#kihoori

[kicsterash]

I can’t remember if I’ve ever posted this, but we’ve come and gone with this scene in @kihoori ‘s BBHS AU. I think I had plans on colouring this but I like how the sketch came out and I’m too busy right now sooooo here’s some Vanoss angry at Delirious.

[crimsonbluemoon]

15 & 5 for Daithi de Wildcat ples Ó w Ò

*quietly chants* spoiled spoiled spoiled spoiled spoiled... I should be more upset about this, but she’s Kihorri so XD

Ship: Daithi De Wildcat Number: 15/5 Prompt: Calming them down when they have a bad dream/Giving them a kiss before going to work and they are still in bed

Nogla knew his boyfriend was tough. 

It was part of his cute charm, despite what all of their friends said. It might have had something to do with him being a soldier just back from a tour. Nogla hadn’t known Tyler before his military experience, only meeting him when going for the ride to pick up Brian’s childhood friend from the airport. It’d been a quick connection that Nogla dived head first into. Tyler resisted for three months before kissing him between insults after Nogla fell off a balcony at a Fourth of July party. 

Tyler could scowl and growl with the best of them, and that tended to get him a bad reputation. But Nogla wasn’t fooled by his glares; there was a soft person inside the bulkier body. They’d been dating for seven months now, and despite the little snarks and sarcasm, Tyler was a good boyfriend. Tyler remembered things about him, like his favorite playlist or his coffee order, that sometimes even Nogla forgot. It was sweet, in its own quirky way, even if Tyler pretended not to do anything nice. 

So when he was woken up by violent shaking beside him, Nogla knew it was his rare moment to shine.

“You’re okay, Tyler.” He kept his voice calm and steady, but didn’t touch Tyler while he was still asleep. He’d learned from mistakes before that physical soothing didn’t help during the violent nightmares that still plagued his boyfriend from his time across the ocean. Nogla glanced to the clock, clearing his throat to shove down the sleep. “It’s 3:12am. You’re in our apartment in Los Angeles, California. It’s a humid night, shitty weather. It never gets like this in Ireland, ya know? Should just move ya there, keep ya nice and cold to keep these nightmares from coming after you like this. Ma could make a nice stew, ya know? It’d have lots of potatoes-”

“Shuddup.” The groggy voice wasn’t loud, but enough for Nogla to know his quiet ramblings had done their part. This wasn’t the first time Tyler’s nightmares had woken him up, and he was sure it would not be the last. Each time, Nogla had taken notice of something new; humid nights and beaches reminded Tyler of the desert. A nightmare was guaranteed after any death anniversary of a soldier he knew. The sharp accent of Nogla tended to yank him away from the memories of his troop. None of them were Irish, so it ‘jarred’ the reality presented in his mind. 

Now that Tyler was awake, Nogla scooted closer, placing a comforting hand against the side of his still shaking boyfriend. “Hey. What level we at, babe?” 

Tyler didn’t like to talk about his emotions, especially after his nightmares. His therapist had found a color system for the two to use in moments of Tyler’s vulnerability, which Nogla dedicated to memory despite being told not to several times by the solider. 

“...Yellow.” The color wasn’t the worst, and the nights Tyler had an orange or red were tougher to shake him out of. Blue and green were better, only needing some water or music for him to slip back into sleep. Yellow was somewhere in the middle, and Nogla curled himself around Tyler’s stiff back like a second layer of clothes. 

“Thanks for telling me.” 

“You’d fucking bug me if I didn’t.” The darkness of the room didn’t hide Tyler’s palms rising up to his eyes, pressing into them to rub away the terrible scenes behind his lids. Nogla would never know how it felt to live the life of a soldier; he’d been far too passive to lay his life on the line for ideals he didn’t know he agreed with. But Tyler, his strong, beautiful, tormented boyfriend, had. Wrapping his arm around the warm waist, he bumped his knobby knees behind Tyler’s. 

A grunt showed Tyler was irritated, but not at Nogla; he was shaken by his own mind. Probably embarrassed despite having no reason to be. He sometimes treated his survival like a shameful badge, trying to hide it away from Nogla. But the way the powerful back pressed back into his chest, instead of jerking away like two months ago, proved he desired the affection. Nogla nosed into the back of Tyler’s neck gently, placing a kiss to the top of his spine to show he’d heard his need. 

“Go back to sleep, okay? I’m gonna be right here when ya wake up,” he whispered, the promise rolled over the clammy skin. 

Tyler didn’t speak up again, only dropping his hands away from his face and burying it back into his pillow. Nogla didn’t mention that he could tell Tyler had cried, knowing that he was too raw at the moment to speak about it. Some nights, words just weren’t needed when comfort could be given in other ways. So Nogla held him tighter, making sure to stay awake long enough to feel the stomach under his touch even in it’s breathing. Still, he lingered, probably longer than he should have if the hint of the morning light was anything to go by. 

He wasn’t sure when his eyes finally lost their battle with sleep, but he knew the soft pressure against his lips that woke him up. He hummed out a noise that was caught between surprise and annoyance, but easily kissed the warm mouth back. Slanted from how Tyler was leaning over him, it wasn’t their best, but Nogla’s tummy still fluttered with happiness. Affection and love were easy for him to pour over his boyfriend, so moments where Tyler initiated romance were presents he treasured. The kiss lingered for a few wonderful seconds before the minty taste was gone, Nogla’s eyes forcing themselves open in the daylight. 

“Gotta go to work.” Tyler’s sentence was a drop of disappointment in Nogla’s pleased mind, knowing they wouldn’t be able to share breakfast. He liked to use their mornings after nightmares to check in on Tyler’s mental status and see if he needed to text Brian to ‘not have enough work at the station’ for Tyler to come in. He did a quick assessment of his boyfriend’s face and posture, not seeing any of the tension or signs that’d imply the dreams still haunted him. 

“Bring home dinner from that diner by the fire station,” Nogla mumbled, grabbing the blankets and yanking them closer to his shoulder before closing his eyes again.

“Dumbass, we have food here.” But the rough kiss pressed to his forehead as he slipped back toward sleep meant Tyler was going to spoil him. 

“Thanks.” He yawned through the word, ears barely picking up on the creaking boards when Tyler walked toward the doorway.

“Yeah, you too.” He didn’t need to question what Tyler was grateful for.

And with a smile on his face, Nogla curled into the pillow that smelt like his boyfriend before falling asleep.

[kitkatkatehh]

Happy Birthday @kihoori!

I love your art so much aaaa

Every time when I come across your artworks you give me motivation to draw 

You inspire me so much ily aaa ;v; <3

Wish you a happy birthday and I hope you like this little drawing for you uwu

[mssjynx]

7, 7, 13 H2OVanoss from your dear friend Kihorir ლ(・∀・ )ლ

h2ovanoss drabble7. bookstore!au 7. childhood friends13. “it’s been so long since we’ve done this”

-

“Ev- Evan?” 

The tan fingers flipping through yellowed pages froze in their track and the sentence that the man had been reading became lost to him. No matter how many years had passed, Evan still recognised that voice. 

After a pregnant pause of disbelief, he clapped the book shut and turned on his heel, meeting blue eyes that he hadn’t seen in over ten years. 

“No way,” Evan breathed, thoughtlessly placing the book back into the trolley as he took in the appearance of the man in front of him. From the blue eyes of his childhood best friend, to the new freckles dancing across his cheeks; from the messy brown hair that he was never able to tame when he got ready for school, to the slight scruff that brushed his jaw.

Jon’s hand hovered in the air between them, as if wanting to reach out and touch Evan and make sure that he was real. Evan didn’t think twice about taking it into his own hand, pressing their palms together and confirming it to himself. 

“You- You work here? You- I thought- I haven’t-” Jon was far from capable of forming any sentences as he gawked at Evan, that familiar face of shock. As a kid, Jon had never been able to hide his emotions. It was refreshing to know that that fact hadn’t changed. 

“Why are you here?” Evan asked instead, unable to tear his eyes away from Jon’s face. 

“I live here!” Jon returned and Evan’s brows furrowed more. 

“Here as in, in Canada?” he asked and Jon’s burst of laughter disrupted the silence of the shop seamlessly. Evan was glad there were only two other people wandering around the shop. He didn’t care if they were disturbed; he didn’t even think about them as the sound of Jon’s laugh bounced around his head. 

“I moved into a- a place on Campbell Street, like- like, two months ago!” Jon explained, bouncing on his heels like an excited teenager. 

Evan could not get over the fact that after all these years, his best friend hadn’t changed a bit. 

“I thought- You left and- I didn’t think I’d ever see you again! I was just- This book- And Luke is here and- and- Ryan! He wanted to read this book I was- I been tellin’ him about and I couldn’ find it at home because I- The trash guys took it before I could- The boxes were on the curb and- and I got the days wrong and put the wrong box out so- so I lost all my books and shit, and I- It’s such a good book and- and- I had no idea I’d see you- Do you- When did-” He cut himself off as he ran out of air, gasping in a breath and blinking rapidly. A second passed where Evan could do nothing but smile; the scene was simply endearing and he wanted nothing more than to stay in this moment forever. Jon lifted a hand to the back of his neck, scratching as his cheeks blossomed red and he turned his eyes to his feet. 

Evan laughed gently before tugging Jon forward by the hand and encasing him in a tight hug. “You haven’t changed a bit,” he said, words earnest and he melted into the taller man’s embrace, letting himself be squeezed and loving every second of it. 

When Jon pulled away abruptly, his grin was broad. “Do you- Do you still remember the, uh- our-” 

Realisation washed over Evan and his grin matched Jon’s. He held out his hand, palm up and Jon laughed. The handshake they’d made up when they were eleven; Jon smacked his hand down on Evan’s. They both formed fists, knocking one another’s knuckles up and down before grasping their free hands together and pulling each other in. Evan laughed as Jon enthusiastically bumping their hips together before jumping apart and doing a complex series of hand-shakes, high fives and, for some weird reason, jazz hands. 

When they fell apart, smiles marked both of their faces and laughter fell easily from Evan as he shook his head. “It’s been so long since we did that,” he said and Jon nodded, his smile breathless as he stepped forward and took Evan’s hand back in his. 

“Could I- Could I take you out for lunch? Or- Or dinner- When do you finish? Are you doing anything after?” Jon didn’t seem bothered or embarrassed by his stuttering words as he looked deep into Evan’s gaze, nothing but eager hopefulness swirling in those baby blues. 

Evan couldn’t stop smiling even if he’d wanted to as he nodded. “I’m off at two. Want to go get a coffee?” 

“Yes!” Jon exclaimed before glancing at his watch and startling. “Oh fuck- I was supposed to be home ten minutes ago!” Evan snickered as the other man backed up a few steps. “Can- Okay, I’ll- I’ll pick you up at two!” he promised, rushing to the front door. He shot a last smile back to Evan with his hand on the door handle. “I missed you,” he said, his face soft and smile light. 

“I missed you too,” Evan returned, still standing rooted in place. Jon’s smile was broad and beautiful and there was nothing that Jon could have said that would have made Evan happier. 

[preciousgaby]

@kihoori I JUST SAW YOUR STICKERS IN JIGGLYS VIDEO!!!!

I saw your bigjigglypanda sticker in Anthony's PAX East 2020 video (30:20 to be exact)

He looked so happy!! I'm so proud for you!!!

[crimsonbluemoon]

23 “I’ll wait.” H2OVanoss （*´▽｀*）

I’ve been teasing her all morning so I guess I owe her a nice drabble. This one is very fluffy so like, go brush your teeth after. 

Couple: H2O Vanoss Number: 23 Prompt: “I’ll wait.” 

“Don’t come in!” The panic in Delirious’s voice paused Vanoss outside the door of their bedroom, though he was tempted by nature to disregard the warning. Instead, he leaned on the wood, trying to hear what was happening on the other side. 

“Why not?” 

“Ca-cause I’m doi-doing the thing of-of-of none of your business what I’m do-doing!” His boyfriend was cute, but everyone knew Cartoonz was the brains of their normal operations.

“I mean, it is my room, too. I could just come in-” he bit back his grin when he jiggled the handle, though nearly lost it at the loud bang of what he knew was Delirious’s body against the some surface in their room.

“Ow! Do-don’t you-ow ow ow-don’t open that!” 

“What the hell are you up to?” Vanoss asked, surprised by the long pause of silence. 

“Just...please don’t come in.” Panic and frustration were like spotlights in Delirious’s voice, and the good feeling Vanoss got from teasing quickly burned away in their wake. 

“It’s okay, Del. I’m not gonna come in. I’ll wait, I promise.” Because whatever was going on, he could tell it was important to his boyfriend. There was a small sigh of relief before movement continued on the other side of the door, and Vanoss pressed his forehead to the cool wood and closed his eyes. They’d been together for so long, he didn’t need to see Delirous to know what he’d look like in his frazzled state. His hair would be all over the place from running fingers through it, and only his cheeks would be red with color. Sometimes he got a little wrinkle between his eyebrows if he was really panicked, and his already poor coordination would go out the window. It was probably why whatever he was working on was taking longer than he’d planned; Vanoss had a feeling the surprise was supposed to be finished before him and Moo finished their dinner date. 

“Um, okay. Right, you can-you should come in now.” Just to be kind, he waited another moment before pushing the bedroom door open. The summer sunset peeked out through their window, though it’d been closed for some time from how warm the room had become. His attention to temperature was quickly washed away when catching sight of their room. 

“What the…” Scattered across every wall, with more colors and shapes than Evan had ever though Post-its made, were notes. The thick handwriting of his boyfriend was plastered one each one, some with few words and others brimming with sentences barely held together on the page. Floored, he held his breath and moved across the room, eyes set on the first blue post-it stuck above their lamp.

I love your smile.

Vanoss’s face sprouted pink at the admission, fingers hesitant to run over the words before turning his attention to the one next to it. Endless notes of praise covered the room, splattered in different angles that made him walk around the large space to see them all. Each time he felt his breath was starting to return, another note would catch him off guard in its beautiful complexity or its simple adoration. But they all started with the same two words.  

I love how you care about our friends.

I love when you snort after Nogla does something dumb.

I love that you suck at Dead By Daylight

I love the memory of how we first met.

I love your ass.

I love how you never let anyone tell you that I’m too dumb or weird for you, because you see me for all of my strengths. 

I love waking up next to you every day, even when your feet are cold! 

I love the ambition you have.

I love the way you kiss me.

I love how you look when you’re mad at me for drinking the milk from the carton.

I love that you don’t let us go to bed angry, even when I’m in the wrong.

I love that you never try to fix me.

I love the way you feel in my arms.  

I love you.

When Evan got to the last post it note, taped to the door he’d come through, the pattern finally broke.

I hope you love what I do next.

“Evan?” Vanoss blinked before turning back around, his stomach dropping out when seeing Delirious. His boyfriend looked wobbly on one knee, but his hands were trembling too much with a jewelry box to try and steady himself. “I-I’m not good with words. We know-I just get super-my brain. It’s not...not the best? But I-so I did this. To tell you what I feel. I al-always do! Feel this way, I mean, er-”

“Jonathan, please ask me so I can say yes.” Delirious’s eyes widened at Vanoss’s whisper, which made a watery laugh come out of his lips before he dropped down in front of his stammering lover. “Come on, tell me.” 

“Will you marry me?!” He blurted out the sentence in a rush, and Vanoss barely had time to nod before pushing forward to kiss him. Delirious only took a heartbeat to kiss back, his free hand cupping Vanoss’s cheek to pull him closer. Vanoss didn’t fight Delirious when he leaned backwards on the floor, keeping their mouths sealed together like the only air he could breath was between Jon’s lips. He’d say ‘yes’ and ‘I love you’ and ‘your ass is great, too’ later. 

For now, no other words were needed between them.

[crimsonbluemoon]

For the Fluff Prompt DDW with 69 (heh nice) = w =

Yush! Two under the limit! 

Also, I don’t normally write this couple so I’m sorry if this sucks. But Kihorri’s made too many of my H2O Vanoss dreams come true to not write this for her. >.<

Pairing: DDWNumber: 69 Prompt: “I’ve fallen for you and it’s becoming difficult for me to get anything done.”

“Okay, so we’ve got the streamers for the party, and Tyler’s picking up the balloons from the back room; what’s next?” Brock’s checklist sat in Nogla’s hand, but his eyes weren’t looking down at the crumpled paper. Instead, they stayed on the t-shirt int he corner of the store, a small smile creeping over his lips. The little pig in the center of the shirt had the words ‘I like pigs; you, not so much’ wrapped around him. The phrase sounded so much like his best friend, Nogla was already pulling the fabric from the hanger before he spoke.

“Do you think Tyler would like this shirt?” Nogla blinked when Moo snorted, tilting his head at the long sigh and head shake he got in reply. 

“We almost made it a whole day.” 

“What are ya talking about?”

“Every time you hang out with him, your crush starts showing. Which then sidetracks you, and makes it even harder to get stuff done.”

“T-That ain’t true!” He wasn’t sure which part he was denying, since he knew the truth about his feelings for Tyler. He hadn’t told anyone, but from Moo’s arched eyebrow, it was obvious he’d done less to hide it than he thought.

“Case in point; we’re here looking for Brian’s surprise birthday supplies, and your head’s still wrapped around Tyler. How would you even explain buying him that?” 

“It could be a Christmas present.” 

“It’s March.” 

“Birthday?”

“We both know his birthday’s in September.” The two stared at each other in silence before Nogla flushed, yanking the shirt closer to him with a scowl. 

“Well w-what’s wrong with just gettin something for ya friend, huh? Ye didn’t see me saying nothing bout you getting Brian lots of gifts earlier!” 

“Because I’m in love with him, and it’s his birthday. Only one of those things explains why you’re buying Tyler a present.” Brock’s words weren’t harsh or meant to hurt, and the understanding was almost more painful than judgement would have been. The insecurity and fear of his feelings swelled up in his stomach, yanking the bottom out with malicious glee. He huffed through the panic, shoving the shirt back toward the hanger. 

“Then I won’t buy the shirt! It’s fine-”

“Except then you’ll be thinking about the shirt, which means you’ll be distracted during the entire rest of the trip. Tyler will wonder what your deal is, which will put him in a grumpy mood, and I’ll have to deal with both of you while trying to balance Brian’s ice cream cake. That sounds terrible.” 

“Well then what should I do?! Should I just tell Tyler? Is that what I’m supposed to do?”

“Tell me what?” The grouchiness was too blunt to belong to Brock, but Nogla’s mind moved slower than the lips that aimed their unplanned attack to the tall man who appeared behind Moo. 

“That I’ve fallen for you and it’s becoming difficult for me to get anything done without thinking bout ya cute face and wanting to kiss it or something!” Tyler’s blank look would have been comical if not for the fact that Nogla had practically tattooed his heart onto his face for all to see. Bony shoulders heaved from the loud shout, and he wondered how many people in the store heard his terrible confession. Brock’s bit his lip when he stepped out from between them awkwardly, which didn’t help the crumbling of Nogla’s mind. The scratchy shirt collected the sweat from his palms, and he clutched it like a lifeline while he stared Tyler down. Two slow blinks from his friend sat in the silence before Tyler rolled his eyes.

“That’s all?” A huff and two large steps brought Tyler into Nogla’s space, and he only had a second to suck in a breath before a large palm grabbed his neck and yanked him forward. The kiss pressed to his mouth was firm and sure, but melted Nogla’s heart from the burst of heat that it created in his chest. His hands hung useless in the shirt, but Tyler’s were active when tilting his head the way Tyler seemed to want it. The connection only lasted two heartbeats, barely enough time for Nogla’s lips to remember to kiss back, before Tyler pulled away. He still looked annoyed, as Tyler always did, but the brightness of his cheeks proved he wasn’t impervious to the kiss’s effects. 

“Tyler?” Nogla asked, owlishly blinking as his fingers pressed to his lips. 

“If you like me, and I like you, then it’s not a big fucking deal if you think about me. I think about you too, dumbass. So just..just stop being weird about it,” Tyler snapped out, looking ready for an argument over a confession.

“Wait…wait wait! Ye like me?!” Nogla asked, nearly tripping over still feet from Tyler’s arched eyebrow.  

“You knew that.” 

“I didn’t!” 

“We told you he didn’t,” Brock supplied from where he leaned against the wall, looking far too amused over a kiss he wasn’t apart of. “Tyler, we told you he didn’t know. Brian literally bet you he didn’t.”

“Brian’s a troll. Everyone knows I like him. What are you, an idiot or-oh my god.”  A shadow of realization crept over Tyler’s face, darkening the pink tint into a red flush Nogla found cute. “I forgot you’re an idiot.”

“Hey!” Brock laughed hard enough to curl his arms over his stomach, but Nogla didn’t give it a second look. Instead, he rushed forward to grab Tyler’s hands, which felt stiff in his hands. “So it’s…it’s okay? For me to like you?” 

“Jesus, what do you need, a signed invitation?” The words were sharp and defensive. They bounced off Nogla easily, his lips rushing to push out the words he’d kept inside his chest for far too long.

“I like you. I like ye alot!” 

“…idiot.” Blue eyes glared to the side, grumbling out the sentence. But Nogla didn’t care, his smile too wide for his face when fingers slipped between his without thought. 

He was happy to be an idiot, if it meant he got to be Tyler’s.

[crimsonbluemoon]

6, 3, 7 H2OVanoss! You know me heh ( •ॢᴗ•ॢ⋈)

Ahhh Owlbun! So I hope this fits the perimeters of a cute-meet cause I don’t know if it does but I think it does? Idk, its cute, please enjoy this mess of a story. >.> It’s a diff style than I normally do, but….hope it works out!

AU: Coffee shopTrope: Meet cutePrompt: “You had no idea, did you?”

Pairing: H2O Vanoss

If Evan was being honest, he hadn’t expected the chalkboard wall at his coffee shop to make much of a difference. The Owl Cafe was a staple in the community, and he had an okay group of regulars that liked to come in and check out his new blends on the daily. There were ones he knew by name, like the 6 year old girl Momo who loved Brian’s hot chocolate, or the late-night writer Kryoz who always seemed to appear when the place was deserted. Some regulars he didn’t catch names for, so he titled them as he saw fit; Runner man, vlogger teen, cute sweatshirt guy. All had their place in his cafe, which was steady in its sales. He wasn’t rolling in cash, but it was enough to pay Brock and Brian, so he felt that he was doing alright. 

The chalkboard had been something of a whim. A friend when he was younger had a wall in his bedroom with chalkboard paint that Evan had always enjoyed drawing on before bed. When he’d bought the cafe two years ago, he hadn’t really remembered the fun times he had scribbling across the bedroom wall. He was too focused on payments and attracting customers to stroll down memory lane. That had changed three months ago when bumping into Lui, the two speaking about their times as a child. The wall came up, of course, and Evan couldn’t let the memory go for days after. Lots of his customers had children, and college kids were always quick to bore when waiting for coffee. So one night, after a really good week at the shop, Evan went out and bought the paint in order to make his wall next to the waiting area a drawing board. 

The result was amazing; people loved coming by and adding their own doodles to the wall, filling it with different styles of art or funny sayings. There were always the punks who tried to draw dicks or write derogatory marks, but street justice tended to stop the crimes far quicker than Evan or his friends picked up on them. Evan enjoyed looking at the board at the end of the night, seeing what secrets it held from the customers he served. He tried to guess who drew what, or where each blurb of inspiration writing came from. Was the struggling mother of three the one who drew the calm beach? Did the preppy college girl express her darker thoughts in the corner of the board? Or was that old couple who shared a coffee really sweet enough to write their 70th anniversary with a heart around it? All of the pieces of the board was a collection of minds, hearts, and souls, and the nights didn’t feel complete for the shop owner without gazing at them in appreciation.  

His favorite part was the confessions; like an anonymous message board, people left words of secrecy every day. Evan felt it was a safe way for customers to express themselves without having to reveal their identity, and so far he hadn’t gotten any confessions that worried him. Brock always enjoyed reading the romantic ones where someone would claim their love for a friend, an ex, or a person they could never have. Brian’s favorites were the weird claims; he made Evan keep the ‘I like smelling feet’ confession up for three days. Evan couldn’t really say he had a type he sought out, because all of them were fun to read. If anything, he liked taking in the handwriting of the confessions, seeing whose were quaking with fear or more broad with confidence that only anonymity provided. 

It was nearly two months into owning the board that a message caught his eye; it didn’t have much color or outlandish design to it, so Evan wasn’t sure why it stuck out to him so much. But the writing just…looked different. Friendly. A little messy but with long enough strokes to show some care went into it. The words only took up a small part of the board. 

I come here every day because I think the owner is nice. And maybe cute? I wanted to ask for his name, but I’m too nervous.

Evan blinked in surprise, feeling his face heat up when he read it again. Someone…confessed about him? It was sort of risky, since this was his shop and he could have checked in on the board at any time, but it was also endearing. Someone was too shy to approach Evan, but felt strong enough about him to confess on his wall? He read the line two more times while he cleaned off every other drawing and confession, leaving the words in the middle of the board. Slowly, his eyes dropped down to the basket of chalk at the bottom of the wall, fingers twitching by his side. Despite having it for months, he’d never actually written on it. He left designing the morning greeting to Brock, as he was the artistic one of the three. But now…

He kept the confession where it was, drawing a little circle around it with the red chalk. Then, with block letters bright enough to catch any returning customer’s attention, he wrote out a simple reply. 

It’s Evan. Nice to meet you.

He didn’t think about the teasing Brian would rain on him, or how unlikely it was for him to get a response. The confessions were meant to be anonymous, not openers for conversation. So sure that his words would be left unanswered, Evan didn’t look once at the board the following day, trying to keep focused on making his customer’s happy. Any time he wasn’t working, he rushed into the back, trying to stay occupied so he didn’t stare at the wall. The day dragged on forever, but when the final customer was out the door, Evan nearly fell flat on his face vaulting over the counter to move to the board. 

“Desperate much, buddy?” Brian’s shout from across the shop went ignored when Evan scanned the wall, looking for any sign of a response. At first, the words around the response were disheartening; nothing connected to what he’d said. The drawings were still cute, and he wanted to read the confessions, but his heart slightly dropped at the sight. Had he scared off the anonymous messenger? He felt his frown start to capture his lips, but then his eye picked up on something. A blue circle had been wrapped around Evan’s words, and a line of chalk was drawn to the left of the board. Curious, his eyes tracked the line. Like thread in a maze, Evan was led to a familiar handwriting. 

Your name fits you! I’m…Jonathan. Is that okay? 

“Jonathan.” He rolled the name around in his mouth, his smile small when he finished. He knew instantly what his new secret penpal was asking, and he found the red chalk from before in order to scribble out his answer. 

That’s totally okay. I bet your name fits you, too, though I’m not sure who you are. Care to give me a hint? 

And for the next two weeks, the hints poured out. 

I like to wear blue a lot. Luke says it matches my eyes. But I think yours are prettier.

Evan counted seventy three customers with blue eyes who wore blue that day, but it did little to limit his search. 

I saw you drop that lady’s coffee on purpose. She deserved it for treating Brock like that. You’re a really good boss.

The incident had been in the morning around rush hour, which probably meant his penpal was at least his age. 

You only wear hats when you clean the mocha machine; it really looks good on you. 

Except this was something he did at night, so maybe he had different shifts throughout the week? 

Whenever little Momo comes in, you always give her the best smile. Sometimes I wish you’d smile at me like that.

Evan’s face hurt from how many smiles he gave out that day, but there had been nobody who hinted at knowing why he’d been grinning so much. 

You’re so beautiful. I really want to ask you on a date. 

Evan’s face flush red for the rest of the night. 

After the days of trying to piece together just who ‘Jonathan’ was, Evan was almost ready to throw in the towel. The little banter between them was fun, and peeks of Jonathan’s personality came out with doodles or smilies at the end of his sentences. He mentioned his friends, his dog, and if Evan closed his eyes, he could almost make out a voice to the words. Everything just felt so familiar about this guy, like he was already seated comfortably in Evan’s life. But he just couldn’t come up with a name, or anything to sink his teeth into. 

So, with a shot of courage (Brian may have supplied the alcohol) and nothing to lose, Evan wrote out one final message. 

Anything but coffee, and I’ll say yes.

Evan tried not to look at the board, just like the first day, hoping he wouldn’t scare away his crush by staring the wall down. Brock and Brian helped distract him, jokingly picking out old men and toddlers as ‘his secret admirer’ before laughing at the outlandish suggestions. Evan tried to smile and joke with them, but his shaking hands when giving out the orders always proved how nervous he was. Each time a customer came up to him, his back tensed, wondering if it’d be his penpal. But they never were, always asking for sugar or a bag for their half eaten muffin. 

When the last minutes of the day ticked away, and just a few regular souls lingered in the cafe, Evan finally broke. He left Brian and Brock behind the counter to walk up to the wall, hands shoved in the pockets of the apron to hide his twitching fingers. Slowly, his eyes scanned the board, trying to find the blue handwriting he’d grown to adore over the couple weeks he’d gotten to see it. But there was nothing; his crush hadn’t replied. 

“I scared him away.” Evan sighed and pressed his head to the chalkboard, eyes closing in defeat. His shoulders slumped down, unable to hide his disappointment. He’d just wanted to know who this guy was, because starting to fall for a chalkboard he technically owned was starting to feel a little creepy-

“Um.” An unsure voice made Evan bite back a groan, trying to keep his composure. Even if he was being ghosted by an anonymous customer, it didn’t mean he could ignore his other ones. Pulling back from the wall, Evan turned to catch sight of a familiar face. Cute sweatshirt guy had been a regular for months, always polite but never one to really engage in much conversation with Evan or the others. He always contributed it to the slight stutter in his speech, which only seemed to come out in longer sentences. It was actually kind of late for cute sweatshirt guy to be at the cafe; he’d bought his coffee close to an hour ago, and though he normally left right after, he’d seemed to linger now. He’d been one of the people who’d come up to Evan, looking like he was going to burst out in a confession, only to ask for creamer.

And sugar.

And a new cup.

…And more creamer.

For a coffee he always drank black.

“Wait.” Evan’s breath hitched in his throat as his eyes widened on the blue gaze nervously watching him, fingers curled into the worn down sweatshirt that was identical in color. 

“Yeah, I’m-that was me. Jonathan. Who you were-I’m the guy tha–that, um, fuck. Luke said I should’ve just-but the wall was…was our thing.” Jonathan’s face lit up in color at the confession, the nervous laugh that poured out loud and uncontrolled. It echoed from the emptiness of the cafe, and both men jumped when Brian swore and knocked over a stack of cups in surprise. Tagging that as future Evan’s problem, he turned his attention back to Jonathan, who looked ready to let his sweatshirt swallow him whole. The smile he gave only lifted half his mouth, proving he didn’t feel confident. “You had no idea, did you?”

“None,” Evan admitted, hands pulling out of his apron at the defeated look that sunk over Jonathan. 

“Right, that’s- I don’t have to ask you on a date if this isn’t what you…if I’m not who you-”

“Ask me!” Evan cut him off fast, not wanting to let Jonathan feel rejected for a second longer. He rushed forward, snagging hands that tugged the end of torn sleeves to entwine their fingers. Blue eyes widened above him, but Evan refused to let his racing heart of reddened cheeks stop him from repeating his confession from before. “Anything but coffee, and I’ll say yes.” 

“Dinner? Can I-would you like to get food with me tomorrow?” Like a puppy, Jonathan’s body perked up at the possibility. Evan laughed before lifting their hands to cup Jonathan’s cheeks. He pushed up onto his toes, feeling the slight intake of his customer’s breath before he answered with a kiss.

But just to be safe, he wrote ‘yes’ on the chalkboard the next morning.