#why do college students love getting plastered?

[nebula1734]

This just in: Scrolling through tumblr at 02:15 while jamming to the non-military playlist of 82nd Airborne Choir songs after being the only sober person at a party I forced myself to attend to try to be more social is a vibe.

Yeaaaah… probably not going to do that much anymore. The party part, I mean.

[kumawaii]

PLAYING THE GAME | PJS

cw - reader can fit into jay’s clothes, a bit of obsession, yandere behavior, oral sex (f), unprotected sex, creampie

∘₊✧─── 𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓸𝓻𝓼 𝓭𝓸 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓽 ───✧₊∘

football player!jay is the epitome of perfect. he’s good looking, talented, and popular. from the moment he stepped on campus, he was considered a king among his peers. the star athlete of his college who has it all, except the thing that he wants the most in this world — you.

it’s a complete surprise for football player!jay when he finds himself falling for you. maybe it’s life’s cosmic joke that he has a hallway crush who never looks his way, who directs that pretty smile at every person she sees except him, who doesn’t care that he’s the campus heartthrob. it’s all very devastating to him because he spends so much time pining for you in spite of you not noticing him.

this goes on until football player!jay can’t take it anymore. he boldly takes a seat next to you in class on a random day. the smile he directs at you as he introduces himself to you is charming and attractive. you’re floored by his cute display because he says this to you like you don’t know who he is when of course you do.

football player!jay doesn’t know that, though. because you still just give him a polite smile and then focus on the lesson the rest of the class. for some reason, it just makes him want you more. so for the next few weeks he makes the biggest effort to get close to you.

football player!jay treats you so sweetly and gently. he always gets you coffee in the morning and walks you to all his classes. somewhere along the way, you started to look forward to sitting next to him in class. you two become real friends, but it’s not enough for him. while you’re very friendly and open to spending time with him, you don’t ever respond to him flirting with you. and on one of the mornings he brings you your coffee, he finally figures out why.

it’s really hard not to crush the cup in his hands when he sees you talking to a ta notorious for fucking students. the way you shyly laugh and smile at that sleazy loser makes football player!jay’s blood boil. as he works through his rage and jealousy, you saunter over to him without knowing he’s practically seething.

“you close with that guy?” it’s a casual question that hides the animosity he feels.

“i’m getting to know him.” you say as you take a sip of the coffee he bought for you.

“just be careful, babe.” jay says as he throws an arm around your shoulder. he squeezes you closer to his side, loving how you feel against him. “he fucks around a lot.”

it’s the first doubt he plants in your mind. he can literally see you starting to feel turned off, and he has to hide his smirk. football player!jay’s plan doesn’t end there. it’s fairly easy to convince his slutty ex to fuck the ta under the guise that they might possibly get back together. she didn’t expect it to end with both of them being kicked out of the university after being caught.

football player!jay feels a little bad to see you upset, but he’s ultimately happy that you run into his arms after his plan is complete. that night he spends hours eating you out, licking and sucking on your pretty little pussy until you literally can’t take it anymore. he feels like he’s on top of the world when he asks you to be at his next game and you say yes.

the sight of you adorned in football player!jay’s jersey that has his number and his last name plastered on the back only deepens his feelings for you. after he leads his team to victory, you run down and jump into his arms. he easily catches you and spins you around, his ego more inflated than it ever has been. your sweet voice congratulates him, and it makes his dick throb when you demand to go back to his place so you can give him his prize.

it all feels like a dream when football player!jay has you in his bed, kissing you deeply as your scent and taste invade his senses. he groans into your mouth, slowly teasing your entrance with his leaking tip. his pupils are blown wide as he slowly slides his cock deep inside of you. your moans are so cute that jay has to stop multiple times to prevent himself from cumming right then and there.

“fuck, baby.” jay moans before he starts licks and suck on your neck, leaving his marks on you. “you feel so fucking good.”

you’re whimpering and moaning underneath him, locking your legs around his hips to push him deeper inside you. football player!jay had never felt better than he does now with your sweet pussy sucking him in, clamping down on him and massaging his aching cock with your swollen walls. his thrusts start to pick up speed, chasing the addicting feeling of fucking you.

“harder!” you squeal against jay’s lips. “fuck me harder!”

football player!jay angles your hips up, allowing him to press his leaking head against the soft spot that makes you see starts. you clench down even tighter around him until it feels like you’re suffocating his cock. he swears under his breath, panting heavily against your lips. jay’s thrusts are rough and insatiable, pounding into you as an indescribable pleasure consumes you both.

“so fucking tight — all for me.”

jay’s growl makes the coil in your belly snap. you moan out his name as you cum all over his cock. he groans along with you, sloppily fucking back into you as his own orgasm hits. thick ropes of cum paint your silky walls, effectively marking you as his in the most primal way possible.

football player!jay won’t ever get enough of you clinging to him while you moan his name so prettily. he’s gently rubbing soothing circles on your throbbing clit as you start to come down from your high. the smile he directs at you is so pretty and endearing that you have to pull him down for another kiss.

as you two lay in his bed after, football player!jay presses a sweet kiss to your head. your sleeping form cuddles closer to him, and his heart swells. because now that he’s had you, no one is going to take you away from him. ever.

[sugurufic]

Student of the Year (Gojo x Reader, Geto x Reader)

Summary: Saint Teresa, the planned destination for the rich, and a dream for those who can't afford it. Of course, there's a tension between the rich and the scholarship kids, the rich ones acting so much better than the others. All of that changes, when Suguru Geto, the new scholarship kid joins, blurring the lines between the two cliques. Satoru Gojo, the resident rockstar, the son of the most affluent man, the poster boy of the rich. You, the hottest girl on campus, Satoru’s girlfriend (or are you). Friends, bitches, love and betrayal - a competition to ruin all relationships. 

Content Warning: fluff, fights, focused on SatoSugu, reader is rich and low-key a bitch, fuckboy Satoru, love triangle (stsg and reader) breakups, friendship breakups, typical Bollywood drama, a few swear words, ends on a positive note

Word Count: 21k | masterlist

A/N: For those of you unfamiliar with SOTY i've attached the links to the movie's songs <3 the tall guy is Sugu and shorter one is Satoru's character

Saint Teresa - the college where dreams come true, or nightmares become real. Saint Teresa is a big name with a big game - having a big division in the trust fund kids and the scholarship kids. There’s the star of the trust fund kids - Satoru Gojo - the son of the biggest tycoon of the country, who is blessed by the gods with a charming face and a gift for music, and wants to be a rockstar. Music is his passion, but he does have a lover - only the prettiest girl of Saint Teresa, the one sought after by everyone who's anyone. She drowns in luxury, dropping brand names like they were some pop stars. The only things she doesn’t lack are beauty and money.

One might think that with the prettiest girl of the school at his side, Satoru wouldn’t even look at other people, but as the first day of the new college term rolls out, you’re met with the sight of your boyfriend of four years getting a little to cosy to Tanya, his hand on her waist and her hands on his chest. You see red - the wine in your hand finding a target besides your mouth.

You pat his back, trying to get his attention, but he pushes you off in favour of whispering dirty-nothings to Tanya, the brunette soaking up his attention. The fates are cruel and the other woman notices you first, and Satoru only turns around to see you when Tanya asks him to.

He’s shocked, surprised and begins profusely apologising for not noticing you earlier, while Tanya looks at you with an annoying smirk plastered on her face.

“You know Tanya, wine stains are the hardest to get rid off,” You tell her, feeling positively malicious, directing your anger at her instead of Satoru.

“Thanks for the washing machine tip, I guess?” She responds, her voice snarky.

“You’ll need it,” you say, before throwing the remaining wine onto her white top and stalking away from the both of them.

“Baby, listen!” Satoru calls after you, catching up easily with his long legs. “Baby, I said I’m sorry, why did you have to do that?”

“Listen, Satoru,” You emphasised on his name, an angry crease between your brows. “If you don’t leave your company this term, I will leave you. Fix yourself.”

“Baby, you look so sexy, all jealous and threatening me,” Satoru teases, licking his lips as he looks down at you.

“I’m being serious, Satoru,” You say, not using any endearments for him. “You’ve been at it for too long. Stop testing me.”

A new sports scholarship student joins Saint Teresa for the new term, state level track gold medalist and a martial arts champion - Suguru Geto. He’s from a humble background, not having the flair and pomp of the rich kids, but he has the confidence and the skills to make things work. He drives his simple motorbike to the campus from the dorms, backpack on his shoulder. His long dark hair is tied up in a bun, and a few bangs frame his pretty face. 

(Kukkad)

He parks his bike at an empty spot, when two guys, one blond and the other raven  haired, come up to him. Suguru looks at them, a little confused, but doesn’t say anything regardless.

“Hey bangs guy, don’t you know this parking spot is reserved for the Satoru Gojo?” Ichiji Kiyotaka says. He too is one of the scholarship kids, dressed in simple clothes. His companion, Kento Nanami, seems like a scholarship kid as well with his too-neat hair and simple shirt and jeans. “Go park your bike somewhere else.”

He looks at them, scowling, but doesn’t attempt to move his bike.

Just then, the man in question rolls in with his blue Ferrari, lips turned up in disgust on seeing his usual spot occupied with a cheap bike he can’t even be bothered to know the name of. 

“Kiyotaka, why is the trash here?” His voice is arrogant and full of himself, glaring at Kiyotaka and the bangs guy from behind his opaque sunglasses. “Don’t I pay you to keep my spot empty everyday?”

“This trash is called a motorbike and runs on petrol, you see,” Suguru says, voice laced in calm confidence.

“What did you say was your name again?” Satoru asks, sparkly blue eyes scrutinising him up and down from under his fluffy white hair - right from his bun and bangs to his sneakers, lip curling in disgust.

“I simply never said it,” Suguru simply says, purple eyes fixed on him, a model of confidence.

Satoru’s sidekick, another kid paying full fees, Yu Haibara, chimed in,  “Are you trying to play Crorepati with us? You’ll give options and then we’ll have to choose?”

“I’m called Suguru Geto,” Suguru finally says, the air of confidence never leaving him.

“Suguru,” Satoru tries saying his name, the disinterest in his voice feigns - behind his sunglasses, his blue eyes are trying to find a point of weakness. “Well, Suguru, this is my parking spot, and I’m asking you to take your tractor away.”

Suguru doesn’t respond, going to the blue Ferrari instead, saying, “2005 Ferrari F360 Spider convertible, 400 horsepower with alloy wheels, a great car.”

“What are you man or Google?” Kiyotaka Ichiji comments.

“Maybe he was a mechanic back in his village,” Satoru says, looking down on him.

“A valet at the nightclub,” Suguru says.

“Valet?” Satoru says, giddy on finally finding a weakness. He throws him the keys of the car, which the bangs guy expertly catches and says, “Take the keys and park my car. And here’s some cash, maybe get your tractor cleaned.” He pauses for a moment, then adds. “Keep the change,”

Everyone waits with a baited breath to see the calm, confident bangs guy reaction, Satoru with a cocky smirk on his lips as Suguru calmly gets in the driver side of the car and the engine roars to life. There’s a collective gasp as Suguru takes the 2005 F360 to the muddy ground and runs it around in near perfect doughnuts, turning the baby blue to a muddy brown. There’s a crowd gathered around him, loud gossip travelling in the crowd, half terrified, half annoyed but most of it admiring the man with the bangs.

The white haired man’s heart threatens to burst out of his chest at the rage he’s feeling - no one ever dares to cross him, especially not a scholarship kid who couldn’t even afford to be there. He is seeing red, eyes bloodshot and focused on Suguru, he’ll rip the confidence right out of him with the bangs everyone is seeming to talk about.

Satoru is ready to fight, when Suguru lazily steps out of the blue Ferrari and throws the keys right back to the owner. When Satoru is in closer range, the dark haired man takes the cash that he’d been given and hands it back saying, “Here’s some cash to get your car cleaned.” Suguru steps back and takes a short pause. “And please, keep the change.”

Being insulted like that on the first day of the new term by some scholarship brat was not on Satoru Gojo’s bucket list. He is red with rage, and throws the sunglasses off and pushes his white hair back from his forehead before raising his fists to hit the new guy, but Suguru’s easy defence only eggs him on more. They’re fighting, but Suguru has a bit of the upper hand with his expertise in martial arts. But soon the two are being pulled apart by the crowd while the rest continue recording the fight. To everyone else, it was a brilliant first day of school, and gossip fodder for everyone for the whole term.

They’re both escorted to the Dean, Masamichi Yaga’s office, the old man not very happy to be dealing with silly boy fist fights on the first day of the newest term. He has been in a nice mood this morning after talking with his bonsai plant, but that’s ruined now. He sounds jolly when he begins his questions, “Boys will be boys, bad boys, right?”  His jolly tone deceives Satoru who nods in agreement.

“No, nonsense. This uncivilised behaviour is unexpected from students of St. Teresa,” He scolds them both. “Which one of you started the fight?”

“Sir, he did,” Satoru says, pointing to his left. “He parked in my spot,”

“It was empty when I came,” Suguru counters, annoyed. “It’s not your father’s parking, is it?”

“You know what, it actually is,” Satoru turns to him, nerves getting the best of him. “My father is the biggest trustee of St. Teresa-”

“You must think that your dad pays my salary as well then, Mr. Gojo,” Dean Yaga intervenes in a sassy voice. “You don’t speak like that in my office, Mr. Gojo. Speaking of your father, I’ve invited him as our first guest speaker, so he’ll be here in a day or two. I’ll let him know of your antics then,”

Satoru quickly turns around, white hair flying in all directions as the anger turns into surprise, blue eyes comically widen,“Please don’t, sir.”

“Now shake your hands like gentlemen and don’t repeat this same mistake,” Yaga says, smiling sweetly. He was an eccentric man - kinder and gentler to his plants than to most of his faculty and students. The two men reluctantly shake their hands and share a plastic smile, if only to get out of the Dean’s office.

- - - - - -

“Satoru, you were acting so recklessly,” you say, applying an ointment to the bruise on his cheekbone. The brunette Tanya, not discouraged by your wine attack, was sitting right beside your boyfriend, worrying herself. Shoko, your best friend, rolls her eyes, not very fond of Tanya or Satoru.

“Who does this new guy think he is, not respecting you?” Tanya says instead, feeding into his bloated ego. “It’s good that you taught him a lesson,”

Yu agrees, always the loyal sidekick. “That’s right, Satoru, he had no right to steal your parking spot then humiliate you like that. Bloody scholarship brat.”

- - - - -

“Suguru, you’ve earnt us scholarship kids respect,” Nanami, the blond man of a few words says. “The way you handled Satoru, I salute you on behalf of all of us.”

Suguru raises his eyebrow to acknowledge his classmate, but continues going forward, excited to hear Isamu Gojo talk about his success in becoming a raging business tycoon in the country while coming from nothing.

“Where are you going?” Kento asks. “You can’t go to the front, that’s for the trust fund kids. Come here, sit with your bank account.”

“I’ll sit where I want,” Suguru says with that calm confidence typical of him. He sits down right next to Shoko, who sat with her friends - Satoru and his group of the one-percenter kids. All of your eyes flit to him, but he seemingly doesn’t care - or if he does, he is doing a great job not showing it.

You take note of his bangs, and his hair in bun - you’re half jealous of his hair and partly angry at his treatment of your boyfriend, but you also admire his confidence. Turning back to Satoru, you see him staring at bangs guy, eyes full of spite - it seems even worse than your spite towards that bitch Tanya. “Satoru, don’t,” you quietly whisper to him, putting your hand on his. He only gives an annoyed glance, which hurts you more than it should have.

“Good morning boys and girls, I am very delighted to have our first session with a guest speaker, one of the leading business tycoons of the country - Isamu Gojo!” Dean Yaga says, and the whole crowd erupts in cheers and applause. Satoru is quick to plug his ears with his earbuds, loud music already blaring through. “We’re glad that you could join us today, Mr. Gojo.”

“I hope you are having a wonderful term so far, ladies and gentlemen,” Isamu Gojo says. He too is a big, tall man with white hair and light eyes, the resemblance with his son almost uncanny. “I would like to correct you, Masamichi, I’m the leading business tycoon of the country,” he then proceeds to laugh at his own joke, enjoying the way the Dean and the teacher’s smile drops. “See, I’m not one for guiding you to bookish studies, your teachers are enough for that. Your teachers teach you the rules of the world, but keep one thing in mind: it's the winners who make those rules. So keep up your winning spirit and dedication, and play the game to win - not to learn the rules.”

He beams with pride as the crowd roars in applause, as if he just hadn’t insulted the whole faculty body of the school. Satoru too joins the applause, even though he hadn’t heard a word - he didn’t need to, hearing the condescending words all the time back at home. Somehow, he’s even more spiteful of his own father than he is of the bangs guy.

- - - - -

“Suguru Geto,” The coach says, noticing Suguru after classes a couple of days later. Everyone knows Suguru by now - his fight with Satoru Gojo, then his calm confidence in classes, with his pretty face and unique hair is the talk of all cliques. “State Level Track gold-medalist and martial arts expert… Have you ever played football?”

“I have, sir,” Suguru says, smiling politely. 

“Why don’t you come for the tryouts tomorrow?” Coach says. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

“I’ll be there, sir.” Suguru promises.

Unsurprisingly, Satoru and his loyal sidekick Haibara are a part of the football team. Kiyotaka is acting as the coach’s assistant - keeping things in order for him. Satoru Gojo’s clique tries so hard to ruin Suguru’s tryouts for the team, attempting to trip him, tackle him, but his graceful movements and power packed kicks are more than enough to defend and dodge himself, all the while managing to score a perfect goal. Satoru’s usually pretty face is creased with frowns and scowls, mood sour at Suguru making it into his team. He’ll be sure to rub the bangs guy in the mud once he is appointed captain, determined to show the coach that the village brat is a bastard.

“Haibara, bring me the keys to the notice board,” Satoru says, a devious plan already forming in his head.

“What are you gonna do with that boss?” Haibara asks.

“Just bring me the keys, Haibara.” Satoru says, annoyed.

- - - - -

Two mornings later, Haibara comes to Satoru with the news that the coach was not happy with Suguru and had ordered him to jog 200 laps of the school ground - which Suguru accepted without a voice of protest. Satoru feels awful for what he’s done - delivering piss to the coach’s house and labelling it as Ganga Jal (our equivalent to holy water) signed under Suguru’s name. He watches as Suguru sends Ichiji off - who was supposed to watch his laps, but continues jogging around the perimeter of the massive St. Teresa ground.

Seeing bangs accept the punishment he deserves changes something in him, it gives him a moment of introspection, of why he was villainising the new guy so much. Sure, bangs had parked in his spot, but the spot was empty when he came. He got selected in the team, but because he was actually good at the game. He was becoming the teachers’ favourite, but that was because he was polite and performed well with just enough confidence. The girls that usually fawned over Satoru and his guitar and his music, were now fawning over Suguru’s voice and bangs, never missing the chance to admire him - but Satoru shouldn’t care - he already has the prettiest girl on campus - you.

After class, the aspiring rockstar swallows the bitter pill and calls after Suguru, “Hey! Hey!” Suguru doesn’t listen, is too engrossed in his book and continues walking. Satoru’s long legs pick up speed, and he’s power walking to catch up. “Oh hello, I’m talking to you, bangs!”

“My name is Suguru, you know?” Suguru says with an annoyed sigh.

“Yeah, yeah, Suguru,” Satoru dismisses, continuing to walk beside Suguru, who bookmarks his spot in the book before turning to him. “I came here to say thanks for yesterday morning. You didn’t have to save us, you know. I could’ve handled the coach pretty easily.”

“I know, I didn’t want to do it at all either,” Suguru says, his voice level.

“Then why did you do it?” Satoru says, his cool-kid facade falling a bit.

“I was trying to act like Mahatma,” Suguru says, upturning the book he was reading. It was a biography of Mahatma Gandhi. “I wanted to know what Gandhi felt like being so idealistic.”

“You’ve got some loose screws, man,” Satoru incredulously says, motioning the loose screws with his large hands.

“I may have some loose screws, but you don’t have any.” Suguru deadpans.

“Very funny,” the white haired man scoffs. “You did listen to my dad, I suppose that is bound to make some impact on you.”

“You know, your dad isn’t crazy, he’s a little crooked,” Suguru says. “Which is a good thing, no one reaches that level of money without being at least a little crooked.”

“Show some respect to Gandhi in your hands, man,” Satoru teases, taking the book from him. “The gods made a silly mistake, you should’ve been my father’s son.”

“Why do you care so much about your father?” Suguru says, taking back the Gandhi biography from him, his thin dark eyebrow raised.

“I don’t care for my father or my mother,”

“You do, you’re seeking validation from them.” Suguru observes. “But it seems like all you get from them is money.”

“Wow, and now you’re an expert in parents’ philosophy, right?” Satoru dodges the accusation that hit just a bit too close.

Suguru looks away, the confident demeanour shaking as he says in a small voice, “I am, now that they’re gone.”

“What do you mean gone, are they on a vacation?” Satoru asks, genuinely confused.

“They’re dead,” Suguru says with an accepting sigh. Satoru stops in his tracks, wanting the earth to swallow him whole in that moment - how could he be so stupid and insensitive? “Quit the dramatics, man, yours are alive.”

“You fucker,” Satoru says, a chuckle escaping him. “You motherfucker,” Suguru smirks, accepting the insincere swearing. Satoru’s blue eyes gleam with laughter and he pats his new friend’s chest and says, “Let’s go to the cafeteria. It’s time for me to meet my girlfriend,”

- - - - - - - 

You’re on your way to the cafeteria, enjoying your conversation with Shoko about the newest phone on the market when your good mood is soured by Tanya strutting in your direction, her hefty handbag seemingly weighing her down. Her friends follow her, but you don’t pay attention to them as Tanya comes to a stop in front of you, her head tilted up to look at you and a qualifier smile on her face.

“Have you heard who became the head cheerleader for this term?” Tanya teases, her annoying smirk never leaving her face. “It's Tanya Israni,” She eggs you on, frustrated by the calm smile on your face. “You must be so upset, because this position is only given to the most popular girl of the school,” 

“I’m so happy for you Tanya,” You cooly say, stepping a little closer to her. “Good for you honestly,” You cheer her on, enjoying the confused look on her face. Shoko snickers behind you, fighting the laughter from her face. “You know, it’s really not my style to take pom-poms in my hands and scream and dance to catch men’s attention. I much prefer it if they notice me and try to catch my attention, you know. So, I’m so happy you got to be the head cheerleader.”

You pat her shoulders and walk away, Shoko hot on your heels. 

At the cafeteria, you’re met with Satoru, your pretty boyfriend, who whips out his guitar and sings a song in your praise, and you eat it all up. It’s been quite a while since you’ve got his attention to himself - with bangs taking up most of his time and energy. You bask in the attention he gives you, eyes not missing bangs and the way his mysterious eyes linger on you as if trying to decipher you.

“All the attention on me suddenly?” You ask Satoru, taunting his last few months of hoeing around. “Are you sick? Or did you finally fix yourself?”

“I’m getting back on track,” He jokes, putting his arms around you.

“Or maybe you just want the world to know that she is still dating you,” Shoko teases. She isn’t a fan of Satoru, but she especially hates him now that he’s started taking you for granted.

“There she is, my competition,” Satoru gently punches Shoko’s shoulder, laughing. “Shoko, did you miss me?”

“In your dreams, Satoru,” Shoko shrugs his hand off, taking a whiff of her cigarette. “Besides, your competition is right here. Suguru, right?”

Suguru nods in acknowledgement as Satoru easily orders Yu around.“Haibara, go get chairs for the girls,” 

“Ah, so you’re Suguru,” You say, raising your brow, scrutinising him.

“You’re saying as if you never noticed me,” He deadpans.

“I only saw you, noticing is totally different,” You say, pushing your hair out of your face. “Anyways, I’ve got to run to class now, Satoru. I’ll see you later.” You kiss his cheek and wave at Suguru then grab Shoko and rush to class. Suguru’s dark eyes follow your figure as you leave, trying to see under your rudeness.

“Don’t even think about it, Suguru,” Satoru warns. “That’s my girlfriend.”

“Well, good for you that she’s not my type then,” Suguru says, turning to his friend. “Besides, I have different plans.”

“I don’t care about your plans,” Satoru says, practically radiating with excitement. “I’m just happy that there’s finally someone who can match me.” He then shakes his head and leaves, fixing his glasses on the way out. Haibara returns with the chair, giving an odd look to Suguru, who rolls his eyes and walks away. 

- - - - - - - 

Friendships, breakups, jealousy, parties - all of it was a common occurrence at St. Teresa. But every other weekend, everyone got a reality check - when they went back to their homes.

At the Gojos back in Delhi, Isamu and Akihiko, Satoru’s older brother, were discussing the stock market and the impact of the changing polls on their organisation over dinner, disregarding himself and his mother. Satoru still tries to bond with them, trying to put forth some of his opinions, “Dad, I think-”

“You think?” Isamu taunts. “Since when did that happen?”

“Satoru, leave the thinking to us intellectuals,” Akihiko says. “You focus on your music, that’s what you have talent for, no? I’ll need your help finalising the music for the sangeet function at my wedding, you know. You can think about that. Leave the thinking about the stock market to us.”

Meanwhile at your residence - your mom and her latest husband discuss the gossip of people you couldn’t care less about. How that couple treated your mother, how the woman blatantly ignored her kind words of advice, how she had a horrible taste for the interior of her house - the same old, same old.

“I’m pregnant,” You abruptly say, trying to steer the conversation to some other direction.

“What did you say young lady-” Your mother starts, and your newest step father looks nearly as aghast as you mother.

“I’m kidding,” you say, rolling your eyes with a defeated sigh. “Please continue,”

Back in Dehradun, Suguru sits for dinner with his family - his Chacha, Chachi, cousins and Dadi, mustering up the courage to finally ask for some pocket money for a chemistry project.

“Suguru, everything alright in school?” His uncle asks.

“Yeah, Chachu, everything’s great.” He bites his lip then finally says, “Chachu, actually I needed some money for a chemistry project-”

“Right,” His Chachi intervenes. “Of course, Mr. Ambani, could you please give him some money from your endless bank account?”

His Dadi beats his Chacha to it, saying, “I’ll give you the money,” then she adds. “There’s a little less salt in the food, but okay I’ll manage.”

- - - - - - - -

With Monday, everything is back to normal. There’s a change in the daily life in Saint Teresa now that Satoru and Suguru have become friends, their friendship quickly becoming one of the best the college has ever seen. 

The football team is practising for the yearly match with Saint Lawrence, a match that has been won by their competitors for an unbeatable record of 24 years. Dean Yaga hopes that this will change with this batch, the wonderful players he has got and even more wonderful Coach of theirs.

Coach is in a serious dilemma watching the team practice. Both Satoru and Suguru are brilliant players and would make great captains - but the custom is to have only one captain in the team. Making one captain in favour of another isn’t something he is considering, too much has already happened between the two before they started behaving civilly. 

“Yu Haibara!” Coach calls. “You’re the football team captain for this term.”

Haibara, standing between Suguru and Satoru, is startled at first, then he celebrates with delight. The two friends on either side of him share a smile, accepting their unassigned-assigned co-captaincy of the team.

On the day of the much awaited match, you, Shoko, and Kento take your spot in the bleachers, while Tanya and her cheer squad stand right by the field. Your boys in blue and your opponents in red - the two teams come out of the stands and shake hands before taking positions for the game.

It’s a mess right when it starts - the boys in blue are too defensive, but they are too focused on not letting them score, where they miss the chances to snatch the ball away from them which ultimately led to a goal. Twice before halftime. Standing at an embarrassing 2-0, your side sulks and accepts defeat, ready to lose to Saint Lawrence for the 25th time in a row.

But after the half time, your boys in blue have gone from defensive to offensive, never letting the ball pass to the opposing team in red - keeping the ball to themselves. For a moment the ball goes to the red team, but Satoru is deft to act and snatches the ball away from them with a couple of his antics, not violating any rule of the game. He scores the first goal of the match for the blue team. From the humiliating 2-0 the score was now up to a less embarrassing 2-1. Your side erupted in cheers, and you were perhaps the loudest.

The next goal is just as swift, but this time it's Suguru running with the ball, easily distracting their goalie and scoring a goal. The game is now at a tie of 2-2.

The next time, Yu manages to snag the ball from the red players and then passes the ball to Suguru who keeps two of the red defenders occupied while he pretends to go for the goal and kicks the ball to Satoru whose deft attacks give Saint Teresa the final goal of the match - and the first victory after 25 years. 

The team and the bleachers erupt in cheers, and the new friends and teammates share a hug. They’re jumping on the field, looking at each other with newfound respect and admiration. Suguru’s dark bangs stick to his forehead and Satoru’s white hair drips sweat down to the grass, which he is quick to wipe with the front of his jersey. The girls nearly lose their minds, but his attention is elsewhere.

“Don't kiss me now,” Suguru teases Satoru, yelling over the crowd.

“I won’t even hug you,” Satoru says as he envelopes Suguru in a bear hug, both of them feeling the sheer joy of winning and making their college proud.

Satoru takes Suguru back home to Delhi after their match to celebrate - the lavish mansion with servants at every beck and call leaving a scanning Suguru further steeling his resolve for his success, the only thing he joined Saint Teresa for. Satoru introduces Suguru to his mother, who seems like a meek, kind woman. Suguru holds his hands together in a namaste before her.

“Your father was asking for you, Satoru,” His mother says, wrapping her saree over her free arm.

“Why, is he unwell?” Satoru sarcastically asks, but follows his mother nonetheless, dragging Suguru along.

“Dad this is S-”

“Suguru Geto, I know,” Isamu Gojo shakes his hand as soon as he hangs up the call. “I’ve heard a lot about you, son. You are a popular name among teachers. I hope your determination rubs off on him too.” The way Isamu talks about his own son, his flesh and blood makes Suguru uncomfortable, but as usual he maintains his air of calm confidence.

“Uncle, but today’s victory is all thanks to Satoru, you know.” Suguru says. “If he hadn’t made the goal -”

“Oh really, I didn’t know you were capable of anything outside of playing that damned guitar.” the older white haired man taunts. Satoru grits his teeth, eyes narrowing behind his round sunglasses.

“He doesn’t appreciate it,” Satoru says, voice bitter. “Especially if it’s me,”

“If you want to hear compliments so bad, do something that matters,” Isamu challenges. “Win that Student Of the Year trophy, then we’ll talk.”

“What's the point in winning the trophy, you won't be happy then either,” Satoru says.

“It’s not about me being happy, it’s about ambition,” Isamu says, turning to Suguru, more welcoming of him than his own son. “You tell me, Suguru, would you win the Student of the Year trophy?”

“That trophy is mine sir,” Suguru says with his signature confidence, his voice smooth and even. “Now we just have to wait for it to get home,”

“That’s the spirit,” Isamu says, patting the dark-haired man’s shoulders. “I’m happy to hear that. Maybe some of your influence will rub off on Satoru with time. Now tell me, where do you see yourself in the future?”

“As you,” Suguru says, then seeing the creased brow, he elaborates on their similarities - small town kids growing up with low money, then taking the market by a storm with sheer force of will and strategic decisions. “Maybe even a bigger business tycoon than you.”

“Now this is ambition,” Isamu says, beaming with pride. “I love your confidence, my son. Maybe not everyone wants to play a guitar now.”

“Let’s go Suguru,” He says, eager to leave his golden cage.

(Vele)

Delhi’s buzzing nightlife is where Satoru takes him for their celebration. Even though it’s just the two of them, Suguru feels strange seeing his friend interact with everyone. Of course, he was familiar with the nightlife, but he’s always been there to work, never to enjoy. Satoru with his fluffy white hair and bright blue eyes and charming words is popular among the crowd - both the men and the women. It takes him some time - a couple days - to loosen up and feel the music.

Satoru is pressing up behind a giggly woman, his signature smirk on his lips and his glasses down just enough to tease the pretty colour of his eyes. He easily moves with her, going beyond just casually dancing with her. Suguru is entertaining a girl as well, but he’s not much into it - he isn’t fond of meaningless connections.

In the morning, they get a smoke - Satoru is so different from his night self - zoned out and blue eyes droopy with a longing. “Suguru… do you miss your parents?” he suddenly asks.

Suguru takes a moment to process the question, flashes of his happier times passing in his head. “Hmm, I do,” He says, nodding.

“Me too,” Satoru says, eyes focused on something and nothing at the same time.

Come the night, Satoru is back to his womaniser self - this time having two women splayed over him rather than just one. Suguru’s mind suddenly flashes your pretty face, and he wonders if you’d approve of his behaviour. He’s disgusted by Satoru’s behaviour, how he’s an attentionwhore but is not letting you go either. He might be too poor to understand your setup, he thinks.

The next night, they’re back on campus and the whole school is celebrating at the nearest club - Satoru is again getting cosy with Tanya, not even noticing you. You’re outraged and want to cause a scene, but you don’t. You don’t know what’s gotten into him in the past year, why he’s been going out and letting women get so close to him. Why did he need this much attention? Why couldn’t you leave him? You go to the bar, and to your surprise, Bangs is the one to notice your sulking self and he gets you shot. The two of you down the bitter drink, and he flashes his. And for some reason, you find yourself smiling even when he’s gone.

The next weekend, Suguru and Satoru are back in Delhi, smoking at their usual spot when Suguru finally asks him, “Do you love her?”

“I’m a little confused,” Satoru admits, looking down.

“About her?” Suguru asks, brow creased.

“About love,” Satoru admits, looking down at his phone.

“Are you gay?” Suguru asks incredulously.

Satoru chuckles, pulling Suguru close with his shirt. “Yeah, I am come here,”

“Oi, shut up!” Suguru smacks him away, laughing.

By the night, Satoru is too drunk, and Suguru drives the blue Ferrari back to the lavish Gojo house, picks up his drunk friend and drops him on his bed. Satoru mumbles at him to stay the night. Suguru too is exhausted, and he’s out like a lightbulb almost as soon as he drops to the bed. In the morning, the loud blaring of an electric guitar in an unfamiliar but upbeat tune wakes him up. Suguru goes to the balcony and sees the Gojo family, minus Satoru having breakfast and decides to join them.

“Good morning Uncle, Good morning Aunty,” Suguru greets them. “We got late last night so Satoru asked me to stay,”

“That’s alright my son, come sit with us.” Isamu says, motioning to the empty chair. “You’re listening to what we have to put up with every morning? Our little maestro is practising,”

“I was thinking I'd ask him for music recommendations for my sangeet but listening to this, I was terribly wrong.” Akihiko says. “It’s just noise.”

“Yeah, son, Akihiko is getting married, you should join us.” Isamu says. “Yu, Yaga, Coach, Tanya and the girl who is too good for Satoru, they're all coming.”

“Satoru didn’t say anything about-” Suguru reluctantly says.

“Yeah, he isn’t invited yet,” Isamu and his oldest laugh at his joke. “No need to worry about tickets and stay, we’ll go via our jet and there’s accommodation for everyone, my son.”

“Thank you, sir.” Suguru says, his smile reserved. He cannot fathom why Isamu antagonises his own flesh and blood this much. Satoru arrives as Isamu and Akihiko leave, and they don’t leave without a taunt. “Mr. Gojo just invited me to your brother’s wedding,” Suguru says, taking a sip of the orange juice as Satoru sits down next to him.

“Wow, maybe he’ll write your name in his will too,” Satoru says, rolling his eyes.

“That’s the plan,” Suguru teases.

“Remember, the dad comes with the property,” Satoru warns, mocking his father.

“With a bank balance like that I’ll handle everyone,” Suguru jokes, and Satoru just shakes his head, unaware of his own privilege.

- - - - - - 

The wedding party lands in Thailand with much pomp - the first day they only relax and enjoy Thailand. Your mood is sour again - Satoru spent the whole flight flirting with Tanya and enjoying her advances, letting her touch him in ways that only you should be able to. On top of that Shoko wasn’t there, and now you had to spend the entire weekend with this.

When you land, Tanya starts enquiring about the luggage, to which you say, “Didn’t all of your clothes fit in your handbag?” and Satoru has the nerve to get mad at you - telling you that you should mind your tongue.

“Welcome to Thailand,” Bangs says, when he crosses you.

Later, you go to the resort’s beach, hoping to finally get some time with Satoru - only to see him lying on Tanya’s lap as she smothers his chest in sunscreen. Your sour mood turns bitter, and you go back to your room, eyes threatening to spill. But you take a few deep breaths, trying to calm yourself down. Was it so easy for him to let loose after four years of being your boyfriend? Was he no longer attracted to you? You ponder with the thought of leaving him, but you don’t want to give him up - you love him, you think, and you don’t want your four years to go to waste.

Unbeknownst to you, bangs was feeling similar towards Satoru’s dismissal of you - seriously questioning his friend as to why he was even looking at other girls with you by his side. If it were up to Suguru and he had a girlfriend as amazing and pretty as you, he wouldn’t even look at other women.

The next morning, you see Satoru with Tanya - whose shrill voice is just a pitch lower than a moan. She’s massaging his back and letting out sounds which can only be described as ones of pleasure. You know about pleasure, of course - but you don’t sound that obnoxious.

“Should I massage your neck, while she massages your back?” You ask Satoru, voice sickly sweet. He takes off his glasses, blue eyes narrowed in annoyance and pushes his fluffy hair away from his face before acknowledging you. Tanya’s hands get more lecherous, a smirk on her face as her dark eyes meet yours.

“What do you mean?” Satoru asks, sounding almost mad at you.

You don’t back down, saying, “I thought you were too fond of massages,” motioning to the way he was sitting in front of Tanya.

“I’m only helping Satoru release his tension, he’s always so stressed.” Tanya says, her voice artificially shrill and concerned. “See, his back has so many knots.”

“Why don’t you open a massage stall then? Everyone in Bangkok would come to you to release their stress.” You snap at her, the dam breaking.

“That’s enough! Why are you acting so insecure?” Satoru has the audacity to get mad at you, looking down at you with such annoyance that you actually start thinking that you’ve done something wrong. “I’m only chilling with my friends, no? What’s so wrong with that?”

The damn holding your tears back breaks, “There’s nothing wrong, absolutely nothing,” your voice breaks and you rush away, tears spilling.

You stand by an isolated spot, away from everyone’s eyes, letting your tears flow freely. Why is everything going wrong between you and Satoru? Did he not love you anymore? Did he ever love you? You can hear Shoko’s voice, telling you to leave him, that you deserve someone so much better than him. If he does all of that in front of you, what’s to say what he does behind your back? She had said.

Suddenly, Bangs is standing beside you, and you’re quick to wipe away your tears. You don’t want to see Satoru’s sidekick come and lecture you - you’ve had enough of that from Haibara, and you don’t want to hear the same thing from bangs. “So typical of Satoru,” You say, voice nasal from all the crying. “He can’t come face me himself, so he sends his sidekick to wipe my tears.”

“Firstly, I’m no one’s sidekick,” Bangs says, handing you a white handkerchief. It has a small back embroidery of his initials. “Secondly, I’m not here to wipe your tears, you’ve got a runny nose.” You take the white muslin cloth and quickly wipe your nose. “You’re the classy type, it doesn’t suit you.” For a moment you think that he’s talking about Satoru, but you’re quick to dismiss the thought. “Now that I’m here, do you want to tell me what’s happening or sing a lovely song for me?”

You don't look at him, focusing your teary gaze on a random spot in the distance. “I’m so fed up with Satoru,” You hate the way your voice sounds nasal, giving away just how much everything was affecting you. You felt weak and exposed, but for some reason you felt you wouldn’t get judgement from Bangs. “I’ve known him for 10 years, been dating him for 4, and from the past year it feels like all of this is a big mistake.”

“Then why not leave him?” Bangs gently suggests, but it sounds more like a genuine question and not a statement.

“I don’t like breaking relationships,” You admit.

“Then do something to get him on the right path,” He says, and you finally look at him, noticing him for the first time.

“How so?” You ask, brow raised.

“Maybe take a wrong path yourself,” He shrugs, the sun hits his shades and bangs perfectly, and you can see the violet of his eyes from this close under the sun. You cross your arms over your chest, a devious plan forming in your head with Suguru’s pretty face in your mind.

(Radha)

In the evening, you decide to take the stage and perform to the song, having coordinated with the music set up and the bride and groom. Akihiko was way too excited to see his brother get put in his place, agreeing to your idea immediately. Everything is a deliberate plan - from your pink blouse to your lehenga skirt and the way it hugs your figure in the most flattering of ways you feel and look hot.

Satoru and Tanya stand in the audience as the music starts to play, stopping the hushed whispers exchanging. Her back is still pressed against his chest, enjoying the warmth he offers. For a change, Satoru has ditched his glasses and is adorning a fancy golden kurta, the colour flattering his pale complexion and white hair. Tanya too is dressed in a sexy golden saree - and they look too much like a couple for your taste. That makes your resolve all the more strong.

Satoru watches with a crease between his white brows seeing a familiar figure on the stage, but her face is veiled by the dupatta, the lighting just dim enough to make the face of the girl a mystery. The music starts to play and when the dupatta veil falls after a few steps to reveal your pretty face - Satoru is stunned. You’re too sexy, all for him to admire. He covers his face, part astonished, part embarrassed. Tanya grits her teeth, but smiles along when Satoru tells her how pretty you look. Suguru on the other hand, dressed in a lovely navy kurta that compliments his dark hair and pretty eyes, raises his hands and cheers you on.

Much to Satoru’s surprise while dancing to the music, instead of coming to him in the crowd, you go to Suguru. An indescribable feeling climbs up his throat at the sight of you dancing and enjoying with his best friend - your steps complimenting each other so well. Tanya tries to distract him, and for a while he is distracted. Until he sees you again - you’re coming toward him so he pushes Tanya out of your way - but you only push him in a mix of playfulness and annoyance and return to Suguru. 

Satoru, being the rockstar that he is, easily catches the beat of the music and is able to keep up with your practised steps, trying to get closer to you.

For a moment, the three of you are dancing together, but you lean more toward your boyfriend’s best friend - disregarding him as he has been disregarding you. Somewhere with the music, your Dean Yaga takes up the Dafli and surprises everyone with how well he plays the instrument. You, Satoru and Suguru join him on the stage, and Yaga turns into a blushing mess with all the compliments. 

Suguru is surprised to have you dancing this close to him, even with your dance performance over and the DJ being open for everyone. He pushes you away when you get a bit too close, for perfume all up in his nose and your pretty, decorated eyes looking up at him with such affection. He grabs your shoulders and pushes you back a little when you get too close again - worried about all the eyes on him and you - he doesn’t want to cause a scene. He can feel Satoru’s burning gaze on the two of you and he does not like that.

When you get too close a couple more times, he’s finally had enough and grabs your arm to take you away from the crowd, brows creased and a scowl on his face. Suguru doesn’t like this spark that ignites inside him with your pretty face and sweet voice and lovely outfit. He shouldn’t feel this way about you - you’re his best friend’s girlfriend, after all.

“What do you think you’re doing?” His yell isn’t loud, but his voice is scolding.

But the playfulness doesn’t leave your eyes, and you look at him as if he should be in on some secret that he isn’t in on. “You only said to take the wrong path,” you say, a teasing smile on your lips, enjoying the frustrated expression on his usually stoic confident face. “What’s a better wrong path than you?”

“Don’t be stupid, girl,” He scoffs. “Satoru is my best friend,”

“That’s why you’re perfect.” You explain, and your pretty eyes are such a tease, Suguru thinks. “You’re helping your friend by saving his relationship, and I know you won’t try to take advantage of me. Maybe we’ll also become friends by this. It’s not a bad thing, you see. Right?” You put your hands on his crossed arms, your bangles clinking as you try to shake him into agreement

His purple eyes gaze at you for a long moment, and you pretend to fix your bangles, feeling flustered under his steady gaze. You didn’t want to make a fool out of yourself if he refused your offer.

“You’re not as stupid as you seem,” Suguru has a rare, genuine smile on his face, calm, steady voice returning. “So… What’s the plan?”

You look up at him with a child-like smirk, twirling your dupatta between your fingers. “Now we’re talking,” you say, then you drag him away.

Unbeknownst to you, Satoru’s eyes have been following the two of you and he didn’t know he was capable of feeling such jealousy - until he saw you with Suguru - perhaps the only man who can compare to him. He cannot hear the words you exchanged, but the ways you looked at each other spoke louder to him than any words ever could. Have you ever looked at him like that? Like the way you teasingly looked up at Suguru, batting your pretty eyes at him?

The next morning, Satoru is lying in the sun on the beach, with Tanya sitting behind him, lotion in her hand. He sat up straight on seeing you, eyes peeled and sunglasses off - you’re so hot in a yellow and honey coloured bikini - hair wet from the time you had spent in the water. The sun makes your skin glow like the goddess that you are, trying not to laugh at the way your boyfriend’s jaw has dropped, the girl sitting behind him long forgotten. Satoru half raises his hands, wanting you to sit with him. It’s comical the way both their heads turn when you go past him to Suguru, who was casually laying in the sun, shades on his eyes and reading a business magazine.

“May I sit here?” You ask the pretty guy with the bangs, voice deliberately sultry.

“Yeah, sure,” He says, putting down the magazine and sitting up to make space for you behind him. Satoru and Tanya have extremely confused expressions plastered on their faces, and Satoru looks like a kicked puppy his blue eyes narrowed and lips pouty that you almost let up the act. Almost.

You sit behind him, sure to make your curves stand out just a bit more, fixing your hair to one side. You let out a small gasp, touching Suguru’s toned shoulders over his shirt. “Oh dear, you seem so stressed,” you say in the same sultry voice. “May I help in releasing all this tension of yours?”

“Please,” Suguru says with a sigh, head turned away from Satoru but towards you. You try to ignore the way his voice affects you. But can’t really blame yourself - his already nice voice is now deliberately sinful. You pull his open shirt off his shoulders, admiring his back. You don’t need to pretend to fawn over him, a realisation that disturbs you more than it should.

Taking some lotion in your hand, you begin massaging his back, both of you playing the part well of making noises that sound much like sounds of pleasure - it’s funny the way Satoru suddenly straightens up and Tanya tries to mimic you, trying to get Satoru to make noises similar to the one Suguru was making. The man in front of you sounds incredibly sexy, even if it was just pretend. Your brain begins a thought - if this is how good he sounds when pretending, how much nicer he’d sound with the real - but you stub it before the thought completes.

When Satoru doesn’t make any noises, too focused on the way you’re touching his best friend - the pretty hands that should be touching him instead - Tanya asks him to make some noise, in order to assert some sense of dominance. Satoru lets out a funny noise of complaint, throws his sunglasses in the sand and stalks away.

The two of you giggle and share a high-five, watching the squirming Satoru rush away from you. Your plan was working perfectly.

Later in the evening, you enjoy a stroll on the beach with Suguru, his silky hair down for a change, the wind making it flow in a graceful dance. You’ve never wanted to touch someone's hair this bad ever before, so you reach out and do - his hair is softer than any fabric you’ve ever touched. Suguru gives you a small smile.

He’s mesmerised by the way your eyes soften, the moonlight making you glow. He’s unaware of everything except you, of how your eyes are looking at him kindly, of how you mentioned having a rough relationship with your mother and never knowing your father, of telling you about the time his parent’s car had crashed, taking them away from him.

“He’s gone,” you whisper, and he’s pulled out the trance your eyes had put him in. “You’re such a nice actor Suguru,” you say, a cheery smile returning to your face. “Let’s go back in now before it gets too dark.”

The next morning, Suguru sips his champagne and watches you with a heavy heart, you look so pretty in your white and gold lehenga, dancing to the music with the mehendi drying on your hands. He’s admiring you from afar - seeing as you spot Satoru and make a sour face at him, then turning around to see him with a bright smile on your face. You mouth to him if she looks okay, and he mouths back that you look fantastic, doing the okay gesture with his fingers and grinning. You’ve accidentally matched - the yellows and oranges of your lehenga matching his kurta. Your focus is diverted back to the music, and your dance is graceful.

“Oi, why are you acting like Romeo all of a sudden?” Satoru says, rolling the sleeves of his light blue kurta, seemingly squaring up. “I’ve been seeing this for two days now. What happened to her not being your type?”

“Well, she is now,” Suguru says, taking a sip from his glass.

“Stay away from her,” Satoru says, brow creased and lips pressed in distaste. 

“And why would I do that?” Suguru challenges, raising a brow.

“She’s my girlfriend-” the white haired man says, blue eyes wide with rage.

“Since when?” Suguru asks, steadily holding his gaze.

“Don’t play with me Suguru,” Satoru says, ready to snap. “I’m being serious,”

“You? Serious?” Suguru notes. “Satoru, your whole problem is that you aren’t serious. You don’t have the time to be serious.”

“What-” Satoru stammers.

“Meaning that - when was the last time you held her hand? Hugged her? Looked into her eyes and spoke to her? Told her that you love her?” Suguru fires the questions straight at his best friend.

“Who even -” Satoru gets defensive all of a sudden.

“Stop acting like a cool dude.” Suguru asserts. Then, with a smirk on his face, he teases, “Seeing her with me made you jealous, right? You were scared, right?” Satoru can only nod, hiding his eyes with his fluffy hair.

“Good, because that was our scheme to bring you back to the right track.” Suguru finally confesses, seeing his disheartened best friend.

“What do you mean scheme,” He began. “You and -”

“Yeah,” Suguru nods. “You aren’t going to find a girl like her, man. I mean just look at her, she is beautiful.” His voice turns softer, serene, “The way she laughs, the way she dramatises things, names fashion designers on little things. She has the brains, the anger, but she has the right too. She lacks love and affection, she wants love. She isn’t too clever, maybe that is why she is in love with you.”

Satoru is truly stupefied by his friend’s assessment of you. “You’re so sweet, Suguru,” he teases, playfulness back in his crystal blue eyes. “You did a PhD on her just to put some sense into me.”

Suguru puts his hands on his friend’s shoulders, encouraging him, “Okay, now go and be nice to her. If you let her go, I’ll catch her.”

Satoru elbows him, saying, “If you do that, I’ll kill you.” He steps away, but a thought bothers him, “Are you sure you dont like her?”

“Her?” Suguru teases. “It’s you-”

Satoru smacks his shoulder, but then pulls him into a hug. He’s so grateful to have a friend like Suguru, how he showed him what he was doing wrong.

The sound of your name from Satoru’s smart mouth has you turning around, and he takes that opportunity to finally wrap his arms around you, muttering, “I’m really sorry baby,”

“Shhh,” you hush him. “It’s said that hiding your boyfriend’s name in your mehendi, if he finds it then it may be a love to last different lifetimes,”

He takes your hand, his blue eyes full of adoration, “Shall I try?”

“Yes,” You snarkily say, taking Tanya’s hand and handing it to him.

And finally he ignores her in favour of you, muttering your name like an apology. You’re not yet done testing him, so you wipe the wet mehendi on his face, smearing his porcelain skin a dark muddy colour.

In the evening, during the wedding ceremony, as the bride enters with her brothers and uncles, you rush - the stubborn jhumki not locking properly. You hastily motion for two more minutes to the other bridesmaids, running and trying to put the jhumki on your right ear at the same time. Fortunately you see Suguru, and show him the state of your jhumki, unable to keep the smile off your face. He thinks you’re adorable like this, annoyed at a stubborn piece of jewellery.

Suguru takes the jhumki from your hand, instead styling your hair in a manner to keep the missing earring hidden. His purple eyes are so expressive in their appreciation of your yellow-gold outfit and makeup - it makes you feel so beautiful. His large hands are gentle on your hair and it comes as no surprise that he was so good at styling your hair. 

You join the bridal party quickly, spotting Satoru, who makes a gesture of heat on seeing you, you return his gesture - but with a throwing-up one. He laughs, but the smile disappears once he sees his father hug his older brother, so full of pride that he’s never seen.

Tanya is quick to snatch the silver tray of rose petals in your hands, and you laugh, running your hands through your hair only to feel your absent jhumki, suddenly remembering Suguru. You turn around, trying to find him, only to see him already looking at you, a pretty smile on his pretty face. You motion him to come closer to the mandap, and when he refuses, you walk over to him and grab a hold of his arm, wanting him to stay close to you. He still refuses, but he has a smile on his face, a smile worth swooning over, you note.

A heavy hand settles on your shoulder, and Satoru’s blue eyes sparkle with a smile as they take you in, wanting you to stay with him. You refuse him at first, not wanting to leave Suguru behind, but when his bangs move as he shakes his head, allowing you to go, you let up in your attempts to get him. Satoru takes you right out of his hands, taking you close to the mandap and sitting behind the bride and the groom.

He has a quiet laugh on his face when you make a face at him, and you cannot recall the last time he had been this nice to you. Pushing that thought behind, you look at the rituals, when Satoru elbows you, telling you without words that soon you’ll be in place of his brother and sister in law. You’re quick to dismiss him, too quick, smacking his hand off yours.

- - - - - - - -

After the wedding weekend, Suguru has become a little more distant, only speaking when spoken to. 

Shoko is on her way to class when she sees Suguru’s usually inexpressive eyes filled with a deep longing, only to see you and Satoru in his line of sight. You still hadn’t gotten the time to catch her up to speed, but she cannot mistake the softness of his eyes. You’re sitting on Satoru’s lap, with him making you giggle over something, his white hair all up in your face.

“Hey,” She says, walking up to you and Satoru. You say a cheerful hi, a beaming smile on your face.

“Your boyfriend’s here, baby,” Satoru teases. He gently punches her shoulder, saying, “Hey handsome,”

“Can we do this later?” Shoko asserts. “Come with me,” She tells you. You kiss Satoru’s cheek before getting up and walking out of his earshot with your best friend, curious about what was bothering her.

The sound of your name has your attention, and she begins, “Look, I don’t know what happened between you guys this weekend,” she pauses, looking into your eyes. “But I just saw Suguru, and I think that he likes you,”

“Suguru? Are you mad?” You dismiss her concern with a small shake of your head. “Satoru and I are now stable because of his help,”

“He was staring at you girl,” She says. “Only one-sided lovers look at other people like that,”

“You were also staring at him,” You tease, bumping against her shoulder with a chuckle. “Sorry, you were observing him,”

“Don’t try to act so smart now,” She says, a frown on her face. “I just let you know what I saw, the rest is your choice.” Shoko walks away, leaving you staring at her brown bob.

You think over her words for a moment, and your feet involuntarily take you to Suguru. He was easy to spot in the crowd - his tall stature and his dark bun gave him away easily.

“Good morning, Suguru,” You say, trying to be cheerful.

“Morning,” He acknowledges you, voice back to his indifferent confidence. He’s quickly turning around, not waiting for you.

“Listen!” You call, and he turns to you. “I just wanted to thank you once again…”

“Yeah, it’s not a problem,” He says, quickly turning away once again.

“Suguru…” You say his name, fiddling with your fingers. You don’t know why you feel this nervous. He wouldn’t be the first guy to like you, but then why was your heart beating so furiously, why was your face burning. “Is everything fine? Like between the two of us?”

“No, nothing is fine,” Suguru says, fully turning to you. His cold indifference hurts you more than you’d like to admit. It hurts in a way different from Satoru’s indifference. His indifference makes you mad, but Suguru’s detached voice makes you sad. You don’t know if it's a good thing or a bad one.

You suddenly feel the need to explain yourself for some reason, words coming out with a stammer, which was unlike yourself. “Suguru, I love Satoru,”

“I know,” He says, his voice even. “Are you telling that to me or yourself?” Your taken aback by his question, but before you can answer, he adds, “I came to Saint Teresa with one thing in mind - to make a better future for myself and win that Student of the Year trophy… got distracted for a bit, but now I see my goal crystal clear, and no one can come between me and the trophy now.”

The Competition

Dean officially announces the SOTY competition open: four phases and eight finalists and one winner. Starting from the aptitude exam, to the treasure hunt, the dance competition and the final triathlon - the competition is meant to judge the students on all grounds, and only the one who is the best at everything wins.

Everyone is spending their every waking minute preparing for the aptitude assessment in their own way - hiding the fact that they are studying from their friends. You pretend to read Vogue instead of your textbooks, Shoko pretends to sleep but holds up a torch in her comforter to read. Nanami stacks books on top of books, the ever studious man of the school. Satoru pretends to compose music but he’s actually going through his statistics notes, with you helping him with his coffee and providing motivation to each other to study. Suguru has grown a little more detached from your circle, but he doesn’t hide the fact that he is preparing for the exam. Tanya is spending her time preparing - to cheat, that is, making her settings with the nerds. Haibara tries to mug everything up, but finally gives up and starts focusing on his prayers instead.

Come the time of the result announcement - all of you make it to the top sixteen, moving on to the next round -  the treasure hunt. To everyone’s surprise - Tanya makes it into the top 16, with the 16th position, Satoru makes it to the 10th spot, you make it to the 6th, Shoko makes it to the 4th, Suguru to the 3rd, Nanami to the 2nd. But to everyone - even Dean Yaga who was announcing the result, he had to take his glasses off and read correctly - it was Yu Haibara of all people that got the 1st position. Nanami nearly lost his mind, with Ichiji having held the blond man back to stop him from attacking Yu right there.

Once the gang's all outside, Kento grabs Haibara by the collar of his blazer and demands, “How the fuck did you get first?” 

“I don’t know, I just said Jai Mata Di and marked all the answers,” Haibara says.

“Nanami, stop being such a drama queen,” Satoru complains. “All that matters is that all of us are in the top 16 now. What does it matter who wins or loses?”

“It matters,” Suguru says, volunteering in a conversation involving someone other than Satoru for the first time in days. “We have big intentions, and you have an affluent dad. You can easily join any university per your choice… We don’t have that privilege.”

“You’re after my dad so much,” Satoru says, making gestures with his hands. “Please take my dad and give me your intentions instead.”

Suguru just shakes his head at that, but Tanya intervenes with her sultry voice, “If you want my intentions,” she twirls her hair. “I’ll happily give them to you.”

You can feel Satoru’s hand raise, but you push it down by his shoulder, yet he still manages to blow a kiss in her direction. “The entire college knows of your intentions, Tanya,” You say, pushing down your boyfriend’s hand which blows a kiss at her yet again despite your efforts. “We’re drifting off topic here. We were talking about the competition and I believe there shouldn’t be any competition among friends. Right, Shoko?”

“Right…” Shoko says. “That’s why you were hiding when you were studying?” Satoru pushes you away, but you still hold his arm. Shoko continues, “Come on guys, if our goal is the same, there will be a competition,”

Satoru makes a pouty face, hissing to tease her,“Shoko, does that mean to win the competition yourself, you’ll make your best friend face defeat?”

“Yes,” Suguru says without hesitation, and all heads turn to him. “Perhaps,”

“He’s kidding,” Satoru chuckles, but Suguru doesn’t add to that, turning the pages of his book instead.

A couple days later, the top 16 after the aptitude test got to the fun part - the treasure hunt involving the entire campus. Four teams of four members each.

Suguru, Haibara, you were in one team, Team A; Satoru, Nanami, Shoko and Tanya in Team B and the rest were divided into two other teams. Taking their first clue, the teams rushed to solve the riddle to get to their respective locations. 

Suguru opened the clue card, reading out the riddle: Neela Asmaan Upar bhi Neela Asman Neeche bhi, paana hai jawab, toh gehrayi me jaao janab. (Blue sky above, blue sky below too, If you want to get the answer, then go deep sir.)

Haibara whines on hearing the riddle, snatching the envelope and scanning it as if to see any answer that maye have been hidden. “Yaar, what does this clue even mean? How can there be a sky up and sky below too? The first clue itself has our hopes running in the water,”

“Haibara, you’re a genius!” Suguru says, grabbing the brunet’s shoulders and shaking him.

“Really?” Haibara beams, before Suguru yells, “No!” leaving him confused. Suguru takes off, leaving the three of you to chase him with your shorter legs.

Meanwhile, Satoru opened Team B’s first clue and read out the riddle: Atit ki muskaan hai ajit ki pyaari, Nazron se peechha kare, adbhut hai ye naari. (The smile of the past is Ajit's beloved, follows you with her eyes, this woman is amazing.)

“Who’s this Ajit?” Nanami asks. frowning. “Any faculty member?”

“No, it’s not a faculty member,” Satoru says, thinking hard. 

“I only know one Ajit (Ajit Khan),” Nanami says, and Satoru catches up. The both of them simultaneously say, “Mona darling, sona kahan hai?” (Mona darling, where’s the gold? - an iconic dialogue)

“Anywhere,” Tanya says in her sultry voice, playing with her hair. She’s just happy to be part of Satoru’s team.

“That’s it!” Shoko screams. “It’s the Mona Lisa!” and the four of them take off running to find the room with the Mona Lisa.

In the meantime, Suguru reaches the swimming pool, where you, Haibara and your fourth teammate frown, when Suguru recites the riddle again and deciphers it to be the swimming pool. He’s quickly taken off his shoes, socks and t-shirt and jumps into the pool, finding the next clue at the bottom.

You open the clue as Suguru puts his shirt and shoes back on. The clue reads: Ped bhi hu aur nahi bhi, baat karo toh sunu bhi, khoobsurat hu aisi mai, ke baat kare guru bhi (I am a tree and I’m not, if you talk then I listen, I’m so beautiful, that the teacher also talks to me)

“Tree, the plantations?” Haibara suggests and the four team members rush from the swimming pool to the plantations.

Team B finds Mona Lisa in the assembly hall, a brick with her hair holding the clue. Even Satoru has to jump to fetch that clue. The second riddle read: Farishte ne gaaye zindagi ke geet, asmaan se aayega unka mit, sade nau baje unka milan, jawab degi suraj ki kiran. (The angels sang the songs of life, their friends would come from the sky, meeting at nine thirty, the sun's beam would answer.) 

“Where will we get angels?” Tanya dumbly asks.

Satoru leans close to her, and says in an annoyed voice, “In the canteen,”

“Really?” Tanya says, seemingly believing him.

The answer suddenly strikes Satoru, and he yells out, “The Church, the Church! We have only five minutes to nine-thirty, run!”

It’s hard for Shoko and Tanya to keep up with Satoru and Nanami’s long legs, but they somehow manage. They reach the church just in time - and the sun beam is falling on the Hymn Book of the choir. Satoru is quick to snatch the clue out of the book, and reads: aakhri padav aakhri mystery, kitni majboot hai aapki chemistry (Last stop, last mystery, how strong is your chemistry)

“Let’s go, chemistry lab!” Satoru yells, and Team B rushes away.

“Wait, wait!” You yell, stopping your teammates. “It said tree so we rushed here, but there is no guru visible!”

“Yaar are we looking for this guru or the plant?” Haibara asks.

“We’re looking for the clue,” Suguru deadpans.

“I’m telling you this is not working,” You pant out.

“If you have any other bright idea why don’t you share it with the class?” Suguru says, annoyed.

“Why are you being so mean?” You snap.

“Yeah, man, leave bhabhi alone,” Haibara says, at which Suguru snaps even worse than he did at you. “Abey! Bhabhi hogi teri.” (idk how to write this in english)

“Who is the guru on this campus?” You ask, catching your breath.

“Waheguru?” Haibara prompts.

“We don’t have a Gurdwara on campus, Yu!” You say, frustrated.

“Well, there should be one!” Haibara protests.

“Take that up with Yaga!” Suguru says.

“That’s it!” You jump, clasping your hands as if releasing them would take your answer away. “The guru is Yaga! He’s famous for talking to his bonsai plant!” Then you all rush off to Dean Yaga’s office, finally finding your third clue. You snap the envelope open as Suguru lifts up the bonsai plant, and quickly start reading out loud: aazad hindustan ki peheli awaaz, khamosh kamra batayega yeh raaz. (The first voice of independent India, a silent room will tell this secret.)

“The silent room! It’s the library,” Suguru yells and all of you run to the library.

“Nanami, fast, grab the envelope!” Shoko yells. Satoru beats him to it, opening it only to find a blank envelope.

“What man, Nanami, it's blank!” Satoru gets frustrated and shoves the envelope to Nanami.

“I’m sorry on behalf of the organisers!” Nanami snaps back.

Shoko snatches the envelope from Nanami, shushing the two idiots up. “Let me think,” she says.

“Now what exactly are we looking for?” Haibara asks once you are in the library.

“Independent India's first voice…” you mumble trying to recall your history lesson. “It was Nehru,” you remember. 

“Tryst with destiny!” Suguru suddenly remembers, and the four of you rush to the history section.

“You were right, Shoko!” Nanami says, rubbing the ammonia solution on the black envelope. “The ammonia makes the ink visible!”

“Okay okay, now what does it say?” Shoko asks, jumping with excitement.

The final clue is same for everyone, the riddle saying: khush toh bohot hoge tum ki yeh hai aakhri padav, savere waali ghanti se paar hoga yeh chadav, dhyaan se padhna isko aur dena apna sujhav, kyunki upar waale alfaz karenge jeet ka chunav. (You will be very happy that this is your last stop, this climb will be crossed by the morning bell, read this carefully and give your suggestion, because the above words will choose the victor.)

“The morning bell?” Haibara mutters. “Our period bell?”

Team A runs from the library, climbing up the stairs to try and reach the period bell. On their way, they spot Team B, already higher up in the floors, closer to the period bell of the school. Suguru, Haibara and you find the step ladder and pull it near to the bell, and Haibara quickly climbs up the ladder as you and Suguru hold on to it for stability. Meanwhile, Nanami has taken to walking on the roof instead of taking the normal path, surprising everyone.

Soon it’s a race between Nanami and Haibara, and Haibara wins, striking the bell first. Just then, Ichiji comes and yells, “It's the wrong answer!”

“Oh! Oh! It’s the bell tower!” You yell, excited as you realise the answer. Suguru tries to shush you, but you yell again, “It’s the bell tower!”

“Thanks, bestie!” Shoko yells from above, and the next chase is between you and her, and she is faster. From the lecture building to the bell tower it’s a hard chase, and you’re already too out of breath, so Shoko manages to climb the stairs more swifty than you can. You reach the top just as Shoko rings the bell, only to be told that this answer is wrong as well.

Both your teams have gathered back in the ground, with all eight minds thinking over the riddle over and over. Aaj khush toh bohot hoge tum, Suguru and Satoru seemingly share a brain cell and think of the iconic dialogue of the movie Deewaar. In the scene of the dialogue, Amitabh Bacchan’s character can be seen ranting to the goddess in a temple.

They both look at each other, spelling out a swear word and sprint off to the in campus temple. They are both fast, but Satoru has an upper hand of not having his drenched pants weighing him down. It’s an intense run down between two best friends having a fun rivalry - running to win rather than to defeat. Satoru takes a head start, but Suguru’s track medals have not been in vain and he manages to outrun Satoru and hit the bell just a moment earlier than Satoru, falling to his knees on the white marble of the goddess Saraswati’s temple, both of them bursting out in laughter and sharing a high five.

After Dean Yaga congratulates Team A and praises Team B’s performance, Satoru puts his hand on Suguru’s shoulder and pats his chest. “Let’s go celebrate, you win, Suguru,” He says, peeking up at him from behind his glasses. “I want to go home with you?”

“Why do you want to go home with me?” Suguru asks, raising his eyebrow.

“I am craving some home-made food,” Satoru says. “Come on, please,”

“You don’t have food at your house?” Suguru teases.

“I’m bored of my home’s room service,” Satoru replies.

Suguru shakes his head, patting Satoru’s shoulder, “Let’s go,”

“The food is fab, Dadi, it’s fab!” Satoru says, quickly gulping down a spoonful of the rajma and rice.

“You should come more often then, son,” Dadi says, a cheerful smile on her old face. She looks amazing for her age - most of her hair is still black and her eyes hold a youthful charm with the wisdom that comes as one ages.

“I had to invite myself, even today,” Satoru chuckles. “Do you know - your grandson isn’t normal. Did he fall as a baby?” Dadi laughs at that, but Suguru’s Chachi makes a sour face. 

“Aye, shut up and eat your food,” Suguru says in his deadpan voice.

“Suguru, that is not the way to speak to guests,” His Chachi chides. She turns to Satoru, putting her hand on his shoulder. “Satoru, son - Can I call you son?” Satoru nods with a spoonful in his mouth. “You look much more charming and handsome in real life than you look in those Page 3 photos,”

Suguru and Dadi share a glance, stifling their laughter at Chachi’s comment. “Save some butter for the chapatis, Geeta.” Dadi scorns.

“Butter is expensive, Mother,” Chachi sneers. “We only have words to work with in this house,”

“We’re shareholders in your dad’s company, Satoru,” His Chacha says, trying to dissolve the tension. “Suguru, you must take some tips of the stock market from him and share it with me,” he chuckles. “Let us benefit from your friendship,”

“I’ll make use of his friendship,” Suguru says with a smile, holding Satoru’s gaze. It is a smile shared between friends, meaning unknown to others. “I’ll use him to my benefit so much that I’ll leave him behind,”

“Of course, you should buy the Taj Mahal,” Chachi snaps, her voice ringing in everyone’s ears. “Dreams don’t need any money,”

“Dreams are for duffers like me,” Satoru suddenly says, unable to stand the way Suguru’s Chachi speaks to him. “Suguru is a blue-chip investment. He will make you guys millionaires. You’ll see,”

Suguru’s dark eyes are filled with such adoration and respect for Satoru - for he has never had a friend believe in him this much. His support meant the world to Suguru, and he thinks that maybe letting people get close to him isn’t too bad.

He walks Satoru to the door, calling after him before he manages to get to his blue Ferrari. “What you said in front of Chachi, it felt nice,” Suguru says in a small voice, hands shoved in his jeans pocket and eyes on the grass. “Felt like my own person was saying it,” When he looks up to meet Satoru’s blue eyes, he adds in a teasing voice, “I didn’t know Mr Gojo’s useless son had this talent,”

“Yeah roast and compliment me in the same sentence,” Satoru shakes his head with a smirk. “Is that how you say thanks?”

“Okay, I’ll say it,” Suguru inhales a deep breath. “Thank you,”

“Thanks,” Satoru says, nodding as he studies Suguru closely. “Why do you always hide your emotions?”

“Why are you talking like a woman?” Suguru tries to dodge.

“I’m talking about my heart and feelings,” Satoru admits with a sigh. “There’s no one back home who will listen to me, and I don’t think [name] really gets me. So I thought I’ll try to speak to you,”

“I too lack practice in that matter,” Suguru confesses. “Those who listened to me are gone now, and Dadi has hearing aids.”

The two friends chuckle, and Satoru says, “So basically we are in the same situation,” he puts his hands on Suguru’s elbows, adding, “Whatever happens, we will always share it with each other.”

Being a tease is Suguru’s defence mechanism, so he says, “Are you going to kiss me right now?”

“I won’t even hug you,” Satoru punches his shoulder. “Okay, I’ll see you.”

“Suguru!” His Chacha’s voice comes from inside the house. “Call an ambulance - Mom - I don’t know, just call an ambulance, quick!”

Satoru follows them to the hospital, and Dadi is being taken to the critical care unit - the doctor says she had a cardiac arrest. Suguru is following them, worry written all over his pretty face when Chachi suddenly stops him, asking him where he thinks he’s going.

“Dadi-”

“We will look after your Dadi,” Chachi sternly says. “You bring bad luck wherever you go,”

Suguru doesn’t fight back, but the words cut deeper than any superficial wound ever could. As soon as his Chachi turns around, Suguru nearly runs out of the hospital, Satoru hot on his heels, calling after him. He tries to console him, but Suguru only pushes him off.

“Suguru,” Satoru says, hugging him despite his protests. He returns the hug after a moment, then pulls away quickly feeling the lump in his throat threaten to explode. “Are you okay or do you need another hug?”

Suguru smiles with tears in his eyes, not letting them fall. “I’m okay,”

The next morning, you’re there with flowers in your hands, ready to see Suguru. You wave at him with a small, reassuring smile and a frangipani bouquet in your hands - he’s holding your gaze, and to your surprise, he returns your smile and waves back.

“Suguru, I know you’re mad at me,” You say once you’re close to him. “You don’t even look at me lately, I don’t know what I did wrong but - ”

“I’m not in the mood to listen to your sad rants,” He says, voice breaking. “Dadi is unwell,”

“I know,” You say, exasperated. “That’s why I’m here Suguru.” His eyes hold so much grief and pain in them, and you want to hug him, let him cry on your shoulder and tell him that you’re going to be there for him no matter what - but you refrain. “Are you okay?” you softly ask.

“I’m okay,” Suguru nods, then turns to you, examining your outfit - it’s a short green dress with a low neckline  and a pullover over it, with knee high boots. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, why?” You ask. He eyes your clothes, and you begin to explain, “I know, I know - I don’t have any clothes suitable to come visit the hospital. I am going to go shopping today though.” He is extremely confused and you add, “I want to come here daily, Suguru.”

Suguru’s smile - so full of gratitude and his usually stoic eyes full of tears - welcome you and you take that as a step forward. You don’t know why you’re so giddy at him letting you come visit. You never bothered making friends with Satoru’s old friends before coming to Saint Teresa, but right now he’s the farthest thought in your heart when you look at the man in front of you; so vulnerable and needing support, but without the voice to ask for it.

“Happy birth-” You accidentally say while handing him the flowers, then turn away quickly, embarrassing yourself. Why you turn so stupid around him, you have no idea. He makes you nervous, you want to impress him, want him to think that you’re both pretty and smart, that you’re worthy of - what, you don’t know. You fear the answer, so you don’t dwell on it.

(Ishq Waala Love)

You turn around to look up at him, playing your embarrassment off with a confident smile on your face, and Suguru teases a smile at you, putting the frangipani to his chest. 

Walking away, you’re suddenly intercepted by Satoru - he takes you by surprise - wrapping his arms around you with a cheerful greeting of “Hey, baby,” and inhaling the scent of your shampoo. You had completely forgotten about him while you were with Suguru - but the pretty man with his black bangs doesn’t leave your mind while you’re in Satoru’s arms, his white hair tickling your forehead. You push him back a little, trying to put some distance between the two of you as your eyes flit back to Suguru - he’s already looking at you, back to his grieving self.

The next day, you’re back dressed in a yellow and orange suit, strutting to Suguru and Satoru sitting on the bench outside. Twirling the ends of your dupatta between your fingers, you deliberately make a show of ignoring Satoru, batting your eyes at Suguru, saying, “I want to meet Dadi,”

“No,” Suguru says, his voice soft, matching his violet gaze.

“Why?” You ask, brows knitted. “Am I not dressed correctly?”

“Yeah,” Satoru says, his voice is soft but has an edge of laughter. “Let’s go to the mandir?” You narrow your eyes at the laughing duo and stomp away. Satoru follows after you when Suguru tells him to, eyes crinkles with laughter.

Later, you sit beside Suguru when he is with Dadi, who is passed out on the white bed, connected to many machines. The two of you sit in comfortable silence, so close but so far away, too many things clouding your hearts and minds.

You’re sitting between Suguru and Satoru, the three of you drinking coffee and making jokes, when you’ve subconsciously leaned against Suguru, your head on his shoulder, looking up at his pretty smile with a toothy grin of your own. You hold his arm for a moment before coming to your senses and putting a little distance between the two of you. Satoru puts his arm across your shoulder and pulls you close, but his embrace doesn’t bring the familiar warmth. You push him away, annoyed at his lame joke and take the empty cups from both the men, throwing them in the bin.

It's the final time for Dadi, time for everyone to say their goodbyes. Suguru sits outside her room, his tall frame sulking and alone, bangs half trying to hide the pain and sorrow in his eyes. Your heart cries for him, wanting to embrace him, to show him that you will be there for him no matter what, that you care for him and you won’t hurt him.

Suddenly, Satoru is in front of you, caressing your cheek with his gentle touch, fingers roughed up from his guitar, asking if you want to go get coffee with him. It’s like you are suddenly doused in cold water, pushed out of your trance, and you blink rapidly to get a grip on reality before telling Satoru that you aren’t in the mood for coffee. He squeezes your hand with a smile before leaving you.

The sight of Suguru pressing his hands to his eyes has you right back in that trance, chest rising and falling rapidly as you feel his pain. You sit beside him, trying to give him a smile of confidence, but your eyes betray your worry. He returns your smile with a half smile of his own, but his pretty eyes swam with tears, head lowered, bangs hiding his face. You put your hands on his interlaced ones resting on his lap, rubbing small circles on the back of his hand with your thumb. You cannot stand seeing him in such pain, ready to do anything to make him go back to the guy you had met in Thailand, cocky confidence rubbing off on you. You don’t say anything, holding his teary gaze. He gives you another half smile at your comforting touch, and your eyes soften - you have the sudden inexplicable urge to hold him, let him melt into your embrace and cry his eyes out into your chest as you stand between him and this cruel world, caressing his back and kissing the top of his head. His smile falls, and the intensity of his pretty eyes has you rethinking everything, chest rising and falling rapidly as he lets your smaller hand fall between his two large hands, squeezing it.

When Dadi wakes up for a bit, Suguru takes you to see her, and you greet her softly then excuse yourself, giving them some space. You watch from outside the room as he speaks to Dadi, his back to her, shaking from holding back his cries. Dadi says something and he turns to her, holding her hand and breaking down crying, lying beside her as she weakly comforts her sobbing grandson. You’ve started crying with him, wiping your tears only to have them fall out immediately after.

The only good thing to come out of it was the fact that Suguru was with his Dadi when she passed peacefully in her sleep, surrounded by her family.

Suguru had become withdrawn after Dadi, not saying anything, keeping to himself. He barely even spoke to Satoru, and the others didn’t even see him outside of mandatory classes. Even in the classes, the ever active and teacher’s favourite Suguru had stopped answering, zoned out in most classes he attended.

Suguru is in his dorm, putting away his dirty laundry when you walk in the open door, hands held together in front of you. “Satoru’s dorm is a little further ahead,” He says, barely even looking at you.

“I’m here to see you,” You say, voice shaking.

He stills for a moment, his expression bitter. “To give me your condolences?” He forces a smile. “Thank you,”

“Satoru was saying that you don’t want to see anyone,” You start, inhaling a deep breath to keep your voice steady. You step closer to him and his desk as he grabs a book without any particular reason. “Staying alone like this-”

“I have to make a habit of staying alone,” He snaps, voice breaking at the end. It breaks your heart, tears welling in your eyes at his throaty voice. “Everyone who was close to me is gone.” He composed himself a little, adding, “You should stay away, or you’ll die too.”

“You need a friend-” you softly say, your body pulsing with your frantic heart.

“We can’t be friends!” He suddenly raises his voice, and you have to blink back the tears of frustration. You don’t know why his words cut so deeply, you’ve never cared this much about other people - not like you care about Suguru. “You want to be friends with me?” He looks at you for a moment, inhaling a composing breath. “Thank you,” he says in a small voice.

You’re staring at him by standing by his desk, back to you trying not to think about why it was affecting you so much, finding any other thing to make him talk. His pretty hair is messy and unkempt, and you want to take care of him, treat him to all the good things in life. That is when you spot your jhumki - sitting right on his desk at the edge of a mug. You remember that jhumki, the one you had been struggling to put on back in Thailand, and the way that Suguru had touched your hair to hide the missing earring. You remember his touch, his gaze, and how he had agreed to help you save your relationship.

You grab it from his desk, feeling a grin curve your lips. “Please leave,” Suguru says, seeing you around his desk. “I told you I don’t want to see anyone,”

“But Sugu, this jhumki won’t look good on you,” You teasingly say, maintaining an air of innocent confusion. “Not without it’s complete pair,”

Suguru has a pretty smile on his face, one that you are delighted to be the reason for. You purse your lips, looking at his pretty face and messy hair, taking little steps closer to him and finally hugging him like you’ve wished you could for a long time. Much to your delight, he hugs you back, head resting on your shoulder sniffling to hold himself back from crying.

Suguru is the one to pull back from the hug, pushing out the hair that has fallen to your face as you longingly look up at him, his gentle touch making you lose your mind. His large hands fall to your neck, thumb behind your ear as your eyes flit down to his pretty, worried lips then back to his eyes, the delicate touch of his thumb tickling you in just the right way. Heavy breaths fill the little space between you two, leaning closer with your eyes closed until your lips brush against his.

Your hands on his back pull him closer, and one of his hands goes behind your head while the other goes down to your waist, pulling you impossibly closer as your lips move against each other. The familiarity of his touch has your mind short circuiting - his kiss brings a calm security instead of the anxious butterflies, the movement of your lips and tongues filled with such desperate longing - a longing for affection and love rather than lust, the gentle kiss of a lover, worshipping, all consuming and caring. You’ve never been kissed like this before, like you are a prayer, like he is afraid that you’ll disappear as soon as he opens his eyes. It was wrong what you were doing, but then why did it feel so good? So right?

When he pulls back, you want him to kiss you more - you can see it in the sad gleam of his eyes that he doesn’t want to let you go either. His pupils dilated and brows relaxed, it’s a rare sight, and it’s a sight that you’ll never forget.

There’s a shuffling sound behind you - heads turn to the room's door only to find a distraught Satoru - hands fall to your side at the sight of Satoru’s big blue eyes filled with tears, you chase after him as he storms away without a word and you begin to chase after him, calling out his name.

“Satoru, I’m sorry! Listen to me!” You plead.

“Just leave me alone,” He says, throwing his bag. Satoru is out by the common area and there’s a swarm of students surrounding you three at the noise. 

“Satoru, please!” You plead, reaching out to him with your hands raised.

“Just leave me alone and don’t touch me,” He yells. Kicking down a random stack of chairs. 

“Just listen to me, please!” You plead, your voice breaking. You manage to grab his shoulders, but he is quick to push you off, face red and eyes glowering with anger. “Just leave me alone, I said!” He yells, louder this time. Suguru is quick to intervene, only to be pushed away by Satoru. It’s turning into a brawl and you hate it, you hate it so much. You hate your stupid heart, you hate yourself for not listening to Suguru and staying away from him like he asked you too. Your heart aches seeing the sheer heartbreak on Satoru’s face, his usually bright, humorous eyes filled with rage and betrayal and you despise that you’re the cause of it.

“You keep your mouth shut!” Satoru yells, somehow sounding even angrier at Suguru. “You have no class, no civility! I should never have talked to poor people like yourself. I am - was - your best friend, and you’re there kissing my girlfriend?! You are no one’s person!” He is pushing Suguru harder with each word, and Suguru accepts it, not even trying to fight back. He too has tears pooling in his eyes, messy hair falling to his face. “This is why you have no one to call your home.” Satoru’s welled eyes have turned red with rage, and with each shove his anger only seems to grow. “Everyone is dead! You mom, dad, and now Dadi-”

That is what snaps Suguru, the mention of Dadi and he punches Satoru with such force that his best friend nearly falls down. Suguru picks him up, only to punch him in the face again. “If you say anything regarding my mom and dad, I will break your face,” He snaps, voice colder than ice. “You aren’t even your mom-dad’s person, how can you even be my best friend? All this talk about class and status, what do you do? All you do is use your dad’s influence and money.”

“Dad’s money is all that you’re after right?” Satoru doubles down in his vicious words. “That’s why you befriended me, right? You wanted to have a life like me - and now you’re also stealing my girlfriend?!”

“What’s this girlfriend-boyfriend thing, huh?” Suguru doubles down as well, high from the anger coursing through his veins. “She never loved you, and you-? You’ve been out there everywhere putting your face on every other girl you see. You’re calling this a relationship? You have no right to call her your girlfriend!”

“You’re no one to tell me of my rights,” Satoru yells, holding Suguru’s t-shirt’s collar, ready to throw another punch. “She is mine, mine only!”

“Why don’t you ask her whose she is?” Suguru challenges. “She loves me, and I love her!”

They’ve started throwing punches everywhere, the whole school watching their brawl unfold. Satoru hits, Suguru punches, it’s a mess - a mess that you cannot stand, for reasons you aren’t ready to accept yourself. You walk up to them, tears glistening in your eyes and yell at them to stop. They do, but the air is still thick with tension as you speak, “What do you even know about me? About my feelings?” You speak to the both of them, voice breaking. “Nothing! And the sad part is, you aren’t even willing to listen! You just want to win me - I am not a part of any competition. I am not a prize. I am done with this whole thing.” 

Suguru looks upset, ashamed of himself, but Satoru only looks angry - and you don’t know what pains you more. You rush away, before anyone in the gathering crowd as a chance to stop you and hide in your dorm.

Satoru’s anger doesn’t subside even as he reaches home. Even as his mother shows concern for the bruises on his face, he only pushes her off, not in the mood to see anyone. If his mood wasn’t already so bad, it got worse as his father came up to stop him, demanding that he treat his mother with respect.

“Look at yourself!” Isamu Gojo scolds with a yell. “You look like a street thug! Who did you even fight? Answer me.”

“I don’t want to answer anyone,” Satoru says, meeting his dads angry gaze.

“You have to, you’re living under my roof,” Isamu snaps. “I’ve tolerated your misdemeanour for so long. You can’t behave properly at home, at least mind your family’s image outside of the house.”

“You’ve not made any good image, Dad,” Satoru finally says, swallowing the angry lump in his throat. “The only thing you’ve made is money.”

“That’s the money funding your life, you know?!” Isamu yells, eyes wide in anger. “You only know two things - having fun and making a fool out of me,”

“What are you ashamed of, hm?” Satoru asks, lips wobbling as he speaks. “That I don’t want to be an industrialist? That I want to be a musician?”

“Yes! I’m ashamed that my son has such middle-class dreams!” Isamu yells back.

“Dreams don’t have any class,” Satoru says, blinking away his tears. “But only a dad would get that, not a twisted man.” Isamu slaps him, and Satoru’s voice finally breaks as he says, “I have no wish to live in your house, and I don’t want to be your son,”

“You’ve lost the privilege of being my son,” Isamu says, an angry frown on his face.

“When was I ever your son?” Satoru asks, then turns around to leave. His mother tries to stop him, but he pushes her off once again, vowing to himself to never turn back, to never step foot in any of his father’s properties again and to never take a penny from this man.

He is filled with a new determination to win the Student of the Year trophy - to prove everyone and himself that he wasn’t useless, that he was more than Mr. Gojo’s money made him. His goal had now shifted from winning the trophy to defeating everyone else - particularly Suguru.

The second last stage of the competition - the prom where everyone needs to bring a date - is close and everyone’s preparations are in full swing. The campus gym is occupied and people are busy finding dates and practising their steps, for no one ever wants to lose after coming this close. 

Satoru has become a loner, avoiding even Haibara during lunch hour. Suguru too is back to his quiet self, speaking only when he deems it to be necessary. You… Well, you’ve had the worst burnt of their fight somehow - utterly messed up with your own emotions - your mind says one thing but your heart craves another, you’re avoiding everyone like they are the plague. 

Shoko finds you sitting all alone, eyes distant. “Hey, what’s up?” She asks, sitting beside you. “Who are you going to prom with? Satoru or Suguru?”

“It’s not funny, Shoko,” you say with a frown. “The whole school is gossiping about me now,”

“Ignore the gossip,” Shoko says, voice serious. “Tell me about your feelings,”

“I don’t even want to think about them!” You’re exasperated, torn by your own moralities and desires.

“You love Suguru,” Shoko sternly says, trying to talk sense into you. 

“Shoko, Satoru and I-”

“What about it?” She stops you. “There was nothing there - you were angry and miserable for most of the time. It was not a match made in heaven, rather a match made in your elite circles.” Her concern is genuine. “I know you’re confused right now, and you’re allowed to be confused. You should take some time. Your heart will answer for you.”

“There’s this competition right in the middle of everything,” You sigh.

“Then leave it,” Shoko suddenly says, an idea forming in her pretty head. You turn your head to her, eyes wide. “This stupid competition is not more important than your feelings, right?”

You discreetly scrutinise her fidgety behaviour and say, “You’re right, I won’t take a part in this competition. Disqualifying isn’t that bad,” you turn to her just as she suppresses her smile. “What do you think?”

“I’d have done the same thing, if I were you.” Shoko says, squeezing your shoulder in support.

The next evening, Shoko jogs up to Haibara after her gym session, saying, “Haibara, I’ve decided that I will be your date to prom this year,”

“You aren’t going to be my date,” He says, voice sassy. “You’re late.” He sounds thrilled saying your name, “She has already asked me to be her date.”

Shoko storms into your shared room and sees you checking yourself out in the mirror, seeing which dress looks pretty on you. You barely pay any attention to her as she angrily stomps her feet.

“Are you seriously going to prom with Haibara?” She practically spits out.

“Yeah, I am,” You say, feigning innocence. “I suddenly thought, why should I even let Satoru or Suguru influence my life?”

“And why did you think of that so suddenly?” She asks, voice bitter.

“Shouldn’t you be happy?” You say, frowning a little. “I don’t get this reaction,”

“What do you mean?” Shoko says, her breaths suddenly heavy with the way you’ve caught her little scheme.

“You know exactly what I mean, Shoko,” You say. “But I am not giving up on prom just to reduce your competition,” You look her up and down once, adding, “Because, lets face it, you and dance is like me and poor,”

Shoko rapidly blinks, then says, “You’re so disgusting,” she turns to leave. “I don’t even want to talk to you,”

You pat her shoulder, and bat your eyelashes, “I’d have done the same thing, if I were you.” echoing her words back to her.

Shoko leaves your room, walking to put as much distance as she can between the two of you. In the basketball court, she sees Suguru, alone and begins rambling about your confused state under her breath, pretending that she didn’t see him.

“Shoko, are you okay?” He stops her and asks once she is close to him.

“No, I’m not okay. I’ve just fought with her.” Shoko says, not hiding her anger. “She is such a drama queen I’m so tired of her!”

“Why what happened?” He asks, thin brows creased with concern.

“She says she’s confused between you and Satoru,” She says, and Suguru instantly turns to the ball in his hands, avoiding her angry brown eyes. “But she is going to prom with Haibara, so Satoru gets jealous. Then there’s no confusion, right?”

“Right,” Suguru hesitates, turning to the basket instead, his bangs hiding his heartbreak.

“Anyways, I don’t want to be in the middle of all of this,” She says, brown eyes gleaming with excitement, seeing the effect of her words on Suguru. “I’ll speak to you later, okay?” She walks away, praying that her little scheme works.

“Shoko,” He calls after her, and her heart does a little dance at her plan working out. “Who are you going to prom with?”

“No one,” She says in a small voice, her lips pulled down in a frown. 

“Haibara, please help me find a date to prom,” Nanami asks, sitting on the edge of his friend’s bed. “There’s no one willing to go with me,”

“I love you Nanami,” Haibara says, sitting up with his hand on the blond’s shoulder. “But I cannot go to prom with you,”

“I don’t want to go to prom with you, I want you to help me find a date to the prom, man,” Nanami says.

“Nanami, leave,” Satoru says, storming into Haibara’s room. Nanami grumbles under his breath but leaves the two alone. “Haibara, you’re taking her to prom?! Who do you even think you are?”

“I’m Haibara,” He says, frowning.

“Did a rabid dog bite you or something?” the white haired man shakes his head, irked. “Are you crazy? You go, you go and tell her that you can’t be her date to prom.”

“Hey! Stop it,” Haibara yells. “I don’t need your permission to do things in my life. I’m not your servant.”

Satoru chuckles, shaking his head. It’s demeaning. “What about all that time you spent on my credit card, hm?”

Something breaks in the brunet’s heart at the mention, so he says, “But i’ve also given you full service for that time,” He has a rare, angry frown on his face. “Haibara, park the car, Haibara, bring me a drink. Haibara, can you take her to the mall for me, please? Can you bring her an apology card? Now Haibara is taking her to prom as his date, arm in arm and you can’t do anything about it.”

“You too are showing your class,” Satoru says through gritted teeth.

“You are no one to talk about class, Satoru.” Haibara taunts. “The only thing you have is daddy’s money, and now you don’t even have that,” 

“Satoru, don’t be so upset now,” Tanya says, running her hands over his chest by the swimming pool. She undoes her robe, pressing herself against his chest, saying, “If you want… I could be your date,”

(the disco song)

The much anticipated prom night and dance competition is now here - eliminating four out of the twelve competitors - only 8 finalists and one winner of the trophy. Suguru-Shoko, Satoru-Tanya, Haibara-You, Nanami-Ichiji and the rest of the participants stand in the front, arm in arm with their dates in front of the judges with Dean Yaga introducing you to the two women. The tension in the air is thick and palpable, with everyone waiting to see who will snap first under the pressure. It was dance or disqualification, and everyone wanted to eliminate their competition.

Suguru and Shoko sneak a glance at you - Shoko with a proud smile and Suguru with a distant longing, and you feel yourself tearing up seeing your friend in his arms, by his side. You turn your head, happening to meet Satoru’s gaze. He has Tanya on his arm - the sight of it making your blood boil. You feel indifference, the discontent in your heart at the sight of Shoko and Suguru evaporating with the anger. You are there to win. 

The music plays and the competitors start with their opening steps. You’re half jealous of the way Suguru and Shoko move together so gracefully, painfully reminded of that time in Thailand that you had danced with him. Satoru and Tanya have bolder dance moves, the bitter memories of the past year feeding into your determination to move to the next round.

You dance with Haibara, it’s not as natural as it had been with Suguru, but you will have to do it. You’re both there to prove a point.

The solo dancing has you moving more gracefully, and you hope that the judges give you some extra points for the performance you put up. Suguru and Satoru perform their own well practised sequence with the music - you don’t feel much looking at them now, without their dates.

The competitors dance with the beats of the music, Suguru twirling a rarely graceful Shoko in his arms and Satoru spinning with Tanya in his arms. Haibara has you in his arms in a dance similar to waltz, and you put on your best smile for the judges. For a moment, in your head, you are with Suguru - with him easily manoeuvring you around, your steps perfectly in sync and your smile turns more genuine.

The music shifts and your partners change, you land into Satoru’s arms, looking right into his mellowed blue eyes so full of repentance and regret. You cannot stand to look at him, all the nights that you’ve stayed up crying at his antics flooding your memories as you turn away from him. The familiarity of his chest against your back and his breaths on your neck as you cringing. You thank the heavens as the music shifts again - Satoru spins you around and stomps away from you in anger, the memory of you kissing his best friend too fresh a wound.

The heavens tease you with kindness, turning cruel as you end up in Suguru’s arms, unable to look away from his pretty purple eyes, his hair smooth against your hand on his chest. It’s too much - the memory of his gentle touch, his easy smile, the warmth of his lips against yours, the sight of your best friend with him. Oh you want to embrace him so bad it makes you want to cry. This competition is a cruel joke - destroying your relationships and playing with your delicate heart like some child’s toy. You cannot bring yourself to look away from his eyes, so soft and gentle as he steadily holds your gaze with moist eyes even as you step back and move away from him, hands moving from his chest to your sides and you leave the stage, barely holding back your tears.

Satoru has been eyeing you, his heart breaking into a million pieces as a cold acceptance replaces the warmth of his affections for you. He now knows - it was too obvious, you never looked at him like you looked at Suguru just then. The acceptance is what he needs as he resumes with this solo dance, determined to snatch that trophy away from Suguru.

Suguru blinks away the tears the sight of yours brought, and he has to physically restrain himself from running after you. You need space, he thinks, before remembering the trophy that had started all of this in the first place, restarting his solo dance as he loses sight of you, the determination to win that trophy dulling.

Satoru, Shoko, Suguru and Haibara are four of the eight from the now-split gang that make into the finalists, ready for the final stage of the competition - the triathlon which begins with swimming, then cycling and ends with track.

Suguru sees Dean Yaga with Mr. Gojo one afternoon, only greeting Yaga with a good afternoon.

“Hi Suguru,” Mr Gojo shakes his hand with a bright smile. “How are you?”

Yaga beats Suguru to it, beaming with pride, “By the way, Suguru and Rohan are both in the top 8. It’s gonna be a tough battle, Isamu, not easy.”

“Yeah, I don’t think so,” Isamu says, shaking his head.

“Well, you will say that,” Yaga says with a smile. “Satoru is your son, after all.”

“That’s why I’m saying this,” There’s something in Isamu’s voice that ticks Suguru off in the wrong way. “Suguru will win, my money is on you.” Isamu pats his shoulder, then says. “Good luck,”

The whole time, the top 8 finalists spend their time training for the triathlon - timing their swimming, working out their legs and spending time on the cycle. It's an intense couple of days, with much tension but no drama.

On the day of the triathlon, you sit in the bleachers by the swimming pool, watching your friends stretch and get ready before the swimming starts. Satoru’s eyes are determined and challenging Suguru, whose face hides his internal conflicts. Somehow, his eyes find yours in the buzzing crowd, and you give him a small smile, which he returns before putting his goggles on and getting ready to dive.

It’s Shoko with her slim body and fast reflexes that finishes the swim first, and quickly gets out and puts on her shoes before running out to the cycles. Haibara is next, followed by Suguru ahead of Satoru by a fraction of a second. Once out of the surveillance area, the brunet is quick to catch up to Shoko and push her off track and into the grass, promptly disqualifying her.

Satoru, fueled by rage, powers up and puts everyone behind on the cycling path, with Suguru close behind him, his internal battle now in favour of winning the trophy. Satoru is the first one to enter the race track, followed by Suguru. There’s a distance of more than 10 metres between them when Suguru starts running. Satoru runs on red rage while Suguru has the skills of the track, easily catching up the distance. Ultimately, the battle for the trophy is between the two of them and no one else. 

The last few seconds are intense, Suguru has caught up on the distance, and the both run parallelly now, in the bleachers, Isamu Gojo is cheering for his son’s defeat, while his mother looks concerned. For a moment, Suguru has overtaken Satoru, everyone is sure of his victory, when Suguru slows down a bit and adrenaline pushes Satoru. The smile on Isamu’s face fades as the chances of his son winning increase. Suguru’s eyes close for a moment, and Satoru becomes the first one to push the ribbon, by a mere hundredth of a second. He’s unsure of his win, but the angry frown on Suguru’s pretty face has him accepting it.

The crowd breaks out in cheers, celebrating Satoru’s win.

Later in the evening, after everyone has changed into formals and put on the Saint Teresa blazers, they assemble in the hall, waiting for Dean Yaga to finally hand the trophy to Satoru Gojo. Nanami isn’t himself, having spent the entire week disappointed in himself and Yaga - for making this competition unfair and breaking apart his friend group.

“Boys and Girls, I’m delighted to call on the stage,” Dean Yaga’s awfully cheerful voice cuts through everyone’s ears. “The Student of the Year, Satoru Gojo!” Satoru smiles at his mother’s delight for his victory, and goes up to the stage as the crowd cheers for him. “Congratulations, many congratulations,” Yaga says as he hugs his student. “I’m so proud of you, my boy. All yours.”

“Thank you,” Satoru says, voice more serious than usual. “Each student of Saint Teresa wants to win the title of the Student of the Year. In 25 years, there have been many successful students who won this trophy,” he pauses for a moment. Satoru’s pale nose is unusually pink, as if he has spent his time crying. “I don’t want to insult anyone - but I cannot accept this trophy.” He explains, “I have my reasons, reasons that I have no wish to explain.”

The hall falls into a stunned, confused silence. You, Shoko, Haibara are all confused - he wanted to win that trophy so badly, then why was he suddenly refusing to accept it? What even happened? He walks down the stage, stopping in front of his father for a second, a smirk on his face and shaking his head at the sombre old man, then walks away.

Suddenly, Nanami loudly claps his hands in the crowd, drawing everyone’s attention and making Satoru stop in his tracks. He gets up from his place and continues clapping. “Well done, Satoru, well done!” he says, his appearance dishevelled. “Good for you! Good for you!” he turns to the crowd, “Hey! Why aren’t you all clapping now, when you should?” He takes the hand of a student and claps his hands together. “Clap your hands!”

“Nanami! Behave yourself,” Yaga scolds from above the stage. “Are you drunk? The school will not tolerate this behaviour!”

“School?” Nanami chuckles with irony. “You know what Dean, to hell with this school, and to hell with you!”

“Nanami!” Coach gets up from his place, angry at his behaviour. Suguru gets up and tries to take Nanami away, but the blond stops him.

“This Student of the Year trophy was your idea, right?” Nanami turns to Yaga, clicking his fingers. “Then you should get the award.” He pretends to pick up an award from Suguru’s empty chair. “Here is your award for the most stupid idea!”

“All because you didn’t win?” Yaga’s voice is condescending. “Look at yourself Nanami, what were the chances?”

“Yes, I lost.” Nanami admits. “But why did I lose?” he’s raising his hand, pointing his finger to Yaga. “Because of you and your stupid rules. Guys and girls will run together, a date is mandatory for the prom,” he comically dances in his drunk anger, saying in a sing-song voice, “dance to win the trophy,” he turns back to Yaga with a chuckle. “But who cares, who cares if this idiot can’t dance? And who cares that people like us,” his finger goes back and forth between himself and Yaga. “Who cares that people like us can find a partner? You should’ve known that,” his tone is accusatory and he’s beginning to cry.

Your heart cries in sympathy, while Satoru and Suguru inch closer to him, trying to get him to stop. “Let me speak, this stupid drama has been going on for 25 years now,” Nanami challenges. “Why? Because Dean Masamichi Yaga has no entertainment in his own life. He’s alone, and he wants to break all our friendships too. You know what, you are a jealous, lonely and very unhappy man!”

Yaga’s face has reddened and his eyes welled up behind his signature glasses. He’s stunned into silence, but Nanami continues, “Congratulations, sir! Your final episode is a complete hit! You ended two years of friendships within two weeks.” His voice only gets louder. “We all hate each other!” He raises his hand in a military salute. “For that, I wanna salute you, Dean Masamichi Yaga!”

He drops the navy Saint Teresa blazer at the Dean’s feet and stomps away, pushing Satoru and Suguru on his way out.

Ten years later

Nanami’s phone rings in the middle of the night, who answers, grumpy. “Hello,” the voice on the other line says something. “There’s no Ichiji here… OH! Ichiji!” He wakes up as realisation hits him. “Hi! How are you? What? Okay, I’ll come to Dehradun as soon as I can. Yeah, no worries I’ll find them on instagram.”

Now in Dehradun, Nanami, Haibara, Shoko and Tanya recall their time back in Saint Teresa from a decade ago, when Satoru enters the hospital. He’s changed completely - a black blindfold instead of his round sunglasses make up his performer personna - the rockstar Satoru Gojo.  Although, he’s ditched his blindfold in favour of square glasses.

Tanya, just wrapping up her divorce with her fourth husband, is awfully delighted to see Satoru. He hugs Shoko, saying, “You’re looking like a girl now,” gesturing to her long brown hair.

Shoko shakes her head, saying, “I’m a doctor and a mother now. You’re a great person too now,”

“The consequence of leaving my father behind,” He jokes.

“I’m so proud of you,” He says. Satoru spots Haibara, and envelopes in a bear hug, the anger from a decade back forgotten. “Haibara, how are you doing?” He playfully punches Nanami on the shoulder. “How are you, man?”

“What did the doctors say?” He asks, enquiring about Yaga’s condition. Just then, their old coach comes in, complementing his intense, rockstar appearance. Satoru has piercings on his left ear now. He hugs Ichiji, now the new coach at Saint Teresa, walking with him to see the critically sick Yaga.

Suguru gets out of his white Mercedes sedan, dressed in a navy trench coat with a grey sweater vest underneath and a striped scarf warming his neck. His hair has grown out in the last 10 years, long straight hair falling down till his waist. Half of it is tied in an updo. He hasn’t changed as dramatically as Satoru, but he has grown a lot more confident and assertive.

He gets to the other side of the sedan, opening the door to offer you his hand, never wanting to let you open any doors since the two of you got together. You’ve been married for three years now, and you’re the happiest when with him. The only wish you have is that you could turn back time and have things go a little differently than they have, maybe everything would be even better, then.

Getting off the elevator, the first person you see is Shoko, who smiles sweetly at the two of you. Suguru gives her a side hug, greeting her kindly. He then leaves the two of you, knowing there are things left unresolved.

“Hey, Haibara,” Suguru says, deliberately not greeting Satoru right beside him. The long haired man with delicate features instead goes to greet Nanami and Tanya, seeing them after a long time.

“It's been a long time,” Shoko softly says, brown eyes apologising more sincerely than any words ever could.

“Yeah,” You raise your arms, hugging her. Pulling back, you shake your head with a smile. “I hoped you might call after having your baby… Such ego,”

“It wasn’t ego, it was shame,” Shoko admits. 

“It’s all in the past now, forget it,” You say.

“What was even the point of doing all that?” She repents. “I’m still a normal person,”

“Let’s leave all of that,” You say, shaking your head. “Show me the pictures of your baby now,” Shoko smiles brightly at you and shows you the pictures of her little baby girl. “What’s Tanya up to, these days?” you quietly ask her.

“Looking for a new husband,” She whispers to you. “I’d advice to keep Suguru away from her,”

“I trust him,” You say, dismissing her concerns and she gives you a knowing smile. “I'll have to keep him away from someone else though,” you turn to Satoru.

“Hmm,” Shoko still has that teasing smile. “It’s a hospital, wrecking it won’t leave a good impression,”

“Exactly,” you say. “I’ll be right back,”

You walk up to Satoru and Haibara, greeting them both. Haibara leaves quickly, giving the two of you some space. You haven't spoken to Satoru since that day when everything went wrong. But you hug him for a short moment. He had been an important person in your life, afterall.

“You didn’t even invite me to your wedding,” Satoru playfully complains. “I would’ve been there from the bride’s side. I have that much right, don’t I?”

“Shut up, Satoru,” you tease him back. “What’s with that intense look?” you ask, gesturing to his all black appearance and piercings.

“A musician’s appearance must reflect his pain,” He explains. “Otherwise the music doesn’t sell, you know?”

“I’ve listened to your music, you know.” You admit. “Your latest album is amazing,”

“Does he let you listen to my music?” He asks, nodding to Suguru.

“He secretly listens to it himself,” You chuckle. “But he won’t admit that. Come meet Sugu now, come on.”

“Na-ahn,” Satoru shakes his head. “You married him and are showing your authority over me. That's not how it works,”

Suguru’s outside, texting on his phone when you find him. “It’s been ten years now, Sugu,” you try to reason with him. He pockets his phone with a sigh at your words. “What’s to lose by saying a little hello?”

“He shrieks in his songs, he can come say hello too,” Suguru counters with his soft voice. 

“You’re an investment banker Sugu, not a child,” You try to convince him, placing your hand on his arm.

“And you’re my wife, darling,” He says, his eyes kind as he looks down at you. “Not your ex boyfriend’s lawyer.”

“Ex boyfriend’s lawyer, where did that come from?” You say, brows creased and nose scrunched up.

“I saw you hug him,” He counters, making you sigh. “Feeling affectionate?”

“That’s disgusting Sugu, come on,” you drawl.

“What else were you expecting?” Satoru’s taunting voice suddenly interrupts you. “He has billions in his bank but the class of a penny,”

“What did you do with your high class, huh?” Suguru snaps back, but his voice is still a model of serene calm. “You’re playing that guitar like a courtesan in front of an audience,”

“But I give great hugs,” Satoru says, turning to you with a raised brow. “Right?”

That breaks Suguru’s calm facade. He menacingly steps between you and Satoru asserting, “Bastard, mind your mouth. You’re speaking to my wife.”

“She was my girlfriend that day when you kissed her,” Satoru angrily snaps, pushing him back. Suguru punches his face, the martial arts expertise not left too behind with his stock market capabilities. Their fist-fight out in the hospital’s garden has your friends gathering, with Nanami and Haibara rushing to pull them apart at your request, only for Shoko to stop them.

“Don’t,” She says. “It’s an anger of ten years, let them get it out.”

A moment later, Suguru has Satoru's face bruised and pinned to the ground, yelling right in his face, “Why are you so angry, Satoru? It’s not just because of my darling wife,” Satoru’s red face is an angry grimace, wincing in pain. “You didn’t even love her. Then why this anger?!”

Satoru pushes Suguru off himself, standing up and pointing his finger to him accusatory. “You deliberately let yourself lose that day!” He yells, white hair flying in all directions. His mind flashes back to the triathlon from ten years ago. “Why did you do that?” He pushes Suguru, emphasising his point. “Why?!”

“Because your father was a nasty, twisted man!” Suguru answers with a yell. “He was rejoicing seeing you lose, he was wishing me luck to defeat you.” Suguru confesses, retying his messed up hair. “I wanted to be like your father, but even I couldn’t be this twisted. I thought,” Satoru’s blue eyes have lost all that electric rage, leaving behind teared up eyes on realisation. “In that moment, I realised that I could defeat the most powerful man of the country by making you win,” He inhales a deep breath before continuing. “My dad was dead, Satoru, but yours wasn’t a dad either.”

“I dealt with my dad when I left him and his name,” Satoru says, his shove gentle now. “I didn’t need your nobility,”

Suguru shakes his hand, chuckling at his ironic statement. “Nobility, wow!” He incredulously says. “What about that drama you pulled off on the stage? Huh? What the hell was that?” Suguru’s brow is creased and he’s poking at Satoru’s chest, speaking through gritted teeth. “If you knew everything that day, why didn’t you say anything in front of everyone? In front of you dad?” He answers his question himself, “Because you wanted to show to your father that you actually won,”

Satoru throws a punch at that, and Suguru returns a harder one, busting his lip. “Don’t hit my face so hard!” Satoru complains, holding his large hand against his busted lip. 

“Bloody loser,” Suguru mumbles under his breath, wiping the blood on his knuckle and feeling his bruised cheekbone.

“Hey! Who are you calling a loser?” Satoru gets defensive. It’s a true comedy - how fast their fight boiled over and turned childish. “All last five of my albums have been platinum hits,”

“So what?” Suguru competes as well. “My banking business has a turnover of 500 million,”

“International music labels chase me!” Satoru claims. (it's the truth)

“Companies beg me for mergers,” Suguru claims (also the truth)

“When I perform, Wembley shakes,” Satoru yells.

“One snap of my fingers shakes the stock market,” Suguru claims.

“I’ve been with a hundred women-” Satoru says, forgetting himself in the heat of the moment.

“And I have my darling wife-” Suguru says, not hearing Satoru. “Wait what? A hundred, really?” He asks in his calm voice with his brows raised, eyeing him.

“Yeah, plus or minus ten,” Satoru has calmed down as well, but he is terribly embarrassed at his admission. 

“Plus or minus?” Suguru asks.

“Probably minus,” Satoru admits.

They both burst out laughing - it starts with a smile, going to a chuckle then a full blown laughter. “You haven’t changed a bit, you bastard.” Suguru decides.

Quieting down for a moment, they assess the damage, when Satoru slowly turns to his friend. “Are you about to kiss me right now?” Suguru teases.

“I won’t even hug you, motherfucker,” Satoru says as they hug.

Dean Yaga dies with people he cared about surrounding him, happy to see that Suguru and Satoru have rekindled their friendship. Their broken bond weighed heavy on his heart, and he passed peacefully on seeing his old students back together. Satoru and Suguru are back at Saint Teresa’s campus, this time as alumni - there to show students to follow their hearts and maintain their friendships instead of seeing them as competition.

A/N: it took me nearly two weeks to complete and the last 7k words i wrote in one sitting, my hands were numb but we finished it and i've proofread it once (please ignore any errors) special shoutout to my desi girlies here, we've all wanted to be shanaya at one point lmao. I hope ya'll enjoyed it because it was fun writing this hehe. Also the reason I have Satoru or Suguru first is because here in india we address each other by first names for the most part

[reeniecon]

When MC get turned into a GOOSE? #? #?

With : Azul ashengrotto, Floyd leech and jade leech

----------------------------------------------------------

Pt.1 (idia, malleus, rook)

⚠️‼️: gender neutral MC/reader,

A/n: I'm really sorry for the lateness the exam week and the Eid prep are more hectic than I was expecting twt

----------------------------------------------------------

AZUL ASHENGROTTO !!

Azul Ashengrotto, the charismatic leader of the Octavinelle Dormitory, found himself facing an unexpected twist of fate.

It was a typical day in the prestigious academy until a mischievous spell gone awry transformed Azul's beloved into a goose. The culprit? None other than one of his own dorm students, a clumsy yet well-intentioned apprentice magician.

" How could they! "

" Oh, darling they're so mean to you!! "Azul angrily shouts and whimpers, all you can do is express your sadness with your body language since Azul and the twins cannot comprehend a single word u utter....

" Jade, floyd! Search the student that make my beloved turn into a goose! " He commands the twins but replied with Floyd Unexcitement

" Eehhh why noow!! I want to play with (reader) for a bit!! Let me hold them pleaseee~"

" Yeah, is a waste if we turn back (reader) immediately Azul... We can make a lot of money if we have (reader) goose as our mascot don't you think? " He says calmly yet so excitedly, ah... You're really fucked you think to yourself and quickly expressing disapproval of the twin's ideas Azul sighed " Yeah you're right, but I don't want to exploit them now, with this fragile body I'm afraid it will only hurt them" He says with a concerned and sad tone.

HUH? #? #? 2 What did he mean by 'didn't want to exploit them NOW #?! #? 2

" Anyway, you two please search for these two unresponsible student, and (reader) will go to Professor Crewel to somehow reverse the speel that they used "

" Tch, okayy okayy" Floyd replies with an annoyed voice towards azul

" That would do" Jade compactly replied

FLOYD LEECH !!

The usually uneventful campus was buzzing with whispers and curiosity as rumors spread like wildfire. Floyd Leech found himself at the center of attention. He couldn't quite believe the news himself. You, a regular student who had recently caught Floyd's eye, had mysteriously transformed into a goose overnight by the unresponsible octavinelle student !!

At first, Floyd couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all. But as he watched the bewildered goose waddle around the campus, he felt a pang of concern. The reader had always been kind to him, and now they were in such a bizarre and stressful situation as the good person he was and the curiosity that he has for you, Floyd took it upon himself to look after you. He brought them treats from the cafeteria, made sure they had a warm place to rest, and even tried to engage them in conversation, despite the obvious language barrier( he would find a way eventually lol) minutes turned into hours, and Floyd's initial amusement turned into genuine affection. He found himself spending more and more time with you, enjoying your silent company and finding solace in your presence.

As the hours passed, you on the other hand began to exhibit signs of distress. It was clear that you were struggling to adapt to your new form, and Floyd couldn't bear to see you suffer. With determination in his heart, Floyd sought out the most knowledgeable magicians in Night Raven College (crewel), desperate for a solution.

After countless hours of research and experimentation ( he got lectured for notRelief washed over Floyd as he watched the reader blink in confusion, taking in their surroundings. But what truly warmed his heart was the grateful smile that graced the reader's lips as they looked up at him.

"Little shrimpy, make more mess okay~ I enjoy it~ hehe" He says with his iconic smirk plastered on his face

" Did you know that you're so interesting~ I love you so much little shrimpy~"

after dropping you at the ramshackle dorm, he begins his search for the unresponsible octavinelle student and gives them a little squeezing and hugging <3~ (if u know what I mean)

JADE LEECH !!

In the bustling corridors of Night Raven College, chaos was not always an uncommon sight, especially within the mischievous confines of octavinelle dorm. On this particular day, however, chaos took a rather fowl turn.

You found yourself in a feathery predicament after an unfortunate encounter with Jade Leech's experimental magic. Transformed into a goose, (reader) waddles around the dormitory lobby, honking on everyone that they encounter with dismay and protests about jade leech experimental magic!!

Jade, the heterochromia witch of Octavinelle, couldn't suppress a mischievous chuckle as he watched [Reader] flapping their wings in frustration. "Well, well, well, look what we have here. Seems like someone's taken a liking to their new feathery form." He says with his iconic smirk

[Reader] shot Jade a glare, or at least attempted to with their beady goose eyes. Honking indignantly, they tried to convey their distress.

"Ah, don't be so mean to me, [Reader]," Jade teased, a smirk playing on his lips. "You make quite the adorable goose, if I do say so myself."

But behind his playful facade, Jade knew he had to find a solution to undo his unintended magic. With a reluctant sigh,

"Come here, darling I'm sorry, I'll turn you back to normal okay? Stay still okay" He uttered the word softly accompanied by his iconic chuckle and smirk displayed on his face

----------------------------------------------------------

[aiizenn]

strawberry lollipop. gojo satoru.

ₓ˚. ୭ cw: none? fem!reader, college au, some bits of jock gojo.

will probably make this into a series, idk yet?

tsk “i knew it, you’re all talk and no action satoru.”

gojo smirks “alright, just say who.”

“her”

gojo turns towards the direction sukuna was looking. there you were, looking so bright — full of joy. you were handing out flyers to students on campus. he’d never seen someone show so much enthusiasm on something before.

“piece of cake” he says as he removes the lollipop from his mouth. “you do know i like challenges, right? you’re making this too easy. i’ll have her wrapped around my finger before you know it.”

“we’ll see about that. you have a few weeks, win her over only to break her heart in the end, until then you can live up to your reputation.”

suguru just sits next to his best friend shaking his head at the situation. “this is ridiculous, just leave her alone.”

“oh come on suguru, it’s only a bet. what’s the worst thing that can happen? fall in love with her? as if! just watch and learn.” gojo makes his way towards you, getting ready to win your heart and the bet.

“please take the flyer and consider signing up for the make it green event our campus is hosting. you can donate supplies to plant trees or participate by planting them with many others. you’ll be making a huge difference.” every word left your lips filled with excitement. by far you have done so well in handing out multiple flyers and getting participants for the event, nothing could ruin your mood.

“may i have one?”

“of course” you turn around and for a split second your smile drops. you take back what you were thinking just seconds ago, something... no, someone can ruin your mood. the white haired, 6 ft tall guy with a bright smile standing right in front of you. anything he does is trouble, and you know it. what is he up to now? your thoughts are interrupted by him clearing his throat, snapping back to reality you hand him a flyer.

“where can i sign up?” he looks up after reading the paper.

sign up? did you hear that right? gojo satoru actually wants to help? or is he looking for something to make himself look good? whatever his motive is doesn’t matter, the more the better.

“here, you can write your name under the options provided. you can choose one or all, it is up to you.”

“hmm, i’ll do all”

you were skeptical, but you let it go. “okay then, take this wristband and wear it on the day of the event. many will have different colors, each one indicates a different task. yours means that you’ll be helping out with almost everything.” as you glanced over to him you saw his face with an expression of disbelief for a brief second. “you can wear anything comfortable and of your liking, both food and drinks will be provided. this card has all the information, just in case if you have any questions.”

“cool…what will you be doing?” okay, now you’re starting to build up your walls even higher, what’s with him? why is he interested? you decide to tell him, maybe then he’ll leave.

“same as you” you said as you turned around to hand out more flyers. you swear you heard him mutter jackpot, it could just be the excruciating heat that’s affected you after many hours outside walking and talking. ‘just one more hour’ you thought, you were determined to see this through, you had your reasons to do this under the hot sun. just a little more to go.

“looks like you haven’t had lunch yet” says the annoyingly—good looking, tall, now next to you guy. not that he has to know. you turn to give him a smile that clearly and kindly says to leave. of course you haven’t had lunch, doing this on your own was nice but exhausting as well. leaving you with little to no time for yourself, again, just one more hour.

“here”, you turn to see him with his arm extended towards you with a lollipop on his hand—strawberry flavored. you look up to him with confusion. a soft yet playful smile plastered on his face.

“it’s an extra one i had” he says as he shrugs. now you are dumbfounded, everything he’s done within the last few minutes has made your brain go crazy. gojo satoru has not only shown “interest” in something that isn’t games, partying, or anything that walks with something in between their legs, but he was also…caring?

“you need some sugar, love. hours without eating can cause you to faint.” he says ever so sweetly as he takes your unoccupied hand and places the very delicious looking lollipop on it. looking down to your hand and up to him again, he has a toothy smile, a rare sight. he places one of his hands in his pocket while the other gets a sticker from the table. he walks away and turns around while walking backwards.

“see you in a few days” he semi-shouts given the distance. gives you a wink and walks away. you look down, getting the lollipop closer, you notice tiny letters in the bottom left corner of the wrapper. G.S, you scoff as you look up in disbelief. this isn’t going to be easy.

[dearestxiao]

the color blue: vibrance | yandere xiao x reader, yandere venti x reader

synopsis: (college au) you've found solace in a newfound, faceless friend after a messy break up left a hole of loneliness to be filled. you can't help but countdown the days until his identity is finally revealed, but perhaps you've known this mysterious friend all along.

WARNINGS: while this chapter is mostly tame, this story will progress to have heavier and darker themes. implied stalking, manipulation and guilt-tripping, student-teacher dynamics (reader is 21, zhongli is in his late 20's/ early 30's), threats of finacial manipulation. I believe that's all but let me know if there's more! reader is gender-neutral

wc: 6.6k

authors note: it's finally here! the re-upload of the color blue <3!!!!!! thank you all so so much for your patience. bare with me guys, this story is a slowburn. (also you cannot pay me to yap less). this is a re-upload of my fic from my old deactivated blog based on my college! however, this isn't a complete re-upload. for those who have read the original version of the color blue, some parts of the story have been altered and edited to better fit my vision of what i want the story to be (so no horned up xiao (yet) sorry guys </3) i really really hope all these changes are still enjoyable, though! thank you to those who made it possible to recover this story from my old blog, and thank you all for staying tuned <3

ᡕᠵ᠊ᡃ່࡚ࠢ࠘ ⸝່ࠡࠣ᠊߯᠆ࠣ࠘ᡁࠣ࠘᠊᠊ࠢ࠘𐡏” ♡♡♡ [part 2] [part 3]

this is a dark fiction story. minors, do not interact. as always, reblogs are extremely appreciated!

you have a love-hate relationship with fall.

fall was a melancholic season for you, a season that practically begged you to simply stay home and away from the gloomy, blue skies. fall isn't a bad season, not by any means, but you do absolutely hate just how much more cozy it made your bed feel, how the soft pitter-patter of morning fall rain would ring out against the glass of your window as though beckoning you silently to stay under the warmth of your cozy blanket, how it became increasingly harder to get out of bed with the way the floors (and days as a whole) were cold and contrasting against the heat of your comforter (which, as the day goes by, you truly are starting to realize more and more why comforters have the word 'comfort' in them).

you liked the fallen leaves, with their reds and golds and oranges. you liked the pumpkins and the rain and the sweaters and the need for warm drinks, but god does fall make it impossible for you to get up these days.

luckily for you, your roommate has a knack for getting you to do things you don't necessarily want to do.

the first thing you awaken to (apart from the numerous snooze alarms you've dismissed in the past hour) is the borderline obnoxious feeling of your roommate bouncing onto the bed to the side of your (once) sleeping body, startling you. you can't say that this was the first time you've been woken up with a bang like this, but you could certainly say that it won't be the last.

"goooooodmorning, sunshine!" despite your eyes not being open, you can practically hear the sinister grin plastered all over his face as he let's out a greeting in his singsong voice, watching as you groan out at his chipperness. you never understood how your bestfriend could be such a morning person, but you supposed that facet of his life fit him well, just like you hating mornings fit you.

"venti." you let out, feeling him shake you awake. "get out."

your lovely, loving roommate responds with an exaggerated sigh, followed up by him gently jabbing a chipped baby blue lacquered finger at your cheek as you try to bury yourself into your pillow. he pressed against you just like how you had pressed your own against the button that, had you not pressed an excessive amount, would have avoided this situation as a whole. you can't help but feel as if the snooze button was invited purely just to spite people like you.

"aw, c'mon, I can hear your alarm from the other room you know. you were gonna need to wake up eventually." you force your head up just a little to pick up and peek at your phone with one sleepy eye, reading the time on the clock and realizing he's right, causing you to know full well that had he not woken you up you would've easily slept through your morning classes.

putting your phone back down, you roll your eyes. "yeah, yeah." you mock, moving to yawn and stretch before giving venti your full attention, eyeing his mischievous grin from your position. "what'd you want?"

"ugh, can't a man wake up his bestfriend without having any nefarious intentions in mind?" you deadpan at him, giving him that sort of look that just screams, 'no.'

"okay, fine, so I do have some mal-intent, but I made you breakfast, so it evens out! and since you're obviously so insistent on helping me out..." he smirks, and you instantly become suspicious, but you allow him to talk, wanting to see what he plans to rope you into this time.

"you know how I'm a great friend, an amazing one at that, and take you out to places all the time so that you can truly come out of that little shell you like to keep yourself in? how I'm such an oh-so amazing person that I use my popularity to let you enjoy life to your fullest? how I love to spoil you dearly, allowing you to truly-"

you're half tempted to throw a pillow at his face. "get to the point," you groan.

he dramatically rolls his eyes. "ugh, you're no fun. so, there's this halloween party..."

"I don't like where this is going."

he presses his pointer finger right against your lip. "hush! so, there's this halloween party, and I think it'd be fun for you to tag along with-"

"no."

"don't be a grinch! c'mon, I need a date! I even bought us matching costumes!"

"don't you have, like, a million other people that could be your date?."

he groans. "ugh, you know, you should seriously stop thinking about what others think. besides, all you've been doing these past few weeks is studying and sleeping. you need a break, have some fun! I promise it'll be a great time."

you sigh, willing to hear him out. you suppose you have been overworking yourself. "and what if I'm busy on sunday?"

he doesn't respond with quick wit like he usually does, and it makes you worried. you finally take a full, good look at him as you respond, and you watch as you see the smile on his once beaming face start to dissipate, and you instantly get hit with a pang of guilt at the sight. you note the way in which he's half dressed and how his messy dyed blue hair is still pinned back, as though he really did go out of his way to wake you up while he was getting ready. he looks away from you, as though he's trying to hold himself back from saying something. "do you... do you really have plans on halloween?" he says lowly, as though heartbroken.

the guilt really is hitting you strong. only venti can make you feel this bad this early in the morning.

"well, not at night atleast, but I'm not exactly sure that I want to spend it watching you in a costume get wasted." you try to joke, but you can tell that somethings up with venti. he doesn't find it funny, not one bit. "besides, I'm sure that you can find someone else to be the... er, morticia to your gomez addams, or something."

he nods slowly in an almost wounded baby bird fashion. "right. sorry for asking. I knew it'd be a bad idea to ask." his voice croaks a bit like he's right at the brink of tears. he moves to get up, as though trying to flea the scene, but your hand on his wrist stops him from going.

"hey, wait, what's wrong? I didn't think this would be such a big deal to you. you always party without me."

he let's out a tired, exhausted sigh. "you don't get it. it's fine, I can find someone else like you said."

"get what?"

"it," he replies. "you don't get it. it's not just a party to me." you quirk a worried browed towards his way, beckoning for him to explain. he shakes his head solemnly.

"it's just... it feels like you never want to hang out with me anymore. I don't know. I've been trying to make excuses for us to finally spend some time together but everytime you say no. I know that you're busy and all, and parties aren't exactly your thing, but you usually love halloween so I just thought..." he pauses, taking a deep breath. "it just... hurts. hurts that despite living with you I barely get to see you."

you interlace your hand with his, something you know that has always brought him comfort. you squeeze, letting out a little sigh, watching as he refuses to look at you as pink dusts his cheeks. you mull it over quickly as he looks at you at the feeling of your hand. "I'll go to the party." you say, despite knowing full well that you'd rather die than attend it. you'd truly do just about anything for your bestfriend.

"really?" he says, eyes wide as his signature smile begins forming again on his face. "you'll go? seriously?"

you shrug. "yeah, sure. who knows, it may be fun. hopefully, atleast."

venti nods eagerly, thumbing at your hand in delite. "great! you won't regret it, I promise. I'll tell you more about it later. oh [name], we'll have a blast, I swear on it." venti produces this wide, toothy grin, smiling down at you like you just told the man that he won a life-times supply of wine.

"thank you, thank you, thank you! I'd love to keep you here, but now that you've sealed the deal with me, you should start to get going." you check the time and he's right, you really should. shit, you're gonna be late for your class.

-----♡

you still have the very first letter he sent to you.

that fact is something you remember when your eyes land on the calendar on your wall as you hastily get ready for class. many of the days are crossed out, with only a handful remaining until the last day of the month; october 31st, the faithful day you will meet your penpal.

you still cant believe you're meeting him. the days—months, even— before you two came into contact are still a haze in the back of your mind. it was a little after your mind had become frazzled in the aftermaths of a messy, sudden breakup. during that time you had spent more time holding yourself inside an isolated cacoon than you'd like to admit.

the break up (that's still too much of an open wound for you to even want to think about right now) had honestly shook you to your core, making you crave some time alone, time to think and reflect on what had happened and on yourself. you spent most of your time away from everyone who wasn't venti (who, to be fair, you didn't really have a choice of getting away from in the first place, even if you had wished to).

however, there was an issue you couldn't ignore. despite the sheer largeness of the student population at your university, and how many people you know through your more than social roommate, you've always felt an incredible loneliness, a loneliness that was only worsened after the breakup.

for weeks on end you had craved some sort of connection, a fresh start, someone you could talk to that was your friend and not just venti. luckily, one day you had stumbled upon something while scrolling through your school's forum, a beacon of light.

it was a post where you could apply to be a penpal.

the idea seemed fun to you. all you had to do was submit a short bio of yourself, say some stuff you're into, what kind of penpal you were interested in, and your school mailbox. after that, you'd simply just have to wait and see if someone had took interest in you.

you honestly weren't expecting much, but you were pleasantly surprised when a few different people had actually sent in letters after a couple days. one was in reply to a letter you sent to someone who also posted their bio. another was in response to yours. the one that had stuck with you most, though, was one from an unrecognizable address off campus with an even less recognizable name attached.

and there it was, a glimmering sheet of the potential to get out of your slump right inside of your mailbox.

who was he? you couldn't help but be intrigued, and after reading over the letter the mysterious stranger (penpal?) had sent, you felt more than inclined to respond, quickly creating a relationship with the man who you would soon end up considering a close friend.

truth be told, you had obsessed over his letters, partially out of curiosity, and partially out of the way you felt so connected to this newfound friend despite never having spoken to him before. he always wrote them in a hasty, cursive script, sometimes a little smudged. many words were always scribbled out, as if constantly trying to find the best words to say, causing large blotches of the paper to be stained with dark ink. and yet the words themselves were soft and delicate. he never wrote with intensity. and he never wrote much about himself, either.

the extent of personal things he'd share eith you were limited to things like a song he was really into at the moment, a book he read recently, an assignment he was working on, or a quiet spot around or near campus he discovered. every once in awhile he'd honor you with a small little story about his life, but most of the time he'd spend his letters asking about details on yours. no matter how hard you tried to stir the conversation towards him, he always brought it back towards you, you, you. any question you'd ask would be met with short answers, or would simply just pivot back to asking about you.

you couldn't lie and pretend like it didn't fuel and egg on your curiosity. he always wrote just enough to keep you intrigued, making you feel insatiable, always wanting to know more. and yet, despite your best efforts, your mysterious penpal never gave up any more information than you needed to know.

you have a mental compilation of the upmost important details of him: the first is that he, of course, obviously goes to the same school as you, that's a given. there'd be no way he would've become your penpal otherwise. he lives off-campus, though, like you do.

the second is that he's in the same year as you, and you think he's somewhere in the history department, again, like you are. that means you've probably atleast seen him around at some point.

the third, and most important, is that he (atleast from what he alludes to) has some sort of past he rather not bring up, some past wounds and scars he'd rather not show, something that makes him keep his barriers up.

and that wall is thick. you've spent more hours than you can think pensively thinking about the identity behind the smudged ink, but to no avail. you didn't even know his real name. 'alatus' was what he told you to call him, but it's clear the name was just nothing more than a childhood nickname.

then, one day, you had opened up the newest letter he had sent and to your surprise, the sole thing written on the sheet of paper was a simple sentence and a string of numbers right under it— a phone number, his phone number. it read, "I want to be able to talk to you more than we can through these letters."

and talk, you two did.

maybe it's the ability to talk to him continously without having to await until you recieve a new letter, but you two had talked a lot, quickly becoming closer and closer. while you made sure to not sure anything too personal, you had shared much of your life with him, sometimes telling him things even venti didn't know. and sometimes, on rare occasions, he'd share something back, just enough for you to be ever craving more.

that craving was promised to be satiated after he had asked you something one night after talking for hours.

alatus: can we meet? we don't have to if you're not comfortable, of course, but I'd like to see you.

of course you said yes.

you: but how will I know it's you when I see you? you: tell me something special about yourself. some way I can know it's you when I see you alatus: I have nothing special about myself to tell you.

you: that's got to be a lie. of course you have something special about yourself. just give me something to identify you with or something, pleaseee alatus: the only thing that I can tell you is that I like the color blue. you: that doesn't tell me anything alatus: it tells you more than enough, you'll see.

that conversation happened a little over a month ago, and despite how much you've talked to him since then, you know not much more about him than you did before.

after finishing your routine and getting ready for class, you make sure to pick up a marker before you leave, crossing out yesterday's date. you only have just a few more 'x's' before you meet him.

ーーー☆

if there was one thing you hated more than having to leave a perfectly warm bed in the mornings everyday, it'd be the busy morning trains.

nothing feels more terrible (atleast in your grumpy, groggily morning mindstate) than being pushed and shoved by people with no basic understanding of personal space, or having to listen to the chattering loud noises of business men talking way too loud for comfort on their phone, or having to be painfully alert of just what stop you're getting off at when you're so tired and sluggish that you're genuinely wondering if your morning classes are even worth attending (you're definitely gonna schedule your classes different next semester, you can't help but think).

but if there's one thing that makes these trainrides even remotely better, one small but sole and detrimental saving grace, it's familiar faces.

you're never in the mood to talk during the mornings, mind too occupied on other things to handle maintaining even the most basic of conversations, but sometimes having someone accompany you makes you feel less lonely in a room (or in this case, a train cart) full of people, and that counts for atleast something. there's part of you that wishes that venti had accompanied you today on your way to classes even though his classes don't start till much later. your mental state is practically begging for some absentminded chatter to keep it occupied (venti always had a talent for talking when needed and distracting you from just about everything wrong in life, a talent that you're craving to bless you with right now).

luckily for you, though, as your eyes trail around the crowded train, you find something equally as distracting as a close friend would be.

you're still so, so utterly sleepy, but as your eyes trail to a glint of green (specifically the faded color you get after not redying your once vibrant blue hair in a long time), you suddenly feel a bit more awake, making eyecontact with the man that, no matter how much you try, seems to never not glare at you with his piercing golden eyes.

it's definitely not uncommon to see xiao on the same morning train as youーhell, it's not even uncommon for you to see him on the same night train as you, despite how sporadic the times you leave campus to go home isー considering you two share numerous classes with eachother (classes you're almost sure from limited knowledge that he's not actually into, classes that genuinely make you stop and wonder how and why xiao chose to be in them). but the sight of him makes your heart race a little, both at the way he steals quick glances at you before looking away, and at the way you find yourself silently intrigued by him, especially by just what his constant glances (and glares) could possibly mean mean.

despite his catish looks, xiao is a beautiful person, you think, fingers tightening around the train pole to keep your balance as your mind fills up with thoughts on the man infront of you.

he's pretty.

you feel eyes on you as you move to look away, not wanting to stare at him for long enough to seem like a creep (though unbeknownst to you, xiao does not share that same sentiment), instead moving to put in your earbuds and tune out all other chattering in the train, drowning it out with your music as you let yourself absentmindedly think of xiao. you noted that he looked exhausted, even moreso than usual, as though he'd been up all night just like you had. his hair was messy, thrown up in a half up half down style that framed his pierced face and ears perfectly in it's own imperfect way, and his eyebags match the overall tired feel he has going on. some things never change, you think.

you remember all the way back when you were just a college freshmen, locking eyes with the man for the first time ever in your life (though it wasn't by any means the first time his eyes laid upon you) just like you had moments prior. you vividly recall the way your breath hitched and your body stilled, the way you stared at him for far too long, the way your eyes glanced over all of him, as though trying to etch him into your memory.

it was like a scene from one of those teen romcoms you and venti watch whenever you're bored and want to hangout on saturdays, those scenes that feel too magical to ever even be considered as a possibility of happening in real life, only this time nothing truly spectacular came out of the moment. the occurance wasn't special, not by any means, but when your eyes locked with his the world seemed to stop and it was as though you two were the only ones in the world.

back then, his hair wasn't dyed the two iconic tones of blue he now rocks (or atleast, used to, before it faded out), nor did he have nearly as many expressive piercings and tattoos decorating his body further. instead, xiao was just... xiao; a blank slate begging to be covered in the self expressive forms xiao later delved deep into. there's always this soft frown on his face and eyes that are practically begging to be stared into.

the first thing you had noted back then (and even now as they grow in desperation) were his borderline begging eyes. begging to be seen. begging to be comforted. begging to be heard. eyes are the windows to the soul, and in xiao's case, xiao's windows lead into a home that has far too much going on, a home with curtains trying to shield people from looking inside, though they're far too sheer to actually do their jobs. a lonely soul. his eyes themselves weren't dead or empty, just... tired, as though they constantly scour around in attempt to find meaning in everyday life. the beautiful gold was and still is accented by horridly dark circles, and the thing you've never noticed about xiao is the way his eyes glimmer and sparkle a little when they meet yours. perhaps you don't pay attention to him as much as you think, as much as he would to you.

if you did, you'd know he found meaning you.

it's an admittedly comforting sight, moody and drowning like the deepest of oceans despite their gold glimmer, human. they make you feel seen, but most of all, they glare deep into the part of you that wants so heavily to just be there for him as though he's silently pleading for your attention. it looks like he's begging to be hugged and loved, or more specifically, to be loved back.

there's a part of you that wondered if half of the purpose of his appearance change was to intimidate people from trying to figure him out, to pretend as though his eyes weren't as desperate for comfort as they truly were.

and in that same exact (anticlimactic) moment, you came to the realization that everyone has a life just as deep and complex and layered as yoursーsonderー, and you furthermore realized that you want to know each and every complexity that the blue haired man in front of you had. you had found it unfair that you didn't know everything there was to know about him, and even now, as you stare and once again memorize the features you should already have etched into your head by now, mind trailing to the thought of just how many opportunities you've had to learn all there is to know about them that you didn't take, that fact still hasn't changed despite how many opportunities you had to over the past few years. xiao has remained the blank slate he was two years prior, no matter how dearly you wished otherwise.

perhaps that's your true downfall as a human being. curiosity is a curse. somethings are better left unknown, just like the identity of the man you've met online.

either way, no ones ever felt more like home then xiao did. though you? you're his entire universe and more.

now as your eyes shamefully lingers on him once more, wanting to get one last look at him before you have to get off the train due to reaching your (and his) destination, you come to a revelation.

xiao looks like the color blue.

ーーーNEW TEXT MESSAGE ☆

you: how'd you sleep last night?

you: maybe we should've slept earlier, I'm on my way to class right now and feel super exhausted

alatus: sorry. I shouldn't have kept you up. if it's worth anything, I'm really tired too.

alatus: I don't regret it though.

you: I don't either, but I will say I do regret asking you for that hint. haven't stoped thinking about it ever since I asked for it lol

alatus: really?

you: yeah, saw this guy on my commute to school and instantly thought about the color blue. it felt so weird

you: I don't think he even likes blue lol

alatus: yeah? what'd he look like?

you: like someone who hates colors as a whole

ーーー☆

today hadn't been the best of days for you.

you knew from the way professor zhongli had eyed you up and down as you walked into his classroom, mumbling a soft and short apology for being a few minutes late, that you should've just stayed home today. there was a nauseating glint in his eyes as they trailed after you, watching as you sat down. everyone else was eerily quiet, as though trying not to awake a sleeping dragon, causing anxiety to shoot through your veins. something was wrong.

"glad you've finally graced us with your presence, [name]. perhaps you'd like to inform the class as to why you were late today?" he speaks, uncaring of the lesson he was teaching just seconds ago, far more interested in chastizing you for just how disappointing you've been as of late. you squirm in your seat, chewing on the bottom of your lip as you think of what to say.

"I..." he doesn't give you a chance to truly explain himself. he rolls up the long sleeves of his white button up, heels clicking against the tiles of the floor as he walks to your desk.

"surely you've stayed up late studying for my class to make up for the sloppy quality of work you've been turning in as of late, correct?" he speaks lowly in his what would otherwise be soothing voice, but all it does is make the moment more embarrasing, more intimate as you feel the pitied stares of your classmates.

you don't respond. you can't, really. it's as though your lips are sealed with the weight of the poison laced on his words. the best you can do is fidget with your hands, already beginning to hold back tears, lip quivering as you try not to let your professor's notoriously ruthless teaching methods get to you. you could be sassy and catty with venti considering how close you two are, sure, but you could never be able to speak up against the domineering man infront of you.

"youー" zhongli isn't able to get a full word into his sentence before stopping as he hears the door to the class open once again. you're don't dare look back, but you do hear a quiet, mumbled apology for being late, and just from the tone alone you can tell it's coming from xiao. you watch as zhongli shakes his head at the sight, entire body radiating disappointment, and yet he doesn't give xiao the same scolding he gave you, saving him from the embarrasment.

what a biased dick, you think.

he shakes his head, sighing, deciding to save his energy. "... see me after class, [name]. you seem to be having a rough day, so I'll try to stop myself from adding onto your stress as much as possible. but please understand that in the future, lateness is unacceptable in this class. you should know this by now." the way he speaks is almost gentle, a lot more sweeter, as though he's simply just disappointed in you, but you know deep inside that there's more to his thiny veiled act of trying to parent you than meets the eye, a darker intent. you hate it, and you hate how you can't speak up, but you're grateful he spared you atleast some of his scolding, so you instead resort to simply nodding as zhongli goes back to teaching his class as though nothing ever happened.

-----♡

you spent the better half of your lecture worrying more about what was to come after than on the actual lesson itself. you refused to make zhongli's eyes, far too scared that if you were to make contact with his piercing ones that you'd lose all your resolve in an instant. time couldn't have gone by slower, but eventually, after what felt like days of waiting, the lecture was finally wrapped up for the day, and you watched as everyone shuffled out of the room except you and the professor himself.

"today's class felt longer than usual, hm?" zhongli attempts to joke as though to lighten the mood, but you don't dare to respond. you hear him sigh at the way you don't respond, accompanied by the quiet shuffling of paper as he makes his way to you. god, you want to be home right now.

"I wanted to talk about your performance in my class, [name]. please take a look at this," he slides a familiar looking group of stapled papers onto your desk, one that you hesistantly look at, only to wish that you had eyes at all in an instant at the sight.

you wish the world would simply swallow you whole at the sight of bright, red ink, showing a blaring '40%' at the upper right corner of the assignment you'd spent hours slaving over for, breath hitching in shock. you feel sick to your stomach, as though the red was the same red you'd see in the aftermath of a murder, only this time, the thing being brutally killed is your own ego.

you could've lived a good, long, healthy life without seeing such a ghastly sight.

"it's certainly not bad, but you could be... better. much better. I expect more from you. you know that. and I know you. you can do much better than this sloppy work you've been handing in lately." he speaks, shattering your heart word by word.

throughout your years at this school you've had your far share of lower grades, and you've always managed to take them with stride. this was different, though. every student knows that in all of the classes zhongli's teaches, anything less than perfect is practically a death sentence.

"but I..."

"no buts. I would love an explanation, however, if you have one to give me."

you don't have an explanation. you've been working hard just as you have since you started taking his classes sophmore year, so why are you suddenly now failing so terribly? you shake your head at himーthis must be a mistake. a big, big mistake.

"...you're on scholarship student, aren't you?" you nod your head, knowing full well that had it not been for the full ride you've been given, you wouldn't even be setting foot near this building, let alone this classroom. "you do want to keep attending this school, don't you? you'd likely lose your scholarship if you don't improve soon. we both know full and well how finicky administration are with grades."

you try your hardest to hold back tears as the papers in your hand begin to slightly crumble from the force of your grip on them at the sheer thought of losing the very thing allowing you to go here. one even goes as far as to fall, splattering against the once prestine white sheet, soaking in and feathering out and smudging the blue pen ink that you used to write your oh-so-unimpressive answers with.

you wonder just where exactly things went wrong; you had worked so hard on this assignment, how could it not be 'good enough?' most importantly, how were you supposed to impress him? wasn't your sheer effort enough? you gave it all of your all, but he still somehow wants more, though you're not exactly sure how much you have left to give to him.

he watches your form with pity. his eyebrows furrow as he bends down a little to meet your eye thats paying far too much attention to the floor beneath. a gloved hand takes your face in his palm, thumbing at your eyes so as to wipe your tears away, but it does nothing to comfort you.

"poor thing. this entire ordeal must be stressful for you.... perhaps you can have one of the teacher assistants help you. I'd suggest ganyu, but as of late, she's been busy, and I'd assume you'd be better off getting tutored by someone actually in the same course as you. you and xiao seem to be getting along lately, though I know he has a rough surface. perhaps you could melt through that barrier though. I can tell you can. I can speak to him, if you'd like."

you honestly can't comprehend his words with the way your pounding heart is much more louder than his soft tone of voice. your lip quivers as you attempt to meet his eye. you can't find the strength in you to reply.

"will you atleast consider trying to get into contact with him?" he asks after no response. you shakily nod, albeit hesitantly, and he gently lets go of your face at the notion, smiling lightly.

"good. it'd be a shame to see you lose the scholarship you worked so hard on attaining. make me proud, [name]. you've always been my star student. I trust that you and the extra help at your disposal will resolve this little issue you're having. you have my private number, correct?" you nod again, much to his pleasure.

"please contact me whenever you desire. I can set-up one on one time to make sure you're caught up to speed. now get to your other classes for me, okay? I'm sure you have a long day ahead of you."

'a long day' is an understatement, you think, because your day feels blue, moody, as dark as the clouded sky. you wonder briefly how you can cover up your frustration before anyone at your next class sees. you suddenly feel a seering hatred for the soft pitter patter that rings against the windows that seem to mock you and the fact that you didn't stay in the coziness of your bed today.

perhaps you should have stayed home after all.

ーーーNEW TEXT MESSAGE ☆

you: gonna be home late, going to the library to study. start dinner without me

you: today sucked bad

venti: what's wrong?????? what happened???? come home please, you know I don't like you staying out after dark, especially when your upset

you: im okay. I think zhongli is the worst professor I've ever had though seriously

venti: did something happen?!?!?!? I'm sorry ): we can hug when you get home okay? and talk it out? whatever you wanna do.

you: yeah, thanks. actually kind of need that hug rn. gna go to the library

venti: okay, stay safe... call me?

you: can't. it's pouring outside so i have to go. see you soon though.

ーーー☆

you find yourself growing tired of this routine.

it wasn't a terrible one, not by any means, but the days are truly starting to blend in with one another. everyday, you wake up, go to class, pray your work is up to the hightened standards of professor zhongli (and all of the other freakishly stern teachers here, for that matter), study, go home again, and prepare yourself to it all over again tomorrow. if you're lucky, your roommate breaks your routine just a bit, forcing you through whatever shenanigans he deems fit for that given night. eitherway you were tired, desperate to forget about today's stresses. maybe venti was right; a party would take the edge off.

atleast your other classes, apart from one taught by professor dottore (which you luckily didn't have today), weren't as bad as zhongli's.

nonetheless, after hours of studying in the warmth and comfort of your campus library without interruption (minus the time when your two friends albedo and sucrose had asked if you needed any help, to which you declined) felt your eyelids become heavier and heavier and your energy strained, begging you to simply go home and rest for the night.

the train is crowded as expected, and almost all the seats were taken apart from a few that were just made empty after people got off the stop. you take it, too tired to stand for the rest of the trip home after the long day that you had. but honestly, you're starting to think that whoevers in charge of the universe is seriously playing a joke on you or something, becauss someone takes the open seat right next to you as you sit down, and it's the person you least were expecting to have to sit alongside. xiao.

he looks a little out of breath, as though he ran to catch the train. he makes no effort to even acknowledge the fact that you're seated right next to him as he plays music through his headphones. even so, xiao is a beaming light in the sea of tuxed business men who hate their jobs and gloomy faced riders tired of the long day.

quite frankly, you're lucky you even got a seat, even if it meant having to sit next to the man you cannot get out of your head despite how much you think he dislikes you.

the sheer crowdedness of the train makes it so that you're pressed flushed against him, feeling the emmense amount of body heat emitting from his body. if you were any less exhausted, you'd be freaking out right now from the proximity, and honestly, you kinda still are, but you're too tired to truly feel weighed down by it.

you actively had to fight hard from going unconscious right then and there from how tired you are. you really didn't want to fall asleep on the train, but god, today was just so long, and xiao (who still hasn't even so much as glanced your way) is so warm, and such a comforting presence, and your feet ache and you didn't sleep much last night and you'd do anythibg to just get some rest.

it's a battle you lose. your body shuts down after a few minutes of trying your absolute hardest to just stay awake until you arrived to your stop, eyes drooping closed as you fall asleep next to xiao.

as you fall asleep onto xiao, as it comes to be.

[rialikesbts]

Obsessesive

Professor! Seokjin x Reader

Masterlist

"Now, just because I am giving you a worksheet does not mean that you are allowed to make noise. You can talk to each other regarding the work but do it quietly." Your college professor says, stepping away from the podium to reach his desk. 

Sitting down comfortably and readjusting his glasses, Kim Seokjin took a look over his class of 70 students. 

The guys at the back were busy on their phones and the girls at the front were pretending to focus on their work while sneaking glances at their young teacher and whispering among themselves, probably about how hot he looked when 'ordering' them

The thought made Seokjin smirk.Regardless he sent a look to those girls to focus on the work assigned instead of him.Looking over to the middle of the room, he saw his dedicated students who were interested in his lectures rather than his face. A smile took over his face while admiring them doing their work. 

Seokjin then looked over to the left corner to see his favourite student. His smile kept on increasing at the sight. 

You had put one of your elbows on the table, your squishy cheek pressed against your knuckles, headphones in your ears, as you quietly did your work. 

It wasn't like you had no friends. You just prefered to work alone. Seokjin liked that about you. He liked everything about you. You were always loud, walking and running around the campus with your friends, always giggling and laughing, but when it came to your studies,you remained silent in your classes and focused on the teacher. This motivated your friends to focus in classes as well. What an angel my sweetie is. 

You were on top of the class, and still helped everyone. He had seen you so many times in the courtyard, explaining concepts to not only your classmates, but also your juniors. His heart was filled with pride, watching you.

Mine. All mine. 

Seokjin took a walk around the classroom, to see how far everyone had gone with his work and to help someone if they needed it. You, of course were ahead of everyone, yet he still asked  if you needed any help. 

"Do you need any help, miss Y/N?" 

"No sir, I'm fine thank you." 

"Alright, if you need any help, just raise your hand." 

"Okay sir." 

Although it was for  a short moment, Seokjin loved it when all your attention was on him. He loved it the way you called him 'sir'. Your soft, delicate voice.

Will it still be that soft when you'll scream his name whilst underneath him? 

He tried to hide his smile that was building up, to stop his dirty thoughts and to control his wild imaginations about his doll. You bad girl, you will surely get a punishment when I will have you. 

"Look! Mr. Kim has that creepy smile again after talking to you." Your friend whispered in your ear as you glanced at the said man. 

"I know right!Why doesn't he get the hint that I will ask him when I have a problem?This is the fourth time this week! He's honestly so creepy."You whispered. 

You honestly wanted to shift to another class, but he was a great teacher. Also it's not like the college admins will believe  if your teacher is creepy. He hasn't done anything like this before, nor has he touched you or anything. You had no proof. 

~~~~~~~~~~

"Do you need  a ride back home, Y/N?" 

You looked up from your phone to see Mr. Kim in his bright red tesla. 

Great. The more I try to avoid him, the more I have to deal with him. 

You plastered a huge fake smile on your face before saying,

"Oh! It's alright Mr. Kim, the bus will be coming soon!" 

"Don't worry dear, I'll drop you off at home. A pretty thing like you shouldn't be travelling in a bus." 

You belong in my mansion, staying pretty, just like the doll you are. 

You were creeped out by his statement of you being a 'pretty thing'.Aa if you were an object.

Pretending that you were getting a call,you placed your phone near your ear  and said 'Hello' . Bowing down to your teacher, you walked away with your bag.It was the only thing you could think of to get out of the situation. 

After walking a considerable distance, you removed your phone from your ear before looking back to see if your teacher's car was in sight. 

Seeing the red car out of the way, you sighed in relief. Turning around, you bumped into a rock hard chest. 

Moving your head up to apologize , you were shocked to see the man you had  just run away from. 

He no longer had a smile on his face, rather a very cold look, as if he was incredibly angry. It was the look he gave to those annoying girls in class when they kept asking him unnecessary questions. It was the look he gave to the guys at the back who did not do their work. 

It was a look that said 'If you get on my nerves one more time, I will not hesitate to punish you'. 

You were left as a stuttering mess before him. 

"Mr. Kim.. I… you.." 

He put a finger to his lips, signaling you to quiet down.He was breathing heavily as if trying to tone down his anger.

Why was he so angry? 

He gripped your arm tightly, pulling you along to his car. You tried prying his hands off of you,but he was too strong.You had to resort to hitting him on his shoulder to which he  pulled you closer to him, caressing your face before whispering.

"You'll get a punishment if you misbehave angel. Be a good girl. Mr Kim doesn't like bad girls." 

You shivered and kept quiet.Mr Kim drove you to his luxurious apartment.He made you sit down on the couch, forcefully fed you your favourite food and made you drink orange juice. You were scared and crying but still did whatever he wanted. Maybe if you obey, he will let you go home. 

You began feeling dizzy. He must have spiked the juice. 

Your eyes soon began to close. You couldn't help it.Before completely passing out, you heard your captor speak. 

"If you had agreed to come with me first, I would have dropped you at your home. But you were being a stubborn brat and made me angry. See angel? Your actions have consequences." 

A tear escaped from your eyes. 

"Now, live with me and be my doll. Let me worship and love you."

He gave you a kiss on your forehead, before picking you up and heading to his room. 

A/N

Feel free to request any scenarios! I love reading and writing yandere🥰

[nyasstars]

infrunami 🦋 - yang jeongin

synopsis. jeongin has been pining over a girl in his class for years now. until he realizes that the true love of his life was always right in front of him.

cw : hurt/angst, non idol!collegejeongin x fem!collegereader, unrequited feelings, mutual pining (eventually), slow burn!, jealousy, cursing, eventual fluff, hurt feelings, reader is referred to as JJ (cs why not)

wc : idk like 1k

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

once Christopher clarified that the "party" his friends were throwing was more of a simple get together, you continued the conversation which ended in you giving him your phone number. thanking him for the party invite, you finally went your separate ways.

you weren't quite in the mood to go back to your apartment so you ultimately decided to wander around. which is how you ended up half way across campus with no real clue how to get back to your apartment. despite this being your third year attending this college, you hated to admit that you didn't really know your way around this part of campus.

for half a second, you considered calling jeongin to come find you. sure, he wouldn't really be much help since he himself had never been to this part of the campus but the company would've been nice. or would it? granted he would probably talk about soojin the entire time. you huffed in frustration, not knowing if any of your other friends were awake now.

you continued walking around in an attempt to find any student near by and ask for help. it was as though the higher ups heard your prayers when you saw a student walking in your direction with his bag slung over his shoulder. he was pretty, for sure. he had brown curly hair that was splayed over his face with the chubbiest cheeks you'd ever seen. his eyes looked like they held a story, being both comforting and inviting yet striking and intimidating. you felt as though you'd turn to stone if you stared into his eyes too long. he was wearing a red hoodie with a heart on it and a pair of beige cargo pants.

as he began to walk past you, you extended your arm to stop him. "excuse me?" your hand landed on his forearm and you felt his body tense before he looked up at you with a confused look. "yeah?" he stops with furrowed brows and a tilted head. "do you know how to get to the North Hall from here?" your eyes were filled with desperation and hope and his gaze softened. "yeah" he nodded, "do.. do you want me to walk you there?" he took your grin as a yes and began walking back in the direction he had just came from.

after a few moments of silence, you attempted to break the ice. "I'm JJ" he looked up at you, a small smile playing on his lips. "im JJ" you grin. he nods again, "so, if you don't mind me asking, how did you end up all the way by the Old Main Hall?" he tilts his head, confusion plastered on his face. you hang your head down in embarrassment, "I got lost" you mutter

"how did you get lost?"

you look up at him to respond and he's clearly stifling a laugh. "don't laugh at me!" you groan, playfully hitting him. "I'm sorry, im sorry. please tell me, how did you get lost?" he clears his throat. "well, I was at the campus cafe with a friend and when I left, I started walking around campus and I got lost. I've never been to this side before"

"I don't blame you, it's pretty common for freshmen to get lost around here. the campus is pretty big." he shrugs.

freshman? he thought you were a freshman? "im not a freshman. im a junior" you shake your head in embarrassment. this time he didn't bother try to hide his laughter. "a junior? so this is your third year here and you've never been to the Old Main Building?" he raises both eyebrows, chortling.

your face turned a bright shade of red and you pressed your lips into a line. "stop laughing!!" you groan again. "my classes and my apartment have always been on the other side of the campus; near the North Building so I've never been over here. and plus this campus is huge!! how have you never gotten lost before?" you look at him incredulously.

"I have gotten lost, but that was when I was a freshman or sophomore, but not as a junior" he cackles, eyes bulging out of his head.

"so that means you're a junior?"

"yeah, I double major in music composition and ethnomusicology"

eth.. ethno..

"ethnomusicology. I can see the gears turning in your head.." he chuckles, "it's the study of music and its social and cultural contexts. and music composition is exactly what it sounds like, composing music."

"that's fascinating. I've never heard of ethnomusicology. how long have you been interested in music?"

he shrugs, "I'm not surprised, people don't frequently explore the course. I think I've been interested in music my whole life; when I was younger, I lived in Malaysia but when I moved, I became really infatuated with rap. although, the raps I wrote when I was 13 were not for the public." he grimaced, smiling sheepishly as he scratched the back of his neck similarly to how Jeongin does.

fuck, you were supposed to forget about Jeongin.

you watched in awe as he rambled about something he was passionate about. the way his body language changed as he spoke about something he cared so much about; his posture changed, he began talking with hand gestures, his cheeks puffed up as he filled them with air when he breathed between words. or maybe that was just the psychology major in you.

"I'm actually also a producer. my friends and I are in a music group.. or more of a music trio. it's called --"

"3RACHA?" you tilt your head.

he furrows his eyebrows and turns to face you, "y-yeah. how'd you know?" his eyes widen

"my.. friend, Christopher. he told me about you guys. the three of you are really talented" you were hesitant to refer to Christopher as your friend. not because you didn't want to, but because you'd only met him yesterday. could you be considered friends?

“christopher..” he mutters before an imaginary lightbulb goes off above his head, “oh, Chan!” he exclaims, grinning a toothy smile at the mention of his best friend. you nod softly, “why were you so hesitant to call him your friend?”

“i don’t know. i only met him yesterday and we hung out this morning but i’m not sure if he considers me a friend.”

“knowing Chan, he probably does consider you a friend. he’s nice to everyone but he really only hangs out with people he likes.” the two of you fell back into a silence but a comfortable one? you realized that both Jisung and Christopher had a way of making you feel comfortable, even if you’d only met them. you also noticed that at time Jisung would fall quiet. he’d talk a bunch, either about himself or his major, then immediately stop. you didn’t mind it much though; you were the same way.

you remained in the silence, neither one of you bothering to make small talk as you walked along the concrete path of your college campus in the cool November breeze. when you realized you were nearing the North Hall which was just across the street from your off campus apartment, you turned to Jisung, thanking him for his help and saying your goodbyes as you began crossing the street to your apartment building.

you liked him. he reminded you a lot of yourself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

a/n : omg guys im alive!! this is sort of a filler? I just wanted to introduce hanji but I've already started the next chapter and im pretty excited 🥴

[quicksilversg1rl]

Jealousy, Jealousy

Warren Lipka x Fem Reader 

a/n: This is my first fic on Tumblr so please bear with me 💋

Warnings: angst

You were in deep shit. Ever since you and Warren became friends you vowed to yourself that you wouldn't catch feelings for him, that you wouldn't fall into the stereotype of ‘the girl best friend is always in love with the boy best friend’ and for most of your high school career you hadn't. Fast forward to college, your previous boy best friend had moved to the other side of the world so naturally the two of you drifted, you were still friends but not best friends.

Then you met Warren. 

You still remember the day so clearly; you were sitting during one of your lectures, ‘listening’ attentively to your professor when this guy stumbled in late causing everyone in the lecture hall to look at him. You were sat right at the back far from everyone else hoping to not have an interaction with any of the other students when the boy stumbled up towards you and sat in the seat right next to you.

You immediately tensed up, fearing that the mystery boy would interact with you, and just as the thought popped into your head the stranger tapped your shoulder.

“Hi uh sorry to ask you this but where are we in the lesson?” You just looked at him and slowly turned your laptop towards him to show him that you weren't even listening to the professor, you were reading one of your favourite books, Little Women.

He let out a little laugh before leaning in closer to get a better look at the book you were reading. 

He looked as if he recognized the book, so you asked, “Have you read Little Women?”

“Oh God no, I think the last time I read a book was in the 6th grade.” he said which caused a laugh to escape your mouth. You hadn't realized how loud it was because as you looked up everyone in the lecture hall was staring up at you and the mystery boy. This caused the both of you to laugh, luckily the lesson ended just as the both of you had calmed down from laughing and you walked out together. 

“My names Warren by the way.”

“Y/n.” You said smiling.

And that was how you and Warren became friends. 

Fast forward to now. Two years later. 

You, Warren and Spencer were in the car on the way to a party. You were the designated driver as you knew both Warren and Spencer were planning on getting high and probably drinking a lot of alcohol. 

The three of you reached the party and you could hear the music blasting from inside the house. There were people all over the front lawn, making out, chugging different types of alcohol or people that were simply passed out.

You all made your way inside the house and walked towards the kitchen area. As the boys grabbed cups you spotted a few of your friends across the room and wanted to go say hi to them. 

You tugged on Warren’s shirt as the music was too loud for him to hear you.

Once he noticed he leant down to try and hear you better, as he did this one of his arms wrapped around the small of your back. The action made the blood in your face rush towards your cheeks. You had no idea why you were getting so flustered; this was something Warren regularly did. Maybe it had something to do with the way he was looking down at you or the fact that you were head over heels in love with him, who knows?

“I’m gonna go say hi to a few of my friends real quick, okay?”

“Okay cool just don’t disappear for too long.” He said patting your back as you smiled up at him.

You pulled away from him and made your way to your other friends.

You talked to them for a little while before making your way back to Warren and Spencer. Once you reached the spot the three of you were in before, you spotted the two boys downing shots and cheering at the top of their lungs for God knows what. A few people had gathered around them, so you made your way through them to get to Warren. Once Warren’s eyes caught sight of you, a huge smile had plastered itself onto his face. 

“Heyyyy Y/n where were you?” He said slurring a few of his words. Clearly that shot was not their first. You looked over at Spencer and he was just standing there smiling, clearly buzzed. 

“You okay Spence?”

He never gave you an answer, just a wonky smile and a thumbs up.

Before you could even say anything further to Spencer, Warren had slumped his body on top of yours.

“Warren please get off of me, you're way too heavy sorry.” You said, holding the boy in your arms.

“Y/nnnnn I’m hungry could you pleaseeee make me a grilled cheese sandwich, please please please pleaseeee.”

“Warren, I can’t make you a grilled cheese sandwich just-” but before you could even finish your sentence, he was at the kitchen counter taking shots with spencer and a few other people.

You took this as your opportunity to quickly use the bathroom, not thinking you’d be gone for too long.

And you weren't. Once you were done you made your way downstairs but was quickly pulled to the side by one of your girl friends. She pulled you towards the rest of the group and the conversation quickly started up. The girls and you had been talking for so long you completely forgot you were supposed to go back to the two boys you were basically looking after. You pulled your phone from out your jacket pocket and checked the time. It was nearing 4am. You hadn't realized how long you had been away, so you quickly bid your goodbyes to your friends and made your way to the spot you last saw the boys and as expected they weren't there.

You quickly searched around the bottom floor of the house and spotted Spencer asleep on one of the couches in the living room. You made your way towards him and lightly tapped his cheek trying to get him to wake up. His eyes slowly fluttered open.

“Hey Spencer, no-no stay awake for me, okay? Now do you know where Warren is?”

He let out a bunch of words none of them making sense and then closed his eyes again. You realized you weren't going to get any answers from Spencer, so you lightly slapped him across the cheek and slung his arm around your neck, trying to get him up from the couch. You slowly but surely got him up and made your way towards your car. You put Spencer in the back seat and then quickly locked the car and made your way inside the house again to look for Warren.

You had decided to check upstairs and once you reached the second bathroom; you walked in on a guy and a girl making out. Before you could close the door, they turned towards you, and you realized that the guy was Warren. It felt almost as if your heart had sunken to your stomach, so you quickly exited the bathroom muttering a quiet ‘sorry’. You could feel the tears brimming at your eyes but quickly made sure they weren't visible when you heard Warren’s voice calling after you.  

You turned towards him and plastered on a fake smile. 

“Sorry for interrupting but I just wanted to come find you since it’s getting really late, Spencer already in the car but if you’re gonna stay here that's cool just needed to come find you.”

“Oh, hey no I’m still coming home with you let me just tell her I’m not coming back.” he said slurring a few of his words once again.

You just smiled and watched as he made his way towards the bathroom again. 

Once he was inside you heard the girl shout something along the lines of ‘are you fucking kidding me?’ and then Warren quickly slipped out. As he was making his way towards you the girl stepped out of the bathroom and gave you the dirtiest look you have ever gotten since fucking high school. You reciprocated the dirty look as well as moving your hands in a jerking off motion and then eventually flipping the bird. She rolled her eyes and made her way into one of the rooms.

You and Warren made your way to your car in silence and once you reached it you both got in without saying a word. You looked to the backseat to check up on Spencer and he was still fast asleep.

As you were making your way towards your apartment Warren spoke up, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

“Hey Y/n that-that girl and I aren't anything okay?”

“Warren, you don't need to explain yourself, that's your personal life, has nothing to do with me besides we’re just friends right so no need to explain anything.” 

He opened his mouth to say something but quickly closed it and just sat back.

It had been a few days since that night and truth be told you had been avoiding Warren trying to clear your head and deal- suppress-with your feelings alone.

Warren on the other hand was going nuts. Since the two of you had met, there had not been one day where you didn't talk and since the night of the party you and Warren hadn't spoken for two days. He had called Spencer so many times trying to figure out why you two weren't talking. Usually, he didn't care when someone was mad at him or ignoring him, but it was different with you. His heart couldn't stand you being mad at him, it absolutely broke him.

Suddenly Warren had found himself in front of your door frantically knocking on it.

You quickly made your way towards the door and once you saw who was behind it your heart dropped once again.

“Can I come in?”

“Yea of course.” you said not really wanting to deal with all of this right now.

“Look Y/n are we okay? I just- it feels like you’re mad at me and I’m sorry for whatever it is I’ve done, and I promise I’ll make it up to you just please talk to me!” he said grabbing ahold of your hands.

You truly felt like shit. The last thing you wanted was to make him feel as if he had done something wrong.

“Warren, you didn't do anything wrong I just needed some space to deal with my emotions and shit I was just getting into my head too much.” you said playing with your fingers knowing you weren’t telling the whole truth.

“Bullshit! You’re lying and do not even try and spin me another shit story just tell me the fucking truth! Please.”

The corners of your eyes stung as tears brimmed them.

“I’m not lying Warren I-”

“Stop it, just stop it. I know you’re lying because you do this thing with your hands when you’re lying and you’re doing it right fucking now!”

He was right. It was an awful habit of yours. When you were younger you could never lie to your mother as she’d immediately see you playing with your fingers, and she’d know that you were lying.

“FUCK IT! You wanna hear the truth, Warren? Well, here it is. I LIKE YOU! So, fucking much and seeing you with that blonde chick the other night hurt so fucking much but I couldn't even be hurt because we were never anything and I felt so fuckin’ stupid I just needed to be alone. So there that's all of it you happy now???”

You hadn’t realized how much of a relief it was to finally get that off your chest. 

You looked towards Warren wiping a tear that had managed to escape. He just stood there and next thing you know he was smiling and laughing. 

You felt yourself grow angry; you were confessing your feelings to him, and he was just standing there laughing? What the fuck?

“Oh, of course this is funny to you. Seriously fuck you, Warren.”

You turned around and was making your way to your room when Warren grabbed your arms and brought you flush against his chest. Before you could even protest against him, he smashed his lips against yours.

Your eyes widened and before you could get lost in the kiss you pulled away and pushed against his chest.

“What the fuck Warren? Why-” 

“God Y/n I have liked you since the first time I layed eyes on you, which wasn’t in that lecture hall. It was when I saw you leaving campus like a few days before and I immediately thought you were the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. That’s why I decided to sit next to you that day when I came late. I needed to get to know you and once I did, I realized you were as beautiful on the inside as you were out and I told myself even if I can’t be with you in the way I wanted to, I at least wanted to be your friend.”

Your eyes widened in surprise; you were speechless. You had never ever heard Warren speak like that before, about anyone.

“And all those other girls meant nothing to me, they were a mere distraction so I could focus less on my unreciprocated feelings for you.” 

You just found yourself standing there and all you could do was laugh.

You couldn't believe how dumb the two of you were.

Warren began to laugh with you and before you knew it you were moving closer to him and leaning into his chest. 

Once he calmed down, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to your head slowly making your head look up at his.

“I’m sorry for ignoring you and being so blind to all of this.”

“And I’m sorry for not making my hints more obvious. I Like you a lot Y/n, more than I like weed.”

You laughed at his statement before he leant down to press another kiss on your lips.

The two of you spent the rest of the day content in each other's arms, watching movies, cuddling and making out. Making out quite a lot. :)

..............

a/n: I did not mean to make it this long lmao, but I got carries away! Let me know what you think about it and leave some requests if you have. I’m probably going to be writing for most of Evan’s characters too so yea and if you guys want to be added to a tag list for these fics just let me know below.

Thanks for reading <3 

[damagedintellect]

Trafalgar Law x reader

💌 Fake it till you make it: Chapter 11  💌  

Summary:  To avoid an arranged marriage set up by Doflamingo, Law needs to bring home a girlfriend during the Christmas break and you just so happen to be a theatre major in the same dorm at One Piece University. What could possibly go wrong?  

Tropes: College AU, Fake Dating, Idiots in love

💌 Word count: 4,843 💌 <= Previous Chapter | Next Chapter =>

Since talking with you, Sabo has been wracking his brain around the strange sense of familiarity he feels with one of the cases Dragon was detailing and your encounter with "Joker". To be honest he hasn't been paying too much attention to the paperwork since being put on the case. As intellectual as Sabo was he would rather let the rest of the group handle the tedious forms while he got straight to work. His associates would understand. He was a man of action after all.

Sabo walked into the office swiftly tipping his hat to some of his fellow students as he made a graceful beeline to his favorite colleague. Koala didn’t notice the blonde sneaking up on her but just as he was about to pounce Koala seemed to have remembered something. She needed a file located in the next room over. Turning around she collided with Sabo with enough force to bring them both to the floor.

"I'm so sorry I didn't see you!"

The blonde only snickered as he teased her “Aw, I missed you too Koala~" He patted her head as she was still sputtering out a string of apologies.

"Oh it's just you," she sighed, grinning. She thought it was someone else. "Never mind I take back everything I just said." She giggled getting off of him before offering a hand. "I thought you didn't have class today?"

Sabo dusted his hat off before answering "I don't but I'm seeing Ivankov later and I wanted to check something with Dragon about the trafficking case." He grinned putting his hat on his head "I think I have a lead on our broker. You wouldn't happen to know their moniker off the top of your head would you?"

Koala sighed again. Go figure Sabo would forget. "Seriously? What's the point of coming to briefings if you're not going to pay attention." She started shuffling through files knowing it would be easier to have him read it on his own time. Meanwhile Sabo tried to defend himself "Everyone knows I'm better as a field agent rather than intelligence analyst. That's why we," he gestured to Koala before he pointed to himself "make a great team."

He never said he couldn't do it. If he really wanted to he definitely could. Sabo is capable of more than he likes to let on. He has patience and a long list of proper etiquette and formal training he just chooses impromptu chaos for the fuck of it. Luffy and Ace weren’t his brothers for nothing. Unfortunately Koala is aware of this fact.

Koala rolls her eyes. Sabo also wasn't wrong. She did like working with him but she wasn't about to admit it. "Just because I'm the only one good enough to clean up your messes doesn't mean we're a good team." She smacked the blonde with a manila folder "I'm just good at my job. Honestly, sometimes it feels like you only want to whack people with a metal pipe."

Sabo laughed awkwardly, taking the file and following her to Dragon's office "I mean you're not wrong but I just have a more hands on approach one would say." He skimmed through the file and sure enough in big bolded letters the word "Joker" was plastered all over the file.

"Ah bingo," he smirked, taking a pause to denote his victory to himself "I might actually have the puzzle piece to blow this case out of the water."

Right before they walked into the room Sabo looked Koala up and down. "Which reminds me, are you free later tonight? I have a side quest I could use some assistance with."

—

Tonight was the big night and everyone involved gathered in the common room one last time before heading to their set battle stations. It was one hour before operation undercover sneak out, two hours before the boys would kidnap Law and three hours before your New Kama Land debut.

You were going to be seen walking back into the dorms after having dinner with Robin. From there you will trade clothes with Koala as Sabo escorted you, "Koala" to your destination. Everyone none the wiser that you had even left the campus. Did you have to jump through this many hoops? Probably not but it was better to be safe than sorry. Doflamingo was already pulling the strings behind the scenes and based on the "joker" incident someone wanted you out of the way. Hopefully tonight you would have the answers you were looking for. You were running out of time and the ideas well was running dry.

After Sabo gave you the signal that the coast was clear you knocked on the back door and Bon Clay ushered you both inside.

"There’s my sweet little candies! And Sabo, now there's a surprise. Did you finally want to try your hand at the night life?" Ivankov winked as they welcomed you to New Kama Land.

Sabo slouched, crossing his arms "Sorry, but the only pole you'll see me swing around is Ole trusty. I'm here on business but (Y/N) has priority." Ivankov gave him a nod turning their attention back to you.

"You must be the little darling Bon-boy has told me so much about! Such an interesting story it has me at the edge of my seat but all is fair in love and war baby." They motioned for you to follow them up a flight of stairs. "And war requires a wardrobe change."

You were taken to the costume room. Ivankov introduced you to Inazuma who didn't say much while they took your measurements before disappearing amongst the costumes. You could hear shuffling and muttering in the distance. They weren't gone long and when they returned they had a handful of outfits along with two different sets of over the knee thigh high boots. You could choose between a pink or a white pair but either way the style of pleaser shoes were called flamingo, oh the irony.

You decided on the white ones to match with the "slutty bride to be" theme that Shachi suggested. You sifted through the pile of costumes picking out a short strapless white frilly negligee that didn't leave a lot to the imagination. The shape reminded you of a shortened version of one of the wedding dresses you saw at the fitting. You would almost say it was princess-esque. Long fingerless satin bridal gloves that connect to a ring on the middle finger were thrown your way, as well as a white laced corset adorn with diamonds, ribbons and pearls. Instead of a veil you were given a white blindfold that looked opaque to the audience despite being see through. Some interesting choices but somehow you made it work. It almost reminded you of something you saw in a video game.

Bon Clay had lent you a pair of eight inch heels to practice in but no amount of practice could make walking down the stairs any less terrifying. You death gripped the railing during your descent back to the green room. You were slightly nervous. You hadn’t done anything like this before. Which isn't to say you hadn't danced in skimpy clothes performing provocatively for an audience, it was just your first time doing so on a pole in shoes that could easily injure you if you're not careful, but who doesn't like a little danger. Law better appreciate the time and energy you put into this or you will kick his ass. Scratch that you were going to kick his ass regardless. He deserved it.

Everyone at New Kama Land was a delight to work with each of them showing you where to make your entrance, how to make your exit and tips and tricks of the trade. If you crash and burn you were told to bite your lip, twirl your hair, and shake your tits or ass, people will forget it ever happened. You were astonished with the amount of positivity you received over your dress rehearsal. It helped put you more at ease over the evening. It was a lot of walking on eggshells and into unknown territory from here on out.

The worst part of all of this was the small voice in the back of your head that continued to tell you none of this will be worth it. That no matter what you do Law would disregard the effort everyone was making to save him because he had too much pride. The headstrong asshole already deserted you without a word. You wish you knew what exactly was going on in his head, you really did. You thought you were getting mixed signals before but now more so than ever. If only he knew how you felt about it. About him. Hopefully he would tonight.

"(Stripper Name), you're on in five!"

You were pulled from your thoughts as Bon Clay gave you your 5 minute call. "Thank you five." You responded warily, deciding to wait side stage, mulling over your relationship. A lot has happened in the span of 2 months but it feels like you've been together for much longer. You don't want it to be the end. You don't want it to end like this and deep down you know Law doesn't either.

—

Law doesn’t like being told what to do. He mentions it often enough but since leaving Dressrosa he's been bored out of his mind. The unwanted Bachelors party will be a nice change of pace. With each day, the wedding approached counting down his last few days of freedom. He didn't want to give up but he's lost all hope. He already lost Corazon and he hasn't been able to shake the eerie feeling that he may never wake up. It was all his fault too and if he was in a better position he would be planning his revenge against Doffy but he has enough on his plate on that front. In addition he fucked himself ten times over with (Y/N) and doubts he has second, or well third chance at this point. Doflamingo has him wrapped around his fingers dancing in the palm of his hand. At this point without any leverage Law would need to perform a miracle, and he's never been one to have that kind of faith.

If anyone could perform a miracle it would be straw hat but he's just as reckless as he is helpful and the odds of him making everything worse is also a possibility, whether the outcome is preferable or not. Law dug his grave pretty deep this time he might as well stop dragging people down with him.

Speaking of dragging people, Shachi and Penguin haven't stopped grinning since they picked Law up. They were currently sitting in the VIP booth at some strip club Law had never heard of. Go figure. Law doesn’t know what he was expecting them to come up with but even this seemed too predictable. He polished off his drink welcoming the burning sensation down his throat. It was going to be a long night he supposed. He didn't really have any interest in the dancers so the only other thing he had was the alcohol.

"Give it up one more time for Usakkov!"

The patrons all cheer wildly as the candie in question takes another bow. "Everyone's favorite honey bunny will now be available for private performances, for those who want a little extra sugar! Just flag us down, any waitress will do, but be careful you're not going to want to miss this next performance, they're a real treat~" The MC winked at the crowd for emphasis. Law thought it was an interesting system. He half wondered if that's why they were sitting in the VIP section; he wouldn't doubt it by the way his two comrades were murmuring to each other. If that was the case he was going to need another drink. Being the center of attention wasn't his thing either, sexual or otherwise.

"Now our next candie is making their New Kama Land debut tonight, and tonight only! Let me set the stage for our Lady in waiting, our very own bride to be (Stripper Name)~" The MC flourished their hands, white petals falling from their fingers as they made their exit. What a strange intro to the next act. "Bride to be?" This had to be what those two knuckleheads planned. Law's suspicions were confirmed but his jaw dropped in utter shock and surprise. He could feel the heat around the collar of his shirt rising to his cheeks. He glared at Shachi and Penguin as they threw him a thumbs up cheering with their drinks in hand.

—

As your song starts you slowly strut on stage making the most of every hip sway before chassing with your arms in a high third to get into your starting pose, gracefully port de braing your arms down for your standard ballet B plus . As you took a breath mostly to calm your nerves, you locked eyes with Law. It was the most emotion you think you've ever seen from him yet he seemed frozen in place. Stunned by shock or fear you couldn't tell.

You start again slowly piqueing into arabesque holding it at ninety degrees before penchéing down. Your stripper heels prevent you from touching the floor as your leg finishes the split in the air. Once again you hold it for a brief moment before relaxing your upper body while pliéing your standing leg, allowing yourself to roll forward landing on your back with one knee up, arms spread out to the side as you arch your back up as much as possible gracefully pulling your upper body leading with your chest. You tilt your head back and breathe in the moment.

You were told the more time you spent doing floor work the less time you'd actually need to spend on the pole. Being a dancer you had a few tricks up your sleeve. You tried your best to choreograph something showy that passes as a typical performance but you didn’t care about specifics as long as Law was watching. You leaned back on your elbow playfully dragging your heels into the air. Changementing them like a little flutter before whacking into a spread eagle. The crowd cheered and whistled at the action however Law still looked frozen in place getting redder by the minute. His brain was probably short circuiting. You rolled your eyes. Who knew the great Trafalgar Law could still be enticed by something like this.

Pitching yourself forward you slowly walk your hands in front of you stretching yourself flat with the floor, sitting in your middle split. You pull your arms back in, leaning into your chest, more so you can shift the weight off your legs. You roll through your middle split. The shoes were gripping the floor more than you would like. To fix this you needed to stick out your ass higher in the air, as much as you could on your tiptoes to help shift the weight enough to allow you to close your legs behind you. You were resting on your elbows presenting yourself nicely in the air. You move to thrust quickly into the floor, only touching it lightly before popping it back up, this time with your knees propping you up, arching your back slightly. You slide one knee at a time into your chest and crawl across the short distance to the pole.

You rolled onto your feet delicately as you finally touched the pole body rolling into it. While flicking your leg behind you, you twirl yourself around the pole. You start off simple with a fan kick, something you do all the time. The only difference now is that you were holding a pole to lift you off the ground. You walk yourself swaying your hips around the pole getting a feel for where you are in the music. You stopped paying attention to the crowd as they shouted for more. You weren’t here for them. You glanced back at Law to make sure he was still watching.

You kick off to get some extra height for an attitude spin and on your third rotation you swing your legs around to sit on the pole stretching your arms out to the side like you were told while giving yourself a little rest. The latex boots were gripping the pole keeping you in place. A fun little life hack you learned about wearing boots versus heels.

What were you thinking?

You transition into another position trying to remember exactly how to grip the pole for the pose you’re thinking of. The world was still spinning but your mind couldn’t help drifting to Law. You don't even know what to say to him. You didn't actually think that far ahead. If you’re being really honest you just wanted to see him. There were too many questions you had and not enough answers that would satisfy you.

You let yourself slide down the pole into a backend. Thrusting your hips up as you body roll a few times before pulling yourself back up. Stepping around the world a few times you mentally sigh. It's times like these when you wish you didn't have to be so extra but Law’s stubbornness didn’t help you either. You still don't know what Doffy said to him to make him cut ties so abruptly. To make him go against everything he was saying from the start.

You close your eyes and feel the pole doing the most basic inversion you remember. Your music will be ending soon; you might as well make the most of it. You bring yourself down stepping through to fall into a back hook. After a few rotations just like earlier you let yourself slide down the pole stopping on your knees in front of Law. You avoid eye contact even though he can't see through your white blindfold. You felt too much looking at his eyes.

You continue your last bit of floor work. You might not understand Law at the moment but maybe you could show him where you stand in all of this. When you finally finish your set draping yourself on the pole you look back to his seat. He was already gone and so were the rest of the crew. You frowned as you walked off stage ignoring the audience's cheers at your performance.

You huff and hit the wall when you get off stage. It was all for nothing, he's already gone. Sabo and Bon Clay praise you for your performance as you give them a weak smile in return. You were surprised that Sabo stayed to watch. You were about to say the mission failed when Ivankov pulled you aside.

"(Stripper name)! You have a request for a private performance." They wink at you as you remembered you're still technically on the clock. Nodding as you're ushered to a private room you pass Shachi and Penguin who give you a thumbs up. That's when you snapped out of your sulk and your heart started hammering in your chest. Ivankov pats your shoulders leaving you to walk in on your own.

The moment you step inside you're pulled in and pushed against the door. Law forcefully kissed you passionately as you gasped into his mouth at the sudden contact. It was dizzying as he deepened the kiss pushing his knee between your legs. You could feel that familiar fire course through your veins, the one that had you melt into him so much so you almost forgot you're supposed to be angry with him. By the time you remembered he pulled away first.

"Do you know how reckless that stunt was (Y/N)! Why are you like this! You’re almost as bad as straw hat-ya" He looked furious but embarrassed at the same time his face was the reddest you've ever seen. He looked hot, you always thought Law became sexier when he was livid. The way he's being assertive and commanding gets you weak but you have to focus. You ripped off your blindfold to get a better view of your target as your hand moved on its own connecting with his cheek. The slap echoed off the walls as you shouted "That's rich coming from you!"

He was too stunned by your actions to realize his cheek stung with a sharp pain. It took him a moment to register what just happened and how he impulsively acted. “I,...” he paused before finally admitting “I deserved that.”

“Damn straight you fucken asshole!” You shouted pushing him away as you started angrily hitting his chest with your balled up fists. Not enough to hurt but to get your point across as you tear up. "Do you even know the lengths I had to go through to be here right now?! You idiot! You leave without a word, avoid me like I didn't exist and you have the audacity to ask me "why, I'm like this?"" You stop your assault falling into his warm embrace. Your heels make you tall enough to rest your head on his shoulder. He grips you tighter, knowing he deserves worse for how he’s treated you. He hates himself for it.

"(Y/N), look I'm sorry I-"

You push him away again a little harder than you meant to causing him to stumble back onto one of the many couches in the room. You were pissed "No, you don’t get to say that! I don't want your apology, I want answers!" You tried to hold them back but with the adrenaline coursing through your veins hot tears streamed down your face as your legs wavered. You didn't realize how much you missed him. You need to take off your shoes before you break your ankle, you don't have the strength to hold yourself up anymore but you stay standing in front of Law waiting for an answer. You see his expression flash through multiple. He was clearly frustrated with the situation and or himself.

He grits his teeth before his expression stays at concern. "I promise I'll explain, just let me help." He sounded defeated but motioned for you to sit beside him.

You sigh, "Help is the last thing I want from you." Despite saying that you sat next to him swinging your legs over his lap as he worked on unfastening the buckles. He was quiet as he collected his thoughts knowing how tense the air between you was.

"That night with Doflamingo and Pudding, when Pudding pulled you into the bathroom he showed me a file. He had Vergo run a background check on you. It had your family history, school records, they found your mother's hospital,"

Your eyes widened as the words left his mouth. He continued "If I kept associating with you he threatened to make your life a living hell starting with the destruction of the hospital." Law put the shoes down pulling you into his lap. He took a moment to wipe away the stray tears from your face before deflating and slumping into the crook of your neck. He couldn't face you anymore, not after what he's put you through. He hated this feeling of vulnerability; it was hard letting people in. Letting people help when he felt so useless. Especially after he's done more harm than good.

"He had me cornered, I didn't know what to do. Every outcome I could think of lead to hurting you in some way shape or form. All I could do was sit and watch." He grit his teeth and took a shaky breath as his usually collected demeanor cracked. "I figured if I got you to hate me it would hurt less and you could move on."

Hearing him sound almost broken softened your standoffish attitude as you slowly wrapped your arms around him. “God fucking damnit, why do you always have to shoulder everything by yourself?” you give into his warmth again. You were a sucker for being held like this, by Law knowing he could use the comfort. You finally felt him relax. You both have to stop ending up like this. Your heart can only take so much but the worst is yet to come.

This is much more complicated than you anticipated. Without a shadow of a doubt Doflamingo was behind the “Joker” incident and with Corazon out of commission for the time being, you had no other affiliations with the Donquixote's outside of being Pudding’s maid of honor. You were at a loss and now you know he has not only your career but your mom held hostage. Great.

Your only ace up your sleeve was the fact that Doflamingo doesn't know the rest of the strawhats are going to the wedding with the Vinesmokes. And even then that's not really an ace up your sleeve, it’s more of a shitty last resort. You know Luffy was not afraid to make a scene. If anyone can manage to stop the wedding it would be him but you can only imagine how bad the collateral damage will be. You'd rather not get too involved, not in front of the public eye anyway. Who knows what kind of a story they’ll twist it to be with your involvement and you need to tread lightly.

You pulled back to look at Law. For the first time in a while you were finally on the same page. "Your hands might be tied but mine aren't." You bit your lip trying to think about it. There must be some angle you can take advantage of “I can’t give up now. There has to be something I can do.” Knowing that Doflamingo has your mother held hostage complicates things on your part. You could care less about your professional career, that was something you could do anywhere but you only have one mother. You sigh, falling back into Law’s neck as he hums.

"You could forgive me." He kissed your neck softly, hoping it was enough to smooth things over. He's not exactly sure where he stands with you in all of this. The most he's sure of is that at least you don't seem like you want to kill him.

Law needs to do better if he wants to be back on your good side. "Yeah I could, but I'm still mad," you paused. You really don't want to fight anymore. "I thought we were supposed to be a power couple. What happened?"

You felt Law hold you closer as he mumbled "Communicating my emotional state is not my strong suit." He doesn't like the squeamish feeling he has admitting his flaws out loud.

You scoffed at him "Communicating, period, is not your strong suit." You melt into the embrace again. You don’t know how much longer you guys have the room for but you were going to make the most of it. This was probably the last time you would be seeing him before the wedding. You stayed like that for a while in silence.

"So where do we go from here?" Law sounded hopeful despite still holding his breath.

You act dumbfounded at the question playing up the fact that you're still a bit cross with him. "What do you mean, "we" right now I don’t see how there is a “we” you’re someone else’s fiance!” you groan playfully shifting to face him again “And having an affair right before the wedding? I didn't know you were so naughty~” you smirked seeing him frown.

Law rolled his eyes. If you wanted to tease him, so be it. "Just kiss your boyfriend already."

You didn't have to be told twice before you connected your lips with his.

—

“That’s all I got so far. I was hoping you would know something we don’t being this close to the action.”

Sabo showed Ivankov the file from Dragon. A lot of things in the underground passed through Ivankov's neck of the woods. It was always convenient having someone on the inside. Joker seemed to be well known for distributing weapons and drugs but they've never been able to pinpoint their suppliers or trade routes.

"Have you heard of Sonrisa?”

Sabo shook his head as Ivankov continued “It started popping up not too long ago. We’re not sure about its origins but it’s one hell of a drug. We managed to intercept a shipment before it left for who knows where. One of our candies was able to trace it back to Kaido’s territory.” Ivankov closed the file. “Given that, your theory might not be all that far fetched.”

“How so?” Sabo had a gut feeling but he would still like to know. They knew Kaido was most likely manufacturing and distributing weaponry across the border but they could never catch the transit in action. Could that be where Joker came in?

“Oh? You don’t know, Sonrisa means smile in Spanish.”

___

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[i23kazu]

I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER (you'd come for me, anyway.)

warnings – (lots of) swearing, suggestiveness, kissing, light violence characters – diluc x gn!reader (modern au, college au) genre – romantic fluff. a/n – CHAPTER TWO of I’D GROW OLD WITH YOU !!! thank you for waiting omg i hope you guys enjoy ;) please read till the end! | please reblog!! it rly helps a starter blog like me ><

— 彡 ╰⊰✿´ description: a multi-chapter series in which diluc and you have been married for over 15 years now. this is the story of how you two met, fell in love, and lived happily ever after. (college!au, modern!au)

“We shouldn’t be doing this. The students wouldn’t trust us anymore. This could damage the whole council’s reputation.” You murmured, adjusting his collar and tie. 

“I’d risk it.” He leaned in. 

“Diluc, I don’t think we-“ 

Oh, God. 

Never in your life would you have imagined that you would be kissing Diluc Ragnvindr, much less in an empty classroom. The two of you had spent so long resenting each other that the only thing you really needed was right under- 

“Oh, what do we have here?~ Didn’t know my dear brother was so charming with the ladies. Especially the secretary of the student council.”

Oh, shit. 

end fb ––

Oh, shit, you mumbled – quickly pulling apart from Diluc. Kaeya sauntered out of the room, a smirk plastered on his face. 

Shit, shit, shit. 

Kaeya *beeeeeeep*-ing Alberich, if you even think of getting this out to anyone, I swear to the Archons, my hands will be around your neck and I won’t be kissing you. 

“Kaeya, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” 

Kaeya stood there, on his phone. Oh, Archons. Please, please please don’t be texting anyone about it. 

Kaeya Alberich, also known as your ex, whom you broke up with in 2019. Three years ago. He had never stopped chasing after you, even when you had made it clear that you were done with the relationship. The blue-haired was too cocky to appreciate you, too mysterious to let you fully into his life, and too… just too much. Let’s face it – some people just weren’t made for each other and the two of you weren’t compatible. 

“Imagine if word gets out, (Y/N). Teyvat Academy’s scandal, hm? The president and his secretary, canoodling after hours… what a shame if word got out that the only reason why the two of you got the highest positions in student council was because of each other?” He taunted. 

“That wouldn’t be a good look, Alberich. Snitches get stitches, and people always favour the underdog.” You glared at him, folding your arms across your chest. 

“And that would work if I was the underdog, would it? Poor Alberich, his ex got together with his brother! And all he wanted was them back.” Kaeya smirked. 

“You wouldn’t dare. You wouldn’t fricking dare.” You couldn’t believe this man. All of this? Just to get back at you? Archons, what the actual f—

Kaeya stepped closer to you. 

“You have no idea what I’m willing to do just to get you back, (Y/N).” You could feel his breath from standing so close. 

“Get the hell away from them, Kaeya.” Ragnvindr stood in front of you, holding a protective hand in front of you. 

"Diluc, don't. I can handle this."

"Oh, how sweet." The said man just laughed. "My dear brother is so willing to protect my past lover from me!"

Diluc saw red.

He swung at Kaeya, fist slamming into his brother's cheek.

"Get the hell away from them! This is your last warning. I don't care if you're my brother, but you hurt them, you answer to me. Archons know you deserve everything that's coming to you."

“You make me laugh, Diluc. Remember, (Y/N) — there’ll come a time when you have to choose between me and him, but I hope you remember this. I’ll never stop loving you, even if he does.” Kaeya chuckled, the side of his mouth bleeding from the impact.

He glared at the two of you and left, muttering something about "that mutt always getting into my way". Call me a bitch, whatever.

Oh, God. 

You sank into Diluc’s arms. 

“Are you alright?” He asked, leading you to your seat in the classroom. 

“What.. what the hell? He.. he threatened to tell everyone, Diluc. Then you swung at him. Oh God, Diluc, he could use this against you and file a report and we could both lose our council positions and it'll forever be a mark on our–” 

“That’s not the end of the world, (Y/N), we’ll—“ 

“No! Diluc, you worked hard for this position! You and I worked ourselves to the bone since day one, and now it’s all going to crash and burn because of a kiss in the heat of a moment and your stupid brother and your stupid need to protect me, I can’t just let it all go to waste! ” You were, quite literally, in hysterics. Possibly from the shock and adrenaline.

Diluc continued to stroke your back as you tried (keyword: tried) to calm down your quickened breathing. He shifted you slightly such that you were now leaning against him… yeah, his heart was definitely quickening too. 

“Fuck Kaeya,” You mumbled, head against Diluc’s chest. 

“I’m sure that’s what he wants you to do.” The redhead chuckled. 

“I’m serious, though. Diluc, if he gets this out… this could be a lot more trouble for us than we realise. He’s more than happy to burn up our internship applications and all if he doesn’t stop now.” You whispered. 

“Then we’ll do something about it. Not now, you’ve had enough excitement for a day. I'll walk you home?” 

“Yeah.”

Yeah. Dinner and bed sounded good.

AHHHHHHH PLS REBLOG IF YOU ENJOYED this took me three days to write…. sobsob. join the taglist if you liked this!!!!

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[pickalilywrites]

Zeke a fragrance model promoting new male cologne. His younger brother is embarrass of him

ty this was fun :) it made me enjoy writing again even though i've been tired lately. have a good day

my brother is a top model

104th trainee squad. college au. 1516 words.

When Eren was younger, he loved the fact that his older brother was a celebrity because of the numerous perks it came with: autographs from other celebrities Zeke had collaborated with, free promotional goodies and merchandise from companies Zeke modeled for, and all the luxuries that Zeke treated him to because he couldn’t help but spoil his younger brother. Even though he wasn’t in the entertainment industry like his older brother was, Eren got to enjoy fame just by being associated with Zeke, and Zeke always liked to mention his younger brother during interviews. Classmates would clamor at his desk during breaktimes and fight to sit at the same table as him during lunch. Even the older students tried their hardest to get his attention. Paparazzi, journalists, and fans of Zeke would chase him down after school to get any information they could about his brother, and it caused such a disruption that the school had to hire security just to ensure everybody’s safety. It’s something Eren had bragged about in his younger years, but he’s since outgrown the attention.  

“I don’t really understand how you could grow out of something like that. I feel like the pros far outweigh the cons,” Connie says as they walk down the busy street towards the large mall downtown. It was a popular hangout when they were college freshmen, but now they typically frequent bars and restaurants and only go to the mall if they need to go shopping for something. In this particular case, Sasha and Connie had only mentioned they needed to get “something” with a big of vague hand waving and Eren hadn’t asked for any further details. 

“Well, different people have different values -” Armin begins. 

“Yeah, and I value not having to see my brother’s abs plastered on every advertisement that I come across,” Eren says with a roll of his eyes. With how averse he is to seeing his brother everywhere, some people might think he hates Zeke, but the reality is just that it’s awkward seeing his brother’s professional thirst traps in public. “Do you know how bad it was when he was modeling those jeans? Those photos barely showed his jeans, they were practically just ab shots!”  

“I remember those! Your brother looked really good,” Sasha says. She doesn’t even flinch when Eren shoots her a glare and instead she and Connie burst into giggles at Eren’s dirty look.  

“I still don’t know why you need to throw a fit over it. Your brother is just doing his job,” Jean says with a shrug. “Just bask in the residual limelight and let him shower you with presents.” 

Eren sighs. He’s not sure if any of his friends truly understand his plight, but they’ve always taken his relation to Zeke much better than other people. Instead of freaking out or taking advantage of him for his brother, they’ve just treated Eren normally and it’s something he really values about them. To them, Eren is a normal civilian because he’s going through the same motions as them instead of being caught up in the entertainment industry like his older brother. Unfortunately, they just can’t grasp the fact that he’s not far enough from Zeke’s celebrity to be considered normal. It’s even worse now that Zeke’s older. 

“It’s different from before,” Eren protests. “Zeke used to be this wholesome child model for children’s clothing. It wasn’t that bad when he got older and modeled as a teenager, but have you seen the stuff he’s been up to lately? He’s practically naked half the time. He was modeling another clothing line and the photo they chose was him taking off the shirt. How do people even see the product? They’re selling so much of his sex appeal that he’s practically a porn star!”  

“Wouldn’t that be better?” Armin asks. He walks with his head down like he usually does, oblivious to the inquisitive glances that his friends give him. “If he were a porn star, most people would deny knowing his name because watching porn is so stigmatized even though it’s a normal way for people to take care of their sexual needs.”  

“Do you watch porn?” Mikasa asks Armin bluntly. 

“H-huh?” Armin stammers, startled at how casually Mikasa had asked. A pink flush is blooming across his cheeks as he stumbles over his response. “Well, that’s, ah, it’s normal, right? Of course, I watch it sometimes but it’s not like I watch it every day -”  

“We should watch some together sometime,” Mikasa says, which only makes Armin’s cheeks flush a deeper shade of pink. 

“Okay, as much as all of us would love to flirt with Armin right now, we have bigger problems at hand,” Eren says.  

“How is your brother being a top model our collective problem?” Jean snorts.  

“Yeah, what do you expect us to do about it?” Sasha chimes in. “Convince your brother to switch to being a cam boy? With the career he has, don’t you think it would attract even more attention, which is exactly the opposite of what you want?”  

“His image is going to switch from being a wholesome, hot supermodel who loves his younger brother to a raunchy porn star. Even if he doesn’t end up doing incest porn, you know there are absolutely going to be people who make bad incest porn with actors that look like you and Zeke,” Connie says.  

Eren groans. He had simply wanted to complain to his friends, but they’ve somehow made everything worse and now he can’t stop picturing his brother being a porn star. He didn’t think anything was worse than his brother shooting sexy promotional advertisements, but his brother shooting porn — and people making their own bad incest porn using a fictionalized version of his brother and presumably him — is infinitely worse.  

“I thought you guys were supposed to be my friends,” Eren grumbles.  

“We are. That’s why we wanted to show you this,” Sasha says with a grin, throwing her arm over Eren’s shoulders as Connie does the same on his other side. When she sees Eren’s panicked expression, her wicked smile only grows wider. 

“I told you guys this was a bad idea,” Armin warns from behind, which only makes Eren’s dread grow.  

Eren’s eyes flit from Sasha to Connie. He could struggle against them, but they have him trapped between them and he doubts Mikasa, Armin, or Jean will help him. “Wh-what’s going on?”  

“Sorry,” Armin mumbles. 

“You’ll be fine,” Mikasa says as Jean snickers beside her.  

“Did Zeke tell you about the new videos he shot for Paradis? They have a new fragrance line and everyone’s going crazy about Zeke’s ad,” Connie says, his grin as equally wicked as Sasha’s if not more.  

Even though everything in Eren’s body tells him to turn and run away, he walks robotically as his friends lead him to the entrance of the mall. At the very front of the mall above the entrance is a large screen that runs advertisements and the ad playing at this particular moment has a very familiar face. It’s too familiar.  

“No,” Eren gasps in horror, but it’s too late. 

Zeke’s face fills the entire screen and the camera slowly pans out. Eren��s brother lifts his head, an angelic halo surrounding him as his eyes close and he spritzes his neck with Paradis’ newest fragrance: Wings of Freedom. The camera continues to pan out, revealing more and more of Zeke’s body. 

“No!” Eren stumbles towards the entrance in horror. He can only stare up at his brother’s bare body helplessly. “No!”  

Eren’s friends snicker as more and more of Zeke’s body is exposed: his rippling biceps, his six-pack abs, his thick and muscular thighs. The only part of his body that has been discreetly covered is his crotch which is hidden by a black satin ribbon. They’ve somehow even managed to get a shot of the side of Zeke’s shapely ass. Everyone might be going crazy of this advertisement, but Eren has seen far too much of his brother than he ever cared to see. 

“Amazing how much they can get away with without showing him entirely naked,” Armin says in a futile attempt to lighten the mood. 

The screen switches back to Zeke’s face. Eren’s brother smiles seductively at the camera and says in a deep, husky voice, “Free yourself with Wings of Freedom.”  

Somehow it’s this, not the sight of his brother almost buck naked, that makes Eren’s knees buckle in the middle of the parking lot.  

Mikasa is already there to catch him so that he doesn’t smash his face into the pavement. She holds him up, allowing him to lean against her as she rolls his eyes at his dramatics. “You okay?”  

“I would like freedom,” Eren says finally. “Freedom from the shackles of this mortal coil.”  

“He’s fine,” Mikasa announces as their friends laugh at Eren’s expense. She walks half-dragging, half-leading Eren alongside her. She pats him comfortingly on the back. “Come on. Let’s go get you an ice cream. At least Zeke isn’t a food model.”  

[justatypicalwizard]

Wants Within | S. Shinazugawa | Chapter 32

✦ Sanemi Shinazugawa x femReader!, college au, reader is adult

✦ Synopsis: You're a college student taking classes with a very strict lecturer- professor Shinazugawa. Because of an unfortunate event you got on his bad side so now you're trying everything to regain in his eyes. Well, you most certainely didn't expect that kind of attention.

✦ Word count: 1,6k

18+, minors do not interact

Saturday rolled around and you were waiting at the train station for your ride. The boys were supposed to join you on the train in a couple of stations, you didn’t really ask why. As the train came and you boarded you found a place to sit and with a small smile plastered on your face you waited.

It was going to be a good day. Maybe it was a bit ignorant of you but honestly you were waiting for the evening. Sure, it was nice to spend time with friends but with the thought of the houseparty later lingering in your mind you couldn’t help but space out a bit, imagining how it would look like. Sure, you were stressed to meet all those people. Nevermind what Sanemi said, they were still much higher in the university ranks than you and you felt respect. Also you were looking up to finally meeting Genya. 

The only thing still bothering you was the fact that Tanjiro knew nothing. If not, he could actually cheer for and talk about it as you would with Zenitsu, Aoi or Kanao. Maybe telling him today was a good idea. You could just bring the topic up casually. I need to tell you something, I have a boyfriend! Yeah, that would do.

Kicking your feet under the seat slightly you awaited, excited.

“Hey.” Your head darted behind where you found Tanjiro. He skipped to the seat next to yours and plopped down with a smile.

“Where’s Inosuke?” You asked, looking around the train but no black haired barbarian boarded as the doors shut. 

“He’ll be at the place. He had something to do earlier.”

“Wow, you let him around on his own?” A snicker left your lips. Not to berate the other one but it was hard to imagine that Inosuke could manage without Tanjiro.

“He’s actually more self-sufficient than you think.” The smile never left Tanjiro’s face.

“Okay, okay.”

The ride was passing with comfortable chit-chats. There was just this one thing that didn’t sit right with you.

“Who did you dress up for so much? Are you meeting with someone later?” You laughed a bit, looking Tanjiro up and down.

“I’m dressed up? Nah, I look normal.”

With black chequered pants, a casual yet neat dark button up and silver jewellery dangling around his obviously exposed chest he looked very much dressed up. The only normal thing were his earrings swinging beside his cheeks.

“You could tell me to wear something better. I feel underdressed.”

“You’re not, you look lovely.”

The comment made something move slightly in your stomach. The further the train took you the more uneasy you felt, as if the world was still before the storm. But it’s Tanjiro we’re talking about, he’s always nice and sweet. If you didn’t know better you could read his words as something more, but you didn’t.

The image of Kanao popped up in your mind. Suddenly you felt like you were doing something bitter, like betrayal. Involuntarily you furrowed your brows until there was a deep wrinkle between them. You should get out of your head before you say or do something stupid, something fueled by your paranoid overthinking.

“Hey, wasn’t that our stop?” With those words leaving your mouth there was another slight turn in your stomach. “Why didn’t we get out?”

The black haired laughed shyly, scratching the back of his neck. He glanced at your concerned face. You swore there was a split second when his eyes locked on your lips but it was all too fast for you to be sure. He looked away once more.

Even though you were on a train, in the middle of the day with tons of other passengers sitting and standing around you heard nothing other than him. The storm was coming, announcing itself with thunder present in the distance. Your stomach was all the more uneasy.

“I actually wanted to ask you…” He was averting his gaze from you, studying his own trousers as if there was something wrong with them. You felt like clenching the bag sitting on your lap, digging your nails into the firm material.

Tanjiro finally turned your way, locking eyes with you. His cheeks were tinted with a rosy blush.

It all happened so fast, as if you were forced onto a rollercoaster. A moment ago he was sitting next to you with his back pushed into the seat backrest. Now he was close, very close with his soft lips pressed into yours. The kiss was short, hesitant even on his side but it was also fierce, like he waited, starved for it. You felt him especially focus on your lower lip before he moved away.

“Later on, would you rather eat at a restaurant or go to my place?” He whispered close to your ear.

Spitting words was a bad description of how he sounded but it was exactly how you felt. His tone was warm and timid, like he was feeling very hesitant of what left his mouth. Memory of your earlier talk flooded your mind. He was a bit shocked when you laughed about having sex on a first date and later he asked you about it, you personally. The way he asked about your preferences and didn’t want to tell who was the girl he wanted to ask out. Why would he keep it a secret if it was Kanao? You all knew each other, you were all open and friendly and…

He was actually very friendly towards you, always aware of your person, always concerned, always seeking even the slightest touch. The ice rink in the winter, the claims he had when Zenitsu didn’t take him to your rescue mission, the hand on your tight that Sanemi spotted in an instant.

And Kanao? A kaleidoscope of her mean, concerned, sad and scared faces pictured in your mind like a never ending film that you were forced to watch. She was disturbed with your person around Tanjiro from the very beginning. She knew him for so long, she must have learned every one of his reactions, she must have memorised even the smallest change in his demeanour. She felt threatened because there was something, someone that could take him away.

Did she actually feel better after you told her what you did, back at the university bench? Did she really believe you or rather just keep her concerns to herself? Did she and Aoi talk about it when you weren’t present? Was this why Aoi was not enthusiastic about the relationship? Did the girl know about the fucked up love triangle?

You felt horrible, like absolute shit. Why were you all over the place so much? Why couldn’t you just take Sanemi’s words seriously? Every one of his concerns were right. Every time he told you someone was after you he was spot on point. The man was obviously more skilled in reading people than you but you just couldn’t believe him. Now you know why he was so itchy about your reaction, about your ignorance. Now you finally didn’t blame him.

It was always too late when you realised things.

And Tanjiro? Right now, after what he said and dome the nice guy facade finally crashed, like a porcelain mask that fell from his face. It was still him, still sweet, caring and concerned, it all read in his eyes but something changed. You finally saw the man in him, the one who locked eyes with your lips for a split second, the one who stole a glance at your breasts, the one who looked away, obviously feeling guilty, when his eyes lingered on your tights for too long.

Was he thinking about your body? Was he thinking about fucking you?

There was no way anyone could say something so suggestive without picturing the thing in their mind. You felt touched.

All that talk about knowing a person well before you agree to have sex with them. All those details you gave him, explaining in what situation you would do it. Unconsciously, you must have given him a green light to whatever he was doing right now. And honestly, was he so wrong? No. You fell in a trap that you yourself helped to set up.

Only now did you spot, did you actually think about where you were going. The last station was the botanical garden.

The train felt hot and tight. It was obviously not true but you swore everyone was looking at you, listening to you, judging you. There were too many people, too many eyes and ears. Your stomach dropped some time ago and it was screaming inside you, threatening you with throwing up. The storm reached your head and was now crashing down with horrendous thunders.

You might have possibly lost not only one friend but all of them. Who would the group back up with, a random person that joined them some time ago or rather a long time friend?

You acted upon an impulse, the thain’s doors were open. You didn’t know where you were, what station it was or how far it was from home. The only thing you knew was that it was your stop.

“I’m sorry.” Left your mouth in a whisper before you launched for the closing doors. Pushing past people with no excuse you slipped between the metallic wings as they shut down.

As hard as it was you turned around and saw him standing in the door’s window, looking at you with that awfully sad face. The train moved sluggishly and soon you were alone, between a mass of people but ultimately alone.

The turning in your stomach and thunder in your head squeezed out tears from your eyes. You reached into your pocket and dialled a well known number.

“Oh my fucking god, Sanemi please come pick me up, please.” You sobbed quietly on the phone.

SERIES MASTERLIST

Taglist:

@secretxchive @vesperazhier @sulli1361

[azuramarigold]

Poisoned Heart

Summary: The trial of State vs. Phoenix Wright on April 11, 2014 - he can't ever forget it, it was one of the worst says of his life.

“Mr. Wright!” Ms. Fey shouted in panic, her hazel eyes wide in horror. “Are you okay!?” “Huh…?” “I need to call you an ambulance!” “…why…?” Phoenix felt his legs wobble, the corners of his vision going dark. He coughed again, gasping for air. He had to rip off his mask as it felt suffocating… but it wasn’t the mask that was suffocating. It was the blood that was splattering into his hand. “Uh… M-M-Mia…?” Phoenix softly called out, his legs buckling. “I-I’m s-s-sor…rry…” “PHOENIX!”

AO3

“MIA FEY! MIA FEEEEY!”

            The young, angelic-face of a woman with blood-red hair stood on the witness stand – her hands gripped on the handle of her parasol so tight that she could snap it in half. Her eyes seemed to be almost a spiritual white – full of anger and spite, almost a demonic presence.

            “You. Think. You. Have. Won?” the woman practically growled. “WELL!? Do you, Mia Fey!?”

            Standing on the Defense side of the courtroom was a young woman with chestnut brown hair and hazel eyes, a beauty mark on her chin, and wearing a skirt-suit with a tan scarf wrapped around her neck. Her purple magatama was sitting proudly in the middle of her chest above her breasts. She was considered a very beautiful young woman – but at that moment she looked terrified.

            Literally minutes ago, Mia Fey was fighting for her client’s – Phoenix Wright – life as he was accused of murder of a young college student. The woman on the witness stand cursing Ms. Fey’s name was non-other than Phoenix’s girlfriend, Dahlia Hawthorne.

            Who was planning on murdering him.

            This… this isn’t really happening… is it?

            Phoenix thought the worse of it was when he was accused of murdering Doug Swallow. He thought hiring a decent attorney from Grossberg’s Law Offices through the Law Program at Ivy University on a student discount would be fine. He thought everything would be an open and shut case.

            That’s what Dollie told me anyway… she used to read some of my law texts…

            Dahlia then laughed, a dark, and almost sinister laugh that Phoenix never heard before. “Heh... Heh... Heh... Heheh... That's. Just. Fine! For the time being...” Her voice just sounded so… cold. She then put on her “sweet” façade. “For the time being, victory is yours.” A lovely smile plastered on her face, a smile that Phoenix once would have said he really loved and enjoyed – but this smile… was different.

            Stoney. Plastered. Almost… practiced.

            It looks the same… but it’s not. I can’t really explain it…

            “‘For the time being’”? Ms. Fey repeated, her hands on the desk, her giving Dahlia a hard glare.

            Dahlia tilted her head to the side, her red hair gently falling on her shoulder. “Well... I have a very long memory, you know. You and I will meet again... I'm certain of it,” the woman stated.

            Ms. Fey gave a perplexed look.

            Soon Dahlia Hawthorne was escorted out of the courtroom by officers. She did not give Phoenix Wright another look. She did not say another word to him.

            It was like he didn’t exist.

**

15 minutes earlier…

            “OBJECTION!”

            Phoenix had jumped from his Defendants chair and marched up towards the witnesses stand, ignoring the glares from his attorney, Mia Fey, and the Judge.

            “On behalf of Dollie, I OBJECT!”

            The prosecutor of the case, Mr. Winston Payne, began stuttering, “M-M-Mr. Wright! Control yourself!”

            Anger had boiled in Phoenix. How could he sit there and watch his own attorney bully Dollie like this? Dollie was a petite woman with such delicate skin that she always carries a parasol, so she doesn’t get a sunburn. The girl studies literature so she can choose words over violence as “The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword”.

            “I-I won’t let you bully her like this…!” Phoenix continued, tears threating to spill.

            The Judge slammed is gavel. “MR. WRIGHT!” he shouted with authority. “I thought I had told you to stay in your seat!”

            Ms. Fey slammed her hands on the desk. “Mr. Wright! W-why are you going through such lengths to protect her!?” the woman cried out.

            “B-Because I’m madly in l-love with her!” the young man shouted, his face flushing in a combination of embarrassment and his low-grade fever.

            He’s never said those words out in public. Both he and Dollie had always said and expressed their love for each other in private – either in his college dorm room or in her private apartment she had off campus. Saying it out loud, in front of everyone, made him want to crawl under the desk and cry.

            You’ve always been so sensitive, Ryu. His mother had always told him, always calling him the nickname of his middle name.

            Ms. Fey sighed in exasperation, “Mr. Wright…” she tapped her forehead in almost annoyance. “Have you ever thought about this? Why would a woman like Ms. Hawthorne want to date you anyway?”

            I mean… ouch.

            Phoenix would consider himself… average looking at best. He didn’t really date in high school – it didn’t help that he hung out with Larry Butz a lot and of course “When something Smells, it’s usually the Butz!” Once he started college there were a couple of dates, meeting a couple of guys at a local bar and grill, a girl or two at a movie, and going to a few parties at a frat house and chatting.

            But Dahlia was the first one to willing… throw herself at him? He was the one who would approach others and it was usually the most awkward thing in the world until he had a drink or two in. The young woman literally gave him the heart-shaped necklace, made of glass, and gave him such a smile that he couldn’t refuse.

            Then Ms. Fey mentioned the necklace… it was coming back to the necklace again…

            That damned necklace.

            “Y-you’re l-lying…” Phoenix kept mumbling to himself as Ms. Fey kept pushing about the necklace and how Dollie just wanted it back.

            “You never gave it back to her,” Ms. Fey continued. “And you kept refusing. On top of it all, you kept showing it to everyone you met. That’s why she-”

            “… I don’t… I don’t believe you!” Phoenix finally cried out, tears spilling over his eyes. “NOO! That’s a l…l-lie!” He rushed over by Ms. Fey and nearly tackling her, tears nearly blinding him as he wailed.

            “EEK!” his attorney shouted in panic.

            What she didn’t realize was that Phoenix slipped his hand into her pocket and grabbed the necklace back.

            “The Defendant!” a bailiff shouted. “He’s getting away!”

            Phoenix ignored the shouts as he ran out of the courtroom. As he had ran by Dollie, there was almost a… sinister smile on her face. Was he imagining it?

            He ran down the hall and turned a corner, managing to slip into the restroom quickly before the bailiff could see. Quickly, he locked the door behind him and entered a stall. He opened his hand to see blue and gold pendant, heart-shaped, a glass crystal in its center.

            Eight months… he thought bitterly to himself. I’ve had this for eight months. Ms. Fey says there is poison in this? Did Dollie really… poison that other attorney…?

            Looking in the glass bottle, there was a quarter of fluid in there. Without thinking, Phoenix pulled down his mask, ignoring the cough building up in his throat, and began crushing the glass in his mouth.

            He felt the iron tang along with something else tinging his tongue. But he ignored it. All that mattered was that he was going to prove that Dollie was not hiding poison or had been trying to kill him. Every swallow of the broken glass was tearing his already scratchy, sore throat.

            He felt blood trickle down the corners of his mouth, and with a quick motion of a ripping a piece of toilet paper he promptly wiped  it away. He ignored the bright scarlet. He ignored the iron taste. He ignored what almost smelled like flowers wafting into his nose mixed with iron – an almost bitter smell.

            After a few minutes of breaking apart the rest of the necklace and disposing it (him eating it), he gave a few sneezes and coughs, ignoring the splatter of blood that he sprayed on the wall of the small cubicle he was in, and exited the stall. He made his way to the mirror and saw his reflection.

            It was like seeing a hollow version of himself. He still had his usual spikiness of his hair, but his normally dark blue eyes were almost tinged gray – lifeless. Dark circles were under his eyes, his skin pale and clammy.

            What does a poisoned person look like? He had been fighting a cold for the past three days – of course he looked sick. Is he going to look worse? Is he going to drop dead?

            After a solid five minutes of nothing – Phoenix gave a smirk.

            He finally left the bathroom with his hands up and let the bailiffs take him back to the courtroom.

**

Phoenix Wright was given a “Not Guilty” verdict for the murder of Doug Swallow.

            He should be happy. He was not going to prison. He could still become a lawyer and help his oldest friend…

            But… he wasn’t… Phoenix couldn’t.

            So… it was all a lie…?

            “Oh! Mr. Wright!” a familiar voice called out to him, pulling him out of his thoughts. “Congratulations!” Ms. Fey held out her hand for a handshake.

            For a moment, Phoenix stared blankly at it, but he then grasped it and shook it gratefully. “Th-thank you, Ms. Fey…” he said tearfully. “I-I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused…”

            Ms. Fey blinked at him in surprise. “Mr. Wright… I know you must still be in shock from everything…” she began to say.

            “Dollie…” he barely whispered. “I don’t think that was actually her on the stand…”

            “I…I’m not sure what you mean by that, Mr. Wright…” she replied in confusion.

            Phoenix shook his head softly. Why did his head hurt suddenly? Maybe he was getting a headache from all this excitement…

            “The Dollie I knew… would never say those kinds of things…” Phoenix explained, him still feeling bewildered. “She was always so sweet… and… and ca-car-” He gave a rough cough. His throat felt like knives were tearing at it. His stomach was burning. He needed to pick up a not poisoned cold-killing medicine on his way back to the dorm.

            “Mr. Wright!” Ms. Fey shouted in panic, her hazel eyes wide in horror. “Are you okay!?”

            “Huh…?”

            “I need to call you an ambulance!”

            “…why…?”

            Phoenix felt his legs wobble, the corners of his vision going dark. He coughed again, gasping for air. He had to rip off his mask as it felt suffocating… but it wasn’t the mask that was suffocating.

            It was the blood that was splattering into his hand.

            “Uh… M-M-Mia…?” Phoenix softly called out, his legs buckling. “I-I’m s-s-sor…rry…”

            “PHOENIX!”

            The wailing of sirens was the last thing he heard as he crashed into Mia Fey’s arms, coughing more blood onto the white of her jacket, staining it scarlet.

**

He opened his eyes with a loud gasp, the sounds of beeping around him.

            An oxygen mask covered his face, feeling a bunch of wires and tubing covering exposed skin, and something was uncomfortably shoved up his nose. A scratchy blanket covered him, thin and cold, it does nothing for him to contain body heat.

            Phoenix darted his eyes around him, noting that the room was a stark white. Sterile. Unwelcoming.

            It wasn’t his first time in a hospital bed for something dumb.

            It was his first time however in a hospital bed for something idiotic.

            “So, you’re awake now, Mr. Wright?” a soft voice asked.

            Phoenix managed to crane his neck to his left to see his attorney in a chair, wearing casual clothing with a dark purple knitted sweater and a pair of black slacks, and her purple magatama that was almost glowing front and center on her chest. In her hands was a cup of coffee, most likely from a vending machine and from questionable origin.

            “Ms.… Fey…?” Phoenix choked out, his voice dry and hoarse. He reached up to his face and pulled off his oxygen mask. He gave a cough to try to clear it, but when he did, he felt as though his chest was on fire.

            “You were in surgery for about thirteen hours, Phoenix…” she worriedly said. “They actually said that was short.”

            “… I was…?”

            “You are lucky son of a bitch, you know that!?” Ms. Fey then screamed, her standing up from her chair. “You ate a knowingly poisoned necklace!”

            “… I thought… it wasn’t…” Phoenix choked, him feeling tears sting his eyes.

            “You were willing to bet your life on that!?” she furiously screamed, tears in her eyes. “My first trial ended because the defendant committed suicide from doing what your DUMB ASS DID!” She threw her coffee to the ground, it splattering to the floor. “Well… not exactly what you did… he just drank the full dose of poison…” Her hands were balled up into fists at her sides. “Someone… someone I care about is in a room a few doors down was unknowingly poisoned by that bitch! He’s been in a coma for the past eight months! And yet… you were willing to bet your life that she wouldn’t kill you…!”

            Phoenix darted his eyes away from hers. He didn’t realize that’s what happened. “I…” was all he could manage.

            Ms. Fey sighed, her voice shaking. “They said you were lucky… the poison wasn’t as potent due to half-life…” she explained, her voice softer, seemingly realizing she let out too much of her emotions. “The glass… luckily didn’t cut your esophagus… it did cut your stomach lining though and got into your small intestine.”

            “…”

            “They managed to get all the glass out and stitch you up on the inside to make sure there is no internal bleeding,” she continued. She glanced at the I.V. bag and the feeding tube that was going up Phoenix’s nose. “The poison may affect your absorption of nutrients as well…” she added. “It sounds like you may not like eating much anymore…” She gave a morbid chuckle dripping with sarcasm, “Every girl’s diet wish.”

            “Can… I…” Phoenix tried to speak, but his throat was so dry.

            “Do you want water…?”

            He nodded.

            Ms. Fey handed him a cup of ice water that was on a tray next to her.

            Phoenix managed to prop himself up in the bed and gulp the water down in one swig. He cleared his throat.

            “Much better…” he softly spoke. His voice was still hoarse, but at least it wasn’t drier than the Sahara Desert. He then took a deep breath. “I’m… I’m sorry I was an idiot,” he expressed full heartedly. “I… I should have listened to you… Dahlia was right… what use am I to anyone…? Maybe I should’ve just-”

            Phoenix then felt a warm hand on his. “Don’t!” Ms. Fey’s stern voice interrupted. “Don’t you dare say you rather be dead!” Her hard glare was full of determination, confidence, and what Phoenix could describe as… hope. “You are worth it to someone! I wouldn’t have fought so hard for you in court if I didn’t think you were worth it, Phoenix!”

            The young man blinked in confusion. Then he gave a bitter chuckle, “I thought you insisted on being my attorney because she was involved…?”

            Ms. Fey looked startled. “I mean…” she choked out. “It… did start out like that…” she admitted. “But as the trial went on… I realized that you reminded me a lot… of myself. Scared and unsure of yourself. Dahlia mentioned in a testimony that you are also studying law…? Why as an art student are you studying law?”

            Phoenix darted his eyes away. “I minor in law…” he lowly said. “I wanted to be a Defense Attorney when I was kid… I put it on the back burner for a bit and focused on art instead…” He then noticed a newspaper on the table next to where Ms. Fey was sitting, it showing someone very familiar on the front page… “Hey… can I see that paper for a second…?”

            Ms. Fey looked confused as she grabbed it. “Um… sure?” she muttered as she handed it to the young college student.

            Phoenix read the front page, the title reading: “DEMON PROSECUTOR WINS AGAIN”.

            “What… have you become, Miles…?” Phoenix barely whispered.

            “I beg your pardon, Phoenix?” Ms. Fey asked.

            “Ms. Fey…” Phoenix began, him folding the newspaper up, the picture showing clear as day his old childhood friend: Miles Edgeworth. “A lawyer is someone who can help people when they’re in trouble… right?”

            She gave a soft look, almost like an older sister. “I’m… still new to this lawyering thing myself, but I think that’s what a lawyer does,” she told him.

            Phoenix gave her a large smile. “Then that’s what I’ll do!” he said confidently. “I’ll study my ass off! No more half-assing my lawyer classes! I’m going to become a Defense Attorney! Maybe we can meet each other again!”

            “I’ll do you one better…” she said as she extended her hand to him. “I’ll help you get there… you can call me ‘Mia’ for now on.” She then gave him a wink. “Or ‘Chief’. I like the sound of that.”

            “‘Chief’?” he echoed.

            “Yeah… I’m probably going to be opening my own firm… ‘Fey & Co.’,” she admitted slyly as she tapped her chin. “How about I take you under my wing? You can be the ‘Co’ of ‘Fey & Co’.” She was beaming with every word.

            Phoenix felt his face go red. “Wait… what…!?” he stammered. “Even though… even though…!?”

            “You may be a dumbass in social situations,” Mia told him with a smirk. She then pulled out his transcripts from his college courses. “But… you’re actually good with your testing scores – you just don’t like doing your actual work.”

            Phoenix crossed his arms stubbornly. “Well… the tests should be what counts…” he muttered.

            “You’re a straight A student in every test you take – even going past the grading scale with extra credit questions because you think outside the box.”

            “…”

            “So, let’s get your grades up and get you to pass your Bar Exam.”

            “Are… you sure you want to put all your faith in me, Ms. – I mean, Chief?”

            Mia then gave him a large smile. “Phoenix Wright – you may have gotten a poisoned heart from love, but you’re an amazing person, this one incident isn’t going to break you. We Fey’s have this uncanny feeling about this sort of thing. I’m going to make sure you become a damn good attorney – an Ace Attorney if you will.” She winked at him again.

            A smile crossed his face again. “Th-thank you, Mia…” he whispered, his voice wavering.

**

September 10, 2016 - 9:00am

Los Angeles Hospital Cremation Services

It was a little more than two years since that day… since that trial…

            Phoenix Wright stood in the hallway in the basement of the hospital with Maya Fey, the younger sister of his mentor - his old attorney, his friend – waiting for hospital staff to seal the doors of the cremation room.

            She’s right there… on the other side… her body…

            But it was just the night before he heard her voice in the office. She told him that he was finally leaving the nest… that she would always watch over him. Mia had saved him again at the trial at the last moment – Maya being a Spirit Medium-in-training was able to channel the deceased Mia finally gave Phoenix the last piece of the puzzle he needed for Maya – and his – acquittal.

            Miles Edgeworth – the man that was the reason why he even became an attorney in the first place – was the prosecutor in the case. He was even shocked at the turn in of events, and for the first time since 2013, he had lost a trail. The Demon Prosecutor had lost his perfect trial record to a rookie first year Defense Attorney who was only defending his second trial.

            Lost in thought, Phoenix didn’t hear the operator as a switch was pulled. Orange engulfed his view through the window. A small gasp escaped Maya as she then began to mumble prayers to herself.

            Phoenix was not a religious man – he never was. He remembered a few phrases from his Soba Naruhodo that were prayers for the deceased, something they did for their ancestors from time to time, so that was what he prayed to Mia.

            “Don’t worry, Phoenix – we’re not done with each other yet!”

            M-Mia?!

            “Don’t let my death poison your heart, Phoenix – remember, you’re an amazing person! Please take care of each other, okay…?”

            I… we will, Chief…

            Thank you… Mia.

**

Phoenix and Maya had split Mia’s ashes in half.

            Maya had kept her half of the ashes in a purple urn that was the same color as the late Fey’s magatama, her name engraved in the stone. The young Spirit Medium also kept a special hollow magatama and kept a bit of ash in there to carry on her person – she stated it was easier to channel Mia’s spirit and she liked the fact that her sister was always with her.

            Phoenix had a purple urn as well, but it was more subtle looking. In a way it resembled a house plant pot… He had looked into it, a “Living Urn” it was called. At that moment, Phoenix had Mia’s ashes mixed in soil in a biodegradable urn to help lower pH levels and for the soil and ashes to become acclimated with one another. Once all that was said in done – he was going to transfer Charlie the plant into the large purple “Urn” pot so that Mia would help Charlie continue to grow and live in the office.

            Mia was the life of the office. She was the life of Maya. She was the life of Charlie.

            And she was the life of Phoenix - the one who helped heal his poisoned heart.

[boba-beom]

❦ all I think about is you | C H A P T E R 1: who said I loved you?

𐐪𐑂 pairing: choi soobin x fem!reader (x kang taehyun)

𐐪𐑂 genre: hints of angst, fluff, humour, college!au (summer time)

𐐪𐑂 warning(s): mentions of food, cursing, a few bickering. let me know if I've missed anything!!

𐐪𐑂 synopsis: the third year of college is coming to an end, and so is your final summer with your closest group of friends before preparing for graduation year. as an honor student suffering from nbsb (no boyfriend since birth), you’ve spent your past summers studying and solely concentrating for the next academic year. but who would have thought you would eventually, and unexpectedly, experience falling in love and a broken heart in the space of three and a half months.

𐐪𐑂 a/n: this chapter is quite long just to give some insight and introduction to 2/3 of the groups. I'm quite nervous so here it goes! feedback would be much appreciated!

𐐪𐑂 wc: 3.2k

𐐪𐑂 general taglist: @choiwrld @yjusei @feyregels @ahnneyong @potaeto-writes-on-wp @wccycc @hotboyyeonjun @lizdevorak  @fairybin @laylasbunbunny @acaiasahi @fairyoftaehyun @cha0thicpisces @fairybinie @bb-eilish @iggynor4 @ericyjun @bluejin0812 @luvsoobs @yeonyeonyeonjun @junniieesbby @kyrkitten @hyuntaena @itmehc @day6andetcetera @amethysts-1620 (let me know if you want to be removed or added to the taglist for this series!)

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As soon as Minseo parked the car, a few rows down from the entrance of the mall, you hear the clinking of Beomgyu and Minseo’s seatbelts unbuckling, along with yours. The rooftop closes as you lean forward to look into the rear-mirror, fixing your hair and deciding whether to have some pieces frame the sides of your face or to tuck them behind your ear; in the likelihood that you might see your long-time crush, Choi Soobin.

“Yn get out, why do you always think you’ll magically bump into him around here. He’s probably at practice with girls drooling over him by the bleachers.” Beomgyu opened the door, shaking his head at your delusional self.

“Beom, let me be, okay? At least my love-life is somewhat more existent than yours.” You get out the car and nudge him in the waist before shutting the door behind you.

“Alright, little miss delusional ass.” He sneered.

“Okaay— that’s enough kids. Let’s have fun today, yes?” Minseo wraps their arms around yours and Beomgyu’s shoulders. The amount of times they’ve had to stop you two from constantly bickering in their presence was embarrassing, but what more could you expect from cousins close in age always hanging out? Actually, what more could you expect when you have a chaotic cousin.

Beomgyu lightly wraps an arm around Minseo’s waist and you watch them flinch a little from the contact. You always had a feeling Beomgyu may or may not have something for Minseo but it was unspoken, or really, that field of conversation was always avoided. Nevertheless, that wasn’t your issue. You had already planned to find new summer outfits in which you hope could potentially catch Soobin’s attention.

“Beomgyu!” An unfamiliar voice calls after your cousin, turning all three heads to the direction of said voice.

The three of you walk towards the person catching your attention, a polite smile plastered on his face and a quick motion of his hand waving side to side.

“Hueningkai? What are you doing here?” Beomgyu knocked his fist against the taller male’s fist, their other arm wrapped around their shoulder and their hands patting each other’s backs. You wonder how they know each other until you remembered him from Beomgyu’s musical activities after college.

The two continued conversing and briefly catching up. The bubbly male didn’t come alone though. Another male and a female were standing beside him, looking like they were in some sort of deep conversation until the male slowly turns his head toward you and calls your surname out as some sort of acknowledgement.

“Kang.” You reply, nodding your head in his direction. “Hi Val!”

“Hey!” Val snapped her head to her name being called out, reciprocating a similar wave to Hueningkai’s a second ago. She was cute and the sweetest girl you’ve met. You were in a few of each other’s classes, occasionally partnered up for small assignments so you’ve spoken to her before. Though you had no idea she was this close with Taehyun, as closed off as he seems. He just doesn’t seem like the type to have close friends like her, but him being friends with Hueningkai makes sense. Their personalities would sometimes bounce off of each other’s but they were somewhat inseparable.

“Since it’s summer now, I thought it’d be nice to go out and eat. Why don’t you guys come with us?” Hueningkai spoke up, motioning his hand to come with them.

Beomgyu agreed before you could answer, but you thought it’d be a nice way to get to know them properly, and outside of college too. It hit you that you actually don’t know a lot about Hueningkai and Val, but the most you knew about Taehyun was how much of a stuck-up he was about constantly comparing grades with you ever since you were in high school. Sometimes his presence was unbearable but it was like an incentive for you to do better, and in most cases it worked.

“Oh! Minseo and I were thinking of going to this one clothing store beforehand, and then we can get food?” You almost forgot one of the main reasons why you wanted to go to the mall in the first place. Hueningkai nods in response while Taehyun huffs from the thought of both groups combining into one, consisting of two loud people, but also from the thought of having to be around you longer than he’d prefer.

You link arms with Minseo as you make your way to find the specific clothing store, paying attention to the mannequins and the light-coloured clothes hanging over them. The music in the store greets your ears as you walk in, a 2000′s R&B classic making you feel like you’re in those cheesy chick flicks where the ‘it girl’ goes shopping and comically spins around, running her fingers through the clothes on the hangers.

Val joins you and Minseo in looking for some outfits, specifically co-ords since those are the ‘in’ at the moment. The boys, however, were just walking around waiting until you were ready to try on some of the clothes you managed to pick out — also mostly so Beomgyu could tease you about trying to impress your crush once again.

You did, however, manage find two cute co-ords to try on, with the help of the two shopping with you. Val happily hands you the one she found and Minseo hands you the other. While you made your way to the changing room you notice Taehyun looking in your direction but you paid no attention to this as much as you were curious.

The first co-ord was a black and white checkered jacket paired with an A-line skirt. You thought it was quite cute but for the sake of the hot summer weather, the material was not suitable. Though it wasn’t for the summer, you mentally set it aside with the intention of wearing it for when the weather starts to cool down as soon as it hits the ‘ber’ months.

“Okay, so this is the first one!” You yell for the group of friends to hear you outside the changing room. Opening the door, you walk out, flattening the sides of the skirt before giving them a twirl.

“I think it’s so pretty on you, Yn!” Val chirped with tiny claps. Hueningkai excessively nods his head followed by Minseo. Taehyun continues to look at you but says nothing, so you shrug your shoulders, not that his opinion mattered anyway.

“What is this? Are you a walking race flag now?” Beomgyu snickers and swerves to the side to dodge your slap that was aiming for his arm.

“Beom, I swear.” You groan at him, walking away to look into the full length mirror at the end of the aisle; rotating your body to see the sides and how it fit you. Beomgyu did have a point but you liked it too much to let it go.

Back in the changing room, you set aside the first set, and immediately trying on the second set; a sage green short-sleeved button top with a pleated skirt. This was was of thinner material but it wasn’t as summery as you had wanted it to be. It screamed old money and golf club, and again, it was cute so you were going to set that aside too. It just isn’t the outfit you think would swoon Soobin.

“Number two!” Stepping out from the changing room for the second time, the skirt swayed against your skin as you walked out.

“Wow, that colour suits you a lot!” Hueningkai covers his mouth with both his hands, never had seen you wear a colour like this before.

“Yeah, I agree. This is definitely your colour!” Minseo nods their head in satisfaction. You saw Val smiling at you, she was so cute it was just so admirable. Again, nothing from Taehyun so you raise your brow at Beomgyu, expecting another witty comment.

“Eh, it’s alright, I guess.” Beomgyu shruggs, standing up and walking out from the seating area outside the changing rooms.

“Thanks, then.” You fake a pout while you watch his figure disappear around the corner, turning yourself around to change back into your clothes before paying for the two sets.

After a minute of changing, you hear several knocks on the door followed by a, “YAH! Yn, TRY THIS ON!” It was hard to miss that it was Beomgyu screaming at you like that.

You sigh at him for being so ridiculously loud in public sometimes, he just has no shame. “Was that seriously necessary? Beom, if this is some joke—”

“I swear it isn’t. Thank me later!” You could hear the smugness in his voice, and in times like this, you wonder if he’d ever receive a ‘thanks’ from you.

Unlocking the door and opening it slightly, you stick your hand out, palm open and fingers wiggling as you wait for him to pass you whatever he found. From the initial touch, the material was soft, ruffled material, and as soon as you locked the door and looked at the co-ord he found, you were somewhat surprised he had a good eye.

You smile at the way the clothes sits on your body, it was flattering on you and the colour was just as pretty as the style. “Okay, yeah, Beom. This isn’t too bad.” You unlock the door once again, hearing an ‘ooh’ or two with a gasp.

The overall colour was a pale periwinkle blue with tiny dark blue flower patterns. It was minimal so it looked simple but also really pretty. The top part of the co-ord was an off-the-shoulder design, with an adjustable string at the bottom of the centre where it could be ruched up a little higher – enough to show some skin.

The bottom of the paired outfit was almost like a pleated skirt but looked more like vertical ruffles, with the hem of the skirt resting a little higher than your knees.

“Woah.” You lift your brows from the comment, coming from the only person who hadn’t commented on the other two outfits. He looks at you like a deer in headlights, clearing his throat and pulling his phone out to avoid any more contact with you. It felt weird, but a light layer of warmth surrounded the apples of your cheeks, blinking a few times to make sure you weren’t imagining things.

“Okay, no, I take that back.” Hueningkai starts, “That is definitely your colour!”

“I like it a lot, for real!” You commented, hugging your cousin, having him stumble a little but he hugs you back with just the same strength. He lets go after lightly ruffling the top of your head with a proud smile displayed on his face. You shoo away his hand from the top of your head, fixing your hair yet again.

“See, I told you. You love me.” He puffs his chest out with both his hands on his hips.

“Who told you I loved you?” You jokingly grimace at his statement, watching him exaggerate a pout.

“Aishhh, that’s just pure bullying, Yn. Just say thank you and go so we can eat!” He pinches your cheek, and the grimace expression on your face never faded.

ʚ♡⃛ɞ ʚ♡⃛ɞ ʚ♡⃛ɞ ʚ♡⃛ɞ

After trailing behind Hueningkai and Beomgyu, they finally settled for noodles and dumplings. In your opinion the food in the food court was either a hit or a miss, but this place always had a special place in your heart.

Once everyone had set their trays on the table, you could smell the aromas of each order. Beomgyu and Minseo sat across from each other, with Val between you two, and Hueningkai next to Beomgyu. Leaving Taehyun to sit opposite you.

While eating, you listened to a few conversations that were going on. Talks about what they’ll do after graduation arose, starting with Beomgyu, hoping to find a place in the music industry since he has a big advantage of that. Minseo was hoping to do a master’s degree for their Psychology course. Val and Hueningkai were still a little indecisive so no current plans were told.

You were enjoying your noodles until Taehyun lifts his head and spoke, “I bet I had the highest grade in Mr Browne’s class from last semester.” He started off strong, a smirk crawling onto his face when he saw you stop before shoving a dumpling in your mouth, here comes the comparison game all over again.

“You know? You’re honestly the worst person to be around. Poor Hueningkai just wanted a lovely day out, but here you are trying to show off your grades in my face. It’s summer, Kang. Relax a bit.” You mumble the last part, mentally taking note and mostly aiming it at yourself. Finally take a bite of the dumpling held between your chopsticks, Taehyun raises a brow at your response.

“So what I’m hearing is that you’re not denying that, more so, it sounds like you’re trying to change the topic because you’re embarrassed?” He too, shoves a dumpling in his mouth as he waits for your answer.

You scoff at his response. To think he could just act all smug and superior because no one else is listening in the conversation almost makes you want to laugh.

“98%, Kang.” You say nonchalantly. Putting an end to this ridiculous conversation and looking away to continue eating the rest of your food.

From the furthest your peripheral could go, you could see Taehyun sitting there with his mouth slightly agape. You didn’t need to know his grade, all you knew was that you had the highest grade from last semester. You continue eating to refrain the corner of your lips from twitching upwards from his reaction.

Sitting up again, you see that Taehyun hadn’t touched his food since your last statement. You knew he was zoning out again.

“Hey, loosen up a bit, Kang. You seem so stiff.” You tap your foot against his leg, knocking him out of his reverie.

He looks at you with the same deer eyes for a moment before relaxing them. “You’re one to talk.” His tone seemed uncomfortable. You knew he meant it because you’re a try-hard, and you admit that, but that’s because you just want to make yourself proud. As for other reasons.

The other conversations seemed to have died out, having the others look in your direction.

“Excuse me,” you retort, “I’m all good. You, however, are behaving like you’ve been kidnapped.” A light chuckle left your mouth.

"Just knock it off, Yn. You're such a try hard and a people pleaser. Stop being a suck-up, and now you're trying to befriend me?" He scoffs after his rhetorical question. He notices the others staring between the both of you, Hueningkai slightly shaking his head. Beomgyu had gone to the washroom, and it was best he wasn't there at that moment.

You could see he was about to speak up again, but Val had beat him to it, “Tyun, we’re all here as friends. We’re not on college premises, so I think it’s safe to say that you can leave your whole academic nemesis behaviour behind.”

Val looks at Taehyun with the softest eyes, and you notice the way his shoulders fell, easing the tension that was there before. That’s when you realise, you’ve never seen Taehyun react in a way where he doesn’t retaliate.

ʚ♡⃛ɞ ʚ♡⃛ɞ ʚ♡⃛ɞ ʚ♡⃛ɞ

Walking back through the parking lot, it was sparse with a few odd cars per row and the sky had turned a navy blue with orange and pink clouds in the horizon. You can’t remember the last time you stayed out this long since all you ever do is sit at your desk with copious amount of assignments to do.

Everyone reached the other car first, standing beside the vehicle to say their goodbyes and for little conversations.

“Yn, I’m sorry for Taehyun’s behaviour back there.” Val taps your shoulder as she walks beside you. You give her a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s just typical Taehyun behaviour. I’ll let it slide.” You reply. It was nice knowing that there was someone there who cares for Taehyun as much as Hueningkai, but also someone who can actually gets him.

Val nods as she gives you a quick goodbye hug before walking to Minseo and Beomgyu to bid goodbye to them.

Hueningkai clears his throat, walking toward you after having talking to Minseo and Beomgyu.

“Hey,” he stands in front of you, his voice gentle and a nervous smile falling on his lips. “I hope Taehyun didn’t get on your nerves too much today. He’s been going through a lot and…” He trails, looking over his shoulder to see Taehyun sitting behind the wheel with one earbud in. “We brought him along because the past couple of months have just been a little difficult. I know there is potential for a friendship between you and I know he would appreciate that and some sort of distraction. He’s just…”

“Lost?” You cut him off, noticing he was struggling to find the word. Hueningkai nods.

“I understand. I do hope he can relax a little this summer. Whatever this is between us is kind of complicated to get past but yeah, I’ll see what I can do.” You reassure Hueningkai with a long hug, as does he as a bid goodbye.

You look around to see Beomgyu and Minseo had already headed back to the car, walking closer and you could visibly see them bickering too. I guess no one can get away with not bickering with your cousin.

Shutting the car door as you sat down, you reach for your seatbelt but freeze when Beomgyu turns his body to face you, an expression on his face you can’t read.

“Ayo, Yn. If you and Hueningkai have this ‘thing’ going on, please stop. It’ll ruin my reputation.” You flick his forehead, hearing him wince and covering the area.

“What makes you think that?!” You shake your head, holding in your laugh to see how red Beomgyu’s forehead had gotten.

“Um, you hugged??”

“But I hug everyone?”

“Yes but-”

“GUYS!” Minseo cut him off before it would be the nth round going back and forth between the two of your that evening. “Beomgyu, I get she’s your baby cousin-”

“We’re not that far in age-”

“Ap!” They silenced him motioning their hand to stop. Beomgyu pouts. “But Yn can hug a guy, you know? She hasn’t even had her first kiss yet, so a hug isn’t going to be bad now, is it?” They chuckle behind their hand.

“MINSEO?!” You slouch in the seat, head in hands as you prepare Beomgyu to tease you about not having a first kiss yet. You were glad he forgot about that but now it’s resurfaced, he wasn’t going to let you live it down. “Can we just go home now?”

After a few silent minutes, you relayed the conversation you had with Hueningkai to the two at the front, explaining that you didn't take it to heart, but that only switched Beomgyu to his protective mode.

"Even still, Yn, Taehyun shouldn't have spoken to you like that regardless." He makes eye contact with you through the side mirror.

"Beom, I promise it's okay. Cut him some slack, yeah?" You sigh, looking at the street lamps

The lights of the car reflects against the vehicle opposite, leaving the parking lot and through streets to your house. Beomgyu teases you none-stop with frequent advice here and there, and coming up with worst possible scenarios to lose your first kiss. You were hoping he’d stop once you enter the house but he chases you up the stairs, of course, after greeting your mom.

© boba-beom ; do not repost, copy, alter or translate in any way

[wheredidhiseyebrowsgo]

Hello! Can I ask for sterek where one of them plays the piano and this is something relevant in the story?T hank you! You are the best!

Yeah, @poeedamerons!

Endless Crescendo by apinkducky

(1/1 I 1,039 I Teen)

Stiles and Derek are practising together Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No2. Derek has an epiphany.

sing me a song, piano man by bleep0bleep

(1/1 I 2,223 I Teen)

Derek’s worked at McCall’s for three years, just about as long Stiles has been the pianist, and not once has Stiles ever sung a song about him.

Play it for Me by bioloyg

(1/1 I 5,622 I Teen)

For the longest time it sat in the corner of his apartment hidden beneath a blanket, gathering dust. Sure, every once in a while he'd uncover it, tune it, and clean it off, but that was the extent of it. He could never force himself to sit down and play, get lost in the movements of his hands and the melody of a song. ~ OR the one where Derek is a landlord and plays piano and someone takes notice.

You Don't Always Get What You Want by deadly_nightshade, Nerdy_fangirl_57

(7/? I 6,305 I Mature)

Stiles doesn't understand what he could have done to deserve this. Not only has the entire student body been out to get him since he first stepped foot into Beacon Hills High, but now he has to endure the constant bullying without his best friend Scott by his side. All in all school is survivable, even with all the harassment. That is until he finds out that Derek Hale, basketball superstar and Stiles' most persistent bully, is apparently his soulmate. Fan-fucking-tastic.

Derek can't believe this. It has to be a joke, it has to, because there is no way in hell that a freak like Stilinski could ever be his soulmate. He despises him more than anyone in the universe. So what if Derek thinks he has a cute nose, no one needs to know. Besides it doesn't matter anyway, he still hates Stilinski with every fiber of his being, his cute nose doesn't change a thing.

lost without you by ash_mcj

(1/1 I 8,322 I General)

“Derek,” Stiles whined childishly. He scooted closer to him and grabbed onto his arm to gently shake him. “I need to hear this! I can’t even picture you playing an instrument—never mind singing!”

Derek shrugged him off and nudged him away. “Not happening.”

“But why replace it, if you don’t even play it anymore?” Stiles reasoned. “C’mon, Sourwolf, my life will never be complete until I hear you sing.”

“Tragic.”

“I’ll do anything! Seriously, Derek, anything. I’ll streak across the lacrosse field during our final match, if you perform for us right now.”

[or: derek made the mortifying deal that he would sing and play the piano for stiles if he graduated college... and it finally came around to bite him in the ass]

The PlayLiszt by dylanssourwolf

(1/1 I 21,570 I Explicit)

Dr. Derek Hale is one of the most qualified musicologists in the country. He’s damn proud to be one of the most sought-after specialists in the world; he’s done his fair share of travelling to colleges all over the country to to give insights on the musical structures of some of the most famous pieces of classical literature. While he can't really play any of those pieces, he does have a particular choice of pianist when it comes to listening. Mieczysław. Derek likes to think he’s in love with the guy, even though he isn’t sure if Mieczysław is a first name or a last name or even a name at all, and he's never once gotten a glimpse of the pianist’s face. It’s about the music, the money-makers, and the guy’s hands are plastered on everything. The only other pianist who may be well on his way to being as talented as Mieczysław is a student by the name of Stiles Stilinski. He's just come back to school after a semester off and is now taking an independent study with Derek, who's trying desperately not to fall for his student. There's one peculiar thing; Stiles always has his hands mostly covered by fingerless gloves, yet still, Derek swears he's seen them somewhere.