Tumgik
#aha! i remembered the heart-soles this time!!!
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more color/lighting practice ft. Them!!! the besties!
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A Moment of Respite
Quinn x Reader
You let out a soft sigh. Nothing you did was letting you get sleep. You figured that it was because you were crammed in a hotel room with about eight other people. In New York. For Nationals.
Damn it, you were thinking about it again. Anxiety started to claw up your throat again. You unfold yourself from your position on your makeshift armchair/ottoman bed and let your gaze sweep the room.
There were two beds, a sofa, and the armchair you were currently occupying. The Unholy Trinity occupied one bed. Mercedes, Tina and Kurt were on the other. Rachel shared the pullout sofa bed with Ms. Pillsbury. It was definitely a cramped room and you were starting to feel claustrophobic. As silently as you could, you decided to grab your ukulele and head out of the room towards the lobby. Maybe some mindless playing could chill you out.
Your eyes passed over Quinn as you snuck past. Your relationship was strange to say the least, especially since you had moved to Lima in the beginning of the school year. You missed the whole pregnancy drama of freshman year, but the constant relationship hopping was making your head spin. You just opted to try and be a constant in her life after a run-in with the blonde when she was having a depressive moment. However, there was a constant push and pull with the girl, mostly on her end. You just tried to be there for her despite it all. Why?
You just loved her that much.
It wasn't known when exactly it started. You just slowly started to fall for Quinn. Just constantly being around her made your heart want to reach out. But you knew your own worth. You weren't going to be a pit stop or rebound between relationships. An experiment for her to test out her sexuality. So while you loved her, you held back for her own sake. Or so you tried to convince yourself.
Eventually, you make your way to the hotel lobby, ukulele in hand. As your eyes scan for a place to sit, you happen to see a familiar sight. One Sunshine Corazon, the massive voice who was almost in the New Directions before moving because of Rachel's antics. She was looking anxious as well and you decide to commiserate together.
"This seat taken?" You ask gently, not wanting to scare the poor girl. She only shakes her head, biting at her thumbnail. You took a seat and plucked a few strings.
"You ok? Nervous about the competition?" You just wanted to help her calm down. Sure, she was on the rival side but she deserved to have her nerves assuaged.
"Yeah..." She quietly said. "I usually sing a little to get the energy out, but our coach doesn't want us to strain our voices."
"Well... As long as you don't sing loudly, you should be good, yeah?" Sunshine seemed to mull over your words, glancing over to gauge your sincerity. Eventually, she let out a small smile, only to have it fall with a small sigh.
"I usually sing in Tagalog when I'm nervous. It helps the best."
You think for a moment, letting your fingers graze the strings of your instrument. With a smile, you turn to look at the young girl.
"I dated a Filipina once. Learned to play a song to try and impress her. Let's see if I remember it."
Sounds of the ukulele echo in the near empty lobby. Random notes until a few chords sound out. You let out a soft "aha" and began the opening chords for the song. It was easy enough to repeat a few times until recognition spread on Sunshine's face. With a nod, she hums, harmonizing with the rhythm before softly singing.
The hotel staff smiled as the performance continued, listening in on a sneak peek of how great Sunshine's voice was. The few people scattered around even paused to watch the impromptu show. While most were concentrated on the small Asian girl, one person had their eyes solely on you.
Quinn had followed you, also having had a hard time sleeping. While her haircut lifted some weight off her shoulders, she was still having a rough time. Forefront now was her own feelings for you. From the start, you had seen her at her lowest and still stayed by her side. You both grew close and she fell hard.
But she was terrified.
They lived in a small town and everything was everyone's business. It was hard enough being a girl, but adding in any semblance of queerness would make things almost impossible in her head. And she didn't want to ruin what you two had. It was comfortable and easy whenever you were together. Quinn was always at ease around you. It just made her feel like the other shoe was going to drop soon.
But looking at you now, smiling and playing your ukulele, she couldn't help but fall even deeper. Leaning against a column, Quinn just watched as you sway along and essentially ignore the people around you. You were into the performance, as you always did when you performed and she loved that.
Soon enough, the performance ended and scattered applause filled the lobby. You and Sunshine gave awkward sitting bows before laughing. She thanks you, saying that she feels better and is ready to sleep. Wishing her a good rest and good luck for tomorrow, you watch her go only to catch Quinn's eye. The fond look she was giving you made your heart stutter. With an easy smile, you beckon her over, offering the seat previously occupied by Sunshine.
"Couldn't sleep either? Or did I wake you? Sorry if I did." Quinn shakes her head in response, leaning towards you as she sits.
"No. I just couldn't sleep. Plus, Santana was about to kick me off the bed anyway." You both share a laugh, knowing full well the extent of the Latina's antics. "I was curious as to where you went though, so I followed. That song was really nice. What does it mean?" You plucked a few strings as you mull over the question.
"It's basically about being by a person's side no matter what. Like, even when it's raining or storming, I'll be right next to you." You turn your head to look at Quinn, only to see that your faces were inches apart. Flustered, you turn your head and muttered, "it can be viewed as either platonic or romantic. Ya know, depending on your intent."
"And what was your intent with Sunshine?"
"P-PLATONIC!" you sputtered out, cringing when you realized it was louder than you intended. Quinn let out a soft giggle. "Ahem. D-definitely platonic. Just helping a fellow performer ease some nerves." You pluck some more strings out of embarrassment, eventually playing the opening chords to the song you had previously played.
Quinn listened for a bit, gathering up the courage to ask, "And if you sang it with me? What would your intent be?"
Your head whipped around to gawk at the blonde next to you. She bit her lip anxiously, drawing your attention briefly before opening and closing your mouth like a fish. After regaining some semblance of composure, you turn away with a mumble.
"What was that?" Quinn wrung her hands, heart practically humming in her chest.
Another mumble follows in reply.
"Y/n, you'll have to spe-"
Lips upon hers steals the sentence away. Before she could realize what was happening, you retreat with a burning red face.
"...romantic, is what I said."
Quinn blinked once. Twice. Once more before she came back to reality. Her fingers graze her lips, still feeling the fleeting touch of yours. You want to leave. Your brain was firing on all cylinders, telling your body to leave and go back to Lima. It wasn't until you felt a hand on your cheek that you moved. Quinn turned your face to look at her. Once she was sure that she had your full attention, she leaned in, giving you a solid kiss. While it was chaste, the kiss conveyed all the emotion you both held from the past year.
You keep your foreheads together as the kiss ends, revelling in the moment. Your eyes remain shut, not wanting it to end.
"Please tell me I'm not dreaming."
You feel Quinn's thumb caress your cheek, making you look up at her. Her eyes shining with emotion.
"If we are, I don't want to wake up."
"Then let's dream together."
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blackjackkent · 4 months
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For only the second time that I can recall in the game, we now get a cutscene entirely without Hector's presence or input - this time of Gale's conversation with Mystra. We have no control over this; presumably we would if we were playing as Origin Gale, but otherwise we just get to watch.
And here she is, in the godly flesh:
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"Gale of Waterdeep. You look well."
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"As do you. But I assume we're not here solely to exchange compliments. So why *am* I here?"
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"You discovered what lies at the Heart of the Absolute - the Crown of Karsus - and you disobeyed my instruction. Why?"
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"Because you had no right to ask that of me. You cast me out, remember?"
Atta boy, Gale.
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"You were my lover, my Chosen. Yet still you know so little of me. The past cannot be undone with self-pity, nor can a future be forged. Only with the truth will you see the way ahead. The fragment of magic you tried to return to me was not of my creation. It was the Karsite Weave. It is a corrupted, half-born magic wrought in the brief moment Karsus ascended to godhood. It hungers for power just as he did, and it can *never* be sated. You unleashed something that would consume all magic in existence, and yet you thought only of preserving yourself."
Aha. Interesting. So Gale's mistake went beyond simple hubris of trying to reach Mystra's level; the orb straight up wasn't what he thought it was at all, and it's massively dangerous. Not really surprising, I guess.
(On a more prosaic note, I am not really a fan of Mystra's design here at all. The goddess of all magic feels like she should be something far more elaborate, but she just kind of looks like a barbie doll in a Lisa Frank light show. I think they could have done something more interesting with this. Honestly would have rather just had her be a voice thundering from nowhere.)
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"So that's what you're scared of. With the Crown of Karsus reforged, I could take control of the Karsite Weave."
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"You can no more control the Karsite Weave than a weather vane could control a storm. That it entered your body and consumed no more than your powers was a miracle. But we will not be granted another. The only reason the 'orb' sleeps is because I have allowed it to feed on the true Weave - a temporary measure, but one that will not be enough to save us. With each day that passes, the elder brain threatens to become a new kind of god, its worshippers a scourge of soulless illithids. If you will not use the orb to end this abomination, then you must find a way to separate Crown and host. When you've done this, you must surrender the Crown of Karsus to me."
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"A great ask indeed. You've given me much to think on - as you always did."
(I suspect this line would probably be different if Hector hadn't advised him to keep his cards close to the chest.)
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"So be it. Follow the needle of your own wisdom. We shall see how truly it leads you."
------
Gale flashes back into being in the middle of the Tabernacle next to Hector after what seems only a few seconds of absence. But it's obvious that something has happened, as Hector can tell from the way his eyes are wide, from the rapidity of his breathing.
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"Back on mortal soil once more," he gasps out. A strained smile is pulling at his lips. "I can't believe I saw her, after all this time..."
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Hector reaches out a hand to his friend's shoulder, steadying him. "How do you feel now you've done it?" he asks gently.
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"Relieved. Drained. Proud of myself, for summoning the courage to go to her in the first place. And, if I'm being totally honest - a bit lightheaded." His smile fades. "As if it wasn't enough to have seen her again, she didn't exactly summon me there for small talk. The Karsite Weave, within me this whole time... I knew the orb was no ordinary ball of magic, but for it to be Karsus's malignant creation-- gods!" He slams his fist into his opposite palm in irritation. "How did I not see that?"
"It's all too easy to miss things when we're blinded by desire," Hector says, as delicately as possible.
"True enough. There's a reason such unwitting heroes have been the backbone of lyric and legend for as long as both have existed," Gale says ruefully. "Even so - I was hardly some naive apprentice at the time. I considered myself an archmage, and yet was fool enough to b mistaken for a common conjurer."
He lets out a heavy, bitter sigh, then straightens with an air of new determination. "At least now I'm armed with the truth, and Mystra's expectations. It sounds like the door to redemption is open at last. All I have to do is walk through it, carrying the Crown of Karsus."
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Hector shifts uneasily. Are those the only two options, then? For Gale to take the Crown's power for himself or run back to chasing after Mystra's good opinion? Surely there is some middle ground... "Is that what you want?" he asks slowly.
"Perhaps," Gale says, not quite meeting his eyes. "I see few other options open to me, if I ever want to reclaim those parts of myself the orb snatched away. If I ever want to be *me* again..."
A sudden wave of compassion for him goes through Hector. Poor blighter, he thinks sadly. The actions of Gale's younger self were foolish, to be sure, and they have caused great potential harm. But Gale has lived with that knowledge for years now; he's been punished greatly for it. And going back to Mystra, however unhealthy that relationship was, means that at least he would be free of that punishment again.
"You're a great man, Gale," he says quietly - and he means it. "With or without the orb."
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"I'll have to disagree with you there," Gale says, shaking his head. "Having not one but two parasitic entities within your body does very little for one's faith in one's personality." A pause. Then his expression softens and he smiles a little. "Still. I should take the compliment with the same generosity it was given. So - thank you."
He turns to face Hector squarely, with the air of a man taking a sacred oath. "If i can promise you one thing in return for your faith in me, it's this - I will use everything in my power to ensure we defeat this evil. I will not let you down."
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ticklezticklez · 2 years
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A Rugby Player's Needs
Heartstopper, lee!nick, ler!charlie
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A/N: please remember to use the right keys when copying / pasting!! pressing ctrl v when you have smth in your paste bar when you really meant to press ctrl c may mean you'll have to redo an hours worth of work!! i speak from experience
Word Count: 1,152 (under the cut)
"Does this hurt? I can rub a bit softer if you need me too-.."
Nick shook his head, side-to-side, showing content with the way Charlie massaged his feet.
-
Nick had been on his feet all day at rugby practice. His soles were killing him, causing pitiful winces each time he took a step with them. Not anymore though, thanks to his lover, Charlie. He always had a soft spot for the boy, allowing him to do anything he wanted to Nick. Now, Charlie had noticed the pain Nick was enduring with his roughed-up feet, and it made him feel bad.
So, he asked, "need a foot massage?" Nick agreed, and sat down on his sofa, laying his socked feet onto Charlie's lap. The boy blushed when Nick began to wriggle his toes around inside the soft cotton fabric, prompting him to cover his face. "You alright?" Nick questioned, sorta confused. Charlie nodded, and gently pulled Nick's feet closer to him, cradling the pair in his hands. "You ready? Be sure to tell me if it hurts, alright?"
Nick grinned, and replied, "-alright!~ I'm sure you're great at these, hah.."
The truth was, Charlie had not once in his life given a successful foot massage. This was just out of the kindness, and maybe even curiosity, of his heart. Hopefully, he wouldn't cause more harm than good.
Nick stretched his body out on the sofa a bit more, turning to the side. He laid there, with his feet still in his boyfriend's lap, but in a new position. Nick had never experienced a massage like what he was about to before, so he assumed that it'd take a while. Only natural to get comfy - he thought, turning on the television.
Charlie gripped one of Nick's ankles, then began to lightly squeeze the ball underneath his big toe. He rubbed it, up and down, for a few seconds before noticing Nick's toes twitch. Was this something he casually did, for no reason? Or was the massage too rough, somehow causing him to wiggle his toes? Charlie was an overthinker, and his overthinking skills were just now beginning to show. "Are you alright? This isn't too hard, is it?"
"Hm? Nah, this feels pretty good!" Nick reassured him. Charlie smiled at the boy then resumed his rubbing, traveling down to Nick's arch. His thumb softly pressed onto the soft sock, transmitting a rather tickly feeling onto Nick's skin. "Heh, that tickles~! Go somewhere ehelse,"
"Huh? Oh, sorry-" Charlie swiftly responded, taking his hands off Nick's larger feet. Maybe he wasn't cut out for this. It was just light rubbing, and squeezing, but Charlie found it to be beyond his expertise. He had already promised Nick a massage though..
Charlie thought for a few moments, then had a lightbulb idea. He never said the massage wouldn't tickle, right? Perhaps if he tickled Nick, his laughter would replace his feet being helped. After all, laughter is the best medicine.
Nick seemed happy with the situation - he got to have his aching feet catered to, whilst watching T.V. and resting. Little did he know, all of these things would be thrown out the window by a few tickly little fingers.
Charlie gently rubbed the foot he held in the center of the arch, with his two thumbs. It actually felt good to Nick, which was Charlies original goal. Not anymore though. Charlie scratched the foot he held with his thumbnails, and watched Nick and his cute toes squirm. "Ihis this aha part of the mahah-hasage?!" The ginger (dont @ me, he's ginger.) boy giggled subtly, trying to hold back the full-blown laughter he could release at anytime.
Charlie nodded, pretending as if this was a normal part of the procedure. Worried that Nick could pull his feet away and escape, Charlie wrapped his arm around both Nick's ankles, forming an armlock. "I'm awfully sorry for this, ya know?"
Nick fearfully stared his lover in the eyes, and watched as his doom appeared in front of him. Charlie fluttered his fingertips across the soles of Nick's socked feet, lightly scratching at the undersides of his toes.
"Noohaho! Stohoap itahaihit tihickleees!!~"
Nick's reaction changed when he felt fingers slide underneath his toes, not in a positive way though. He giggled and pleaded for the boy to release his ankles, but no, Charlie was having far too much fun. Next stop was Nick's toes. First one, his big toe. Charlie poked and prodded at his sensitive toe, catching sight of Nick as he squirmed in place, trying to pull his feet back - unsuccessfully. Charles grip on his ankles was too strong, even for the rugby player.
"Say, Nick, would you mind if I took off your socks? Might help the massage become a bit more effective."
"NOHO-! Dohont take them off I SWEAR Chaharlie.. Ihill get you back for this..~" He whined, like a little baby that didn't get its way. He was as cute as one too, with his cherry-red face, and adorable smile.
"Oh, you will? Well, we'll see." Charlie peeled off the boy's socks gently, teasing him with little whispers and pokes to the toes. Nick tried to prop himself up on the couch, his goal, reaching the sadistic ler, but to his dismay; it wasn't possible.
Charlie slowly slid his fingernails across Nick's warm soles, taking a sh*tload of laughs from his soul. "Naha~! STAHAHP IHITAHAHAHA HEHELP!~"
He roughly scratched his nails across the other boy's feet, clawing - up and down. His fingers went from his toes to the balls of his feet, melting Nick into a giggly ball of ticklishness. He didn't know how much more he could take from the sadistic switch, when he felt his stomach flip upside down. All this laughter couldn't be good for his insides.
"CHARAHLIE MYHA TUHUMMY HUHURTS!!-" He shouted between howls of laughter. When Charlie finally understood what Nick was saying, he released his ankles, and crawled over top him. "You alright? I didn't hurt ya, did I?" He was genuinely worried that he had hurt his boyfriend - and that was most definitely never his intention. He just wanted to make the cute guy laugh a bit. It was surely a harmless joke.. besides the endless scratching of his soles and torture of his toes. But besides that..
'Yehes, I'm alright- come here." Nick pulled Charlie by the waist onto his chest, making the boy fall down onto him. Nick ran his fingers through Charlie's hair, and placed a hand on his ribs. "Really thought you could get away with that, huh?" He whispered.
Charlie gulped. Then, removed himself from the couch and scurried to the bathroom, quickly locking the door. Maybe next time Nick would be able to get him - or, maybe he would just wait for him to come out. Either way, Charlie would see some revenge in his future.
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An Embarrassing Secret
Word count: 2150
I feel like some of these are sort of repetitive, but maybe that's because I've had to reread them to proofread so many times? In any case, you all seem to enjoy them! I hope you like this one as well.
* * *
“Ah! Y/N! Just the person I wanted to see!”
Loki flopped down on the couch beside you, jerking you from your thoughts as the couch cushion bounced under his weight. Your heart skipped a beat as you turned your gaze from the television to the Asgardian beside you, only inches of space between your leg and his.
“Me? What do you need from me? Trying to prank your brother again?” you snickered.
“Not this time, no. I just thought I should come find you and let you know about something interesting I learned this morning,” he replied, an impish lilt to his voice.
“Is this something I would find interesting? Or just you? Because the way you said that, I feel like I probably won’t find it nearly as interesting.”
“Oh, I believe you’ll find it very interesting,” he assured, a smirk tugging at his lips. Something about the way his gaze was fixated on you was unsettling. You paused the TV and turned your full attention to the god.
“What is it, then?” you questioned hesitantly.
“I learned quite an interesting secret about you earlier today.” There went your heart again, skipping another beat.
“You… did?”
“Oh, yes.” His smirk grew wider.
Your mind was racing. What on earth could he be talking about? Did he figure out you had a crush on him? What if that was the secret?? Was he disgusted by it? Did he reciprocate??
“That is interesting,” you noted, trying to keep your voice even to prevent him from seeing your anxiousness. “And… what was that, exactly?”
“Well…” he began, pulling out his cell phone from his pocket, “… this morning I happened to be perusing the library, trying to select a new novel to read. While I was wandering between shelves, I happened to notice something of yours sitting out unattended.”
You thought hard, trying to recall what it was you had been doing in the library. Had you even gone to the library this morning? You couldn’t even remember what you had for breakfast. Then again, it was difficult to concentrate with those blue-green eyes gleaming in front of you…
“And what was that Loki?”
“Your laptop.” Loki was now typing something into his phone, holding it in a way that you couldn’t see the screen.
“My laptop?” You rarely brought your laptop to the library with you, as you were typically reading books and had no need for electronics. You wracked your brain trying to remember when the last time you had even brought it with you to the library, looking away from the trickster so you could think straight.
Then you remembered. You’d brought it with you last night, hoping to get some peace and quiet away from the others, who were causing quite a ruckus in the common area playing one of Peter’s video games. You could still hear them through your bedroom door, so you packed up your laptop and brought it to the library with you to continue writing.
Writing. Oh. Oh no. No no no.
Your heart dropped into your stomach the moment you realized where this was going. Still, he hadn’t mentioned anything specific about what he’d seen yet, so you made every effort to keep a straight face. You weren’t about to give away a bigger secret if he had only learned something minorly embarrassing.
“At first, I was uncertain to whom the device belonged, and as it was already left open on the table, I decided to see if I could determine the owner so I could return it to them,” he continued, “and I found the screen to be unlocked when I turned the machine back on.”
Yep. You knew exactly where this was going now.
“You act like you were trying to do a good deed or something, but you were obviously just snooping around my stuff, weren’t you?” you muttered, trying to throw him off with your annoyance.
“Shh - I wasn’t finished with my recounting of the story yet,” he scolded facetiously. He had finally finished tapping buttons on his phone and was now scrolling through something on the screen. “When the screen unlocked, I saw quite a fascinating narrative typed out on the screen. Truly a masterpiece, really.”
“Y-you read it?” you squeaked, hiding your face in your hands.
“Oh, I did more than that darling. I also scrolled through and reviewed the rest of your little webpage.”
Your face was burning red hot against your palms now. If you could have just melted into the couch and disappeared, you wouldn’t have hesitated to do so. You felt your heart pounding in your chest with nervousness and embarrassment at the whole situation.
“Shall I read some aloud for you?” he asked.
“Nooooo Loki,” you moaned, your voice muffled by your hands. You lifted your feet up onto the couch, wrapping your arms around your knees and hiding your face behind them, trying to become as small as possible.
“Ah, here is a good part: ‘The dark-haired god suddenly tackled you to the floor, pinning your arms down at your sides under his knees as he dug his long, slender fingers into your sides.’” You pulled your knees even closer to your chest. If the floor could swallow you whole now, that would be fantastic. “Darling, you’re not paying attention.” A poke to your side caused you to jolt one arm down away from your face to protect the sensitive skin. You stole a quick glance at the god, your eyes wide.
“D-don’t!” you exclaimed.
“Isn’t this what you want?” he asked, prodding your side a few more times, causing you to jerk away each time he made contact with your thin T-shirt. “Let’s see… ah! Another great line: ‘He drilled his thumb into the front of your lowermost ribs, digging his fingers into the sides of your ribcage simultaneously. You supposed you should have known that someone with his mischievous title would be good at tickling, but the way his fingertips sought out every single one of your weak spots was causing you to slowly slip into madness.’”
You started getting up off the couch to try to make a quick exit then, hoping to hide in your room for the rest of eternity. Loki caught on before you got very far, though, and grabbed hold of your wrist to prevent you from leaving.
“Let go!” you begged, refusing to look at him as you pulled your arm hopelessly to try to escape his grasp. He tugged you closer, quickly wrapping both arms around you and tackling you to the floor. A thrill ran through your chest as you found yourself staring up at the god of mischief, your wrists pinned to the floor at your sides in his hands.
“Seem familiar?” he asked, smirking. He leaned off to the side, looking at his phone screen beside you on the floor. “Now, where were we? Ah, yes, I remember.” Loki’s fingers connected with your sides, scribbling and kneading in the best worst way. You shook your head rapidly, still too embarrassed by the whole situation to allow him to hear you laugh. “Your narrative appears to be inaccurate – according to this, you should have ‘giggles bubbling from your mouth’ but I hear nothing.”
“Loki! S-stop teasing!” you pleaded, covering your face with your hands once again now that your wrists were freed from his grasp.
“I’m simply pointing out there are some inconsistencies in your writing, y/n.” He moved his fingers to your belly, scratching maddeningly gently at the bare skin where your shirt had ridden up from squirming. You couldn’t hold back the giggles anymore, but you did manage to keep one hand pressed over your mouth to muffle your voice as you brought your other arm down to protect your torso.
A small part of you, buried deep underneath the raging embarrassment you still felt, was loving every second of this playful side of Loki. Clearly you had fantasized about this before, as evidenced by your writing. You just hadn’t anticipated he would actually find your fics, much less read them and use them against you.
“Let’s continue, shall we?” he goaded, interrupting your thoughts. He picked up his phone in one hand while continuing to dig into your belly with the other to keep you squirming while he thumbed through more of your posts. “Here’s another excellent excerpt: ‘he moved to flutter his fingers against the delicate skin behind your knee, squeezing just above your kneecap simultaneously with the other hand, making you snort.’ I would very much like to hear that, I think.” He moved down to mimic his fictitious self in your writing, making you laugh out loud and kick your leg frantically. “Y/n, I’m not hearing any snorting. So many discrepancies; I have to wonder if you’ve ever been properly tickled in the same way as your fictional likeness.”
“Stohohop… stop making fuhuhun of my writing!” you demanded, although it wasn’t very intimidating laced with your laughter.
“Oh, I don’t jest, dear – I’m merely pointing out facts. Maybe this will make you snort.” He reached down and grabbed your ankle in one hand, lightly tracing the sole of your socked foot with one finger. You, indeed, did snort. “Aha! Maybe you should have requested assistance before posting these inaccuracies.”
“LEAVE MY FEET ALOHOHONE!” you shrieked, yanking your leg to escape his grasp. He responded by simply tightening his grip, dragging four fingers up and down your foot, making sure to note which spots made you jerk. He settled on scratching gently just below the ball of your foot, laughing himself as you rolled side to side trying desperately (and ineffectively) to evade his fingers.
“You realize, darling, you’ve essentially written a map to every ticklish spot on your body. I know exactly how to exploit your unfortunate weakness.” You opened your mouth to protest but he cut you off by unexpectedly switching to digging his fingertips between your ribs. The suddenness of his movement made you squeal, batting weakly at his hands. “It’s adorable, really, how you are pretending to fight me, when we both know this is exactly what you want.”
“SHH! Shuhuhut up Loki!” you countered. He put a hand to his chest in mock offense.
“You wound me, darling,” he teased, smirking. “What did that one quote state? Ah, that’s right! Your ‘death spot’ as you’ve titled it?”
“Wait! Nohoho I’m sohohohorry!!” you panicked, planting your feet on the floor, and trying to scoot away from your assailant.
“I don’t think you are, actually.” His fingers were inching vexingly closer to your ‘death spot’ as he’d pointed out. He found humor in the fact that your laughter slowly began pitching up in octave the closer he got. “I’m pleased that you’ve written this down for me to find, y/n. I don’t believe I’d have found it otherwise – as I understand, it is not a conventional place to be so unbearably ticklish.”
“No! No no! Plehehease Loki!” you pleaded, albeit halfheartedly.
“Hmm… alright then,” he conceded, moving back down to tickle your right side, moving his other hand to scribble on the right side of your belly. It had exactly the effect he was hoping for, causing you to jolt and roll hard toward his hands. Quickly, he grabbed your left side and pushed you all the way over onto your stomach, pinning your hands down to the floor with his knees. “On second thought, I think I’m going to do it.”
“NoOAHAHAH!” you practically screamed in laughter as his fingers made contact with your back, just below your shoulder blades. Seemingly encouraged by your reaction, he applied more pressure, gently kneading between the backs of your ribs. Your nerves were on fire with ticklish electricity, and you tugged desperately to try to free your hands. It wasn’t long before your laughter became silent, your shoulders shaking as you laid there and just accepted your fate.
It seemed Loki had noticed the sudden silence, and he removed his torturous fingers from your back, releasing your hands so you could roll back over. You curled up on your side, knees close to your chest and arms wrapped around your torso rubbing the residual tingles off your sides. He hovered over you, leaning close to whisper in your ear.
“You know, darling – if you wanted me to tickle you, you simply had to ask. I find it quite adorable.”
“Oh my god, Loki…” you groaned, covering your face with your hands once again. A single finger scratched under your arm, making you pull your arms back down. “Stahahap!! Can’t you see I’m embarrassed??”
“Mm, I can see that. But was it worth it?” he asked teasingly, planting a kiss on your cheek. The flames ignited by his lips spread across your face, up to the tips of your ears.
You supposed that, just maybe, it was worth it.
Part 2: A Difficult Question
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faetarou · 3 years
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𝐚 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 || 𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐚 𝐤𝐞𝐢
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pairing. tsukishima kei x f!reader
warnings // disclaimers. swearing, angst to fluff, kiyoomi is somewhat of an insensitive jerk but it’s okay he just needs a moment. timeskip!au.
request. Hey I think I might've requested this to another blog lol I don't remember if it was just an idea in my head or if I actually requested. Anyway could you do a tsukishima x reader where he buys one of those like headphone splitter things for you two without really thinking about it but later when he does actually think about it that's what makes him realise he loves you?? Sorry if that's too specific :))
wc. 1.2k.
notes. that's okay !! super cute prompt aha
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TSUKISHIMA KEI WAS UNSURE HOW to define love. He wasn't certain if he'd ever experienced the poeticised emotion, and he only knew the definition his brother, Akiteru, had given him, on one of the rare nights they'd spent in fraternal company.
It's like someone becomes the centre of your whole world, and all you can do is stand and watch, because they are suddenly your gravity. Your heart won't stop racing, and you smile for them ... it's hard to imagine that happening to you, Kei!
Akiteru had laughed at his own words, slapping his younger brother on the back. "I'm sure you'll fall in love someday, Kei."
And here he, in fact, was, unable on to concentrate on class or lunch or even his precious music, because she was always in the corner of his eye. Though he came off as (and probably was) an insufferable smartass, Kei was still just as human as anyone else, still as susceptible to the racing heartbeat that throbbed almost painfully in his chest and never went away.
Every time he saw Y/L/N Y/N, he was helpless.
Shit, sometimes he ended up blushing, insane as that may have sounded, whenever she was around. Y/L/N didn't even have to be looking at him for that swoop in his stomach to practically knock him off his feet every time she smiled.
Kei had never felt this way for anyone before, and Y/L/N confused him to no end. He still couldn't figure her out, not when they spent more and more time together when their class seating plan landed them in neighbouring desks, not when she began to act strangely around him as well. Red constantly seemed to flush her cheeks, and she avoided his eyes, hidden behind the slim frames of his glasses.
It only took a single offhand comment for the entire Karasuno volleyball club to find out about the girl Kei was useless around, and the blond spend the afternoon being relentlessly pounded by his senpais for his "clueless" behaviour, and that Y/L/N was evidently "in love with you, you complete idiot!"
Somehow, someway, Kei managed to awkwardly ask her out after class (externally as cool and collected as ever, internally less than a second away from spontaneous combustion), though only under thee pretence of a single date "to, uh, study for the English test."
He almost set on fire right then and there when she gave him an ecstatic smile and an overjoyed "I'd love to go out with you, Tsukishima-kun!"
Damn, what is this? He felt like smiling all the time, his head so far in the clouds one of Kageyama's serves hit him squarely in the face, his mind occupied solely with thoughts of Y/L/N, Y/L/N, Y/L/N.
The day before his date with her, Kei was absolutely panicking, having spent the previous night pouring his heart and soul into the only way he knew how to show affection as of yet.
A playlist.
He would never show it to anyone but her, but anyone who may have happened to catch a glimpse of his phone would've thought him completely enamoured - the playlist icon was one of those heart memes, the title 'for you <3', and every single song some kind of love song. Kei couldn't hide his feelings in the music, unwittingly unveiling every last emotion in the painstakingly selected tracks that were just for her, just for Y/L/N.
In the evening the day before she would arrive for their date, Kei suddenly bolted up in bed so quickly that his bulky, noise-cancelling headphones fell from his ears and slid onto his neck, resting on his collarbone.
His headphones.
Y/L/N actually owned a similar pair - it was one of the reasons they'd bonded, and because of that, he'd been able to get closer to her and experience that inexplicably joyous warmth he felt every time she was around. And yet, it was the last possible time he could prepare for his first time going out with anyone, let alone someone who meant as much to him as Y/L/N, and he had forgotten the most important component of his plan.
He wanted to listen to the playlist with her.
"Fuck, I'm dumb," Kei groaned aloud to himself, sliding out of bed and yelling some dumb excuse about getting food to his mother as he pulled on his shoes and ran out of his house, uncaring that he was sporting one of his dinosaur hoodies in a resplendent green. "I forgot- I forgot-"
He panted hard enough to interrupt his speech as his sprint brought him to the hardware store, barely twenty minutes before they closed. Making a beeline for a particular aisle, he absentmindedly shoved his glasses up his nose as he surveyed the technology in front of him, idly selecting one he thought Y/L/N might like the best-
Kei dropped the headphone splitter on the ground, uncaring that he was in the middle of a store with minimal time to make his purchase.
It's like someone becomes the centre of your whole world ...
He'd never shared his music with anyone - not his family, Yamaguchi, certainly not classmates at Karasuno - and here he was, making a long-term investment into a girl he'd just barely asked out, hadn't even gone on the first date with, and that meant ...
Kei swallowed deeply as he bent his stupidly long legs to pick the headphone splitter from the floor, staring at it as though it held the secrets of the universe.
He was in love with Y/L/N Y/N.
Though he'd never embraced her, never held her, never kissed her or even uttered the words aloud ... they were irrevocably the emotions he felt.
The same emotion seized him almost a day later when he hesitantly presented the playlist and splitter to Y/L/N, who smiled and plugged in both their headphones to listen as their textbooks lay discarded on his bedroom floor, long forgotten.
It encapsulated him as they both sat above the covers of his bed and she teasingly made a comment about how it was a playlist of love songs, and he managed to force out a sentence past his fiery blush that, "I thought it seemed appropriate, since I do ...", taking both their breaths away as he snapped his mouth shut.
Love became the epitome of that Tsukishima Kei was as one date turned to more and more, as shy hand-brushes turned to embraces and easy contact, as spring turned to summer and, months after their whole journey had started, he finally found the courage to press his lips to Y/L/N's- to Y/N's. Her hands ran desperately through the short locks of his hair, his knees on either side of hers and arms barely propping him up over her as she stole his breath, his being away.
And he couldn't believe it was a headphone splitter, and one irresistibly beautiful girl, that caused him to realise what love was.
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find the playlist here !!
࿐ 𝐟𝐚𝐞'𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐞𝐭, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐧 !!
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bowieandqueen11 · 3 years
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Set Me Dreaming / Bucky Barnes Imagine
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Request: can you do a bucky fic where reader catches him awake in the middle of the night and fighting off some of his troubles? like maybe bucky resists any type of consolation until he finally succumbs. i am open to any of your ideas/own interpretation! thank you!! <3
Yes I can thank you!! Also Mr Barnes it’s been seven years and I am still looking respectfully 👀 
If you like, please comment and reblog!
(The lyrics are Moonlight Serenade by Glenn Miller/ Frank Sinatra (we’re just going to pretend this version came out at the right time aha), and I got them from Google!)
You haven’t heard this song since that night in 1943. Since the night he proposed. Since the night he left. Since the night you lost your Bucky.
‘The stars are aglow and tonight how their light sets me dreaming.’
It takes you a moment to see in the darkness of the little New York Apartment you and Bucky had managed to scrounge up the money to pay for. It certainly needed some work, and sometimes you missed that smell of antiseptic and apple pie - that warmth familiarity of Bucky patching Steve up after a fight with one hand, and trying to copy his mom’s old recipes as a treat for when you got home from work in the other. This place only smelt of car fumes, and a certain stench of must and old pine that was just a sucker punch to the stomach every time you entered. Every time the two of you were reminded how stranded Steve had left you. Buck had tried to cook for you, once, a couple of weeks ago, but you had come home to find him sitting slouched, crying, on the kitchen tiles as he sobbed out how his mind couldn’t remember the measurements his mom had written down. But it didn’t matter, you think as you finally spot the sound of the noise. Wherever and whenever you had Buck, you were home. Even if everything needed work, it was worth it.
The record player swirls slowly from its spot on the kitchen counter, languid in its spinning as the familiar notes bounce around the confining walls and fill the place, and the city, with its warm jazz. At this time of night, there’s little to compete with the rippling trumpets, or the baritone voice - just the faraway sound of car horns and the jagged breathing of something coming from the fire escape. For a moment, you jump, forgetting yourself, forgetting you weren’t trapped in Hydra anymore. And then your heart starts to drop as you untangle yourself from the blankets, getting up from where you were holding your fiancée on the floor, to spot his sitting with his back to you. His eyes are gone. You don’t know how you can tell, solely just from the rise and fall of his naked back. You just know him too well, you suppose.
He’s gone from you, at the moment, eyes glazed with a faraway mist as he looks down at flashing, neon lights and dirt-tramped streets of the city he used to know like the back of his hand. But he’s not there either. No, his mind has wandered away with the song, memories allowing him some reverie by thinking back on that day. On you. A warm glow flashes through his eyes, a smile threatening to twitch at the corners of his lips as he pictures you, the love of his life, hand intertwined with his. He had sobbed against your lips that night, forehead pressed tightly against yours as he gazed at you with terrified eyes, drinking in every feature of your face as if he knew it would be the last time he would see it. If he was going to die, he wanted to make damn sure that the last thing that ever passed his mind was you. He could die happy then, knowing that he had been given one proper, good thing in his life, feeling safe in the memory that he had loved it well. That he would go knowing he would love you forever. You pretend not to feel him shake in your grasp as you dig your fingers into your shoulder, pulling him tighter against your chest and whispering sweet nothings into the dance hall, the thought of him leaving the next morning plaguing your every thought.
‘My love, do you know that your eyes are like stars brightly beaming?’
He could barely get the words out that night, he had to mouth them against your lips and hope, his silly, foolish hope, that you would agree to marry a man who was being shipped of the next day. He just needed to go knowing that he was yours, thinking the last twenty five years you had spent joint at the hip would sway you towards the sentimental and you would agree to let him be yours, even if only for a day. It didn’t matter, he knew, as his lips trembled against your own, clenching his eyes shut to try and stop the tears spilling down as you nod your head vigorously. It didn’t matter how long you had in this life, he would be yours forever.
‘I love you, doll. I love you so much it hurts.’
‘Don’t you know I love you the same, Buck?’
He doesn’t feel you come up behind him, placing your hands on his back. Every muscle seems to be jumping out of his skin, skin flush and like a furnace to the touch, but you just wrap your arms around his waist and pull him against your back. Glancing round to see your Bucky’s face, his stubble tickles your cheek as you sigh. He’s still puffing out breath into the cold night’s air, eyes glossy and wet and by grief, filled with so much pain and love and fear that it breaks your heart. 
‘I bring you and sing you a moonlight serenade.’
Then he remembers falling. Feeling weightless in the water, gazing up at the blanket of grey sky above him, at peace in the knowledge that you were here with him, your picture still tucked into his jacket and your face the only thing he saw when he looked up at the sky, at the stars. When he finally closed his eyes, and let himself drift away to you. Then he remembers the pain. The pain of remembering you while he was tied down to that chair, jaw clenched and lips threatening to spill his sobs as they punished him for remembering you, again and again and again and again, until the end, he buries you into a pocket of his mind he hopes Hydra can’t touch. He remembers the plea that used to fall from his lips as they hit him, the tremble in his fingers once he woke up and realised that he, that James, that the Winter Soldier was holding a gun against the head of someone he had never even seen before. Not in his lifetime. But he does what he’s meant to do, what he’s told to do, finger pulling the trigger as some thought twitches at the back of his mind, telling him to keep going. To always carry out his missions, saving the world, saving you.
He doesn’t feel your lips brush against his forehead as he begins to gasp now, almost fighting back against your touch. But you only reach out to steady him, grabbing his biceps as you swing yourself over the barrier to kneel down in front of him, fingers tight as he finally starts to settle himself again. You reach up slowly, careful not to startle him away from whatever pain is haunting him, and brush his hair away from his damp forehead. You don’t miss the way he subconsciously drops his head towards your touch, the almost inaudible sigh of relief that brushes against your nose.
He finally starts to remember himself, remember where he is, eyelashes fluttering open and closed quickly. He nearly bursts into tears right there and then when he spots you, wide eyed and obviously shivering from the cold in front of him. 
‘Buck. Buck - James. It’s okay, we’re okay. You’re here with me, not back there. It’s alright.’
‘Sweetheart-’, he starts, squirming within himself as he scrambles closer to you. ‘A-are you real? You’re really here?’
‘Of course I am, Buck. I’m never leaving you. Never again.’
For a moment there’s a comfortable silence, a knowing moment of trust and understanding between the two of you, before you tug on his metal arm. He gives it to you willingly, the only person he’ll allow to touch the metal without feeling revolted with himself. You pull gently at his fingers, silently pleading for him to unfurl his fists. His breath shakes, knowing it was the same way you had brought him back to himself that day Helicarrier when he had been sent to kill you. The cruellest trick fate had ever played on him. He still cried about it in his dreams, eyes strained and throat hollow with screams as he strained against you, trying time and time again to stop his arms from hurting you. To stop himself from drowning just by the thought of you.
You- you were real. You were here, and then he found himself full on sobbing again. You shush him gently, jumping up to pull his hands away from his face, away from where he had shoved them into his eyes to try and stop himself. Yet he only grabs onto his shirt that you were wearing, fingers clenching and fists white as he pulls you down to straddle his thighs. He nestles his head into your neck, pulling you tight into his arms until he couldn’t be sure where he ended and where you began. As if there had really ever been a difference for him, anyway. You brush your hand through his hair, appreciating the little hum of delight he tried to give you as your fingers scrape the nape of his neck. He sniffles against your skin, but he’s alright. He knows that you would do anything for him. Your soulmate, your Bucky.
And Bucky knew, as he held you against him, that he would never let you go again. He knew that he couldn’t pretend he was alright anymore, that somehow and someway he would have to make amends for everything he has done - everything he has put you through. Yet some warm hope fizzled at the bottom of his heart as he felt your engagement ring bump against the goose bumps of his back, knowing he still owed you a wedding as well. 
His hands are so soft, so gentle, so careful, as he grips onto your waist. His nose bumps against your forehead the same way it had that night, all those years ago, before you had lost him. His tears stain your shirt again, and although he knew he was different now, he also knew there was still some of James Buchanan Barnes left. He knew, because you had his heart, this whole time.
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ppersonna · 4 years
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half baked - pjm | m
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baby we two distant strangers. i know you don't speak my language, but I love the way she's talking to me - love talk, wayv
↳ summary- park jimin gets a job at your bakery, and you can’t help but find yourself annoyingly attracted to the cocky man.
↳ rating- explicit/18+/nsfw
↳ pairing- park jimin x reader
↳ word count- 5.2k
↳ genre- smut, fluff
↳ warnings- penetrative sex, oral sex (m receiving), dirty talk, lightly dom!jimin, sub!reader, slight enemies2lovers, sex in a kitchen, please god don’t fuck in a kitchen its a health code violation, spanking, nipple play, cum play, fingering
↳ a/n- ahHH!HHHHhhh!H! i blame this 100% on @wwilloww​ for merely putting the idea in my head and i had to take it and run with it.  also thank you to @kimtaehyunq​ my babe/my loml for the amazing banner! i truly do not deserve u but ily so much.  and thank you to @chimoona​ @ladyartemesia​ @xjoonchildx​ @taetaewonderland​ for being the best mf squad a lady could have and beta-ing this for me! i love you all so much! i hope you enjoy silly cocky jimin!
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 Two cups of flour, one and three quarters cup sugar, 2 cups of butter.
You know the recipes by heart.  In fact, one might postulate that the recipes themselves are the sole contents of your heart.  
You live and breathe baking. It is your solace and your truest love.
Which is why it is all nearly thrown into catastrophe when Park Jimin comes into the picture.
It starts on a rather busy day.  You’re hard at work in the kitchen, prepping the finished products and presenting them in neat little boxes, when your best friend and co-owner of Wake ‘N Bake, Willow, lets out a frustrated squeal..  You turn your head to find her covered head to toe in flour, making you snort as she shoots you a playfully ominous glare.
“Shut up,” she sniffs as she attempts to pat some fine dust off of her, to no avail. “I only have two hands and about fifty things to do with them at the same time.”
Your lips part to reply something equally sassy when the bell over the front door rings, notifying you of a paying customer.  Grabbing a towel, you quickly wipe off cookie debris and throw it at your best friend to do her best to clean off as she follows behind you.
You pause as you take stock of who stands there. A handsome man arrives at the cash register and peers around, presumably looking for an employee.  He is gorgeous—ethereal even and looks like someone who walked out of the pages of a magazine. His bone structure screams model, and you can’t help but feel the stirrings of desire for the beautiful stranger.
“Hi! Welcome to Wake ‘N Bake!” Willow sings cheerfully, despite being coated in baking flour.
The man eyes her with a glint of humor in his eye, and Willow’s cheeks turn a hue of pink when she remembers her current appearance.
“Hi,” he speaks. His voice is smooth like butter, and gentle. It makes you feel weak, like you’re warming in the very ovens that your pastries rise in.
“I saw your shop from down the street and I had to stop in. Your desserts look amazing.  Is the owner here by chance?”
Your smile fades as he looks around the room for someone else, someone beyond you and your best friend.
Of course.
No one believes that two young women could start and maintain their own business. Everyone assumes that some older, well-off man was at the helm while you and Willow toil for minimum wage.
Your arms cross over your body in clear displeasure.
“We are the owners.”
“Oh!”  The man looks surprised but not put off. “Awesome. I was hoping I could… talk to you about, err—… a job?”
His face is sheepish and Willow nearly coos at the sight.
Unfortunately, it appears you and your best friend have warring ideas.
“Yes!” She chimes at the same moment you dead-pan a resounding ‘No’.
Your heads spin to stare at each other—Willow’s eyes wide in disbelief and yours in annoyance.
“We need the help!” She huffs.
“We can do things on our own, like we always have,” you remind her.
Willow gestures to her flour covered clothing in desperation.
“We clearly could use help with how successful we have gotten!”
To your chagrin, she has a point. It might be nice to have someone to help in the front while the two of you manage the kitchen in the back.  It would increase your productivity by double what you’re able to do now.
But there’s something about his attitude coming in that rubs you the wrong way.  Like, he’s too pretty. Too confident. Too nice.
“What’s your baking experience?” You ask as you turn back to the hopelessly lost, yet ever eager man.
“Oh, err—,” he stutters. “I worked at my friend Jin’s restaurant. That served desserts, too?”
You shake your head in disdain while Willow claps her hands in excitement, a puff of white flour dust pluming into the air.
“Perfect! So you could do sales!?”
“Yeah! I can do sales, no problem.”
You turn your gaze back to Willow who stares at the man like he is her knight in shining armor.
“Willow?! Can I talk to you in the back?”
She knows that tone—the one that tells her you’re not pleased with her decisions. She nods once and politely excuses the both of you from the man before heading back towards the kitchen.
“What in the world is wrong with you?!” She asks the moment the swinging door closed.
“Me?!” You’re incredulous—hands flying in the air. “You’re over here trying to hire the first Joey Hot-Lips who walks in off the street!”
Willow’s anguished face falls and turns into a devilish smirk as she leans back on her heels.
“Aha! You’re attracted to him,” she notes as if she figured out the world's greatest mystery. “That’s why you don’t want him here.”
“What? No!” Your defense crumbles around you. “Did you hear him? He totally acted like he didn’t believe we could be the owners!”
“Oh, come on, that was a simple mistake and you know it!  You’re just being protective.”
You ‘humph’ a non-committal response—unable to argue.
You are protective of your bakery. It’s your combined love child with Willow. What started as a dream between cocktails with your best friend became a real brick and mortar reality.  You had been through enough trying to open it you can’t help but feel skeptical of anyone trying to get involved. Many tried to discredit your ability to maintain such a successful shop, and you’d rather continue to run it with no one else than see it fall at the hands of another.
“Just as I thought,” Willow hums. “In that case, he’s hired!”
You’re given no chance to reply—the flour-covered girl pushes through the swinging doors and announces to the handsome man that he’s hired and free to start the following day.
“Great!  Thanks!” His smile is sincere—blinding and breathtaking, and you hate how much you want to see that smile again.
He leaves as quickly as he arrived, waving goodbye as he exits the chiming door.
“Now, you need to deal with whatever issues you have about letting others into the shop,” she says pointedly, pushing a finger into your arm gently. “And whatever issues you have with wanting to bone him.”
“Willow!” You gasp. “I do not want to bone him!”
“Sure, babe. You think you can fool me but I know you too well. Just try not to fuck him in the kitchen, alright? I don’t need the health inspector up our ass.”
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The next early morning starts at 4:30 am, with you elbow deep in cookie dough for a catering order.  You’ve nearly forgotten about the new employee starting until the man himself strolls into the back kitchen as if he’s worked there for years.
“Hey!” He says cheerfully, two cups of coffee in his hands. “I got you a coffee. Willow said you’re a nightmare without some in the morning.”
Your eyes narrow at the man. It’s unfair how delicious he looked so early; while you look like a frizzy mess who rolled out of bed and walked into work (which you did), he looked polished and crisp and clean. It’s infuriating as much as it’s glaringly attractive.
“Thanks,” you mutter as you pick cookie dough off your hands and pull off your plastic sanitary gloves. “Every girl loves hearing she’s a nightmare.”
He chuckles behind his steaming cup and places yours on the workbench next to you.
“Those were her words, of course. I’d never call you a nightmare.”
You easily flush, then chastise yourself for allowing him to make you feel so weak so early in the morning.
“To be fair,” he continues. “I don’t even know your name.”
“___,” you sigh as you grab the coffee and bring it to your lips. “And you?”
“Jimin. Park Jimin.”
The first sip of coffee is like a soothing hug. He somehow knew how you took your coffee—two creams and two sugars.
“I didn’t know how you liked it, so I just guessed.”
“Good guess.”
Jimin smirks and looks proud of his accomplishment.
“You seem like the type of girl who likes balance to her sweetness.”
You stare at him curiously over your own steaming paper cup, unsure of what to make of his comment.
“Good morning to the love of my life!” Comes the voice of your best friend entering through the back door.
You roll your eyes in amusement as she teeters in, peppy and perky as she always is this early.
“Oh! Hi, Jimin.”  Her cheeks turn a familiar shade of rose as she realizes he heard her. “I didn’t know you were here yet.  That’s just a… thing we say to each other every morning.”
“Cute.” Jimin smirks at you, making your stomach lift with unwanted butterflies. “Where do you want me?”
Underneath you, beside you, above you, any possibly way...
You shake your head quickly to push away the sexual thoughts of the gorgeous man taking you from any position. No, you refuse to let your mind wander there.
Willow finishes washing her hands and putting on her apron before she nods to the fridge.
“If you can get the milk, eggs, and butter out, we’ll use you for creaming.”
Your cheeks heat impossibly as Jimin smirks even wider.
“Oh, I’m fantastic at creaming.”
Your hands pause from where they massage dough while you close your eyes and breathe, before lifting to glare at your best friend who wears a faux-innocent look.
“I’m sure you are, Jimin,” she chimes virtuously, before getting to work.
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The next few weeks were a haze. You’re so caught up with graduations, birthdays, weddings and major events that your time spent at the shop overtakes your time sleeping, breathing, existing in any way that isn’t baking.
Even Jimin was busy.  Despite your initial hesitancy, he was proving to be an excellent third member of your team.  He’s a pro at sales—you’re sure his good looks and the mostly female clientele helps—and he pitches in in the kitchen without fail. He even tries his hand at decorating cakes, with only one frosting-based spill.  You would never give Willow the satisfaction of telling her outright, but she made an excellent decision in hiring the dazzling man.
But it doesn’t stop your annoying heart from fluttering every time he comes close to you—rubs elbows as he helps you roll out dough or smiles at you from across the workbench as he stamps out sugar cookies.  You refuse to allow yourself any thoughts on what it would taste like to lick dough off his fingers or how he would look bending you over the countertop to take you from behind.
You only allow such thoughts at night, safely tucked into bed with your vibrator cranked to the highest setting.
It doesn’t help that Jimin solidifies himself in your life by introducing his handsome and dopey best friend Jungkook to your gorgeous and clumsy best friend Willow.  The moment they laid eyes on each other, you knew you were doomed to have Jimin in your life with or without the bakery.
And you weren’t sure how to handle that notion.
Was Jimin flirting with you simply because you were there?  He seemed to have no problem flirting with the customers.  Sure, the shop has never made more money than when Jimin works his charms and seduces women of all ages to buy the extra cookies, cannolis, and cakes—not that you watched or glared or hated every second. No, of course not. It was for the good of your business and the angry jealousy demon inside you would need to stay firmly locked away.
Except, it’s on a particularly crowded day at the shop that your jealousy gets the best of you.
You’re up front assisting Jimin by boxing and bagging the treats he rings up.
You know he’s flirtatious, but it’s when he goes the extra mile for an extra pretty girl that you lose your cool on him the moment the customers leave.  
“Do you have to eye-fuck every single co-ed that walks in this place?!”
Your hands fly up in frustration, and Jimin watches you with a soft gaze.
His silence and knowing smirk makes you continue.
“Seriously? What the fuck was that about?! You’re acting like you’re about to bend her over right here in front of us! Jesus!”
Willow hears the commotion from the back and comes forward.
“What’s going on here?” She asks suspiciously.
You point towards Jimin who maintains his poised demeanor.
“I’m reminding Jimin that work is not a place to sexually engage our customers!”
Willow rolls her eyes as she pulls her apron off and grabs her coat from the hook.
“Whatever, you’re being ridiculous. Jimin’s never been inappropriate. Plus, he’s making us a fuck-ton of money,” she sighs. “You two can close up without killing each other right?”  She eyes you in particular.
You cross your arms and huff, glancing at the clock to find you have two hours still until closing. “Why? Where are you going?”
Willow’s annoyance fades away as if it never existed.
“Jungkook is taking me to the Museum of the Printing Press!”
You can’t help but choke a laugh while she pushes your arm.
“Shush! You know how much I love them! And he totally surprised me with tickets!”
Willow can’t shake that lovesick look in her eyes and your heart melts a little. She’s your best friend and you’re thrilled she’s found someone who wants to indulge her in her nerdy fascinations.
“Go have fun, babe,” you smile sincerely. “We can take care of closing. Now, go fuck on a letterpress or whatever!”
Willow snorts and hugs you tight, bids goodbye to Jimin, and exits the store.
Now that your quick anger is gone, you feel sheepish around the man who has yet to reply to your tirade—but you refuse to stick around under his piercing gaze.
“I’ll be in the back,” you mumble under your breath before slipping into the kitchen before he can get any word in edge wise.
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You spend the rest of the evening monologuing an apology as you prep ingredients for the next morning and clean your workstations.  The shop is closed, doors locked, and Jimin is somewhere at the front of the house finishing his duties.
“‘Hey, I’m sorry for the way I acted’,” you practice out loud. “Hm—no, not humble enough. ‘Hey Jimin, I was a real bitch’, too degrading?  Maybe something like, ‘Hey Chim, can I call you Chim? That was fucked up, wasn’t it? Haha.’ God!” You throw your rag down in a huff, frustrated at your inability to form a decent apology.
“You can call me Chim, if you want,” a voice speaks from behind you.
You squeak in surprise and turn around, clutching your apron in your hands as you find Jimin leaning against a wall with a smirk on his face.
“Only my closest friends call me Chim, but I think we’re close enough.”
You swallow hard and nibble at your lip.
“I’m assuming you heard that whole… thing,” you mumble anxiously.  His nod confirms that he heard your entire play-by-play of the apology you would deliver to the handsome man.
“Yeah,” he licks at his lips. “You know, you’re really cute when you’re jealous.”
“J-jealous?” You nearly trip over your own tongue.  “I wasn’t—, I’m not jealous!”
Jimin begins a slow approach towards you, striding as he keeps his sparkling eyes on yours.
“Oh?”  He quirks his head, making his soft hair fall into his face.  You desperately want to push it away, cup his cheek, kiss those ridiculously plump lips.
He can tell you’re staring at this mouth and it makes his smirk turn nearly feral.
“So, you weren’t jealous? Not a single bit?”
He inches closer and you can feel your heart tighten in your chest and your stomach twists in on itself in excitement, in nerves.
“N-no,” you whisper, unconvincingly.
“You didn’t want to be the one I was making eyes at?  The one who ‘gets bent over the counter’ as you said?”
“I—,” Jimin cuts your words short as he stands a breath away from you.
“I guess if you weren’t jealous, then I don’t have to tell you you’re the one I really want to bend over the counter.”
You’re sure your heart stops beating—positive that it will fall from its place in your ribs into your feet.  
“What?”
Jimin cups a hand to your cheek and smiles as he steps even closer.
“If you’re not jealous, then I don’t have to reassure you you’ve got nothing to be jealous over.”
Your lips run dry, throat parched as if you’ve never had a sip of water.  Jimin is standing so close to you you can feel the heat coming off of him in waves.
“Jimin—,” you breathe and he continues forward until he presses you against the countertop and crowding you into the metal and wood.
“Tell me you were jealous.”
You gulp, eyes seeking his for an answer, for any information.  Is he playing you? Does he know you’re hopelessly attracted to him?  Does he find it humorous to tease you when Willow isn’t here to insert herself into your flirting.
“I was jealous,” you admit slowly. The words are hard to release, but once they do, the floodgates open. “I wanted to be the one you flirted with.  I was jealous because I want to be the one you notice.”
Jimin smirks, then pulls your face in quickly for a heated kiss.
His lips are just as plush, just as soft as you imagined.  They’re puffy and sweet and he tastes like one of the treacle tarts you made that morning.  He must have had one with lunch, and you find yourself addicted to the way he tastes with your creations on him. You wonder what he’d taste like with your arousal coating that tender, plump mouth.
He bites at your own lip and tugs, chucking under his breath as you mewl your desire at the slight hint of pain.
“Fuck, you’re so hot when you’re angry like that,” he breathes as he presses his forehead to yours.  “I nearly popped a boner while you were yelling at me. I could tell you were jealous, and it made me want you more.”
It’s hard to hear him speak so candidly—it makes you groan.
“Jimin—fuck,” you sigh. “I’ve been attracted to you since you walked into this goddamn place.”
He smirks and snags your lips up in another desperate, yet quick, kiss.
“I know.  It’s why you didn’t want me to work here.”
You grumble after he pulls away, tired of the teasing and wanting nothing more than to stop talking and start doing.
“I didn’t like you because you assumed I wasn’t the owner.”
He smiles and rubs at your arms, a softer expression crossing his face.
“No, but I hoped you were.”
It’s silent for a moment and you let his words wash over you as he continues.
“I was attracted to your authority.  I could tell you were important here somehow, just didn’t know in what way.”
You swallow your growing guilt.  You had clocked Jimin entirely wrong.
“Jimin, I’m sorry,” you start.
“Hey, hey, I already heard your apology, remember?” He smiles.  “Although, I could think of a great way to mend the wounds if you’re interested.  No pressure.”
His soft smile becomes a devilish grin instantly and your body lights with instant arousal.
“What did you have in mind?”
His lips press to yours again and you nearly lose yourself completely in his embrace.  Your arms circle his neck and he holds you tight at your waist, before pulling away from you, yet again.
“I happen to be very good at creaming, if you’ll recall.”
You can’t hold back a snort of laughter, that quickly gets covered by Jimin’s hot lips, one’s he will not pull away from you any time soon.
“You want to, right here?” You ask as he trails a hot line down your throat.
“Yeah, do you?”  
You vaguely remember Willow’s threat of not fucking in the kitchen, but find you can’t seem to care an ounce.
“Fuck yeah, I do.”
Jimin needs to hear no more.  He pulls you close and kisses you with the remaining amounts of pent-up passion and emotion he feels for you.  He’s grown to love the way you take charge, the way you move through the building like you own the place—because you do.  He loves the power you radiate and wants nothing more than to make you give up that power for a single night, to him.
“You wanna do this… all the way?” He asks, re-assuring himself that he’s not throwing himself at his boss.
“I want you, Jimin.  I want you to bend me over this workbench and fuck me until I’m crying for more.  Please.”
He grins and lays a hand on your neck, fingers tracing the gentle lines.  
“I might not let you boss me around,” he warns.
“Take control.”  Your eyes are blazing with need.  It makes him smile, and he gives the moment a slight pause.
“Then, get on your knees and show me just how sorry you are for yelling at me.”
You’re sinking to your knees quicker than you can comprehend.  Jimin is almost thrown at how instantly you caved and submitted to him.  He watches as your eyes stay fixed on his and your hands work at the button of his tight jeans.  
“That’s right,” he murmurs.  “Right where you belong.  No one else.”
You preen—heart warming at the idea that you’re the only one he wants kneeling before him and tugging his cock out of its confines.  
It springs forward, and it pulls your gaze from Jimin’s magnetic eyes.  It’s long and thick, just like you suspected all those nights with your vibrator stuffed where he should be.  Your mouth waters at the sight and you lean towards it to mouth at it gently—pressing soft open-mouth kisses to the tip.
“Oh, shit,” Jimin gasps.  Your fiery mouth feels like heaven on his cock.  It’s something he’s equally dreamed about—spent many nights fisting his cock to the thought of you.
You take your time, licking tiny stripes around the head and down the shaft, until Jimin becomes weary of the teasing.
“Please, take it all.”  His request is so genuine, so needy, that you’re loath to deny him.
He slips into your mouth with ease, slicked up just enough by your trailing kisses that he slides in and hits the back of your throat in seconds.  His eyes close as he feels his cock-head hit the back of your throat—a tighter and more constricting feeling in your already impossibly tight mouth.  It feels like absolute bliss, and he’s gasping for air after mere moments of you holding him inside your mouth to the hilt.
He doesn’t need to speak; you know what to do.  Your mouth works him in and out, tongue swirling around any open real estate of his cock.   His moans echo around the tile of the kitchen walls and he’s sure that the sight of you on your knees with his cock disappearing in and out of your mouth will have him cumming in no time.  
He steels himself, makes his body behave because he wants to enjoy this and the way you feel.  As good as your mouth feels, he’s desperate to know what it’s like to slide into that cunt he’s spent too many nights dreaming about.
“Oh, fuck,” he whines as you make delicious, slurping noises from the gathering saliva.  It’s a wet squelching sound that makes him even harder than what he believes is possible—all blood in his head now completely rushed to his dick for his pleasure.
“B-Babe!” He calls as he feels his balls tightening.  He doesn’t want to cum, not yet.
He grips your head by the scalp of your hair and pulls you off his cock that is seconds away from losing control.
“Please, I’ve got to fuck you,” he nearly begs.
You wipe at your mouth with the back of your hand and smirk, licking the tip of his cock teasingly before standing up to his full height.
Jimin’s hands fly to your expensive leggings that you insist on wearing to work while he kisses you.  The kiss is feverish, frantic. It’s full of tongue and teeth and desperate moaning against each other as he pushes down the pants and delicate panties, and cups your cunt in one hand.
“Oh fuck,” you whisper against his mouth as the pad of his finger slides against your clit.
“You’re fucking soaked.  All from sucking my cock?”  He’s cocky and sucks a mark onto your neck as he massages the bundle of nerves.
“Don’t be arrogant now,” you warn with a smile.
He presses his tongue to your ear and licks a stripe and chuckles.
“I think you like it when I’m arrogant. Your pussy sure seems to like it.”
He emphasizes his words by slipping two fingers into your channel and fucks into you, scissoring you open.  He cuts off any chance for you to retort by launching his lips back to yours and prowling around your mouth with his tongue.
His fingers are small but fill you so deeply, and you’re sure his hand is drenched with your arousal.
“J-Jimin, please,” you gasp as you pull your mouth away to breathe in deep.  “Please, just fuck me already.”
He growls into your ear.  
“I thought I told you you’re not in charge.”
He spins you easily until your back is pressed to his chest.  He grabs the hem of your shirt and lifts, throwing the shirt away and quickly making work of your bra clasps to join the shirt on the floor.
His hands cup your full breasts and you can’t help but whimper at the feeling of his soft and warm hands.  He feels so good against the chilled skin of your chest and he tweaks and thumbs your nipples until they stand perky and erect.
“I’ve always wanted to bend you over this counter,” he muses in your ear as he pulls a nipple harshly.  It makes you squeak out at the pain, then moan as the pain turns into a sizzling, pleasurable spike that runs through your veins.
“Every time I would catch you staring at me, I just wanted to fuck your cute little throat until you were gagging around me.”
Your eyes close as he continues his abuse on your perky nipples and whispering his deepest thoughts about you.
“I wanted to lift your cute dresses and eat your cunt until you’re wailing loud enough all the customers can hear.”
“Jimin,” you nearly cry.  “Please, fuck me.”
You can feel his hardness lining up behind you, rubbing at your sodden folds to cover his length in your slick juices.
“I like it when you beg.”
He kisses at the juncture of your neck before letting his teeth graze over the spot and bites down—right as he pushes your face down to the workbench and slides his cock into your spread heat.
He bottoms out easily.  You’re soaking wet and he buries himself to the hilt in one fluid motion.  He groans out loud—stunned by the heat and wetness of your pussy and how tight it grips him.
“Oh, holy shit,” he gasps as he gives himself and you a moment.  His hands grip at your waist, one hand coming to rub the tender skin of your supple ass.
“Jimin, fuck, you’re so big,” you whine.  
He brings his hand up, then slaps it down on your ass hard, hard enough that the crack echoes around the large kitchen.  You cry out in delight, in pain, as the reverberation of the stinging wraps around you.
“Fuck, you take me so well, princess,” he whines as he sets a pace.  Your ass meets his hips and claps with each thrust, and he punctuates every few pumps into you with another hard slap to your ass.  He wants you screaming his name, crying out for him loud enough that the neighbors know who he is.
He’s relentless in his pumps—gripping your hips tight as he fucks you deep and senseless.  Your eyes roll back into your head at how well he works your body.  Your tits rub raw against the wood of the workbench and you’re weeping fat tears of pleasure as Jimin continues his plight.
“God, I’m gonna cum, baby,” he warns.  “Cum on my cock, princess.”
You slide a hand down to your clit, eager to add the ultimate piece to what makes you unravel.  He grins and pumps into you harder, slaps your ass repeatedly until he knows it’s going to leave bruises.
“That’s right, baby, rub that pretty little clit,” he urges.  “God, I can’t wait until you you sit on my face and let me eat this fucking cunt for hours.”
You blubber a response of desire, nearly begging him for more and more, as you swirl your fingers around the tight bundle.  You’re peaking towards the summit of your climax, ascending to a point you’ve never gone before.
“Fuck, Chim!” You scream. “Gonna cum!”
Your warning falls on deaf ears—you’re cumming and pulsating around his thickness instantly and Jimin moans mix with your own to create a symphony of pleasure.
“Good fucking girl,” he coos.  “Your cunt is so good to me, baby.  Mmph—let’s frost this cake, now.”
Instantly, he’s groaning as he pulls his cock free from the vice-grip of your cunt and jerks himself twice to completion, allowing his hot seed to splatter against the tender flesh of your ass where he’s left a clear print of his hand.   The warmth soothes the battered skin and you shake your ass teasingly as he continues to stroke himself through his climax.
“Ohhhhh, my god,” he breathes as he finally comes down from his high.
Your face is resting on the cool surface of the wooden workbench as your breathing slowly settles back to normal.
“That was fucking good,” you whisper with a smile.  Jimin bends down to press soft kisses to your spine, before grabbing a towel to gently clean his cum off your beaten ass.
“Willow’s going to kill you for fucking me in the kitchen,” he warns with a laugh as he kisses the same spot he came on.
“It takes two to bake a cake, buddy,” you tease.
He laughs and brings a hand down to your untouched asscheek, making you squeal with delight.
“That’s not how the saying goes, but sure, doll.”
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The next morning, you’re hard at work making a five-tiered wedding cake with Willow at your side, when Jimin throws open the door.
“Good morning to the loves of my life!”
Willow chokes on her own air while you hide a giggle behind your cake covered hand.
Jimin approaches the pair of you while she splutters and gasps.
“What?”  What happened last night after I left?”
Your cheeks heat and Jimin wears a face of pure cockiness.
“Oh my god,” Willow gasps as her eyes open wide, snapping your tender ass with her rag.  “You did NOT fuck in my kitchen!”
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© ppersonna - 2020 - do not repost on any site, or translate without express permission from author.
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taglist -  @preciouschimine​ @nyamjinnie​ @unicornnomore​ @bangtansbun​ @theneighborhoodfangirl​ @cyberbunny21​
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digitalworldbound · 3 years
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The Man I Want to Be - Snippet
Hello! I'm currently working on a new Takari fic, but want to share a snippet of the first chapter before I post it aha!
characters: takeru and hikari
summary: after falling pregnant in college, hikari leaves takeru to avoid rejection. now, seven years later, fate brings her face-to-face with the past.
Though the faucet would leak and the heater only worked in the summertime, Hikari Yagami adored her apartment. Nestled amongst the streets of her childhood, the view from her balcony was exquisite. Even though the sights were as familiar as the back of her hand, the glow of nostalgia glowed bright.
Sunlight trickled through the shades as she styled her hair, doing her best to dance around the toys littered throughout the living room. In perfect view of the balcony sat a bedroom door, dinosaurs and stray crayon marks adorning the wood. Hikari turned the knob softly, pausing to listen to the sound of steady breathing. Stuffed animals obscured her path, but she had long ago become a master of dodging obstacles.
“Kohaku? Yasuke? It’s time to wake up.”
A digital clock on the bedside table told her that if her boys did not wake up soon, the morning would be lost. With a creak from the hand-me-down bunkbed frame, the comforters began to shift. “Mama, are you sure it’s morning?” A pair of warm, brown eyes peaked from beneath the blanket, tufts of dark hair springing free.
Hikari chuckled, brushing away the hair that clung to his forehead. “C’mon, Ko. Breakfast is waiting.”
From above, a head of blond hair peaked over the railing. Blue eyes alit with curiosity, Hikari answered her son’s unspoken question.
“You both need to get dressed. There’s a stack of strawberry pancakes on the table whenever you’re ready.” With a kiss to each cheek, the woman left her children to themselves.
As a single mother, it was rare to find a moment to herself. Ordinarily, she preferred it that way. It was easy to forget about the more unpleasant thing if her attention remained solely on her children. A cup of warm coffee lured her out onto the balcony, Odaiba shining in the sunrise.
The jingle of a text message interrupted her thoughts. Coffee would have to wait.
‘Tell the boys that Uncle Taichi and Aunt Meiko wish them a happy birthday! I can’t believe they’re already seven years old.’
‘I know, me either! They’re so big. Send Meiko our love.’
‘You know, the rest of us are getting together today. I’m sure the boys would have fun with the other kids. Plus, the others have been asking about you. It wouldn’t hurt to let them in.’
Her thumb found its way into her mouth, anxiety nibbling at the edges of her nails. She knew her brother would never tell him; Taichi would never betray her trust. But it wracked her nerves to know that all of the others still remained close.
‘Thanks for the invite, but the boys already have plans for their big day. Yasu and Ko are getting ready for me to drop them off at your place soon. I get off around three today.’
Crisis averted, Hikari turned her focus to celebratory chocolate milk. “Our favorite! You remembered!” Kohaku cheered. With his infinite energy, he bounded from his room and into the kitchen. Yasuke followed with a grin, his shy blush dusted across his cheeks.
While Kohaku climbed into his chair, his brother snuggled into Hikari’s side. “Thank you, mama.”
“Anything for you, my love.”
Seated at the dining room table, the twins’ feet had yet to touch the floor. Strawberry juice stained their lips, eyes bright with a familiar glow. Hikari’s heart constricted. Though it hurt to see them grow up so quickly, it hurt worse to see them blossom into the image of a man they would never know.
“These are so good!” Bits of pancake flew from the little brunette’s mouth. Yasuke brushed the debris from his face, shooting his brother a nasty glare. With her sons distracted amongst their bickering, Hikari quickly lit a pair of candles.
The glow of the flame caught their attention. “Happy birthday.” Her smile was warm as the cupcakes were nestled in front of her children. It was worth it. All of the hours she worked, the tears that were shed, and relationships lost were a small price to pay to see a smile painted on their little faces.
She couldn’t have imagined entering motherhood alone, but Hikari wouldn’t regret the path that led her to these children.
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t-lostinworlds · 4 years
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Hold On (Tom Holland)
a/n: hello, surprise? but yes, so, i was kind of in a funk for a bit and when that happens, i write angst. then i heard the song (i was listening to my sad playlist as u do aha) and here we are. i wrote this fairly quick so bear with it as it may seemed rushed (it is) so it may be bad heh. also, i suggest listening to the song while reading for full effect.
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pairing: tom holland x female reader summary: You locked yourself in the bathroom when things got overwhelming. Tom felt worried when it went quiet inside for too long, heart stopping by what he saw when he broke through the door. based on song: Hold On - Chord Overstreet warnings: drug overdose (vaguely written & only on tom's pov), angst, brief panic attack, open(?) but happy ending. word count: 3.2k+
masterlist on bio & pinned post
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**US/UK HELPLINES & FREE 24/7 SUICIDE HOTLINES IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES**
~~~
"I can't do better in helping if you don't tell me what's wrong Y/N," Tom said softly, concerned eyes staring right into your troubled ones.
He had his arms open wide as he slowly inched towards your trembling form, making sure to not get too close, too fast. He doesn't want to overwhelm you by being all over your personal space, he doesn't want to stress you out even more by crowding you. Tom knew he needed to be gentle, patient, giving you enough space to breath but also showing that you can jump into his arms whenever you need to, whenever you're ready to.
"That's the thing Tom, I don't know what's wrong," you started with a shaky intake of breath. "I just feel this pit in my stomach and sometimes it gets so overwhelming in my head about everything, about what I'm even doing with my life, if I'm doing enough, if I am enough. I'm overthinking about everything and I just feel so lost and angry for not knowing what's wrong with me. And I—I am so tired," you admitted, tears slipping down your cheeks as you ran your palm over your face in frustration.
To see your agitated state, to hear the hurt and frustration in your voice, added with your heavy words, it just broke Tom's heart to pieces. You didn't need to elaborate what you meant by 'being tired' because he understood, both physically, emotionally, but especially mentally. And Tom's frown could only deepen as you continued.
"And you can't do better Tom, you don't need to. You've already done so much for me. You've put up with my shit for so long. I've already put you through so much," you trailed off at the end of your sentence, bottom lip quivering as you stared at him with utter guilt.
The look of distress on his features was hurting you so much. You just want to see him happy, that's what he truly deserves. But now it seems like you're not giving him that anymore. Not giving him enough happiness, just nights of him being worried about you, stressed because of you.
"I feel like lately, all I've done is be a burden to my family, to everyone in my life, but even more to you."
Tom shook his head frantically as he took a few steps forward. "No, don't say that love," he whispered.
Once he reached a safe distance, he gently took your hand in his, touch soft, comforting. You let him hold you, eyes trained on the way your fingers intertwined but never looking up. You couldn't bear to hold his gaze, especially with the obvious sadness that swam in them.
"Darling, look at me," Tom coaxed, giving your hands a tender squeeze. With a deep intake of breath, you willed yourself to meet his eyes again. Those brown orbs bring you so much happiness, and to see them filled with everything but, to know that you're the sole reason why they're not coated with that lovely glow, it only makes you feel guiltier.
"You know that's not true Y/N," he said firmly, but you only shook your head at him with a soft whimper, his voice unable to break through the loud screams that filled your mind.
"Angel, you are not a burden to me. I'll always be here for you no matter what, remember? Didn't I promise you that, love?" Tom tried again, both hands going to cup your face as he gently wiped your tears away with his thumb. "When I said I wanted to be here for you, with all the joy and the chaos, all the demons we're made of, I meant that with every beat of my heart Y/N."
"But you deserve so much better Tom," you croaked, nimble fingers wrapping around his wrists, leaning into his warm touch with bottom lip jutted out as fresh tears dampened your cheeks once more.
"No, I don't," Tom objected. "You're all I want, all I ever need, please believe that, believe me Y/N," he whispered, forehead pressed up against yours as his eyes held nothing but truth.
Still, it wasn't enough to help subside the roaring demons in your mind. Not because Tom didn't hold any importance or his words any power, no, he's everything to you. But tonight they just happen to be a lot stronger, the loud and guttural voices. They were blocking anything that's trying to get through to you, blocking the only thing that always seemed to easily get through to you which was Tom.
"I just—I need to think. I-I need to be alone," you muttered under your breath. Although reluctant, Tom nodded, figured that if that was what you wanted, then he will give it to you.
"Okay," he sighed, placing a tender kiss on your forehead, the warmth of his lips on your skin making you close your eyes with a shaky breath. It was a sweet, rather mundane kiss, but it was one that lasted a few seconds longer than normal before he lets you go. Tom's grip around you slowly loosened, your heart growing heavier as you feel his touch gradually disappear.
You quickly turned on your heel with your head down, arms wrapped around your body to stop you from crumbling to the floor. Tom hesitantly stood still in his place, a certain feeling in his gut growing as he watched you walk towards the bathroom. As you were about to shut the door, his voice stopped you.
"Y/N?" he called out.
You turned around with a hum, meeting those brown orbs you've grown to adore with every inch of you. So many emotions were swimming in them, but only one struck you the most, even more so when he opened those lips to let it out into the air, loud, clear and sincere.
"I love you."
You gave him a small smile, trying your best to suppress your sobs as more tears ran down your cheek. And softly, you said,
"I love you too Tom, so much."
There was something about the way your voice trembled that made Tom feel even more uneasy, but he decided to let it go, thought that it was just him stressing over nothing at all.
The bathroom door slamming shut was what he heard next, a frustrated hand running through his hair as he stared at the white painted wood for a whole minute. With a sharp exhale of breath, Tom looked at it for a few seconds more.
Once he heard the running water on the sink, he made his way out of your shared bedroom, body slumped with deep frown still intact. His demeanor was quick to catch the attention of his brother who was sitting on the living room couch, the only other person in the house as of the moment.
"Is she okay?"
Tom could only flash Harry a sad, forced smile, not speaking any words as he went straight to the kitchen to get you some water and a bit of food. You haven't eaten anything yet and it was worrying him even more.
It wasn't long until Tom was back in the bedroom, setting the glass of water and the plate of your favorite sandwich on the nightstand.
The silence that filled the room was uncanny, nervousness coating the lad slowly as he stood completely still. Tom's eyes landed on the closed door of the bathroom, a lump forming in his throat as he found the negative thoughts that grew in his mind harder to ignore.
He took long strides towards the door, pressing an ear on the surface as he tried to listen to something, hoping to hear anything. Tom felt his heart quicken its pace as the silence screamed in his ear, brain quick to jump into horrible, dreadful conclusions.
"Darling? Are you okay in there?" he called, fingers twitching as his eyes landed on the metal knob.
No response...
"Darling?" Tom tried again, voice even louder, fear growing stronger as he grabbed the doorknob, chills running down his spine once the cold surface touched his skin.
Silence...
"Y/N, if you're not going to answer I'm kicking this fucking door down," Tom growled frantically, grip on the doorknob tightening as he tried to shake it open.
Nothing...
With an anxious breath, Tom walked away until he reached a safe distance, lifting a leg up and with all his might, kicked the door just by the keyhole, the wood snapping in its place as it swung open.
Tom ran inside but immediately froze, blood drained out of his whole body at the sight of you, heart coming to a halt for a full second as he shook his head in utter fear.
"No, no, no," he rushed, scrambling towards your limp, unconscious form on the white tiled floor, the bottle of painkillers right beside you, so close to empty. Tom was breathing rapidly as he pulled you onto his lap, vision turning blurry as he cleared the hair away from your face.
"Y/N! Wake up love, p-please wake up," Tom stammered, fingers shaking as he brought it up to your neck to the side of your windpipe, urgently feeling for your heartbeat. Cold sweats coated his entire body once he felt a faint one. It was there, but barely.
"No, don't—p-please don't leave me!" he cried out, head pounding as he shifted in his place, adrenaline at an all-time high as he hoisted you up in his arms. "Harry! Harry please!" Tom screamed after his brother as he rushed outside the bathroom and into the hallway, the lad in question rushing towards his brother's voice with sheer worry on his freckled face.
"What—"
"Start the car! Her breathing is getting slower," Tom choked on his words. The twin didn't waste any time as he bolted towards the kitchen island to grab the keys and went straight to the front door, held it open until Tom was out with you, alarmingly unmoving in his hold.
Once the car door was slammed shut with you and Tom in the backseat, Harry veered right out of the driveway and drove fast like your life depended on it, because it did.
Tom kept you close to his heaving chest, mumbling sweet but desperate nothings against your hair, silently praying as he tried his best to contain his shock.
The slower your heart beats, the faster Tom's heart raced, your body cold to the touch, his head spinning at the dreadful feeling. Tom felt so helpless just staring at your expressionless features, his clammy palms resting on your cheek as he kept talking to you.
"Hold on, I still want you angel, please hold on," he whispered over and over, hoping that you were able to hear him, hoping that the sound of his voice will stop you from fading into the light.
He was glad that the drive to the hospital was only five minutes away, but with you lying still, turning colder by the second in his arms, time seemed to go slower, agonizingly slower. There was no doubt that it was the longest, most painful five minutes Tom has ever endured in his life.
***
The bright hospital lights were blinding the moment Tom rushed inside with you in his arms, his voice hoarse as he screamed for help until the nurses came to your aid. They took you away on the table, your whole body lying motionless as they checked for your pulse. He didn't want to let you go, didn't want to let you out of his sight in fear that it would be the last time he'll see you with a bit of life left. But despite his protests, he was met by double doors slamming closed on his face.
Both of Tom's hands tugged at his hair in pure agitation, bottom lip caught between his teeth to try and suppress his sobs. He was pacing anxiously as his eyes kept steady on the door of the room where you disappeared into, lungs struggling to provide oxygen, unable to keep up with his raging heart.
He felt a hand grabbed at his shoulder, unable to see the person as they immediately pulled him in for a tight hug. But he didn't need to, he knew who it was, he knew what his brother's embrace felt like. Tom's whole body shook in Harry's hold as loud and broken sobs came out of him, arms wrapping around his brother for mere support, knowing that his legs are about to give out any second.
"I d-don't want to lose her, I can't lose her H-Harry, I—" Tom felt his throat start to close up, his grip around his younger brother turning vice-like as he gasped for air.
"Hey, hey Tom, breathe," Harry rushed, grabbing Tom's shoulders, pulling him away and holding him in arm's length. "You're alright, just breathe."
Tom shut his eyes tight and tried to regain his breathing, calming himself as best as he could. A whimper came out of him as he shook his head slowly, opening his eyes to meet Harry's with nothing but utmost fear and pain swimming in them.
"I c-can't imagine a world without her, I can't—"
"Then don't. You're not losing her Tom. She's going to be fine. She's a very strong girl. You, out of all people, know that," Harry reassured, giving his shoulder a squeeze for good measure.
"Fuck, this is all my fault. I shouldn't have left her alone. I knew something wasn't right before she even—I should've tried harder," Tom sobbed as he ran his shaking fingers through his hair, bottom lip quivering as he casted his eyes on the floor in shame.
"Tom you did the best that you could. No one could've seen this coming. Y/N wouldn't want you blaming yourself. You know it hurts her when you blame yourself," Harry said softly, rubbing his back comforting as he shot him a knowing look.
Tom rubbed the nape of his neck as he nodded with deep, strangled breaths. He pressed his lips into a tight line as he didn't say another word because Harry was right. You always get even more upset when you see him blame himself for something out of his control.
"You just sit here and wait alright? I'm going to get you some water."
He only shot Harry a small but thankful smile, the younger lad giving him one last hug before he disappeared down the opposite side of the hallway.
Tom cleared his mind and thought of nothing but you being safe. You are going to be safe, alive and well, because he wouldn't know what to do with himself if you weren't.
***
It was an hour and half later until the doctor came out. Tom scrambled on his feet as she asked about who was there for you. His nails were digging into his palms, creating crescent shapes on the skin as he held his breath, dreadfully waiting for her to speak.
"We've managed to pump all the drugs out of her system. She's stable now but still unconscious," the doctor said. Tom lets out a big puff of breath, his whole body relaxing as he felt the weight of the universe lift off his shoulders. Tom grabbed onto Harry for support once he almost lost his balance, just feeling relieved to hear that you were fine, still breathing.
"Is she going to be okay?" Harry asked when Tom can't seem to form any words, the older brother squeezing his shoulder as a way to silently say thank you.
The doctor nodded with a small smile. "We still need to keep a close eye on her until she makes a full recovery. There are still a few dangers that can occur given that she's consumed quite a handful."
Tom stood straighter as he cleared his throat, "Can I see her?"
"Right this way."
***
The sound of the soft beeps of the heart rate monitor oddly felt comforting to Tom as he entered the room. It was a mixture of relief but also hurt the moment his eyes landed on your sleeping form, hooked up to all these wires and tubes as you lay peacefully on the white bed.
He would've just stood still on his place, just staring with a deep from if Harry hadn't given him an encouraging tap on back. Tom flashed him a small smile before Harry closed the door, giving Tom some time alone with you for as long as he needed.
Slowly, he made his way over to your side, pulling up a chair beside the bed and letting out a shaky breath once he sat down. It was when he reached over to hold your hand did Tom start to bawl his eyes out, body shaking with full on sobs as he lifted your nimble fingers and pressed it on his damp, flushed cheek.
"You're okay. You're going to be okay love," he whimpered, not sure if he was saying those words to reassure you or himself. He turned his head to place a warm, tender kiss on your palm before he cupped your hand with both of his, his thumb sweetly stroking the back of it.
"It may sound selfish but you know I can't just let you go. I'm not that strong. Not as strong as you," Tom paused, giving your hand a squeeze, just waiting patiently for you to return it. "So, come on, darling, come back to me," Tom begged, a choked sob following after as his teardrops soaked the white sheets.
"I still need you. I will always need you," he continued, voice merely above a whisper as he tried his best to keep his breathing steady. "You're going to wake up and tell me to take you home, yeah?"
"We're going home," Tom breathed out with a small nod. "You're going to come back to me, and we're going home." Tom's voice broke at the end of his sentence, his head dropping low as he screwed his eyes shut, an overwhelming feeling rising in him that he couldn't stop the tears from falling continuously.
Tom just wants you to be back in his arms, wants you safe and warm in the comfort of your shared bed. He just wants to hear your hearty laugh echo in the kitchen as you make breakfast together. He wants to hear your scolding whenever he leaves dirty clothes on the floor, or the little arguments on whose turn it was to load the dishwasher.
Tom just wants to take you home.
Then once you do, once you come back home, he will take your hand and make things right, help make things better. And with all that he is, all that he has, with every beat of his heart, Tom will swear to love you all his life.
"Come home to me Y/N."
It was then Tom felt it, the light squeeze around his hand, his head shooting up as he looked at you expectantly. It was completely unmatched, the utter joy and relief that coated every inch of his bones. The sound was music to his ears, happiness filling him up to the brim once he heard your sweet, lovely voice.
"Tom?"
~~~
“Place your hand over your heart, can you feel it? That is called purpose. You’re alive for a reason so don’t ever give up.” – Unknown
-:-:-:-:-
like, reblog & leave a comment if you liked it and tell me your thoughts <3
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urijihoons-blog · 3 years
Text
Bokuto: Clarity
/ Kōtarō Bokuto x reader /
genre: fluff babyyyy
wc: 3126
summary: Finally, the truth has been revealed. You can finally look at him with clarity. After a little domestic bliss, you devise a plan to take down the one who wronged you, and it’s time to set it in motion. 
warnings: dOmEsTiC bLiSs
a/n: Hey guys!!! I am SO sorry this took so long!!!!!!! As answered previously, I got wrapped up in all the holidays and then just recently started back up at college so I’ve been putting this off, and then I noticed 2 days ago that my draft had completely deleted somehow so i started it again haha karma I guess!! ✌🏻🥺
BUT HERE IT IS AHA
pt4
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You were stunned. Bokuto was explaining everything to you in extreme detail, slowly going over the past few weeks. Of course, he’d get a little off topic at times, getting too in depth about practices or games, which made you smile on the inside, but as soon as he’d realize he would continue his story. He told you how Tamra had acted as if she just was interested in talking volleyball, how she manipulated him into being her friend, and then how she won the trust of the whole team. Bokuto never saw it coming. You wondered if he felt as stupid as you did right in this moment.
“When I saw you after I opened that door,” Bokuto eyes lit up slightly at the thought, a small smirk forming through his low laugh. “I felt as if I had finally come up for air. You looked so excited, your face was more beautiful than I remembered and your eyes,” he looked down at your intertwined hands, you turning his ring on his finger. “were so bright.” A darkness came over his features and his voice started to shake, your body tensed in response. You knew the next part all too well. “I should’ve never said she could come over, I should have never even been friends with her, Y/N.” Tears started to trail down the sides of his cheeks, making you tear up as well. “I’m so sorry,” his voice broke as he laid his head facedown on the bed next to your side, clutching onto your hand as if it had been his life line. “I’m so so sorry.”
“You can’t be sorry for being yourself.” You squeezed his left hand with one of your own, and put the other in his hair, softly trying to comfort him. “You thought she had no one, so you tried to be a good friend. You can not be at fault for trying to be kind.”
“That doesn’t matter, Y/N. I was not kind to who matters,” his shoulders shook slightly as he continued to cry into the duvet. “You. When you started to cry in the room, and I tried to hold you, you flinched under my touch. When you got in that elevator, there was no light in your eyes. Your beautiful face had shattered. I did that to you, Y/N.” He sobbed now. “I should’ve done right by you.” You squeezed his hand tighter, letting him know you’re still there. “I want to do right- I need to do right by you.”
“Bo,” you cooed. His head lifted up when he heard his pet name. Your hand grazed his cheek, your thumb swiping at the tears. One of his hands reached to cover yours as he leaned into this intimate touch. His reddened eyes fluttered shut taking it all in, and then opened to look at you. “You have done right by me. You have always done right by me. Even tonight, you tried your hardest to do right by me, and you succeeded in the end. I-“ your voice was caught in your throat, you choked down a small sob, “I’m the one who failed you.”
You started to cry now, really cry. Bokuto’s hands flew to your cheeks, trying to stop the stream of tears as he shook his head. He was about to say something when you stopped him, “I should have stayed earlier. I should have at least tried to hear you out, but instead I ran. I should have known better, I should have trusted you.” You laughed sadly, “I mean we’re getting married, right? I should’ve-“
“You still want to get married?” Bokuto’s small voice broke out. He was still holding your face, and his lips were inches from yours. His eyes were now wide with shock. Your cheeks flushed, and for some reason you suddenly felt shy.
“Well, I assumed since we have fixed this-“ was all you could get out before Bokuto brought your lips down to his, hard. This kiss was one that was filled with longing, passion, and love. After your initial surprise, you leaned into it. You haven’t kissed him in so long, not only because of the whole train wreck of a night, but because he hasn’t been home in weeks. His lips felt so soft as you wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him into the bed to be beside you, closer to you. You had missed him so much. He pulled away, both of you panting at the air.
“I can’t believe this.” He started, putting his hands to his head. “All of this pain I’ve put you through and you still want to marry me? Are you serious?” He asked, searching for something in your eyes. Rejection, maybe? He still looked so surprised.
You smiled softly at him, “Of course.” You stated plainly. “You’re the only one for me, Bo.” You leaned up to meet your lips to his once more, a quick, chaste kiss. He was still leaning into your space with his eyes closed when you had already pulled back. They snapped open when he realized you weren’t still kissing him, his golden eyes electric, waiting for your touch.
“Let’s go back to our room, sweetheart,” he smirked getting out of the bed, and held a hand out for you to take. “It feels weird that I want to make out with you in Atsumu’s bed.”
That night, you cuddled in his hotel room. After Hurricane Tamra, you both deserved to end your 4th year anniversary with a little bit of light. He had asked you about the shop and your plans for this trip. With your head on his chest, and those beautiful golden eyes constantly watching your every move, you spoke adamantly about your thought process with this whole trip. He was so excited that you were finally going to be able to watch him play, it had been awhile since you could attend a game in person.
Throughout your time there that night, Bokuto kept holding you tighter and tighter. Occasionally, he would bring his hand up to your face, while you both laid in silence, and would trace your features with his fingers lightly. He would also randomly pepper you with kisses from your forehead, to your neck, to your shoulders to show you that you have his full attention and affection. You knew it was because even if you had completely forgave him, these past few hours had been and will continue to haunt him for a while. After staying up for the sole reason to be in each others arms, you both finally got to sleep around 3:30 in the morning, which was not ideal, but was still perfect considering you got to spend time with him.
//
Game day. It’s game day.
Bokuto’s eyes snapped open at the thought. While his sleepy eyes cleared, he realized something was tickling his nose, it was your hair. This made him smile.
He hasn’t been able to wake up to your sleeping face in so long. The sun shone softly through the curtains, and it hit your skin enough to make you look as if you glowed. You were tangled together under the sheets, legs wrapped around one another while both of your arms are hugging each other. The sight made him excited for the future, becuase everyday would be like this. Bokuto was careful enough not to move too much, in fear of waking you up. He checked his watch. It was only 10, and he didn’t have to be anywhere until 12, so he was safe on time.
He started to play with your hair, slowly moving his hands down to stroke your arms, and then began drawing shapes on your shoulders. He didn’t want to wake you up, but he did want to spend some time with you before he left for practice and warm ups. You made a small groan, and took your time to open your eyes. Before Bokuto knew it, you had snuggled in closer for warmth, grabbing his arms and pulling them around your body. You started drawing shapes on his arms now, and Bokuto couldn’t believe that you were still his.
Last night, he felt as if he were in a nightmare and now, it’s like he woke into a dream. “Hey angel,” Bokuto rasped out in his low morning voice. “What do you want to do for the next few hours? We can grab breakfast, or-“
“I think I would rather just lay here with you, if that’s okay,” You cut him off, speaking quietly, moving to where you could fully see his face. “I haven’t seen you in a while, and I’ve really missed you, and I don’t want to poke our bubble just yet.”
Your words squeezed his heart, you missed him. Enough to not want to go get breakfast. Bokuto smiled sheepishly, pulling you in closer. “That is more than okay,” he leans his head down to plant a long, sweet kiss to the top of your head, “it’s perfect.”
When 11:30 rolls around, Bokuto is disappointed that he has to leave your warm bed. He quickly runs around the room, grabbing clothes and shoes and different essentials for the rest of the day. Every once in a while, he’ll pass you and give you a quick peck on the lips. He does this when he’s nervous about something. And that something today was Tamra. Of course her team was the one they were playing in the finals.
“The stadium is only a block away, and we can get dinner together tonight, and-“
“Bo,” You cooed. He picks up his face, red with both anxiety and frustration. “I understand it’s your job to see her. I’m not worried about this,” you step out of bed towards him. You only have on one of his big t shirts, he takes notice. “Or us.” Now his face is red for different reasons. You wrap your arms around his neck while you stand on your tippy toes. His arms automatically hang loosely at your hips. “I have complete faith that you are going to go out on that court and win the finals. I also have complete faith that you are going to do the right thing, like you always do. You don’t have to talk to her, in fact don’t even look at her. Don’t give her the satisfaction of your attention. You deserve the satisfaction of a solid win.”
That look you gave him, with those beautiful eyes, it could kill and save. Bokuto leaned down to give you a quick peck that turned into a long, passionate kiss that left you both breathless. This was the encouragement he needed, you by his side. With him going into battle like this, no one could stop him. You untangled yourselves from the loving embrace, and he picked up his bags. “Y/N,” he looked you directly in the eyes. “I love you with everything that I am.”
“Then play with everything you’ve got. Win this for me.”
The words still sent sparks down his spine as he dropped off his belongings in the locker room. He was thinking of the intensity that your beautiful face held when he walked out on the court to meet his teammates. The only thing that could take him out of his thoughts were the voices of his teammates.
“Kuto!” “Did you make up with Y/N last night?” “Is she okay?”
The smile on Bokuto’s face answered every nagging question of the team. A collective sigh filled the stadium. Of course they were relieved to hear the news, this wedding was the only thing going on in some of these guys’ personal lives. “I’m so glad to hear that, Kuto!” Hinata’s voice rang out as he entered the court.
Noises came from the opposite side, and everyone knew who followed them. “Okay guys, you know the drill.” Atsumu’s voice was tight. Everyone’s faces immediately dropped into a scowl. The team looked more focused then ever. Bokuto knew this was a big game, but didn’t think everyone needed to be so on edge.
“Why are you guys looking so hostile?” Bokuto questioned lightly. Everyone looked to him as if he should know.
“Y/N called with a game plan. She’s pretty smart, y’know?” Atsumu smirked, which made Bokuto burn a little at the thought of him having any private thoughts about you. “Anyways, this is how she believes it will go down.”
Atsumu went into fine detail about the days events, how everyone was to act, and where to lead the storm. Bokuto’s mind was racing, thinking and imaging everything that was to come. “When did she have time to plot this?”
“Oh, you would be surprised how quickly women can plot revenge.”
//
The game was about to start.
Every once in a while, during the warm ups, Tamra would stare at Bokuto, trying to pry his attention from the sport, or would beckon him over to try to talk to her. Of course he never looked in her direction because 1) he didn’t really care to even be in the same room as her, and 2) this was part of the plan. He could tell she was getting annoyed by the lack of attention though, he could feel her angry gaze on him almost at all times. It also didn’t help that whenever he would make a good spike, she would say, “Nice kill!” just to get a reaction from him, but this was to be suspected.
After a while of this, the teams headed into their respected locker rooms to get into their headspace for the game. Bo texted you, ‘Hey, so far so good, she’s pissed. I miss you tho 🥺 xx’ to which you immediately replied, ‘You’re going to do great tonight babe, on and off the court! I’ll be right on the center line in the front cheering you on!! I love you💗 xx’.
Bo smiled with anticipation. This is your first game you’ve gotten to see in person in probably a year or so. Because of your business and your work ethic, it was hard to align your schedules. Not to say that he didn’t wish to see you at every single one of his games, but it never really bothered Bokuto too much that you couldn’t come because he understood what it was like to be passionate about something. It was one of his favorite things about you. He sat there in thought for a very long time so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t even notice the time flying by.
“Alright guys, it’s time. Let’s go!” The coach’s voice rang out. All of the boys were pumped, full of adrenaline and focus.
It’s time.
//
You’re heart could not stop pounding. You stood in your spot wearing one of Bo’s old jerseys, black ripped jeans, and some white tennis shoes. You knew you looked good. Your hair and make up was done, and your ring was shining like a star under the stadium lights. You heard the screams of fangirls and knew what was to come next.
The teams started jogging out to their respected benches, and you were sitting on the same side of the court as your lover. As soon as you saw that silver and black hair, you knew. Bokuto’s smile as he was jogging alongside his team made your heart flutter, but what was even better was how his eyes lit up as soon as he saw you. His smile broadened and his cheeks tinged a slight blush, he was practically glowing.
After he sat his belongings down at the bench he ran up to you and gave you a quick peck on the lips. “Hey doll,” he smirked as you wrapped your arms around his neck and hung them on his broad shoulders, “is she watching?”
You looked past his head discreetly and there she was, arms crossed, hip popped out, and a bright red face. You completely forgot she was there, that’s how forgettable she was. You let out a low laugh that made his eyes shine with desire, “of course.” You gave him another chaste kiss, “Time to go, Bo. You got this!” His smile was so bright, you were left seeing stars as he jogged back over to the team. At the sudden realization that you were in the crowd, Hinata and Atsumu both smiled and waved at you, and you returned the nice gestures.
Throughout the entirety of the game, it went like this. Tamra focused on you while doing her manager duties, you focused solely on Bo, and he focused solely on the game. Every once in a while, when he made a kill or a nice block, he would look over at you to make sure you were watching him, which of course you were, it was hard not to, and he would tap his thumb to his ring finger. This is something he started doing right before he proposed, something that meant it was for you. This made your heart burst.
After the game ended, with Bo’s team victorious, his team huddled up and let out a few howls in excitement. In the midst of the chaos, so wrapped up in the emotion of it, Bokuto searched for you in the crowd. You caught his eyes and he started running for you, his strong arms picking up and spinning you around in a big hug. You couldn’t help but laugh at his excitement. He gave you a breathtaking kiss right on the court, as if there weren’t hundreds of people cheering around the two of you for the win. “Did you see me? Did you see everything?” He pressed his forehead to yours, looking into your eyes.
“Of course I did, Bo. You played your heart out, that was the best game I think I’ve seen you play to this date.” You said, still breathing a little heavy from the kiss.
“I did it for you.” Those words squeezed your heart. The intensity in his eyes let him know he wasn’t joking. “It was all for you.”
You held him tighter, nuzzling your face in his neck to hide the brim of tears. “I love you.”
He drew circles in the small of your back, pulling you closer to him. “I love you too.”
His team called for him, and he knew he had to go, but he just wanted to live in this moment forever. “Bo, it’s okay. You have me all to yourself for the next week.” You reminded him, letting go of him reluctantly.
He nodded, “Okay, see you soon.”, now the real game began.
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Okay so I’ve decided... there has to be a part 5. I needed domestic Bokuto so bad because we haven’t truly had any happiness in this fic until just now!!!!! So I’m doing part 5!! And then that will be the end of it🤗🥰💗✨ I hope you all enjoyed!!
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andraaste · 3 years
Text
I am not your enemy - Lance fanfiction Part 4
I have a question for you guys. In French, we say "une oreille à qui parler" literally "an ear to talk to". Do you say that expression, too ? I really don't know, but that's the title of my chapter aha.
So, here's chapter 4 !
(Link for Chapter 5 here)
Chapter 4 : Someone to talk to
Lance walked in front of me with a sure and confident walk, while my stomach twitched slightly at the thought of what Huang Hua wanted to talk to us about. Why hadn't the leader of the Sparkling come to me in the first place, when it was clearly necessary ? Why leave it to Lance, supposedly the person I should have the least interaction with, to do it for her ? I didn't understand her intentions.
I observed the broad shoulders of my companion. He had changed a lot in seven years. His hair had grown and his body looked even better built. But beyond the physical, the dragon had a much calmer temperament. It was probably due to age or ... to everything he surely had to go through as a result of the battle. How did all this happen for him ? For my part, I couldn't yet think about all that. The battle, the death of Valkyon and many Eldaryans ... I couldn't. Something in my head seemed to be blocking these thoughts and maybe that was why I was able to tolerate the presence of this man by my side. Because I hated him, I couldn't deny that we had compatible characters.
How can we manage such a situation ? How do we accept the fact that we appreciate the presence of the person who has hurt us the most ?
My thoughts were halted as Lance branched off in the direction of the HQ's huge meeting room, which immediately intensified my burgeoning stress. Before opening the door, he gave me one last indecipherable look. I let him know I was ready and he let me in before stepping back. Puzzled, I questioned him.
- Aren't you coming in ?
- It seems to me that Huang Hua wishes to address us separately.
Upon hearing my arrival, Huang Hua stood up and offered me one of her bright smiles to which I could only respond weakly.
- Andraste, here you are at last ! I am glad to see you. How are you, my beautiful ? Eweleïn told me about your worrying wound yesterday.
I could already imagine Lance's disapproval of me keeping these facts to myself, but I wasn't going to give her that pleasure. I just wasn't ready to tell anyone what was happening in me.
- I'm better, thank you. More fear than harm, I guess.
- Good. This is precisely what prompted me to bring you both here. As Lance must have told you, I put him in charge of keeping you safe for a while. At least until your condition improves and you are at the peak of your senses.
I then cut it unceremoniously.
- Huang Hua, about this story, should you not have told me first, before handing this mission to Lance ? Why am I the last to know ? It's me that concerns, all the same !
- Because, whether you like it or not, he's the only one here who can take on this role. I didn't find it necessary to consult you beforehand because I knew that you would be against this idea, and I wanted to let you rest as long as possible.
- Obviously I was going to be against it ! Do I remind you that for me, this was all just a few days ago ?
- Andraste, my decision is made and as long as you do not prove to me that you are able to defend yourself, it will be so. We can't allow something to happen to you.
I ticked off that answer. Keeping me safe obviously didn't seem to be in my sole interest to her. What was she hiding from me ?
- I also have a question for you. Have you felt your aengel powers manifest since you woke up ?
Hesitantly, I tell her the truth all the same.
- No not right now.
- That is what I thought. I don't know if this has to do with your physical state of health or if something more psychological is blocking you, but it is still a point that we must emphasize.
- What are my powers of aengel doing in there?
Huang Hua looked at me for a long time.
- You do not realize the extent of your powers, my dear Andraste. Know that it is not trivial if it is you that the Oracle has chosen, and that your presence in this Crystal has most likely granted you new abilities. You are a very valuable asset of the Guard. But this power, as good as it is, is not necessarily viewed favorably by everyone. This is where the boys come in. In addition to your protection, I would like Lance and Leiftan to intervene in your training.
- My training ?
- Your powers seem to have fallen asleep for the moment, moreover, the leader of The Obsidian made me understand that your physical capacities in combat seemed much lower than at the time.
Lance, what a swelling.
- And what kind of training is it ? I inquired.
- Nothing too intense or complicated, don't worry. They will relegate only to help you train for combat and try to awaken your powers. As aengel too, Leiftan will surely be able to guide you for this last point and as for Lance, despite your completely understandable reluctance, he remains the most qualified to get you back in shape.
- And in that it's about my "security" ? I agree to train with him, but I don't need a bodyguard !
- It will be so as long as I deem it necessary, my orders will not change as to its subject.
Realizing that my word would have no weight in the balance, I capitulated bitterly.
- Alright, I guess if that's what you decided, it must probably be the best thing to do.
A thin smile appeared on the lips of the young Phoenix.
- I'm glad to see you accept my decision. If you have nothing more to add, I'll let you go.
Tired of this interview in which, I was not going to hide it from myself, I had not had my say, I crossed the door to leave the great room. I came across the dragon who looked at me silently for a moment. Seeming to want to say something to me, he opened his mouth when Huang Hua's voice sounded to tell him to come in too. No words finally crossed his lips before he left me alone in the hallway.
Hearing the door slam behind my back, I froze for a moment, staring into space.
Was it just me, or did Huang Hua not tell me everything ? Not understanding anything any more, I decided to go out for the air to put my ideas back in place.
HQ had changed dramatically since I remembered recently. It was clearly seen that prosperity had returned and that life had become easier here. Feeling my stomach growl, I finally visited Karuto in the hope that there was still something to eat despite the lunch hour well past. Fortunately for me, I was able to help myself abundantly and went to sit in a quiet corner of the room.
The room was still quite lively. Several groups of people chatted happily around their empty plates, which made me realize a fact that I had tried to ignore.
I didn't really have any entourage here anymore.
Certainly, Chrome, Karenn or even Jamon were still here, but when I was talking to them, I felt that many years had passed. Our relationships seemed different. I had missed too many things and that weight was crushing me a little more every time I interacted with them. But it was the right arm of Sparkling that hurt me the most. I didn't think I'd find a Nevra so distant and it broke my heart a little more each time.
I was also ashamed of this truth, but to be quite honest with myself, the only person I had felt with in the last few days was the one I should have despised the most. Lance was until now the only one who had not made me feel that I was a foreigner.
What was wrong with me...
Thinkingly nibbling on a piece of bread, thoughts light years away from what surrounded me, I was surprised to see a young man sitting in front of me. A smile to the ears overhanging with big brown eyes, his jovial air made me feel immediately.
- Hi !
I observed him, astonished. I was intrigued by something about him, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I answered him in the same tone.
- We haven't been introduced to you and me yet, but I've been dreaming of meeting you for a long time ! By the way, my name is Mathieu.
- Enchanted Mathieu, I'm Andraste.
I gave him a smile that was meant to be encouraging.
- You're cute. You introduce yourself when you are certainly the most famous person here, perhaps even as much as Huang Hua, that is to say.
I was scowling slightly.
- Oh, really ? You're exaggerating a little bit.
- No, no, really ! Finally, I wanted to meet you so I could finally talk with another human, I sometimes feel a little lost here.
I stared at him for several long seconds without saying anything. Did he really just say "another human", or had I dreamed ? My brain tilted so much that I wasn't surprised he heard himself.
- Wait, are you human ?!
Ok, maybe I said that sentence a little too loudly. And probably with a little too much gusto.
My interlocutor burst into a frank laugh at my reaction.
- We could not be more human !
- But how did you get here ? Has it been a while since you arrived in Eldarya ? Don't you miss Earth ?
- Oone question at a time please ! he asked me with a big smile. It's been about a year since I landed on Eldarya, probably the same way you did. So, there are some aspects of our world that I miss a bit, but to be quite frank, I've always dreamed of fantasy. At first it was complicated, but I don't leave much behind me. I always thought I wasn't cut out for such a bland life.
The more he spoke, the more my bewilderment widened. My god, it was a human !
- You can't imagine how amazing it is for me to talk to another human, I thought that would never happen again !
Mathieu's laugh and jovial jokes had finished relaxing me entirely. His presence totally invigorated me and I felt, for the first time in a long time, that I had found someone to talk to.
The days finally passed without being punctuated by a specific goal, which began to seriously hit me on the system. And to my surprise, Lance had shown so little after his interview with the young Phoenix that I thought he had changed his mind.
Until he showed up one fine morning in my room without any invitation.
With a sword I never knew in his hand, he casually threw it at my quilt as he opened my curtains energetically. Sitting on the end of my bed, he rested his arms on his knees while giving me a challenging look, his expression slightly cheerful.
- Come on, we have training ahead of us today.
(Chapter 5)
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nam-nam-joon · 3 years
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comptine d'un autre été, l'après-midi
or: yoongi's song
Pairing: yoongi x reader
Genre: meet-cute, slow born, fluff
Wordcount: 13.7k
Summary: when your favourite study spot is suddenly unavailable, a fit of annoyance and the tinkling of piano keys lead you to discover an entirely new space. and along with it, someone to keep company.
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The library's secretary looked down her nose at you, standing half a step below the desk.
Her voice was notably cooler as she spoke again.
"The section you would like to access is closed for cleaning for the entire week from today on. We apologize for any inconveniences, but there's nothing to be done about it. You will have to go and study elsewhere, I'm afraid."
The old crone leaned back in her chair, her beady eyes fixated on the screen of her computer once more. The chain on her glasses jingled softly.
You turned away from her, staring into the rows of bookshelves accusingly while the fingers around a stack of papers holding it up to your chest tapped furiously.
No studying in the library today.
Great.
There was no other place as good to study in as that particular nook you'd found while one day idling between the rows; nowhere else could you focus so well, so thoroughly. Hours could pass while you were engrossed in the material, and the prospect of being robbed of that, today of all days - and furthermore, for the whole week?
The sun falling through the narrow, high windows suddenly didn't seem as bright and cheery anymore.
Briefly you debated just sitting at one of the long tables in the main area, with everyone else - but quickly scrapped that thought. There were more people than usual there, courtesy of the partial blockage no doubt, and you knew it just wouldn't work out.
Still steaming, you turned a corner and pushed through the first set of doors you could find, really needing some air after this monumental setback.
The fresh breeze hit your face. It slipped through your jacket and caused a shiver to run down your entire form.
Blinking against the light you tried to orientate yourself.
A few steps forward on the stones surrounding this entrance, green with moss here and there, didn't bring the expected clarity concerning your surroundings that you'd hoped for; but instead you realized this was simply a part of campus you apparently had never seen before.
The curiosity about this new, uncharted area grew into the hollow left by the frustration. If you wouldn't be able to study in your favourite spot, you could at least roam the area here and see what mysteries might be hidden.
There was a lot of grass between the occasional tree, on a long hill softly sloping down into the residential area across a street down below. Then there were the campus buildings with their windows. Most had their blinds drawn, and only those on the higher floors were cracked open to let some air in.
It was so quiet.
Somewhere almost out of hearing range was a tingling sound, like windchimes.
You took a deep breath.
There was nowhere specific to go.
Already the stress about meeting your deadlines, the library closing down, it began to lose its edge.
The tinkling came wafting over with the breeze again and you turned your face towards it, feet beginning to move before you'd fully settled on what to do, where to go next.
The stones forming the path around the building were barely visible under the encroaching greenery. They cushioned your steps and softened the ground. A corner lay ahead, and after turning you were presented with more green space between two buildings, eventually ending in a wall that was most likely part of the ancient university campus, overgrown with ivy but still standing strong against time.
The tinkling had shifted from vaguely sounding like windchimes to definitely piano tunes, but it was still nice.
About three quarters to the wall stood an old picnic table under a maple tree.
The surface was a bit uneven, the table was made out of wood and students and time alike had both carved into the soft material.
The seat was slightly damp as well - you remembered the few drops this morning on your way to your lecture - but with your jacket placed over the seat it was a nice spot.
Great, even, as soon as the sun peeked through the clouds again, bringing warmth into the still air of the secluded spot.
Whoever was playing piano was probably close by, you thought after working on the sheets you'd brought for a bit.
The tunes perfectly fit into the overall mood resting in this place, underlining the tranquil state lasting over it.
It was like you had stepped into a pocket universe, with the general buzz of campus being left behind.
The chiming of a bell tower roused you from your work pace. Not having fully arrived in the real world yet you reached for your phone to check the time after counting the rings of the bell - was it really 5pm already?
Apparently it was, and you hurried to collect everything and stuff it into your bag.
Shouldering it, you brushed off your jacket and looked over the place to make sure you hadn't left anything behind once more before it really was time to leave if you still wanted to catch your usual train home.
The music was silent as you took your leave, and you wondered for how long it had been like that already.
Pushing through the doors back into the library was like waking from a pleasant dream. Even though it was the library, and as such calmer than the rest of campus, there was still the usual ruckus. A myriad of voices whispering and creating the white noise backdrop for shoes squeaking, chairs dragging over the floor, doors closing and the occasional shout.
The big communal university spaces were almost too loud to bear and you squinted your eyes at the air saturated with sounds.
Once the entrance hall gave you free and you were hurrying towards the public transport stations it was better again, but there was still a lot more technical sounds digging into your ear drums. You resolved to plugging your headphones in and were able to breathe a little easier while on your commute home, even without music playing.
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The next day was free, no lectures to attend, but you still returned to get some more work done.
For a while you were afraid you wouldn't be able to find the picnic table under the maple tree again; that it had all been a wonderful, too good to be true, dream - but your nook in the library was still closed off and there was the door you'd gone through yesterday.
The table was still there, as was the tree, and today the wood was fully dry and birds were chirping in the ivy on the wall.
With a drink in hand and happiness upon finding the wonderful small place again in your heart you sat down to work again, and even though it was tedious and required a lot of forced attention, it somehow felt a little better doing it out here.
Every once in a while you had to make a break and go for a toilet run, refilling your water bottle or simply eating a snack you'd brought.
Between yesterday and today you hadn't seen anyone else out here, and so had little qualms about leaving your stuff unattended. Safe your phone and wallet, of course.
The sun, blinking through the clouds now and then, slowly wandered over the sky.
It must have been early afternoon when you lifted your head after a particularly nasty paragraph and heard the piano play again.
A smile spread on your face as you stretched your arms and allowed yourself a break, sat back and just listened to the notes.
Whoever was playing was good.
Not that you were an expert, but your ears liked it and that was what primarily counted.
Occasionally there was a break in the flowing tune, when whoever was playing went back and redid a couple notes, sometimes once, sometimes needing two attempts, until they were satisfied and continued.
You smiled and let your thoughts wander, momentarily forgetting about your work.
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The week of not having access to your library nook went by much faster than anticipated.
On the following monday you stood in the foyer, waiting for a friend, when the small sign "Library fully open again!" caught your eye.
You stared at it for a moment longer, suddenly remembering that you had only found the almost magical table away from the craze of reality solely because there had been cleaning business at work cutting you off your old favourite spot.
You were still mentally trying to puzzle everything out when Jin came floundering around the corner, steps wide and an easy smile spreading on his face at your sight.
"-to one~!"
"What?" You looked up, and the expression on the other's face fell a bit.
"Aha! So you weren't listening at all, after all."
"Sorry. Bit caught up in my thoughts. Was there something you wanted to say?"
"Will you be telling me your secret how you worked through the entire material to that first book we're reading, already? Like… That was inhumanely fast. I know you're good, but honestly. Tell me your secrets." He poked a finger into the soft area between ribcage and belt, and you swerved to the side and away from him to escape it.
"A brilliant work ethic and iron self-discipline!" You chirped and Jin rolled his eyes with an overly dramatic sigh. He hooked an arm around your shoulder and dragged you into his side.
"If the Prof is threatening to let me fail this course, will you tell me then?"
"Kim Seokjin you better not be deliberately slacking off."
"I wasn't!" He pouted, steering you into the right hallway. "Not before, anyways. But if there's a cool new drug like Why-Phy that you're taking to get done sooner, you'll tell me, right?"
"Of course. It's either Why-Phy or blue crystal meth, Jinnie, you know me too well."
The brunet laughed and pressed a kiss to your temple.
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Three weeks since the library had reopened and you still had yet to return to the comfortable little chair next to the table with its small reading light.
You'd been lucky with the weather.
So far it had only rained or been too windy to sit outside longer on days you were too busy to get work done next to the lectures, or had to go early because of your job on the side.
Looking up through the leaves on the tree, blinking against the sun, you hoped it would continue to stay like this.
It felt so nice to be here, so private.
The windows leading into the yard were never not covered with blinds, at least the ones in the part of the building you were looking at frequently whenever your eyes needed a break.
The most noise was the wind in the tree or the ivy; occasionally students would sit on the other side of the wall and have a chat but that was about it.
That, and the piano music.
By now you were fairly certain it came from a room on the first floor, somewhere above the place you were sitting at, but there was no way to look into any of the rooms there.
As you turned and squinted up to them once more, not really seeing them but more wondering what might lay beyond the glass, something moving caught your eye.
Had it been an animal?
You blinked to clear your vision, but by then whatever had caused the disturbance had disappeared.
Maybe someone had looked down?
The uncomfortable feeling hadn't taken root fully before you shooed it away; surely it had been something else, a reflection of a passing bird, probably. And even if someone had looked out and seen you sitting here, so what? It wasn't illegal.
You ended your self-assigned break and went back to the material, but the thought of someone watching you, intruding on the privacy you'd enjoyed here, didn't fully leave your mind.
After finishing up early for the day you decided to go try and see if there was a way into the building you'd sat in front of so often now, and if, maybe, you'd be able to find the room the music was coming from every other day.
By the time you had bested the maze of hallways and never before used by you doors leading into other unknown parts of the campus, it was late already.
You tried some of the doors that you thought were on the right floor, but all of them were locked and there was no music coming from anywhere, either.
Disappointed, you went home.
It was the weekend afterwards, but on the next monday you were back, now finding your way to the remote, barely used building a little easier already. There was a nice long break before your next lecture and you were curious to explore more.
You held the door open after passing through as someone approached from the inside, and then went on. Silence lasted on the hallways here.
A window going out from the staircase showed the familiar corner, with the last bit of the library barely visible behind it, and you felt satisfied knowing this was where you'd wanted to go.
On the first floor you paused to catch your breath.
The lights were on overhead, but no other person was in sight.
The doors were locked as well, much like they had been on friday.
You had almost given up hope when a knob turned in your palm and you almost fell into the room behind it as the door gave away.
Dust danced in the spare light that fell through the windows.
Sheets of paper littered the floor. A few tables were pushed to the walls, there was an old cupboard missing its two front doors. More paper and empty binders were stacked in the exposed compartments.
What dominated the room though was the grand piano in its middle.
The shiny black surface beckoned to be touched by your fingertips, and you couldn't hold back from running them over the sleek paint.
It seemed old, if the slightly rusted wheels at the bottom of the pillars it was standing on were anything to go by, but it looked very well kept.
The cover lowered over the keys opened without sound. Black and white keys shared the space underneath it.
It felt wrong to push them, entice sound when you knew there were usually much more skilled hands at work here, and so you gently put the cover back and let your gaze explore the room more.
A big sheet covered a mixpult along one of the walls, several electric keyboards were stacked on the floor beside it.
The walls were a faded yellow which must've been nice once but now looked stale.
There was more paper around the piano, discarded sheet music, printed and self-written, you noticed with surprise as you bent down to inspect it.
Maybe a handful were pinned to the wall closest to the piano, exclusively hand written and, by the looks of it, self-composed.
Whoever was working their magic here so often really had a passion, it seemed, and it made you wonder why they weren't busy doing this over in the faculty for music.
Then again, you mused while stepping up to the window, this place was incredible in getting creative juices flowing. You'd experienced it yourself with work, could only guess at how it must be for someone so musically inclined.
Your picnic table under the maple tree was maybe three steps to the right underneath the window, in direct line of sight from where you stood.
It felt almost weird, knowing that if whoever was practicing here so often had even only once stood up and walked towards the window to look outside had most likely seen you sitting under the tree.
A moment longer you hung after your thoughts.
Then you blinked and remembered that you were probably not welcome here, with the expensive piano and the private compositions, and quickly and silently left the room again, making sure to close the door behind you.
You didn’t go back again in the afternoon, but as you sat down two days later, the tinkling of the keys was drifting down to your spot once more. Smiling about their company, you focused on your work.
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It seemed like good things wouldn't last.
The professors heaped enormous amounts of extra essays, excerpts and transcriptions upon each of your heads, and caught between balancing your work and study life, along with having to prep multiple presentations, you were left yearning for the calm spot beneath the tree.
Namjoon had managed to get you to admit where you'd been vanishing off to over the past weeks; after loudly proclaiming that even though the library had been squeaky clean for weeks now he had yet to see you return to your spot.
"Well maybe I found a better spot!" You defended your absence, over lunch in the cafeteria.
"Aha!" Jin yelled, making everyone in a five meter radius around him flinch. "So you have been hiding! I knew it."
"It's just a tiny spot under a tree, outside the old Uni's wall. Stumbled upon it by accident, but a total good find."
“I see.” Namjoon was too intelligent to not notice you didn’t really want to talk about this and soon after dropped the topic.
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Rain ran down the windows in streams and you sighed at its presence.
Like this there was no way to get out to the table, and even if it would have cleared up instantly - the wood would need at least several hours in direct sunshine to dry.
Seemed like the last of your luck had run out.
With the lighting from inside the hallways the world outside was hardly recognizable.
You loved the library, and especially the little nook, but there was just something about that table and the tree out among the downpour that was a lot more appealing now than your old favourite spot.
Sitting down anywhere else seemed impossible. Especially, you dimly thought to yourself, especially because the music would be missing.
It was ten times better than listening to your own stuff, because you didn't have to choose what to hear and couldn't simply skip tracks. A little like radio; you could just hear what was given to you, but unlike radio there were no ads.
You found yourself on ground level of the deserted building, hand on the railing and foot on the first step of the stairs before you realized - you could just sit down somewhere close to the room, listen if someone was playing today and do your work there.
Fuelled by this revelation you took the steps two at once and arrived in the hallway a little out of breath, with your heart pounding not only from the exercise.
There it was. The music.
Inexplicably content about the recent developments you picked a clean enough looking spot on the floor, opened your bag and pulled out your notes.
It wasn't as nice as sitting outside, you came to see. Natural light was a lot better to read and work alongside texts with, and the artificial kind provided here could simply not compete.
Still, with the musical undertones, you were able to cross at least some of the workload off before you allowed yourself to sit back against the wall, ignore the stupid pages in front of you and simply listen to what was being played.
It had shifted in the last days. Had it been pieces vaguely familiar to you at the start had the melodies become more and more unrecognizable over time, and now you sat a few steps from the door, eyes closed and listening, thoughts drifting further from the sheets surrounding you by the minute.
The melody was low, subdued but still driving. It sounded like something that would play at the start of a movie, a car ride maybe, with the glowing lights of a city pouring through the windows but no sound audible but this song.
It felt like the car was on its way somewhere, somewhere important, and the people inside the car knew of the importance of this destiny but were too overwhelmed to talk about it.
Maybe the scene would end at the sea, the viewer expecting to hear the ocean's waves crash against the cliff, the gulls crying overhead, but the song would continue playing.
Softly, the tune changed, and you furrowed your brows.
The melody gradually lightened until the great weight was fully lifted from it and the scene with the car and the lights and the muted ocean seemed entirely unfitting. This was more like spring, breathing in the warming air, seeing the sun again after months, that kind of stuff.
You were still drifting, trying to think of what else it reminded you of when the silence became more pronounced. Whoever it was had stopped playing, and you opened your eyes, falling from the small clouds of dreaming back into the shabby hallway.
Steps rang out behind the door, a window closed and you stared at your bag and the spread out work in horror. There was no time to pack it all up.
The door clicked open.
A pair of dark eyes stared into yours, the look of surprise at so unexpectedly seeing the other on both your faces.
Black hair reached over eyebrows, barely visible through a split in the strands.
A hand clutched what looked like a set of keys, the sleeve of the dark hoodie almost slipping over it.
He was first to break the moment of pure surprise. Clearing his throat he stepped out of the room fully, pulled the door shut behind him.
By then you'd managed to look down on the orderly mess you'd made and back up.
"I really like your music." You attempted a smile. The guy, likely not much older than you, pressed his lips into a line.
"Thanks."
It sounded softer than his expression had led you to believe. His eyes flitted over the floor for a bit before he spoke again, not having moved much more than a step. "You really shouldn't be sitting around here, I don't know when it got cleaned last."
"Ah." You twirled your pen. "Well…"
The dark haired stranger sniffed and buried his hands in his pants’ pockets, squaring his shoulders in a way that made him look incredibly uncomfortable.
"Did I interrupt something? Do you need me to move or-" You trailed off.
"No! No, no." He was quick to interrupt, one hand stretched out to halt your beginning frenzy of packing up. "No, it's alright, you weren't- doing… anything." He coughed and rubbed his neck with the free hand. "You… You usually sit outside, under the tree, right?"
You met his gaze, saw his eyes glinting once before he looked away, scuffing a used Vans sneaker on the floor.
"-Yeah, that's true. Couldn't really, today…" Gesturing towards the rain-streaked window, the other followed your line of sight and huffed.
"Yeah, weather's been shit all day. The library's probably chock full, too." He trailed off, and you observed with interest how he seemed to build himself up to the next thing to say.
"I've been… seeing you. Not wanting to sound like… a creep or so, I just- I noticed you sat outside quite often."
You smiled, and his shoulders relaxed a bit.
"Yeah! I wandered around after the library was closed for cleaning the other day, and came across this place. It's amazing. So quiet and basically nobody around… and the background music is great, too."
He looked down on his shoes at your words but you could see how one corner of his mouth twitched upwards.
"This was by the way a major factor for coming here today. It's just- Quiet, void of any people? Very few distractions? Plus free music? There's just no other place where I can get all that."
He rolled his eyes but the smile on his lips broadened. When he moved his head you could see the tips of his ears peeking through his hair, both a healthy shade of red.
"Min Yoongi." He held out his hand after studying you for a moment. "Resident ambience dealer, apparently."
Grinning, you took his larger palm, feeling the bones in his thin fingers as you told him your own name. "-Resident study freak and avid listener to Min Yoongi's compositions."
He grumbled at that. "You listen to piano a lot?"
"Not really. Only when I come here."
This time his eyes stayed on you for longer, and he leaned his back against the opposite wall while slowly easing closer to the ground.
"Then how did you know it was my own stuff I was playing?"
You tugged some papers closer by their corners, beginning to shepherd them together.
"I was in there some time ago, when you weren't there. Wanted to know where the music was coming from, took me ages to even find a way into this place. Your room is really messy, you know that?"
His face was halfway turned away again but at the humour in your voice he looked back, pout on his features.
"I never meant for anyone else to see in the first place! You don't get to complain!" He huffed, glancing at where you were chuckling across from him at his indignant outcry.
"Okay okay, I promise I won't go back inside. But that what you played last today, that was really good. Is that one of yours, too?"
He bit on his bottom lip and nodded, fingers rubbing over the fabric of his pants stretching over his knees.
“What’s your major? Music?”
“Something in that direction, yeah.” Then, after a pause in which he seemed to realize it would be the polite thing to do, he asked: “You?”
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The rain continued to run down the glass as you spoke, telling the other about your plans with studying, and the hopes you had. He listened intently and only rose his voice after it was obvious you had ended, and it created a nice back and forth. Thunder clapped outside, growling and forcing him to speak up a little more.
You sighed.
"Guess I better head back if I still wanna make it home today." You swept the last of the sheets together and put them into their binder, shoving the concoction unceremoniously back into your bag.
You brushed a bit of dust off your pants and quietly pulled a face as you peeled a long hair with cobwebs off your pants.
When you met Yoongi's eyes he looked off to the side, softly shrugging. "Told you…"
"Are you heading back, too?" Now it was him looking up at you, hands linked over his knees.
"Yeah?"
You held out your hand, and after mustering it for a moment, he took it.
Either he had a lot of self-control over his body or he wasn't weighting much; either way you pulled him up and then he was towering over you once more.
"You have a car?" You asked him on the way down, looking up from the keys in his hand.
"Hm? Oh. Oh yeah. Just- It’s a hand me-down from my brother."
He cleared his throat.
"Aren't you afraid someone's gonna steal your stuff?"
He turned his head towards you, his eyebrows creasing the skin between them.
"Because you don't lock the room?" You elaborated. Yoongi ran a hand through his hair, focusing on the steps down.
"Not really. As far as I know it's only us knowing of these rooms even being here, and most of them are locked, so…"
"But you keep copies of your songs, right? Photos or some app to write it down with?" He looked at you like you had just proposed to assassinate the Dean.
"No?" He held the door open for you and then you were out in the main part of campus again.
Part of you had wondered if Yoongi would just straight up disappear as soon as you crossed the threshold, but it appeared he was very much real as he fell into step alongside you.
"Then what if someone does get in? And steals them? Or you forget to close the window and rain gets in and ruins the sheets?"
He shrugged, and the way he seemed to care so little frustrated you.
"But it's such great music!"
He shrugged again but looked on his shoes while doing so.
For a moment you were quiet, staring straight ahead while the thoughts were racing behind your forehead.
"-"
"No."
"I haven't said anything!"
He glared at you from the corner of his eyes. "But you were going to. Whatever it is, no. If anything happens to my music, that's my business, okay? Don't worry about it."
His resolute tone halted every attempt at clapping back in its core, and the few minutes it took until you were out in the entrance hall that was swimming with how many students came in and went you spent in silence.
Yoongi half turned towards you when you were already beaming up at him. "I'll hear you around?"
"-Fuck me." He covered his face with a hand and you laughed at his exasperated groan at your joke.
"Bye Yoongi!"
"Honestly, get lost..."
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You were on your way to the table again, binder under your arm. Rounding the corner and you would have almost slipped on the moss growing over the path; you stared back and silently cursed while being glad you didn't actually fall.
The surface of the desk was wet when you reached it.
"It's been like, an entire day, why are you not dry." You said lowly, feeling the top down. Definitely too wet for anything paper related.
"You're late."
You looked up at the drawl, only needing a moment until your eyes fixed on the mop of hair peeking out of the window.
"Oh, yeah?" You looked down on the table, not really knowing what else to say. "Well... your ass is late, too."
"The fuck."
The confusion on Yoongi's face was a delight to see. A moment longer you stayed rooted to the spot next to the table, then his voice came again.
"You wanna come up here now or what. That desk won't dry up until tomorrow. If you're lucky."
Squinting up you shielded your eyes against the glare of the bright clouds overhead.
"You won't mind?"
Yoongi seemed to momentarily contemplate it, looking straight ahead. Then he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Look, you can either get your ass wet sitting outside, or get it dirty sitting in the hallway, but if you enjoy my music really that much it'll be a total experience sitting in the same room while i play. Your choice."
He vanished from the open window and closed it, only leaving a crack open.
Your fingers tapped on the binder.
Five minutes later you knocked on the blank door, waiting patiently in your spot until steps sounded out and Yoongi opened.
He was sporting the same dark hoodie today, fidgeting with the sleeves of it.
"May I come in?" You inquired, and he wordlessly stepped aside.
Together with Yoongi's help you pulled one of the overturned tables right way up, found a suitable chair and then wiped the surfaces off. There was a small sink in the adjacent storage room, with running water and all, and eventually your new desk was in a condition you deemed okay.
You sat down on your chair and Yoongi, who'd been brooding over his sheet music since you'd shooed him off to clean everything by your standards, looked back down on the floor. He perched on the run down piano stool, elbows on his knees, and peered on the papers strewn across the ground.
Occasionally he'd bend down to pick one up but you had too much to do to really watch him for longer.
At one point he turned and you allowed yourself a moment of rest. He pushed the hoodie up his arms, almost to his elbows, before his fingers placed themselves on the keys and he started to play.
He had been right. It was something entirely else to sit in the same room with him while he played.
Like this the music drowned out any other sound that may have sailed in from outside; whether it be the call of bird or bell.
It was nice.
Your thoughts calmed down until they ran smooth, circling around topics once or twice before moving on.
The world existed only in this room, the music filled your ears and the shabby lighting overhead concealed the darkening sky outside.
At one point Yoongi stood in front of your table, fingers curled around the hem of his hoodie once more. His knuckles pushed at his skin. The edge of one sleeve was beginning to fray.
Mildly irritated, you looked up and met his eyes.
"What?"
"Uh isn't this the time you usually leave?"
You held contact a moment longer before looking down on your watch and tsking disapprovingly. Yoongi's shoulders twitched up.
"Shit, it is."
Ripped out of the peaceful mood you began to collect pages and close books, mentally going through the timetable and if you’d still make the train. "Are you heading out, too?"
He nodded and, growing braver again, stacked a few materials while you shoved everything in your bag. "Thanks." You hurried.
It'd be a bit tight, time-wise, but Yoongi's long legs effortlessly kept pace with your quick steps.
"How'd you know this was my time to leave, anyways?" You narrowed your eyes at him, not hiding the smile on your lips. "Have you been stalking me?"
Yoongi opened and closed his mouth without saying anything once or twice before he looked ahead and said "It was the time you left, last time." His shoulders were still drawn up as he peeked at you from the side. "I'd never-"
"I was kidding." You took half a step to the side and bumped your elbow into the general area of his arm. His hand reflexively came up and clutched the spot.
“I'm a creature of habit. If I miss this train I'll have to wait forever until the next one comes and that's always a huge pain."
He nodded, and shortly after, bid you farewell before you parted behind the front doors.
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It had rained the entire weekend long and you didn't bother to go outside to the table, instead turning left before the library even came into view and headed straight for Yoongi's hideaway.
He didn't open when you knocked and you found the room empty after peeking inside.
He came in half an hour after you, in a dark blue hoodie this time, and looked a bit startled at seeing you there.
"Hi!" You smiled at him, over the backrest of the chair. "I hope you don't mind, it rained again and I-"
He shrugged and shuffled past you, heavily slumping down in front of the piano.
He didn't say anything and his melodies today were slow and deep.
Before you could turn to leave after the clock had well advanced, his back straightened and, anticipating him speaking up, you paused; jacket already on and bag in hand.
"Thanks for not asking me what's wrong."
He was talking to the piano, but you still smiled a bit.
"Of course."
"I don't know, if, I said it already but, you're very- welcome to come here if, you know, the weather…"
You looked down on your shoes. Only after it didn't seem like he was going to finish his sentence did you raise your voice.
"I don't think you did, but I really appreciate it. Thank you. Will you stay a little longer today?"
His gaze fled your face for his piano again after you raised your head.
"Yeah."
"Take it easy, Yoongi."
"Whatever."
You smiled at him even though you didn't know if he'd see, and then headed out.
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You'd gotten ahead of homework and so could ease a little during your work sessions in Yoongi's piano room now, and during one of those easier days decided to finally ask the question that had been bouncing around your head for a while now.
"How'd you get the piano tuned? And isn't it really old?"
He didn't look up from his sheet, brows still furrowed at something he'd probably written down a few days ago and now wasn't satisfied with anymore.
"I watched a few Youtube tutorials."
You put your chin in one of your hands and grinned, but Yoongi broke eye-contact quickly after glancing your way.
"You did it yourself?"
"Yeah? Wasn't. Wasn't that hard."
Your grin widened and his glare intensified at its presence. "Min Yoongi. Musical Genius."
"Shut up."
His ears coloured red and gave him away, and you'd have loved to go over and give him a quick hug.
You didn't know how many other people got to appreciate him, but if his hideout here was anything to go by it weren't many. Probably.
He was adorable.
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Even when the sun was shining outside and it had been dry for several days you wouldn't go to the little desk, favouring the clear sound of Yoongi playing and his occasional comment, mumbled to himself. It was far too cold now, anyways. Winter was fast advancing as November went on.
He had a way to be in the same space with you while not demanding any of your attention - which made it incredibly pleasant to have him around.
If you weren’t spending time together in amicable silence he was surprisingly easy to talk to. Most of his answers were short, or mumbled sounds, and yet you never got the impression he was fed-up or annoyed. He asked things too, occasionally; and though objectively you hadn’t known him that long, it still felt weird to remember there had been a time without him in your life.
Once, after you'd struggled with a particularly boring part of a required text that your brain just wouldn't process at all, he'd quietly asked if you could come over and take a look at something he'd been working on.
You stared at him, the skin between your eyebrows creased.
"Yoongi I don't know anything about music. Do you really-"
"Please?"
"...Fine."
You were standing next to him already, preparing to sit, when he parted his lips and looked up at you.
"Could you… sit with your back to the keys? It's just, I…"
It wasn't his fault, you were frustrated by the text; but you couldn't help the forced exhale of air that left your nose.
Yoongi's shoulders twitched. You hesitated, wanted to say something, didn’t find the words and then made an effort to move as calmly and quietly as possible to not upset him further.
"Sorry. Long day.” You said in a low voice, feeling strangely raw. “Play, if you… if you want?"
You could see him looking at you, through the corners of your eyes, and part of the tension left his form again at your words, underlying tone asking for forgiveness.
"S'alright." He breathed, just before clearing his throat and placing his hands on the keys.
As he played, the tight knit ball of jumbled thoughts behind your forehead stopped growing.
The longer you listened, the more tension left your brain; the cramped thoughts and need-to-do’s losing their alarming vibrant colours.
You felt yourself calm down.
He broke off playing and coughed nervously.
"So that- was version one. This is version two."
And he began to play again, the same piece, though slightly different, and this time you reminded yourself to pay more attention and really listen.
After he'd finished, the frustration over your text had thinned out and you were fully focused on the task at hand.
"So?" He asked, nervously rubbing his hands together.
"Can you play the first one again? Just for comparison?"
He nodded and went back to it.
"I think I like the first one better.” You decided. “The second one… implies something darker lurking beneath, and, I guess if that's what you intended it's executed well but the rest sounds lighter and so-"
He huffed out a laugh and dropped his head, hands sandwiched between his thighs.
"Hm? Not good? What I said?"
"No, no," He hurried to reassure, eyes gleaming under his fringe. "No, it's… I was hoping you'd say that, I guess. Gives me a reason to scratch this part. Didn't even like it much, I just felt- Yeah. Thanks."
At the almost-grin spreading on his lips you had to smile as well.
Had your shoulders touched during the entire time you'd sat here?
He broke the eye-contact first, looking back towards the keys once before meeting your gaze again.
"Rough day hm?"
"Yeah." You looked ahead, not really seeing the wall there. "Yeah, you could say that…"
Another sigh and then you were feeling the exhaustion more and more.
It was a spur of the moment thing, really, and you asked before you could hold yourself back.
"Are you okay with touches?"
"Ha? What do you-"
"Can I put my head on your shoulder?"
"Oh. Uh-"
"It's- It's fine if you don't want that," You hurried to backpedal, already mentally chiding yourself. "I'll be o-"
"No, it's, uh, you, ah, you can! Put your head on… yeah. I don't mind."
His voice got quieter and quieter until he was mumbling the last sentence.
His shoulder, although cushioned by his hoodie, was bonier than you'd thought. But it was nice, to rest for a moment, and you closed your eyes, exhaling slowly.
Yoongi's breathing had his shoulders rising and falling, and unconsciously, you adapted your rhythm to his, until you were breathing in synch.
"Thank you." You mumbled, adjusting your head and feeling your forehead brush his hood.
"Don't worry about it." This up close his voice was even deeper, and the low tone soothed the rawness your ears had suffered under for the past days in crowded lecture halls and hallways.
Ever so softly his cheek came to rest against the top of your head as he gave into the shy touch.
"Do you sing, Yoongi?"
You still had your eyes closed, listening to Yoongi's breathing and the sound his clothes made when they rubbed against themselves, against his skin.
"Sometimes." He answered after a pause. "More rap than… singing lullabies."
"I bet you sound good doing either."
He snorted, which pretty clearly gave away how little he thought of your compliment.
A moment long neither of you spoke.
Then he let out a heavy sigh.
"Why exactly do you think that?"
Your left arm was slightly pushed forward as he moved his left arm, from where the backs of your forearms were pressed against each other.
"You have a very nice voice, deep, and steady, and- It has that ring to it, you know, the same undertone. Some people speak and you can't really make out the tone or… colour… of their speech, but your voice doesn't jump around. You could probably read a phone book and make it sound nice."
"Okay that just ruined everything you said before."
"Oh fuck off! You asked!" There was a laugh in your voice as you lifted your head to look at him exasperatedly. He blinked, looking a bit sleepy, as if he had rested his eyes a little, too.
At your expression he hollowed out his cheeks.
"Jeez, don't behead me. I'll take it, okay? Happy now?"
"Yes. Thank you."
You pursed your lips and waited, until Yoongi would break eye-contact, but he didn’t surrender as quickly. He blinked and kept looking, and everything in you wanted to put your head back down, back on his shoulder, and stay like that a little longer, talk a bit more.
But this small break had gone for a bit too long already and you knew you should get back to work. That text sadly wouldn't read itself.
An unfamiliar touch on your arm held you back.
"Can you stay a bit longer?"
Half standing above him already he had to tilt his head so he could look at you.
"I really should-" You began, and then sighed, admitting that you really didn't want to move to yourself, and sat back down. "...Screw that text."
Yoongi's shoulder bumped yours, almost like an invitation, and you gave in without much thought.
You felt the bones shift as Yoongi lifted his hands and began to press single keys, filling the silence of the room with tunes.
"That text got you all worked up, hm." He spoke again after a while.
You frowned at nothing.
"It's just so dull. The professor said it serves as an example of what not to write, so it's basically just- we're just supposed to read it and mark all the mistakes, to avoid doing the same mistakes, but honestly… I know how and what I have to write, I shouldn't- Ugh. See? It's annoying me again already."
You huffed, leaning a bit more on Yoongi.
His cheek found your hair again and he chuckled.
"What's that idiot done wrong in his writing then?"
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You weren't so sure afterwards, if he really had wanted to know or if this was just Yoongi's way of getting you to review the material differently, but you supposed it had worked out.
It was a lot easier to read and complain aloud while he sat next to you and listened to you rant, even though the finer nuances were surely lost on him since he wasn't studying the same thing.
On your way back to your flat you held your left arm with your right until you saw yourself in a reflection and noticed it.
Sitting next to Yoongi like that had only further proved how comforting his presence was, and now, without anything like that to be repeated in the foreseeable future, the missing touch felt a lot worse than where you had been before.
Technically you'd see him again tomorrow, or the very least Thursday.
But who was to say he'd ask you to sit with him again?
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You ran into him during lunch the next week after not making it back to his room before that.
He was looking off to the side, in the direction of the lousy holiday decorations that had popped up in the major community spaces - You needed a moment to recognize him as the same guy who was playing piano while you studied. His bare arms, sticking out of a black shirt that hung from his shoulders, were almost shocking. That, and the surroundings clashing so harshly with what you were used to see him surrounded by.
“Hey, Yoongi!” You called out after the realization had sunk in, and turned with the tray in your hand.
His shoulders jerked up, but as his searching gaze connected with yours he relaxed.
“Hi.” He rubbed over his neck. “What are you…” His eyes fell on the food you were balancing in your hands. “Right. Lunch.”
“Are you headed somewhere?” You shifted your weight from one leg to the other. Yoongi shook his head slowly, hands clenching around his hoodie he carried in them.
“Wanna sit with my friends and me? They’re just over there, next to the pillar.”
“Uh-”
“They’re all really friendly and don’t bite, I promise.”
“...Fine.” He sighed and trudged after you as you turned.
Whenever he agreed to do something you had proposed to him he made it out to seem like it was a decision that had taken him weeks to arrive to, or if it was something incredibly heavyweight he couldn’t just agree to, but whenever you offered him to go back on saying yes, or reminding him he could opt out any moment, he was always vehement to defend his point. It almost looked like he did things purely out of spite even when you’d meant well to second-guess his willingness to cooperate.
It was the same today, as he followed you through the rows, and then pulled out a chair next to yours as you put the tray down.
“Friends, this is Yoongi. He plays piano.”
“My most defining feature, apparently.” He grumbled in response and sat down, not after shimmying into his hoodie.
“Oh hey Yoongles!” Jin perked up, the burrito in his hands falling apart. “You two know each other?!”
“That does surprise me, I agree.” Hoseok added, stealing bits of the filling of Jin’s food that fell to the plate below. The quirky guy had one day invited himself into your circle of friends and nobody had had a heart to kick him out, but apparently he did know other people on campus save your group.
“You know him?” You retorted, pulling out your water bottle before starting on the food.
“Some people socialize, my dear friend.” Jin said, swatting at Hoseok’s hand.
“Yeah I know, I wasn’t aware Yoongi did that.”
“Ouch?” The black haired guy next to you said and got a round of laughs back.
“Sorry.” You apologized. He stole the small package of chips from your tray and opened it.
“I mean, it’s kind of true, I suppose.” He relented.
“Did you write down what the Prof wrote on the blackboard last Monday?” Jin had given up on his burrito and was furiously wiping at his hands while a happy Hoseok gleefully dug into the scattered remains. Jimin next to him made grabby hands and the plate got pushed over so he’d reach it too. Jin pursed his lips.
“Yeah. You need them or what?” Yoongi dropped a chip in his mouth and chewed slowly.
Jin turned his head and a more up-beat expression settled on his features. “Pretty please!”
Yoongi groaned.
Around half an hour later the cafeteria filled up as more and more students took their break, and soon enough your group rose to make room for the people who actually needed the space to sit down.
“You going to practice today?” You asked Yoongi as your group made its way towards the exit. He nodded absentmindedly.
“Oh, can I come?” Hobi suddenly appeared by Yoongi’s other side, apparently having overheard the conversation.
Yoongi glared.
“And have you leave prints on all my shit? No thank you.”
“Excuse you these sneakers are brand new! Not a single speck of du- Hey!”
To your utter delight Yoongi had stepped on the brilliant white of Hobi’s new shoe and left a dusty brown mark.
The sputtering outcry got the attention of Namjoon and Jin who’d been walking ahead, and after placating words and a glare from Yoongi you all parted ways, Hobi notably not tagging along with you.
“That was mean.” You told him, still laughing over Hoseok’s exasperation.
Yoongi shrugged, hands in his pockets, but you saw the smile on his lips just before he angled his face in a way that didn’t allow you to observe his features any longer.
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The days until the short christmas break were counting down.
One weekend you spent baking with Jimin and Rose, and were left with so many cookies you put a good amount in a box, wrapped it in newspaper and brought it with you to give to Yoongi as an early present.
You could pinpoint the exact moment he saw the gift sitting on his chair after he had come in, because he stopped dead in his tracks.
“What?” He asked, and you looked up from the transcribing exercise.
“What what?”
“That.” He pointed, as if a motion detection sensor would go off if he took only a step closer.
You clasped your hands under your chin and looked from the chair to Yoongi.
“Didn’t you see the elf that came in and dropped this off?”
His eyebrows drew together and he glared at you.
“I have a feeling I’m looking at this ‘elf’ right now.” He crossed his arms. You shrugged.
“If you don’t want it, I’ll find someone else to give it to.” That cute first-semester from Jimin’s Survey of Linguistics and Languages class maybe, Jungkook.
“No.” Yoongi grumbled, and you mentally scratched having to rehome the box of cookies. Although, come to think of it, there were probably enough cookies left at home to pack another box. Maybe you’d ask Jimin if he could ask Jungkook if he’d like some.
He sat after picking the present up, hesitantly, and weighted it in his hands.
“What’s in it?” He turned to you.
You lifted an eyebrow. “Wait until the evening of the 24th and find out. Or abandon all social norms and just tear into it now, I wouldn’t judge.”
“Like fuck you would.” He huffed and then looked from the patched up paper to you. It seemed like he wanted to say something, and then decided against it, only placing the gift on top of the piano, in a spot where it wouldn’t be in the way.
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You got up earlier than usual, wanting to get a bit of shopping done before leaving for your parent’s home for the holidays.
Yoongi’s head jerked up, and the pencil he’d twirled in his fingers clattered to the ground.
“Is it five already?” He asked, hands reaching for his phone.
“Nah,” You slung your scarf around your neck. “I’ll run some errands.”
“Oh okay.”
To your surprise, Yoongi started grabbing his things as well.
You paused.
“Yoongi, what…?”
His gift under his arm, the other froze.
“Huh? Didn’t you ask if I could drive you today?”
You blinked.
Dim, very dim was the memory, of having asked him, a week ago. You hadn’t decided to do the shopping today, back then.
“You- You don’t have to. Sorry, I forgot, my bad-” You bit in your lip. “You, uh, you stay, and… Compose a while longer. I’ll be fine.”
In the silence between you, you could hear the wind whistling around the corners of the building.
It was dark outside already.
Yoongi was still looking at you, and though you’d come to understand his expressions a bit, this one was undecipherable.
“So you… Don’t want me to drive you?”
He looked weird, the newspaper wrapped box under his arm, his jacket slung over the other. Ready to go, at your convenience.
It twisted your heart a little.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t remember you saying yes, and my shopping-”
“I could still drive you. It’s faster than the train?” His eyebrows twitched upwards in the middle, just a tiny bit.
“-Okay.” You agreed, and his posture relaxed at last.
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His car smelled new, even though everything in it was carrying marks of the years it had been used.
You stayed silent, unsure how to proceed, and as the lights of downtown illuminated the inside of his car, you turned your head to look at him.
“Would you like to come do the shopping with me?”
The car rolled to a stop at the next red light, and in the low light, Yoongi’s eyes glinted as he looked over.
“If you want me to?”
“Yes please.”
“Okay.”
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"I bought an iPad."
"You what?" You looked up from your work, across the room and met his eyes over the piano. He was glaring.
"You heard me."
"I did. Why though?"
January was almost over by now, but it would take a while longer until the sun would win back her intensity, and not let the daylight fade this early in the afternoon. Though, clouds littered the sky today, which was probably the main cause why the lights overhead reflected in the glass already at this hour.
Yoongi looked down on the keys, his hands rubbing over his thighs.
"You won't stop nagging me about losing the sheets or forgetting the tunes, so I thought… I could record some of the songs. Scan the sheets. That kinda stuff."
You smiled, unashamed and wide, and Yoongi's glare intensified.
"You're gonna come have a look or what."
He sounded a little pressed and without any more words you left your desk and crossed the room.
He shuffled aside so you could fit yourself next to him.
The tablet wasn't the latest model - which would have really surprised you, otherwise - but there was something like a microphone plugged into the lightning port and clipped to the edge.
"Is that a mic?" You leaned forward, having had half the mind to sit on your hands to not accidentally touch anything and ignite Yoongi's wrath.
"Yes." He grumbled, still a bit more fidgety than usual. "Cost almost as much as the damn thing so I hope you're happy."
The grin stole into the wonder and awe that had captured your expression before.
"I am. Very. Recorded anything yet?"
You'd arrived a bit later today, courtesy to an extended lunch with Namjoon and Jin.
Yoongi's eyes glinted when he looked from the keys to you.
"And have you chewing my ear off for not letting you be there? Fuck no. Was gonna wait until you got here. -Shut! It."
You bit your lip to keep the cooing at bay, opting to gently nudge his shoulder with yours instead.
"I appreciate it. Wanna play now?"
The nervosity was back, the way he bounced his leg so uncharacteristically agitated  for him. He was more like a pond usually, calm and undisturbed.
"Keep quiet alright?"
You nodded.
He sighed and rubbed his hands one last time. Then he extended one, woke the screen and unlocked the tablet. The recording program was already open.
He clicked the red button and instantly a flat line appeared, only beginning to curve up and down as he shifted and began to play.
Keeping your breathing flat was probably unnecessary and yet you couldn't help it.
Yoongi's hands danced over the keys, pushing down and lifting in such rapid succession you could hardly keep up with. It was mesmerizing to observe, but not only that.
With his eyes closed and his head angled he gave himself to the music completely, feeling every note.
There was a small pulling in your chest, from the area around your heart, at his sight.
It must feel good to be able to zone out this much doing something you loved and were good at.
Only after he'd repeated the chorus did you notice what he was playing - the melody that had initially drawn you in and led you to the table outside.
Your heart in your chest grew with every beat, until it felt like it pressed against your ribcage from the inside.
Yoongi slowed down, the notes came a little wider apart, and then he let the last chord ring out. Fingertips still resting on the keys, you looked between them, waiting if he'd play another song.
When he slid them down on his pants it became clear he didn't intend to.
Silence enveloped you.
"That's my favourite song. That one. I only found you because of it."
Your eyes went back to his face and caught him already looking. His eyebrows drew together.
He tapped the little square and the program stopped recording.
"Now you ruined the first ever song I played for the record, idiot."
You scoffed.
"I only spoke up after it was all done, you can easily cut that out, genius."
He huffed and you rolled your eyes.
"Not everything has to be perfect first try. Thought someone like you would know that."
He just shook his head, still frowning.
"Hey, I'm sorry. I'll keep quiet now." Thinking he was honestly upset, you apologized, hoping it'd sooth his temper.
But it didn't seem to be the right call as he buried his face in his hands, shoulders rolling forward.
"Just… Nevermind."
"Do you want me to get out of your hair?"
Your butt had already lifted from the chair when his reply came, mumbled through his hands.
"No."
You sat back down.
Dark eyes glinted at you through his fingers, then he combed through his hair and pushed it back from his face.
It was the first time you could really see his eyebrows well, and the expanse of his forehead.
You'd known he had one, of course, but seeing it was something else.
He woke the tablet again and started a new recording.
You smiled.
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You didn’t get any work done that afternoon, but then again listening to a fraction of the repertoire that Yoongi had to offer was phenomenal compensation.
Still he looked a bit rueful, standing next to your desk while you packed your stuff, the iPad with its closed cover and Mic securely stored in the small bag over his shoulder.
“Sorry I… Kept you from your studying.”
You looked up while zipping your pencil case shut.
“It’s okay. Think I needed that, anyways. A break from all those words. It’s me who should thank you, really.”
He wrinkled his nose and kicked at a speck of dust, following you out the room once you were done.
“Still. Can I… Do you want a ride home? I know you missed the bus you usually take.”
“You’d do that?”
“It’s the least, really…”
A smile spread on your face. “Who am I to say no to such a gracious offer, why yes, thank you Yoongi.”
“Don’t make me regret it.” He grumbled, pushing ahead with a frown on his features.
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"Play for me, Min, please." You sat next to him on the stool, hands underneath your thighs and gaze swimming from exhaustion.
Yoongi's shoulder softly bumped into yours as he repositioned himself.
"You okay."
"Yeah. Just. Please play."
"Alright." He looked at the keys, fingers caressing them but not pressing down hard enough to evoke the notes. "Anything in particular?"
"Can you play my favourite piece?"
His eyes stayed on yours and you grew almost uncomfortable by their scrutiny.
And then he blinked and turned back towards the keys, rolling his wrists once and setting his fingers down.
"As you wish."
As he played you watched his fingers move, trying to lean away whenever he came near you to avoid bumping into his arm. His skin looked healthier now, now that the temperatures were rising again and there were no angry, painful red cracks lining the back of his hands anymore.
It was like his body had its own gravitational field, drawing you in.
When he ended, your side was leaned against his, your heavy head teetering on the edge just before dropping to his shoulder.
The arm he wrapped around you would have come as a surprise, eliciting at least a twitch out of you, had you been a little more coherent.
As it was, your body sighed and curled into his, head tucked into his shoulder, while his hand pulled you closer by your side.
"Long day."
It wasn't a question, but you understood the offer he was making.
"Yeah." You sighed, the hoodie-clad shoulder pleasantly soft under your cheek. "Finals will kick my ass. Didn't want to do an all-nighter ever again but got peer-pressured into it anyways… Sucks."
Yoongi hummed, playing this and that note with the free hand.
"Didn't peg you for someone giving into that kind of thing."
You grumbled.
The impending doom of the next test hung low over your head, and still you couldn’t peel away from your spot next to Yoongi, wedged on the chair, with his arm around you. Didn’t want to. Felt like maybe if you’d made an attempt to get up, he might even have pulled you down again.
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"Want me to drive you home?" He mumbled, an indefinite amount of time later.
"You're really nice today. Or is that just me being tired."
He chuckled, and you felt his cheek come to rest against your head.
"Don't tell anyone, okay."
"Okay."
You adjusted in your spot and snaked both of your arms around his torso.
He didn't flinch.
It was quiet for a moment.
"Hm?"
He hummed.
"What?" You lifted your head. He glanced at you from the corners of his eyes.
"Didn't answer my question."
"Which one?"
"If you want me to drive you home."
He jostled your shoulder.
You debated it for a moment.
"Alright. Yeah, okay.”
You put a hand to his shoulder that quickly morphed from a gentle pat into holding on for support as your quick standing up led to some instability in your legs.
He looked up at you.
"Okay then. Let's go." You repeated.
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It was like the world was wrapped in cotton.
It was silent in the car. The radio didn't look broken, but Yoongi slapped your hand away as you wanted to poke it and see if you could turn it on.
"Nu-uh. No touchy." His eyes never strayed from the street.
"Next one left." You informed him, pouting.
"I know." He said.
Your hand was on the handle even before his shabby car rolled to a stop in front of your place.
It was unusually warm for the month, and you’d rolled the window on the passenger side down to breathe in the mellow spring breeze.
Now outside, you leaned your arms through it.
A grin spread on your face.
"Say, isn't it weird that you know where I live and I still haven't gotten your number?"
A rare, gummy smile appeared on his face, slowly.
"Please?" You jutted out your bottom lip.
"...Fine." He reached into the back, patting his jacket down.
He pulled his phone out of one of the pockets, handing it to you after unlocking it.
"'Musical Genius #1 Fan’?" He read out the contact name you’d given yourself. He glared at you.
You shrugged.
"If you don't like it, change it, genius."
He snorted and gripped the steering wheel tighter with his left hand.
The world was beginning to get very fuzzy beyond a two step radius around you, and you took that as a sign you should definitely head into your room now.
“Thank you for the ride.”
“Always.” He smiled again, his usual, small one.
You patted the hood of his car twice after leaning back.
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Texting Yoongi was almost alarmingly normal.
Despite the fantastical circumstances of meeting him, you found he was very much engaged in normal life on campus, too. Occasionally.
He wasn’t much for the polite small talk to start a day, rather than just sending a text saying ‘There’s a lizard by the parking lot and ppl r clogging the way, will be late’ first thing.
You hadn’t believed him when he’d said he wasn’t much into memes, but send him a couple vine compilations anyways.
By now he was fully fluent in both them and most current memes floating around, further adding to you not really believing he hadn’t had a speck of an idea before.
The definite end of the semester came into view, but it meant every final was crammed into the space between then and now, which resulted in more studying and less listening to Yoongi playing. 
You were brushing teeth one evening when your phone’s screen lit up with an incoming video call from him.
Placing it on a slightly elevated spot inside the small cabinet above the sink, you accepted it.
“...Oh wow look at that, who is that raccoon?”
Your reply telling him to fuck off came warbled by the white foam spilling over your chin. He smiled, wide and easy.
“Wanted to ask what you were up to this evening but I guess I don’t have to anymore, huh.”
You cleared your mouth and dabbed a towel around it afterwards.
“Not really. I’m super tired, so I think I’ll just go to bed, honestly. Did you want to do something? In that case I’m sorry, but no.”
He rolled around, and only then did you see he was in bed, with the covers drawn up already and all.
“Uhh, no… Just wanted to check in. But now that you mention it… How about some music to help you relax?”
You took him from his spot on the shelf and flicked the light off before moving into your bedroom.
“I think I have enough music here, thanks…” Distracted by the device, you almost forgot to take your refilled water bottle. When you looked at the screen next, you could see Yoongi with his arms on his keyboard, phone propped up in a way that allowed you to look down the length of the keys. He was pouting.
“Not even a personalized little concert?”
You sat back on your bed and smiled at the screen.
“Okay. Just this once. And only because it’s you.”
“Yes!” He punched the air and grinned down at the camera. Lying on your side with the screen being the only thing illuminating the room, you watched and listened to him play, allowing yourself to breathe slowly and let go of the troubles that were plaguing you during the day.
You were almost gone, eyelids heavy and grasp on your phone slipping, when Yoongi picked his own device up.
“Sleep well.” He mumbled.
You hummed in response, eyes shut.
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It was the last day of school before the semester ended. Technically it had ended already; The clock on the wall read something around two in the evening, and in any other case you’d be furious as to why you were still stuck here. As it was, you were sat next to Yoongi once more, in front of the piano, one last time before the break.
The window was wide open, letting in the chirps of birds and rustling of leaves.
"I'm not so good. With words." He looked up after a moment, the tips of this pointer and middle finger gently running up and down a crack between the keys.
The world outside was sunny and looked much warmer than it was, but in here, out of direct sunshine, it was still cool. Yoongi’s body next to yours was the only source of immediate warmth in the almost clammy air.
"I can speak better through the music. I think that's why… I think that's why you say my songs are expressive." His voice died down, but his eyes, glued to yours, won in intensity.
Even this close up you couldn’t tell where his iris ended and his pupil began. "Sometimes I wish I could be better with words. At least a little bit."
He looked down, where your hand lay on your thigh, with the fingers curled in and under the palm, to prevent from reaching out and touching the piano while he was playing it. Touching the piano or him.
With bated breath you watched him move, slip his hand from the keys, to then, lightly, as if you'd break at the slightest of pressure, cover yours.
Not taking your eyes off the palms, you turned your own around until you could slip your fingers between his.
You heard him swallow thickly when you squeezed your conjoined hands. Were acutely aware of how his thigh felt pressed against yours, him next to you.
Your eyes met again, but not for long. He looked away again, oddly reminding you of the first times you’d seen each other; him unable to look at your for longer than a second.
His tongue swept over his bottom lip before his teeth got a hold of it and he stared down on the piano. When you readjusted in your spot his fingers flexed and squeezed your palm, as if to prevent you from letting go. You saw his jaw ticking as he continued to avoid your eyes, the way his eyebrows furrowed, a tell-tale sign for the inner turmoil.
“Sometimes you don’t have to say much, you know. Sometimes… Sometimes I think I understand you just like that.”
“Oh yeah?” It would’ve sounded condescending if you hadn’t been able to filter out the self-deprecating downtilt of his words by now.
He glanced up at you before shuffling in his spot, twisting as best as he managed to be able to look at you without getting up. His knee dug into the dent in your leg just above your own, but you ignored the slight discomfort.
He lifted your joined hands briefly, letting them fall on his own thigh before his whole body calmed down and his eyes finally steadied on yours.
“Tell me, then. What am I trying to say?”
You let your eyes rise from his, into the mussed hair, to the one strand that was still sticking up from where he’d exasperated ran his hand against the growth earlier.
His eyebrows were still furrowed minimally, and only under your watchful gaze did he stop chewing on the inside of his cheek.
For several minutes you looked him over, observed the uneven rise and fall of his chest, in that old black shirt - it span over his chest now, its fit almost snug when it had been loose before. He’d really filled it out.
Eventually you sandwiched his hand between the both of yours, looking down on his fingers between yours.
“I have no idea.”
It was the truth. No matter how hard you looked, no matter how many clues you believed to see, it was impossible to tell just where his mind had taken him this time.
He swallowed and looked down, nodding once.
“Right. A-”
“If-” You interrupted him, looking up through your lashes. His shoulders were still rising along with his breathing, but now you had his undivided attention. “-you’re going to say something mean now, against you or me, don’t. Please.”
He bit on his lip and ducked his head to the side, obviously displeased.
“See?” He leaned back, balling his free hand into a fist. “You can do it after all! Somehow you got into my head. Don’t do that.”
“So?” You ignored the interruption, tone having shifted in the slightest. “Tell me. What...?
Two heavy breaths in which he kept squinting at you, attempted to speak up and then averted his gaze again.
When his eyes came back down from the ceiling his hold on your hand tightened.
“A hug.”
You were sure, if you hadn’t been holding his hand, he would’ve backed off as soon as the words had left his lips. But he couldn’t and so he stayed in the same spot, leaned back as far as he could, blinking and looking at you like you would start smacking him any moment.
“Please.” He added, and it had been almost too quiet to hear.
With only a nod as an answer, he relaxed a little, but the tension wouldn’t leave his shoulders.
“Here?” You asked, and he nodded, eyes flitting around. His left leg started jiggling, but before the nervosity could take more hold on him you disentangled your hands and opened your arms. He hesitated a moment longer but you didn’t rush him, waited, let him take his time. Let him come to you.
And he did.
With slow, careful hands that touched the lower part of your ribs cautiously before they slid around to your back, one upwards between your shoulder blades, the other down to the small of your back.
It was like someone that had been starved of water being allowed near a clean river - someone that had been deprived for so long that the madness of thirst had subsided into tired resignation already. When faced with the thing he’d been hungering for most, he didn’t run in blindly and submerged himself at once.
It was more like he couldn’t believe he was allowed to, was able to touch you sat next to him, that you let him close his arms around you.
His chin bumped into your collarbone as you lifted your own arms a little to lay them over his shoulders and hug him back, and he whispered a small “Sorry” before his head nestled into place next to yours.
He had to bend down and you stretched up a bit, and for the first moment you felt how uncomfortable he seemed with everything.
With a single, long sigh, he relaxed.
Gave into the hug, completely, and without holding back anymore.
Every breath he took you felt, were made aware how he drew his breath in several steps, as if he didn’t possess the strength to do it at once.
There was no more room between you but you felt his hold tighten, drawing you in closer.
This wasn’t a quick hello-or-goodbye hug, and it wasn’t a bear-hug, either. It was something entirely new and yet you felt incredibly safe.
There was no clock anywhere in sight and you closed your eyes.
Minutes passed. Eventually the desperateness fled his system, and then you were just holding the other.
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At half past four, the bell rang again.
The sound drifted over the campus and reached you just as you entered the deserted lot, where only Yoongi’s shabby car still stood, under the trees, half hidden by bushes.
His thumb slid over the back of your hand as he lightly tugged on your connection.
“Can I come visit your place?” You asked, once you’d sat down. He’d been to your tiny flat a few times now, but had never asked if you would like to see his.
“Are you sure?” He turned the key and glanced at you before backing out of the spot.
“Of course! I want to see the musical genius’ living space. Pretty please.”
“Don’t remind me of that dumb nickname…” He groaned, and you laughed, turning the radio up and the window down.
Warm air came rushing in, and together with the upbeat song currently playing, it felt a lot like a scene from a movie.
For the first time in weeks you felt fully free. Able to smile at the wind touching your face, knowing Yoongi was there with you.
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You sat on his couch together, scrolling your phones aimlessly after thoroughly inspecting his space.
The pizza he ordered in the evening was fluffy and sated your hunger, and afterwards you were too tired to move much.
“I think… I’ll just stay here.” You gesticulated around the room, stretching and placing your legs across his lap.
He wiped his hands clean of the last grease and tugged on your shins.
“Here? You sure? I can always-”
He pressed a hand against his mouth and burped. Afterwards he groaned and fell back against the backrest.
“No, you’ll have to stay. There’s no way I’m leaving this flat again today.”
You grinned and made grabby hands for the pack of cherry gummies.
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Your head was buzzing with how late it was, and how tired you’d become.
With teeth brushed, the sweet taste of cherries was long gone, but in the dark of the room, it wasn’t unwelcome.
Yoongi was lying just a little away from you, head half buried in one of his many pillows.
“Is this weird?” He asked. You heard his palm slipping over the mattress, before his fingertips touched your arm and he momentarily pulled back.
Until you put your hand out, and he curled his pinky around yours.
“Hm?”
You asked.
“I mean this… We… We’re not…” He trailed off, his other hand covering yours as he rolled over. In the darkness you could only make out his eyes by the reflection of what little light there still was, in them. “Other people our age have been partying since noon, and we…”
“Is that bad?” You asked, turning on your side to fully face him.
“No, don’t think so.”
“Do you want it, any other way?”
He shook his head.
“I just wonder… Jin asked me if we were dating the other day. I didn’t know what to say. It doesn’t feel like we are, but I also… don’t feel like we’re not doing that. It. Something. I mean we’re not doing that, either, which I never thought about, and-”
He huffed. “It feels weird, to lie here, with you, and not do anything. But I’m glad. About it. In a way.”
You smiled and squeezed his hand.
“Then that’s enough for us. Isn’t it?”
He hummed, and slowly leaned his forehead against your joined hands.
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Your phone binged with an incoming message from Yoongi.
It was two weeks into the break, and after staying over at his place, you hadn’t heard or seen too much of him.
His message read 'I uploaded it.', and a link to Spotify.
You clicked on it.
A playlist opened, and you bit on your lip at the name - He'd titled it 'Your Playlist'.
While you cleaned out your notes and organized your room, you listened.
It was a mix of his self-composed piano pieces, acoustic, or electric, with mixed other instruments and occasionally his voice.
The melodies came easy and wound their way in your ears, and it brought a smile to your face at the warmth you felt at their sound.
The last one was titled “My Favourite”.
You watched as the song’s covers changed, and sat back on your rug.
What unfolded in front of your ears was different than the rest - it was a blend of sounds, playing to support your favourite song of his, but a remix version. The beat slowly wound up higher, coming faster, until it dropped - to your voice, filtered and a little tuned, to fit the short space.
‘My favourite’, you heard yourself say, and then the whisper of Yoongi’s voice answered, ‘Just for you’, and you bit down on your lip.
He sung and rapped more, and you needed at least five listens before you’d caught it all.
‘Can I come over?’ You texted him, burning with energy and the deeply rooted wish to see him.
‘ofc’ came his answer, and you were out of the door.
Not much later, halfway across town, you hugged your arms around him as tight as you could, smiling so wide it had your cheeks hurting, and yet not able to keep the tears escaping your eyes.
“I love you, too.” You mumbled into his shoulder, feeling him tense a little.
“I’m so glad you understood.” He whispered, and leaned his head against yours. “I’m so glad you understand. Me. I’m so glad you. Found me.”
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notes: for alex, who i send an ask wondering if she might know how to title a story i was writing and if she'd ever heard of this weirdly specific song i could not name? and then told me i should check out this song (the title of this fic) - which ended up being the very one i'd been searching for for four days. thank you.
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pluto-writes · 4 years
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hello!! this is my first bsd req aha,, can i have hcs for the port mafia members (like chuuya or akutagawa) reacting to the reader revealing that they've been secretly dating akutagawa? thanks ^_^
Hello to you too anon ^^ Pleased to be the one to receive your first bsd request! Thank you for your patience, and I hope you enjoy ヽ(〃^▽^〃)ノ (Sidenote: Apparently the human body needs these things called ‘vitamins’ and without them you ‘can’t function’ and ‘feel tired all the time you just sleep for more than half the day’. So now I take vitamins.)
Words: 2,420
Reader revealing that they've been secretly dating Akutagawa/Chuuya.
Akutagawa Ryunosuke 
Higuchi was on her way home, thinking about what to make for dinner for her sister. Until she spotted her senpai coming out of a store, his arm looped together with another person.
She froze, coming to a bunch of different conclusions, but then she remembered about the incident not too long ago with Gin, who ended up being his sister. ‘Maybe this is another relative?’ She thought to herself, hoping that she was right.
That hope quickly shattered when the person kissed Akutagawa on the lips and he returned it. Mouth agape, Higuchi could hardly believe her eyes.
“Akutagawa-senpai is dating someone??? And I didn’t know?” She continued to keep an eye on them, seeing how they act together, and debating if she should just barge in on them and save her senpai. 
She refrained herself from doing so since she didn’t want her senpai to get mad at her again, he made it clear before that he doesn’t like receiving help when he doesn’t want it.
After an hour passed, the two walked away, presumably on their way home. She called it a day and decided to continue her personal investigation as to who that person was for tomorrow. When she got home, she couldn't think of anything else and left her sister to make them dinner.
Morning finally came, and she had a plan ready to figure out who the mysterious person with her senpai was. When she walked into the headquarters she saw you immediately. 
“Ah, (Y/n)-san, can I have a moment with you?” She called out. Her being your superior, you obliged.
“Yes, what can I do for you, Higuchi-san?” You respond, being respectful towards her. 
“You work as part of the espionage group, correct?” You nodded, wondering why she would need you, as far as you knew Mori hasn’t given you any work for a few days and you’ve been using that free time to spend it with your boyfriend. Gah! Even thinking about it gave you butterflies. 
“One of the best!” It was thanks to your ability mostly, it helped you render yourself unrecognizable so you can be free to spy without your true self being seen. “What happened? Do you need my help?”
“It’s selfish of me to abuse my power this way… but I need your help. I want you to stalk- uh… follow Akutagawa for the rest of the day. Yesterday I saw a suspicious person with him, and I want you to figure out who it was…” Truthfully, Higuchi would’ve liked to be the one to get to the bottom of this situation but she knew that would upset him.
“Alright,” you agreed, “wait… yesterday?” That’s weird. You were with him yesterday, and you’re sure you would’ve noticed a person like that on your outing. Even if it was your day off your instincts would kick in and alert you of any danger. 
“Yes. it was most concerning. Senpai didn’t seem to be aware of the danger that could be present. At first I had thought it was another relative I did not know about… but then… I saw the person kiss him! Clearly they have him under some sort of spell so that they can have him obey them!” The more she spoke the more her eyes gained a fire in them, “We have to save him! I’m counting on you!”
Oh. Oh. She must have seen the two of you yesterday. This was embarrassing but you can’t let her think that you were using Akutagawa.
“Um… about that…” You pulled at the collar of your shirt, clearly nervous. You would have liked to keep it a secret that the two of you were dating but you guess it was inevitable to try to keep it hidden. “The person you saw yesterday with him was me…”
You let your words sink in, Higuchi gasped. “Huh!? But you looked so different- the two of you were- you and him- I saw you kiss-” She jumped from topic to topic, stunned by the information you told her. After a couple minutes she composed herself, “You’re dating Akutagawa-senpai?”
“Yes… I’m sorry you had to find out this way. We wanted to keep it a secret since things would just be better without people knowing, so please don’t tell anyone!”
Higuchi couldn’t believe it. The truth was right in front of her but she still didn’t want to accept it. You? Dating her senpai? It didn’t make sense to her.
The thought of commanding you to stay aware from him briefly crossed her mind, but she didn’t want to indulge in that fantasy. She remembered how carefree her senpai seemed while he was with you. And how he smiled your way without hiding it. 
He just looked overall calmer with you… and she didn’t want to take that happiness away from the two of you. 
You waited anxiously for her response, if her earlier reaction was anything to go by, it was clear that the news didn’t please her.
“I won’t.”
“Please, I’m begging, don’t tell anyon- wait. What!? You won’t!?” You’re genuinely surprised by her answer, you thought she’d flat out deny you. 
“I won’t tell anyone you are dating Akutagawa-senpai.” Before you could say thank you to her she cut you off, “But don’t be mistaken… I’m not saying this solely for your sake. Yesterday, I saw how he acted around you. He seemed happy with you… at peace by your side.” 
Her words moved you and made you feel overjoyed. For her to say this to you was basically the same thing as a blessing. 
“Know that if you cause Akutagawa-senpai any pain, I will return it ten-fold.” As she said this her eyes pierced your soul, it sent a shiver down your spine since you’ve never seen her like this.
Nodding, you responded slightly scared by her threat, “Of- of course! I wouldn’t dream of it!”
“Good.”
When she walked away, her words were still rooted in your head. You wouldn’t want to do anything that would cause him pain, not because of her threat, but the idea of causing him any suffering after everything he had endured would hurt you more than any beating, a mafia style execution wouldn’t be enough punishment.  
Nakahara Chuuya
Kouyou noticed a shift in Chuuya’s behavior recently. He wasn’t as rash as he used to be, one could say he seemed to be calmer, but at the same time more on edge. As if something was bothering him.
He didn’t have a permanent scowl on his face throughout the day, whenever he was on the phone with someone, a gentle smile appeared on his face. And even after the short call was over he’d still have that same smile on until someone called out his name.
She thought it was strange, since before whenever Chuuya was bothered by something, he’d come to her and tell her his problems and she’ll be there for him and help him. But he hasn’t told her anything yet, and she’s worried about him.
When she was first told to watch over Chuuya, she wasn’t that interested in his well being. However, as time passed she came to hold a certain fondness for the boy and wished to be there to protect him.
Which was why now, she was trailing after him. Staying a little over a block and a half behind him so as to not be suspicious. Earlier, she had overheard him on the phone making an arrangement at a restaurant. While making that call he had that same stupid smile that infuriated her. 
‘Why hasn’t he told me anything? He knows I’ll always be there for him… so why?’
All these thoughts rushed into her head, and confused her as to where she had gone wrong for Chuuya to not open up to her. 
She had no more time to dawdle on these thoughts, when she saw Chuuya stop in front of the restaurant. In one smooth motion, Chuuya turned his wrist towards his face and checked the time. 
“Good, I’m here a bit early. Wouldn’t want to make them wait on me,” A soft blush blossomed on his face as he thought about you. After checking in with the receptionist he came back outside to wait for you.
From the corner of the building, Kouyou listened in on what he was saying, “He’s waiting for someone? Just what could he be planning..?” She muttered to herself. Just as she was about to look over, a new voice entered the scene, causing her to retreat back to her hiding spot.
“Chuuya!” You cheered, unable to contain your excitement. “I’m so glad to see you!” You locked your fingers with his gloved one. “We haven’t been able to go out like this for a while.”
“I know, between our missions finding time to spend together was hard, but I’m glad too. Being able to see you today is the best part of my day.” 
His comment made your face get warm and caused your heart to skip a beat, “ U-um,” you shifted in your spot, unsure how to properly respond. “Let’s head inside now… we wouldn’t want to be late, now would we?” You smiled at him in an attempt to calm your nerves but he just smirked back at you. 
“Of course, whatever you want, my highness.”
“Chu-Chuuya! Please don’t tease me…”
As you moved to pull open the door, Chuuya was already there to open the door for you, “After you, your highness.” He bowed.
“Stoppp,” You groaned in embarrassment, but he knew you liked it when he called you that.
Once Kouyou heard the door close, she moved from her hiding spot and looked through the clear door. She could see Chuuya holding your hand as the waitress guided the two of you to your table. 
‘Just who is he with? If I get a closer look…’
As if some being was heading her prayers, the same waitress that sat you down was walking towards the side door to throw out garbage. ‘Perfect.’ It was fortunate for Kouyou but bad luck on the waitress’ part. 
After she knocked her out, Kouyou donned on the waitress uniform and made it back into the restaurant undetected. She picked up her pen and notebook and walked her way over to your table. 
“What can I start with for the lovely couple here?” She wasn’t dense, she knew that the hand holding, the smiling, the looks she saw that the two of you shared, and the choice of restaurant must have meant. She didn’t want to face that reality, she wanted the two of you to deny it, tell her that she had the wrong assumption and that you two were just friends but that wasn’t the case.
“I’d have the...” Chuuya told her some name that you didn’t really understand. “And my lovely date here would like-”
“Chuuya!” You lightly kicked his leg under the table, and leaned over the table, “You can’t just say that! I thought we were keeping it a secret!” 
“(Y/n), it’s fine. We have nothing to worry about here, we come here all the time and the staff have a no talking policy. Plus, it’s probably obvious by now…”
Even though the two of you thought you were whispering, Kouyou heard everything she needed to hear. Her suspicions were correct, the two of you were dating… She wasn’t sure how to take the news. So she continued to take your order and passed it onto the kitchen staff.
When that was done and said, she slipped out of the restaurant. “(Y/n), was it? Hmm, where have I heard that name before…” She mulled over it on her way back to the mafia. 
She also thought about what to do, she had her own opinions with love, none of them positive. She had experience as to what love can do for a person, and she doesn’t want Chuuya to live through the same experience. It took her awhile to cope with her loss.
Back in the comfort of her office, she found a distraction to lose herself in, until a knock interrupted her. “May I come in?” The voice was simultaneously unfamiliar and familiar. 
“It’s open.”
The doorknob turned and the door opened to reveal you, the same person she saw with Chuuya earlier that day. She hid her surprise when she saw you and put on a fake smile, “What do you wish to speak with me about?”
“I know you know… about Chuuya and I. You were at the restaurant…” Your words shocked her, she thought her disguise was enough to not get recognized. “I never seen you face to face before, so it would’ve worked. But your thoughts gave you away.
“My ability allows me to hear the thoughts of others. I heard what you thought about Chuuya, and your views on love and… I understand that you care about him and want to protect him, but know that I love and care for him too! He talks very highly of you, and I wouldn’t want to be the reason your relationship with him gets strained. So, please,” You kneeled on the floor and placed both of your hands in front of you on the ground, “allow us to stay together.” You placed your head down.
Kouyou wasn’t expecting a dogeza… She opened her fan and covered her face as she contemplated it. She was now aware of your ability, but it still comforted her by having her face covered. Once she came to her conclusion she walked over to your bowing form on the floor.
“Get up,” she put her hand under your chin to look at her as you started to get up, “Now listen cause I’ll only say this once.
“I may have my own opinions on love, but I trust that Chuuya knows what’s good for him. That you’re a good fit for him, and won’t be the one to bring him down, but that you’ll be the one who gives him strength.” 
Elated by her words, and feeling as if a weight has been lifted, you go in for a hug, “Thank you! Ane-san!” You felt her stiffen under you as you said that, “...Too much?”
She hugged you back, “It’s… quite alright. Thank you,” she spoke softly. She didn’t say what she was grateful for, but you had an idea what she was thanking you for.
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shih-coulda-had-it · 3 years
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74 ,96
74 (Huddling for Warmth) & 96 (Scars) | [Nanahiko]
Timing their investigation into All for One’s operations in Hokkaido for winter?
Absolutely terrible idea all around. Who suggested that?
Nana hauled Sorahiko from the river with her arms locked around his waist, teeth gritted against the biting chill. He shivered violently and clutched at Nana for support in standing upright. She did not have the opportunity to stop moving and marvel at the wintry landscape, or break down and punch the frozen earth to reveal their mole.
It was paramount that she get them to the rented cabin. The closest hospital or clinic was at least three hours away on foot, and Nana didn’t trust herself behind the wheel in these conditions.
She made a note to send Chiyo a gift basket; being forced to study the emergency first-aid scenarios was turning out to be more helpful than anticipated.
With brisk efficiency, Nana made it to the crest of the floodplain. Sorahiko couldn’t get a comprehensible word out yet, but at least he seemed aware of their surroundings; Nana didn’t even struggle on the way to the cabin.
“In we go,” she said with forced cheerfulness, wrenching the door open and dragging her ice-cube of a best friend inside.
It was a two-bedroom, one bath affair, with the living room, kitchen, and genkan all in one place. There wasn’t much in terms of furniture, but there was a fireplace with a working chimney, so Nana couldn’t complain too much.
She flicked the switch. It remained dark.
“B-b-blackout?”
“Eh,” said Nana, flicking the switch repeatedly, as though increased force would spark the power back to life. The fireplace was the safety net. Nana knew how to light a fire, but she would rather have the electric lights humming away with the generator warming the space. “Eh-h-h-h-h.”
“Nana,” Sorahiko said piteously.
“I know,” she soothed. “Keep moving, okay? And try and take off your gloves and cape. I’m going to get the fire started, and I’ll help with the rest of your gear.”
He made a small agreeable noise and slowly, painfully shed his cape. Nana removed her own boots and gloves, then staggered over to the fireplace and peered at the stacked bundle of wood, the firestarter, the poker—aha, she thought, grabbing the handheld lighter.
Sorahiko grumbled to himself as he wrestled with his gloves. Nana parsed out a few words, like, ‘stupid’ and ‘freezing’ and a fervent ‘I hate Hokkaido’ that was muttered under his breath several times over. It was a strange relief to hear him mouthing off; it was a weight off her shoulders, seeing the little flame catch onto its fuel and burst into life.
“Ha!” Nana cheered, and left it to burn, turning around in time to catch Sorahiko crumpling against her.
“Fire,” he cheered into her collarbone. She maneuvered him flat on his back onto the wooden floor, as close to the fire as she dared, and started peeling Sorahiko out of his gear.
It was like peeling shrimp. Like parting the sausage meat from its casing. Like picking out a ripe tangerine and jamming a thumb into its core, thinking that it would be an easy snack, except the thin skin hadn’t yet separated from the flesh, so time was devoted to scrabbling the peel off.
Nana was hungry.
“We’re gonna make a nest,” she relayed to Sorahiko. “All the sheets and blankets and pillows, just for you to burrow yourself into. And then in the morning, we’re going to get hot tea and miso soup and a train ticket straight home.”
“Hot springs,” he said.
“Hot springs,” Nana echoed, a few seconds late. “Yes. Hot springs. You… you wanted to visit the hot springs?”
“Stress relief.”
“That makes sense.” Two gloves off. The boots, surprisingly, went easier. He was lucky that water couldn’t leak through the soles; they were lucky, she supposed, given that Nana probably would have panicked and shoved his feet in the fire to melt potential icicles. In any case, it unnerved Nana to see his bare hands and feet.
The belt was a little fiddly, but Nana’s dexterity was nothing to scoff at. What finally made her pause was, well, the whole jumpsuit.
“I need you to roll over.”
He rolled over.
Nana exhaled sharply and committed: she unzipped the suit from the neck all the way down to the small of his back, her eyes drawn to the slope of his spine and the contracting of muscles as unmarked flesh was exposed to air.
Sorahiko didn’t scar easily. Where the history of his injuries remained, they tended to be on the front.
“You’ve got underwear on, right?” she said, aiming for levity. “Skin-to-skin contact is supposed to be the most reliable route to getting warm again, but I think we’ll be blurring boundaries if your junk meets my junk bare. Which it wouldn’t, because I have a sports bra and underwear on.”
Sorahiko groaned into the floor. Not an especially sexy groan, just one of resignation.
“That better be a yes.”
“I’m wearing boxer-briefs,” he said to the fire. “Please get the blankets.”
“Right!” She got to her feet and bolted for the bedrooms. It took two trips, bundling pillows into blankets and sheets from each bedroom and then lugging it all to the central area. The first return, Nana caught Sorahiko wiggling his way out of the suit, legs sticking in the air as he shoved the rubber composite past his thighs.
After laughing at his plight, Nana retrieved the rest of their building materials and tomorrow’s clothes. They situated the nest a meter away from the fireplace. First the thin sheets were stretched out, then a comforter, then a half-ring of pillows, and as Sorahiko nestled in under the second comforter, Nana tossed their clothes in too.
“You know,” she said, “it’s a good thing that water doesn’t actually soak into our jumpsuits. We’d be in the danger zone of hypothermia if that was a thing.”
“I’m lucky my head didn’t get submerged,” he responded, his voice muffled. Only the top of his fluffy silver hair was visible.
“It would be pretty tough getting in bed with you, if you had the sniffles.”
Sorahiko peeked over the comforter, pale eyes following her step everywhere except the nest. She hadn’t joined him yet because she had the presence of mind to gather their gear and leave it in a pile by the genkan.
Also, because Nana needed to muster the willpower to slide under the covers and face the possibility of clinging to him like a barnacle for the rest of the evening. She shifted her weight from side to side. Goosebumps were rising, and not just because of the cold.
“If you press your cold feet to my shins, I will scream,” Sorahiko threatened.
“Pot, kettle,” she said, and Nana crawled under the covers. It was not the pocket of warmth she’d been anticipating; she scooted further in until she bumped into Sorahiko, and at that point, she sprawled on top of him like a sea star.
“Feet!”
“Deal with it!”
A great deal of squirming ensued. The result of the scuffle still had Nana’s chest pressed against his, their legs tangled, and his hands loosely holding her by the waist. So overall, Nana was pleased, and she luxuriated in the unspoken victory.
Sleep, however, was not coming as easily.
As steady as their breathing was, Nana knew Sorahiko was awake. She tried to unfocus; she could do nothing more about their situation. All that was left was to rest and wait for the morning.
The fire crackled. Sorahiko shifted beneath her, and finally Nana propped herself up, hands folded under her chin, eyes tracing the angles of Sorahiko’s face, softened by their flickering light.
“Did you know,” she said, “I forgot we had some matching scars.”
“First and only time I stayed on the ground for close-combat,” he responded. “Yours healed up better than mine.”
“My abs are made of steel.” The familiar boast elicited a familiar laugh, one that rumbled pleasantly through Nana’s bones.
“What’s that make me?”
“Some softer metal,” she teased. “Gold? How do you feel about gold?”
“Gaudy,” Sorahiko pronounced, but his hands tightened at her waist. “Also, way too valuable. Downgrade me to something cheaper. People still use tin, right?”
“Tin,” Nana echoed. “Like, a tin-man.”
He squinted past his beaky nose at her, rightfully suspicious. “... Yes?”
“Does that make Dorothy me or Toshinori?” Over the sound of his splutter, Nana continued, “Do you need some oil for your rusted joints? Oh! Are you looking for a heart?”
“Tin doesn’t rust,” Sorahiko said, ignoring her last remark.
“It’s about the continuity, Sorahiko.”
“And you’d be the Cowardly Lion. Toshinori’s the kid who keeps landing himself in messes.”
“The Cowardly Lion?” she protested. “What!”
She could see him smirking. “Go to sleep now,” he said, his eyes deliberately snapping shut and his body easing the tension away. “Nighty-night.”
Nana huffed, but relented. It wasn’t that grave of an insult, to be labeled as the Cowardly Lion; she vaguely remembered Dorothy’s friends as wanting things (or wanting to be things) they already were. The brainless Scarecrow was already smart, the Tin Man was already empathetic, and the Cowardly Lion was already brave.
So! Sorahiko had given her a compliment! It was just like Sorahiko to deliver one that sounded like an insult.
Rebelliously, she turned her head, resting her ear right over his steadily thumping heart.
“You don’t need to look for a heart,” she mumbled, snuggling as close as possible, despite their bodies having reached an optimal temperature already. Nana needed to say it out loud, because Sorahiko was simply terrible at reading between the lines when it came to this. “You’ve got mine now.���
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one-leaf-grimoire · 4 years
Text
“pine and lavender”
Lisa and Julius go to visit her hometown in the woods. Julius has a grand ol time. idk what the title is supposed to be ajfdskfljds. Anyway, here’s another self-indulgent one shot. stan julisa etc. 
Pairing: Julius x Lisa (my oc ajfsdkl)
Warnings: alcohol use (Julius gets a lil drunk) also some heavy flirting, a little of it suggestive but not like... that suggestive.
Two years. That’s how long it had been since Lisa last visited her hometown. She was still a magic knight back then, young and full of dreams, ready to take on what she believed to be a long career. But now, of course, that changed. Her career, and her whole life was unrecognizable. And even she was.
But even so…
“Are you sure about this?”
“Hmm?”
Lisa looked up from where she waited, to see Julius walking over. They were both dressed to travel, packing light for the mere two day getaway they had planned. Yet, Julius was asking as if they were about to leave for some treacherous journey. Perhaps that was true.
“You know… I don’t want you to think I expect to hang out with your family all the time,” Julius continued, finally reaching her side to stand on the balcony. “I know it’s tough for you, with your mother and all-”
“Julius,” Lisa interrupted him, taking his hand in hers to cut him off. “It was my idea, not yours! You made me hang out with your parents last week so it’s only fair that you have to visit my family!”
Julius blinked owlishly, then narrowed his eyes. “I see… wait, so you didn’t enjoy yourself last week?”
Lisa gulped nervously. Meeting Julius’s parents for the first time was an… interesting experience. Both of them were quite old, living alone in a nice place out in the countryside. The Novachrono family, being nobility, owned a couple of residences which they cycled between. Lisa, who grew up a commoner, found the whole arrangement quite extravagant, but it provided some neat weekend hideouts for her and Julius to enjoy. However, they weren’t alone last week.
(tragic flashback time)
“Julius! Oh, this must be your girlfriend!”
Lisa peeked out from behind Julius, her heart thumping in her chest as the elderly couple finally spotted her after greeting their son. The spark of excitement in their eyes, nearly identical to how Julius’s would be, gave way to some other emotion. It was brief, but they almost looked taken aback. Lisa physically resisted wincing.
Don’t say it, don’t say it, don’t say it-
“OOh, you’ve got some mysterious mark on your head as well! No wonder our Julius likes you so much, ahah!”
Oh good. Lisa let herself exhale a nervous laugh, stepping forward to greet them properly. It wasn’t her fault she looked so young; she stopped aging when she was 20, after all. But it was nice to not be bombarded with questions all the time, from people assuming things about her relationship. 
“It’s nice to meet you, too!”
(end non-so-tragic flashback)
“Oh, your parents were wonderful. A little… excited, but wonderful.” Lisa grinned and elbowed Julius playfully, earning an exaggerated reaction. “Anyway, I think they told enough embarrassing stories about you to last me a lifetime!”
“Ah, is that so?” Julius grinned back sheepishly, his prior worries fading quickly. “I thought you already knew everything about me?”
“There’s always more to learn~” Lisa shot a cheeky wink up at him before picking up her bag. “Come on, we’ll be late for dinner if we keep chatting all evening.”
“Right, right.” Julius could barely contain himself as he took her hand again. “I’m so excited to see your cousins again- do you think they’ll remember me?”
“Remember? You?! Meeting you was the highlight of their lives!”
Without any more delays, Lisa held on tight as Julius finally took off, leaving nothing but faint traces of his mana behind.
Approximately two minutes later, the pair landed with a resounding whoosh, causing birds and leaves alike to take flight from the trees around them. Branches creaked, and bushes rippled, but only a moment later the forest was as still as it was before. “Well, here we are!” Julius let go of her hand only momentarily to stretch a long arm over his chest. “Too bad we have to walk into town from all the way out here-”
“We talked about this, remember? What do you think’s gonna happen if you just crash down in the middle of town?” Lisa reminded him, turning away once he was ready to start the walk. “And also- once we get there, you’ll have to transform into someone else. I don’t want to become the talk of the town or anything…”
“I know, I know!” Julius looked more disgruntled at that factor than anything else. He let out a deep sigh, sadness shifting through his gaze momentarily. “If I could have my way… I would want everyone to know.”
“... I know. Me too.”
Julius was unapologetic in every facet of his life, and love was no different. He loved the Kingdom, he loved his friends, but most of all, he loved Lisa. If he had it his way, Julius wouldn’t hesitate to herald the news from every corner of the country. 
“This woman? She’s mine! And I’m hers!” 
Sadly, the two of them already felt the harsh reality of the world, when Augustus and the Magic Parliament found out and used Lisa’s involvement with Julius against her. And because of that, Julius had to keep this treasured relationship close to his chest, where the general public wouldn’t find out.
“Hey-”
He looked down as Lisa snaked her arm around his, smiling up at him comfortingly. “Marry me one day, and then everyone can know.”
Julius’s eyes lit up at the mere thought. “Seriously? Let's get married today, then!”
“What?! No way! Not yet, at least…”
“Ah, alright. I’m patient~”
Before they knew it, they reached the outskirts of town, and Julius was forced to transform. Lisa watched curiously as his body glowed gold, and he morphed into an unfamiliar man. He kept his blonde hair, but he had blue eyes instead of his usual purple. Also, his nose, chin, ears, brow- it was all different. “There! How do I look? Handsome?”
“Not as handsome as usual,” Lisa answered, eyeing him up. It was true, nothing could beat the usual Julius. Julius, of course, knew this, giving her a teasing wink as he grabbed her hand again to continue their journey. 
Lisa’s hometown was small, but stable. They mainly subsisted on local crops and game, but they had to buy food from neighboring areas as well. Situated at the base of the mountains dividing the Clover Kingdom from Diamond, the town was once a battlefield, as both kingdoms vied for control over the precious gems underground. However, all those gems have been stripped away, and things calmed down for years and years.
At least, it used to be calm… up until that day. 
One fateful attack by the Diamond Kingdom, nearly four years ago. That day changed everything. Lisa’s father was killed, leaving her alone with a mother who hated her and powers that she didn’t understand. She lost so much…
But I wasn’t alone, remember?
Lisa glanced up at the man walking next to her, humming to himself as they moved. She couldn’t help but smile as the memories washed over her.
Because, that day… I met you.
“LISAAAA!!!!!”
The door to Lisa’s old home slammed open, revealing her aunt Portia and her cousins. Before the two of them could react, they were bombarded with hugs from adults and screeching children alike. Lisa could do nothing but stand there and take it, but the wide grin on her face betrayed the fact that she was enjoying it.
“Lyra! You’re going to suffocate me!”
“And I would be right to do so!”
Cousin Lyra- One year older than Lisa, a total airhead, but also the sweetest person you’ll ever meet. The girl stepped back from her cousin with a little pout on her face. “You never come to visit, even though I told you your mom moved out! We only get to see you once a year, you know!”
“I know, I know, I’m sorry! I am kinda busy, you know!” Lisa defended herself, still smiling brightly. “Well, we’re here now, both of us.”
“Hey, who’s this weird guy?!”
Uh oh.
Lisa turned just in time to see Julius being circled menacingly by her two younger cousins, Pat and Rocco, the twins. Both of them had met Julius before, but now they were eyeing him suspiciously. “You’re right, who is this guy, Lisa?” Portia asked, her eyes widening. “Don’t tell me you and Julius broke up!”
“What?! No! I am Julius!” Julius looked a bit confused before the reason dawned on him. “Oh wait- right!” He stepped inside the house, out of sight of the street, and let himself change back to normal. Rocco and Pat immediately gasped. “OH! WIZARD KING!”
Lisa covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. Their excitement never failed to crack her up.
“Aha, you know- you can call me cousin Julius-” Julius told them, but it was no use. They continued to chant his title and before grabbing onto his legs like they were two tree trunks. Julius just sighed and let out a tired laugh, looking over at the others. “Not yet, I see-”
“Well, now that we’re here-” Lisa winced a little as she sat down at the kitchen table. “I’m ready for a relaxing night here at home.”
“What?! Relaxing?” Aunt Portia let out a giggle. “Nonsense! Lisa, you know what day it is, right?”
Her family giggled as she stared at them blankly. “It’s friday!”
Her eyes widened. “Oh no…”
Julius looked between them, confused. “Wait, what does that mean? Friday? What’s so special about friday.”
“It’s the busiest night at the tavern! All hands on deck!”
The rest of the family cackled. Lisa’s father owned the sole tavern in town, so it passed down to Portia and Lyra once he died. It was popular, and Lisa worked there for many years before leaving to join the Magic Knights. Lyra giggled and nudged Lisa with her elbow. “It’ll be just like old times! You and me waitressing, I even kept your old ‘uniform!’”
Lisa’s already-pale face was white as a sheet now. “U-Uniform!? Oh god, you can’t mean-”
(thirty horrible minutes later)
“TA-DA! Look at this, ‘James’!”
Julius turned around at the sound of the fake name he was using today. He had been sitting alone in the tavern, watching the other groups as they sat and drank, laughing and chatting among themselves. It was a strangely serene experience, being able to be alone. Well, at least it was nice to not have Marx breathing down his neck. Julius did miss Lisa though… he wasn’t sure why, but being away from her, even just for a little while, made him deeply uncomfortable. But luckily, she was back… sort of.
Lyra strained as she attempted to drag someone out from the back room. “Lisa! Behave!”
“No! Jul- I mean, James, don’t look at me! This is embarrassing-”
Lisa finally gave in, her face burning bright red as she was dragged out into the open. 
“Isn’t she cute!? She had to wear this every day when she worked here!” 
Her “uniform” was that of a tavern maid; a dress a little shorter than knee-length, a cute apron, and her usual tights. It wasn’t anything too shocking, but-
Lisa covered her face with her hands, mortified to be wearing something so out of her usual wardrobe. “D-Don’t look at me-”
It was too late- Julius was L O O K I N G.
“I said stop it!”
Julius finally snapped out of his “trance,” the dumbfounded look fading into a devilish grin. “Wowie… Lisa, maybe you should change your usual uniform to this-”
Portia and Lyra cackled along with the rest of her family as Lisa shouted back, too embarrassed to make any sense. Julius chuckled to himself, letting up on the teasing but allowing his eyes to still wander all over her body.”There’s nothing to worry about, my sweet… you look good in anything.”
Lisa sighed, letting her shoulders slumped, still not looking forward to the night ahead, but maybe it would be bearable. Maybe. “Thanks… You’re usually right.”
“Of course I am-”
“Lisa! Stop making eyes at him and get to work!”
With another loud objection, Lisa was dragged away once again, while Julius watched her work with shining eyes. As someone raised in nobility, Julius had to admit that he was a little out of his element. The tavern became increasingly louder as people started drinking, shouts and laughter filling the small building. Julius felt himself shrink around his drink, only accompanied by the younger twins and Lisa’s uncle. But among all the chaos, Lisa navigated it all perfectly. Once she forgot about the outfit, she weaved between the tables and jostling chairs, carrying a teetering tray of beers, her voice managing to pierce the noise filling the air. “Hey! Keep it civil, guys, I don’t want to mop up any of your blood.” “Talk to me like that again, and I’ll tell the Wizard King to come get you! Yeah? Scared now?” “NO GAMBLING IN HERE!” “Do you want me to burn you to a crisp? Because you’re asking for it!”
Julius laughed to himself as he listened, not able to tame the big smile on his face.
She’s so cute-
“Hey, Lisa, you got cute~”
Julius’s eyes popped back open.
Did… someone just-
“Hmm? So what if I did?” Lisa glared down at her new admirer, well, admirers. They were a group of three men sitting at a round table, red-faced and drunk, and apparently smitten with their waitress. “It doesn’t mean you can look at me!”
“Oh, but we are~” One of them giggled. “Why don’t you come back with us tonight? It can’t be fun JUST hanging out with your family.”
There was nothing Julius wanted to do in that moment other than spring to his feet, release his disguise, and teach those guys a lesson directly from the hands of the Wizard King. And he almost did, too! With his fists clenched so tight he knew his nails would leave a mark, Julius barely scooted his chair back before freezing as Lisa stepped in to defend herself much better than he could have.
“Listen! You three used to bully me all the time for having no mana. I wouldn’t want to be seen with you, even if my life depended on it! And besides-” Lisa resisted shooting a cheeky glance over at Julius. “I already belong to someone, so you’re too late.”
The trio blinked dumbly up at her, unable to comprehend what she was saying. Julius smiled to himself and slowly slid back down into his seat.
“I already belong to someone.”
He always liked hearing that.
“What are you looking at?”
And suddenly, she was right next to him, leaning up against the table with a little grin on her face. Julius blinked, his reaction sluggish. Ah, I guess I got stuck in a little daydream there- He shook off the feeling, amplified by the beers he drank, and smiled up at her. “Oh, just the cutest waitress in this place.”
Despite being mortified earlier, Lisa only blushed lightly at the comment, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Oh? I’m honored~ And what a coincidence, you’re the cutest guy in this place…”
Oh boy. The alcohol was starting to kick in for Julius, and Lisa knew it. His gaze started to fog up with some weird emotion that she knew well. She rarely saw him even get buzzed, so this was entirely unfamiliar. “Aha- ah, shucks, hehe-” He giggled boyishly to himself, closing his eyes for a moment as he collected his “thoughts.” Ahh… he would look so cute right now if he wasn’t in disguise, Lisa thought to herself, but it was enough to know that the unfamiliar man sitting here wasn’t unfamiliar at all… he was her man. “Hmm, you seem like you’ve had a little too much to drink” she teased.
Julius shrugged, lifting up his glass. “This is the best goddamn beer in the whole goddamn kingdom- HIC.”
Lisa bit her lip, thinking the little hiccup was just too cute. “Take it easy! I wouldn’t want you to pass out on me, hmm?”
Julius just laughed to himself again, his poor addled-brain hardly able to keep up. Damn! This beer is way more potent than I’m used to… these country folk know how to brew, that’s for sure. If I’m not careful, I’ll actually get drunk.
“Well, then tell me, waitress~” Julius finally spoke, wiggling his eyebrows. “When do you get off your shift?”
Lisa giggled, reaching out and running a friendly hand over his shoulder. Julius eagerly leaned into the gesture, like iron drawn to a magnet. That was what she was: a magnet. He would always be drawn to the gravity she possessed, something he couldn’t understand yet didn’t need to. All he really needed was her.
“Be patient~ We can go home soon.”
Without another word, Lisa leaned down and kissed his forehead, before pulling away to continue her work. Julius could do nothing but sigh and watch her go, his smile still traced on his lips and his mind hazy with desire.
(the next morning)
At exactly 6:30 am, Lisa’s eyes popped open. She was like a machine, her consciousness restoring itself almost instantly after her usual 6 hours of sleep. That was all she really needed, so she never gave herself much more. With a little yawn, the girl slowly rolled over in bed, her arm reaching out to find the warmth of a body beside her. However...
Julius wasn’t there, for some reason. Lisa frowned a bit, blinking as she got her bearings. Hmm, I wonder where he is? She was sure that they were together when they fell asleep late last night. In fact, she was 100% certain that was the case. Julius got all needy when he was drunk, and wouldn’t let go of her even as he fell asleep. It takes a lot to get him drunk in the first place. He should be terribly hungover right now.
“Portia? Lyra?” 
Lisa peeked into the kitchen, the stillness in the air betraying that no one else was awake yet. That’s weird… well, Julius likes his morning walks, this could be his way of dealing with his hangover
She knew that Julius was the last person on earth she usually had to worry about, but he was unfamiliar with the area and could get lost. Keeping that in mind, Lisa quickly got dressed and headed out to search for him. It was still early, and also a Saturday, so the town was very quiet and empty. Lisa strolled down the streets, becoming increasingly disheartened as she failed to locate her wandering boyfriend. Well… maybe he went out into the woods? Ooh, I hope he’s alright-
Lisa decided to check the outskirts before heading back home, just in case. Luckily, her intuition ended up being right… just not in the way she expected at all.
“Lisa!!!! Hello!!! Good morning!!! Look at me!!!”
Just as Lisa reached the edge of the woods, who should come running out but a grinning Julius. Usually, Julius only moved fast when he was fighting, and moved so fast that he left afterimages everywhere he went. Other than that, he glided from place to place, as graceful and stately as could be. But now, Lisa watched in shock as a seemingly-normal albeit awkward looking man, with arms and legs a little too long for his body, came sprinting at her. But the strangest thing was-
“Julius!!! Why are you dressed like a lumberjack!?” 
Lisa backed away slightly as he skidded to a stop in front of her, still almost giddy with boyish excitement, and she eyed his strange outfit: a red flannel shirt, JEANS, and a strange looking hat. She also noticed that he wasn’t in disguise anymore. But before she could say anything, Julius launched into a harried explanation, as if he already knew what she was thinking. “Oh, don’t worry! No one recognized me with this hat on, haha! See, I woke up early to make you some coffee for when you woke up, but your uncle was awake and invited me to come help him and some others gather wood and stuff in the forest! He gave me the outfit and everything! It’s a little tight though-” Julius shifted uncomfortably in his jeans. “Anyway, a lot of people in this town don’t have much magic, at least not for gathering wood, so I got to use an axe and everything! It was so much fun, we’re taking a short break now but we’ll be at it again soon, haha!” 
Julius let out a jovial laugh while Lisa stood there, still absorbing the words he just spat out. “Oh… I see. Well, I’m glad you’re having fun-” She eyed his hat again, noticing that it covered most of his blonde hair as well as his swallowtail mark. “So… you’re not hungover or anything? You were pretty drunk last night…”
“Drunk? NO, no!” Julius wiggled his eyebrows. “That stuff only buzzed me… I was just using it as an excuse to act a bit more boldly, you know? I’m perfectly fine this morning.”
… of course he would do that- Lisa thought to herself, not sure if she should be charmed or exasperated…. She was leaning towards the former, since by now she was used to Julius’s antics. “You seem to be enjoying the commoner life, maybe we should quit our jobs and move out to a cabin in the woods,” she teased, letting herself smile brightly up at him. Now that the shock was wearing off… he did look really good in his new “uniform.” “You should wear stuff like this more often~”
Julius raised an eyebrow, but couldn’t wipe his goofy grin off his face. “Oh? Maybe I will~ And-” He reached down and took her hand in his, clasping it tenderly. “I’ll take you out to cabins in the woods whenever you feel like it! Just say the word, and it’s done!”
Lisa giggled, squeezing her eyes shut as Julius’s hand cupped her cheek, holding her face gently as his lips found the side of her head. “It’s good to know I have you wrapped around my finger~”
“Oh, more than my finger, my dear.” Julius winked as he straightened back up. However, that brief, sultry moment ended as soon as a new idea crossed his mind. “So! I was thinking- we should have a picnic for lunch!”
Lisa’s eyes it up at the same time as his own. “Ooh, I like that idea! Out in the woods?” She immediately started brainstorming what she could make.
“Not just any spot, though-” Julius fidgeted with excitement. “That spot by the river… with the flowers, where we first met?”
“Oh… oh! Yeah!” The memories flooded back, memories from a time much more complicated than now. “Meet me there at noon?”
“Yeah! Thank you, darling.” Julius leaned down, his intention clear. Lisa closed her eyes in time to feel his sweet kiss on her lips, brief yet just as intoxicating as ever. “See you soon!” Without another word, Julius waved goodbye before running off, disappearing into the trees. Lisa sighed to herself, the warmth of his presence still lingering on her skin. Wow… well, I have a picnic to prepare. She turned around and started to walk back home, her mind still caught up in the dream she somehow managed to turn into reality.
Back then, years ago, they met in that spot by the river. Lisa was lost, alone, hopeless, and confused, but all it took was a kind smile and that strange, warm feeling to get her moving again. Moving towards her goals, with nothing left to lose and everything to gain.
I gained and lost so much, over and over, but now… it’s just like you promised, Julius. You said, one day, our life will be simple. And now it is.
Despite the trials they experienced, the satisfaction of knowing filled Lisa’s heart: she was his, and he was hers. Completely.
(shortly before noon)
Finally alone, Julius took off his hat, letting his head breathe for the first time all morning. He had arrived at the spot a little early, so he had a few minutes to himself. “Hmm… this is the place, alright,” he muttered to himself, looking around. The stream still flowed lazily like it always did, and the blanket of white cornflowers still rippled gently in the breeze. The whole atmosphere was calming, yet so deeply potent with memories, both good and bad… but one in particular.
I still remember it so well… During that Diamond attack, Lisa dropped her Grimoire. I had to chase her all over town to give it back! I ended up catching up to her here… we had our first conversation. And her first smile-
Julius would have been content to die in that moment. For that brief second, he forgot that he was Wizard King, he forgot about all the responsibilities he carried on his back. He was weightless, unburdened… blessed. A girl he barely knew, someone he could tell was deeply troubled and complicated, defeated him with just a smile. At that time, he couldn’t have imagined that he would grow so close to her, watching as she clawed her way up, a girl with nothing to lose but everything to gain. It was what he admired most about her, but she was more than just another remarkable person in the magic knights.
She was his.
Julius found himself standing at the edge of the stream, the water calm enough for him to make out his reflection.
Despite how perfectly everything felt now… he couldn’t shake an unwelcome feeling.
Dread?
Julius shook his head slightly, watching his own eyes narrow with determination.
If I can protect an entire kingdom… I can protect one person dear to me. 
“Julius!”
The voice calling out from behind him immediately dispelled the dread from his gut. Perking up, Julius quickly turned around to see Lisa walking over, picnic basket in hand and a big smile on her face. “Hey! I’m right on time~ Hungry?” She held up the basket, opening it up to look at the contents. “I made some sandwiches, but Portia had some leftover wine from last night so I packed a little of that as well, and-”
Lisa was suddenly cut off when a pair of arms closed around her. She stood there silently as she was held tightly, her face buried into the rough flannel of Julius’s shoulder. Slowly, she inhaled, taking in his scent, a scent indistinguishable from her own save for the new notes of pine he managed to pick up while working. Then, she exhaled, her arms drifting around his torso in time with her breath. 
It was moments like these that she knew she was cherished. More than any treasure or prize the Kingdom could offer. Even if she didn’t understand why, she knew that fact.
After a few long, tender moments, Julius’s grip finally loosened, and he stepped back just enough to peer down at her face, his smile tinged with faint notes of sadness. “Thank you, Lisa.”
“My pleasure.”
The two of them turned and walked towards the stream, their hands still entwined as tight as fate itself.
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