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#or at least products to help the heart continue pumping right
chibinekochan · 2 years
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My Ghostmate part 6
part: 1 I 2 I 3 I 4 I 5 I 
Ft. Leviathan
Gender-neutral reader insert
Obey me! Monster tales
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Finally, the day of the premiere arrives.  I'm so nervous and have to take many deep breaths to calm myself down. I don't even need coffee to feel awake. 
Even Levi is already up and floating about. He asks me the entire time if I have everything and to get him at least tonight's program. 
It feels like he is more nervous than I am. 
I chuckle because of him a few times. If this production was bigger we might have someone record it for Levi to see but sadly, this is not the case.
"I promise I will do a show of today's events for you later Levi." I smile at him, hiding my pain in front of him. It's not his fault that he can't leave.
"Too bad that there is no merch." Levi sighs.
"Maybe I can play a character that you like in the future." I giggle at the thought.
"That would be amazing. I can already see how you bring them to live!" His eyes sparkle for a moment.
This fills my heart with so much joy.
"In that case, I will do my best!" I fist-pump the air filled with new motivation.
"That's right you show them!" Levi smiles at me.
I wave him goodbye and head to the theater.
This isn't the time to feel down.
---------
Finally, the time for my performance comes. I use my countless hours of practice and bring the ghost truly to life. Well, the character is dead but my point stands.
Of course, there is one point where my eyes happen to wander over the seat that should have been Levis. 
Strangely someone is sitting in the seat, looking kind of nervous. He probably sneaked in. If I wasn't in the middle of the show I'd tell him off, but I have to let it slide today.
The play continues and it's a huge success.
We get a lot of applause from the audience.
I'm very happy about this success. 
There is still work to be done like changing and removing my makeup. It's quite a lot and takes a pretty long time. 
I hear a knocking on the door. Maybe someone forgot something?
"Come in," I yell.
The door rattles and then opens slowly. The person peeking their head in is not an actor or anyone from the staff. 
I stand up, maybe now it's time to use my self-defense training. I glare at the intruder.
"What do you want?"
He just starts crying. Making me feel guilty. Was I too harsh?
"I just really wanted to see your play, but I can't go outside so I ordered pizza and well now I'm in this guy's body but I don't have a clue what I'm doing!" The guy starts to speak fast as lightning but I manage to get most of it.
"Levi is that you?!" I'm baffled, to say the least.
He came for me. I can't help but smile. 
"Y-yeah but I don't think I can do this any longer." He looks sick somehow. 
"Levi, it's alright, take a deep breath." I try to calm him down. Touching his shoulder.
This makes him panic more and I suddenly feel a cold sensation. 
"Oh no, I can't do this again." Levi is bawling and tries to move away from me.
"It's fine, just get us home." I grab the guy's arm. 
Feeling the cold sensation once again. It's strange but not as bad as last time.
---------
When I come back to my senses I am indeed home. I feel somewhat relieved.
I see Levi, semi hiding behind a table. He looks very anxious. 
"Hey, there Levi." I stretch. 
He looks at me like a small puppy. "Are you okay?"
"Of course, better than ever. Now come here." I wave him over.
He hesitantly comes closer and finally sits down next to me.
"I wanted to thank you for coming today, it meant a lot to me." I give him a big genuine smile.
Levi blushes, playing with his hoodie. "It- it was worth it." He is kinda cute.
I gaze at him. I like him a lot. Sure he is awkward and has strange hobbies but he is a very sweet and caring guy.
"What?!" He looks nervously at me.
"I have just realized that I like you a lot,"  I say this casually but feel a bit nervous.
Levi blushes so much that he might as well cosplays as a tomato. "Don't make fun of me. You could never like a stupid ghost otaku like me." 
"Why not?" I shrug my shoulders, somewhat enjoying his response.
"Because you are so perfect and everything and I'm well, me." He says this at a high speed but yet I catch every word.
"Perfect? Does that mean you like me?" I tease him not expecting much to be honest.
"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm well I mean, I thought that was obvious not that I believe that you would ever like me." He drags his words and half whispers the important part.
"Too bad but you are wrong. Here I'll prove it." I grin at him.
Inching closer towards him, leaving no room for Levi to escape. 
Levi is essentially frozen. Usually, he would disappear in a situation like this but now he looks at me like a bunny to a wolf.
I take the chance and close the distance. Feeling extra bold, my lips meet his.
 Well, at least I think they do. All I feel is coldness and then I plunge face-first onto the couch.
Levi has vanished.
Just seconds later he screams from the other side of the room."Are you alright?" The boy can be fast if he wants.
"Yeah, I'm fine but this needs some more work." I sigh. This relationship clearly won't be easy.
"Does that mean you want to do that again?" He asks with a shaky voice.
"Kissing you? Sure, if you enjoyed it." I hadn't even considered this until I now mention it.
Levi turns into a tomato once again. "I didn't hate it but I need to prepare myself. If you do this so suddenly I might die." Levi is very sincere about this point. 
"Alright, I'll give you a heads up like 30 seconds ahead of time." I hold back a remark of him being already dead.
"That's not long enough. At least a minute or a day or two." Levi bites his lip.
"I don't have that kind of time so a minute it is." I smile at him.
Levi seems a bit unsure but at least he is mostly visible again.
"Now come here, and let's watch anime." This is the way to distract him for sure.
Levi slowly comes closer once the show begins.
He sits next to me like always.
"Head up," I whisper to him. Just planning to kiss his cheek.
Levi blushes. "Impossible!" He then runs off.
Yep definitely needs work. Oh well, I'm patient.
I snicker and continue to watch the show.
Living with my ghostmate, possible ghost boyfriend is pretty fun after all.
-------
The delivery guy was paid for his troubles and did not lose his job. Though he was slightly confused.
This is the last part
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undead-merman · 3 years
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Can I please request some bunny! Satan nsfw with a gn reader?
Thank you for all your works, I love reading them all!
Thanks. Someone else asked for the rest so here.
🐰Yandere Bunny Mammon, Leviathan, and Satan🐰 Mating Season GN - Reader NSFW
(Contains: Breeding Kink)
Mammon
Before Mating Season
Mammon is normally very unprepared for his Rut only ever noticing when it’s a day away or just as it starts. But now that you’re there he’s overprepared, much to his dismay, as his brothers tease him for it. Dozens of different kinds of healthy snacks, mineral waters, even creams for sores. He just wants to impress you even in ways like this.
He gets more moody than normal, getting angrier and more jealous of you. Yelling at anyone who even looks at you all while pulling you closer and shoving his face into you and guiding you away. He’s also extremely touchy, grabbing you playfully, smacking your ass, or even teasing your sex before backing away red faced, realizing what he did.
He’s much more forward asking you on dates and pulling you around or forcing himself into your room to spend time with you. He simply won’t leave you alone and anytime you wander off he whines and complains and practically throws himself at you. He simply monopolizes all of your time.
He steals a lot of your clothes and belongings and hides them in his room. When you need them he presents them to you with a wagging tail more like a dog than a rabbit telling you he got it for you so you don’t have to go far and push it onto you. He likes to keep one of your pillows in his hoard and hump into it while pretending it's you. He's scared to lose himself to his rut and doing something embarrassing or hurt you in some way. He thrusts into the pillow trying to elevate his building sexual frustration but it only gets him more worked up and craving you even more.
During Mating Season
When his Rut is a day or two away he gets far more aggressive with others looking at you then ever before and will drag you away and keep you locked up with him so your attention is only on him. He’ll just hold you, unwilling to let go. He nuzzles into your neck but slowly moves to more intimate spots, too lost in the feeling of you to realize his actions. He’s just begging you to love him and adore him, muttering in your skin with his eyes closed. His ears are shaking and tail is straight up.
His Rut hits him like a truck and he's all over you, placing open mouth kisses all over your body and his hands grip your hips tightly, but you can feel them shaking from his excitement and arousal. All embarrassment flies out the window and he’s trapping you under his body, panting heavily the idea of filling you until you're so fucked out, then driving you insane by continuing.
He takes an extra long time to prepare you, fingering you slowly and reslishing in the moans you make, almost a revenge of sorts for being so wonderful smelling right before his Rut. As he fingers you he’s grinding on any part of your body his hips come in contact with. He cums once or twice on you shivering while looking frustrated from not being satisfied at all and just getting more worked up.
Once he’s inside you, his ears are shaking wildly and he’s grinning from ear to ear as he suddenly pounds you until your legs shake with exhaustion. He’s covering your body in hickies and bite marks, but concentrating them in areas you both know will be noticeable afterwards. Mammon just happily grunts out how everyone will see just how much you belong together.
Even during breaks he likes to stay inside and just have you warm his cock, he desperately craves to stay inside of you. The way he casually talks about you being bred by him is embarrassing but he doesn’t even seem to notice just paying attention to if you need to eat or rest. After he’s right back into fucking you full and raw.
He loves any position he can put you in so long as he’s closely pressed to you he hates when you're too far from him and tugs you back in close to him.
After Mating Season
After his rut is over and his senses go back to normal he’s hiding himself under the sheets horrified and ashamed of all the embarrassing things he said and did; but if you try to stand he’ll suddenly burst from his cocoon, telling you to sit down and he’ll do whatever you need.
He takes some convincing to let you roam free again and when you’re allowed to leave he’s extremely protective of you and doesn’t even let his brothers look at you for too long and starts yelling at them as he pulls you into his arms using his entire body as a shield. He has a nasty kick befitting a rabbit he’s not afraid to use if anyone touches you.
He’s your one and only mate and he’s extremely boastful of it he uses you to brag and is so proud to call you his and the thought of him successfully breeding you makes him glow with excitement he’s constantly pestering you over and over to let him do it again. He swears that doing it with you gives him good luck and you're an amazing lucky charm.
Leviathan
Before Mating Season
Leviathan is absolutely horrified by his Rut and is one of the ones to overly prepare for it at least a month in advance and has a small anime themed backpack to hold all of his essentials in. He packs a ton of water bottles with a fruity flavored vitamin powder. He gets easily dehydrated so packing them is a must unless he wants to pass out.
He tries to keep it a secret as long as possible. His heart wouldn’t be able to handle the embarrassment after exposure, though he really really wants to spend his Rut with you. He keeps imagining it over and over and eventually he gets too worked up and has to mastrubate to his photo collection of you.
He has a hard time looking in your eyes but can’t look away from you. He’ll stare at the back of your head, trying to keep his breathing even, but looking away when you catch him staring. He pretends not to know what you're talking about. But if anyone gets close to you he’ll hunt them down and tear them to pieces in a jealous rage
During Mating Season
When it hits he tries to stay hidden in his room drooling over some clothes he stole and whimpering your name as he sniffs it and pumps it around his painfully hard dick his head filled with nothing but you and how much he wants to see his cum overflowing inside you and dripping down your legs. Eventually he can’t take it anymore and stops hiding, seeking you out and pulling you up on his hips and carrying you home making you wrap your legs around him and him burying his nose into you rubbing his scent into you.
Expect him to apologize over and over for ignoring you and him begging for you to forgive him. He was just embarrassed he’ll apologize by licking and stroking your sex trying to make you feel so good that you forget or forgive him. Then moving your entrance and swirling his tongue around it.
He presses into you, hard, as he grips your hips with surprising strength and makes you see stars as he hits every good spot you have, and even helps you discover some new ones. Every time he cums he asks you not to spill it and he pushes as deep as he could into you.
If you pull his ears you’ll see a switch flip inside of him and he’ll shiver with every thrust pulling into you over and over. His mind just goes blank and he just wants to cum inside you as much as possible. The instinct of breeding you is the only thing on his mind after that.
Once in a while he stops for a short break, hydrating but eating like a bird the whole time he’s snuggling up with you and weakly checking his phone while nuzzling into your collarbone. Bathing with him he sinks low into the bath so only above his nose stick out of the water relaxing for a few minutes before he tries to fuck you in the bath.
After Mating Season
He buries his face in a pillow and apologizes for being so avoidant before he offers you his jacket to keep you warm as he softly rubs your sore and weak legs and wipes a cool damp cloth to clean you up. He’s shockingly not as embarrassed as he thought he would be after he just feels happy.
He’s attentive, bringing you your favorite homemade meal or snacks trying to cutely feed it to you. He claims he doesn’t want to overexert you after everything. But he just wants to take cute pictures of you getting hand fed.
After everything calms down, you find him more confident in him asking you for things especially ear scratches he’s developed an addiction to having your hands on them.
Satan
Before Mating Season
He’s had this written down and planned for a while. He knew when to pinpoint it’s start and prepared for it more and more as it came closer. He knew his emotions would be all over the place so he made sure that you knew and were properly locked inside his room with him. He’d rather avoid the clean up after. If his previous Ruts have taught him anything it’s he knows how messy he can get with dealing with annoyances. So he has you locked up so you both can get ready and stay productive until the day.
He becomes very touchy way more than before, constantly brushing up on you and scenting you before going back to whatever he was last doing. He scents you by holding your face and rubbing his palms over your cheeks and lips as well as shoving his face into the crook of your neck and nuzzling it; however, as the days go by they get more and more lewd with light pinches and/or groping.
He has everything set up like it’s going to be a week-long get away. Drinks stored in cooling containers, quick and nourishing meals prepped and a cute little “toy” to get you ready for the days ahead, though preparation is key and he reminds you of that every time you cum from it.
When he sleeps he ends up nearly chewing on your neck and shoulder and he humps you as you both sleep. He ends up ripping a lot of your clothes and the sheets as he sleeps but he doesn’t seem sorry.
During Mating Season
Satan becomes almost animalistic as he smiles at you and rips your clothes off with his teeth and one hand and suddenly palms your sex as he grinds his hard cock into your ass. He rips his own clothes off and praises your body from the crown of your head to your toes before he hauls you off to his bed.
He’s glad for the forethought of using the toy since he can’t help himself and pulls it out slowly before stuffing you back up with his dick laughing with heavy breathes as he enjoys how warm you are around him.
If you let him, he’ll bind you up, wrists, ankles, and neck, bound with leather belts as he tugs you along, using his thumbs to roughly rub your chest, making you cum over and over again until your nipples are rubbed almost swollen. He loves seeing the marks after, kissing and licking them.
Appeal to his rougher side and ask for more or even rougher treatment and he’ll completely lose his mind for you and treat you as rough as you want. He’s nearly worshiping you as you take each punishment after the last. He’s sure to kiss every mark he makes just to remind you he’s doing this in love.
He instructs you to keep every little drop he cums inside you and if you don’t he’ll be sure to spank your ass red, afterwards for any that drips out, he pushes back in with his thumb.
During breaks he’s overly sweet, kissing every mark as you rest and petting your face over and over. Pet him back and he’ll lean into it with a large blissful smile, you’ve never seen him so relaxed.
After Mating Season
He’s right back to normal after what happened but he’s now tailing you everywhere, watching over you. He makes sure that no one gives you any trouble, ready to crush, smash and rip limb from limb anyone and anything that might potentially hurt you, his brothers are included on that list of things to crush. You're his mate now and he can’t let anything happen to you.
He brings you fresh snacks, packing you lunches, and offering to take care of anything he can for you. He wants to keep you happy and in good spirits and seeing you content and taken care of makes his heart beat wildly.
He scents you even more, nuzzling you wherever he can get to and covering you with his smell. When you're alone he rests his chin on your head and just embraces you, he wasn’t a huge fan of showing affection before but when you're out of public view he’s all over you.
For at least a week he’s in a wonderful mood after spending his Rut with you, his smile dazzling and he openly admits that he’d now rather just have you in his room. You get to have a choice to stay in his room free to roam around it or you stay by Satan's side at all times. You get to pick your collar at least.
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connordavidscamera · 3 years
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A Jealous Household | Connor Brashier
A/n: listen, I know it says y/n, but we all know it’s written about me, right? Okay, just wanna put that out there lol
Summary: Shawn and Brian want to have a party, but this party causes a few problems for Connor and y/n
Warnings: angst, underage drinking (for US standards, at least), pining
Word count: 7.5k, she’s a long one
***
“You want to have a party? When?” Y/n asks, closing her book and setting it in her lap.
“This weekend,” Shawn nods. “And it won’t be a big thing, I promise. Maybe fifteen, twenty people.”
“Thirty or forty, max,” Brian interjects.
I can’t help but laugh at that, neither can she as she says. “You know we can’t even fit thirty or forty people in the condo, right?”
“I know that, but that’s why we’ll have some of them in the backyard too.”
“So what’s the party even for?” She asks, leaning into my side. On instinct, I wrap my arm around her shoulders. 
They both shrug, “A house warming party? Does that still count if we’ve lived here for almost two months?” Shawn questions. 
She shrugs, “I don’t know. I mean, I don’t see why we couldn’t have one. We just have to be considerate of our neighbors. And nobody’s allowed in my room. If there’s alcohol, I’m not chancing anyone going into my room for a sloppy fuck.”
Shawn laughs, “So your sloppy fuck is gonna be in Connor’s room then?”
I roll my eyes at the comment. Shawn and Brian love to tease me about my crush on y/n. They have since the beginning. Shawn’s taunts are light hearted, but they’re plentiful now that we all live together. Brian’s at times feel almost malicious. But Brian also isn’t aware that I still have a crush on her, he thinks the feeling has passed. It definitely hasn’t. If anything, being in such tight quarters with her at all times has made me like her even more. Watching her move so effortlessly around our home - seeing her do her nightly routine, watching her polish her nails every Sunday like clockwork. I have undeniably fallen even deeper in love with her in just these few short weeks we’ve lived together and it’s killing me.
It’s killing me because we still haven’t talked about what she said to me a couple weeks ago when we were falling asleep together. I don’t even know if she remembers saying what she did. And I could have misinterpreted her words, I mean, she was falling asleep, her words were slurring. I could have misunderstood. At least, that’s what I’ve been telling myself every time the memory pops into my head. Which is about six times a day for the past three weeks.
Y/n gasps and tosses her book at him, "Asshole!"
He laughs, picking the book up off the floor from where it ricocheted off his chest. "I'm kidding. Kidding. But it's cool?"
She shrugs, "Yeah, whatever. Go nuts."
"Yes!" Shawn pumps his fist in the air before high fiving Brian. 
"We gotta get alcohol."
"Ah, wait. Before you two go broke buying drinks for the party, remember that we have bills to pay. So save us all a headache and make it BYOB."
Brian snaps and points at her with a click of his tongue. "This is why we keep you around."
She laughs, "Oh is that why?"
"Indeed," he nods.
"Okay, well can I have my book back, please?"
"Yeah, here," Shawn leans over the coffee table to hand it to her before disappearing to his room, Brian heading to the kitchen.
"What's wrong?" I ask, not looking up from my phone. I can sense that the wheels are turning in her head and she sighs dramatically.
"I don't remember which page I was on."
I force myself not to laugh. "243."
“Hmm?” She flips to that page and looks up at my side profile. “How’d you know that?”
I shrug, “I always memorize the page you’re on before you close the book, just in case.”
She smiles sheepishly and presses a kiss to my shoulder. “You’re cute,” she whispers before turning her attention back to the page in front of her and resting her head in the crook of my neck.
I squeeze her shoulder hoping she doesn’t look up and notice the growing blush on my cheeks, “You’re cuter.”
---
“Do you have any idea who’s coming to this?” Y/n asks as we move a cooler out to the backyard.
I shake my head, “Not really. I think Matt and his girlfriend, honestly, I have no idea. It’s Shawn, so there’s bound to be more people than we’re anticipating.”
“Lots of girls then.”
“Why do you say that?” I ask, setting the cooler down, providing her with my undivided attention (which she has always had). 
“He’s making a name for himself out here. Playing a few more gigs than at home. I noticed at the last one, he’s got a few groupies.”
I chuckle, “Oh really?”
She nods, “There were like five girls there just holding onto his every word. It was actually pretty cool to watch. But he got nervous. Started fidgeting with his necklace, so I had to get him out of there, which of course resulted in death glares from his adoring fans.”
“What? What do you mean? Death glares towards you?”
Y/n laughs, fixing the collar of her shirt that’s falling off her shoulder. “Yeah. I think they thought there was more there than there is,” she shrugs, “And if looks could kill, I would be dead five times over.”
I shake my head, I don’t like that thought, and I say as much. “I don’t like that thought.”
“What? Shawn having groupies?”
“No, girls staring daggers at you because you’re friends with him.”
“It’s not a big deal.”
I know it’s not, but the thought of someone not liking her is appalling to me. “I still don’t like it.”
“Is it because if something happened to me you’d be left to live alone with Shawn and Brian? Because that would make me sad too.”
I force a laugh, “That, and I’d be bored without you.”
She nods understandingly, “I get it. I am the light of your life,” she teases.
You are, I think to myself. “Yeah, yeah,” I say instead, stepping forward, wrapping my arm around her waist. “Let’s get inside, it’s hot as hell out here.”
Shawn and Brian are sitting on the floor in front of the TV, trying to get the wifi hooked up to it. We barely got wifi installed at the beginning of the week, but we’ve all been so busy, we haven’t had the chance to get everything hooked up to it. 
“It’s not working!” Brian complains, throwing his hands up in frustration.
“Well try again! That’s what the router says.” Shawn counters back.
“Let me see that,” Brian snatches the router out of his hands. “Dumbass! You’re reading me the product number! Not the fucking password!”
Y/n and I hide our faces to keep from bursting into a fit of laughter, but we both break when Shawn pouts when Brian puts the router back in his hands after successfully connecting the TV.
“Oh, what’s with the pouty face, rockstar?” y/n asks.
“Brian’s a dick,” he mutters, which causes Brian to punch his shoulder.
“Ow!” Shawn exclaims, reaching to hold his arm. “That hurt!”
“It was supposed to. Want me to do it again?”
“Craigen,” y/n shakes her head and before I can protest, she’s out of my grasp and I suddenly feel lonely without her body next to mine. “No more fighting.”
“Just one time in the face,” he tries to reason. “Just once. Come on, it’s a long time coming. I’ve wanted to punch him in the face since we were kids.”
“No,” she squats down behind Shawn, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, leaning her head against his. I watch Shawn fall into her touch and I’m envious of him. Even though she holds onto me in the exact same way, almost daily, she isn’t right now and it makes me long for it. Especially when I watch her start to massage his scalp and he hums because her head scratches feel like you’re in heaven. “You can’t punch him in the face. That’s the money maker,” she squishes his cheeks with her free hand and speaks in a mock baby voice, “And if he’s got a black eye how will he charm girls with his pretty face tonight?”
Shawn laughs and pushes her hand away, but he reaches back and pats her calf. “Sit down,” he says and she obliges, her legs spreading and bracketing Shawn’s. He falls back into her and takes her hand that was just squeezing him and brings it to his lips to kiss her knuckles before bringing it to his hair as well. “More head scratches.”
She rolls her eyes, but continues anyway. “So fucking needy.”
He hums, “Could fall asleep like this.”
She hums too and looks up at me with a smile that melts my heart, “Connor does all the time.”
I nod, “I do. Feels good. Your hands are magic.”
“How magic? Like you could get me off in three seconds?”
“Brian!” I growl. Yep, we can always count on him to ruin the mood.
But y/n’s laughing, “I’m sure I could, I mean, if you ask your first girlfriend, you only last five so I don’t think it’ll be difficult,” she answers.
Shawn’s hysterical in y/n’s arms, as am I as I fall to the floor, clutching my stomach. But Brian? Brian is livid.
“I can’t believe she told you that! She said she wouldn’t tell anyone!”
This only makes Shawn and I laugh harder. “Wait, did that actually happen?” I ask between fits. “Craigen, come on,” I groan when he’s silent. “Five seconds?”
“It was our first time!”
“And last, apparently,” y/n comments.
“Shut up!” he groans. “Fuck, I can’t stand you.”
She nods, “I know.”
“No, but seriously, when did she tell you that?”
Y/n breaks out into a wide grin. “She didn’t. But you just did. Thanks for that.”
He’s speechless. Absolutely speechless. And his face is so red; I don’t know if it’s in anger or embarrassment, but either way, Shawn pipes up. “Hey, if it makes you feel any better, my first time I only lasted like twenty seconds.”
“I lasted fifteen,” I confirm, but I immediately regret it when y/n’s face morphs into one of confusion. 
Oh, oh fuck. I never told her that I-
“Wait, you’ve had sex?”
“You didn’t know?” Shawn questions, looking back at her.
She shakes her head, “I guess not.”
I sigh and scratch the back of my head, “Yeah. It was… during that time where we weren’t really talking,” I mumble.
She nods slowly, scoffing, and I can’t quite pin her emotion, but it’s definitely a cross between anger and… is that jealousy? “Ah, good ol’ McKenzie,” she mutters under her breath. She exhales deeply out her nose and focuses her attention back to playing with Shawn’s hair. 
“I would have told-”
“We weren’t talking. I know,” she cuts me off. “And it’s none of my business. It wasn’t then, and it’s not now either.”
“Oh, right. Okay,” I nod once. “New subject.”
---
We’re tiptoeing around each other the rest of the day. Or more so, I’m tiptoeing around her. She somehow is coming off as completely unbothered, but at the same time completely bothered. I don’t know what to make of this situation. I don’t know if I should apologize for not telling her, or if she even wants me to apologize. I don’t know and it’s killing me not knowing what I can do to make this better for us tonight.
I’m helping Brian pour more ice into the cooler we have in the kitchen when she walks out of her room. “Where’s Shawn?” she asks.
I look up at her and my heart stops for a moment. She’s wearing red, my heart never knows what to do when she wears that color. Does it stop? Does it speed up? Yes. 
“He went to his car to get the beer we got this afternoon,” Brian answers, closing the lid. 
SHe nods, “I’ll go help him.”
I watch as she leaves, not taking a full breath until the door shuts behind her. 
“She still mad at you?” 
I shake my head, “I don’t know. I don’t even know if she is mad at me.”
“Well, it’s y/n. You kept something from her for almost three years. I’m willing to bet she’s a little upset.”
I sigh, “Yeah, I know. But I mean, how was I supposed to tell her. She would barely even look at me during that time, so -”
“Yeah, because McKenzie was a bitch to her. How was she supposed to look at you when she was practically threatened or called out or god know what when you weren’t listening. I’d hate to know what she actually said when none of us were there to listen.”
I exhale deeply. I know my ex was the worst to her - she’s the entire reason y/n and I weren’t talking. She told me not to hang out with her as much, so I didn’t (also because I was trying to prove to Brian that I didn’t have feelings for y/n anymore. That was a mistake.) “So, I should apologize.”
Brian shrugs, “We all know you’re gonna apologize. You can’t stand it when she’s mad at you. Honestly, we can’t either. We have no idea what to do when you two aren’t talking. And since we all live together now, it’ll be even more awkward for you two to not talk.”
I nod, “Yeah. I know. I’ll apologize later. You should go get ready. I can finish up out here.”
Brian claps my shoulder, “Thanks, man. I’ll be quick.” He disappears at the same time Shawn and y/n walk in the front door with the drinks. I make my way over to them.
“Here, let me get that for you,” I tell her, reaching to take the cases from her hands.
“Oh, it’s okay. I got it. You want these inside or out, rockstar?”
“In the fridge, in the back. Gotta keep the good stuff for us.” Shawn hands me a pottle of vodka, “Put this in the freezer? I got it for y/n, I’m gonna make her a new drink.”
“You’re gonna risk giving her alcohol poisoning?” I question, raising one eyebrow at him.
He rolls his eyes, “I’ve gotten better at making drinks, dickhead.”
I laugh and hold my hands up in surrender, “Alright, sure.”
“I’m gonna put these in my room for now, and then I’m gonna get ready.”
“Brian’s in the shower, you can use my bathroom,” I say as y/n moves past us to the kitchen. 
“Good looking out, thanks.”
And now it’s just me and her. It’s like any normal day. So why is my heart beating so quickly?
I watch her move some things around in the fridge to make room for the drinks, and I can’t help but smile. “You look pretty tonight,” I tell her, leaning against the counter.
She looks over at me and smiles softly, “Thanks.”
I clear my throat, “Hey, y/n?”
“Hmm?” she turns her attention back to her task at hand.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?” she asks, closing the fridge.
“For not telling you that I slept with her.”
“Oh,” she nods. “It’s fine. It really is not any of my business who you have and haven’t slept with.”
“Well maybe not, but you are my best friend, and we tell each other everything. I know if we were on better terms when you were dating Noah, you would have told me that you-”
“I didn’t tell you because we didn’t sleep together.”
“What?” I stare at her with wide eyes. 
“Noah and I didn’t sleep together.”
“But I thought-”
“You assumed. But no, it didn’t happen. I wasn’t ready. I mean, I barely let him kiss me, so how the hell was I gonna sleep with him?”
I nod because I don’t know what else to do or even say. She’s right, I just assumed that they had sex because he always had his hands all over her. I almost scoff at the thought. I hated watching him hold her in the hallway, his hands in her back pockets as he pulled her closer to him. Seeing them together everyday made my heart clench every time because it should have been me. I wonder if that’s how she felt when I had a girlfriend. 
“Look, it doesn’t matter, okay? So, let’s just drop it. It’s not like I’m mad you had sex, I was just surprised to find out this way, that’s all.”
“Yeah, I get it. And I would have told you sooner, but there really was never a time, you know? And it was just with her a couple times, nothing since.”
“Connor, you really don’t need to explain it to me. Actually, if we could just stop talking about her all together, that’d be great.”
“No, yeah. Of course. It’s dropped.”
She nods, “Okay, good. So, you should go get dressed.”
“What do you mean? I’m wearing this,”  I gesture to my torn t-shirt and my sweatpants with paint stains up and down the legs from when we painted the living room a few weeks ago. I’m totally joking, but I want to see her reaction anyway.
She looks me up and down and scoffs, “Yeah, no. Go change. You’re not wearing that.”
I pout dramatically, “Why not?”
“One, those pants are a mess. Two, you know you run hot when you drink, so why would you wear sweatpants? And three, that shirt is literally falling apart. You are not wearing that, go change.”
I can’t fight the smile that tugs at my lips because just like that we’re back to normal. “Okay, I’m going. Do you have something you’d like for me to wear?”
“Yes, your black pants with the white tank top and your peachy cream shirt. The one you wore for our graduation party.”
I nod, “Yes, ma’am. You wanna do my hair?”
“Come find me when you’re done, and I’ll see what I can do.”
---
I’m talking to my friend Will out in the backyard as the party becomes bigger than anticipated. Yeah, definitely called that situation. 
“Bro, I wish I would have saved up more so I could have gotten a place like you guys did. I emailed my roommate last week to see what he wanted to get for the dorm and he straight up said, ‘I don’t plan to be roommates long, so nothing.’”
I can’t help but laugh, “Hey, we’d take you in over Brian, but he’d throw a bitch fit.”
He laughs too, twisting the cap off his beer. “So what’s it like living with y/n? Everything good?”
“Yeah, everything’s great. She knows how to run a household. She made a chore chart that goes on the fridge. Shawn had to beg her to take it down for the party because he was embarrassed.”
“Sounds like y/n. But that’s not what I meant.”
I take a swig of my beer and shrug, “There’s nothing else to say really. She’s nice to live with.”
“No progression between you two.”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Right, right. Because you’re not in love with her, right.”
“Will, come on. Not tonight.”
“Okay, okay. I get it. We’re not in a teasing mood tonight.”
Or ever. Will is a great friend of mine, and I would take a bullet for him, but he asks me for y/n updates every time we’re together, and I never have any for him. When I told him we were moving in together, he was stoked, but less so when I told him we were moving with Shawn and Brian too. 
He - like Shawn - is an avid supporter of us getting together. Will found out about my so-called crush one night in high school, actually a couple weeks after my breakup with McKenzie. Y/n and I still weren’t talking. I was trying to mend things and  she was trying to push me further away. I don’t remember much of the night he found out because I got shit faced drunk, but I somehow admitted to him that I had feelings for her and he’s convinced himself that he knows the biggest secret in the world. He treats it like he holds the key to the universe. If anyone wants us together more than I do, it’s him.
“Just don’t want to risk her hearing anything,” I tell him. “I already made things awkward earlier.”
“What? How?”
I shake my head, “Let it slip that Kenz and I slept together.”
He blanches. “She didn’t know?!”
I shake my head, “No. I never found the right time to tell her. But she keeps saying it isn’t her business, so I don’t know if that means she’s hurt by it or if I’m imagining it because right now it seems like she doesn’t really care. But - I don’t know, I want her to, I guess.” 
He smirks, “She cares.”
“I don’t know,” I mutter, looking inside, lifting my bottle up to my lips, but halting when I see her standing near the sliding glass door with - “Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me.”
“What?” Will asks, turning toward the door. “What hap - is that? Wait, is that Noah? What is he doing here?”
My jaw clenches, just like the grip around the bottle in my hand. “Better question, why the hell is he so close to her?”
Will sucks in a breath, “Are they still friends?”
I don’t answer him because I don’t know. I’m 99% sure they aren’t, but that 1% that says yes is simply because I’m watching them right now and she’s hugging him and letting him kiss her cheek before he pulls away. “I didn’t think they were. She hasn’t brought him up since the breakup.”
I don’t take my eyes off them as I start chugging the rest of my beer. It was still pretty full, but at this moment, I need to finish it because I need something stronger. 
“I’m gonna go get a drink,” I mutter, tossing my bottle in the trashcan near the cooler. I walk inside, but neither of them notice me. I shake my head and walk to Shawn’s room where he hid most of the hard stuff. I find the bottle of tequila that he stashed because he knew if he put it out, it’d go fast. I twist the top off and take, maybe a little more than a shot. I cough into my elbow when I pull the bottle back because wow he got the strong stuff.
Shaking my head, I close the bottle back up and sneak out of Shawn’s room. When I enter the living room, they’re still standing there talking. Or, he’s talking, she’s nodding at something he’s saying. I click my tongue and walk into the kitchen to grab another beer. SHould I be mixing my alcohol? No, I should not. Is that going to stop me? No, it is not. 
My girl’s ex-boyfriend is over there talking to her and touching her like they’re best buds and I can’t stand it. I can’t stand him. 
I still remember the day she told us that she was going on a date with him. 
All four of us are sitting in our usual booth at the diner, everything seems to be going like it always has. Just us four, laughing and making our weekend plans. The difference though is that y/n and I aren’t sitting shoulder to shoulder right now. She’s pushed against the window, and I’m toward about as far left as I can get without it being noticeable, or falling. 
“So, we’re aiming for Saturday afternoon, right? Y/n, you’ll ride with me?” Shawn asks.
“Oh,” she sits up straight, “um, could we maybe do it on Sunday instead? I kind of already have plans on Saturday.”
“What?” Brian furrows his brows, “Without us?”
She nods, “Yeah,” she takes in a sharp breath beside me. “I um… I kinda, I have a date.”
At that exact moment, our heads whip in her direction - I’m pretty sure if I turned any faster I would have given myself whiplash.
“A date?” I ask as calmly as I can.
“With who?” Shawn questions.
She shrugs, “You know that guy Noah? I have him in like all of my AP classes? He asked me out after class this morning.”
I don’t think I can clench my jaw any harder. Noah. I hate him. I’ve never personally met him, but I hate him. “Cool,” I mutter, turning my head back to the table to reach for my drink. 
“Well?” Shawn prompts. “What are you gonna do? Where is he taking you?”
She clasps her hands in her lap and shrugs again. “I don’t know. He hasn’t told me. Said he wanted it to be a surprise.”
“Ooh, romantic,” Brian teases.
“You hate surprises,” I mumble into my cup.
Y/n clears her throat and shifts uncomfortably in her seat. “It’s just one date. Not a big deal.”
“Okay, sure,” Brian says. “So Sunday then?”
“And you’ll tell us all about it?”
“Sure.”
There are very few times that I wish I was deaf, but that day was one of them. I didn’t sleep that whole night. I couldn’t. And the night of her date? Forget it. I was up all night wondering what was happening. Did he hold her hand? Did he hug her? Did that bastard take her first kiss? The first kiss that was supposed to belong to me? 
And right now, as I watch him reach for her elbow again, I decide, fuck it. I don’t care if I look like a jealous asshole, I’m taking my girl away from him. I stride over to them and place my hand on her hip, “Hey, baby. Can you help me find the bottle opener? I can’t remember what drawer you put it in the other day, and I think my eyes are failing me.”
She shakes her head, “Um, yeah. It should be in the drawer closest  to the fridge.”
“I checked there, please, come help me look.”
She rolls her eyes and turns back to Noah who is staring daggers at my hand on her hip. I smirk. “Noah, it was good catching up with you. I’ll find you later. I’m gonna help him out.”
He looks back up at her and forces a smile, “Sure. Sounds good. Save me dance?”
Over my dead body. “Come on, baby,” I say, guiding her toward the kitchen.
She steps in front of me, mumbling a couple excuse me’s to the people blocking the kitchen. Then she b-line’s to the drawer closer to the fridge, which I definitely did not check because I wasn’t really looking for the bottle opener. I just needed an excuse to get her away from Noah.
“Here,” she holds it out to me. “Wait, I thought Shawn got twist tops.” She takes the bottle from my hand and laughs, “Bub, it twists off.” She says, taking the cap off the bottle. 
“Oh,” I chuckle. I knew it was a twist top, again, I just needed an excuse to get her away. “Whoopsies?” 
She puts the bottle opener back in the drawer and leans against the counter. “You having fun?”
I shrug, “I’m alright. So um… Noah’s here.”
Y/n nods slowly, “Yeah, he is.”
“Kinda weird that he showed up after we just talked about him,” I mutter.
“Yeah, I guess. He just tagged along with one of his friends.”
I nod, “Mhm. You two looked pretty cozy.”
“Excuse me?” 
“Nothing. Just, I mean, I haven’t heard you talk about him since the breakup,” I take a sip of the beer in my hand. “I didn’t realize you two were still so close.”
She tilts her head at me, “We’re not. We were just catching up. He didn’t know that I lived here too.”
“Uh-huh, so you haven’t talked to him recently?”
She scoffs, crossing her arms over her chest. “What’s with the third degree, huh?”
“You didn’t answer my question,” I mutter.
“No, Connor. I haven’t talked to him recently. In fact, I haven’t talked to him since the breakup. But what does that matter? Why does it matter who I do and do not talk to?”
“I just think it’s a little strange that he came here tonight.”
“Well, I didn’t invite him, if that’s what you’re insinuating. He came with a friend. He didn’t even know it was our party, or our house. He just showed up.”
“So he crashed it. Classy.”
“What is your deal?” She pushes herself off the counter and stands face to face with me, her forehead creasing as she glares at me. I want to smooth the crease and tell her not to do that because she’ll get a headache, but I refrain. 
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Please,” she scoffs, “you’re acting like a jealous boyfriend! Newsflash, Connor, you’re not my boyfriend.”
I recoil, because sure I know I’m not, but the words spew from her lips like venom. “I know that.”
“Do you? Because right now it doesn’t seem like you do. Now unless I completely missed the part where you asked me to be your girlfriend, you have no right to be upset over me talking to my ex-boyfriend.”
“He was an ass to you then.”
“How would you know?! We weren’t even talking then.”
“Because you didn’t want to! I was still trying to fix things with us but you were pushing me away.”
“No, I wasn’t pushing you away. I was protecting myself from getting hurt again.”
“But it wasn’t me, that was Kenzie, and -”
She groans in frustration, “Why are we talking about her again? Why? I can’t do this.”
“Do what?”
Y/n pinches the bridge of her nose. “Look, you’re my best friend, and I love you. But you have no right to be upset about Noah. You are not my boyfriend -”
“Why do you keep saying that?”
“Because you aren’t! You like to act like you are sometimes, but you’re not.”
“Do you want me to be?!” I exclaim, setting my bottle down.
She scoffs, shaking her head. “Not like this,” she says quietly, pushing past me.
“Y/n!” I call after her, but she ignores me. I, however, can’t ignore the eyes that are on me.
---
“He’s jealous?” Alessia asks, leaning back on her hands. We’re sitting on the grass in the backyard. It’s quieter out here, and far less crowded. “Does he even have a right to be?”
“That’s what I’m saying! He’s my best friend, but sometimes he acts like he’s my boyfriend and I just - I’m over it.”
She sighs, “You’re over him acting like your boyfriend.”
“Yes,” I say.
“Because you want him to actually be your boyfriend.”
“What? No! No,” I shake my head, “that’s not it.”
Les smiles, “Honey, it’s obvious the way you two look at each other. And you can deny it because you’re best friends, you live together. You don’t want to risk the integrity of the friendship that you have. And that is totally reasonable, but you two need to discuss what you are to each other. Because it’s clear that in his mind, you’re a little bit more than just ‘best friends.’ And well, you’ve always wanted to be more, so what’s so wrong with him being that?”
I sigh and pick at the grass beside me, “I don’t know if he feels this way genuinely or if it’s because I’m closer now. We live together, it seems almost easy or convenient for him to develop some tiny crush because of the proximity.”
At this she laughs, “Oh, honey. That is definitely not it.”
“How do you know?”
“Because that boy has been in love with you since before I even met you guys. It’s written all over his face and if you took a second to just stop and -”
“Hey, sorry to interrupt, guys,” Shawn says, breathlessly, pushing his curls out of his face. “Y/n, Connor’s drunk off his ass, and I need your help”
I sit up, “Okay, How much did he drink?”
“Like, the entire bottle of tequila I had in my room, plus however many beers he had.”
I stand up, swatting at the backs of my legs to get off any dirt, “Is he throwing up?”
“No, he’s just asking for you.”
I nod and look back to Alessia, “We’ll talk later, Les?”
“Mhm, go take care of your boy.”
“Why did he drink so much?” I ask Shawn, following him toward the sliding glass door. 
He shrugs, “I asked him. He said you were mad at him.”
I roll my eyes, “Well yeah, he was being an ass. But it still doesn’t make sense.If he drinks every time I get upset with him, he’d be an alcoholic ”
“All I know is that he was asking for you,” Shawn says just as we find Connor sitting outside my bedroom door, nursing another beer bottle. 
I shake my head, “God, he knows not to be switching between alcohol.”
“Connor, buddy?” Shawn says, squatting down next to him. “I got her. Why don’t you give me that beer, eh?” He goes to take it from his hands, but Connor’s quick to move it, spilling a bit of it on his shirt in the process.
“No, this is mine. Get your own,” he slurs
I sigh and squat down next to him, too. “I think you’ve had enough, bub. Come on, let me have it.”
He looks at me with heavy eyes and he pouts, dramatically. “Y/n… you’re so pretty.”
“Connor,” I shake my head. 
“I love you in red. God, you look so good. Could never get,” he hiccups, “tired of looking at you.”
I blush, looking over at Shawn who’s still sitting with us. “Okay, come on. Let’s get up. We need to get you to bed.”
He nods slowly, “Whatever you want, baby.”
I take the drink out of his hand and set on the floor beside us. “Shawn, help me get him up.”
Shawn nods, “You got it.” He does most of the heavy lifting, but when Connor’s on his feet, he leans into me, hugging my waist, burying his head in my neck. 
“I’m so sorry, y/n. So sorry.”
“I know, come on now. We’re going to your room.”
He groans into my skin, but helps me and Shawn take him to his room as best as he can, only stumbling once when we round the corner. We push his bedroom door open and walk further into the room, plopping him down on the bed. 
“Thanks, Shawn. I got it from here.”
“You sure?” 
I nod, moving to grab his trash can from next to his desk. “Yeah, we’re good. Thanks for coming to get me.”
He nods, “Of course. Come get me if you need anything else.”
Connor groans as Shawn slams the door shut behind him. I sigh and move around the room, turning on his bedside lamp and going to his desk chair where his outfit from earlier is laid out. “Okay, bub, I’m gonna need you to help me out, alright? I need you to get out of your clothes, I’m gonna put you in pajamas, okay?”
He shakes his head, his pout even heavier than usual, eyes struggling to stay open. “Too tired. You do it.”
I close my eyes, taking in a deep breath. Of course he’s gonna be difficult right now. I shake my head, throwing his clothes beside him, “Can you stand up?”
He mumbles something incoherent, but I’m pretty sure it’s somewhere along the lines of “The room is spinning.”
“Fuck, Connor, why did you drink so much?” I grumble, moving to the floor to take his shoes off.
“You’re mad at me,” he whines.
“Yes, I am. You know your limits. What were you gonna do if this didn’t happen at the house, hmm?”
“M’sorry.”
I roll my eyes, “Okay, sit up,” I reach for his hands to help pull him to a sitting position. 
He makes an unnecessary amount of groaning sounds as he moves around to accommodate me.
I push his shirt off his shoulders, it’s almost damp, he’s sweating so much. I throw it to the side, I’ll put it in the laundry room when I go get him some pain meds in a little bit. I take hold of the hem of his tank top, “Arms up,” I pat his side and he obliges, looking up at me with a sad smile on his lips. “What’s wrong?” I ask him, tossing his tank top off to the side too.
“I’m sorry I got mad earlier. About Noah.”
I shake my head, “It’s fine. Lay back, lift your hips for me.”
He lays back, but his pout still remains on his face as I lean forward to unbutton his pants.
“What now?” I question softly, pulling down his zipper, “Hips up.”
He’s looking at me with such sad eyes and it’s killing me. “This isn’t how I wanted you to undress me for the first time.”
My breath hitches, “What?”
“Wanna make love to you,” he slurs. 
I almost choke on his words, “Connor, you’re drunk,” I shake my head, pulling his pants off him and grabbing his sweats to pull up his legs instead. I decide to forgo the shirt because he’s already sweating a lot, I don't want to make him even hotter. “You don’t know what you’re saying. I’m gonna go get you some water and pain meds. Stay here.” I move the trash can closer to him, “The trash is right next to you if you feel like you’re gonna get sick.
I pick up his discarded clothes from the floor and walk to the door and out the room before he can say anything else he doesn’t mean. After tossing them in the hamper in the laundry room, I squeeze past the group of people still congregating in the hallway. I slip into my room and grab some of my pain meds from my book bag and quickly slip out again to head to the kitchen which is also crowded. I mumble out a general excuse me, and go to the fridge to grab Connor a bottle of water. 
On my way back, I stop and go to his bathroom which is thankfully empty, and grab a hand towel and wet it under the faucet to hopefully cool him down a bit. When I’m back in his room, he’s laying face down on his bed and I stop for a minute, admiring his smooth skin, and the way the muscles in his shoulders tense up when he moves his arm above his head. It’s not fair. No one man should look this good. 
I shake my head, focusing back on the task at hand. I close the door behind me gently. “Okay, Connor. I need you to sit up just one more time to take these pills and then you can go to bed, yeah?”
He groans, “I think I drank too much, baby,” he mumbles, pushing himself up and I'm once again in awe of how his muscles move with him. 
I scratch at my scalp and nod, holding out the pills for him. “Yeah, I think you did, too.” He takes them in his hand and I sit next to him, uncapping the water bottle before handing it to him as well.
“Thank you,” he hiccups.
“You’re welcome.” I look down at my hands as he takes the pills. He goes to hand me the water bottle back but I shake my head, “You need to drink it all. We’re trying to avoid a hangover.”
He just holds the bottle in his lap, not moving to drink anymore of it, so I look back up at him only to find him already staring at me. 
“You okay?” I ask.
He hums and reaches forward. He runs his thumb under my eye, “You got an eyelash. I got it,” he mumbles, but he keeps his hand cradling the side of my face. 
My eyes search his tired ones, they’re glossed over, but they always get that way when he drinks, making his eyes seem just a little more blue than green. 
“Have I told you tonight that you look pretty?” he asks quietly. 
“Multiple times,” I confirm. 
“Good, because you are… so, so pretty.”
I lick my lips and watch his eyes move from my eyes to my lips and back. I take in a shallow breath as he starts to lean closer. His eyes closed as his face inches toward mine. I push him back gently just before his lips have the chance to connect with mine, and I mean just before because I could feel his breath against my mouth. “What are you doing?” I question.
“I was… I was trying to kiss you. Did you, I thought you wanted to - when we were laying in bed a couple weeks ago, you said you wanted me to kiss you.”
“Well, I… Connor,” I shake my head. I didn’t think he heard me when I said that. “Not like this. Not tonight. Not when you’re drunk and not thinking clearly.” I stand up, pacing slowly in front of him. “If you’re gonna kiss me, I want you to be sober, and to actually want to do it. Not just because we got in a fight earlier. I don’t want this to be something you do now and then completely forget about or ignore, or fuck, even worse, regret in the morning. I don’t want that. I don’t deserve that. I don’t deserve to be led on by you again.”
“Again?” He asks, tilting his head at me. 
“Nevermind. I should go back out there, start cleaning up so it’s not so much tomorrow.”
“Wait, y/n, please. Stay here, please. Stay with me tonight.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“I won’t try anything, I promise. Please, just stay?”
I sigh, “Just until you fall asleep.”
---
It’s nearing eleven in the morning when Shawn finally retreats from his room. He’s not nearly as hungover as I bet the other boys are going to be. If he’s even hungover at all, he doesn’t seem to be. 
He leans against the counter, watching me pull my second batch of cookies from the oven. “You’re stress baking,” he observes.
I scoff, “I made muffins too,” I nod in the direction of the counter in front of him where a plate of blueberry muffins sits. 
“Ooh,” he reaches forward and takes one, “Not that I like when you’re stressed, but this my favorite of your coping mechanisms.”
“For purely selfish, I presume.”
“Of course,” he says around a mouthful of muffin. “So,” he says after he swallows. “Does this sudden urge to bake have anything to do with what happened last night with Connor?”
I tense up at the memory of Connor leaning in to kiss me. Me pushing him away. “Maybe.”
“So what did happen after I left you two?”
“Nothing,” I shake my head.
“Well, the glorious smell of our kitchen and the spotless living room say otherwise.”
I close my eyes and rub my hands over my face. “He, god, he tried to kiss me.”
“What?” Shawn chokes. 
“Shh! You’ll wake them.”
“Oh please, Brain will be asleep until five. Nothing will wake him. He kissed you?! Well, how was it?”
“I said he tried. As in, I didn’t let him. I pushed him away before he could.”
“Why? Don’t you want him to?”
“Of course! But not like that! Not when he’s drunk and not himself. WHen he’s saying stupid things like he wants to make love to me, and that he wishes I was undressing him for the first time under different circumstances.”
“What? He said all of that?! Oh my god! Go, Connor!”
“No, not go Connor. Because he’s not going to remember any of this when he wakes up and I’m going to remember everything and have to pretend that he didn’t say anything or try to kiss me. And I’m stuck being led on once again, except this time he lives just down the hall and I have to see him everyday.”
Shawn sighs, “Okay, you’re right. So, what are you going to do?”
“Same thing I always do.”
He nods, “I’ll get my guitar.”
***
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sin-of-jess · 3 years
Text
Kirishima-Sero-Kaminari foursome
Type:  Smut
All characters are aged up to at least 21!
~
The microwave dings and I pull the scorching hot bag of popcorn out, carefully opening the bag and adding its contents to the big bowl. It took three bags to fill the large plastic bowl, but it would be plenty for the four heroes as they settled down in the living room.
Kaminari was dumping the last of the chocolate candy into a smaller version of the popcorn bowl, Sero coming from the back of his apartment with arms full of throw blankets and pillows while Kirishima fumbled with the remote.
Since I was on popcorn patrol I sat in the very middle of the single couch, legs crossed and a blanket placed in my lap before the warm bowl. Sero sat to my left and Kirishima to my right, Kaminari plopping down in the nest of pillows in front of the three. Along with a single couch was a chair in the living room, but the chair sat a ways away from the couch, so Kaminari made due.
Low rated movies were a guilty pleasure of Sero and Kaminari, who had watched them as young teenagers. As I grew closer with the pair I had been invited to join, and this will be a dozen times since I've joined in. This was the first time for Kirishima, so they had let the red-headed man pick the cheesy flick of the night.
The movie chosen was a monster film, and after turning out all the lights and locking the doors, the group settled down. The movie was at least 40 years old and had your standard family at the center of the film. As the foundation of the film plays out, everyone begins joking at the bad acting as they munched on the snacks.
The popcorn was already a third gone, and my back began to ache at the straight angle I had kept it thus far. Shifting my legs so they were sitting on Sero, I adjust my upper body until my shoulder brushes with Kirishima's. He doesn't say anything, only glances down before his eyes go back to the darkening scene on tv.
Sero shifted his body, moving my legs so they sat comfortably on him, something we've done many times before. The monster favored the darkness, and it was nearly pitch black in the room as the fictional family on tv suffered from a blown breaker.
The scene was intended to be intense, but the group snickered as the crudely made black mass of a 'monster' moved across the window in the back of the shot. "It looks like someone with black bedsheets over their head," Jokes Kaminari as he turns and attempts to toss a piece of chocolate candy into Kirishima's opened mouth.
The candy misses and lands on my arm, and as I pop it into my mouth the lights flash on, and the mother on tv shrieks. "My heart is pounding," Sero comment's with absolutely no emotion.
As the movie goes on my body eases its way down until I'm perched up against Kirishima, who glances down at me every so often. "You okay?" I ask him.
He tenses for a moment, "Y-yeah." He whispers back, shifting his arm so it was draped over the couch behind us. The family in the movie settles down for the night, and that's when the scene turns steamy. The older couple went from discussing the weird happenings of the neighborhood to the woman topless and the man licking all over her chest.
"Errr..." Kirishima mumbles awkwardly as the scene unfolds.
The pair on tv waste no time in the act of sex. loud breathy moans filling the room along with the chuckle of Kaminari, "These movies are always rated this high up cause of sex."
As the man finishes and the scene changes, Kirishima grumbles out an "I thought it was because of the scary stuff."
It took a while for Kirishima's blush to lessen, but by the time the man had finally relaxed, another woman was topless. There was a young and gorgeous woman who was going skinny dipping in the river behind the wooded neighborhood. It was twilight as the woman slowly crept into the water, her nipples grew hard and so did something else.
Sero had chosen to wear sweatpants, just like the other guys. I was wearing comfy shorts, and my bare skin could feel the bump as his cock jumped to life at the sight. The scene was changing between the naked woman, the older son of the family peeping on her, and the shadowy monster hiding in the treeline.
"Just a group of perv's" Kaminari comments as he reaches back to grab some popcorn.
"Like you wouldn't be out there looking too." I retort as I let my leg slide across the thickening dick beside me. My eyes flicker over to Sero, who's eyes are already on me. I grin at him deviously as I rub a bit firmer, shifting around as if I was getting comfy as I glide my foot down his length.
The others don't notice the teasing, and Kirishima and Kaminari both cringe at the death of the naked woman. As the son rushes home to tell his family, Kaminari snorts, "How do you explain why you were looking."
"Why was she even getting naked there in the first place?" I comment back, to which they all agree. There's a blanket over Sero's lap, but the slow rubbing of my foot on his cock was barely noticeable in the dark room.
The parents dismiss the upset son, sending him to bed as the four of us laugh, "A murder you say?" Kaminari says in a mocking voice.
"Nah you're eyes are playing tricks go to sleep!" Kirishima continues in a similar mocking voice. Sero hadn't joined in on the jokes, his mind elsewhere as I continue to tease him.
I adjust again, my head resting on Kirishima's stomach and the popcorn bowl on the floor beside Kaminari. The parents in the movie are in the kitchen now, and as they come together in a heated kiss, the monster moves outside the window.
"Oh god, here we go again." Kaminari jokes as the two once again start fooling around again. I hadn't realized Kirishima had caught on to what I was doing to Sero, who was too focused on pretending to be into the movie to notice Kirishima. I can see the dark grey sweatpants shift a little in front of me, and he awkwardly coughs as he attempts to pull the blanket higher up to cover his growing arousal.
I was already feeling a bit warm with all the teasing I had been doing to Sero, and I wondered just how Kirishima would react if I did the same. I pull my blanket up so it's covering my entire upper body, but I slip my hand from under mine and into Kirishima's.
his throat hitches but I don't stop as my hand reaches the barely hardened dick. At first, I don't move my hand, wondering if he'll do anything to stop me. When he doesn't I give the slightest squeeze, his cock twitching in return. I grow more brazen as I slowly rub my hand along his length, his cock quick to grow at the treatment given.
I've stopped moving my leg against Sero, but his cock stays hard as I work Kirishima up. The first person to speak out loud about it all was Kaminari, who had finally noticed all the rubbing going on behind him.
At first, the two guys are embarrassed as Kaminari's head whips from one to the other. Maybe it was the oversexualized movie, maybe it was because it was three strong and attractive hero's; either way, I let my body take over as I lean forward and kiss Kaminari.
As expected, Kaminari kisses back as he turns his body to face me more. Sero, his shame lessening due to Kaminari's response to my kiss, had begun to rub his hand up and down my leg from over the covers. Kirishima's dick had softened a bit at being caught, but all I had to do was place my hand back on it for him to harden fully again.
I pull my lips away, and at that moment Kirishima speaks, "S-so... are we doing this?"
I sit up and give him a kind but serious look, "Only if you want to Kiri."
The redness of his cheeks quickly travels to the rest of his face as he awkwardly rubs his neck and avoids eye contact, "I mean, yeah."
At that, I move to straddle him, Kaminari wasting no time in groping my ass as I kiss Kirishima. He seems to not know what to do with his hands, so I grab them and place them at my hips. Sero moves over to where I once sat, and I blindly move my hand until I find his cock to rub on.
Sero grabs the hem of my shirt, pulling it off and exposing my lack of bra. As I continue to kiss Kirishima, Sero and Kaminari work together to pull both my shorts and underwear off. With my core now exposed, Kaminari slides his finger up and down my wet slit. I moan into Kirishima's mouth, pushing my hips toward's Kaminari's fingers.
Blindly I tug at Sero's sweatpants, exposing his cock so that I can properly pump it with my hand. The hand on my pussy has me to the point I'm quivering, and I pull away from Kirishima and use my free hand to try and pull his sweats down.
With his help his cock springs free, and I want to drool at the size of it. He's not quite as big as Sero, but Sero was way above average(That man screams big dick energy to me). I adjust my hips and slowly drop-down, a shameless groan escaping my throat at the action.
Kaminari uses one hand to spread my asscheek, his fingers wet from my juices as he circles my tight hole, "What about here, Y/N?"
I pause, only having a few fingers there before. When I look over my shoulder, Kaminari is stroking his average cock and looking at me with near puppy dog eyes. "Do you have anything we can use for lube?"
He grins and nods, rushing off to his room. In the short moment, he's gone, I keep my eye for Kaminari but slowly slide up and down Kiri's thick cock.
He returns, his speed making his cock bounce around as he holds up a big bottle of lube. "Of course you've got something." Sero comments.
Kaminari only grins impishly as he opens the top and squirts some of the product on his fingers. At first, he rubs the cold and slimy gel around my hole, but once he glides the first finger in I begin to move on the patient Kirishima's dick.
Once he's able to slide a third finger in, he holds them there and squirts the lube on his cock, rubbing it to coat him properly. I still so that he can position himself properly, and I let out a loud gasp as the head pops in.
It's not painful thanks to proper lubrication, but I feel grateful when Sero distracts me by rubbing my chest and nipples for stimulation. Kirishima joins in, his hand slipping between us as he fumbles to find my clit, rubbing it the moment he finds it.
I put my head on Kirishima's shoulder closest to Sero, my right breast still exposed and giving just enough room for Sero to move and pluck the hardened bud into his mouth. I moan as his tongue swirls around, Kaminari slowly but steadily filling my ass with his rod. He lets out a groan when he bottoms out, and slowly pulls out until only the tip is still inside.
"Eijiro... please, fuck me." I moan, unable to do it myself with Kaminari anchoring me. His ears turn red at the brazen statement, but his hands move to my thighs as he begins to pump up into me.
I've never felt this full in my life, and the moment the two match their pace an orgasm hits me out of nowhere. My entire body shakes as I wail out, clinging onto Kirishima's shoulders.
When the orgasm passes I look to Sero, "Can you-" Kirishima hit's just the right spot, another moan coming out, "Can you sit up here?" I ask as I touch the top of the couch behind him. He does so and I shift my body awkwardly so that I can place his cock in my mouth as well.
There's no way to describe what it's like to have all three of your holes filled with cock, but the dirty pleasure was enough to rip another orgasm out of me within minutes of the first one. A mantra of "Fuck!" muffles out of my cock filled mouth, and Sero begins to stroke my hair as he watches me take him.
Kaminari becomes vocal behind me, a repeated: "Ah, ah, ah!" Coming from him before he suddenly stills, a warmth filling me as I swear I feel his cock twitch. Kirishima's eyes are focused on where our two bodies meet, his thrusting not slowing when Kaminari's did. about 20 strokes from Kirishima later, Kaminari begins to groan as he lets the movement from my body being thrust pleasure him.
I pull Sero's cock from my mouth and use his thighs to balance myself as I look over my shoulder, "Denk- aaahhh! A-are you still hard?" The blonde man only grins impishly as he jerks his cock, his cum oozing out from around his cock. I go back to sucking on Sero's dick, and the dirtiness of having cum drip out of my stretched asshole and down onto the back of my thighs eggs me on.
I try and take his cock deeper down my throat, my constant moaning vibrating onto his cock. When my body screams for air I pull away, taking a loud gulp of air before my moans of pleasure begin. I use one hand to pump him, spit and tears wetting my red face. Sero uses his hand to wipe the tears from my face before gently gripping my chin and guiding his dick back into my swollen and red lips.
Kirishima's breathe increases as his hips turn erratic, a few thrusts later and he barely pulls out before rope after rope of cum spurt onto his stomach. I could tell he was coming down from his orgasm high, so I coax Sero to sit properly on the couch. I slowly maneuvered myself to where I'm now straddling Sero, Kirishima getting up and making his way to the bathroom.
Sero sheathes himself inside me before the bathroom door closes, and he wastes no time in matching Kaminari's fast pace. Unable to do anything else, I drop my head onto his shoulder and moan like a whore. Kaminari has a firm grip on my hips as he piledrives into my beaten up asshole, Sero having one hand wrapped in my hair as he starts kissing and biting my neck. Another orgasm hits me, this time my moans turning into screams as I see spots.
Kaminari grunts and again stills, pumping a second load into my ass. 10 strokes later and Sero follows suit, filling my cunt up with his thick seed. Kaminari pulls out and slaps me on the ass before walking over to the bathroom, knocking on it to let Kirishima know he needs in.
My body goes limp and Sero takes to stroking my back gently with his fingertips as his cock, which is still deep inside me, slowly softens down.
Once the two come from the bathroom, there's a clear air of awkwardness that can only come from a situation like this. "I uh, I need to shower." I sheepishly admit, and I feel grateful as the kind Sero helps walk me into the bathroom.
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everlarkficexchange · 3 years
Text
Written by: @alliswell21
Title: One of Us
Prompt 145: She moves in with her aunt and uncle when her parents dies in a small town. After suffering through trama, Katniss slowly starts to get better with the help of her family (aunt, uncle, cousin) and the Mellark brothers. But when things starts happening to her and the people around her, it’s revealed that she and almost everyone in the towns are apart of the werewolf pack and that one of the Mellark brothers is her mate. #werewolves [submitted by @animekpopxx]
Rated: G for general audiences.
Tags: Canon Divergent!AU; Modern with a dash of Supernatural; Grief/Mourning; Feeding as a Language of Love.
Note: This is my final submission to this year's EFE challenge! Yay! I really am grateful to @xerxia31 and @javistg for their continued support of this fandom and for hosting once again this event. You are such amazing people, and I’m absolutely honored to be part of a community with people as amazing as you two are! Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for keeping EFE alive!
@animekpopxx, thank you too! You feed my muse! And you give me Werewolves!!!!
This story was a bit of rushed job, though, and there’s more of it, I mean... we haven’t seen them turn into wolves yet!!! 🤣 I just didn’t have time to edit the complete fic before the deadline, but if you’d like to read the finished product, keep an eye out for it on AO3. I’m fairly sure the rating will keep, but we will see.
 Kpkpkpk
There’s nothing but the sound of crickets and frogs filling the vast darkness of the night.
It’s another moonless night out here in Panem… or is I like to call it ‘the middle of nowhere’. It’s weird, how dark nights feel here, there’s barely a start peeking tonight, but in a strange way, I like it.
Sitting on my aunt and uncle’s porch to watch the infinite dark ahead while listening to the nocturnal critters it’s about my favorite thing to do… it’s what did used to do when we came here for long summer stays, anyway. He used to say he felt at peace and relaxed, connected with nature. Too bad it took him to be gone, for me to appreciate what he meant by that. So every night I come out here and sit in the steps hugging my knees, staring at nothing but the deep, black night surrounding the cabin, whisking my dad was sitting next to me.
Tonight is different than usual, though. It was raining until recently, and the smell of wet earth is so familiar my chest feels tight and my throat is knotted.
“Petrichor, Katniss,” I mumble the words noiselessly, “is the smell of rain, hun. It smells the same everywhere in the world.”
I lean my chin on my knees, wishing I could go back to feeling numb like when my parents just died. But thinking of the word petrichor, while smelling the thing, is bring forth a plethora feelings and memories I don’t know how to handle.
Dad used to love Scrabble, crossword puzzles and trivia challenges. He tried to get me interested in those games, teaching me words and their meanings, every time he had a chance.
I wish I had been more enthusiastic about learning the darned stuff; it would’ve meant an extra moment spent with Dad, and less regret to feel right now.
An involuntary whine leaves my chest. It hurts to think about it, and not for the first time, I dig my nails into my skin to keep myself rooted in place, and not tear running into the void.
I feel like I’m spiraling out of control, I fear this time something will break in my head and I’ll do something crazy, like scratch my skin away and run wild into the woods, like a beast… but the overwhelming thoughts gets halted when I hear soft noises from out in the distance.
It’s like the crunching of footsteps on the gravel at the mouth of my aunt and uncle’s property. It’s too dark and isolated here, deep into the country. I’ve seen big wildlife roaming around: deer, raccoons, coyotes and even a lynx. But the longer I hear the noises, the more certain I am I’m being stalked by something big and fast.
My heart beats erratically in my chest; every hair in my body stands on point, fear is clawing its way up my chest and into my throat, my eyes feel about to pop from my skull, and then I’m disentangling my knees from my arms, standing up as tall as I can— which isn’t saying much—and then I call into the night, “Who’s there?!”
I hear a faint disturbance of air, and then…
“Good evening, Katniss!”
Slowly, from the shadows, a blonde head pops, eerie for a second. Broad shoulders follow, and then a torso. Before the rest of his body comes visible into the light of the porch, two more blonde heads come into view, flank the first person on either side: Shoulders, torsos, Jean covered legs… The three Mellark brothers make their way leisurely towards me.
I nearly faint from relief after the rush of adrenaline pumping in my veins. Going through so many emotions: grief, sorrow, dread and relief, so fast in such a short amount of time has left me winded and unsteady.
I lose my balance, but one of the boys— Peeta, the youngest— breaks ranks, and rushes to hold me upright.
“Are you okay?” He asks softly, helping me sit back down on the porch steps. I lean my head against the main post.
“I’m okay. Just a little lightheaded,” I try not to glare. They gave me a fright, but I doubt they did it on purpose.
It’s something I’ve learn over the years. People in Panem are kind of quirky.
“Sorry we scared you,” Peeta offers, sheepishly. “We wanted to check up on you, and bring you something…” he looks up at his two older brothers and Rye — the middle one— steps forward, holding up a brown, paper bag, with little greasy spots on the sides.
I can guess what’s inside. They’ve been bringing me cheese buns almost daily, since Peeta found out they’re my favorites.
Rey hands the baggie to Peeta, and the latter offers it to me with a soft smile.
“Thanks,” I mumble, gratefully. I can smell the cheesy, yeasty treat through the bag; I can feel the warmth of the buns too! “While I love freshly baked cheese buns, you guys didn’t have to make this trek just to bring me a treat… on a dark, moonless night no less,” I fix them with a glare. “How did you even get here anyway? You couldn’t have walked and I never saw a car coming?”
My aunt and uncle’s cabin is at least 4 miles from town, and surrounded by woods; but then again, most houses in this weird little place are built in similar locations. It seems the townsfolk take their privacy extremely seriously.
“We rode our dirt bikes,” chimes Rye in, cheerily. “Not much light on those bulbs, though, but it’s okay. Our night vision is prime!” He gives me the A-Okay gesture.
“Rye,” the eldest, Bannock, warns lowly. Baring his teeth.
Rye shrugs and slips his hands on his Jean pockets.
I swear Rye hisses something like “it’s true” under his breath, but Peeta has been rubbing my back with the tip of his fingers all this time, and I’m getting drowsy, so I may have imagined the whole exchange.
“You should eat those while they’re still warm,” Peeta murmurs close by my shoulder.
I nod, and open the bag, releasing all the delicious smells of the buns, while Peeta massages my shoulders, encouragingly.
I must be really out if it tonight, because outside of my family, I’ve never been comfortable with people touching me… but, my family is all gone now, and I can’t go through the rest of my life without human touch, can I?
Grief stricken me out of nowhere, and barrels through me. I gasp at the acute pain in my soul at the loss of my parents. But in an instant, I’m enveloped in strong, thick arms, warm and steady. I’m sobbing into a hot, solid chest, covered in the softest cotton I’ve ever felt.
“Shush… I’ve got you, Katniss. I’m here for you,” Peeta whispers soothingly into the crown of my head.
He smells so good; like cinnamon and dill, from the bread he must’ve made this afternoon at his family’s bakery.
It takes a few minutes for me to get a hold of myself, and embarrassedly push out of his embrace, “I’m sorry,” I mumble, mortified.
Bannock presents me with a handkerchief, and I take it gratefully to wipe off my face and nose, before returning the soiled square of fabric to him.
I’m not sure why the Mellark brothers are being so nice to me. I’ve never been around them more than a handful of days over the past few years, when we came to see Dad’s remaining family outside mom and I, his half brother, his wife and their child.
I don’t know the Mellarks all that well, but in the handful of weeks since my parents’ funeral, the three brothers have been incredibly attentive and generous to me. Peeta more than the other two, but I don’t mind… I like him best anyway.
“It’s okay to cry and be devastated, Katniss.” Says Bannock, sagely. “You’re going through the worst time of your life, and we care for you… like family.”
“Oh,” I sit straighter, blowing my nose. I feel a little strange hearing him say that, “thank you? I appreciate your kindness,”
He nods, “Peeta’s right, though. You should eat the cheese buns before they go cold.”
“A full stomach always helps me feel better,” Rye adds, patting his belly, and smiling at me.
My stomach growls, as if to show agreement. I am hungry. I didn’t touch my supper earlier. I pick up the bakery gingerly, and pretty much shove my nose into it. The steam curls out of the baggie, filling my nostrils with the delicious smells. I pluck out a bun and practically inhale it in a second; quickly followed by another one. My third cheese bun, I decide to savor, slowly.
The Mellark siblings just hang around while I devour my treats.
The front door opens just as I’m wiping my hands on my leggings. My aunt’s head peeks out of the door.
“Oh, why hello everyone!” She greets, as bubbly as always. She’s wearing a dark purple wig, to match her dark purple outfit.
“Good evening, Effie,” says Peeta, standing from his squatting position next to me. “We brought Katniss a gift,” he points at the now empty bag in his hand.
“How sweet of you, Peeta!” my aunt gushes, “thank you for checking on our girl, and making sure she’s put something in her tummy before bedtime!”
I roll my eyes. Aunt Effie keeps treating me like a kid. I hate it. I’m 17 and mourning, not a freaking baby!
“It’s no problem at all, Effie! We were just on our way home anyway.”
“Well, it’s always nice having you boys over,” she offers, “but it’s getting late, and Primrose is already in bed, which is why I came out here to begin with, to let Katniss know that her sister was already asleep, so she’d know to tip toe back inside when she was ready to go to bed herself,” my aunt smiles.
I feel a slight pang of guilt; I’ve been wallowing in my own sadness this evening, and missed tucking my sister in to sleep. She’s the only person I’m sure I love, yet tonight I’ve let my own misery drown me.
“Don’t mind us, Effie,” Says Bannock, “We were about to leave…” he pauses and then calls a meaningful, “Peeta?”
“I’m going to wish Katniss a good night, and then we’ll go,” he says.
Not for the first time, I wonder if Peeta has a crush on me? I wouldn’t know he did, even if I wasn’t feeling so rotten inside. I’m not very good at flirting… but with Peeta it is different I think. He’s so nice to me, he’s taken up asking if I’ve eaten that day and if I haven’t, he feeds me something from his family’s bakery without charging me… it’s like he actually cares for me and my well-being, and his brothers care, because he does. It’s mesmerizing at times.
Peeta looks me in the eyes, “Are you ready to go inside?” He asks, offering his two open palms to me. He helps me up from the floor, and then smiles sweetly. He doesn’t let go of my hands while we stand facing each other.
Then something strange happens. Peeta doesn’t blink, as his clear-blue eyes bore into mine, and then his pupils blow out full, until only a ring of deep, glowing azure remains for his irises, “Sleep well, Katniss,” his voice sounds deeper and warmer than usual, “Rest and have a relaxing, dreamless night. Remember what I said: we are all here for you, to help through this hard time… alright?”
I feel groggy, “Yes, Peeta,” I mumble feeling my eyelids getting heavier.
“Oh dear, can you please instruct her to walk herself to bed? She might look lithe, but I promise, her little body is as heavy as any of us,”
Huh? What’s aunt Effie going on about? I don’t understand.
Peeta chuckles, squeezing my hands warmly in his, “You heard Effie… don’t fall asleep until you’ve gone into your bedroom and change into comfy pajamas.”
I nod, “Okay,”
“Good night, Katniss, I’ll be back tomorrow. Try to eat something on your own, I know you’re sad, but you need your strength for when the solstice comes.”
What a weird thing to say! Everything is strange here though… so I nod and march inside the house, mumbling my good nights to everyone and rubbing my very sleepy eyes. Once I’m in my sleep clothes, I lay in bed, and try to ignore the yearning of having Peeta rubbing my back like he was doing while I ate my cheese buns.
I sigh and go to sleep, a weird thought pops into my mind: “I’m so lucky to have such a sweet, caring mate. Peeta Mellark. Can’t wait to be bonded with him,”
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lexcat-11 · 4 years
Text
@rondoel ‘s King AU is probably my favorite thing that has ever come from the Sanders Sides fandom and you should 100% check it out. I decided to join the party of writing something that sort of goes along with it. Hopefully this isn’t too far from the intended canon, but here’s something from Logan’s POV relatively early in the story c: 
Context: Logan’s in his room working to solve this “problem”. Having his voice taken away has made his thoughts louder than normal. 
(About 1,100 words)
-----
Logan’s wrists had begun to ache from the sentences spilling at his fingertips. Keys were forcefully struck down time and time again with frustration, passion, anger, all of the words he couldn’t speak. Numerous pencil tips snapped as he slammed them down onto the paper. His hands were smudged in graphite, causing his skin to be perceived with somewhat of a metallic appearance.
Logan forced a sigh from his lungs, blissfully grateful that his air could at least make a sound. He blinked a few times to fight the tears that were determined to blur his vision. Stress weighed his shoulders and trembled in his hands. His brows were seemingly stuck in a furrowed position. Of course, he hadn’t shown it around the others, that would have been an ignorant mistake, but his head had been figuratively overloading with thoughts.
The silence was deafening and no matter how persistently he attempted to drown it out with music or the noises of keystrokes and pens, he longed to hear his own voice. To perhaps even sing once more alongside Thomas and… Roman. He’d failed to recognize how pleasant singing truly was. 
He longed to stand in front of the others, a contained smile just barely showing at his lips, adjust his glasses ever so slightly, and speak. Speak a thesis, speak an argument, speak the logical answer, and draw the conclusion to the dilemma they’d been arguing over for a near day. He yearned so desperately to quote a philosopher, to regain control, and to convince Thomas (and maybe even himself) that things were in fact okay. 
It felt as though these bottled words were going to explode from his chest. They refused to be suppressed any longer. But each time they’d become too much, each time he swore the sheer frustration that built up would be enough to break this impractical, this highly ineffective, this stupid curse of his, nothing but a wispy breath escaped his throat. He was left drained and powerlessly silent. And he despised being so helpless.
But now was not the time to dwell on self-pity. He had the others to help-- they relied on him. These changes would be temporary, he was absolutely certain of that, and he was determined to reverse them. Fixing problems is what Logan did, not worrying.
His cognitive abilities remained and they would be put to use, no matter how much he overworked himself. Janus had stressed the importance of self-care in this time but Logan insisted (in the form of a notecard) that he was in fact “good, fam.” Though he couldn’t say with any more than a calculated stare and a nod, he had a reason for his actions. 
Thomas wouldn’t have dubbed him the voice of reason if he didn’t.
That didn’t make his eyelids weigh any less, however. Logan heaved another defeated sigh. He tore off his glasses and permitted his head to sink onto his forearms. Perhaps it would be wise to take Janus’ advice, at least for a few minutes or so. Unfortunately, he was in no position to engage in leisure time so at most a quick break to hydrate or stretch would be optimal to maintain productivity.
Logan rose to his feet and twirled his wrists. He turned his head from side to side, closing his weary eyes for a long moment, before stretching his legs and back. He couldn’t help but continue to think of his unfinished work. What was it Thomas often did to clear his mind? There were distractions but ah, right. He would daydream.
Logan’s lips pressed into a straight line. Daydreaming did not appeal to him, for several reasons that most certainly did not involve any emotional responses to the absences of Roman and Remus. But perhaps reflecting…
The development years were subjective, ranging from birth to three, to Thomas’ entire life. However, if he recalled correctly, yes that was right. Twelve years old. Logan, or rather Logic at the time, was approximately twelve years old when he had dethroned the King.
Logic stared down at the King’s fallen form with a lifeless stare. Light reflected against his glasses and his tie hung perfectly straight from his neck. His hands were curled into tight fists at his sides
So much power resonated in twenty-eight well-formed sentences. Logic couldn’t help but feel a twinge of satisfaction. King’s fantasies were utterly preposterous, clashing with reality at every turn. What kind of irrational nonsense was this talk of magic, of unrealistic dreams? Logic had knocked him down swiftly with the support of Deceit, a side once close with King, and now the monarch lay on his stomach, forcing a laugh with disbelief shining in his pained eyes. 
A pitiful sight, Logic had determined, and foolishly so. There were so many variables he’d overlooked: the formation of hatred, the distrust burning in that sharp glare, the betrayal stemming from the metaphorical sword lodged in his back.
Logic hadn’t been kind in his mutiny. Logan almost felt, no certainly not. He could not feel sympathy for someone so corrupt. Creativity could simply not be let loose like a dog without a leash. The King was impractical. He had not a clue of how things worked, or of what was truly of importance. He was stuck in an illusion of the past bringing nothing but irrelevance and setbacks to the table. He brought destruction, stripped them all of their lives’ constants, and blinded Thomas to what was real! It was Creativity that caused this pain!
And yet...
Logan’s eyes drifted to a jar of Crofters in the far corner of his room, and then to the narrative Roman had written him for Christmas. He gazed at the large fish tank housing a small octopus, the colorful ties he’d been gifted, and to his Sherlock costume tucked away. He studied the paintings of stars and the realistic drawings of animal anatomy the twins had shared with him. He stopped on the “family” portraits he’d secretly hung on the walls.
No matter how cold he appeared on the outside, Logan had a heart. One that pumped blood and adrenaline through his veins and another that held more love than anyone could ever imagine. Logan loved more than the King could ever imagine. He was capable of forgiveness and of seeing things from multiple angles but when that fragile heart was broken Logan was certain of one thing. There would be no justification for hurting his family.
The King could silence his voice, rip every word from his chest but he could never stifle Logan’s desire for greater knowledge. He’d brought down the tyrant once before and he would do it again. 
After all, a great deal of stealth came with silence.
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ofmythsandmadness · 3 years
Text
stop moving | d.h
you do diego’s eyeliner. 2k words.
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NOTES: gender neutral. long haired diego. i don’t know why i’m writing this and i kinda hate it lol, i rarely write this sort of thing but y’know. i’m going to check all messages, notifs & messed gems in the morning, i’m really only posting this and ghosting again, bc i know otherwise i’ll never do it. and y’know, i want to feel productive about something. take care folks <3
BUY ME A COFFEE HERE. | CHECK OUT MY OTHER WRITINGS HERE.
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"CAN YOU PLEASE STOP MOVING?!”
Hot breath stings your trembling fingers as Diego huffs a laugh; it’s barely a sound, a mumble of a chuckle, but you feel it vibrate through your body and hit your hand and it almost does you in. You almost just give up and confess your undying attraction, right then and there. And as though you need more contact, even more of him pressing against you, egging you closer to the precipice that will surely be your infatuated doom. 
“You’re the one who asked to do this, you don’t get to complain.”
“Well, you wanted it. You agreed to this!”
“I--” another exhale against your hand, another peal of laughter following shortly. You've half a mind to clamp his mouth shut with it, if it wouldn’t ignite yet another ill-thought fantasy of yours. “This was still your idea.”
Your smile buds and blooms despite your brain begging your lips to be still. You can’t help it; he’s too good at weaseling into the cracks of your composure. One look, one soft chuckle and you’re set for life. It doesn’t help that you’re basically on his lap, cradling his face in your hands like he’s a baby, and his own fingers tap-tap-tap away on your hips, creating a rhythm no one else but you can make out. Honestly, you’re surprised you haven’t totally cracked yet, this close and this personal.
“Shut your eyes.”
“They are shut.”
“No they’re not!” you poke lightly at the fluttering lids. Your lip snags on your bottom lip; a poor attempt to hide a giggle. “I can’t do this with your eyes open.”
“D'aww…” his lids shut as he groans. “So I’m just supposed to sit here? Let you draw on my face in total darkness?”
You click your tongue, half in disapproval in his exaggeration, and half because you’ve won yet again against his stubbornness. “I won’t be long. Suck it up.”
“Sure. Y’know, I have siblings; I know how long it takes them to do makeup, and-”
“-stop moving, asshole!” Your free hand tugs ever lightly on a strand of hair, one of the many that’s slipped out of his ponytail. Repressed thoughts flash in sultry red across your thoughts and you swallow, quickly letting the hair go. “I-I need you to stay still, or this will take forever.”
Diego sighs and his grip tightens around your hips. Before you know it, he’s moving you. “Then stop wriggling,” he grumbles, flattening you against his legs. You’re basically straddling him, at that point, and your mind goes absolutely blank at how much more intimate this feels. Does he notice? Or is this just another friendly motion you’re yet again reading into?
Your mouth tastes of cotton balls and it’s dry as an Arizona summer. Still, you manage an ‘okay’ before readying your pen again. All you can hope for is a steady hand, though by the way he still holds your waist, and how your mouth lingers mere inches from his lips -- well, you’re coming undone.
It’s just eyeliner, you tell yourself. Your hand rises and swipes; black begins to pool its deep colour against his lashes, low and thin. The line builds taller, thicker as you work, extending out to the corner of his eye. As he breathes, and you try to remind yourself how to, the eyeliner pen works its shaky magic and draws the slightest tinge of a wing against his skin. 
“How’s it going?”
At least he’s kind enough to mumble it, though his face still shifts under your hold. Once more your tongue clicks. 
“It goes better when you don’t speak.”
He swallows his laugh; you know, because you feel his throat work as you hold his head steady. It’s strange and exhilarating, to be so close and still so far away. You want to cradle his cheeks gentler, to hold his face with the heart of a lover, but you’re terrified he’ll recognise your touch and realise your feelings. So you barely touch him and remind yourself to be professional about this.
It’s eyeliner, not a rom-com.
“I’m bored,” he whisper whines. 
“Shh.”
“It’s too quiet.”
“Shut up,” you mumble, patting his cheek gently. “M’working.”
“Y/N...”
You pull away and sit back on his thighs. His left eye doesn’t look half bad, but if he keeps talking… “You can’t talk, ‘else it’s gonna look bad!”
“Then you talk!”
You baulk. “What?”
“I’ll be quiet,” he swears, pouting up to you with eyes still shut, “but please, say something before I lose my mind.”
“Well, I-I-what about?”
“I don’t know. Anything.” He smiles softly. “I like hearing you talk. Don’t care what about.”
You could die right then and there. It’s a simple compliment, it’s really the bare minimum, but you’re already head over heels. And just a couple of soft spoken works are all you need to do you in and nearly keel you over, still straddling his muscular thighs.
“Uh…” you cough, forcing out the giddy tremble that threatens to take your voice. No lovesick teen voice today, thank you very much. “Okay. I don’t have much to...well, the other day, I saw my coworker totally wipe out leaving work.” You pause, expecting some reply, but he stays silent. “And he... he ate so much shit, he might as well dunked his head in a gas station toilet. And - and you know, normally I’d try to sympathise, but when you always make a point to park in my parking spot, I don’t care. Brett’s such an ass. And I don’t blame him, cause he’s got an asshole name -- Brett can’t be anything else but an asshole. So it's his parents fault probably but still, I…”
You continue on, slipping from the topic of your coworker to the free muffin you got with your coffee last week, to the prospects of buying a pet to keep your apartment less lonely, and to what probably felt like a thousand and one things ranted at him. All the while your hands continue, making neat work of a task that had just felt impossible.
And miraculously, aside from a chuckle thrown now and then, Diego stays silent. Maybe he actually means it. Maybe he does like your voice -- or he’s so bored he’s falling asleep, you don’t know. But it’s okay, you don’t let yourself linger on that, too content with taking in his relaxed features and the gentleness of the afternoon sun on the two of you.
“Aaaand….there!” With a triumphant shout, you throw the eyeliner to the side and your hands plunge towards the sky, fist-pumping like you’d just won the lottery. Your body bounces up and down on his lap like a child meeting Santa; in your excitement, you barely notice. “You’re done!”
“That’s it?”
“Yup.” You grabble for a mirror, looking away from him for a moment as you reach for the handle. Wiping it off, you’re focused solely on making sure the glass is clean enough for him to see himself in, and your brain is distracted enough to totally forget what you’ve even done, enough so when you look up, all you have is,
“Oh.”
Look, you know Diego is an attractive man. You’ve known since the day you met; he’s a beautiful guy, a handsome asshole who wormed his way into your befuddled heart before you could even learn his name. He’s pretty enough that if he wasn’t so set on his weird vigilante career, he could probably shoot for being a damn supermodel. He’s a catch! But all those years of knowing that and feeling like that could not prepare you for the sight in front of you.
Diego squints at you, cocking his head. “Is it okay?”
“I…” Delicate black lines his upper lash line, making his deep brown eyes stand out even more. He’s smiling still, full lips curving up to only make your heart pound faster. A strand of his hand falls across his face, painting the gentlest of shadows but it doesn’t bother his pretty face. “I...no, no, yea-ah…”
“Wow,” he laughs, jabbing a finger into your side. “Eloquent.”
“I-I-shut up,” you stammer. You force the mirror into his hands and look away. You’re still on his lap, still straddling his lap and the logical part of your brain begs you to get it together and fall off, already. But the stupid, foolish, absolutely idiotic part leaves you paralysed. “Just look for yourself.”
You squeeze your eyes shut and wait for him in the silence. There’s nothing, though, for achingly painful seconds, until the mirror shifts down. “Huh.”
“Huh, good? Or bad?” 
“I wasn’t expecting this.”
“Really? What’s wrong?”
“It’s not bad,” he assures you, his smile evident in his tone. “Just different. Don’t know how to feel about it.”
“O-oh...well, if it makes you feel better, I think it looks great.”
“You do?”
Oh, dammit. That came out with way too much enthusiasm, didn’t it? Your legs are concrete as you shift, face angled towards the floor. Hopefully he’s strong enough to push you off him when your body literally catches flame from humiliation. 
“You look good man,” he mocked back to you. But he’s grinning, egging you on like a child who knows he’s got you twisted around his pinky finger. “Come on, say it like you don’t have a gun to your head!”
And maybe you do, maybe you’re holding the revolver to your temple, just asking to get screwed if you dare speak beyond the most stilted compliment you’ve ever extended to someone. He’s a friend, you remind yourself; friends are allowed to compliment the other. They’re allowed to say they look good and not make it a thing, even if they wish it was a thing, and--
“--hey? You in there?”
“Sorry,” you say to the floor. You swear a thousand curses before looking back to Diego. And, yeah -- he still looks impossibly good. The ageing afternoon sun falls just perfectly against his skin, flushing him into the being of a god, standing in your apartment while you, a mere mortal, remains stuck to his thick thighs.
You gulp in air desperately, trying to catch your gaze on something, anything else -- but nothing sticks. He’s still there, inches from you, desperately aching for you to stare at.
“No, uh, yeah. You look - you look hot.”
Wait.
That wasn’t--
“-I look hot?”
That isn’t what you were supposed to say.
“I,” you have literally nothing to save yourself. This is the end! You’re young Leo and Rose is shoving you off the door and into the icy waters, and you’ve just got one last look at pretty Diego to satiate the freezing burn before you succumb to it. “I...wasn’t...that wasn’t what I meant.”
He has no right to look so smug. But he does it anyway. He leans away from your hands as they flutter through the air on their own accord, looking at you through half-lidded pools of caramel. “You don’t think I look hot?”
“Don’t,” you warn, with little strength behind it. “Don’t twist my words.”
“I’m just asking.”
He leans back in. You’re almost touching again. 
Is this weird? This is definitely weird.
You swallow back the lump in your throat and stare back at him. This all feels like fifth grade all over again -- awkward, sticky and like every move is the wrong move. But you can’t stop yourself from playing into his hands, because that sly, shameful part of you wants this more than will ever be admitted. You want him to look at you like this, like you could hang the stars if he asked you to...and you want him to pull you closer, as he does, and mean it.
Could he?
“Would you hate me? If I thought you looked hot?”
Diego head cocks to the side as he seemingly contemplates your words. A nudge meets your side; you look down to see his hands once again reaching for you. Though it's on their own accord this time, gently landing on your left hip, then the right. You shiver.
“That depends,” he says slowly. His eyes narrow, black wings just barely crinkling in. “D’you mean it like, ‘oH, that’s so-oo hot, woW-’”
Your laugh is hardly a whisper. It cracks even before your lips. “Come on.”
“Or, do you…” his fingers dig in a little more. They nudge at the fabric of your top, daring it to move enough so they could cradle the flesh hidden underneath. “You mean it the other way?”
Heart in throat, all the courage you can possibly muster with it, you mutter, “the...other way, probably.” Then a second later, “is that okay?”
“Mm…” His fingers finally reach your skin. You shiver under his touch, warm and unflinching as they brush against the soft curves. Diego’s face comes towards your own and you force yourself not to move. But he doesn’t stop, instead he goes past you, brushing his plush lips against your earlobe. “I would say...that if all this took was making you do my eyeliner, I shoulda asked years ago.”
“I, okay...don’t play with me, here--”
“--I’m serious,” he protests lowly. His lips leave your ear but they don’t run far. Instead, you find them a brush away from your own, just as you were minutes before. Only this time, you don’t try to clamp your mouth shut and skirt away from the touch. You nudge your nose against his own, exhaling softly as more skin meets the heat of his own. “You think I just let anyone sit on my lap like this, without thinkin’ it could be more?”
You shrug like this is normal. Like you’re perfectly at peace with the universe and the way you’re wondering how his tongue would taste, pushing back against your own. “I mean...do you?”
“No,” he chuckles low. “No, I’m...not into friendly lap dances, actually.”
“O-oh. Mm.”
He pulls you closer. He wants you closer.
“Diego…” You’re unravelling. You’re fucking unravelling, unnerved by his voice and his hands and you’re putty in them, all inhibitions sliding away like you’re three drinks in. His hands by your sides leave their marks against your skin; you can feel the pads of his fingers, burning into your skin like they were molten iron and not just mere brushes. “I...”
“Tell me.” He sounds cocky. He has a right to be, even if you’re damned to admit it. “Tell me what you think.”
Your hands shiver up his forearms, clinging to his bare shoulders as he pulls you impossibly closer. Your mind’s going a mile a minute and you refuse to listen to a single thought. You’re only feeling him.
“Y/N…”
“Fine,” you huff, with a smile. Your noses brush again; your eyes flutter shut with his image imprinted against their lids. “I think you look...hot as hell, Diego.”
“Yeah.” He’s grinning; you can hear it in his voice, that smirk that makes your gut flip like a damn rollercoaster ride. “S’what I thought, baby.”
And then he kisses you.
A/N: i normally hate writing oblivious characters but this wasn’t even intentional really. every time i try to write something remotely sexual i just lead the reader into ‘oH tHiS iS jUsT wHaT fRiEnDs Do’ and ‘iT’S wEiRd rIgHt’. to my defense...i doubt you’re on this page reading this expecting good sexual tension. i’m not the tua writer for that; let me know if you want recommendations for that because trust me, there are better authors for that. for now, you get this. <3
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danny-chase · 3 years
Note
hello! if you're still taking requests for your bthb card, could i request Insomnia with Dick Grayson?
Thanks for the request! In case anyone's wondering, requests are still open :D
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Insomnia - Read on AO3
Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Titans (Comics), Nightwing (Comics) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Major Character Death Relationships: Dick Grayson & Roy Harper, Dick Grayson & Donna Troy, Dick Grayson/Joseph Wilson, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd Characters: Dick Grayson, Roy Harper, Barbara Gordon (implied), Donna Troy, Joseph Wilson, Jason Todd, Lilith Clay (briefly), Danny Chase (briefly), Lian Harper (briefly) Additional Tags: Emotional Whump, Dick Grayson Whump, Protective Roy Harper, Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, Dick Grayson Gets a Hug, Kissing, POV Alternating, POV Dick Grayson, POV Roy Harper, Black Eye, Minor Injuries, Minor Violence, Sleep Deprivation, Angst with a Hopeful Ending, Pancakes, IHOP Series: Part 7 of Bad Things Happen Bingo Summary:
An old friend comes to visit when Dick finds himself unable to fall asleep.
Full story under cut
Now: A doorbell sharply buzzed as Roy walked through the glass door, a half-asleep attendant perking up in front of him. The room was cramped, the flooring tacky, unkempt ancient wallpaper peeled at the seams. A bucket sat in the corner catching a steady drip of – what he hoped was – water.
The lady gave him an unimpressed look, her manicured nails clattering against the keys of a dusty old laptop. “You here for a parole meeting?” Roy rolled his eyes.
“Lady, do I look like I’m here for a parole meeting?” She shrugged, shuffling some papers. Her icy blue eyes lingered on his sling for a moment.
“Could have fooled me, you get in a fight?” Crossing her arms, she stared at him challengingly.
He widened his stance. “Nah I’m here for-”
“Robbie Malone.” A robotic voice chipped in his ear.
“Robbie Malone, you can charge bail to this card.” He finished, slipping an envelope out of his pocket.
Clacking away, she sliced open the envelope. “I’ll need proof of ID.” She continued, not giving him a second glance. He bristled, placing his left hand on the counter, flexing his muscles. The clattering sped up, growing louder as she determinedly focused on the screen. “Waiting room is over there.” She titled her head towards a dark hallway.
“Everything alright?” The earpiece buzzed. Dingy lights flickered as he made his way to the room. He sighed as he entered the room, finding a too-small uncomfortable looking chair.
“Peachy.” Leaning against the doorway, he rubbed his aching right arm, breathing deeply. Crossing the room, he took his place in the shitty chair. Tilting his head back, he stared at the off-white, water-stained ceiling.
How the hell did we get here?
Last Night: Dick aimlessly stared up, counting the holes in the safe-house’s ceiling tiles. If he counted one row and one column he could multiply them – but he kept messing up and starting over.
This wasn’t productive. He should be doing literally anything else. He was moping, this was pointless, he ought to-
Shit, I lost count.
He started over. In truth – he’d tried getting up but a weight in his chest pinned him to the spot. Stars danced above his head – mixing with the holes - but he couldn’t bring himself to care – he was just… so tired.
There’d been a human trafficking ring – it was gruesome sure, but he’d seen gruesome before - he’d been managing fine – then obsessed – he let this happen - this was his fault – Bruce would be disappointed – Babs too –
Fuck it, he didn’t care anymore. And he lost his count.
He felt awful – like his body was imploding. He needed a shower. Couldn’t remember the last time he ate. He hadn’t slept in five(?) – he wasn’t keeping track anymore but he didn’t even have an excuse not to sleep anymore.
He could sleep any time he wanted.
Yeah - he chose not to sleep…
Totally.
He closed his eyes. The case was over – that’s what was bothering him right? He could sleep now – he was fine – the kids were safe – everyone was safe – everyone was –
Don’t think about it.
His eyes shot open before he could see her face. His insides squirmed – he rolled over, picking himself off the floor, compelled to do something – he couldn’t patrol, Bruce had helped with cleanup and ordered him home – the thought of food was nauseating, that was out – he could clean… but he didn’t even know where to start – he could –
Someone knocked on the door… was he expecting someone? At… what time was it? It was dark out and the clock was too blurry to read. Another knock and he lost his train of thoughts.
Drawn forward, as if in a daze, he gripped the door-knob, twisting before even bothering to look through the peephole.
That’s how Barbara got shot. Bruce’s voice chided.
He grinned as he swung open the door, revealing a shining face. “Donna.” He nearly tripped over the doorstep, Donna laughing at his antics, spreading her arms wide.
“Good to see you, Boy Wonder. Heard you were having a rough night, I thought you might want to talk?” Dick nodded, already enveloping her in a tight hug, lost in the faint scent of coconut shampoo. “Let’s take a walk.”
Now: Roy sat, watching a clock across from him tick. His ass hurt – arm hurt – he hadn’t eaten breakfast. He was supposed to spend the day with Lian – but fuck – here he was cleaning up after the batboy. Dick owed him pancakes. With chocolate chips. Maybe eggs. Homecooked – like he used to make post-successful mission.
Who was he kidding?
He was sitting in a county jail waiting around for a friend he hadn’t talked to in nearly a month. They couldn’t just eat pancakes and magically fix everything. Rubbing his eyes, he tried to ignore the awkwardness of the situation.
It was a shame – Dick’s pancakes were amazing. Yeah. Pancakes…
Had the clock grown louder when he wasn’t watching?
He pulled out his phone, resolving to find the nearest IHop. If things were going to be awkward, he would at least have food to distract him. “You owe me a meal.” He whispered into the earpiece.
“There’s an iHop 5 minutes away. Turn left coming out and it’ll be on your right.”
“How did you-”
“I’m amazed you think I can’t get into your phone.” Showoff. He quietly whistled.
“Rob’s got friends in high places.” The voice was silent for a moment. It was the weirdest thing (albeit not the weirdest thing that had happened to him) – someone had just slipped an envelope and earpiece on his kitchen table – a letter O was written on an attached sticky note.
“You’d be right about that.” There was an unspoken rule in the superhero community – never turn down an assignment for Oracle.
Last Night: Metal squealed as he swung back and forth on a little swing set. “I miss this.” He pumped his legs forward. “We should do stupid shit more often.” He flipped off the swing – doing a perfect double flip before landing. “You see that?” He beamed, turning to face – “Donna?!”
“Yes, yes, you’re brilliant. The crowd goes wild.” She rolled her eyes, politely clapping. “But I came out to talk to youuu, and you haven’t even told me how you’re doing.” She swung her legs, keeping her swing impossibly still. Well. She was Donna – she was perfect – she could do things like that.
“I’m fine.” He solved the case after all – that was what had been keeping him up – he could sleep after this.
“Dick…” The corners of her mouth turned down, pulling at the strings of his heart as they went – Donna was perfect, he was having fun – things were fine.
“Don’t – please – I’m fine, I don’t want to fight right now.” His mouth went dry, his pulse speeding uncontrollably. “Could we just… keep hanging out on the swings? Like we used to?” His legs shook, knees threatening to give out. “Please?” He croaked.
“Okay.” She pulled out a camera, smiling. “Next time, I’ll take a picture.”
Now: This was taking forever. He impatiently tapped the side of the chair, staring at the blank wall ahead of him.
“I can play music.” The voice offered.
“How long is this going to take?” He groaned – his arm throbbed; he left his ibroufen at home. Fuck. His. Life.
“Maybe thirty more minutes.” Came the guess.
“I’ve been here forever.” He complained; he was starting to suspect the lady was purposefully taking her time.
“It’s only been one hour.” The voice deadpanned. “Quit whining or I’ll play country.” Roy sighed.
“You got Rob’s playlist?” Maybe it was silly, but listening to his friends’ playlists made him feel a bit closer to them. And dammit, he missed Dick.
“Mmmhmm.” If nothing else, Dick’s trash taste in music was better than country.
Last Night: He caught a glimpse of a familiar face walking towards the playground. His heart swelled, chest lifting as he leaped off the swing.
He fumbled the landing, recovering quickly – and running, he spread his arms open wide. “Joey?!” His feet pounded on the grass, and he launched himself into a flying hug, momentum accidentally carrying them both to the ground. Dick laughed, hugging Joe tight, hands racing through his golden curls.
Empathetic eyes found his, concern clear, swimming behind stunning green irises. It was as if Joey was looking in his soul – or rather - his heart. Joey started signing. ‘Are you-’
Dick cut him off. “I’m fine, can I just – have this?” Joey’s face softened, leaning forward. Dick closed the gap between them, cradling the back of his head in his hands. Their lips met, butterflies filling his stomach – he was on top of the world - completely invincible in the moment. He slipped a hand up, feeling Joey’s steady pulse, and moved down, adorning his neck with a kiss.
Joey tenderly pressed a kiss to the crown of his head. ‘Not here.’ He signed. They were in public – not that he cared.
“I love you.” Dick protested, standing, and pulling Joey to his feet. He kissed his hand, tugging him into another hug. “I should have told you sooner.” He whispered.
They stood, illuminated by moonlight – melding into one. Joey was soft and warm, and smelled of honeysuckle. He felt nineteen again, dumb and in love, with everything to lose – but everything to gain, spending reckless nights flirting and teasing. Donna cheered in the distance. It was breathtaking, he was happier than he’d felt in years.
Perfection was something he was always searching for – and this – right here – he’d finally found it.
Joey pulled back, signing again. ‘I love you too.’ He smiled softly, studying his face. ‘You haven’t been sleeping.’ Reaching out, he gently pushed back Dick’s bangs, leaning forward for a quick kiss before pulling away again. ‘You promised not to do this.’
Dick brushed off his worry, taking Joey by the hands. “I swear I’m fine – I feel better than I have in years now you’re both here.”
Someone laughed behind him. No. It can’t be. The laugh continued, tinkling like a little bell. Joey placed a hand on his shoulder, tears welling in his eyes as he turned.
“Jason?”
Now: “Rob?” Dick stepped into the little room, stonily staring at the floor. Stubble decorated his unshaven face, his left eye swelling – bruises blossoming across his face. The skin under both was dark and puffy, his eyes bloodshot. Roy rose to his feet - automatically rushing forward. The lady stepped between them, getting in his face and handing him a thousand papers to sign.
“You’ve got to be kidding me, he needs medical attention.” Roy bit back a scream. Dick crossed his arms, refusing to meet his eyes, as he tried to get a better look. His mouth was set in a taught line, as if determined to show no emotion.
“He refused. Sign the papers.” The lady spat, shoving a pen at him.
“You better fu-”
“Play nice!” Chided the voice in his ear. “Just sign the papers. I’ll pay for all the pancakes you can eat.”
“Excuse me?” Frost tinged the woman’s words. She turned on her heel, whipping her hair around – almost hitting his face as she stormed back to her desk.
“I’m signing the goddamn papers.” He aggressively clicked the pen open. Fuck this. He scribbled his signature as fast as he could, flying through the papers, throwing them each at the lady as he finished.
Dick remained silent, staring at the floor, standing completely still.
“What the fuck did you even do?” The woman sneered at him disapprovingly. He shoved the last paper at her, throwing the pen on the counter. Dick remained silent.
“They picked him up at 3rd street park this morning.” The voice supplied. “He’s charged with loitering and resisting arrest.”
Last Night: “It can’t…” He trailed off, looking at Jason’s grinning face.
“Sure it can.” Jason asserted, darting forward. “Tag!” His heart leaped, as he ran after. Laughing, Jason took the steps to the little castle two at a time, meeting Lilith at the top.
“Oh no, I don’t want to play.” She put her hands up. “Get Danny instead!” He turned, watching Danny wave from over by the fountain. He kept contorting the water into different shapes.
Dick grinned, running forward. “No way, I’m going for my baby brother!” Jason snorted, flaunting around on top of a slide. His smile was so wide – always so wide –
Robin gives me magic.
Dick doubled his speed, they should go for ice cream after this – just the two of them, like old times.
“Please, as if an old geezer could catch me.” Jason taunted, doing a cartwheel as Dick started climbing up a rock wall to the top. “Especially with the shape he’s in.”
“I’m in better shape than you!” He teased back.
“You really aren’t.” Donna’s face appeared at his side startling him, he found himself losing his grip – falling back off the rock wall. His shoulders hit woodchips, knocking the wind out of him. “If you were, that wouldn’t have happened.” She pointed out.
Dick couldn’t breathe – his lungs were frozen – he couldn’t –
Joey kneeled on his other side, helping him sit up. He wheezed, desperately sucking in air.
“See you can breathe.” Jason’s head popped out overtop the wall. “Must be nice.” He muttered.
“What -” he panted, “do you… mean?” A coughing fit overtook him. Donna slapped his back.
“Really?” Jason looked at him mournfully. “You’re being pathetic.”
“Jason!” Donna chided. “Quit reminding him we’re-”
“Don’t!” Dick sputtered, burying his chest in Joey’s shirt. It smelled like honeysuckle – honeysuckle and lilac. “Please!” This was all he had left. “Don’t take this from me. Please, Jason – PLEASE!” Broken fragments and shards of memories.
“Robin?” Tears spilled over into Joey’s shirt. His heart was bursting in his chest. Let him have this. Please. For just a moment more. Joey pushed him back slightly.
Jason popped up in front of him, looking at him accusingly. “I thought I was Robin.”
Now: “Dick, what happened to you?” Roy asked, rummaging through the trunk. No response. He looked up through the rear-view mirror. Dick stared out the window – looking at nothing at all. “Dick?” What the hell?
His hands closed around the first aid kid. He slammed the trunk walking back up to the front seat.
“How is he?” Roy nearly dropped the kit, anger overcoming him.
“How is he?! How is he?!” He flailed his arms. “That’s it! You fucking Bat people just keep pushing and pushing each other - tell Bruce he’s FUCKING OUT OF THE GAME – that’s all you fucking people care about isn’t it-”
“-Roy you don’t understand-”
“I UNDERSTAND JUST FINE!” A couple across the street stared at him. He shooed them off, putting his phone up to his ear belatedly as a cover.
“We love him too.” The voice insisted. “I only want what’s best for him. So does Bruce.”
“Then where the fuck is he? And why isn’t he the one bailing him out?” The line went silent for a moment.
“I said I wanted what’s best for him. Why do you think I sent you?” Roy found himself speechless – not a problem, the voice continued. “Wally was busy, and Garth is still in the hospital, and you should visit him by the way, Dick’s only been stopping by at night - they haven’t even talked! ROY! Don’t talk to me about understanding Dick Grayson, you aren’t the only person who gives a shit about him.”
Roy pinched the bridge of his nose. What the fuck was going on? “Does Bruce even know?” Another pause.
“No.”
“What do you want me to do?” Roy watched cars whiz past on the little town road.
Finally, the voice replied. “I don’t know.”
Last Night: A calloused hand rested on his shoulder. His fists still clenched Joey’s shirt, tears blurring his vision.
“Dick, aren’t you going to turn around?” Jason asked, squatting on the ground. Panic overtook him.
“I can’t.” He tucked his knees to his chest. She can’t see me like this. He was pathetic.
“Mm.” Donna hummed knowingly. “Why not?”
“You know.” Joey gently patted his back as he squeezed harder.
“I do.” She dropped down slipping an arm over Jason’s shoulders. “But I’d like to hear you say it.”
“Why are you doing this?” He choked back a sob. “Can’t we just… talk on the swings – and Jason we can go out for ice cream you can meet Danny and Joey and Lilith can come and - ”
“Dick. Look at me.” Donna placed a hand on his shoulder, waiting until he met her eyes. “You know we can’t stay.”
“You can’t tell me you don’t know this is all in your head. You’re smarter than that.” Jason kicked wood chips without spraying any around. “We didn’t die so you could end up like this.” Joey tapped his shoulder.
‘What he means is, we love you and it hurts to see you like this.’
“Dick, if you won’t talk to us, could you talk to them.” Donna sadly smiled.
“I’m sorry.” He was a disappoint – a failure – it was his fault – his –
“Deep down you know I made a decision.” Donna stated. “And that I don’t regret it.” Dick jumped to his feet. “What do you mean you don’t regret it – you fucking DIED FOR ME, DONNA. HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO ME?!” He grabbed her by the front of her overalls, she just sadly smiled as he shook her. “YOU LEFT ME ALONE! IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME – DONNA – HOW COULD YOU!?” She shrugged as he screamed, dropping to the ground. “It’s hard for you to look at me?! Try looking at your graves and knowing that you’re the reason you died!”
Joey placed a hand on his shoulder. Dick stared at him. “I’m so tired of being alive.” He confessed. Joey pulled him into a hug. “Just. Let me stay with you… please.” He breathed in, but the scent of honeysuckle was long gone - the warmth of Joey’s body fading. “Please?”
“Dickie.” He’d nearly forgotten the sound of his father’s voice. “You have someone to get back to.”
“Multiple someones.” Donna added.
“A new little Robin.” Jason noted. “Take care of him for me, okay?”
“Can’t you just stay?” Joey shook his head. The hand slipped off his shoulder.
“Sleep well, love. Take care of yourself. We love you.”
He turned, diving for a hug, finding nothing but empty air, as he skidded through woodchips, splinters tearing through his skin. Someone grabbed his shoulder and he screamed, clamping onto their wrist. No. No one was getting away this time. Just as he looked up, a blow finally sent him into darkness.
Now: “So… How are the pancakes?” Roy shoved another scoop into his own mouth. Dick poked at his plate without actually eating anything. “Hey, I bought those. You’re going to eat them.” Dick wistfully swirled a piece around in syrup. “Lian’s going to be jealous.” A spark of recognition passed through Dick’s eyes at the mention of her name.
Alright. New tactics then. Talk about his daughter. Oh, this would be easy. “She’s been getting math homework recently. Math homework! Can you believe it? She’s in first grade and this teacher is already giving out math!” He blundered through the conversation, Dick slowly looking up to make eye contact. “And it’s not the crap we learned as kids either. They want them to count a whole different way! I mean how on earth do you count differently.”
“Binary.” Dick suggested, Roy tried not to cringe at how rough and raw his voice sounded.
“So, you could help her with that, yeah?” Two birds, one stone. “She needs help and you’re the best math nerd I know.” Dick turned to stare mournfully out the window. “Finish your food, we’ll go back to my house, you can sleep, and I’ll bring home Lian, and when your brain’s working again you can help her with math, sound good - yeah?”
He probably failed to keep the panic out of his voice, but at this point he didn’t know what else to do if Dick said no. They weren’t kids anymore – he couldn’t force Dick to do anything he didn’t want to, or call in Bruce. It felt like he was teetering on the edge of losing another friend.
Now: He was hurting Roy – Roy’s smile was forced, his shoulders were tense, he was holding his fork too tight. Dick looked out the window, avoiding his gaze.
You have someone to get back too. Multiple someones.
Lian needed math help. Roy needed someone to talk to. Tim needed more training.
Donna could have helped Lian. Joey could have talked to Roy. And Jason should have been the one training.
They weren’t here anymore.
When are you going to face reality?
“Okay.”
He stabbed into a piece of pancake and stuffed it in his mouth. For the first time in days, he ate something that didn’t taste like ash.
Later: Roy flipped through channels, as casual conversation continued in the kitchen. “Okay so if you cut the pancake like this, it’s in thirds, so there are 3 pieces. Get it? Like halves but now there’s one more piece.” Dick had been trying to explain fractions for the past fifteen minutes.
“Mmmm, do I get to eat the pancake?” Lian giggled, smacking the table excitedly. Roy admired her ability to avoid talking about math, that – that was something she got from him.
Time had passed, Dick was rebounding – he always did, and Lian got a perfect score on her last test. Things were good.
For now…
One day, they wouldn’t bounce back – maybe he would die or Dick would shatter, but for tonight fractions were being taught with pancakes – and that wasn’t something he thought possible a week ago. And as Lian served him his piece, he painted on a smile because that’s all they could really do anymore – real smiles seemed to have died with Donna – but maybe if they kept surviving, they could go back to living.
Dick knowingly cocked an eyebrow and placed a hand on his shoulder, ducking down to whisper thanks in his ear, wrapping his arms around his neck, squeezing tighter than usual. Dick’s chin settled on his shoulder, warm puffs of air a constant reminder of his presence.
Tomorrow was unknown, but tonight Dick was alive and healing and Lian was smiling and squealing, and for him, that was enough.
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tsukikento · 3 years
Text
Empathetic Chapter 12
Pairing: Bakugou Katsuki x Reader
Summary: After your mom, the number 1 hero in America, gets offered a teaching position at U.A., you two pack up your things and head to Musutafu, Japan to start a new life. Pressure for you in America was at an all-time high, and now you’re in Japan, where almost no one knows you, or your family’s past.
This tale starts on your first day of class where your new teacher decides the best way for you to fit in is to fight against the strongest person in your class: Bakugou Katsuki.
Warnings/Genre: This piece will feature some angst and reference to an abusive parent, if you are ever worried about other tw’s feel free to send me an ask and I will let you know. There will also be fluff, slight angst, pining, and slowburn.
A/N: No clue how I got this chapter out hella fast despite losing it all, but it was so fun to write lol! I hope you guys like it, please send me asks with feedback! I’m really excited for the next chapters!
(masterlist)
Once you heard the click of your door gently closing, you released a breath of air you didn’t know you were holding. You looked to your ceiling as your heart raced with your brain actively trying to calm it down.
Your phone was still vibrating, but you knew it was a call this time. You didn’t have the nerves to answer it, however, and simply looked at the various texts Ashido had sent you. The first was from around noon today:
I’m on my date with Kirishima right now and I am freaking out!!
She vaguely narrated her emotions before a more significant one showed up at 2:00pm.
Where are you?? I want to tell you and Hagakure everything!!!!
You smiled, happy you were now included with her list of what you assumed was best friends. Just before you got home, she texted you a series of question marks.
????
Where are you!?!
And then the flood of texts when you came home.
Were you??
Omg
Were you really went on a date with Bakugou?
Sir explodey???
Why did you not tell me about your date with Bakugou!!
You smiled fondly at your friend’s jokes and knew the rest of your night would be filled with her and Hagakure. Genuinely, it was exciting to know you would spend you night with the two excitable girls. Not only were you ecstatic that you could hear about Ashido’s actual date today, but your stomach flipped at the idea of finally telling them about you and Bakugou.
If there was even anything between you and Bakugou.
It felt a little wild that your relationships with your classmates had grown so much so quickly. You spent a moment reminiscing about living in America and how much time you really spent by yourself. It definitely helped that you lived in a dorm with them too.
Drawing yourself away from your thoughts, you texted her back:
It wasn’t a date!!
But I am on my way downstairs rn
You hastily changed out of your nicer outfit and into shorts and a sweater, something perfect for the sleepover vibes you were hoping for today. Only for a moment did you debate taking out your earbuds; you did not want to become stressed by overthinking. They really were hurting at this moment and you were sure everything would be okay.
You took your earbuds off and placed them into their case that had been in your backpack. You then pocketed the case in the front pocket of your sweater. Just in case. You ears thanked you as you rubbed them and you tried your best to ignore the thoughts rushing into your head.
You can do this, you told yourself. Half of it was because of your classmates thoughts rushing into your head, and half was because of the nerves you still had from today. It had been quite some time since you went a long period without earbuds and you feared getting a headache, but the risk was well worth it considering how your ears were begging for a break.
You took in a deep breath and told yourself to finally go!
Slowly and quietly, you opened your door, almost afraid that Bakugou would be watching you.
With no one in sight, you rushed down the stairs, the adrenaline pumping through your veins made an elevator ride seem like the worst and longest possible thing. You fled down the stairs, running on the tips of your feet to make the least amount of noise.
Once downstairs you rushed to your friends with a beaming smile.
“Hi!” You exclaimed as you plopped down onto the couch.
“Well aren’t you smiley,” Hagakure immediately commented, making heat flush up your neck.
You couldn’t help it. You had a great day with Bakugou and a productive one to boot. That and you were about to spend the night with your current closest friends. Although you started out wanting to just forget your feelings, you could absolutely get used to the way he talks to you and time you spend together.
You replied to Hagakure’s comment by just deepening your smile and shrugging. “Ashido! You have to tell me how it went!” You looked to the pink girl, who had a grin just as wide as yours. That’s a good sign. That and she wasn’t currently crying in her room. “Should we get snacks and go up to someone’s room?” You suggested.
“Yes!” Ashido replied, “That sounds perfect!” The girl immediately stood up and practically skipped over to the kitchen which was still occupied by students.
Each of you moved around silently. You grabbed three cups and a bottle of soda while Hagakure and Ashido grabbed their desired snacks to bring from the pantry. You were still quite full from your late lunch, but knew that this night would go long.
As your hands held onto the cool glass cups and plastic bottle, you imagined how tonight would be going.
It will be great! You decided as Ashido and Hagakure walked out of the pantry with two bags of chips and a box of fruit gummies. You felt the giddiness in your stomach rise as the girls approached you. Silently, you all walked to the elevator, arms full and eyes shining.
“We can go to my room,” Ashido explained as she reached out to press the appropriate floor.
The same floor with Kirishima and Bakugou, you silently noted as the doors closed and the elevator began to rise.
When the doors opened to your and Ashido’s floor, the first thing you saw was Bakugou walking towards you. Shock ran through your veins as the three of your exited before the doors closed and then stood still. It must have been quite the sight to see the three of you, practically in pajamas with hands full of snacks.
If it wasn’t clear from that image that you three were going to be talking about boys the whole night, then Bakugou sure must be an idiot.
“Tch,” He scoffed as his hand found the doorknob to Kirishima’s room.
Wait, you thought and you quizzically stared at him. Were he and Kirishima also going to talk about girls?
At the very least, you were sure that they would be talking about Ashido.
Bakugou gave you a knowing smirk. Looks like those two idiots finally got together, huh? Surely you helped them.
Your eyes widened. No one had noticed you weren’t wearing your earbuds yet except for Bakugou.
Obviously I can see you without them, you idiot. I’m always looking. His eyes squinted at you and silently gasped in response.
The blond barked out a small laugh, before opening Kirishima’s door and leaving you three in the hall like dumbstruck idiots. You knew he was directing his laugh at your shocked face, but the girls probably just thought it was at their wild appearance.
“Weird,” Hagakure laughed as she became the first to start walking to Ashido’s room. You and the pink girl followed quickly behind.
Once inside, you all immediately dropped the snacks off on the bed and desk. Before anyone had a chance to speak, Ashido turned to face you.
“Before I get started,” She began, “I just have to say…
You gulped down the lump in your throat. From her thoughts alone, you could tell she was upset and hurt.
“How dare you not tell either of us that you were going on a DATE with frickin’ BAKUGOU??” Her anger roared through the room and you were sure Bakugou could hear his name being spoken.
“It wasn’t a date,” You responded meekly, knowing full well how it looked when you walked into the dorms, a smile plastered on your face and Bakugou held the door open for you.
Ashido scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Sure it wasn’t,” She accused, sarcasm dripping off every word. “We will get to you later, missy,” She promised before jumping onto her bed and grabbing a bag of fruit snacks.
“Anyways,” Hagakure spoke, breaking the silent tension that had formed. “Please! Tell us about your date with Kirishima!” She practically begged as she sat down at the desk and began pouring herself a drink.
“Well,” Ashido giggled, “If you insist.” The smile on her face that had been there since you met her downstairs was a clear indicator of the results. You, however, still wanted to hear every juicy detail she could remember.
You sat down on the bed across from Ashido, certain this story would be long enough to hurt your legs if you stayed standing.
“I asked him Friday night if he wanted to go out. Well,” She corrected, “I texted him. Let me show you.” She whipped out her phone and moved so all of you could read it. Despite this, Ashido read it aloud as well.
“Hey, Kiri! And then a cute heart emoji.” She pointed at the emoji on her phone. “I was wondering if you wanted to get lunch tomorrow or Sunday? I found this new café a few blocks away from school and really wanted to try it out with you!”
“Then he said…”
“Sure! I would love too! Sunday works best.”
“Then I said—”
“Ashido, we can read it,” Hagakure sassed. You sincerely didn’t mind her reading the texts, it was a cute commentary addition.
“Shush!” Ashido retorted before turning back to her phone, not letting Hagakure get another word in. She pressed her off button and the screen went black. She moved to be sitting normally again and continued, “So anyways we set up a time. And we were having great conversations on our walk. I had decided from the very beginning to bring up dating him after we leave the café. So, we just chat and it’s nice and he’s so sweet and cute and—”
“Ashido,” You interrupt, unable to hide your laughter and her rambling. The girl stopped and looked at you, her eyes wide as if unsure why you stopped her. “You were getting off topic.”
“Oh!” She exclaimed. “Sorry! Anyways, we get there, and it turns out it wasn’t just a normal café, it was a cat café! So, we buy an hour and get our drinks and snacks and it was so much fun. Seeing him with those cats was like, amazingly adorable.” She stops talking for a moment to eat some of the fruit gummies. “Also! He literally bought all the drinks and food and he refused to take any of my money which was so sweet. And I feel like he kinda knew? Like, he knew this was more than just two friends hanging out.”
“What do you mean by that?” You asked before getting up to pour yourself a glass of soda.
“Like, he seemed so nervous an quiet at the beginning, but luckily he started warming up after he saw all the cats. Except a couple times he would get super silent and just look at me with this wistful smile. It’s hard to explain, but yeah.”Ashido described. “Oh, and I wore this really cute dress and sneakers with some clips in my hair and he complimented me with this goofy smile on his face. Even he dressed up nicely in a red, short-sleeve button up.
“Oh, wow,” Hagakure mumbles. “So when did you tell him?”
“After the hour was up, we decided to not pay for another hour and just go,” Ashido explained, “They were also super crowded and busy. However, instead of just heading back home we walked to the nearby riverbank and sat on the grass hill. It was so amazing because it was covered in flowers and the sun felt so nice. Kirishima looked so great. Honestly, we ended up taking some photos because it was just a gorgeous time of day.”
“Okay? But when did you confess?” Hagakure repeated. She was getting quite impatient and wiggling around in the chair.
You laughed as Ashido shushed her. “Let me be happy!” She retorted with a glint of humor. Despite her tone, it was clear she didn’t mean anything horrible and you laughed even harder.
“Fine,” The invisible girl groaned and pouted in her chair.
You were tempted to retort and tease Hagakure about Ojiro, but decided not to change the topic when you were getting to the most interesting parts of Ashido’s story.
“So anyways,” Ashido began once more. “When we were done taking photos, we just started talking about this or that, it was very pleasant. Like, he was telling me about his goals after school and he seemed so excited and passionate, it was great.” She paused for a moment and looked at each of us before continuing. “All of the sudden,” Her voice grew louder and her wide eyes put you on the edge of your seat in anticipation.
This has to be the moment! You thought.
“A cart ran by with roses and Kirishima jumped up immediately and ran to buy a half-bouquet. It was like out of a movie!” Ashido exclaimed, her hands coming up to touch her cheeks as they grew a deeper shade of pink that her typical skin tone.
“Awww” Hagakure sighed.
“I know!” Ashido exclaimed. “So after he gave me the flowers, I was blushing so much and I could barely talk and when I said that the flowers were pretty he was like ‘yeah, pretty like you’!” I was literally screaming on the inside.”
It felt like you had butterflies on the inside of your stomach from simply hearing about Ashido’s date. It was so much sweeter than yours, despite you still being happy with your day. Ashido and Kirishima had known each other for years too, while you and Bakugou knew each other for a week. In fact, your day with him wasn’t technically even a date.
“Kirishima is so sweet!” Hagakure gushed while you simply smiled at your friends.
“So did you confess after?” You inquired while Ashido showed off the roses now in a vase.
“Okay, okay,” She fumbled and she put down the vase and got back onto the bed. “I basically didn’t have any words. I did not expect him to be so romantic so all I could get out was a small thank you. He was super red too which was a good sign. I was trying to get up the courage to say something more, but then he started talking.”
“Oh?” Hagakure added, her commentary working well with the story.
“He confessed!” Ashido practically screamed.
“He confessed?” Both you and Hagakure questioned. You stood up from your spot in shock and Ashido followed.
Her energy was at a high as she rapidly nodded, “Yes!”
“Oh my goodness,” You added, completely shocked that Kirishima could build up the courage and also happen to do it at the same time Ashido wanted to. You could not help but think about Bakugou currently in Kirishima’s room. You wondered what the story sounded like from Kirishima’s point of view.
Was he also nervous and getting of topic? Or is he already done with the story?
You were sure whatever the answer was, Bakugou was already over it.
“It was so sweet and I feel like I blacked out,” Ashido continued. “He talked about our friendship and how he admired me and how that admiration slowly turned romantic as we got older. He ended it by saying he wanted to finally be the manliest he could be and actually tell me how he felt.”
“So sweet!” Hagakure added. “Very Kirishima of him.” She giggled at the idea of the scene, but Ashido seemed as happy as could be.
“So what did you say after?” You asked, silently hoping that their date ended with a sweet kiss.
“I started stuttering, but I was eventually able to say that I like him back,” Ashido explained. “Honestly, it was a bit awkward. That was mainly because both of us were smiling like idiots though. He was so cute,” She said for almost the fifth time that night.
“That really sweet, Ashido. I’m glad you guys finally admitted it,” You encouraged. “I’ve only known you for a short time, but it was clear you guys are really cute together.”
“Thank you, (Y/N)-kun,” She smiled before reaching out to give you an awkward hug over the pile of snacks.
“How did the date end though?” Hagakure asked as you both broke apart.
“Ah, yes!” Ashido exclaimed, as if suddenly remembering something important. “We started talking about it all and agreed to go on another date soon but keep things pretty quiet. Like, we aren’t going to hide anything, but we aren’t going to sit everyone down to just tell them.” There was a brief pause, “Well, except for you guys.”
Both you and Hagakure laughed at that.
“And Bakugou,” Hagakure added, which was something you were thinking, but did not want to bring up.
They are accusing me of dating him and I would hate for these teasing jokes to get to him and hurt the small amount of friendship we currently have, you thought as you laughed at Hagakure’s addition.
“Anyways, we eventually walked home and just talked about random things. The conversation started getting back to normal, but halfway through he held my hand and it was so cute!” She explained. “I hope everything can stay normal, just with more romance.”
“Did he kiss you at the end?” You ask, unable to help it anymore.
Hagakure laughed at you and Ashido shook her head.
“No, there were a lot of people outside, so it just didn’t feel right. I think he kinda wanted to though,” She explained and shrugged. “I’m not upset about it,” She smiled brightly, “I’m just happy we finally admitted it.”
You smiled silently at your friend, not quite having the words to tell her how happy for her and proud of her you are.
Hagakure, however, had much to say. “Oh, my god!” She began her speech. “I am literally so happy for you guys! You are both so cute together, like literally from day 1 at U.A., you two have been the sweetest friends! I cannot wait to see you guys in public. Kirishima is already so red around you that a quick kiss on his check with make him turn as red as his hair!”
“That I help him dye,” Ashido interjected, a wide smile spread across her pink cheeks.
“Exactly!” Hagakure exclaimed while wiggling around in the seat from happiness.
As a comfortable and happy silence filled the room, you each took this opportunity to grab some food. You poured yourself and Ashido a drink while Hagakure opened a bag or chips and Ashido ate more fruit snacks. Once you sat down, you phone buzzed and Hagakure and Ashido glanced up at you. Although you couldn’t actually see Hagakure…
“Probably my mom,” You mumbled, hopefully answering their silent question.
They look away and you handed Ashido her drink before grabbing your phone off the soft mattress. You tried to be as silent as you could when it was Bakugou’s name flashing across your screen instead of your mom’s.
You looked up to the girls who were staring at their own phones and unlocked yours as silently as you could.
Shitty hair is literally running through a pros and cons list of texting pinky…I’m sure your night is just as miserable considering how loud pinky and whatever her name is can get.
You stared at it, trying to figure out just how to reply. You bit your lip, wondering whether to laugh and joke along with him or defend your friend.
You tested out a few different options before finally sending:
I think it’s cute…and I’m not the type to complain about having friends who actually talk to me.
You listened as closely as you could, not sure how this comment would come across. If you paid enough attention, maybe you would be able to hear his thoughts.
Is that a quip at me? You heard a voice that you hoped was Bakugou. It definitely matched to most compared to the other voices in this house you could currently hear. Or is she just trying to share more?
You heard a bit more of his thoughts before you pulled away, not wanting to intervene too much into his privacy.
Eventually, your phone buzzed once more.
I am.
Your heart dropped slightly at the short comment. But another text suddenly came in.
As far as I think, all those other extras share way too much about their personal lives.
Other extras.
Other extras?
What does that mean?
Testing the waters, you put something a bit risky.
I’ll make sure not to share my person life with you now lol
You felt so incredibly nervous about your text and the ‘lol’ at the end felt so cringey as you stared at it.
Nah, you’re fine. For now.
You smiled brightly, you couldn’t help it. That was definitely a good sign and you knew it. You felt like such an idiot as you began typing out your reply.
“Excuse me?” You heard a critical voice say from above you.
You looked up to see Ashido and Hagakure in front of you. You shockingly looked at them, wondering what they could need.
“You sure are smiling like a fool for someone who is just texting your mom!” Hagakure accused you.
“Uhh,” You stumbled, not sure what to say.
Before you could get any words out, Ashido snatched your phone out of your hands and ran across the room.
“Oh my god!” She gasped while reading over the short conversation. “Bakugou!?” She exclaimed while turning to phone to show Hagakure.
You didn’t even try to snatch it back because you knew full well that they would find out eventually.
“Oh my,” Hagakure finally spoke. “This is,” She paused and looked at you before looking at Ashido. “Is this?”
“L/N-kun and Bakugou flirting? Yes,absolutely” Ashido rapidly nodded before tossing the electronic device onto the bed. “I’m literally not even mad at him bashing us, especially me and Kiri. I’m just happy that he finally found a girl to like.”
“We should have known too,” Hagakure passionately added while you watched their conversation unfold. “They even went on a date today.”
“It wasn’t a date,” You finally interjected.
“Oh, it wasn’t a date!? Sure, it wasn’t,” Ashido replied with an overly mocking tone.
Hagakure was busting up laughing at this point and was unable to say anything else. Nevertheless, she was trying. “I can’t—I can’t—Oh my—"
“Guys!” You pouted, interrupted the two girls. You took this opportunity to grab your phone off the bed and take your place it into your sweater pocket. “Let me explain,” You pleaded.
Both girls suddenly stopped the smiles, giggles, and teasing. Silently, they sat in their respective seats and waited for you to explain yourself.
“So,” You began before taking in a deep breath, “Yes, I do like Bakugou—”
“I knew it!” Ashido exclaimed.
You squinted your eyes at her in critique. “You knew? Since when?” You questioned, knowing full well that she did not know. She had only known you for a week and only saw you and Bakugou interact once.
“Uhh, today?” She offered, “When you came home with him today?”
Hagkure snickered at Ashido’s response which received her a light smack from the pink girl.
“You guys ready to listen?” You asked, interrupting the snickering clients.
“Yes!” The replied in unison. They sat down and looked at you with anticipation.
“Okay, so,” You thought over your next words carefully. “I don’t know what it is about Bakugou that makes me like him. It’s kind of just everything?” You bit your lip, “Like, he’s super hot.”
“Ew,” Ashido groaned, “You can’t say that about him!”
Hagakure laughed even harder than before considering she wasn’t nearly as close to Bakugou as Ashido was. “He is pretty attractive, Ashido. You have to admit.”
“Stop!” Ashido exclaimed. “Bakugou is literally like a dad, he can’t be hot.”
You laughed at Ashido’s comment, her humor helping you relax more. “Just relax, Ashido! I’ll stop talking about how,” You paused, “You know, he is.”
“Thank you,” She replied.
You smiled before continuing your story. “I’ve talked to him a few times over the week, and it is obviously not perfect. Sometimes though, he just says all the right stuff and it makes my insides twist. Like today, we went to his costume designer’s place because I simply mentioned to him that I wanted to change my costume up a lot. And then he took me to one of his favorite food places.” You smiled at the memory. “It was a really nice day, but obviously not as cute or romantic as Ashido’s date.”
Ashido shrugged, “That’s just how Bakugou is though! Like, me and Kirishima have known each other for years! Bakugou is warming up to you after only a week while it took him months to even consider Kirishima a friend.”
“Very true,” Hagakure interjected. She was enjoying the story, but Ashido knew much more about Bakugou than her, making her opinions not as pertinent.
“I think,” Ashido continued, “You and Bakugou have a lot of potential. In fact, now that I know you like him, I can pay so much attention to your conversations. I’ll be like a spy, I can analyze everything!”
You chuckled at your friend’s excitement, feeling great about telling your friends about your crush on Bakugou. At the same time, though, it also felt silly having a crush on him. You bit your lip while telling yourself not to become too preoccupied with the blond when each of you cared more about becoming heroes.
“And those texts are the first thing I want to analyze!” Ashido explained, “So gimme your phone!”
“No, you don’t have to,” You bashfully replied, not sure if it would be right to allow them to see texts from Bakugou when he thinks it is just her.
“Aww, come on!” Hagakure pressured. “I saw some pretty flirty stuff in those texts!”
“Maybe,” You continued, “But Bakugou is a very private person, you know?��
“True,” Ashido spoke, “But he doesn’t have to know!” The grin on her face was wicked and you could tell she wouldn’t let this topic go.
“Okay,” You gave in, “I’m sure it’ll be fine.” You pulled your phone out of your pocket and unlocked it. The texts between you and Bakugou popped up and you passed the phone to her.
She began reading it out loud because it was difficult for all three of your to read it at once.
“First off,” She said, beginning her analysis, “Just him initiating a conversation like this with you is big! He almost never begins conversations.”
“Not only that,” Hagakure added, “But he was trying to find common ground with you. That can be pretty big for Bakugou.”
“And,” Ashido exclaimed, as if just thinking about this “He even said he doesn’t mind you talking about your personal life while he doesn’t like hearing about others.”
Hagakure giggled, “Ooh la la! Sounds like Bakugou is in love.” She emphasized the word ‘love’ and elongated it in a teasing tone.
Ashido began chuckling along with Hagakure while you felt your cheeks turn red. “You guys are just jumping into things,” You insisted while taking your phone back. “I’m just going to take things slow.”
Since their laughter had died down by now, the girls nodded along with you.
“I think that’s smart,” Ashido agreed. “It’s hard to know how he will react in a romantic situation.”
“You know what might be fun,” Hagakure begins. You each look to her, awaiting her thoughts. “Since we know Bakugou is still in there, we could try and sneak up to the room to hear what they are saying about you guys.”
Ashido immediately had a mischievous smile appear on her face. She almost looked like a Cheshire cat and you knew what was next. “Why would we have to sneak up to overhear them when we have L/N right here?”
“Oh my god, that is so true!” Hagakure exclaimed while shaking here arms in excitement. You could tell she turned to look at you and she asked, “So, what do you think?”
I think it’s a bad idea, but I really want to do it, you thought. You took a few beats to think over all the possibilities that could make it a good or bad idea. You looked to Ashido’s excited face and knew Hagakure must feel similar despite not being able to see her either.
“Okay,” You finally said, effectively giving in.
You almost talked yourself out of it. However, this wasn’t something you did often, it definitely wasn’t going to become a habit, and you were a teenager with a crush who simply wanted to have fun?
“Yes! Yes, yes yes!” Ashido exclaimed while Hagakure got up and began dancing around the room.
You laughed loudly at your two friends, enjoying their humorous actions.
“Okay, okay,” You sheepishly interrupted, trying to calm them down. “I’ll need you guys to chill a bit to hear.”
Ashido saluted you and Hagakure laughed before doing the same, at least you could tell from her moving clothes. The two girls then sat down and awaited your next words.
You, on the other hand, focused your energy on the voices surrounding you. Your head, at this point, didn’t hurt at all, and made you feel even more confident about your decision to take out your earbuds. You had gotten very used to hearing people’s thoughts, but not at all processing the words they were saying.
Suddenly, Kirishima’s prominent thoughts came into view.
Today was so great. I think I’ll take her bowling on our next date.
“Kirishima is planning your next date,” You mindlessly spoke, too focused to watch Ashido. You did, however, hear her shrill scream and the excited thoughts rushing through her head.
“What about Bakugou?” Hagakure asked.
You barked out a laugh once your were able to hear Bakugou;s thought clearly enough. “He’s thinking about how you and Kirishima are absolute idiots…but he’s still happy you guys got together.”
“That’s so sweet!” Ashido exclaimed.
“Aww, nothing about you?” Hagakure asked.
You shrugged your shoulders and focused more on your friends. “I really doubt that he talked to Kirishima about today.” You smiled to try and assure your friends. “I don’t need him to think about me all the time.”
Ashido smiled, her eyes filled with a kind of pity you weren’t sure you liked. Despite this, you knew she had good intentions at heart, and you grinned back as she patted your shoulder.
“Anyways,” Hagakure spoke up after a pregnant pause filled the room. “Let’s talk about something else, this conversation is totally not passing the Bechdel test and I am over it.”
You nodded in agreement and grabbed a handful of chips before sipping on your drink. “I could show you guys the sketches for my new hero costume,” You offered.
Ashido grinned widely, “Yes! You can put on your current one and show us the new sketches.”
“Oh god,” You exclaimed, “My current one is so ugly.”
“Well now you have to show us,” Hagakure laughed.
“Okay, okay! I’ll be right back then.” Happily, you stood up from your seat on the bed and made your way to your bed to grab your hero costume, computer, and sketchbook. A wide smile was spread across your face and you clumsily handled all of your supplies.
Today was a great day, you thought as another person’s own thought rang through your ears.
Fuck, why was today the best day I’ve had in a while? You heard Bakugou’s voice ring through your ears before you reopened Ashido’s door.
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absoluteindulgence · 3 years
Text
Paradise (BNHA POC!CUTIES COLLAB)
Happy Black History, Honeys!!! I’ve spent the last 12 hours working on this and I’m still unsure of the finished product, please if you like what read don’t be shy to comment (or if you didn’t DM me, constructive criticism. I haven’t written a story in a while so have mercy lol) Characters are Aged Up🆙 but it’s fluff? I tried my hand at Ludus but can’t say I executed it right lol. Thanks in advance to everyone that reads it! I’m gonna go pass out now, respectfully.
The time you spent together always resorted to some kind of new fun. Always smiles and laughter, learning something new about each other. You didn't spend a lot of time together during your days of being highschool kids, but after some time apart and rekindling something most may call "Puppy Love," you've been finding more reasons to get out of bed.
Kirishima was strong and kind-hearted when you knew him back at U.A., Giving off the proper sentiment that would make you believe in yourself. It's kind of embarrassing how hooked you were to each other's personality, painstakingly apparent to your other classmates wishing for you two to just date but never doing so. Resulting in the classic 'Will They, Won't They' trope annoying everyone; Only to continue like that in your young adult years. Pushing your childlike fun on each other, date after date.
You woke up early, just to get a sense of the mid-winter weather. Still wearing your pajamas, you opened the window near your bed; the brisk air immediately greeted your room with little atonement to your mildly groggy body. You shivered right away, knowing that even though the sun was high in the sky, the wind would be unforgiving until the afternoon. Promptly doing your beauty routine, you dressed warmly and threw your hair under a cute beanie Kirishima had bought you for Christmas. Eager to meet at the station with your Red-haired date. It would be the first date you would've had in weeks, and ironically enough, on Valentines' Day.
As you reached the meetup station, he was already there, fifteen minutes earlier than when you two were supposed to meet. This was typical for him, and many times you had tried to beat him to the punch, but he was always one step ahead. As you got closer, he raised his head from staring at his phone screen, reciprocating the smile plastered on your face as you hugged him.
"Hey, Little Miss Cozy, you look great!" His sharky grin made your heart pulse.
"Aw, thank you, you don't look bad yourself, Kiri" You glanced at his outfit; he looked so stylish! His PR team has really helped him with his image since he graduated, and now he looks like he belongs in a sophisticated J-pop group. "I'm so glad we're hanging out today!" 
"Yeah, me too. Too much work and not enough play are bad for the body!" He dramatically sighed as you playfully pursed your lips in agreeance, and in return, he held your hand through your winter knitted mittens, "Plus, I missed my partner in crime."
Your face heated up from the sweet confession just to retort with, "I feel the same way, Handsome."
His raspy chuckle coming right after as he casually brushed his red hair back with his fingers. Kirishima had promised to make it the best day you could ever have on the holiday. Planning something you didn't even expect; an indoor Ice Skating rink. It would be your first time engaging in the sport, and you were anxious. Unsure about your own elegance and precision to be the best on ice. But he reassured that it would be a fun experience nonetheless, and you believed it would.
"Don't worry, Cutie, if at any point you think you're gonna fall, just hold me tighter." With his graciously, flirtatious wink, you were blushing, with a demure grin.
After traveling to the venue, Kirishima greeted the clerk who would be taking your admission tickets. Right after, you two went to the counter where you get sized up for the Ice Skates. After getting them, you were slightly frantic on how to tie them, bewildered by the laces and hooks. Kirishima saw how confused you were, lightly chuckling at your frantic fingers working so hard to figure it out on your own.
"Hey, don't stress yourself out before you get on the ice, let me help.'' He squatted close to your feet just to help settle your feet into the rented skates. They were a perfect fit, and as he helped, he looked up to beam at you. "You know I feel like the Prince of your story, ready to whisk you away after knowing that the shoe fits you so perfectly."
How smooth, you thought to yourself. Physically flustered and speechless, you had no cheeky rebuttal. Which only made the buff redhead break out into laughter. So many times, did his bold flirts silence you and make your heart flutter. But it was one of your favorite traits that he had. After getting your shoes on, you held his hand the whole way to the rink, continually repeating, "Don't let me fall, okay?"
"Of course, My Princess" He nodded kindly, taking on his role of 'Prince' too seriously. Bringing you to almost trip as you tried to hide your face. "Hey, at least wait till we get on the ice."
Another carefree chuckle leaving his toned body, making you happy to enjoy this experience with him. Getting to the rink may have been a battle, but now you were finally getting onto the ice, working your legs slowly to steady under the frozen ice. Not wanting to move too fast and create an inconvenience for anyone enjoying the rink. Gradually, you took a breath, calming down, as you held Kirishima's hand tighter. He smiled so warmly the whole time you focused on getting comfortable on the ice. The patience he carried just to keep you feeling safe and secure made its way into your heart, knowing that there was no malice energy.
"Are you ready, Princess?" Finally finding your footing, you nod. "Okay, then I'll teach you the basics."
His skating directions are so thorough and straightforward that you're able to follow them and feel like you can execute each move flawlessly. He politely assists you with your stances, placing his big, callous hands onto your waist gently just to help you find the proper posture to keep you from falling. It's fun learning how to do it, but now you're eager to start, and Kirishima can tell.
"Okay, Princess, that's all I have to share. Let's have some fun!" He holds your hand firmly as you slowly glide around the skating rink, feeling your legs space out naturally to create the best gliding and position one leg in front of the other. "See, you know what you're doing!"
Your childlike smile shoots Kirishima straight in the heart as you make the first steps to skating like a pro. He knew you were a fast learner and always admired that. Your persistence to learn something new was fascinating to him. You would start off anxiously and felt as if you didn't know what you were doing. But once you had the chance to shine, you left no skill invalidated.
"Hey Kiri, you think we can go a little faster? I wanna get some more momentum and see if we can do a trick!"
"W-what, you sure you want to try that on your first time at a skating rink? Certain moves require being a professional figure skater… Which we aren’t."
"You have a point, but we should still try anyway," You smile with reassurance, "We didn't graduate from U.A. not to be durable in various conditions!"
You raise your other arm showing off the muscle you gained from being a student at the number one school. Kirishima looked a little bewildered, thinking that your ideology doesn't equate to ice skating whatsoever, but he agreed that you weren't wrong. U.A. definitely had their trials, and you were put through many of them as a first-year.
"I mean, just look at that couple; they're so graceful, and I think we can do that!"
You pointed to a couple of what looked like professional ice skaters making a move you had never seen before. Your eyes sparkled as their chemistry was unmatched by everyone else in the rink. They spun so gently and romantically that you felt like you had to try to do something just as beautiful as that. Kirishima took a couple of Ice skating lessons on the side only to gain more flexibility and agility to become a better defense hero during his agency apprenticeship. It worked well, and he learned many things that he didn't expect to use in his daily life.
Looking at the skilled ice skaters, he felt like that could be him and you, and so he looked back into your eyes, reciprocating your glittery gaze. With a pure and toothy grin, he said, "Okay, let's give it a try."
Excited by his answer, you almost jumped for joy, forgetting where you were, and almost slipped and tumbled into the Red-haired hero. You laughed off the blunder, and you both kept trying to reach the speed it would take to get into any ice move. Having the fundamentals of chemistry be explained had made you even more pumped. Learning the basics of a spin and how to get the most out of sticking your leg out and balance. Kirishima praised you every time you got further into the rotation. You felt good knowing that you were trying and learning something different, respecting the art of figure skating.
Surprised that you were doing so well, you lost focus for a second and accidentally bump into Kirishima, resulting in him falling to the ice-cold floor. Horrified that he's injured, you kneel close to him to inspect, but instead, he laughs, looking at your worried face.
"I'm okay, Princess; this isn't my first time falling on the ice."
"Are you sure? I mean, it looked like you fell kinda har-"
To avoid a freakout and reassure you, he stole a kiss from your lips, lasting more than three seconds as you didn't want it to stop, but he pulls away with a light chuckle, "This floor is cold as hell, though."
"I-I'm sorry," You slightly pout, not knowing what else to say.
"But hey, I'm here with the hottest girl, so this makes up for everything."
Your goofiest smile was starting to form as you reached out to help him up. "Okay, Mr. Flirt, you got me there."
His laugh was highly pleasing to your ears, and you laughed with him. As he stood up, he patted himself down and checked his skates, making sure everything felt the way it did before the fall. After the check, he wanted to leave the rink, it made you anxious, thinking that something else was wrong with him, but he laughed again, "I know you wanted to try a pro move today, but I actually have something else planned."
"Something else?" You tilted your head to the side, confused as to what he could be mentioning.
"Yeah, but it's a surprise, so I'm not gonna say anything until we get there." His shark-like grin came back, making you grin in return.
"Okay, but can I have a hint?" You imitated puppy dog eyes but couldn't keep your face straight, laughing at your own face.
"Hmmm, I'll think about it" He smiled. "Maybe when we're closer, but let's return these skates and go."
And with that, you returned the skates getting your cute and comfortable platform sneakers back. You had even forgotten what shoes you wore since you were in the rink skating for a long time, Feeling like you had sweat enough from the body-induced activity. You were excited to figure out where you might be going. You tried your best to make guesses as you rode the bus to get there and passed by each stop. Still not able to put the finger on where you might be going.
"Here's your hint, Princess," You turn from looking out the window to look back at him. "It's as sweet as you."
Even with such a cute but corny remark, you still didn't have a clue. But you were getting off at the next stop. No dots connected as Kirishima grabbed your hand, guiding you off the bus with him. He smiled the whole way, eager to see your expression on the date's secondary location. The walk may have lasted for five minutes until he stopped, turning to look at you, "We're here."
The building looked a little shabby but still had a colorful banner saying 'Welcome.' A little creeped out, you wondered what was being welcomed. Ghosts maybe? Not humans, maybe clowns, though. You were reluctant to step further, but you looked into Kirishima's eyes, and his expression looked pure and unaltered by the outer appearance of the building. You feigned a light smile, unsure what to expect inside the establishment but prepared for what's to come.
Intertwining your hands, your date tightened the grip, caressing your hand. As if doing his best to comfort you as you walked closer to the entrance, his toothy grin never leaving. As he opened the door for you, you entered the building, the floor looking just as bland as the outside, but you had to be admitted in to get to the specific base, and as you got to your final destination, Kirishima let you walk in first to scope out the scene.
In an instant, you're blinded by beautifully bright colors, pleasingly happy music that didn't sound creepy and candy-like decor from wall-to-wall. Shocked by what you're seeing, candy hung from the ceiling while numerous candy stations were on the floor. Your eyes became huge, looking at what could only be considered a candy paradise. Kirishima stood next to you, nodding at the beauty of the atmosphere filled with gleefulness and sweets all over.
"Well, Princess, welcome to Sugar Sanctuary."
He presented the place so nonchalantly, and yet his energy about the place said otherwise. Your jaw had dropped, not even knowing a place like this had existed. Your eyes couldn't even focus on what was in front of you; you just wanted to explore the floor and eat as much candy as possible.
"We burned so many calories skating, I think we should reward ourselves. I remembered out of the blue that you used to have a sweet tooth, and I wanted to see if that still holds true now."
You turned to hug him tightly, almost jumping into his arms. His eyes widened as you held him, " Of course that's still true! Let's leave here with a dump truck worth of sweets!"
His chuckle reverberated through his body and onto yours as you held him; without protest, he nodded. "Let's do it!"
And with that, you venture into the venue, reading fun facts about the candy, playing the video games that gave out real prizes. Kirishima had a point to prove, his goal was to win you whatever you wanted, and he did it so well, surprising you at his gamer abilities. And his claw skills were something to see too! You never thought you would have this much fun on a date, and yet, here you were having the time of your life with the man who was your highschool sweetheart.
Although your relationships would continue to confuse your friends, you always looked at the bigger picture to smile and have fun. Avoiding all the complicated politics of your connection, taken at your own pace, and not listen to others' opinions as you enjoyed Kirishima's company and vice versa.
You spent every moment tasting different sweets and fresh pastries from the floor that you almost forgot to take photos of the unique location. You spotted a photo booth, and with no hesitation, You lightly tugged your redheaded date to follow along. The booth itself was spacious when inside and looked like it had enough room to fit half a dozen people. But because there was so much space, you tried to create a wonderland of candy surrounding you, bringing you closer to your date.
Kirishima happily obliged to set up what seemed to take a while but eventually, ready to pose for the flix. Unironically, you two looked gorgeous, making quirky faces as the camera flashed, focusing in on the memory. However, the moment was just perfect enough to steal a kiss from him and to thank him for all that he’s done to help you celebrate a holiday that you usually overlook. After caressing your lips onto his, you say, “You know what, Kiri, you truly delivered. And I want you to know that I appreciate you.”
He goes in for another kiss, just to rest his forehead on top of yours, “No, thank you, I’m happy to rescue my Princess from a boring any time of the year.”
With a couple more photos taken in the booth, you leave heading to their lounge area to share a complimentary cake with a candle to grant a special wish together, hoping to have endless moments and to keep smiling together.
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whatdoesshedotothem · 3 years
Text
Monday 12 September 1836
7
12 10
No kiss fine morning and F50 ½° at 7 50 - out with one or other till breakfast at 9 20 to 10 ½ at the Lodge the plasterer gave me the Lodge keys - had finished his job - had Joseph Mann about spars for the Long goit cabin - gave him 5 and nails - had Mr. Husband - told him to see about the Whiskum cottage windows - Joseph M- thinks they can be made water tight by substituting wood frames for the lead ones - Mr. H- to see also about the pump removing into the house - Reuben ----- that lived with Mrs. Lawson will do the job finding pipe (1 1/4in. pipe 30 yards) and everything for £6.10.0 - Mr. H- advises fumigating with brimstone the Irish cottages in Hatters fold - will be done for 2/6 or 3/. Robert Mann and Matthew and Samuel taking out hall  cellar stuff-wood and Jack filling Mark Hepworth 2 one horse carts that cart stuff to the bottom of the coal pit-field - Robert Schofield and Joseph Sharpe breaking stone n the court and taking down bit of old garden terrace wall over against the west tower - 2 sawyers from Hainsworths came this morning (1st time) to saw up deals - to stay a week - the York joiners began fitting up menservants necessary in the new court - 2 masons hewing as usual for the west tower 2 masons (Abraham and James) and 2 lads preparing and setting rag against the coal-place in the new court - wrote the above of today till 11 ¼ - above ½ hour making memoranda - then looking at measurement of Hilltop and writing over in ink memoranda in little rough book - then till 12 50 wrote and copied letter in answer to the one I had last night from Miss Vickers - in great hope of having heard of a housekeeper likely to suit me - presume it is the Miss V- who was teacher at the Manor school at York ‘and whose knowledge of cookery and confectionery, and whose of the arduous duties of a housekeeper in an establishment consisting of several servants might not be sufficient to fit her for the place at Shibden hall - Miss Lister very much hopes that Miss Vickers will soon meet with a better situation’ - from 12 55 to 4 (except called off a little by A- copying plan of the H-x Sutherland property for her sister) and had Mr. Hoyland for a few minutes about painting the Lodge (the painters there this afternoon) from 12 55 to 4, with these interruptions, wrote 3 pp. very small and close to M- thanks for her 2 letters and valuable help - will let Adney manage for herself about the woman servants in future gave M- copy of great part of my last letter to Mrs. Bull - and a copy of Miss Vickers’s letter!!! and my answer ‘Mary I have you all this to amuse you, if so be that you can be amused by such an offer’ (Miss Vicker’s) ‘sealed by a little bird ‘scaping from a cage under the watchword of our day, Liberty - I have had enough for all my life of hiring housekeepers and housemaids - ask how often the Lawtons give their servants great coat - if the brick oven is heated with wood or coal, etc annoyed sorry the gardener did not call to thank M- afraid the accounts from the minster yard are but indifferent - ‘your disappointment is mine - I should have been delighted at your coming - at last, (never too late), you have resolved wisely and kindly - and I am confident you will be more and more of my opinion - Be the secrets of our hearts open or not, the world has some right to have its prejudices attended to - who was once more convert to this opinion than Mary’s self? who has done sacrifice to it more frequently than she? and would you now despise the creed that you have held so long? But think not of anything save the good you are coming to do - you can, and will give Adney very valuable assistance - you will do great service to us all, and you will be more than satisfied - the idea of coming to see my aunt after A- and I were gone, was perhaps but an idea - a vain imagining that could have no reality - my aunt is very poorly - we have no thought of leaving here, and may not have long to stay on her account - she has so often and so extraordinarily rallied, who can say when she has done so for the last time? But I have no hope of her continuing very long - she has told me several times to give her love, and say, she should be very glad to see you - I am sure she would be very glad, and I should have laid stress upon this before, had I not
SH:7/ML/E/19/0107
thought it more kindly considerate to your feelings to avoid the subject altogether - you must take such board and lodging as you can get, in the present state of the house and household - Trust me, il n’y a que le premier pas qui conte - all afterwards will be easy, and comfortable, and satisfactory - if you are not in a hurry about plans for Miss Salmon, we had best talk the matter over - I think it will require much careful arrangement to insure its success - In Paris it is easy to spend money, and difficult for a stranger to live comfortably on small means’ ...... should have the n° of pupils certain for the 2 years - scarcely think £500 a year with 5 pupils enough for everything - it ‘would require a clever head, - or rather 2 clever heads, one to keep the house, and one to keep the young ladies - the latter ought never to be left - I fancy the manner English people keeping schools in Paris, are either well versed in the manners and prices of the place, or are in some sort of partnership with  some French person or other foreigner who can keep the cash-book straight - I dare not trust myself to name other places than Paris - but there are where climate is better, and living and house rent cheaper, and masters good enough to teach French - of course, everything is the best (except climate) in Paris - but it is a charming, dear place - Let us talk all these things over - your last dated letter (the 2 last came together) seems to me the kindest I have had from you since the spring of 1834. ‘when I have the object set before me of being of the least possible use to you, self is altogether forgotten’ - a golden sentence - kind in expression, - invaluable in dead - Is not that affection deepest which seeks to serve its object bests?’ - shall be glad to hear she has made up her mind about Percy - grieve over the failure of the Wiesbaden scheme - out 4 for ½ hour - then wrote all but the 1st 13 lines of today till 5 (rain sent me in at 4 ½) A- off to Cliff Hill between 2 and 3 pm and not returned at 5 - till 5 35 wrote the ends very small and close and finished my letter to M- afraid she is far from well - will not speculate or ask questions no w- will judge for myself by and by ‘I hope and think your visit will do you good’ ..... glad she is so engrossed with her schools - ‘you cannot live without constant employment - you never could - you were always active and busy - the prepossession never leaves me that your health will be better sometime hence, and that your measure of happiness will far exceed your present expectation - Adney begs me to say how very much she feels obliged to you for your kindness in promising to help her with her school - you will do her a great service; and she is not a person upon any service is thrown away - I am confident your coming here will be productive of much satisfaction and comfort to all parties - Mary! it could not be in my heart to reproach you for anything, but the weakness of yielding to some feelings, was unworthy of you, and undeserved by me - God bless you! Rouse up your good spirits, and come, and believe me always very affectionately and especially yours AL’ - had just written the last line at 5 ¾ - then out till 7 with Robert Mann, ordering work for tomorrow - the Low fishpond cannot yet be found out - read over A-‘s letter to her sister with plan of the Sutherland [Hall?] property and advice about the Greece field - very useful letter - sent off my letter to Mrs. Lawton, Lawton hall, Lawton Cheshire and to ‘Miss Frances Vickers Mrs. Gascoignes, Skinner Lane, Leeds ppd’ dinner at 7 ½ - coffee upstairs - A- read a little French - I  asleep on the sofa till 9 ¾ - then a few minutes with my aunt as I had been between dinner and coffee - would not take A- with me - my aunt in bed - not up today - very poorly - Mr. Jubb not well - sent to inquire after my aunt this morning - letter tonight from Mrs. Milne - thanks for the moorgame - about ½ fine and ½ shower day F50° at 10 pm reading Alphabet of Botany till near 11
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imaginesfora3 · 4 years
Text
It’s About the DRAMA [Sumeragi Tenma] [Pt. 2]
(Second NSFW part to the Tenma commission I did! Please enjoy~)
Even after two entire years Tenma found his heart still beat for you.
When he was around you he could hardly think straight but he was so addicted to the feelings you gave him, the true happiness he felt at seeing you smile or hearing you laugh, he couldn’t pull away. He’s plagued at night by thoughts of you, of thoughts of what could be if he could strike up the courage to ask you on a real date and not just to ‘hang out’. He always went in with the intentions of revealing his feelings, like when he’d invited you out to karaoke that one night and sang a love song that felt reminiscent of this particular situation with you, but everyone and their mother seemed to get in the way. The meaning of the song completely flew over your head and you’d complimented his singing voice, teasing about the next production being a musical starring him.
A few days after the karaoke catastrophe he’d been trying to think of a good way to confess his feelings but could think of nothing that didn’t make him feel pathetic, knowing feeling like this was natural but still hating how soft it made him look. Did women even like men who got this emotional and romantic when it came to him? His naturally abrasive self had been far too used to people fawning over him no matter how he acted but if it was his fame they fell for and not him or his actions, then it wasn’t real love, was it? Just infatuation. It’s the reason why he’d kept his distance in the dating world for so long despite all the interest in him as young handsome actor.
Or at least one of the reasons.
While he was stuck in his thoughts about his sad dating life Banri had entered the kitchen, starting a welcome conversation about clothing styles that served as a distraction for about two minutes. Said distraction quickly fizzled out when you entered the room looking more stunning than Tenma thinks he’d ever seen you, the dress you’re wearing hugging every curve of your body and leaving only the best bits to his imagination. Banri was quietly appreciating you too but was far less obvious about it than Tenma, glancing over at his friend and smirking as Tenma’s eyes drifted down to your ass the moment you’d turned around.
“Keep it together, man.” Banri elbowed him which caused Tenma’s head to snap back up, just in time for you to turn around and face them. “Where are you going lookin’ like that?”
“Out with friends. That okay, dad?” You stuck your tongue out at Banri who fired off some comment about how it was hard to believe you had a life outside the company but Tenma wasn’t listening, not really. Now his thoughts were just plagued with the thoughts of wining and dining you, but the actions that took place after said wining and dining had finished for the night. It’s taking all the will power he had to keep his jaw from hitting the ground when you swung around once more, grabbing a jacket before waving to the two men in the kitchen and being on your way. He wanted desperately to call out your name, to bring you back so he could soak in your beauty for just another second, but you were gone before he’d found his voice again.
“The hell was that about?” Banri was looking at him incredulously, “You stared so hard your eyes could’ve fallen out of your head. You got it that bad for her?”
“…Huh?” Tenma wasn’t listening again, now he was desperately fighting a losing battle against his dick. “Yeah, whatever.”
Banri doesn’t say anything else but it’s clear he’d picked up on all the signals Tenma had been sending your way, not really knowing how to help his friend out if he couldn’t even admit the feelings were there. He simply stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked away, leaving Tenma standing at the counter for a few more minutes, not even realizing he’s alone. When Tenma finally noticed Banri was gone he didn’t feel so self-conscious about the bulge in his pants, making a mad dash for his room and hoping he didn’t run into any other troupe member on the way there. It was the weekend so most were either holed up in their room getting much needed rest or out and about having fun until it was time to be back to business.
Tenma had never been more grateful that Yuki was a shopaholic as he clambered into his bed, leaving the room empty so that Tenma could handle his business. He hardly found the energy to masturbate but when he did he knew how to be quick about it, something very necessary for living in this dorm with a roommate who was almost always there.
Tenma glanced nervously at the door, worried about someone busting it down though there’d be no reason to do so; he could’ve locked it if he really wanted to but he didn’t feel like answering Yuki’s questions should the younger boy come home and not be able to get into his own room. Tenma’s hands slid down his pants and he rubbed his dick through his underwear, unzipping his jeans to give himself more room to work with and turning away from the door, just in case the whole ‘busting in’ scenario happened. It’s not comfortable enough so he decided on laying on his back, pants fully pulled down as his hand strokes up and down his length. He’s thinking about you, your ass, your mouth, your voice, everything that had to do with you was so incredibly attractive that he knew he’d come sooner rather than later as long as he kept up the pace. Your name slipped from his mouth, an accident, one that he didn’t think would cost him as dearly as it did.
“Tenma…?” The door creaked open but he didn’t process it quick enough, continuing to pump his length, finger stroking over the sensitive head when he realized your voice was no longer just in his head. His head whipped towards the door and he meets your eyes, his heart dropping down to the underworld as he realized you were staring at- “Fuck! I’m sorry!”
You hadn’t realized Yuki wasn’t in. Part of your jacket was ripped and you had simply wanted to come see if he could fix it up for you, having a replacement if need be, but instead you’d walked in on… An oddly attractive and incredibly embarrassing scene. You felt guilt seep into your bones at the horrified expression on Tenma’s face, watching as he rolled onto his side to fix himself quickly while trying to sputter out excuses that just wouldn’t form into full sentences; you couldn’t really blame him, this was probably in his top ten most mortifying moments now. You should’ve knocked, you know you should’ve, but now you knew that the carpet matched the drapes and that his dick was rather sizeable and-
You shouldn’t be thinking these things about him.
But hadn’t he been calling out your name?
Had he been thinking those things about you?
It wasn’t as though there were signs that Tenma might feel some type of way towards you. You’d seen him gaping at you in the kitchen and felt rather proud at his reaction, even turning around again to give him a view of all that you had; you hadn’t even realized you were showing off for him until you’d walked outside and the cool night air brought you back to reality. You weren’t in some sleazy romance novel, Tenma deserved romance and flirting and the whole shebang, not just sexual tension. Azuma had been the first one to bluntly point out that Tenma was clearly in love with you, head over heels, no doubt about it, and since Azuma seemed to be the expert in these you had truly wanted to believe him. You didn’t at first but the longer this tension between you and Tenma continued to grow… After this incident, after definitely hearing your name come from his mouth as he was certainly masturbating… Maybe you had to stop ignoring it.
Maybe you just had to deal with the fact Tenma loved you.
But how?
You don’t find an answer for another year.
Tenma’s career was in full swing meaning you rarely saw him around anymore, something that both broke your heart and brought some type of relief. As much as you wanted to confront him on his feelings you still hardly understood your own, nervous about the concept of dating someone younger than you, worried that you hadn’t interpreted the signs correctly. You had no doubt Tenma would be a good boyfriend but would you be good enough for him? It wasn’t to say you weren’t a good, loving person but would you be enough for Tenma? Popular, famous Tenma who practically had women throwing themselves at him left and right, who worked with gorgeous movie stars and was messaged by famous models daily?
He’d been gone about six months at this point but Summer Troupe’s annual play was coming around and he was ready to come home, to see his friends and live in the dorm once again. He’d contacted you and asked for you to pick him up, almost not bothering to send the text as he was still embarrassed by the entire masturbation situation. He didn’t think the moment would weigh so heavily on him but unless he was completely delusional, he was certain you’d stared at his dick until he’d turned around, not even bothering to look away (the same exact thing he’d done to your ass about ten minutes before). Did it mean something or was it just the shock? There was no easy way to get an answer and he hated that the most about this, about all of this romance crap.
The wind is knocked out of you when you see Tenma in the airport, walking towards you and Sakuya (one of the only free members who happily wanted to accompany you to get his fellow troupe leader) with his sunglasses and hat pulled down over his face. He somehow managed to keep growing even over such a short period of time, looking taller, more mature, more put-together… You realized you’re staring at him too long after he’s greeted you without saying anything in return and you forced a smile to your face.
“H-Hey there, hope that time with all the big wigs can help our play shine!”
“You know I always do my best.” His response was awkward but so was your previous statement so you can’t blame him. The walk back to the car is thankfully silent as it’s clear Tenma is quite exhausted and you wondered if he’d just fall asleep on the ride back, leaving even less room for you to make a fool of yourself.
“You really do seem more mature, Tenma,” You offered up another observation as he packed his bags into the back of the car. As much as you didn’t want to make yourself look stupid you had missed him dearly, those weekly phone calls not being enough to satisfy you. You used to talk to him every day, at least getting to see his face even if he was busy, but being overseas and filming left him too busy to keep that same routine. You understood why and you didn’t blame him but now that he was finally in front of you, you couldn’t just pass up the opportunity to talk or tease him like you used to.
“Ah, thanks…” He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, looking away from you, “You… don’t feel like you’ve changed at all.”
“What does that mean?”
“I-It’s not a bad thing.”
‘It’s like coming home,’ Tenma thought with a smile, ‘I am coming home, I guess…’
“You guys must’ve really missed each other, huh?” Sakuya laughed from the back seat as you and Tenma entered the car. “We all missed you but not as much as she did! Whenever we were having trouble figuring out a scene, she’d always say ‘I wish Tenma was here’ or something like that!”
Sakuya, as innocent as he was, was absolutely killing you right now.
“Do you have any stories about being on set? Ooh, what about the places you visited while you were away?” Sakuya interrupted the growing tension, leaning forward into the front seat and looking at Tenma curiously. He might’ve just put you out there but he’d saved you just as quick, successfully distracting Tenma who seemed more than happy to tell Sakuya of all the things he experienced while he was away. You listened in while you drove, enjoying both the sound of his voice and the content of his stories, pleased even more to hear that none of his time was spent with other women.
The dorm was buzzing with energy when Tenma finally arrived.
“Summon the troops up front Muku, a celebrity has finally arrived!”
Tenma smiled weakly at  your attempt at humor but there was still come clear tension left over, something he was quick to blame on jet lag. Why did seeing you again in person leave him breathless? Why did his heart ache even though you were right there in front of him, arm’s length away? The distance had done nothing to placate his feelings, perhaps making it even worse, and he finds himself selfishly wishing he could just have you all to himself for a night.
He’d missed everyone at Mankai without a doubt but you were a special case.
Tenma is bombarded with questions, he’s given gifts and poems and all sorts of things that the others had made for him while he was gone or to welcome him home. He’d never felt more loved in his life and as he accepted these gifts, cheeks red from embarrassment while he also made sure to thank each person who gave an offering, he noticed your were absent from the general hubbub. While Kazunari is rambling on about something or other Tenma scanned the area, eyes landing on the kitchen once he noticed it was where you were. You were casually talking with Omi, something that wasn’t exactly unusual, but today he was just off. Seeing you with Omi made him feel this bitter jealousy towards him, this irritation welling up until it clearly showed on his face.
“You okay?” Kazunari asked, head tilted in confusion.
“He’s probably tired from the trip,” Azuma offered up helpfully, and despite Tenma generally being on edge whenever the silver-haired man was around him, he felt relieved that he didn’t have to come up with an excuse himself. “Why don’t you head to your room to unpack and relax until dinner? One of us will fetch you when everything’s done I’m sure.”
Was being alone with his thoughts really what he needed right now?
Tenma discovered that it was in fact not what he needed or what he wanted, unable to get the image of Omi’s hand on your arm out of his head; it was as if he was being mocked, as if the universe was telling him ‘you missed your chance, buddy’. He wondered how close the two of you had gotten, wondered if you shared any longing looks or if you’d spent a night together and the relationship took off from there, all the things that he wanted to do with you but never got to because his damn pride always got in his way. The feelings of jealousy started to bubble over until he felt genuinely angry over something he knew he had no right to be upset about, pacing in his room, wanting dinner to just be over with so he could come back and brood some more.
Tenma knew something had to be done about his feelings for you.
Being himself wasn’t working, he kept overthinking his words, stumbling over them, not wanting to look as pathetic as he felt. So what if he pretended to be someone else? When he was in character he didn’t get overwhelmed by feelings, when he was in character he kept it together no matter how beautiful the actress acting opposite to him was, so maybe the solution had been dangling in front of his face this entire time. He doesn’t know when he’ll have the chance to enact this plan but the seed had been planted in his brain and he couldn’t get it out of his head. He had to confess to you even if it killed him, even if you rejected him and never looked at him in the same light again.
He had to let you know how he felt.
Practice began the next day and despite being told he could be a bit late, he insisted on being right on time. He had gotten plenty of rest and he was ready to get back to business, with acting being the one thing that always managed to distract him from his feelings. Being with the others again gave him his energy back and he started off the day ready to conquer, flipping through the script Tsuzuru had just barely managed to get into their hands before passing out on the ground. There were plenty of interesting themes, some redemption, two twin flames reuniting, the dialogue really speaking to Tenma’s spark for both drama and comedy. He’s assigned the lead role even as he protested it should go to someone like Misumi or Kazunari who fit the lead character far more but the group was just as stubborn as he was and with a sigh, he accepted that things were getting right back to business as usual.
Tenma was totally in his element, he was more than competent enough to take on the lead role in a stage play, so then why was he constantly obliterating his lines? He stuttered in the first read through, he forget to respond a few times (he was too busy looking at you as you read over the script, looking extra cute as you concentrated), he was thinking about his own confession monologue he’d started to plot out, he was just entirely distracted. And he couldn’t just push it down like he normally did, it kept rising to the top of his thoughts and it was truly beginning to screw him over. He can see the others are getting agitated but are unwilling to call him out, likely just blaming it on him not being used to being around them again, but it was so much more than that. With a frustrated wave of his hand Tenma dismissed himself from the practice.
“W-Where are you going?”
��I’m going to practice alone. I’ll… be back.” Tenma left the room in a hurry but just as he predicted you followed, reaching out to grab his arm and stop him from storming away so quickly. It made his heart jump in his chest, made him shiver at how warm your hand felt against his arm and he had to use all the self-control he had left not to pin you to the wall so he could crush his lips against yours.
“What’s wrong, Tenma? You can’t close yourself off like this. You know you need to talk it out!”
“I was supposed to come back with more experience to make this play a success and now all I can do it… Well, nothing! It feels like I’m back at square one again,” Tenma couldn’t help but be at least partially honest with his feelings, making sure to leave out the fact you were driving him absolutely crazy by just being this close to him. The kind, concerned look on your face squeezed his heart like a vice and when you squeezed his arm reassuringly he thought he might die then and there.
“I can see you need a reminder of the fact that I’m here for you and so is the rest of your troupe! You’ve grown up so much but you can’t just keep bearing the weight of the world on your shoulders without letting us in on how you’re feeling. If you know what’s wrong and it’s a problem you can solve then let us know! And even if we can’t solve it just tell us what it is! It can’t be that bad, can it?”
“You have no idea,” Tenma sighed, trying to subtly move his arm out of your grip. “…Can we go down to the theatre?”
“You missed it that much?” You tried to joke but Tenma was looking a little too serious for you to not feel nervous, simply nodding his head and beginning to walk without your confirmation. You’re worried about what might come next but you’d rather snuff the problem out sooner rather than later; you dipped your head back into the practice room to let the others know they could continue to read their lines and that you’d be back with Tenma soon, not noticing the looks they all exchanged.
Tenma is standing center stage when you find him, pacing back and forth, looking just as pensive as he had when you’d left him. He doesn’t even notice you’re there leaving you a moment to admire his handsome face, a handsome face you’d grown fond of and had missed dearly while he was gone. Seeing him at the airport had made you just want to wrap your arms around him and tell him he was never allowed to leave you like that again, that living daily life without him had just made things feel ‘off’, but you knew you could never say something so selfish. It wasn’t as though the two of you were even dating so what right did you have to even think those things about him? Ever since you’d walked in on him masturbating you’d seen him in an entirely different life, recognizing him not just as a troupe member but as a man, too.
The change left you uncomfortable, with feelings you didn’t know how to handle.
“No one else has ever encouraged me and believed in me like you have,” Tenma began to speak as you walked closer, his intense gaze making it hard to look away from him. “My parents want me to go back to daytime drama full time.”
“You know how I feel about your father so let’s not get into that…” Tenma smiled at the memory, never forgetting what it was like to have you so focused on him and doting over his wounds; it was the first time he ever realized he was in love with you, his strong romantic feelings for you truly coming to a head as you expressed your compassion. He was beginning to realize even more how he felt, that it wasn’t simply admiration but true love that he felt for you. You were someone he would be perfectly comfortable calling his soulmate, someone he could easily spend the rest of his life with and never regret it not matter how tough things got. If he was going to put it all on the table and finally address the elephant in the room, now was the time to do it, now when he was feeling so reassured that he’d be able to get his feelings across to you.
You joined him on stage, looking out at the empty seats before glancing over at him again as he began to talk.
“Can I act this thing out for you that I’ve been thinking about for a while?”
“Sure. Are you gonna be our new scriptwriter, too?” You teased.
“Not a chance. Just… give me a sec.” Tenma took a deep breath, running his fingers through his hair, his nervous energy infecting you as well.
“Y-You remember I’m not really a great actress, right? You didn’t forget that while you were gone?”
“I didn’t forget anything about you. I didn’t ask you to act so just… listen, alright?”
Another deep breath and you saw a switch flip in him, his face and shoulders growing more relaxed as he looked at you.
“The day that we met we fought like cats and dogs. I never thought the two of us would ever get along, never thought that I could ever see the positives or care about a person who only seemed to kick me when I was down. But I realized it was all about perspective. You weren’t kicking me but you were offering your hand, willing to help me figure out what I really needed to. I’ve dated other girls but none of them have ever held a candle to you. I started to realize they were never good enough because they were never you.”
That’s your name that he’s saying and it’s your hands he’s now holding, looking deep into your eyes with a penetrating gaze that left you feeling weak in the knees. You had suspected something was up at first but there was no way for you to refute it now, Tenma was without a doubt confessing feelings that you never knew he had. You have to applaud the bravery but the butterflies in your stomach are making you feel restless, the close proximity with the orange-haired man not helping you untangle the many thoughts you were having. How did you feel about Tenma? He’d managed to so eloquently sum up your relationship and how deeply he felt for you and yet you were still stumbling around in your own head trying to find the proper way to respond.
There’s one moment over these last few months that really stood out to you, the one night you’d been holed up with a few other Mankai members watching an interview Tenma was involved with. You’d seen that romance was one of the topic of discussions and suddenly found yourself even more interested, waiting with bated breath as the question of Tenma’s relationship status is questioned; he scoffed, blushed, and brushed off the question as being an unimportant one, completely irrelevant to the movie he was about to star in. But the interviewer was rather insistent on getting an answer, pressuring poor Tenma into at least giving him a bread crumb.
“I like someone but her and I aren’t together.”
You released a breath you didn’t know you’d been holding, receiving a knowing look from Banri who didn’t offer up anything snarky at the moment, turning back to watch the rest of the interview while you tried to calm your racing heart. That didn’t mean anything, right? He could like the actress he was on the job with, or any other number of women he interacted with on the daily, it didn’t mean he was talking about you but… Part of you hoped it was about you. You’d seen the way he looked at you before, you’d heard about the things he did just to have an excuse to talk to you but you’d always just amounted it to a schoolboy crush. But the Tenma standing before you now wasn’t just some kid, he was a hardworking adult who had matured over the years and who was confessing that his heart belonged to you.
You’re not an actor, you can’t come up with some dramatic dialogue with perfect metaphors for the love you felt for Tenma, but you were someone who shared his feelings and wanted to let him know that. Tenma went to pull away from you but before his hands can escape your grip you squeezed them, taking a step forward into his personal space, something you had always been careful about not doing before. You looked into his eyes, searching for something, hoping that none of this would turn out to just actually be some fake scene he wanted to act out but with the fondness he’s looking at you with now you knew his feelings had to be true. Or he had to be an even more talented actor than you’d originally thought but you were hoping you weren’t about to make a fool of yourself.
Leaning forward your lips brushed against his and Tenma followed through with your movement, quickly releasing your hands to hold either side of your face. He didn’t want you to pull away until he had his feel, his heart beating so loudly he’s sure you can hear it. This is a moment he’d dreamed of for years and you tasted so much sweeter than he ever expected, your lips ridiculously soft and potentially addicting. He could get lost in the feeling of holding you against him, his lungs beginning to burn from how long it’d been since he’d last took a breath, but he couldn’t find it in him to pull away from you. You seemed to feel the same as you made no move to dismiss him, kissing him back with just as much fervor, your hands grabbing onto his shirt and digging into the soft material to anchor him to you.
When you pulled away you were glad to see the cool guy façade he’d had up during his confession had completely disappeared, a dark blush adorned his face and left him looking even cuter than usual. You’re sure your face matches his in more ways than one but what does it matter now that you had him?
“I want… Please, be my girlfriend?” He’s looking away from you, unable to meet your eyes as though that was the most embarrassing thing he’d ever done in front of you. You could bring up the masturbation incident but you figured that’d just ruin the mood.
“I think I can do that.” You leaned in to press a few more kisses to his lips, Tenma deepening them each time you attempted to pull away. Finally you block his lips with your hand, sending him a playful smile. “The others are waiting for us! We need to get back to business or we’ll just spend all day in here…”
“I could live with that.”
“Well I can’t! Now let’s get back and smooth out this performance, lover boy.”
~*~
This was riskier than you’d ever taken it but you missed your boyfriend dearly.
Tenma let out a soft groan as you grinded your lower body against his, dick already fighting with the costume he was wearing in an attempt to reach your warmth which seemed so close yet so far away. You couldn’t help but laugh as he started to strip you of your clothes, shaking your head as that would be too dangerous a thing to do while you were trying to get busy in his make-up trailer. Instead, you lower the top part of the dress (thankfully, it was stretchy as well as flowy) to show off your bare chest and slid your underwear down your leg, stuffing them into his pocket before you started to fumble with the zipper.
Tenma cursed as you released his dick from its prison, straddling his lap once more and using his shoulders to slowly lower yourself onto him. You both gasped at the same time, Tenma’s head falling back and brushing against the side of the trailer as he squeezed his eyes shut and willed himself not to come quite yet. He knew it had to move quick as he didn’t know when someone would fetch him for his next scene but he had to savor how wonderful it felt to be inside you, how gorgeous you looked bouncing on his cock, your chest in his face as his hands reached around to grip at your ass. All he can think about is how sexy you are, how lucky he is to see you like this, groaning into your chest before he caught one of your nipples in his mouth. Your moan of approval only fuels him further, with Tenma taking control from under you by thrusting up and changing the rhythm entirely. He’s a bit rougher and more aggressive, hips angling to find that sweet spot inside you, tongue still toying with your hardened nipple when it all comes crashing down around him.
A knock on the trailer door caused you to jump off his lap instantly, his dick aching from the loss of contact even if his brain knew he had to scramble to get it together. He pushed you out of view of the door as he fixed himself, taking a quick glance in the mirror and hastily fixing himself before he opened said door. You did your best to stay out sight, fixing yourself just in case the assistant found their way inside and listening to the conversation your boyfriend was having. He was being rather curt but it was clear he was annoyed at being interrupted, and the only thing you get from him is an apologetic look before he leaves the trailer to go back to set.
You waited a few more minutes until things were truly quiet to get moving, sneaking your way from the trailer and seeing yourself out of the studio without further interruption. You wonder how frightened Tenma was about all of that, trying to think of what might hurt his reputation more; discovering that he was dating his director or them assuming you were just some random girl he’d called into his trailer to have sex with. Neither option seemed to be positive but… You and Tenma hadn’t talked much about the secretive nature of your relationship lately. You’d just recently overcome an issue in the relationship but it seemed like a new one was always willing to pop up when you least expected it. You tried to push this to the back of your mind, knowing Tenma wasn’t ashamed of you and that he did truly love you, but you still had to wonder if he ever thought about what would happen if the two of you really did get caught.
Surprisingly, you’re not the one to bring up the topic.
“I was asked if I had a girlfriend today.” Tenma had been showing clear signs of agitation, playing with the food on his plate instead of eating it. You had been patiently waiting for him to open up knowing if you approached the topic without him being the first one to speak he’d just close himself off and you might never know what was on his mind.
“What did you say?”
“I said… I said that I did.” Tenma looked in your eyes, searching for any sign of emotion; you simply looked surprised but that didn’t tell him if it was a happy surprised or a disappointed one.
He had thought making your relationship a secret was just as beneficial for you as it was him, in fact, he had done this entirely for you. Dating a celebrity was an entirely different world, even if you knew the real him and he wouldn’t suddenly change into a different person having the world prying into your romance might not have made things go as smoothly as they had been. The relationship had bumps in the road but things had always managed to work out, but would that have the same outcome if the tabloids and paparazzi were involved? Would you have been as willing to be patient with him? Would you even find any pleasure in being with him if your relationship was in the public eye? These questions scared him. He knew he should’ve been honest about it from the start but in the end, he continued to run from his feelings and even ignore the fact they existed.
But Tenma had to stop running.
He was tired.
He didn’t want to run anymore.
“We’ve almost been together a year now and I want to… I want to be able to post a picture of us. I want to make an annoying post like all those celebrities who think they have better love lives than the rest of us and I want people to be jealous that I have you all to myself. I know I’m the one who wanted us to be secret but I…” Tenma’s fingers tapped nervously against the table, his plate of food fully pushed away as you quietly listened to him. “I don’t want us to be a secret anymore. I hate hiding things from everyone. I hate not being able to hold your hand in public. When we go places together I don’t want to have to be paranoid anymore. You understand how I feel, don’t you?”
“Of course I understand. Don’t you think I want the same things you do?” You stood up from your place across the table, circling around it to stand behind Tenma who’s shoulders were sagging. You could tell this was something he’d thought about more than he let on and if you were being honest, you were proud of him for managing to speak so honestly about his feelings with you. It was hard for him to articulate exactly how he felt much of the time but he’d managed to get his feelings across to you perfectly. “I don’t want to be a secret anymore either, handsome.”
Tenma leaned back into your arms as you hugged him from behind, your chin resting comfortably on his head.
“I’ll post about it then. On our anniversary.”
“I look forward to seeing what the sappy movie star has to say about me!”
You were not at all disappointed to see the post on Instablam the following week, nor were you surprised at the responses it received from some of your Mankai friends. Kazunari posted ‘KNEW IT’ with approximately a million exclamation points, Muku posted a heart emoji, Itaru posted ‘grats’, and you’re sure there are many others buried among the comments from his fans who were both disappointed and excited to see the star they loved in a happy relationship. He had warned you not to get too lost in the comments so you didn’t linger long, re-reading his post over and over again and smiling at the fact he chose to post the very first selfie you’d ever taken together. He might say he’s not good at being romantic but you knew he was a natural when he learned to just listen to what his heart told him.
There might still be many trials and tribulations for the two of you to overcome the longer you were together but you were happy, happier than you’d ever been, and you knew every bit of trouble was worth it.
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andie-cake · 3 years
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Tag! You're It
Second DT Drabble, y'all! Just a heads up, this takes place in between chapters 18 and 19 of DTfiles, though I still recommend that you read chapter 19 before reading this.
Emma turned off the sink of the Watcher World's women's restroom, pumping out two sheets of paper towels from the dispenser. God, this place really was old-fashioned, wasn't it? If they couldn't afford an air-dryer or two, couldn't they have at least gotten one of those motion-activated towel dispenser things?
As Emma finished drying her hands, she couldn't help but feel like she was being... well, watched. Undoubtedly due to some chucklefuck's brilliant idea to have eye designs plastered throughout the restroom. Seriously, she could understand wanting to adhere to the park's theming, but this was just too much.
Still, she forced herself to disregard the weirdness of it all. She had a boyfriend waiting outside the Drowsy Town Theater who was probably worried sick about her. Maybe she should've asked Paul to walk with her to the restroom, might've quelled their worries a bit. Again, Emma shoved the thought aside. She was here for business. Business she wasn't getting paid for, mind you, but business nonetheless.
But as Emma stepped out of the restroom and into the balmy 70° air, she was met with a sight she wasn't expecting. The Blinky mascot she and Paul had encountered in the gift shop, standing mere feet away from the entrance to the women's restroom. Staring directly at her.
"Hello again~" Blinky greeted her in that familiar childlike voice. "Did you miss Blinky?"
"Not particularly, no," Emma replied in a deadpan tone, not willing to deal with more bullshit from this creep who threw Paul into a panic attack earlier. She attempted to walk around the stout purple cyclops, only for him to sidestep into her path. "Mind getting out of my way? I've got places to be."
Blinky didn't respond, simply choosing to stay frozen to his spot and wordlessly peer down at her. Emma could've sworn she heard him breathing heavily.
"Fucking move, dude!" she groaned irritably, attempting to step around him once more. Once again, Blinky shuffled into her path. "I don't have time for this!"
"Hehehehehe~" Blinky giggled. Did... did his lower eyelid just twitch? "Little Emma's getting grumpy~"
Emma froze. How did he know her name? She hadn't mentioned it during their first encounter, had she?
"Still afraid of what daddy told you~?" Blinky continued. "Still think that Blinky likes to hang around little girls?"
Emma's heart leapt into her throat, her eyes widening. "Wh-what!?" she sputtered in shock. How the fuck did he know about that!? Dad had always said it out of earshot! Not to mention that it'd been almost two decades since her last visit to Watcher World. Emma swallowed, attempting to hide her unease. "L-look, what do you want with me, man!?"
"You said to stay away from Paul," Blinky recalled, raising his arms up. "So Blinky wants to play with you instead~"
Blinky swung his arms out to grab her, and Emma narrowly dodged out of the way, stumbling to the ground. She looked around at the passing park-goers, who all appeared blissfully unaware. Had nobody seen that!? Emma looked back up at Blinky, who was slowly approaching her.
"Hehehehehehe~ Little Emmy Doll wants to play tag~" he chortled gleefully.
As Blinky came closer, Emma began to consider her options, trying to remain calm. Blinky was blocking her way back to the Drowsy Town Theater, and he'd probably grab her if she tried to charge past him. Not to mention, Paul was most likely still there, and Emma feared what would happen if she led Blinky back to him. She had no choice. She had to run in the opposite direction and hope Blinky lost track of her.
Not willing to let the cyclops come any closer, Emma rushed to her feet and sprinted off. As the distance between her and Blinky grew longer and longer, she could hear him burst into another giggle fit. She chanced a glance over her shoulder, and saw that Blinky was now giving chase, running after her on all fours like an animal. He appeared to be gaining on her, which gave her a jolt of adrenaline that allowed her to speed up a bit. God, of all the days to be chased, why'd it have to be the one where she chose to wear sandals?
Emma continued to run through the park, the sound of Blinky's ecstatic giggling growing closer by the second. She could still see the other park-goers in the corners of her vision, but they weren't doing anything to help her escape from this... thing that was clearly chasing her! If anything, they were just watching the chase play out!
Up ahead, Emma saw an opportunity to take a sharp right turn. An arrow-shaped sign pointing in that direction that read "This way to the Eye-Drop!". Emma continued to run straight for as long as she could before suddenly bolting to the right. When she glanced over her shoulder again, she saw her plan had worked. Blinky had anticipated that she would keep running straight, only to realize he had to force himself to turn at the last second, causing him to awkwardly skid to a halt. She could just barely see him tumble over as she turned back around. Emma took the opportunity to hide, ducking behind a wall and nestling herself between a vendor cart selling purple lemonade (whether it was actual grape-lemonade or just regular lemonade with purple food coloring is not something Emma was particularly concerned with at the moment) and an overflowing trash can.
Catching her breath, Emma cautiously peeked out from her hiding spot, surveying the area in case she had to start running again. The Eye-Drop, apparently a log flume ride, looked to be at the edge of the park. So unless she wanted to try her luck at climbing over the chain-link fence and escaping into the Witchwood surrounding the park, Emma was stuck in a dead end. The best case scenario was that Blinky walked into the center of the clearing without seeing her, so Emma could carefully sneak back out the way she came to go get help.
But when Emma glanced back towards the entrance, she saw that Blinky was just standing there, blocking her only way out as he scanned the area with his massive yellow eye. Emma wanted to scream. She was trapped, she was terrified, and her lungs felt like they were on fire from running. She had an idea. An idea she didn't wanna go through with lest it put Paul in danger, but an idea nonetheless.
Pulling her phone from her pocket (thank fuck she wore shorts with real pockets today), Emma tapped on Paul's contact, marked with his name and a pair of blue heart emojis. She considered calling him, but quickly banished the thought. If she called, Blinky would hear her. She just had to send Paul a quick message to let him know something was wrong, where she was, and that he needed to get to her ASAP. Thinking quickly, Emma typed up a message.
"PAUL SOS IN FRONT OF EYE-DROP"
Emma sent the message and put her phone away, praying that Paul didn't leave his phone on silent again. But just when she thought she could take a moment to breathe, the massive yellow eye of Blinky came into view, and Emma let out an instinctual scream of terror.
"Peekaboo, Emmy Doll~!" the cyclops exclaimed mockingly.
Before Emma could protest, Blinky lurched forward and grabbed her, lifting her from the ground with ease. He wrapped his bulky purple arms around her waist, pressing her back against his belly and pinning her arms to her sides. Despite how his tight grip was quickly squeezing the air from her lungs, Emma screamed as loudly as she could muster, kicking her legs out wildly as Blinky carried her out to the center of the clearing.
"No! No!" she cried, tears of fear stinging her eyes. "Put me down, please!"
"Hehehehehehe-HAAAAH~" Blinky giggled, punctuating it with a disgusting croak. "You're a squirmy little wormy, Emmy Doll~"
As Blinky stopped in the center of the clearing, he lowered Emma back down. He didn't release his grip on her, but her feet were touching solid ground again. Emma continued to scream, begging the people around her for help. But they didn't come to her aid. They just watched, with wide smiles and hungry purple eyes. Had they always been that color? Anyone who wasn't in line for the Eye-Drop or operating the ride had crowded around, presumably to watch Blinky do... whatever he was planning to do to her. Torture her, most likely. The reality of the situation began to sink in, and Emma's screams devolved into desperate cries.
"Please, just let me go!" she pleaded, hating how vulnerable and weak she sounded. She continued to try and thrash out of Blinky's grip, to no avail.
"We'll have none of that, miss!" an unfamiliar voice spoke up. "Here at Watcher World, we have a strict 'No crying' policy!"
Emma opened her tear-filled eyes to see three purple-outfitted people standing in front of her. A smiling man in a barker's outfit, a little old woman wrapped in a starry robe and shawl, and a stone-faced man in an usher's uniform.
"Wha...?" Emma huffed out tearfully. "Who-?"
"We're here to bring you to your big star turn at the Drowsy Town Theater, miss!" the Barker cut her off. "You've got a knack for this acting thing, don't you, miss? After all, you were in Brigadoon in highschool, and you fucking killed it, correct?"
Emma could only err and stammer in confusion as the Barker rambled on. She didn't even bother to ask herself how this random stranger knew about her 2003 portrayal of Bonnie Jean in Hatchetfield High's production of Brigadoon.
"Look at the poor dear!" the old woman spoke up, her voice pitying and condescending. "She's all shaken up!"
"Must be having stage fright," the Usher man said, his voice as flat as his appearance. He looked to the white-haired old woman. "Why don't you do your thing, Madame Iris?"
"Gladly, my boy!"
The old woman- Madame Iris apparently, stepped forward and raised her wrinkled, bony hands. The tips of her long, talon-like nails grazed Emma's face, sending a shiver of repulsion down her spine. The robe-clad old woman muttered a string of nonsense under her breath, and her appearance began to change. Her withered skin became smooth and youthful, her frizzy gray hair turned brown and silky, clean white teeth began to sprout out of her gums where they hadn't been before, and her robes and shawl morphed into a yellow tank top and jean shorts. Soon enough, where the old woman once stood, was a mirror replica of Emma herself.
The crowd around Emma cheered and clapped. Blinky- who still had Emma trapped in his arms, giggled in delight. Emma herself looked down at her legs, relieved to see that she hadn't somehow shifted into the haggard old woman. The woman wearing Emma's skin laughed, with Emma's laugh.
"Ah, look at me!" she cried happily, relishing her new look. "I'm a knockout! I'm as spry as a bird!"
Emma could've vomited watching this batshit old crone dancing around in her skin, running her hands over the skin of her arms and laughing in her voice. Though Emma did notice one thing off about her little spell.
"Nice try, dumbass," she spat bitterly. "My eyes are brown, not purple."
The not-Emma merely shrugged in reply. "We can't get rid of Lord Blinky's mark on us, no matter how drastically we change our appearance," she explained casually. "I'm sure it'll still be enough to fool your little boy toy, my dear~"
Emma's heart nearly stopped. "Wh-what're you going to do with Paul!?"
"That's not important, miss!" the Barker chimed in, stepping back up. "What's important is that we get you ready for your big debut at 5!"
"What the fuck does that mean!?" Emma demanded, trying once more to futilely worm her way out of Blinky's iron grip. "What're you going to do to me!?"
The Barker stepped aside, allowing the Usher to take his place. The Usher stooped down so he was at eye level with Emma, gently took her chin in his hand, and locked eyes with her.
"Aren't you tired, sweetheart~?" the Usher asked in a soft, strangely familiar voice. "Don't you want to sleep~?"
Emma felt her eyelids begin to droop, and her heart rate slow. "Puh-Paul...?" she asked drowsily.
"Go to sleep, sweetheart~" Paul- no, the Usher, no... Paul... told her gently. "Come to Drowsy Town with me~"
Emma fought to stay awake, but Paul... God, his voice was so soothing... And his hand felt so gentle on her face... So familiar, so reassuring...
She couldn't help but drift off.
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madame-fouquet · 3 years
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2020 Anime Retrospective
With the end of the year here, and all the anime that came with it now behind us, I feel like looking back and reminiscing on it. So, following the style of ANN's own yearly retrospectives, may I present my 2020 anime in review! Enjoy.
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Best of the year: Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken
    This is actually not the first time Yuasa and his crew of, let's be honest, visionaries have rolled something special out right at the beginning of the year in some weird power move against everything else that has to follow it. They did it back in 2018 with Devilman Crybaby, and then they hit us this year with Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken.     You ever have one of those shows where you're just constantly in awe of everything it does? Where you never found yourself chasing merch or hunting after content based off it online, but you consistently find yourself thinking about it? Yeah, that's what Eizouken did to my brain after I watched it. It was such an earnest love letter to anime and anime production, to animation in general, that I couldn't help but get sucked into its imagination and enthusiasm. The way it was able to so perfectly illustrate that pure, boundless, childlike joy that one can derive from the simple act of creating, I'd be lying if I didn't say that it had a powerful effect on my own desire to continue creating. (Corny as that sounds, it's true.) The sheer amount of love it contains, and the equal amount it puts out into the world make it so I know I am going to be thinking about it again and again for a long long time.
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Runner-up: Akudama Drive
    I don't know if it's really quite a matter of my two favorites being opposites, but there are definitely some pretty sharp stylistic and tonal differences between my two top shows this year. Akudama Drive's cocaine-fueled bender of an intro episode made it very clear what it's intentions were and what it wanted us to be prepared for. That doesn't mean I had ANY idea of where it was headed narratively, but I did know I was in for one hell of a ride. And it delivered is spades on that promise.     The twists and turns, no matter how insane, illogical, or steeped in tropes they were, were all such a colorful energetic spectacle that it would be hard to hold anything against the series. Every character was such a force that I didn't really consider any of them a weak point. Yeah, some of them were more or less cardboard cut-outs of antagonistic elements, but when the cardboard cutout looks REALLY FREAKING COOL, it's hard to get too torn up over the details. It's a show that oozes style and knew EXACTLY what it wanted to do and be, and I have to respect that.
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Runner-up-up: Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun
    The next few entries aren't really in any sort of order, I actually found it near impossible to sort anything below my top two. Hanako-kun however does hold a bit of a special place for me though because, at least from a stylistic standpoint, it hits so many of my buttons. Just visually this show is the exact kind of thing my younger self would have latched onto immediately, even before knowing anything about the actual content. I suppose not much has really changed though.     I'm absolutely in love with the animation style of Hanako-kun, and I got really lucky that there is an interesting story and delightful cast of characters underneath that visual splendor. Along with the sharp lines, intense colors, and soft characters, I'm also a sucker for contemporary supernatural mysteries. That's a fancy way of saying one of my favorite shows as a kid was The X-files, but both make the point pretty well. The world of Hanako-kun has a lot to offer, and I can only hope it gets a second season so we can continue to delve into it's beautiful and terrifying mysteries.
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Runner-up-up: Kaguya-sama: Love is War Season 2
    I know a lot of people will be talking about this one when it comes to “Best of” lists. I know a lot of people were talking about the first season when it reminded us just how funny anime can be back in 2018. Absurd high school comedies (Is that a genre?) could definitely be considered my favorite. Hell, of my top five favorite anime of all time, THREE of them fall under that category. So believe me when I say Kaguya-sama absolutely deserves the deluge of praise it receives. For what describing something as “laugh out loud” is worth, this show had me constantly needing to pause it just so I could finish laughing at whatever ludicrously funny misfortune had just befallen it's cast of lovable morons.     The thing is though, Kaguya-sama understands that you can't just earn love and goodwill on laughs alone, there needs to be a beating heart at the center of all the shenanigans. And when this season had me actually cheering on and feeling sorry for Ishigami of all people, I knew that beating heart was present and accounted for. Look, the cast are all self-centered idiots, but I'll be damned if they aren't also my dear children who I delight in watching slowly grow and become slightly less self-centered idiots.
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Runner-up-up: Dorohedoro
    When the Dorohedoro anime was first announced, a lot of my experience was watching a group of people online scream about how they were so pumped that it was finally getting an anime. I had never heard of it before, but the excitement was very real and tangible. And I gotta say, sometimes you need to believe the hype.     I've never been one to shirk a series just because it was CG animation, (Watch ID-0 dammit!) but Dorohedoro makes a strong case for why people shouldn't sleep on something based solely on it's animation. The dirty, grease-encrusted world of Hole is brought to life with plenty of flair and style that, I feel, the CG didn't hold back at all. What I had seen said was that for a long time Dorohedoro was kinda considered “unanimateable” but I think MAPPA did the iconic manga a fair amount of justice. Even if pulpy ultra-violence isn't normally your thing, I still highly recommend giving Dorohedoro a look, it might just end up being a hole worth going down.
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Honorable Mention: Show By Rock!! Mashumairesh!!
    I know what you're thinking, but hear me out. The first Show By Rock!! was definitely an indulgence for me. While not something I considered a high level series by any stretch: messy plotting, shallow characters, a weird isekai angle, a lackluster finale, and an even MORE lackluster second season, it still got is hooks into me with its sheer energy and fluffy charm. So despite the, as mentioned, rough second season, I was more than happy to check out the new series in the franchise. And boy was I glad I did.     Mashumairesh!! takes all the heart and sweetness that worked for the first series and dials it up. It then took a hard look at a lot of what DIDN'T work in the first series, and manages to fix most of the issues. Removing the isekai angle and the whole existential threat thing, and just letting the series be a “slice-of-life but in an electric animal filled music world” did wonders for the direction and consistency. Add to that more properly fleshed out characters, and you get a series that is far stronger than it's progenitor.     The next series, Show By Rock!! Stars!!, will be adding back the cast from the first series, and that could very well be a sign that it will be falling back into its old habits, but the presence of the Mahumairesh!! girls gives me hope that it might have a chance of staying the new, far better course.
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Worst of the Year: Digimon Adventure:
    This one really hurts to say. What hurt more was how quickly I knew what show I'd be electing for this position. One thing to clarify is that I would not nominate a series that I'd only watched one or two episodes of, that's just not fair. So the award was bound to go to something I had at least dedicated a decent amount of my time too. And in any other year this may have gone to something that was more my “least favorite” or had an ending that disappointed me. But unfortunately I have to be honest and sit here and tell you that the newest entry in the Digimon franchise was easily the worst thing I watched this year.      I have been a long time Digimon fan. Ever since I was but a wee lass watching the original Digimon Adventure premiere on Fox Kids at a family reunion, I have always considered the franchise a sort of cornerstone of my anime fandom. So please understand the excitement I had felt when I found out they were doing a full on remake of that flagship series. Imagine how absolutely pumped I was when the bombastic movie-like premiere of Digimon Adventure: wowed us with everything it delivered, and all the promises of what was to come. And then imagine my disappointment, my despair as the show devolved until it showed us what it really was during the finale of the Fake Tokyo arc.     I would call it a production meltdown, but considering the precedent that got set back in episode 10 during the already shaky Ultimate Evolution arc, has been so clearly informing everything up to the current episodes in the early 30s, I have to be honest with myself and admit: this is what we were going to get all along from day one.     All of the heart that had made the original series so endearing, despite its own flaws, just isn't present here. What you get here is just a non-stop (and I mean non-stop) string of barely related fights with poorly-defined stakes, or sometimes no real stakes at all. It's just one ugly set piece fight after another as the children chase after vaguely implied evils. I think the most damning thing is how much more I could say about just how much this series has let me down. Like I said, this one hurts.
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Best Theme-Song of the Year: Night Running (BNA)
     My opinion of BNA as a series is complex. But my opinion of its ED, Night Running, is simple: Its a god-damned bop! I could spend this whole section talking about the artistry of the ED animation itself, its fun and creative use of color, the slight variations for certain episodes, the focus on character, or the fact that it was done by an American animation team. I could even talk about the song's importance to the series as a whole and its place in the narrative. I won't though. The fact of the matter is that even without all that, I STILL probably would've picked Night Running as my best of the year because as a song it is just that much my jam. This is the kind of shit I could listen to on repeat for hours, days, weeks, and still keep coming back to it. Don't get me wrong, Ready To is a damn powerful and catchy tune that goes hard, but at the end of the day, I'm a sucker for a soulful pop tune like Night Running. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWTFfEnMCCc
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Best Character: Sayaka Kanamori
    This was actually probably the hardest category for me to decide on. It was stuck hard between Eizoken's Kanamori and Akudama Drive's Doctor. I know those are a powerfully different pair in basically every way, but it was specifically for their startling differences that both characters stuck out to me so much. In the end though, it was the poignant rounding out of, and emotional hooks of Kanamori's character that let her triumph over her delightfully two-dimensional opposition.     Kanamori already had me from episode one. In a show that I wasn't really worried about the usual diversions of anime ingestion like picking a favorite character, Kanamori sealed herself as “Best-girl” from the word go. I have mad respect for a girl who knows what she wants, and has a clear idea of how she's going to go about getting it (See also: Doctor.) But Kanamori was more than a driving desire for success and money. Underneath her unstoppable ambition there was a very real, very relatable driving impetus. She stood apart, and yet still believably vulnerable and invested in the people she associated with. It was always a blast watching her suffer as the only thing keeping the more creative minds on track, and yet she was never reduced to a simple task master; her love and respect for her friends was always clearly visible. I could go on and on about how Kanamori is a nearly perfect character, but I hope I've said enough already without having to resort to senseless rambling.
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Best Moment: Howan confesses her feeling to Himeko (Show By Rock!! Mashumairesh!!)
    By the time episode six rolled around, Mashumairesh!! had already shown marked improvements over its progenitor in basically every area. Not only was the story in a better place by focusing on what had worked in the original series, (Ya know the BAND part of this show about bands) but the cast was also doing a good job of standing out from their seniors and feeling more equally rounded out. Where the original series had just kinda been the Cyan show with guest stars, I felt like I had an actual grip on all four of the main girls now.     There were however the usual issues that come with a cute-girls-doing-cute-things series, chief among them the “ambiguously gay member of the group who constantly reacts with clear romantic interest towards the main protagonist but the writing will never actually do anything with those feelings” trope. Retoree had spent the better part of the first two seasons fawning over Cyan only for nothing to come of it and, despite the increased focus on all of the girls this time around, it looked like we were going to get the same old song and dance with Himeko's feelings towards Howan.     But then the climax of episode six hit and, midst a really intense subplot about Himeko's abandonment complex, Howan comes out with a straight up love confession. And I kept waiting for the usual dead-ends these moments always seem to have. The “I love you! I love the girls too! I love the band!” Or a “I love being with you.” and the dreaded, “I love having you as my most precious friend.” But none of that happened. It was a full on heart-felt, “I love you, Himeko. I want to stay with you forever!” I'm just not used to getting that sort of straightforwardness from my silly little band shows, so I was shocked, but also completely overjoyed. And frankly the series just kept getting better from there.     The evolution of their relationship built off that moment, no dreaded resetting of the status quo. I daresay it was on the power of this moment alone that I wanted to include this series in my top five at all. If there was anything I would want other anime to take from Mashumairesh!! it's that it's okay to introduce radical changes to character relationships partway through a season, and it's okay to let characters unequivocally state their feelings for each other. People will respond positively to that earnestness, I promise.
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