#without player input

[tatomikat]

Thoughts that occurred during the first 9 hours of playing Dragon Quest XI so far:

"Dawwww. Just look at those little guys (slimes). They're adorable! ... Not for long anymore."

"Let. Me. Jump. Off. That. CLIFF!"

"Why is it so difficult to fight a cloud with a sword? ... I think I just answered my own question. Magic it is then."

"I've played way too much Zelda. I keep calling those little goblin guys (Grublin?) 'Bokoblins'."

"The developers must have been really hungry. With so many food themed enemies."

"Why did that random npc think it important to tell me that there's someone in the dungeons? How is that related to me?" (5 minutes later) "Oooooh."

"Hey King guy. I think you've got that causality thing between the Luminary and the bad guy a bit backwards. Also I think you gave me whiplash with that sudden change in tone."

"'Investigate'? What an interesting wording. They'll destroy the village, won't they?"

"Why hello there, stranger (Erik) within talking range. What a nice coincidence to meet you at a place like this (dungeons). Do you come here often?"

"Well what do you say to that. A dragon. Like two or so hours into the game. They are really not wasting any time, do they? Am I supposed to fight that thing?!"

(trying to get to Derk) (lots of cussing while trying to jump from the church to the top of the wall) "Why don't you jump when I press the button?! Why did they put platforming into a game that is clearly not laid out for that?! Oh. There's a rope. Never mind."

(get cat off the roof quest) "HOW THE F DO I GET ONTO THAT ROOF?! Oh look. A ladder."

(After the title cutscene) "So we're gonna turn a tree into a dragon? Is that what we're doing? Okay. Makes sense. I guess."

"Who left that dog all alone? Where is the owner? And for how long has the poor animal been alone anyway?"

(To the woodcutter) "Who's a good boy? Who's a really good pupper? You are! Yes you ar- Oh! You're a person. Oops. Awkward."

"Knock-off Friezer is hiding in that chest, right?"

(a couple hours after the dungeon cutscene) "Oh. Looks like they didn't destroy the village after all. Wait. Why does no one recognize the hero? Why does his mom kick him out? BABY GEMMA? What? Past? What? How did that happen? When did that happen? ... Oh look. There's the destroyed village. Okay guys, everything's alright. We're back on track."

"Just one question. What happened to the people? There's no way that blonde guy (Jasper) would think it fair or justified to kill dozens of innocent civilians, for something they have essentially nothing to do with. Right?"

(Surprise bossfight-cutscene!) Do I get to heal up before the fight starts? I'm both out of hp and mp. No? Well, screw you too."

"What do you mean the last save was more than an hour ago?! I HAVE TO REDO ALL OF THAT CRAP?! Wait. The chests are still opened. The cutscenes are done. The key items are in my inventory. Thank goodness, I just need to walk back to where I was. DON'T SCARE ME LIKE THAT!"

(glaring at Hendrick chasing Hero and Erik) "I hate you and everything your 'brainless soldier, incapable of thinking for themselves' stereotype stands for."

"This little girl (Veronica) sounds and talks like an adult! ... She's an adult, isn't she?" (later) "Called it!"

"Alright. And now everything's in 2D suddenly (Tickington). Takes a bit getting used to. But damn this is pretty. Definitely gonna have to replay this game in 2D at some point. Also because I'm really curious how they would work around those sections that would not translate well into 2D."

[jo-ke10n]

Real krusie hours

Not platonic or romantic but a secret third thing

[very-uncorrect]

OH MY GOD THAT'S THE CUTEST FUCKING THING I'VE EVER SEEN

IT'S JUST SUSIE FAILING TO SKIP A ROCK BUT KRIS PUTS THEIR HAND UP TO THEIR FACE CAUSE THEY'RE TRYING NOT TO LAUGH AAAHHHHHHH

[wall-maria-around-ba-sing-se]

Hey guys why is the fire emblem heroes subreddit trying to gaslight everyone into thinking Robin is a blank slate with no individual properties outside of Chrom and that no one associates Robin with Levin sword except Smash Fans

[doomednarrative]

Y'know people talk all the time about wanting to be able to play an asshole protaganist in rpgs and V in Cyberpunk is right there.

[shimmershy]

Do you see the player as canon to Undertale's story?

Yeah! I think it has less in-world implications than it does in Deltarune, though, depending on how you look at it. Typically I completely ignore the existence of the player in my art/writing, or just assume Frisk and Chara have zero awareness of them, but I really like portrayals where the player plays a bigger role too. I think it can go both ways.

Like, I think taking into account the player's role in the story can add a whole nother layer to it, but it's not completely necessary to understanding the themes. I like focusing on the story and characters specifically in-universe, and acknowledging the player kind of complicates that (it's not really something that can be explained in-universe easily and implies that Frisk doesn't have free will, etc).

[astarions-juice-box]

Just did the quest line with that serial killer and the desperation in Hawke’s voice, following that blood trail was heartbreaking

[fiddles-ifs]

I have a gender question for the cyberpunk IF!

Does Rider's sex have to be the same we select for Fury or can they be separate? I'm so excited! Identity crisis MC my beloved.

It will be generally assumed by other characters that Fury is cis -- but you'll have options to gradually change their gender expression throughout the course of that story. Starting with their hair, which can deviate from Rider's right off the bat. (The Initiative and Marik aren't pleased. With that.)

[talesfromthebandgeekmafia]

I play D&D sometimes with my brother and/or his friends on his discord server and good god it’s so hard being the only bitch out here who plays D&D for the roleplay

[selvepnea]

Found the Coolest and Most Awesome cassette player

[girlprotag]

waut omg ok i gfinally started watching nexpo's petscop interpretation and his conclusion is actuallykind of similar to mine and jas' theory about garage .

[thewardenisonthecase]

One thing that bothers me in Veilguard is that more often than not, scenes will happen where Rook and someone else will go on and on without you picking dialogue options. Like, sometimes a scene will only have 2 dialogue options and more than once I had the feeling of 'huh its been some time since I chose what rook had to say'

I thought maybe the other games where like that too but replaying DA2 and DAI (da2 even more so if you ask me), constantly during a cut scene will the dialogue wheel show up. Like maybe Hawke says one or two lines without player input but the rest you have to choose.

Heck, even DAO where the Warden is silent you have more player input, even if its just to tell the character to go on.

[sznmjun]

Keep seeing people say veilguard is a "good game but not a good dragon age game" and idk what that means but I definitely think it shouldn't be classified as an RPG

Like why the hell can I not talk to anyone. And when I CAN talk I can never actually say what I want to say and I get to make 0 decisions on anything at all.

I need to replay da2 since I've seen people compare Rook to Hawke but I really dont remember Hawke talking that much without my consent. Like why does Rook keep yapping without asking me about it?????

The decisions at the end of companion quests are sooo irritating too cause you literally get to give 0 input on how the actual quest progresses. And then once it's complete you get like a single pity decision. Like the companions remember Rook is their boss or whatever so I guess you can make this completely irrelevant, meaningless and stupid choice

[racke7]

Spent like four hours this morning creating a "guess the random number" game from scratch in C#.

It argued with me basically the entire way (this is the first program I've really created, so not very surprising), but the worst part was trying to track down a way to get a "random number", because everything I looked into either didn't work or did something different.

Finally managed to modify one idea and create a method (1 random number, between 1-100), which I'm recording here for future (emergency) reference:

class MyClass { public int GenerateRandom () { Random randomNumber = new Random(); for (int ctr = 0; ctr <= 0; ctr++); return randomNumber.Next(101); } }

Is it the best way? No idea. But it's the only way that worked, and it works pretty okay? So, I'm pretty happy with it.

[venusalexian]

solet III

official little sister

alexia putellas x teen!reader & barça femení x teen!reader

in which you are a very sleepy teen and Alexia needs to be better at communicating

“Hey, Ale! Anything you need us to bring over to yours for tonight?” asks Irene as they move to the locker room after their gym session.

“Huh, for what?” Alexia is only half-listening. She had opened her phone to find your usual daily update in the new family group chat.

At first, you had insisted on having a group chat with Ale and your grandparents so you wouldn’t have to worry about making sure you shared everything necessary with them one by one. Over time, you started using it just to send daily compilations to your grandparents on weekdays and to Ale on weekends when you switched houses.

When Olga found out, she had pouted at Ale and sheepishly asked if she could be in it too, especially for the weeks in which she had to be out travelling. You added her happily, not having thought that she’d want to be in it, still a bit unsure of your dynamic. You had felt warmth at her insistence on being involved in your life. Ale was the happiest about it. Then, during your second or third dinner with Ale’s family, Eli and Alba find out about it and demand to be included. You couldn’t believe how much your circle had expanded in just a few weeks.

[pictures of you with friends and teammates] good day over here! classes were fine and the math exam went well (i think, i hope). lunch was… okay. they could do better :( and training was great! and now i’m getting a snack with the girls before getting the train to ale’s and napping because i’m sooooo tired. hope everyone had a good day too!

Alexia loves these updates and instinctively smiles while looking at the pictures and reading the paragraph with your high-pitched teen voice.

“Ale!” Irene snaps her fingers in front of her face. “For team bonding, it’s at yours tonight.”

Alexia blanches. Right. Tema bonding. At her house. She had agreed to it weeks ago, a weekend in which both Olga and Alba were out of town feeling like the best time to host the craziness of her teammates on a Thursday night.

But that was before. Before a teenager moved into her house. Before her days began to be filled with school notes, teenage drama, and syncing schedules to as much as possible be present for your games and events. Team bonding was not in that schedule.

Most importantly, the team didn’t exactly know yet. She hadn’t meant to keep it a secret. But she wanted things to be calm at the beginning, and not face any input from outside your families about the situation. She wanted you to get comfortable without external judgment. So while the team knew who you were by now, after relentless teasing from the younger players who you were closer to, they didn’t know all of the new developments.

”Um, so… I completely forgot about it. Could we, um, reschedule?”

”No, Ale. C’mon. We have a full schedule for the next four weeks starting this weekend. We need this now for team morale before the upcoming crucial games.”

Irene is right, but Alexia is still reluctant to let go of the protective bubble your life had become.

”Besides, I know you don’t have anything better to do because both your girlfriend and your sister are out of town.”

“Hey! I could have other plans, I have friends, you know.”

”You could, but you don’t. You can’t just back out because you’re tired and the kids are a handful. It’s your turn to suffer through their destructive tendencies while playing videogames.”

“Hey, we aren’t that bad!” Vicky responds to the teasing.

”You scared Bagheera with your yelling so much he did not come out from under the couch until the next day.”

“Slander! Exaggeration!” Jana, Vicky, and Pina continue to defend themselves.

“Okay, okay. Let's get back on track.” Irene exclaims to quiet the locker room. “So in a couple of hours, at your house. Yes, Ale?”

Alexia is distracted again by a new message in the group chat.

[picture of you in comfy sweats, eyes half closed, resting on your bed] home safe. nap time She is only half-aware of her answer.

“Mmmh, Yes, of course.”

”Great! See you soon Capi!”

Alexia only realizes too late that she has ended up agreeing to hosting the team bonding night. Now she has to prepare for an interrogation, great.

By the time Alexia gets home, you are still napping in your new room. You look so peaceful, and Alexia knows you have been very busy and tired this week with training and exams. She can’t wake you up now, just to potentially make you more anxious, so she decides to let you sleep and rest. There are still a couple of hours before they come around, either way. There’s time.

She’s wrong. Before she realizes how much time has gone by, her teammates are already knocking at her door. You are still asleep, and now it’s too late to warn you about it. She sends you a text, hoping that it is enough and that you will see it when you wake up from your nap.

She’s wrong again. You don’t look at your phone when you wake up. Instead, you come out sluggishly, rubbing your eyes, and walk towards Ale, who is leaning in the doorframe of the hallway that hosts your bedrooms. Your half-asleep brain is ignorant of everything and everyone around the house. On autopilot, you lean completely against Ale and hide your face from the light by smushing it against her shoulder. She rights herself and slides her arms around you into a hug, pulling you more firmly against her chest. This motion is still so new, but is slowly becoming second-nature for you both.

“Hey, solet, good nap?”

“Mmmh.” You press your face harder against her shoulder, not really ready to talk yet, with sleep still clouding your mind.

Ale lowers her arms to let you go, but you whine discontentedly.

“Okay, okay.” She hugs you again, presses her smile and a kiss to your head.

As you slowly come to lucidity,  you realise the context that you have walked into. You turn your head and see over twenty faces staring at you, in shock. And then the team’s questions start, all at the same time. You shriek, wide-eyed and definitely awake now, and run back to your room.

You can hear Ale quieting her teammates and then walking to your room, even though you’ve flopped face-down into your bed with a pillow over your head.

“Hey, solet. All good?” You just grunt in response.

“I’m sorry. I should have told you beforehand. I texted you, hoping you’d see it when you woke up.” You don’t have to glance at her to know she’s wincing. You still don’t uncover your face.

“I’m sorry, I just wanted to let you sleep, you’ve been so busy and tired this week.” You peek a bit from your hiding place. Ale still has a sheepish smile.

“It’s okay. It’s your house.” You mumble against the comforter, still not willing to fully come out, but looking at Ale from the side. “Hey, no, that is not what I meant.” Ale frowns. “This is also your space, and it wasn’t right for me to not give you proper notice before they came in. I’m so sorry, solet.”

You remove the pillow from your head entirely now. You really don’t wanna make her feel guilty. Yes, she should have told you, but it wasn’t that bad. There’s still something nagging at the back of your mind, though.

“Are you mad?” You whisper it, scared of the answer. “That they know about this?”

This, you living there, Ale’s increasingly important role in your life, your newfound dependency on her, well, maternal comfort and involvement.

“No. No, solet.” She looks so sad at your question, at your hesitation and evident insecurity. “I did want you not to have to deal with too many people during such a change, but I am happy that they know now. This is special to me, and I’m so excited for them to get to know you more like I have.” Her smile is back to that open, soft expression she tends to have with you. It reassures you just as much as her words.

“Okay. Thank you for apologizing.” You mirror her smile. “Hug?” You turn around and throw your hands out towards her. She doesn’t hesitate to comply.

“So, what’s going on and why’s everyone here?” You ask without pulling away, Ale is playing with your hair, and nothing calms you more than this action.

“It’s team bonding night. I forgot I had volunteered for it a while ago, before you moved in, so it had completely skipped my mind until Irene reminded me at training. I couldn’t say no then. It’s very relaxed, though. We’re just chatting, and the younger ones are setting up their video games on our TV as we speak. You can join us if and when you want. Or I can wrap it up entirely now, I don’t think they’d push against it much now, considering the situation. And if you do join us, I’ll make sure they don’t accost you with an interrogation. It’s all on your terms, yeah?”

You pull back a bit from the hug.

“Don’t call it off, it’s okay. I will join you. I mean, they’re your teammates and our friends, right? They should get used to this.” Ale beams at your smirk and new confidence.

“Perfect! Take your time, solet.”

“Yeah, thanks Ale.”

“Oh, and pizza will be here soon.”

You jump out of bed excitedly.

“Pizza! You should have led with that. Come on, let’s go Ale! Let’s go!”

“I should have known the promise of pizza would immediately change your mood.” Ale laughs at your eagerness.

“Pizza is life, Ale.”

“Pizza is pizza, solet.”

Ale also gets up from your bed.

“I’m gonna go and answer some of their questions, and then I’ll make sure they don’t bother you. Don’t feel pressured to come out immediately. You can also just grab pizza and watch a movie in your room or something. Whatever you need, yeah?”

“Yes, Ale. But I promise I’m good now; it was a bit of a shock, but I’m okay. I’ll be right behind you; just let me put something on that is a bit more presentable.”

“Okay, good. I want them to get to know you better.” There it is again, the soft smile that warms you.

She takes her leave, but you stop her one last time as she’s crossing the threshold of your room.

“Oh, and Ale?”

“Yeah?”

“I might have texted Eli and Olga when I was upset right after running into my room.”

Ale groans; she knows her phone must be exploding with another interrogation.

When you come out about fifteen minutes later, there is no dramatic shock. The girls don’t question Ale’s squeeze of your arm as you pass by her and grab a couple of slices from the kitchen. Or her smile and head-shaking as you wolf the slices down before making your way to the couch, where the younger players have finished setting up the console. You’re sheepish as you approach, unsure if they’ll be upset at being left in the dark, especially the ones that still share a locker room with you in the B team.

You have nothing to worry about, though.

Sydney and Vicky just pat the spot between them on the floor that has been covered by pillows, and Jana pushes your shoulders back, making you rest your back on her legs as she sits behind you on the couch. Vicky, Pina, Esmee and Cata are all playing right now, and you join easily in their trash-talking and play-fighting. The controllers are passed around round after round, and you even manage to win a couple of games, which makes you grin and gloat as they tease you. Eventually, the older players join you in the chairs and seats around the couch, and you switch the video games to the men’s game.

You rest more firmly against Jana, who has also started to play with your hair and massage your scalp. The calming motion, the light commentary, and the warm, familiar atmosphere lull you to sleep again, as the taxing week has made you need to catch up on your sleep.

Alexia notices as the game enters overtime. The older players around her grin at how she melts and smiles softly as she sees you so relaxed. Despite her constant public pushback at being deemed maternal to younger players, their friend has truly assumed the role in your life, even if both of you are still hesitant to speak it out loud.

She gently shakes you awake as the rest of the players slightly clean up the living room from the mess it has become.

“Come on, solet, bedtime for you.”

You should feel self-conscious about the older girls seeing you like this, but sleepiness is once again preventing your awkwardness from jumping out.

“Mmmh, yes, Ale. Night.” You close your eyes again while resting against the couch.

“No, silly, to your room.”

“Too far.”

“Solet you can’t sleep on the floor.”

“Yes, I can, I was just doing so.” You can faintly hear snickering in the back, but you’re not awake enough to care.

Ale doesn’t refute you this time. Instead, you just feel her grab your back and legs to lift you. Your head drops to her shoulder, and your body relaxes further in her hold. She carries you to your bed and tucks you in. Tomorrow, you’ll blush bright red at being told about this scene from Sydney, but today you are too tired and content to do anything but burrow further into your bed and sleepily thank Ale.

You’re also too asleep to hear the scene on the other side of your bedroom door.

Ale softly closes your door and turns around to finish tidying and making sure everyone has a safe way home. But when she reenters the living room, all her teammates are just staring at her with the broadest smirks. She should have seen this coming. She’s ushering them out of the door as they hound her with cheeky questions.

“So… we have an official little sister?

“No.”

“Will you be carrying me like that, too, if I fall asleep on the plane?”

“You’re all adults.”

“Can we call you mom now?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Can we call her our baby?”

“She’ll decide that.”

Irene lingers by the door and waits for everyone else to leave ahead. Before closing the door behind her, she turns around to Alexia one last time. 

“You know, it suits you. And you’ll do well, you’ll be good for her, don’t doubt it.”

Alexia really appreciates her words, as a friend and as a mother. She’s probably the person she’s had a more challenging time not discussing her new life with. She just nods, and knows that’s enough for them to understand each other. But Irene doesn’t leave without one last dig.

“Can’t believe you have a kid that’s older than mine, though.”

Alexia doesn’t correct her; there are no false pretenses with Irene, she knows.

N/A

and last re-upload! new story before the end of the week, so excited to make solet's world bigger :)

as always, I love asks and requests in my inbox, feel free to leave your thoughts there!

xoxo, a.c. 💫​

[bloomseishiro]

DRUNKEN CONFESSIONS — ITOSHI RIN

౨ৎ — rin doesn’t drink often, and you begin to realize maybe that’s a good thing. 

itoshi rin x reader. fluff, confessions, mentions of alcohol/intoxication, best friends to lovers :3, pro soccer player!rin, rin is drunk and sappy 

word count. 1.6k

Despite Itoshi Rin’s popularity, he really wasn’t one to go out much. 

He thought parties and clubs were a useless waste of time that could instead be spent practicing soccer, weight training, or even resting his body for a faster recovery.

So when you were visiting him overseas and begged him to take you to a party, you were surprised that Rin actually agreed. What was even more shocking was that he drank enough alcohol to get intoxicated. 

Was this really the same Rin you knew? Sure, you haven’t seen your best friend in a while, but you knew this was uncharacteristic for him. 

“I cannot believe you drank this much,” you groan as he leans his weight against your body. You all but had to drag him into an Uber so you could both get home safely. “Isn’t this usually the other way around?” 

“Bad week,” he mumbles, unlocking his door after inputting the wrong numbers into the keypad twice already. “Really bad.”

Rin takes off his shoes before heading over to his kitchen, his movements didn’t have the same calculated grace as normal. You frown as you follow after him, gingerly taking the glass from his hands that he was trying to fill with water, and pouring it yourself. 

“Here,” you say, handing it over to him. “Why was your week so bad? You didn’t text me about it. I don’t think I got any texts from you, at least.”

He shakes his head. “I didn’t wanna talk about it. Sae… We lost to his team during last week’s game.” 

Your face falls as you rush to his side. “Why didn’t you tell me? You should’ve called, Rin! And you should’ve told me last week’s game was against him. I could’ve asked for an extension on my project and flown over to be with you.”

With a heavy sigh, Rin closes his eyes and drowsily leans his cheek onto the top of your head. “No. You kept talking about how important that project was for work. Couldn’t bother you.” 

“You should bother me more,” you say with a pout, struggling to stay upright with all his weight on you. “I’m your best friend. You can lean on me.”

He does and you almost slip. Rin catches himself before you topple over and shoots you a lazy smile. 

Even as his close friend, a smile from Rin isn’t something you see often. To witness him drunk and so disarmed was definitely a once-in-lifetime chance. 

“Thought you said I could lean on you,” he murmurs. 

“Figuratively,” you retort, pinching his alcohol-flushed cheeks affectionately. “Come let’s go to the couch and talk.”

“No,” he says stubbornly. “My bed.”

You eye the spiral staircase leading up to the second floor where the master bedroom was located and sigh. “Okay.”

At least you didn’t have to worry about not working out enough today. Half-carrying Rin around was more than enough cardio and weight training for you. 

Somehow, you manage to make it up the stairs and onto his bed, only dropping him twice along the way, much to your credit. You plop onto his plush sheets in satisfaction and he takes a seat next to you. 

“Now, tell me what else has been bothering you,” you demand, gesturing for him to follow suit and lay down beside you. 

His intoxicated state must make him compliant, since he listened without any protest. “I thought after all these years, I’d prove I’m better than him. But he still won.” 

“You are better than him,” you insist. “You’re my best friend, so you’re automatically just better. And you’re the best soccer player I know!” 

“Do you know many?” he says dryly. 

“Well, no.”

He snorts, attempting to flick your forehead but missing and getting your temple instead. 

You playfully swat his hands away and Rin lightly pushes back. As if you’re children again, the swatting transforms into a harmless push and pull and ends in a fit of play wrestling. Of course, you have the willpower of a mountain and the desire to always win, and you end up sitting on top of Rin, your legs on either side of his body to pin him down. 

“I win!” you proclaim. “And I won’t get off until I hear you say, ‘I’m the best striker in the world and next time I face him, I will beat Sae’s scrawny ass!’” 

He lays there in surrender, but a wild glint in his eye tells you that, if he wanted, he could flip you over with ease. Even in his drunken state. 

“I’m not saying that,” he deadpans.

“Then I guess I’m never getting off.” 

“That’s not the threat you think it is,” says Rin, his hand lazily resting on the back of your thigh. 

You blink. Normally, you would take those words as flirting of sorts, but you knew he was drunk and likely didn’t mean anything by it, so you simply shrugged it off. It’s hard to ignore the burn of his palm on the coolness of your upper thigh, but you try to appear unaffected. 

“Fine, you don’t have to say it, but just know it’s true,” you say with a sniff, discreetly sliding off him to lay down away. 

Reluctantly, Rin lets go of your thighs and allows you to detach yourself from him. 

“And next time,” you turn your head to the side to face him, “don’t keep these things from me! I don’t care how busy I am with work. You’re my best friend. I’ll watch your game or visit you if you ever need me.”

Rin slowly reaches his hand out to smooth over the hairs on your eyebrow, his touch so delicate it surprises you. 

Did drinking always make Rin this affectionate? you wonder worriedly. Suddenly, you were glad he didn’t like to go out to parties much. 

“I’m glad you came,” he says quietly, his words mixing into a lazy slur. “This week was shit but it’s better now that you’re here.”

“Good. I’ll always be here for you, Rin.”

He closes his eyes and nods. “Being with you feels like home. Doesn’t matter if we’re in Japan or overseas. Just need you here.”

Your cheeks warm at his heartfelt tone that you really aren’t used to hearing at all. 

Hiding your feelings of bashfulness, you say, “You’re so drunk, aren’t you?”

Rin’s brows crease in frustration. “No. Well— Yes, but that’s not why I’m saying that.”

“Suuure,” you drawl, booping his nose gently. “It’s okay, Rinnie. I had a feeling you’d be a lovey-dovey drunk.”

“I’m not,” he scowls, a noise of irritation escaping him as he grabs your hand that kept touching his face.

You raise your brow at him questioningly. “You’re not? Then how can you explain your sappy behavior right now?”

Still frowning, Rin shifts his grip from your hand to your wrist, holding it firmly. “Because it’s you. I’d only be this cringe and stupid around you. Because for whatever reason, I like you.”

You try to wriggle your hand away to hide your face in embarrassment, but his grasp is too strong. Your eyes dart around frantically, trying to avoid his intense stare, but, damn, is it hard to look away. 

Is he that drunk or did he mean it? Even if he was drunk, maybe he did still mean it… 

“I’m being serious,” says Rin, finally letting go of your wrist. “I may be a few drinks in but I mean it.”

A few drinks was certainly rounding-down, but you decided not to pester him. 

“You mean it now, but will you tomorrow when you’re sober?” you ask with a remorseful smile. “Let’s not complicate things just for you to regret it in the morning.”

Moving closer to you, Rin pokes the squish of your cheek and you giggle. “I won’t regret it.” 

“There’s no way you can be certain of that right now,” you say, and his face falls. “But I’ll still be here tomorrow. I’ll be here for you whenever you need. If you really do mean it, tell me again when you’re sober. Okay?”

“I will,” he vows, with a firm nod. “I’ll set a reminder on my phone.” 

“You’re so romantic,” you say sarcastically, scrunching your nose up at him. 

“Shut up.” 

Rin’s expression softens as he looks at you through the dim light of his bedroom lamp. You examine him as well. His lashes are as long as ever and you reach out to trace them. Rin’s eyes flutter shut at your touch. You notice his jaw and cheekbones are more defined, reminding you this isn’t the same round-faced kid you were once best friends with. 

This is Rin. The professional soccer player and famous athlete who is still your best friend, but could be more. 

“I’ll tell you tomorrow,” he says again, brushing your hair out of your face. “But for now, can I give you this?” 

His face moves closer to yours and you shut your eyes in anticipation. Instead of a kiss on your mouth, you feel soft, warm lips against your forehead. Your heart skips a beat at the feeling and the moment Rin pulls away, you pull him back to hide your face in his chest. 

“Maybe you should get drunk more often,” you mumble teasingly, voice muffled in his shirt. 

“Don’t need to be drunk to do this. Not anymore.” 

Needless to say, you couldn’t wait to wake up tomorrow and hear a fully sober confession from Rin. But for now, being here in his arms that feel like home is enough.