愛

[pwinkdelicacyy]

@ about me : vivi she/her seasian libra

from the very first page of the fluffy, vol 1 ch 1, i was already captivated by u!

# currently writing for .. hsr, bllk, jjk, genshin, and wtv else i pick

MASTERLISTS | most recent work - testing, testing!

[pwinkdelicacyy]

MORAL DILEMMA

a/n .ᐟ hi guys!! i got back from vacay and immediately got to playing the 4.4 quest. someone lmk why its so sad 😭😭

dan heng likes to believe he's a patient man. he also likes to believe he's efficient with his time, making sure to never be too early or too late. it's a die-hard habit, to which he gets mildly irritated when people don't do the same. however, he's not unreasonable. if there's a good enough excuse, he can look past a couple minutes of tardiness.

then why, why was he being so irritational? it was monday, the day you and him agreed that you'd come over to spend the week in favor of a mental health break. traditionally, HU likes to be gracious and grant their students a post-exam break for the week, an apology for the grueling exams they're put through.

that meant dan heng had all the time in the world to wait for your arrival, and yet he couldn't stop tapping his foot in anxiety. he needed to see you, and desperately. no particular reason, he insists. he just wants to check up on you after the whole ordeal on twitter, that's all.

it's totally not as if he wants to see you and spend some time with you! exams are over, after all. in three weeks comes graduation, and everybody will officially diverge paths onto a new adulthood. it's a haunting fact, looming over the heads of everybody in the friend group.

nobody wants to part from their closest friends, and dan heng is no exception. his plans to move out from his blasted dorm room was approaching at a pace more rapid than he'd like. as much as he was waiting in anticipation for the day he wouldn't have to listen to the twins' stupidity from the poorly insulated wall, he'd be lying if he said he wouldn't miss his friends.

just the thought of not being able to see everybody makes his heart hurt, but especially you.

oh you, you who always brought a smile to his face. you who always made sure to schedule a hang out with him, even if he feigned disdain. you who comforted him in his lowest, especially after his nasty breakup. his.. breakup. with blade. it was both a blessing and a curse that he didn't tell you the man he dated was the infamous mmortenax himself. more so a curse, since you've been spending more time with blade lately. ah, the irony.

he quickly pushed the thought back. no matter, it's been nearly three years now. no reason to think of that man, not when you'd be coming over pretty soon. he glanced at the time on his phone. twenty minutes. it didn't make sense for you to arrive right at this moment. typically, people show up five to ten minutes early, maybe even fifteen if they're habitually punctual like sunday.

even then, each minute that he had to wait was grueling. to avoid dwelling on it, dan heng decided to get up from his place on the couch. perhaps he'd cook something up while he waited, keep his mind off things. if he recalled, you were really in the mood for some crab rangoon. actually, how could he forget?

you were whining about it for three weeks straight. those three weeks felt like three years with how much you mentioned your craving for crab rangoon. yesterday was no different, except you were on the verge of snapping and giving in to your cravings.

he thought back to the texts you two shared, the ones where you were practically sobbing at the thought of those creamy crab puffs on your tongue. the flavor would be "more heavenly than that pineapple margarita," to quote you.

he rummaged through his freezer, searching for that bag of imitation crab he saved for a seafood boil. ah, right. the seafood boil. he used it on that. well.. crap. surely, he had a spare bag.

that thought kept him motivated as he dug out everything in his freezer, reaching his hands in the deepest pits of that icy box. it proved futile when he realized he, as a matter of fact, did not have anymore imitation crab.

"shit.." dan heng mumbled, scratching the back of his neck. he took a glance to the numerous frozen foods on his counter, set aside in order to find that nonexistent extra bag. meatballs, beef, shrimp, and others he didn't care to name at the moment.

you probably weren't in the mood for some spaghetti, so that was off the table. he remembered your complaints about the overcooked steak from Denny's a week earlier, so that was also off the table. all that was left was shrimp, but what could he do with that? a shrimp cocktail seemed too fancy for just a week at his place, a dish far more suited for a date night.

a date, with you. dan heng's face warmed at the thought. however, it dissipated as quickly as it came. how shameful of him, to think of one of his closest friends like this.

in the midst of pondering, a knock came at his door. who could that be? was it you? but you wouldn't be coming for another.. he checked the clock. another five more minutes.

at the sound of another knock, more impatient this time, he made his way over to the door.

"i'm coming!" he shouted. his house slippers slid across the wooden floor as he turned the lock open. he grasped the door knob, twisting it open.

"who is i- y/n?" his eyes widened in disbelief. there you were, in all your comfortable glory. currently, you were wearing a simple t-shirt and shorts. a smart decision, something light-weight and cozy to sleep in while you crashed with him for the week.

"hii." you smiled, your hand clasped onto the handle of your carry-on suit case.

"uh, hi. you're pretty early," dan heng noted, a sheepish smile on his own face.

"am i really? sorry, i got too excited. it's almost as if we're having a sleepover!" you beamed. "we haven't had one of those since, what, december?"

"something like that," he said, standing to the side for you to come in. his eyes trailed to the suitcase you were carrying. really? all that, just for a week at his place? he knew you were a bit of an over packer, but this was a bit much. he mentally shook his head. if it made you more comfortable, he wouldn't pay much mind to it.

"holy shit," you blurted out, shocking him into reality.

"what?" he glanced around, trying to see what surprised you so much.

"dan heng, what the fuck are you doing?" you tried your best to muffle your laugh, but to no avail. you pointed at the ridiculous sight of frozen food all over his counters, probably thawed by now.

"oh- shit. forgot about that, sorry." dan heng rushed over, putting everything but the shrimp back into its rightful place.

"are you cooking something?" you asked, tilting your head.

"yeah, just some shrimp rangoon. i know you were craving it, so i thought i'd make some." he turned his head to you, a smile on his face.

"no shot. really?!" you exclaimed, eyes widened in disbelief. "dan heng, you're genuinely the best."

he blushed a bit at that. "ah, it's.. nothing. rather, you should unpack. you're gonna be here for a week, right?"

you nodded. "yeah, you're right. i'll see you when i'm done!"

he watched as you walked off. in hindsight, he has no clue why he said that. sure, you probably brought a lot, but where would you even put it? in his closet? not like he minded, but..

his thoughts trailed away as he redirected his attention to the shrimp, finally focusing on cooking a shrimp rangoon you'll surely remember.

he ripped the air-sealed package open, firing up the pan. luckily for him, your arrival drew his attention long enough for the shrimp to thaw out. he poured some oil into the pan, letting it pre-heat long enough for him to cut up the ingredients needed for the filling. he scooped out an equal amount for each wonton, dipping them into the pan afterwards.

by the time they turned golden brown, you waltzed into the kitchen with a wide smile on your face.

"dan henggg!" you called out to him, practically singing his name. he turned his head to you, perking up.

"you're done unpacking? where'd you even put everything?"

"oh, just in your closet! i'm sure you don't mind, right?"

"no, it's not a problem." he shook his head. "more importantly, i'm almost done with the rangoon. wanna watch a movie? i know you've been dying to watch The Backrooms lately."

"oh, bless you for having an Amazon Prime subscription," you sighed in envy, to which he just chuckled at.

"what, you don't have one?"

"no! i have a netflix account, but the movie isn't on there."

"sucks to suck." he shrugged, scooping the crispy shrimp rangoons with a slotted spoon. plating them onto some simple ceramic plates, he slid your own serving to you. he nodded his head to the couch, to which you followed suit.

the two of you made yourself cozy as dan heng logged into his Amazon Prime account, tapping next until he reached The Backrooms. as he clicked play, you shuffled around until you found a comfortable way to sit, legs crossed and the throw blanket draped over your lap.

as the movie passed on, crisp crunches and the sound of drinks being swallowed filled the living room. your eyes were fixated on the screen, clearly intrigued by the movie playing on the TV.

dan heng, however, couldn't say the same. he tried his very best, he really did, but his eyes couldn't help but drift towards you. prior to this, he turned all the lights off in favor of a more immersive experience. that choice came to bite him back, because you looked so.. pretty. the dim light from the screen shone over you, contouring your face with the shadows and softening your features.

he swallowed. he really is a shameful man.

before he knew it, the credits rolled on the screen. whatever, he'd just rewatch it later.

after two hours, you turned to him to give your opinion on the movie.

"honestly, it wasn't even that bad!" you started. "like, as much as people were dogging on it online, it's pretty good."

"mhm.."

"if you know the lore, it's genuinely a good movie."

"right.."

"it wasn't THAT scary, though. i've seen worse," you boasted. except, he wasn't paying attention. you noticed how his eyes seemed to stare into you absentmindedly.

"dan heng? are you okay?"

"no, i like that actor too.."

"what? what are you even saying?" you laughed, waving your hand in front of him. interrupted by your hand, he snapped back into reality, his eyes widening.

"oh, sorry." he cleared his throat.

"what's up with you?" perplexed, you tilted your head.

"no, it's nothing." okay, now you were getting fed up. did dan heng think he was subtle?

"bullshit," you said flatly, your eyebrows furrowing in irritation.

"wha- what?" dan heng stammered. "no, i'm serious. it's nothing."

"again, bullshit!" his eyes widened at the raise in your tone.

"you've been acting so off lately, you think i haven't noticed?" you crossed your arms.

"off? what? how?"

you let out a sigh. "ever since i became friend with blade, you've been acting weird. i know you're on bad terms with him, but this is just doing too much."

he huffed, but the guilt wallowed in his chest. "so? what are you insinuating?"

"i'm not insinuating anything. i'm asking for an explanation."

he stared at you for a moment. an explanation. a chance to tell you everything he's been keeping inside, the burden of two years he's been carrying in his chest. his mouth opened for a moment. you raised your eyebrow. his mouth closed shut.

this isn't right. as much as he dislikes that man, dumping that burden onto you wasn't right. just as he was about to come up with an excuse to change the topic, you spoke.

"you always do this dan heng, shouldering everything on your own. aren't i your friend too?" you sighed, concern laced in your tone.

of course, he thought. you're too kind for your own good. you always bring the best out of everyone, but that card was dealt against him this time around.

"we.. used to date," he started, already regretting those four words. what was said can't be taken back, however, so he decided to continue.

"around the start of freshman year, we dated each other. it was nice, until it wasn't." as he spoke, his eyes refused to look towards your own, unable to bear looking at you at the moment. "we had.. an incident of sorts, much similar to the one happening to you."

"an incident?" to answer you, he nodded, still looking towards his feet.

"at the time, our relationship was public. given enough time, i eventually began to receive threats in my dms, telling me to break up with him. my address was used against me. they claimed they'd leak where i lived if i didn't." he swallowed, the resurfacing memories brewing a toxicity in his chest.

"i asked, no, begged blade to do something, but he wasn't any mentally better than i was. unsurprisingly, he was getting the same threats. after enough arguing, he broke up with me. he claimed he fell out of love, but i refuse to believe that." dan heng shook his head, disagreeing even after all this time. "even if i wanted to ask him why, i couldn't, because he blocked me."

after his long-winded story, he looked up. what beheld him was unlike anything he'd ever expect. your eyes, so filled with pity. your eyebrows, furrowed in concern. your lips, curved into a frown.

"dan heng.." you mumbled.

"it's alright. i don't hold your friendship with him against you."

"that's not it."

"then what?"

suddenly, you held your arms open. he stared at you, almost in disbelief. like an irresistible allure, he embraced you, hugging you tight.

"i didn't know, i'm sorry." your voice was muffled against his shirt.

"it's fi-" he hiccuped. soon enough, he felt a wet streak fall across his cheeks. was he crying? he sniffled, trying to hold back his tears.

"don't hold yourself back."

and like a broken dam, he started sobbing. he burrowed his face as deep as he could into your shoulder, crying his heart out. his tears soaked into your shirt, darkening the fabric, but you couldn't care less right now.

you rubbed his back in comfort, pity in your absent gaze. you came to realize just how much dan heng was carrying on his own, and you also came to realize something else.

you're so fucked.

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[pwinkdelicacyy]

WORK PLACE HARRASSMENT

a/n .ᐟ reupload cuz i screwed up the formatting on the last one 😭😭

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TAG LIST: closed ! @itscloudychris @4dadesperate @officialkatzline @honeybunbunn @lunavixia @kaz-unidentified @socyx @evanesciacantascendia @kaoiyeva @lillieslonggone @violetisreadinghush @lavenderdropp @julie0444 @sparxiclelololol @arluene7688 @chxnnieee @bladieswifey @elatedfool @maggiforlifesstuff @silveritydreams @na-naami @kumiluvvsu @pavo-ocellvs @duckydee-0 @akiyodesu @lyra-angel-81194 @aurxvyn @its-astrotea-love @afro-hispwriter @kik1k0 @nezuaven @arcdiluc @tamashithe2nd @kirilunaxxxluvr @fuhrasloves @luphyllum @autism-criminal @skylermiller1 @kaazuha @mephixto @strawcak3 @notyams @1kio0o @setchubaii @lunartzy @misorastars

[pwinkdelicacyy]

PARASOCIAL

a/n .ᐟ tw mentions of doxxing & parasocial behavior!!

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TAG LIST: closed ! @itscloudychris @4dadesperate @officialkatzline @honeybunbunn @lunavixia @kaz-unidentified @socyx @evanesciacantascendia @kaoiyeva @lillieslonggone @violetisreadinghush @lavenderdropp @julie0444 @sparxiclelololol @arluene7688 @chxnnieee @bladieswifey @elatedfool @maggiforlifesstuff @silveritydreams @na-naami @kumiluvvsu @pavo-ocellvs @duckydee-0 @akiyodesu @lyra-angel-81194 @aurxvyn @its-astrotea-love @afro-hispwriter @kik1k0 @nezuaven @arcdiluc @tamashithe2nd @kirilunaxxxluvr @fuhrasloves @luphyllum @autism-criminal @skylermiller1 @kaazuha @mephixto @strawcak3 @notyams @1kio0o @setchubaii @lunartzy @misorastars

[pwinkdelicacyy]

TAKE CARE OF ME

a/n .ᐟ i was listening to janet jackson while writing this, her music is too freaking good 🥹🥹

chaos. that was the only word you could think of to describe your predicament. if you found one more grain of setting powder on your dress, you were sure to lose it. just before this, you lost your favorite pistachio perfume, the nearly empty one you saved because you couldn't bear to use it on a daily basis.

on top of that, you were slowly growing more irritated with each time march told stelle to sit still.

you took a glance towards the two girls, already feeling a migraine incoming at the sight. march was currently tugging at stelle's cheek, forcing her still as the gray haired one begrudgingly accepted the fifth redo of her eyeshadow look.

not even accepted, stelle looked like she was going to shoot out of her seat the moment march applied the finishing touches.

"stelle, sit still! i can't apply the glitter if you keep thrashing," march huffed, getting unnecessarily close to stelle's face as she swiped a glitter eyeshadow over the cut crease look.

"you've literally redone it four times, five counting this one," stelle grumbled, her eyes darting back and forth from the pink alarm clock on march's nighstand to the makeup brush face.

"couldn't care less, beauty shouldn't be rushed." the pink haired girl proclaimed, stepping back with pride on her face. from the looks of it, march finally managed to get the glitter cut crease look down to a tee.

you sighed. as much as you hated disorganization and powdery messes, you couldn't help but smile at the endearing sight of your two girl friends bickering.

"looking good stelle!" you chimed in, walking over to the two girls. you leaned in, getting a close look at stelle's makeup and playing with her freshly curled hair. you spun her chair around, urging her to look into the mirror.

"you're so pretty. i'm so jelly." you whined, watching as stelle admired herself. she didn't do her makeup as often as march and you did, so she made sure to take all the time in the world internally hyping herself up.

"if it weren't for college, i'd be a makeup artist," march complained as she opened her makeup drawer once more. prior to this, the two of you agreed that march would do your makeup and you'd do her hair. you both specialized in different cosmetics respectively, so this was an effective way to make sure you two looked your best.

"alright y/n, sit, sit! i've been waiting for this forever!" she pushed you into her vanity chair, pinning your hair back with two cute cloud hair clips, the same ones you bought her as part of her christmas gift freshman year. your heart warmed slightly at the thought of march taking care of a present you gave her three years ago.

"what're you gonna do on me?" you asked inquisitively, peering at the numerous eyeshadow and blush palettes march laid on her vanity.

"mm, no clue." bringing a finger to her lips, she contemplated the choices she had. she could do a cut crease like she did with stelle, but that seemed too basic. after a moment of thinking, it looked like march finally settled on a design. "okay! we'll go with a mermaid look."

"a mermaid look?" stelle parroted back in a confused tone, looking your way. she wasn't the makeup professional here, march was, but she was puzzled nonetheless.

"yup. we'll do a more simple version so that it doesn't class with y/n's dress, but it'll still look cutesy." march explained, a resolute smile on her face as she dipped her eyeshadow brush into the glimmering colors.

thirty minutes passed, and none of you were out the door yet. you ran into a bunch of mishaps while trying to curl march's hair. the curls would either be so short she would look like lord farquaad, or they wouldn't curl at all.

"march, this might be cooked." you sighed, pulling the hair curler down, looking at the pink haired girl as she sat in your earlier spot.

she had this puppy pout on her face that made you feel so guilty you wanted to try once more, but some things are just not meant to be. today, that was her hair.

"can you just do a cute hairstyle on it instead?" she pleaded with you. she pointed to a pinterest board full of pre-saved hairstyles, some complex and some simple. there were half ups and half downs, fishtail braids, space buns, and more you couldn't name.

"okay, but we'll go with something simple. we're already ten minutes late." you pulled out a parting comb, parting her hair down the middle before getting to work.

by the time you had finished, your hands were sore and exhausted. used rubber bands littered the floors, but none of you guys had the time nor energy to tidy up.

"i'll just clean them up after the party, so lets go!" march rushed out the door, stelle following suit.

"wait for me!" you shouted, darting after them. the sound of buzzing in your purse grinded you to a halt, your feet stopping halfway out the door. curious, you opened the clasp and pulled out your phone.

a smile unknowingly bloomed on your face at the sight of a text message. the sender? blade, asking if you were coming to robin's party. he always sent his texts quick and concise, rarely ever using slang.

you weren't allowed to dwell on it long, because stelle was yelling for your attention.

"y/n, move your ass! i wanna play beer pong, so hurry up!" she gestured for you to move it, so you did.

"i'm coming!" you yelled back, your heels softly stomping against each downward step of the apartment stairway.

there was a 100% chance that all three of you were going to get drunk, so stelle made the smart move to book an uber while you were getting your makeup done. the three of you climbed into the backseat of the uber driver's red Sedan. a little cramped, but it would make do.

along the way, all three of you sang karaoke and told diabolical stories like it was nothing. you could've sworn you heard the driver snicker for a moment before quickly clearing his throat.

after a short while, the uber parked in the designated guest parkway of a massive estate.

"holy fucking shit." you blurted out, looking up at the three-story house. for a moment, you thought you got the wrong address, but that couldn't be. you double checked, even triple checked, the address on robin's instagram post. this was the right one for sure.

"is robin a nepo baby because what the fuck is this?" march said, the disbelief audible in her tone as she stepped out of the car. stelle followed after, her eyes blown wide as she looked around. you made sure to quickly tip the driver before following behind the two girls, eyes glancing around.

if there was one thing you gathered from looking around, it was that Penaconian architecture was absolutely gorgeous. the lights visible from the windows shone in a way that filled with an enthralling joy, one that made you want to throw away all of your woes.

from the open front door, you could see a uniquely tear-drop shaped chandelier. its golden light bounced off every wall in the entrance hall, lining them with a dazzling array.

even then, all of these spectacles couldn't compare to the most grandiose one of all. a massive fountain stood at the forefront. as you approached it, you could see your reflection in the lagoon blue water. you ran your fingers through, disturbing the reflection with many ripples.

enough admiring for now, you decided as you dragged march and stelle into the estate. march couldn't help but snap photos of every single thing in the building, while stelle quickly ran off to find her twin brother. eventually, she spotted the caelus chatting with the other two guys, sunday and dan heng.

"hi you guys!" you cheered as you approached them all. your hand gripped onto the neck of march's dress as you dragged her with you, much like a mother cat biting her kitten at the neck.

"y/n, what on earth?" dan heng sighed, pinching his temple in between his fingers. "why are you tossing her around like that?"

"it's her fault!" you exclaimed. "she won't stop taking photos. she nearly bumped into someone earlier. i had to apologize in her stead since she was so distracted.

"ahaha.." sunday awkwardly laughed, glancing towards the pink haired girl. doing the most ridiculous poses, she captured millions of photos of the chandelier from every angle. a couple of onlookers glanced her way, expressions of cringe and perplexion on their faces. "she sure is passionate, even at a party."

meanwhile, the two twins seemed to be having their own share of bickering.

"caelus, what the heck are you wearing?" stelle blurted, pointing at her twin's outfit with disgust on her face.

"what? this is the most normal party outfit ever?" caelus retorted, confused why his twin was making such a fuss. well, you could see why. he was wearing a bright red jacket on top of his formal wear, the vividness of the red nearly blinding you.

"that is NOT normal," you laughed, pointing at the conspicuous jacket layered on top.

"you're mad you can't look like me," he boasted with so much pride, it almost made you wonder if he was colorblind, or rather, straight up blind. to top it off, he pushed his hair back with his hands with the confidence of a delusional man.

"whatever, i'm going to the infamous drink bar. i need some alcohol in my system before i deal with cae," you sighed, heels clacking as you departed from your group.

you made your way towards the kitchen, or rather, what you thought was the kitchen. before you knew it, you were lost. you looked around, noticing the pool tables and numerous board games lining the shelves. a couple of people were here, some you recognized as classmates in your comp sci class.

however, there were two men that stuck out to you. one you recognized, and one you didn't. they sat on the plush couch in front of the fireplace, chatting about seemingly nothing. from what you could gather in ten seconds, one of them was planning a stream marathon.

you approached the man you recognized from behind, tapping him on the shoulder. he turned towards you, initially sporting an irritated expression on his face before quickly widening his eyes.

"y/n?"

"i knew it. it was you! hi blade." you smiled. you glanced towards the other man for a moment. his name was ashveil, you think? you could barely hear their conversation, so you had to guess. either way, you waved at him, and he waved back. you turned your attention back to blade.

"what're you doing here?" he asked, fully turning his torso to face you. you were distracted for a moment, eyes tracing him up and down. he looked good, too good.

a black short-sleeved button down shirt draped down his torso, a couple of the top buttons open to expose part of his chest. his slacks were white, a nice contrast with his shirt. the cherry on top, a gold necklace adorning a jade pendant.

you swallowed thickly, heat rising to your cheeks. was he always this good looking?

"hello? earth to y/n?" you blinked yourself back to reality, his waving hand bringing back your attention.

"sorry!" you yelped a little too loud for your own liking. "i'm just here with my friends. i got lost looking for the drink bar though."

"oh, it's just over that way." blade pointed to his right towards the adjacent room which was apparently the kitchen.

"thank you!" you cheered, halfway through your first step towards the drink bar until a hand wrapped around your arm.

you turned around to see him holding onto you, your face growing warmer and warmer. he looked like a puppy right now, eager to follow you anywhere. you mentally shook those thoughts away. that was ridiculous. you guys were just friends after all, and yet, his eyes looked less irritated than when you first spotted him.

"blade..?" you mumbled, your throat bone dry. you really needed a drink right now.

"wait. i'll guide you. don't want you getting lost again." he said as he got up from the couch, nodding towards his friend as a silent way of saying he'll be back. ashveil nodded back, taking a sip of mango juice.

"alright, but could you let go?"

blade blinked for a moment, the same pink dusting his cheeks as well.

"sorry," he gruffed, his hands returning to their spot next to him. you cleared your throat, walking towards the drink bar with him in tow.

once you got to the kitchen island counter, a lady with blonde and short hair greeted you.

"what would you like?" she asked, her hands busy with mixing up a plethora of other people's drinks.

"um, just a pineapple margarita please!" the in house bartender nodded, turning her attention backwards towards her ingredients.

in the mean time, you figured you'd talk to blade for a moment. you turned to look at him, but he looked.. distracted? he wouldn't stop looking absentmindedly at your face, even as you called his name.

after a couple of times, you sighed. you reached a hand up, flicking his forehead. that seemed to grab his attention, you noticed, from the way he winced.

"ouch," he mumbled, a hand reaching towards the sore spot on his forehead.

"sorry, but you wouldn't stop staring."

"oh, my bad. you just look so.." he trailed off. you look so pretty, he wanted to say. you looked so gorgeous, he wanted to sweep you off your heels. your hair was styled so gorgeously, your sparkling dress complimenting your skin tone. nothing could compare to your face, however. he noticed the eyeshadow in particular, the way they made your eyes pop.

his palms started to grow clammy with sweat. was this normal? he's seen many people in his life, but you just.. stood out to him. he couldn't describe this throbbing in his chest. once more, he snapped back to reality at your voice.

"what? do i look bad? ugh, i knew i should've asked for a more simple eyeshadow look," you sighed, reaching blindly for a pocket mirror in your purse.

"no, you look nice. don't worry," he said, downplaying how he truly felt. before you knew it, your margarita came out with a freshly sliced pineapple to top and a couple of basil leaves sprinkled in.

you turned to look at blade again, noticing how he didn't have a drink in his hand.

"you're not getting anything?" you asked, your head tilted to the side.

he shook his head no. "ash plans on drinking, so one of us has to stay sober to drive."

"ohh." you hummed. "that makes sense."

the both of you went silent, staring at each other for a moment. neither of you said anything, simply looking. at some point, you realized how awkward this was getting and quickly turned away.

"sorry!" you apologized again. just when you thought the margarita was cooling you down, that familiar warmth in your body started spreading again. you laughed nervously, fanning yourself. "it's really hot in here, huh?"

"but the air conditioning is on," blade said bluntly. he noticed your pursed lips, getting the hint. "is it the people? we can go on the balcony if you want."

you couldn't have nodded quicker. the deep chuckle reverberating in his chest made your mind blank.

"come on, i know where it is," he said as he went on ahead. you followed him up the massive staircase to the balcony on the second floor. not too high, but a view beautiful enough to admire.

you sighed when the breeze of the night air fanned your face, stretching your arms behind your head. "i'm so glad finals are over."

blade hummed in agreement, taking your drink from your hand and putting it down on the table before you dropped it. "you could say that again. how were your exams?"

"terrible, just the worst." you huffed, annoyance brewing in you at the thought of your final exams. "the comp sci exam was so stupid! one of the question was definitely written wrong."

"you talking about mr. weatherstone's?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

you nodded rapidly before pausing for a moment. "how'd you know?"

blade glanced to both of his sides, as if making sure nobody was listening. he leaned in, whispering into your ear.

"silver wolf likes to keep private online, so don't tell anyone. she also has mr. weatherstone's class."

"WHA-"

the speed at which blade covered your mouth was akin to lightning, your scream muted against his palm.

"sorry." your apology came out muffled, but he could see the guilty smile on your face.

"i'm getting deja vu from the convenience store," he joked as he removed his hand from your face.

the two of you shared laughter on robin's balcony, talking the night away. you talked about mundane things and asked him mundane questions, to which he answered almost delightfully.

he leaned against the ceramic railing, the most miniscule smile on his face as he listened to you blabber on about everything and nothing at all.

he noticed the way you talked animatedly, your hands busy with gestures as you spoke. he noticed the way your eyes squinted as you smiled, or the way your eyebrows furrowed at a frustrating memory. he even noticed the way you reapplied your lip combo so often, puckering your lips to taste what looked like grapefruit lip gloss.

all of these things he kept in the back of his mind, interjecting every now and then with his own comments or questions.

eventually, you found yourself growing more and more tipsy, your words slurring more often with each sip of your margarita.

"so then, caelus bought the *hic* wrong mayonnaise thrice." you hiccuped inbetween your words, eyes half-lidded with inebriation. it got to a point where you were swaying, so blade took the nearly empty glass from your hands.

"alright, that's enough. you really are a light weight," he hummed, watching you stumble over your heels as you tried to take the glass back.

"come on, just one more *hic* sip! i pinky promise, cross my heart hope to die," you begged him over and over, whining when he just wouldn't budge.

he shook his head no, and you pouted.

"do you have a ride home?" he inquired, looking around to see if he could spot any of your friends. they didn't seem to be anywhere nearby.

"march and stelle are *hic* definitely wasted by now." you giggled. he chuckled at your bubbly tone.

"i'll take you home then, i'm completely sober," he murmured, reaching for his keys in his pocket. he reached an arm towards you, eyes full of insistence. "hold onto me. i can't have you tripping on me."

"wow, you're such a gentleman bladie." your arms wrapped around his own, walking alongside him towards the exit of the estate.

you pressed your face against the side of his bicep, spacing out from his warmth. he smelled of ginseng, musk, and jasmine, a heady scent that nearly made you dizzy.

in your intoxication, you couldn't help but appreciate blade more and more. as a famous streamer, he was anything but what you expected. he was humble, witty, and treated you like porcelain. blush bloomed on your cheeks, and you almost tripped on his feet.

"careful," he hummed, holding you steady. soon enough, he managed to get you into the passenger seat of his car.

"buckle up, *hic* everybody!" you shouted to a nonexistent group, receiving deep laughter in return.

"silly woman. who are you talking to, hm?" he murmured as he reached over you to clasp your seatbelt in. his fingers grazed your waist as the seatbelt closed shut, a resounding click filling the car.

your body warmed at that spot, the way his touch lingered for a second too late ruminating in your head. the both of you seemed to notice, as he let out a hasty sorry.

"it's okay," you reassured him, tilting your headback against the seat.

as blade buckled his own seatbelt, he made sure to warn you. "if you feel like throwing up, tell me. we'll pull over, okay?"

you nodded, and he started up the engine. there was an odd pause for a moment.

"i don't have your address," he said bluntly.

"oopsie, sorry!" you managed to yelp without any hiccups, quickly pulling it up on your phone and showing it to him. he nodded before driving off.

the ride home was surprisingly smooth. you didn't feel any nausea, but you did have a slight headache. you glanced towards him, noticing the way he drove one-handed. gold rings decorated his hands, one of them carved into the shape of a snake. how pretty, you thought.

before you knew it, he pulled up to your apartment complex. the sound of the driver's door closed, your door opening soon after.

a hand outstretched towards you, and you took it gladly. he led you up to your apartment, waiting for you to unlock it to see you off. it took nearly three minutes of stumbling before he spoke.

"let me." he took your purse, reaching in to find your keys. he searched until he found the one labelled house. as he was twisting the lock open, he felt a pressure on his back. he swallowed. "y/n, what are you doing?"

you leaned your head against his back, mumbling tiredly. "you're so warm. i can't help it."

he paused, trying not to let those thoughts from earlier haunt him once more. he couldn't act on his feelings, this heart-throbbing joy in his chest. he knew the line, the line between friends and something more.

as much as he wished for it, desired for it, the two of you were just friends. just friends. nothing more. even so, did friends press against each other like this? he knew it wasn't so, but he wanted to indulge in his delusions, just this once.

he shook his head, focusing on unlocking your door and getting you inside. he finally managed to twist the lock open, turning around.

"will you be alright?" he asked, concern in his voice.

"mhm.." you yawned, stepping into your apartment and taking off these god awful heels. you were sure to have blisters by tomorrow.

"alright, please tell me if you aren't." he said before turning around. a hand grabbing his own stopped him, and he turned towards you.

both of your expressions were filled with shock, neither of you knowing what to do. the pink on your cheeks was so sweet, too sweet.

"y/n?" he muttered, fighting the urge to lace your fingers with his.

"sorry! goodnight!" you yelped, pulling your hand back and quickly shutting the door.

he chuckled once more.

"silly woman."

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grwm

a/n: tw kys/kms jokes!! also real note why isnt there enough trailblaze fuel for farming 🫩

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TAG LIST: closed ! @itscloudychris @4dadesperate @officialkatzline @honeybunbunn @lunavixia @kaz-unidentified @socyx @evanesciacantascendia @kaoiyeva @lillieslonggone @violetisreadinghush @lavenderdropp @julie0444 @sparxiclelololol @arluene7688 @chxnnieee @bladieswifey @elatedfool @maggiforlifesstuff @silveritydreams @na-naami @kumiluvvsu @pavo-ocellvs @duckydee-0 @akiyodesu @lyra-angel-81194 @aurxvyn @its-astrotea-love @afro-hispwriter @kik1k0 @nezuaven @arcdiluc @tamashithe2nd @kirilunaxxxluvr @fuhrasloves @luphyllum @autism-criminal @skylermiller1 @kaazuha @mephixto @strawcak3 @notyams @1kio0o @setchubaii @lunartzy @misorastars

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geeked vs locked in

a/n: this hsr patch is so dry i cant wait for 4.4 😭😭

you had the best time with dan heng, almost so to the point where you completely forgot about every HU student's worst nightmare: exam week.

by all means, HU was not a happy-go-lucky type of university. news articles and other college admission officers rate it one of the most academically rigorous universities, on the contrary.

if you thought that the winter finals were difficult, then the spring finals would kill you. after all, alumni, like evernight, have even been rumored to flood the emails of the Furbobo Weekly staff, begging them to complain to the school board and request that the teachers lighten the exam difficulty.

news like that spread across campus like wildfire, practically becoming an urban legend that would haunt every HU attendee, from the start of their freshman year to the moment they stepped off the stage for graduation.

even you knew that, so why weren't you getting up, especially when exams this week? dan heng couldn't figure that out for the life of him.

he stared down at your sleeping body halfway draped off your bed, a troubled look on his face. he knew that you had bad sleeping habits, but this was an unparalleled kind of sleeping in, even from you.

as far as he could remember, you had always been a heavy sleeper. if he began to count the number of times somebody in the group would have to spam call you to wake you up, he'd stop at ten because they would exceed the number of fingers he has.

as he looked down at you, snoring without a care in the world, a number of ideas filed through his mind. he could go with the old-fashioned air horn to wake you up, or he could be a bit creative and try banging on a pan and spatula.

his eyes shifted towards the alarm clock on your nightstand, reading the time displayed on the electronic screen. 7:43 AM.

unfortunately, neither he nor you have the leisure to try out new techniques to wake you up. dan heng sighed, opening the nightstand drawer and pulling out the air horn.

he cleared his throat, braced himself, and gave a deep inhale.

"WAKE UP!" he flinched a bit from the amplified loudness of his voice, watching as you jolted out of bed.

"dan heng, it's literally a seven in the morning. what the fuck?" you groaned, rubbing the part of your arm that bumped the bed leg.

"yeah, it's seven, and exams are this week. have you even studied?" he asked, scoffing at the way you looked away.

"i have studied, i dunno what you're talking about," you mumbled under your breath, refusing to look dan hneg in the eyes.

he looked towards your laptop resting on the side of the mattress, noting movie marathon playlist on the screen. it was on auto-play, so you most likely fell asleep watching it.

"right.." his tone was laced with sarcasm and suspicion in it. it was obvious to anybody that he didn't believe you, not even one bit. "you really need to try hard this time around, especially since spring finals are not known for being kind to anyone.

you sighed. "yeah, yeah. i know, i've just been so burnt out lately."

"burnt out?" his eyebrows raised, his curiosity clearly piqued.

"well yeah, coding isn't always sunshine and rainbows," you stated the obvious. "i literally had to redo half of my line of code because mr. idiotstone forgot to delete an old part of the rubric.

"that sounds.. terrible." dan heng muttered, feeling some pity for you. "in any case, we need to get going. i already cleaned the couch up after i slept on it, so we can just head straight to campus after you get changed.

with that, dan heng left your room, leaving you to your own devices. you checked the alarm clock one last time. 7:49 AM. you really needed to get a move on.

you quickly got dressed, something light to stay comfortable during your finals. you noted how warm the waffle knit fabric of your sweater felt, the way it didn't itch and felt just right.

after brushing your teeth and grabbing your stuff, you met up with dan heng who was waiting at your apartment door. you made sure to double check your bag, mentally counting all your belongings.

laptop, check. laptop charger, check. notebooks, check. and lastly, your pencil pouch, check!

since everything was all accounted for, the two of you hurriedly made your way to HU grounds, walking faster than usual.

once dan heng and you met up with the rest of your friends, an immediate flurry of complaints rang in the air.

"oh my aeons, i am so screwed," march whined, grabbing onto your sleeve for dear life. she slowly fell to her knees, fake sobs leaving her as she cried about finals.

"i got too caught up trying to build my Minecraft house and forgot to study. my first exam is literally in ten minutes!" she wailed.

"hey march, let- go!" you huffed, pulling your sweater sleeve away from her before she soaked the fabric in snot and tears. you ruffled her hair as you listened to stelle's distress as well.

"march you're literally fine. at least you didn't have to listen to a certain someone here crash out over Project Sekai!" stelle grumbled, side eyeing caelus. funnily enough, he side eyed her back.

you couldn't help but snort in your sleeve a bit. on the other hand, sunday looked so relaxed, almost at peace.

"sunday, what about you? are you worried for exams?" you inquired.

"of course not," he gave you a smile so kind, it almost blinded you. you would have genuinely believed him if it weren't for the way his hands twitched everytime somebody said the words "finals" or "exams."

you stared at him blankly. "you're lying, aren't you?"

sunday's face flashed a look of shock before he sighed, giving up his ruse. "you caught me. i'm trying a tactic called 'fake it 'till you make it,' although it's not working too well."

"did march teach you that too?" you laughed, recalling the time he masterfully used a reaction image.

"mhm. i'm learning a lot from her," he nodded.

after some pre-finals complaining and crying, everyone scattered towards their respective classes.

on your way to the dreaded mr. weatherstone's room, you spotted someone familiar walking the same path. he had a tall figure, so catching up with his strides was difficult.

you rushed your feet until you were behind him, tapping him on his shoulder. the man turned around, a tired look on his face. his eyes widened the moment he saw you

you gave a wide smile. "i knew it was you. hi blade!"

he gave you a greeting nod. "hello. are you on your way to finals?"

"oh yeah, i am. how'd you know?" you tilted your head, perplexed.

"..i didn't, just a lucky guess. a couple of my friends have some of their finals today as well."

"do you not? you're making it sound like you don't have any exams."

"i do, they're just not today. my first exam is on.." he trailed off, grabbing his phone from his back pocket. he quickly keyed in his password before pulling up his calendar app. "it should be on tuesday tomorrow."

"lucky you," you booed, sighing in disappointment as you looked towards the floor.

"don't be so upset. you'll do well, i promise," he reassured you.

"you think so?"

"mhm. i trust in your intelligence."

you giggled at that. you weren't as studious as sunday or dan heng, so it was funny that blade had so much blind faith in you.

"thank you, i have to be off soon. goodbye!" you waved bye to him before darting off to your class, just in time before your exam started.

his eyes lingered a bit too long, his heart feeling lighter after seeing you. it was always like this. you always brightened his day, even if he didn't talk to you. just seeing you was enough for him.

his cheeks felt warmer, his hands hidden in his hoodie pockets as he took his time walking to his own class.

as for you, you wished you could be as leisurely as blade was. your leg bounced in anxiousness as you stared at the screen of your laptop, your head spinning as you tried to make sense of the exam in front of you.

you hated mr. weatherstone. you hated him every single day, but you hated him especially today. what the hell was this test?

the hint on question 23 made absolutely no sense to you. it suggested that there was an error in the line of code, but you simply couldn't find it no matter how hard you tried.

your eyes scanned around the rest of the room, hoping you weren't the only one puzzled by this exam. perhaps you shouldn't have, but you felt a bit of relief seeing other students tug their hair or put their head in their hands.

was the timer at the top of the screen going down faster than usual? no, that didn't make sense. time is constant, after all. you chalked it up to your testing steess screwing with your perception of time.

soon enough, mr. weatherstone called the test to an end. everyone submitted their exam, booking it out of the room. you did the same, resisting the urge to glare at the irritating man.

as everybody filed out of the hallways, you pulled out your phone and took a glance at the time. right about now, the rest of your friends should be finished with their first day of finals.

you made your way to the agreed meeting place, the fountain in the middle of campus. on your way there, you took in the warmth of the early summer, your cheeks glazed by the sunshine.

the water flowing from the fountain head and hitting the reservoir of water below made a charming sound, like the Glass Pebble Fountain of Nassau.

on the rim of the fountain, you spotted sunday glancing down at his watch.

"hi sunday!" you waved, jogging your way towards him. "how were your finals?"

"they were alright. i kept getting distracted because of somebody crying though," he sighed, sympathy in his tone and pity in his eyes. it looked like he clearly felt bad for that student, most likely crying their eyes out from stress.

"how about you? what about your exams?" he asked you in turn.

"oh my god, it was so bad," you whined. "question 23 kicked my ass because it was asking to spot an error, but i genuinely couldn't find it!"

shortly after the two of you shared your experience about your exams, the rest of your friends arrived. you were about to wave hello to them until you took a good look at caelus' face.

you flinched. he looked absolutely dead inside. he trudged his way towards the two of you, intelligible zombie noises leaving his mouth.

"caelus, are you alright?" sunday stammered, his eyes widened in worry from the exhaustion in caelus' eyes.

he simply nodded, slumping onto a bench along the outer rim of the fountain.

"i-in any case, everybody is here. i have good news to share." sunday said.

everybody piqued up in curiosity, their attention shifting towards the halovian man.

"my sister, robin, plans on throwing a post-exam party. all of you are cordially invited. it'd make her and i very happy if you all attended, so please come." sunday announced, a graceful smile on his face.

"wait really?! a party, are you serious?" march bounced up in joy, her gloomy mood from this morning cleared up. he nodded.

the twins cheered, jumping up and down without a care in the world, catching the attention of a couple of passerbys.

"it'll be on saturday of this week at 8 pm sharp so make sure to clear your schedules." sunday explained.

at the very least, you had something to look forward to once spring finals were over.

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open arms

a/n: HI CHAT WE'RE BACK!! i jst came back from the mall and im now $300 more broke 😭😭

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TAG LIST: closed ! @itscloudychris @4dadesperate @officialkatzline @honeybunbunn @lunavixia @kaz-unidentified @socyx @evanesciacantascendia @kaoiyeva @lillieslonggone @violetisreadinghush @lavenderdropp @julie0444 @sparxiclelololol @arluene7688 @chxnnieee @bladieswifey @elatedfool @maggiforlifesstuff @silveritydreams @na-naami @kumiluvvsu @pavo-ocellvs @duckydee-0 @akiyodesu @lyra-angel-81194 @aurxvyn @its-astrotea-love @afro-hispwriter @kik1k0 @nezuaven @arcdiluc @tamashithe2nd @kirilunaxxxluvr @fuhrasloves @luphyllum @autism-criminal @skylermiller1 @kaazuha @mephixto @strawcak3 @notyams @1kio0o @setchubaii @lunartzy @misorastars

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bitter past

a/n: blade focused chapter & renheng angst cameo!! i want himeko nova and rin so bad but im broke 😞😞

the walk to the Graphia Library was nothing sort of amusing. along the way, you spotted around three owls and a guy stuck in the trash can of the food court.

his name was sampo, if you recall correctly. sparxie had a hell of a time retelling the story of how she stole his laptop, forcing him to go to lectures with a typewriter.

you giggle unknowingly at the memory, drawing the attention of the man next to you.

"what're you laughing at?" blade asked, his voice muffled around the straw of his water bottle.

"nothing!" you squeaked out, hoping he wouldn't think you were strange or anything of the sort for laughing to yourself.

he raised an eyebrow. "i won't judge you."

you looked at him suspiciously, hesitating. "i was just laughing at the time when sampo pulled up with a typewriter to his classes."

"oh that? yeah, i could hear it too. the clacking was probably worse than ashveil's keyboard that i used." he glanced up at the sky as he spoke, counting the clouds in the sky.

"was that the one you broke on stream?" you asked.

"you were watching that?" he whipped his head towards you, eyes widened in embarrassment.

"that tweet didn't get eight million likes for no reason." you tilted your head, confused. of course you saw it.

blade sighed as he dragged his hand down his face. he looked humiliated, as if he was sampo for a change.

"blade, look out!" all of a sudden, you yelled, although you were a second too late.

just as he was rotting in shame, he tripped over some kid's scooter, falling straight on his knees.

"fuck!" he shouted, grabbing his foot and hissing in pain. from the looks of it, he probably stubbed his toes against the scooter as he was falling.

"that's why i said to watch out.." you winced, holding your hand out for him.

he grabbed it graciously, trying to ignore the way his palms started to sweat.

"who the fuck leaves their scooter in the middle of a sidewalk?" blade grumbled as he stood back on his feet.

"are you alright?" you asked with concern in your voice, but he simply nodded. "if you say so.."

the two of you continued the rest of your walk, eventually finding yourselves marvelling at the massive Graphia Library.

"it's almost as if it gets bigger each time i come here.." you murmured as the two of you walked in.

the library was always expanding and rearranging itself because of the copious amount of books they often received. if you remembered correctly, most of their books came from other universities, such as the Yuque Tech or the Paperfold University.

soon enough, you found the rest of your friend group already at a table and enjoying their drinks. the moment march spotted you, she jumped out of her chair to embrace you in a hug.

"y/n!" she squealed, almost suffocating you with how tight her arms were around you.

"hi march-" you wheezed, prying her off you. you looked towards stelle and the others, waving.

"hurry or your drink won't be cold!" she rushed with urgency, tugging you by the wrist.

"shoot, you're right!" realizing she was right, you started to rush as well.

meanwhile, blade stood there like a lost child. he looked around for his group, squinting a bit. maybe ashveil was right when he said that too much screentime was bad for him.

he eventually spotted yao guang darting all over the library, most likely for some last minute prep before the mass study session officially began.

he walked over to her, looking around every now and then.

"yao guang." he greeted with a nod.

"oh, blade. i thought you weren't attending?" she put a hand on her hip, her other holding a stack of papers as she eyed him skeptically.

"..i changed my mind." he said after a while, looking around. "where are the others?"

"eva should be talking to that one grey-haired girl, stelle i believe." she pointed in the general direction. that girl seemed to be apart of your friend group, blade noticed.

he walked over to evanescia, waiting behind her as she chatted with the girl named stelle.

after nearly five whole minutes, she finally noticed he was behind her.

"blade!" she yelped, flinching backwards. "you scared me!"

"hi eva," he looked at stelle. "who's this?"

"remember the girl at twitch con? the one that i traded with for the super duper rare Himekat pin?" evanescia beamed.

"the who pin?" was blade getting old? who the hell is Himekat?

"blade, keep up with the times! she's from The Fluffy!" she scolded him. "anyway, she's the sweet girl from the convention we were talking about."

he looked towards stelle, staring at her for a long while.

the stelle in question stared back, although getting a bit nervous after being stared at for nearly an entire minute.

he blinked.

"she's the one that looks like a raccoon." evanescia sighed, hinting after he still didn't get it.

"oh, it's you." he said flatly.

"why is that the catalyst for remembering me?!" stelle huffed.

her complaints went one ear out the other, however, since he could feel a pair of eyes looking at him. he glanced over, his heart nearly stopping.

dan.. dan heng? was it really him?

dan heng seemed to share the same shock, staring at him like he was an intruder in his home.

it had been nearly two years since they stopped talking, and dan heng deliberately made sure they'd never encounter each other by changing his schedule.

just as quickly as their eyes met, they parted once blade's attention was drawn by a familiar voice.

"yo!" silver wolf waved towards him. he waved back. behind her were ashveil and the rest of his friend group.

just as he was about to open his mouth, a loud yet unified pair of squeals pierced the room.

"SPARXIE!"

"EVA!"

the two girls ran towards each other, jumping up and down as they hugged like a reunited couple. that in itself was ridiculous, especially since they hung out almost every day.

he knew since his instagrams instants were always cluttered with photos of them together.

"you two, be quiet!" yao guang hissed from behind the librarian's desk, seemingly in the middle of checking the RSVP list.

"sorry yao guang!" evanescia apologized profusely in a more whispered tone.

"anyway.." silver wolf said as she turned towards him. "did you see the code veronica remake trailer?"

"you're fucking lying." he said with disbelief and shock. the last time he played code veronica was nearly a year ago, and the graphics were extremely janky.

"i know right! that game was so overdue for a remake," she sighed, recalling all the times she complained about the low quality graphics.

out of the blue, a gritting sound of microphone scratching filled the room.

it was yao guang, fumbling with the microphone settings for a moment.

"apologies, everybody. the study session will officially begin. professors are upstairs if you need their help, and i'm here as well if you need to check out books or anything of the sort. any questions?"

once she glanced around, clearing the room to make sure everybody understood, she nodded.

"alright, have fun. remember to be cordial and respectful towards school property. if you brought food or drinks, just make sure to clean up after yourselves before you leave."

a round of applause filled the room before everybody immediately got to working. the sound of footsteps against the stairs echoed as students were travelling up and down to talk to their professors.

because of yao guang's insistent nagging, blade decided to actually get some work done. he slouched back in his chair, trying to ignore dan heng's stares while simultaneously tuning out nihilux's whining and rambling.

for some reason, evanescia thought it was a genius idea to have both friend groups merge and be a big study group. that way, everybody could cross-reference for help if they needed.

he wasn't stupid though. he knew she really just wanted to talk with stelle and sparxie.

every now and then, he'd glance your way to see how you were doing. you looked hard-working, clearly focused on whatever assignment you were doing. as much as he wanted to talk to you, he decided to let you be.

blade wished he was as efficient as you were, because he couldn't stop yawning for the life of him. staying up to stream Ghost of Yotei certainly was not a good idea.

"ash, i'll be right back." he got up from his chair, heading towards the bathroom after ashveil nodded in acknowledgement.

he pushed the metal door open, turning the faucet on at the nearest sink. perhaps if he drenched his face, he'd wake up and be more productive.

as he was washing his face with ice cold water, the door swung open one more time. blade didn't have to look behind him, because he could see exactly who it was. it was dan heng.

his eyebrows furrowed, hands getting tense as they gripped the sink. neither of them spoke for a while, the silence unbearable. dan heng was the first to break, his voice piercing the quiet.

"why are you here?" he said accusatorily, crossing his arms.

"to study," blade said bluntly.

"do not lie to me." he pushed, irritation blooming on his face.

"i am not lying," blade sighed, pushing his hair back with a wet hand.

"we both know you are, so tell the truth. it's because of y/n, am i wrong?" dan heng asked, growing more and more impatient.

blade didn't say anything for a while. he didn't want to admit that he was right, because it meant that dan heng still knew him. from the inside out.

instead, he changed the topic. "it is in your best interest not to piss me off, dan heng."

"look at me when you're talking to me!" dan heng yelled. his voice echoed off the bathroom tiles, his words bouncing back in blade's mind several times. "you always did this, and you still do. acting as if you don't owe anyone respect."

"that's a fantasy you made up." blade said, although he decided to turn around and look him in the eyes.

as time went on, dan heng's anger only showed more on his face. his fists were clenched, eyebrows furrowed and eyes darkened with agitation.

blade inhaled, head tilted back. "why do you care?"

"because she's my friend, and because i don't want to see you hurt her like you did me." dan heng's voice wobbled with those last few words, his eyes tilted down towards his feet.

"you're the one who demands eye contact, yet you can't even look at me when you speak," blade laughed, exasperated. "it has been two years since we stopped dating, yet you're still the one holding onto past grievances."

"past grievances? past grievances?! do you not remember all the times we fought, when you called me irrational and dumb?! all for asking for some decent from you?!" dan heng's voice rose with each bitter recollection.

"you don't change, and you never will. stop acting so self-righteous, as if you won't show y/n your true colors before you know it," dan heng spewed, intensity in his tone.

his words bit him like a snake, the truth behind his anger incapacitating him like the most harmful venom in the world.

perhaps dan heng was right. perhaps blade would never change, endlessly hurting others around him, but he'd be damned if he said he didn't want to change.

for you, at least, he'd be willing to try. he didn't want to hurt you, but how could he not? he wasn't the most empathetic, lacking communication skills.

"of course you're silent," dan heng said, sighing in disappointment. "i can't stop y/n from spending time with you, so the least you could do is treat her with respect. with the respect you couldn't give to me."

he left shortly after that, the door slamming shut and echoing in blade's cluttered mind.

"fucking hell.." he sighed, pouring cold water on his face one more time for relief before he walked back out into the library.

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[pwinkdelicacyy]

study session

a/n: i need a gaming pc so bad

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[pwinkdelicacyy]

run in

a/n: hi guys, srry i havent been posting as often!! ive been busy these days, so my pace will slow down from now on. also, tag list will close by chapter 15, so snag a spot quickly!

getting back into the swing of every day life was.. difficult. having jet lag just before the start of the school week was certainly not for the weak. you had possibly the worst jet lag of your life, screwing up your sleep schedule.

you slept through all five of your daily alarms and all four of the snooze alarms. after practically slamming your hand on the stop button for the fifth snooze alarm, you tumbled out of bed and onto the floor.

right now, brain fog was kicking your ass. you stared blankly at the wooden planks, your eyes confused and unsure of where to look first.

any responsible and hard working college student would get ready early for an 8 am class, but that wasn't you. on the contrary, you were one of the worst procrastinators in your friend group, second to caelus.

you waited until the last fifteen minutes to get ready, opting for a snoopy hoodie and some sweatpants to beat the chilly morning breeze.

after swinging your backpack over your shoulders, you made your way out the door and to your first class.

luckily, you didn't live too far from the main HU campus. you had the more scenic route, water fountains lining the bridge that you walked across everyday.

the leaves were fading into a gorgeous auburn color, shedding from the trees and onto the floor, making a satisfying crunch under your shoes.

the satisfaction from your beautiful morning was short lived, however, as you found yourself face to face at the door of your classroom.

once again, the familiar sense of dread and exhaustion washed over you. the professor inside this room, mr. weatherstone, was possibly the worst man in the planet of Planarcadia. seriously, what kind of name even is that? was he a weather reporter or something?

other HU students seemed to think the same, given that he has an outstanding total of 1.5 stars on RateMyProfessor. the alumni had nothing but scornful words to say about him.

it made you wonder if you were hungover when you signed up for his 8 am class.

that same sentiment was reinforced when you opened the door, met with his usual, for lack of decorum, resting bitch face.

"you're late," he said blankly, although you could hear the condescending irritation in his voice.

you inhaled, you really wanted to slap those stupid glasses that were just too big for his head off his face, but you had a degree to get.

you simply sat down, ignoring the way a few students glanced your way.

another reason for his 1.5 star rating was his obnoxiously boring lectures.

to give him credit where it was due, he would actually stay on topic for the first ten minutes before going on a tangent about his ex wife.

you looked around, spotting a couple of students secretly scrolling on their phones in boredom. you couldn't blame them.

it was times like these when you really wished you could sneak march in. she'd probably be more entertaining than this poor excuse of a professor, cracking a couple of jokes about his bald and sparkling head.

the moment mr. weatherstone dismissed class, you booked it straight for your friends. luckily, you all had a couple of minutes to catch up before your next hour. as always, you complained to them about your professor.

"i actually hate him so much, like, oh my gosh," you huffed, balling your fists. "who does he think he's looking at? i swear."

"it figures, evernight had him too and she absolutely despised him," march said, recalling all the times she cussed him out on facetime.

"your older sister evernight? she's graduated, no?" dan heng asked.

"mhm! she's in med school right now to be a psychiatrist," she beamed, the admiration for her sister glowing on her face.

eventually, all of you dispersed to your next several classes. they went much more smoothly for you than your first hour, the school day ending before you knew it.

you spent most of the time studying, working on a project for your Intermediate Programming class. you burned through 6 hours in the blink of an eye, frustration growing from constantly restarting the line of code.

"this is so stupid," you grumbled, head in your hands as you clicked redo for the umpteenth time.

before you punched a hole through your monitor, you decided to get up and take a trip to the convenience store.

your wallet and keys jingled as you walked, the half-broken light of the 24/7 store greeting you.

a cute bell chimed as you pushed the door open. rows of snacks filled the shelves, the refrigerators filled with drinks upon drinks upon drinks. you browsed through the endless options, choice paralysis making you undecisive.

eventually, you settled for a bag of peelable mango gummies, a Dunkin' Donuts iced coffee, and a bag of Takis.

you checked out, wincing a bit at the total. a grimacing $8.67. you seriously needed to cut down on spending.

you gave the cashier a quick thank you before walking out, only to be met with an onslaught of water dripping onto your face.

"just great." you mumbled, looking up towards the cloudy and pitch black sky.

when did it even start raining? the weather was fine on your way, so it must've began while you were inside the convenience store. what a stroke of luck.

you didn't have an umbrella, and the store didn't sell any for some odd reason.

a convenience store not selling umbrellas was stupid in itself, but what was more annoying was the fact that it was almost 10 pm.

anyone attending HU would know that this area wasn't the safest, especially at night. you decided to wait inside, not wanting to get mugged or anything.

five minutes turned into ten, and ten minutes turned into twenty. you were getting fed up and tired. the thought of passing out onto your bed was appealing at the moment, but you couldn't even do that.

eventually, another ring chimed through the store. it was a man, broad and tall. he was decked out in way too many layers in addition to a face mask. was he a celebrity or something?

either way, your eyes turned to the shiny umbrella in his hand. well, it wasn't shining, but that was besides the point.

you waited until he finished buying his own set of snacks before you approached him from behind, tapping him on the shoulder.

he turned to you, and you instantly began to regret your decision. what if he was a weirdo? that would explain the getup.

"what?" you snapped back into reality at the sound of his question.

"oh, sorry! i was just wondering if you had a spare umbrella."

"i don't," he said flatly. an awkward silence filled the room as the two of you just looked at each other.

"..okay. nevermind then. i'll just wait the rain out," you laughed sheepishly, turning to walk towards the windowside seats.

"wait. where do you need to go? i can walk you," he offered. you looked at him suspiciously.

as if picking up on your doubts, he explained. "i'm not a robber, if that's what you're worried about."

"right.." you said, clearly not buying it.

he let out a sigh. "would it make you feel better if i took my mask off?"

at the sight of your nod, he pulled his hood down. your eyes widened more and more as he reached behind his ears and pried the mask off his face.

no. way.

"BLADE?!" you yelled out, way too loud for your own good."

"shut up!" he hissed, covering your mouth with a hand and looking around. fortunately for him, nobody heard his name. the cashier seemed to be sleeping too.

"sorry, sorry. but blade? is that really you?" you asked in a more whispered voice.

he nodded, looking to the side like a kid getting caught.

"i knew we lived in the same city, but i didn't know you were this close!"

"i attend uni nearby, so it's not that shocking," blade explained.

"wait, uni? do you go to HU by any chance?" you asked. it's a wild question, but the chances of him attending the same college as you weren't so slim.

he nodded. the moment your mouth opened, a hand rushed to cover it again just before you screamed into his palm.

"please be quiet," he pleaded, exasperated.

"sorry, sorry," you smiled. you noticed how he looked away, a bashful look on his face.

"anyway, do you still need to be walked? it's still pouring outside."

"shoot, i totally forgot about that! please, if you can." he motioned for you to follow him, pushing the door open for you.

you watched as he pulled his umbrella open, waiting for you to come under before walking. you guided him towards your apartment complex.

each time your guys' shoulders brushed, your face grew warmer and warmer.

he noticed.

"are you alright?" he asked.

"yes!" you blurted out, his eyes widening. shit, you're such a dummy.

"..alright then."

before you knew it, you were in front of the complex. just as you were about to leave, you turned to blade.

"will i see you around?" you asked, a bit hopeful.

his eyes widened at the question. he gave you a brief nod.

"okay, see you tomorrow then!" you waved to him before dashing off into the lobby.

he waved back, pulling his face mask up to hide the blooming smile on his face.

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[pwinkdelicacyy]

mr romantic

a/n: hi chat so how do we feel abt the 4.3 quest..

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[pwinkdelicacyy]

close proximity

a/n: so i actually don't know a single thing about valorant, hopefully this isn't too inaccurate 😓

the flight to Penacony was not terrible. matter of fact, it was the best plane ride you had ever been on. the contrast between economy and first class was a culture shock you were still comprehending. in contrast, the members of the Arcadian team looked like flying first class was the norm for them.

from the caviar that practically melted in your mouth to the expensive champagne, you savored everything on that plane.

the hotel that sparxie took her sweet time to decide was even better. there was a grandiose swan fountain in the front, and the floor of the lobby sparkled with each step you took.

once you got to your rooms, the first thing you did was take a shower. as much as you would have liked to sleep first, you couldn't stand the idea of not showering beforehand.

it was well worth it, however, since you passed out the moment you felt the plushness of the mattress and the warmth of the blanket.

the first words that came out of you the next morning were about how you had a headache, because you did. your head was absolutely throbbing, like somebody took a sledge hammer to the frontal lobe and whacked it like a whack-a-mole.

sparxie's loud chatter at eight in the morning did not help either. unfortunately, VCT's opening ceremony was at the crack of dawn.

"good morning lovelies! are we ready to kick ass?" she cheered.

"yes yes yes!" rappa was just as loud as she was, the two of them being the only morning people in the group.

on the other hand, jing yuan was dozing off, already sleeping standing up. silver wolf barely had time to do her iconic half-up half-down while blade genuinely looked like he was going to pummel the two loud mouths if they didn't be quiet.

you weren't any better, your eyebrows tense from your headache. you looked around the arena, scouting out a place where you could get some Tylenol.

you knew that if you stepped into the stage area with all of those bright lights, you were sure to explode.

you felt a tap on your shoulder, turning to around see blade.

"hm?" you looked at him.

"are you all right? you've been tense for quite a while." he looked back at you with a worried expression.

"oh, yes. sorry, i just have a bit of a headache," you laughed sheepishly. you didn't want to worry him unnecessarily, so you brushed your pounding head off.

instead of dismissing it, he reached into his sling bag for a pill bottle.

"here, some Advil," he urged until you took it, a small yet satisfied smile forming on his face when you took the medicine.

"thank you," you muttered. to be honest, you've been feeling more and more guilty ever since you boarded onto the plane.

for him to go out of his way and treat you so kindly, it made less and less sense. obviously, you were grateful, but a sense of unease bloomed in your chest.

regardless, you didn't have time to sort it out, as the rest of the group decided to get checked in early for their game.

the check-in process wasn't too disorganized. after all, Arcadia has competed at Champions multiple times in the past. now that you recall, they won Champions two years ago.

your inner ARC fan vowed to root for them wholeheartedly, carrying the sentiment even as you sat down next to a bunch of strangers. luckily, blade was able to get his hands on the last front row seat.

while you sat anxiously waiting for the match to begin, you took your time to observe both teams on the stage. from the looks of it, ARC was playing against ANG, better known as the Annihilation Gang. you've seen their gameplay a couple of times, although you weren't a diehard fan.

as you turned your attention towards the half where ARC was playing, you noticed how serious everybody looked. blade especially was focused on making sure his setup was pristine for the match, changing the mouse settings and adjusting his headphones.

however, the true star of the show was the custom keyboard. you felt a sort of pride in your chest as you watched him connect it to the PC.

your eyes traced from his mouse to his monitor all the way up to his face, where you took in the firm look on his face that he wore most days. his side profile was one of the first things you noticed about him, and it was what you noticed once more.

he has a nice face, you think to yourself. a really nice face. once blade set everything up, the first person his eyes searched for in the rows of seats was you.

once he found you, he gave you a wave. you waved back, feeling a warmth in your cheeks and chest. was he always this good looking?

unfortunately, you had to admire him later, since you could hear the commentator announce the match officially beginning.

naturally, ARC destroyed ANG 13-2. your previous anxiety dissipated with each win the team racked up, and you nearly lost your voice cheering for them.

once the teams parted, you immediately rushed back to your group of friends.

"you guys did amazing!" you beemed, your eyes practically sparkling from admiration.

"naturally, of course. we didn't win Champions before for nothing," silver wolf said haughtily. you laughed from how accurate that statement was. anyone could point out that she was the MVP of the team.

"did you enjoy watching us?" jing yuan asked, his lazy eyes contracting as he gave a natural smile.

"very much so, i was on the edge of my seat the whole time." you recalled, the anticipation you felt like no other.

the post-match conversation was flowing so smoothly with everyone pitching in about their favorite moments and best plays. that was, until a loud rumble interrupted everyone. just like when a somebody opens a bag of chips at school, everybody turned to the source of noise.

rappa.

she laughed sarcastically, looking anywhere but at the group. "i wonder who that could've been?"

"i guess this calls for lunch time. i'm a bit hungry as well," jing yuan chuckled, relieving the awkward moment instantly. you silently thanked him for that.

"oh thank goodness, i've been starving ever since we stepped off the stage," sparxie said as she made a B-line straight for the lunch area.

once everyone got their choice of Riot Meal Boxes, it was almost like a group of vultures took over. they absolutely ravaged their food, but it made sense. they've been staring at a screen and clicking at their keyboards and mice for almost 3 hours.

unfortunately, the lack of large party tables forced everyone to be squished together. each time you took a bite of your burger, your arm grazed against blade's.

after the fifth time, you turned to profusely apologize until you noticed the pink on his cheeks. was he running a fever?

once his eyes met yours, he looked away just as quickly.

"are you al-"

"yes." the bluntness of his tone drew everybody's attention, but they knew better than to press him. instead, they went back to eating.

you tried to as well, but you just couldn't help but look at him a little bit longer. you continued to chow down once you hit a dead end trying to figure out the reasoning behind his attitude.

fortunately for him, you didn't seem to notice the flush of his cheeks growing and his consistent glances towards you.

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[pwinkdelicacyy]

amphoreuzz

a/n: hi guys im eating pickles rn 🤤

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[pwinkdelicacyy]

jet lag

a/n: im fighting between writing condensed chapters and slow burning tf out of this fic

a couple of hours after your post announcing the custom keyboard for mmortenax, you immediately passed out on the couch. all your energy was drained the moment sunday walked out of the door, your eyelids heavy like weights.

you treated yourself to a generous 3 hours of sleep, only to be jolted awake by the sound of your phone ringing.

grumbling, you slammed your hand onto the table where your phone was buzzing, tilting it just enough to see the caller id.

it was blade. you couldn't have gotten up any quicker, the back of your head hitting the wall on accident.

"fuck.." you winced, rubbing the spot on your head that grew more sore by the minute. you clicked the bright green answer call button between mumbling, still half asleep.

"hello?"

"y/n?" you could hear the sound of wheels rolling in the background.

"it's almost four am blade. did you need something?"

"you know our flight is in a few hours, right?"

"you're a real joker blade," you yawned. he was wrong, obviously. you explicitly remember him telling you that you'd be boarding in the afternoon. you were already packed, so you had all the time in the world.

curiosity still got the best of you, as it always does, so you decided to check the ticket. your flight was at 7 am. holy shit, he was right.

"FUCK!" you yelped, sprinting off your couch so fast you tripped, the edge of the coffee table leaving a tiny cut on your forehead.

"are you alright?" he asked from the other side of the phone, concern laced in his tone.

"yeah, i'm alright. just a tiny cut." with efficient multitasking, you managed to pack the last of your essentials such as first day necessities and snacks while changing into your airport outfit at the same time. "okay, i'm all packed! we're all still meeting at the front of the airport, right?"

"mhm. do you need a ride?" he was already halfway through ordering an uber when you quickly rushed to decline him.

"oh, no! it's alright, i'll order it myself." he could hear the franticness in your voice to shut him down, perplexed. he has more money than he knows what to do with, so why didn't you just accept his offers? he figured you had your reasons regardless, so he didn't push.

"alright then." you could practically hear the shrug in his voice, smiling to yourself.

"i'll see you then!" you cheered, hanging up the call and quickly gathering your belongings. you locked up your apartment for the week you'd be gone, double checking to make sure it was shut tight.

once you confirmed that the chances of being robbed were significantly lower, you met your uber at the front of the complex. the ride to the airport gave you much time to introspect about everything that's been happening recently.

for starters, the rate of commissions per week has been increasing! more money was never a bad thing. matter of fact, you were delighted about it, since it meant you could start budgeting more money towards that girls trip to Amphoreus that you, stelle, and march planned for your senior trip.

just the thought of taking sunset pictures had you giddy with joy. your uber driver looked back at you like you were insane at the sound of your feet kicking, yikes. you definitely needed to break that bad habit.

speaking of money, you just couldn't help but feel guilty at the thought of someone dropping thousands of dollars to pay for your flight and hotel, someone you weren't particularly close to nonetheless.

the more that you thought about it, the more you realized that blade had zero obligation to treat you like this.

what reason could he possibly have for lavishing you with rich people amenities? was it extra payment for the keyboard? it couldn't have been that beautiful, since it was slightly rushed. you eliminated that option. was it out of guilt for being late that time at the cafe? that didn't make sense either. no sane person burns this much money all to repay a debt.

before you could come to a reasonable conclusion, the car came to a sudden stop in front of the Arcadian Sky Harbor.

"we're here," the man said bluntly, almost like he couldn't wait to get you out of his car. not wanting to get on his nerves anymore than before, you quickly left and closed the car door, taking your suitcases out yourself. you made sure to tip him, hoping that he'd be less of a stick in the mud with extra cash.

as you dragged your suitcases through the bumpy part of the pavement, you couldn't help but curse the architects of this airport.

whoever decided to hire the idiot builder who put tactile pavement right at the front door of the airport clearly had caelus' brain. once you got your luggage to the outside benches, you slouched back.

your eyes began to feel heavy again, drooping on their own. draping your hoodie over your head, you basked in the liberating feeling of closing your eyes. perhaps you shouldn't have let those three play mario kart until midnight, but that was a mistake of your own making.

just as you were about to doze off, you felt a burning cold against your temple.

"jeez!" you squeaked, flinching back until you hit the metal bars of the bench.

"what a klutz," a raspy voice said to you. you pried the hoodie away from your face, rubbing the sleep out of your eyelids. once you focused your vision, you realized that it was one of the people you were waiting on.

"blade?"

"that's me." he leaned in, holding a cold cup of espresso close to your face which was what probably woke you up in the first place. "here, you're tired, aren't you?"

"how considerate," you smiled, trying your best to ignore the thumping in your chest. you looked him up and down, unable to resist your observant tendencies. he looked so comfortable, you were almost jealous.

his sweater looked like it was made of those high-end cottons that cost an arm and a leg just for a pound of it. his sweatpants were no different, draping over his legs like a curtain.

you didn't even realize you were staring until he flicked your forehead.

"that hurt! what was that for?" you whined, the area already sore from cutting it earlier.

"come on, don't fall asleep here. you'll have plenty of time at the gate." you watched him handle both of your guys' suitcases and nearly stopped him, but his face stopped you in your tracks.

he had this particular look on his face, as if he was silently requesting you to let him do this. you swallowed, deciding to let him. you went ahead of him inside the airport, wanting to get away from that awkward situation as much as possible. luckily for blade, you missed the way his lips upturned just the slightest bit.

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[pwinkdelicacyy]

mario kart

a/n: hi guys! for the sake of plot, VCT Champions will be compressed in to one week instead of the month-long event it usually is

building a custom keyboard was nothing new. you've been through the motions hundreds of times, but you were buzzing with excitement. your hands just couldn't stop shaking as you lubed the switches, and you had to be extra careful not to put too much.

perhaps it was the thought of seeing your favorite streamer, punklordiann, play in person, or the joy of getting a free flight and hotel stay for VCT Champions.

regardless, you had to make sure to thank blade at some point. perhaps you'd discount him on any future commissions. yeah, that sounded like a good idea, but you couldn't work like this.

you decided to get up for some fresh air, going to the kitchen to make a hot cup of ginger tea, just a refreshing and healthy drink to put your mind back into productivite mode.

as you zoned out from the sound of the ginger being shredded in the blender, you were startled back into focus from the sound of your phone buzzing excessively.

sighing, you checked the notification from your lock screen.

a small smile graced your face. as much work as you had to do, you couldn't lie and say that it wouldn't be nice to see your friends again.

the ring of the doorbell hummed through the apartment shortly after your ginger finished blending. perfect timing! you quickly poured a mix of hot water and blended ginger into a mug before rushing to answer the door. the moment the lock clicked open, you were greeted by a warm hug.

"Y/N!" march squealed, her arms embracing you like she hadn't seen you in years, which was ironic because she was literally sprawled up on your couch yesterday.

"hi march," you laughed, your arms wrapping around her too.

"mario kart, mario kart!" you heard the twins cheer as they skipped into your living room. they threw themselves on the couch like they were at home, which they were. as much as you liked your alone time, hosting your friends was always fun, and you guys always had an enjoyable experience.

the last two to come in were dan heng and sunday, with snacks and drinks respectively.

while dan heng was busy getting the other three to calm down and not create another noise complaint, you helped sunday bring all of the snacks in.

"oh my gosh, how much did you guys even bring?" you said in disbelief. there were snacks upon snacks upon snacks. you couldn't even count on both of your hands the variety of candy and chip brands they brought in. there probably wasn't enough space in your fridge for all the drinks as well.

"apologies," he laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. "the twins were hauling food into my trunk, and you know them. nothing can stop them once they start."

"sounds about right." you knew that all too well. you recall a time when all of you were having a sleepover at march's place, except the twins had the bright idea to bring an entire rainbow of colored markers and draw all over dan heng's face. needless to say, he was not pleased, especially when he overslept and rushed into a lecture with that mess of artistic ability on his face.

you helped stelle boot up mario kart on your TV while march was getting cozied up onto the couch, tucked underneath your throw bubble blanket.

"how many of us are playing?" you called out behind you, watching as stelle, caelus, and march rose their hands, restless in excitement. you counted mentally how many switches you'd need, grabbing your two spares that weren't connected to the dock.

sunday perked up. "you're not playing, y/n?"

"oh no, i have comms to work on."

"then.. could i play in your stead?" he asked, almost like a child nervously asking their parent for a favor.

"of course! i'll be right back."

you quickly went back into your bedroom, grabbing enough supplies for the keyboard so that it wouldn't take up space at the living room table. when you got back, a small cushion was already placed at the table for you.

you looked around. everyone was preoccupied with mario kart besides one person, dan heng. looks like he chose to sit out this time.

he looked at you, and you looked at him. you pointed to the cushion, wordlessly asking if it was him. he simply nodded, and you smiled. he went back to burying himself in a book he was reading, something for his classes from the look of the front cover.

meanwhile, you got yourself situated with the incomplete keyboard and all of your tools: lube, switches, the base, and everything else you would need.

you finished lubing the switches you had done halfway before march texted you, setting those aside as you assembled the stabilizers. once those were placed onto the pcb, you started debating between two mods. would tape or foam be better?

you decided to shoot blade a text to see if he had any specific preference.

nobody was oblivious to the smile that emerged on your face. clearly, you were though, since you didn't notice march peering over your shoulder. the moment her hair grazed your cheek, you flinched, nearly tossing your phone into the air.

"jesus!" you yelped, turning to see her smug smile and eyebrows wiggling up and down. you clutched your phone to your chest, looking at her suspiciously.

"who was that?" she inquired with this knowing look on her face.

"nobody.." you muttered, about to get back to building blade's keyboard.

"oh come on!" march whined, practically throwing herself onto you. she begged and begged to know just who was making you so happy. everyone else was just as curious, echoing her requests.

"y/n, we can't play because we're so curious. just tell us!" caelus pleaded.

once you were able to get march off of you, you sighed. "okay fine."

everyone perked up.

"it was just blade. he was asking me where i wanted to sit on the flight." you explained, confused at their perplexed expressions.

"you're going on a flight? to where?" sunday asked, raising an eyebrow.

"oh, did i not tell you guys that?" he shook his head along with everyone else.

"i'm going to Penacony to see the VCT Champions." you said, dropping this absolute bomb like it was the weather report.

"WHAT?" stelle and march both screamed so loudly your eardrums could've burst. you covered your ears, wincing.

"sorry," they quickly apologized afterwards in a hushed voice.

"yea, and blade was just asking me about flight details." you said. they all hummed in understanding.

"so you'll be gone for what, a week?" dan heng asked, likely for clarification. you nodded.

"okay anyways, i have to get back to work. don't distract me!" you instructed stelle, march, and caelus, knowing they'd likely bother you if they weren't occupied with mario kart.

the three sighed, going back to their game looking like kicked puppies. they wanted more details, but they knew not to bother you when you were working.

by midnight, you had everyone out of your apartment and blade's keyboard finished. surprisingly, you were only bothered a total of two times before dan heng reigned them in.

sunday stayed afterwards to help you clean since everyone else was beat from a sugar crash. how sweet of him!

after he left too, you took a glance at the finished keyboard. it was beautiful, to say the least. you've worked on numerous keyboards before, but you liked this one in particular.

you couldn't wait to show blade it tomorrow.

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[pwinkdelicacyy]

vacay!

a/n: do u guys ever get writing fever so bad to the point where u write like 3 chapters in a day, even tho u know u should probably pace urself 😭

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TAG LIST: closed ! @itscloudychris @4dadesperate @officialkatzline @honeybunbunn @lunavixia @kaz-unidentified @socyx @evanesciacantascendia @kaoiyeva @lillieslonggone @violetisreadinghush @lavenderdropp @julie0444 @sparxiclelololol @arluene7688 @chxnnieee @bladieswifey @elatedfool @maggiforlifesstuff @silveritydreams @na-naami @kumiluvvsu @pavo-ocellvs @duckydee-0 @akiyodesu @lyra-angel-81194 @aurxvyn @its-astrotea-love @afro-hispwriter @kik1k0 @tamashithe2nd @kirilunaxxxluvr