seeing ilya in his cottage for the first time must have felt surreal for shane. there's that moment after shane's let them both into the cottage, and ilya has wandered further inside, exploring, while shane was taking his shoes off and putting ilya's bags down, and ilya turns to look at shane and i know shane's stomach drops right out of his body. ilya — rozanov, 81, his public rival of nine years, his private lover for the same nine, his something more for these last few precious months — standing there in his all black airport outfit framed by the warm browns, greens, blues of the wood and leaves and water in shane's favourite place in the world. which has become perfect, complete, now his favourite person is in it too
what better role than that of the young new professor everyone is fussing over?
he carries himself like someone well beyond his years and speaks as if he’s walked the earth for a millennia. his knowledge is extensive and doesn’t just revolve around the subject he teaches, history. he is well-versed in ancient literature, poetry, and is fluent in several languages. it’s no wonder everyone is dying to meet him and have a profound conversation with him.
even you find him intriguing and can’t help but gravitate towards him when you’re both in the breakroom, but you’re determined to find the one thing you know better than him. so far you’ve failed in brewing a better cup of tea than him, knowing how to bind a book (even making the pages from scratch), knowing calligraphy, and picking a lock faster (why does he even need that skill? you’re sure anyone would let him into their home even on a first meeting, probably even give him the codes to all their safes)
tags + notes: professor!zhongli x professor!reader, rivals (one-sided) to lovers, lots of long-winded explanations and awkward encounters in the breakroom
ii. childe
surprisingly he’s the insufferable TA that zhongli handpicked himself. how he thought that guy was the best option when there’s obviously thoma that everyone loves is beyond you. but you have to admit he has a way with words, which is probably why the professor picked him. he could get anyone interested in just about any subject, even a “boring” one like history. and that’s not just a personal opinion either, many students have admitted that the only reason they decided to take the class was because he convinced them.
however, there’s also this weird aura about him. it feels intimidating for some reason, but you can’t quite put your finger on why... and some of your classmates have mentioned being afraid of missing an assignment cause of him. but he seems like a cool guy from your experience, just a little annoying if anything
tags + notes: ta!childe x student!reader, popular x reserved, golden retriever energy x cat energy, endless amount of bickering, childe is always messing with the reader and trying to distract them (all in hopes of getting them to ask him for help after class)
iii. diluc
the first time you saw the redhead wasn’t in class, even though a couple of days later you realized he sat right behind you. in your defense, it’s not like you’re looking behind you during class, but you figure you would have seen him walk into class at least once before. but no, you first saw him at the local bar, he was standing behind the counter with his hair up in a high ponytail. if you were being completely honest, that’s probably why you noticed him there and not in class. in class he wears it in a low and lose ponytail. it doesn’t compliment him at all, but who were you to judge his morning routine.
he’s also a completely different person when he’s not at the bar. in class he’s so serious and keeps to himself, another reason why you probably never noticed him. even at the bar he’s somewhat serious, but at least he offers more than a dry “good morning” there. you’ve even gotten a smile
tags + notes: grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity (they have to work on project together which means meeting up a lot and possibly going to each other’s places), slow burn
iv. kazuha
you’d heard word of that cute boy that performed with his band at the local bar and had caught a glimpse of him once or twice there when visiting your friend diluc. but you never imagined he was the boy you stared at in class, and not cause you thought he was cute or anything you did, it’s just that you always saw him staring out the window, like he longed to be a bird so he could ride the wind and travel to some far off land. other times you’d catch him flipping through a notebook quickly jotting something down, probably lyrics now that you thought about it, and you found it intriguing.
now that you knew he was in a band maybe you could approach him and ask him about it, he seemed friendly enough
tags + notes: band member!kazuha x admirer!reader, reader falls first but kazuha falls harder, he doesn’t realize that all this time he’s been slowly falling for the reader until it hits him like a train and he can’t hide it any longer
v. thoma
thoma is the perfect student. every professor is always speaking highly of him and using him as an example for those that comes after. and yet it’s hard to hate or envy, someone who is willing to let you borrow his notes. in fact, he offers them to you when he notices you’re struggling with a topic. they’re so neat too, color coded and everything. never in your life had notes made more sense to you than the actual professor.
if you weren’t aware of his culinary arts major, you’d have assumed he was studying to be a professor of some kind. helping others came so naturally to him, but so did cooking. there had been plenty of time when he’d brought snacks for the class just cause he felt like it and they were delicious. no wonder the professors loved him, he motivated the class for them
tags + notes: friends to lovers, cuteness overload that’s pretty much it, just lots and lots of fluff
vi. xiao
if it wasn’t because he is literally the quietest person you’ve ever met, you probably would have never noticed xiao in his corner. at first you thought it was because he hated being around people, one of those extremely anti-social people, but you’ve come to realize he is just shy. not the type to fumble over his words, just not the type to initiate a conversation. once you get him talking he’s alright though. still a little awkward with his one word replies, but he’s not a bad guy.
it took you a while to get him to warm up to you, but now it’s like you took in an injured puppy. he even stopped sitting at the very back corner and now comes to sit next to you. the others took it as a free invitation to start talking to him, but he just gives them polite nods and glances their way occasionally. you wonder if it’s because it takes him a while to trust other people
tags + notes: mututal pining, special treatment (you’re the only one that gets to see the talkative side of him and vulnerable), angst (because he’d still have a sad backstory in this au), but it would eventually have lots of fluff
vii. itto
he’s the completely opposite of xiao. while xiao stand outs because he’s so quiet and mysterious, itto stands out cause it’s impossible for him not to. no ones needs to ask him what he’s doing for the day cause everyone can hear him talking about it in the halls. it’s actually surprising just how loud he can be, but that’s the best part of him. he isn’t afraid of putting himself out there. he’s also an overall great guy, whenever he spots someone being left out he’ll include them in the conversation. he does the same for his football games too, invites everyone and gets them cheering even if they don’t care for the sport and makes friends with the opposing team. there have been plenty of time when both teams go out to eat together after the game because of him, regardless of who won or lost.
but his one fault is that he’s not exactly the brightest. everyone loves him, but the professors can only let him off the hook so many times before his grades start suffering...
tags + notes: jock!itto x nerd!reader/tutor!reader, cute moments where the reader patches itto up after a game, that “oh” moment from the reader as they watch itto running on the field, and the “oh” moment from itto as he watches the reader cheer from the stands feeling like he can run on forever
Kuroo comforts you after catching you having a teary moment.
c/w: haikyuu, female reader, fluff, comfort.
a/n: technically part 3 of care(1)(2), but can be read alone. i hope you like! ♡︎
“.. __?”
You whipped your head round at the call of your name, wiping your eyes furiously as you plastered a cheerful smile on your face. Dammit. You were sure all the boys had gone home, and you’d felt overwhelmed all day, so you’d taken the chance to have a little cry in the store room before you locked up the gym to set off home.
It wasn’t a big deal, you thought, because everybody needed a cry every once in a while and you’d been pretty quiet so you were just getting it out of your system, that’s all. Moving was a big deal and it was only normal to feel slightly wobbly all the time.
Leaving Hyōgo had been hard, but you were quite successful in occupying your time so your sadness was limited to 5 minute slots between other commitments during the day or at bedtime. You thought it was best to keep yourself busy, because it was much better feeling slightly stressed all the time than thinking about Atsumu.
He was an idiot and your heart hurt but you also missed him. He was one of your best friends and you’d walked away from him without so much as a goodbye. You didn’t have time to consider whether it was the right choice - you had new places to see, people to befriend, assignments to catch up on.
A new volleyball team, full of rowdy teenage boys that needed wrangling because they liked to tease you and felt especially comfortable doing so, considering your relation to their setter and therefore acquaintanceship with their captain Tetsurō before you took up the mantle of managing their team. Yamamoto had been beside himself with glee when Tetsu introduced you, eyes sparkling as he cheerfully announced they could finally compete with Karasuno and their angel manager, whatever that meant. You’d developed a comfortable acquaintanceship with Kai and Yaku, both of whom were very kind and appreciative when you would look after them. Yamamoto and Inouka had taken to proposing on a regular basis, much to your chagrin. Lev made fun of you for being small, like it was abnormal to be small next to his gargantuan frame. You spent the most time with Fukunaga - who very much enjoyed how much you cackled at his jokes - and Kozume, your cousin, whom you’d grown far closer to than you ever anticipated after discovering a mutual competitiveness and interest in gaming. Your classes actually felt a little easier, you’d befriended a couple of girls who happened to manage other sports teams for Nekoma, and where you lived was nicer than before, if a little smaller. Life really was great. You had every reason to be happy.
“Can I hug you?” Tetsu said after a moment, his ever analytical gaze quickly clocking onto the red tinge on your eyes and cheeks and the damp patches on your sleeve cuffs.
His question confused you. Your first thought was that nobody had actually physically touched you since Atsumu. The thought of being touched sent an odd unnerving shiver down your spine, a hint of anxiety forming at the thought of your bubble being invaded by an outsider. Secondly, was it usual for somebody to ask for permission before a hug? You were quite picky with whom you shared hugs with, and didn’t always enjoy them, but you had been hugged and jostled around at other people’s leisure for a long time. And finally, did you want a hug? You realised within a moment that actually yes, a hug would be quite nice and probably a great remedy for your current heartbreak; this lead to thinking whether you wanted to hug Tetsurô specifically, and you began considering whether he would give good hugs (more than likely yes), or if you just wanted a comfort hug from literally anyone at this point. Everybody knew that when you’re sad, if someone gives you a hug or asks if you’re okay, that’s the global signal for your emotions to break. Did you want to crumble into a teary mess?
“Nothing weird. I can hear your brain spinning from here,” he clarified, raising his hands to show he meant no harm. “You just look sad, and I thought a hug might help.”
“Yeah, I do feel sad,” you said after a few moments. For some reason, Tetsu’s words set off the waterworks again, and tears streamed silently down your face as you avoided looking the taller boy fully in the eye. Your final concern of holding yourself together in the face of a hug was for nought; it seemed the barest of kindness was enough to coax you into meltdown. It made your next statement much easier to say, because you had nothing to lose anyway. “.. Maybe a hug would help.”
One large stride by him and you found yourself buried in his chest, his arms wrapped tightly around you. Your arms instinctively returned the hug, clinging tightly around his waist as your first sob escaped, and all of your pent up emotions crashed through the mediocre dam you’d built to keep it at bay as Tetsu listened quietly, stroking your hair the whole time.
“If I was a meaner person, I’d tell you to wash this shirt for me,” Tetsu smirked, ruffling your hair as he handed you an Potari Sweat and ice lolly. He took the coins you were offering in your hand, nodding his head in thanks before placing them back into the front pocket of your bag. “My treat.”
“Give it to me then,” you said back, truly feeling bad about leaving mascara and wet patches all over his white t-shirt. You tugged at his shirt to insist on your point. “Thank you for this.”
He rolled his eyes, tapping your forehead gently in admonishment as he sat himself down next to you on the bench outside the store that you’d waited at, just to have a moment to yourself. Both of you dug into your snacks quietly.
It was getting dark. The two of you had eventually locked up the gym and wandered to the closest convenience store to grab a snack; an hour of sobbing was enough to exhaust anyone and Tetsu was insistent that you rehydrate after crying enough to flood the Pacific.
It was surprising. You felt embarrassed, having broken down like that in front of him with absolutely no warning, roping the poor boy into your emotions that, for God’s sake, was mostly about your ex. Yet, for some reason, you didn’t feel bad. You didn’t feel uncomfortable or even dislike it when he teased you, even when you felt so awful, and you didn’t feel the need to fill the silence when you were by his side, even though you could and you knew he would listen. It didn’t matter that your makeup was half gone, that your face was swollen and red and that Tetsu had learned how efficiently your body produced snot through your use of all of his tissues. Even though you didn’t feel good, you did feel lighter. Was that because of Tetsu? He’d listened to you in silence as you recounted between sobs the main bulletpoints of who Atsumu was, why you left the way you did, why it made you so sad. Tetsu had nodded at the right parts. Most importantly, he rubbed soothing circles with his big hands on your back the whole time you’d been in a state - any other time and that would’ve sent you into a state of a different kind. He then topped it all off by feeding you and promising to make sure you got home safely. Kuroo Tetsuro did all the right things, and your heart stuttered as your body relaxed and you closed your eyes. A deep, quiet breath later, you rested your head on his shoulder.
You heard a, “I’m going to put my arm around you,” before you were shifted slightly so his arm was around you, both leaning back on the bench.
“This Atsumu sounds like an idiot,” Tetsu started after a while. Both of you had taken to looking at the sun slowly creeping down below the buildings, simply enjoying the other’s company. “Once the team has confirmation you’re single, there may very well be a bloodbath. I’m being serious!” He gently pushed you off his shoulder when you rolled your eyes and snorted at him, turning to look you straight in the face as he continued. “What’s so funny? You’re smart, funny, you love volleyball, you smell good, you always look after everyone and you’re stunning on top of it all. Why would there not be a bloodbath?”
“.. I smell good?” Your ears were tingling and you were sure you were blushing harder than you ever had in your life. You couldn’t remember the last time you’d been complimented so directly, let alone with so many nice things, and Tetsu said it in a way that sounded so completely obvious that you found yourself unable to doubt his sincerity.
“Huh?” he snorted. “That’s what you picked up on?”
“Sorry. I don’t know what to say or do.” You, in a contradictory moment of shyness and boldness, hid your face in his shoulder as your cheeks continued to burn. You tried to ignore the stutter in your heartbeat as he squished you tighter against him.
“Okay. Well, I’m going to shoot my shot before everyone else does, so let’s go watch a movie this weekend.”
Oh. What? You were sure that your ears were decieving you, because who in their right mind would ask you out whilst you were in this state? You wanted to question his sanity, opening your mouth to do so, but what came out was very different. “What makes you think I want to watch a movie with you?” Internally, you facepalmed. That wasn’t even remotely close to what you meant, but your instinct to tease him took over whilst craftily buying time to gather your thoughts.
“Well, I don’t want to be too cocky, but I’ve seen the way you look at me when I wear shorts. I don’t think you could resist this booty.” He couldn’t hold back his laugh as you yelped in shock, arm flying out to slap him upside the head. He grabbed your hand in return, planting a kiss on your knuckle in an effort to soothe (but giving you a heart attack instead). You were reminded that stupid boys were stupid as you wished desperately to crawl under a rock, because you knew he wasn’t wrong and that you found his backside positively delicious to admire - not that you would ever, ever admit it.
“Enjoying the merchandise is not the same as having an uncontrollable thirst,” you sniped defensively, crossing your arms as you pouted. “But I’ll watch a movie with you. My place is free this weekend.”
“Perfect.” His smile was beaming as he untangled your arms, taking your hands in his and placing another kiss on your knuckles. “I look forward to the opportunity of wooing milady.”
You wanted to stay grumpy with him. You wanted to pout, because who was he to move your arms about as he pleased? How rude of him, making you so flustered, because he absolutely was doing it on purpose. Your body was betraying you as your heart continued to flutter gently at his attentions. You found yourslef returning a smile as you enjoyed the joy radiating from him at your agreement to spend time with him. Was it worth addressing the seed of doubt you had about everything now, when he was being so kind and understanidng about everything? Would he continue being so comforting and soothing, even if you were voicing your insecurities? You were hesitant to speak as the nasty side of your brain tried to convince you that Tetsu would stop being so lovely if you burdened him with more negativity, considering that you’d presented a front of confidence and calm in front of him until today.
But, when you moved to Tokyo, you resolved to doing new things and starting afresh. Everything he was making you feel felt new, and exciting, and you decided that you would just ask him what was on your mind now, and if he had the wrong reaction then you could simply cut bait. Your experience was telling you that he wouldn’t want to hear it, but your gut was telling you he would. The rational side of your brain knew there was no reason to not trust him so far, but the instinct to keep things close to the chest ran deep. More importantly, you were scared that, with how you were feeling, that he would eventually resent you whilst you struggle to move forward. You didn’t want to be unfair to him, because as good as he was making you feel now, you hadn’t ever considered a relationship with Tetsu until today, and the thought brought up a lot of feelings. “Are you sure you want to woo someone you’ve just watched crying about their ex?”
“I’m a patient man,” he responded cheerfully, taking your hand in his as he grinned at you. “Seeing you happy is worth the effort.”
You didn’t have anything to say, choosing to squeeze his hand instead as you turned a flaming shade of tomato red. You stared at the floor, brain churning as you considered the new feeling of warmth blossoming in your chest. With Atsumu, he really had given you butterflies like in the romance novels, and when you’d lost that, you couldn’t help wondering whether that was the start of the end for you both. With Tetsu, you didn’t have butterflies - instead, it felt like you were floating, a soothing calm that filled you to your fingertips as comfort filled you to the core. It felt different.
you had no clue about what was about going to go down. taishiro suggested you go out and eat after his patrol like any other night, so you had nothing to suspect.
if you had then maybe you would have noticed the man’s smile was wider than ever and he had actually changed out of his hero suit. he usually kept his suit on, but you paid it no mind.
the walk to the restaurant was filled with the usual chitchat about work and current news. it was comfortable and nice, though there was some nervous laughter thrown in there as well.
the restaurant should have been a big clue. it was reservations only, but like any other small clue, you ignored it because it wasn’t the first time he’d taken you out to such a nice place.
it wasn’t until you were seated that you began to see just how restless he was. for someone who is always so chipper and loves chatting with others, he kept fumbling his words with the waiters. it was as if he was nervous, but you couldn’t figure out why.
“hey, taishiro, are you okay?”
“hm? oh yes of course! why wouldn’t i be?”
“i don’t know... you don’t seem yourself since we got here.”
“really?”
you just nodded
“oh well, it’s not every day we’re at a place like this right? gotta make sure i know the etiquette.”
you weren’t convinced by his response, but you didn’t have any reason not to believe him either, so you let it go with a shrug.
but not a minute later he slumped in his chair
“i ruined the surprise, didn’t i?” he sounded so dejected. “i wanted the proposal to be perfect, but i obviously don’t know how to keep a secret-”
“wait... what?”
“oh great”
what followed was a series of apologies and rushed food placed in front of you. one of the dishes had a cute wooden box in the middle and despite already knowing what was hidden inside, your heart skipped a beat.
“you already know what it is, but i’m still going to go through with my plan?”
after reaching for the small box he took a beautiful ring and held it up towards you.
“would you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?”
there were people with their phones out recording you, but you didn’t care, or even realize, the only person you could see was taishiro. of course you wanted to make him happy, nothing would make you happier.
Hello! Could I get some Slyvain romantic headcanons?
Hey, of course you can! I’ve kinda written these to describe what dating Sylvain/being his s/o would be like. I hope you enjoy them!
Dating Sylvain Headcanons
Sylvain has a natural knack for romance, and pretty much everybody knows it. It’s a skill he’s honed all his life, really.
He’s made it known that he has a romantic interest right away – but then again, he’s also known to show interest in anybody.
It meant that he had to put in a lot more effort to show you he was serious about the relationship with you.
He made it an effort to cut down on the flirting (which proved itself rather difficult in the beginning, but by the goddess, if he wasn’t trying for you!), and focused pretty much all of his romantic advances on you instead.
Trust me when I say it could become a little overwhelming at first.
He wants to show you off to everybody, holding your hand in public, an arm around your waist, a kiss or even a makeout session between classes… If you let him, he’ll pamper you with so much PDA that you’re worried people are going to judge you. (Not that he’d care about their opinions.)
If that amount of PDA made you uncomfortable, he’d tone it down to a level you’re comfortable with – and if that means no PDA at all, he’ll try very had to keep it at bay.
Sylvain is a very touchy person, even absentmindedly. You can often find him drawing patterns on your skin with his fingertips or playing with your hair. And once he starts doing these things without noticing it, you know he’s being serious with you – it’s a certain amount of vulnerability he’s beginning to show you.
He’ll want everybody to know that you’re together because he can’t quite believe that someone as wonderful as you would want to be with him; but hell, he’d have to be a total idiot if he’d let you go.
Though he’s good with words, Sylvain’s love language is touch, with quality time being a close second.
In private, even if you’re not doing anything except doing the reading for tomorrow’s classes, he’ll want to be touching you in some way. Be it you sitting on his lap as you read, resting your head against his shoulder or resting your feet in his lap. These are the type of moments he’ll treasure above all.
Do expect to get love notes a lot, though. Sure, he’ll tell you that he adores you a lot, accompanied by various genuine compliments, but he will set aside time to write down his emotions for you – regularly. He’d hide them for you so you would find them when you least expect it: some of them may be hidden in your books, some of them beneath your pillow, some of them secretly placed in your bag during class.
Another thing you’ll have to be aware of is that he’d like to take you out on dates rather frequently. As often as possible. Both of you tend to be quite busy, with classes, studying and the monthly missions – don’t even get me started on once the war begins.
To sum it up, Sylvain will do anything in his power to ensure that you feel loved by him -- there’s no distance too far for him when it comes to you.
your fingers gently trace across eros!mingyu’s face, dancing against his skin in the darkness. he presses gentle kisses into your neck and you sigh softly, your hands grazing his wings.
he knows he’s wholeheartedly in love with you, but how can you love a man you’ve never seen?
