ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ: You're a world-renowned singer, and shortly after the end of your world tour, your documentary is being released. The final episode is dedicated to a very special person: your F1 world champion boyfriend, Max Verstappen.
ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢ: Fully fluff. Using Y/N word. Age gap (4). Some enthusiastic fans. Maybe a little bit of parasociality.
ɴᴏᴛᴇꜱ: Inspired by Taylor Swift and her documentary The End of Era. Taylor Swift's face and albums were used in the Y/N character. The release dates of some albums were changed due to the storyline.
ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ: 13k
ᴍᴀꜱᴛᴇʀʟɪꜱᴛ
yourename.offical
♥️2.5M 💬3.856 🔄80.4K
Liked by alexandramalenaleclerc,maxverstappen1,ynnation and others.
yourename.offical: And finally, we've come to the end of all the good things. The End of an Era: Behind The Scenes airs its final episode this Saturday at 5 PM. I can't wait to share one last memory of this unique tour with you all. My endless thanks to everyone who shared this amazing adventure with me. Love, Y/n.
disneyplus: Who's curious about the guest and story in this episode? 👀🍿🍿 #finalepisode
↳ user3: spill the teaa!!!!
↳ user4: wtf does this mean now?
↳ user5: *me trying not to give my friend spoilers from a movie I've already seen*
loveryn: i can't believe we've reached the end.it feels like just yesterday we crashed the website trying to get tickets🥹😭😭
↳ user1: good old days🥹
↳ user99: i remember it all too well...
wildestdreams: IM NOT READYYYYYY!!!!
user66: can someone tell me if there are any pirate sites I can watch free?
↳ gracie: can't you even get a subscription for your favorite artist?
↳ user66: im poor
simplycutie: stay up all night with the hope see Max (prob his name won't even be mentioned)
↳ lena1633: fr
↳ stroll44: thats literally me XD
↳ josh81: wtf this nickname dude
verstappenupdates: I think this episode will be about Max.
↳ maxie33: you've already made the same comment on every single post about the previous 9 episodes, just accept it girl,it wont happen.
↳ verstappenupdates: no
↳ mustbewater : this waiting, this hope, feels familiar to me from somewhere.
↳ leclercmleux : the only difference is that her expectation is more likely to come true.
↳ mustbewater : HOW DARE YOU!!!!!!
↳ user10: I'm sorry, but I don't think that's likely. She never mentions Max.
↳ user11: They've been together for years and never talk about each other. Don't wait in vain.
elina3381: Am I the only one who finds it strange that Max isn't mentioned even for a single second in the entire documentary?
↳ samantha: This is her job, her documentary. Just because you're a fan of Max, stop acting like everything is must be about him.
↳ elina3381: It's not like I was trying to make everything about him or anything. The first five episodes were entirely about the making of the tour, the next two were about the fans, one about her family and friends, and another about the guest singers who participated in the tour, and I just noticed that she didn't say a single word about her boyfriend of six years during all of that time.
↳ user7: fr....as a Y/N fan, i would have expected Max to be mentioned, especially when he won the championship, didn't attend the celebrations, and flew non-stop for 14 hours to join the final concert of the tour. Just to see her.
↳ user8: They never talk about each other, nor do they appear in each other's documentaries. The decisions these two people make within their relationship don't concern us.
maxverstappen1: 🎬
↳ yourename.offical: 💋
↳ reputation: EXCUSE ME!!!!??!!!
↳ verstappenupdates: OMG ITS HAPPENNINGGGGGGG AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!
↳ user42: let's goooo!!!!
↳ folklore:EVERYONE STAY CALM!!! TAKE YOUR SEATS!!!
↳ bananaleclerc: SOMEONE BRING ME MY ASTHMA MEDICATION !!!!!
*comments on this post have been limited*
The End of an Era: Behind The Scenes
"Episode 10: Rising Together"
On the screen, the stage in the middle of the stadium appears.
Lights, camera, sound ready.
You and your team are ready to go on stage one last time. You walk towards the platform to go on stage.
''I've waited so long for this tour. I've been longing for and dreaming about this for years.''
The lights come on, the music begins.
"On the first day of the tour, I thought about how the next two years would go, what kind of memories I would leave behind when I went on stage for the last time, would time pass quickly, I was afraid that when I looked back, I wouldn't be able to enjoy what I had experienced because of the tension of all this time."
The platform is rising.
"That didn't happen."
You're on stage. You start singing.
"During the tour, I had the opportunity to meet new fans, they were all wonderful, I discovered new countries and cities where we spoke different languages but shared the same feelings."
Your eyes wander around the crowd.
"I'm grateful to my fellow singers who accompanied me during this period and added color to my concerts, and to my family and friends whose support I always felt."
As the first song ends, your eyes fall on someone in the crowd.
Someone quite familiar.
There he is.
He shouldn't be.
He should be in Abu Dhabi. Just 16 hours ago, he won his 5th championship. The competition you couldn't go to, but watched him practice backstage. He should be celebrating. But he's here. He should be at the celebration, but he's standing among the audience in his white t-shirt and damn jeans.
You make eye contact.
He smiles.
You can't help but giggle at the end of the song. Your laughter echoes through the stadium.
"And I am grateful to my fiancé Max, who has blessed every moment of my life with his support and love."
"We met in 2016, at a mutual friend's wedding."
📽️ "Sounds pretty romantic."
"Actually, it wasn't." You laugh.
"After all those bridesmaid duties, I went to the table with the appetizers and all I wanted was to fill my stomach. And then he suddenly appeared next to me."
The memories comes back to you. Your cheeks are full because you've stuffed the appetizer plate into your mouth all at once, and you make eye contact with Max, the half-drunk teenager.
"I needed to rest and i guess he needed a little more gin-tonic, and we started making small talk."
📽️ "Did you know each other beforehand?"
"No, I knew who he was, but I'd never watched Formula 1, so he was just one of the guests at the wedding to me. A sweet one." You smile flirtatiously.
📽️ "Should I understand from that that you hit it off immediately?"
"We could say that. Suddenly, it felt like we'd known each other for years. Even though I'm not the type to warm up to people easily, it was so easy to talk to him. I even forgot we were at a wedding. It felt like it was just the two of us there for hours."
📽️ "Did your relationship start then?"
"No." You immediately object.
"We talked about our hobbies, interests, and future career plans. He was really sweet, but he had just started his career and needed to focus on it, while I hadn't been able to achieve the success I wanted. At that moment, I was sure that a long-distance relationship wasn't a priority for either of us."
📽️ "You're talking as if you've had a conversation about this before, am I wrong?"
"You're not wrong." You involuntarily adopt a more assertive and defensive stance. This was a defense mechanism developed over the years.
"That night he told me i was the love of his life."
📽️ "That's so romantic!!"
"I was about to go crazy, he was only 19."
📽️ "So you told her she was the love of your life."
"I couldn't help myself, and I didn't want to."
📽️ "But how did you become so sure? That she was the love of your life?"
"Well..." he grins mischievously.
"I'd seen her before, in a friend's instagram post. I wasn't really a music listener, I just saw her, it seemed like a casual get-together with friends, not like a pop star, and I guess I was captivated. Because it was her. It was a really weird thing, I found myself scrolling through her posts, all night."
📽️ "Oh, you were stalking her!"
"No, actually—" he does a Maxplaining, one finger in the air. "I was respectfully adoring her, there's a difference."
📽️ "So this wedding was an opportunity for you."
"Absolutely! Trying to catch her alone was pure torture, but it went much better than I expected, more or less."
📽️ "She said she went crazy."
"Yeah, she panicked a little." You were absolutely crazy. "She said I was rushing things and was too naive."
'I'm four years older than you, oh my god Max, I'm going to jail.'
'You're too young, I feel like I'm taking advantage of you.'
'Long-distance relationships don't work, especially when both partners are famous and workaholics.'
📽️ "You must have been hurt."
"Yes and no. She was quite honest, and looking back, her concerns were realistic. I was a little disappointed at the time, but I understand her reasons."
📽️ "So you mean it wouldn't have been better if your relationship had started back then?"
"I don't think it would have been as healthy," he admits. "We were both young and made silly mistakes until we found each other again."
📽️ "You announced your relationship in 2020, haven't you seen each other since then?"
"I never lost touch with her. Social media allowed us to become familiar with each other's lives, and we would go on vacations with mutual friends from time to time, where we would have the opportunity to see each other. Even if it was only once a year."
📽️ "Were you expecting something to happen during that time?"
"Maybe." He grins. "She told me that the world is small now and that if we were the right person for each other, life would eventually bring us together, and I waited."
📽️ "Apparently, life brought you together."
"Yes." You smile wryly. "Did it cruelly, but I'm still happy with the outcome."
📽️ "Was moving to Monaco his idea?"
"No, he didn't even know I was moving. 2019...it was quite painful. The false accusations about my relationship that ended then, some slander, and those people I thought were my lifelong friends but who left without looking back at the slightest problem, all messed up my psychology. And I struggled to handle the fame that came after my last album while all this was happening. I needed a fresh start."
📽️ "Why Monaco?"
"The privacy, the lack of journalists, and since everyone living here is a well-known person, people don't pay much attention to you. All I needed was peace. I saw what happened to me as a litmus test to distinguish the people in my life who weren't good for me, so I packed my bags and left America."
📽️ "Did your relationship start after that?"
"Yes. I needed his company, so I called to ask if he knew of a good coffee shop in Monaco. He was there 15 minutes later. He didn't ask anything, he said he hadn't read anything online and that he knew he could only trust my word if he wanted to learn anything. I felt safer and more comfortable with him than I had ever felt before. I always had. And I was no longer afraid of people's pressure. That changed things between us."
📽️ "You're both quite big names and very passionate about your careers, how did you both manage to do it so successfully?"
"Open communication, just the two of you in the relationship, and a little effort, I guess that's a pretty good trio."
📽️ "Can you elaborate a bit?"
"Of course. First of all, we were both honest about our expectations and that we wouldn't give up on our careers no matter what. And we kept our relationship private from the beginning. The less noise and opinions there were, the stronger our steps were. And of course, we worked hard for each other. When I moved in with him, we needed a bigger house, so we turned the room next to his simulation room into a studio for me. That way I didn't have to fly to America every chance I got to record, and I could use that time advantage to go to races with him and support him."
📽️ "Do you think the relationship added something to your career?"
"I have three pretty sweet babies named 1989, Reputation, and Lover, and this beautiful ring." You raise your hand and laugh as you watch the woman's surprised look on her face as she sees your solitaire ring.
📽️ "Wait—1989 and getting engaged, oh my god!?"
"So the album came out in 2017. Who did you think that blue-eyed, crazy driver was?"
📽️ "Do you realize you just dropped an atomic bomb on pop culture?"
📽️ "You proposed to her."
"And she accepted." He says with great confidence.
📽️ "Congratulations, and let's hear the story."
"It wasn't anything extravagant. It was the last day of her tour, and we were in hotel room. We'd both had a tiring year, and we wanted to take a break and enjoy life. She was doing her facial in the hotel bathroom, I was playing shave, and the cats were jumping over the bathtub in the middle. It was a pretty ordinary but precious moment just for us, and it felt like the right time. I took the ring out of my pocket and knelt in front of her, and thankfully, she accepted."
📽️ "You kept the ring ready in your pocket?"
"For two years."
📽️ "Two years?"
"Around the time I was deciding on the ring, she said she wanted to go on tour. For years, she'd been handling everything in her little studio, just so she could be with me. And I would have been a terrible boyfriend if I hadn't supported her in that. At that moment, she needed her career more than ring, and I chose to wait for her."
📽️ "I think the ring is absolutely gorgeous, you've done a great job."
"Technically, she designed the ring, so all the credit goes to her."
📽️ "How is it?"
"When I decided to buy a ring, I was a complete mess. There were so many different stone shapes and apparently different sizes, and I was completely lost. And then I called her cousin, who said she could help somehow. She took her to a jewelry designer under the pretext of "designing jewelry for fun," and I arranged for the ring she had already designed to be bought and reserved for her.
📽️ "This is really unusual, wow. So what was her reaction when she saw the ring?"
"She came home very upset the day she designed it, and her cousin told me that she was in love with the ring but was sad because she had to leave it there since it sounded silly to get a solitaire ring for herself. She said that as she was leaving the store, she said, 'Who knows which lucky bitch will get that amazing thing.' But the ring was already hers. And the day I proposed, when she saw the ring, she jumped on me saying, 'Omg, im the lucky bitch!' It was a truly funny and heartwarming moment.
📽️ "That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard."
*This episode is creating a huge buzz among viewers.*
Twitter Thread: The End of an Era Final Episode: "Rising Together"
@/verstappenupdates: WHAT DID I JUST WATCH !?!?!?!?! *D-Y-I-N-G*
@/simplylovely1: THEY ARE ENGAGED OH MY GOD THEY ARE ENGAGED YES!!!!!!
@/bananaleclerc: No way Max announces his engagement in his girlfriend's documentary in a very random way, love him!
↳ @/speaknow: And he kept the ring for two years. TWO YEARS!!!
↳ @/betty: "she needed her career more than ring, and I chose to wait for her" and I was crying on the floor while biting my pillow...so cute.
↳@/ivy: "i was respectfully adoring her" MY HEARTT 🥹
↳@/liv33: Funny, I don't see anyone whining about the age difference anymore.
↳@/paperrings: they probably died on the altar waiting for the proof, oh wait, they weren't invited to the weddin—.
↳@/ttpd: OMG, we should have seen their faces!
↳@/mustbewater: I don't understand what you guys saying, but I'm so scared of you.
@/1989: I can't believe the fact that the muse of 1989 album was a teenage F1 driver nicknamed 'Mad Max'.
@/red: Are you saying Max was simultaneously terrorizing Nico Rosberg on the track and inspiring Y/N to create a pop bible??? BRO I CANT!!!
↳@/tutututu33: THIS!! AND I HAVE NO ONE TO SHARE THIS WITH.
@/lestappen: While the whole world was making fun of Harry Styles for being a bad driver, Max listening to the songs his crush wrote for him secretly like this:
↳@/lover: THIS IS SO FUNNY I CAN'TTTT!!!!!
↳@/falsegod: Everything was all a lie and they used Harry as a cover. We're so stupid!
↳@/jimmyandsassy: Max goes to ask Y/N to tell everyone that he's her muse 🚶🏼♂️🚶🏼♂️ (my man is probably tired of being in Harry's shadow for years).
↳@/larrystylinsonforever: I'm telling you, Harry used Y/N to hide his relationship with Louis. WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!!!
↳@/1Dforeverandalways: Someone bring her medicine.
↳@/lovezayn: whatever it takes to keep the fandom alive.
@/bigreputation: Everyone's been asking why they haven't talked about each other for years, and then they drop a bombshell right in our faces. Love them.
Summary: You're stuck with tutoring your sister's boyfriend for an accounting class he's currently flunking because apparently the teacher thinks you're the only student in his class that he can see.
Notes: I've spent two days bed rotting and reading stuilly x reader fics. Please feed us authors and hydrate our fandom💔
(P.S. Tatum Riley is Tatum's full name btw, because people will call reader tiny riley and wtv in this fic)
He's late.
Or probably ghosting you for the 3rd time this month. It's a twice a week arrangement that was originally three but he managed to haggle it down with the teacher, and despite that, he's been a no-show the past two instances.
Your foot taps on the ground impatiently, fiddling with the corners of your book.
Though you don't mind tutoring on your free time, you babysit kids needing help with homework all the time, but Stuart Macher isn't really a kid anymore, much less babysitting him.
So for the third time, you're being ditched beside the fountain you agreed he insisted as a meetup place after school to drive to his house.
You didn't want to bring him home because Tatum's just gonna suck his balls off the moment he steps inside the house and it's gonna be on you if he flunks, then you'll fail the class and you're going to be stuck in this small town working on some diner.
And you also didn't wanna spend a dime for a drink that costs a leg and an arm just to sit in a cafe.
You sigh and sit on the edge of the fountain, tiny bits of water sprinkle on your bag.
5 minutes.
You'll wait 5 more and leave if he doesn't show up anytime soon.
He didn't.
You already grabbed your bike and headed for the street, you can never be too careful, so you strapped your helmet to your head and pedaled away.
As you slowed down to a stop behind another car, a honk startles you from the side.
"Tatum junior!"
Oh and what do we have here.
Stuart Macher.
Your eye twitches, he gives you a lanky wave in his convertible that's blaring music like there's no yesterday.
"Hop on in, Teach!"
You blink at him a few times, he's got to be kidding you—
Your bike sits uncomfortablely in the backseat, strapped in poorly with seatbelts and extension cables.
Everytime you pass a hump, your bike tries to lurch out of its confines.
You fiddle with your fingers in the passenger seat, opting to focus on the passing houses than your fellow passenger.
"So, hows you doing?"
You roll your eyes. "Look, I don't wanna fail this class okay? So if you're gonna be a dick and miss our sessions, don't. He's gonna fail me if I fall short and flop you and I'm not gonna be able to move up okay, get it? I'm gonna repeat a stupid grade and we only have I dont know before his long test and if you're not gonna pass that, I'm actually gonna disappear from the surface of earth and no one's gonna see me again because I'm gonna be lying in— in a ditch somewhere—"
"Woah woah woah! Hey—" Stu has his eyes furrowed and his eyes wide as saucers, debating on looking at the road or looking at you.
"Chill out, little tates!" He raises a hand at you as if that was gonna help you calm down. "My bad alright? My bad. I missed a session once—"
"Twice, and almost thrice If you didn't come today,"
"Buut, I did okay? You're sitting in my car ain't ya?"
"And that's so not coincidental am I right? That you just— what, happen drive by beside me, just in time that I left from the fountain where we were supposed to be meeting at?" You huff.
"I'm sure you we're on your way in whatever after school beer time you were supposed to be in then you saw me right in front of you and you didn't wanna be caught lacking so why not invite me in the guise of tutoring you so I would think you actually wanted to study."
You lifted an eyebrow at him, crossing your arms. He glances at you, a glint passes by his eyes but he wore a big smile on his face, then he snorts and ruffles your hair.
"Oh, tiny Riley! You got me there," you try to swat his hands away but he snatches it faster as he clutched his chest, pretending to be hurt.
"Aight, the thing is, I'm here aren't I? Big Stu is here!" He yells out the car, thumping his chest like a gorilla, laughing as he went back down.
"So, whats on our itinerary, teach?"
"Aside from introduction to accounting and analyzing business transactions which we should've covered during the last sessions," you grit your teeth and glare at him. "We now have a very easy basic accounting equations on our shoulders,"
"Oh, I think that's an easy peasy right, tate junior? We've basically got all the time in the world."
" 'All the time in the word' my butt," you grumble, crossing your arms and turning your back against him, looking about the houses once again.
A few trees passes by and Stu's mansion of a house comes into view. Stu parks like he doesn't have license, rattling your bike behind you.
"Up n up, baby Riley," you slung your bag and opened the door, you push it close as you stare at your bike, somehow Stu caught on immediately and gave your shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
"Nothings gonna happen to your bike, tiny tate, we're out in the middle of nowhere, no one comes out here," he wiggles his eyebrows, "Except when there's a partaaaay!"
You mock his face as he turns around, hands in the air, you make your hand chatter.
He jogs ahead of you in lazy confidence, expecting you at his heels, you sigh your eyes for the nth time and stomped behind him.
He shuts the door behind him, letting you absorbed the house first.
"Check it out, got myself a little stray!" You frown and snap your head to him, who's he shouting out and about.
He struts ahead of you, checking the living room and the stairs, then he howls like a maniac startling you.
Is this what Tatum endures everyday?
You cannot fathom how he is with his girlfriend if this is how he is with strangers.
Then he boyishly sashays to where you are, hands in pockets.
"Scared ya? Pardon thee," he bows dramatically.
"You mean thy?"
"Anyways— C'mon, teach, lotsa room around, where do you wanna start?"
You tilt your head, is he expecting you to lead with the venue which is HIS house?
"Oh, um, ok," you awkwardly shuffled and approached what you assumed was the living room.
"So," he starts, hands still in pockets, he stands at the foot of the table as you kneeled down and began pulling out notes and books, "Why accounting?"
"What kinda question is that?"
"What do yew mean? It's an icebreaker, zuh," he playfully rolls his eyes and waves you off.
A beat goes and no one says anything.
Finally, you clear your throat and pat the floor beside you, you can see him visibly pause and tilt his head at you.
"We need to start? Like asap please?" You raise your eyebrows, his mouth makes an o before he bounces and lands beside you.
You flip through the table of contents, you sigh, landing on the first page of intro to accounting.
"Okay... What do we have here." you mumble, "You know Luca?"
"The racer? Why?"
You grind you teeth and shot him the best are you serious face.
After a few seconds you sigh in defeat.
"Luca Pacioli,"
"Sounds Italian," he wiggles his eyebrows.
You might as well stab yourself, but no, you inhale, 123.
"It's okay, Luca Pacioli was—"
"Pfftt, gosh I know who Paciole is, everyone and their mom does, I'm just messing with you, you douche," you stare ahead at the wall, gripping your pencil, you stutter in irritation as you finally spoke up.
"O-okay.. I'll assume you must know the branches of accounting right?"
You asked, not sparing him a glance, you check off Luca Paciole out of the list oh father of accounting.
"Yuh-huh, okay— can we actually pause. All these notebooks are giving me the heebie jeebies," he shudders, "When's your sister finishing her prac?"
"7:00. Give me the branches of accounting and their uses,"
"C'moooon, gimme a break, baby tatum puhlease," you give him a pointed look.
"I don't really get why there's 5 fucking ways to say money problems, it's all numbers and stress and making people feel important," he playfully waves his hands around, his head dramatically falling unto the sofa behind the both of you. "Like, one is watching other peoples money, one's figuring out why everything costs so much, one is taxes, which is basically robbery in plain sight! And the rest is just peoole double checking on each other so no one gets yelled at. Ugh this is making me dizzy, I'm gonna skedaddle."
"That's.."
He sighs and abruptly stands up, headed for the kitchen, "You need anything? Water, beer, Apple juice?"
"Yeah.That makes sense." You nod, skimming over the book, his head whips out of the refrigerator. "That's pretty much financial, management, cost, tax, and auditing."
Okay, you actually think you can get through this in a breeze. You felt like the rocks on your shoulders being lifted up.
"Now can you tell me what ALCIE stands for?" You asked, flipping a page.
📞🩸🔪
You yawn as you check your watch.
9:00 pm
You have a 10 pm curfew because apparently no one cares that the age gap between you and Tatum was close with each other so they treat you like your 10.
You glance at scooby doo beside you, his head rested on the coffee table, turned away from you and snoring.
You suppose it was you reading, droning on and on and on, but thank goodness, at least he fell asleep during an unimportant part.
You rub your eyes, it was about time you fix up and go home.
But you needed to pee so bad, all the juice you drank went straight down. You groan and stood up, choosing not to wake him up, you stood at the center of the hallway and looking around for any signs of bathroom.
Then you heard keys jingling at the front door.
You didn't even realize Stu was awake till you heard the clanking of your bag behind you, he pulls you with him up the stairs in the hurry.
"Stu what—"
"No time, hurry up," you shut your mouth when you saw his worried face. He didn't speak till you arrived in what you assume was his room. He nudges you in first before locking the door behind him.
"Coming in a minute, mom!"
"Your parents are here?"
"Yeah. Fuck," the last word was supposed to be mumbled, his eyes snap to yours, "Don't tell Tatum,"
You lift an eyebrow, a puzzled look on your face.
"What?" He says, albiet almost defensively but still having that playful tone of his. "I'm not a kid idiot,"
"Really? Won't your ears burst if I curse in front of ya?"
You roll your eyes.
"Why'd you bring me up here anyway?"
"Yeahhhh, about that," he scratches his head. "So basically, parents = tutor, is a big no-no."
"What?"
"They can't, CAN'T know I have me a tutor, they're gonna hang me by the balls!" He whisper-shouts, holding his hands around his neck trying to emphasize the gravity of the situation.
He slowly brings his hands together in front of you. When you don't answer, he starts to kneel and shake his hands.
"Please, mademoiselle."
"Urgh, alright alright just— fricking stand up please,"
A wide grin graces his face as he slowly ascends from his position, he towers over you in a slow motion kinda way.
"Fricking? You're such a kid, tate junior,"
You roll your eyes.
"What am I supposed to do now?" You glance around his room, okay, typical teenage hormonal boy room.
"Hmmm," he makes a thinking face, then puts his hand below his chin, scratching it. "You can climb down the window."
"Absolutely not!" You gasp.
"Well why not!"
"I could die!" you gesture to yourself.
"Well, I'm gonna die!"
"Stuart!"
"Stu, sweets,"
"I can't climb down a window!"
"Look— believe me—"
"I'm not gonna believe you!"
"SHHH," he covers your mouth abruptly.
"Stu? Is there someone with you?" You hear his mom from downstairs.
"I'm on the phone, mom!" You can feel him deflate when he hears no reply from his mom.
"Junior, look at me, hey," your eyes sting as you glance at the window. This was not how your day was supposed to end. "Why can't you just tell your parents that I'm like- someone not like-"
You exhale, trying to fan yourself. "Hey- look at me, junior," Stu holds your head in between his huge hands, he squats in front of you as he momentarily shakes your focus on him.
"Listen to me. I've went down my window before and trust me when I say this, you're not gonna die, sweet cheeks. It's just like a little jump in the pool but no pool just jump— hey, it's okay,"
You rub your forehead and then your eyes.
"Stu, we're on the second floor of your house, how is this a jump in the pool. I'm gonna die if I jump out that window."
You huff and puff out carbon dioxide rapidly, the plants can thank you for that.
"Don't you have a ladder somewhere—"
"Wait. Stay here. DO NOT make a noise."
"Stu—"
"Shosh." He quickly exits his room, leaving you and yourself.
You glance around for your bag, you see it hapazardly discarded on the floor, but everything inside is complete, you completely zip it close and strapped it to yourself.
"C'mon, where are you, Stu." you whisper, walking around his room trying to calm yourself.
A beat goes and you hear pebbles tapping on the window, you glanced down and see Stu, he waves with his whole body as you slide it open.
"C'mon! I'll catch you!" He whisper-shouts.
Your eyes widen.
"We're both gonna die!"
"Hurry! Or you'll be seeing my corpse on that fence!"
You bite your lip, your mind trying to scramble for other possible solutions.
"Are you sure this is safe?"
"Perfectly!"
You back up the window, worse comes to worst, you'll break an ankle or an arm.
"1!" You hear him whisper-shout.
"2!"
"3!"
You hop on the ledge and jump, closing your eyes and hoping for everything but death.
You hit Stu hard, as in he almost falls to the ground hard, or at least that's what it felt like to you. You felt an arm circle around your torso and and the other beneath your legs, your arms automatically clutched around his neck.
Your eyes are still shut tight, arms still hugging his head in a headlock.
"J-junior- you can- let go- now-" your eyes snap open, you look around and breathe a huge sigh of relief when you see the ground, your arms loosen around Stu as you huff and puff in joy.
"Told gya, I'd catch you. Big Stu in the house!" You almost laughed if not for the fact he almost killed you.
You jumped down from his arms and dusted your clothes, you catch him already looking at you, raising an eyebrow you held you chin and stared at him, his smile grows wider.
"Thank you, Stu," You bite the inside of your cheeks.
He frowns, tilting his head as his hands cover his ears tryna hear you. "Huh? Wha? What did you say?"
"Thank you, you douchebag!" you yell.
"Hey— shush. your. mouth!"
You look behind you, Stu's parents' both on a call, you look back to Stu who was approaching his convertible.
You jog quietly after him. He opens the backseat door and begins untangling your bike.
"Shit. Damnit." He mumbles, pulling on the extension cords.
"I'd offer to drive you, junior- but the motherlode is back at the spaceship." He says, not paying you a glance, too busy with pulling and untangling.
"Come on, come on," he whispers, tugging on the ropes.
You check your watch again.
9:20 pm
"Shoot. My curfew's at 10, Stu!" You whisper.
"What? What time is it?"
"9:27!"
"That's like a long way to go, there's still time,"
"Uhh, your house is like seperated from any living civilization?! They're all gonna kill me if I come home late!"
"You have a bike, kid. Bike it?"
"Ughhhhh!" You knash your teeth together, crossing your arms. "Your house is so fricking far from anywhere!"
You groan and help Stu free your bike, the faster you finish the faster you get home.
You swear you could feel your heart beating out of your ribcage.
Finally, you managed to pull the bike out after a much needed cardio.
You fastened the helmet to your head and threw your bag in the basket, without another glance you hop on your bike.
"Thank you for tonight, douchebag,"
"Oh— Come on, junior," he shakes his head.
You clicked the stopper away and pedaled because your life depended on it.
📞🩸🔪
"Why aren't you freaking out?!"
You roll your eyes, taping another poster on the bulletin.
"What is there to worry about, Ruby?" You huff, climbing down the ladder. You grin at your masterpiece, the board filled with the event poster, now no one will miss it if its as big as this.
"Besides, you're freaking out enough for the both of us." You laugh. She scoffs and rolls her eyes.
"You're not helping," she groans. "It's been days since we put these posters up, and ever since, it's either been ripped down or used as toilet paper."
"I'll find a way—"
"Boogah!" You shriek and turn around.
Stu stands in a crouched dracula position, his hands curls in front of him and you, his left leg lifted up.
"Idiot!" You whisper, eyes darting around as people gave you a weird glance.
Ruby behind you was long gone, not wanting to bear the second hand embarrassment.
"You coming to buff Stu's party yeah?"
You snort and move unto another board. "No."
"Your sister's coming though!"
"Unlike her, I have this coming," you lift up the poster to his face, he snatches it from your hands.
"Now what do we have here," his eyebrow lifts up.
"Car wash?" He laughs, like maniacally laughs, you jump as he claps his hand as he snorts. People passing by not paying him any attention except for the occasional glance.
"Fundraising for the school's maintenance support."
"Pfft, the school's maintenance?" He slaps his thigh, laughing yet again.
"Piss off if you're not going to help."
"Alright, alright. I'm ouuut," he salutes you, turning his back to you cartoonishly and skips across the hallway.
📞🩸🔪
"Okay, alright, your sister's calling us, see ya tomorrow!"
"Bye, dont break a leg, Ruby." You hear her laugh before hanging up. You park your bike outside the corner store, clicking the stand on, you don't bother taking your helmet off because it's an in and out mission.
The bell of the doors ring open as you enter, the smell of days old cigarette swirls around the air.
Right.
In and out.
You grab a pack of beer and a juice box for yourself. Setting then down the cashier, she makes it quick as you give a perfect amount.
She recites the usual grocery conversation and you leave.
Finally, you cough a bit when you exit the store, bad ventilation.
A meow catches your attention, a cat loafs just beside the store's entrance.
You smile and approached slowly. "Hello."
It blinks and yawns as your hand hovers near its nose. Without any rejection from him, you pet his head, then slowly scratch his chin up to his side belly.
"Aren't you a little too small to be a guard dog?" You laugh when he meows back.
"I'm sorry, I don't have anything on me right now."
A noise from the alley behind you, just beside the store surprises the both of you, the cat quickly scurries away to wherever pocket hide out he has.
The noise sounded like a trashcan getting trashed, but then you hear someone cursing and squeaks of shoes then another punch.
After a beat, you see two people leave the alley in a hurry, their noses bloodied and bruised.
"Fuck 'im. I'm gonna get him next time."
The first one bumps your shoulder in a hurry.
The second guy narrowly avoids you but curses you anyway for blocking the path.
You frown as you watch their backs disappear from your line of sight. Your head snaps back to the alley you don't see when you hear a kick of the garbage bin and a thus of the wall.
"Rule number one: Don't check the noise."
Or whatever Randy says when he picks Tatum up at home.
A groan catches your focus.
Cautiously, you take small steps till you reach the corner before the alley, you hide behind the corner as you try to peek into the semi-dark space.
The person is hunched against the wall, head hung low as his elbow rests heavily on his knees.
His shoulders shudder when he exhales out a shaky breath. You're already out in the open, right at the center if the alley.
"Billy," you whisper, waiting for him to see you. But he doesn't move, his eyes still trained on the ground.
Your lips form a tight line, without giving it much thought, you approach him quietly, stopping infront of him, you squat down and took a good look at him.
His fists are bloody and burst open, you don't see much of his face, only that his nose is bleeding down to the ground, a second passes but he still doesn't pay you any mind.
You tilt your head up and sigh, reaching into the plastic, you grab the juice box because Dewey forbid you give his beer a dent.
You place it in front of him, a breeze passes by in between you and nothing makes a move.
You bite the inside of your cheek.
"Ohh-kay." You tut and stood back up, quickly walking back to your bike, you walk your bike just far enough from the store but near enough to check on Billy once again.
Your eyebrows lift when you see him in the the same position.
Sheesh, okay, bad day.
You pedal away as the sky turns orange. He's pretty intimidating without Sidney, wait no, he's intimidaung any day. You wonder how Sidney landed him on the boyfriend lottery, he's the definition of heebie jeebies.
as someone who struggles with depression, cleaning my room and getting my life together is a struggle.
having a reset routine can help bring me out of a funk and lift my spirts a little.
i'll be completely honest i have a pretty bad depression room going, and my depression has taken over my life these past few months. so even though this is my sunday reset routine, i haven't done it in a while. but i've had enough. i'm determined to dig myself out of the hole i put myself in. and the first step for me is doing my sunday reset routine.
music, stretch, and workout
i am resetting my whole routine, and the first thing i prioritize is my physical health. when i'm in deep into my depressive cycle, i don't prioritize my physical health at all. in fact, i find that my physical & mental health overlap a ton. so in order to properly reset and get off on the right foot, i need to move my body in a positive way.
2. wash bedsheets
bed rotting is my favorite activity during my depression. so, it's a must to clean my sheets and make my depressive rat's nest into a cute bedspread again.
3. put away dirty and clean clothes
i always make piles of dirty and clean clothes when i start to get back into bad habits again. it always starts with cleaning my clothes but not folding/putting them away. this is usually a majority of what's on my floor in the first place, so this frees up a lot of space and immediately makes the room look 50% better. my favorite thing to motivate me to do this (& make it more fun) is putting on a mindless tv show in the background (i always watch greys anatomy).
4. clean & get rid of dirty dishes
i usually stack up some cups and bowls during this time. so now is a good time to start getting rid of these items and bring them down to the kitchen. i unfortunately dont have access to a dishwasher, so i need to handwash all of my dishes, but this would definitely go by faster with one!
5. wash dirty clothes
by this point my bedsheets have most likely finished in the wash and i've sorted through all the clothes on my floor, so now it's time to finally get the giant pile of dirty clothes tackled. as a uni student living in the dorms (don't worry, i have a private room), scent beads are my favorite go-to to feel comfy and more at home when i wear my clothes.
6. pick up and take out trash
my trash and recycling has definitely piled up at this point (in my room and in their respective cans). i'm also halfway through my routine and i most definitely need some fresh air for a minute. this step may be inconvenient (especially as a uni student who has to lug their trash cans to their uni dumpsters somewhere on campus) but its also a good way to get some vitamin d (and add to my daily steps!).
7. clean & tidy surfaces
i dont know how it happens but there is always some mystery gunk on my desk (usually from my makeup), so all my surfaces need a serious wipedown. i also find this the most satisfying part!
8. vacuum/sweep (my least favorite...)
i may not always do this step, mostly because i absolutely loathe vacuuming, but after this recent depressive episode, my floors need a good vacuum. so unfortunately, i must do what needs to be done...
9. make my bed and put away clean clothes
the finishing touches. i'm tired at this point, and this is where i usually call it quits and tell myself that i will fold and put away my clothes later. but i have to call myself on my bullshit0; i will not fold and put it away later. i have to do it now. a useful tip is imagining your crush (or just a hot celebrity) is coming over. now i want my room to be perfect for them!
10. light a candle and pat yourself on the back
this is a safe space and you deserve to be proud of yourself! even if you only did one thing in this routine... because that's one more thing than you did yesterday <3
˚₊✩‧₊summary: You’re a manager at Jujutsu Kaisen and you’ve now had two three four extremely intimate encounters with grade 1 sorcerer Nanami Kento, but who's keeping count.... You're preparing for your morning date at your place when you get some unexpected company.
˚₊✩‧₊tags: nanami x fem!reader, nanami gets a little jealous but don't worry bc I can't stand miscommunication tropes, explicit smut towards the end (mdni)
˚₊✩‧₊word count: 8.6k SORRY LOL
˚₊✩‧₊author’s note: lemme start by saying im sorry for taking so long to post the next part but i have been going through it :D i am so grateful for all the positive feedback and messages i've gotten in my absence, i've missed my fellow nanami freaks, so this one is for all yall<3
also i posted this on A03 yesterday...i just feel like its faster posting it there bc im lazy. thank you to everyone for reading!
taglist at the end and feel free to let me know if you want off or if want to be added!
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
After about thirty minutes of scrubbing you came to accept that the pink frosting stain wasn’t going to come out of your shirt. You sighed and put down the wet fabric. Another shirt lost to your shenanigans with Nanami. You laughed to yourself as the realization hit you. You’d lost three shirts in the last four days…you should probably plan to go shopping soon. You grimaced, maybe you should have saved that extra money you’d sent your mother earlier in the week.
You went around your apartment cleaning here and there, you had found it in better shape than you remembered, but compared to his apartment you felt that yours was definitely lacking in cohesive design. Your eclectic furniture was a little bit of every style, the art on your walls didn’t really follow a theme, you just framed things you liked. You tidied up more than you think you ever had and smiled as you looked around. It may not have been much, but it was home. You felt safe here.
The building as whole was another issue. You’d frowned when you had seen the elevator was still out of order. Nanami would have to take the seven flights of stairs just like you had. You looked down at your phone, maybe you could reschedule? Meet somewhere else to have breakfast? No, he had been looking forward to seeing your apartment. It was such a silly thing but you could tell he really wanted to. You wiped down your kitchen countertops one more time before cleaning the small dishes in your sink.
You were planning on going to bed a bit earlier than usual. You were going to prep breakfast to make some pastries for him in the morning. It had been a while since you’d baked. You looked around, satisfied at your cleaning streak. You decided to shower before continuing, maybe you’d be able to catch anything you had missed afterwards.
You stepped out of the shower and walked up to the sink. What a crazy few days you’d had. You hadn’t really had the chance to be alone and process everything. You stared at your reflection as you wiped the mirror. You’d never really thought of yourself as someone worthy of being desired. An odd thing to admit, but you had also never really had the luxury of having the sort of life where that would matter. The world of Jujutsu Sorcery was a fast paced one and every day could be your last, so you often found yourself discouraged from participating in things people your age did. Dating, partying, traveling…it's not like you could afford it either. The only reason you’d really ever gone out was because of Akari. She would invite you to go out to places where she could relive her delinquent youth. She was also the reason you had gone on any dates in the first place. That reminded you, you needed to text her and see when she was free to hangout. You had a lot to catch her up on.
You walked out to your living room and sat on the couch, picking up your phone. It suddenly dawned on you that you had never gotten Nanami’s number. You seemed to remember Akari saying she gave him yours. You opened your messages and scrolled to confirm.
Something made a noise in your kitchen.
Your blood ran cold. Was it an intruder? A curse? Had something broken in? You slowly reached under the couch and pulled out a baseball bat. You sat up and looked towards the noise, but didn’t see anything. A cup holding your washed silverware had been knocked over. Okay…maybe it had just come unbalanced. You got up holding the bat up and slowly approached the kitchen. You cautiously made your way around the counter looking down and jumped.
It was your neighbor's cat.
You sighed in relief and lowered your bat. “Messi, what are you doing here?” You picked up the orange cat who meowed in return. “How have you been? It’s been a while.” He meowed again. “Really?” Meow. “I’ve been good. I met someone.” Meow. “Well he was someone I already knew.” You walked out of your apartment, cat in tow, and made your way next door. Your window had a tear in the screen and Messi had made a habit of going through it and somehow prying open your window (which didn’t lock) and wandering into your place. You didn’t mind, you had actually set up a little water bowl for him in your apartment.
You knocked on the door. “Hi, it’s Y/N. I'm returning Messi, I haven’t been home for a couple of days, so I don’t know how long he’s been in there.”
You heard some shuffling and suddenly an older lady opened the door. You had never seen her before. She looked at you and then at the cat. “Keep the damn thing.”
“Excuse me?”
“Y/N?” You heard a familiar voice from behind the lady, your neighbor. She made her way to the door and you saw she was crying. She took the cat in her arms and held him close, starting to cry again. “Thank you.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Osuke had his second trial today and was convicted,” she said through tears. Osuke was her husband.
“That stupid lawyer, I should curse his entire family,” the old lady muttered. You had a feeling she was Osuke’s mother.
“I’m so sorry, is there anything I can do to help?” you asked. You had known about the trial, it had been ongoing for a couple of months now. He had been arrested after being framed for a robbery. The story you had been told was that his boss had been the one to frame him. He was a bottom tier worker, and the perfect scapegoat for the crime.
“No, thank you though,” the woman said.
“You can take the damn cat. She’s moving out of here. After the lawyer’s fees and the loss of his income she’s moving in with me, I don’t want to take care of that thing,” the older lady said.
“I’ll take care of it, please,” the woman cried.
The lady grumbled something else and went back inside. “Thank you for bringing him back.” She wiped her tears and offered you a hug. “We’ll be out by tomorrow, I can't afford the rent. I’m already behind on the last two months.”
“Don’t worry about it. I hope everything works out. You have my number, call me if you need anything. Anything at all.” You smiled at her and she nodded and closed the door.
You stood alone in the hallway. Everything was so silent. You heard the women arguing again and you sighed. You went back into your apartment, sitting on your couch again. You hoped everything would work out for them. The couple next door had been so nice. Osuke and Makiko and their cat Messi, they’d lived here longer than you had. You sighed and rubbed your temples. There really wasn’t much you could do for them.
You reached for your phone again and went to text Akari.
-sorry i meant to text you earlier, and then i got distracted again. messi was in my apartment and scared me to death.
-when are they going to fix that damn window for you?
-i don’t mind, i love that cat.
-but if he can get in so can other things, my skin is crawling just thinking about it
-someone is on the road to getting uninvited from my place.
-no way, you owe me from all the times I’ve let you crash at my place
-damn…speaking of, when is your next free day? we need to hang out.
-i can do the day after tomorrow, i have a half day, does that work?
-perfect, i’m also just coming in in the morning
-you can tell me all about your adventures with the old man. have you said yes to being his girlfriend yet?
-he hasn’t asked me yet
-boooo
You started typing when you received a notification from an unknown number.
-Did you make it home okay?- It read. You smiled.
-is this who I think it is?
-Y/n it’s me, it’s Nanami Kento.
-then it is who I thought. I did make it home safe, I found my neighbor's cat in my apartment so I’m glad I came to check, they’re moving out tomorrow morning.
-So you’re free now?
-…yes ?
-That’s good, get some rest. Have a good night. I'll see you tomorrow.
Hmm you thought he was going to ask something else. You looked at the clock. It was 7:53, earlier than you thought. I should probably get started, you thought to yourself. You pulled yourself off of the couch and went into your kitchen. You would make your dough tonight and let it proof overnight.
Overnight proofing is the best way to make bread.
You were shot back into a memory.
The best things in life are worth waiting for you know. And what’s better than fresh bread? Nothing! Ask anyone that comes in tomorrow, I dare you.
You smiled fondly as you rolled the dough into a little acorn shape before rounding it out and setting it in a glass bowl.
As you finished up you checked the time. You had gotten done pretty quickly. You just needed the topping for the melon bread, which you could make as the oven heated up in the morning. You checked your pantry one last time for brown sugar and you realized you didn’t have any. You frowned. You’d run out for some in the morning. If you didn’t go to bed soon you weren't going to want to get up in the morning.
You sat for a moment and noticed the silence again. It’s not like it wasn’t ever quiet around here, but maybe after the events of the last four days something about being alone bothered you. It surely hadn’t before.
You moved into your bedroom and lay on the bed. You usually felt stuffy in here, that’s why you preferred to lay out on the couch, at least it seemed more of an open space compared to your bedroom. But now it felt nice. You felt safe.
You stared at your ceiling. “Maybe I should call him,” you said out loud to yourself. You closed your eyes and imagined his smile. The way his perfect teeth shone, the way his nose crinkled a bit when the corners of his mouth lifted, his lips on yours. You swallowed and opened your eyes. If you let your mind wander any longer you’d be in trouble. You groaned in frustration. You missed him, how pathetic. You had always been one to make fun of how quickly people in your field tended to get together, but here you were.
You heard your neighbor and her mother in law faintly arguing through the walls. You frowned trying to think if there was really nothing you could do.
You had too much “compassion”, you had been told by one of the old professors at Jujutsu Tech. There’s no way to save everyone and to try is to doom yourself. You scowled as you remembered what he had said to you. The arguing died down and you hoped to yourself they worked it out. At least they had each other going through this. Things were tense now but hopefully they’d adjust. You made a note to check in on them tomorrow. You went to set your alarm when you remembered Shoko had wanted you to stop by her office early in the morning. You groaned and set your alarm for earlier than you had intended. Nanami said he’d be by around 7, it would have to be a quick breakfast as you wanted to get to the school by 8, you hoped he didn’t mind. You finally drifted to sleep.
You groaned as your alarm woke you up, but you quickly sat up and went to wash your face. You needed to split the dough, and lay the cookie topping over it and let it proof for another 30 minutes at least. You could run out to your corner store while they sat and you preheated the oven.
As you opened the door to exit, you almost tripped on a pile of items placed in front of your place. Cat toys, a litter box, cans of cat food, a small bed, and a note.
Messi got out again last night and I’m afraid we just don’t have time to look for him. I think he’s better off with you anyway. I’m sorry for the inconvenience. If it’s too much I've contacted a shelter that would take him. Here is the number.
You frowned a bit. You loved Messi but you didn’t want a cat. You dragged the items into your apartment and quickly went out the door. You’d deal with this later, you were already running behind.
As you stepped back into the hall, winded and trying to catch your breath after returning and climbing the seven floors, you looked up to see a man in a suit knocking on your neighbors door. This wasn’t your man in a suit, quite the opposite.
You approached him cautiously. He had jet black hair, his suit was dark, and he reeked of alcohol.
“Please, just let me apologize- I did all I could. I won’t charge ya any money, just please, I’m sorry.” He stumbled as he continued to knock. You were going to have to get past him to get to your door. There was no avoiding him.
“Excuse me,” you said, announcing yourself behind him. The man turned to look at you. His eyes were tired and sleepy, he had deep bags under his eyes and his sharp nose was red. He was definitely drunk. “If you’re looking for the residents, they’ve moved out.”
“What?”
“They’ve moved out, what did you need to tell them?” you asked.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“You’re sorry?”
“I need to apologize to them. Osuke was jailed. It’s not fair. The whole system is corrupt. I should-”
“Were you their lawyer?” you asked.
“Yes,” he turned back and started pounding on the door again. “Please let me speak to you!”
“Tell him to stop that before I call the police!” an old man from down the hall had stuck his head out of his door to yell.
“Sir, no one is in there. You have to go, it’s too early to be causing such a ruckus,” you said.
“I need to apologize,” he whined. You noticed a buzzing coming from his pocket, his phone was ringing.
“Do you need to get that?” you asked.
He pulled the phone out of his pocket and handed it to you before turning back to the door. The caller ID said Shimizu. You grabbed the man's shoulder and pulled him away from the door as you answered with your other hand.
“Hello?”
“Yes, hello… is this Higuruma’s cellphone? Who’s speaking?” A woman spoke on the other end.
“Ah, he just handed me his phone. He’s very drunk and knocking at someone- I think maybe one of his clients' doors.”
You heard her curse, “Would you be able to tell me where he is? I apologize for the disturbance, I’ll come by to get him as soon as I know where to go.”
“Ah, yes-” he pulled himself from your grip and started going towards the door again. “Sir-”
“There is no justice!” he cried out.
You stared at him a bit shocked, what was he on about? You told the woman your address.
“I can be there in around 25 minutes. Would there be any way you could keep him put? I apologize again for the inconvenience.”
“I’ll try my best…” you looked at the man as he collapsed onto his knees, staring forward at the door. You walked over to him and handed him his phone. “Shimizu is on her way to get you,” you said. He just stared. You looked at your apartment and sighed. “Would you like to wait for her inside?” You pulled the man up to his feet and unlocked your apartment. You held the door open as he stumbled inside. You reached inside and grabbed a couple of cans of cat food to hold your door open. The last thing you wanted was for Nanami to get the wrong idea.
Once inside you rushed over to your kitchen to check on the bread. The man walked around not looking at anything in particular, but just moping. “Have a seat,” you motioned to the small table and chairs. He sat down and you turned back to your baking, unpacking the sugar you had just bought. You quickly grabbed a plate and spread the sugar, then you rolled the diamond patterned tops in the sugar. You placed the six little buns you had made back on the baking sheet. The oven still had a couple of minutes before it was ready.
You turned back to the man and were shocked to find him staring at you. “You just let a strange drunk man into your apartment, while alone?”
“I left the door open…” you muttered. “Besides, I think I could take you in a fight. I’ve dealt with worse.” He gave you a questioning look. “Would you like some water? Some tea? Coffee?”
“Water.” You poured him a glass and walked it over to him. He began rubbing his temples with his hand. He seemed to be sobering up quickly. You grabbed a couple of crackers from your shelf and handed them to him too.
“Eat something, get a grip before your friend comes to get you.”
You heard the oven ding and you walked over to put the pasties in the oven. You set a timer for twenty minutes. Looking at the clock you had about 30 until Nanami showed up, probably less since he seemed to be pretty punctual. You turned back to the man and saw he had chugged the water and was gingerly taking a bite out of the crackers. You started cleaning up the kitchen, putting the bowls in the sink and clearing off your small drying rack.
“Who is coming to get me?” he asked.
“Ah, your friend, I think her name was Shimizu,” you answered. He muttered something under his breath. “More water?” you asked.
He nodded. You went over with a pitcher and filled his cup, this time sitting down across from him. “Thank you,” he said quietly.
“So…there’s no justice in the world, huh?” You asked. He frowned. “I don’t think that’s something I’d want to hear from my lawyer,” you eyed him curiously.
“I apologize for my outburst.”
“No, no I understand. From what I know Osuke was innocent. It must be frustrating to lose a case, especially when what happened was so unfair.” You thought back to the old woman grumbling about the lawyer. “That old lady was very angry, I can’t imagine that’s easy on you.”
His hand gripped the cup tightly. “People have no sense of understanding right or wrong. Everything is so black and white to them. But there are so many complications before you can see one or the other clearly.” He stared at the cup. “Most only see the bad, the ugly, that’s the easiest thing to pick out, the easiest to understand. I think most people assume that others are inherently bad, so expecting bad things to come from them is second nature.” You stayed silent as he contemplated his words. “It doesn’t help when your client looks like a bad guy, it’s an uphill battle, but I try I really do.”
He sighed, taking a drink of water before continuing. “ If I lose a case, it's easy to blame me. I'm much more tangible than blaming some higher power for not being in your favor. No one wants to believe that I do this out of a want to help others, they see me as wanting money, as taking advantage of those in dire situations. They only ever see me as greedy when I lose. Another bad guy. I want to help, but when it comes down to it, who am I to a jury, to a judge? I’m another bad person, defending a bad person who did a bad deed. They think if they were truly innocent I wouldn’t have to work as hard, I wouldn’t have to find such cunning ways to prove their innocence, but I try. Not out of trickery or malice, but because I want to believe that not everyone is bad. But again and again people only see me as a bad guy defending bad people, and I'm afraid I'm losing sight of what this all used to mean to me.”
You looked at the cup he was holding. “I see…” you thought about everything he had just said. You thought a part of him was just feeling sorry for himself, but other points he made were valid. There was a time when you thought everyone in the world might have been bad too. “When I was sixteen…I left my home because of an incident,” you started. “I was alone and scared and I thought that it had happened to me because I was bad.” You frowned slightly as you recalled the events. “And because I thought I was bad, I justified a lot of the things I did. I snuck onto buses and trains to get to Tokyo, away from where I was because I didn’t feel like I deserved to be there, I didn’t deserve to be close to my family. And I stole…a lot…not big things, not precious things, food mostly. I was hungry and had no place to stay and I saw others do it…and so I became ‘bad’. I became what I thought I was, what I believed the world wanted me to be.” You looked up at him, he was staring at you trying to figure out where you were going with this. “But then I met someone, someone who was good, someone who only ever saw the good in people no matter what and that…changed me.”
“Who did you meet?” he asked.
“I went to a bakery,” you smiled fondly and looked down at your hands on the table. “I had known about it since I arrived in Tokyo, the line was always out of the door by 7 am, but I had never had the chance to go in. I mean, I never even had the money for it and the owner, she was this sweet old lady and even though I was already stealing food from other places, I felt like if I stole from her I would be too far gone.
But as it goes, the more I stole, the more I felt entitled to, and after a month of fighting it, I finally gave in and made a plan.” You shifted in your seat, you had never told anyone this story. “I made a plan, and woke up early, to be one of the first in line. I was sixth or seventh outside the door, and when I finally got to go in I felt like crying, it smelled so good and it was so warm. She greeted everyone with such kindness and it was just her that day. I had seen a granddaughter with her before, but this morning it was just the lady.
“I pretended to look around, considering what to buy. I let people go in and out before I finally decided on a single piece of Melon bread, delicately wrapped in plastic. It was the most beautiful thing I think I’d ever seen. I grabbed the piece and tucked it under my arm and started heading towards the door. I turned to check if anyone had seen me and I saw her staring at me.” You laughed and shook your head. “She was just staring at me and her eyes went to the piece of bread I had tucked under my arm and you know what she did?” You looked up at him. “She looked back into my eyes, smiling the whole time, and said to come back soon. I ran out of there, terrified for my life. I thought she was going to call the cops, but there was something about her smile that just seemed so genuine.
I think I got about ten steps down the road before I stopped. The guilt was too much, I felt sick to my stomach. I didn’t deserve to have something so nice. I was bad, and I had done a bad thing.” You scrunched your nose. “I went back immediately. I pushed past the people in line and went right up to her and I handed her the bread back. She looked at me confused and just shook her head. ‘You can have it, it’s your first time here right? Take a seat, let me know what you think of it.’” You laughed and covered your face with your hands. “I sat down and just cried while I ate it. I bawled, like people stared at me out of concern.” The lawyer stared at you. “When I finished she came up to me and asked how it was. I started apologizing profusely and she just handed me another one, and asked if I’d like to learn how to make my own,” you shook your head incredulously.
“She offered me a job and a place to stay. I still don’t understand how she was able to see right through me.” You heard the timer go off and you shot up to get the bread out of the oven. You smiled as you saw how perfectly the six little buns had crisped up. You transferred them over to a plate and grabbed one for the lawyer. You placed it in front of him. “There are bad people out there, but there are also good people. There has to be a natural balance otherwise everything would fall apart, don’t you think?” You looked at him as he stared at the pastry before him. “I can see that you really care about your clients. Even if this was a bit inappropriate to do, drunkenly asking to speak to them and all, but the right sentiment is there.” He pressed his lips together into a thin line. “The world needs more people that are willing to look past everything and find the good. I hope you can keep doing that.”
You heard laughter from the hallway and looked over the lawyer’s shoulder at the open door to see Nanami and a sharply dressed woman stepping out of the stairway. The woman suddenly looked at you and then at the lawyer. “Higuruma!” She quickened her step towards your place. Nanami followed behind her. “Pardon my intrusion,” she said as she entered. She stomped up to the man checking on him before turning to you. She bowed slightly. “I apologize for his behavior. This is completely out of character for him, I don’t know what he’s thinking. I’m sorry-”
“It’s okay, he explained some of what’s been going on. Do you work with him?”
“Yes, my name is Shimizu, I’m a colleague of his, I’m also a lawyer.”
“I’m Y/N, sorry we have to meet like this.” You turned your attention to Nanami who was staring at the man. “Sorry our breakfast plans got thrown around a little.”
Shimizu turned towards Nanami and then back to you. “Ah, I see...” She smiled at you. “I’ll take over now, thank you again for your help. Here’s my business card, let me know if there’s ever anything you need.” You took her card and smiled. Fancy, you thought to yourself.
“Wait,” Higuruma said. “Have my card too,” he felt around his pockets for them but couldn’t find anything.
“Don’t tell me you lost your wallet,” Shimuzu said, annoyed. She pulled out another card and handed it to you. “Here’s his card as well.”
“Thanks.”
“Thank you for listening to me…” Higuruma looked like he was trying to remember your name.
“Y/N,” you repeated.
He smiled at you. “Wait!” he said again as Shimuzu started pushing him out. “My melon bread…” he muttered, turning back and grabbing it off the plate. Shimuzu sighed and continued to push him out.
You watched the two bicker as they went down the hall and into the staircase. You became aware of Nanami’s eyes on you. You reached down to move the cat food out of the door frame and let the door shut. “If I ever got called to fetch you out of some stranger’s apartment after you had a drunken night out, I don’t think I’d be as calm as she was,” you said. You turned back to him after he hadn’t said anything. “I hope you’re not getting the wrong idea. I helped him out and we just talked.” You frowned. “I feel like saying that makes me seem more guilty, but I don’t even know why I’m defending myself here.” You turned to him and stared for a bit. “Are you mad at me?”
His eyebrows furrowed. “No?”
“Oh.” You turned back towards the door. “You were just being so quiet…I mean I heard you guys laughing…the lawyer lady, Shimizu. She was really pretty. She looked so professional..” You smiled half heartedly. “You looked good together.” You muttered. You frowned as you realized how ridiculous you sounded. “Anyway…” you turned towards the kitchen and started walking to the counter. “I made some pastries this morning. It’s not much, but we’ll also have to be quick because I forgot I promised Shoko I’d meet her early. So I only have time to change and then we probably need to head out. Sorry for rushing things.” you frowned again. “I should have told you to stop by earlier, but I got a little distracted.”
“Are you jealous?”
“M-me?” You felt your face grow red. “No-no I’m not- why would you- why would you think that?” you laughed awkwardly. “I was just saying she’s super pretty and I’d just never heard someone laugh with you like that before I mean other than me- but I mean I guess I don’t really know you-I mean I know you but not like I know you now- and she’s-I mean she’s super pretty you have to admit-“
“I wasn’t a fan of the way he asked for your name at the end of your conversation,” he said looking down at his wrist and fiddling with his watch. “I know that look he gave you… I’ve given you that look.”
You smiled and felt relief. “Seems like we’re on the same boat.” You shook your head and went over to him, looking up with a playful frown. “Was she really that funny?”
“She was the only one laughing, I don’t think anything I said was particularly interesting.”
You thought back at the way her eyes had turned from you to him and back to you. Oh I see, she had said. “She was into you,” you wrapped your arms around him. “I’ve done that before, laughed like an idiot at someone who’s not funny because I thought they were hot.”
“Have you done that with me?” He asked.
“No, you’re actually funny. It’s never forced with you.” You looked up at him again. “It’s your fault, you’re so handsome. We have to do something about your face.”
“Well then, what do you suggest we do about yours?”
“What do you mean?”
“He was quite taken with you.”
You made a face and shook your head. “Men will rant about their problems to you and then think they’re in love just because you listened.”
“Did he rant about his problems? His alcoholism? His brutishness? What was he thinking coming into someone’s apartment in that state? He’s lucky he didn’t-“
“He was having a rough time of it actually. I do feel a bit bad.” You turned back to look at the door and then the cat items. “He was my neighbor’s lawyer. They’re a young couple, the husband was arrested on some unfair charges and he seemed devastated by the outcome.”
“That’s not very professional.”
You shrugged. “I think it’s been a long time coming. Hopefully my pep talk keeps him back on track for a while longer, but I have a feeling he’s going to snap one day,” you said darkly. “There was something unhinged in his eyes.”
Nanami pulled you back and hugged you tightly again as you buried your face back into his chest. He smelled nice.
“Speaking of my neighbors. Do you like cats?”
“I don’t dislike them.” You nodded, backing out of his arms. “Why?”
“They left me in charge of their cat, Messi. Well not left me in charge, it’s more like they gave him to me. They left me all his stuff, he got out of their place yesterday before they left and somehow he always ends up at my place.”
“How does he get in?”
“Oh I guess I should show you around my apartment. Though there isn’t much to look at.” You ran a hand through your hair as you looked around. You pointed at where he was standing, next to the table. “Dining room, living room, kitchen, bathroom door, bedroom door, ta da!” You smiled cheekily as you pointed back where you started. “Bet that’s the fastest you’ve ever had a house tour, huh.” He looked around slowly, taking in the frames on the wall, the knick knacks on your shelves and the books piled all over the place, stacked not so neatly. “It’s- it’s really not much but it’s home,” you said feeling a little insecure again. Maybe you should have cleaned more.
“It’s lovely,” he said. “It feels very much like you.”
“Thanks…” you said. Your eyes went to the clock in your kitchen and you perked up. “Oh wow, is that the time…”
“May I see your bedroom?” He asked. You felt your face go red again.
“Oh, sure,” you started walking towards it. “I need to change anyway, hope you don’t mind.”
“Never.” You felt the blush grow and your stomach get tingly.
You opened the door and gestured briefly. “This is it, again it's not much... I think the bed is too big for this space, but it’s comfortable.” you went around to your closet pulling out a pair of black slacks and a white button down. You laughed to yourself. “That pink frosting was not coming off of my shirt. That’s two shirts you owe me, Kento.”
“I’ll have to make it up to you,” he said as he looked around the room. “What about this weekend? Are you free? I could take you shopping.”
You laughed again, “You’re like the main lead in a drama series. You’re too much, you know that?”
“Sorry?” He offered.
You smiled at him.“Thank you, but I’ll take a rain check on the shopping. I can get my own stuff. I’m hanging out with Akari on my half day, but Sunday I’ll be free,” you said as you buttoned your pants. “That is if you want to meet up on Sunday… if you’ve available.”
You turned to him and saw him blush this time. “Sunday…works.” You smiled victoriously as you walked over to him in just your bra. He stared at your face and you nodded briefly as if to give him permission to look. His eyes trailed down. “It’s a shame we have to hurry to campus. Are you sure Shoko can’t wait.”
“She’s doing me a favor by offering to teach me, I can’t do that to her,” you said. He placed his hands on your hips and pulled you forward. You looked up expectantly and he planted a soft kiss on your lips. You smiled.
You finished getting dressed and you felt his eyes never leave you as you moved around. He walked behind you out of the room and into the kitchen where you proudly showed him the bread you had made.
“This is a very secret recipe, I doubt you’ll ever have one as good as this.” He looked down at the bread and smiled fondly. He picked up one of the little buns and slowly bit into it. You watched his face carefully for a reaction. You saw his eyes water slightly as he savored the treat.
He smiled and nodded. “Good.”
You were a bit confused. “Yeah…you okay?” He seemed to be lost in thought. “Kento?”
He smiled again and blinked a few times. “Yes, sorry, it brought up some memories. This is very good, Y/N.”
You smiled, deciding to not push it. “I worked at a bakery for a short time.” You looked at the buns. “They're good but you should have tried the ones where I learned… I guess people are masters for a reason.” He nodded and continued to eat.
“Did you want coffee or-” Suddenly your phone rang. You pulled it out of your pocket and read the name, Shoko.
“Hello?” you answered.
“Hey, Y/N. I’ve been called out to do something so I won't be at the school this morning. Is there any way you could come in during your lunch?”
“I think that should work,” you said. Nanami looked at you curiously.
“Great, see you then.”
“Ooo~ is that Y/N?’ you heard Gojo’s voice in the background before she hung up.
You looked at your phone and then back up at Nanami. “So it looks like we have time after all, Shoko just rescheduled.” You sighed and leaned against the counter. “Sorry for rushing you before. Did you want some coffee or anything? I need a little pick me up.”
He shook his head, “Sit down, you’ve had a long morning. Do you mind if I make us some coffee?”
“I can make it for you, it's no problem-”
“I insist. It’s the least I can do,” he said with a smile. You smiled back and nodded.
“Fine, let me atleast get the ingredients out for you.”
“I’m sure I can find what I need,” he said, gesturing for you to go sit at the table.
You obliged and sat down with a happy sigh. You watched as he moved around the kitchen, looking for ingredients. The coffee, the sugar, etc. You smiled as he grumbled to himself as he searched for items and he would occasionally look over at you for some guidance. You pointed at your cup drawer and he looked over at you as he pulled out two mugs. He held one in his hand and read the text.
He frowned. “I used to work at this company,” he said.
“Ah, I got it as a freebie after signing up for their newsletter or something like that, I don't remember now.” You laughed, “I wonder if you were at that event. It must have been around the time you worked there. Before I had this apartment I used to rent one close to their headquarters, so I would walk by almost daily. We were so close and had no idea.”
Nanami smiled, bringing over two cups of coffee and the tray of bread. “I don’t think you would have liked me then.”
“What do you mean?” You took the warm cup from him.
He sighed as he sat, “I feel as if I was a soulless shell of a man focused on money”
“Was?” you teased.
He gave you a look, “Am I still?” You blew on your cup and smiled slyly. He smiled, “I guess I am still focused on money, but soulless?”
“Definitely not, I can tell by the way you made this coffee,” you said, taking a sip. He shook his head and looked down at his cup. He had taken the one with his old company logo.
“Would you have liked me?” He mumbled.
“Probably not, if I’m honest,” you said bluntly. You smiled, “I hate stiffs in suits and I don’t have much money so I doubt you’d have given me the time of day anyway.”
“Stiffs in suits? Isn’t that what I am now?”
“At least you’re helping people, now. That company always had a fishy vibe, there was always a tan blonde man in sunglasses who would try to pick me up with bad English phrases.” You scrunched your face. “Sound like someone you know?”
He laughed. “Unfortunately I know who you’re referring to.”
The two of you finished up your breakfast and Nanami offered to do the dishes while you tidied up. You wiped down your counters as he rinsed the cups. You moved on to the table.
Laying on the table were the two business cards the lawyer had handed you. You examined the sturdy ivory rectangle and the elegant gold lettering of the man’s business card. Hiromi Higuruma, it sounded like a name out of a tv show. You looked up and saw Nanami staring at the card in your hand with disdain. You smiled, laughing a bit at his expression.
“Here,” you reached out and handed him the card. “Hold on to this for me, you never know when I might need a lawyer.”
He begrudgingly took the card and scanned the writing, the scowl still on his face. “I’ll keep you out of trouble.” He tucked the card into his pocket.
“Did he really bother you that much?”
“Please, enough about him,” he said with a sigh.
“I kind of like that you’re jealous,” you teased. “Anyway, what are you so worried about?” You reached out and put a hand on his cheek. “I’m not going anywhere.” You felt his cheek grow warm as a blush came over his face.
Nanami looked down at his watch, he seemed to be calculating something in his head. “We have about thirty minutes until we have to leave right?”
“Yeah, why?”
He suddenly moved closer to you, putting his hand on either side of the table around your waist. “Should we make use of our morning?”He gave you a cocky smirk as he gently moved one of his hands under your chin, tilting your face upwards.
You felt your face burning now. “What can we even do in only half an hour”
He tilted his head as he thought. “Well we really only have twenty minutes, I would allow us another ten to compose ourselves.”
“Do you think that’s enough?” you asked, laughing.
He shrugged as he brought his face closer to yours. “We can make it work.” He closed the distance between you, delicately placing his lips on yours. He was so warm, so soft. You pulled him closer, placing your hand on the back of his head and lacing your fingers within his silky blonde locks. His lips moved softly against yours, his hand gently placed on your back as he settled himself between your legs. You pulled back for a second and looked up at him. His lips were glistening with your mixed saliva and face was flush. You smiled.
“Seeing as I haven’t really had the time to do laundry, and the fact that I’m down a couple of shirts, and that we have a record of being…messy. I propose we move this to my bedroom.”
He smiled and nodded. He placed another soft kiss on your lips before backing up to let you move forward away from the table.
“I’ll try to not let it become a habit.”
“What?”
“Ruining your shirts.”
“To be fair you only ruined two, the other one was that monster.” You shrugged, “Some things are just inevitable.” You turned towards him once you were in your room and started unbuttoning your shirt. “Should we set a timer?” you joked.
Nanami set his blazer aside and loosened his tie. “We can be quick about it. We made do in that bathroom.”
You felt your cheeks go red, “Oh my god,” you buried your face in your hands and sat on the bed. You heard him chuckle and you looked up. He placed a hand down onto your cheek and you smiled at him. He slowly lowered his face down towards you and kissed your forehead. He pushed you onto your back as he finished unbuttoning his shirt. You shifted your weight as you reached down to pull your pants down. You slipped them off of your legs and suddenly felt him grab your right ankle. He smiled coyly as he placed it up onto his shoulders, you felt your face go red as you looked at him. He held your leg firmly as he lazily unbuttoned his pants and shuffled them down to expose himself. You felt your heartbeat quicken as he moved forward and ran his cock over your underwear. He moved forward, placing his knees on the bed as he brought your legs up onto his thighs. He picked up your left leg and pressed it against his side as he moved forward to kiss you. You groaned as you felt your right thigh stretch against his chest. You moved one of your hands onto his shoulder and the other laced into his hair bringing him closer. Your tongues danced as you desperately kissed him. He continued to buck his hips, running his cock over your now soaked panties. He grunted at the friction and quickly moved back suddenly. You whimpered again as your leg moved back up with him. He let go of your left leg and moved it over opening your legs wide before him. He looked up at you, his pupils wide and his mouth wet with your spit. He swallowed hard as his eyes trailed down your body. “Y/N…I don’t know how to explain what you do to me…” He licked his lips as he thrust his hips forward against your clothed cunt. “I apologize in advance if I’m being too rough.” He looked back up at you. “Please let me know if I’m too rough..” He moved a hand down and pushed aside the wet fabric easily.
He pressed his tip lightly against your opening. You moved a hand forward and pressed it against his abdomen stopping him momentarily. “Kento…”
His head snapped up to meet your eyes. “Yes?”
There was a desperation in his gaze that made you feel a warmth in your chest. “It’s okay.” You moved your hand back and lifted your arms over your head. “Be rough with me, please…” you moaned and arched your back as you felt him dip a little deeper inside you.
Nanami quickly grabbed your other leg and pressed it back against you as he moved forward and buried himself deep inside of you. You let out a yelp, which was muffled by him devouring your lips. He pushed his hips roughly against you, desperately, quickly, as he held your legs further back. You were folded over yourself and you felt the head of his cock bully the deepest parts of you. You gasped everytime he pushed into you, becoming a mumbling mess under his touch. He slipped an arm behind you and brought you closer to him and you gasped at the change in position. He had you trapped in a mating press and all you could do was mutter incoherently. “Kento!” you cried, tears forming in your eyes from the pleasure. He moved his mouth from your lips and trailed sloppy kisses down to your jaw and into your neck. You felt him bite your skin gently before latching onto the side of your neck. He was going to leave a mark, you were sure. You moved your arms forward and hugged his large torso towering over you. He wasn’t slowing down and you were reaching your limit. You dug your nails into his back and you heard him hiss as he released your neck. He smiled snarkily before moving to the other side of your neck and biting down on it. You dragged your nails along his back again and he bit down harder. You cried out as he desperately moved his hips with more force, his knees slipping and forcing him deeper as he temporarily let his weight drop on you for an instant. You moaned loudly and clenched your entire body as you came. He grunted into your ear as he thrust his hips one more time before releasing with a roar.
You were both breathing heavily as he stayed inside of you for a while longer, twitching against your contracting walls. He kissed your face gently as he tried to catch his breath and you smiled, closing your eyes and enjoying the feeling. After some time he finally moved back, releasing your legs which had been trapped between the two of you. He took a moment to massage your thighs in his hands. You hummed in appreciation.
You felt him move back and pull out of you. You winced as you felt warm liquid ooze out of you. You pointed to your bedside table and he quickly fetched a handkerchief to clean you up.
“I might have gotten carried away again.”
You laughed and sat up sorely. “It's only 8 am.” You mumbled. He smiled at you and you saw his eyes trail to your neck. You put a hand over the spots he had leeched on to. He smiled satisfied as he made his way off the bed.
“I’m going to take a quick shower…would you like to join me?” You nodded and scooted off of the bed. You looked at him as he turned his back towards you and winced. He turned to look. “What? Is something wrong?”
“Your back,” you said with a frown. “I didn’t realize how hard I was scratching.”
He peeked over his shoulder at the sharp red lines. “Nothing you can’t fix,” he said. He went over to you and scooped you up in his arms.
After your quick shower together you went back into your bedroom to get dressed. You looked in the mirror at your body. He had left a mark at the base of your neck, just low enough to be covered by the collar of your shirt. You looked at his reflection in the mirror and saw he was staring with a smile on his face. “I might have been caught up in the moment, but I made sure I was careful.”
You smiled back and looked at the mark again. You looked back up at him. “This…this doesn’t have anything to do with you being jealous does it?”
He blinked and you saw his eyebrows furrow slightly. “No,” he huffed, fiddling with the cuffs of his sleeve.. “Why would you- No, I’m not-”
You laughed. “Sorry, I had to tease. I love when you get flustered.”
He sighed and came up behind you, leaning down to rest his chin on your shoulder. “Do you have the lady lawyer’s card? What was her name? Shimizu? I think I should hold on to her card as well.”
You frowned and leaned your head into his. “I knew it. You’re leaving me for her.”
He laughed and wrapped his arms around you bringing you closer to him. He buried his face into your neck and took a deep breath. He pressed a kiss into your shoulder before moving up to kiss your cheek. “We should get going.”
You turned to look at him. “Okay.” He took your hands and lifted them to his lips to give them a gentle kiss.
“Make sure Shoko doesn’t go too far, she has a habit of getting carried away…”
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
pt 1. pt 2. pt 3. pt 4. pt 5.
˚₊✩‧₊thank you for reading my way too overly complicated fic, i have so much planned and its all really self indulgent but I'm glad I can share it with other nanami lovers. i'll try to be better about posting the next part without a three month ghosting period, but in my defense the end of 2024 was out to get me....anyway much love to you all and as always if you saw a typo, no you didn't -Nana
I can never sleep the night before my birthday, in eager anticipation of getting to meet a whole new me. How utterly troubling.
Summon: I am at my best condition. I am far more beautiful today than I was yesterday. Now, give me all your well wishes!
Groovification: Every single day I refine the first-rate product known as Vil Schoenheit even more.
Home: A good night's sleep is the key to beautiful skin.
Swap Looks: All right then, first I need to make sure my body is fully awake.
Home Transition 1: Silk garments can be difficult to take good care of, since they are weak to any sort of chafing. I truly appreciate the campus ghosts who wash them with great care each time.
Home Transition 2: I received a little video greeting from people I've worked with often. I absolutely will be sending them something back in thanks.
Home Transition 3: Sometimes I concoct my own cosmetics or herbal teas. They may not last as long, but their quality is comparable to anything on the shelves in stores.
Home Transition - Login: On the day before and the day of my birthday, I make sure to do an extra special skin care regimen. It's a little reward I give myself for all my constant hard work... See?
Home Transition - Groovy: Deuce seemed to be eating the party dishes with apt curiosity. It seems he's not very well versed with the concept of superfoods.
Home Tap 1: Ruggie handed me some herbs, and when I asked where he got them, he said he just "picked them from somewhere"... Yet somehow, these are actually high-quality ingredients.
Home Tap 2: I was speaking with Sebek on the methods of training inner muscles. I was rather surprised at how unexpectedly competent he was at explaining everything.
Home Tap 3: The rug I received from Kalim is the perfect size to place in front of my mirror. The vibrant colors gives my room a splendid atmosphere.
Home Tap 4: I should go through and replace the contents on my cosmetic storage shelves. Those close to their expiration dates should be disposed of, and the rest I can sort according to their uses... Heh, how fun.
Home Tap 5: This loungewear has the right balance of a gorgeous design and a chic color scheme. I truly love its elegance.
Home Tap - Groovy: You'd like to know the key to my beauty? Let me think... I wouldn't mind giving you a special little peek, but I wonder, would you actually be capable of pulling it off?
Duo:
[VIL]: You're unexpectedly thoughtful, Deuce.
[DEUCE]: I'm honored to be celebrating with you, Schoenheit-senpai!
Birthday Login Message: You... want to be my assistant because it's my birthday? Oh really, well, if you're offering, then perhaps I'll have you help with some of my club tasks. I'd like you to review our next script, specifically for typos and specific phrasing. If you notice anything else off, let Ortho know. ...Also, aren't you forgetting something? That's right, I'm speaking of a birthday greeting. Come now... How could you forget the most important thing, little spud?
She hadn't bothered with the covers, nor with changing. Her outer layers were somewhere on the floor in the antechamber of their bedroom and her nightgown still laid out by the wardrobe with the best of intentions, but the idea of doing anything beyond laying face first on the decorative duvet of their bed was simply too big an ask.
She heard the door open, sensing the passive buzz of the wards and the more attentive hum of Spite. A few moments later the mattress dipped as Lucanis sat on its edge. Amara willed herself to turn her head slightly to meet his concerned gaze.
“I’m fine,” she said before he could ask. “But if there are any other crises to deal with, I am off duty. Ori is fighting me on her lessons, Ally keeps trying to climb the furniture, Nico is teething, and the ambassadors from Tevinter and Rivain have been making the children look like paragons of maturity during the treaty negotiations.”
Lucanis hummed thoughtfully. “I shall refrain from telling you about the message from Antiva City then - “
“The memorial ceremony,” Amara grumbled. “We have two months. I am not thinking about that tonight.” Sighing, Amara reached for her husband. “I’m cold.”
“You are laying on top of the covers in your underwear, mi amor,” Lucanis said, though he obliged and lay down next to her, pulling her close. “Nico is asleep, I promised Ally I would take her climbing next week if she leaves the library shelves alone, and Ori finished her lessons before retiring to her room.”
“Unprompted?” Amara asked.
“There might have been some carefully applied incentives…”
“I knew you had an ulterior motive for slipping away in the market this morning.”
“Well, we saved the best pieces for you,” Lucanis said, kissing the back of her neck. “They are waiting in the washroom with a bath and the chamomile tea you purchased yesterday.”
Amara turned to face him, feeling the smile spread across her face. “Are you bribing me now?”
“To make sure you take care of yourself and not just everyone else? Yes,” he said, the slightest glint of purple light in his eyes. Making it clear that Amara was outnumbered here.
Putting on her best put upon face, Amara leveraged herself back to a seated position. “Very well. I’m not sharing the chocolate, but I might be willing to share the bath.”
Lucanis grinned and offered her a hand as he stood. Amara took it, letting him pull her to her feet and into a kiss. The consequences of living a full life was living a full life, with all the obligations and work that entailed, but as her husband led them towards the promised bath Amara knew she wouldn’t want it any other way.
Thank you @rookanis-week for hosting! I posted day 6 with nothing done for today and figured I should write what I know best - I have never seen more of myself in Amara 😂 (Also after yesterday, fluff seemed like the way to go 💕)
Day 1: Tea
Day 2: Cages
Day 3: Warmth/Touch
Day 4: Relaxation/Peace
Day 5: Family/Spite
Day 6: Dreams
Define your objectives for each chapter. In my case, some of my chapters are better written than others. My objectives for them will differ. Before starting my proofreading, I list my needs and areas of improvements, and I write them down somewhere so I have them in front of me rather than in my head alone.
Pros : allows you to know which points you need to focus on ; provides a guideline adapted to your needs.
Cons : risk of losing homogeneity and fluidity + flaws may be shifted to other chapters that didn't have them before due to a sudden imbalance.
Plan several proofreading sessions, each one of them addressing ONE NEED AT A TIME. (E.g., one for grammar, another for style, and a final one for coherence. ) And I insist on the "one need at a time" part. Even for those who can multitask (unlike me), I really don't recommend settling for a single proofreading session. It could interfere with your concentration and let you skip some flaws. And please, always give your chapter a final read after your edits to ensure that the elements make sense as a whole, and are not repeated every two paragraphs (I plead guilty, your honor)
Pros: allows you to focus precisely on each point, and give it dedicated attention.
Cons: you can quickly get confused and risk multiple re-readings + significant time investment.
I make my corrections on a separate file. Whatever you do, it's always better to have a backup and therefore to save your files (don't blindly trust autosave) to create archives. I think it's a two-ways process : 1) you open two files simultaneously, one with your V1 and one, blank, where you'll rewrite your chapter as you make changes. Eventually, this new doc will become your V2 ; 2) you copy the parts to proofread into a new document and edit directly in there.
Pros: allows you to rewrite as you wish without being discouraged by the following paragraphs - especially in case of the first way.
Cons: requires multiple files (maybe multiple screens to be at ease) and better organization.
Change the typography. I don't know about you, but after a while, I'm struck by semantic satiation (click on the link - it's Wikipedia -, it's very interesting) and nothing makes sense anymore. After the 52,846th proofreading, I might as well read in another language. I've found a relatively effective trick - not as effective as a complete break, but sometimes you need to move forward - which consists of changing the typography. I can't remember who gave me this advice though, but be sure they've been thanked more than enough in my mind. In any case, seeing words change their shape significantly helps my brain to stay focused and attentive. (Maybe it's just my mind playing tricks on me but I only see the results.)
Pros: it's simple to implement.
Cons: I don't know if this trick works for everyone or if I'm the only weirdo (you can tell me in the comment section).
Take notes. This is a very personal tip but I keep a proofreading logbook. Like, I record in a few sentences the first time an element is mentioned, how it's describes, and most importantly… I MENTION THE DATES. The story I'm currently writing is heavily governed by a chronological system, so I have an absolute need to keep the day count up to date.
Pros: helps avoid inconsistencies and oversights.
Cons: very tedious to maintain and creates (a lot) of extra work.
I've started my prooreading journey yesterday and I already want to die. If I find in the edits something that is worth making a post, be sure that I will. Or let me know if you're simply curious.
Gentle reminder : Best is the worst enemy of good so, at some point, you'll have to let it go and let your chapter live its life to its fullest. Don't be hard on yourself and be proud of your work - or know that I am.
Pairing: Robbie Williams × Gallagher!sister reader
Plot: There's nothing more heartbreaking than appearing in your (secret) ex-boyfriend's new biopic. Especially when it reveals unknown truths that shift the almost forgotten past into a brand-new light...
Previous Part
A/N: it’s been a while, i’m sorry!!!!!
(2024)
After they got married and went on their honeymoon (somewhere on the coast of Italy in a tiny bungalow with its own private beach), Y/N and Mark moved into two separate places. They both had met their fair share of divorced couples, and those always claimed that if they could have done one thing differently it would have been their living situation.
Over the last twenty years, they have moved approximately seven times. However, they are never too far away from one another. At this moment, they need ten minutes to walk from one place to the other and three if they take their cars.
The woman sighs. Her bedroom is dark and only a bit of light is shining through the (almost closed) blinds into the small space. For some unbeknownst reason, one of the street lamps is right underneath the window. Usually, she doesn’t mind it. After all this time she has gotten somewhat used it being there. Mark hasn't. He always whines about it whenever he sleeps over.
He loves to make witty comments about it too, something along the lines of "one day I’ll fucking toss a stone at it". Y/N would laugh until they fell asleep. Like teenagers, in a way. Yeah, like teenagers.
Right now, however, it doesn’t make it easier for her to fall asleep. It’s almost like it’s her first night trying to ignore it.
They both have their traditions. Like any other couple, she assumes. For example, whenever Mark finishes a Take That Tour he always comes to her apartment first. Always! When the last concert ends, he jumps into the very first plane to return home to her. In some interview, which took place ages ago Gary explained that Mark is almost like a maniac in that way: “He always calls a taxi during the time we prepare for our encore.“ “I have to get back to her.”
He eventually walks through the door, and drops everything he owns, before joining her in bed (considering how he mostly arrives throughout the night). Then Y/N makes a sleepy comment whining about his smell. Tells him to take a shower first. „God, where are your manners? You stink.“ He only laughs and whispers:“ I couldn’t wait…Can you blame me? I have the most beautiful woman in the world waiting for me in our bed… and you’re telling me to take a shower before seeing her? You’re being crazy.” She would giggle like a schoolgirl. Then they’d kiss.
It‘s currently 5 AM. All planes that departed from Brazil yesterday evening should’ve landed in London at around 3 AM. The drive from the airport to her place is 18 to 20 minutes. Mark should be here by now. Next to her. She should have complained about his bad smell two hours ago. Y/N swallows thickly. She feels sick to her stomach.
She wanted to talk to him about it on the phone. About Robbie and the whole movie situation. But Mark didn’t. "I just- I want you to know, that I never cheated on you.“, she explained after a few seconds of suffocating silence:“ Never! I need you to know that. I know this looks bad. But I never did that. The moment we both got together, Rob and… Robbie and I never touched one another again.“ But by the time she finished speaking, he had already hung up on her.
Y/N sighs while slowly sitting up. Something hefty is laying on her heart. It’s been there for a while now. Her eyes shift to her wedding ring, which sits neatly on the small table next to her bed. Mark‘s fingerprint is on the inside of it and the glow from the outside is reflecting on the gold. God, how she misses him.
Suddenly, she hears how someone unlocks the front door and without wasting a second she stands up. Y/N quickly makes her way down the stairs and towards the hallway. And once she gets to the doorframe she makes eye contact with her husband. He puts his suitcase down with peaceful force. The sound of it echoed through the silent apartment. Something is hiding in his gaze; he‘s hurt. There is no denying the truth.
And Y/N comprehends that she is the one to blame for it. They both stare at one another before Mark tosses his keys into a small bowl next to the mirror.
He inspects her features for any other emotion other than remorse, but when he isn’t able to find anything he takes a deep breath:“ The flight got delayed.“ He walks a few steps up to her:“ You were worried, that I wouldn’t come home to you.“ It’s a declaration. He doesn’t have to ask her. After all this time he can read her like an open book. And with one swift movement, he pulls her into his arms:“ Darling, I thought you knew… I always come home to you.“
