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#somehow i managed to turn this into hurt comfort yayyy
beanghostprincess · 4 months
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You know I was thinking, how will Luffy about turning 20 and 21? Because when he turns 20, he wont be younger than Ace anymore, and when he turns 21, he'll officially be older than he ever was. Similarly, how will Law feel about turning 27 and becoming older than how Corasan ever was? It's something that was in the back of my mind. I knew some people who lost certain loved ones who were older than them, and when they got older than them... it just felt wierd, that's how they describe it. Bittersweet some have told me.
(Sorry in advance if this makes you sad)
I would yell at you and be angry at how sad this thought makes me, but on the other hand, I just love angst a very insane amount, so this is exactly the type of thing I absolutely love.
I think that Luffy doesn't focus much on age. He focuses on birthdays, of course, I think he'd love birthdays (both for the food and the meaning behind it. I personally think he loves throwing big birthday parties for the crew members because he likes celebrating that they're alive and growing together. Especially when it comes to Robin, Sanji and Brook tbh). But I think he'd feel uneasy when somebody makes a comment about how old and tall he's getting. Like, Sabo would make an innocent comment like "You're growing up so fast, Luf!" and Jinbe (for example) would compare him to Ace the way everyone does, with a proud smile and saying "You look so much like your brother, captain! Might even get taller than him!". And Luffy laughs at that because he's supposedly over Ace's death. He should be. But after a long while thinking about it in the middle of the party, I think he'd start wondering about growing up and the fact that he's getting older than Ace. That Ace will never experience growing up with them. That Luffy never got to spend his last years together because they were apart living their own adventures. And, you know, the fact that he's already accepted his death doesn't mean it doesn't hurt to feel older than your older brother. I think Sabo would notice right away that something's wrong and ask what's going on. And Luffy would just say something like "Ace was twenty when I let him die" (he still has to fix the wording. It's a work in progress) and Sabo understands because now Sabo can't argue against Ace about who's the oldest. Now Sabo is the oldest. And Sabo would try to make things better by placing his arm around Luffy's shoulder and saying: "Well, if it makes you feel any better, just think about his face if he knew you might get older than him! He'd get soo pissed about it! [...] And he'd be so proud of you for growing up, Luf. He'd be so happy, with that big smirk of his and the dumb tilt of head, y'know?". And Sabo just has the right words to make Luffy feel better about growing taller and older than Ace, because he knows that if he's looking after him somewhere, he's smiling wide.
I think the Law thing is harder than this. Because for Law, growing up older than his own father makes him feel guilty. Survivor guilt complex type of shit, you know? He got out of there alive but Cora-san didn't and... And it's just fucked up and unfair and Law just fucking hates this specific birthday. Normally, he doesn't care much about growing up and his birthday, but he ends up having fun because it's just impossible not to do so when Shachi, Penguin, and Bepo always want to throw a party for him. But this time, when he realizes he's getting older than Cora, it hits him. Like a fucking truck. Because he doesn't feel mature enough. He doesn't feel like he has done enough stuff for Cora to be proud (which is stupid because Cora would be proud of him but, y'know, Law's thoughts). He doesn't feel like he deserves to grow up older than his own father. It'd be a hard thing to swallow, honestly. I think he wouldn't stop repeating the words "I love you" in his head, mixed with "Don't try to find a reason for somebody's love" over and over again, trying to make everything better. Because he knows he's acting stupid. But he just can't get over the fact that Cora was this young when he acted like a whole father to him. Law doesn't feel half as mature. But then Bepo (because he's just like that. Caring, loving, Bepo) says something about being glad Law is alive and with them, and it just shatters Law completely. I think Bepo would stay with him for a while in his room until Law just stands up and says something (very softly and trying to keep the waters calm, bc he knows how Bepo is) about throwing a little party. And I think that comment would make him feel a bit better, because Cora fought for him to be alive. He shouldn't waste the gift Cora gave him.
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seodami · 3 years
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Dearest treasure | KTH
|PART 1| |PART 2| |PART 3|
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Summary: Every kid in town was afraid of Kang Taehyun, the old -slightly creepy- man living alone for years and years in the same run down house. Every night he would go into his backyard with a shovel and dig a hole into the earth. No one knows why and there are kids rumouring about him burying people. Jungwon was a bright kid, wanting to find out the truth behind this widely spread rumour for a school project. And what he found out would change his life forever.
Genre: fluff, angst, flashbacks, story of life, snippets of life, tiny bit humour
Warning: old Taehyun, mention of death, mention of suicide/suicidal thoughts, death
Word count: 10152 (all 3 parts together)
Pairing: Kang Taehyun x reader, (Yang Jungwon)
Note: Wow okay so this story took me a while to write and I listened to hours of das music to finish this🥺 this was honestly an emotional rollercoaster. But I’m so glad it’s finally finished so I can post it on here yayyy!!! I hope you like it an enjoooyy (please tell me if you cried I would really appreciate your responses haha bc I did)
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2021
“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Hueningkai, happy birthday to youuuu...” the crowd gathered in the small kitchen around said birthday boy, singing more or less in unison, while some were eagerly hitting his back, hoping he would finally blew out the 18 candles on top of the colourful decorated cake. Yeonjun, one of his friends managed to sweep some of the delicious cake frosting onto his finger just to smear it right across the now 18 year old boy’s cheek.
Taehyun let out a loud laugh, holding their other friend Beomgyu back from joining in on the incoming chaotic frosting war. It was far too crowded in this hot tiny kitchen for having at least 20 people smearing each other’s faces and ruining their make up. It was like everyone was going wild, letting free their stress and problems of the day.
It wasn’t until Taehyun himself felt something wet and extremely cake scented against his own cheek - and due to his rapid motion - also on his lips. His eyes met yours for the first time that moment. And he swears, his heart must have felt extremely sporty this exact moment because it started racing like crazy when he saw that adorable cheeky grin sneaking on your face, eyes moving swiftly down to his lips, where the frosting had been put, before going back to his eyes again. There was a mischievous glint in your eyes, which immediately pulled him into a ban. It fascinated him too much to look away.
He didn’t know how long you were just silently teasing each other, but the next moment he wasn’t holding onto Beomgyu’s arm anymore. He sweeped up some frosting himself on his index finger, deeply digging into the cake, and before you could even realize what was going to happen, there was already a big fat purple trail of frosting from your cheek up to your nose. Taehyun playfully laughed at his creation, trying to get away from you as fast as possible as soon as he saw your determination in your face. Oh you were so not gonna lose to this boy.
You chased each other laughing around the kitchen, the connection strangely already built, even though none of you could explain how or why. It was just there, like a spark in the dark. You managed to find the perfect opportunity to sneak up behind him, looking searching into the crowd, and slap some more frosting right on his other cheek. Taehyun let out a surprised squeal, with one swift motion he had already turned around to look at your big lively eyes. The blonde boy could only laugh in disbelief, seeing you burst out into a fit of giggles. Taehyun didn’t see the intense stare from his now 18 year old friend in his back, nor did he see how your heart skipped a beat when you took a glance at him.
It wasn’t his intention to only talk to you this long evening. It wasn’t his intention to ruin Hueningkais mood because he kept his crush away from him. And it most definitely wasn’t his intention to fall for you and your witty charm so quickly. But let’s be honest, life wasn’t made to be perfect. It was made to be full of surprises and colourful like a big bag of candy. You never knew what you would get.
2022
Your first kiss happened on a random Thursday evening. When you decided to tag along a few of his friends to a camping trip, Taehyun knew that would be his downfall. When you two first met at Hueningkais birthday party almost a year ago, he didn’t knew about his younger friends huge crush on you. Quite honestly, he felt horrible for what happened at this day. And he felt even worse about the feelings he was secretly harvesting for you.
When his friend Soobin told him about the youngest misery, the first thing Taehyun did was rushing to Kais house and apologise for not knowing. He could see that day how his previous actions were burdening his friend, even though he tried to hide it, they were crushing his happy self down. And Taehyun swore to himself after this day, that he would never ever want any person to change just because of his behaviour. He wanted Hueningkai to always be this bright, cheerful, innocent boy he knew and everyone adored. And what was even more important to him: he swore to never let a girl go between any of their friendships. And if you were important to Kai, Taehyun wholeheartedly meant to step back and let his brother-like friend find his happiness. He really meant it.
But it had to come differently. Taehyun tried a whole year not to come into contact with you. He tried to not be present at the same events as you, he tried not to answer your friendly ‘hey’ messages at midnight and he tried to avoid your eyes whenever you walked past each other. But how could he be prepared for this camping trip- 24 hours a day with you in close proximity. It was a challenge set to fail at the very beginning. And he knew it.
It was visible for everyone that you saw Hyuka as just a friend. You didn’t have the sparkle in your eyes like you did when you looked at the blonde boy and you didn’t searched his eyes in a crowd of peoples. You always looked for Taehyuns eyes. Not for Hueningkais. But how could anyone resent him to not realize after having a crush on you for already over 5 years. Yet nobody dared to tell him. They didn’t want him to be hurt.
But this one evening was different. Taehyun could have run away. He could have. But he didn’t when you approached him sitting alone on a small cliff, the warm sea water flowing peacefully and steadily under their feet. His face was turned slightly upwards towards the disappearing sun. It was still warm and humid. You silently sat down next to him, only a few centimetres apart. It was too close for his liking. He could smell your scented hair and see the little redness on your cheeks from the shining sun just hours before. He could see your pink lips moisturised and glistening as your tongue glided against the flesh. You were way too close and it made him anxious.
He could have just left or stared blankly ahead of him but you made it so hard for him to not to fall into a comfortable and excited flow of talking. And before he knew, the both of you talked and laughed together, shoulder against shoulder, thighs brushing against each other here and there. Anyone could have seen the chemistry between the two of you. The sparks were almost flying a mile away.
Soon, Taehyuns nervous glances behind his back stopped as darkness rolled over you and the only thing he could see was you in front of him in the soft light of the moon. Your face was so close. Your lips were just there. Just for him. And not a split second before the thought had gotten into his mind, you closed the small gap between you two.
He didn’t knew what had gotten into him that exact moment. He knew it was so wrong, yet it was so right. It happened so quick- your lips against his- maybe he even imagined it but the tingling against his own lips afterwards pulled him back into reality. He goddamn kissed his brothers crush and now he had to live with the consequences. And he was so afraid.
2023
A year later, everything seemed going in every thinkable direction. Yet, it went all differently than he thought. A lot had happened after that first kiss of yours. It wasn’t very difficult for your friends to figure out the whole situation and set together all the puzzle pieces. Soon they all knew about you two. It didn’t made any sense to stay away from each other when you two obviously were head over heels for each other. You tried hiding your blooming relationship but was it really an option to begin with?
The moment Taehyun dreaded more than anything else, was Kai finding out. And of course he did. When he saw you two coincidentally at the ice cream parlour, trying each other’s flavours, your head laying on his shoulder, he knew. Deep down he knew it before and deep down he was understanding that he never could be in Taehyuns shoes. He always felt like he was lacking, comparing himself to his best friends. It was like a heavy punch inside his abdomen, maybe also in his face. And when Taehyun turned around, meeting Hueningkais teary, hurt eyes, he felt like crying himself. He felt so much worse than he thought he would. He felt so useless, like the worst person alive. He broke his best friend. And he suddenly wanted to turn back time to Kais 18th birthday party and wished he never smeared that cake onto your face.
It was a tough time afterwards. You never knew about Kais crush on you, so it left you feeling utterly helpless. You wanted to help somehow but just made it worse. Taehyuns friendship with Kai also was severely damaged and you felt it was just because of you. To say the least, you both felt horrible. But could you really if you both just followed your heart?
It took a while but for Taehyun it was every second worth the wait when Hueningkai came to talk to him. It was a long heartfelt conversation filled with tears, apologies, forgiveness and lots of hugs. Taehyun felt deeply thankful towards his friend. Kai knew he couldn’t hold his friends happiness away from him. He knew a girl who didn’t want him wasn’t worth losing one of his dearest and closest friends. He knew his feelings for you soon or later would disappear. It just took some time.
And it indeed got better for all of you. Him and Kai were as close as before if not even closer and between you and Taehyun was nothing but love. Taehyun had never felt such feelings this strong for anyone else before. Not even his eleven year older babysitter he had a crush on when he was 7 years old for whom he waited anxiously every time his parents went out. Taehyun felt absolutely great being with you. He loved the way your conversations flowed so well and he loved the way you always supported each other. He didn’t know much about relationships in the first place since you were his first real girlfriend but somehow he knew this was just right and just healthy. You just clicked.
2026
Taehyun was 24 and you were 23 when your first break up happened. It wasn’t out of hatred or jealousy like other couples may go through, no, it was because you both decided to. It was the best move at that moment, thinking that a long distance relationship over half the globe couldn’t work anymore. It worked for a year since you left for France to work. It was a good paid job in just the right place for you and you loved it. But you hated being so far away from Taehyun.
Your relationship was amazing. It was like living on fluffy clouds, always high with the feeling of euphoria and glee. But there had to be low points as well. The sky wasn’t always full of clouds. Sometimes you had to jump off to come into touch with reality. And this was such a moment.
However, nobody would have thought that sometimes these decisions we make and find so hard to make, exactly these were the worse decisions. Taehyun felt like he was a hollow porcelain figure. He felt so lonely even though you still were parted by the ocean. And somehow he felt less lonely before the split. Now he felt like you took his heart with you. And the only person who could save him from drowning was you.
It only took him half a year- 6 months- to realize that he made the worst decisions in his life. Hueningkai, who had long lost feelings for you and now was in a happy relationship himself, literally beat some sense into his hollow brain. He couldn’t just lose you like that. And it took him only one kick to pack his bag and take the next plane towards France. Towards you.
To say the least, you were utterly shocked to see your (ex)boyfriend sit in front of the wooden door of your small apartment. His eyes weren’t sparkling like they did all these years before. And his hair had grown a bit- it was now black again. Seeing you again was like a spark of hope inside of him. He wanted to make it good again. He was determined to get you back, no matter how hard a long distance relationship might be. It was worth for him now, he learned that the hard way.
You pulled him up and inside your tiny flat. It felt so familiar touching him, yet it seemed so long ago. But you missed it…him. Before any words were shared, Taehyun pulled you into a bone crushing hug. You felt like crying, finally being with the person you loved the most. All your surpressed feelings came crashing back to you again. And you wanted to never let him go again. Hugging him felt like coming home again after a long trip. And something in this hug brought you reassurance that your story together wasn’t over yet. There would need to be much more difficult obstacles than an ocean between the two of you to part you.
2027
You cried. You bawled your eyes out. As much and hard as you possibly could. Taehyuns arms pressed you further into his firm chest, grabbing the fabric of his blue hoodie. Large wet spots were now found on top of it. The small plastic stick in Taehyuns hands felt heavy and cold. He couldn’t quite grasp this particular situation, being lost in his own train of thoughts. He was shell shocked. You on the other hand were emotionally on the furthest end. Not only were your hands shaking uncontrollably, but your whole face by now was sticky from all your endless flowing tears.
“It’s allright sunshine. We can do that. It’s just a surprise, not the end of the world, okay?” The 24 year old mans voice wasn’t as stable as he hoped it to be but it had the right effect on you anyways. Your big eyes saw his blurry face in front of you. A sob escaped your mouth. He gave you the sweetest smile, gently tapping away your heavy tears.
“I’m afraid, Taehyun…” your hoarse voice almost sounded as quiet as a breeze, you weren’t sure if he even heard it. But the man simply put his forehead against yours, patting your hair in the back with the utmost care. You could feel him nod slightly, being able to see the fear in his own eyes.
“I know baby, me too… but we can do this together. Really. You are not alone in this.” It was almost like a promise, telling you he never would leave your side. Not even when you would look like a bloated whale with calve and back pain. Not even when in less than 9 months you both would enter a totally different path in life. But you would do it together. And that was what calmed you down the most. With him you were never alone.
2029
When his big sparkling eyes met your elegant white figure, he couldn’t help but let a tear slip past his normally controlled face. No one could blame him. It was such a touching moment in every persons life being able to see their partner in front of the altar with their hand in their own. And when he saw that big bright smile on your lips, muttering the soft ‘I do’ in his ears full of confidence, he knew that life went just the right way. He suddenly believed in fate and soulmates and true love. Because when he looked at your eyes, he saw his future. Not only his past and present but all the other precious moments to come.
Your path up until this moment wasn’t easy and you both knew that. The pregnancy had been a tough one for you, containing dozens of sleepless nights, horrible mood swings and a 34 hour long birth. Taehyun still could remember the day his daughter was born as well as his own name. He still felt your squeezing hand, he still heard your painful screams and most importantly, he still remembers holding and seeing the baby for the first time, setting free emotions even he didn’t knew he had. It was a new world for both of you. But you regretted absolutely nothing.
And when he could finally lay his lips on top of yours, the priest declaring you his wife, he couldn’t hear his friends and families cheers and whistles. He could only really see you and his little daughter in her grandfathers arms.
2032
“Daddy hurry up. I want to play.” The small yet loud voice of Taehee, your first born daughter, boomed through the empty halls. Nothing adorned the blank walls yet and the only color he could see besides white, was the brown of the many carton boxes standing around on the floor. A satisfying feeling made itself known inside of the young father. The new keys pressed cooling against his palm. It was both of your hard work that enabled you to finally settle down and buy your first real house together. And it felt exhilarating.
“Soon bunny, we will first make some space here, alright? It may takes some time though. You can help me.” He offered the tiny girl his hand, which she immediately grabbed. While grinning from ear to ear, ponytails bobbing up and down, she looked way too much alike her mother. Even the way they laugh reminded him of her. Only the big innocent eyes showed him that indeed she was his child, glistening with the same amount of curiosity as his always did.
“When is mummy coming back? I want to see my little brother again. He was so cute.” The man smiled fondly at the girl in his hand and mentioned her to sit down onto the wooden floor. “They are coming this evening. They still need to rest a bit in the hospital until they can come home. But in the meantime we are gonna start unpacking and make a nice cosy dinner for mummy, how does that sound?” The girl nodded again, this time more excited at the mention of her new little brother and mother coming home. You were both over the moon when you found out about your second pregnancy. Unlike the first time, it was a happy memory free from all your doubts and fears. You already went through the first one so it showed to be a lot easier the second time. Yet it was just exhilarating as the first one, Taehyun finally found his loved ones and he would never ever let them go. He was the happiest he had ever been. It was all like a dream.
When you were finally being released from the dull hospital, this time with a tiny baby boy in the bowl in your hands, you were met with one of the beloved home cooked meals of your husband. Taehyun had gone all out to surprise you and the adorable girl besides him had the biggest smile on her face as he explained that she had helped her. The first meeting of Taehees new sibling was just lovely. Fondness was already written all across her as she carefully poked the baby’s chubby cheek. Taehyuns eyes were full of the purest form of love. Proud, yet so delicate, it was just as you had seen him on the day your first daughter was born. He was ready to give it all to his family. And he meant it.
The next day was just as eventful as the day before. Printed out pictures were all laying around the empty floor, now they were all sitting on a fluffy carpet. You were hunched over a white piece of paper, eccentricly writing down all and everything. Taehyun playfully peaked over your shoulders to get a small glimpse at the long heartfelt letter, you seemed to be writing with so much concentration, only to be met with a giggling flick on his forehead. You had told him it was only to be read in the future, not for now, so he respected your decision but it still didn’t hinder him from being curious and trying to guess what you were writing. Taehyun had always had the urge to find more about things he was interested in and constantly would sacrifice his free time to learn new skills or facts about all thinkable topics. Something you loved so much about your love.
“Alright. I’m finished. Now…bunny have you found your favorite drawings?” You folded the papers and stuffed them into a pink envelope. Glitter stickers were put all around by your little daughter. The girl nodded enthusiastically holding up a few of her fantastic, creative paintings so full of life and childlike excitement. Taehyun took them from her with a smile and layed them into the metal box together with your letter and a pile of photos you’ve carefully chose together.
You and Taehyun sitting on the couch at night, your children already sleeping tight. You felt his hot breath in your neck, letting your heart race like a maniac but still feeling completely and utterly lost and in love with this man. Laying against his upper body, you’ve spontaneously decided to hide a time capsule in your new garden full of your dearest treasures. It was a wonderful idea honestly, holding onto this seemingly perfect moment just for a moment longer before letting go and let the flow of life taking over again. A moment to freeze and lock up in a tiny box to look back at in the future. It was a secure feeling for the both of you.
After adding all the things you’ve found important, Taehyun recalled Taehee bringing one of her favorite toys and in the end there were way too many things inside, he could barely close the lid and lock it up. Together with a shovel, you made your way towards the backyard, finding a lovely spot next to a hazel bush. A place he could never forget as he saw his daughter running around with joy in her yellow sundress. Lovely. Just lovely.
Digging the hole about a meter and a half deep, Taehyun placed the box carefully into the cooling soil, smelling the intense scent of nature. With a last smile, he filled the hole with earth again, leaving back a bittersweet moment of farewell and a new segment of life. But that was how life went. Unexpectedly and still so lovely.
2045
“Dad, can you please drive me to Johnny? He asked me to hang out...” Taehyun looked up from his computer, legs crossed, too focused to fully realize what his 17 year old daughter just asked him. A distant hum was his only answer. “Dad? Did you hear me?” Taehee tried again, slight annoyance laced in her voice. Taehyun blinked surprised and snapped out of his bubble filled with work.
“What did you say bunny?” The same nickname had never left the now teenage girl throughout her whole life. “Oh dad…I asked if you could give me a ride to Johnny’s?” A hint of a red blush creeped up her ears and cheeks under her fathers piercing eyes. “Johnny who? The lanky skater boy from your class? The one who was expelled for violent behaviour?” Taehee shrunk seemingly but shook her head, trying to form an excuse. “No- I mean yes it’s him but dad he’s really not like that. You don’t even know him. He just asked me to hang out…that’s all.”
Taehyun pulled an eyebrow up but nodding, an incoming call from work disrupting his train of thoughts. “And? Can you?” She asked again, seeing her father already about to accept the call. “No…no not now bunny. I’m still working but you can ask your mum. She wanted to drive your brother to his boxing lesson.” With this he finally accepted the call, apologising for the wait. With a sigh and a short nod, Taehee turned and waved his father rejectedly, looking over her shoulder.
Little did he know… oh how Taehyun wished to relive this moment, never accepting that stupid call and just drive his children instead of you. Everything would still be alright. Everyone would still be here…
That had been the last moment he saw his daughter, his son and his wife.
When Taehyun received the life changing call, his heart fell into a sea of tiny deathly splinters. Nothing was left for him. He had nothing. Absolutely nothing. When the hospital told him about the deathly car crash his whole family had been fatally injured and in the end dying on the spot of the accident, he broke down… he wanted to cry and scream and shout and destroy everything…but he couldn’t. He was empty. And so empty, not only his family disappeared that day, he vanished as well, never experiencing the feeling of home and comfort and love ever again. He was completely lost and that forever. And that’s when Taehyun gave up. He just simply…gave up.
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artiesjam · 3 years
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Love On The Court (1/?)
Willex Volleyball AU
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* im going to post the first chapter on here and the rest on ao3 but if people like it on here, then ill continue. oof burnout with this one hurt but i finished so yayyy!
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He didn’t realize he even walked in at first. He was too busy engaging in volleyball drills with Flynn. Flynn wasn’t actually on the team, more of a manager for them, but she was still a beast at the game; He couldn’t blame himself for wanting to practice with her occasionally. They were in a high-speed routine of hitting the ball back and forth and she wouldn’t let him get away with his hits that easily…until she did. The ball hit the floor with a loud thud and Flynn’s face flushed. She completely snapped out of her zone. This out-of-character action was enough to get Willie to follow her line of vision and oh my god...
There was this blonde who was certainly a Greek God somehow. His hair was covering his eyes slightly and the pink shirt he was wearing seemed to define his muscular body all too well. He was slightly hunched over and talking to Willie’s coach. The conversation must’ve been going well because he couldn’t miss how the corners of his mouth slightly ticked up so delicately.
Willie knew he was staring but his eyes couldn’t move to anything else. It was as if someone superglued his irises to the sight, not like he was opposed to it. It wasn’t until the boy looked up at him that the invisible glue suddenly left, his eyes tearing away and facing Flynn who seemed way too amused for her own good. He would never hear the end of this from her.
**
Alex was terrified. His last team fell apart and that last team was his comfort, it was the team he came out to, it was everything to him. Yet, his team all lost interest and Ray retired from being a coach. It wasn’t going to be the same.
Too bad he had Carrie to knock some sense into him. “Come on. You can’t just mope forever. You love volleyball and what do you do with the things you love?” He knew that Carrie was awaiting a serious response but whenever he was nervous, sarcasm was a lot easier than saying anything else. “I don’t know, kiss them?” Alex deadpanned. However, he should’ve known that humor couldn’t get him that far because at the end of the day, he sat in front of this gym where he would supposedly meet Coach Caleb.
Coach Caleb was a name that was passed around a lot. He coached an amazing team and was able to find a way to bring out all of their individualities and strengths. At least that’s how it was three years ago. Now, The Phantoms just didn’t have it. The middle blocker and setter left the team unexpectedly and their new setter they got to replace him wasn’t too fond of their dynamic. Their team was a thing of the past, a tomb that had no people grieving. It was no surprise that the coach would want to revive it though. Why else would he ask him for a chance to have a meeting about his “status” on his last team?
Yet, for a guy looking to recruit people, you’d think he’d have an office to do it in. Nope. There he was on the sidelines of the gym having a conversation with the dude. He would’ve been hesitant if there wasn’t about what, three, people in the gym? He couldn’t blame Caleb at all for needing more muscle. The team was pathetic at this point.
“So, how do you feel about it all?”
He looked up at the sudden words and faced Caleb. Eye contact was not his forte but for some reason with Caleb it didn’t feel intimidating. It felt charming and safe, almost hypnotizing.
“Uh. It’s nice.” Alex mumbled, rocking on his heels.
He wasn’t lying. It was nice but it wasn’t amazing. The vibe was cozy and felt like family. Alex just couldn’t shake the feeling that he was intruding by stepping into the gym. He had no choice though. After that, all Caleb wanted to do was give him dates. Dates of when he’d get his uniform, the first practice, and even games that they’d be playing. Suddenly, the charming eyes weren’t there anymore and the overwhelming amount of questions made Alex look up and over, almost as if looking back would reel him into a downward spiral. His eyes never expected to meet that though whenever he looked up.
He could read his name on the back on his shirt. Willie. The guy was gorgeous. His cheeks were tinted a slight red and his hair was tied up in a messy half undid bun. Maybe he wouldn’t mind being a Phantom if this was what he saw at practice everyday.
Not the time, Alex.
In a half-effort to correct himself, he turned himself back to Coach who apparently seemed to compose over two stacks of pamphlets and papers in the few seconds he was staring. “Read them. Trust me, you will not regret it, Alex Mercer.” The guy had a glint in his eye that wasn’t like the one earlier. It wasn’t persuading, it was hopeful and almost pleading.
Maybe he wouldn’t regret it.
———
@heademptynothoughts @wlwcarries @nickalicious @adhd-disaster-willie @juliesghosties @julie-n-phantoms @sapphicflynn @alexspinkhoodie @alexsmercer @alexthedrummerboy @willex-n-waffles @a-tomb-with-a-view
tagged some people !
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