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pokeexehasstoppedworking · 1 year

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Diamond In The Rough Ch7 Settling Down In Circhester P2

(Warning: Reader's hand gets burnt a little bit by hot chocolate and someone tries to take a swing at Gordie but no contact is made. Thank you to everyone who commented on what pokemon they wanted on where I post my stories. I was only able to pick three from what everyone commented and I did it at random. Here's the ones we'll get going along with the story. Scolipede, mightyena, and glacion. Know all I need is names and genders. Tell me which ones you prefer for which pokemon.)

Things were going well for you at this moment in time.

Your notes and books from Sonia arrived and you were able to work on that one report you'd surely have one problem with for later when the school year kicked back up in a few months. There was also talks of some other GIANT projects you worked on a little bit, you'd wouldn't have to worry about it knowing what they were about before hand. The only good thing you could say about her. There was two or three other big projects you'd have to worry about but you'd be able to take care of most of them by yourself in your spare time. By the time you got back from your weekend of taking care of your pokemon and doing that small project of yours, your job was still pretty busy. Except for Wednesday night, that night was really REALLY busy seeing as it WAS Circhester's Foundation Day. The whole town was filled with food vendors, people partying, noise, and lots and LOTS of people going in and out of the cafe for food and drinks and it was like a there was a monsoon of people spawning outside with out many times people went in and out cramming against the walls or even waiting in lines that went almost all the way to the door. Safe to say both yourself and Sapphire were BEAT rushing to grab napkins, shovel out drinks, rushed to ring out people, meanwhile in the back kitchen you could literally HEAR Bobby and Billy Bob shouting at one another over the noise of pots and pans and sizzling foods that they struggled to chuck out into your arms to serve to customers. At one point you had to stop to go do other things while Sapphire tried to handle the crowds while you were gone, fighting against the crowd to grab dishes and clean tables, going into the back to grab MORE to-go Styrofoam boxes and bags, more clean dishes from the dishwater, more food or drinks for shouting customers- Now you knew why the two chefs wanted to hire more help. Sheesh. At least most of the orders were to go anyways so you all could just give someone their food and they'd leave only to let another person take their place. Sigh. But...GOOD NEWS!! Luckily it seemed things were starting to wind down because while it was still crowded and tiring, there was starting to get less people now. Bad news....It was already after closing time. Bob's Your Uncle closed at five pm. It was already midnight now and it doesn't look like anything would be dying down soon. You were starting to get tired and your feet were starting to be sore and your stomach growled from not being able to eat for a while. Sigh. Oh well. At least the tips were plentiful. You had just handed a woman a styrofoam box with a curry inside it and waited for her to move before groaning and stretching your back with a pop. By now it had gotten dark, late, and loud bangs were coming from outside. Fireworks most likely. It would be super cold by the time you got back, you just hoped that none of your pokemon would cause any trouble while you were gone. Meanwhile a middle aged woman who looked like she had seen a make up tutorial 'not for beginners' and tried to do it herself only to end up looking like a clown, and a haircut that looked like a monkey cut for her walked up to your counter with a face looking like she was angry and just bitten a lemon right after. You of course smiled and was about to ask what she wanted when too brightly painted nails snapped at you making you full on stop.

"Hey! Give me a hot chocolate! And make it snappy! I don't have time to deal with you today!"

That...certainly caught you off guard but you quickly forced a smile and exchanged a stunned look with Sapphire just for a moment before she was forced to tend to yet another customer walking up to her. With an inhale you turned to the coffee machine area behind you still forcing that smile.

"Would you like a size large, Ma-"

"OF COURSE I WANT A LARGE!!," her shrill voice shrieked at you like a broken record making you wince as it battered your eardrums, "When someone orders a hot chocolate of course they want it large with everything on it unless they say something else! Are you dense or something?!"

Sapphire gave another look as you had to will yourself not to crush the styrofoam cup in your grasp and to just make the darn hot chocolate. Just make it. JUST. MAKE. IT. And hand it to her so she'll go away and leave you alone. You know recognized this woman as someone every store owner feared. A Karen. Just give her the darn hot chocolate and get her out of here. So you got the large and HOT sugary drink full of more sugary whipped cream and marshmallows and just held it out for her with a forced smile.

"Here you go! That'll b-"

"IT TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH!!" The cup was snatched from your hand so fast the contents from the cup rocked and some spilt from your hand.

Immediately the hot liquid hitting your hand made you have a reaction.

"AH!!" It was like a mini volcano went off and spewed lava all over your hand, despite it only being maybe a small teaspoon's worth of hot coco, but it was still enough to make you cry out and pull your hand back to clutch it.

"Y/n!," Sapphire shouted and whirled back around to you when you shouted eyes wide. "Oh my gosh! Are you ok?!"

"My hand got burnt!," you shouted back hissing and then looking at your hand. A few trickles of liquid fell down your hand when you unfurled your fist, and stared in shock at the now lighter pink looking parts on your hand from where the liquid drink hit it and you gaped in shock....before it quickly got replaced with anger. "YOU LITTLE-" You had snapped your head up back to yell at the woman but she was gone. Replaced with yet another customer who looked annoyed at waiting for you but didn't say anything. "WHAT THE!?" You scanned the crowd of people for any signs of her. "Where'd that slimy weasel go!? She didn't even tip me!!"

"I don't know," Sapphire replied also looking around but stopped when realizing something. "...But she didn't pay either!"

True to her word the woman was gone as neither of you could see her through the still crowded place, making you even MORE mad. "RRR!! GREAT!! HOW COULD THIS NIGHT GET ANY WORSE!?"

"Wait...What's that sound?"

.....

......

Maybe you shouldn't have asked that-

You both looked towards the door in question as what sounded like a heavy rain came forward, and the door was pushed open to let the source of the noise come in. And both you and Sapphire's eyes POPPED open comedically as a HUGE tidal wave of people started walking in pushing the already big crowd like the last wave of a boss fight in a video game. You were half expecting boss music to start playing. As the crowd started rolling in you just stood there and stared clutching your still sore hand. It was like a sudden reality hit you. All the exhaustion from the last few hours just dealing with all the people annoyed without a break and without sleep, constantly on your feet and now your hand throbbed with some pain-...Well it hit you like another tidal wave with the arrival of so much more shouting and people grumbling for late night meals demanding to be made to help them combat the cold outside. Sapphire had an almost equally horrified look on her face before it deflated into tired defeat and she could only tiredly let go of you and turn her attention to the first person who annoyedly demanded she get him a black coffee that instant. Well sounds almost blurred together as you just started and felt something gather in your eyes.

"Y/n!" An almost angelic voice shouted out to you and you blinked looking up to the bulky figure who pushed his way through the crowd and was now leaning against the counter with his sunglasses off staring at you. "Hey. Are you alright? You're crying."

You were what-..

Instead of answering your good hand reached up to wipe at your face. Yes. The man who spoke to you, was in fact, Gordie the gym leader. Why was he here instead of tending to his party?...Well to answer that the party was dying down to be honest, it was late and since the fireworks were the man attraction thar was over with, about everyone was heading home now including him, but he wanted to stop by and see how his friend was doing (NOT because his heart was beating a mile a minute at the thought of you-) but he hadn't been expecting the giant crowd in here or the sight of you crying lightly. When he pushed his way to the front he was smiling expecting to see you there, but had been completely thrown for a loop when he caught the sight of your current state. Leaning with your back against the wall with slight bags under your eyes, hair frizzy, clutching your hand, and crying lightly. You had looked shocked when he had gotten your attention but had quickly wiped your eyes and forced a smile when you saw him.

"H-Hey, Gordie. W-What's up?"

...He blinked. "What's up with me? What's up with you?" He asked gesturing to you. "You look a right wreck!"

"Well, working none stop all day and seven hours after you were supposed to go home will do that to you."

"Seven hours!? Why didn't your bosses close up shop by now!?" You were still working?? AT MIDNIGHT!? He opened and closed his mouth a couple times before he asked at how stunned he was.

"I don't know i-if they can."

"Why?"

In response your good hand gestured to the shouting people around you with a defeated look. "Too many people. We're already back up as it is!" You practically shouted back to him. "I can barely hear you right now."

At first Gordie gave a look of almost disbelief but then a calm face washed it away. Which was strange but at this point you were too tired to care. But you watched none the less as the Gym leader just calmly turned back to the crowd and stopping...taking a long, LONG moment at the people around him all. Before he proceeded to do something you all weren't expecting at all. He ever so slowly lifted a hand to his mouth to place two of his fingers to it. What was he doing- And then he proceeded to give THE. LOUDEST. WHISTLE!! You had ever heard in your life. It made you wince and sink into yourself closing one eye, but it seemed to work for everyone else too because immediately everyone talking or shouting, the closest ones to him even ducking and having their hands fly up to their ears. The dreaded sound only lasted for maybe five seconds, but it had an instant silence afterwards. Everyone staring in his direction or too busy rubbing their sore eardrums in the aftermath.

"ALRIGHT!!" A hand was thrown up and if Gordie didn't have everyone's attention before he sure did now. "PARTY'S OVER!! Everyone out!!" Immediately afterwards a murmur of complains and groans came from the crowd. You heard some 'ah man's and 'You gotta be kidding me!'s and one or two 'But I've been waiting here for hours's included at the end, but that only made the gym leader scowl deeper. "I SAID BUGGER OFF!! It's late enough! For Arceus's sake, it's the middle of the bloody night! Ya can make your own drinks at home! Anyone else already eatin' hurry up and pay your tabs!"

More murmurs until one man in the front frowned and said, "I'm getting my coffee! I've been standing here for twenty minutes!" He snapped back to both you and Sapphire and shouted again. "Why don't I have it yet!?"

"Because they're overworked and there's too many people here that can't see it!," Gordie countered back giving this man a particular look. "If you're that desperate for it mate, make your own pot at home.''

"I said I want my coffee!! And I'm not leaving here until I have it!!", He shrieked into Gordie's face, and to the gym leader's credit he remained calm just looking at the slightly taller man.

"'Lright, bud. Back it up." He held up his hands and started to herd the man back from the counter. "These girls are overworked and need some rest n' by the way yer actin' so do you. Go home."

His response was to take an actual swing at the gym leader but what proceeded to happen next shocked you again. Gordie like an expect easily side stepped the clumsy swing and with his left hand grabbed the man's arm, yanking the man to hunch over before his right arm quickly darted over to hook around the guy's neck. And the end result was that the man yelled curse words at Gordie, now finding himself held in a headlock against Gordie's side flailing uselessly like a fish out of water.

"Maybe ya didn't hear me clearly," he yelled louder than you had ever heard him yell before at the crowd. "I SAID EVERYONE GET OUT!!"

Everyone stood stunned for a moment but when the Gym leader started marching his way towards the door with the man still cussing him out and that seemed to motivate everyone else because they either stepped aside or began flocking to the door to get out of his way. Soon the large crowd started to file their way out one after the other and you could only stand there staring....before sliding down the wall until you sat upon the ground and gave a GIANT side of relief. It was as if a weight was lifted off your shoulders. Thank you Arceus. Arceus just THANK you for finally giving you a break. Sapphire practically collapsed against the counter with a half choke half dry chuckle looking like her body would fall over from being made of jello. After a moment the door opened again with a ding from the bell and this time he was...silent. His form paused and blinked for a moment not seeing Y/n anymore before he slowly walked up to the counter and peeked over blinking at your form just sitting tiredly on the floor.

"....Where's the owners?"

Sapphire pointed a thumb behind her where you could still faintly hear the sounds of pots and pans coming from the back kitchen. Gordie again didn't say anything after that but you were surprised to see him literally place one hand on the counter before jumping over it and you blinked when he just...waltzed on into there like he freaking owned the place. You silently sat there and listened. The pots and pans stopped. And there was silence again-

"WHY DIDN'T YOU CLOSE!?"

Sapphire yelped nearly tripping over as you both stared wide eyed at the doors, an angry yell coming from behind the kitchen. If you both were surprised, you couldn't imagine how surprising it was to the chefs to see a Gym Leader just walk into their kitchen.

"I WALK ON IN HERE N' ALL I SEE IS AN OCEAN WORTH OF PEOPLE BACKED UP ALL THE WAY OUTSIDE!! AND THEN I FIND OUT YOUR SERVERS WERE OVERWORKIN' UNTIL MIDNIGHT!! ONE OF YOU BETTER GIVE ME A BLOODY RIGHT GOOD ANSWER TO THIS!!"

You...unfortunately could NOT make out what Bobby or Billy Bob were saying because it was muffled and not as loud as Gordie's yelling. But you made out a few snippets. "-e didn't mean..." and ''not fault..." and what you maaaayybe thought was ''-ard for us''.

"OH!! HARD FOR YOU!? THE ONE WHO'S SITTIN' IN A CHAIR IN FRONT OF A GRILL LEAVIN' JUST TWO PEOPLE TO DO EVERYTHING ELSE WITH ANGRY CUSTOMERS!!"

One of them said something that sounded like ''-n't mind-"

"THIS IS WHY CIRCHESTER HAS A LAW ABOUT WHAT TIME STORES CLOSE ON HOLIDAYS!! YOU TWO KNOWINGLY BROKEN THAT LAW AND AS A RESULT TWO PEOPLE SUFFERED!! YOU'RE BLOODY LUCKY IF I DON'T DRAG YA OUT AND SERVE YOU TO OFFICER JENNY ON YOUR OWN SILVER PLATTER!! NOW GET YOUR BUTTS INTO GEAR AND GET THIS PLACE CLEANED UP!! I WANT IT CLOSED DOWN!! RIGHT!! NOW!! AND IF I FIND OUT EITHER OF YOU TWO PULL SOMETHING LIKE THIS AGAIN, 'BOB'S YOUR UNCLE' WILL BECOME 'BOB WENT OUT OF BUSINESS'!!"

Both of you still stared wide eyed at the door...before footsteps approached and the door swung open letting Gordie out. The gym leader stood there for a moment silently before inhaling and giving out a sigh and holding out his hands.

"Ladies! ...You officially have the REST of the week off. No need to thank me. Just grab your coats and head home."

You both remained quiet for a moment before Sapphire asked quietly, "Wat?"

"I said you both need to get out of here. Go on. Go HOME. Get some rest. Go to sleep. Get warm! All of that stuff! Take your pay for the night and vamoose."

"But...what about-"

"Those chefs seem pretty relaxed. I'm SURE they got plenty of energy to clean up their own mess."

"Oh thank you so much!," Sapphire all but practically sobbed and wobble-walked herself on tired legs away from the counter but you didn't have the energy to do so.

Gordie must've noticed because he squatted down next to your exhausted form and gently placed a hand on your shoulder. "Hey. Are you alright there?"

Tiredly you nodded quietly. "I just wanna go home."

"Yeah..Alright. C'mon," he said as you felt an arm start to pry you away from the wall, "Let's get ya on your feet and get you home."

You were pushed up onto shaking feet and forced to walk on sore feet. It was a bit of a blur and you weren't sure how, but you managed to squeeze your coat on and found yourself tiredly trudging back through the snow and cold of Circhester at nearly one in the morning, until you kept stumbling from how slippery the ground was and how tired you were- Until on your third trip, you felt yourself become light as something just lifted you up and you found yourself staring face to face with Gordie carrying you bridal style through the snowflakes.

"G-GORDIE!? PUT ME DOWN!!"

"Relax. Jeez, you're more hard headed than a diamond."

After maybe a minute, you were tired to fight and just allowed him to carry you all the way to your hotel room. Imagine your pokemon's surprise when you were carried all the way in by the gym leader and gently placed down on the bed in your room gently before giving a frown.

"Hey...Are you alright?"

You tiredly nodded barely able to keep your eyes open now and reaching a hand up to your mouth as you yawned. "Ye-Yeah. I-I'll be...*yyyyaaaawwwnn* F-Fine. I just need to sleep...Thank you so much for the help."

He nodded with a concerned look. "'Course...Ya want me to stay with you or-"

You waved him off tiredly. "Honestly, no. I just wanna be left alone so I can sleep."

Again he nodded and stood back up. "Alright...It's late anyways. I should head back and make sure the crowd from the party's died down without any damages...Are ya sure you'll be alright?"

"Yeah...I'll be fine."

"Right. ..Goodnight then. I-I'll see myself out. Get some rest. Ok?"

Well he left and the first thing you did was clonk out then and there on your bed. Completely passed out into possibly the deepest sleep you've ever had. In fact it was so deep, that you didn't even wake up until the next day around eleven in the morning. When you woke, you were still wearing your coat with your hair all frazzled and you found four faces looking at you. Silver looked concerned. Zen was giving you a puzzled look. Sparky was just floating around telling you that you had slept through your alarm and was late for work. And Cerberus was sitting with a pout on his face and his food bowl in his mouth. He let out a whine before just letting the bowl drop from his muzzle with a clatter and barked at you clearly hungry for food.

"....Right. *yyyyaaaawwwwnn* 'M on it."

One shower and change of clothes later, you had fed the three pokemon and gave Sparky a battery to suck the life from as you just plopped yourself back on the bed. You were still tired and just wanted to sleep the rest of the day away if you could but you couldn't because just as you considered going back to sleep there was a loud knock at the door, which made you groan and drag yourself slowly from the bed. You slowly trudged towards the door and when you got close you noticed a delicious smell coming from the other side of the door. Room service?? But you hadn't ordered breakfast or lunch. Well you opened the door and was hit with the delicious smells of ...bannanas?? And Hot chocolate? Well on the other side of the door was none other than Gordie, and in his hands was a small styrofoam box and cup containing said foods. He stood there but smiled when he saw you open the door.

"Hey, Y/n. Good mornin'!..Or should I say afternoon?"

"Gordie?," you asked blinking confused, "What are you doing here?"

"Well I just checked on Sapphire to make sure she was doing ok after last night-"

Oh right..That actually happened! "Is she alright!?"

"She's fine. Just tired and somewhat cranky. I just finished up evrything else so I wanted to drop by and make sure you were alright."

You gave another tiny yawn. "I'm fine thanks. Just a bit tired, but I feel a lot better now. But why do you have that?" You asked gesturing to the food.

"Oh! Well my Ma heard about what happened last night and she made ya this." He held out the food to you. "It's sweet tropical curry, and hot chocolate. Maybe a bit more on the junk food side o' the spectrum, but it's sure to make a good lunch on a cold day."

"Oh..How nice!" You smiled and stepped aside. "Come in."

"Huh? Oh thanks." He stepped right in and was greeted with your small herd. "Ah. I see that Houndoom of yours is lookin' better."

"Yeah. The food and exercise are really working wonders." You closed the door and walked on over to him taking the food. "Tell your mom thanks for the food. And I can't thank you enough for what you did for us last night. I swear I'd still be there working my feet off if you hadn't stepped in."

"Hey. No thanks needed. My ma would've done the same thing if no one had shut it down. There's a reason we have a law in Circhester that prevents stores from stayin' open late on any holidays. The crowds like to gather big and then it causes problems for the small businesses that can't handle the hoards of people! It happens every Halloween and Christmas! I can't believe they'd pull somethin' like that after that got some new help!...*sigh* Don't worry. I made sure to swing by earlier today and make sure they knew not ta do it again. I'm pretty sure they got my message good."

"I hope they don't fire me-"

"They won't," he stated bluntly looking at you, "If they do they know they'll be in BIG trouble, you on the other hand don't have to worry about a thing. You get to enjoy the rest of the week off so no worries."

"Ah. Well that's one good thing." It was then at that moment that your stomach growled and you let out an embarrassed chuckle. ''All this talk about the cafe is making me hungry. I wanna try this food out! Smells delicious."

You smiled and held up the food and it was at THAT exact moment he froze. Eyes in full view of your hand and then his eyes widened- "What the- W-W-What happened to your bloody hand!?" He asked pointing to your hand and it was then you turned to the now MOSTLY faded light pink marks on your hands.

Aw crap. You forgot about that. "Oh yeah." You scowled at your hand for a moment. "Some old hag decided to spill her drink on me and burnt my hand a bit."

"SHE BURNT YOUR HAND!?"

"It's not too bad," you assured him as he no gained a panicked look, "It doesn't hurt anymore and it'll go away in a couple days. I'm more mad she didn't pay than anything else- Wha- HEY! GORDIE!!"

He didn't even bother to listen to the last part of your ranting before he literally but gently removed the food from your hands and quickly shoved it onto a small side table and you froze when he grabbed your hand. Blue eyes squinted from behind those sunglasses as his hands gently held yours to his face...and you blinked. F/c eyes watched as he gave a look to the back of your hand before gently turning it over to give a look over at the bottom of your palm. For someone who could throw out someone in a headlock his grip was..soft. Gentle even as he gazed across your hand for a moment. Seeming to examine each part of it like how a scientist would examine a new cell particle, until eventually he slowly turned it back over to where the light pink was the most...and he sighed.

"'S not serious. Thank Arceus," he mumbled in relief.

"I mean...Yeah. It was only a little bit. I'm still mad tho." He hummed again before one of his hands released yours and reached into his coat pocket to pull out a small toothpaste looking tube and held it out to you. "What's that?"

"Burn cream. I've noticed a while ago that a lot of my guests tend to get burnt by hot drinks, and being an older brother you kinda get used to three lil brothers always making messes and causin' trouble. You wouldn't believe the amount of times they spilt things all over me. Nowadays I always carry one or two of these on me in case anyone ever needs it."

"Oh I think I believe you." You could still clearly remember one of Gordie's brothers making Allister spill his own drink the year before. "But...thank you." With a soft smile that made him pink you happily took the small tube from him happily. "That's really kind of you. You've actually been really nice to be lately and a big help. I wish there was some way I could make it up to you-"

"A-Actually.." His face felt pink- No. RED as he gulped down the rock in his throat letting it travel to his stomach letting the heavy feeling sink in. Especially when you blinked back at him. "I-I was wonderin' i-if ya- W-Well- ONLY IF YOU WANNA 'COURSE!! Y-Y-YOU'RE TOTALLY FREE TO SAY NO!!" You blinked at his sudden increase in pitch as he wanted to suddenly punch himself in the face for that embarrassing moment. "I mean if you wanna-..I m-mean-...I-I remember when you came 'round with Piers a lil while back! W-W-When ya helped us o-out with those dynamaxed pokemon..I a-a-asked ya to dinner b-b-but understandably you were a b-bit busy at the moment. S-So..m-m-maybe i-if you only wanna that is...Maybe you'd l-like to ha-have that dinner...With me?"

You continued to silently stare at him. And he shrinked into his coat under the staring. HOLY ARCEUS HE MESSED THIS UP!! WHY'D HE EVEN DECIDE TO ASK AT THIS TIME!? He wanted to ask you last night so he went to see you but then the whole incident last night happened and he asked without thinking this through at all! OF COURSE YOU'D BE IN NO SHAPE TO SAY YES!! HOW COULD HE LET THAT FLY OVER HIS HEAD!? Granted he-...was kinda interested in this for a while. Dinner with Y/n he meant. Sure he showed some interest in other girls before but he never felt like-...THIS before. Not so...intrigued by your sudden boldness and bluntness and how pretty you were and how you didn't seem to give him special treatment and got through his thick skull and how nice you were and how you helped his slowly start to regain his family he missed so much and how much patience, care, understanding, and genuine emotion- OH ARCEUS HE WAS STILL STARING LIKE AN IDIOT!! He cursed himself eternally for going off on a puppycrush rant inside his head as he unknowingly stared at you still like an idiot making his face even REDDER in comparison to his pale white-blonde hair. You however took a LOT longer to process what he was asking you...and it seemed like everything about his behavior clicked now and your f/c eyes widened in realization.

"...Gordie," you slowly asked making him flinch, "Just so we're clear. Are you...asking me out?"

OH SWEET ARCEUS HE WAS GONNA GET REJECTED SO FAST!! RIP RAIHAN!! HE'S ABOUT TO KNOW HOW HE FELT!! he only slowly gulped again. "Um....Y-Yeah?"

"Oh. Ok then! What time?"

RECORD SCRATCH-

His mind blanked for a moment. "......wot..."

"I said sure. When do you wanna go out?," you calmly responded with a smile.

Again he could only stare. ".....Did you just say bloody YES to ME!?"

"Yes?," you slowly asked raising a brow. "Is that surprising?"

"W-WHY THO!?"

"Because you asked nicely? And you're really nice so why not? At least you're not being really pushy about it like Raihan was...I still need to talk to him about telling others about my business without asking." Gordie opened his mouth, closed it, and just had trouble processing this. "Are you ok there?"

"HOW ARE YOU SO CALM ABOUT THIS?!"

You gave him a deadpanned look now. "Gordie. I have dealt with being bowled over by Milo's wooloo, dropped from the sky into a corviknight's nest, falling out of a tree, living with THE worst mom ever, battling against two legendary pokemon TWICE, stopping powerful rich dudes who think they can just use said legendary pokemon to run rampant, getting hit in the head by a roof tile and ending up in the hospital, THE worst room mate to ever exist, almost getting my face getting bit off by a houndoom, and having Raihan and two hairdo weirdos flirt with me and genuinely make me uncomfortable!" Gordie stared. "I think being asked out by you is the least shocking thing I've ever had to deal with up to this point." You left out the magically transported into a video game world part out for obvious reasons.

He raised a hand and opened his mouth-...Before slowly lowering it. "Ah..Well when you put it that way..*cough cough*." He straightened back up. "So uh-...T-Tomorrow works for you?"

"Friday? Sounds great! Can't wait for my first date."

AGAIN RECORD SCRATCH-

"Hold up!...First date? As in-...Y-You never went out with someone before?!"

"No not really. But I'm sure it'll be fine with you..." You paused looking down. "Um..Gordie."

"Y-Yeah?"

"You're still holding my hand."

In an instant he looked down, saw his hand holding yours, freaked out, let go, and immediately began freaking out even more. "I-I-IM SO SORRY!! I DIDN'T REALIZE!! IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN I PROMISE!!" His face deepened a red the more you smiled at him.

"Hey it's ok."

"No it's not! I was h-holding your hand without permission and we haven't even had a proper date yet," he insisted before he again paused and then grabbed his hair. OI!! GORDIE YOU BLOOMING DUMMY!! "I-I-I HAVEN'T EVEN THOUGHT IT THROUGH THIS FAIR!!!" Before you could even say anything he held up his hands and backed away. "D-Don't worry! I'll have everything ready! Don't worry about it-" And then he quickly turned on his heel to zip out the door- Only to forget the door was closed and full on smack into the door with a loud thud. "OW!!" A hand grabbed his face. Mumbling curses to himself, he grabbed the doorknob throwing the door open before turning with a nervous smile and giving you his signature salute. "Don't worry 'bout anything! I'm fully in control! Just leave it all ta me!"

You only watched as he proceeded to trip over the doorframe on his way out leaving the door partially opened as you stood there blinking....before you again smiled and laughed his response. You weren't sure how this date was supposed to go but it would sure be-....

THIRD RECORD SCRATCH-

A date. You just agreed to have your first date with GORDIE in less than twenty four hours and you have absolutely no idea how a date was supposed to go.

"....SPARKY!! CALL SONIA!! I NEED ADVICE NOW!!!"

#Gordie #gordie x reader #pokemon gordie #pokemon gordie x reader #pokemon reader #Pokemon reader x Gordie #reader x gordie #pokemon shield #pokemon sword #pokemon swsh #pokemon sword and shield

4 notes · View notes

emotionalcadaver · 2 years

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Elias Headcanons #5

I just wanted to give a quick thank you to everyone who’s reblogged, liked, or commented on these! It really means a lot to me that y’all have enjoyed these so much! Credit and love as always goes to @glitter-and-gasoline for both providing inspiration and positive feedback!

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Is a good ice skater.

Broke his left arm as a kid when he fell out of a tree.

Was approached for a position with the CIA shortly after being discharged but declined.

His mom made him take piano lessons as a kid.

One of his favorite things to do on a quiet evening is to curl up under a blanket with his SO and any pets if they have them and watch old movies or television shows.

Loves making his SO flustered or getting them to blush, he thinks it’s cute.

When given the opportunity, loves to pick his SO up and spin them around.

Every time he goes back home to visit both of his parents complain about him needing a haircut.

Has a nice singing voice but isn’t really comfortable singing in public. He will sing or hum softly to his SO if they ask him to though, particularly if it helps them sleep or soothes them after a nightmare.

Does not respond well to thunderstorms or fireworks, but has developed some mechanisms for coping with them. If he’s with his SO, he’ll want them to hold him with his head on their chest or in their lap while they pet his hair and talk to him. Soft words and soothing kisses are particularly helpful at grounding him. If he has any pets, cuddling and petting them is also helpful in calming him down.

He works hard to hide his PTSD and even lasting physical effects from the war from his parents and siblings, he’s pretty afraid that they’ll see him as weak or a burden if they knew just how much the war affected him.

He suffered from a collapsed lung from when Barnes shot him and required a chest tube for several days.

After the war, he went to one of his niece’s birthday parties during which a balloon unexpectedly popped and sent him into a panic attack. He had to run outside and hide out at the side of the house for a good half hour before he felt calm enough to go back inside. As a result, he really dislikes balloons and gets a bit anxious around them since there’s always the chance one of them could pop unexpectedly.

He has 5 nephews and 3 nieces (his brother had 3 boys and 2 girls while his sister had 2 boys and 1 girl). Was quietly horrified that both of his siblings had more than two children each.

At least gets to use this as ammunition whenever his mother bugs him about having children (”You have eight grandchildren, Mom. How many more do you need?”).

#elias grodin #elias grodin x reader #platoon #elias headcanons #mine #fanfiction

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echantedtoon · 5 months

Text

Diamond In The Rough Ch7 Settling Down In Circhester P2

Things were going well for you at this moment in time.

"Hey! Give me a hot chocolate! And make it snappy! I don't have time to deal with you today!"

"Would you like a size large, Ma-"

"Here you go! That'll b-"

"IT TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH!!" The cup was snatched from your hand so fast the contents from the cup rocked and some spilt from your hand.

Immediately the hot liquid hitting your hand made you have a reaction.

"Y/n!," Sapphire shouted and whirled back around to you when you shouted eyes wide. "Oh my gosh! Are you ok?!"

"I don't know," Sapphire replied also looking around but stopped when realizing something. "...But she didn't pay either!"

True to her word the woman was gone as neither of you could see her through the still crowded place, making you even MORE mad. "RRR!! GREAT!! HOW COULD THIS NIGHT GET ANY WORSE!?"

"Wait...What's that sound?"

.....

......

Maybe you shouldn't have asked that-

You were what-..

"H-Hey, Gordie. W-What's up?"

...He blinked. "What's up with me? What's up with you?" He asked gesturing to you. "You look a right wreck!"

"Well, working none stop all day and seven hours after you were supposed to go home will do that to you."

"Seven hours!? Why didn't your bosses close up shop by now!?" You were still working?? AT MIDNIGHT!? He opened and closed his mouth a couple times before he asked at how stunned he was.

"I don't know i-if they can."

"Why?"

"I said I want my coffee!! And I'm not leaving here until I have it!!", He shrieked into Gordie's face, and to the gym leader's credit he remained calm just looking at the slightly taller man.

"'Lright, bud. Back it up." He held up his hands and started to herd the man back from the counter. "These girls are overworked and need some rest n' by the way yer actin' so do you. Go home."

"Maybe ya didn't hear me clearly," he yelled louder than you had ever heard him yell before at the crowd. "I SAID EVERYONE GET OUT!!"

"....Where's the owners?"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU CLOSE!?"

"OH!! HARD FOR YOU!? THE ONE WHO'S SITTIN' IN A CHAIR IN FRONT OF A GRILL LEAVIN' JUST TWO PEOPLE TO DO EVERYTHING ELSE WITH ANGRY CUSTOMERS!!"

One of them said something that sounded like ''-n't mind-"

"Ladies! ...You officially have the REST of the week off. No need to thank me. Just grab your coats and head home."

You both remained quiet for a moment before Sapphire asked quietly, "Wat?"

"I said you both need to get out of here. Go on. Go HOME. Get some rest. Go to sleep. Get warm! All of that stuff! Take your pay for the night and vamoose."

"But...what about-"

"Those chefs seem pretty relaxed. I'm SURE they got plenty of energy to clean up their own mess."

"Oh thank you so much!," Sapphire all but practically sobbed and wobble-walked herself on tired legs away from the counter but you didn't have the energy to do so.

Gordie must've noticed because he squatted down next to your exhausted form and gently placed a hand on your shoulder. "Hey. Are you alright there?"

Tiredly you nodded quietly. "I just wanna go home."

"Yeah..Alright. C'mon," he said as you felt an arm start to pry you away from the wall, "Let's get ya on your feet and get you home."

"G-GORDIE!? PUT ME DOWN!!"

"Relax. Jeez, you're more hard headed than a diamond."

"Hey...Are you alright?"

He nodded with a concerned look. "'Course...Ya want me to stay with you or-"

You waved him off tiredly. "Honestly, no. I just wanna be left alone so I can sleep."

Again he nodded and stood back up. "Alright...It's late anyways. I should head back and make sure the crowd from the party's died down without any damages...Are ya sure you'll be alright?"

"Yeah...I'll be fine."

"Right. ..Goodnight then. I-I'll see myself out. Get some rest. Ok?"

"....Right. *yyyyaaaawwwwnn* 'M on it."

"Hey, Y/n. Good mornin'!..Or should I say afternoon?"

"Gordie?," you asked blinking confused, "What are you doing here?"

"Well I just checked on Sapphire to make sure she was doing ok after last night-"

Oh right..That actually happened! "Is she alright!?"

"She's fine. Just tired and somewhat cranky. I just finished up evrything else so I wanted to drop by and make sure you were alright."

You gave another tiny yawn. "I'm fine thanks. Just a bit tired, but I feel a lot better now. But why do you have that?" You asked gesturing to the food.

"Oh..How nice!" You smiled and stepped aside. "Come in."

"Huh? Oh thanks." He stepped right in and was greeted with your small herd. "Ah. I see that Houndoom of yours is lookin' better."

"I hope they don't fire me-"

Aw crap. You forgot about that. "Oh yeah." You scowled at your hand for a moment. "Some old hag decided to spill her drink on me and burnt my hand a bit."

"SHE BURNT YOUR HAND!?"

"It's not too bad," you assured him as he no gained a panicked look, "It doesn't hurt anymore and it'll go away in a couple days. I'm more mad she didn't pay than anything else- Wha- HEY! GORDIE!!"

"'S not serious. Thank Arceus," he mumbled in relief.

"...Gordie," you slowly asked making him flinch, "Just so we're clear. Are you...asking me out?"

OH SWEET ARCEUS HE WAS GONNA GET REJECTED SO FAST!! RIP RAIHAN!! HE'S ABOUT TO KNOW HOW HE FELT!! he only slowly gulped again. "Um....Y-Yeah?"

"Oh. Ok then! What time?"

RECORD SCRATCH-

His mind blanked for a moment. "......wot..."

"I said sure. When do you wanna go out?," you calmly responded with a smile.

Again he could only stare. ".....Did you just say bloody YES to ME!?"

"Yes?," you slowly asked raising a brow. "Is that surprising?"

"W-WHY THO!?"

"HOW ARE YOU SO CALM ABOUT THIS?!"

He raised a hand and opened his mouth-...Before slowly lowering it. "Ah..Well when you put it that way..*cough cough*." He straightened back up. "So uh-...T-Tomorrow works for you?"

"Friday? Sounds great! Can't wait for my first date."

AGAIN RECORD SCRATCH-

"Hold up!...First date? As in-...Y-You never went out with someone before?!"

"No not really. But I'm sure it'll be fine with you..." You paused looking down. "Um..Gordie."

"Y-Yeah?"

"You're still holding my hand."

"Hey it's ok."

THIRD RECORD SCRATCH-

A date. You just agreed to have your first date with GORDIE in less than twenty four hours and you have absolutely no idea how a date was supposed to go.

"....SPARKY!! CALL SONIA!! I NEED ADVICE NOW!!!"

#diamond in the rough #pokemon shield #pokemon swsh #pokemon sword #pokemon sword and shield #pokemon gordie x reader #pokemon gordie #gordie x reader #reader x gordie

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samuel-is-an-idiot · 10 months

Text

If someone looses their dog and the first thing you have to say is "it's missing care" FUCK YOU really FUCK. YOU.

My dog is a cairn terrier far from an angel, in fact she's a little shit and in the divorce my dad didnt want her but was honest about it and my mom abandonned her the second she had an excuse just like she did with me and my sibling. She (my dog) now lives with my grandma, I live with my dad about 20 minutes afoot away, I suffer from CFS, chronic pain and I'm also ✨️autistic✨️ I struggle with leaving my house most days and taking care of myself since my mom kicked me out but everytime i can; i go to my dog and my cat and my grandma. And I do my fucking best. Today my dog ran the fuck away, which she's been trying to do and succeeding a couple of times since we got her. She's been gone for hours I'm struggling and I already had a fucking meltdown today so to say "it's missing care" FUCK YOU. REALLY FUCK YOU! My dog is the one thing in my life that is a constant happiness, she's scared of storms and today is the french national holiday, she's gonna be out during the fucking fireworks and I hate that because we searched for her for HOURS with my dad. Fuck you seriously.

Do you seriously have so low a life and so low a belief in humanity that the first thing you would think about a dog running away is "it's missing care" she isnt, she's missing a shower and a haircut but she's not missing food, far from it, she's not missing love and care and bits of croissants in the morning and barking time in the evening. This dog is one of the fucking happiest fucking dogs in the entire world and I'm proud she's mine because that's one thing I didnt fuck up. And YOU "it's missing care" lady are missing a LIFE and hobbies!

And I know " but Sam what if she's trying to be good, and warn you about your dog being dirty/unhealthy" then she wouldn't have fucking told me when I explained WHY she needed a haircut and I was going to give her one this WEEKEND with "no need to write a book it's not that hard to shower a dog" FUCK YOUUUUUUUUU I hope there's a spider in your shower tonight and I hope it goes BATSHIT CRAZY when it sees your saggy tits lady (no hate against saggy tits, respect all tits)

Seriously how hard is it for people to mind their own business and be empathetic with distressing situations?

#ranting #dog #my dog ran away #empathy #aaargh #i'm so fucking pissed

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feelingofcontent · 2 years

Text

DNP Rewatch: Cards Against Humanity PHAN EDITION!

Date video was published: 02/21/2021 (X)

DNP Main Channel Rewatch: 437

Another joint video! So soon after the last one! Phil teased it in a member’s post the day before. And he posted a joint selfie with a caption I’m still not over (”just a couple of boys who bought a house together...” 🥺 and Dan’s comment as well) to promote this video and the upcoming Stereo shows.

0:00 - they both look so good in this video. also I love the boxes background and ‘presenting’ Dan with the fireworks effect

0:26 - king of comedy Phil. and then his immediate look at Dan to see if he made him laugh

0:37 - “I freakin’ did that” I...what was Phil in early 2021. also I had missed Dan’s facial expression reactions so much

0:41 - at least on camera and just from the front, the haircuts don’t look too bad. Dan had posted insta stories earlier in the month about Phil giving him a haircut (1, 2)

0:59 - Dan looks so offended! 😂 I feel like Dan’s curls are a lot more forgiving of mistakes

1:17 - from the texting video, Phil had sent this haircut picture he used here to Dan around this time. I love Phil’s laughter at it by this point

1:28 - there are even more polaroids lower on the fridge than what was in the Keep it or YEET IT video 🥺

1:50 - this clip is SO interesting to me. it’s obviously from a bit later in filming, because Phil has already had part of his drink. and yet he edited it in here at the start, so it was important to them to include. it is incredibly loud...“we were already locked down with each other”... “big commitment” and the look on Phil’s face. and as I’ve said before, just like every public mention or description of their relationship, Dan is doing all the talking. I just have a lot of thoughts about these few seconds

2:15 - love that before he knows what it is Phil goes “mmmm” but then immediately makes fun of Dan for it

2:35 - “this is for you, sugar freak” we’re two minutes in and this video is already so much

2:46 - aka they also made $$$

3:21 - great example of them just bouncing ideas around and off each other. I do love what they ended up doing with the show titles. the first of the Stereo shows (1, 2) was just two days after this video went up

3:56 - Dan on a random tangent

4:29 - Phil being ready to immediately react to what Dan says there...same wavelength

4:34 - “the things it’s seen” 👀 Phil’s face...

5:06 - I don’t want to know 😳 (all I could think about when I saw this clip the first time is the fic @intoapuddle had written shortly before this)

5:18 - Phil was ready to hoard them in the last video though

5:42 - I love that the cube turns into a running joke

6:00 - why did Phil say “Phan” like that

6:05 - Phil replied to a tweet from one of the people that made and gave them the game

6:30 - their use of “creativity” like this over the years is very consistent

6:47 - more excellent Dan face reactions. also I notice he kept it zoomed in so we can’t see exactly what Phil’s hand is doing there

6:57 - he really didn’t cover that “fuck” very well

7:29 - “how could I forget the sechs?!” Phil is something in this

7:52 - Phil’s look is saying he’s not sure if this one is okay to do on camera

8:03 - and another (although much more casual/silly) instance of Dan saying out loud something that Phil won’t. and with Dan there, Phil censored it much less in general than in the last video, even though it’s still on his channel

8:24 - Dan looks proud of himself for that one. Phil had tweeted one of those awkward-hand photos back in 2014

8:49 - again...somewhat terrified of the awareness they have. Dan knew immediately...maybe Phil was trying to forget

9:25 - Dan discussed this far too much on the gaming channel too...this was the most specifically he asked that though

10:01 - Dan already knows something that is going to disturb him is going to come out of Phil’s mouth

10:16 - “but I’m trying to be honest” and there’s some truth from Phil about what he was trying to do on YouTube in early 2021

10:28 - the giant “XD” editing bit there 😂

10:48 - this awkward Dan moment was at Big Weekend 2014. (Dan was there alone because Phil was ill.)

11:07 - and this card idea must have come from this Dan tweet in 2015...he can blame himself

11:39 - Dan doing a lot of staring in this video. and Phil thinking about what this would involve far too much

11:52 - they’re only saying who wins the round sometimes

12:01 - I really want to know what Phil was going to say after “I wonder if I...” give us your thoughts about your channel Phil!

12:11 - what is this little Phil smile and sway

12:15 - which is a thing Phil had tweeted back in 2015

12:26 - the parallel of this and the same reaction from Phil to one of the cards Dan did in the CAH gaming video

12:39 - Phil doesn’t want to talk about that

12:46 - Phil choosing that card just to tease Dan and then both being super sarcastic about it

13:04 - Phil saying the words “when I first met Dan...” was maybe the most surprising thing in this video. and then sharing this little bit of their early-on

13:31 - also cannot get over how Phil says “that’s such a Dan one” 😭

13:44 - Phil looks nervous every time a card starts with his name...there are none they used that start with “Dan” although there are a lot of Dan-specific reference ones

13:53 - the sequence of emotions that go across Dan’s face as Phil says he’d “be quite good at lapdancing” 😂

14:09 - I’m really not sure we needed those details

14:33 - this bit is so cute and funny

14:52 - and aww at Dan being pleased that there was still a Phil story he hadn’t heard

15:07 - Dan be so defensive about this and Phil with the “bitch” out of nowhere

15:18 - which is what Dan called himself in a video with Louise back in 2014

15:23 - seeing Dan being able to laugh at “full time internet homo” (which was a freudian slip from a live show that haunted him) is just 😭

15:28 - and then the ‘cheers’-ing of those cards

15:41 - “cheesy sparkling water” is a reference to THE CHEESE CHALLENGE where he tried both of those things

16:09 - “you need to start using it” jesus christ Dan

16:24 - I was speechless when I got the notification for this Phil tweet. and Dan’s reply!!

16:40 - they were both at max chaos during the Stereo era

16:53 - 😂 they are having two completely separate conversations after that

17:05 - Phil’s “I’ve got the Santa hats” just sends me 😂

17:23 - “you want to do something to replace this as soon as possible” I love this video so much

17:30 - no telling us who the winner was

17:45 - they showed these under-the-stairs inspo pics in the texting video too. maybe Dan sent them to Phil to use in this video

17:53 - Dan had this tree ready-to-go for a while; it was visible in the background of the lounge in the pigeon video. I was not so sure about how it looked at the time, but it looks much better actually installed under the stairs

18:15 - lets be honest...it was a lot of degenerative filth. and I wouldn’t have it any other way

18:40 - probably my favorite bit of all. Phil just calling him out on this! and then including it in the video!!

18:57 - it didn’t stop Dan from just staring more, clearly

This is definitely in the running for my favorite video of 2021. It was just SO MUCH after a couple years of basically no joint content at all. And the start of the Stereo era! Such a good time.

#dan and phil #dnp #dnpRewatch #amazingphil #daniel howell #phil lester #danisnotonfire #amazingphil videos #Cards Against Humanity PHAN EDITION!

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anthonyjlockwood · 3 years

Note

running fingers through hair + Alex/Luke/Willie 💜

thank you for the prompt, anon!! 💜

here it is on ao3!!

Luke is having a terrible, terrible day.

He doesn’t really know why it’s been so bad, either. But it started off with yet another fight with his parents at breakfast, and then he’d forgotten his song book at the house and had to go back for it, which led to another argument about why he was “wasting away his Saturday playing with that band of his.”

On his bike ride over to the studio, it started to rain, and the cutoff tank he was wearing was decidedly not waterproof, so halfway through the quarter-mile ride, he was drenched.

He just wants to forget about his parents, and the rain, and play music with his friends.

But even that idea is soured when he walks into the studio. Willie’s there alone; it doesn’t look like Alex, Bobby or Reggie have arrived yet.

Luke stops in the doorway once he sees Willie, suddenly feeling very hot despite the cold rain that’s making his shoulders shake.

He doesn’t like to use the word “jealous”, ever. He also doesn’t like to use the word “avoiding”. But over the past few weeks-- months, really, if Luke’s honest about it-- he’s gotten this really strange feeling in his stomach when he’s around Willie. And when it’s Willie and Alex together, that’s almost worse.

He’s not sure if it’s the whole “third wheel” concept that bothers him; he doesn’t think so, because Reggie and Bobby have been together for months, too, and it’s never bothered Luke to be around them.

But being around Willie and Alex together is… strange. It almost feels like Luke’s missing something, or missing out on something. Like when he forgets his favorite hot dog topping combo and only realizes once he starts eating that while the food is still good, it's not right.

Luke shakes off any awkwardness along with the last drops of rain, and throws Willie a smile that he hopes looks effortless.

“Hey.”

Willie looks up at his voice and smiles back immediately. He’s one of those people who just can’t not smile, and his happiness is like an airborne case of the measles. Luke catches it like a frisbee and can’t help throwing it back.

Something inside him relaxes a little, despite the lingering stress of the fight and the tension of the cold. His muscles ease with a shiver. “Where is everyone?”

“Alex and Reggie are inside with Ray, helping him set up the new T.V. he bought. Bobby’s not here yet… He said he’s gonna be late,” he lowers his voice to a whisper. “I think he and Reggie had a fight or something.”

“Yeah, there’s a lot of that going around,” Luke sighs.

Willie gives him an understanding smile. “Emily again?”

When Luke doesn’t respond, he tries again. “Why don’t you come sit?”

This, at least, Luke can do; he doesn’t want to talk about his terrible day and the terrible things he and his mom said to each other. But he finds that he does want to sit next to Willie, and let his friend’s positive, easygoing nature cover him up like an umbrella, shielding him from the negative thoughts running through his head.

He walks over to the couch, kicks off his shoes, and collapses on it dramatically.

Willie doesn’t indulge his theatrics, though. He just shuffles closer to Luke on the couch and says, “Y’know, I snuck out to come here. Caleb didn’t want me leaving the house.”

Willie’s uncle Caleb-- his legal guardian-- was a buzzkill on a good day. On worse days, he’d try to hold Willie hostage in his room… Luke didn’t know if it was a control thing, or what, but if Willie had to sneak out for this, he knows it must not have been a good day.

“Caleb’s been acting really weird lately,” he goes on.

If there’s one thing Luke can say about Willie, it’s that he has a knack for filling silences. He knows when other people around him are feeling uncomfortable, or if they just don’t want to talk at all, and he fills in the silence effortlessly.

Luke’s no introvert, really, but on his bad days when his mind is in the neutral gear and no matter how hard he hits the gas, he doesn’t go anywhere… sometimes he likes it when Willie takes over the driver’s seat.

“What’d he do?”

“He just… he’s so… controlling,” Willie says at length. “Needs to know where I am all the time, who I’m with. He asked me if I’m dating anyone new.”

Willie turns his head away to roll his eyes, but Luke notices. He’s heard about Caleb’s problems with Willie’s dating life-- all the questions, second-guessing Willie’s choices…

“And then, this morning, he asked me if I’ve ever thought about getting a haircut!” Willie complains. “Like, what the hell is that?! Could you even picture me with shorter hair?!”

The image of Willie with short hair has Luke laughing before he can stop himself. He claps his hand over his mouth-- Willie’s complaining about Caleb; the last thing he needs is to think Luke’s laughing at him-- but Willie sees anyway, and groans.

“This is not funny!”

Luke snickers. “Sorry, Rapunzel.”

Before he can realize what he’s doing, he leans forward.

Willie stiffens at his approach, but he doesn’t shy away as Luke gently brushes a hand through his hair. It feels soft and smooth under his fingertips, like a blanket. He relaxes under Luke’s touch and closes his eyes, going still as a statue.

Holy shit, Luke thinks. I’m petting my best friend’s boyfriend’s hair. What the--

He yanks his hand back, and the movement causes Willie to startle slightly. He looks up at Luke with wide, worried eyes. “What happened?! Is there a bug on me?!”

“N--no,” Luke chokes out. “It’s just… sorry. It’s just your hair.”

He lets out a low, awkward laugh and just prays for the moment to end, for the embarrassment to just see itself out like the unwanted party guest that it was.

But then Willie joins in on the laughter, and the sound fills up the room-- and Luke’s heart-- with a comfortable warmth that overshadows any regret that might’ve been there before. When their laughter finally fades out into silence, Luke misses it immediately. He isn’t sure why he’s feeling this way; usually, losing his mind over how cute Willie was is Alex’s jam. And it’s not like Luke hasn’t appreciated Willie for all that he is-- he’s just looked from a distance. Up until now, he’s been like one of those peacocks at the zoo, something that’s okay to admire from afar but impossible to touch, impossible to get close to.

“Willie--”

Alex chooses that moment to come back into the room, grimace on his face as he quietly shuts the door behind him.

“So… it doesn’t look like we’re having band practice today.”

“What? Why?!” Luke needs music like he needs air; especially right now, when all he wants is a distraction from these thoughts about Willie. Off-limits, his-best-friend’s-partner Willie, whose soft hair and easy grin are still taking up way too much space in his mind.

Playing music’s supposed to fix that, just like it has fixed every other thing that’s gone wrong in Luke’s life recently. Losing himself in his songs is the only surefire way that he knows to not think about his problems for a while. Running the band practice, making sure that Bobby’s guitar is tuned to perfection and that Reggie knows when to come in during the chorus… it’s those organizational things that distract him the best. Because even though everything’s going to shit inside his head, on the outside everything looks perfect. It sounds perfect. It’s all as it should be.

“Reggie and Bobby are still fighting because Bobby swatted at a bee on the way to the studio, and Reggie just stopped immediately to yell at him for it because ‘bees are essential to nature,’ and ‘they’re his friends,’ and he was offended. Bobby texted me all this.

“So now Reggie’s refusing to come to practice-- or go anywhere else with Bobby-- ‘til he ‘apologizes to the bees’.” Alex snorts. “So we won’t be seeing them for a while.”

He finally crosses the studio to the couch and settles himself down on Willie’s other side, dropping his bag to the floor. “So what have you guys been up to?”

“Not-- not much,” Luke stutters. “We were just--”

“Luke was just saying how gorgeous my hair is, how much he wants to run his fingers through it. He said it’s like the finest silk from China, the most glorious, flowing--”

“Shut up,” Luke chokes out a laugh. “Alex, we weren’t--”

Alex doesn’t seem too bothered, though. He grins at Luke easily and says, “Willie's hair really is something, isn’t it?”

Luke feels his cheeks turn cranberry red. “It-- it’s alright.”

“Alright?!” Willie asks incredulously. “I believe you compared it to Rapunzel. It’s Disney Princess-worthy!”

Alex lets out a poorly-concealed snort and shoves Willie playfully, knocking him into Luke like a domino. He shoots Luke a grin over his boyfriend’s shoulder.

“He’s modest, too!”

“Luke said he’s gonna be our Prince Charming!” Willie says with glee.

“Luke, why didn’t you tell me you liked Willie’s hair so much?” Alex teases.

“Hey, it’s only fair,” Willie protests, with an impish smirk that sends shock waves through Luke’s small intestine. “If I have to listen to you wax poetic about Luke’s arms all day, you should be able to handle-- appreciate, even-- that Luke thinks my hair is sexy.” He flips his hair, for dramatic effect, and winks at Luke. “‘Cause it is, you know. He’s absolutely right, and he can say it!”

“You’re relentless,” Luke grumbles. His face feels like a campfire.

“Willie!” Alex’s eyes widen, his own blush sprouting on his cheeks now, like Fourth of July fireworks. “You weren’t supposed to--”

“It’s fine, Hot Dog,” Willie chuckles. “I think Luke feels the same way about you. Right, Luke?”

“Wait, what?!” Luke splutters. “I--”

Luke stops himself, because he was about to deny that, and… he’s not fully confident in his answer, anyway.

He and Alex tried something, years ago, way back before Alex even met Willie… but Luke had been scared back then. He was still scared now-- the prospect of crossing that line from friendship to more, when so much was at stake… their friendship, the band. Luke’s sense of security.

He can’t still like Alex. He shouldn’t like Willie.

And liking both of them?

Alex and Willie are still staring at him, still waiting for the answer that would make or break the entire afternoon. And Luke opens his mouth to say no, to try to salvage whatever he has left of Alex’s friendship, of his own self-respect… but apparently his brain and his heart and his mouth are not all on the same page, because the word that leaves his lips is, “Yes.”

He braces himself for the impact; for Alex’s eyes to widen in realization. For him to try to backtrack, say that Willie hadn’t meant what he said. For Willie to use whatever paranormal charisma skills he seemed to possess to try to get them all back on track-- to make some sort of joke or change the subject.

He even prepares himself for one of them to tell him to leave. He wouldn’t blame them, honestly.

But none of that happens. What happens is that Alex steps forward slowly, shakily, and looks at Luke with a strange expression-- fear, confidence, and desire all morphed into one.

Luke’s never seen Alex look like that before, but the sight of it sets his heart pounding in his rib cage again.

“Can I… can I try something?”

Luke nods, so Alex steels himself and grabs Luke by the wrist, pulling him in and smashing their lips together.

The kiss is warm, and fast, and Luke’s heart is beating out of his chest but the sleeves of Alex’s hoodie are soft against his bare arms. He pulls Alex closer, needing more of the unexpected comfort, and Alex obliges, swinging one hand around Luke’s head to hold it in place against his.

Eventually, Luke does need to pull back and catch his breath. When he does he finds Alex’s gaze on him intently; and behind him, Willie is watching carefully, too, braced for Luke’s reaction.

He just… he kissed his best friend. In front of his boyfriend! And neither of them look particularly bothered about it…

How the hell did Luke’s day turn into this? How did he get to this point, panting in the garage studio, sweat prickling against the back of his neck, Alex looking at him like that, fresh out of a kiss, and Willie… looking like he wants to join in?

“Shit, Alex,” Willie teases, letting out a trembling breath. “I don’t think you’ve ever kissed me like that.” His eyes settle on Luke. “Can it be my turn now?”

The kiss with Willie’s a lot different. It’s warm and soft and comforting like Alex’s was, but there’s an edge to it. Luke feels like a teenager again, almost; like he’s doing something he shouldn’t be… but that just makes him enjoy it all the more.

Kissing Willie is like speeding down a highway on a motorcycle-- he can feel the rush of the wind in his ears, the room spinning around him, but he feels grounded to the seat all the same.

It’s exhilaration; it’s jumping out of an airplane with no parachute, and the rush of it only makes Luke want more.

Luke still doesn’t know how his day had turned from bad to how it is now; full of possibilities, full of nerve wracking love and things Luke didn’t even realize he was craving.

When Willie pulls him back in for another kiss, Luke decides he doesn’t even care. He’s just happy to be along for the ride.

#julie and the phantoms #julie & the phantoms #jatp #jatp fanfiction #jatp fanfic #luke patterson #alex mercer #willie nolastname #lalexie #them 💜#i'm still taking these prompts if anybody wants to send one btw!

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introvert--weeb · 3 years

Note

Hello :{D I wanted to request a matchup from Haikyuu please! (Lmao sorry I’m new to this )

I’m 20/genderfluid/ 5’5 ^-^

I’m pansexual and INFP

My personality is a mixture of friendliness,down for anything,awkward when it comes to really romantic things but I’m trying my best , very creative *both a bad and good thing at times*, flirty, protective but will let others learn on their own, bad influence with great stories :D okay more like, the” Fireworks Uncle” or “Vodka Aunt” that will babysit and take the kids to concerts and go with them for their first piercings/tattoo and help out with dying their hair or haircuts (will most def shave my hair with you if you want)

My Interests :Art (all kinds even though I’m not too great at it,I still love it ^0^), Skating, collecting Sanrio/anime figurines/skateboards/surfboards, eating grilled cheese sandwiches, partying (before COVID), getting new tattoos, spontaneous trips, learning random trivia,science+marine Biology,beaches,Aliens and sci-fi movies

My appearance: Curvy/plus-size, random tattoos and bunch of stick n pokes, shoulder length curly black hair with two blue strands in front/under cut , septum/multiple piercings on ears/gauges/tongue, between surfer-skater-baggy-thrifted-Adam Sandler aesthetic >:3

THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME REQUEST THIS AND SORRY FOR THE RANT :,D HAVE AN AWESOME DAY AND DON’T FORGET TO DRINK WATER AND GET REST BYEEEEE

Hi! I think you sound cool! ❤️

Now, when it comes to this match up, we are going to be doing this as a post time skip Oikawa! ❤️

I will be matching you with...

(post time skip) Toru Oikawa ❤️

It was entirely by chance that you had met this volleyball star. A case of right place right time. You had decided to visit Argentina for a while, wanting to visit different places throughout the world.

Oikawa had just finished his practice session with the rest of the Argentinian team, wanting nothing more than to visit the local shop before heading to his apartment and sleeping. After all, it had been a long few hours that have left him exhausted. It was as he was reaching for a bottle of water that he accidentally touched your hand that was reaching for the drink next to it.

The male apologised for the awkward moment. He was about to carry on with his day until he noticed how attractive you were. Black hair with dyed blue strands at the front, tattoos peaking through your clothes, and piercings. You may have not been the type the setter would usually go for but now he was questioning whether he actually liked alternative girls.

You waved off the apology before trying your hardest to reply in fluent Spanish. Toru noticed that you were struggling and so had moved his language to English to make it easier on you. He was thankful that he had to learn English as well as Spanish, because it now meant he could talk to you more efficiently.

You were surprised when the male had started speaking English but appreciated it. After all, you wanted to talk to this boy more. So by the drinks of the shop, you both talked about anything that came to mind. At the end, Oikawa had asked you out on a date for the next day and had gained your number. It was a good day.

The first date was spent at a lovely cafe that Oikawa would visit often when he had free time. The whole experience was perfect and you had agreed to go on a second date.

2 months later, you were both in a relationship and everything was perfect. You had moved to Argentina to be with Oikawa and you couldn't be happier.

This relationship was probably the most fun out of the other relationships you had seen. Oikawa would pick you up for surprise trips on his free days, he would even make sure to have your favourite drinks and snacks ready if it will be a long drive.

You both would bond more over your shared love of aliens and sci-fi movies. Movie nights would probably feature films including aliens in some way or another but you don't mind.

Try and convince me that you both wouldn't get matching alien tattoos. I feel like he would want to get it done for ages but you were the one to give him that figurative push that he needed. You had suggested it one morning since you wanted to get tattooed and were a little surprised when he was as excited about an alien tattoo as you were. He would get his on his chest so that his shirt would cover it during games but he could also see it.

His love languages would be gift giving and words of affirmation. Oikawa would love buying you gifts when he travelled for matches, mainly figures he would find in small shops he would pass. The way your eyes would light up when it was presented to you would be enough for his heart to flutter. But he especially adored how you sounded when you told him you loved him. This boy could die happy from that moment!

At the end of the day, this is probably the most fun relationship. Lots of sudden trips and good times! You would support this boy at every volleyball match he had and he would treat you to a date afterwards.

#haikyuu match ups #haikyuu!!#haikyuu #match up requests #match up event #100 followers event #requested #oikawa tōru #oikawa #haikyu x reader

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tenroseforeverandever · 3 years

Text

A Bottle of Bubbly

Characters: Ninth Doctor; Rose Tyler

Tags: Human AU; New Year’s; meet-cute; fluff; hurt/comfort;mentions of cheating; non-graphic mentions of war; drinking; strong language

Notes: Well, here I am again… fashionably late, as usual, an entry for the 31 Days of Ficmas. I wrote just two stories for Ficmas this year, and while I used multiple prompts for each, ironically, the Day 1 prompt, Snowed In, and the Day 31 prompt, New Beginnings, were the forces chiefly driving the muse for my first and second (last!) story, respectively.

The inspiration for this story was a random prompt I found online somewhere (I don’t even remember the exact wording…) The @doctorroseprompts prompt from the 31 Days of Ficmas, New Beginnings, was also inspiration for both main characters, although the words aren’t specifically stated in the text. But the spirit of them is strong and a guiding theme throughout the story. I also used the Ficmas prompts shopping and countdown, and the Winter Fic Bingo prompt night.

As always, my love and gratitude to my wonderful betas, @rose--nebula and mrsbertucci. Thank-you for making me better. I’m an eternal fiddler, so I fiddled with this since they saw it… but all mistakes are mine anyway!

Summary: Rose made directly for the liquor aisle, determined that what she really wanted to bring in the New Year was a bottle of bubbly. The shop was nearly deserted, except for the unlucky few employees who had drawn the short straw for the night’s graveyard shift, so she was shocked to find another customer in the liquor aisle, standing in front of the wine shelves, his hand around the neck of the very last bottle of sparkling wine.

Read more for length. I’m merciful.

In the anime, they monologue at each other, and it’s mostly a combination of Toshiro making three separate death threats ( he starts this off by saying “I’ll kill you before Hinamori arrives” and then goes on rewording it each time, and then also repeats the death-threat he gave Gin prior to this conflict about “I’ll kill you if Hinamori bleeds” ) and then also Gin and Izuru talking about how truly powerful and amazing Toshiro is -- no, this isn’t me being bitter or petty, I literally shit you not, Gin has a line that is legit “AS EXPECTED FROM HITSUGAYA TOSHIRO, CAPTAIN OF THE TENTH DIVISION, A CHILD PRODIGY OF TH' SORT THAT ONLY COMES ALONG ONLY ONCE EVERY FEW CENTURIES. HOW VEEEERY DANGEROUS. YOU’RE SERIOUS, AIN’T YA?” like don’t get me wrong, love a good sarcastic little shit comment like that, but the amount of times the anime pumps Toshiro up like he’s their shinest new cash cow ( and he is, at this point, it is not even 50 episodes into the series and they’ve realized everyone likes him and he’s jumped to high ranks in popularity polls... earning him filler spotlights, and eventually his very own non-canon movie ) so everything coming out of Gin’s mouth feels like more bullshit than necessary. Izuru’s already literally monologued, internally, how powerful and amazing Toshiro is anyways. Why this ?

Not to mention that, prior to saying that long-winded shit, Gin’s haori changed length three times ( and once it was longer than his entire body by several feet, and no not in a ‘to show motion’ way ) and most importantly Shinso was drawn, consistently, at katana-length for the duration of their little spat where the following, too, happened: Gin frog-leaps after doing a backflip, Toshiro gives Gin two (2) haircuts, Gin ruins some floorboards and gives Toshiro at least one splinter in his arm, Toshiro whilst wearing socks lands on Shinso’s blunt edge and pushes the sword down with his footsie because that’s how that works, there’s another backflip somewhere in there that Gin doesn’t need to be doing, twirl, twirl, and ballet, Gin’s face elongates until his chin is bigger than his face, Gin spends ten+ seconds purely dodging very close strikes to his face as Toshiro is the only one making breathy growly and ‘tsuuaaah’ sounds, there is a brief moment of no gravity as Toshiro keeps hacking at Gin midair and Gin blocks it over and over again but they still stay in the air but they’re not standing or jumping or using reiatsu they’re just like, momentum-locked I don’t fucking know, Gin frowny faces as he blocks because like somehow this kid who doesn’t even have more reiatsu than him, whose arm strength should not be an issue, is like. making him nervous?? as sword sparks fly. if you know me at all you know I hate when they fuckin’ firework sparkler-ify swords clashing.

Anyways, all of this happens whilst Shinso is the wrong length and Gin’s hair is getting purpler by the second and this entire thing is somehow a big jack-off to Toshiro’s immense strength even though he’s screaming and wailing at Gin like a child and Gin’s just a vessel at this point to Enhance Toshiro, which, fine, okay, but at least be more accurate with it god damn. ANYWAYS,

THEY JOUST. They literally run at each other, swords centered, and run past / to the side of one another. Jousting. “Cause that’s how that works. No slashes, no cutting motion. Just swords centered, because the animators were like “no worries guys I know swordfighting basics that’s a legit pose” yeah it is WHEN STATIONARY. Not rUNNING IT DOWN.

And then Gin’s sleeve is cut, somehow, from the Jousting, because wow Toshiro wow wow wowowowow, and then Toshiro comes back and starts wailing at Gin again and Gin blocks it, again, and it’s all very annoyingly repetitive, and Gin’s frowning and sparks are flying and Gin’s using Shinso, the katana-length wakizashi I guess, with two hands because like I said, the animators knew basics and basics are “katana are used two-handed” like. Okay, you’re not wrong, but I cannot stress this enough: SHINSO IS NOT A KATANA. It’s shorter and meant to be used single-handed!!!! sTop!!! So then Gin rips off the tattered part of his sleeve and throws it at Toshiro, who swipes it away from his face using his Zanpakuto because that’s intelligent and a piece of cloth was definitely threatening enough to use your sword to bat it away ( btw, Hitsugaya wasn’t holding his sword with two hands at this precise moment, so he could have just... used his other hand ) and then Gin goes in for the classic “stabby stabby rapidly at you while the animation gets a little breather because we repeat this cycle a few times with flashy bgs and phew money made” ... WE ARE FOUR MINUTES AND THIRTY SECONDS INTO THIS FIGHT BY THE WAY. Gin does this for seventeen (17) agonizing seconds straight. Yes, I counted. That was sixteen and a half too many seconds for me, personally.

Toshiro somehow lassos Shinso whilst Gin is stabby stabby-ing with Hyourinmaru’s chain component. I say component like it’s somehow some type of beauty guru’s lipstick holder, but really am I that wrong ? When else has he ever used this feature ? Anyways, he lassos Shinso because yeehaw I guess, god I’m falling apart at this point can y’all tell????? I need a drink.

and so, because now Toshiro has Gin’s sword somehow trapped with chain even though it’s just looped around it, he backflips over Gin for a cool trickshot, no blow issued, just vibes, and Gin uses a big brain moment to tug Shinso and the chains slide off. okay now what. We’re past five minutes into this fight, nonstop.

SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD TIME FOR GIN TO PAUSE AND APPRECIATE TOSHIRO AGAIN! “I see, I shouldn’t have underestimated you, HItsugaya Toshiro” I’m starting to have a feeling Gin’s VA was told to just wing these lines because the amount of times he fills silences / Gin’s mouth movements with Toshiro’s long-ass name is astounding, he’s definitely drawing blanks here but he sure as hell knows one thing: that damn ice-boy’s name. He continues by saying “I suppose I’ll end up regretting it afterwards.”

Toshiro says that’s not enough, and it’s really dramatic and cool. His eyes even glow all icy and blue and pretty, like his flowy reiatsu. Aesthetic points were gifted entirely to Toshiro’s animations in this scene. Gin was finished in MS Paint and each new scene they had to draw Shinso from memory and try to remember what hue of purple his hair was at gunpoint. Toshiro lets off a big wave of reiatsu and then it vanishes, and he jumps up reaaaally high. like this guy’s flying. his eyes arent glowing anymore that’s sad. Bring Back Glowing Eyes For Strong Shinigami 2k21.

Toshiro releases his Shikai, and it’s badass, the sky darkens, Izuru looks distinctly more worried than usual, and Gin’s frowning with his teeth out like Bugs Bunny’s having a bad day, all is right in the world. Toshiro and his released Shikai have a nice moment for the Pics, and a big epic freeze frame blur moment happens with it all coiled and swirling around him. Wrow! ( click the ‘wrow’ it’s a link to my exact reaction ) Izuru narrates for the third time about how powerful Toshiro is, his reiatsu, his Zanpakuto being a deity who is only unlocked every few centuries. The strongest ice-type sword. Pardon the pun, but that’s... you could say, so cool.

It can even control the weather. So hey, next time it’s rainy, cold, icy, or snowing and you’re unhappy, it’s time to direct a big fuck you at Toshiro.

Gin dodges the first dragon, and blocks the second with Shinso because blocking water and ice with a sword makes sense right? This actually takes a solid amount of seconds as Gin cuts through the entire length of this ice dragon noodle. Things dissipate, and pause, too, to really drag this out. Surprisingly, this reveals that Gin’s made a boo-boo, his left arm’s frozen, which doesn’t even mean anything because Gin is right-handed, and Toshiro teleports himself behind Gin in true fighty fashion.

We have arrived at seven minutes and just under twenty seconds of this fight, and Gin turns, DOES THE UNTHINKABLE, gasp! He opens his eyes. His red, dull, evil, gray-eyebrowed with purple hair eyes, and shoots Shinso through its hideout spot behind his haori. This nearly takes off Toshiro’s eye and upwards of his head, but the little guy dives down fast. The rest happens in slow motion, supposedly, because it takes an eternity and people talk entire full sentences in its span of time.

Gin asks Toshiro if he’s sure he’d like to dodge that ( it’s a little late for that ) and says that Momo’ll die if he does. SHINSO SCRAPING ALONG AGAINST HYOURINMARU STRANGELY MAKES NOT A SINGLE SOUND. Mute. Even though before they had no problem animating and adding sounds to them smacking blades earlier. There are soundless sparks though, so there’s that. Yay. Can you tell how exhausted this’s made me? I need a nap.

Shinso is already more than halfway towards Momo, still unconscious, she most definitely has a serious concussion via Toshiro backhanding her midair consider she’s been unconscious for longer than ten minutes. Toshiro has time to get up off the floor where he dropped to dodge, realize with a shocked gasp, turn, shout her name, and watch as Rangiku arrives in a random glow of gold which never happens ever again and blocks the attack with Haineko. Haineko almost cracks on the impact, and continues growing in damage as Rangiku holds Shinso there, implying that she’s stopped it from reaching one-hundred sword’s lengths to pierce Momo. Yes I’m including that implication / note in here because we love to see Rangiku succeeding in life and being Not-Helpless, all while potentially damaging Haineko severely if it wasn’t able to hold him off. Yikes, Gin!

Rangiku threatens to join the fight if he doesn’t withdraw his sword. Gin smiles, withdraws it, and then Shunpos away.

Whatta mess. Oh, and the anime fight was pretty fucked up, too.

This is a long post, but here’s the manga version:

Toshiro leaps into the air,

This is where the fight actually starts between them:

And end.

Five pages. Two blows. Does not equate to ten minutes of non-stop fighting and monologues. Sometimes, and I mean this in the most unbiased way possible, less is more.

#[ out of character ] masquerade; hide your face #me: i wanna reply to things!!#also me with eyes glowing red: no.#long post #LOOOONG POSTTTTT...#4 pages.#of text.#im so sorry.

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ahkaahshi · 4 years

Text

their animal crossing: wild world playing style [hcs]

characters: bokuto koutarou, sakusa kiyoomi, akaashi keiji

genre: humor and crack. what’s new

warning(s): I repeat, this is crack; also swearing

notes: y'all I'm talking specifically about animal crossing: wild world here. for the nintendo ds. that shit hit!! take me back. also, please bear with me; the chaotic energy here is just off the charts for absolutely no reason. when I finished this, it was suddenly midnight and I was listening to k.k. slider music on youtube. what a trip that was. enjoyed it tho.

CHAOTIC

dude the inside of his house has so many different vibes happening

the floors and the wallpapers in every room don't match??

he calls it creative freedom. no, he’s just a cheapskate since y'all know he’s only using that free stuff that he shot out the damn sky or found in the ground.

thinks it’s fun to chase the roaches that are always in his house

boy loves donating his fish, bugs, and fossils to the museum

just so he can go through and admire his work, like yes I caught that!! aren’t I the best??

keeps some of his catches tho and displays them at home. also names them.

once he found out that you could hit rocks and get bells, he was running around town hitting every. single. rock.

is really, really bad at catching bugs bc he just RUNS everywhere and scares them off

loves shaking trees to collect fruit

has been stung by many, many wasps because of this. poor boy can never make it inside in time lmao

talks to all the villagers like they’re actually his friends. also knows where they live by heart. visits their houses. vibes most with nibbles.

girl, don’t even get me started with his villager

y’all KNOW he’s at able sisters making his own clothing patterns with that tiny stylus in his fingers. the concentration is UNMATCHED

same goes for the town flag.

it’s raining. this boy says umbrella? there’s umbrellas in this game?? and proceeds to run around in the rain without one

villager’s hairstyle? permanent bedhead. if kuroo does it, so can he.

NEVER REMEMBERS TO SAVE

resetti’s always on his ass about it every time he opens his ds and turns on the game. poor guy. but he needs to save.

his town’s full of weeds. he don’t give a fuck. he’s just tryna have fun.

drinks way too much coffee at the roost. brewster is concerned for him.

visits omi’s town against his will. akaashi actually lets him come over.

let him visit you! he’ll plant his fruit for you and send you a love letter

okay, y’all. omi shits on this game at first but ends up secretly loving it

I mean, it’s so easy for him to form a routine and maintain task focus

he thrives off that!! the only thing he hates tho is that it never actually ends. that’ll keep him up at night

his routine: wake up, pick weeds, catch fish/bugs, dig for treasure, make bank

there’s not a single weed in his town. he picks them ALL.

his house is all one, cohesive theme. low key boring.

literal minimalist with like no furniture

he don’t need it, he’s always out grinding and only comes home when it’s time to sleep bc he’s just that hardcore

makes an event out of going to the roost every saturday night to listen to young k.k. slider play his groovy jams so he can collect ALL the cds

wants to catch every. single. creature. y’all know it makes him heated that those plaques in the museum are empty n that there are gaps in his lil handbook

has hella bells in the bank. pelly + phyllis want to be his sugar babies.

his character is probs dressed in the most basic ass outfit but with a ~ mask ~ since that’s on brand for him. picks one look and sells the rest of his fits. truly focused on the coin.

he’s just tryna pay off his mortgage, get a big ass house, and upgrade nook’s store to its fullest potential

is constantly trying to find ways to kick all the villagers out of his town. won’t accept the fact that he’ll always have neighbors.

will run for the fucking hills if any of them get that lil expression like they have something to say to him. he ain’t doin a damn thing for them.

got his hair done. came out lookin a fool. was too annoyed to go back and get it fixed. has worn a hat ever since.

always outruns the wasps. this bitch ain’t getting stung.

the way his villager looked after he got stung the first time made him gag so he vowed to escape the wasps like his life depended on it after that.

you wanna invite him to your town? he's taking your fruit, planting it back home, and selling it to turn a profit. your trees will be empty.

special town events? he’s never heard of em. fuck em. unless there’s money involved. then he’s there. wins the fishing tourney every time.

similar to sakusa in that he enjoys task focus, but will put way more effort into the experience

for example, his house is most definitely themed

like every floor has its own, cohesive vibe, complete with matching furniture placed in a very exact manner

visits tom nook’s store like everyday to see if he has the last item to complete his furniture sets

has a different k.k. slider song playing on every floor on his golden stereos. only the bangers tho.

roaches? he doesn’t know them.

his town is completely free of weeds. he hates them.

will help the villagers if they need it but will not enjoy it.

just let him fish, damn

speaking of, yall know how hard he’s smashing that button when the fish bites? hard. that bitch aint getting away. will catch them on the first try!

is a professional bug hunter. the bugs literally never see this man coming!! he is stealth.

spends a lot of time in the observatory and the aquarium sections of the museum bc they have nice vibes

grabs a cuppa at the roost every now n then. will come for the k.k. slider concerts and listen to the entire song. bless his lil cotton socks.

his villager is stuntin. like fully accessorized, new day new outfit type of deal. wardrobe is thriving. we love him for that.

if it’s rainin, he’s poppin his umbrella. he came prepared.

sends the most basic letters but on the ~ fancy ~ paper

will write thx 4 having me over on the firework paper or some shit lmao I can't.

will spend the bells on his haircut until he’s happy with his look. remembers the combo so he doesn’t have to mess around every time his villager wakes up with bedhead.

town event? he’s there. he’s all in for the experience. savors the special moments

is that villager with the sparkler on the 4th of july. also, gets all the love letters from other villagers on valentines day bc he helps literally everyone n remembers their birthdays. he deserves the best.

is 100% that bitch who plays at night just so he can listen to the 10/11pm rainy day music on repeat whilst strolling around the village by himself, twirling his umbrella n getting in his feelings low key (that was also me haha I just called myself out)

invite him to your town! he’ll fish with you and y’all can go to a k.k. slider concert together <3

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stereksecretsanta · 3 years

Text

Merry Christmas, outtoshatter!

Dear @outtoshatter. You requested fluff, getting together, alternate first meetings, and something!Stiles. This was so much fun to write, and I’m thrilled to have the chance to create something for you. I hope you have the loveliest of holidays!! <3

Read On AO3

*****

Derek is a romantic. He dreams of finding his mate, of connecting with that special someone who will make his heart swoon.

"How did you know Dad was the one?" Derek asks his mom as he digs out a pink, glittery bear from beneath the pile of loose-limbed plushies. "Were there fireworks when you first met, or—?"

His cheeks flame. He can't tell his mom that the spun-sugar scent of Jenna's hair makes his heart race, or that the smell of Mark's baseball jersey gives him a boner. In fact, Derek's embarrassment is so thick she probably scents it despite being surrounded by a bunch of seven-year-olds with sugar highs from birthday cake and soda.

"The first time you meet your mate will always be significant,” Talia says as she hands the bear over to one of Cora's classmates. “It might be passionate and explosive, or it could spark a bond that builds and grows. It's influenced by who you are and where you are in your lives. But deep inside, you'll know. Your wolf, especially, will know."

"But what if my mate isn't a wolf? What if they can't sense the connection?"

"Humans cherish the notion of 'true love' as much as we do. And I bet your mate is someone who's sensitive and wise." She leans down and ruffles Derek's hair.

Derek wriggles out of his mom's touch. He's thirteen, not three.

"You think?" he asks. Maybe it is Jenna or Mark, although he was hoping his mate would be someone more… well, special.

"You'll see." Talia's smile disappears as she studies the line where Cora and her friends are waiting at the stuffing station. She counts their numbers under her breath and shakes her head. "Someone's missing. Will you help me find them, Der?"

Derek sighs. It might be Cora's birthday, but he's missing practice to babysit a bunch of second-graders at a Build-A-Bear. "Seriously?"

"Seriously. I know this seems like an unbearable chore, but it means a lot to your sister that you're here. And to me, as well." His mom runs a hand along the back of Derek's neck and gives him a gentle squeeze.

Perhaps it's because it's close to a full moon, but Derek feels restless and edgy. Guilt washes through him at his snappishness, and he apologizes to his mom, giving her a quick hug before starting his walk-through.

There are bins of bears and cats and dogs and dragons in every color imaginable, their limp bodies waiting to be plumped up with poly-fill. He’s surprised Cora wanted a party here; her interests run more along the line of laser tag than dolls or stuffed animals. Although there's a backstory, he's sure; Cora had mumbled something about wanting to invite her whole class 'unlike that Lydia Martin', whereupon Mom's fangs dropped and her eyes flashed red. The next thing Derek knew, they had made a reservation for all twenty children.

It's not until Derek passes the displays of the Marvel and Star Wars bears that he finds the errant partygoer. Unlike the other boys in the class who dress in athletic wear stamped with Nike and Under Armor logos, he's wearing a faded t-shirt and a plaid overshirt, topped off by a pair of worn trainers.

Derek looks down at the limp plushie in the boy's hand. "Hey. Are you here for Cora's birthday party?" he asks softly.

The boy raises his eyes. They're ridiculously large for his face, amber orbs framed by long lashes and a buzzed haircut that make them look even bigger. Suddenly, they narrow as he looks Derek up and down.

"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."

Derek frowns, the defiance taking him by surprise. "Maybe I work here."

Any shyness the boy may have seems forgotten as he takes a step closer.

"No, you don't," he says, his tone raised in challenge. "You don't have a nametag and you're not wearing a vest."

The kid's smart. Derek is filled with the weird urge to push his buttons and protect him at the same time.

"You got me," Derek says, holding up his hands. "I'm Cora's brother, Derek." He points to the animal in the boy's hand. "Don't you want to wait in line with the others and get your bear stuffed?"

The boy straightens out his arm. "It's not a bear," he says. There's a slight hesitation, then he's turning the animal over. Derek sees that it has a long muzzle, pointed ears, and plastic blue eyes. "It's Can… um, Canis…”

"Canis Lupus. A wolf," Derek says, surprised.

The boy nods vigorously. "Is that okay?"

"Yeah, sure. Why wouldn't it be?"

"I didn't know if I was allowed to get something that wasn't a bear." The boy hangs his head, his fingers digging into the wolf's ample fur. "I've never been to one of these parties before."

Ah. Another reject from Lydia Martin's party list. The news makes Derek inexplicably angry.

"If I was getting one, I'd get a wolf, too," Derek says.

The boy looks up, his earlier disapproval of Derek apparently forgotten. "Yeah?"

"Totally." Derek crouches down and strokes the wolf's fur. "It's pretty skinny though," he says as his hand lingers on the nape of its neck. "We'd better go and fatten it up. Maybe get it some clothes?"

The boy shakes his head. "Wolves don't wear clothes," he says, his exasperation plain. "Duh."

Derek snorts. "Well, how about one of those scent things?" The discs seem to be popular; most of the other kids have one in hand.

The boy lifts the wolf to his face and buries his nose in its fur. "Nah. He smells good the way he is. But he needs a heart."

"Okay. Let's get one, uh—"

"Stiles," the boy answers. "Stiles," he repeats with a small scowl as Derek stares, bemused. "That's my name."

"Oh. Okay, Stiles." Derek stands up and holds out his hand. "Let's go. We've got a wolf to build."

Stiles places his hand in Derek's. It's small and a bit clammy, but Derek doesn't mind, surprisingly. They head towards the front of the store where Stiles takes his time in choosing a red heart out of the bin of hundreds. There's another display close by filled with a selection of noisemakers.

"Do you want one?" Derek asks as Stiles stares. There's a lot to choose from. "They have some songs and animals noises, and—"

"They don't have any wolf ones, though," Stiles says, seemingly put out. He pushes one of the buttons, rolling his eyes as a dinosaur's roar breaks through the tiny speaker. He chooses the dog button next.

God, no, Derek thinks.

Thankfully, Stiles passes on that one, too.

"What about this one?" Derek asks, pointing to number eleven. When Stiles presses the button, they hear the lub dub of a human heart, steady and true.

Stiles' face breaks into a huge grin. "That's perfect."

Derek opens the drawer, takes out the sound chip and hands it to Stiles, who curls his fingers around its edges and holds on tightly. By the time they make it to the stuffing station, Stiles is bouncing on his feet, a bundle of barely contained energy. He's also staring with a horrified expression at a boy who's twirling in a circle while rubbing his bear's poly-filled heart across his chest and down to his belly.

"Uh, Derek? Do I have to do that?" Stiles whispers as a Build-A-Bear employee eggs the boy on.

Maybe it's the vulnerability in Stiles' face, or the wobble in his voice, but Derek wants nothing more in that moment than to soothe Stiles' worry. He leans over and whispers, "You mean, act like something's crawling up your butt?"

Stiles lets out a half-gasp, half-laugh. "I can't move like that! What if I do it wrong and his heart won't work?"

"Listen to me, Stiles. I'm thirteen and I know a lot about wolves. Rubbing your wolf's heart on your pants or doing ten jumping jacks isn't going to make him come to life. What he needs is for you to care for him. To love him, and believe in him with all your might. Okay?"

"Okay." Stiles gives Derek a grateful smile, his face radiating his happiness.

Derek stands a bit straighter and catches his mother's eye. He's sure it's his alpha's approval and nothing else that makes him feel warm and tingly inside.

~*~

Derek used to be a romantic. He once dreamed of finding his true love, of meeting that special person whom he could care for and be cared for in return. But a series of bad relationships with people who either wanted different things in life (sorry, Braeden), or were only interested in him for his family's powerful connections (thanks, Jennifer), or who were, to put it bluntly, vindictive, psychotic stalkers (hello, Kate) has left Derek realizing not everyone is destined to have a mate. Of course, that also means one of the great Hale legacies has come to an end, although he's not sure why the Fates decided to pin that dubious distinction on him.

He doesn't want to end up like his Uncle Peter who, after losing his mate, creeps around with people half his age, filled with snark and cynicism. So Derek tries to settle, without success. His friends and family blame his inability to have a meaningful relationship on 'being too choosy', or 'not trying', or his 'emotional constipation'. He supposes it's a damning statement when even his best friends have given up their matchmaking attempts and relegated him to babysitting duty.

Derek's trying to decide whether he has time for a quick run before he goes grocery shopping, or whether he has enough milk and butter to postpone the errand altogether, when an EMT kit lands by his feet.

"Any plans for tonight?" Erica asks. Her smile is a bit too bright, her tone a shade too innocent.

Derek frowns and gives his co-worker the side-eye as he tries to figure out her angle. He can't believe there was a time where he thought he and Erica could be anything more than friends. She's gorgeous, of course, but she's also too perceptive and blunt as hell, and she calls Derek out on his bullshit more than anyone else aside from his own sisters. She feels like safety—like pack—but his wolf knows there's nothing more. Besides, she's snagged herself a handsome and brilliant ED doctor in Boyd—along with a ring, a two-bedroom Murray Hill apartment, and a five-year old daughter.

"Catching up on the second season of The Mandalorian?" Derek grins, baring a toothy smile of his own.

"Are you thirty-five or sixty-five, Derek? Because seriously, I can't tell. And since you phrased your answer in the form of a question and this isn't Jeopardy, I'm assuming those plans aren't set in stone."

Fuck. Erica had promised after the last disastrous blind date that she wouldn't try to set him up again. "I'm really not in the mood for company—"

"Even if it's a little girl who loves her godfather more than anyone else in the world?"

Derek sits up straighter. "You need me to watch Hailey?" He couldn't love Erica and Boyd's daughter any more than if she were his own.

"If you're up to it," Erica says, actually looking contrite. "I know it's your first day off in almost two weeks and I normally wouldn't ask, except… Well, the New York Public Library's doing this Children's Authors series, and her favorite writer's going to be reading today."

"The Fox and the Spark? I'm somewhat familiar," Derek says drily. He's read the story so many times he could recite it in his sleep.

"Yeah." Erica lets out a small laugh. "So, there's a second book that's coming out and the author's signing copies. Boyd was supposed to take her, but he has to cover for someone who called out with a family emergency. Greenberg won't let me change my shift, and I know you just finished yours, but—"

Derek puts a hand on Erica's shoulder. Next to Laura, Erica's his closest friend, and it's not like he really had plans.

"Don't give it another thought. Of course I'll take her."

A wave of relief sweeps over Erica's face. "I owe you one, Hale."

Derek lets out a small huff. He's pretty sure that if they were keeping tabs, he's going to come out on the short end when it comes to Erica and Boyd. Besides, an afternoon out with Hailey is bound to be better than his last several dates, even if he has to put up with a bunch of screaming kids.

~*~

As it turns out, there are a bunch of kids, but none of them are screaming because the man in front of them's woven some kind of crazy magic and has them in his thrall. He has thick brown hair that's the epitome of hipster chic, a wide mouth that pulls into an easy grin, and is wearing a heather grey t-shirt paired with khakis and a red hoodie. He looks young—young enough that Derek thought he worked for the library at first, a notion that's dispelled once Mrs. Purcell, the head librarian, gathers everyone together. His smile is bright and engaging, although it falters a bit when Mrs. Purcell stumbles over his name.

"Mieczyslaw," the man says with a self-deprecating grin. "Like 'mischief'. But I'll tell you a secret. No one calls me that, not even my family. You can just call me 'M'."

The news seems to delight the kids, who shout "Hi, M" in a loud chorus. M shows his appreciation by running across the front of the room and handing out high-fives.

"Is that really him?" Hailey wriggles in Derek's arms and cranes her neck, trying to get a better look. The construction-paper fox ears that they super-glued to her headband earlier that afternoon gets pushed aside at a precarious angle.

"That's really him," Derek affirms, which earns him an excited squeal.

"Put me down, D!" Hailey says with all the imperiousness of her mother, and it's all Derek can do, even with his superhuman strength, to keep her from toppling over.

"You can find a spot up close. No pushing or shoving, and if you can't see, ask politely. I'll be back here, okay?" He leans in and nuzzles her cheek to let her know she's safe and protected.

"Okay!" Hailey gives him a quick squeeze back before making her way up front. Derek is glad to see one of the other girls make room for her as Hailey sits down in the second row and clutches her book happily.

Derek straightens and runs a hand through his hair. He feels someone watching, and when he looks up, he suddenly locks eyes with M.

M rubs the back of his neck as a light flush spreads over his cheeks. It doesn't help to diminish his already-youthful appearance; in fact, it makes him look vulnerable—like prey—and the thought causes something to flare hot in Derek's belly. It's only when someone nudges him impatiently that he realizes that he's gawking in the middle of the room, surrounded by a restless audience that comes up to his knees. Derek mutters his apologies, then takes his six-foot frame to the back of the room where he watches from behind a row of brightly colored, miniature plastic chairs.

M starts off by saying that his best friend Scott is a veterinarian who works at a wolf sanctuary, and that M always thought wolves were the coolest. The tidbit makes Derek straighten to his full height and he puffs out his chest, inordinately pleased.

Most of the children already own copies of M's latest but choose to watch as M holds up a giant book that's nearly a foot-and-a-half tall. The pages are filled with illustrations—courtesy, M says, of his friend Isaac. The pictures are warm and soft, and detailed in a way that appeals to both a young and older audience. But even though they're beautiful, Derek finds his attention drifting elsewhere. He's mesmerized by the way M's fingers dance across the pages as he reads, how his eyes grow bright and animated when he hears the children laugh at his vocal impressions, and the way M's mouth—god, his mouth—turns down at the corners when he reaches a poignant scene. His voice defies categorization: it's raspy yet young, melodious but slightly off-pitch, and serious yet mischievous, as if an old soul had somehow merged with an adolescent’s energy.

The truth is that Derek's too distracted by M to pay close attention to the story. But after his brain momentarily shorts out from watching M lick his thumb to turn the page, it manages to reboot and catch the his next words:

"You need to care for him," the fairy said as Milo hugged his wolf. "You need to love him and believe in him with all your might."

Derek listens in a daze as M tells the group how Milo's wish for his wolf to come to life comes true. His own wolf perks up, and against the stench of the colognes and soaps and sweat of the crowd, he can pick out the welcome scent of citrus and cottonwood from back home. It's intoxicating, yet soothing and breathtakingly familiar, and in that moment the thread of hope that Derek's long thought cut manages to wriggle into his heart and take hold.

~*~

Derek absolutely does not push his way towards the front of the line. He just has longer legs.

His heart is in his throat and he's holding tight to Hailey, who's clutching her copy of Build A Wolf close to her chest. Derek doesn't understand how he could have missed the signs: the smattering of moles that grace M's cheek, the adorable tilt of his nose, or the warm intelligence of his eyes.

"Hi," Derek says when they reach the table where M's seated, his voice catching.

The Sharpie that M's twirling lazily between his fingers falls with a clatter. M stares at Derek, seemingly lost for words. A beautiful pink flush highlights his cheeks that Derek wants to trace with his thumb.

"You're a bit older than my usual fan. Bigger, too," M croaks. His face turns even brighter, and Derek can smell his surprise and the faint spice of his arousal.

"Stiles?" Derek blurts out. Upon seeing M's shocked expression, Derek tries to backtrack. "I'm sorry, it's just… well, you remind me of someone I knew from back home." When M doesn't deny the assumption, Derek continues, "I'm Derek Hale. Cora Hale's brother?"

M scrubs his face. "Wow, dude… wow, yeah, I am." He looks around and lowers his voice. "I'm surprised you recognized me. Or that you even remember who I am." When he smiles it's small and embarrassed, but Derek can also detect the happiness that colors his scent.

"I know you're probably busy, seeing as you're on a book tour and all, but do you want to grab a bite after you're done?" Derek feels breathless, and it's totally unlike him to be so forward, especially in the midst of an increasingly antsy crowd, but he feels like he's been waiting for this moment forever. "I mean, it can be something low key," he adds hastily, in case he's laying it on too strong. "I haven't been home in a while and it would be nice to catch up, and—"

There's a strong tug on his shirt sleeve. "Hi, Mr. M," Hailey pipes up. She's wearing a sweet smile but her eyes are impatient and determined. "Can you sign my book for me?"

"Sure, I'd love to." Stiles gives Derek an apologetic look. He greets Hailey with a complicated fist bump after commenting on her fox ears, uncaps his Sharpie, and opens the book to the front page. "Who should I make it out to?"

"To Mommy and Daddy and Hailey," Hailey decides. She tugs on Derek's sleeve more forcefully. "Do you think Mommy will like that?" she asks in a loud whisper.

Derek bends down and kisses her forehead. "I think she's going to love it," he says, nuzzling her neck. When he stands back up, Stiles has finished signing, but his smile seems a bit forced. "So, about dinner..." Stiles doesn't answer immediately; Derek falters as he takes back the book, his hopes sinking with each passing second.

Stiles' eyes lower, his once-happy scent souring. "Sorry," he says, his expression unreadable. "I'm on a tight schedule."

Both the human and wolf sides of Derek are confused by Stiles' sudden rejection. "Maybe a drink?" he tries again, desperate. He may have been a terrible judge of character in his previous relationships, but he can't be wrong, not about this.

Stiles shakes his head. Before Derek can press his case, there's a cough as the father and son behind Derek fix him with matching glares. Derek and Hailey get shuffled towards the door, and by the time Derek regains his bearings and looks back he discovers that Stiles is posing for a selfie with the kid, his scent now off, his smile a bit too forced.

~*~

There are several truths about the holidays—and the end of the year in particular—which are that the crowds are larger, the stress is higher, and people tend to avoid hospitals as much as possible. It also means that Derek's unit is flooded with calls, from decorating mishaps and drunken shenanigans to medical emergencies that are so far gone they can no longer be handled by an urgent care. He hasn't hung out with both Boyd and Erica in nearly a month, and even though it's for a quick bite in the hospital's cafeteria, he'll take it.

"Seriously, Hale. You'd better have a smile on your face after your PTO."

Derek looks up from his burrito, his brows furrowed.

"I don't know why you think I have PTO, Erica, but I don't," he says, grimacing as a glob of beef and avocado drop onto the wax-paper wrap. He's never requested a holiday week since he started with the FDNY eleven years ago. His family's all on the West coast, and he'd rather leave the prime vacation weeks to his co-workers. It's not like he has someone special to share the holidays with, after all.

He ignores the ache in his chest as he thinks of Stiles.

"Yeah, well the thing is, now you do. The week between Christmas and New Year's," Erica clarifies as she takes a bite of her burger. "You never exercise the perks that go with your seniority, and don't think it's gone unnoticed. It's the department's gift to you. "

Derek stares, flummoxed. "Greenberg will never go for it."

"Are you kidding me? He was the first to say 'yes'. Said he's tired of seeing your grumpy mug whenever he rings in the New Year."

Boyd grins at Derek's obvious discomfort. Derek gives him the middle finger, which makes Boyd chuckle out loud.

"I don't even know if my family's around," Derek protests. Laura often spends the holidays with her husband's family in Sun Valley, and Cora's hard to pin down any time of year.

Erica and Body give him twin looks of guilt. "They are," Boyd says as he takes something out of his coat pocket and hands it to Derek. "We already spoke to Laura. She can't wait to see you."

"Ho, ho, ho." Erica grins.

"What's this?" Derek asks as he stares at the envelope in Boyd's hand.

Boyd shrugs but Derek's not fooled by his casual stance. "A first-class plane ticket. An early Christmas present from us to you." His usually placid expression grows sheepish. "Look man, we don't want to put you in a bad spot. If you really don't want to go, use the credit for another trip. But we knew that if it were up to you, you'd be spending Christmas alone, eating leftovers and watching It's a Wonderful Life for the hundredth time."

"Who says I need to be in a relationship to be happy?" Derek asks, his hackles rising. Besides, Boyd has it all wrong. Derek has Die Hard on his Christmas queue.

Yippee ki yay.

Boyd holds up both hands. "Not me. If you want to be a bachelor forever, I'm not one to judge."

"But I am," Erica says. "You don't date anymore, Der. Hell, when's the last time you even got laid? Which would also be fine, except it's not, because you're miserable and it's obvious that's not what you really want."

Sometimes Derek has a hard time following Erica's logic. Unfortunately, this is not one of those moments.

"It doesn't matter," he says, digging the excess rice out from his wrap. "I'm better off alone."

Erica and Boyd share a look. Derek feels a pang of envy at the way they so easily read each other's thoughts and their mutual love and support. He'd always fancied himself a romantic, but to finally find his mate only to be rejected flat out hurts worse than anything Kate had put him through. Which… well, it says a lot.

Boyd nudges the envelope towards the remains of Derek's burrito. "Do what's right to you." And just like that, he changes the subject as they argue over whether Brees or Brady will end the season with the most touchdown passes and have the better chance of securing a berth in the Super Bowl.

~*~

Minutes after Derek sets foot inside JFK, he remembers why he hates flying. It's the noise and the stress, the smell of impatience and sweat, and the lack of personal space as he waits to clear security. He jams his beanie down to cover his ears, and the glower he's wearing doesn't help the dubious looks being cast his way. By the time he reaches the concourse, he has to duck into a coffee shop to catch a break from all the commotion.

He's standing in line, trying to decide whether he'd rather have a green or carrot smoothie, when someone's suitcase catches his heel.

"Shit! Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" The stranger pulls back the offending piece of luggage, and Derek suddenly catches a whiff of a familiar scent amongst the flurry of clothing and limbs. "Are you okay? I'm not exactly graceful on most days, but I'm working on like two hours of sleep and… " The man's voice trails off as he meets Derek's gaze, his whiskey-colored eyes widening further. "Derek?" he squeaks.

"Stiles," Derek answers, his voice equally strangled.

Stiles blows out a deep breath. "Oh, wow. What are the chances?" he mutters. His face turns blotchy.

Derek's wolf is pawing at his chest, begging Derek to not waste this second chance. "Uh… seeing as we're both here, I'm going to repeat my offer. For the drink. And a meal, if you'd like. Although I guess it's more like a grab and go." He's stumbling over his words and he feels the tips of his ears heat.

Stiles glances at the breakfast wraps and fruit bowls displayed behind the plexiglass counter. He pastes on a grin, although it seems strained at the edges. "Yeah, okay. Thanks, man; that'd be great." He orders an OJ and an egg wrap, while Derek finally decides on the green smoothie.

"Is that all you're getting?" Stiles asks after an awkward moment of silence.

Derek shrugs. "I ate before I got here. But you can order something else. I'm in a generous mood."

"Haha, big spender. I mean… " Stiles ducks his head and bites his lower lip. Derek watches helplessly as it reddens and swells. "Doesn't your daughter or wife want something, too?"

"I don't have a daughter or a wife," Derek says, his brow furrowing. "Or a girlfriend or a boyfriend, for that matter."

Stiles' mouth drops. "But who was the girl you were with at the book signing?"

Everything starts to slot together. Derek lets out a small chuckle of relief. "Hailey? She's the love of my life. She also happens to be the daughter of my best friends, Erica and Boyd, and my goddaughter. They couldn't make it to your signing because of a scheduling conflict, and I jumped in as a favor." He hands over a twenty to the cashier and deposits the remaining change in the tip jar, his shoulders suddenly lighter.

"Ohhh." Stiles wheels his bag around as they head out towards the gates. He stays close to Derek and his scent grows brighter and sweeter. "I totally jumped to the wrong conclusion," he confesses with a rueful grin. "And I don't want to make the same mistake twice, so I'm going to ask you straight out: are you heading back to Beacon Hills? Because if you are, I'd like to take you to a real dinner. If you're interested, of course," he hastens. "If not, that's cool, too—"

Derek stops and places his hand on Stiles' arm. "I happen to be going back to Beacon Hills. And I'm definitely interested."

A quick check of their tickets shows they're on the same flight into Sacramento International. When they reach the gate, Derek marches up to the counter and trades in his first-class ticket for a business-class seat next to Stiles. He hurries back to the waiting area, flashing a 'thumbs up' sign and grinning like a loon. The look of pure joy that lights up Stiles' face makes Derek's wolf howl with glee.

"So I was curious... why did you choose Mieczyslaw as your nom de plume?" Derek asks as he sits, resting his bag on the floor between them.

Stiles huffs out a laugh. "Mieczyslaw is my name—at least, it's the one I was born with. But it was too complicated to say, so my best friend Scott nicknamed me 'Stiles' when we were younger." He shrugs, as if to say, the rest is history. "Anyway, I wrote The Fox and the Spark for Scott and Allison's son and they finally convinced me to submit it to a publisher. I really didn't think it would go anywhere, and it seemed like it would be less of a rejection if I sent it as 'Mieczyslaw' instead of 'Stiles'."

"And then you ended up with a best-seller," Derek finishes with a grin. He stares at the label on his cup, rubbing an edge that's grown worn from condensation. "Hailey's favorite book is The Fox and the Spark. But I think I'm partial to your latest. The one where a boy builds a wolf out of snow and wishes he'd come to life."

Stiles sucks in a deep breath. "It's based on one of my greatest memories."

"The memory of a wolf? Or someone else?"

Stiles' cheeks stain a beautiful pink. "Uh, a little bit of both? I've always been drawn to wolves, but I've also never forgotten how nice you were to me at Cora's party. I mean, you're Derek Hale—Cora's cool, older brother. I kind of built you up after that, turned our meeting into some kind of mythos, but even then I hadn't been prepared for you to be so…" He gestures with his long, graceful fingers up and down Derek's torso. "I mean, look at you. You're ridiculously hot, plus you were so amazing with your goddaughter. You probably work saving kittens or puppies or endangered wildlife or something—"

Derek coughs. "People. I'm an EMT."

"See! I mean, your fucking perfect. It's a good thing I didn't know all these things before, because otherwise, like, mind blown." Stiles mimes an explosion with his hands.

"I'm hardly special. Although I do have a book written about me. How many people can say that?" Derek teases.

"Yeah." Stiles' grin fades slightly, his hands falling to his sides. "About that. I know it must seem weird, but I'm not some obsessed fan, I promise."

Derek shakes his head. It's too early to tell Stiles about werewolves and their mates, but he wants Stiles to know that the feeling is mutual. That Stiles' story is the same one Derek's been living in since they first met.

"It's okay, Stiles. I feel the same way, too." Emboldened, he takes Stiles' hand in his, his eyes dropping to Stiles' mouth as his mate licks his lips.

"Dude," Stiles whispers, awed.

~*~

By the time they touch down in Sacramento, Derek's learned all about Stiles' closest friends. He learns that Scott is a werewolf as well, though bitten and not born, and that Stiles is considered part of Scott's pack. He's surprised to know that the infamous Lydia Martin is now one of Stiles' closest confidants, and that they'd briefly dated before deciding they were better off as friends. He also discovers that the Sheriff who busted Derek and his friends on Senior Prank Day (and let them off with a warning) is none other than Stiles' dad.

Derek and Stiles eventually connect the dots and realize that Stiles' friend Isaac went to the same college as, and remains friendly with, Erica and Boyd. He's happy to know that Stiles also lives in New York, on the Upper West Side near Riverside Park, which happens to be one of Derek's favorite places to jog. And he discovers other things about Stiles—like how Stiles is ticklish along his sides (just below the curve of his lowest rib), and how his lips are just as soft as they look, and how Stiles goes absolutely crazy when Derek scents and mouths his neck.

In fact, by the time they disembark, their mutual attraction is pretty much apparent to everybody—including the Sheriff, who pointedly avoids looking at Stiles' neck, and Laura, who just laughs.

Stiles lifts the hem of his scarf to hide the evidence, his cheeks flaming. Derek's just glad that neither the Sheriff or his sister can see the other places Derek's marked.

"Looks like you've finally found a flight you enjoyed, baby bro," Laura says as she wraps her arm around his shoulders and squeezes. "I'm so glad you're home."

Derek closes his eyes and breathes Laura in, his wolf settling at the smell of her shampoo, the warmth of his skin, and the feeling of home. "Me too."

Laura nuzzles the crook of his neck. "You smell different," she says as she leans back, her gaze sharp and assessing.

Derek glances at Stiles, who looks over to Derek at exactly the same time and waves at him with a blinding grin. "Um, yeah. About that..."

"I don't mean in that way," Laura says, wrinkling her nose. "Although he is a cutie. What I mean is that you smell... happy."

"I am," Derek says, realizing he means it. He can't wait to introduce Stiles to the rest of his family and begin formally courting his mate. But for now, he and Stiles know they have something special. They've entered the next chapter of their lives, one that already has a great beginning.

And the romantic in Derek knows this story will have a happy ending.

#outtoshatter #stereksanta20 #*fic20 #*gifts20

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blackberryjqm · 3 years

Note

Can you name your Top5 ST characters and ships?

sorry it took me so long to get back to you, i really had to think about this one!

characters

will byers - i feel like i relate to will the most, out of the wide range of characters we are introduced to during the three seasons. he’s a little odd, on the outside at school and is generally sad. also, his fear of things changing and everyone moving forward without him? we are practically the same person (but i don’t have a bowl cut). i find him a fascinating character, through his experiences with the mindflayer and the upside down, and how those event affect the way he interacts with people. i’m really looking forward to seeing how his character progresses in the seasons to come. notable scenes: “the demogorgon. it got me.”, the whole of season two, “can we play d&d now?”, “is it early, michael?”

max mayfield - i really liked the way max was written, in both seasons (especially season 3) and really respect her feminist, the very best kind of friend, taking-none-of-mike-wheeler’s-shit attitude. she’s a strong, independent woman, and i really like her interactions with lucas. notable scenes: picking the lock to get into the av club, every time she sticks her finger up at billy, “well, it’s this legal term, called divorce.”, “boyfriends lie, all the damn time”, the entire shopping sequence, all of the el & max moments.

el - the way they wrote her very first interaction with max makes me want to curl up and die, but overall, el is independent, strong, and most importantly, a badass. even through rewatched, when i know what’s going to happen, i still get a thrill every time she saves the gang from an imminent threat. notable scenes: her facial expressions when mike tries to put the makeup on her, all her scenes with joyce, her season 2 haircut and overalls, “yeah, am i your little pet?”, literally getting a knife in her leg and walking on it later in the scene, every time she breathes

lucas sinclair - in my opinion, lucas is a really underrated character. he uses his wits, is realistic, and really cares for his friends. his skepticism of el, in the first season really shows how hard his grip on reality is, rather than mike who trusts her blindly. notable scenes: when he gives his whole spiel about el in season one and it’s kind of on a beat as if he was rapping, his insistence to befriend max, “is that a new zit?”, every time he fights with erica, his firework plan.

erica sinclair - listen, i know erica is mainly used for comedic relief, but i found her character really refreshing. along with having some of the most iconic lines of the series, she’s smart and alert and knows more about capitalism than i ever will. notable scenes: fighting with her brother almost every scene, “just the facts”, “you can’t spell america without erica,”, “plan child endangerment”, “i’m ten, you bald bastard!”

ships (i found this one a lot harder to come up with!)

max/lucas - as stated above, the interactions between max and lucas are funny and heartfelt, and i find them really sweet. i really enjoy their relationship dynamic. notable scenes: their talk at the junkyard in season 2, the snowball, the “is that a new zit?” scene, the very implication that they have broken up five times.

joyce/hopper - the will-they-won’t-they, fighting one minute, friends the next, just really want to protect my kid(s) kinda relationship. notable scenes: every single interaction between them, sharing cigarettes, enzos, “yes, every man i talk to from now on has to be my boyfriend”

nancy/jonathon - they went through so much together, fighting the demogorgon, exorcising will, even getting a job at the same place. even though they fight, i think their personality types just fit really well together. notable scenes: hunting the demogorgon together, visiting murray’s + the pullout joke, “sorry, i had a late night with fagin and the gang”, the entire hospital scene, every single time they’re in a car together.

mike/will - okay, sue me, i’m partial to a little byler. it would be interesting to see it represented in canon, but no matter how much subtext can be found between them, i doubt that the duffer brothers would scrap the relationship they’ve been building between mike/el for the last three seasons, no matter how iffy it came across last season. still, a girl can dream. notable scenes: mike’s determination to find him during season one, all of season two, “what if you want to join another party?”

dustin/susie - it had to be said, the running joke that susie doesn’t exist, only for her existence to be proven in the most inconvenient way, has got to be one of the best moments of season three. notable moments: the never ending story

thanks for the question, anon! i really enjoyed answering it!

#asks #answered #anon #stranger things

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jasontoddiefor · 4 years

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Title: burn bright until we’re not Fandom: Star Wars Ship: Biggs/Luke AN: Remember how I complained about the lack of fanfic? Yeah.

Read on AO3!

— first

Luke Skywalker was not the first person Biggs had a crush on, but perhaps he was the first he fell in love with. The day he realized how much he adored his best friend wasn’t really different from any other day on Tatooine. There wasn’t much to do on their homeworld but to laze around, work on the farm, get drunk, repair a speeder and go racing. They had been done with their chores already.

Well, Biggs who had many siblings and less to do in general had been finished.

He’d gone over to the Skywalker homestead after to help Luke so that they could go racing after. Luke had been busy repairing droids, grease smeared over his clothes and face while he frowned at five different wires, only to lighten up as soon as he spotted his best friend. Biggs fell in love with the way Luke smiled at him.

— kiss

More often than not, kissing Luke meant tasting dust and oil. Biggs didn’t mind too much, even made fun of his boyfriend for being made out of storms and machines. Luke tackled him in retribution, they fell down into the sand, complained and laughed. They kissed the day Biggs left for the Academy, for the Rebellion, and there was nothing sweet about it. They clung to each other in desperation, torn between dreams and hopes and promises of coming back.

— final

The fighting stopped, the second Death Star had been taken out and with it the Emperor. But still, there was no sign of Luke. Biggs hadn’t been there when he decided to leave, surrender to Darth Vader so they wouldn’t have to deal with a Sith Lord killing their already few numbers. This was the final day of an era of tyranny, and Luke might be-

— numb

No, I am your father.

Luke had been desperate at first, then panicked and scared and finally angry. Now he only felt numb. When his world had been falling apart, the stories about his father had been something to cling to. He had been a good man, a hero, and Luke had wanted to be just like him.

He didn’t know who was supposed to be now.

— broken

When Luke returned from Bespin, he wasn’t the same. He was missing his friend, his lightsaber and his right hand, but something in him had broken and Biggs didn’t know how to fix it.

“He survived Vader,” Wedge assured him. “He will pull through.”

— wings

“So, uh, does everything around Commander Skywalker usually grow wings?”

Rogue Squadron’s newest recruit was short, and she doesn’t look like much, but her turns were so sharp that Luke wanted to hand her his lightsaber just to see if she’d know what to do.

“You get used to it,” Wedge sighed. “Our dear leader usually goes outside to meditate, but Biggs forbid him after he caught a cold last time.”

Luke dropped one of the floating tools on Wedge’s head.

— melody

Luke was humming. Biggs was fairly sure he didn’t even notice it, but since they had taken off, flying in the direction of the Death Star, Luke had been humming. He only really stopped when he was calling in and giving a status update. Biggs knew the song from Luke. It wasn’t a nursery rhyme, but Aunt Beru used to sing it as one. Luke always muttered it when he was trying to calm down, except for that one time he had shouted it when they’d been flying away from Tuskens in Beggar’s Canyon.

“Oh, You're never gonna be closer to the Great Water,” Biggs whispered to himself. “Than when the Master sends you into the desert, don’t cry, don’t cry…”

They’d make it out. They would survive this suicide run against the Empire and utterly destroy their weapon of mass destruction.

— rules

Luke watched Biggs leave, the japor snippet he’d been given burning warmly in his hand. Biggs had promised that he’d return in three years time, come pick Luke up and they’d be free to travel wherever they wanted. It was a nice dream and Luke wanted to chase after it, but nobody who had made it off Tatooine ever came back, such were the rules of their life. Luke felt like everything inside him was screaming at him to tell him he’d see Biggs again. Well, that could only mean that it would be Luke chasing after Biggs, so that for once in their lives their roles were reversed.

— chocolate

Introducing his new wingman to sweets was Wedge’s new hobby. Biggs Darklighter, Outer Rim pilot, was a terror on the field. You almost wouldn’t assume he was nineteen, looking and acting much older. Right now though, his face utterly stuffed with fine Alderaanian chocolate, he actually seemed like the inexperienced young man he was.

“I have to show Luke this,” Biggs muttered.

“Who’s Luke?” Wedge asked.

Biggs smiled softly and oh- well, if that wasn’t a love-struck expression.

— nostalgia

“I missed this,” Han said. “You, me, people shooting at us while we’re saving the day.”

“This is not the right place for nostalgia, Han!” Leia shouted at him and leaped over their cover, her lightsaber ignited.

“You’re right,” Han agreed, watching her tear her way through their attackers like an angry war goddess. This was way better.

— heartbeat

“We’re losing him! I need a medic over here, now!”

This wasn’t their childhood adventure, this was war. It meant burying and burning their dead, staining their dirty flight suits with the blood of the people they couldn’t help, those they reached too late.

“Quick, someone, his heartbeat is weak, hurry up-“

“He’s gone, Biggs,” Luke said, his voice sounded far away. “We have to keep moving. C’mon, the imps aren’t far behind us.”

— stranger

They hadn’t seen each other in weeks. Luke had been tracking down Jedi artifacts on his own and Biggs had been busy flying transports.

“Hey, there stranger,” Biggs greeted Luke from behind.

Luke didn’t even twitch, it was getting near impossible to surprise him nowadays. He turned around quickly and pulled at Biggs’ collar so he could kiss him. Around them, their friends shout and whistle.

“Idiots, all of them,” Biggs laughed and went in for a second kiss. He tangled his fingers in Luke’s hair. It was darker than it had ever been on Tatooine, and longer too.

“You need a haircut.”

“I need a shower,” Luke replied. “Care to join me?”

— confusion

Han didn’t know what he was supposed to make of the kid, the old man, and the two droids. Chewie liked them, especially the old man. He’d introduced himself as Ben Kenobi and the kid as Luke Skywalker. Han had been a brat himself during the Clone Wars, but even he recognized those two last names. The Jedi magic business he was less sold on – it made no sense and it was confusing as hell, alright? – but back in the war, the Jedi had been Generals. Military titles Han could work with. Either way, the kid and the old man didn’t look like much, but perhaps they’d prove him wrong.

— bitter

The alcohol tasted bitter on Luke’s tongue, but it wasn’t the worst drink he'd ever had.

“Passable,” he judged and handed his bottle over to Wes who promptly choked on it.

“The heck, Skywalker! This tastes like the stuff I put in my tanks! This isn’t drinkable.”

Luke frowned and took back the bottle to hand it to Biggs, who also had no problems drinking it. They shared a look, then grinned.

“You should taste the stuff we drunk back home.”

“No, thank you.”

— afterlife

Biggs stared at Luke, then at the empty space beside Luke where apparently Anakin Skywalker’s ghost was lurking, and finally back again at Luke.

“No,” he said, pulled their blanket over his head again and dropped back on their bed. “It’s too early for funky Jedi business. I can meet him later when I’m awake and coherent enough to understand dead people coming back. The world of the living is closed for any afterlife dwellers until I’ve had my kaf.”

Biggs slowly fell asleep again to the sound of twin laughter.

— daybreak

Biggs had spent the whole day over at the Lars homestead until it had been so dark, Aunt Beru hadn’t wanted him to go home by himself. Luke and he had squeezed together in Luke’s bed, which was much too small for two teenagers, even if Luke was short for his age. They stayed up way to too late and got up before the first sun rose.

“C’mon,” Luke whispered and dragged Biggs with him outside. They climbed up the dome of the homestead and huddled together, watched the sunrise. At daybreak, Biggs decided he’d follow Luke everywhere, he’d only need to ask.

— audience

They had an audience.

“Didn’t you say he was your boyfriend?” Wes asked. Next to him, the pilot Luke had arrived with – Han Solo or so? – looked just as flabbergasted as the rest of the team. He kept looking at Luke, as if to check that they weren’t playing a prank on them.

“You talked about me?”

Now Luke was looking up at Biggs with his big blue eyes flickering mischievously and Biggs could feel his cheeks heating up.

“Well, yes. I mean, it’s not like this is Tatooine, but I figured I should still, ah, stick to the oath, so boyfriend-“

Luke finally had enough torturing Biggs. “Yes, you did fine. And yes, we are married.”

“When did that happen?” Solo asked, throwing his hands in the air. “We arrived not even a week ago!”

Now it was Luke’s turn to blush, rightly so. “Uh, before Biggs left Tatooine, so three years ago…?”

— endless

Sometimes it felt like the fighting never stopped. They came back from patrol, someone slapped a few bacta patches on them if they could afford any, they ate if they could keep the ration bars down, went to sleep if they didn’t wake up screaming and got sent off for another run. There were moments where Biggs thought it didn’t get any better, the Alliance just tried to avoid the worst of the punches. He hated this endless fighting, the thought that this might be it for the rest of his life.

He always got back up again either way.

— fireworks

The first time they kiss, it wasn't so much a kiss as Biggs being stupid and getting lost in his thoughts. Luke couldn’t sit still and he was always making sounds, whether he was humming or talking. Luke had turned to Biggs, asking him to hand him a tool and all Biggs could think of at that moment, was how nice it would be to kiss Luke.

So he did.

As soon as his lips touched Luke’s, he realized what he was doing and pulled back. He expected Luke to start shouting maybe, not to flush bright red, stammer and abandon all attempts at communication to dive in for a second, clumsy and awkward kiss. They made up inexperience with enthusiasm and nothing, not even the drought season fireworks, could compare.

— wishing

“So you what? Rub a lamp and get three wishes?” Leia asked skeptically.

Han groaned. “Yes, it’s an old Corellian story. Can I go on now?”

“But, Dad, aren’t there any rules about the wishes?”

“Yes, Han. There must be rules.”

There probably were, but Han couldn’t recall them. He only vaguely remembered the story from his childhood. Maybe his mother had told it to him or he had just put it together from the many stories the fellow orphans used to tell at night, he wouldn’t know.

He did know that his wife and son shared the same inquiring look that looked utterly adorable on Ben’s small round face.

“You make up some rules then,” Han decided and as expected, Ben and Leia immediately began discussion.

So much for bedtime stories.

— birthday

Leia’s birthdays had always been overshadowed by the much more important Empire Day, a festive no planet of the Empire could escape. Her parents used to sit down with her for an hour at least, both making time in their busy schedules to have sweets with her and give Leia their presents. After Alderaan’s destruction, Leia had never stopped to think about her birthdays. She’d forgotten it twice and only remembered it when Luke mentioned offhandedly that it was his birthday while they were stuck together hiding from bounty hunters.

The war wasn’t over now, far from it, but a year after the Emperor’s death, Leia could celebrate, wanted to celebrate her birth and that of her twin’s. She’d missed enough years with him, she didn't want to miss another.

— tomorrow

Today they partied. They cheered and danced and got so blackout drunk they wouldn’t be able to hear the desperate screams of their friends’ dying breaths. Tomorrow they would burn flags for their dead. They would pack up their base and rush to a new system to hide in.

— oppression

Biggs could have had a comfortable life on Tatooine. His family was well-established and he’d earn enough money to live a good life, but Biggs had always dreamed of the stars. But even more than that, he’d yearned for a free galaxy. The Darklighters had kept their last name when they became free, Biggs great-grandmother hadn’t ever wanted to pretend she came from somewhere that was not oppression, but the people around them had forgotten it more and more with each year that passed.

Skywalker, on the other hand, was so glaringly a slave name, people took notice.

Tatooine bred two kinds of people, those who resisted and those who sought to establish their cruel system. If they had just one or two pilots more, a chance to get off this planet, the rebels would be overrun with help from the Hutt space.

— agony

Leia stared at the people in front of her, wondering whether they were serious pilots or a bunch of teenagers.

“You don’t understand,” Hobbie insisted. “It’s agony. You’re our only hope, Senator.”

“I’m busy,” Leia said and walked past them. Honestly, Luke and Biggs were adults, they could solve their fight on their own. Interfering would only make it worse.

“Please! They won’t even talk to each other!”

Leia rolled her eyes. If they already weren’t talking anymore, they were already done fighting and just trying to figure out who needed to apologize first.

“Busy!”

— return

Luke wondered what it said about himself that he’d been so reluctant to return to Tatooine, even when he knew that Han was here and they had to free him. Perhaps it was because he could still smell the ashes of his burned childhood home. Or maybe because he could hear the desert scream at him, beg him to save their children.

But he couldn’t. Not today.

He’d be back again, he knew then. Free the remaining slaves as the Jedi had ought to do decades ago, teardown the makeshift grave he’d made for his parents, and maybe watch in amusement as Biggs’ mother would be forced to treat him politely as her son-in-law.

— protection

“Don’t forget to use protection!” Wedge shouted, as always the loudest of the Rogues.

Right beside him, Hobbie laughed. “And close the doors if you’re busy!”

Wes, the last remaining member of the original Death Star Red Squadron only snorted and shook his head. “They’re going on a mission, guys.”

“Undercover!”

“Without supervision!”

“Left alone for the first time in- uck.”

Biggs had thrown a pillow at Wedge, while Luke hadn’t even bothered to turn around. No, he had a husband to protect his honor.

— boxes

They exchanged gifts near midnight while the party showed no sign of ending, but the day was almost over.

“What is this?” Luke asked and for a split-second, Leia was angry at her parents. How could her father let them be split up? Luke should have grown up together with her on Alderaan, known their customs as well as she did.

“They’re marriage cords,” Leia explained. “Siblings make them for each other when they get married. I’m…” Leia quickly counted the years. “Nine years late, but I wanted you to have one. We usually put them in our hair during the wedding and keep them as necklaces or bracelets after.”

“Oh.” Luke examined the sky blue cords Leia had spent weeks fussing over. “Can you help me put them in? I don’t know how exactly.”

“Of course. Do I get to open my present before?”

“Yes!”

Luke eagerly pushed a small box into her hands. Leia opened it carefully and took out the bright purple crystal out of the box. Her brother looked a little sheepish, but there was an edge to his expression of which Leia knew that it meant that this was important to him.

“I know you said you prefer blasters and would leave the Jedi-ing to me, but the galaxy’s better off when we’re together.”

She grinned and elbowed Luke. “Don’t start complaining when I kick your ass, little brother.”

“I have it on good authority that I’m actually the older one-“

— hope

When Biggs finally returned to Yavin IV, he was exhausted. It was daytime on the moon, everyone seemed to be outside, running around, but all he really wanted to do was drop in his bed and sleep for the next twenty-four hours.

“Good morning, Commander Darklighter!”

The young boy who had greeted Biggs was dressed in loose tonics, looking much happier and comfortable than he had half a year ago when they’d found him and another two dozen children in an imperial training facility. He hadn’t gotten out of his habit of calling people by their titles yet, but his night terrors had lessened considerably and Biggs counted it as a win.

“Morning, Finn,” Biggs greeted. “And who is this little lady?”

The little girl hiding behind Finn mustered him curiously. She couldn’t be much older than four if Biggs were to guess.

“This is Rey Skywalker,” Finn said. “She’s new. Master Luke found her on Jakku. He’s training with the Padawans right now, do you want me to take you?”

Skywalker, she was another one of their many nameless and abandoned children then.

“I’d like that,” Biggs said and crouched down. “It’s nice to meet you Rey. My name is Biggs. I’m usually in charge of making sure our Jedi Master is behaving.”

He held out his hand and little Rey, new hope for a new age, took it.

— preparation

There were four of them, five if you counted Luke. Out of thirty, five had made it back from the Death Star. The other squadrons weren’t faring much better, there was a lot of reshuffling to be done.

“We need a name,” Hobbie decided, the oldest of them all at twenty-six. It seemed a little bit like a macabre joke.

“Five rogue pilots? We’re not gonna be a new squadron. They’ll split us up,” Wes tossed in, anger coloring his voice. He’d been with the Red Squadron the longest, lost the most friends. Despite his words, he had marched with the rest of them to the first empty room near the hangers, not awaiting room assignment. None of them were really preparing to be split up.

“So we tell them we’re a team,” Luke said, shrugging. “They can’t do anything about it then.”

Biggs wanted to protest. That really wasn’t how the Alliance worked, and yet when he opened his mouth, the words were lost to him. Luke got this air about him sometimes, like he knew whatever was saying was the truth and nothing but the truth.

“Rogue Squadron,” Wedge decided. “We should be the Rogue Squadron. We made the Death Star shot, we finished what they started, we’ll take their name. I’ll be Rogue Two.”

Wedge hadn’t been at Scarif, he’d been in medical at the time, but Tellem had been and they had died there. Biggs had never known what exactly their relationship was, and now it was too late.

“Rogue Three,” Biggs said instead.

“Four,” Wes added, while Hobbie claimed Rogue Five for himself.

That only left Luke and it seemed obvious now where he belonged.

— beautiful

“You’re beautiful.”

Biggs snorted.

“I’m old and gray and no, I’m not going to go pick up the Padawans in the jungle with you. Flattery won’t get you anywhere, Skywalker.”

Luke laughed and sat up. “Oh, I’m pretty sure it’ll get me everywhere.”

After all these years, Biggs still felt like that clumsy sixteen-year-old with a crush on the loveliest person he knew. He’d thought of himself as so grown up then already, but looking back, he knew they had been children still, much too young for the decisions they would make.

“If we pick the kids up with a ship, how much longer can we stay in bed?”

Going by the speed at which Luke made himself comfortable next to Biggs again, he assumed they could stay like this at least another hour.

— lies

“He’s my father!” Luke finally shouted, cut off from the rest of their squadron, stuck in a jungle on some Force-forsaken planet in the middle of nowhere.

In the desert, you learned how to be silent, least of all you attract womp rats or raiders or even more dangerous beings. Luke rarely raised his voice but now, admitting the truth, he was shouting at the storm inside his mind.

“Darth Vader is your father,” Biggs repeated.

He wanted to tell him to stop lying, except it made terribly sense. Luke’s wanted posters never named him as the Death Star Shot, and they demanded that he was to be brought in not only alive, but unharmed.

“But you’re still Luke Skywalker,” Biggs continued.

He pulled Luke back into his arms and, as so often in the last months, hoped they’d get a break from fighting the Empire, fighting for Justice.

— underneath

Han opened the secret compartment of the Falcon, hoping everybody would be alright. Three bright-eyed kids looked back up at him and not for the first time, did Han wonder why he of all people always ended up smuggling Jedi brats through the galaxy. He was married to Leia, Senator of New Alderaan and Jedi Knight, and he was a pretty well-known figure as well. He really shouldn’t be cut out for undercover work still after so many years.

“Thank you, General Organa,” the oldest of the brats said and climbed out of the hatch.

“Don’t sweat it.”

— hide

Watching the tiny Skywalker and Darklighter interact was one of Rex’s favorite past times. They were so much like General Skywalker and Senator Amidala, it was almost funny. Always searching for the other when they were in the same room, making eye-contact, the cheesy flirting toned down to keep an air of professionalism – Rex could go on and on.

The only difference was that they didn’t have to hide.

Commander Skywalker rushed past Darklighter and gave him a quick peck on the lips before chasing after some new recruits. Rex wondered if perhaps his parents would be here now too, fighting alongside them, if they hadn’t been forced to keep their relationship a secret.

— diary

“He knew, you know,” Luke told Leia. “Ben- Obi-Wan. He knew about our parents’ relationship, but he kept it a secret anyway because Father would have been thrown out of the Order and Mother would have lost her seat in the Senate. He wrote about it in his journal.”

Leia had wanted to get her hands on Obi-Wan Kenobi’s journal ever since her brother had given her the purple kyber crystal that accompanied Leia everywhere. It was difficult to figure out how to construct a lightsaber without any reference texts, but Luke had been busy.

“So all of this could have been avoided with a few changed laws?” Leia asked, already knowing the answer.

Of course, it wasn’t this easy. Tracking down how deep Palpatine’s machinations had ran took up most of her time. Leia still resented Vader and she didn’t think she’d ever care for him the way Luke did, but there was something horrifying about reading through a Sith Lord’s observations of a bright twelve-year-old child meant for greatness. Leia could never mourn Vader, but in the quiet presence of her brother she allowed herself to mourn Anakin Skywalker.

— unforeseen

Biggs didn’t believe it when he saw a tuft of blonde hair, the color of spun gold, during the meeting. Wedge had mentioned that the princess had been returned by a farm boy and a smuggler, but he didn’t think of Luke. He was still back on Tatooine, waiting for Biggs to come pick him up. He’d been meaning to go a few weeks ago, but the Alliance had needed him more. Now Luke was within reach, and yet, even when Biggs could clearly see his face, just across the hall, he couldn’t believe it.

— conditional

“These terms are non-negotiable, Skywalker,” Fett said.

His blaster was still pointed at Biggs’ temple. The bounty hunter would kill him before either could move.

“Fine.” Luke threw away his lightsaber. “I come with you, but he stays alive. Those are my conditions.”

Fett agreed and tossed a pair of handcuffs at Luke, shooting Biggs’ leg in the same motion. Biggs shouted and dropped to his knees.

“He’s alive, now come on, Jedi.”

— gone

He had missed twenty years, two decades, too much time his son should have been at his side. Padmé was gone, Vader had returned to Naboo to examine her grave, to ensure that this hadn’t been yet another trick played on him, that she hadn’t betrayed him once more.

Vader had always thought their child would be a girl with Padmé’s coloring and maybe his blue eyes. She had been fond of them. He wondered what Luke looked like beyond the red haze of Vader’s vision.

— clear

“Are you threatening me?” Biggs asked, trying to figure out why Han Solo was metaphorically waving his blaster in Biggs’ face.

Han nodded and crossed his arms in front of his chest. The two of them were almost the same height, but Biggs was tired and slouching while Han was standing with his back straight.

“Yes, it’s tradition. Luke is my friend. I figured nobody else had done it on his behalf. Are we clear?”

“Crystal,” Biggs replied.

— heartache

“He’s stupid!” Leia ranted. “And ignorant and arrogant and petulant and-“

“Important to you?” Luke interrupted her.

Leia glared at him, then dropped face-first onto her bed and groaned. It was strange seeing her so childish. Around everyone else, she acted much more serious, never said a word about how she was feeling. Luke thought it might be because everyone called her “Princess” first and by her rank second, making it easier for themselves to talk over her.

But the two of them clicked well. Sometimes it surprised Luke that they hadn’t been friends since childhood, teasing each other about their crushes and heartache.

“One day I’m going to kiss Han to shut him up,” Leia vowed.

— wired

There were always a lot of droids on their bases, especially around the hanger where most of the repairs took place and the pilots kept their astromechs, except Luke’s of course. Artoo always followed his Master or, in his absence, his Master’s companion.

“Your droid has some loose wiring,” one of their mechanics said.

Artoo had left one Master once, he wouldn’t leave a second.

— insanity

Watching Luke train was fascinating. He was right in his element, all the habits that made Luke a little strange fit so suddenly. You couldn’t spent half your life in love with Luke Skywalker and end up thinking he was normal. Biggs recalled the stories the Clone Wars’ veterans on base told of the leaders they always called their Jedi, loyal to the end. They sounded like ethereal warriors with too bright eyes, always a little too aware of their surroundings. It was almost too easy to picture Luke as one of them. It wasn’t insane to imagine him bringing back the Order he belonged to now.

Biggs wouldn’t mind. Hell, he’d be right out there with him helping. If Luke set his mind on something, he could do it.

— foolish

“Marry me,” Biggs said.

“What?” Luke thought he had misheard Biggs.

“Let’s get married,” his boyfriend repeated, grinning like a love-sick fool. “So you’ll always know I’m going to come back for you.”

“We can’t. My uncle-“

“So we’ll do it in secret,” Biggs argued. “No one but us has to know.”

Marrying in secret was nothing unusual on Tatooine. It was often enough that couples couldn’t be together openly, Hutt rule prevented that kind of freedom. Luke had always thought his wedding would be different.

“We’re not slaves,” Luke said stubbornly. They shouldn’t have to do anything in secret, they were free people and few things had ever been as important to Luke as reminding others of it.

“I know. I know Luke Skywalker, freeborn child of Anakin, child of Shmi, child of the desert. I know you and I want to marry you.”

Luke stared at him in disbelief, giving Biggs a chance to take back his words, but his best friend was still serious, unwilling to budge. Luke was strong, stubborn too, but not enough to deny himself this.

“We don’t have any water!” He finally blurted out. “We need water. And japor pieces.”

“Is that a yes?”

Luke leaned forward until his forehead was resting against Biggs’. “Of course, I’m saying yes.”

— words

He was silent at his father’s funeral. He could hear the people celebrating in the distance, but right in front of the funeral pyre where Anakin Skywalker’s prison laid burning, Luke couldn’t say a word.

— study

“Master Yoda told me to pass on what I’ve learned,” Luke said and dropped the datapads in frustration. “But there’s so much I don’t know! How am I supposed to bring back the Jedi if I don’t even know half of what their Padawans had to know?”

He’d spent hours upon hours reading through his Father’s archive. He barely managed to get through one text without having to look up another and another- A lot of it didn’t make sense to him and half of it he didn’t even understand.

Whenever he told one of the others, they just said he’d manage with some more studying, but Luke was starting to lose faith. Where did one start to study without a teacher?

Master Yoda had called him a Jedi Knight, Luke wasn’t so sure about that anymore.

— love

Luke didn’t know how to love gradually. Unlike his Father, as he’d later learn, Luke’s love wasn’t all-consuming, going further than it should. He cared for his pilots, for his friends, his sister, and his father. Anakin Skywalker was Darth Vader, but Darth Vader was also Anakin Skywalker or he wouldn’t have chased after his son for years. Once that knowledge settled in his mind, Luke loved his father. It gave him the strength to throw away his lightsaber, to come in peace instead of war. He’d never excuse Vader’s actions and he’d never give more than he could, but Luke loved and the galaxy was a better place for it.

— skies

“Rogue Squadron reporting for duty, Sir,” Luke said.

He knew that the rest of High Command didn’t really know what to make of him. He was young, he was short and he had a lightsaber he was only just now figuring out how to use. The sky, though? That Luke knew. He didn’t know how to be a Jedi, but he knew how to fly and soar through the sky.

He could be a pilot.

He would be.

— stars

“I want to see the stars, all of them,” Luke said, proud that his voice didn’t crack even once. It had started breaking a while ago, much to everyone’s amusement.

“All of them? That will take a while.” Biggs was teasing him, but Luke knew his friend yearned for the stars just as much as he did.

“A whole lifetime!”

Luke couldn’t think of anything he’d rather do.

— lucky

Luke closed his eyes. He had to make this shot. Failure was not an option. What was, was.

Back on Tatooine, people always said Luke was a lucky one. He may not have had the most money, but he always managed to pick the best droids and ship parts for the few credits he did have. Shooting womp rats half-blind with sand making his eyes tear wasn’t more difficult than this.

He just had to focus.

— shake

“This is Rogue Three, I’ve picked up some annoying imps and I can’t shake them.”

“Rogue Twelve here. I’m helping you out. Where’s your wingman?”

“Busy getting shot at- I just got that wing repaired, don’t aim at it, you stupid-“

“Rogue Six, has anybody got their eyes on our fearless leader?”

“Rogue Two, I’m still following Luke- kriff, shit, oh, no, no-“

“What’s going on there? Wedge, what the heck’s going on?”

“TIE fighters, three of them- fuck, that’s Death Squadron! Everybody retreat! Get out! Hail command and tell them we need back up! Now!”

— punctual

Biggs pulled up, just in time to avoid the shot from the TIE fighter behind him and spun, just like he used to back home, causing the enemy pilot to crash into the wall. Biggs resumed his position as Luke’s guard, sure that once more he wouldn’t be able to make it. Instead of falling into a panic, remembering the names and faces of the decimated Red Squadron, Biggs forced himself to look ahead. They’d make it, he told himself. There was no fear. The winds of Tatooine carried them forward and Biggs watched as Luke made his shot. Even before the hit landed, he was already pulling up, ready to give Luke cover so they could escape in time before the Death Star blew them up as well.

Biggs knew Luke had done the impossible.

They escaped the Death Star as fast as they could, passing the wreckage of a bloodless battlefield.

“Red three, are you with me?” Luke’s voice echoed over the comms.

“Yeah,” Biggs replied. “Like I’d ever leave you alone. I promised, remember?”

They were both laughing and crying when they got out of their ships. Biggs pulled Luke into a hug, desperation and utter joy overwhelming him, so very similar to that last night on Tatooine.

They had survived.

#star wars #Luke Skywalker #biggs darklighter #skylighter #leia organa #Han Solo #the rogue squad ended up playing a way bigger role than i though they would #fanfic #almost 6.000 words my dudes #in one day #that'S what the cool kids call #'i didn't work on my essay'#look at me go tossing all my worldbuilding in here again #i just have feelings about Alderaan alright

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t0ngue-tech · 4 years

Text

Sideline

“There were sparks in your eyes whenever you talked about flowers and how certain ones grow in different seasons. You were a force of nature; fearless, strong, and capable. There were so many things to love about you and Hoseok didn’t know where to start.”

↠ pure a n g s t ↞

word count: 2.9k

↠ oneshot ↞

A/N: happy early birthday to our sunshine, jung hoseok! i know angst may not be the best way to go, but i decided to write something different for him huhu. enjoy my loves!

Yellow. Pink. Hues of orange.

Warmth. The rich taste of hot chocolate on a cold night. Thick blankets. Freshly washed sheets.

There was no color in the world—no feeling that could ever describe the way Hoseok felt being around you. Fireworks were always present and the stars seemed to shine brighter every time you walked outside.

Hoseok was blessed to have known you since middle school. He had been by your side through many horrible haircuts and long nights of complaining about school work.

You weren’t a valedictorian type of student, more like a cum laude student however, you didn’t take the effort to do the work for the honors acknowledgement.

Hoseok was the opposite, so he knew he drove you crazy with the constant nagging of reminding you about certain pieces of homework or constantly going over your book reports. It was probably exhausting for you, but the way you beamed at Hoseok every time you had a high grade meant you still appreciated his efforts.

It was always an adventure being by your side. You loved to drink milkshakes at eleven in the evening; according to you, it tasted better late at night. Hoseok hated the rain, but on the contrary, you were extremely fond of it. You took every chance you had to go running out in the rain and Hoseok never hesitated to follow in suit. He also hated horror movies, pickles, and pizza crust, but because of you, he slowly learned how to tolerate all of those because they were all of your favorites.

You had an alluring luminescence about you that easily reeled people into your circle. You had a big heart; a large soft spot for everyone because you believed that everyone was a good person deep down. Hoseok loved how you smiled at everyone, how you break out into song mid-sentence, and he loved how you smelt like lavender every time you walked by.

There were sparks in your eyes whenever you talked about flowers and how certain ones grow in different seasons. You were a force of nature; fearless, strong, and capable. There were so many things to love about you and Hoseok didn’t know where to start.

Even with all of your beautiful qualities, Hoseok had to admit that there were things about you that he didn’t like.

Throughout the early years of knowing you, Hoseok watched you get your heartbroken over boys who never appreciated you. You’d question every single aspect about you when you were heartbroken and as much as he cared for you, it pissed him off.

You cared deeply for others and this meant you get hurt easily; Hoseok hated that. He hated the way your face looked when you were disappointed. When your eyes would glisten with tears, he could feel his chest cave in. He hated the way you doubt yourself, the sound of your squeaky laugh, and the way you’d hook your arm with his or how you would lean on his shoulders when you were tired. Most of all, he hated the way you say his name.

“Hoseokie!”

“Seokie.”

“Hobi, Hobi!”

“Hoseok..”

The sound of his name coming from your lips was like honey, sweet and rich. His parents, his sister, his friends, they all called on his name on a regular basis but nothing compared to the beautiful tone of your name.

But how can something so beautiful hurt so much?

↠↞

Summer break.

How could Hoseok forget the time you visited during summer break? It was impossible to forget.

Hoseok picked you up at the airport at one in the morning and the first thing you wanted was his mother’s steamed eggs and rice cake soup. By the time you both arrived, she was asleep (obviously), so you took his bed while he slept on the floor. It was a random cold summer night, but you were bundled up in warm blankets and that’s all that mattered to him.

Since summer school was in the works, Hoseok took the liberty to give you a campus tour of his university. He saved the literature wing for last because it was your major and the library on the upper floor would be your sanctuary.

What he didn’t account for was seeing a certain “shorter” friend with raven hair skimming along the tall shelves.

He didn’t want to regret walking up to his friend with you.

“Hey, Yoongi. It’s a rare sight seeing you with your head in the books.”

He didn’t want to regret introducing you to Yoongi.

“This is my friend, y/n. She’s visiting for the summer.”

He didn’t want to hear it.

“Hi Yoongi. It’s nice to meet you.”

And there it was. Honey dripping from your lips at the way Yoongi’s name rolled off your tongue.

Running into Yoongi didn’t happen that one time. Yoongi ran into both you and Hoseok at a cafe near Hoseok’s university, Hoseok introduced you to more of his friends and Yoongi was also there, and you also mentioned to Hoseok that you ran into him at the supermarket.

It’s not like Hoseok had the power to stop you from meeting Yoongi over and over again. He also couldn’t politely ask you to do such a thing because he had no authority over your social circle.

Hoseok had to stand by and watch your friendship with Yoongi slowly bloom into something new. It was torture to watch you laugh and lean against Yoongi’s shoulders when there were get togethers. You would bat your eyelashes, play with the ends of your hair, and you even invested in a new bottle of perfume that smells like toasted marshmallows; now his clothes and blanket smelt a little sweeter. All of these little things you did were a bit reminiscent of your behavior back in high school and he wished he could have forgotten about all of those things.

But how could he forget the late night conversation he had with you on his porch? It sealed the deal.

“Hoseok. I think I really like Yoongi.”

The dimness of the nearby street light shone on your face, revealing a noticeable blush.

“Really? Well, he’s a decent guy.”

The truth.

“He is, isn’t he? I’ve been hanging out with him a lot since I’ve been back. Thank you so much for introducing us by the way.”

“Of course. You two look great together.”

Lies.

Not to be selfish but, Hoseok had hoped he could spend the majority of summer break with you and that maybe within the time you spend with him you could feel something a little more than friendship.

It was a hopeless dream. It always has been.

A week before you left for the new spring semester, Yoongi had officially asked you to be his girlfriend.

It’s not that Hoseok wasn’t happy for you—of course he was happy. Maybe it was just his childish side getting to him; being a bit jealous and shit. He was in love with you for years, how else was he supposed to feel?

He was used to being in this position anyway.

All that was left was for you to send him a text or call him one day with an empty tone of voice explaining that long distance wasn’t working out anymore.

Hoseok got no such notification.

Instead, he received texts and calls from you gushing about how things were sailing smoothly with Yoongi and how he made the trip to visit you during spring break and on a random weekend. Yoongi was putting in a lot of effort for you and Hoseok was genuinely happy that there was a guy out there who was treating you like a queen.

It wasn’t long before he heard the painful words he didn’t want to hear.

“I’m so in love with him, Hoseok.”

Love.

In love with Yoongi.

You loved your exes in the past and broke up, so there had to be some “hope” for him, right?

Slowly, texts and calls from you became rare. Sometimes you’d take a few days to reply to a text and a simple how have you been conversation could take an entire week just to say I’ve been doing well, how about you.

Eventually the only way Hoseok could get updates on you was through your social media posts and according to those, you were still in a happy relationship with Yoongi.

This was for the best. It had to be. Hoseok had to let go of his first love at some point, so why was he feeling disappointed?

There was probably no hope left anymore.

↠↞

Years down the road, Hoseok found himself in love. It was a breathtaking, pinch-me-am-I-dreaming kind of love. He never thought he would ever feel this way about someone else, but Chaerin was that someone. She entered his life like a hurricane and Hoseok allowed himself to get swept away.

The sky was always a vibrant shade of blue, flowers were always in bloom, and birds only sang love songs. Oh how he wished he could have felt this a lot sooner in his life, but Chaerin was worth the wait.

Everything was going perfect for Hoseok, until one day he came home after a long day at the office. He opened the door of the apartment he shared with his lovely girlfriend and found her going through that day’s clutter of mail.

“Junkmail, junkmail, home catalog… oh, baby you have something addressed to you. It looks like an invitation? Or maybe a thank you card?”

There was a slight drop in Hoseok’s stomach and he hesitated to move closer to Chaerin because he had a good feeling as to what the contents of the envelope was. He swallowed the lump in his throat and proceeded to open the white fold of the envelope.

There it was.

“Kindly join us for the wedding of y/n and Min Yoongi--y/n? Oh my God, babe isn’t that your friend from high school?”

Chaerin knew who you were, but he didn’t have the heart to tell her anything beyond the basic information. All Hoseok could do was nod slowly and continued to read the invitation to himself. The card was printed with baby pink and gold details and he couldn’t tear his eyes away from your name. He knew you were engaged because of your social media and he paid no mind to it, but because the two of you don’t talk anymore, he didn’t expect to receive an invitation.

This was completely unexpected and it stirred everything inside of him, enticing chaos. He hasn’t seen you in years and his biggest fear was that every single thing he felt for you would come rushing back, ruining the happiness he finally had.

There was a plus one option on the reservation card and because Chaerin had no idea about Hoseok’s past feelings, she continued to encourage him to go to support you on your special day.

“Come on, honey. I’m sure y/n would be delighted to see you. Plus, it’s been a while since we’ve gotten all dressed up.”

Hoseok always imagined shaking hands with his old high school friends on his wedding day, but instead, he was doing it on your wedding day. It wasn’t just your wedding day, you were getting married to someone who wasn’t Hoseok.

Tears brimmed the eyes of guests as both you and Yoongi said your wedding vows; Hoseok’s eyes welled for a different reason.

“They’re beautiful together.” Chaerin whispered.

Hoseok held tightly onto his girlfriend’s hand and prepared for the next two words that were going to slip past your lips.

“I do.”

And that was that.

Now here he was, standing on the outside of the dance floor with his hands in his pockets. Hoseok smiled fondly at Chaerin who had a surprising reunion with a friend from college who was Yoongi’s cousin.

Just like everyday, Chaerin was as gorgeous as ever. No one in the entire room could compare to his girlfriend, but…

“Hoseokie!”

There it was.

Just like that, his entire world crumbled at his feet. After not hearing your voice call for him for what felt like an eternity, Hoseok melted into a puddle but just like how he used to, he sucked in a breath and smiled.

“Hey, congratulations.” Hoseok tried to go for a hand shake, but you hastily ran up to him and pulled him into a tight hug.

“Thank you and thank you so much for coming.” You smiled up at him with your eyes still sparkling even under the dim lights.

Please stop. Please don’t smile at me.

“Hobi, dance with me?”

The agonizing pain in his chest grew worse at the touch of your hand on his forearm. He turned to search for Chaerin who was still speaking with her friend. She met his eyes and gestured her hands in encouragement as if she knew what you asked him.

“Of course.” Hoseok breathed. “I’d love to.”

The next slow dance song played right on cue and all Hoseok could focus on was the way his shaky hands gently held onto your waist and the warmth of your hands sat at the nape of his neck. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from yours, feeling the intensity within his soul.

Time had done you well, you were still so beautiful. Your eyes still glistened the way it used to and it still had the same effect on him. Truly, Yoongi was a lucky guy. Incredibly lucky.

“So, tell me, who’s the lucky girl?”

Hoseok’s breath was caught in his throat for a moment.

“Her name is Chaerin.”

You tiptoed to take a peek over his shoulder. “She’s really beautiful, Hoseok. I’m happy for you.” You then leaned your head against his chest and swayed silently to the music.

Hoseok was sure he wasn’t in love with you anymore, but why was he feeling this way? It wasn’t fair.

“Hey,” you spoke over the music. “I really can’t thank you enough. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you introducing me to Yoongi and these days we don’t even see each other anymore. I’m so sorry.”

Please don’t thank me.

“No need to thank me, y/n and don’t apologize at all. Life got in the way too. I’m happy to see you now.” It hurt to say those words, but this was the closest Hoseok could ever be to you and he had to bear with it.

“Why don’t the four of us get together sometime for a double date?” You had the brightest smile on your face and it made Hoseok’s heartache. Did he have the heart to sit across from you with a ring on your finger and watch the love you have for Yoongi bleed out into his breathing space?

“I would love that.” He was sure his smile didn’t reach his eyes.

Why did it feel like this was the last time he would ever see you?

The song was beginning to fade out and you crept your arms around Hoseok’s neck to pull him into a warm embrace. He shut his eyes breathing in your faint lavender perfume. You were held so close to him that he could feel the slow rhythm of your heartbeat against him. Time had to stop. He wanted it to stop. Why hasn’t it stopped?

“You’ve been a great friend to me all these years, Hoseokie.” You breathed into his ear before releasing him. “I hope you know how much I love you.”

Love? No.

It wasn’t the love he wanted, but he had to accept.

“I love you too, y/n. “

You began to step away from him and Hoseok could feel the grip on your waist loosening. He wanted to hold you longer. He wanted to feel your heartbeat once more, afraid he’d forget what it sounded like when you were near him. He wanted your breath to tickle his skin and to feel the tips of your nails graze steadily against the back of his neck. The desire to be your center of attention even for a few more minutes was strong, but you were slipping at his fingertips.

With just a few more steps, you were at a foot’s distance from Hoseok and you smiled at him, fleeting away to your husband who was standing at the front of the dance floor.

Hoseok backed up, watching you throw your arms around Yoongi and rock side to side. You looked at Yoongi as if he held the entire universe in his eyes and he looked at you with just as much admiration if not more.

Now completely out of the dance floor, Hoseok still couldn’t tear his eyes away from you as you guided Yoongi towards the middle. Even with the music playing, Hoseok could hear the squeak you make every time you let out a hearty laugh. He soaked in the shape of your slim shoulders and the curve of your waist. He caught a glimpse of your perfect side profile as you turned and the twinkle in your eyes wasn’t hard to miss.

The dance floor started to fill up and just like that, Hoseok lost you in the crowd.

Standing on your sideline was where he belonged.

Hoseok was a secondary character in your life, the second lead, and the second lead never gets the main girl in the movies.

There was never room for him in your heart that way.

It was probably written in the stars from the beginning; friends from the start. His friendship with you was written with a pen and the story ended just as it started.

♡ rae jagi

#bangtan boys #bts #j hope #hoseok #j hope fic #j hope scenarios #bts scenarios #bts fic #j hope angst #bts angst #happy birthday hoseok #i love him sm #20200211 #sideline #sunshine #rae writes

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