ontheperiphery

[ontheperiphery]

distance

series: don’t look away yoongi x reader, childhood friends!au word count: ~800

sometimes falling out of friendships comes at you like the quiet of the night, gradually, but inevitably

Childhood was running through the school playground, animatedly talking about the arts and crafts activity the class did before recess while Yoongi laughed along and nodded. You couldn’t help but poke at him with your fingers still sticky with glue and he stuck out his tongue before sprinkling leftover glitter stuck to his hands into your hair. Skipping through the school field you liked to look for ladybugs and roly-polies while he guarded those you occasionally plopped in his hand.

The wonders of the world were at your fingertips and with your best friend tagging along you couldn’t help but look forward to the abstract concept that was the future.

-

Adolescence was accepting sprouts of responsibility, not quite sure what that meant, but something you could work through with friends at your side. Classes kind of sort of mattered now, in a far-reaching long term sort of way you understood in concept but not tangibly. All you focused on was the now and that Yoongi, still one of your good friends, shared at least half his classes with you and took confort in when the boredom or frustrations of class became too much. You both volunteered at the library during lunch and did partner projects with each other.

You made new friends and so did he. But the friend groups overlapped in a way that he rarely socialized without you, and you, him. Growing up was hard, but you both would get through this. Together.

-

College came and went, in a way that was too slow and too fast, at a pace you never quite clicked with. An awkward time during which you were an adult, legally, in name at least, even if the only real world responsibility you could reliably handle was remembering your own name. Although you lived many days during which you doubted even that. Were you your own person or the person your applications and academic submissions said you were?

You never really fell out of contact with Yoongi even if you went to different colleges. Or maybe you did. Social media facilitated occasional conversation, as did Skype, Discord, Facebook messaging; smart phones in general were a lifesaver. But you weren’t one to initiate contact without reason and it turns out, neither was Yoongi.

-

Diploma in hand, you stared at its printed lettering. Font black, in an elegant but legible script, you read your name, your degree, your major. And yet. You wondered how this sheet of paper made any difference to who you were now that it was in your hands.

A brief vibrating of your phone shook you out of your thoughts and you pressed your finger to the home button to unlock it.

Min Yoongi commented on your post.

Ah. Right. You left him a message earlier. Out of obligation more than anything.

[Y/N] happy brthday yoongi!! may good things come your way 🕊🌸

[Min Yoongi] thank you y/n! i appreciate you thinking of me i miss hanging out with you

You stared at the comment, unmoving for a full minute to process the words on your screen. At this point, you think it’s been years since you two have had a proper conversation. And though you vaguely have been aware of what’s he’s been up to from posts you’ve seen via shared mutuals and the rare posts from him, it’s truly been a while.

But it’s late and you’re not sure what to make of the exchange so you swipe all your apps closed and bury your face in your pillow hoping to sleep your uncertainties away.

-

It takes a long time and hard work and endless planning and budgeting but you’ve finally paid off student loans, secured a quaint apartment and reconciled a personal sort of peace with yourself. It’s a modest way to live, but you’re content with it.

During your days off work you enjoy relaxing at neighborhood cafes, idling the time away with a good book or the company of a close friend and occasionally, thoughts drift to past nostalgia and school days.

The memories come to you as if covered with blurry film and you know that as close as you may have been to Yoongi as a child, your paths diverged. And so, with a quiet forlornness that didn’t really suit the comfortable warmth of the afternoon sun, you sip your tea and wonder.

What kind of person is Min Yoongi of the present?

[ontheperiphery]

a penny for your thoughts, tipsy or not

kim namjoon x reader, college!au introspection?? word count: 2.2k

The party was lit. And you were not.

It’s safe, you think, to admit that events largely aimed at socializing weren’t your thing. Not that you were unwilling to attend, but showing up and enjoying yourself were two different issues entirely.

You probably should’ve taken the hint when attending a boba after-social in which you sat with your peach flavored black iced tea and listened to people at your table animatedly conversing while nodding and humming occasionally to indicate your involvement. It was a small group of people and you made an effort to say something every few minutes, but you were a polite listener and never really interrupted when you could’ve. And so conversation flowed smoothly without you.

You probably should’ve taken the hint when you arrived at a dance kick-off performance and let your friend drag you out of your seats to socialize with people since you were so early that there was plenty of time before the event properly began. You smiled at friendly faces and engaged in the shortest of conversations until you ran out of people you knew and things to talk about. And in your periphery was your friend who hopped here and there talking with event staff and friends and you don’t know. More people than you knew, that’s for sure.

You really should’ve taken the hint when you didn’t know what to do other than find an unoccupied couch when you tagged along to house party full of friends of friends of the only friend you knew in the entire building. You tried to pet the dog that night, and while she was extremely friendly and full of energy, she also wasn’t so attention hungry that she stayed in one place for long and you decided you didn’t want to drink with only one familiar face to reach out to, wherever they were in the goddamn house.

So.

Current you sat in the very corner of the living room, obstructed by the couch and huddled with your phone and newest mobile game obsession to tap away your nonchalant boredom with mild success. And though you wanted nothing more than to retire for the night and leave the groups of people playing board games or drinking games or socializing because everyone knew multiple someones, you could not. Not truly.

It was rarely the case but tonight’s party was actually at your apartment living room, a casual one hosted by your roommate. A kick-back may be more accurate to describe it. The people present weren’t….not-nice, not unfriendly, not bad people. Like. People you could hit up and befriend in your lectures if you so happened to share classes. But even in your own home, too much was unfamiliar and the air buzzed with so much conversation and laughter and noise it didn’t feel like your place to be.

Although you did have the option of retreating to your room, the walls were essentially paper-thin and you’d be taunted by half-clear conversations and loud bursts of laughter and yelling regardless so why not stay and listen in properly. Maybe you’d even have a laugh of your own if conversation was entertaining enough. It wasn’t eavesdropping when everyone was gathered in the same room and laughing over each other like noise complaints weren’t a threat.

You were fine where you were at least. Not being visible from most angles of the room helped.

A faint shadow passed over you in the dim lighting and you looked up from your phone, confused that anyone had come over to your little corner when all the drinks and snacks and games were in the center of the room.

“Oh! I didn’t even see you there, uhh hey,” a boy greets you.

Tilting your head back in an attempt to make eye contact, you look up from your phone to return his greeting, “it’s okay. I’m kind of hiding anyway.” You’d try to hold conversation longer but, boy, was he tall and you weren’t too keen on straining your neck even as a courtesy.

He looks around your small corner for a bit and bites his lip as if contemplating something, so you tentatively give him a small smile and a reassuring glance in case he felt like he’d somehow offended you in the ten seconds he’d been standing there. The thought makes you chuckle inwardly because in this moment, at this party, you didn’t really care all that much about anything enough to get offended. “Are you looking for something?” you finally decide to ask.

“Yeah, actually,” he smiles sheepishly, “are there any spare chargers here?”

“Mhmm.” A pretty reasonable question, you muse, since you happen to sit next to a power strip and open outlets. Your phone is at a decent enough level you could last the rest of the party on power saving mode. Probably. So you unplug it to offer your own charger. “I got you.”

He grins back, “thanks. I'm Namjoon, can I join you here?” He gestures at your little space and you nod to acquiesce, introducing yourself briefly.

“Y/n. Nice to meet you.”

Since you don’t offer much in the way of conversation, Namjoon slides down the wall to sit beside you, occasionally checking his phone. Probably messaging someone or waiting for something, you think, if he isn’t leaving his charging phone to rejoin the party.

He hums a bit before initiating conversation, “so what brings you here?”

You figure that he'll sit by his charging phone for a while so, crosslegged and turning to face him, you shrug, “I live here.”

Rather than hear any possible judgement in Namjoon's response over, you don't know, your reluctance to participate in socializing or hiding in your room like most people, you explain yourself all at once. “I'm in the master bedroom and if I stayed in my room it’s kind of uncomfortable to have people walk in and out to use the bathroom and I don't want to be the ass who closes the door to one of the only two bathrooms here. And hardly anyone even sees me here in the corner so it's whatever. It's my roommate's party and I'll just chill until it's over.”

Namjoon just sort of nods with a thoughtful look on his face although you aren't sure how much of your rambling he really paid attention to, you guess you appreciate that he looks like he's listening. Company and all that jazz.

You think about unlocking your phone to avoid your surroundings again but then Namjoon replies, “sounds unfortunate,” bringing a scoff from you.

“You don't say.”

Namjoon looks at you with an amused expression like he knows there's more to it and you press your mouth in a frown. “And it’s been a rough couple of days.” You bring your knees up and curl your arms around them.

You wonder then, if Namjoon's expression is actually more sympathetic than amused but it's late and you're tired, in no mood to properly decipher social cues. It matters little to you in the moment, even if Namjoon is a soft enough presence to have you talking as if you were old friends.

“At least it's the weekend then,” Namjoon offers, “I'm going to grab a drink. D’you want one?”

Shaking your head no, “thanks but no. Unless there's an unopened Calpico?”

Namjoon catches the hopeful lilt at the end of your question and easily smiles at your request, returning with a peach flavored bottle and a cup of the same, mixed with a bit of soju. This time, slumping down next to you, shoulders almost touching if either of you chose to lean a bit closer.

You uncurl yourself a bit and happily uncap your bottle, shaking your head at Namjoon as he tilts his cup towards you to offer a sip. “It's okay,” you say with thanks, “but I'm not big on drinking my sorrows away.”

“Hm,” Namjoon replies curiously, turning his head towards you “why not?”

Even as you keep your eyes looking straight ahead, you feel Namjoon's intent gaze on you. Smothering the impulse to fidget, you bring your legs back up to hug them. “Well,” you begin, figuring out how to put words to thoughts, “why do you drink?”

Namjoon thinks for a moment. “Hm. Most of the time it's just a social thing. It's enjoyable with the right people and mixed drink are fun.” He holds up his glass once more which you tap with your bottle to toast with a small smile. “I guess I don't quite believe in drinking feelings away either.”

You're nodding along to Namjoon’s words, pausing at his last statement, because for once, you think, for once, maybe someone finally gets it. But you're not yet sure, so you softly add, “yeah. There's value in feeling you know? All the happy and sad,” while fiddling with the bottle cap of your drink.

You want to add on personal thoughts, that you're never upset at the times you are sad or crying, that you don't ever resent the circumstances that cause such emotions in you and that you don't mind the time you need alone or with friends to get over yourself. That yeah, you often get overwhelmed and sometimes you just feel too damn much but sadness isn't necessarily negative. It just is.

Sitting in your little corner thoughtfully, amongst the loud buzz of laughter and conversation of everyone else in your little apartment you've come to ignore, Namjoon murmurs his agreement and nudges his shoulder to yours, “you sound like you have more to say.”

You're overcome with a mix of quiet appreciation, nervousness, and surprise at his offer, at his interest in what you had to say. Wondering if a person could be drunk on exhaustion because you think a tear or two may be threatening to fall from your eyes.

But you collect yourself just enough to express your thoughts to an attentive Namjoon. Not so much about your troubles because you don’t think they’re any more or less special than the similar academic or life stresses everyone else faces, but moreso about your resulting feelings and how you deal with them. How empty you feel after days of mundane lectures and routine and not feeling enough. How, if you feel too much too intensely, you prefer to spend time alone to process your feelings and thoughts. How confused you get when all your close friends are too busy to have heart-to-heart conversations with.

You’re a little lost, and feel a mournful sense of quiet over it.

As you lay your head awkwardly on your arms you sigh, “sorry for my rambling. I stew in my own thoughts too much.” You turn your head slightly to eye Namjoon. “You probably didn’t come here to talk about existentialism and introspection.”

“No but you’re good,” Namjoon chuckles. “It’s actually kind of refreshing to find someone who’d rather talk about their feelings than play drinking games.”

“Pffft.” You give him a light shove at the small teasing.

“Besides, don’t you enjoy life more when you think more deeply about your experiences? It’s like-”

Namjoon’s phone then lights up with messages and he apologizes for breaking off conversation and being called away by his only ride home for the night, but you only wave off his apologies. You’re grateful that he sat by and listened to you for so long to fault him for anything.

Waving goodbye and mustering up the sincerest thanks you can before he leaves, you only wish that he’d stay a little longer if only to hear the rest of his thoughts like he did yours.

-

A week later you’re sitting at a coffee shop near campus to study between classes and out of the corner of your eye you see someone familiar pass by. Your eyes widen in surprise and before you even register your actions or have the chance to overthink whether you should or not, you’re waving over Namjoon and inviting him to join you.

Luckily, you learn Namjoon just walked out of class and doesn’t seem to find your invitation out of place, even if you’re not sure if it was too much to call yourselves friends. The thoughts make you think back on your first meeting a week prior and wonder what prompted him to talk with quiet little you when there was so much more to do at the party. You then turn quietly flustered, realizing your traitorous mouth asked that aloud.

He mutters something about an analogy, how beautiful stars shine at night when there’s no lights from nearby cities reaching the sky and a little more you just can’t quite catch. But then he’s putting his hands to his face in embarrassment with more jumbled mumbling as you shyly smile back.

“You just looked like you wanted someone to talk to,” Namjoon settles on with dimpled smile, “and I think I kind of did too.”

[ontheperiphery]

to cure a sunspot

jung hoseok x reader, fantasy!au brief adventure and fluff word count: 2k

To look for a magical cure-all was less like finding a needle in a haystack and more like finding a pixie in the vast expanse that was the ocean.

Where?

High and low he looked, in caves and crevices, rivers and streams, dense underbrush and open meadows at yet…

Where?

A boy stumbles through the forest uncertainly, not unfamiliar with it’s twists and turns and filtered light breaking through canopy leaves, tricks of the mind that had a tendency to lead the naive astray when they forgot to stick to the faintly trodden paths. It was a small danger he was willing to traverse, had done so time and time again in search of herbs and other resources. He catches himself on a branch after tripping on a root and it reminds him of his mother’s scoldings.

Don’t forget to take breaks, Hobi, for all your fancy footwork you sure lose sight of your surroundings easily.

Reminds him of the way his heart aches, the image of her lying bedridden, unable to tend to her apothecary he helped out at. There was the slight pressure that he’d have to take over the shop one day, but the lingering thoughts that truly weighed him down was the dark feeling in the pit of his heart that told him his mother was not recovering well on her own.

And losing her scared him more than anything else.

Hoseok looked down at the bags at his waist and belt, taking brief stock of what he’d already gathered, sage, feverfew, fairy’s foot, clover drops. It was a decent variety for brewing general stock but he despairingly wanted a medicine to cure whatever ailed his mother. He’d have to stop by a few shops for advice and additional ingredients on his way home later.

A faint rustling in the bushes startled Hoseok out of his thoughts and he quickly turned to identify it’s source. Ahh, it wasn’t good to space out like that in the forest, nevermind that it was broad daylight. He was deep enough in that the canopy made everything seem a little darker and daylight didn’t matter so much in deterring the more sneaky creatures.

Cautiously stepping neither closer nor further from the location of the rustling, he hoped to get a better view, but a snarl and blurred movement sent him running a heartbeat quicker than he’d even form a coherent thought. Hoseok let a hysterical screech die in his throat and truly wanted to cry in despair, but the most important thing was to get away unscathed, without attracted more unknown creatures and focusing on the branches and roots and bushed and slopes that all seemed to conspire against him.

Where?

Where, where, where?

Was searching this deep in the forest for a fabled magic herb even worth it? Now? Fleeing the unknown with the faint hope what he had gathered wasn’t being crushed in the process.

Hoseok looked over his shoulder in fear, hoping dearly that whatever was chasing him had lost interest or at least not on his heel. But it was hard to tell when, oomf!

He lost his footing and tumbled forward, arms reflexively reaching out to catch and soften his fall, but he still slid on his shoulder roughly.

Flipping over so that he would face his pursuer, Hoseok quickly drew a dagger from his belt, poised for confrontation. All was still, silent except for Hoseok’s heavy breathing and his own heartbeat ringing in his ears. Caution still controlled his nerves, so he stood slowly, dagger still held at the ready, and stepped back carefully to lean his back against a tree.

Either his pursuer lost interest in him or still lurked nearby, ready to ambush. In most cases it was the former, but there’d be a price to pay if he assumed too quickly. Straining to hear any hint of rustling, twigs snapping, movement, but finding none, Hoseok moved quietly, slowly, keen to put more distance between him and any beast.

As Hoseok continued on in the forest he came across a faint trail and breathed a sigh of relief that he had not wandered too far in his prior escape. Leaves and dirt dusted his skin and clung to his hair and he wouldn’t be surprised if he’d a few scratches from thorns and branches either. Being lost on top of all that and Hoseok doesn’t know what he’d do. Cry probably. Apologize to his mother and pray his gut feeling was wrong and she’d recover well on her own.

If Hoseok was honest with himself though, he still could very well be lost. Forest trails were often overlapped with animal trails and with his brief run off trail, he may have wandered off to who knows where. But the possibility makes him nervous and so he keeps walking until he curiously finds a series of lanterns by a haphazardly tiled path. Huh. That was new.

“Hello?”

At that Hoseok let out a small yelp and a jump, turning to the sound of the voice.

Eyes widening, he made eye contact with you, softly giggling and holding a basket of greens, “pffff, sorry, are you okay?” You’d a sprig of bright flowers tucked in your hair and faint twinkling wisps that trailed behind you.

“I…are you Fae?”

Hoseok cursed inwardly and very much wanted to slap himself for blurting out such a question when you were only being polite. He was out of line to ask something personal and he didn’t even answer your question. “I-I mean. I’m fine, thanks.” Heated embarrassment filled him but he continued, “sorry. I’m Hoseok. Are you from around here?”

You watched the struggling boy, bemused with his flustered state. He didn’t seem to mean any harm so you humored him, “It’s alright, I’m not Fae. The forest just accepts me a little more that it does most other people.” Approaching Hoseok now that he seemed a little more calm, you gestured you the uneven tiled path, “not a lot of people venture this far in to the forest, but I live just around that bend of trees.”

He seems to still have an expression of curiosity and confusion in the furrow of his brow so you try to figure out what else you can add to answer his questions…ah. You notice his eyes following the movements of the floating wisps behind you and nod towards them, “and these are forest wisps. Not quite as substantial nor as willful as spirits but they’re harmless.”

Only able to muster a thoughtful, “huh” in response, Hoseok only nodded absently.

You giggle again at his expression, “yeah, sorry to burst your bubble but I’m not a Fae. This isn’t really their forest, if you were hoping to find them.”

It takes Hoseok another moment to gather himself and he tries to shake out the soft wonder that overtook him, if only to stop acting like a fool and properly respond to you. “No that’s alright. I was just out gathering herbs when something….spooked me and I took off running until I wound up here.” He sadly remembers his lack of success in coming any closer to medicine for his mother. “My mom’s sick and I’m worried she won’t get better.”

The softness in his voice strikes a chord in your heart and you quiet for a moment in sympathy. Patting his shoulder in comfort, you take a step towards your cottage and beckon him to follow, “hey, follow me. I’ll make some tea and maybe we can figure something out for you.”

As you approach a quaint little cottage, you slow your pace to let Hoseok take it all in, fondly remembering the intense time and effort it took to remodel and build it up to the home it was for you. Herbs grew along the edges while you had a vegetable plot to the side, a small chicken coop for the willful birds a farmer gifted you a while back, a bird bath and pond towards the back. You still wonder of its previous inhabitants and how long the cottage went unoccupied but as long as the forest allowed you, you were happy to stay.

Hoseok trails a pace behind you and as you turn back to keep an eye on him you notice he still holds a flicker of nervousness and unease, probably from the unfamiliarity of your place and concern for his mother, you think. It’s a sentiment you strongly relate to and you’ve made up your mind, determined to do what you can for him.

You sit him down at a small wooden table and draw conversation out of him while you busy yourself with refreshments. Listening intently to Hoseok’s story, you agree with him that a magical all-cure sort of herb doesn’t exist and he’d been chasing after a dream, but his situation wasn’t hopeless. His mother’s ailment sounds familiar to you and after pouring some chamomile tea for both you and Hoseok, you pull out a reference journal you copied from your mentor and had added pages to yourself.

“Aha!” you exclaim in relief. Your excitement draws Hoseok closer and you begin reading the symptoms aloud to which he then begins nodding in affirmation to.

“Yeah I think that’s all right,” Hoseok replies with a hopeful tone from beside you, “is there any mention of treatment?”

You nod and pull out a loose sheet of parchment and ink to transcribe relevant information for him. “You said your mother runs an apothecary? I can give you the directions and ingredients list and you should be able to brew it up yourself. It’s most potent fresh with minimal exposure any shaking so it would be best that way.”

Hoseok smiles at that and leans his side to touch yours to express thanks. But as you write and he reads, his bright grin soon fades into a worried frown.

Given that he’s so close, you notice quickly and bump your shoulder with his to ask what’s wrong. “I hope my writing is legible,” you try to add on lightheartedly.

“I’m grateful for these directions….it’s just that….a lot of these these are very expensive back at the town,” Hoseok says with a strain in his voice, “and very difficult to come by”. He mentally goes through the numbers and figures he’d have to go through his stash of savings and ask if any friends or neighbors would be willing to loan him a pouch of coins or so, or go through who knows how many hurdles to collect some of the ingredients himself. Crushed kirin scales? Feather dust from a clearwing moth? The only thing he had access to was dust from a common soot sprite.

You stop your scribbling for a moment and gently place a hand over Hoseok’s as a comforting gesture, hoping that you aren’t overstepping any boundaries. “Hey,” you begin softly, “it’ll be okay.” You didn’t collect odd trinkets and baubles in your little cottage for nothing. “What would you say if I had most of the hard to get a hold of stuff here? That you can have?”

Hoseok looks at you as if starstruck and you continue before he has a chance to insist coins or refusal on you, “I’m favored by the forest, remember?”

He seems in a daze the rest of his brief stay at you cottage and you finish your transcription of information he needed to know, securely bundled the ingredients you had on hand, and sent him on his way with the faint glow of the guidance of forest wisps. Hoseok tries to snap himself back to his senses as you gently usher him out and he turns to look at you sincerely, taking your hands in his and puts all his feelings into genuine thanks.

Accepting Hoseok’s thanks with a smile, you gently push him out your door so he’d make it back safely before sundown. The light catches on the faint orange-pink hues in his hair and his boots hardly tap with his careful steps down your tiled path and you firmly impressed onto the forest wisps that always followed you to protect Hoseok on his journey out.

-

Hoseok shows up at your doorstep two weeks later with a colorful arrangement of flowers and herbs and when you answer with an equally bright smile, he plucks one to tuck behind your ear, grinning with a brightness that rivaled sunshine.

[ontheperiphery]

lakjsfalsk that tae fic is so cute, i had to stop in the middle of reading it and take a few deep breaths to calm myself because i kept squealing. i was smiling like a complete dork the entire time, and i'm going to go reread it again and again because it makes me so unbelievably happy. ♡♡

reaLLY 🌸💕 ur message kinda has me feeling the same way im weakalso sometimes i feel a little embarrassed thinking i overfluff my writing likE A SAP but if u enjoy it so much then!! 💕

[ontheperiphery]

get to know me tag game

rules: answer 30 questions then tag 20 blogs you would like to know better. tagges by @taesthetes!! tyty

1. nickname: i dont have many nicknames!! lori is kind of a nickname in itself. ive also answered to crow and a shortened version of my chinese name

2. gender: female

3. star sign: pisces

4. height: 155cm or 5'1"

5. time: 7:05pm (not my usual timezone tho!)

6. birthday: feb 21 🕊

7. favourite band(s): bts, svt, day6, akmu! hs me rly liked mayday and s.h.e. a lot. im not very good at looking for music tho, pls send recs my way

8. favourite solo artist(s): i used to esp like carrie underwood back when i listened to country music. i dont think i have an absolute fav rn

9. song stuck in my head: spring day. the scenery here reminds me of some of my feelings over it

10. last movie watched: the terror live (2013)

11. last show watched: ?? tbh its been a while i have no idea

12. when did i create my blog: mmm just a few weeks ago? beginning of july i think??

13. what do i post: bts writings, more of my own thoughts and ramblings when i get more comfortable pfft

14. last thing i googled: the terror live. i had to confirm the title bc i watched it last night with very bad dubbing bc my mom left it on the channel playing and i accidentally got invested

15. do you have other blogs: three others, all for v different things

16. do you get asks: yes!! which surprised me bc im so new and with little exposure

17. why did you choose your url: because the biggest reason i hesitate to engage fully in any fandom for anything ive ever been interested is the intensity, conflicts, theft, disrespect, and drama i inevitably see crop up! so i follow and lurk and hesitate to make or post anything of my own and i see a lot from the sidelines and its more comfortable that way. engaging and participating is difficult whether online or in person so. on the periphery is my comfort zone and i finally mustered the guts to make a blog and everything so here i am

18. following: mmm 6 atm. i follow a lot more on my main blog and currently deciding how i want to seperate content i see on each

19. followers: 11 (thank u 💕)

20. favourite colours: cerulean blue, teal

21. average hours of sleep: 9-10 hours ideally, to actually feel well rested. realistically, 5-8 hours esp during school

22. lucky number: 4, 8

23. instruments: flute, only for 2 yrs back in middle school

24. what am i wearing: comfy shorts w pockets and a faded pink shirt i got from a volunteering activity i did back in hs

25. how many blankets i sleep with: 2-3. at least one with weight or else i have difficulty falling asleep

26. dream job: being able to make a confortable living with creative content like zines and artbooks. or a wildlife biologist or ecologist if only funding and continuous projects was less of a struggle

27. dream trip: enough time to visit a very long list of countries, learning about history, natural history, with enough time to comfortable explore cities and towns and natural places as well

28. favorite food: noodles, spring rolls, hot pot, ice cream, mangos (the sweet yellow skin esp), snow and korean and yali pears

29. nationality: chinese, american, cambodian

30. favourite song now: ???? save me? the mv was released when i was sad and it was my first listening of the song. its had a special place in my heart since

tagging whoever wants to do it, really! pretend i mentioned u. I dont know enough ppl here quite yet ;v;;

[ontheperiphery]

ticket to ride

kim taehyung x reader, college!au fluff word count: 1.8k

you’re not sure what compelled you to offer a favor to someone you barely knew

Aimlessly scrolling through social media to kill time waiting for your friend, you’re dismayed to find that you showed up at the shopping plaza so early that you had scrolled through almost all your media feed, twitter, tumblr, instagram, snapchat. You frown slightly at refreshing your more face-paced feeds like twitter, but finding little more content to consume, you reluctantly resign yourself to tapping open your last resort: facebook. Communicating with college acquaintances was important, you supposed, but just fresh out of finals, you wanted to enjoy at least a bit of your summer break without considering how everyone you knew seemed to be more successful at finding meaningful summer jobs or internships than you.

At least that’s what you told yourself but here you were scrolling through the frustrating app anyway. Like a fool.

So you sat at a shaded bench and texted your friend where to meet and scrolled past videos recommended to you via algorithm, events you may or may not be interested in attending, grad pics you at least paused on to reply with your congratulations, and hm. Taking a minute to read a little closer-

“Hey! Y/n, what’s up?”

“Oh,” you look up with surprise to greet your friend, “hey Namjoon, not much.” You ask if he wants to grab some food before shopping and conversation picks up from there. It’s not until you both are both nearly finished with your meals that you absently sip at your iced tea and ask, “Would it be weird to offer a ride to someone who needs one? If you don’t know them that well?”

“No?” Namjoon answers while snatching a fry from your tray, “you’re doing them a favor so if anything they’ll be thankful to you.”

You huff in response because that wasn’t the kind of answer you were looking for and though you shoot Namjoon an unamused glare, you wait another moment before responding in hopes that he actually had more to say.

Chewing thoughtfully he nods, “well I guess…since it’s you though, it’ll be ride of awkward or no conversation.” Namjoon pauses again, making eye contact with your still present glare.

You snort at his words.

He then hums in affirmation, “see? You’re not really one to keep a conversation going. Anyway, did someone ask you to take them somewhere?”

“I guess” you concede, “I’m not the best conversation buddy” Your eyes narrow as you swat at Namjoon’s hand attempting to sneak another one of your fries. “But I dunno. Earlier I saw someone who needs a ride to the train station and it kind of works for me because I’ll already be in the area that day and it’s on the way home…” Letting your words trail off you take another sip of your drink only to receive the discordant sound of exaggerated sipping and no more tea.

“And you just wanted to be nice?” Namjoon fills in oh so helpfully.

“Yeah.”

“Then I don’t see a problem,” Namjoon shrugs, “even if you suck at making small talk make them sit in the backseat and listen to music or something. Or maybe they’ll be talkative enough to make up for it.”

Your eyebrows still scrunch together with doubt and Namjoon takes the opportunity to swipe another french fry, although he accidentally topples your drink cup in the process. The empty clatter immediately snaps you out from your distracted consideration of Namjoons advice.

“Thanks for the input,” you mutter dryly with a fixed glare.

Namjoon only smiles sheepishly in response.

-

Flopping on to your bed with a huff, just about ready to fall asleep, you pull out your phone to set an alarm for the next day. You had errands to run in the morning, and thanks to Namjoon’s prompting, you sent a message offering a ride to, it turned out, a good friend of his. According to Namjoon, the kid was friendly and you had nothing to worry about, but if sound logic and good advice was enough to assuage your doubts, you probably wouldn’t still be lying wide awake contemplating the problems of tomorrow.

Eventually you fall asleep to the soft hum of your nerves calming in the silence and solitude of your room.

-

The next day arrives and brings a consistent stream of stress in the form of almost-mishaps. From snoozing your alarm one too many times and running out to drive to your volunteer shift without grabbing more than a granola bar, realizing you forgot your drivers license and making a detour back home to grab it on the off chance you’d need it, arriving late to deliver some stuff you were selling to make moving out easier for one of your roommates and finding that the buyer was even more late than you, nothing truly went wrong but your day was chaotic enough to have you exhausted and ready to nap for a week to make up for it.

But you didn’t have that kind of time and settled for a quick lunch as poor compensation.

Your phone lit up with a message from the person you barely knew but offered to drive to the train station. It had been a while, but you two had shared a class a few academic quarters ago and sometimes passed by each other at general body meetings or events for a mutual org. Although you don’t remember ever having a one-on-one conversation or spending time together without other mutual friends present, you resign yourself to a first for everything. Fingers metaphorically crossed as you pulled up to the agreed meeting place with your to-be-passenger, you rolled down to window and waved to the waiting figure nearby, hoping you would be recognizable.

“Oh! Hey, Y/n,” he smiled, excitement clear as the brightness in his expression, “was just about to message and make sure it was you.”

Chuckling sheepishly in response, “hey Taehyung. Yeah, I’m kind of glad you were able to notice me. Do you want your stuff in the backseat or in the trunk?” You gesture to his luggage and carry-on and briefly wonder if courtesy required you to step out of your car to greet him and help him with his stuff. But then he’s already wheeling his bags towards the trunk of your car as you push the button to open it accommodatingly to watch helplessly in the rear view mirror and hope with all of your being that you weren’t being rude.

Thankfully you remembered to also unlock the car doors and Taehyung hops into the passenger seat beside you without trouble and offers an iced tea with boba. You blink, pleasantly surprised as he gives another bright grin that somehow lights up the space around him even as the corner of his lips aren’t upturned in the way you’re used to smiles doing. And yet, his smile was incredibly endearing and happiness is contagious and the boy teases a thank you and a grateful smile from you before you even realize it.

Given that you had driven friends and roommates to the train station before and didn’t need directions, you were able to drive comfortably and popped in the straw to your drink, delighted that he chose a flavor that you enjoyed.

Taehyung only shrugs off your attempt and another thanks, upholding that, “hey, you’re actually being a big help to me, you deserve it. It’s for you.”

“Hmm I guess. Thanks, still,” you reply with a small huff and a smile.

You’re not sure if Taehyung thinks you still need convincing, but he has some way of filling up space. In conversation, in the car, from talking about his thankfulness that you were willing to brave the traffic that was inevitable from people driving home from their jobs during this time of day, how lucky he felt from not needing to call an uber or lyft which surely would’ve cost him a pretty penny in this traffic, to firmly insisting that he treat you out to a meal or something when he was back in town. He didn’t mind if you had to brake less than smoothly if other vehicles on the road drove more recklessly than you, easily continued conversation from your shorter responses, and just, had some way of making and filling space.

The both of you were animatedly talking about your pet dogs back home, sharing fond and nostalgic memories and before you realized and could transition the conversation to proper thanks and appreciation of Taehyung’s company, you had arrived at the train station and just a few seconds away from arriving at the pick-up/drop-off curb.

Facing you, Taehyung had yet to notice, “Ahhh, it’s been so long since I’ve seen Soonshim y-”

“Hey uhh,” you interrupted a little less than gracefully, softened with a smile, “I’m really sorry but we’re here.” You felt awful for cutting him off, but hoped your unease didn’t make its way into your expression.

“Oh…listen, Y/n, it was really nice of you to drive me!” Taehyung replies without missing a beat, “have a good summer break I really hope you don’t have to deal with a lot of traffic on your way home-”

You both jump a bit at a loud beep from a vehicle behind you, supposedly waiting for their turn to pull up in the drop-off zone as well and you already feel the imaginary time limit weigh on your shoulders. Your mind drifts back to the hassle of the day’s previous errands. Right. Because nothing today was allowed to go smoothly.

Your thoughts were the mental equivalent to keyboard smashing and while you regretted the forced and quick goodbyes with Taehyung and again, helpless waiting in the driver’s seat as he retrieved his bags from your trunk on his own, Taehyung tried to wave off  the concern in your possibly frowny-face and gave one last beaming grin directed at you.

“Have a great summer!! Thanks again!” you hear, past the hum of outside clamor and vehicles pulling up and leaving.

Letting your mind focus instead on the traffic that never eased up on your way home and the soft hum of your favorite playlist, you tried not to think about how much lonelier it felt whenever you turned your head to your right and took unusual notice of the empty passenger seat.

-

Stop-and-go-traffic came and went and you grew increasingly relieved the closer and closer you got to home. It wasn’t until you safely arrived and tiredly lay down on a nest of pillows and blankets still gathered on your living room couch that you looked at your phone to notice a new message.

[5:15pm]kim taehyung: thank u again for taking me to the train station!!! HOPE YOUR DRIVE HOME IS EASY AND LIGHTER TRAFFIC THAN YOU EXPECT!! pls let me take you out sometime for food when you have time!!! or I can drop off food anytime during the school year

You smiled at Taehyung’s energy that carried over so naturally over text, and replied as promptly as you could now that you were no longer driving. It feels almost natural to continue conversation with him and you’re glad that none of your fears over the favor came to fruition.

[5:48pm]you: you’re welcome!! im back safe and sound :)

[5:48pm]you: I hope you have a safe trip as well!

[5:49pm]kim taehyung: tHANK YOU! when I get home ill tell soonshim u said hi

Attached was an image of a very cute dog and you allowed a fond laugh to express the warm happiness filling your chest.

Yeah, Taehyung sure had some way of filling space.

[ontheperiphery]

bts masterlist

updated: 8/10/17

kim seokjin ⭐ joke’s on you

min yoongi ⭐ it’s the little things ⭐ distance

jung hoseok ⭐ to cure a sunspot

kim namjoon ⭐ a penny for your thoughts, tipsy or not

park jimin ⭐ a peek at the mundane

kim taehyung ⭐ ticket to ride

jeon jungkook ⭐ stars on your wrist, stars in your eyes

.

[ontheperiphery]

yES i don't remember how I came across them but i love all your different and fun scenarios? and your dialogue. there’s a sense of delight and fluidity that kind of comes with it which is the best because I love writing that carries you with its rhythm rather than you as the reader taking notice of it.

thank you for reading  💕 let it be known I love your writing as well!  💕 💕

since ur online and answering asks rn! i just wanted to thank you for the ask you sent me a few days ago!! it took a while for me to decide to finally make a writing blog and that you had such kind things to say really made me happy ;v;;;; ive actually been reading your fics for months so it just. a;ldk fmads means a lot to me. Thank you! ;v;;

ahh, I didn’t see the notification that you answered, but I’m going to go check it asap now! and you’re welcome, sweetpea 🌸 I’m so so glad that you made a writing blog because now I get to read all your beautifully written fics, and I can’t wait to see what you’ll post next! I’m excited for when you post a tae fic hehe ☺️ and you read my fics before?? omg they don’t hold a candle compared to your writing; I love the pretty style of writing you have so much. And, thank YOU for deciding to share your fics! 💝

[ontheperiphery]

you're doing everything so perfectly, so don't worry about it!! your fics are all beautifully written, and you do get across all the intense feelings and the little ones as well, which i admire so much, and your words really resonate with me, and i just really adore all your fics 💓 also, i laughed at all the jokes in your jin fic askjdhfas and i'm super excited for your upcoming tae and hobi writings ahhh thank you for writing! 🌹✨

💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

tHANK YOU I TRY!!

i think. reading fics, what really struck me was the ability of some writers to not only convey the feelings of characters but also make me strongly feel something too. like the deep unsettling unease and upset when there’s conflict and someone’s feelings get hurt. when words and interactions his too close to home and you can’t help but feel

at least it’s something i’d like to work my writing up to one day ;v;;

a[dsf i looked up stuff jin said before for those jokes im glad that nerd is appreciated. 

[ontheperiphery]

a’a’sdl kf’ i’m excited for the taehyung and hobi drabbles i have queued i hope u all enjoy them

[ontheperiphery]

joke’s on you

kim seokjin x reader, college!au for the laughs word count:~ 800

cringe-worthy jokes just weren't your cup of tea

There's a special sort of ambiance when you sit on a bus for daily commute. The rumbling of the vehicle, overshadowed by whatever playlist you've plugged in to your earbuds, the listless wandering of your gaze out the window, it was all kind of comforting, in it's own way. Provided you didn't make the mistake of trying to rest your head on the window in case of abrupt bumps in the road, the predictable monopoly of transit gave you time to think and collect yourself before and after your classes of the day.

Sometimes people would talk on the phone or play something on their phone without the courtesy of earbuds, but other than a low and negligible sense of irritation, you paid other people no mind. Public transit was a public space after all. Which-

Raucous laughter interrupted your peaceful musings, only furthering your point. You upped the volume of your earbuds another level and hugged your backpack on your lap a smidge tighter and tried to let the mood of the music carry you away. To cloudscapes and mountains and ocean waves and despite your attempts you still couldn't help but listen in to the people conversing loud enough for you to hear from rows away.

“Alright,” one voice wheezes, like he's trying to catch his breath, “alright, so, what is a deer with good eyes called?”

You wrinkle your eyebrows in thought, unable to clearly hear his friends' respond to the question, if they made any guesses at all.

He chuckles a bit and waits for another beat of quiet before answering, “a good idea!” and bursting into less than quiet laughter.

Playlist and earbuds completely forgotten, you finally turn your head and stare incredulously at the direction of the voice, unable to believe the near uncontrollable laughter you heard him follow up the answer with. Could that even be considered a joke? Was that even funny? He was telling these jokes in public, you were allowed to judge.

The laughter reaching your ears had a strange window-wiper squeak to it and though you still reeled with disbelief over the “riddle” or “joke” or whatever the boy chose to call it, you couldn't get over how bad it was. Which you could've let pass but then he told another. Equally as bad.

“What color is a hamburger?”

“...”

“Burgandy!”

Dad joke level bad.

You may as well pause your playlist from how unfocused you were on it. From your seat you couldn't see the face of the boy who told laughed at his own dad jokes but you certainly sympathized with who looked like his friends next to him with varying expressions of amused exasperation and burying heads in hands.

You're glad that at least the stranger with the countless jokes seemed to be enjoying himself, if his laughter and clapping at his own jokes was any indication.

Smothering a giggle in your throat to avoid drawing attention to yourself, all you could do was put your chin in your hand and turn to look out the window, spacing out to the backdrop of soft music, pun jokes, and the rumbling of the bus.

As the bus drove on, you noticed that you only had a few more stops to wait through until yours, which you began to anticipate. For all the silly puns and jokes you overheard from the stranger hidden from view, exposure didn't quite give away to fondness. You could appreciate the tidbit of entertainment in the sheer uncommon nature of the situation, but how anyone had time at the end of the day following lectures and classes to come up with dozens of puns was beyond your ability to fathom.

The end of the day was the end of the day and ultimately, silly jokes weren't enough to give you energy to pretend to be anything other than asleep. Closing your eyes and leaning back in your bus seat you tried to count down the minutes until you'd be free.

“This one's a riddle, so, what can't you eat for breakfast?”

Almost there, you told yourself, opening your eyes to pull down the cable, signaling to the driver you wanted off at the next stop. Ding!

“You don't know right?”

Almost there, you told yourself as the bus waited at a red light, your stop just on the other side of the intersection.

“The answer is: you cannot each lunch or dinner for breakfast.”

Finally, you thought as the bus pulled up to your stop, exasperated, but also smiling an itty bit from the awful jokes.

“Oh! This is my stop, see you tomorrow!”

You nearly ran in to the broad shoulders of a tall boy who badly timed walking towards the narrow exit the same moment as you. But what shocked you more than that was his handsome face and pretty pink-ish brown hair.

“Sorry,” you mumbled, embarrassed.

“No it's okay, I'm sorry, go ahead,” he similarly fumbled with a smile, gesturing for you to exit first.

Nodding without looking back you stepped off the bus. It'd be inconvenient to prolong the situation, especially for the bus driver on a strict schedule, but also to yourself who was shocked to match such a pretty face with silly jokes. Not that good-looking people were exempt from making fools of themselves.

Whatever, none of your concern, you decided, with a small shake of your head and determined striding back to your apartment.

But what the fuck?

[ontheperiphery]

ah!! I guess for future reference, if any of you are interested in msging me just to chat! or say hi, feel free :>

add on a little (p) or smth if you’d prefer I answer your ask privately. If not, I will assume you are alright with me posting your ask publicly

thank you everyone for the notes and kind tags on my drabbles so far!! I really appreciate it and hope continue and improve my writing. It’s actually more fun to write when i know that you enjoy reading the result ;v;;

up next is a taehyung drabble (im trying to get one of each member at least)

[ontheperiphery]

hello!! your writing is so lovely, and it's such a pleasure to read your fics. I love how you can convey so much meaning and feeling in your drabbles, and your titles are all so nice! I can't wait to read your future writings!! I hope you have a wonderful day/night 💕🌻

as;sdl ‘;dls  im!!! so happy from your message thank you so so much! it’s so very very encouraging honestly, esp with how inexperienced I am with posting my work. It’s a bit of a struggle trying to find the right words in the right way so I’m glad I’m doing something right ;v;

ive always found the greatest affinity with things that evoke emotion? mmm how to word this. like. intense feelings are what make the greatest impression on me no matter the experience and i hope to be able to convey even a bit of that in my work!

[ontheperiphery]

it’s the little things

min yoongi x reader, college!au angst, fluff warning: social anxiety word count: 1.6k

interesting, you mused, how a stranger could be better comfort than your own reasoning

Why were you here?

Why?

Why? Why? Why? You didn’t know. Couldn’t think, stifled with the discomfort of being around people you didn’t know, people you didn’t know how to talk to. Couldn’t remember how your roommate found a convincing enough argument to lure you out of your shared apartment to one of the end-of-year banquets college orgs threw to celebrate graduating seniors.

Now, standing among bustling members of the org, all staff members and newer staff members who would take org staff positions come next academic term, you couldn’t help but feel out of place. Lost because you didn’t know what to do. Uncertain because you didn’t know where to go. Stressed, jittery, because you could feel questioning stares as people passed you by, wondering, you think, why you were there early before regular attendees were supposed to show up.

Pitiful, you thought, with crushing guilt over your inability to enjoy an event meant to celebrate others. Pitiful, you thought, as you quietly sat at table near the wall and tried your best to focus on your phone and blend in with the fake plant decorations.

Pitiful.

You look up again, not quite aware of how much time has passed, but more people arrived and as seats began to fill you wondered with a sinking feeling if you could skip the awkwardness that were the upcoming icebreakers. Socializing didn’t always make you squirm but it seems today…maybe you could take a step outside and admire the view from the balcony  instead. The open air, you hoped, would soothe your nerves and get you through the event, even if you would have to return to the room that was quickly feeling stuffy and too active with conversations.

But then….you wondered, but stiffened upon noticing a person choosing the chair next to you to pull back and sit in. Your chances of escaping dropped to null, unwilling to risk offending the stranger by leading them to believe you left because  they sat down. You looked around the now nearly fully seated room and eyed the exit with a small frown and a sad longing. In all fairness your seat neighbor may not even give a fuck but it was a possibility and you weren’t yet 100% willing to risk it. Even if you were heavily contemplating.

In your periphery, you saw the person in your neighboring seat nudge and whisper something to someone on their other side, a friend, probably. Friend, you thought absently., wishing fervently that your few friends in this org weren’t staff members obligated to socialize with anyone and everyone. Although you doubted the event would unfold differently even if they weren’t a part of staff.

A tap on your shoulder startled you out of your thoughts and you very nearly jumped in your seat, even as you felt prickles of discomfort vibrate under your skin. You turned to face the person who tapped your shoulder, only to stare hesitantly at a very handsome face with a very strong gaze.  His hair side swept and bangs parted prettily, it took you a few seconds to remember how to function via social conventions, sputtering out what you hope was an audible, “hello,” to accompany your uneasy smile.

“Hey,” the boy says, voice pleasant and unhurried, “I haven’t been here before, do you know where the bathroom is?”

“…yes? Yeah. It’s past the open room around the first corner in the hallway….” you explain, before faltering under his gaze. He ’s looking at you expectantly and you want to curl in on yourself and find a way to escape from heated embarrassment. “I could show you?”

He nods in affirmation and what you think is a small smile, “yeah. That’d be nice.”

The both of you leave your seats and make your way out of the main rooms, you awkwardly sidestepping chairs and people and your own lingering discomfort over why you were still here, did you even still know how to maintain a proper conversation? And him, calmly following in your footsteps and walking next to you to match your pace once you reach the hallway. He places a warm hand at the small of your back in what you think is meant to be a comforting gesture, but you can’t help but slightly flinch in surprise.

“You okay?” You blink dumbly as he continues. “You look like you needed an out.”  Ah. So that was it. You deflate a bit and wonder if you were truly that obvious.

The both of you reach the restrooms and you stop walking to motion your head to the doors. “Yeah,” you respond to confirm his statement, tired from unnecessarily stressing yourself out since you arrived to the grad banquet. “I’ve been sitting in this stuffy building a little too long.”

The boy snorts, “ I didn’t really need to go to the bathroom. D'you wanna walk outside for a bit?” You don’t even need to look back at the social gathering ongoing back at the main rooms before nodding and taking firm steps toward the exit. “Grad banquet’s hardly started and it’s already too much?” he asks.

You want to glare at him for any hidden jab at your inability to socialize before realizing there’s no criticism in his comment. “Kind of.” You open the door outside and hold it open for him to follow through. “I was rushed to get here early because I had to drive some friends onto campus.” The air was crisp, cooling with the stetting sun. “So I’ve been sitting around before most other people showed up.”  You were already feeling goosebumps at the temperature difference but you’d get use to it and there was nowhere else you’d rather be. “There’s a small path nearby we can walk through.”

“Ah,” he nods in understanding and once again falling into step, “too bad they couldn’t come keep you company then?”

“No!” you said without thinking before correcting yourself, “I mean yeah, I guess. It’s not their faults. Most my of friends here are  on staff and they’re probably busy trying to make everything run smoothly since it’s their last event.” You try to focus on the cool air and pale blue-gray of the clouded sky instead of your wandering feelings and the stranger who has some way of teasing your thoughts out of you. Your company hums thoughtfully and you wonder what brought him to the event. The event, you muse, that neither of you seem to be attending any longer. “And what about you?” you ask, “You’re going to miss everything if  you don’t head back soon. There’ll be games and stuff after icebreakers.”

Rejoining the event at this time only brings back a resurgence of nervousness but you feel guilty pulling him away from the fun, knowing that he came out to accompany you.

He only shrugs noncommittally. “Similar reasons. I came for a friend and I’m not the best at socializing in groups. Although I guess it’s a shame I’ll miss everyone making a fool of themselves.

You let out a small laugh at that and found that it became easier to let conversation flow. You learn that it wasn’t easy to drag him out to social events, and he learns that you don’t like to draw attention to yourself among strangers. And while you weren’t quick enough to counter sarcastic remarks with thought out sass, you both found comfort in the dry humor of shared cynicism.

Far enough down the path you chose, you noticed the motion sensitive lights up ahead, bounding forward a few steps happily to make them light up.

“And I was just enjoying the darkness,” the boy comments with a smile.

“Pfft same, but it’s fun to make the sidewalk light up! Like it’s welcoming you.”

“It’s the little things, isn’t it?” His pace remains a few steps behind you, unhurried. Contemplating something, perhaps. You found that finding quiet paths to wander were good places to zone out and think. He looks like he’s about to follow up with another comment, but your vibrating phone in your pocket pulls your attention away briefly.

“Oh. …I guess we’ve been out a while?” You start quietly, standing still to type out a quick reply to your friends, “my friends were worried when they couldn’t find me inside.” You scrunch your nose a bit at unintended typos in your message but you figure they’re used to your lack of proofreading by now.

He catches up to you and places his chin on your shoulder while overlooking your phone. “We being called back then?”

Your heart is tickled by his choice use of ‘we’ and you huff in good humor and gently bop the top of his head with your phone. “Yeah unless you want to skip out on dinner.”

He agrees that that would be unfortunate and you both make your way back to the grad banquet while making idle conversation. Your walk back takes less time than you’d like and he notices your dropping enthusiasm as you mentally prepare yourself for the people and noise to come. You aren’t even back yet and you dully feel like you’re missing something.

Through the building doors and at the end of the hallway, your friends notice you almost immediately and call you over to a seat they saved for you. Your new friend likewise turns around and nudges you with his arm before -”Yoongi!”- he jerks back a bit in response to being called out by his friends.

You smile at him as thanks for his company and  a “it was nice to meet you!”

Huh, you thought, whispering his name to yourself softly as he waved goodbye.

Yoongi.

[ontheperiphery]

stars on your wrist, stars in your eyes

jungkook x reader, college!au fluff word count: 2.4k

it surprised you how his eyes shined so bright

You're surrounded by the low hum of conversation and general activity as you sit at your university center, finishing up your lunch and staring thoughtfully into the distance. Or as far as you can until your view is obstructed by buildings and students milling about. You liked this spot, mostly because one side of the table was to a wall and its open face helped you feel like you'd draw less attention than sitting at a table on the open floor. The wall grounded you like it offered a touch of safety. Which was probably silly because you were no less out of sight than someone sitting at any other table but you preferred this feeling anyway.

Sometimes you spent your time here catching a bite to eat, sometimes studying or catching up on readings and assignments, sometimes doodling or painting in your sketchbook. Today you hadn't quite decided yet.

Earbuds fitted into your ears with music just loud enough to match the background chatter, you leaned back in your chair and wondered why you even considered entertaining a schedule in which you had several hours between your only two lectures of the day to while away twice a week. In hindsight your days would've been easier if you could attend all your classes in one focused stretch and be done with it, but. Here you were.

You pulled out your laptop, notebook, and pencil pouch for when you felt like being productive although as soon as you did, you were struck with a distinct feeling that  no, today was probably not going to be a productive day. Which you shrugged off for the time being and uncapped your liquid eye liner pen to draw on your upturned wrist.

A person walking by your table distracted you momentarily, wandering the area with a sort of lost slow pacing that you were familiar with, doing it yourself from time to time. He held a takeout container you recognized from one of the food places  at your university center and as he circled the area and walked closer to your table once again you were willing to bet money that-

“Hey do you mind if I sit here?”

-the cute stranger was looking for a place to sit. You focused your gaze on the boy and smiled, “no, go ahead,” while wondering of all tables....”it's kind of hard to find empty tables right out of class, hm.”

“Yeah, you're a lifesaver.”

You blinked and wondered if you were imagining this friendly boy and his bright eyes and soft smile. Trying to figure out whether your heart quivered because he was a stranger or because he was cute, you respond with a short hum, “thanks, it's a full time job.” You're grateful today wasn't one of those days you tingled with stress. “I'll put it on your tab.”

He laughed softly in a way that prompted a smile out of you, although you didn't have anything to add conversation-wise so you focused back to the uncapped eyeliner still in your hand and let the stranger enjoy his meal. Your attention quickly drifted away from the boy sharing your table and instead to your wrist.

It wasn't your first time drawing on yourself instead of paper, but you found that the action was a different kind of relaxing, the kind in which you didn't have to think too hard and simply let whatever design flow onto your skin. Sometimes you'd botch a line, but the measured ease with which you kept doodling to cover up mistakes came with the practice of countless drawings before.

The design that took form on your wrist today, it seemed, had become a test of control and patience that demanded pressure control for thin and steady lines.

After a few minutes that passed by both too quickly and too slowly with the fine-tip pen, you raised your wrist slightly and slowly turned it from side to side to  observe your work at different angles. It didn't look too bad. A lot more open space compared to most of your wrist doodles, but you liked seeing how this one turned out: a small bird, wings outstretched and a few wisps of stars and smoke in its wake.

But then you looked past your wrist and suddenly remembered the stranger sitting across from you, now done with his lunch and staring at you with sparkling curiosity in his eyes. You froze slightly in surprise at the attention and absently wondered how someone's eyes could sparkle so...stunningly. The best you could do was pull an earbud out from one side to return his gaze. “...Yes?” you asked, albeit with the poise of overturned starfish grasping for purchase.

The boy seated across from you widened his eyes and he bit his lip for a moment before replying, “'m sorry for staring.” He nods at your wrist drawing, “it was really cool watching you draw, didn't mean to make you uncomfortable though.”

His acknowledgment puts you a bit more at ease and you thank him while explaining that you were just caught off guard. You're quiet for a moment and then shyly extend your decorated arm to ask if he'd like to look at your drawing, if he wanted to.

He brightens considerably at your offer and asks if it was alright to move his chair to the other side of the table to your right to get a closer look. You nodded, admitting that yeah, it would be annoying to stretch across the table, so closer the boy scooted. “Wow! You're really amazing,” he compliments softly, “like a professional did it.”

You smile in thanks, a little embarrassed and unused to receiving praise, much less from a stranger. So you decide to talk a bit to distract from the .fluttering in your chest “I wouldn't say professional....but it is fun to draw on myself,” you concede, not thinking it necessary to point out little things in the lines you'd fix if given an undo button.

“You kidding? I'd be tempted to commission a tattoo or something from you if I could,” the boy gushes, looking at your face sincerely. He then averts his gaze and looks more nervous than you all of a sudden. “Do you think...uh..."

It was odd to see someone dance around a question as much as you would, so as you watch him fidget you venture to guess that, “...would you like a drawing on your arm too?”

“yeahthatdbereallycooliknowwejustmetanditmightbealottoaskfor,” he finally manages to huff out quietly, “and it sounds weird but.”

You let out a brief, breathy laugh at his rushed admission and place a hand on his arm to let him know it was okay. Glad to see his nervous demeanor relax and flattered with how much he seemed to enjoy your art, you wondered if it would be too much to tease him. “I don't usually draw for other people...”you start, watching him turn a hopeful expression to you, “but if you treat me to boba?”

“Yes!” he answered a little too quickly, barely letting you finish your offer “....Yes. Please. Thank you,” the boy concludes a little awkwardly.

His response makes your chest warm and you can't help but relate to his flustered state. If only words hadn't fled from your thoughts in this moment because now you also were at a loss over how to continue the conversation.

You both attempt to speak at the same time and  promptly shut your mouths over cutting the other person off before the boy hesitantly smiles and nods to you to go first. You're absolutely sure your face is reddened now by the awkwardness of the exchange but you're trying very hard to see it through and not embarrass yourself too badly in the end. A glance at the food court lines was enough to inform you of the busy crowds that still filled the area and you tentatively clarified your offer. “So...the lines are kind of long right now. I don't know if you have a class to catch any time soon but I can draw you something now and you can return the favor afterwards?” You looked back to make eye contact with the boy and continue, “or sometime later?”

It was the boy's turn to blink as he digested your words. “Yeah. That sounds great whatever works,” he answers, before his eyes widened as if he regretted his choice of words, “I mean! Whatever is most convenient, since you didn't have to say yes in the first place.”

You chuckle and decide you're done with dancing around with words and ask him to scoot a little closer to make it easier for you to draw on his arm. Drawing on another person made you a little self-conscious, even more so that it was for a stranger, but other than commenting on his nice skin or trying to ask him if he wanted you to draw anything in particular, you focused on drawing on his wrist as intently as you did drawing your own. Given the whole spur of the moment decision this was for the both of you, the boy didn't have any drawing ideas in mind and you decide to give him a curved line of flowers, tapering to scattered petals and stars as if carried by a breeze.

It was pretty and soft and kind of suited him.

Asking him to stay still so you could snap a quick picture with your phone, you added a few finishing touches and patted his arm to let him know you were done.

The boy lit up in delight and his eyes scrunched up endearingly as he grinned, “thank you! This is amazing. You're amazing.” As he held his arm up, turning it slightly to study your drawing, you thank him as well and he stops you with, “no, really. And you drew it so quickly as well! Thank you.”

You don't know how else to respond but laugh quietly and accept his thanks.

“Do you mind if I show people? What's your favorite drink I'll buy you a large,” he starts to ask, taking out his phone. But then he's cursing and staring at you hesitantly once more. “Uhh....my hour between classes is almost up I don't think I have time to wait in line to buy you something in return...”

He looks so crestfallen in contrast to his previous excitement and you try to assure him it was alright, that it wasn't his fault.

Your dismissal doesn't seem to sit well with him and he's struck with an idea, hoping that you'd be alright with it. “Hey, if you don't mind...I can give you my number? And you can text back if you want me to treat you to something. It's not fair that you're the only one giving me something like this.”

You smile at him with growing fondness and agree, inputting his number into your contacts, waving goodbye as the boy darts off to class.

You aren't sure about texting him right away. Especially since he's headed to class and you're sure that you'd be a distraction, but you resolve to do so later today after your own classes. Considering how warmly the boy talked to you, you'd feel guilty  not following up. You allow yourself to space out to your own thoughts for a few moments longer before resolving to catch up on some readings before lecture, so with a smile to keep to yourself and a quick pat on your own cheeks, you focus on your studying supplies you pulled out earlier.

-

At the beginning of lecture, you promised to yourself you would focus, get this over with, get your attendance points and take notes like a dutiful student. But you anticipated its end with a nervous excitement over allowing yourself to message the boy you drew on earlier, even as you realized you had forgotten to exchange names. Or introduce yourselves at all.

You felt a little like a fool, and by the time the professor dismissed all the students and you walked out with the crowd on your way to the nearest bus stop, you worried typed, deleted, and tried to formulate a proper text and hope that you hadn't offended the stranger (flower boy, you started to call him, on account of the flowers you drew on his wrist).

[5:49pm]you: hey, this its me!! y/n. i drew on u earlier today

There. You locked your phone to pocket it and hoped that would suffice. Although hardly a minute passed and you felt your phone vibrate from your pocket you were so relieved at the boy's friendly response your phone almost slipped from your grip. You hoped no one walking by saw that.

[5:50pm]flower boy: hello! [5:50pm]flower boy: sorry i had to leave like that before, thanks for msging back

You let out a small laugh at his consideration and promptly reply.

[5:50pm]you: haha its alright. i hope i didnt make u late to class! [5:51pm]flower boy: nah ur good. Are you free rn?? we could grab dinner, my treat [5:51pm]flower boy: oh wait. thats right. my name is jungkook, nice to meet you

Jungkook. You could finally put a name to his face. The face of someone you were probably willing to draw for again because you were so used to people asking for you to draw for them while being offered little in return. Whether he offered food or actual commission fees, you’d certainly be glad to offer again. And the boy seemed so genuine with his compliments that you dearly hoped you weren't bad at judging people or their intentions because he brightened up your afternoon as much as you hope you did for him.

But that was a lot of honest feelings to squeeze in to texting a stranger so you hoped a grateful crying emoticon would suffice for the time being.

[5:52pm]you: ahhhhhh ;v;;;;; [5:53pm]you: that would b great actually i would rly appreciate that

Walking with a small smile, you negotiated with Jungkook into meeting at the campus's main bus stop while he determinedly kept the dinner location a surprise. Soon enough the meeting spot came in to view and although you didn't see him there-

“Y/n!”

You turned to face the person who called out your name, hoping that your guess was right.

“Jungkook!”

[ontheperiphery]

a peek at the mudane

jimin x reader, college!au fluff word count: 1k

you’d be lying if you said quiet friendship didn’t give you life

Bzzt bzzt. Bzzt bzzt. Bzzt bzzt.

Planted face-first into the little nest of pillows and blankets you turned your bed into, you groaned at the incessant buzzing of your phone's notifications. You tiredly rolled over onto your side, just close enough to reach for your phone on your desk if you reached with your arm. If you realllllly reached. But you couldn't bring yourself to roll out of bed so if you had to stretch a bit to reach your phone, so be it.

After a moment's struggle, your phone was in your grasp and you stared at the little blinking notification light wondering if you really had to respond. You may have just woken from a nap, but your barely conscious mind found comfort in the warm of your blankets and getting up to deal with the crushing obligations of studying and project work and presentations for finals week wasn't an exciting prospect. You swiped to unlock your phone anyway and resigned yourself to the world of the awake.

You noticed a few unread emails, an alert reminding you to update some apps, and ah. There it was. 3 unread messages from a certain Park Jimin.

[5:36pm]jiminnie: y/nnnnnnnnnn [5:37pm]jiminnie: are u done with finals yet?? [5:37pm]jiminnie: come keep me company :(((

You let out a soft snort at his whining and start typing out your own response. It took you a while to wake up, even from naps, but you always enjoyed poking fun at Jimin.

[5:43pm]you: u know ive barely started finals and its only the beginning of the week i doubt ur done either!! [5:44pm]you: so unless ur hosting a study party [5:44pm]jiminnie: :((((( [5:44pm]you: u better have ice cream [5:44pm]jiminnie: c:

-

10 minutes later and you dumped your backpack of studying supplies onto the couch of the living room of Jimin's apartment, reluctant to study, but determined considering that was one of your conditions for visiting. The room was surprisingly empty but you guess that maybe most of his roommates were studying in their rooms or elsewhere. At least people were in and out often enough that they left the front door unlocked all the time.

“Y/n!” you heard while simultaneously feeling fingers poke you on both sides of your abdomen. Jimin grinned deviously at your jump of surprise and you hoped he wasn't thinking about tickling you. You hadn't found good tickle spots for him yet and made a face thinking about engaging in such an unfair battle.

“How's it going, nerd,” you asked with a smile before bopping Jimin on the forehead with the heel of your palm. You had to tip toe to do it since he started stretching backwards to tease you, but you managed anyway and stuck your tongue out at him for deciding to make life hard. “You promised me ice cream.”

Jimin flopped onto the side of the couch not occupied by your backpack and answers playfully, “awww Y/n, aren't you at least going to ask me how my first final went? Or start studying? There's no point in an immediate reward.”

You huff because even as you feel cheated out of your favorite treats, he's not wrong. Maybe a tiny bit spiteful in your book, but still. Sitting between the couch and the low coffee table, you pull out your laptop, textbooks and notebooks while giving in. “So how did yesterday's final go?”

The two of you catch up on each other's lives for a while, drawn out with intermittent teasing and jokes, but eventually you settle enough to focus on actual course review which slowly lures Jimin to do the same on the other side of the table. Occasionally one of you complains about a particularly difficult problem or concept and get sidetracked with silly conversations, or one of Jimin's roommates walks through and you all exchange greetings, but overall you two are productive.

Stretching and ready to take a break, you remember you previously visited one of campus life's de-stress events and your face lights up thinking about the goodies you brought along. You take a few seconds to watch Jimin's concentrated stare, eyebrows slightly furrowed, lips pressed tightly together, bangs slightly brushed to the side. You're not sure if Jimin notices your fond staring, but he looks up and realizes you stopped studying with an inquisitive, “hmm?”

You grin and shrug, “I felt like it was a good time to take a break. 'Sides, you know all the free events on campus during finals week?” Jimin nods and you continue by pulling out a soaped covered plastic wand to blow-

“Bubbles!” Jimin laughs as they float in his direction. You feel a little childish blowing bubbles, but it's a small trade off for the joy it brings. The action is oddly relaxing, even if the soapy water drips a bit onto your fingers and some bubbles pop in your face when you try to blow them a little too big.

You see Jimin pull out his phone, presumably to take a pic or to snapchat, so you walk over to Jimin's side of the table to properly shower him in bubbles. The background sound is mostly soft giggles and Jimin's sweet “hee hee” as he captions the snap with '#blessed' before posting it on his story. Although you offer him the bubble wand, he just blows the bubbles back at your face while you still hold the wand, so you huff and dip it back into the bubble solution to do the same.

Now wandering the apartment blowing bubbles, you still don't feel ready to sit back down to study. Jimin hums thoughtfully, probably a new tune from somewhere that caught his attention, and looks at the time. “Hey, Y/n?” You hum back to show that you were listening and Jimin continues asking, “it's starting to get late, have you eaten yet?”

Ah, you realize that may have to do with why you were so especially restless after studying. You pop a few bubbles you just blew and answer, “nope,” punctuated with another bubble popped.

“Wanna go grab dinner then?”

You cap the bubble wand and solution and turn to Jimin eagerly. “With ice cream after?”

“Pffft, yeah,” he laughs softly, “with ice cream after.”

[ontheperiphery]

hello!

It’s my first time trying to start a writing blog but I thought i’d give it a shot since i sometimes write short drabbles for myself when feeling especially introspective.

I mainly follow bts and svt!! and may post writing prompts

Story/style wise, I am most comfortable with with one-shot/slice-of-life kind of stuff so that will make up most of what I write

so yeah! Welcome to my little blog and whether you are visiting in passing or interesting in seeing more, thanks for stopping by :>