teenage girls who giggle when they’re self-conscious are some of the absolute most charming human beings on the entire fucking planet

Extreme Aggressor: Part One

Pairing: Eventual Spencer Reid x Reader

Word Count: 2.3k

Warnings: canon violence, canon language, woman gets killed in an alley, talk of strangling and stabbing a woman

Summary: Jason Gideon is called back from a six-month leave from the Behavioral Analysis Unit to profile a killer. Meanwhile, the team flies across the country to Seattle when another young woman goes missing at the hands of "The Seattle Strangler," another serial killer.

Author’s Note: Here is it finally! After hard work, it is finally ready for your viewing pleasure! Please, feedback is always appreciated so let me know what you like about it and what you didn’t! 

I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If there is any warnings that exceed the normal death/kills from the show, I will list them. If you’ve seen the show, then it’s the same level of angst unless otherwise stated.

So without further ado, please enjoy!

"The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary. Men alone are quite capable of every wickedness." - Joseph Conrad

Not everyone knows this but each and every person has an aura around their body as if it hovers to remind people like you that they have things to hide. Not many people can see and do what you can do, but then again, you don’t want them to. All your life, you have been able to connect with people on a much deeper level than the average human. Those auras contain energies that you are able to connect with, therefore see more than what the normal eye can.

This ability that you have has gotten you in places you should never be. It’s gotten you where another dare not to venture. It’s allowed you to see the true intention and personality of a person no matter how high and thick their walls may be. Now, some people are better at hiding their true selves than others, but you always manage to figure out what makes them tick.

Your abilities have captured the attention of a really great friend, Jason Gideon. When he figured out the thing you could do, he knew you would make a great addition to his team. Granted, he was on a “summer break” so to speak, but he would be more than happy to give you a recommendation. It’s not that you didn’t want to work for the FBI, you just didn’t know if you would be good enough.

Never have your abilities let you down even if they didn’t always give you want you wanted. No one really knew what you could do, not even your family. It made you feel like a freak, like you never belonged anywhere since all you could do was see on the soulful plane. Maybe the BAU would benefit from having you on board, but would you benefit from having the BAU on your side? Your father always told you never to join any kind of government work, and at the time, he gave a good enough reason to keep you away. Something about them always taking jobs right from underneath everyone’s noses, and you believed him when you were a kid.

Now, not so much.

It was hard to when all you saw was death wherever you go. You didn’t ask for this ability, but you got it, and it was your responsibility to help as many people as you could with it until the day you die. That was the only reason why you were considering taking Jason up on his offer. There was still some hesitation on your shoulder, and you thought a walk would do you nice.

The crowded city rushed on without you, but you only had one thing on your mind. It was the busiest part of the city, but you liked walking through there once in a while. Everyone’s thoughts and feelings came to light when they were in a rush. It bombarded you and often overwhelmed you, but nothing overcame the sickening feeling you got in your stomach when you stepped on Jefferson Rd.

The energy in the air swirled around you, but it wasn’t energy from the people around you; it was from the dead. Even spirits leave energy behind when they pass which allow people like you to snatch it up to figure out their story. The way it works is that you become so overwhelmed with the emotions and the energy that you begin to see some of the last moments that spirit went through before it passed. You are allowed to see it based on how well you connect with it.

Some people have called you being psychic while other people called you a witch. Being an empathetic person helped you see the picture clearly. Not always will you get a clear one, and sometimes, you may not even get a full body. It’s whatever the spirit left behind and wanted you to see. They laid down the stepping stones, and it was up to you to be able to pass them.

Standing still in the middle of the sidewalk, you looked to your left to see a woman appear out of thin air. She was a bit transparent which is how you were able to spot the difference between an energy source and a real human. She was maybe in her mid-twenties, and she was jogging with headphones in. She passed by you without a second glance, and everyone around you seemed to disappear since the only person you were able to focus on was her.

She jogged for a few more seconds when a black apparition came out of the alley not far from you. The black shape grabbed at the woman, but you needed to replay that scene over if you wanted to connect with his spirit. Sometimes, when a picture isn’t clear, you have to replay the mini silent movie over and over again until you can either get a clear picture or you knew that you weren’t getting anything more.

As if you had a remote in one hand, you pressed it which rewound the action. The woman jogged backwards past you to where she first emerged, and you hit the play button. Just like before, she jogged past you, minding her own business when the black shape came at her. This time, he was a bit clearer. Repeating this process over and over again, you watched the woman get kidnapped about twenty more times before you could see the exact details of the man’s face.

He grabbed her and pulled her into the alley, but you couldn’t seem to move. The clearer the picture, the stronger the energy. The stronger the energy meant the event you watched happened recently. The longer the event goes unsolved, the less amount of energy you are able to connect with.

Something happened in that alley, but you dreaded going anywhere near it. However, this woman’s story was untold, and her spirit won’t rest unless someone tells it for her. Taking a deep breath, you looked at the busy street and suddenly remembered that you were in the middle of a city with a bustling amount of people around you.

Pushing past the crowd, you made your way to the alley until you were completely alone as the rest of the world left the single girl who was in the alley alone. There was one particular spot that drew you in, and you took a few steps towards it before getting another vision. The man jammed a knife into the woman’s abdomen, and you gasped when you felt her emotional pain. Being an empath is really hard work since you had more than yourself to worry about.

The woman dropped to the ground with a loud thud, and the man kept stabbing her over and over again until she was way past dead. Once he was satisfied, he took the murder weapon with him and fled the scene, running right past you to do it. It took everything in you to look away from his eyes despite your body telling you to do so.

The noise of the busy city drowned out the sound of a body thumping on the ground, and you crept to the area where she was stabbed. Instead of a body, there was a thick blue tarp covering the ground. It looked like a body was underneath it, but it could be trash. Please let it be trash. Please let it be trash. Picking up the end of the tarp with your gloved hand, you peeked underneath it to see wide soulless eyes staring at you.

The shock overwhelmed you, and you dropped the tarp in shock. Tears threatened to escape your eyes, but if it wasn’t for you, this woman probably would have never been found—or, at least, not right now. From what you could gather, the body was still fresh with only sight signs of decaying. If you called the police now, they might be able to find her killer.

Taking out your cellphone, you dialed 911 and put in an anonymous tip before getting the hell out of there. It didn’t take long for first responders to arrive on scene, and you watched from the deli across the street as they uncovered her. She was found because of you. She is going to get justice because of you.

That was all the evidence you needed to make your decision.

Taking out your phone once more, you called your dear and beloved friend. It took him three rings to pick up.

“Jason, it’s me, Y/N. I’ll take it.”

Gideon was sucked back into the BAU on a case after he needed to take some time for himself. He was involved with a bomber that took out one hostage and six agents, so you could understand why he requested for your help. He trusted you to aid this team in finding a killer, especially when he saw what you can do first-hand. It was hard to explain your abilities to someone who couldn’t possibly understand, but you knew you had to since he had a jet full of his other teammates.

It didn’t take long to get to the airport where the jet was waiting, and before you ascended the stairs, you could feel everyone’s emotions—impatient, curiosity, calmness, and eagerness. They were all waiting for you, and you needed to show them that you belonged on their team. Walking on the jet, all heads turned at the new presence. Gideon stood up and approached you with a welcoming smile on his face.

“It’s good to see you again,” he stated.

“Well, you needed me. Here I am,” you nodded, looking at everyone else on the jet.

The person you noticed first was what you assumed to be the second person in charge. He had almost black hair and a hard gaze since he didn’t really like newcomers. The next person was a black male who emitted impatience since he just wanted to get in the air. The last person was a scrawny young male which is where the curiosity was coming from.

“Y/N, this is my team. Agent Aaron Hotchner, Derek Morgan, and Dr. Spencer Reid.”

“Spencer Reid?” you asked, and the young man perked up at the sound of his name. “Sorry, but I’ve read everything you have ever written especially Identifying Non-obvious Relationship Factors Using Cluster Weighted Modeling and Geographic Regression. You have a very intelligent mind.”

“Thank you,” he smiled, clearly impressed that you read his work.

“Guys, this is my good friend Y/N that I’ve asked to help us on this case.”

“Is she FBI?” Hotchner asked.

“Not exactly.”

“I am what’s known as an empathetic psychic. If ‘witch’ makes you sleep better at night, then call me that. I see things that most people are not able to see. I connect with people’s energies, especially the dead. Believe it or not, I see events that lead up to someone’s death due to the energy and the spirit they leave behind. The more recent the event, the stronger of a picture I get. It doesn’t always give me what I want, but it always provides me with what I need. I’ll be a valuable asset to this team.”

“I already approved it with the board. She has her firearm qualification and she passed the academy with flying colors,” Gideon sided with you.

“We need to get going. We’ll see how you do on this case,” Hotchner nodded.

With that, the plane was off. It wasn’t until the pilot let you know it was safe to move around the cabin that everyone start to talk about the case.

“His first victim was Melissa Kirsh—stab wounds and strangulation,” Spencer read from the file.

“Wait, wait. Back up. Back up,” Derek interrupted. “He stabbed her and then strangled her to finish her off?”

“Other way around,” Gideon cleared his throat before turning to you, the hopefully newest member of the team. “Why do you think he started using the belt with the second murder?”

“Strangulation with your bare hands is not as easy as one would believe,” you said, earning a few stares from the others. You knew it would take some time for them to get used to you, especially when they didn’t even know you. The fact that you’re with them is because you’re friends with Gideon. “He tried and probably found that it took too long so he stabbed her instead and realized it would be hours cleaning up the blood.”

“Next time, our boy's got a method—the belt,” Derek added.

“He's learning and perfecting his scenario. Becoming a better killer,” Gideon stated.

“So, Y/N, where did you learn about profiling?” Hotchner asked, taking a break from the case.

“I have a PhD in Criminal Justice with a sole focus on profiling. Another one in Psychology which better helps me connect with others. I thought Gideon told you all of this,” you asked, looking at your friend.

“How old are you, if you don’t mind me asking?” Spencer asked.

“Twenty-three. Well, I turn twenty-three in a few months.”

“Wow, I’m impressed. How did you get two PhD’s at your age?”

“How’d you get three at yours?”

“I’m a genius with an eidetic memory.”

“Yeah, well, I worked my ass off to get where I am so just know that you’re not letting just anyone on this jet with you. I’d be happy to prove myself to you guys. I’ve been doing it since I could read.”

“There’s a few more of us you still have to meet,” Hotchner stated.

“Lucky you, Reid,” Derek grinned. The young doctor stared at his friend in confusion. “You’re not the youngest one here anymore.”

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@averyhotchner​

Suck It And See [0.2]

Masterlist

"So, what's it like?" Rose asked. Jade laid flat out on her bed, staring at the cracks and stains in the ceiling while her best friend was on the phone.

"It's cold," she said, "Even for post-summer in England, it's cold,"

"What do you mean by cold?" Rose asked again, "That don't make no sense,"

"It's just very isolating is all," Jade replied, "None of these cousins have even come over to say 'hi',"

She hummed from the other end in thought, "Well, perhaps they're waiting for you to come out of your room?" she inquired.

"That'd be fine," Jade said, "If they too weren't locked in their own rooms. Rose, the only sounds I hear are the odd car driving by or the birds in the trees. It's eery, there's no life here whatsoever,"

"They're a suburban family, s'pose. Suburbans do things differently," Rose said, "Remember my next door neighbour? The brownstone that always reeked of meat?"

"Rose, that whole neighbourhood smells of deli meat. You're round the corner from the artisan markets," Jade said.

"Don't matter," Rose said, "Fact is that we lived in a suburb and every single person in that bloody square-radius was whacked,"

Jade sighed, "I think I'd rather be in a Newcastle as oppose to this," she said.

"Well, what's this Auntie all about, then?" Rose asked, "You said she was rich?"

"That's the only cool thing about her," Jade mused, "She married into it. Think she's put out a pound for my mum's treatments? Think again, kid,"

"Perhaps taking you in is her way of chipping in?" Rose said, "You know, take the emotionally-distraught-teenager out of the equation?"

Jade rolled onto her side, staring glumly out the foggy window that overlooked the neighbourhood. It looked more like a still-life than a reality, with silent streets, strangled grass, nobody about on the streets. It was depressingly glum, a place that no emotional teenager could possibly withstand in her circumstances.

"As far as I'm concerned, I should be at home instead,"

➿➿➿

Right at seven-fifteen in the evening, Jade was refreshed and redressed, this time in a simple white t-shirt and a pair of comfortable jeans. Her long, thick brown hair was tied up in a loose ponytail, showing off her gorgeous, youthful face. The wonderful smell of roast meat and steamed vegetables filled her nose, and it suddenly dawned on Jade that she was starving. She hadn't eaten anything since she had left her house this morning. She had had a cup of coffee and a scone with her dad in a local cafe by the station, a little father-daughter time before she would have to chug off. It wasn't the most pleasant bonding time for Jade, she still had mixed feelings towards her father and his actions.

Aunt Joy looked to have her head in the oven, a cynically amusing concept to Jade as she entered the kitchen. It was twice the size of her kitchen back home, with jade marble counter tops, clean wooden cabinets, a big, beautiful stainless steel fridge, and a state-of-the-art oven and stove-top set. A few feet away was a grand dining table covered in a green and yellow patch table cloth. And in two of the seats were her younger cousins, Charlie and Noah. The boys were fraternal twins, both eleven years of age with dark bowl-cuts, pudgy and pasty faces, with a thick rimmed glasses sitting on both of their noses. They seemed to be fighting over who's turn it was to play with their video game console.

"Charlie, it's my turn!" Noah whined as he tried to make a grab for the gameboy, "Yeh said yeh'd let me play after yeh killed the dragon!"

"Yeah!" Charlie sneered back, "But now I 'ave to kill the mutant lava monster!" he exclaimed. Noah continued to whine at him and kept grabbing for the console. Soon afterwards, a little, wispy-haired boy came running into the kitchen, yelling for his life.

"AAH! Mummy!" the little boy ran and hide behind Aunt Joy. Jade watched with confusion as another boy, taller than she was, came running after the little boy. He had a gremlin mask on over his head, but the young boy wasn't old enough to understand. Alfie, he was. He couldn't have been older than seven or eight.

"Mummy! Oliver's tryna' eat me!" he yelled. The older boy, sixteen-year-old Oliver, ripped off the deformed, ugly mask and started to laugh.

"Oh, take a joke, Alf. I was only kiddin'," Oliver said to him. Aunt Joy refrained from rolling her eyes as she pulled the roast beef out of the of oven and set it on the stove top to cool.

"Boys, did you say hello to your cousin?" She asked in a diminutive sneer.

The shenanigans in the kitchen came to a sudden stop as they all turned around and focused on Jade. She suddenly felt as though she was being glared down by a pack of wild hyenas.

Oliver, being the oldest, made his move first as he slung an arm around his cousin, "Long time, no see, cuz,"

Out of all her cousins, Jade tended to gravitate towards Oliver most. Perhaps because he was older, perhaps because he was good looking? Jade would never have any romantic kindlings towards him, he was her cousin after all. Regardless, Jade could appreciate his high cheek bones, shaggy but combed back hair, and well-chiseled body. He was a top player on the school's lacrosse team after all.

Uncle Cosmo entered the dining room soon after and had the boys set the table for dinner. He kept calling for Flora to come down from her room.

"Flo! Yehr ma 'as dinner on!" He shouted down the hall.

Jade took a seat at the end of the table, unsure of what else to do as Oliver and and Charlie set the table. He had ripped the game boy away from them and placed it on the spice rack whets neither of them could reach. Flora eventually came down and took a seat on the opposing side to Jade, between Oliver and Alfie.

They all sat down and Aunt Joy placed the roast and veggies in the middle of the table. Noah sat to Jade's left and Uncle Cosmo to her right. They both suddenly grabbed her hands. She was confused until she saw the rest of the family join hands and she realised they were going to say Grace.

"Do yeh say Grace before dinner, Jade?" Charlie asked her, clearly sensing get unease.

Aunt Joy replied before Jade could even open her mouth, "No dear, your Aunty Ruth doesn't believe in God," she said.

"So... Do you not believe in God, Jade?" Charlie asked.

"Erm... not really," she replied.

"Why?" he asked, "Yeh're not afraid of Him?"

"Charlie!" Uncle Cosmo suddenly cut in, "It's none of the business wha' Jade believes in. Now 'old yeh brother's 'and,"

Jade let out a small sigh of relief. And with that, Aunt Joy proceeded to say Grace:

"Dear Lord, thank you for this food we are about to eat. We are grateful for your provision. We ask that you would bless this food and continue to guide our family along Your path. In the name of Your son Jesus, amen,"

"Amen," the whole table said. They all suddenly turned to Jade, who had stayed silent up until that point."

"... Oh. Erm -- a-amen,"

➿➿➿

Dinner passed as quietly and uncomfortable as possible for Jade. The younger boys kept asking her why she was here, why her mum was sick, why her parents separated. Uncle Cosmo and Aunt Joy steered the conversation away as much as they could, but even Aunt Joy made little attempt to ease Jade into her family. Oliver then went on to tell Jade about the school she would be attending with them -- Stocksbridge High School. Flora meanwhile stayed silent, occasionally throwing a dirty look Jade's way. She couldn't for the life of her understand what her problem was.

Jade helped the five children -- well, four, Flora chose not to help -- clean up afterwards, then they all separated into their own rooms. Jade was at a loss for what to do with herself, so she sat on the couch with Uncle Cosmo as he lit his pipe and watched the evening news.

"Yeh excited for school tomorrow, Jade?" He asked her. Jade nodded slowly, more focused on the puff piece the news channel was doing on a bird sanctuary in Ireland. She had hardly spoken a word all day, and Uncle Cosmo didn't take it lightly. He couldn't begin to imagine what heartbreak was being thrusted upon this young girl.

"Jade, how are yeh doing? Wif all of this?" He asked her. Jade shook her head and looked up at her uncle with those big, sad hazel eyes.

"I'm fine," she replied quietly.

Cosmo sat forward on the couch and looked down the hall, finding the door to the den closed with light flickering from under the door. His wife wouldn't be able to hear him, then.

"Listen, I won' lie to yeh and say 'I know wha' yeh're going through'. I will tell yeh 'owever tha' it will get better. Yehr mum is a lil' fighter, and she will pull through. If anything, she'll do it fer yeh. As fer yeh dad, 'e's gonna 'help yehr mum any way 'e can, yehr ma won' be alone,"

Jade blinked back the tears that were threatening to spill over and wiped her nose on her jumper sleeve, "Jason's in jail, Uncle Cosmo. Jack's living with... Her. And I'm up here. How is she not alone?" she said. One of her older brother, Jason, had been hauled into juvenile detention last year on a drug charge, while her younger brother, Jack, was living with their father's new girlfriend, Winona, for reasons Jade could not see as logical.

Uncle Cosmo shrugged back and sighed, "Well, yehr ma knows she ain't alone because she knows tha' 'er children are thinking of 'er. She don't want yeh to see 'er in her treatments because she don't want yeh to remember 'er like that. Yeh understand wha' I mean, dear?" he said. Jade, again, nodded as a snail's pace, still keeping her eyes trained on the television.

"Things are gonna be strange for the next lil' while, I know. But yeh 'ave us to lean on fer support," he assured her, "Yeh ain't gonna be alone, Jade,"

Jade forced herself to swallow the growing lump in her throat as well as her uncle's articulations. She wanted to believe him, but the homesickness she felt was too fresh in her mind to give in to the ease her uncle was offering. She quickly wiped away the tears that slid down her face before Cosmo could notice and she turned back to the television, not uttering a word for the rest of the evening.

➿➿➿

Morning came faster than Jade would have liked.

After a sleepless night of tossing and turning, Jade grimaced as a loud pounding thundered on her bedroom door.

"Wake up, Jade!" Noah called from the other end, "Mum says we 'ave to get readeh fer school!"

Oh yeah, school. As if she weren't having enough troubles.

Jade groaned and shoved the blankets off her frail body. The floor was cold against her feet and she shivered as a draft whipped across her skin. She did a little stretch and went to the suitcase she hadn't yet bothered to unpack. Unlike her school back home, Jade had to wear a uniform to Stocksbridge -- and ugly one at that, consisting of a button down shirt, a black skirt, and a scratchy grey jumper, and an ugly tie.

If her friends back home could see her now, they'd never let her live this down. Jade had gone to a school where if you dressed like you were on your way to a business meeting downtown, you'd be robbed of your lunch money and locked into the janitor's closet within a span of ten minutes. She missed those ugly, drab classroom walls and rusty lockers that would clatter as you would walk by.

Jade -- now dressed in her new uniform, went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and comb her hair. However, as she tried to turn the bathroom knob, she found it was locked. A shrill voice hollered from the other end.

"Occupied!" Flora shouted with aggravation.

Jade was overcome with a sense of awkward being, unsure of just what to do. The only other bathroom in the house was her Aunt and Uncle's in their bedroom, and the powder room downstairs. Was it appropriate to brush her teeth in there? In this house especially?

"Erm -- i-it's me," Jade called, "Can I come in? I just wanna brush me teeth!"

There was a long, uncomfortable silence before Flora finally replied with an expected "No!"

Jade was beginning to get annoyed with her attitude, "I'll just be thirty seconds, I promise ya! I just really need the sink!"

She heard Flora groan back, "I'm using the sink! Use the loo downstairs!" she exclaimed. Jade bit on her bottom lip nervously, eyeing the corridor to the flight of grandiose stairs. Reluctantly, she took her toothbrush and toothpaste and skittered down the stairs, then headed right for the powder room. As if my a stroke of misfortune, Aunt Joy had spotted her from the kitchen as she was brewing a fresh pot of coffee, and she called after her.

"Jade, dear!" her voice slithered through the air with the grace of a snake, "I certainly hope you're not planning to use the powder room to brush your teeth!" she said, "It's unbecoming, you know,"

Jade refrained from rolling her eyes. It was the powder room, people use the powder room to freshen up. And she needed to freshen up for school so she wouldn't be mistaken for a zombie on her first day.

"Well... Flora refuses to get out of the bathroom... so what do I do?" she asked.

Joy sighed with exasperation, most likely at how petty and ridiculous her daughter was being. Or so Jade had hoped. But by the look on her face, Jade was weary that some of that exasperation may have been directed at her.

"Alright. You can use the powder room this morning. But I will have a talk with Flora," she said. Jade thanked her graciously and hopped into the powder room, feeling as though she had received an indirect warning from a prison warden as oppose to her 'loving' aunty.

BNHA College AU (pt. 1)

The LoV

Tomura Shigaraki

Sophomore Poli Sci major with a minor he got unintentionally in Philosophy (he took so many philo courses for fun that when he got his degree it was put as his minor…oops)

His professors either hate him or love him bc he will debate them harshly in class, often twisting their words to prove his point which more than likely completely contradicts the professor’s standpoint. Other students learn quickly to stay clear out of the discussion when Tomura is arguing bc he will tear them down scathingly. His tongue spares no one. Most of his classmates, especially those in his major and that have multiple classes with him, hate his guts and love when he decides not to show up bc no one else can get a word in during discussion. He rules it and holds no punches. He’s been called in multiple times to his advisor’s office to discuss complaints. Not that Tomura cares in the slightest. It’s not his problem that other students can’t handle debates with him.

He joined the frat with the purpose of taking it over. He was a legacy and knew he was guaranteed a bid (thanks AFO). As soon as elections came up, he swooped right in and became president his second semester at college. 

Started a war with the other frat on campus after he got into an intense argument with the rival president during a party (*cough*it was with overhaul*cough*) and now everything is a competition between the two frats. From recruitment to who can throw the best party, it’s a feud. They both try to get the other frat in trouble, occasionally calling security over petty things or when the other has parties.

Has days where he always wants to be around someone and will knock on every door in the house until he finds someone to hang with or he’ll do a 180 and leave the house for a few days. No one’s quite sure where he goes. Also no one’s allowed in his room or he will throw a fit. It’s his personal space and it’s off limits for everyone who he doesn’t expressly decide to bring in. Dabi likes to jab that Tomura keeps dead bodies in there. 

Dabi

Junior history major bc he thought it would be a walk in the park...he was mistaken

Never goes to class or leaves his room, unless it’s to go smoke with Twice or for parties. He takes as many classes as he can online. The very definition of “c’s get degrees.” Completely regrets being a history major bc of all the research papers he has to write and how much of a pain researching can be, but it would be too late for him to change if he ever wants to graduate on time. And he does wanna graduate so he can stop relying on his old man’s money. 

He never goes home for breaks. He’ll stay in the frat house even over winter and summer break. He will go home with someone else if he’s invited. Jin has invited Dabi to come home with him for multiple summers after they became close and it’s become their tradition. Tomura noticed that Dabi stays over break very quickly despite it being something that’s not talked about and invited him to come with for the winter holiday as well. 

The incredibly reluctant vice president to Tomura’s president. It was the first time he ever decided to hold office, bc he decided that he could push most of the work onto Tomura and Jin. He ends up doing more work than he intended, vice often being more clerical work than president in the first place, but also bc he low key enjoys the work. And enjoys bossing everyone around. But he’s the best delegator anyone’s ever seen

Won’t see him emerge from his room for days until he runs out of his stashed food. Music is always blaring from his room to the point where almost every other frat brother has told him to turn it down and often not so nicely. When he goes for a night out, he very rarely returns home alone. Jin and Tomura who are his two neighbors either stay somewhere else until Dabi and his guest have quieted down (or he’s kicked his conquest out) or have to turn their music up if they don’t wanna hear Dabi’s bed banging against the wall.  

Chillest at parties, is the Plug(tm) and always on aux. A lot of freshman girls try to get his attention so that they can mooch off his booze and dope, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t. Depends solely on if he’s feeling generous that particular night or not. But bc he’s the definition of low key, he tries to keep the parties that they throw at the house from getting too crazy. No one wants the clean up nor do they want to get busted and have an infraction on the frat. Will kick people out for becoming too rowdy and heavily enforces the banned list. Just wants the parties to be chill and fun with people they like invited. Now, when the boys go out for parties, they can all be as crazy as they like bc it’s not in their home. 

Himiko Toga

Psych major with a minor in chemistry

graduated high school early so is on the younger end for being a college freshman, bc of this the boys are very protective of her during parties when other guys get a little too close

Joins basically every single club on campus after attending the club fair no matter what it is and after a couple of weeks knows basically everyone on campus. Toga ends up dropping most of them and only sticks with the sorority she joins, SGA as one of the freshman reps, and the chem club. She also tried out for the cheer squad, did it for a semester and then quit bc it was boring. Every year she goes through this cycle of joining new clubs and then dropping most if not all of them bc they can’t keep her interest

Within the sorority she’s the Social Chair and is always planning mixers with the frat. Every other week there will be a mixer between the two, most are just normal parties where the sorority goes over to the frat house and hangs out. Even if one isn’t planned, this normally occurs on the weekends. Toga herself practically lives over at the frat house bc she’s always there. She knows the door code and is usually just sitting on the common room couch if the boys are out. They’ll come back to find her there either watching tv or studying and not think anything of it. It’s abnormal if they don’t find her there. Otherwise, she’ll always knock on their doors until someone answers and invites herself in to hang out. She makes it her personal mission to get Dabi out of his room and be social. This has yet to truly succeed. 

Has constant crushes on random boys she sees at parties and talks to Jin about each and every one of them. But she never pursues them. She keeps it only to talking Twice’s ear off and stalking her would-be-crushes on social media. 

Twice/Jin Budaigawara

Maths major somehow 

he’s a two-year super senior bc he keeps failing his seminar and online classes that he forgets he has

When he does go to class he’s always late. Doesn’t matter how early he gets up, though most times it’s because he misses his alarm. Dabi lives in the room next to him and often bangs on the wall for Jin to stop his obnoxious alarm. That wakes him up. 

Somehow was elected the frat’s treasurer. He always forgets that people owe dues, so some members (Dabi) don’t pay until Jin eventually remembers…more than halfway through the semester. The frat is always able to finance their functions however, so Tomura doesn’t boot him from the position. 

Won’t do his own homework but will do others’ assignments for pay, or some weed (Dabi has him do his research papers when he’s feeling extra lazy). Will also help his fellow frat brothers and Toga on homework for the gen-ed required math course 

Spinner/Shuichi Iguchi 

Computer Science major sophomore

He aspires to be a game developer and goes religiously to class. He never wants to miss a day and the others give him shit for his perfect attendance. Also does all of his studying and homework in the library to make sure that he gets all of it done and in peace, otherwise when he’s at the frat house, someone is always bothering to play video games with him or just use his consoles. He’d rather do his work in private.

Has a student worker job as a server in the cafeteria. He prefers when he’s on kitchen duty and help prepare food, but ofc he’s almost always scheduled as a server. It’s a little more tolerable when he’s on deli duty and make sandwiches, but he hates being a server. Money is money though and he won’t quit. 

Gym rat and has thoughts about joining the wrestling team. Goes at really odd hours mostly at night after his shift at the caf to let out stress. And then after that plays hours of video games without showering. Everyone complains and Dabi has thrown soap at him to get the point across. Plays and doesn’t move until dawn. Someone functions enough to go to class and stay awake. No ones quite sure how he does it. 

He and Tomura have video game tournaments and it’s always a spectacle to see them go at it. Every week they try to best each other at a different game and it always involves major trash talk (the score is currently Tomura 56, Spinner 34 - and he’s salty Tomura beats him so much). They also talk about new releases together and revisit old favorites from their childhood. 

Mr. Compress/Sako Atsuhiro

Junior theater major with a minor in art theory 

“Come to the production we’re putting on, guys.” “Come to slam poetry tonight in the caf! There’s free food.” He will drag the others to all of his performances, often bribing them with food or alcohol. This works 95% of the time. 

He puts his all into his performances, often times getting lead roles. He’ll do his costumes himself and bring them back to the house to work on them and even props. He’s a pretty crafty guy and fixes anything that’s in need of mending in the house. All ripped clothes come to him for fixing. But, he spends countless hours preparing for his roles. He’ll often gather the boys (and Toga) in the common room and give a reading of his script, he’ll assign other parts at random and see the rest of the LoV unenthusiastically (aka just Tomura and Dabi - the rest are good sports helping Atsuhiro practice) read off the script while he puts his heart and soul into it. 

The Sergeant and Arms and the Social Chair for the frat. He enforces the rules but also plans the parties. Helps Dabi enforce the party “rules” when they throw one at the house. Keeps detailed lists of who can and cannot enter, and which brother brings which guest so that they can be held responsible. Pretty organized with his officer duties and keeps on top of things. Always tries to put on a show during the parties, whether it be magic or even getting karaoke started mostly to impress “the ladies.” Dabi likes to shut him down and tell them that’s not gonna get him laid. Also likes to host casino night and sets up tables for black jack and poker. These are always pretty fun bc he runs it like a speakeasy. “Invite only. Bet what you want at your own risk. The house will not reimburse for lost (or stolen) money.”

Rent Control-Part Two

Happy Friday y’all! Just leaving this here...also, it gets slightly steamy...

If you haven’t read Part One, here’s the link.

Summary: Katniss Everdeen has found the perfect home in San Francisco—great neighborhood, an easy commute and, best of all, it’s rent controlled. There’s only one problem; the landlord will only rent to a married couple.

Enter Peeta Mellark.

_______

Rent Control

Part Two

It was stupid that they didn’t think about this earlier.

Katniss and Peeta stood in the bedroom, eyes on the mattress in front of them. It was covered with a plush comforter—soft blue with grey tones—purchased by Katniss in all her excitement. The dresser adjacent to it was whitewood and atop was a flat screen television, brought from Peeta’s former apartment.

“Why did we never talk about sleeping arrangements?” she asked.

“Maybe because we’ve been so busy concocting a fake marriage that it slipped our minds?” Peeta responded.

“There’s always the couch,” Katniss said. “I can bring my blankets there.”

“No, I can sleep on the couch,” Peeta told her. “Only…”

She turned to him. “Only what?”

“Do you have a couch?” he asked. “Cinna is taking ours.”

“Shit!” Katniss smacked her palm to her forehead. “My couch didn’t belong to me…it was part of my apartment. Just another thing that we forgot.” She crawled onto the bed and laid back. “Let’s get a sofa next Saturday. We’ll rent a van and go to IKEA.”

“And, until then?” Peeta questioned from where he stood in front of her.

“The bed is big enough,” she told him. “If you promise to not sleep naked, fart, or snore—you can just sleep here. It’s not a big deal. I used to share a bed with my little sister, Prim.”

“Yeah…Prim doesn’t get morning erections.” Peeta scooted himself into bed and laid back next to her. “But damn, this is comfortable.” Their eyes met and he flicked her chin. “Are you sure? I can sleep on the floor.”

“No, we’re a team now.” Katniss twisted to meet his eyes. “We have to take care of each other as all fake couples do. Also, beautiful as this place is, sleeping on the floor sucks.”

“Okay, as long as you’re not weirded out,” he relented. “So, out of curiosity and because I should probably know this, why did you come to San Francisco?”

“Don’t laugh at me,” Katniss warned. “I followed a boy here. He went to San Francisco State while I went to University of San Francisco. I thought I was in love and, for a while, so did he.”

“USF, huh?” Peeta mused, his eyes on her laid out form. “Then, what happened?”

“Gale realized that there was more out there than the girlfriend that followed him all the way from their little Connecticut town. He told me he needed to find himself…aka date other girls.”

“Was this recent?” Peeta asked.

“No. That was years ago during my Freshmen year.” She sighed; it had been a long time since she thought of Gale. “Thank goodness there are so many crevices in this city to avoid your ex in.” Her eyes met his and Katniss smiled ruefully. “And, what’s your story?”

“My family owns a pretty prominent bakery in D.C., and I wanted to expand the business here,” Peeta explained. “I have a business degree from State and I’m still trying to convince my mother that opening a Mellark Bakery in San Francisco will be profitable.”

“Any nightmare exes that I should know about?” she questioned.

“I dated Delly,” he said.

“Delly from the bagel shop down the block from Johanna’s?” Katniss frowned. “Their bagels are shit! I don’t know if I’m more bothered by you dating her or by the bagels.”

Peeta guffawed. “Why would you be bothered?”

“I literally got the runs from there and Delly was not very nice when I told her about my bagel poisoning.” She grimaced, remembering her frequent trips to her not-so-clean commode. “I’m only telling you this because every husband should know about his wife’s one-time food poisoning.”

“Yeah, I think she was very insecure about you,” he explained. “You know Delly didn’t get that job at Johanna’s and then you swooped in. Me and you were…are pretty tight and she didn’t appreciate me giving you coffee for free.”

“I’m guessing that she thought ‘coffee’ was code for your penis,” Katniss said. “Can’t imagine what she thought cream was code for.”

Peeta snorted. “That’s been over for a long time. However, I’d avoid the bagel place now that we’re ‘united’ as man and wife.”

++++++

It had been a long time since Katniss had slept so comfortably.

The morning light was still low, just barely shining threw the bamboo curtains, and the room was still comfortably warm. In her last apartment, her nights were usually stuffy and warm while her mornings were frigidly cold.

Here in her new apartment, Katniss felt like the Goldilocks of San Francisco—this place was just right.

There was a shift and her gaze went to Sleeping Handsome, peacefully dozing next to her. Peeta shifted, an arm going over his eyes, and her own wandering eyes went to the small expanse of skin that had been exposed in his stretch.

Right above his belly button and just above his hips was smooth skin except for one bit—the happy trail leading down…

This arrangement was going to be harder than she thought.

It had also been way too long since anyone, including herself, had touched her lady bits.

Katniss, against her better judgement, lifted the comforter for a quick glance. “Huh.”

True to his word, Peeta did indeed have morning erections.

“Keep looking at it and I’ll have to charge you.” Her eyes met his sleepy smirk. “Good morning, wife.”

“Good morning…you,” she managed to stammer. “Just wanted to see if you were just bluffing about the morning wood.”

“Nope,” he responded. “Just a little factoid; it’s a bitch to pee with.”

Katniss rolled her eyes. “You’re making my mouth water.”

Peeta sat up and growled. “It likes your voice.”

She chuckled and ruffled his already mussed locks. “I’ll turn around so you can go to the bathroom first.” There was a shuffle and quick steps heading to the bathroom. Katniss turned back around when she heard the bathroom door close. “Any plans for today?”

“I took two days off for the move so pretty much opening up the rest of the boxes,” Peeta called out from behind the door. “Can’t wait to get all my baking stuff into the kitchen.”

“Does this mean that I can expect breakfast pastries every day?” she asked.

“Maybe if you’re a good girl,” he told her.

Katniss laughed. “Ohh…kinky.”

Peeta suddenly let out a shout. “Damnit!”

“What happened?”

“I told you,” he replied. “It likes you.”

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him that she might be getting fond of it herself.

++++++

“So, this is your sister?” Peeta stared at the teenager with the sunny hair and even sunnier smile, hugging a newly graduated Katniss in the photo. “You two look like you’re close.”

“Yes.” Katniss placed the freshly cleaned frame to the side before reaching into the box for another framed photo. “These are my parents when they first met in the 70s.”

She handed the frame to Peeta, who sat next to her on their newly placed living room rug.

“Your dad had a killer moustache…and those bell-bottoms!” He peered at the photo before looking to her. “You look a lot like your mom, except for the coloring.”

“I have that crochet halter top that she’s wearing,” she told him. “It’s kind of how I got into fashion. My mom kept all these great pieces from when she was a teenager. I used to rework them for me to wear. That halter I kept the same because it was the top that she wore when she met my dad.”

Peeta smiled, his blue eyes warm.

“The more I hear about your life, the more fascinated I am with you,” he said. “Why haven’t we really talked the whole time we’ve known each other?”

Katniss shrugged. “We’ve been so busy trying to survive that I guess we just never thought to.” She went back to organizing her photos. “I like getting to know these little bits of you.” Her hands reached for the plate of scrambled eggs and bacon to her side. “I like that you spent a whole summer with your dad trying to make the perfect scrambled eggs…and that you go to the deli to get your bacon.” Then, her gaze went to the beautiful watercolor hanging on the wall adjacent to the fireplace. “I like that you learned to paint to impress a girl but ended up just loving to paint.”

“Just one of my many quirks.” Peeta stood up, taking her frames, and going to the mantle to place them. “I have a box with some photos of my family, too.” He paused for a moment. “My mom and I…well, we’re not exactly as close as you are with your parents.”

She joined him at the mantle. “Why not?”

He placed the photo of her parents on the mantle distractedly, his gaze somewhere else.

“I’ve always been trying to prove myself to her,” Peeta explained. “I’m not the smart one. That title belongs to my oldest brother, Bran and I’m not as successful as my lawyer brother, Alex. I’m just…me—and that doesn’t seem to be good enough for her.”

Her hand reached for his shoulder, squeezing it gently. “You, Peeta Mellark, are the good one.” He turned to her. “You offer free coffees to a girl because you know she can barely afford bread and you pretend to be her husband so she won’t sleep on the streets. Those are all the qualities of a good heart…and a good husband, even if it’s not real. You’ve saved me in so many ways.”

Suddenly, Katniss found herself in his arms.

Peeta pressed his nose into her hair. “Thank you, Katniss.” He took a deep breath and she shivered at the sensation. “You saved me, too.”

“How exactly did I do that?”

Peeta sighed into her skin. “I’m not sure yet…but I can’t wait to find out.”

++++++

“Katniss! We have to get going!” Peeta buttoned his lightweight flannel before suddenly stopping halfway up. It was a bit warm for a San Francisco afternoon which was fortunate for this welcome party, but annoying on the clothing front. “Do you think I should button this?”

“No, just leave it open,” Katniss replied as she entered the room. “I love the V-necks on guys nowadays. The manbun however—what?”

“You’re wearing that top?” he managed to sputter.

Katniss twirled, allowing him to enjoy the sexiness of the top on his pseudo-wife. The burnt-orange linen skirt she wore danced around her ankles, and on her feet were a pair of camel-colored sandals.

“We were talking about it and how it really got me into fashion, so I pulled it out of my closet,” she replied. Katniss caught his wide eyes and her smile fell from her lips. “What?”

“It’s just…wow.” Peeta circled her closely, taking in the cream crochet top that covered everything that needed to be covered quite strategically. “You just look beautiful. Shit—I really can’t stop looking at what that top is covering! I’m really sorry I’m such a perv—”

Katniss chuckled. “No, this top is just made to be looked at. How do you think my mom got my dad?” She grinned wickedly. “Thank goodness for the NuBra…because my mom didn’t wear anything under this—”

“Way too much information on my fake mother-in-law,” he told her. “And what the hell is a NuBra?”

“It’s basically like bra cups with some stick.” Katniss held her hand up like cups to demonstrate. “And you’d just lean over—”

Peeta put his palm up. “Okay, stop. I’ll never be able walk down there comfortably.” He let out a breath. “Just give me a minute.”

“It’s not horrible for us to look like we’re sexually into each other,” she informed him carefully. “It’s human nature to be attracted…to feel heat when people are so close together. Trust me—we’re going to have a lot of these moments.”

His hand went to her shoulder and a shock of electricity rushed through her.

Then, she felt that telltale twist in her pelvis and her knees suddenly felt weak.

Her throat felt dry. “Peeta…” Her voice came out low, that last syllable trembling as it escaped her lips.

His mouth suddenly replaced that spot on her shoulder, that roughness of his lips exciting her to the tips of her toes. “Katniss, you’re making this really hard on me.”

She closed her eyes. “I’m trying not to.”

Fingers played with the strings tied at the nape of her neck.

Just one tug and it would all fall down…

There was a knock on the door.

“Katniss! Peeta!” It was Effie. “We’re just about ready. Come down soon!”

It was Peeta who found his voice first. “We’ll be right down!” His eyes went to Katniss’. “This isn’t over.”

She found a smirk rising on her lips.

“God, I hope not.”

++++++

They stepped into the backyard and Peeta’s hand reached to clasp hers. “Whoa.”

“It’s like we’re in a secret garden!” Katniss practically squealed as they walked under the flowered archway. The scent of roses immediately danced on her nostrils. “This is gorgeous.”

“I’m glad you like it.” They turned and found a dark-haired man with tortoise-shell glasses at the grill. He walked towards them and Katniss couldn’t help but admire his elegant gait. “I’m Beetee Latier. I tend to this garden and I also live right above you.”

Peeta reached to shake his hand. “I’m Peeta Mellark and this is my wife, Katniss.”

Beetee looked to her, a small smile on his lips. “Katniss…interesting name.”

“You know your plants, obviously.” She turned to Peeta. “In case you forgot, my name comes from an edible plant in wetlands.”

“So, I can eat you,” he responded bluntly.

Katniss had the good grace to blush.

“Ah, young love,” Beetee interrupted with a light laugh. “I’ve known Effie and Haymitch even before they bought this building and you both remind me of them—spunky.”

“And we love spunk.” Haymitch walked over, meat patties on a plate. “Here you go.” He handed them to Beetee. “I see you’ve met our resident genius horticulturist. Don’t let his soft-spoken nature fool you. He’s done a lot for the city of San Francisco.”

Katniss looked to him in interest. “Really?”

“Nothing illegal and also I’m not at liberty to say. What Haymitch didn’t mention is that I’m retired now,” Beetee added, taking the plate and placing some of the patties on the grill.

Haymitch grinned. “Yes. Now, he sings Motown to the flowers to make them grow.”

“Hello, hello!” Effie rushed over to them giving them each a kiss on the cheek. “Finnick, Annie, and Jack are on their way down. Annie’s just walking a little slower these days.” She looked to Katniss and Peeta. “They’re having twins.”

“Sorry we’re late!” A handsome man with a shock of red hair entered the archway, a bowl in one hand and a dark-haired toddler under his opposite arm. “Here’s some potato salad, Effie.” Their landlord rushed over, taking the bowl. The man then went over to Katniss. “Here’s Jack.”

He held out the little one and instinctively Katniss took him into her arms.

The man chuckled. “I can’t believe you actually fell for that. Now he’ll never let you go,” he told her. “I’m Finnick Odair and the craziness in your arms is Jack.”

“Katniss…Mellark.” She nodded over at Peeta. “Peeta, my husband.”

“Nice to meet you both,” Peeta said, shaking Finnick’s hand and waving at Jack, who had now settled in Katniss’ arms, playing with the delicate design of her top. “Careful with that, Jack. One tug and that thing will dissolve into dust.”

“So, you’ve had experience with that top,” a light voice said. A pretty brunette in a cerulean maternity dress waddled over, a bright smile on her face. “I’m Annie Odair—and this is my huge stomach.”

Jack pointed at his mother’s tummy. “Twinsies.”

Finnick went to his wife, helping her into a lawn chair.

“Careful, love. One move and you might jostle them out.”

“Sometimes, I wonder how they even happened,” Annie groaned before looking to Effie.

The older woman was suddenly very interested in the buffet setup at the far end of the yard.

“What did Effie do?” Katniss asked as she settled into the seat next to Annie, Jack in her lap.

“We moved in seven months ago,” Annie explained. “Effie offered to watch Jack so we could unpack…and christen the apartment.” She waved her hand over her belly. “And, here we are.”

++++++

“So, Effie and Haymitch told us how you got engaged,” Finnick said, a sleeping Jack in his arms. “How did you guys meet?”

It was later in the day and they had just finished eating. Beetee was a whiz at the grill, explaining that he once worked at a Mel’s Drive-In. Annie, who owned her own restaurant, had been the one to make the potato salad, which was delicious, and Katniss had her fill. Effie and Haymitch were currently preparing dessert—homemade sorbet with assorted fruits.

“Well, I work at a boutique nearby and Peeta works at the coffee shop next door,” Katniss said. She turned to Peeta. “But for some reason, I can’t recall…”

Peeta grinned at her. “She was so distracted since she was training. I just kind of waltzed into her life,” he told her, taking her hand. “I do remember the first time I saw her.”

Katniss shifted in her seat. “You do?”

“Of course. How could I not remember the day my world turned right side up?” he replied, not quite meeting her eyes. Peeta turned back to their neighbors. “I was heading to my shift and my eyes caught the display window of her store…and there she was. Katniss was, of course, distracted because she was changing the mannequin into these really wide pants—”

“Gauchos,” Katniss supplied. “My first window display.”

That was nearly two years ago—had it been that long?

“Oh right—and I just thought to myself that if I could get this beautiful girl to just look at me—maybe even smile at me—then life would be nothing less than perfect,” he told them.

Katniss remembered that day; she had been setting up the display when the hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stood up. Her eyes went to the street only to find no one, just the backside of a blond heading into the coffee shop next door. She brushed it off, thinking that she was nervous about what Johanna would think.

Later that night, Katniss headed into the coffee shop for her 15-minute break. Peeta had been at the counter to take her order.

And, she remembered—that same electricity happened, her hairs stood on their ends at the sight of him.

“Thank you for telling me that,” she murmured, her eyes feeling misty.

Peeta blushed. “My pleasure.”

“I love that,” Annie said, her green eyes glazed at the romantic tale. “It was meant to be.” She nodded at Finnick. “I met old what’s-his-face because he was one of my waiters.”

“I was a horrible one,” Finnick explained. “It was only because Annie as a chef is really scary…but sexy. I just got so nervous around her.”

“Finally, I had to fire him,” she told them.

“And, when she did, I asked her out.”

They all chuckled at Finnick’s words as Effie and Haymitch approached, trays on their hands.

“Everyone seems to be getting along,” Effie said as she placed dessert on the table in front of them. She looked between the group as Haymitch and Beetee settled into their own chairs. “I’m just so happy that we all found each other…that Katniss and Peeta have completed our little family.” Her eyes shone and Effie wiped her eyes hastily. “So, before Haymitch tells me to quit with the waterworks, I’m just going to say welcome home, Katniss and Peeta. We hope one day you’ll think of this place as your own and us as your family.”

++++++

“I feel like the shittiest person alive,” Katniss said, later that night. She shifted in bed, turning to Peeta. “Are we the worst?”

Peeta sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe? The thing is that I do like it here. I like everyone.”

“You know that Annie and Finnick offered their old couch to us?” she told him. “They’re getting a sectional so that Jack and the twins will have somewhere to lounge around. Finnick even offered to help you bring it down here. Beetee said that he’ll help when the cable-and-internet guy comes over next week.” Her head went to his chest. “I like them, too.”

He put an arm around her, pulling her close. “Worst of all, lying to Effie and Haymitch…”

“They’re like our cool Aunt and Uncle,” she added. “Maybe we should move. I can beg Johanna to let me stay at her house—”

“No,” Peeta interrupted. He suddenly looked to her; his expression anxious. “Katniss, everything I said out there…it was real.”

“What do you mean?”

He reached, brushing a tendril of her hair away to tuck it behind her ear. The sudden gesture was so familiar yet so tender.

“Seeing you look at me—even smile at me that first time we met—it made me feel like life was nothing less than perfect,” he told her thickly. “And, it’s been that way ever since. Life is perfect when you’re with me, Katniss.”

Her hand found his cheek, her thumb grazing the stubble on his chin. He closed his eyes, savoring the sensation of her caress.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

Peeta shrugged. “I was afraid. Afraid you would reject me…afraid to lose your friendship. I would have rather had you as a friend than not have you at all.”

Katniss let out a breath. “Peeta, why don’t we just admit that there is something here?”

His lips found home against her temple. “Because we don’t want to break…us.”

“We should give us a chance,” she admitted quietly.

Pushing up on his elbow, Peeta looked down at her, his eyes glowing in the dim light of the room. He leaned forward before suddenly stopping and chuckling softly.

“What?”

“I was just thinking about that crochet top,” he told her.

Katniss raised her a brow. “What about it?”

“Just wondering if I’ll get a chance to see it on you without that damn NuBra.”

She couldn’t help but laugh.

“Of course! Now, get over here!”

Without another word, Katniss pulled him down so their lips could finally meet.

 End of Part Two

  So, this seems pretty fast…but this was almost two years in the making for them.

Not like I’m going to make this easy on them, though.

Just an FYI—the boutique is based on one that I worked at many years ago. I loved the store and the product, but I hated the whole cutthroat aspect of trying to earn commission.

Mel’s Drive-In is a diner created in San Francisco that was originally a car hop. It’s mostly associated with the movie American Graffiti. Or, if you love older movies as I do, Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn visit one in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.

Anyway, I digress.

I’m not sure, but there might be a small time jump.

Also, I bet you’re wondering how this will end. I have three scenarios in my head and I’m not quite sure which it will be.

Till I decide, LaLa

P.S. They did end up “christening” the apartment.

Quantum Leap Week: Day 1- Favorite episode: Private Dancer

Working in Joanna Chapman’s company was wonderful, and it kept her off the streets. But Dianna wanted more. Even after becoming one of the top dancers, she felt lonely. Sure, Joanna and some of the girls knew some signs, but they weren’t fluent enough, having only talked with one deaf person. It wasn’t enough.

Dianna recalled weekends in her Wyoming school, when she’d stay up late with the other girls, telling stories, giggling over nothing and turning off their flashlights if the one with good hearing aids heard their housemother coming down the hall to check on them. But when the other girls talked about their families, she felt left out. Dianna longed to have a family, even if it was hearing parents who didn’t sign and pointed at things to communicate with her.

That was why she had left. She was tired of being left out, and wanted to find her own family, or at least people who she could count on. While working for Mario, one of the other girls working for him had relayed to her that she could be close to men and get paid for it. That didn’t sound so bad. 

Rod had come along, shown her the error of her ways, and gotten her into Joanna’s company. For that, she was grateful. She’d tried writing him a letter to say thanks, but he’d written back, saying he didn’t remember her at all, that he only remembered seeing Joanna’s company dance and that the dancers were all very good.

While dancing, Dianna had set aside some time to work on getting her GED. Encouraged by her success, she had looked into colleges to go to. At first, she looked into community colleges, but there didn’t seem to be a way for her to understand the classes. Sure, she could lipread the teachers, but that would get exhausting after long enough. Then she stumbled across a description for a place called Gallaudet University. It said it was the “Harvard of the Deaf,” that everyone there signed ASL. 

Dianna wrote to the admissions office, asking how she could visit, and got back some information. After buying some train tickets for Washington, DC, plus having one of the girls in her company help her with calling a local hotel to reserve a room, she went for a visit in June, when the dance company was in its off-season. 

Having dropped her things off at a local hotel not far from the campus, Dianna walked. It was a beautiful summer day in DC. She walked up to the campus and saw an intimidating brown brick building. Digging the map they’d mailed to her out of her bag, she saw that this was Fowler Hall. Admissions was in Chapel Hall, the next building over. 

After nearly getting lost, Dianna managed to find the office. She spoke, “Hi, where do I go for the tour?”

The young man working there blinked. He signed, “Are you hearing or deaf?”

“I’m deaf.”

“Oh okay. You can sign with me. Right now, we only have summer school. You can walk around our campus and look around- I see you have a map?” 

Dianna nodded.

“Or I can call someone to give you a tour if you’d like.”

“It’s fine. I can walk around by myself.” 

She found her way to back outside of Chapel Hall. Across the road, she could see a sculpture of a man and a little girl. Dianna walked away from Fowler Hall. The red and white brick building she encountered next was called College Hall, her map said. Continuing around the side, she then saw the library and one of the dorm buildings. Walking through, she found her way onto the campus green. It was an interesting set up, with paths crossing it diagonally. Dianna went up one of the diagonal paths and towards a building. Checking her map again, she was informed this building was the gym.

She tested the door and found it was open. Walking inside, she wandered around, peeking into windows here and there to see if anyone was inside. At one, she saw a dance studio, with a teacher leading a few students in a dance. Dianna watched until the teacher wrapped, then backed away from the door. The last to leave was the teacher, who smiled and signed, “How can I help you?”

“Sorry, I’m visiting. I’m a dancer for a company in New York and I’m interested in going to this school.”

“Oh, which company?”

Dianna told her.

The teacher was surprised. “I had no idea she had a deaf dancer on her team! Welcome, welcome. Why do you want to go here?”

“I wanted to go back to school. I know dancing won’t last me forever.”

“You’ve come to the right place. This school has a dance company, and if you’re admitted, you’re very welcome to join us.” She explained about the shows they did and what was required to stay on the team, but Dianna was looking around the studio in awe. 

Then she asked, “I have just a GED. Is there anything else I need to get in?”

“Have you applied yet?” At Dianna’s head shake, the teacher went on, “They’re going to give you some preliminary testing when you enter. You won’t be able to get in until next fall, so I suggest you study some more, find a way to skip preparatory year.” 

Dianna wasn’t familiar with preparatory: the dominant pinkie on a spread hand meeting the non-dominant palm. “What’s that?”

“That’s the year before freshman year, to make sure you’re ready for college-level classes. Not all students need it, but you have the advantage of having more time to get ready. How old are you?”

“Twenty-six.”

“That’s all right. Older than most of our students, but more mature. Come, I’ll find someone who can help you.” The teacher walked with Dianna across the green to the building that was the long way across from Chapel Hall. As they walked, the teacher asked Dianna about herself and introduced herself as Barbara Kershaw. 

Dianna was taken to the English department office in the building, where a male professor, after a wink at Barbara, wrote down a list of recommended reading, plus some other books he knew of that would help with preparation. “Thank you, David,” Barbara told him, then left. 

Outside, she asked Dianna, “Would you like a tour? I’ve got some time before my class.”

“No, it’s fine,” Dianna told her. “I can keep looking around by myself. Where can I go to eat?”

“You can go to the Student Union Building- there’s a place there, called the Abbey. Or you could go across the street, down Florida, up Sixth and left on Morse- there’s a wonderful Italian deli there.”

Dianna decided not to risk it and after she finished exploring the campus, she went to the Student Union Building. It was a strange experience for her, ordering her food in sign language instead of writing it down or having someone else speak her order for her, but it was also exhilarating. With the list from the professor, Dianna vowed to get ready.

After returning to New York and dancing in some summer troupes, the dance company got ready for the new season in September while Dianna studied, reading the books from the list. In the winter, she applied to the university. She heard back a few months later and showed her letter of acceptance ot Joanna.

“So does that mean you’re leaving us?” Joanna asked.

Dianna nodded. “But I need an education. I can’t be a dancer forever.”

“I’d love it if you could find some way back to us, but I completely understand. Good luck with your studies.”

With help from Barbara, who she’d been writing letters with, Dianna had gotten set up with Vocational Rehabilitation in her state, who agreed to pay her college expenses. She had money saved from her job, but she intended to use it for living expenses in Washington.

Taking the train, with all of her belongings in two suitcases, Dianna arrived in Union Station and joined the deaf students making their way to the school. She introduced herself to some of the other students, and was delighted to meet another girl who was already in the dance company. “You’ll have to audition,” the girl told her. “But I’m sure it’ll be easy for you to get in.”

After getting set up in her dorm, Dianna took the preliminary tests. She was relieved when she was told she could register for freshman classes, not preparatory classes. 

Her audition got her into the dance company easily, and she bonded with the other girls. It was good to have something like what she had in Wyoming once again. They supported her and one suggested she join a sorority many of them were involved with, Phi Kappa Zeta. 

With support from both her dance and sorority sisters, Dianna finished college. She was almost considering going back to New York City when the National Deaf Dance Theatre reached out to her. They said they’d heard about her through Gallaudet Dance Company and invited her to come audition. 

Dianna did, and joined the company. She told them she’d been in a hearing dance company before, and they said, “We’re very happy you’re on board with us!”

After some years at the company and working her way once again to the top, Dianna remembered what Joanna had said to her. Through relay on a TTY, ten years after joining and fourteen after leaving, she found Joanna’s phone number and called. “Hi, Joanna. I know it’s been a long time, but this is Dianna Quinn.”

“Dianna! How are you?”

“Good. I was thinking about what you said. I’d like to come back, and bring some dancers with me, from my current company.”

1. What do you like to do in your free time? So what do I do everyday? Tumblr, surveys, watch TV, watch YouTube, eat, sleep... sometimes read and color.  2. Are you more of an indoors or outdoors person? I am an indoors person all the way. The only exception is if I’m at the beach. 3. Who is the most fascinating person you’ve met? Hmm. 4. What was the last book you really got into? Burying the Honeysuckle Girls by Emily Carpenter.

5. What are some movies you really enjoyed? There’s several. 

6. What amazing adventures have you been on? I haven’t really been on any. 7. What pets have you had? Dogs, fishes, hamsters. 8. What’s your favorite alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink? I don’t drink alcohol anymore, so none, but my favorite non-alcoholic drink is coffee.  9. What are you kind of obsessed with these days? My food obsessions come to mind at the moment. My appetite is all over the place and I’m either an endless pit or hardly eating anything at all. Each week is different in terms of that and what I’m into. This past week it’s been breakfast burritos, deli sandwiches, deli pasta salads, and ramen. I also had a really good pizza last week that I’m craving again. 10. Where have you traveled? To beaches, mountainous areas, Disneyland, Arizona, Idaho, Georgia, Mexico. 11. What’s your favorite international food? Italian. 12. Are you a morning person or a night owl? I’m barely a person. 13. What’s your favorite restaurant? Applebees. 14. How many siblings do you have? 2. 15. What would be your dream job? I don’t have one. :/  16. What would you do if had enough money to not need a job? Travel.  17. Who is your favorite author? I have a few. 18. What was the last show you binge-watched? Orange is the New Black.  19. What TV series do you keep coming back to and re-watching? I’ve seen The Golden Girls, Roseanne, and I Love Lucy countless times in syndication.  20. What hobbies would you like to get into if you had the time and money? Hm. I don’t know. 21. If there was an Olympics for everyday activities, what activity would you have a good chance at winning a medal in? Taking surveys. 22. What would your perfect vacation look like? Somewhere involving a beach house and private beach area. 23. Among your friends, what are you best known for? I don’t know. 24. What music artist do you never get tired of? There’s a lot. Well, at least their music itself I never tire of. I may not necessarily keep up with the artist.  25. What are some accomplishments that you are really proud of? I honestly don’t feel proud of myself for much of anything in my current state. It used to be getting my BA, but now not even that because I’m doing anything with it and I really don’t have any plans to. I feel like it was a waste and I’m a total failure and disappointment. 26. What are some obscure things that you are or were really into? *shrug* 27. What are some things everyone should try at least once? I don’t knowww. 28. What fad did you never really understand? There’s been many where I was just like, wtf, why??

29. What’s the best thing that has happened to you this month? Going to the beach last week was great and very much needed. 30. What would your perfect morning be like? I’d be in a house with a beautiful ocean view and I’d be out sipping my coffee on the balcony overlooking said view.   31. Is there any art or artist you are really into? No. 32. What are you always game for? Coffee. 33. What do you do to unwind? Listen to ASMR. 34. What’s your favorite app on your phone? I use YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Kindle app the most. 35. Cutest animal? Ugliest animal? Awwww I think majority of animals are cute.  36. Who is the kindest person you know? One of my nurses. 37. What’s your favorite piece of furniture you’ve ever owned? My bed. 38. Who are your kind of people? People with a good sense of humor. 39. Where’s the strangest place you’ve ever been? Uhhh. 40. What’s the silliest fear you have? I have a lot. Like for one, sometimes when I’m in the shower I get this scary thought about the pipes just bursting. That’s just one of many. 41. What would be the best city to live in? I don’t know. 42. What household chore is just the worst? I’m not a fan of any chore. 43. If you could give yourself a nickname, what nickname would you want people to call you? *shrug* Steph is fine. How original, I know. 44. What odd talent do you have? I don’t feel I have any. 45. If you could give everyone just one piece of advice, what would it be? Just try and be kind and understanding. 46. What would you like to know more about, but haven’t had the time to look into it? Hmm. 47. What country do you never want to visit? Any country where it would be dangerous for me to be in? <<< Yeah, I agree. 48. What wrong assumptions do people make about you? People think I’m “strong” and “brave” and give me way more credit than I deserve. I’m none of those things. 49. Do you prefer to work in a team or alone? Alone. 50. What has been the best period of your life so far? Childhood. 51. How have you changed from when you were in high school? That was over 10 years ago and a LOT has changed. Not for the better, either. 52. How techie are you? Uhh techie enough? I don’t know. I mean, I like the latest phones and laptops and stuff like that.  53. Where is the most fun place around where you live? Nowhere in my city, that’s for sure. You gotta travel out of town to do anything fun. 54. Have you ever joined any meetup groups? No. 55. Where would your friends or family be most surprised to find you? They’d be surprised to find me out at all at this point, ha. 56. What’s the most relaxing situation you could imagine? Lying out on the beach. 57. What is the most beautiful view you’ve seen? Ocean and mountainous views. 58. What’s expensive but totally worth it? For me, it’s my MacBook. 59. When do you feel most out of place? I often feel that way. 60. What’s the most recent thing you’ve done for the first time? I can’t think of something at the moment. My days are very routine and I do the same the things. 61. How did you come to love your one of your favorite musicians? Probably first seeing their music videos on MTV back when they actually played music videos. 62. How did you meet your best friend? She gave birth to me. 63. What small seemingly insignificant decision had a massive impact on your life? I don’t know. 64. Where would you move if you could move anywhere in the world and still find a job and maintain a reasonable standard of living? I’m not sure, but somewhere where it doesn’t get unbearably hot and has actual fall and winters.  65. Would you like to be famous? (If yes, what would you want to be famous for? If no, why not?) No. I don’t want that attention and focus on me. I couldn’t handle it. I hole up at home and have avoided people in my personal life, why would I want people all over all up in my business and judging my every move? No thank you. 66. What did you do last summer? Complain about how hot it was and was dying, mostly. What I do every summer. 67. If you lived to 100, would you rather keep the body or the mind of yourself at 30 until you were 100? What. 68. Before you make a call, do you rehearse what you are going to say? Oh god, yes. I HATE having to make calls.  69. What are you most grateful for? My family. 70. What’s the most essential part of a friendship? Being able to trust them and talk to them about things and enjoying common interests. 71. When was the last time you sang to yourself or to someone else? Yesterday. 72. If you knew you were going to die in a year, what would you change about how you live? I don’t like questions like this. 73. When was the last time you walked for more than an hour? Yearssss ago.  74. What did you do for (last holiday)? Or What will you do for (next closest holiday)? We didn’t do anything for Memorial Day. Next holiday is Father’s Day, and we’ll probably go to lunch and/or see a movie.  75. Best and worst flavor ice cream? What would make for an excellent new ice cream flavor? Strawberry or mint chocolate chip.  76. Who’s your favorite actor or actress? Alexander Skarsgard. 77. All modesty aside, what are you better at than 90% of people? It doesn’t have to be useful or serious, it can be something ridiculous. I don’t feel I’m great at anything. 78. What’s the strangest phone conversation you’ve ever had? I don’t know. 79. How much personal space do you need to be comfortable? I don’t want someone all hugged up on me. 80. What’s the most interesting fact you know? I couldn’t choose just one. 81. What fad or trend have you never been able to understand? A lot of them, honestly. 82. Who’s your favorite character from a TV show, movie, or book? I’ll just pick one of the many shows I watch, Riverdale: The main crew, Betty, Veronica, Judghead, and Archie. 83. What TV shows did you watch when you were a kid? Stuff on Nickelodeon, Disney, PBS, and WB Kids. Oh, and the Saturday morning cartoons that came on ABC like Recess and Pepperann. 84. What do you like but are kind of embarrassed to admit? I don’t feel embarrassed about anything I like. 85. What’s your favorite smell? When an attractive guy smells good, oh my. <<< That really is nice. And the ocean/beachy air, rain, patchouli, sandalwood, fruity scents, minty scents, cinnamon, coffee, freshly baked goods and the smells of my favorite foods... 86. What skill or ability have you always wanted to learn? I wish I took piano more seriously back when I used to practice. 87. What’s the best meal you’ve ever had? Recently, it was the pizza I had last week.  88. Where was your favorite place to go when you were a kid? Anywhere with my cousins. 89. What’s the most amount of people you had to present something in front of? Like 30+. Presenting in front of anyone is a nightmare. 90. If you could go back in time as an observer, no one could see you, and you couldn’t interact with anything, when would you want to go back to? Ooh. I’d have to really think about that. 91. What’s something that most people haven’t done, but you have? Hmm. 92. What says the most about a person? How they present themselves. 93. What machine or appliance in your house aggravates you the most? None, really. Unless it’s not working for some reason. 94. What places have you visited that exceeded your expectations? Certain vacation spots and restaurants. 95. If you opened a business, what type of business would you start? I wouldn’t. 96. What’s the worst movie you’ve ever seen? It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a really bad movie. 97. What’s the best road trip you’ve been on? Trip to Idaho back in the summer of 2010. A lot of my family on my mom’s side went and it was really fun. We had no idea it would be the last time we’d see my grandpa before he died the end of that year. It happened really fast. He wasn’t even sick like that when we visited him that summer. At least, he didn’t appear to be. That trip ended up being even more special. 98. If you found a briefcase filled with 1 million in 100$ bills in front of your door, what would you do with it? Check for ID or if anyone has reported it missing. Otherwise, I’d keep it. 99. What’s the worst advice someone has given you? I don’t know. 100. Besides your home and your work, where do you spend most of your time? I’m always at home.  101. If you could have the answer to any one question, what question would you want the answer to? Hmm.  102. What are your top 3 favorite things to talk about? Common interests, celebrity/entertainment gossip, some current event type stuff. 103. What do you care least about? It would seem like myself. 104. Where would you like to retire? I’m not even thinking about that right now. I’m not even working. :X 105. Who is the most bizarre person you’ve met? Uhh. 106. What are people often surprised to learn about you? What happened to me that made me a paraplegic. 107. Would you rather live full time in an RV or full time on a sailboat? RV. 108. What would you do with the extra time if you never had to sleep? I really wouldn’t want that. I want my sleep. I need that escape. 109. When you were a kid, what seemed like the best thing about being a grown up? You think you can do whatever you want. 110. What’s the strangest way you’ve become friends with someone? I can’t think of any strange ways. 111. What’s your go-to series or movie when you want to watch something but can’t find anything to watch? If I can’t find something to watch on TV then I tend to just put it on the ID channel. 112. What were some of the turning points in your life? My accident, surgeries, graduating, health related things. 113. What companies made you so mad that you would rather suffer bodily harm than give them any more of your money? I’ve never been that upset with a company.  114. What small things brighten up your day when they happen? When what happens? 115. What sports would be funniest if the athletes had to be drunk while playing? I still wouldn’t care to watch sports. 116. What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve done because you were bored? Just sleep. 117. If you could send one letter to yourself in the past without the goal of making yourself rich (no lotto numbers, stock picks, etc.), what age would you choose and what would the letter say? I’d go back to like...high school days and warn myself of some things and tell myself to take better care of myself. 118. How many other countries have you visited? Just one. 119. What’s your favorite band NAME (not necessarily your favorite band)? Panic! At the Disco. I just like the “Panic!” part, ha. And why at the disco? What happened? 120. What do you miss about life 10 or 20 years ago? My life wasn’t ran by my health. 121. What’s your favorite holiday? Christmas.  122. What’s getting worse and worse as you get older? What’s getting better and better as you get older? Worse: health and life. Better: .... 123. Where’s the best place in (your town or city) to have a picnic? I guess a park. 124. What’s your favorite thing to do outdoors? Go to the beach.  125. How often do you dance? Silly/ironic dancing counts. I may bob my head while listening to music. 126. What do you never get tired of? Coffee. 127. What habit do you wish you could start? Better self-care things. 128. What’s the best way to get to know who someone really is? Just spending time getting to know them. Oh, and seeing how they act in public situations.  129. What’s the last new thing you tried? A new type of pizza last week. 130. Who besides your parents taught you the most about life? I’d say experiences have. 131. When are you the most “you” that you can be? In other words, when do you feel most like yourself? At home in my comfort zone. 132. What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve done? *shrug* I’m not very spontaneous. 133. What’s happening now, that in 20 years people will look back on and laugh about? A lot of things, I’m sure. Like how easily people get all up in an uproar about literally everything. 134. How much social interaction is too much? I can’t handle much. 135. How different do you act when you are with acquaintances vs. people you are comfortable with? I’m just more guarded and aware, I guess.  136. On a weekend or holiday, what’s the best time of day and the best time of night? All the days are the same to me.  137. What are you looking forward to that’s happening soon? Beach trip. 138. What really cheesy song do you love? There’s plenty of those. 139. What’s the worst or best job you’ve had? I’ve never had one. 140. What’s been the most significant plot twist in your own life? I never saw this downward spiral coming after I graduated in 2015. It really went downhill after that. 141. Where did you take family vacations to when you were younger? Disneyland and beachy, touristy places. 142. What’s your go-to funny story? I don’t know. 143. If the company you work for / the college you go to had an honest slogan, what would it be? I don’t work and I’m done with school. 144. If you could instantly receive a Ph.D. in any discipline including all the knowledge and experience that goes along with it, what would your Ph.D. be in? I don’t want one, though. I’m not even doing anything with my BA. 145. How well do you cope when you don’t have your phone with you for an extended period of time? I’m fine. 146. What were some of the happiest times of your life so far? Various times in my life with family, childhood, vacations. 147. Would you rather have an incredibly fast car or incredibly fast internet speed? Incredibly fast internet speed. 148. What are the top three social situations you try to avoid most? Any social situation? ha. 149. What friendship you’ve had has impacted you the most? The friendship Ty and I had. 150. What’s something you’re interested in that most people wouldn’t expect? I don’t know. 151. What’s your favourite quote or saying?

152. If you had the power to change one law, what law would you change? Uhhhh. 153. What’s the hardest you’ve worked for something? My BA degree. Ha. What a waste now. 154. What took you way too long to figure out? My stubbornness caused me a lot of problems. I didn’t think things could get the way they are, but they sure did.  155. What nicknames have you had throughout your life? Steph and Sis. 156. What do you do differently than most people? A lot of things, probably. 157. Where’s the last place you’d ever go? Space. 158. What fact floored you when you heard it? I can’t think, man. 159. If you unexpectedly won 10,000$, what would you spend it on? I’d want to travel for sure. Take me awayyyy. 160. Who is the best role model a person could have? That depends on you and what you’re aspiring to be.

flourish. - peter parker

genre: i really dunno man

warnings: none

words: 2,483

pairing(s) : peter p x reader eventually

parts: one , two

A/N: Hey! So I have this written and four written which means I’ll probably post tomorrow too! I’m sorry if this story is moving along slowly, I just don’t think Peter and the reader should be full on making out in the first few chapters but they’ll definitely interact more as the story moves along. I don’t know what else to say for now so as always, leave questions, suggestions, predictions, and feedback in my ask. Thank you for reading, my loves. Enjoy! 💗

It was 7 am on September 8th. It was the first day of school and you barely caught an ounce of sleep. Excitement overcame you at least a month before you had even started school. Ever since you woke up an hour ago, you couldn't help but imagine everything that could happen today. You could make a lot of friends, you could accidentally expose your powers, you could meet Rihanna. The possibilities were endless.

You took a bite out of the pancakes your aunt made and hummed in satisfaction.

"These are so good, oh my god." You said.

Your aunt smiled at you.

"You excited for your first day?" she asked. Your aunt's hair was all messy and she was dressed in these luxurious-looking silk pajamas. She slept very classily.

"Yeah. I walked past midtown once when MJ and I were going to this deli. It looks like a really nice school. I'm excited to be attending." you answered and remembered that day. MJ was bored and her parents were mad at each other so she needed some air. The two of you were walking around for at least two hours. You liked that you an MJ could just spontaneously hang out with each other. Nothing was ever forced. Anything that came to your mind, the two of you just talked about it.

"Ugh, you grow up so fast. It seems like just yesterday you first got here." your aunt gushed.

"It's been like two months." You replied.

"You've grown up so much since then!"

you giggled.

"The bus gets here in 5 minutes. You need to get to the bus stop now." your mom said coming down the hallway, putting an earring in her ear.

It took a month but your mom was able to find a job. Before you were born, your mom apparently went through schooling for being a teacher. She talked about it every once in a while but not enough for it to be a significant memory so it kind of took you by surprise when she came home with a huge smile on her face because she got a job as a first-grade teacher.

You took one last bite of you heaven sent pancakes, gathered your stuff and left.

"have a good day" 's were heard as you were leaving.

You ran to the bus stop two blocks away from your apartment building and just barely caught the bus. You stuck your metro card in the slot and then walked into the seating area. As you expected the bus was full of both students and adults on their way to school and work. Neither parties looking forward to the day ahead of them

After about five stops, you made it to Midtown and got off the bus. You looked around as you walked and took in everything. The school wasn't small, unlike your last one. It seemed to have three floors instead of two and the website said it held about 2,000 students. So many of them were walking into the school frantically or laughing with friends.

"Ow!" a pitchy voice said.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I should've been paying attention." you apologized to the brown haired boy you somehow walked into.

"Hey don't worry about it. It happens to me all the time." The boy smiled.

"Uh I'm Y/N." you introduced yourself.

"I'm Peter. Nice to meet you."

Peter. You knew that name. It was that friend that MJ talked about to when you two first met.

"Peter...Parker?" you asked.

He quirked an eyebrow at you.

"Yeah...how did you know that?"

"I'm friends with your friend, MJ. She talks about you and Ned sometimes." you explained.

"Does she?" He said, smiling.

You were aware you weren't supposed to tell Peter that and it would probably come back to bite you but the words couldn't be taken back now.

"Mhmm. I'd better get going though, Peter. You wouldn't happen to know where the main office is, would you?"

"Yeah, I'll uh, I'll show you." he offered.

You nodded and followed behind him into the building.

"So Peter, you're on the decathlon team?" you asked in attempt to make small talk. You recalled MJ brought up the decathalon team once.

"Well, I've been thinking about joining. Uh, this one girl I know is on the team. and she seems to have a lot of fun. Ned says he'd join too if I do it so there's a chance I will be doing that." she answered.

"That's cool. The team sounds fun. Not entirely my thing but I'd join for the experience."

"Midtown has a wide selection of things to join. Something would definitely match your interest, you just gotta look." he said.

"Thank you. I'll keep that in mind."

You two turned a corner and there was an open door with a big desk and a secretary sitting behind it.

"Here you are."Peter pointed his hands towards the room in front of you.

"Thank you."

"It was no problem. I'll catch you around."

You nodded as he walked away.

"Can I help you?" the lady behind the desk asked.

"Yeah, I'm Y/N L/N. I was told this is where i could pick up my schedule." you smiled at her.

"The transfer from Buffalo? Yeah, we have your schedule. Just give me a second to print it out."

After five minutes, you were given your schedule and meant to go find classroom 234.

"Y/N!" a voice called down the hallway. You could only assume it was someone you were familiar with. And you were only familiar with one person. It was obviously MJ.

She approached you and held her hand out.

"Let me see your schedule."

You handed her the piece of paper and she skimmed it.

Today MJ was wearing her signature ponytail that never seemed to be neat, a plain white shirt with a pair of Adidas joggers and Old Skool Vans. She had a way of making a look that she probably randomly threw on, look good.

"Okay cool, We have lunch, chem, and English together." she informed.

"That's great. I won't be lonely all day." you said.

"Yeah, I'm stuck with you for three periods."

"I see it as you have the amazing opportunity to spend time with me for 135 minutes every day. It's everyone's dream, truly." You joked.

"Everyone is interchangeable with no one, right?"

"Shut up."

"Oh, we have like 10 minutes to spare. Come with me to my locker and I'll walk you to your class?" Mj asked even though it was more of a statement.

You nodded and followed behind her as she walked off. Midtown had a lot of doors and even more lockers it seems.

We approached her locker only to see the brown-haired boy from before along with a black haired boy.

"Hi, losers." MJ greeted.

"Hi, Michelle and friend." The boy you have yet to meet spoke.

That's the second time someone had referred to you as "and friend" and it would probably happen a lot more.

"Didn't I tell you, dummies, to call me MJ?"

Peter snorted at her insult.

"You love us." He said.

"No way."

"Then why have you been talking about us all summer?"

MJ inhaled and exhaled. You assumed she would snap your neck or something. Lucky for you, she had some sense of self-control.

"So you and Y/N have met, I presume."

You smiled innocently.

"Yes, I have had the pleasure of meeting your friend who apparently can't keep a secret." He teased.

"You'd be surprised." you mumbled.

"ANYWAY! Hello, my name is Ned. It seems like I'm the only one who has no idea who you are." the other boy said. The other boy looked as though he was probably South Asain.

"Hi, Ned!"

"How do you guys know her?" Ned asked.

"I spent a chunk of my summer walking around with her." Mj admitted.

"I just met her like ten minutes ago and showed her to the office." Peter said.

"Sigh. I'm always last. First puberty now this." Ned joked.

The three of you laughed and then the bell rang.

"Oh god, I have Luis first period. I heard he's super strict. I have to go." Before you could protest (and you had every right to because you would be late to your first class) she was off, messy ponytail bouncing with every step she took.

"Would any of you happen to know where 234 is?" You asked.

Peter spoke up. "234 is on my way, I'll show you."

Peter and Ned did this really cool looking handshake and went their separate ways.

"You seem to be showing me around a lot." You said.

"Maybe it'll count for something and I could like graduate early." Peter said.

"Really? In that case, I will gladly show any lost freshman around."

Peter chuckled.

"As if you know where you're going yourself."

"Hey, I'm a fast learner."

The two of you approached the staircase and he held open the door for you.

"Thank you."

he smiled.

"I would, y'know, make small talk and stuff. It's kind of my brand, but I don't think the conversation would last that long seeing as you have exactly 2 minutes and 11 seconds to get to your first period that is across the hall."

"I can make it."

"Goodluck, Y/N." he said as you picked up a light jog, determined to get to class on time.

and you did just that.

You walked out of breath to the middle of the classroom. You always tried to go for the middle seats. If you were having an off day and you sat in the front, the teacher would publically embarrass you. In the back, you wouldn't even pay attention. The middle was perfect. It held many opportunities.

As the class came to a close though, you learned that this teacher didn't care where you sat, you would still get publically embarrassed.

It kind of went the same way for most teachers. Some were more lenient, you had to admit, but most were hellbent on the discipline of your fellow classmates. Even though some were rude, to say the least, you were still polite.

And by doing so, you were able to get to through the first four periods without a teacher hating you.

Your reflection of the people you were forced to spend forty-five minutes with every day for 10 months was interrupted when MJ texted you to head to the cafeteria.

So you made your way to the ground floor for lunch in the shockingly big eatery.

You stood in the doorframe of the room searching for your friend and her friends while MJ waved at you to get your attention. Eventually, it worked and you walked over to the table the three teens were sitting at.

"Hi everyone!"

"Y/N! Please tell me your teachers are just as bad as mine." MJ said.

"Uh, two of them were pretty rude. Not to me, luckily. And the others were fine i guess. They weren't good but weren't bad either. I really don't think this year will be all that bad. If I stay on their good side, like you said, I'll be fine."

"Wait. MJ advised you to kiss up to the teachers?"Ned chuckled.

"I advised her to stay on their good side. There's a difference, Leeds."

"Whatever you say, Michelle."

She rolled her eyes and began to doodle in her book.

"So how were your teachers? I assume you had a better experience than me and MJ." you asked Ned and Peter.

"Yeah, I like mine. None of them were annoyingly strict so that's good, I guess."

"I sat in the back so none of my teachers noticed anyway."

"Not like it would matter. The first week of school is just teachers going over the syllabus and trying to convince us of buying them tissues and hand sanitizer." MJ said.

"Why do you have to be such a downer? We have two classes with each other!"

"Just because you say that in a positive tone doesn't mean I'll enjoy it."

You wiped an imaginary tear from your eye.

"Ouch, MJ. That shit hurted."

Peter and Ned chuckled.

"So, Y/N, what brings you to Queens?"

"I think my mom was just getting bored of Buffalo. It wasn't ever really somewhere she wanted to be so we packed up our shit and left."

"Where are you staying?"

"My mom and I live with my aunt. The two of them are actually NYC natives."

Peter looked like he wanted to say something but he held back.

"I feel like if all four of us are going to sit with each other for 10 months then we should at least be not awkward. Let's play 21 questions." Ned suggested.

You and MJ looked at each other and smiled. 21 questions was one of your very first memories together.

"I'll go first. Who do you idolize?" you asked.

"Tony Stark." Peter said immediately.

"Beyonce but you already knew that."

"Hm, this is hard but I have to go with Elon Musk." Ned answered causing you all to break out in giggles.

"Okay, okay, uhh how do you guys like your eggs?" Peter asked.

We all looked at him weirdly. He could've done better.

"Scrambled."

"Hard Boiled."

"Poached."

"That was a horrible question, Petey. Anyway, Do you guys have any phobias you'd like to break?" MJ asked.

"I'd like to break my phobia of blood. Any time I see an excessive amount of it, I pass out." Ned admitted.

"I have a weird fear of heart disease and I don't really know where it came from."

"I don't like spiders."

Ned and Peter looked at each other then looked away. Probably some sort of inside joke.

"Okay, what superpowers would you guys have if you could choose?"

Both you and Peter tensed. Both Ned and MJ noticed to because they gave you guys weird stares.

"Um, I'd have mind manipulation or invisability or literally anything Scarlet Witch could do."

"I would have Thor's powers. He's cool."

"Uh, black widow."

After another exchange of suspicious glances from Ned and MJ, you all continued the game. Questions came up about future jobs, smash or pass, favorite foods, songs, etc. The game served its purpose you actually did learn more about your lunch buddies and it was refreshing to make new friends.

The bell rang and the four of you got up.

"Bye guys!" you said as MJ dragged you along to your next class.

You two found a seat next to each other and MJ whispered to you.

"Hey, why did you and Peter act so weird when Ned asked that question about the superheroes?"

"I wasn't acting weird. That was my thinking face. I don't know about Peter, though, hmm."

"Whatever, Y/N. Whatever you're hiding, I'll find it out. I always do."

taglist : @chims-kookies