vision blurred but through the clouds you could see how the orgasm was now hitting Gavi, grunting and penetrating you harder in the perfect place. His eyes lingered on yours as you felt his liquid spill inside you, hot and thick. His thrusts stopped as the spasms continued in you and Gavi's body fell over yours.

Her breaths were ragged and it was the only thing you could hear in the room, not a word. Her head rested on your chest as she tried to catch her breath and you froze. It was so much information to process, your mind was blank. You had just had the best orgasm of your life making love to Pablo Gavi.

Damn it. This was not what they had planned. And you were terrified.

"Are you okay?" he asked getting up a little to look at you. You nodded with a half smile.

"I... I don't know what to say" you said in a daze.

You really had so many things to say but you didn't know where to start.

"About what?" he said settling in next to you.

"About what just happened" you answered quickly turning to look at him.

"You made love to me" you mentioned without compunction.

"Yeah and what abour that?"

"I mean, we made love" you corrected.

"Do you want a statement or something?" he questioned with a laugh.

"What do you mean?" you hesitated. You were confused and had a hard time understanding his expressions.

Gavi sighed sitting up to see you face to face. Your stomach churned and your heart started beating as if you were running a marathon.

"Pablo..." you called out to him at his silence. His hands cupped your belly and pulled you close enough to him to make all your hair stand on end.

"I really like you" he admitted. "I want to be with you all day long, every minute I think about when I'll see you again, I wonder if you'll be excited to see me. I miss every second your body, your lips, everything about you" he kept saying and his words crashed in your chest. "I want to go out with you, for you to meet the guys, my parents, sister, I want to take you out to dinner, buy you things and then come back with you here"

Your heart started to jump in your chest, your cheeks were starting to burn and your desire to kiss him increased as you saw him there.

"Do you understand what I'm saying?" he whispered at your silence. "Y/n?" he insisted.

A small smile appeared on your lips and widened as you moved closer to him to embrace him. The embrace was so warm and magical that butterflies began to fly in your belly beneath his hands.

Yes you understood, because you had felt that way too. You saw each other every day and each time you became anxious for more, sometimes you even thought you were obsessing but it wasn't just that.

"I want this" you said with conviction. "I want you, Gavi" your body was surrounded by his as your back pressed against his chest.

"I think I'm in love with you" You whispered.

You could feel his heart beat in rhythm with yours and it made you smile with happiness. Cuddled naked on his bed where you had just made love.

Where it had all begun.

"I love you, Y/n" he said in your ear.

Hearing those words sent your system into an uproar, they sounded so cute coming out of his mouth and it felt so special. For the first time you felt like your world was being pulled into an unexplainable experience. Your feelings were true for him, always had been.

You were in love with Gavi. And you were going to try. Together.

[levihanskid]

‘Till the End of the Line: Bakugo Katsuki’s Twin AU chapter 2

Ch1 ao3 link wattpad link i'm sorry this took so long, vet school is killing me ;-; this chapter has been sitting in my drafts for so long but the latest episode made me finally do it

The following months have been extensive for both Katsuki and Mitsuko. They tried to be consistent with their morning runs, but there were times where one or both of them would sleep in. Mostly Mitsuko, which pissed her twin a lot. After school, they would spend an hour improving their physical condition and stamina, and another hour training with their quirks. All while trying to keep up with their studies and reviewing for the entrance exam.

Ten months had passed, and the twins are now walking towards the enormous gates of UA High School. They took the written exam a few weeks ago, which was easier than they expected. Today is the day that the twins are anticipating the most, the practical exam. Mitsuko felt a mix of emotions as she looked up the school’s crest on top of the gate. She’s nervous, but at the same time she’s excited and can’t wait to put her training to use.

As they entered the school grounds, a familiar curly green hair caught her eyes. “Hey look, it’s your bff,” she nudged her brother.

From a few feet away, Midoriya Izuku stood at the middle in deep thought. Probably freaking out on the inside.

“Out of the way Deku!” Katsuki yelled.

“Kacchan! Micchan!” Izuku called in surprise.

Mitsuko visibly cringed at the nickname he used to address her and eyed the boy. “I told you to stop calling me that.”

“Move it! Or I’ll kill you!” her brother spat, unaffected by the childish nickname.

The boy immediately stepped out of the way and stuttered. “G-good morning! Let’s uh— let’s do our best!”

The twins didn’t say anything back, but she gave him a small smile before continuing to walk to the building.

“Isn’t that Bakugo? From the Sludge Villain Incident?”

“Yeah. And that’s the girl from the video. They’re twins aren’t they?”

Mitsuko is used to people murmuring about them, given that her brother is a big show off. This isn’t the first time they had people talking about something that one of them did, so she chose to ignore the whispers and looked ahead.

Inside the auditorium, they were greeted by the Voice Hero, Present mic. Mitsuko sat next to her brother, as well as Izuku who chose to be seated next to them and is currently fan boying over the pro hero at the podium. Katsuki tried telling him to shut up, but the boy kept muttering to himself and Mitsuko had to lean away from his direction to avoid getting distracted.

“As the application says, you’ll be participating in a ten minute battle in a mock city. Get ready! After this, you will head to your assigned battle center.”

She looked at her examination card, and then glanced over her brother’s.

“In other words, they’re not letting friends work together, huh?”

“You’re right,” Izuku agreed, his eyes glued to the blonde boy’s card. “We have consecutive numbers, but different centers.”

“Don’t look, want to die?” Katsuki threatened. “Tch. Now I can’t crush you, damn it.”

His last words made the curly boy move away a bit and turn his attention back to the stage.

“Makes sense,” Mitsuko whispered, her focus still on her card which displayed a letter C while her brother got A. “The exam is meant to test our individual abilities. They wouldn’t want us to tag-team.”

Present Mic continued his presentation. He went on to inform them about the types of mock villains they will be facing and that each type represents 1, 2, and 3 points each. They were also told about the gimmick villain that they’re supposed to run away from since it’s just there to cause trouble and not give points.

She played with her fingers as she tried to listen, making sure she knows every detail.

“Stop fidgeting,” her brother snapped. “It’s annoying. Why are nervous anyway?”

“I don’t know. It’s a mix between excitement and anxiety. And this orientation is taking so long,” she replied, intertwining her fingers to keep them steady.

“You’re right. We’ve heard enough, I can’t wait to crush those bots. Think you can get a hundred points?” her twin asked, still looking ahead. Although it’s obvious that he’s also starting to get restless.

“A hundred might be impossible, considering the time limit, the competition, and the fact that we won’t have any idea where the villains would be.”

“I can make it possible,” he brother scoffed. “And I’ll make sure to get the first spot.”

“Is that a challenge?” she raised a brow. “Whoever gets less points have to do the other’s chores for two weeks, then.”

Katsuki grinned at the raised stake. “Deal. Let’s show these extras how it’s done.”

***

Mitsuko tried containing her loud heartbeats as she stood before the door where the exam is going to take place. After the orientation, they were directed to change out of their middle school uniforms and get on the bus that would take them to their respective battle centers. She had changed into a white racerback tank top and some sweat pants.

The format of the test is very fortunate for her, since her quirk can easily be utilized. She imagined how those with quirks that only works to people would do against robots.

“Let’s do our best!” she heard an excited voice. Mitsuko looked over her shoulder to see a girl with pink hair and pink skin talking to the people around her with no tinge of awkwardness. They locked eyes for a moment.

“Huh? Why do you look familiar?” the girl looked at her with a hint of recognition.

Before she could respond, the voice of the hero Present Mic echoed through the speakers.

“Start! What are waiting for? Real fights don’t have countdowns!”

Mitsuko didn’t waste any second and ran inside the training grounds, using her quirk to propel herself forward.

She saw a couple of number 1 and 2 robots straight ahead. Without any hesitation, she pointed her palms toward them and willed her quirk out. Her forearms glowed in bright white-yellow color. The light traveled onto her hands into her palms before blasting to the direction of the robots. They exploded with the contact, leaving electric sparks and smokes.

“Nice quirk ‘ya got there,” a voice from behind commented. Mitsuko whirled around and saw a boy approaching her. He’s got blonde hair and gray eyes, but what caught her attention (in a bad way) was the annoying smug face that he has.

She didn’t reply, so the boy continued. “Must be nice having a quirk so flashy, huh?”

He tapped her on the shoulder, and a look of recognition flashed across his face for a second, before being replaced with a smirk. “Weren’t you that girl from the video? Didn’t expect you to be here after all that shit talking to those heroes.”

The smirk was one thing, but his words made Mitsuko’s blood boil. Her red pupils dilated and her right eyebrow raised as she tried to stop herself from blinding the guy. She shouldn’t be distracted right now.

Another batch of robots showed up, and she thanked the heavens for giving her an excuse to walk away from where she’s currently standing.

“Sorry, but I don’t have time for a chitchat,” she said in a monotone voice, swatting the guy’s hand away from her shoulder.

She ran to destroy the robots, but before she could stretch her hands out, quick flashes of light reached and blasted them into pieces. No, those were not just lights, they look too much like hers.

She looked back to where the lights came from, confusion clearly visible from her face.

“Whoops! Sorry for stealing points from ‘ya, but I gotta do what I gotta do, don’t ‘ya think?” it was the same blonde guy, still wearing his irritating smirk. He turned on his heel and began walking away. “I’ll be having this flashy quirk for a while, better make use of it!”

Those words confused her even more. Did he just get her quirk?

She shook her head and put her focus back on the exam. Shit. Was he trying to stall me for some reason?

The exam just started, but she could’ve gotten more points if she wasn’t standing around having a one sided conversation with that guy. She can’t afford to waste more time.

She flew around the grounds looking for more targets, blasting her quirk backwards to levitate and propel herself faster. Taking down every robot she encounters along the way as quickly as she could.

She was at 23 points, if she counted correctly, when she reached the area where a lot of the kids are gathered. Present Mic’s voice echoed through the speakers again.

“We have reached the half time!! Five minutes left before the exam ends!!!”

She saw a bunch of robots with different points surrounding the students. More people means more robots to see them as targets. Just as she figured.

Mitsuko jumped over, smirking in satisfaction as she shot her quirk out at every single robot within her sight while using her flexibility and agility to maneuver herself.

The kids stared at her in awe. “What an awesome quirk she’s got.”

“Isn’t she the girl from that one video?”

“Hey! Leave some points for us!” one of them shouted out.

She continued gathering points, keeping herself airborne using her quirk and sometimes stepping on the robots to use them to keep her momentum. She kept going, faster and quicker, not letting the others steal points from her again.

By the time her feet touched the ground, all of the robots around the area were already blown into bits. Mitsuko wiped the sweat from her forehead and tightened her ponytail. She also noticed her arms glowing a bit. She must’ve used up the stored energy in her body since it’s currently absorbing sunlight again.

“You are so cool!! Those movements were amazing! You look like you could be a great dancer!” the same pink girl ran to her with enthusiasm. Mitsuko just noticed a pair of horns protruding out from her pink curly locks.

“I don’t dance,” she replied, looking around for more robots to destroy. She realized she lost count of her points after her exhibition earlier.

“Really? You should try! The way you’re moving while fighting is awesome!”

“I came here to be a hero, not a dancer,” Mitsuko cut the girls’ blabbering. “Sorry, but I really don’t have the time to–“

The ground shook, and a loud grumbling mechanical sound cut her last sentence. She looked up to see a huge robot approaching. It’s the zero point they were supposed to run away from.

Anyone with no balls would run away from that thing, all right. She thought to herself.

“Let’s go! That’s a no-pointer!” the pink girl pulled the back of her top.

Before they could take a step back however, the robot continued to stroll through the streets, destroying the buildings and causing debris to fall down.

Talk about keeping the damage to a minimum!

People began to scatter in a panic. Everyone was pushing trying to run away.

A huge piece of the building’s wall caught Mitsuko’s attention. It was plummeting into the direction of the students, specifically the pink girl. Mitsuko didn’t even realize that the girl started running off. The girl was looking over her left shoulder, seemingly trying to call Mitsuko to join the retreat. While the debris was coming from her right side, a complete blind spot.

She hasn’t trained much to target moving objects, not to mention fast ones. So she decided not to try and shoot it while it’s falling down.

Her next action was caused by the heat of the moment. It was a crazy idea, but she prayed it would work.

Mitsuko ran towards the girl faster than the rock. When she reached her, she pushed the girl out of the way and produced the strongest energy barrier she could muster. It was a move she’s been improving for the past year. It worked against her brother’s attacks, so she’s hoping that it’ll work against the huge piece of rock.

It did. Sort of.

She was able to stop the debris without her barrier faltering, but its weight and momentum was too heavy. She couldn’t free a hand to blast the rock into pieces. Now she’s stuck holding both her hands up to maintain the barrier.

She heard the pink girl grunt from behind her, and a spray of acid splashed onto the lower part of the rock causing it to move a little. In that given moment, Mitsuko quickly released her barrier and used her quirk again to make the rock explode.

The debris was casting a shadow over her so unlike before, her arms seemed to glow brighter. The rock blew up into pieces, but her body continued to glow a little as it absorbed sunlight to compensate for the energy she just lost.

Mitsuko turned around, panting as bits of sweat began forming on her forehead. She saw the girl trying to stand on her feet, but she couldn’t seem to put weight on her left foot.

“Can you run?” Mitsuko asked.

“No, I think I sprained my ankle from falling down earlier. Why’d you have to push me so hard anyway?!” the girl exclaimed.

“Huh!?” Mitsuko’s brows furrowed. “How is that my fault?! I just saved your ass!”

They didn’t have more time to argue, because the zero-point robot was nearing their position. As much as she hated it, Mitsuko took the girl’s arm over her shoulder and began moving. The people had thinned out, the other examinees must’ve managed to run off far from where they were.

Great. That just made their situation worse, because now the only targets the robot has was the two of them. And it’s currently aiming its enormous metal hand to swat them like little flies.

Despite trying to convince herself that UA wouldn’t allow anyone to get killed for an entrance exam, Mitsuko’s wracking nerves still got the best of her.

With gritted teeth, she let go of the girl’s arms, “Take cover!” she yelled and turned around to face the giant villain. She raised her arms, still glowing from the absorption, and waited for the perfect time to blast. But before that perfect time came, she felt a sudden smack behind her head.

Anger and confusion took over her as she tried to process what just happened. Mitsuko looked around with furrowed brows and saw a guy walking past her.

The annoying blonde kid from earlier stood in front of her and threw an energy blast towards the hands of the robot. Just like their first encounter, his blast looked so much like her quirk. The villain stopped, and the boy snickered before looking back at her. “I never planned to go after the gimmick, but I thought you needed saving,” he said in an arrogant voice which made Mitsuko’s mind ring in irritation.

“YOU FUCKING COPYCAT!” she began stomping towards him.

“Oh, you finally figured it out? You’re welcome, although that’s not a very nice nickna—“

“ARE YOU STUPID?! THAT ATTACK WAS SO WEAK IT WON’T EVEN MAKE A SCRATCH!”

There was a loud metallic creaking sound. Mitsuko looked up, the smokes are gone so she could clearly see how right she was. The robot is still standing, not even a dent could be seen in its huge hands that is now coming down to them faster than before.

She muttered a curse before running to the right side, leaving the other two frozen in their place. When she reached the right spot, she raised her arms once again and acted as fast as she could.

She willed her quirk out, this time much stronger and concentrated than before, making her entire arms glow instead of just her forearms. The light traveled through her hands and palms before shooting out, her legs almost giving up from the shot's recoil. It hit the robot’s elbow, just as she planned. Her attack was powerful enough to pierce through its armor and cut its forearm off, stopping it from hitting the other kids.

Panting, Mitsuko then just realized that she lost track of both the time and her points. She was about to run to gather more points when Present Mic’s voice echoed once again.

“TIME’S UP!”

“Dammit!”

[espinosaurusrexex]

Just an idea :) for Sherlock, what if Enola is always trying to get him to date cuz either he's lonely or always focused on work. But he always turns down the idea. Then one day she lures him to her favorite bookshop (or cafe, etc) and casually introduces him to her favorite employee. And the pickup line just comes out of no where, even he is surprised lolz. Feel free to not use this at all if you get better ideas😂

Thank you so much for this idea! For writing purposes, this will take place in modern times (*writing purposes meaning me being too lazy to write period specific)

Cheesy Pick-up Line (Bingo Game)

!BINGO ASKS CLOSED!

College!Henry!SherlockHolmes x Female!Reader

word count: 1.3k

warnings: a little bickering, awkward Sherlock, fluffy and cute

Enola giggled excitedly as she pushed past the glass double doors of her favorite library. Her brother was following behind closely, a disinterested look on his face as they entered the small building. For Enola, it was the perfect place to be, but Sherlock just asked himself what he was doing here instead of studying for his criminal justice exam next week. 

What he had not concluded yet, was that Enola Holmes had an agenda far different from the story she had told her brother about just an hour ago. He didn’t know his sister had spent weeks finding a way to finally get him to leave his stuffy, foot-smelling boy room. She had mashed her brain about it as she roamed the shelves of her favorite place and when she checked out the other day, she was embarrassed to have thought of it so late. It was blatantly obvious. Her brother needed a girlfriend. Someone that would encourage him to live outside of his schoolwork every once in a while. And you were the perfect candidate for the job. Smiley and charming, intelligent and pretty, and on top of that, someone Enola liked very much. She had established a first-name basis with you over the hours she spent in the little library you worked at. Today, she would try to accomplish the same for Sherlock. 

Sherlock stood between the rows of shelves, waiting for his sister to finish collecting the mountain of books he was sure she wasn’t even allowed to check out at once. She had recruited him to ‘help her carry them’ as if she weren’t very capable of it herself. And besides, Enola was the one always underlining her independence and that women could do just as much as men. Something wasn’t adding up. 

Enola placed another book in his arms. One she had mindlessly pulled from the shelve to keep her story alive. It was a small sacrifice for the gratification she would get would her brother finally fall in love this evening. She was sure of it. No more feigned disinterest in the stories their family told about cousins and other relatives having their first partners. No more annoying dismissal of their mother’s subtle hints towards his isolating himself. No more bad moods because of the uncalled-for comments Mycroft threw at him when he visited with his fiancé. It was about to change today.

“Relativity Theory?” He lifted an eyebrow before Enola could disappear behind another shelf. “Hamlet? What kind of homework is this supposed to be?”

“You wouldn’t understand,” Enola quipped before placing an autobiography in his arms. 

“They’ll think you’re robbing this place.” He readjusted the books because even though he was fairly strong, they slipped in his grasp. “How are you planning on checking those all out?”

“Jokes on you, my check-out limit has been upgraded because I’m a regular.”

“To 17? That’s too many. Too many books in general. Even for your ADHD brain.”

She glared at him. “Well, that’s where you come into play. With your card, we can check out 15. And for the other two, I’ll just have to sweet talk my way through.”

“You’re impossible, Enola.” Sherlock rolled his eyes as he followed his younger sibling to the counter. 

“Shut up, It’s hard carrying enough character for Mycroft and you. You should thank me, really.”

“Unbelievable,” he muttered under his breath and then he placed the books down with a thud.

Enola Smiled as she saw you approach the counter from the back office. Once you were here, the hot phase of her plan would be set in motion. And she couldn’t wait.

“Good evening, Enola. I see you brought someone new with you today?” You asked kindly with a bright smile on your face. Most people that came into the library didn’t talk much, but ever since Enola came around, she made the day a whole lot better. She grew to be a friend to you, which was why you also already knew who the handsome ‘stranger’ next to her was. But you wouldn’t reveal it just yet, that would be creepy.

“This is my Brother, Sherlock.” Enola just smiled as she placed her pile of books on the counter as well. 

“Nice to meet you,” the tall brunette smiled behind his glasses, soft curls falling into his face when he nodded toward you. 

“Nice to meet you, too. I would ask if you found everything you were looking for, but I guess it’s even more than that...” You counted the books, sending Enola a warning look. You had gone through the trouble of sweet-talking Old Mrs. Thomson if Enola could be an exception to the ‘only six books for home’ rule once again. Trying one more would get you on dusting duty for at least three weeks. 

Your eyes locked with Sherlocks. “Do you have a library card?” And then your attention was back to the register, typing away on the little blue display.

Sherlock couldn’t see what you were doing, but he knew he wanted your eyes back on him. He didn’t know why, there was something about you that made him all excited. “Why? Because you want to check me out?” Uh oh.

Your fingers stopped hacking away at the outdated machine and your eyes wandered back to him. A deep blush tinted his cheeks and ears pink as you tried to hold back the laugh pushing at your throat. 

Sherlock wanted the earth to swallow him whole. Why had he just said that? What was wrong with him? 

And while her brother desperately attempted to hide his shocked face, Enola just stood beside him, equally stunned. She hadn’t known it had gotten this bad. His constant isolation must have messed with his social competence somehow. Because whatever she was just witnessing, was beyond secondhand embarrassment. He made her job harder to bring the two of you together, and honestly, right now, Enola did not see a chance for her brother. 

“Yes, yes he has. Here!” Enola ripped the card from her brother's pocket and handed it to you. You, who bit your lips to hide the smile creeping on your features and shook your head. 

Sherlock didn’t say another word after that. Too embarrassed to ever talk again, really, he waited out the time until you were finished scanning all the books and his and Enola’s cards. Relief washed over him when you said your goodbyes. 

“I'm making an exception this time, Enola. Mrs. Thomson must not know about this and you better bring all of these books back without a single mark,” you warned.

But Enola countered weakly, matted by her idiot brother destroying the best plan ever made. “When did I ever not?” Still, she tried a sneaky smile on her lips.

When the doors fell close behind them and the siblings walked along the sidewalk home, Enola shoved her brother harshly. 

“Great job, you idiot. You just ruined your only chance at not becoming a weird and bitter old man.”

But Sherlock didn’t answer. He was well aware of the embarrassment he had just presented himself as in that library and in front of you. With his head hung low, he opened the top book in his arms to retrieve his library card, but when he moved the piece of plastic and revealed the check-out receipt, all of his sister’s bickering moved to the background. 

There, beneath the date and time of his visit, was your number, scribbled in blue ink with a small heart by your name. He smiled to himself as he traced the number with his finger. And just then, Enola glanced over his shoulder to find out why he hadn't told her to shut up yet. 

Who would have thought that you would be hooked after a line like that?

Tags: @circe143 @valkyrie418 @mirikusashes @noideawhyimdoingthislol @nikkitc0703 @lethallyprotected @erynnnn @misshale21 @wattpaduser200 @mi-amoree1111 @xxinvisiblexx @lastwandastan @when-you-cant-think-of-anything @pevensiemadness @mrsgweasley

[smoochkooks]

—chapter nineteen: illicit affairs

this is a part of my an ode to a broken heart drabble series.

pairing: jeon jungkook/reader genre: unrequited love, best friends to (?), heavy angst, smut word count: 1.6k words summary: it dies a million little times...

previous || next

Five months later

There is a park nearby your apartment, sandwiched between the residential buildings. It has been here way before some chaebol had decided to buy this land and transform it to yet another wealthy neighborhood in downtown Gangnam. It looks almost surreal – tracts of green among concrete. There’s not many people here today. It feels like a scene from a movie: remote, run-down bench by the pond standing directly underneath the only magnolia tree in the park, and the girl sitting on it with an unreadable expression. What's going through her mind? What, or who, is she thinking about? She's clutching the phone in her hand in a death grip – the only sign she's feeling any emotion right now. Nightingale sings somewhere in the far distance, the sound breaking the deafening silence. Then, a phone rings. Once, twice, three times. 

You pick up.  

“I told her.” Jungkook waits a beat and then adds, “She wants to speak with you, in private.” 

You wonder if he can make out your ragged breath through the speaker. It's the only thing you can hear now, as if the whole world has gone quiet just to listen to your conversation.

“I gave her your number. Is that okay?” 

It was all your design to come clean, to free your conscience from the burden that's weighing you both down day by day. You agreed to do this, but he still makes sure if you're ready. A single magnolia petal lands on your thigh. You stare at it, transfixed. He calls your name. So softly, so gently and you break a little. 

“Okay.”

The line cuts off. No one says goodbye. 

Soojin contacted you soon after that. She sent you a message, asking whether you would have time to meet with her on Friday. She had chosen a coffee shop in SNU’s neighborhood where she had met Jungkook all those years ago. When you googled later the address you found out it's one of those places designed to serve both as a coffee shop and bookshop. How ironic. There's no doubt your book will be sitting on the bestseller shelf, mocking you as your best friend's wife is confronting you. 

You arrive almost fifteen minutes earlier. Your heart is beating so fast it's borderline painful, your entire body trembling from anxiety. You don't know exactly how much did Jungkook tell Soojin, so have no idea what to expect from her, which makes you even more uneasy. She has the upper hand here. You notice a stack of ‘An Ode To A Broken Heart’ copies laying on one of the tables and avert your eyes somewhere else.

You try to pass the time by swiping through social media but it's too hard to focus. You keep re-reading sentences because you can't make out what they mean. You've never been good with handling stressful situations, ever since you were a child. You envied kids who didn't worry about tests and exams. Growing older, you managed to control your nerves a little, once you realized you couldn't possibly continue living like this forever. In high school your parents took you to a therapist and that, along with anxiety medication, helped you survive finals and college. However, today you can't help but feel like the girl who couldn't sleep before a math test all over again.

Soojin enters the coffee shop on time. She looks flawlessly, just like during her wedding day. Her silky, black hair is styled in pretty curls and she's wearing light make-up accentuating her features. She’s dressed in a formal attire, a white button-down blouse and beige pants, so she’s probably here on her lunch break. Not much time for a private conversation it is, then.

She orders her coffee to go and looks around. She smiles when she spots you but you can easily tell it’s not sincere, more of a courteous manner. “Hi,” she says and takes a seat in front of you. “Have you ordered something yet? They have amazing lemon tarts here.”

“I’m fine with just coffee.”

“I’d love to eat something sweet but I’m currently trying to cut down on sugar, so just coffee for me, too.”

You nod, not knowing how to respond to what she said. It has always been hard for you to talk to her, ever since Jungkook had introduced you two together. She doesn’t really speak down to you but she carries herself with such superiority it’s making you feel self-conscious.

Soojin was born into an upper-middle-class family from Seoul. Her father owns a prospering business, so they’ve never really had to worry about money, as far as you recall what Jungkook had once told you. She used to attend ballet classes but dropped out of dancing school before entering university. That’s probably where her poise comes from. Thinking about it makes you straighten your slouching pose.

“Are you working around here?” you ask, trying to ease yourself into the conversation. She hasn’t moved straight to the point yet, so you’re panicking a little.

“Yeah, the company I work for has office nearby.” Soojin answers courtly. She takes a sip of her coffee and in a flash, the polite tilt of her mouth vanishes. “You know I’m not here to chit-chat with you, though.”

There it is.

“I’m aware.”

“What did Jungkook exactly tell you?”

“That you want to talk.”

Soojin raises a brow. “That’s all?”

“I’m assuming he didn’t want to intervene,” you say. “He only told me you know about the book.”

Or was it the only thing he meant? Did he perhaps tell her about the New Year’s Eve kiss as well?

“Weird situation, isn’t it?” she asks. “I just found out that the book I liked so much is actually about my husband and his childhood best friend. I sympathized with someone who’s been in love with him for twenty years. Can you believe it?”

Irritation laces her voice already but you remain calm. “He didn’t know. If he didn’t read the book, he would have never realize it. Don’t blame him.”

“I’m not blaming him. I actually believe he had no idea about the book. Maybe he did suspect something about your feelings but he decided not to do anything about it. He married me after all, right?” Soojin says. “What bothers me though, is you writing a whole goddamn book about your silly crush.”

You frown. Silly crush? You wouldn’t go to such great lengths if this was just a crush. And Soojin knows it too, she read the book after all. But she’s not here as a reader who enjoyed your work. She’s here as a wife whose husband you’re in love with.

“I published it under a pen name,” you counter. You’re hoping your voice doesn’t tremble too much. Soojin would gladly use your weakness to her advantage. “I changed names, locations. No one beside me and Jungkook would have known it’s about us.”

“What gave you an impression that you could just use someone’s life like that?”

“It was my life too,” you respond firmly. Jungkook was mad at you because you didn’t tell him about your feelings and now Soojin is going to be angry in his stead for writing a book about your relationship with him? “I talked to Jungkook about it after he had found out. I already apologized and he said he doesn’t mind that–“

“Of course he won’t hold a grudge against you. You’re his best friend.” Soojin snorts.

You sigh heavily. This is going nowhere. It’s crystal clear why she wanted to talk to you but for some reason, she won’t say it directly. Maybe it’s a matter of pride for her, or she’s afraid to admit it out loud.

“I’d like to apologize to you too. I’m sorry for using your relationship with Jungkook for my book, however I am not going to apologize for the way I described it. I didn’t write anything malicious or improper about you. I put on paper what I had seen as a mere bystander,” you say. “I know you’re probably worried now that since everything is out in the open that I am going to act out on my feelings but I can assure you it’s not going to happen.”

Soojin chuckles. “Oh, I’m not worried about that.”

Maybe she shouldn’t feel so sure of herself, you think. It’s not your place to tell her about the kiss. If Jungkook chose to lie by omission, that’s on him. You can’t carry the guilt on your own.

“Because you will, from now on, refrain from hanging out with him,” she continues. “You won’t meet up as often as before, you won’t text him about your mundane life, you will contact him only if necessary.”

Your heart skips a beat. “What?” you croak.

“I don’t want you near Jungkook anymore, it’s as simple as that. I don’t trust you.”

She has all the rights to feel displeased. You’re in love with her husband, after all but forbidding you from seeing him? She cannot control your lives like that.

“Does Jungkook know?” you ask.

Soojin’s rose-tinted lips stretch in a smile. “No, he doesn’t know yet because you will be the one to tell him so,” she replies. “You will tell him that you don’t want to be as close to him as before, that you need distance. If he asks to meet and talk, you will ignore him. If he asks about our conversation, you will say that you apologized to me and I decided to move on.”

“And if I don’t?”

Soojin’s expression is almost triumphant. She got what she wanted at last: you, finally out of Jungkook’s reach.

“Then the world will find out who Magnolia May really is and how she seduced her best friend and made him abandon his wife.”

[abybweisse]

Ch210, Spoiler page and thoughts

The title page has been leaked already; I've seen it elsewhere here as well as on Discord. It's almost everything I was hoping for this chapter, represented in one image.

There are some things to point out, and I was hoping to post some thoughts before I'd even seen this spoiler, because my thoughts were already pondering a possible situation like this: that the chapter focuses on Finny going berserk... perhaps in ways we've never witnessed before.

I was also hoping we'd get the new reaper confronting Doll, but I really don't know if he will.

But back to Finny. In the cover art, you will see that there's a lot of blood on him and his clothes, but I don't think it's his own blood. His eyes suggest he's in berserker mode. I suspect we might finally get a better glimpse of what it was like the day he escaped from the drug facility. Previously, I'd wondered whether Sebastian had killed the staff and just skipped over the one remaining test subject -- either he lives or he doesn't. But since we now have a situation where Finny has to force his way out of another locked down facility -- and this time he's also trying to save friends and other children, something he couldn't do last time -- we might get scenes that look like a reenactment of that drug facility escape.

In ch209, we see Finny running off, away from Snake but also towards the approaching staff. We know he will have to fight them, and it might be mostly empty-handed. This is no problem for him, especially when he's in a frenzy. He might grab and throw whatever he can, but this time it might be more about crushing people with his hands, as he might have done at the drug facility. This fighting style could look more like Sebastian crushing the heads/bodies of bizarre dolls on the ship... but with less-graceful movements.

Scenario: He gets through the staff that have entered the underground lair, then anyone in the way upstairs, in the barn. Then he's back outside. Is he going to head to the main building to attempt to save the other kids, or will he only be able to focus on himself and the four top students? Either way, at some point he's going past a brick wall when lights shine on him, and that's what we see in the cover art. It might be a flashlight/torch, but it could also be a spotlight from a sniper tower. The top students did warn him before that the fences were reinforced, and that guards were stationed at lookout posts to shoot down attempting escapees.

When he was at the drug facility, he was being kept in a cellar of some kind, and it looks like it was designed so the kids couldn't easily climb out, but he somehow did, perhaps by jumping and grabbing hold of the rim of the hatch. Or maybe he somehow climbed up whatever grips he could reach. It seems he killed the man sent to shoot him and dumped his body down into the cellar. Here, Finny might actually climb up one of those lookout towers, kill the guards, and toss them down to the ground. Or he kills them -- maybe one -- merely by tossing them down.

This sort of action could allow Yana-san to give us glimpses of the previous escape in parallel to the escape scene now. Panels next to each other or even split panels, showing then and now, as it all unfolds. A bit like when he envisioned old scenes of the drug facility exam rooms and surgical equipment as he and the others looked around and found Ginny's body and the dissection table. But this time it might be like an onslaught of comparison images, representing the jumble of memories and current moments in Finny's head, as this all happens.

And we might even see him literally tear down the fencing. 🤔

Thoughts?

Oh, and FYI. Today is the Ides of March... and Snake's birthday (though in-universe it's Dec 9th)....

[selfishlove-tf]

5th Annual TF Story Exchange - for Jockifyme

G’day :) I wanted to challenge myself so I entered the TF Story Exchange to force myself to write something. The author I got for the exchange was @jockifyme​ so please enjoy. I hope I met your requirements @jockifyme​ .

***---***

I’m an accountant and sometimes we audit High Schools. We make sure that the donations or funds received go places they should be going to, we check payroll and budget; we call it “cash stuff” in the office because “expenses” and “finances” start confusing our smaller-minded Gen Z workers.

From that “defame our younger generation” comment alone, you should be able to tell that I am older – not too much but I feel myself reaching the other end of my thirties really quickly. Luckily, the stresses of older age haven’t touched me too much; I have my curly brown hair, though it is fading in colour just like my eyes which used to be emerald, now swamp. Got my height from my mum, she was six-three and she gave me my current six-one. Got my metabolism (or lack thereof) from my dad whose genes garunteed no weight would be gained – I was skinny, a measly one-forty pounds.

The lights in the schools office behind reception showed my touch-of-sunburn off more than I wanted to, my skin naturally pale like a ghost flared up with areas of red where I misapplied my sunscreen. I, however, didn’t feel the burn so the sun must’ve been somewhat lacklustre that day. Sunburn was the last thing on my mind anyway. Numbers, numbers, numbers. I enjoyed the numbers and I did well in maths back when I was in school some blah blah blah years ago – I’d rather not say how long – and was in the top ten of students in my school who graded highly during the final exams before graduation. The only part I hated was listening to the administration guy who lightly flirted with the teachers as they walked by. They couldn’t see it but the “that dress fits nice on you” and “did you forget your glasses because those eyes are shining today” commends he has said in the past ten minutes were dangerously close to the line of being fired should someone actually pay attention to him.

I continued my counts and record-checking and, soon enough, the admin guy was talking to me about football. I never got into that kind of thing, my focus was more on work and work and work. I didn’t need to watch a bunch of men running into each other, the idea was stupid to me. Yet, despite my disinterest in the topic, the admin guy continued to drone on about it.

I looked at my watch; I had only been here for an hour. All the kids were in their classes so, gladly, I decided to quickly take a break and get a drink. Stupidly, I forgot my water bottle and I didn’t want to deal with more dead conversation from the admin guy and, as I recalled, I remembered there being a bubbler/water fountains near the building facing the oval. With a quick “I’ll be back” to the admin guy, and a swift exit, I was out the door and headed towards the oval, a quick hello and hi to some teachers passing or students that were supposed to be in class. Reaching the bubbler, there was footsteps nearby and voices loudly talking. I leaned down, pulled the lever and started drinking, footsteps getting closer. The closer it got, the more I heard the topic of conversation.

‘I don’t know what we’re gonna do, man,’ one started. ‘Tyler’s out for the game tonight and we got no backup since Harry left.’

‘Cool it, Reid!’ another cut the first off. ‘We’ll find someone or deal with a short team no matter what coach says.’

‘Yeah, but where are we gonna find something so short notice, Jay?’ A third asked. I had become invested in the conversation that I didn’t realise that they were now walking behind me as I was still drinking from the bubbler until they stopped.

‘How about you?’ Jay asked.

It took me a minute to realise he was talking to me. I stopped drinking and turned around and was greeted by four teens in football gear. ‘You talking to me?’

‘We are looking at you,’ pointed the fourth.

‘Smart kid, though I don’t go here clearly.’ I gestured to my whole figure, hoping they weren’t dumb enough to think I was any younger than thirty-five.

‘Not a problem with us.’ Jay, who I assumed was the leader, stepped forward. ‘I’m Jay, and these are my bros Reid, Mikey and Kyle.’ He gestured to his friends as if I was interested in knowing them. Jay was short, wide and brunette; Reid was tall, thin and blonde; Mikey was tall, tan and built; Kyle was the shortest, brunette and athletic. The group did seem like the perfect popular boys of school, they just lacked more arrogance.

‘How would you expect to fix that?’ I questioned. ‘Compared to you guys, I’m weathered. Y’all haven’t even touched hard work yet.’ That comment seemed to irritate Reid, subtly puffing his chest up.

‘Hard work? Football is full time!’ Reid arched up.

‘Reid, not another word,’ Jay snapped. ‘You’ll only scare him away, and we’re already about to get scary.’

‘Oh, I’m shaking.’ I teased before rolling my eyes and started walking back to the office.

‘Take him,’ I heard Jay mutter.

Soon, three pairs of hands were on me and started to pull at me, dragging me in the opposite direction. I started shouting to let me go and, for a moment I thought why it was suddenly so quiet at the school; no students or teachers were walking by and no one seemed to look out the windows at the commotion I was causing. No matter how much I shouted and wriggled, the guys’ strong hands had firm grips. I looked behind me to where they were dragging me and found that they were taking me to the locker rooms. They barged in, pushed me to the bench and sat me down, Reid and Kyle holding me down while Mikey went off to grab something.

‘We’re gonna make sure you’re ready for the game tonight,’ Jay said matter-of-factly.

Mikey returned with football gear which I began to question myself about how stupid they really are. Jay motioned to Reid and Kyle as Mikey came to stand behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders. Without warning, Reid and Kyle started to pull at my clothes, tearing my button up off and yanking my shoes off before pulling off my pinstripes. I tried to fight back with all of my strength but Mikey was stronger than he looks, making sure to hold me in place during the process. At the end of it, I was left in my briefs.

‘Let me go you freaks!’ I shouted. ‘I don’t know what you plan on doing but it needs to end now!’

Jay motioned to the football uniform and gear and Kyle and Reid moved almost immediately. Reid began with what looked like compression shorts, sliding them up my legs until they were on properly. I felt immediate embarrassment being dressed as if I couldn’t do it myself. When the compression shorts snapped into place, my legs felt like they were burning although bearable. No sooner did my legs start burning that Kyle had put on long socks and oversized football boots, and the burning spread down until it reached my feet. My whole lower half was on fire and, sure enough, when I looked down, I saw why. My thighs started to plump up, calves sharpening and I felt my toes touch the end of the boot. Soon as that began, Reid grabbed a compression singlet and slid it over my head and over my torso, Kyle soon following with the shoulder pads.

I was panicked, my whole body starting to feel like I’d worked out for hours, and my body was catching up. My torso bulked up, a bit of muscle showing as my chest puffed up and my biceps blew up. My flexed forearms had a roadmap of veins as my increasingly meaty hands gripped firmly on the bench. I was beginning to tire myself out through all the strain and flexing I was doing due to the pain of the growth. At some point, Jay told Mikey to let me go because he knew I wasn’t going anywhere, not that I could because of the amount of pain I was in.

Soon enough, as it had started to die down, I looked over myself while out of breath and saw how toned I got. I was in shock; something completely impossible just happened. When I looked up to the group, there was glee in their eyes, but mine saw red. I had no energy to do anything, though, exhausted from the growth.

‘What the fuck did you do?’ I gasped between breaths.

‘It’s not over,’ Jay said. ‘Look at me.’

He grabbed my chin and lifted my face to look at him directly in the eyes. He smiled before swiping some black paint onto my cheeks, and then he let go of my chin and stepped back. There was a brief moment where nothing happened, but it hit seconds later. I gripped my head and squeezed my eyes shut as images flashed across my vision of school, football, training, hanging out with the bros. Bros? No, I was an adult. I was here for an audit. No, that doesn’t sound right? I was on the oval with my bros talking about the game. No! The admin guy, we were talking about football while I was doing work… work? No, I was skipping class. My brain went back and forth and soon enough, the school-kid persona was taking over. All the games my bros and I played, the games we won and the after-parties we went to. My body, face, and mind were all getting younger. My hair turned a darker brown, keeping the curls, and my eyes had regained their shining emerald green. My sunburn cleared up and my skin looked tanned from spending weeks in the sun. Although keeping the muscle on, my body shrank a little and smoothed out. After all of a few minutes, my head cleared and my body no longer felt like it was burning. I felt completely painless, in fact, I had a lot of energy.

‘You good, Jack?’ asked Reid.

I looked up at the group, a brief pause before nodding my head. ‘Still mad Tyler can’t make it.’

‘Well, we gotchu at least,’ Mikey pointed out. ‘We’ll sure win tonight.’

‘We always win, bros!’

‘That’s the spirit!’ Jay cheered. ‘Now let’s get practicing! Don’t forget your jersey, Jack.’

I looked down at the bench where my jersey was. I grabbed it and slipped it on, unknowingly sealing the transformation. ‘Do we gotta wear the shoulder pads during training?’ I complained.

‘Shut up and get out there!’

[baskingsol]

Yokai lands in Tokyo

pairing: eventual!OC x Geto Suguru X Gojo Satoru

summary: Yami makes her appearance on campus and meets the kids

Approaching the open gates of Jujustu Tech, Yami smirks at the empty walkway before her leading up to the main building. And here I thought Yaga would be waiting for me. Passing all of the training dojos, it’s an oddly silent day for what should be a semi-normal school day. Upon entering the school, Yami quickly peeks at the text she received. You would think directions would help if this place wasn’t an actual maze. How do kids even get around this place? 

After walking down several hallways, none of which led to what should have been Yaga’s office, Yami finally spies the sign she’s been looking for, a gold place sticking out into the hallway labeled “PRINCIPAL YAGA”. A quick knock on the door and a muffled ‘come in’ welcome Yami to her first day.

“Ah I see you made it,” Yaga says, quickly looking up from the paperwork in piles on his desk. “I assume you found the place easily enough?”

“You might want to think about restructuring this place Yaga,” Yami laughs, sitting down in the chair opposite of his desk. “The outside is easy enough but it’s like a maze in here.”

“You’ll manage after a bit,” Yaga huffs a small laugh. “Most of these rooms are never used and the ones we do use are all consistent or the training dojos outside.” 

“Makes it easy enough then,” Yami replies. “I’m surprised you didn’t meet me at the gate. Most people would be worried if someone like me just wandered in.”

“Gojo is around here somewhere if you’re looking for a fight,” Yaga waves off her 

teasing. “But knowing how crazy he is, it’d be nothing more than playing around and property damage.”

“I don’t think he’d be too interested in dying today,” Yami laughs, flicking her braid over the back of the chair. “And I assume your doctor wouldn’t be too happy with me either.”

“Speaking of the doctor, she’s the one I want you to be introduced to first,” Yaga cuts in, standing from his seat. “If you’re gonna be training the kids, I want you to know who's patching everyone up around here.”

Yami nods and stands from the seat to quickly follow Yaga as he leads the way out of the hallway and down the corridors. 

“I assume you’ve been briefed on which students you will have?” Yaga asks, looking over to Yami. 

“Yep, all the first years,” Yami responds, turning to meet Yaga's gaze. “I know you mean mainly Okkotsu, but working with him means I will be working with the others too.”

“You know some about the other teacher then as well?” Yaga quickly asks, turning to start down a set of stairs. “Gojo is not someone to run into without knowledge.”

“I know all about Gojo, Yaga. No need to worry.” Yami laughs. “You act like this hasn’t been my job for years.”

“I tried warning you,” Yaga sighs, stopping slowly in front of a metal door and knocking. “Shoko, you in there?”

“No need to yell Yaga.” A voice echoes from inside the room. “You always know where I am.”

As Yaga opens the door and steps in, Yami is welcomed to a peculiar sight. A room set like a regular doctor's office with an exam table and all, but the back wall is covered in cold lockers and autopsy tables standing nearby. 

“Nice room you got here,” Yami says to the woman standing before her. “A little macabre but does the job.”

“Shoko Ieiri. You must be the new teacher.” Shoko states, receiving a handshake from Yami. “I’ve heard you’ve got Gojo all riled up for stepping into his teaching sphere.”

“And I haven’t even met the man.” Yami laughs. “I must be pretty popular around here to already have that type of attention.”

“Gojo is just like that,” Yaga adds in, a smile creeping onto his face. “You’ll understand when you meet him later.” 

“Wonderful,” Yami rolls her eyes. “It was nice to meet you Shoko. I hope to not send too many students down here.”

“Can’t be any worse than Gojo.” Shoko barks out a laugh, turning back to a binder covering the majority of her desk. “I will have to have you in later for a physical but we can talk later. Go meet the headache.”

“Yes ma’am,” Yami teasingly salutes, turning back to Yaga. “Lead the way. Best to get this over with before he hunts me down.”

As Yaga leads her back up the stairs and towards the main entrance to the building, Yaga quickly stops in another office peeking around as if to look for occupants that might as well have been invisible. 

“Out training then I guess,” Yaga mutters, turning back to the hallway. “God forbid he ever actually teach anything.”

“I’m guessing Gojo is much more of the learn-by-fire type of teacher?” Yami asks. 

“More like beating it into the students until they figure it out or Shoko comes and strangles him.” Yaga huffs. “That man cannot manage to teach anything else either.”

“Noted.” Yami laughs. “Also something I forgot to ask earlier, is there a policy on the uniforms?” 

“Technically yes, since you work with this school, you should have the uniform,” Yaga explains, leading around the side of the building towards what appears to be a wide field area. “But with you being on contract and being Tsukumo’s student, I’m guessing you already have a fair distaste for authority and dictation over clothing.”

“Nail on the head Yaga.” Yami chirps. “I can still do some matching though. Uniform pants and the black shoes I can do.”

“Just submit a request form when you’re done today and I’ll get it all sorted,” Yaga replies, quickly leading down to a set of bleachers next to the field. “I’m at least glad one of my teachers is willing to entertain the rules.”

On the bleachers sits a man in casual attire and long black hair in a half-top knot surrounded by three teen girls and a younger boy. The three girls are all cheering on the fight happening in the field while the man laughs and the boy continues to read his book. 

“Hit him harder this time Maki!” The girl with blonde hair yells as a brunette with a short haircut giggles. “He got up too fast!”

“Duck Yuta!” The girl with a brunette ponytail cheers, wincing as the boy is knocked down again in the ring. “Maybe next time?”

“Geto,” Yaga says as if to announce his arrival. “What does Gojo think that poor kid is learning?”

“How to handle getting beaten I think.” Suguru sighs, turning to the newest addition to their group. “Nice to meet you again Yokai.”

“Must have made quite the impression back then for you to remember me this long.” Yami laughs. “It’s Chibana Yami now.” 

“Geto Suguru.” Suguru introduces. “These are the kids; Nanako, Mimiko, Tsumiki, and Megumi.” 

“Aren't those two supposed to be training with the others?” Yami asks, nodding towards Nanako and Mimiko.

“Oh yes, but Satoru owned them a lunch and he does have to do his job sometimes.” Suguru chuckles. 

“Well it’s only fair he treats them to a meal and shows.” Yami teases, winking at the girls who giggle in response. “Got to keep his word.”

Suguru lets out another chuckle. “Oh, you’ll have fun running him around. Take a seat and see how long it takes for him to notice.”

Yami quickly waves goodbye to Yaga as he heads back to the main building and scoots in next to Suguru. 

“Yami huh?” Suguru teases, glancing down at the woman next to him. “Would have never expected a name like that from someone with the nickname Yokai.”

“Gotta keep up the appearance. Can’t let everyone think I’m anything less than the nickname” Yami shoots back, tapping on the wooden mask. “I see you took Yuki’s advice to heart and got out.”

“Yeah,” Sugar sighs, glancing down at the kids. “Someone has to look out for all these kids. I’ve got a more laid-back role now, someone consistent they can come home to. I don’t need all of the missions on top of that. That’s for Satoru.”

“I dunno,” Yami chuckles. “I think Gojo’s having a lot of fun with his kids.”

Turning back to the fight, Maki and Yuta have called a cease, walking towards the bleachers followed by a panda, another boy, and their teacher who is happily teasing the kid about the bruise slowly forming on his cheek. 

“Should have blocked that one Yuta.” Satoru laughs, walking with his hands on his head. “Now you’re gonna be sicking Shoko on me, again!”

“Leave him alone Satoru,” Suguru sighs, patting the younger boy on his shoulder. “He did well against Maki.” 

“Took the hits like a champ kid,” Yami adds, shooting the kid a wink. 

Satoru turns to the new voice, smile broadening. 

“You must be the new co-teacher!” Satoru smirks. “Gojo Satoru.”

“So I’ve heard.” Yami laughs. “Chibana Yami. Or Yokai, depending on who you’ve heard from.”

“Not many people to hear from,” Satoru replies. “Suguru here has only ever met you once.”

“You’ve only heard of me once and are already so obsessed with me.” Yami sighs. “Suguru must have talked me up.”

“Don’t bring me into this.” Suguru chuckles. “Why don’t you introduce the students, Satoru?”

“Ah yes. I assume Suguru has already introduced Mimiko and Nanako. These are the first years; Zenin Maki, Panda, Inumaki Toge, and Okkostu Yuta.” Satoru rattles off quickly, gesturing to each kid with their name. 

“Nice to meet you all,” Yami states. “You can just call me Yokai.”

“Salmon,” Toge says, shooting a hand sign, and Panda nods in response. 

“Yaga finally decided he needs to actually get a teacher for us?” Maki sighs, leaning on the bleachers. 

“It'll be nice to have someone to talk to other than the dandelion,” Nanako adds. 

“I’m not replacing Gojo,” Yami laughs as Satoru squawks at Maki and Nanako's insults. “Just brought in to help out in specialty areas.”

“So for Yuta?” Panda replies, pointing a thumb at the other boy.

“Bingo!” Satoru cuts in. “Rika is powerful and all, but you gotta get more control over her before letting her out.”

“But that training is for another time,” Suguru chimes in, tapping his watch. “It's well past three now. You all have a busy day tomorrow.” 

“Geto-sensei is right,” Gojo smiles, easily blocking a smack on the back of the head from Suguru. “Go rest up, group mission tomorrow so be prepared.”

A mix of groans and cheers spills from the group of students as they start their walk back to the dorms, leaving the three adults on the field. 

“You joining in on the mission tomorrow?” Satoru asks arms relaxed behind his head. 

“Someone’s gotta keep an eye on Yuta,” Yami shoots back. “Yaga sent a whole file on what happened when you introduced him to the class.”

“Everyone keeps overexaggerating what happened!” Satoru whines. 

“Your students about killed Yuta and then Rika about killed them Satoru,” Sugur scolds, standing and stretching from the bleachers. “It’d be best to let Yami watch over him and his partner and you watch the rest.”

“Already siding with the new teacher,” Satoru whines again. “You’ve already moved on from me so fast.”

Yami meets Suguru’s very exasperated gaze and lets out a laugh. “This should be fun.”

a/n: And so it begins. Italics are for thoughts.

[captainharlock]

more update. just went through the longest three days of my whole life. click to read my tale of woe.

sept 10: had to go get my visa medical exam done (which ate 500 of my savings up... boohoo...) and it was such a long and evil journey into toronto to go get that done (i live in a city an hour outside) because my dad's car is being weird right now so i had to take trains there... and then when i got there they informed me that i was missing blood work (it was done, but i didn't have the actual proof of it. so i needed to ask the doctor who did my blood work to email me that.) so i almost started crying until they said i could still get the rest of the exam done that day and just email them the blood work proof later. Like legit immediately tearing up. i'm not built for these sorts of tasks i think. anyway that meant that i couldn't even ride home with a peace of mind knowing that that's done because it wasnt. i needed that blood work proof.

sept 11: i called the walk in clinic who initially did my blood work to ask if i could get it emailed to me so i could then email it to the visa medical people, and no one answered at all. ever. so i just got up and walked to the clinic. and when i entered the building there was a huge sign on the clinic's door that said they moved and the clinic no longer operates. again, started immediately tearing up because i can't handle anything. anyway i went on a wild goose chase that ended in me calling the doctor who issued the blood test personally and asking if anyone even still had my records and she said that public health did, but i needed to schedule a telehealth appointment to ask a doctor for it. my online appointment would be in the afternoon of the next day which was stressful becauuuuse

sept 12: in the morning of this day i had to go for an oral diagnostic to find out how much it was gonna cost to fix my painful rotting bulimia teeth. i didn't want to go on the train again and my dad was still eager to drive despite his car's condition so i said fuck it because my dentist appointment could be rescheduled if the car broke down on the highway, unlike my visa medical exam where i had to be there. so we went to toronto in our shitty car and i got poked and prodded by a dental student (i have to get my work done by students because it's the lowest cost dental work available to me) and he then informed me that i would need two cleanings which would cost $208 together, and then it would be $130 per tooth filled. and i have very very many cavities. so i think my stuff would be around $1500 to fix which is by all means a bargain but i started freaking the fuck out in the car on the way home because i still don't even have that. like YES it could have been $5000-$10000. but i still don't have $1500. so um. god. yeah. actually i'm still kind of freaking out about that. lol anyway

sept 12 pt 2: we got home just in time for my telehealth appointment and they gave me my blood work proof immediately and easily and i was very relieved and then i emailed it to the visa medical people like they told me to. and it's been very many daylight work hours and no one has responded to me so now i'm filled with an insane dread that there's still something wrong and missing and i can't stop freaking out and crying because i need just one thing to go smoothly just one please just one damn thing. oh ym god please. PLEASEE

sept 13: now we're at today where i am covered in exposed nerves and irritable and scared because i cannot stop thinking about how i need 1500 bucks and also an email back from the visa people who have my whole life in their hands right now. i am doing my commissions because i need to take more because i need that money. i put up a ko-fi goal for an amount a little less than $1500 because that's more of a broad estimate, but i can't be asked to spread my ko-fi link around again so close to when i already e-begged. i feel bad. there's people dying and i'm begging for help to get my tooth hurty fixed. it feels bad. but the goal is there and my commissions are open and if anyone wants to smile at me they can. if anyone has and ideas on how to spead it without me actually spreading it because i just don't have the moxie rn that would be nice too.

Thanks for reading i love you all

[arivsxq]

Meddle About Chapter 1

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

Theme: strangers to lovers, angsty shit

Warnings: smut, hookup, fwb, mdni, maybe slow updates

Word count: 2,5k+

Songs: Meddle about-Chase Atlantic

Heartbeat-Childish Gambino

A/N: read the teaser first for some context

I'm not a big fan of one-night stands, but it happens when it happens. That's why I love waking up before the other person. I can snuck out without them noticing and I succeed this time too. The man, I don't even know the name of, was sleeping like a baby when I left his apartment. He was cute and the sex was better than I had expected from a one-night stand but that's it. When I got home, I first got under the shower. The memories of last night were blurry and I couldn't even make out what we talked about.

When I looked down my body I noticed the marks he had left on me. Purple tiny spots covered my breasts and stomach, and probably my neck too but I didn't even dare to look into the mirror because, from the start of the day, I knew that I looked as horrible as I felt.

My day wasn't fascinating.  The only thing I did was study for my upcoming exam and have mental breakdowns because I didn't understand shit. That's why I impatiently said yes when Carla asked me to go out with her and some university friends. She sent me the location of the restaurant they were meeting up and it was only 15 minutes from my apartment. I didn't put on anything too fancy. A pair of jeans combined with a strapless top. After getting my purse and jacket I made my way to the restaurant, hoping to loosen up a bit and stop thinking about my studies.

It's 9 pm when I reach the restaurant. For something in Gangnam, it looks a bit cheap but I don't mind it. As soon as I enter the building a familiar voice calls me. "y/n!" Carla's voice echoes through the whole restaurant while she waves at me. My feet start making their way to the huge table where a lot of people are sitting. Probably 16 I would say. Some faces are familiar and some are not but my mouth falls almost open when I see a particular face. It's him. The guy I spent the night with. Our gazes meet and he looks as confused as I do. I didn't know he goes to the same university as we do.

"omg, I'm so glad you made it. Hey guys" Carla shouts into the round "This is my friend Y/n" I cringe at the feeling of everyone staring at me even though I love to be the center of attention, but something makes it different this time. I mean who wouldn't be embarrassed when the guy you slept with and sneaked out of his house was staring? He was pissed. I could see it in his eyes, Who would have thought an action like this would hurt his ego? Okay, I get it, it was a bitchy move from me just to leave but isn't that what everyone does? Who the fuck wants to talk to their one-night stand on the next day after sobering up? Not me.

"you can sit here" Sungwoo and his little friend group interrupt my thoughts. I mentally roll my eyes but make my way to them because the other option doesn't sound so great either. Sitting beside the bunny guy isn't something I want to do. I don't have problems with meeting people I had sex with but this is too fresh. Literally. 24 hours ago I didn't even know about his existence and now I'm seeing him again after thinking that I won't ever see him again. Fuck my life, why does this always happen to me? I feel his eyes on my back as I walk to the guys.

"wow you look so different today, did you do something to your skin or get a new haircut?"

"Sungwoo I don't wanna fuck you so please shut your mouth if you want to continue talking shit," I say annoyed without even looking at him. Maybe Bunny Guy would have been a better option. Sungwoo didn't say a thing when his friends started to laugh about my comment. Idiots. I didn't pay attention to them. My eyes were fixed on him. He was talking to Namjoon, the son of my father's business partner. Why the fuck did everyone know him except me? Was I so focused on me and myself that I didn't notice someone like him?

"Hey, do you know that guy?" my words come almost out like a whisper. Cole looks at me confused "him?". He points at the Bunny Guy. "Yeah"

"Oh that's Jungkook"

"Jungkook?"

"Eh yes"

"Who is he?"

"He is the photography major guy" I look at him confused. "He takes photos?" Cole explains as if I was a bigger idiot than Sungwoo. "I know what photography is. But how does everybody know him except me?"

"I don't know"

"Wow you are a big help" I roll my eyes and continue staring at him. "Don't stare too much. He has a girlfriend" When Cole's voice reaches me my eyes widen and I turn to face him with a loud "What?". Maybe too loud, because some of the people turn their heads in our direction. I give myself an mental punch in the face because holy shit this is embarrassing.

I turn back toward Jungkook, now feeling a strange mix of irritation and confusion. A girlfriend? If he has a girlfriend, what the hell was he doing with me last night? I could feel my heart racing, anger bubbling up inside. For a moment, I debated storming over and confronting him right there in front of everyone. But then I remembered the last thing I wanted was more drama, especially in public. Instead, I forced myself to take a deep breath and let it go. Or at least, pretend to. I plaster a fake smile on my face, trying to shake off the weirdness of the situation.

Everyone, oblivious to the tension, were still talking to each other about something I couldn't care less about. I knew I wasn't going to enjoy this night. Not with Jungkook sitting there, looking like the world's biggest hypocrite. And yet, I couldn't help but glance at him every few minutes. His eyes met mine a few times, and I could see a mixture of emotions on his face anger, sadness, maybe even a little regret.

My mind kept racing. Maybe Cole was wrong. Maybe Jungkook didn't have a girlfriend. Or maybe they had broken up, and it wasn't as big of a deal as I was making it out to be. But I knew better than to get my hopes up. Guys like Jungkook good-looking, and confident usually had a line of girls waiting for their attention.

As I sipped my drink, trying to calm my nerves, Carla leaned over and whispered, "You okay? You seem a bit off." I forced another smile. "Yeah, just tired. Been studying all day." She nods, buying my excuse, and goes back to chatting with her friends. I tried to focus on the conversation at the table, but it was pointless. My mind keeps drifting back to last night, trying to piece together the blurry memories. The way he looked at me, the way he touched me, it didn't seem like something a guy with a girlfriend would do.

But who was I kidding? I wasn't some innocent victim here. I was the one who chose to sneak out without a word, who didn't even care enough to remember his name until tonight. Maybe this was just karma catching up with me.

As the evening dragged on, I found myself slipping further into my thoughts, barely engaging with anyone around me. I just wanted to get out of there, to go home and forget this ever happened. But I knew I couldn't run away this time. Not with Jungkook sitting there, a constant reminder of the mess I had gotten myself into.

I needed to get out of here, away from him, away from the confusion swirling in my mind. I get up and walk to Carla. "Gonna catch some fresh air" I whisper to her. She shows me a thumbs-up and continues talking to the others. I make my way out of the restaurant and start walking in some direction I didn't know where it would lead me.

"Hey!" I hear a male voice calling after me. Fuck. It's him. I turn around and my guess is confirmed. Jungkook stands there a few meters away from me. I give him a confused look, asking what he wants. He starts walking towards me but stops when there is a good distance between us. "Sneaking out like today morning?" Asshole. "I'm not sneaking out, just trynna get some fresh air".

"Did that in the morning too?" I try to not roll my eyes at his comment "Look I'm sorry, I didn't know you would act so fucking sensitive about it." Jungkook's eyes narrow slightly like he's trying to figure out whether or not I'm sorry. Spoiler alert: I'm not. But I guess he's not buying it. He steps closer, and I can feel the tension building between us.

"Sensitive?" He scoffs, crossing his arms. "You think I'm being sensitive because you bailed without saying anything?"

"Look, it wasn't personal," I say, trying to keep my voice even. "It was just... I don't know, easier that way."

"Easier for you," he counters, his tone sharp. "You don't think I might've wanted to talk? Maybe actually know the person I slept with?"

His words hit me harder than I expected. Maybe because, deep down, I know he's right. But I'm not about to admit that to him, or myself. So I shrug, trying to play it cool. "Honestly? No. I didn't think about it. I didn't think about you."

He flinches, just slightly, but I catch it. And for some reason, it stings. I was hoping he'd be pissed, maybe throw some snarky remark my way, but this... this is worse. He looks genuinely hurt. And that's when I start to feel like the asshole I've been trying to pretend I'm not.

"I don't regret walking out this morning. If  I knew you had a girlfriend I would have never slept with you." The words slip out before I can stop them, and his eyes widen.

"What?" His voice is low, almost a whisper. He looks around like he's making sure no one's overhearing our conversation. "Who told you that?"

"Does it matter?" I shoot back, crossing my arms. "You're the one who hooked up with me last night even though you already have someone. I hope she finds a guy that won't bullshit her like that"

Jungkook's face hardens, and for a second, I think he's going to walk away. But then he shakes his head. "I don't have a girlfriend"

My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "You don't?"

"Yeah," he mutters, running a hand through his hair. "I hook up with this one chick but that's it. She's not my girlfriend or friend"

Complicated. Of course, it is. Isn't it always? I want to ask more, to figure out what the hell is going on, but something stops me. Maybe it's the look in his eyes, a mix of confusion and frustration, or maybe it's just the realization that I'm not sure I want to know.

"Okay," I say finally, my voice softer. "I get it."

He looks at me, searching my face for something maybe understanding, maybe just a sign that I'm not a total jerk. I don't know if he finds it, but after a moment, he sighs.

"Why did you leave like that?" he asks, his voice quieter now. "Was it really that bad?"

I hesitate the truth on the tip of my tongue. But instead, I offer him a small, rueful smile. "No, it wasn't bad. I just... I don't do the morning-after thing, okay? It's easier for me to leave before it gets awkward."

"Yeah," he says, and there's that look again like he's not sure if he should be angry or just let it go. "Well, next time, maybe just say goodbye." His last words linger in the air like a challenge, and I can't help but feel the sting. "Next time, maybe just say goodbye." Next time? Did he really think there'd be a next time? Or was he just messing with me?

"Sure," I mumble, more to myself than to him. I'm already regretting stepping outside, already feeling the walls closing in. I wasn't built for these lingering, unspoken feelings. My MO has always been simple: in and out, no strings, no attachments. But now, standing here with Jungkook, it's like the rules I live by are starting to crack. Jungkook's still watching me, his eyes softening just a bit, like he's trying to see through the layers I've carefully built up. It's unnerving like he's trying to figure me out, and I hate that. I hate how vulnerable it makes me feel.

"So...we're good?" He asks carefully with a sight smile. "Yeah," I nod and return the smile. "How about we start all over again, without this...thing?" Jungkook suggests making me a bit skeptical. "Sure" I respond unsure and he notices that. "I'm Jungkook" he reaches out his hand while my arms are still crossed.

"Really?"

"Yeah"

"Ugh I can't believe I'm really doing this" I give him my hand for a shake and say with a fake smile "I'm y/n". "nice to meet you y/n" a laugh escapes my mouth and not much long after he starts laughing too. "Okay, I think that's enough," I say still laughing and Jungkook responds with a "Fine".

***

We walk in silence til Jungkook starts talking again. "So I suppose that we are at the same university". I nod awkwardly. "Ehm which major are you?" "Art" my response is short and quick, not wanting to expose too much about myself. Jungkook makes an "o" form with his mouth and continues with "So we are in the same building". I don't say anything. There is a long silence between us. An awkward one before, again, Jungkook starts talking.

"Can I have your number?"

"my number?"

"yes"

"Uhm-" my phone interrupts the moment with it's vibrating. Carla's name is on the display and after giving Jungkook an apologetic look I bring the phone to my ear. "Hey, where are you?" she says clearly a bit drunk. "I'm still taking some fresh air. You okay?" "It's been already half an hour and yes I'm okay. By the way, did you see the tattooed guy by chance? Jungkook?" Carla talks a bit faster than usual, making me start to worry because usually, that means she is already at the point where she won't stop drinking.

"Yeah, he is standing next to me. We will be back in a few minutes, and Carls? Please don't drink so much" When the phone call ends Jungkook and I make our way back to the restaurant where our friends are. It only takes about 10 minutes til we're sitting in there again, getting bored by the things the people around us are saying. I catch Jungkooks eyes lingering on me, making me give him a soft smile. If I only knew what a mess this man would make in my life.

[hummingbird-of-light]

In Our Favor

Part 327

McCoy

McCoy crossed campus towards the simulator building. Part of the building was still closed for repairs from the fire, most simulator classes had transitioned to classes on real shuttles, in the hangar bay, continuing to learn the more in depth functions.

But not this day.

The prince only had a few final exams left, but the one he was heading towards had his chest tightening with worry.

The weeks since the fire had been much easier on McCoy’s fear of flying; they hadn’t practiced in the simulators. Today they would be in one of the few still open halls, taking their final exam.

For a moment as he entered the building he could swear he smelled a whiff of smoke. Looking around, McCoy knew it was all in his head and continued down to his exam.

“It’s strange to be in here,” McCoy said quietly to Uhura as they waited for Lt. Flores to send them into the simulators.

“I don’t want to imagine what it must have been like in the rooms where the fire was.” Uhura shuddered.

McCoy nodded in agreement. “There’s Jaylah. Wonder what kept her.”

Jaylah hurried over to the other two just as Flores began to speak.

“This will be just like our other exams,” the instructor said. “Everyone’s flight will be different, so don’t expect what the first person does will be what you will get.”

McCoy balled his hands up to stop the trembling he could feel starting. He could do this. He had passed their other tests well enough. Their time in the real shuttles had helped.

He followed behind Uhura and Jaylah as they entered the simulator.

“Do you want to go first?” Uhura turned back and asked gently.

Did he? Would it be easier to get it over with and be done? Or would it benefit him to watch her test first and have more time to prepare himself mentally?

“Second,” McCoy answered firmly, and sat down behind Jaylah.

Uhura hesitated, looking at him for a moment, then sat down in the pilot’s seat. McCoy took a deep breath as Uhura began.

The prince settled into the pilot’s seat with a shaky breath. Uhura’s test program had not seemed very challenging. McCoy prayed his wouldn’t be either.

As his hands moved across the controls to start the shuttle he pictured Scotty behind him, whispering encouragement. His fingers remembered where to go, even after a couple weeks break. He drew another deep breath as the shuttle lifted off. A few obstacles to avoid, a few landings and take offs and he could be done. McCoy breathed slowly and filled his mind with thoughts of going to the stars with his husband.

Uhura and Jaylah walked with him to lunch. For once he could be certain he had passed, by how much he wasn't sure. But, no one would have exams results until the next day, for any of their classes. And he still had one more exam in the afternoon with Eugene.

“I thought that would be harder,” Jaylah said.

“Maybe he took pity on us because of what happened,” Uhura said thoughtfully.

“Maybe.”

“You did well,” Uhura looked at McCoy.

“I tried,” he shrugged. “Guess we’ll see tomorrow.”

“I’m more worried about my other classes,” Jaylah said anxiously. “But it will be nice to have a break.”

McCoy and Uhura both agreed quickly about that. The next evening he and Scotty would be heading to Aberdeen. They’d spend the weekend in Scotland, then on Monday would head to Georgiares with Francine and Granddad. A few weeks to relax with their families and their first semester of Starfleet behind them; McCoy couldn’t wait.

Part 328

Scotty

"We've finally made it!" The friends hugged each other jubilantly. They had all just received their final exam results and were now saying goodbye to each other to head off on vacation. They would all be flying home to their families to spend a few relaxing weeks at home. There was only one person who didn't.

Jim. He would be flying to Vulcan with Spock and his parents to spend the semester break there. At first he had said that he would definitely miss a winter without snow, but the fact that he could spend the weeks together with Spock seemed to make up for it. At least he didn't seem to be moping during the farewell.

"Say hello to Francine and Granddad for me, will ya?" the blond said as he hugged Scotty, who nodded.

"Aye, I will."

The Scotsman knew that his friend would have liked to come with them to Scotland and Georgiares, but getting to know Vulcan properly was very important to Jim. He wanted to make a good impression on Sarek and Amanda.

"And call us at Christmas. I know Vulcans find these holidays illogical, but Spock and I look forward to hear from you."

Even Spock nodded in agreement.

"We will. I promise," Leonard replied with a smile.

Scotty turned to Aporal, who was just saying goodbye to Keenser, Chekov and Sulu.

"Are ye flying home too?"

The Andorian nodded.

"At first I thought about staying here, but the last visit to my parents showed me that we can get along. Maybe now we'll have time to talk properly."

A smile crossed Scotty's lips. A while ago, he would never have dreamed that Aporal would ever be able to maintain good contact with his family again. It was good to hear that he wanted to take this step.

"That sounds good. I hope ye have a good time."

Even Aporal seemed to smile softly as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Maybe. We'll see. Thanks, Scottish boy."

Scotty couldn't help but grin as Aporal walked over to Jaylah after their goodbyes. They exchanged a hug and didn't even seem to be trying to keep it a secret from the rest of the group. Whatever it was between them, it obviously did them both good. And Scotty really hoped that it would help Aporal become a more relaxed and happy person after everything he had been through.

Leonard closed his eyes and sighed as Scotty and he finally leaned back in their seats in the shuttle.

"I can't wait to finally arrive in Scotland and enjoy Francine's great food. Canteen food just isn't the same as a good home-cooked meal."

Scotty smiled as he grabbed Leonard's hand to hold onto as they took off.

"Aye. Mum's food is simply the best. And I'm very sure she's already prepared quite a lot for our arrival."

Leonard grunted with a laugh.

"I'm sure she has."

Scotty was very surprised when the flight took off and Leonard barely flinched or made a face. Even the Scotsman's hand was not crushed.

"Hey, ye're really relaxed, mo ghràdh."

The prince just smiled at his husband.

"When you've flown a shuttle yourself as often as I have in the simulator, it's much easier to stay relaxed when you know a professional is at the controls. If I can even manage it, then surely nothing can go wrong."

Scotty's heart leapt with joy when he heard those words. Never would he have believed for Leonard to be able to be calm during a flight one day.

The Scotsman leaned over and pressed a kiss onto his love's lips.

"Well then... let's get some sleep before we arrive."

[distilled-prose]

First week in March 1974 ...it was fifty years ago today...

Winter quarter 1974 at the University of Georgia started out bleak and held that attitude for almost eight weeks.  My class schedule included two labs, one being organic chemistry which was an open lab that required daily work all week long.  My days would start in the cold dark and typically ended the same way.  The sun had become a hypothetical concept for me.  It was as if the entirety of the University of Georgia campus had devolved into some dystopian nightmare.  Academically, it was to be the worst quarter of my college career.  But that’s not why it’s memorable.

My roommates and I lived just off campus.  While not excessively removed, it was not walking distance.  But my only transportation was a stripped down 1967 Matchless motorcycle.  On rainy days it was extremely uncomfortable.  On many mornings it was below freezing before dawn and the drive into school was not only uncomfortable, but also exceedingly treacherous.  The days slogged by, dreary, and unrelenting in desolate shades of gray.  It is tremendously difficult to describe the bleakness of it all. However, even with exams looming on the immediate horizon, at the very end of February, Spring ignored the calendar and turned up SEVERAL consecutive gloriously sunny days, days in the mid to high seventy-degree range.  It extended right into March.  The winter quarter darkness had been banished.  Life resumed.  Campus dress immediately took a turn for the better with this long anticipated, most delightful weather.  Everyone was relieved to put their coats away.

Coincidentally, at the same time, reports began filtering in about people in different parts of the country (mostly the south) running through public places without their clothes on. The news reports called it "streaking".  Even Paul Harvey, in his noon time update  ("Stand by for NEWS") mentioned it almost daily. It was like the manias described in medieval times.

Never a campus to be left behind, sightings of Streakers close to home began circulating.  Through classrooms, across quadrangles, through the cafeteria, everything was fair game.  It was all spread by word of mouth, as the internet and cell phones were still decades away.  Coupled with the warm days and evenings, the activity seemed ideally suited for our circumstances.

My roommate (law school) and I (pharmacy school) were visiting friends of ours (“the girls”) at their apartment in a toney part of town.  It was the first Tuesday of the month, March third, less than a week after the weather had gotten so wonderful.  Someone called one of the girls and said there was a streaking event currently in progress at Russel Hall, one of the girl’s high-rise dorms.  So, without much of any kind of delay, we headed right over to check it out.  As reported, there were streakers circling the building and students congregated all around it watching. They were sitting in the grass, enjoying the unseasonably warm evening.  It was well after dark, but jackets weren’t needed.  It must still have been in the low mid sixty-degree range.

Periodically someone would exit the emergency stairwell facing Baxter street and run completely around the building, re-entering where they had started.  While it didn’t seem odd at the time, all the streakers coming out of this girl’s dorm were male. My roommate and I went to check out the source of the excitement.  “The girls” made themselves comfortable on the lawn. There were about a dozen guys, no girls, at the bottom of the stairwell when we arrived.  Guys who were dressed were coming in and also leaving via this one exit door that opened to the side of the dorm facing the street.  The procedure for that night was explained to us by this one guy who seemed to be the major coordinator for this impromptu event. One person would be sent out after they had completely stripped down.  Another person also would be already stripped down and ready to go.  After forty-five seconds or so, maybe a minute, the second person would be sent out while the next person stripped down. The exit door was opened just a bit so the first person could return inside without delay after completing their loop and get dressed.  Although there was no rule (right word?) against it, nobody did a repeat run.  So the spectators had a fairly constant spectacle of new streakers every forty-five to sixty seconds.  Heaven forbid the spectators' interest was allowed to wane! My roommate and I decided to have a go, of course. After we finished our individual loops, got dressed, and came back out, we found our friends, and sat and watched as the night dreamily wore on.  The girls were disappointed they did not recognize us in our moments of glory.  But we didn’t volunteer for a repeat performance.  It was all pretty heady stuff for the mid-seventies!

The campus was ALL abuzz the next day from the previous evening’s escapades.  I’m certain there wasn’t much didactic learning going on that Wednesday.  I certainly don’t remember going to my open lab… By Wednesday early evening the word was out.  The University of Georgia was unofficially organizing to have the world’s largest streaking event on Thursday night, March fifth.  Details were quite fuzzy, but it was supposed to start at the Meyers quad, on the south campus.  I still can’t imagine how it was organized sans cell phones and emails.  But by the end of that day everyone was looking for details.  As Thursday developed, still without the focus on whatever academic major anyone THOUGHT they had, the plans became clear:  Gather at the Meyers Quad and be ready to run by 11 p.m.  The route was to be down Stanford Drive, past the stadium, and up into the Reed Quad.  People had started gathering by 10, and the quad at Meyers was absolutely packed.  One of “the girls” from our group was in the quad, not yet quite certain if she was going to run or not.  A guy asked her why she hadn’t taken her clothes off.  She deflected by asking him the same thing.  He said, “I DO have my clothes off!”  It was that crowded.  She ultimately decided to watch instead of participating. Right about 11 everyone started running.  The street was lined several deep with spectators all along the course.  There were students, of course, and faculty, townsfolk, little children, old people, campus police, city police.  It was quite the spectacle.  Guys streaking outnumbered the girls by about twenty to one, as I recall, and much to my roommate’s and my dismay.  The ending was extremely disorganized with folks wondering if they should put their clothes back on or not.  Some folks had not carried their clothes with them, having left them at the start of the event.  Some dorm residents were dancing naked in their windows in the various Reed Quad dorms. And I’m not certain who did the official counting, but the reports ended up claiming fifteen hundred streakers.  We’d set the record.  We entered the history books.  And I sit here tonight, fifty years later to the day, amazed it all could have happened. (The day of the event, in the UGA school newspaper, Brad McCall posted the cartoon you see below.  It was one of several he did during the build-up and immediate aftermath to that night.)

@goneahead @thelovelymazza6 @ends-2-beginnings @gorgeous-and-glamorous @littletornado @resistancekitty @frances17

[sakumz]

₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ. [ s. ibara x gn reader ]

sneaking into your lover's office in hopes to suprise him with your presence. you didn't expect him to actually be asleep, head against the table with his laptop screen glaring at him in the dimly lit room.

" ibara, " with one poke to his forehead from the soft call to another poke to his cheek. you let out a sigh with your lips forming a pout afterwards. maybe you'll give him a good thirty minutes of sleep and then you'll wake him up to go home. all your thoughts were cut short when a certain lime haired man breaks in with the rest of eden.

" y/n, you're here!! " hiyori greets happily with jun mentally face palming and nagisa's soft smile sent your way.

" ohii-san, you're gonna wake up ibara... " ibara wakes up upon the noise.

" ah, you're all here... " he yawns upon seeing each eden members to you, by his side.

" well, let's leave the two love birds alone. see you around, y/n, " nagisa says, leaving you in a small shocked state. where did he learn such a word, love birds!?

" my, you learn quickly hehe. let's go, " hiyori grabs jun and nagisa, leading them out the door.

ibara silently gets the message and quickly pack his things, which is just shutting off the laptop and grabbing his bag before offering his hand for you to take.

" thank you, for waiting for me and pardon my messiness today! I didn't expect to fall asleep even after sleeping by your side in what felt like forever, " ibara shyly looks away as you both continue to walk out of the building and to the train station.

well with how busy you both are and how you don't belong to cospro, you both rarely get to see each other during work but you're making the effort to be by his side like he tries to do the same for you. good thing you get off work at least an hour earlier than ibara, the past few days, which gives you enough time to stop by cospro and drag him out. everyone from cospro knows and adores you for being his lover and for taking good care of their tactician.

with one assuring squeeze from your hand to his, " thank you for your hardwork today and if you're not going to come over, please don't forget you need sleep or I'll get the other eden members to ban you from entering cospro becuase of your lack of rest! "

ibara laughs at your cute threat. oh how he couldn't wait to slip a ring on your finger and marry you.

a/n : ihateenstars. JSKSIWOQJ and I gotta study for my exams but no motivation ToT

[futurebird]

The Overdue Man

Have you ever had an uncanny or possibly paranormal experience?

I have.

It happened when I was in undergrad, I had a work-study in the Archivists Office in the rare books section of the library. The library is a classic modern building from the 50s, once ahead of its time, now well behind. The computer system was similar, my college being one of the first to adopt a digital library catalog in the late 60s

So, as you can see, this is, in part, a story of a haunted computer terminal.

I had returned early from spring break to pack in some extra hours in the library so I could avoid working during exams week. The campus was lovely in spring, dogwood trees shed pink petals on the quad, tulips tossed & bobbed sudden short thunderstorms. I got lost in my work on the solid library terminal with it's chunky keyboard & blue-green matrix screen.

My desk was under a little sky light in a hidden corner of the 5th floor. That's how I noticed the light changing.

The library was a modernist building, as I mentioned, and many people called it "ugly" I think simply because it was modern. Secretly it was one of my favorite buildings on the campus. Because, although built with clean minimalist lines, it was made with care. The architect clearly cared about light. During the day, the building hardly used any electric lights at all.

So, I was alarmed when the sky suddenly darkened so drastically that the runners came on. But, this was spring and I looked up expecting the thunder and another violent little thunder storm.

Gazing up through the skylight told me little. The window was frosted, and I could only see a steel gray haze. The green blue glow of the old computer lit my keyboard and I endeavored to keep working.

Before I could apply myself to my task the light shifted again. This time growing brighter... golden. The runners switched off. The air grew still. The library was empty.

The light from the skylight and from every window was a lustrous pink-gold, a sunset color although it was only early afternoon. The effect was beautiful, dust motes played near the stair well.

The bell at the front desk around the corner rang. Strange. I didn't hear anyone enter.

My main duty was cataloging, but if the head archivist was out I was tasked with lending out rare books in his place. I went around to see who it was.

The light was much more dramatic in the rare books library lobby where there were more skylights & windows, the whole space was bathed in that peach-toned light. And there, by the bell, stood a young man. Smartly dressed. Too smartly dressed.

In fact, a large part of the "paranormal" nature of this experience will require you to trust my (even then) finally tuned sense of fashion.

He had on tweed pants and a sweater, leather shoes and a button down shirt. All of his clothes were out of time. His sweater, to take one item, was a campy letterman affair in school colors. Hand knit. It was the kind of plain sweater that no one would bother to hand knit. It was hand knit self-consciously because whoever bought it couldn't afford store-bought and aimed to approximate the mass produced look as best they could. In short, it was very old.

But, it was also brand new.

The same was true of his plain, white shirt. I could see less than perfect hand stitching on the collar. Who, today would sew a white button-down shirt by hand?

Under his arm he held a notebook, and even it struck me as all wrong for the date of our existence. It was a composition book the likes of which I have never seen except in archives, the black and white dapple pattern was made by splattering ... not printing.

His outfit, though very plain, had that effect of a costume. I took all this in and decided he was from the drama department.

Not everyone could check out rare books. We had our own system, hence the computer in the basement and the beautiful, clunky terminals. I asked for his ID. That's when things got even more strange.

His ID was *laminated* and contained a *real photograph*! His name inscribed by typewriter. His student ID? In pen! I started to have my doubts about my theory that he was from drama. Maybe this was an elaborate book heist!

I tuned over the ID frowning with doubt. "This isn't-" "I'm a grad student." He explained quickly. "Have been for a long time. I know that photo is old..."

The photo didn't look old to me at all. Though, perhaps it was that strange light, concealing and repainting things, for as much as I'd noticed his clothing, I took more notice now of the man himself. He had an uncanny ageless quality. I could not have said if he were 25 or 45... or perhaps even older.

I peered at the photograph on the ID comparing it to the man. They were clearly the same. The clothing in the photo looked just as anachronistic. Even the background of the photo felt like something from a forgotten decade, a pull-down painted backdrop of the college rotunda. His photo beamed at me, and so did the man himself.

Some of the faculty had such ancient IDs. So, I decided to search him up in the system. I tried his last name, which was short an unusual. No luck. I tried his ID--

When I entered his student ID the terminal flashed. The screen inverting for a moment. I gave it wack, as I'd seen the head archivist do, and this seemed to clear it up... but the record I was now viewing was curious and incomplete.

His name had been entered in the wrong field, which is why the search failed. His first name was just an initial. I attempted to correct this but the system wouldn't accept my changes.

I scanned the book. And handed it over to him. He smiled, thanked me, and it seemed very sincere. Whatever else he was, whoever or wherever (whenever) he'd come from he seemed like a nice person, at least.

I watched him leave, and then leaned over to the window hoping to see him go out through the main exit on ground level below.

But he never came out. Instead the golden light began to rapidly fade. The library returned to normal... the charm that hovered over the place was gone.

Maybe he was just a quirky grad student with a thing for vintage clothing construction, a very old ID, uncanny ageless looks, and great timing with lighting. (and he could have left the library via the tunnels. )

I tried to look at his record in the system again, and NOBODY could edit it. Not even the head archivist. It kept changing itself back. Edits wouldn't stick. To this day, I can't shake the feeling that something more was going on.

I never saw him again.

If you are wondering, the book was "Physics and applications of secondary electron emission"

[moondrop04]

This is a bit of a head-canon of mine that I have had for awhile but before team STRQ became the “Coolest team to ever graduate Beacon”, I kind of hope they were actually the “Most dysfunctional people to have ever became a team” when they enrolled into Beacon.

We all know what type of individuals they became as adults, but I think it would be a neat twist in the narrative that they were much different people back in their Pre-Beacon days.

Branwen Twins

We all know that the true reason Raven and Qrow enrolled into Beacon was because their tribe sent them to “infiltrate” the academy and learn the ways of “huntsmen”, so that the tribe would have had better knowledge to kill them.

So upon entering Beacon we can easily imagine Raven and Qrow being close guarded with one another and possibly could have looked down on other students as being “weaker” then them.

Taiyang Xiao Long

For myself I have always imagined Tai to have had been the “Fighter” of team STRQ, due to his fighting skills and physical build. As an adult he strikes me as someone who has found a certain “balance” when it comes to fighting, probably due to the experience he has gained since his Beacon days.

So….it has led me to also believe that must have been not the case when he enrolled into beacon and was still a teenager. I have a belief that Tai must have been someone who wanted to prove his strength, find the next challenge and have had a desire to become the strongest fighter in all of remnant.

I can imagine if that were the case he must have been a Hot-headed individual when he enrolled and didn’t think too much of even wanting to join in a team with anyone.

Summer Rose

Now this is a big one because there is still so much mystery into her character that it’s debatable of what kind of person she actually was, outside the stories mentioned by those that were close to her. All we know is that she was very kind and sweet to her family, was an amazing huntress and according to Qrow was a bit of a “brat” in their Beacon days.

To me……my biggest HC for Summer is that before she became the woman we presumably know of today, she was actually cold-hearted and had severe trust issues when she enrolled into Beacon.

Her family was killed at an early age, by unknown assassins, and she had been on the run ever since.

An orphan, with no where to go, learning ways on how to survive in a world full of Grimm on her own.

Activating her silver eyes at young age and painting a target on her back anytime she used them and having no idea her eyes were the reason she being targeted in the first place.

Possibly learning down the road about huntsmen academies and thinking it being a safe haven for her from her assailants.

When she came to beacon she probably had no intention of even wanting to become a huntress, and just thought of the academy as a place to keep low for a short time, until she felt it was appropriate to move on.

Her tragic childhood and upbringing left her cold hearted and in an almost emotionless state, that made her into an even more dangerous individual to anyone who would try to get close to her. Which is why she wears her hood up at all times and keep to herself silently.

So if you could imagine Summer, Tai, Raven and Qrow being what I had just described up above when they enrolled into beacon….

And eventually found themselves taking part in the team selection exam……

You can also imagine that when they first met each other, everyone around them must have thought there would be no way those 4 would ever become a “team”….

…..Until eventually at graduation those same 4 disfucfional kids became “the coolest team to ever graduate Beacon”.

What do you think? Might actually be a good backstory for team STRQ in my opinion lol.