Hi everyone!!! I'm not gonna use my real name cuz it's easy to narrow me down with it, so just call me GOB or IFH (glitteroverbitter and ifarthearts). I'm also a girl but I don't really care what you guys see me as. If I post any irl photos, I plan on blocking my face with emojis.
I have an ao3 account(IfartHearts) whereI write fics about whatever! I also have an original story posted on there as well! As soon as I figure out how tumblr works I'll post my works on here too!
AO3 LINK -
https://archiveofourown.org/users/IfartHearts
I also draw sometimes so MAYBE I'll post my art here too! ૮꒰˶ฅ́˘ฅ̀˶꒱ა
BIG THING HERE!!! Please keep in mind I am a minor and having my own life outside of the internet. I mostly get online as my daily escape but please be patient with responses and updates. 𐔌՞ ܸ.ˬ.ܸ՞𐦯
I am now taking writing commissions as of today! Woohoo!! Yeah!!!!!
Some examples of my work are on ao3 and here, but I just post my reader x canon slop here so idk
For every 250 words I will make the price $5 higher!!! I take CashApp and Robux. CashApp more preferred.
I am okay with writing: Romance, suspense, yumeshipping, ships, violence, f/m, m/m, f/f, fluff, uhhhh and something I forgot
I am NOT okay with writing: Smut, incest, lolicon, pedophilia, necrophilia
Please keep in mind I am 14 years old!!!!!! I am a minor and currently just looking for a fun way of earning money. Thank you, love you, bye!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm very sorry to everyone who was waiting, but I am back and ready to write! School was killing me and I needed to take a break, so I did.
Enjoy reading!!
It was another average day for you at HQ. At least, it seemed like it. It took you until halfway through your lunch that you and Rudo were dating. Like, for real now. What were you even supposed to do? You guys had pretty much done all the couple stuff before you two became official, and what if you do it in all the wrong ways?!
You took a deep breath and stood up, throwing away your wrapper and walking back to your room. You had a new book that you planned on reading, anyway.
You sat down at your desk and opened the book. It was The Outsiders. You had been borrowing books from Corvus and handing them back when you were done. It started off pretty well, reaching the end of chapter one and placing a bookmark before closing it.
You heard someone knock and creak open your door. You turned to look at who was at the door. It was Rudo!
"Oh, hi Rudo!" you greeted, spinning in your chair to face him.
"Hey, Y/N," Rudo replied, shutting the door and peering over your shoulder. "What're you doing?"
"Reading." you said, stretching to fix your posture. "It's a pretty good book. I might watch the movie when I'm done."
"Cool." Rudo nodded. Then there was an awkward silence. "... I have to go on a mission in like, twenty minutes."
That only make you slump over your desk in disappointment. "I wanna go to cool missions, too! I'd kill to do all that cool stuff, it's so boring here at Headquarters!!!"
"Ehhh... I dunno, Y/N... do you even know how to fight? For all I know, you could be thrown into a wall by a Trash Beast."
"I got that under control! Well, sorta! My jinki works wonders, I'll figure something out!" you quickly objected.
"You have a jinki?" Rudo asked, a surprised expression on his face. Did you not tell him yet?
"Yeah? I didn't tell you?" you nodded, reaching into the bag hanging off of your chair and pulling out a long wooden spoon, detailed carvings from top to bottom. "Well, this isn't technically my ONLY jinki. I can use any kitchen utensils and appliances, but I prefer sticking to at most three. Cool, right?"
"Woah, cool. We're basically the same, since we both can use anything."
"ALMOST anything."
"Almost anything. So, what does the spoon do?" Rudo asked.
"I learned I can make some sweet potions from stirring any liquid with it. I can just be like, 'I wish this would give me healing properties.' and it'll do so! And obviously, I haven't tried making anything deadly." you explained with a proud smile.
Rudo seemed impressed, looking between you and your spoon. "Wow, that's actually really cool."
"Yeah, it's whatever." you shrugged. "Can I come with you guys?"
"Uhh... Let's play it safe and ask Enjin first."
"Okie-dokie-lokie!" you beamed, dragging Rudo out of the room with you, your hand wrapped around his.
You and Rudo left the room to find Enjin to ask if you could join for the mission, which wasn't hard since him and the rest of team Akuta were already waiting in the lounge area.
"Hi, guys!!" you greeted cheerfully, stopping infront of Enjin. "Soooo... I got a question, can I come with you guys to that super cool mission later?? I promise I won't be in the way!"
"Huh? You wanna go with us?" Enjin repeated back, eyebrows raised. "Why? It's just gonna be a bunch of fighting and action, I dunno if you're cut out for that sort of stuff."
"Because I'm bored, I don't want to sit in here for hours everyday! And because I wanna fight, too, I can do that!"
"You sure it ain't 'cause Rudo's goin'?" Zanka asked. Your face heated up a little.
"No! Uh, yes? Yeah, that too..." you admitted sheepishly, Riyo looking between you and Rudo with a questioning look.
Riyo shrugged and added her own input. "I mean, if you can fight, that shouldn't be an issue for you to join for just one mission, right?"
Enjin rubbed his chin in thought before letting out a sigh. "Fine, as long as you don't complain about anything, you're good."
"Yay! Thank you, Enjin! I won't complain at all! In fact, for every complaint, I'll give all of you a slice of cake!" you beamed, walking back to the kitchen to start making whatever would help.
Riyo waved you goodbye, slowly leaning over to Rudo and whispering. "So, you two official yet?"
"Wh- How'd you know?" Rudo flinched, itching the back of his neck.
"Had a gut feeling. They seem happier than usual." Riyo smiled. She seemed satisfied with how things were going.
"Whaaat? How many chapters did I miss?" Enjin asked, jaw slack with surprise.
"You're acting like we've been dating for years, it's only been a day!" Rudo huffed.
"Only a day and you two are attached by the hip?" Zanka piped up. Rudo shot him a glare.
"Shut up!" Rudo snapped back. "If they want to come along, they can! I'm not holding them at gunpoint, Y/N just wanted to come for fun!"
"Risking your life against trash beasts aren't supposed to be 'for fun', it's for the sake of everyone on the ground." Enjin added, a little bothered by you joining just for the sake of joining. "... But. As long as they're alright, and you both aren't swapping spit with each other, it's alright." Rudo went red from the last comment.
٩(*•͈ ꇴ •͈*)و ̑̑❀
The car ride to the destination was horrible. It hadn't been too long since you've been in a car when Enjin's driving, but it still felt like a roller coaster being in there for an hour straight. At least the music was upbeat, bopping your head to the beat as you watched everything outside pass by in a blur.
Zanka and Riyo were minding their own business, though, you could've sworn they were sneaking glances at you and Rudo sitting next to each other. You almost caught a whisper between them, if it weren't for Too Lily blasting your ears away.
You had brought three different utensils to the mission: A spoon, a fork, and a steak knife. They were small enough to fit in your bag and were the easiest for you to handle. You were currently showing Rudo your array of silverware.
"I know you told me the spoon makes potions, what does the fork do?" Rudo asked, pointing to the fork in your hand.
"Oh, it turns into a huge pitchfork. That's basically what happens for small stuff, just a bigger cooler version of what it already is that's like twice my size."
"Cool, and the knife?"
"Big sharp knife."
"I don't know why I thought it'd be any different."
You put your jinkis back in your bag and tuned everything out once more. You probably could've fallen asleep if it were for Enjin slamming the brakes and turning in his seat. "We're here, kids! The townspeople around here said this trash beast has been giving them some trouble, big ones apparently strong enough to break some bones. Keep your eyes peeled."
You look forward at the small town infront of you. It wasn't expensive like the rich sides of the Ground, but it wasn't exactly the worst place you've seen. You didn't care much, anyway, you were excited to get into fighting.
You all stuck together in a big group as you wandering around the ghost town, the silence occasionally broken with the sound of metal rattling in the wind.
"It's so weird seeing a big town like this all empty." you commented with a shiver.
"Usually people that live in places like this evacuate to another town to stay for a bit while we clean up." Zanka mentioned in a cool town.
Riyo skipped to your side, leaning close to you. "Say, this is your first outdoor mission, right? You must be nervous." You liked Riyo, she was so cool! Too cool, even. With how carefree she comes off as, it made you a little nervous to talk to her.
You looked to your left at Rudo with a small smile before looking back at Riyo. "A little nervous, but I got this! I'm gonna kick ass!" you cheered, your smile growing into a dumb grin. Rudo looked down at the ground, kicking rocks as he walked. God, he hated how much it made him happy to see you happy. Does that even make sense? How does seeing you get so excited over something so boring make his ears burn.
Riyo noticed Rudo's reddened face, nudging your side and whispering to you with a sly smile. "For only being together for a day, you sure have got him whipped."
"Wh- I do not!... Do I?" you asked quietly.
"One hundred percent." Zanka and Riyo responded in sync.
"Dang, is it really that obvious?" you asked again.
"For sure."
"Uh-huh."
Huh. Maybe you're just blind.
"Shush, you kids need to listen for the trash beasts. We weren't sent here to goof off." Enjin scolded, though, you didn't take him very seriously with his carefree vibe.
But of course, because he's technically meant to lead the team, you all oblidged and listened closely for anything off. Everyone else seemed to have a good grip on the whole mission, but you felt a little left out. You tried to help by pointing out things and noises, but they weren't any help for the mission.
You suddenly paused in front of a long, dark alleyway. You usually would've ignored it and went on with your day, but there was something about the darkness that threw you.
Trashcans were knocked over nearby, like as if something ran past in a hurry. That isn't... THAT weird. Who knows, maybe some homeless guy ran past when evacuating. Another thing, which wasn't as noticeable, was the scuffed concrete. You stepped closer to the alleyway.
Upon closer inspection, there were claw marks. Weeeeeird. You also heard some kind of mechanical virring, which could easily just be an AC unit or something.
You, obviously happy that you're being useful and not standing around like an idiot, turned around and called out to the group. "Hey, guys, check it out! I think this might be from the trash beast we're looking for!!"
Silence.
Turns out the rest of Team Akuta had already walked away without you. Maybe they didn't see you walk off. You forgot to tell them you went exploring, afterall.
You let out a huff of annoyance, scolding yourself with a whisper. "Damn it, of course I stray away! God, I'm stupid." Well, no point in stopping now, right?
You turn around only to find a velociraptor-like trash beast inches from your face. You jump back in instinct, taking out your knife and holding it up in defense. You were shaking, this was your first time fighting a trash beast hand to hand. It wasn't even that big compared to what Rome's described to you, anyway, it was maybe three or four feet tall.
Maybe it was those sharp claws and teeth that gleamed in the dim lighting of the alleyway. Maybe it was the yellow lights for eyes that barely illuminated the space around itself.
You activated your jinki in fear of what could happen, slowly raising your hand to your communication choker to call the group. Well, you couldn't call the group. Rudo, Riyo, Zanka, Enjin, anyone.
Wait. It's only one. And your jinki should kill it, shouldn't it? You had brought out your steak knife, the one that you were telling Rudo about. One swipe should kill it.
You swung your largened knife as hard and fast as you could, slicing the trash beasts throat clean open, oil shooting out from it's mouth and wound with a painful gurgle. Its metal body swayed from side to side before dropping on the oil-covered concrete, the yellow lights for its eyes dimming.
... That was pretty easy for your first mission. You deactivated your jinki, turning it back into a normal, plain old steak knife, and put it back in your bag. You assumed you had to turn back and report to the group that you completed the mission. You snapped a quick photo of the trash beast, figuring Tome might have wanted to see it, and turned around to catch up to the group.
Finally tapping your communication choker, you spoke into it. "Helloooo? Guys? I got side tracked. Sorry."
Rudo's voice crackled through, a tiny bit of worry carrying his voice. "Y/N? Where did you go?"
"I went exploring for a second, sorry for not telling you guys. But I have good news, too!" you beamed, ready to explain your victory.
"What happened?" Rudo asked.
"I killed the trash beast we were looking for! It was wayyyy easier than I thought, kinda messy though. I got a cool picture if you wanna see." you felt proud of yourself for taking care of that trash beast on your own.
"Aw cool! Nice work, Y/N!" you heard Riyo join in the conversation. It seemed Zanka did as well, you heard a small "Wow" in his voice, so you assumed he was proud.
"Soooo like, are you guys coming back to the car since I killed that thingy? Or do we keep looking around? I don't wanna jinx it or anything, but it was pretty easy." you asked, walking back to the town's entrance.
"Uhhh, yeah, let's do that. We'll meet you there, Y/N." Enjin responded.
"'Kay! I'll see you guys there!"
You walked back to the car, taking your sweet time. You didn't have any reason to rush, anyway, not like there was anything holding you back.
The atmosphere felt off again like before when you saw that trash beast. You already knew this town was evacuated obviously, but something in the air made the hairs on your arms stand up.
Maybe it's the sunset? No, you love sunsets? It might be the silence. Yeah, definitely. Or... Is it that weird clanking behind you?
... Wait. What?
You turn around only to see that trash beast again? Shouldn't it be dead? You cut it's throat open, you WATCHED it die. But there it was. In it's beat up, oil-covered glory. You couldn't read it's face, but you could tell it wasn't happy with you.
You tried to reach into your bag, but you weren't quick enough, it's metal tail swinging into your stomach and launching you into a wall with a painful thud that made you bite your tongue in pain. The attack knocked the wind out of you, laid on the ground fighting for your body to move. Your head was pounding, it might even be bleeding. It's not like you had time to check, anyway, you could barely pick up your head in time before you saw the beast running towards you again.
Mustering up enough strength to pull your jinki out of your bag, activate it, and holding it up in front of you in time for it to hold back the trash beast. It's metal jaws clamped down on the enlargened pitchfork, the sharp, dagger-like claws scratching at your legs and leaving deep incisions in your skin.
You bit your tongue and kept your pitchfork up, trying to pull your legs back. That wasn't any help, the movement only made the cuts worse, the beast digging it's claws deeper and deeper into your flesh.
It hurts. It hurts so much. Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, the pitchfork snapped. You tried shoving the beast away to no avail, it's mechanical teeth repeatedly slicing your hands over and over and over again.
'This is hell.' you thought to yourself as the monster dug one claw into your side and another into your shoulder. You felt so vulnerable. You sobbed pathetically, like that'd do anything to save you. Maybe whatever God that already hated you enough finally decided to kill you off.
You felt yourself slowly become lightheaded, your limbs going numb. Right when you were about to close your eyes and let that monster chew you up, you saw a familiar pair of scissors cut the trash beasts head, watching it fall into your blood soaked lap.
"Y/N!" you heard Riyo call your name. "Y/N! What happened?! We were just talking to you seven minutes ago!"
"'M sorry..." you sniffled, the pain in everything not letting you give a reasonable explanation. "I should've called you guys, but it happened all so fast... I'm sorry...!" your voice cracked, tears welling up once more.
Everything started sounding muffled, you could barely make out the voices around you. You felt hands around you, lifting and moving you elsewhere. You really really hoped this wasn't death.
Summary: The title should be self explanatory for how this chapter goes
It had been a little over a week since Rudo's stomach bug went away. You finished the basket not too long ago, still kept away hidden in the cabinet. Rudo, seemingly respecting your privacy, did not open the cabinet. You had a lock on it anyway, just incase someone went snooping and ruined your little plan.
You had it marked on your calendar on the wall above your bedside table; Finally the day you're ready to tell Rudo how you feel. The day you're going to pour your heart out on a whim because of your dumb feelings. How hard could that be?
You got ready in the morning, spending fifteen minutes infront of your mirror tidying yourself up. A pimple near your hairline really really irritated you, but you just parted your hair to cover it and prayed it wouldn't be noticeable. You flatten out the wrinkles on your uniform before stepping out into the hallway. Your nervousness outweighed your confidence, taking a deep breath to try and stabilize yourself.
You walked and reached halfway down the hallway when Semui stopped you in your tracks, shoving about five files into your hands.
"Hey, mind bringing these to the boss? I'm a little occupied right now." Semui asked, you already holding the files in your arms.
You didn't mind much, anything to help get your mind off of the fact that you could be ruining a friendship over a spark. You nodded with a smile, you probably would've did a joking salute if you could. "Yes ma'am!" Semui turned back and walked away.
You hummed as you walked to Corvus's office. You didn't really visit there much, but sometimes you'd deliver food to his office when he asked. Opening the door, you're greeted with the sight of Corvus working through paperwork. "Mr. Corvus? Semui asked me to bring these to you."
Corvus looked up from his paperwork with a satisfied smile, taking the files out of your hands and setting them into a drawer. "Thank you, Y/N. You're very helpful." you suppressed a giddy smile from your boss's praise. You knew it wasn't much, but hearing it from your own boss felt so cool!
"Oh, one more thing." Corvus took out a box from one of the drawers, handing it to you. "Is it alright if you run this down to Eisha? It's a delivery from her grandmother, she sent some bandages and medicines from her office."
"Can do, boss!" you beamed, skipping out of the room with the package. You would've said no if it weren't for the fact that Corvus was your boss that already didn't ask much from you. Still, you delivered the box to Eisha in the medical hall.
"Oh, thank you so much." Eisha thanked, bringing the box inside and setting it down on one of the beds. "How are you, Y/N?"
"Pretty damn pumped, Eisha! Today's the day!" you squealed, pumping your fist in the air.
Eisha let out a soft laugh at your excitement. "What's got you so excited this time?"
You looked around the hallway for a second before leaning in close and whispering to Eisha. "I'm gonna ask Rudo to be my boyfriend! I've had it planned for a bit, I'm so nervous and excited at the same time..."
"Ohhh, that makes sense. Good luck, Y/N, I hope it goes well!" Eisha smiled, waving you goodbye as you walked back to the kitchen.
Now that everything was out of the way, you just had to hand him the basket and tell Rudo how you feel! Simple. You reason to be nervous. You unlocked and opened the cabinet, pulling out the gift basket and doing a quick lookover just to make sure it was perfect.
You picked and pulled at any flaws, keeping everything perfect like you wanted. No way you were gonna mess this up.
"I got this, I got this!" you hyped yourself up, pacing around the kitchen and practicing what to say. "Do you want to be my boyfriend? No... Uh... Hey, let's date! Nah... Hm... I looovvveee youuu...?? No, no! Ugh..." you slumped down onto the floor, clutching the basket to your chest. Since when did it feel so hard to talk? Just treat it like any other conversation! You had enough time to practice anyway, you were 95% sure he was still on a mission.
You suddenly heard a knock at the door, grabbing the basket and holding it behind the door. You were gonna tell off whoever was at the door when you realized it was Rudo standing there! "Rudo! Hi! Do you- Uh, how're... You're back from your mission! How was it?"
"Exhausting as usual, but it wasn't much of a job. Kinda boring." Rudo shrugged, putting his hands into his pockets. Damn it, he looked so calm and composed compared to you right now. You could feel the sweat forming on your head.
"Cool, cool! Er... You busy? Cause I'd like to... Uhm... UHHHH..." you stumbled over your own words like a loser. Come on, spit it out! "... Up to anything today...?" you asked meekly. You couldn't bring yourself to really ask him out.
"Oh, yeah, Enjin's making me go out with the team to this big mall a few hours away. I'll take you sometime." you felt a smile creep onto your face when he mentioned that last part.
"Okay!! Kind of a bummer, I was gonna ask if... Never mind..."
"Huh?"
"Nothing!" you quickly nudged the basket behind the door and gave him a hug, his hair tickling your cheek. "Be safe, okay? And come back to the kitchen when you're done with the mission. Actually, no, the rooftop! Big secret I wanna tell ya, don't want anyone snooping in."
Rudo seemed to freeze up, slowly hugging you back despite how he seemed to heat up. "Y-Yeah, I will, I promise."
You let him go and watched him leave. Which totally sucked for you, it was a missed opportunity to tell him. Oh well, you can wait till he got back anyway. No biggie.
Except for the fact that it felt like you could count every pore on your body with how long it took him to come back! You just got bored and went around asking if anyone wanted anything to be baked. Too bad everyone was gone on missions and errands.
You decided there was no point in doing nothing, grabbing your bag and heading to the door to get some McDonald's. You didn't feel like cooking anymore, might as well just go and grab a bite.
Walking wasn't too bad, since you were used to traveling without a car. What bugged you was the smell. Even with your custom gas mask, it always stung your nose.
You eventually made it, walking into the McDonald's with a relaxed sigh. You went up to the counter and greeted the boy at the cash register. "Hi!"
"Huh? No, I'm Fu right now, sorry." the cashier corrected.
"What?"
"Nothing." the cashier sighed. "Uh... What would you like?"
"I want a Big Mac with zero pickles, a large fry, aaannnnddddd... Oh, a McFlurry!" you listed with an excited smile.
"Okay... Uhm, sorry, we don't... our ice cream machine is broken..." the cashier mentioned.
"Oh. Well, then I want a Dr Pepper!"
"We're out of that, too."
"The hell? How do you run out of Dr Pepper??"
"My coworker drank it all... and stabbed a hole through it..." the cashier seemed embarrassed to even tell you the reason why it was broken.
You look over at the drink area and sure enough, it was closed off with caution tape, a big fat hole in the center of the Dr Pepper spot. Great...
"Ugh... Never mind, no drink!" you groaned, looking back at the cashier.
"Okay. So then, you want a Big Mac?"
"Uh-huh!"
"And... A large fry?"
"Yeah!"
"Okay, that's $7.50."
You handed the cashier the money and sat down at one of the booths while you waited. You're pretty sure you hear some zapping and yelling about hallucinogents or something in the kitchen. Weird. You also saw one of the workers jump out of the drive-through window.
Your food was eventually done and you grabbed your bag and walked to the door. The cashier gasped in surprise, strange.
"What?" you ask, looking over your shoulder.
"C-Cleaner...!" the cashier shakily pointed out. Oh yeah, you forgot your jacket had the huge symbol plastered on the back.
"Huh? Ohhh, right... I don't do all that cool fighting, though, sorry." you shrugged and walked out with your food. You didn't question why the cashier kept sputtering about you being a Cleaner, eating your food while you walked back.
You were halfway through your Big Mac when you realized they still put pickles in it. You ignored it and just finished your burger. By the time you got to HQ, you had already gotten to your fries.
"Welcome back, Y/N." Semui greeted in a flat tone, not looking up from her magazines. You didn't comment on what the pages were.
"Hiii!!!" you beamed, giving Semui some of your fries.
"You sure are happy." Semui noted, eating one of your fries.
"Today is THE day! I'm gonna ask Rudo to be my boyfriend." you stated semi-confidently.
"Ohhh, that's why." Semui nodded. "Enjin let me know that they'll be back soon. Better be prepared, Baker."
"Okay!" your swallowed your food and ran back to the kitchen. "Bye bye! Wish me luck!!"
"Bye." Semui waved.
You went straight to the kitchen and checked on your basket. Perfect condition as usual. Though, you still didn't have the card finished. Bummer. Well, you had a bit of time to make it, might as well do it before Rudo comes back. You grabbed everything and brought it up to the roof, dangling your legs off the ledge of the building. The breeze was nice.
As soon as the pen touched the card, every idea slipped out of your head and ran out the door. It ended up just being a few compliments and things you liked about him, along with a few doodles on the side.
"Y/N?" you heard a voice call out. You threw the card into the basket and looked over your shoulder. It was Rudo! He seemed to be holding something behind him. Odd.
"Rudo! You're back!" you gestured him over. He obliged and stepped into next to you, the door to the roof shutting with a click. "Soooo... How was shopping?"
"It was good. Mall was a little busy, but it was good. I uh... I gotta ask you somethin'..." Rudo suddenly mentioned, avoiding eye contact.
"Oh, what a coincidence, me too!" you giggled, trying to laugh off the anxiety creeping up your next.
"Uh, you can go first!" Rudo gestured for you to speak.
"No, no, YOU can go first!"
"No, you!"
"You do it first, not me!!"
"Why not?!"
"Because... Because... Not it, knock on concrete!!!" you exclaimed, knocking on the concrete under yoy. "HA! NOW YOU HAVE TO SAY IT!"
"NO?! I clearly knocked first, man! And it's knock on wood!" Rudo protested.
"Fine! Then... We can say it at the same time." you suddenly made up on the spot. "On the count of three! One, two, three!"
"I really really like you, Rudo!"
"I like you a lot, Y/N!"
... Huh?
"Wait, you WHAT?!" you gasped.
"I always felt like I cared about you a little bit more than I should've! A-And I didn't want to really admit it to myself because of some stuff that happened when I liked someone before, and that ended horribly!" Rudo explained in one big breath, breathing like he just ran a marathon.
You were stunned, shaking your head and holding out the basket to him. "No, same! I felt like you were super duper cool ever since we met! Even before, I still thought you were cool from what everyone else told me! I liked talking to you, which is pretty rare to hear coming from me!"
What shocked you even more was when Rudo held out a gift bag to you. It was basically like a gift exchange now.
"I was so worried you wouldn't like me back..." you mumbled, grabbing the gift bag.
"I was too! I thought you wouldn't wanna be with a guy like me." Rudo added, taking the basket out of your hands.
You let out a small laugh at the irony. You both were bringing gifts for each other AND worried about having your feelings reciprocated?
It didn't click to you how much stuff was in there until you opened it up and it was practically overflowing with items! Some of them were even things you had mentioned that you wanted.(sorry I didn't want to make it too masc or too fem so just imagine its everything you want oooo)
"Awww, Rudo!! You know me so well!" you smiled, looking up at Rudo.
He was already eating the cookies that you put in the basket, talking with a mouthful. "These are REALLY good." you prayed he didn't choke.
After he swallowed down the rest of his cookies, he picked up the wolf keychain you made him. He stared at it for a long moment, holding it like it was made of glass. "Is this... Me?"
"Uh-huh! I had August help me out a bit..." you nodded, holding up your hands to show the bandaids on your hands.
"Ohh, that's why. I kept thinking how you weren't THAT clumsy with knives, I got a little worried for a second." Rudo sighed. "It looks a lot like me."
"That's what I was going for."
"Ah, okay."
A small silence fell over you both. Damn it, what do you say now?
"... Sooooooo.... Uhhh... We're, like... dating, right?" you mumbled, your cheeks flushing pink.
"Oh? Oh, right, yeah since we both like each other."
"Okay, cool, I just wanted you clarify y'know? So, we are...?" you knew you sounded desperate but you couldn't help but want the clarification, just to make sure he wasn't lying.
"Yeah! Is that cool with you?" Rudo asked, taking a seat beside you.
"Of course!" you nodded quickly, taking a long look at Rudo. His eyes looked really nice in the sunset, you liked the way they shimmered in the light. Not to mention the way his hair moved in the wind. Or that scowl that went soft around you.
You didn't realize how long you'd been staring until you heard Rudo speak. "Sorry, what did you say?"
"You look really nice right now." Rudo repeated, reaching out to hold your hand. "Maybe it's the lighting or something, but I think you always look good."
"Wha... Nooo! You beat me to it, I was just about to compliment you!" you groaned, leaning onto him.
"What were you gonna say? Not that I'm fishing for compliments." Rudo asked.
"To start, I don't think I've told you how cool your eyes are. They look like they're glowing right now. And your hair's nice. And your voice sounds satisfying, if that makes sense. Basically everything about you, really." you explained.
"Wooow... Just one-upping me now, huh?"
"C'mon, you know that's not what I mean." you smiled, turning to the sunset infront of you. "... I really do like you, Rudo."
NOTE: I lowk got in my feelings in the middle ignore the unjolliness ok bye beautiful handsome uh bye
You stared down at the empty giftbasket sitting in front of you. You've spent weeks brainstorming, and yet not a single idea comes to mind. What's with you lately? You missed the chance to tell Rudo how you felt on Valentine's Day, the perfect moment! And he held your hand!
Your sweaty, sweaty hand... Actually, there isn't any reason to care about how sweaty your hand was, he wears gloves! Sometimes you wondered what were under those huge things.
After you finished contemplating the entire park trip, you tried to think of what to put in the basket. All you had was the design for the outside of the basket. It was cute, but it's stupid to just give someone an empty basket and ask them out.
"Think, Y/N, think!! What the hell do I put in here?!" you scolded yourself, tapping your fingers against the counter.
You decided to throw in some candy you bought earlier, along with some heart-shaped cookies. Would Rudo like those artistian chocolates?
An idea struck you like a truck, quickly grabbing a piece of paper from your cooking binder and your pencils, sketching carefully. Whenever you meet people, you always ended up having an idea of what kind of animal they are. It clicked to you that Rudo would be like a sheep dog, since he always seemed to give off that "protect everyone close to me" kind of vibe.
You drew a rough sketch of a wolf keychain made of scraps, the wolf having small similarities to Rudo. You gave it Rudo's eyes and gloves, which were pretty cute in your opinion. Now you just needed the materials and learn how to sew...
Another idea!
You slammed your fist on August's door about 15 times, it felt necessary for how loud his music is. "AUGUST!!!! AUGUSTAUGUSTAUGUSTAUGUSTAUGUSTAUGUST-"
"WHAAAAATTTT?!" August swung the door open, music still blasting.
"I need your help!" you held up the drawing in your hand. "I need supplies! And I need to know how to sew!"
August took the paper, glancing at you and then back at the sketch. "Hmmm... I'll make it later!!"
"No, I'M making it, I need YOU to teach me!"
"Huuuuuuhhh?? I'm the one that deals with fabric, buddy, I think I can do this." August waved you away, turning to walk back into his room. You yanked on the back of his shirt, well, as much as you could when you're trying to stop a six-foot grown man from finishing something in a billion years.
"No! I need to make it now!" you snapped, frustration evident in your face. But from August's perspective, you looked like a pouty little kid. "I have to! I'm making a gift for someone, that cat thingy is like the cherry on top!"
August paused, slowly turning to you. You felt desperate, even if it wasn't that big of a deal. He couldn't help but feel bad for your pitifulness. "Y/N, are you a fast learner?"
"Kinda?"
"Good enough, I'll teach you. Come along, you're going to learn from the greatest designer on the Ground!"
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After a few hours of enduring August's loud voice and poking your fingers with needles, you managed to make the keychain! It wasn't as perfect as August's example, but he said you shouldn't beat yourself up about it, since he's "the professional".
“Someday, you'll be a master at sewing! Like me." August half-heartedly boasted.
"Thanks, August. I really owe you." you sighed, a relieved smile falling over your face. You looked at the finished keychain in your hand. It looked just like how you pictured it--- Perfectly imperfect. You and August said your goodbyes and you headed back to the kitchen, carefully setting the keychain into the basket.
You finally felt satisfied with what you had. Candy, a handmade gift, and you'll add in a card later, too. You wrote from the heart, a few doodles on the side drawn when you thought about what to write next. You were so focused you didn't notice Rudo standing at the doorframe.
"Y/N?" Rudo called out. You shoved the card into the basket and threw it into a cabinet.
"Heeeeyyyyy!" you spun around and leaned against the counter, a nervous grimace on your face. "Where were you, Rudo? Didn't see you much this morning."
"We had an early morning mission, nothing too serious." Rudo shrugged, walking over and handing you a bag of chips. "We stopped by the store before we came back, so I got you these."
It was a pleasant surprise to you, happily taking the chips from him. "Thanks!! My favorite flavor, too!" you immediately started munching on the chips.
Rudo nodded and watched you eat for a few seconds before glancing at the cabinet you shoved the basket in. "... Sooo... What's with the basket?"
You nearly choked on a chip, swallowing dryly. "UHHH... A gift." you blurted out.
"For who?" Rudo asked.
"Uuuhhhh... A boy...?" you mumbled weakly, suddenly finding the fridge magnets interesting.
You could've sworn you saw something in Rudo's eyes shift. Confusion? You couldn't tell. "Why?"
"You ask a lot of questions, man." you laughed, hoping your joking tone would make him ignore it.
"I mean, seriously, is it someone's birthday or something? Most of the guys I've seen in the building are like, pushing thirty."
"Don't worry about it!"
"Why won't you tell me??"
"It's top secret stuff!"
"That just makes me want to know even more, you're never this closed off with me!"
"Well, I am today."
You know you sounded petty, but you just had to be. How else are you supposed to tell him at the right moment? Definitely not now, the gift wasn't ready, and neither were you!
"But WHY?!" Rudo pushed, a frustrated frown forming on his face. "I don't understand what you mean! We were so close at the theme park, you were being so open and touchy-feely, and now you're acting like you can't even tell me who you're giving a dumb basket to!"
Huh. Now that Rudo said it aloud, it did sound pretty bad. "Rudo, it's not like that. It's just a surprise, surprises aren't good if they're spoiled! I'm just worried!"
"But I want you to tell my why you're worried, I want to be there for you to help you out! If I can help, I can stop your from worrying too much!" If you could tell him the real reason, you would. You didn't understand why you kept snapping back at him like this, it was like a volcano errupted and you couldn't stop the words from coming out.
"I just can't tell you, okay?! Just get off my back! Why do you even care, it's none of your business!" you shouted in frustration, gripping the fabric of your pajama pants.
"Because I-" Rudo started, pausing and taking a deep breath. What was he about to say? You had no clue. "Because I care about you. A lot. I don't want you to be stressed out and it'd be better for both of us if you could tell me what's going on."
A small piece of hesitate held you back from telling him how you felt. No way you're saying it. "... I'll tell you later, okay? I wanna pick the right moment." It wasn't technically a lie, you'd planned on telling him in a few days.
Rudo seemed to somewhat understand, nodding. "Okay. Thanks for telling me." Before Rudo left the room, he gave you a quick hug that made your cheeks warm up. But something felt off. Like he was upset with you. You looked at the cabinet that hid the basket, letting out a sigh before walking back to your room. You creaked the door open, slipping into your room and shutting it with a quiet click, laying down on your bed. What's been going on with you? Why do you feel so empty? Why do you feel so angry with the world yet so guilty for not being what the world needs? How can someone like you be such a perfectionist yet get nothing done?
You really hoped it was just hormones or something. Yeah, that has to be it. It didn't matter if your eyes prickled with unwept tears, you were just being over dramatic. You needed to be better than this. Who gets all sad about a small arguement? Not like it'll ruin what you and Rudo have, right? It's fine.
You tossed and turned in your sleep the whole night, still up by 2AM. Everything felt so overwhelming, but it shouldn't. It felt like you were sleeping on cardboard boxes, your pillow felt like it was filled with needles, and your blanket like a concrete tile. It's fine. You're fine. Everything will be okay. you told yourself, but deep down you didn't feel okay. Maybe it was the stress from work? No, that couldn't be it. You had the easiest job in the building, no way. Was it the people around you? No, you were almost friends with everyone, it doesn't add up.
Tears pricked at your eyes, this time you let them flow down to your pillow, sniffling quietly to yourself. "What's wrong with me..." you mumbled, turning to your side and clutching your blanket to ground yourself somehow. It didn't work well. You fell asleep with dry tear stains on your cheeks.
When you woke up, your clock read 11:23AM. You practically slept through half the day! Pulling on your uniform and not bothering to look less like you'd been hit by a car, you scramble out if your room and into the hall that head to the kitchen, practicing how you'd greet Rudo after that interaction.
"Heya, Rudo!! Eh... Hi, Rudo! Heeeyyyy, Rudo! Hm... Yo, Rudo! Nah... Rudo, what's up?? Ugh... How ya been, Rudo?" you mumbled to yourself, stopping when you realized how lame you looked.
Your route to the kitchen made it pretty easy to spot a majority of the cleaners, always greeting people with a small smile. Everyone was gone, though, so you just decided on going straight to the kitchen. Straight back to working on the basket. It was basically done, but you still worried that Rudo wouldn't like it. What if it's not enough? What if he hates you secretly? What if he's already liked someone?
You saw Riyo pass by the doorframe, greeting her happily. "Hi, Riyo! You seen Rudo?"
"Hi, Y/N." Riyo replied, "And, yeah, he's in his room. We think he's got a stomach bug or somethin', so it might be best to stay away from each other." a small frown crossed over your face at the news. Stomach bug?
You tilted your head to the side in confusion. "Shouldn't Eisha heal him up?" you ask.
"Usually yeah, but she's on a vacation with her granny and August right now." Riyo shrugged. Damn, bad timing.
"Aw, man. Well, thanks for telling me, Riyo." you sighed, watching Riyo walk away. Now what? You had planned on apologizing for being such a jerk to him the night before. You suddenly remembered the communication chokers.
Pressing two fingers on the choker, you waited until you heard a stuffy "Hello?" from Rudo. He sounded like he had a frog in his throat.
"Rudo!! How're you feeling? Riyo told me you weren't feeling well." you asked, leaning against the kitchen counter.
"Horrible," you heard Rudo groan. "My head is pounding. My throat burns from throwing up earlier. I'm hungry, but it feels like I can't get up."
"For what?"
"Some kind of soup or noodles, something warm maybe."
"On it. Pho okay?"
"Sounds good."
You worked on cooking the noodles, one hand working while the other still kept your hand on your communication choker, talking to Rudo. It looked stupid, two teens that can't stand not having eachothers company.
When you finished the bowl, you brought it to Rudo's door and knocked. You had a mask on, just to be safe. Rudo opened the door groggily, looking like he'd been through hell and back.
"Thanks, Y/N..." Rudo mumbled, taking the bowl and pulling the door shut, but you stopped it with your hand.
"Wait, Rudo! I have to ask you something!" you blurted, quickly letting go of the door and clearing your throat. "... Well, ask and tell you something,technically. First, I'm sorry I was so rude yesterday. I wasn't feeling good, I hope you can forgive me! And second, uhm... If you liked someone, like, so much you don't know how to bring it up without risking a lost friendship, what would you do?" you knew it was weirdly specific, but you had to ask!
"Oh, that's a lot. Uh... First off, I forgive you. And I'm sorry for being pushy yesterday." Rudo started, still holding the bowl of pho. "Second, I think you should go with what you want. It's scary, but I think you should follow your heart." hearing Rudo speak so heartfully almost made your heart jump with joy!
What stopped it from popping out of your throat was that look he had on his face. It was the same face from before. Looking to the side, face twitching like he was itching to let an annoyed scowl splatter all over his face. Was it how much you were talking? Or was it about yesterday? Or is it... Nah, no way he would think that way.
"Thank you, Rudo," You thanked happily, watching him slowly shut the door. "Hey, to make it up to you, I'll tell you who it is next week when ya feel better! Get better soon, Rudo!!"
When the door shut, you bounced back to your room with glee. You two finally made up, now it felt like someone had lifted the weight off of your shoulders! "I hope he likes the pho." you thought aloud to yourself, flipping the lightswitch off and slipping into bed. Your bed finally felt like the cloud it was supposed to be, sleeping soundly without any worries.
You ended up bringing Rudo snacks and food throughout the week until he got better, talking to each other through the communication collars while you ran errands and he rested.
Your "Maybe next week," phrase that you told yourself all the time was starting to get repetitive, finding yourself getting more things you thought Rudo might like and putting them in the gift basket.
"Seriously, next week." you told yourself, staring intently into your reflection in the mirror. Definitely. Now you seriously have to. You felt like you were ready. What could go wrong?
