So I spent all my saved gems and keys and Jamil has yet to come home, so I'm coping the only way I know how

Making shitty memes in Snapchat on my phone

Cooking with Kyōjurō: Caramel Popcorn (Kyōjurō x F!S/O, Modern AU, SFW Scenario):

Summary: For once, Kyōjurō doesn’t fail at making something sweet— mostly because he didn’t want to disappoint his daughter. However, things didn’t turn out the way he expected; all because he managed to make the most perfect caramel popcorn ever. But then pandemonium happens all because of cat whiskers and permanent marker. Note: I don’t even know where I was going with this. 😂 But hope you bbys like this. Think of it as a premise to the food play smut we’ll have soon. 🍉🍉🍉 Word Count: 2,222

Warning: Mild Sexual Insinuation

***

“Papa, can I have some ice cream?”

Kyōjurō looked up from where he was setting up the popcorn machine on the kitchen counter, taping the last bit of cling film to the side of the hot air popper so that the popcorn wouldn’t spill every which way when he turned it on. “Did your mama make some ice cream?”

Ran nodded at that, not once looking up from where she was coloring a picture of a cartoon tanuki on her coloring book. She was so engrossed in getting the colors inside the lines that it took her a few seconds to answer her father. “Yes. She said that I should ask you to put it in the fancy ice cream machine.”

“Fancy ice cream machine?” His eyebrows furrowed in confusion at that, as he looked around the kitchen to find nothing remotely close to an ice cream machine on the counters.

He looked back at his daughter— whom looked even busier than she was a few seconds before— and looked down at his watch to check the time. And when he saw that it was close to four in the afternoon, he quickly got his phone from his back pocket and called his wife.

After all, it was time for family meal at the restaurant— so he was sure that she was going to answer; unless something urgent came up.

Not even three rings later, (Y/n) immediately picked up. “Hello?”

His wife’s voice sounded so soft and skeptic, as if she was expecting to hear some kind of horrible news from him— which he didn’t fault her for, since he hadn’t exactly been the most perfect of husbands.

The last time he called her during his day off, he had accidentally knocked over the entire bookshelf in his and (Y/n)’s home office. So, he guessed that she had the right to be nervous about his calls.

“Hey baby, how was pre-shift?” He asked, talking about the everyday meeting at three that touched upon the restaurant’s daily dynamics: namely sales, the menu, what parties are happening, and a few other things that had to do with running the business.

(Y/n) paused for a moment at his question, clearly gauging the level of panic in his tone— and answering calmly when she found no hint of fear or panic in his voice. “It was okay. We have a last-minute twenty-top tonight, but it’s nothing too bad. A hundred-thirty on the books for dinner service, and then four parties: a twenty-top at five, fifty-top canapé party at seven, another twenty-top at seven too, and then a thirty-top VIP party at eight.”

It seemed like a lot of people and things going on to the common person, but it was just another day in the life for Kyōjurō and his team. In fact, it was one of the lighter days of the week, which was why he decided to take the day off. Yesterday had been (Y/n)’s day off, since the babysitter called in at the last-minute to tell them that she was sick.

“But that’s not why you called, is it, Kyō?” The young woman asked with a tiny hint of teasing coloring her tone. She was still a bit tense, preparing herself to dash out of the restaurant and drive home at any second, but forced herself to calm down as she got some food from the family meal setup.

“How’d you know?”

“I’m not your wife for nothing, chef.” She answered with a snort, while sitting down next to one of the sous chefs and grinning at everyone at the table. “Why’d you call, though?”

Kyōjurō chuckled at that, mentally taking note to stop asking her how she always knew things before he said them; since there really was no way to explain how his wife knew him so well. “Ran was asking for ice cream and told me to put it in the fancy ice cream machine. Baby, we don’t have an ice cream machine.”

A peal of laughter bubbled free from (Y/n)’s lips at that, as she shook her head. “Oh, Ran-chan, so adorable. She was talking about the Pacojet. I left four quarts of vanilla ice cream in the freezer— the ones in the stainless-steel containers for the Pacojet. You just have to pop those onto the machine and give her two scoops.”

“Just two?” He asked, clearly affronted at the meagre amount that his wife wanted him to feed their little girl. “She deserves at least five.”

“Kyōjurō,” (Y/n) answered with a roll of her eyes. “You’re already making caramel popcorn for her. I don’t want Ran to get cavities because— knowing you— you also made her one of those sugar rush sandwiches of yours.”

She wasn’t wrong in that assumption, so all Kyōjurō could do was look down at his popcorn setup with a sheepishly pouty expression on his face.

“You’re making a pouty expression now, aren’t you? Because I’m right.”

“Well, you’re not wrong…”

“So, just two scoops of ice cream. Ran likes it when I rocher them; she thinks they look fancy.” (Y/n) giggled at that, remembering the time when she tried to teach her husband how to do a one-handed quenelle. It had been hellish on both of them, but had ended with her getting crème fraîche eaten out from between her legs.

The mere memory of it had her closing her legs together, as her toes curled within her Birkenstock clogs. Maybe it really was time for another baby, if that night was making her hotter than usual— after all, it was the night when Ran was made.

And it seemed that Kyōjurō was having the same thoughts too, since he had gone silent, before realizing that he hadn’t even said anything. Mentally, he made a note to discuss second baby plans with his wife. “A rocher, huh? That seems easy enough.”

It really wasn’t. He just didn’t want her to find out that he had gotten rusty over the years; as it had been five years since that night at his apartment.

“Riiiight,” (Y/n) answered with a quiet chuckle, not believing her husband’s too flippant answer one bit. “The kitchen better be spotless when I come back, Kyōjurō. And Ran should be spotless too.”

The young man scoffed at that, casting a furtive glance over at his daughter whom still had cat whiskers on her cheeks from when she’d asked him to draw on her face.

Unfortunately, he had used permanent marker to draw her cat features on; so, it really would be a pain to wash off before (Y/n) got home.

“Right, okay, baby. I love you, bye.” With that, he dropped the call and rubbed the back of his neck— trying to think of any possible solutions to get it off. “Ran, sugar plum, it’s time for a bath.”

“But papa, you said we were making caramel popcorn,” His daughter pouted up at him, seeming even more adorable when she made caramel sound like ‘cow-mall’ with her vocabulary.

“We are, but you have to wash off your whiskers first… before mama gets home.”

***

“No, no, papa. Mama doesn’t do it like this,” were the first words that (Y/n) heard when she entered she house. It was then followed by the silent crunches of something being chewed on, before muffled shuffling echoed within the otherwise silent home.

Kyōjurō was so confused, since he had made the caramel popcorn as how he knew his wife made it in the restaurant. It was perfect, if he could say so himself; more so because of the glucose syrup he’d added than anything else, but he had to give himself a pat on the back for not making a crystallized mess of sugar in the pot.

“But, Ran, this is caramel,” He protested softly, as he stirred the remainder of the caramel in his sauce pot. It was starting to get clumpy, so he turned to burner to the lowest heat setting, before turning back to his daughter.

Ran kept snacking on the warm popcorn that her father had set out to cool on the counter, licking her sticky fingers in the same manner that she’d seen Kyōjurō do one too many times. “Mama makes it different, papa.”

At that, (Y/n) stepped into the kitchen and had to muffle a scream when she saw the remains of marker on her daughter’s cheeks. Immediately, her gaze shot over to her husband, whom had blatantly looked away from her— and out the window— as he pretended to have seen something flit by in the night.

“What did you do?” She breathed out— struggling so hard to keep her voice even, as she cupped Ran’s cheeks in her hands and brushed her thumbs over the mildly faint whiskers on her cheeks.

“Papa made caramel popcorn!” The little girl declared happily, as if the pressing issue of her father having drawn on her face with permanent marker wasn’t a harebrained idea in the first place.

“I… can see that, sweetheart,” She answered as calmly as she could, and mouthed ‘we’ll talk about this later’ when she managed to catch her husband’s gaze.

Kyōjurō could only nod and sigh in defeat as he moved to stir his bubbling caramel. There went his chances of romancing his wife enough to get started on baby number two.

With a kiss to the top of Ran’s head, she walked over to her husband and had to stifle a smile when he turned to her— so he could press a kiss against her temple. When she looked down at the pot, however, she couldn’t help but let out a surprised ‘ooh’ when she saw the perfectly browned, and perfectly smooth caramel that Kyōjurō had made.

She looked at him then, quirking an eyebrow and saying, “This is perfect, baby. Did you really make this?”

The appalled expression that made its way onto the blond’s face was enough to make his distaste at her comment, but it immediately morphed into a pout when his wife wrapped an arm around his waist and laughed as she leaned her head against his shoulder.

“It really is perfect, baby.”

“Ran keeps saying that it’s not how you make it, but it’s how you make it at work,” Kyōjurō stirred the caramel once more, and let it drip down from the spoon in one smooth waterfall, which had (Y/n) suppressing a laugh at how he was mildly showing off to her.

However, she let him have his fun, since it was the first time that he’d managed to perfect something that even most pastry chefs had a hard time making. “Well, it is one of the best caramels I’ve ever seen…”

Kyōjurō noticeably puffed his chest up at that; making both (Y/n) and Ran share a look as well as slight grins.

“But I crystallize the caramel I make for Ran’s popcorn at home.”

“How do you even do that? I already put glucose syrup in it so it won’t do that.”

“Oh, you just have to pour more sugar in it now, and stir it really fast before it crystalizes into a huge clump.” With that, (Y/n) got some leftover sugar in a bowl and dumped it in the pot— motioning her husband to do as she’d told him, and watching the painfilled expression he sported, as his perfect caramel clumped together.

“I know, baby. It only hurts at first, you’ll get used to it the more you do it.” (Y/n) laughed, wrapping an arm around her husband’s waist once more… before letting her hand drift down and squeeze his right butt cheek.

Wide-eyed and clearly surprised, the blond turned to look at his wife to see her reaching over to eat a piece of popcorn from the batch he’d made earlier.

And when she looked up at him, she subtly licked her lips and winked at him; which had him thinking that maybe, just maybe, his attempts for baby number two weren’t put on hold yet.

That was, until Ran spoke up, “Mama, my face feels itchy.”

Both of them looked at their daughter at that, and he frantically raced over to lift her up into his arms— while (Y/n) turned the stove off and grabbed her car key from her pocket. “Kyōjurō, what did you wash her face with?”

“I… uh… the facial wash you use everyday.”

“That has witch hazel in it!”

He had no idea what witch hazel was, and what it did, but that was the last thing on his mind as he boarded the car that (Y/n) had just unlocked. In no more than a minute, (Y/n) had already locked the door to the house and had gotten in the driver’s seat— peeling out of the driveway in a move that would have had her cast as a good stunt double for the Fast and Furious movie franchise.

“Ran’s allergic to witch hazel!”

Jimin | I Have The Worst Memory

Summary: You decide to surprise your best friend on his birthday by coming to his concert without telling him, but seems like he doesn’t remember his own birthday. Pairing: Jimin X Reader (Platonic)

Genre: Fluff

Word Count: 1.6k

Warnings: None

Everyone was backstage. They were either warming up physically, or were warming up their vocals. Jimin was among them. He was happy because they were on tour and were currently in a country they had never visited before. He had prepared a special message for the A.R.M.Ys here, and he couldn't wait to see their reactions. He was sitting next to Namjoon, warming up his vocals.

That's when his phone rang. They still had about half an hour before they had to be on stage, so he could talk for a little while.

'Bestie ❤️'

A smile immediately spread across his face. You both had a tradition; if you weren't with them (you were always with them when they had concerts in Korea), you called him half an hour before every concert to wish him luck. You both were childhood friends, your friendship slowly developing into something more heartwarming. Both of you were each other's pillars, the person the other could go to in any crisis. He loved you like a sister, while you lived him as a brother.

He accepted the call, and went in the corner where there wasn't so much noise; the maknae and the madnae were at it again, and they were noisy when annoying each other. "Hey!" Came your cheerful voice as soon as he picked up. Without a greeting, he directly asked, "How are you?". It was one of his habits while talking to people close to him; he didn't greet. It had been a couple of months since you both had seen each other in person, even though you video-called almost everyday, even if it was for a mere five minutes.

Without waiting for a reply, he whined a 'I Miss You So Much!'. You were used to it though, and you were missing your whiny best friend too. "I miss you too, Chim. I just called to wish you luck."

"I know, you always call to wish me luck." He said in a obvious tone.

"Uh-huh. Break a leg out there. Figuratively, not literally. Please." You cheered, and then begged.

"I'm not stupid, you know." He grumbled. You could practically see him standing there with a frown rolling his eyes. You knew him better than you knew yourself.

"Keep rolling your eyes, maybe you'll find a brain back there." He wasn't surprised he when heard you say that. He knew you'd know.

"That's old, y/n. Find something new." He teased.

"I know, it just came outta my mouth before I could think."

"Still the same y/n, huh? Talking without thinking."

"...stop talking like we're meeting at a school reunion after a decade. How much do you think I can change in two months?"

"I don't even know how to reply. But here's the thing, I gotta go, our manager is giving me the look." He sneaked a glance at the manager, who was still glaring.

"Bye, Chim. You're gonna rock it out there."

"I hope I do. Bye, love ya!"

"Love ya too!" And then you hung up.

You were quite surprised when you couldn't hear a tinge of sadness in his tone when you didn't wish him a happy birthday. It wouldn't have mattered even if he had attended acting school, you always would have been able to tell if he was masking his emotions in any way. He was genuinely happy today, and you figured he had forgotten his birthday. This was a first. He had always been like an excited puppy on his birthday, eagerly waiting for presents and greetings.

You knew for a fact that the members had not wished him either, because you had asked them not to. Unbeknownst to him, when you called, you were just outside there concert venue, with a backstage pass they had couriered you a week ago. You being there would've been a total surprise for him on his birthday.

You were kinda happy he didn't remember. The surprise would have a bigger effect now.

Three hours later, you were waiting backstage, when everyone except Jimin came in. You side hugged all the sweaty boys, careful not to get too close, though Jungkook did try to annoy you by shouting "Noona!" And running to give you one of his big bear hugs, while the rest of them laughed and you ran around avoiding him.

This was perfect. It was the last performance, and it was Jimin's single, which gave all of you enough time to start decorating the room and the cake. You had already cleaned up all the mess when you came in, not wanting to burden the poor staff; it was hard enough for them to handle seven chaotic crackheads, you did not want them to tire themselves out.

While the guys went to change out of their sweaty and now uncomfortable clothes, you took out the streamers and balloons from your big handbag, which you rarely used.

All the boys and you had already bought gifts for Jimin, which were safely stashed away with the staff. Even some of the makeup artists and hairstylists had bought gifts for him. He was a  loveable person, and seeing him smile made everyone smile. Soon, all the boys came back one by one and helped you decorate the boring room. After you all were done, you let a judging eye roam over the walls, finally deciding that they didn't look so dull anymore.

That's when the manager entered. With wide eyes and open mouth, he asked what was going on. Most of you rubbed your necks or wrung your hands awkwardly. Nobody had remembered to inform him about the surprise. As Namjoon explained everything, his eyes went wide again.

"Really? Because Jimin's just around the corner." He pointed at the door. You cursed under your breath and made your way towards the switch board to turn off the lights, while everybody squatted behind sofas and chairs and tables. You joined them shortly. It was early evening, so a little light came in from the windows despite the curtains. The light was just enough for you to clearly make out everything; your eyes adjusted to different lights fast, and that was something Jimin had always been fascinated about.

The door opened, and Jimin came in humming something with his eyes closed. Hoseok was next to you, and he almost went up and shouted when the door opened, but you knew that he had a sugar rush today, so you had already kept your hand on his arm, and pulled him down as soon as you sensed him move. The others were patiently waiting for your signal.

Jimin closed the door and turned around, and that's when you gave the signal. "SURPRISE!! "

The lights came back on, and you saw the manager with his finger on the switch. All of you had big grins on their faces. All of you except Jimin, who was clutching his chest leaning against the door and breathing heavily with a terrified expression.

As soon as he saw it was just all of you, he sighed and closed his eyes. And that's when Taehyung decided it was a good time to burst the party popper. Jimin jumped out of his skin and glared at his best friends, only receiving a mischievous grin in return. Then he looked forward and his eyes widened as soon as they fell on you. You gave him a big grin.

"Y/N!!!" He ran towards you and gave you a big hug.

You let out a hearty chuckle. "We're here too, y'know." Yoongi deadpanned, ruining the moment. "And why am I suddenly supposed to give you a hug?" Yoongi facepalmed at that.

"We planned a surprise for you, and we don't even get a thank you in reply?" Yoongi raised his eyebrows. "Ahem! I don't think he remembers." I smirked towards the grumpy man. "Remembers what? What don't I remember?" Jimin looked around in confusion. "And all of this is for me?" His eyes fell on the humongous 'Happy Birthday!' on the wall behind us. "Happy Birthday? Wait, what's the date today?" All this time, Seokjin, Namjoon, and Jungkook were just looking at us, like they were enjoying a movie. A tub of popcorn and some seats was all that lacked.

Jimin ran to the nearest table, picked up a phone, which was mine, and saw the date. "13 October. It's my birthday already?" He asked us with his signature pout and puppy eyes (UwU).

"Yes it is!" Seokjin suddenly decided to speak up, and went to hug him. Instead of throwing his arms around Seokjin, he tucked them in his chest and leaned in. "This is so embarrassing. I didn't remember my own birthday. I've got the worst memory on the planet." Everybody heard his muffled voice., though it was clear he hadn't intended on any of us hearing it except his hyung.

You all burst out laughing at his adorable voice and tone, and spent the rest of the evening celebrating and teasing him about his memory.

20. things you said that i wasn’t meant to hear

member: soonyoung

genre: fluff

word count: 1786

warnings: none

Soft and indistinct chatter could be heard from the kitchen, where both hosts wrapped up the next dish for dinner.

Wonwoo and his fiancé, Hyojoo, had organized a gathering over dinner. While Wonwoo insisted that they could all meet at a restaurant, Hyojoo deemed it more appropriate to have dinner at their shared apartment.

Only a few of their friends had been able to make time to have dinner during the week, but that was okay. They all had plenty of other opportunities to see each other.

Soonyoung playfully slammed his hands on the table, catching the attention of his girlfriend and two other boys around the table. “Wonwoo, I’m hungry,” he whined, dragging out the word hungry to sound more like a child.

His girlfriend stared at him and found herself torn between laughing or telling him to calm down. But she opted for a third option; she shook her head and scoffed. He was never like this on regular occasions. He just enjoyed trying his best friend’s patience. Unfortunately for him, Wonwoo’s patience was tenacious.

When Wonwoo walked out of the kitchen with the last dish of the night, a chorus of ohs and wows rang through the room. Soonyoung’s girlfriend made sure to compliment Hyojoo’s delicious-looking food. “Let’s eat!” Soonyoung exclaimed.

“He kinda starved himself for this.” She shot Hyojoo an apologetic look. “He really loves your cooking...” Hyojoo chuckled and set a plate in front of Soonyoung, “Enjoy, Soonyoung.”

The room quieted down once everyone was served a plate and the rest of dinner ran through as calmly as it possibly could. While the boys munched on their food like kids enjoying a good meal, the few girls of the group sent Hyojoo’s cooking some more compliments.

After a couple of minutes of talking over their finished plates, Wonwoo stood up and asked for volunteers to fill their bellies some more but this time with dessert. Everyone lifted their hand to be counted in.

Noticing Hyojoo’s movements to get up from her chair, Soonyoung’s girlfriend prepared to stand up as well, in order to offer her help in bringing out dessert for everyone.

Before she even had the time to process the moment, Soonyoung was by her side in an instant, pushing her gently back into her seat. “We got this,” he said before pecking his girlfriend’s cheek. A smile tugged at her lips at the tickling warmth of the act.

The women at the table shared looks and shrugged as each of their compagnons cleared the table and headed for the kitchen. “I���m not gonna say no to that… I cooked all evening,” Hyojoo spoke, earning a few chuckles from Seokmin’s and Joshua’s girlfriends.

Minutes passed and Soonyoung’s girlfriend pushed her chair back and stood, “I’ll go see if they don’t need help.” Hyojoo shrugged and waved it off as she knew that she wouldn’t be able to convince her friend to stay put.

As she shuffled closer to the kitchen, she recognized Joshua’s voice, “You look like you have something important to say.” The cheerful tone of his voice left her with the hint that it was nothing unfortunate. Not giving it much thought, she was about to make her presence known by walking in, when she heard her boyfriend speak up in a softer tone.

“I thought about it and I’m going to ask her to move in with me,” he announced. Thump. Thump. “My apartment is big enough. So is hers. So we can choose which is better once I ask her,” he added. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

There was a chance she was not supposed to hear that, at least not now. She moved back a few steps before releasing a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She turned back in a second and walked back to her previous seat at the table. Upon seeing her friend coming back by herself, Hyojoo gave her a questioning look.

“They’re big boys, they’ll manage,” she shrugged. But her heart was still pounding and her mind was frantically buzzing, producing about a hundred images of how her life with Soonyoung would turn out. She liked all of it.

“You okay?” a voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked up at Seokmin’s girlfriend, Jiyoon and nodded. “Sleepiness just hit me like a ton of bricks,” she lied. “Take the dessert to go and go home. You have a long day tomorrow,” a masculine voice chimed in.

She froze for all of two seconds before getting a hold of herself and looking behind her. Soonyoung gave her a sweet smile and held a small plastic bag in his hand. “Go guys, it’s all good,” Wonwoo said. She took a glance at Hyojoo, who in turn, nodded in agreement.

Soonyoung walked to his girlfriend and delicately seized her hand as she got up from her seat. Before they headed for the front door, she faintly waved at everyone and didn’t fail to notice Joshua patting Soonyoung’s shoulder as if to encourage him.

They bid their last goodbyes on Wonwoo’s and Hyojoo’s doormat, before they closed the door and began their route to whichever apartment they would reach first. Although Soonyoung would probably, no, most likely, walk her home.

He held her hand in his, merely a step ahead of her, making it seem like he was leading the way. Warmth enveloped her hand, trapped between his hand and a soft piece of fabric of his long sweater’s sleeve. It wasn’t extremely cold outside, but the autumn weather was getting gradually colder day by day.

Her mind flashed back to what Soonyoung had said so nervously yet casually in Wonwoo’s kitchen, and she involuntarily tugged on his hand. He didn’t stop but he looked back at his girlfriend with a questioning look painting his features. “Am I walking too fast?” he asked.

The way he looked at her was enough to send tears prickling to her eyes. She shook her head, glancing down at their hands to prevent him from seeing the tears shining in her eyes, and slightly moved her hand so that she could tenderly intertwine their fingers.

She never saw it but he fondly smiled at her antics before squeezing her hand and looking forward to avoid walking into anything or anyone.

Throughout the entire journey home, she silently debated whether or not to mention that she had heard him back at Wonwoo’s place. Even as they both settled in the warmth of her small apartment, she considered telling him about it, as well as telling him that she would accept his offer, his plan.

“I’ll go make some tea,” he smiled, heading for the kitchen. In the following seconds, tears once again pricked at her eyes for no other reason than being emotionally compromised by this entire situation, and she followed him into her kitchen.

She watched him execute all the required tasks to set up the kettle on the stove and waited for him to put down the mugs on the table in order to carefully fling herself onto her boyfriend. She encased him in a back hug, squishing her cheek against his back. He let out a surprised oh, a wee bit grateful for not having his hands full of the fragile tea set.

He placed his hands her arms as she linked her hands to squeeze her boyfriend and hold him closer, and he used his thumbs to rub soothing circles onto her warmed up skin. “I’ll move in with you,” she blurted out, squeezing him once more, eyes tightly shut.

She felt his entire body go stiff at the sudden announcement and heard his heart beating rapidly. He felt his hands get clammy and his entire chest almost giving out. She reluctantly let go of him and tugged on his sweater to turn him around. Stress spread in the kitchen like wildfire that heated up her skin and her own hands started to get clammy as well.

“I don’t think I was supposed to hear it,” she murmured. “But I heard you say that you wanted me to move in with you and I just,” she sighed, “Soon, I really want to,” she shrugged, with a half smile. In turn, Soonyoung reached for her sweater and softly tugged on it as he shuffled forward.

“You do?” he questioned, his voice pitching slightly higher. Her head wobbled up and down in a swift motion. “I’m ready to compromise, as long as I’m with you,” she told him. “And we can take your apartment if it’s more convenient for...” she was cut off by the suddenness of Soonyoung taking hold of her cheeks.

She took notice of the way his brown eyes glistened as he ran his thumbs across her cheeks. Her lips parted to ask him whether he was okay or not, but before she could actually say anything, he crashed his lips on hers, bumping noses in the process. She grinned into the kiss at the situation and responded to it immediately, letting her body get pulled into an enclosed embrace as Soonyoung let go of her cheeks to wrap an arm around her waistline.

The softness of his lips and the pressure of his fingers on her hip sent a tingling fervor throughout her whole body. Kissing Soonyoung surpassed anything she had ever felt; the feeling so intense that it always felt oddly similar to a giant party popper going off inside her chest, confetti catching fire from the scorching heat that licked at her insides.

Kissing Soonyoung was always a wild ride and she would never get tired of it. Of his lips, of the way he compulsively puckered them to catch more of hers, of the way the tip of his fingers dug into her skin from bringing her so close. Plainly put, she would never get tired of him. She reached up to his chest and grabbed at his sweater, before breathlessly pulling away from him.

A quiet confused sound escaped from his faintly swollen lips as an equally confused look adorned his face. His features displayed a nicely faded shade of pink, which highlighted the squishiness of his face. She leaned in and pecked his parted lips. He extended his arm to pull her closer yet again but got interrupted by the piercing whistle of the kettle.

“Thank god for that noise, or we might’ve burnt down my apartment,” she remarked. She walked over to the stove and turned it off. She took it by its handle and turned around to fill the mugs with hot water. “I love you.”

She looked up at her boyfriend and soon-to-be roommate. “I know,” she beamed. “And I love you too.”

race!

for you, @lovelytealtactition-blog-blog (um i can’t @ you, help)! another story written by admin hikari and its too adorable i Can’t. we hope you enjoy!

The minute he arrived home, Tanaka Ryūnosuke ran straight to his room. He slams the door shut, the embarrassment of the memory tensing up his entire body. After awhile, he could no longer contain the excitement welling up inside him. 

“She said yes!” He screams with such joy and volume that he hears a loud banging on his door. 

“Ryū! Shut up!” Tanaka Saeko, scolds from outside his room. 

“Quiet, Nee-chan!” He yells back at his sister, the exhilaration still overwhelming him.

-

It was the day of the school festival, and somehow he was able to ask you to participate in the couples’ race with him. He literally jumped when you called out his name as he was waiting for you outside your classroom. He tried to act cool about it—telling you reasons why other girls did not want to partner with him, waving it off as just a favor, and pretending it was all just for the prize, but it was all a ruse. He wanted to win it with you, and no one else. 

“Alright,” you agreed after putting much thought into it, “I’ll do the race with you.” 

Because he couldn’t hold in the excitement when you actually accepted his offer, Tanaka immediately pulled you to the starting point, making sure to hide the goofy grin spreading on his face. You both made your way into the room, which had a surprisingly large amount of couples inside. Though Tanaka would usually loath at the sight of them in this kind of situation, he found himself thinking of ways to impress you instead. 

“Welcome to our Class 3-2 Couples’ Race!” The student in charge belted out. “In this race, you’ll each have to go through a number of tasks together, and the first ones to run back here wins! But there’s the twist: all couples should get through the whole race while holding each other’s hands! If you let go, you’re immediately disqualified!”

Upon hearing the twist, Tanaka suddenly felt anxious. He was going to hold hands with you? You weren’t even so close to begin with much less an actual couple! 

At least, not yet. He thought, but immediately questioned himself. Not yet? He was getting too ahead of himself. Tanaka then began to mentally scold himself too. He should be paying attention to the race and not daydreaming of what possibly couldn't happen. The last thing he needed was to disappoint you by losing.

“___? You got all that?” Tanaka asked, turning to look at you. 

“Yeah!” You stammer back.

He gives you a nod. “Good! Because I think the race is about to start.”

You blink. “It is?”

Before he could even reply, you both hear the sound of a party popper and the other couples instantly rush forward past the both of you. Tanaka hastily grabs your hand and pulls you forward, too startled by the abrupt start to say a thing. You hurried along beside him. 

Here was the first stop: Class 2-3’s ramen stand. 

“Ryū, so, you made it,” Tanaka hears a voice call out from behind and you both turn around to see a short but fairly muscular guy standing there with wild, spiky brown hair and a tuft of dirty blond falling over his forehead. 

“Nishinoya!” Tanaka recognises him and greets the other cheerfully. “What have you got for us today?”

Nishinoya Yū nods in acknowledgment at his friend before proceeding to place a humongous bowl of ramen in a table before you. 

“Finish it,” Nishinoya instructs, his voice way too calm for the ridiculous demand he had just given. 

“All of it?” you question, unbelief evident in your voice. 

“All of it.” He affirms, his voice still serene with that extra dramatic touch.  

“Sounds good!” Tanaka says with a nod. “It won’t be too hard with the two of us at it!” 

“No, Ryū, only one of you can eat it,” Nishinoya adds. He lays a pair of disposable chopsticks beside the monstrous bowl. 

“What?!” Tanaka lets out. 

“One person eat all of this? This is crazy,” you chide in. 

“It is a true man’s meal!” Nishinoya declares before letting off some weird, maniacal laugh. “But you better eat soon, the others have already started.” 

“Fuck,” you breathe out, as you quickly grab the chopsticks on the table. “So, who’s eating?” 

“As the man in this situation, I will eat it all.” Tanaka says, entranced by the coolness of Nishinoya’s words. His gaze then falls to his right hand, gripping tightly on to yours. “Can we switch—“

“We’ll get disqualified if we let go now,” you say before splitting the chopsticks with your hand and mouth. “Since my dominant hand is free, I’ll have to feed you, Tanaka. Bear with me.” 

“What?!” Tanaka lets out, baffled, before hastily turning to face Nishinoya who was already walking away. Nishinoya sends him a dramatic thumbs up from afar. 

Tanaka swore he saw him mouth the words “Good job. Ryū.” 

He turns back towards you, only to find you already holding noodles in front of his face.

“Say ah,” you say before giving the noodles a blow. Tanaka could only think of this as a dream. You, his crush, was going to feed him. Hoping you wouldn’t feel how sweaty his palms were, he opened his mouth, anticipating the salty and savory noodles. You then move the noodles into his mouth, and Tanaka tastes the—

“HOT!” He cries out, desperately trying to cool the noodles sitting in his mouth and the burning sensation on his tongue. 

“Sorry!” You swore before turning around to ask a fellow student for a glass of water as Tanaka struggled to swallow the hot gulp in his mouth, worried that he might’ve burnt his throat too in the process. Thanking the school mate for the water, you slide it to Tanaka. “You think you can still handle the ‘man’s’ meal?” With that comment, Tanaka grabs the glass of water and takes a huge swig of it before slamming it back down on the table, his energy regained. “I’m fired up!”

-

You somehow managed to finish first amongst all the couples. Tanaka quietly inspected the burns in his mouth, as you collected the stamp for completing the goal and the next location.

“Alright! So, next destination is class one-one, they set up a cafe,” you state, turning to face him, your eyes slightly lighting up. He was relieved that you were enjoying yourself, and it made him forget about the rough feeling in his mouth. Kind of. 

“To the cafe!” Tanaka yells out and surges forward toward their next destination.

“Tanaka-senpai!” A short little orange-haired boy called out once you’ve arrived. He was dressed in a little waiter outfit that fit him to a T. “What are you doing here?”

“Hinata!” Tanaka called back, a swell of pride building up at the title of senpai. He hoped you were impressed by that. “We’re here for the couples’ race challenge!”

“Does that mean you finished that big bowl of ramen first? Cool! So cool!” Hinata Shōyō praised, his brown eyes sparkling. 

Tanaka basked in the glory for a moment, a smirk adorning his lips, before he turns back to look at you. You give him a look of nonchalance and immediately, he drew himself back to reality slightly flustered as he remembers the task at hand, and faced Hinata once more.

“So what do we have to do here?” He asked, peeking out the window to check if any other couples were coming. None so far. 

“Ah! Right! Come here with me!” Hinata exclaimed, jumping a little as he did. He then led the both of you to the side of their little cafe set-up. Tanaka takes notice of the bunch of little cakes wrapped in cutely decorated wax paper hanging from the ceiling. “The task is to grab one cake off of the ceiling.”

“Yosha!” Tanaka roars out. “We can do this!”

You stare up at the ceiling before looking back down on the little boy. “Did you guys even test this out before setting this task up?” You ask, a hint of doubt in your tone. 

“Y-yes, ma’am!” Hinata interjected, tensing up. “We made sure to make sure that the cakes could be reached!”

“You must’ve thrown the shortest girl you had here to see if it was possible, eh, Hinata?” Tanaka mused. 

“It was me! They carried me!” Hinata wailed, covering his face with his hands. “And they even went as far as to call that Bakageyama to do it!”

“Carry... huh?” Tanaka said, analyzing what was just said. 

Before you could even react, Tanaka takes you in his arms swiftly, and lifted you off the ground, tucking one arm under your knees and made sure your hands were still linked, of course. 

“What are you —” you stutter out, clearly perplexed by the quick action.

“I think this will work. While I jump, you reach out for the cake, got it?” He says, making sure to grin at you.

“Uh, yeah, alright.” You reply before bracing yourself for the jump. 

At the wrong time, Tanaka realized what he was doing, and that he was holding you. In his arms. He felt his face grow warm but he shook those thoughts away. It was not the time to get all flustered about this now. Tanaka takes a jump, and you reach out as high as you can. Your fingertips grazes on the edge of the wrapper and you quickly take a hold of it as you bring it down with you. 

“I got it!” you exclaim.

In the spur of the moment, Tanaka starts to excitedly spin around with you still in his arms. “Yosha! We did it, damn it!” 

“So cool, Tanaka-senpai!” Hinata cries out from the side. 

“Tanaka!” You call out, still being spun around. “The stamp!”

“Oh, right!” Tanaka lets out before setting you down on the floor before turning to his precious kouhai. “Hinata! The stamp!” 

“Yes!” Hinata squeals. He then hands the stamp over to Tanaka. “Here you are! You can now go to class two-four for the last stop!” 

“Good job with that one, Tanaka!” You say, nudging him a little. 

“Ah, thanks,” Tanaka timidly responds, his cheeks starting to burn up. 

You take a quick peek out the window before turning back to Tanaka. “The other couples are coming!” You pull him by the hand. “Let’s go!” 

Tanaka gives you a nod and the both of you run off. Tanaka lightly pulls you along. “This way,” he instructs as he leads you to the next location, taking a flight up the stairs before turning left. Tanaka could feel his energy rising, his heart elating. He spares you a glance and could see you practically beaming with delight, probably feeling the same thing he felt right now. 

“Uwa! Tanaka!” A voice cries out. 

Tanaka comes to a halt at the sight of Asahi Azumane towering over them, leaving you to deal with the momentum on your own. 

“Asahi! What are you doing here?” Tanaka asked the towering man that had been the source of the cry. 

“I’m supposed to meet Daichi and Suga here.” Asahi responds, “They told me that Nishinoya invited us to his stall. Something about a ‘man’s meal?’” “Ah,” you let out, realizing what Asahi had coming for him.

Tanaka dramatically places a hand on his shoulder as he speaks, his voice strangely stern, “Good luck.” 

“What do you mean? Do you know anything about it?” Asahi rambles, now flustered. 

“Tanaka,” you begin, “the race—“

“Well, we gotta get going,” Tanaka says, patting Asahi one last time before walking past him. “We have a race to win. ___, let’s go.” He tugs you lightly, and you follow after him.

He pulls you towards the door, and before you even enter, he could already hear a familiar voice chanting out greetings.

“Welcome to our Balloon Quiz Challenge! Welcome to our— Ah! Tanaka!” Tanaka turns to see Ennoshita Chikara inside, standing by the doorway. “You just missed Narita! He went off with Kinoshita as soon as his break started. I told them I’d catch up later, but—“ 

Ennoshita falters as his eyes land on you, and then at your linked hands. He then sends a smirk Tanaka’s way. Tanaka’s cheeks start to burn and he avoids Ennoshita’s gaze. Ennoshita then gives you a customer service smile. 

“___, right? You guys are here for the couple’s race challenge?” Ennoshita asks.  

“Yes, we are,” you reply, sneaking a side glance at Tanaka. 

As Ennoshita proceeds to explain the instructions of the game, Tanaka doesn’t pay attention, his mental self cursing at his friend who made him flustered when you were right there! Tanaka feels you nudge on his arm, making him look at you.

“You got all that?” You ask, lifting a brow at him. 

“Huh?” Tanaka questions. Realizing he hadn’t been listening at all, he scratches his head all over in frustration. “I didn’t, damn it! Sorry!” 

Tanaka could hear a sigh from Ennoshita. He turns towards you, expecting the same amount of remorse, only to be greeted by a smile. 

“It’s alright, let’s go there for now,” you say, as you pull him towards the pit. “Better hurry up!” Ennoshita calls out, teasingly. 

Tanaka carefully eases his way into the balloon pit, still being guided by you. “Here,” you say, as you hand him a balloon. 

“What do I do with this,” he questions, his expression blank. You continue to look through the balloons, your eyes not meeting his. 

“We have to find a balloon with some kind of mark. Your friend there said there would be a question inside and we have to pop the balloon and answer it,” you turn to look at him as you finish, eyes lighting up. “You up for it?”

“You bet I can, damn it!” He yells, before digging into the pit on his own, quickly inspecting each balloon he came across, but they always came up empty.  As he was trying to think up what this mark would even look like, he hears you call out his name. 

“Tanaka! I found one!” You say, excitement visible in your face as you turn towards him. 

“Great!” Tanaka exclaims before pulling you to him. He then places the balloon in between the both of you. He places his left hand on your waist, pulling you closer. 

“What —?!” You exclaim. 

“You said we have to pop it!” He says positioning himself. He looks up to you and sees your cheeks turning a shade of pink, and he soon found his own cheeks burning up as well. “Uh! This is—!”

“Okay, okay, I get it!” You said, shaking your head in a way that Tanaka could only think of as adorable. “Pop the balloon.”

“Yosha!” He screams, as he pulls you closer, popping balloon, a piece of paper falling out.

“The note!” You cry out, hands reaching out to catch it. 

“Ennoshita! What now?!” Tanaka yells out. 

“Come over here and answer the question,” Ennoshita replies, calm as ever. Tanaka pulls you along as you climb out of the pit and head towards Ennoshita. You then hand the little piece of paper over to Ennoshita as he slowly unrolls it. “Some months have 31 days,” he reads, “but how many have 28?” 

“Ha! Don’t think I don’t know this!” Tanaka hollers. “One!” 

“Wait! I think—!”

“Wrong!” Ennoshita announces, before casually throwing the paper into the bin beside him, a smile gracing his lips. “The correct answer is: all twelve of them.” 

“Ah, so they’re common sense questions!” You conclude. 

“ARGH! I’m sorry!” He yells out, pulling his hands to his sides while accidentally tugging you along with them. 

“So, you were the source of the noise pollution, Tanaka-san,” a voice chides in from behind him. 

Tanaka turns around and looks up to see Tsukishima, the tall, ever-uninterested teen, accompanied by Yamaguchi, the sweet and shy teen. 

“Whaddya say?!” Tanaka roars, sneering at him. “Why are you even here, huh? I didn’t take you as the type to be into this kind of thing!” 

“I’m not, but Yamaguchi here wanted to give it a try, so I decided to accompany him. Not that I would be having it as hard as you with these questions.”

“As expected of Tsukki!” Yamaguchi praised, beside him. 

“Shut up, Yamaguchi.” 

“Sorry, Tsukki.” 

As Tanaka readies himself to fire back, he notices a few other couples entering the classroom. He resists the urge of retorting and instead focuses on the task at hand. He turns around and tugs on you to come along. 

“Come on! We better find another balloon fast!” He calls out as you re-enter the balloon pit. 

As the both of you crouch down and proceed to dig through the vast amount of balloons, Tanaka hears you speak through the sound of squeaking rubber. “You seem to have a lot of friends, Tanaka.” 

“Ah, that guy is my junior in club,” he responds, inspecting the brightly colored balloons. 

“Your volleyball club must be really fun then,” you comment. 

Tanaka pauses and then turns to you, showing you his usual grin. “It really is!” He finally finds a marked balloon and lifts up. “Got it!” he exclaims. 

You both stand up and place the balloon in between the both of you. Tanaka reaches his hand out towards you, but stops himself. 

“You don’t mind if I—?” 

“Yes! I mean no! I mean—You get it!” 

Tanaka nods as he puts his arm around you, and pulls you closer, popping the balloon. You catch the note. 

“Alright! Let’s go!” He shouts, pulling you out of the pit. “Ennoshita!” You both run towards Ennoshita, and you quickly hand over the note.

Ennoshita unrolls the note and reads, “What do you call a group of crows?”

“What?” You reason out. “It’s not a common sense question anymore?”  

Tanaka raises his hand up at you signalling you to halt. “I got this,” he says, grinning straight at Ennoshita. “A murder.” 

Ennoshita returns the grin. “Correct. Congratulations! And here’s your stamp,” he says, handing over the stamp. You take it from his hands, and Tanaka proceeds to the door. 

“If anyone underestimates our volleyball team again, that’s what’s going to happen,” Tanaka says, before whisking you away. 

“Correct, again,” Ennoshita answers just as he proceeds to entertain another visitor. 

You both rush back to class 3-2, still in first place. Tanaka couldn’t believe how well it was going. He takes a quick glance of you behind him, trudging closely. “We can do this!” Tanaka assures you, dodging through the crowd. 

“Yeah!” You call out, a bit out of breath. 

You dart through the corridors until you make it past the classroom door. 

“We have a winner!” One of the students there announce, as you enter the room and cross the finish line.  

Tanaka faces you, his eyes full of excitement. 

“We did it!” He cheers.

“Yeah! Good job!” You say, pulling your hand out of his grip. 

Surprised by this, Tanaka looks down to his now empty hand, realizing that throughout the game, your hand had begun to feel so natural holding on to his. He rubbed his fingers together, before looking back up at you. 

“Yeah, you too,” he replies, his energy significantly dimmer. 

“May we please ask the winner to come forward to claim your prize?” the student continues. 

“Ah,” Tanaka begins, as he scratches his head, “I’ll go ahead and claim it.”

“Yeah, you go,” you agree, and he turns to follow the student away. Only now does he worry about how you felt holding his hand the whole time, if he ran too fast for you, and if you enjoyed yourself during the race. 

“Congratulations, Tanaka,” a voice says, causing Tanaka to snap out of his thoughts. 

“Uwa! Kiyoko-san!” Tanaka exclaims, now looking at the ever-beautiful Shimizu Kiyoko. 

“Here you go,” Shimizu says, handing something over to Tanaka, “You worked hard for them.” 

Tanaka looks down at the two aquarium tickets the both of you had just worked so hard for. 

“Thank you!” He yells out, causing the other students to jump a little. He then plunges into a deep bow. “Thank you so much!”  

“Um, Tanaka.”

He straightens back up immediately. “Yes!”

“Your partner is gone.”

“Huh?!” Tanaka swirls around to find that you missing from the spot he last saw you. He swiftly turns back to Kiyoko. “Where did she go?” 

“I think she went that way?” Shimizu says, pointing towards a certain direction.  

“Alright! Thank you!” Tanaka belts out as he darts out the door. He comes to a halt before crashing into the crowd of people walking along the corridors. He turns right to see you walking far ahead, and surges forward without a second thought. 

“___!” 

As you turn around to the sudden call, he takes you by the hand and pulls you toward him. He grips your hand, the comfort of your touch filling with him energy once again. 

“Come with me!” Tanaka cries out. 

“Again?!” You wail, indeed getting dragged by him again. 

Tanaka brings you to the side of the school, the atmosphere a bit quieter than the bustling festival happening inside. You both stand there, a bit out of breath. He lets go of your hand and turns around to face you, before bowing before you again. 

“It was a lie when I said that I asked you to join the race with me just because other girls wouldn’t,” Tanaka starts. “The truth is,” he pauses, bracing himself for what he was about to say, and how you might respond to it. “I really just wanted to participate in this race with you.” He looks up at you, trying his best hold his expression together. “I like you,” he declares. He looks straight at you, your eyes widening and your cheeks tinting pink. He immediately looks straight down, he could hear his heart beating, and feel his face burning up.  

“And so, I have another favor to ask from you.” Tanaka sheepishly holds out the aquarium tickets you had just won together towards you. “Would you please go out to the aquarium with me.”

He holds his breath, nervous for what could happen next. His mind bustles over how many ways this situation could go, and how he would respond to each one. It was silent for awhile. He then feels you pull one out his hand, and he looks up to see you smiling at him. 

“That’s not a favor anymore, Tanaka. That’s a date.” You let out a laugh. “Yes,” you reply. “I would love to go out with you.”

-

Tanaka lets out a loud battle cry in the solitude of his room, so blaring that he couldn’t hear the sound of his older sister stomping up the stairs and to his door. 

“Ryū! What the hell is going on?!” Saeko screams, barging into his quarters. 

“Nee-chan! I have a date!” Tanaka screams back. 

“Uwa!” She immediately runs towards him and squeezes him tight.  “My little brother’s got a date!”

Happy Birthday.

Since it's best boy™ Birthday, I've decided to write a little reader x Ryuji thing, I hope you all enjoy it!

This is my first fan-fiction ever, so bear with me ;A; any feedback is appreciated, criticism is also wanted!

7/3

Morning:

Surrounded by the darkness of your eyelids, you could faintly hear the sound of an alarm in the distance. Faint sunlight peeking through uncurtained window caressed your soft skin, a messy blanket half-covered your body as the mattress wrapped you in comfort. but slowly, the sound of the alarm was getting louder; like it was pulling you from the unconscious state you're in and into the waking life.

You could finally feel your eyes open internally, greeted by the red of your eyelids meeting against the sunshine, you slowly opened your eyes.

The ceiling was a bit cracked, you remember it leaking water whenever it rained. the trees outside reflected their shadows onto the room, giving a peaceful and gentle atmosphere in the room.

You reach out to your phone under the pillow and turn the alarm off. surprisingly, this is the first time in years you haven't pressed snooze. you slowly turn and sit on the edge of the bed, the creaking can be heard by the people outside. looking around you can spot a bookshelf in the distance filled with informative books you barely read, the owner of the apartment was happy enough to hand them to you. either that or he wanted to get rid of them. next to it lied a calendar and you could see the huge, red circle you outlined on today's date. a smile shined on your face as you stood up. stretching and yawning in the process.

You grabbed the Phone and opened the messenger; writing a short message and pressing send.

You: Up for a run in the early morning?

You lock the phone and throw it onto the bed next to you. to the room's left lied a blue door leading into a reasonably sized bathroom, the bathtub still had that red stain in it. it was faint, but you have no Idea where it came from. It didn't bother you much as much as it bothered other people.

Turning the hot and cold water at the same time; reaching an average temperature level. you took off your clothes and crossed your arms, waiting for the bathtub to fill up. anxiety and fear built inside you, the thought of his birthday sent a shiver down your spine. Grabbing one of the unused lush bombs in the worn-out basket, you threw it in the tub and jumped straight in.

The warm water surrounding your body, the soap touching your skin and the shampoo cleaning your hair wasn't enough to get you relaxed. Could the others prepare this well enough? Will Ryuji know? What would happen if he declined your offer? After realizing how long you've been in the shower, you quickly get up and drain the water.

grabbing the blue towel hanging on the edge of the sink, you wrapped your body with it as you dried your hair with a hair dryer. Making sure you look absolutely wonderful for the day ahead. Your closet was filled with unused clothes, but you've specifically saved one of them for this occasion.

Getting out of the shower, you saw no new notifications on the phone. You decided to go and check up on him directly. grabbing the apartment's key and locking it as you went outside.

Taking the train to his house, your phone vibrated. Informing you of the message you received from Ryuji.

Ryuji: It's not like you to ask for a run in the early morning.

You: You're coming or not?

Ryuji: Did I say I'm not?

Ryuji: I can't miss out on a run with my partner, can I?

Ryuji: Where you at right now?

You: Taking the train to your home.

Ryuji: For real?! Shit!

You: I'm almost there so get ready fast.

You give a faint smile and Lock the Phone, you arrive at the station; Getting off the train and taking a short walk to reach Ryuji's house. You knock at the door and he almost instantly opens the door up. Hair's a mess and the clothes are unadjusted like he just threw them on.

"Did I keep ya waiting?" He flashes his smirk.

"No, but you need some adjusting" You say teasingly, pinching the edge of his nose.

"So, where we runnin' today?"

"I was thinking Tama River." You propose the Idea.

"T-Tama River? Isn't that a bit far?"

"We've got nothing else to do, plus the scenery is nice there." You start moving and he tags along, you sigh in relief. he doesn't even realize today's his birthday.

After a long walk, you finally reach the starting point for the run. Tama River lies west of central Tokyo, Tama River Trail is a long and winding trail, roughly 50KM long. It was the perfect running place for enduring runners wanting a long course. You and Ryuji took a quick rest and drank a bottle of water to quench the thirst for the upcoming run.

You had begun your run, and Ryuju following after. The long and bumpy trail made it easy for the both of you to trip. The trees swayed in the wind and the river was far off in the distance.

Midway through the run, your ears were greeted by the rushing and gently overlapping sounds of the water. You spied a gem-blue stream It was seeping and dribbling as it swerved under the bridges of Tokyo. Chords of light shined from above, bathing its surface in gold. It was a sight to truly behold.

The scenery slowed you down, and once you realized it Ryuji was far ahead. catching up to him, you saw the shining golden hair under the bright sun; sweat dripping down his forehead and a frowny expression made its way towards his face. Regardless of the sweaty clothes that stuck to his body and highlighted his features, you couldn't help but smile and admire the beauty next to you. You felt grateful for the intimate relationship you two had shared and is still sharing.

After a long run, It was almost evening. You had worried the others didn't contact you. checking your phone regularly which also made Ryuji worry.

"Hey, you ok?" Ryuji said, lifting an eyebrow in question.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm ju-" your phone vibrates and cuts you off. you quickly check to see and it's the rest of the Phantom Thieves. You felt your heart drop in the moment when you read the message.

We're ready, take him to Leblanc.

You Locked the phone and hid it away, glaring at Ryuji as you said: "The others want us at Leblanc, They're saying it's urgent."

You grabbed Ryuji's sweaty hand and dragged him, not giving him the chance to speak.

Evening:

After a train ride to Yongen-Jaya and some distasteful looks from the adults, Leblanc was just a few steps away. You could feel your heart throbbing in against your chest, your body sweat like it never did before, a faint headache made it way into your head. The streets were dark, your eyes couldn't see anything except the possible outcomes for this reveal.

You slowed down, letting Ryuji enter before you. your breathing got heavy and your body turned hot.

When Ryuji opened the door, he heard it.

The sound of confetti poppers going off, the sounds of the lights turning on. and the sounds of his shouting friends.

You pushed the frozen Ryuji inside and followed after. The whole café was covered in birthday party decorations, the confetti hanged around the tables, the ceiling has been filled with balloons and a cake that says "Happy 17th Birthday Ryuji!" with four candles on top sat silently on the table.

The others pushed Ryuji into sitting, he was still shocked from the sudden event.

You sat right next to him, gesturing for him to make a wish and blow the candles. he silently closed his eyes, and after a few moments he blew the candles off. Sojiro handed the knife to Ryuji, a smile swept across everyone's faces as they watched him try and slice the cake.

When he finally sliced the first piece, everyone shouted and started clapping. He quickly dug into the slice of cake fiercely, leaving a lot of frosting all over his mouth.

You wrapped your arm around his head and gently brought him closer, you dropped your lips on his for a kiss, licking the frosting off his curvy lips and licking yours after.

He quickly snaked his hand around your waist and brought you closer, resting you on his lap as he went for another kiss, but this time it was deep.

The others were watching the moment of intimacy and affection. after you two broke free from each other, Makoto quickly mentioned the group picture.

The group practically jumped all around you two, as Makoto adjusted the Camera accordingly and sat the timer.

She quickly ran before the camera snapped, and immediately before the snap, Ryuji wrapped his arms around you and had you in a headlock position. The others shouted "Happy Birthday" as the camera snapped.

Creating one of the most beautiful memories he ever had in his life.

Whirlwind

(A fanfic where Laf is hurt. Requested by @the-first-refrain

 I think of being hurt in two ways: Physical pain like being shot and emotional/psychological pain like heartbreak, death in the family etc. So buckle up and prepare yourselves.  

NOTE: This takes place leading up to Lauren’s Interlude  meaning during the French Revolution and of course after John dies. 

Also take note there is hints of Laferson but it is not serious. 

Ships are Lams (platonic), Mulette, Hamliza and Jeffmads.

They will switch back and forth between English and French and the translations are in parenthesis. Lots of swearing and slight OOC for several characters I guess?)

Let’s begin.

Lafayette knew it began shortly after he returned to France with the story of America’s success of defeating the British and gaining their freedom; he supposed Jefferson leaving promptly after drafting a declaration was another hint.  French peasants flocked to the bars talking about revolting. “If the Americans can do it so can we! Down with the king!” “No more tyranny!” “We will not be oppressed again!” Lafayette smiled at first and said he’d talk to Jefferson who’d written the American Declaration of Independence to write one for them. So he did. “Come on in I figured I’d be meeting you eventually.” Thomas said letting the revolutionary into his flat. “Very nice place you ‘ave here.” Laf said awkwardly. “None of this awkward shit. You want a declaration? Let’s write one.” Thomas said handing Laf a glass of red wine. two hours and a bottle of wine later it was half done. “Let’s take a break and eat hm?” Laf nodded stretching his back. “You know this will end badly…you have no force to fight the king.” Laf wasn’t offended, “Oui” “Then why bother? You have a death wish?” Thomas asked leaning back in his chair. “Non…I want the people to feel empowered.” Lafayette replied swirling his wine slowly. “Fair enough. If it goes to hell you could always return to the states with me?” “Oho that sounds like an invitation for intimacy.” Thomas blushed, “We j-just met!” he spluttered. Lafayette laughed, “What’s so funny!” Thomas hissed his face red. “I apologize I should not ‘ave teased you.” Lay said between laughs. Thomas huffed trying his best not to smile. “I should go home though.” Laf said quietly. Thomas stops him, “It’s late and we’re both drunk. You might as well stay the night. I have a guest room you can sleep in.” Laf smiled, “But I’ll be lonely~” Thomas turned scarlet once again, “Sweet Jesus  we just met damn it!!” He yelled but he was smiling. So began a close friendship that would lead to the first real pain Laf had felt since he left America in 1781. 

Three months had passed since he met Thomas and he felt like he’d gained a twin. They often dressed similar to confuse people. Fake Lafayette as Thomas was known as. “Which one is the REAL one?!” Micheal shouted as they sat in a bar. “I am.” They both replied causing more confusion. “MON DIEU!” Micheal yelled tipping his drink over causing the bar to erupt with laughter. “Okay okay Mike I am the real Gilbert.” Micheal stared at him in drunken stupor. “Gil?” Thomas bit back a laugh, “Oui mon ami.” Laf was struggling hard not to fall out of his chair. “Why do you do this to me?” Micheal slurred. “I have a look alike it seemed appropriate?” Thomas replied. “I’d probably do it to me too…” Micheal slurred slapping money on the counter before stumbling outside. “Oh my GOD!” Laf fell out of his chair in hysterics. “He is gonna be pissed when he figures out I lied.” Thomas chuckled paying the tab as the two walked outside. Two weeks later the declaration was finished and the duo watched in horror as the revolt began. Blood in the gutters, beheading…Laf felt sick. “This is not what I had in mind…at ALL.” he walked to Thomas’s flat to find it empty and a note, I’m heading home to Virginia. My invitation still stands. I’m sorry I can’t stay here and watch them behead children… -Thomas Laf felt like he’d been shot…his friend was leaving him to deal with the crazed people alone?! he ran to the dock seeing the ship calling for the final boarding. “Come on Gilbert it’s gone to hell!” Thomas shouted from the deck. Gilbert tried to get onto the ship but the plank was pulled from under him sending him into the water, “French scum stays in France, we don’t need another war!” The American deck hand shouted. Gilbert broke the surface coughing watching the ship pull away. “I’ll get the president to send aid!” Thomas shouted. “I’m sorry!” Gilbert was left alone to climb out of the frigid water watching the ship shrink on the horizon. Three weeks after Thomas left the king was beheaded. 

Lafayette was hiding from the soldiers and rebelling peasants. He limped hissing when he fell on his injured leg. He’d been stabbed in the leg thankful it was a shallowly wound but he had no time to properly treat it. “Dieu ça fait mal comme l'enfer…” (God this hurts like hell) Laf hissed as he limped away from Micheal. “Reviens-toi et te combattes-tu lâche!” (Come back and fight you coward!) The popper shouted chasing after Lafayette who swore in French, “Merde!” he limped toward an untouched building slipping inside and locking the door. He immediately slid to the floor his injured leg throbbing. He trembled pressing his hands over the wound to slow the bleeding tears forming in his eyes. “M-merde…” Laf sighed shakily; he grabbed towel and tied it around the cut limping to find the medicine cabinet in the house. Upon finding it he realized…this was Thomas’s flat. Tears slipped down his cheeks as he washed out his cut and treated it. Once his leg was tended to he slide down against the wall crying into his knees. “Pourquoi tu m'as laissé Thomas …?” (Why did you leave me Thomas?) Lafayette flinched hearing gunfire outside and shouting of both soldiers and civilians. He curled up into a tighter ball ignoring the pain it caused him. This was not America where he had confidence to fight tyranny. The king is dead. The soldiers and civilians are killing each other in brutal ways. They need help. Laf crawled to the bedroom and curled up on the cot scrunching into the corner. “J'ai peur … s'il vous plaît … dépêchez-vous et envoyez de l'aide …” ( I’m afraid … please … hurry and send some help …)

In America Thomas was livid at Washington so easily taking Hamilton’s side leaving France to suffer the failing revolution alone. “Did you forget Lafayette?!” he spat at Hamilton. “What?” Hamilton asked rubbing his temples tiredly. “I mean you accumulate debt and power but when France needs us you just leave them to suffer?!” Thomas stepped close to Hamilton towering over the smaller man. “Like Washington said the people are rebelling. We had a plan. The French did not! Their king is dead Thomas. Lafayette is smart he’ll be fine and before he was your friend he was mine.” Thomas quite literally picked up Hamilton and said, “And what if he dies huh? What then smart ass? He’s still your friend! He needs your help! You think anyone is gonna give a rat’s ass about his status? They’d sooner kill him.” Hamilton paled at the thought but stood his ground, “I can’t disobey a direct order from Washington.” Thomas glared shaking him, “So what our friend dies in the riots?!” Hamilton struggled a bit frightened. “I can’t do anything! I have to write the bill….” Thomas threw him down towering over him once again, “You are a horrible friend to him then. France helped us and we promised them aid yet you’d rather hide like a coward and watch your  friend die?!” Hamilton trembled frightened, “Please stop T-Thomas…” His voice cracked in fear. “You have damned your friend, congratulations.” Thomas spat spinning on his heel leaving Hamilton there trembling not seeing the tears in his eyes. 

Thomas walked into the office he and Madison shared plopping behind his desk with a shaky sigh. “T-Thomas?” Madison said quietly. “I have to tell Lafayette he’s on his own. I really don’t want to do that James…” Thomas put his head in his hands staring at Lafayette’s letter which has both tear and blood stains on the parchment. The jumbled French begged for aid and expressed fear. “J'ai peur … s'il vous plaît envoyez de l'aide Thomas … c'est parti en enfer” (I’m scared…please send help Thomas…it’s gone to hell). Thomas carefully set the letter aside feeling tears burn in his eyes realizing that no amount of verbal abuse can change what Hamilton has to do. A knock came on the door leaving James to look at Thomas who nodded, “Come in…” James called coughing after.  The door opened… speak of the devil. Hamilton looked a mess his face tear stained and eyes full of distress. “S-Sir…” He stammered. “Sit down” Thomas sighed. “I d-don’t like it either!” Hamilton said a few fresh tears escaping down his cheeks. “I…I’ve damned our friend….” Thomas felt bad having been so harsh seeing Hamilton so upset. “I wanted Washington to help..I…made it worse instead..” Hamilton gave a soft sob. “Me and my big mouth…” Thomas stood and walked around his desk to Hamilton his political enemy  crouching to his level. He didn’t give a damn if James saw or Burr walked in; he wrapped his arms around Hamilton pulling him into a hug. The young man flinched startled at the out of character gesture but quickly relaxed into it crying softly into Thomas’s shoulder. Thomas rubbed his back trying to calm him down so they could talk; James came over and awkwardly patted Hamilton’s arm not sure what to do. Thomas was crying too not wanting to cause Lafayette more pain. 

Hamilton settled down after ten minutes of soft sobs; he settled on the small couch Thomas sitting beside him, “We’re both a  mess aren’t we?” Hamilton rubs the tears from his cheeks with his handkerchief.  “I s-suppose we are…” He agreed Thomas finding his stutter strange. “I don’t want to break my word either…I promised him we’d be there for him at Yorktown…” Thomas raised a brow, “That long ago? Jesus we’re both fucked…” Hamilton nods rubbing away the fresh tears as they fell. “There is no way out of neutrality is there?” James asked. “No…Washington expects the statement by Monday morning…” Hamilton replied his voice full of guilt and sorrow. Thomas sighed shakily, “I should probably reply to Lafayette then…” Hamilton nods sadly getting up, “S-sorry…” He bowed his head and left the office tears dripping off his chin. Thomas sat back down and wrote a response to Lafayette sending it off the same day. 

 I regret to inform you that the president has decided to remain neutral in this affair. No aid will be coming from my side of the sea.. you are on your own despite the promise of aid in Yorktown. I did everything I could but nothing swayed Washington’s decision not even Alexander himself. We both tried to convince him to allow us to come and rescue you but he stated that we are forbidden from doing so as members of his cabinet. I…I am in tears writing this Gilbert…I didn’t want to write this…please stay alive…please stay strong…we all miss you…please make it to the next boat out…I’m so sorry Gilbert.. -Yours Thomas Jefferson Lafayette saw the obvious tear stains on the parchment and let loose a sob as those words echoed in his head;  America had broken their word to help France yet he couldn’t be angry at Alexander and Thomas. He could see how upset the decision made them; Alex’s letter was even harder to read due to the smudged ink caused by Alexander’s tears. It was many apologies and regret and sorrow. The letters fell from his grasp onto the floor as he cried his heart breaking. No one was coming to save him; he was completely on his own against the masses. he lay there on the floor wrapped in the sheets his leg throbbing adding more pain to the whirlwind of emotions he’s feeling. Betrayal, terror, pain, sorrow, regret…the list went on. Each gunshot made his heart skip a beat and with each bang on the door his heart nearly stopped. He barely moved unless he needed to eat or change the dressing on his wound. 

Back across the sea both Thomas and Alexander were stressed to the highest degree having heard nothing since they replied to Lafayette. The two sat in Jefferson’s office Hamilton watching Thomas pace in a frantic state. “I can’t stand this!” Thomas cried exasperated and stressed. “We need to tell Hercules…” Alexander said quietly. “What?’ Thomas asked ceasing his pacing for but a moment. “I said we need to tell Hercules. John is in South Carolina or I’d send him after Laf.” Thomas looked perplexed. “But why Mulligan?” Alexander’s cheeks colored and he looked shocked, “Laf never told you?” “No?” Thomas replied so Alexander leaned up and whispered the truth in his ear, “Whaaaaat? I never would have guessed-” Alexander chuckled, “No one guessed that ils sont amoureux.” (they are in love)  At that moment Madison walked into the office fresh from a meeting looking stressed as the duo still felt despite the topic change. He coughed a bit rubbing his temples a frown marring his features. “Embrasse-le Thomas.” (Kiss him Thomas). Thomas blinked, “Embrasse-le, comment savez-vous?” (Kiss him-how did you know?!). Thomas replied. Alex smiled, “Vous vous inquiétez toujours de lui plus que tout le monde. Je pourrais vous avoir vu deux personnes endormies sur le canapé quand j'ai déposé des documents la semaine dernière. Je vous ai couvert avec une couverture.” (You always worry about him more than anyone else. I may have seen you two asleep on the couch when I dropped off documents last week. I covered you with a  blanket). Thomas sighed running his fingers through his thick curls a blush on his cheeks looking back at Alexander, “Mais pourquoi l'embrasser?” (But why kiss him?) Alexander smiled, “Eliza does that when I get stressed. I immediately forget my troubles.” Thomas looked at Madison who looked very unhappy his shoulders tense. “Ah what the hell.” Thomas walked over to James who looked up glancing at Hamilton who gave a slight nod, “Thomas?” James asked covering his mouth as another cough escaped him. Thomas pulled James closer causing the smaller man to blush, “E-er?” he squeaked. “Shush” Thomas pressed his lips to his boyfriend’s feeling him relax in his grip. he pulled away, “T-Thomas!” James squeaked his face scarlet. “Hush” Thomas led James to the couch and they sat down. “So we get Mulligan and?” he asks wrapping his arm around James who hid his red face in Thomas’s coat.”Then all hell breaks loose. Hercules is extremely protective of Laf and when he hears that we received no reply…well…you can imagine.” Thomas shuddered having heard stories about Mulligan’s fighting tactics. 

They agreed to get Mulligan and returned to idle chit chat, “So aside from that kiss it’s obvious?” Alex nods. “I have no issue with homosexuality if you two are happy gender be damned.” James blinked, “You told him to kiss me though?” he asked his cheeks still rosy. “It works to calm me down I figured it might be worth a try?” Alex chuckled. James snuggled closer to Thomas and smiles shyly. “It does work.” he admits. Alexander sat up straight looking at the door, “Someone is coming.” James moved away from Thomas as Burr walked in. “By all means carry on cuddling I couldn’t care less.” Burr waved his hand. “I am assuming you told Thomas to get Mulligan Alexander?” Alexander nods. “Bout time you did.” Alex rolled his eyes at Burr who smiled returning said gesture. “Why do we all hate each other in Congress again?” James said. “Because politics.” Alexander replied. Everyone began to laugh because it was true. “I’ll tell Hercules after the meeting in which we all must hate each other again.” Alexander said still chuckling. “Fuck you  politics.” Thomas laughed. James gave soft chuckles as well and they agreed to not kill each other outside the meetings not that it was hard choice. “See you in the meeting.” Alexander said standing up. “Indeed” James said. “Fight me Hamilton.” Thomas replied. “Gladly” Hamilton retorted before leaving the office.

Needless to say Hercules reacted the way Alexander knew he would; he was upset and his over protective mode kicked in. “I’ll bring him back Alex. You can count on me!” Alex smiled, “I know I can. God speed.” Hercules nods and boarded the ship to France. “I’m coming Laf.” he murmured as the ship sailed from New York.  In Thomas’s flat Laf was running out of food and medical supplies. His sheet was being used for bandages. His voice was practically gone and his hair was a tangled mess. Moving hurt after an explosion threw him against the wall so he cried feeling abandoned. Another two weeks passed in this matter and Laf had given up hope ready to embrace death; at least he’d die in the quiet of his friend’s flat. Suddenly a heavy force hit the locked door of the flat making Laf’s heart leap into his throat a whimper escaping him. “Damn lock…” A gruff voice hissed before the same force hit the door again and again. “Fuck this.” BANG! The gunshot echoed in Laf’s ears along with the lock hitting the ground. Footsteps approached the room leaving Laf to curl into a ball whimpering in pain trying to hide. “Laf? Laf- oh sweet JESUS!” Hercules Mulligan gasped in horror at the bad shape his lover is in. He carefully walked to Laf who curled up further into the corner whimpering. “Gilbert it’s me…the demidork.” Laf blinked daring to turn his head; immediately his eyes widened seeing his lover. “H-herc…” He wheezed. “I’m here amour shhh.” Hercules picked him up careful of his leg and carried him from the house avoiding the angry soldiers and people. “It went to hell all right…” He mumbled holding his lover close to his chest and running for the ship that was due to leave in an hour not daring to stay longer. Laf blacked out half way there breathing shallowly. 

When he woke he was in Hercules’s arms a cool cloth on his head and he hurt all over. “H-Herc?” He said weakly gripping his lover’s sleeve to get his attention. Herc looked down at him, “How do you feel?” he asked him. “Everything hurts.” Laf moaned softly. “You were thrown against a wall.” Hercules dead panned before placing a kiss on his head, “But I’m glad you’re okay…if…anything happened to you I’d…” Hercules choked up tears rolling down his cheeks; Laf reached up and shakily wiped them away. “Don’t cry I’m right here.” Hercules nuzzled into his hand wrapping his larger one around his lover’s. “Y-you know I’m a sap.” Laf laughed weakly the sound foreign to his own ears, “I know and I love it.” Herc gave him a gently kiss snuggling contentedly with his injured lover.   Laf sighed softly leaning against his chest noticing his hair was no long tangled. “Many combs died.” Herc said dramatically drawing another raspy laugh from his lover. “I expected no less.” Herc smiled and kissed him again pulling away and running his finger through Laf’s curly hair. “Mmm” Laf hummed soothed by the gesture closing his eyes. Hercules covered them both with the quilt he’d packed. He closed his eyes soothed by the rocking of the ship falling asleep quickly. They’d be home in a week and then they could all grab a drink with John and hear his story of how he recruited the first black regiment from his home state of South Carolina. Little did the two know that the pain awaiting them when they returned. 

A week later the ship docked in New York City jostling Hercules awake; Laf was still asleep so Herc stood up shouldering his bag before picking up his lover. he walked off the ship into the streets Laf in his arms. Most people were against a same-sex relationship but did nothing to stop Herc from being with Laf; the support of his friends was all that mattered to Hercules anyway. Half way to Hamilton’s home Laf woke up, “Have you been carrying me since we arrived?” He asked his face turning red. “You needed to sleep.” Hercules kissed his head putting the Frenchman down. “Let’s go hear the story of John making history eh?” Laf nodded and they continued to walk Laf having a slight limp. When they arrived to Hamilton’s  home Herc knocked on the door. After a moment shuffling was heard and the door opened revealing Philip Alex’s son. Instead of being excited the child looked sad; he opened the door for them to come in calling for his mother. The duo walked inside seeing Angelica who walked to Laf hugging him, “Thank god.” He hugged back and Herc jokingly said, “Your welcome.” Angelica for once didn’t smile at the joke; Eliza came in her face tear stained but hugged them both. “Has Burr done something?” Lafayette asked being out of touch with what happened while he was trapped in France. “He became a senator.” Philip said quietly gripping his mother’s hand looking ready to cry. “Mamma I’m going to find Theo…” Pip said and Eliza nods letting him go. Pip left the room tears starting to slide down his cheeks. 

“I’ll go get Alexander.” Eliza excused herself and went upstairs as Burr walked in his own cheeks wet from tears. “Now I’m worried…what happened while we were at sea?” Lafayette asked sitting down to rest his still healing leg. “Where’s John?” No one said a word but tears fell silently down their faces.When the remaining couple came downstairs they decided Alexander looked the worse of all his hair frizzy, beard unshaven and his face tear stained. “Seriously what the heck happened? Why is everyone upset?” Hercules asked confused. Eliza said nothing but handed the couple a letter pressing her face in her husband’s shoulder giving soft sobs. Alexander rubbed her shoulders crying himself. “I’ll go find the kids…” Burr walked back  in the direction Philip had gone covering his mouth as tears went down his cheeks. The two stared at the fact that the letter was from John’s father Henry Laurens; Hercules carefully unfolded the letter reading it silently hearing Angelica give a soft sob. 

“On Tuesday the 27th, my son was killed in a gunfight against British troops retreating from South Carolina. The war was already over. As you know, John dreamed of emancipating and recruiting 3000 men for the first all-black military regiment His dream of freedom for these men dies with him.”

The paper fell from his grasp landing on the floor his eyes wide with shock; John was…he was..! “No…” he whispered. “He can’t be…” They all nodded quietly Eliza trembling in her husband’s arms. “The funeral is in two weeks.” Angelica said before wrapping them both in a hug, “I was so scared we’d have to bury another friend.” Laf hugged her back feeling her crying into his shoulder. “Non..Hercules found me…” Here nodded hugging her as well feeling tears burning in his eyes; he saved his love and returns to find his friend was wrongly killed. Laf started to cry as well; it seemed there was no end to the whirlwind of pain. He was saved from one painful situation only to be thrust into another; it was too much for his poor heart. Burr came back with the children who were still crying holding hands and it was normally the cutest thing but now it was painful. The children climbed onto the chair hugging Hercules who hugged them back crying himself. “He was so young…” Laf sniffled. After another hour Eliza and Angelia made supper which was a silent affair; after supper Burr left with Theodosia. Alexander invited the returned couple a place to stay till the funeral which the graciously accepted; two weeks later they stood in Mercy-View Cemetary crying as the priest said his blessings and prayers for the deceased.  They all placed flowers around John each having a separate meaning. Roses for courage and passion, Peony for nobility and value, Water Lilies for majesty, Dalia for his proud love for his dreams that held no compromise and daisies for his pure soul. The coffin was closed and slowly descended into the ground a few more flowers thrown into the grave before A few men began to shovel dirt over it. They left once the stone was placed; the men went to get  drink but ended up crying because….without John it felt empty. Here with a shaking voice said :Raise a g-glass to freedom?” The others raised their glasses along with the bartender who had been good friends with John. “Tomorrow there will be more of us…” Alexander added and they took the shorts. “he never did finish three pints…” They all laughed sadly but it was a fond memeory. Burr spoke up, “He would not want us to mourn…” “No that he would not…” Lafayette agreed. “So let’s celebrate the life of John Laurens and the good times we shared!” So they did each man attempting to frown three pints in his honor and boy did they fail miserably having little tolerance for alcohol . In the end while it hurt to lose a friend they all knew that he was smiling down on them. 

Lafayette was the last out of the bar and as he left he heard a whisper, “Raise a glass to freedom? You guys were always light weights.” He turned to see his friend shaking his head laughing, “J-John?” He whispered nearly eyed, “Aw come one Laf don’t cry…” John hugged him his ghostly hands feeling oddly warm, “You’re not drunk enough to imagine me I’m sorta here..” Laf was crying but hugged back, “Live for me will you? See that they abolish slavery?” Laf nodded. “Hey who knows I might be reborn?” Laf smiled, “As a shot glass?” John gave a hearty laugh, “Pffft as if Laf!” “I’ll see you on the other side? Just do me a favor and take your time.” Laf nodded and despite John being gone… it would be enough. 

“To Us”: Septiishu Mini fic

I don’t know why I did this... but it’s cute so I don’t need a reason XD plenty of fluff to be had here! I hope you like it! :D

We slowly strolled along the beach, hand in hand, listening to the sound of the waves gently crashing. We stopped still at the perfect spot to gaze at the beautiful moonlight above the sparkling ocean, cuddling to keep each other warm. I felt that Signe was shivering a little.

“Do ya want my jacket?” I asked her, gently rubbing her shoulder.

“No, I’m alright,” she answered, her voice shaking along with her body. “Don’t want you to get cold.”

“Don’t worry about me,” I chuckled as I took my jacket off. I put it on for her, before putting my arm back around her.

“You’re so sweet, babe, you know that?” she smiled, looking into my eyes. Her happiness spread to my face as I gazed at her.

“Thank you, Woosher,” I replied cheerfully. I kissed her, before we looked back at the moonlight. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” I continued with a bit of a sigh, mesmerised.

“Yep,” she agreed happily.

“D’ya know what else is beautiful?” I hinted.

“I don’t know, what?” she asked, intrigued. I held her hands, looking into her stunning eyes again.

“You, of course,” I answered her, like I’d just fallen in love with her for the first time all over again. “You’re even more beautiful.”

“Aww, babe!” she reacted joyfully.

“It’s true, Wiish!” I said, smiling at her. “You’re absolutely gorgeous.”

“No I’m not,” she replied modestly.

“Don’t you dare deny it again,” I joked.

“But I’m not, though,” she laughed. I bent down and picked up some sand, smirking. “What are you doing?” she asked confusedly as I rose to my feet. I threw the sand at her, before laughing my head off like a kid. “Seán, you doof!” She grabbed some sand and tossed it in my direction, but I knew it was coming so I jumped out of the way.

“Ya missed,” I said kiddingly. I threw some at her again, but she ducked, getting some sand at the same time. “Don’t you dare,” I laughed.

“I won’t throw it, I promise. I just wanted to hold some,” she replied. “Hey, isn’t that Mark behind you?” I turned around. Thud! Sand hit my back, and Signe giggled. “Haha, you fell for it!”

“I’m gonna get you, Woosher!” I said playfully.

“Come on, then!” she teased in reply. At that, we had a sand fight, squealing and laughing like a couple of big kids. We even ended up running around, chasing each other. We flopped on the sand when we got tired, breathing heavily but still laughing. I looked at her, smiling fondly. She turned her head and her eyes met mine, at a smile formed on her beautiful face, too.

“That was fun,” I stated contently, gasping a little.

“Yeah,” she concurred, “It sure was.” There was a pause.

“Hey, Wiish. Guess what,” I said, trying not to laugh.

“What?” she replied.

“Come here.” She moved closer and cuddled up to me but then, unexpectedly to her, I put sand in her hair.

“Seán!” she cried out, irritated yet amused.

“Haha, you fell for it,” I echoed her.

“You are gonna get it now, Mr Mcloughlin,” she teased.

“Oh, am I?” I answered flirtatiously. “What are you gonna do to me, ya tiny anger ball?”

“I didn’t mean like that, lover boy,” she giggled.

“Aw,” I replied childishly. “What did you mean then?”

“This,” she said, before rubbing sand in my green locks.

“Hey, ya copycat!” I laughed.

“Would you rather I put sand on your face?” she suggested jokingly.

“Don’t you dare!” I yelled amusedly, jumping to my feet. “You’ll have to catch me first!” I ran off towards the water and I heard her chasing after me, both of us laughing again. We were having so much fun it was almost criminal. I kept running until I was ankle deep in the sea. We were both pretty out of breath by then.

“You can stop now,” Signe panted. “I won’t throw anymore sand at you,” she added.

“Good,” I chuckled. Splash! “Hey!”

“I never said I wouldn’t do that, though,” she said playfully. I immediately splashed her back and she squealed. We flicked and kicked water at each other, even when we were both completely soaked. We only gave up on it when we exhausted ourselves. We embraced each other contently.  

“I think that’ll do now,” I said as I placed my hand on her head gently.

“Yeah,” she sighed happily. “I’m tired now.”

“Me too,” I agreed, “But it was worth it.” I kissed her head. “At least I didn’t lose what I have in my pocket.” She slowly let go of me, looking into my eyes.

“What’s in your pocket?” she enquired, intrigued.

“You’re about to find out,” I replied, beginning to get excited, “Close your eyes.”

“Why?” she asked.

“Just do it, Woosher,” I laughed.

“Alright, alright,” she responded with a smile, before shutting her eyes tight. I took the box out of my pocket, inhaled deeply, and exhaled a little nervously. I knelt down in front of her. “Open your eyes, Wiish.”  She opened her eyes and gasped immediately, covering her mouth and welling up. “Signe… You mean everything to me. You’re my world. I love ya to bits. You make me so happy.” I paused. “What I’m trying to say is…” I continued, stammering. “I wanna spend the rest of my life with you, Signe. I wanna grow old with you and no-one else. So… Signe Hansen… Will you marry me?” She was stunned for a few moments.

“Yes,” she wept, overwhelmed with happiness. “Yes, of course I will!” I stood and we threw our arms around each other tightly, overjoyed. “Oh, Seán, I love you! I love you so much!”

“I love you too, my beautiful future wife,” I replied brightly with tears in my eyes, before we shared a long, tender kiss. I could feel her smiling as we kissed, and I was on top of the world. I felt invincible. I cupped her face while I kissed her, and my hands stayed there even when we slowly broke away. I caressed her cheek, which was still flooded with joyful tears.

“I really love you…” she cried elatedly.

“I really love you too,” I echoed happily. I kissed her forehead, before gently holding her hands.

“I love you so much…” she repeated through happy tears.

“D’awww,” I responded with a smile. I kissed her hand. “I love ya more, Woosher.”

“I love you even more, you romantic potato,” she laughed, more tears of joy falling from her eyes.

“And I love ya even more, little lady,” I replied fondly.

“I love you most, you beautiful green bean,” she giggled, playful yet sincere. We shared another loving kiss. I then took the ring out of the box and slid it onto her finger. She gazed at it in admiration, before looking at me with nothing but love in her eyes. “It’s beautiful,” she told me gratefully.

“A beautiful ring for my beautiful wife-to-be,” I stated proudly.

“Seán, you are so darn sweet,” she said adoringly. I smiled at her modestly.

“Come on, future Mrs Mcloughlin. We should get back to the hotel.” We kissed, before beginning to walk hand-in-hand again. “Hopefully we will have dried off a bit by the time we get there,” I joked.

“Yeah, hopefully,” she laughed in reply. It was a bit of a walk, so there was time for us to dry off a little, but it was still obvious that we had been in the water by the time we reached the hotel. But neither of us cared. We were on cloud nine and nothing could bring us down - and it was about to get even better. We entered the hotel. and went up to our room. We opened the door.

“Surprise!” Everyone chimed at the same time, party poppers firing simultaneously. We were pleasantly taken aback as we saw our close friends all together.

“Did you know about this?” Signe asked me excitedly.

“Does it look like I knew?” I answered playfully in joyful shock.

“We knew she’d say yes,” Mark told me cheerfully.

“We’re happy for you,” Felix added with a smile.

“Aw, thanks, guys!” I responded brightly.

“You’re such a cute couple!” Marzia said excitedly.

“Almost as cute as me and Mark,” Amy joked.

“No-one is as cute as us,” Mark agreed kiddingly.

“You wish,” I laughed, looking at Signe.

“I hope you got champagne,” Signe said to them. Mark opened the mini-fridge and took out a bottle - lo and behold, champagne.

“We brought glasses too,” Felix informed us.

“We figured you wouldn’t have enough for all of us,” Mark added, chuckling. He got out the glasses and began to pour us all a drink each.

“It’s a good job we got a large a room,” I said to Signe.

“Yeah, it is,” she laughed. I realised then that my cheeks were beginning to ache from smiling, but the pain didn’t even bother me. It was the best pain in the world, and it certainly didn’t stop me from smiling. I’d never felt happier in my life. Me and Signe looked at each other and gazed into each other’s eyes. ‘I am the luckiest guy in the world’, I thought as I looked at her. It was like we’d just met yet known each other our whole lives. I loved her as much as I’ve ever loved her, if not more. She was my best friend, and I knew I could never live without her. I’d obviously got completely lost in her eyes as I was a little startled by the sound of someone tapping on their glass.

“I think it’s time for a toast,” Mark stated, smiling. “To the happy couple. One of my best friends, and his lovely future wife. To Seán and Signe.”

“Sean and Signe,” everyone else simultaneously echoed, clinking glasses. Signe and I looked at each other again.

“To us,” I said adoringly.

“To us,” she repeated happily. Our glasses gently tapped against each other and we took a sip, not taking our happy eyes off each other. I couldn’t help but kiss her because I just loved her so much. If I felt this happy then, I couldn’t imagine how elated I would feel when we actually married. I already felt like the joy was going to make my heart explode. And that’s saying something as I’m so naturally happy and positive. I couldn’t wait to tell our subscribers about this. I knew that everyone would be so excited, particularly the Septiishu shippers! Signe and I took a selfie together, holding our glasses - Signe deliberately made sure that her ring was in shot. I posted the picture to my Instagram and wrote, with smiley emojis and hearts, this caption: “To Us”.

Opening Up

Kota: had made breakfast and immediately texted Clare letting her know he was awake. He smiled seeing that she texted back and decided to pick her up since Yohio was at the office already. Once he picked up Clare he drove her back to his house. "Sorry, I need some things and Emi is still sleeping, I don't want her to think I left her." He said knowing she normally didn't sleep this late, it was already 11am. When they got back to his house. Kota looked at Clare. "I can't leave again until Emi wakes up." He sighed. "And I have to help with dishes, but after that we can leave. It was easier for me to get you first and I wanted to see you." He admitted and walked inside. Genre immediately pulled him to the kitchen as they started to do dishes in an assembly line together and play around. "They're always like that. Kota doesn't know, but they have an unbreakable bond. He'll always be her favorite because in our eyes she saved him, but we don't know what she saved him from." Dom said motioning between the two as they worked and splashed each other a little. "When we were 10 a few months after our dad died, Kota went from going outside everyday to being a recluse in the blink of an eye. He stopped going to school, stopped tutoring, and stopped leaving his room for unnecessary reasons. He even locked the door if he went to the bathroom so we couldn't sneak in. Ash and I sat outside his door for a bit talking waiting for him to open it, but after fifteen or so minutes we gave up. Mom would leave a plate of food for him in front of his door and after we finished there was just an empty plate by his door. I kept banging on his door wanting to know what was going on, but when he opened the door, his eyes were empty and frightfully cold. He looked like someone crushed his hopes and dreams and I was pretty sure that's what happened. Genre came by and sat outside of Kota's door talking to him, but when we'd go into her view she resorted to knocking. After fifteen minutes, I checked on her and she was still there. Twenty minutes, she was still there, even after an hour. She just didn't move then after an hour and a half I was going to talk to her and comfort her about him not opening his door, but she was gone. We checked the house, Kota's room was still locked and then we hear that she's in his room and they were both sleeping. After that she refused to leave his room aside from going to the bathroom. Two plates were placed in front of his room for meals rather than one and when Ash and I tried to lock ourselves in our room like that, we got in trouble. We wanted to prank Kota so he'd talk to us or get mad at us or have some reaction, we got a bucket of water and Kelly said if we throw that on Kota she will beat us till we were black and blue, we of course told mom and we were told if we mess with Kota we will be Kelly's slaves for however long she sees fit so we left him alone. When school came, Genre went with us and got Kota's make up work for him. That went on for a while, then one day when we got home, Kota was sitting at the table. We were told not to get too excited or bother him. I of course asked why he was locking himself in his room and Genre started beating me with a text book, she even chased me and started throwing her books at me rather hard until I locked myself in my room. I was grounded for two days on top of that. Soon Kota started to liven up and Genre went home when he started to go back to school. She doesn't know what happened to him other than he was really sad, had nightmares where he'd wake up crying in a cold sweat, and she'd often hold him as he'd cry telling him she's not leaving and comfort him. The only ones who know what he went through are mom and Kelly, but they won't tell us since it's not their place and Genre threatened to torture us if we ask Kota and we don't want that. I got a guy to kiss Kota and Genre stalked me for a week in the creepiest way. I'd get little notes in my bag with cut out letters counting down my death and mom and Kelly would tell me there was nothing to worry about. On the last day I went to shower and someone picked the lock, I hard a dark grown male voice ask if I was ready to die, then party poppers went off and I screamed. Genre got even." Dom explained. "Clare and I will be back later or I will. Emi is all set." Kota yelled and walked to where she and Dom were sitting, his outfit consisting of a clean pair of blue jeans and a MB shirt. He opened both the house and car door for Clare so she didn't have to. When he started to drive, he glanced at her. "I know someone probably told you I became a recluse/hermit when I was little." He explained as he drove. "We'll get to that. I went out a lot when I was little. Kelly often took me to the park when Dom was busy, I made a friend there. We were 4 when we met, she lived close by, but never came over. Kelly started taking me to her house and we became best friends. She was in the same elementary school, but different class so we only saw each other during recess and Dom had his own friends so we didn't hang out with him. During summer when Dom hung out with his friends I hung out with mine and made her part of it. In middle school my other friends moved while she stayed and was in a different class, but we had lunch together while Genre isolated herself for unnecessary reasons. Her name was Makayla and we became attached at the hip, doing everything together." He pulled over. "I'd go over to her house and we'd watch movies, have popcorn fights, do homework together. We even went to our first dance together though we skipped after ten minutes because we got bored and went back to her house. She could tell Dom and I apart just by looking, we even wore the same outfit to school to confuse our friends, but she knew the difference. Her dad died when she was 7, her younger sister was a year old. I went to the funeral with her, we held hands the entire time and I stayed with them until they got better. When my dad died, she did the same. She helped me by talking to me and got my mom to drop me off at her place so I didn't have to go to stay home with Kelly and my brothers. At that time I didn't think she'd ever leave my side. I didn't think she would do something so stupid. I had gotten sick with the flu a few weeks later and talked to her on the phone. I told her I couldn't wait to see her and hear her stories, it was snowing pretty hard when she hung up. I just remember waking up to mom yelling orders as Kelly bundled me up. I thought my fever was getting too high as mom rushed me out, buckled me in the car, and sped off. We got to the hospital and mom told me not to be scared as we got out of the car, she lead me to a closed door with Ms. Jefferies in front of it and I was given a hospital mask to put on since I was sick. Makayla wanted to surprise me so she snuck outside and got me a get well card. On her way home she was hit by a drunk driver. She was in a coma, I stayed by her side for three days as I got better with help from nurses and she woke up." he said and drove to a house seconds away. "Makayla stole my first kiss when she woke up and-" he was interrupted by a ten year-old knocking on his window "Is this her, did you finally bring Clare?" The girl asked in excitement as he opened his door. "Yes, this is Clare." He said and the girl immediately ran, opened Clare's door, and hugged her. "We finally get to meet you. She needs to meet Makayla too. Oh I'm Jill, I knew Kota my whole life. Like from the day I was born, I even have pictures of him holding me as a baby, though Kay was in it too." The girl said with excitement as she drug Clare inside and to a shrine with a picture on display of Makayla and Kota at the age of 10 in front of an urn as Kota stood next to her. "Hey Kay, I bought Clare. Clare this is Makayla." He said motioning to the urn and picture. "That was the last picture taken of Makayla, she never liked taking pictures without Kota." An older woman said looking at Clare. "That's Ms. Jefferies, Makayla's mom." Kota whispered in Clare's ear. "Did you bring me chocolate?" Jill asked and he looked at her. "Sorry, I didn't check them yet." He said honestly. "For what? People always give homemade chocolate in Japan." Ms. Jefferies asked. "Not all girls have adult supervision when cooking in Japan and chocolate is often the first thing they teach themselves how to make so at times I'll find hair in it from it not being tied back or nail decorations." He shivered a bit. "I didn't find the ones from Machiko yet or I would have bought them." He added and looked at Clare. "This house contains a lot of my childhood memories, there are also videos of Makayla and I as well as pictures if you want to see. I don't have any of my by myself when I was in school. School pictures were often taken with Makayla, we'd take pictures together on picture day. She'd tell me when her class was going and I'd make an excuse to leave and I'd jump in when it was her turn, she did the same. We did get in trouble, but we kept it up by refusing to take it alone so they gave in." Kota laughed asnd walked to the kitchen to grab a drink for him and Clare. "Would you like to see pictures of Kota when he was growing up?" Ms. Jefferies asked looking at Clare.