#considering his life history... well yeah

[frankys-wife]

I'll Never Sail Without You

HAPPY (BELATED) ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY, MY BELOVED FRANKY! (6/25/24)

Header art: art is my own!

Written by: writing is my own!

Words: 8.3k

Mimi had been a member of the Straw Hat Pirate crew for something like a year and a few months now, ever since she reunited with them on the island of Dressrosa, completely by chance as a result of her deployment on a mission by the Revolutionary Army. She had never imagined her life would take such a turn, much less becoming a pirate like the ones that rampaged her home island of Water Seven, but she considers herself lucky that it happened nonetheless.

In the time that she’d been travelling with them, Mimi knew she had found a second family. Everyone on the crew has been so warm to her, the kind of warmth that reminds her of the sun’s rays that kisses her pale skin on a summer afternoon. Especially her captain, Luffy, who has an affinity for attracting people with the radiant optimism that shines in him. Mimi is no different. Almost instantly after joining she was drawn to some members of the crew, either by sharing similar interests, such as Usopp’s knack for creativity or Robin’s love of history, or by simply being interested in the crew’s activities and observing their tight-knit relationships with each other. It helped a lot that Mimi shared their love of adventure, which seemed to be a commonality among her crewmates.

It helped even more, however, that she had known Franky since they were kids. 

Out of everyone on the crew, her bond with him is undeniably the strongest one. Ten years apart suddenly felt like nothing when everything she knew and loved about him came flooding back to her after their reunion on Dressrosa. The two of them had changed so much in that time, and yet, it feels as if time did not touch their love. Sure, the first month or so after joining the Straw Hats felt like uncharted waters for Mimi. However, being by Franky’s side once again felt like rediscovering a timeless treasure, one so precious that no amount of Beri could afford it. 

She doesn’t know what stroke of fate allowed her to reunite with the love of her life, but she’s grateful she could experience falling for him all over again. 

Mimi feels a large, comforting hand plant itself on her back. 

“Takin’ a breather?” Utters a familiar voice, the sound of it deep and gravelly with a warmth to it. Mimi opens her eyes, inhaling sharply as the smell of the crisp evening air graces her nostrils. The invigorating smell of the fresh, salty sea relaxes her shoulders, allowing her to catch a moment of respite from the crew’s dinnertime liveliness on the bow of the Thousand Sunny. She skims her eyes along the ocean in front of her, whose gentle waves appear to make the setting sunlight that shone on it dance against its surface. 

“I guess you could say that,” Mimi replies with a chuckle. A small smile creeps across her face, exhaling briskly. Leaning her elbows on the ship deck’s railing, she hunches forward, her silver hair tickling her face as she turns her head to meet Franky’s gaze. “It’s fun being with everybody, but a bit exhausting sometimes, to be honest.”

Franky chuckles low in his throat, shaking his head slightly. He places his opposite hand on the ship’s railing, leaning over Mimi as he gazes out at the captivating ocean alongside her. “Yeah, I hear ya. We’re a rowdy bunch, that’s for sure. We know how to have a good time.” He smirks. “But, you might wanna buckle in tonight, sweetheart. The night ain’t over, yet! I wouldn’t want you missin’ out.” Franky states in all his usual confidence, making no effort to hide the fact that he knows something. 

Mimi raises an eyebrow, intrigued by his statement. Her eyes widen as she studies Franky’s facial expression, recognizing his mischievous smirk all too well. Mimi squints, a smirk forming across her lips to match it. Mimi lets out a chortle.

“Now what are you up to?” She replies in a teasing tone, her shoulders shaking in response. She’s known Franky long enough to tell when he’s got a set plan in mind. The past few nights haven’t been particularly eventful since the crew has been traveling from one place to the next, so it’s been a lot of work aboard the ship aside from the crew’s usual shenanigans. 

Franky grins wider in response. “Ah, nothing. We’re just taking a small detour, Luffy’s orders.” Franky replies, firm but playful. His response does nothing but raise more questions for Mimi, her eyes widening in response. Learning about any sort of detour was certainly news to her, especially since any directional decisions are usually well-thought out in advance by Nami, the crew’s resident navigator.

“And where are we headed, exactly?” Mimi inquires. 

“Just a smaller island nearby for some supply runs. Need to stock up on some more cola for the Sunny’s Coup-de-Burst, and Sanji needs some more ingredients for meal prep. Should be there in an hour, so you should get your ass movin’ and get ready.” Franky pats her back gently, a pearly smile still plastered across his lips. 

Mimi purses her lips at his response. She takes a moment longer to narrow her eyes at him once more. It puzzles her why they’d be making a supply run at this time, but she decides not to push him for further answers despite her burning curiosity. “Alright, then.” She replies, with a bit of hesitation. Straightening her back, she takes one last deep breath of the fresh air before planting a kiss on Franky’s large, red metal shoulder. “I’ll be in our room if you need me.” Trailing her hand down Franky’s arm, Mimi turns and begins to make her way down towards the lower decks. 

Since the crew had expanded, both the men’s and women’s quarters became too crowded of a place for some of the other crewmates to sleep comfortably with their partners. Franky had taken it upon himself a while back to upgrade the layout of his beloved Thousand Sunny, making sure to add a few extra small rooms for the other members to sleep in, most notably Sanji and Moxie, as well as himself and Mimi. 

Mimi opens the door to hers and Franky’s bedroom, making sure to close the door behind her as she steps inside. Despite the sudden change in plans, she adores how considerate Franky is of her. Mimi despises rushing to go anywhere, so when she’s afforded time to prepare herself at a leisurely pace, she takes pleasure in it.

Taking her time, she allows her thoughts to run as she changes into a more comfortable outfit for going out.

Franky finds himself at the helm of the ship. For a moment, he allows himself to clear his head, paying attention to the seas ahead with a focused expression. He knew what was to come in the next couple hours, he’d planned this for a couple days now. And, with the crew’s permission, he’s docking the ship on a small island to set his plan in motion. 

His large chest heaves deeply, exhaling the salty air as he mentally runs through the plan step-by-step. Resting his head on his large hand, he rubs his brow in thought. 

Before he can get too lost in thought, Franky notices footsteps coming up the stairs behind him, accompanied by the faint smell of smoke. He shifts his eyes, taking notice of the ship’s well-dressed cook. 

“What brings you up here, brother? Kitchen’s on the first level.” Franky greets Sanji nonchalantly, his eyes remaining focused ahead with one hand on the helm. 

“I know.” Sanji replies, almost with a hint of annoyance. Franky catches the sound of Sanji clicking his lighter a couple of times, taking a cigarette between his teeth and lighting it before pushing the metal lid closed. “I was just wondering where Mimi ran off to. She only finished half her plate. I hope you didn’t gross her out, you pervert.”

A pleased grin wipes across Franky’s face, turning to face Sanji as he waves his free hand dismissively. “Easy with the compliments, bro!” He chuckles, not fazed by Sanji’s insult. “Besides, it’s nothin’ you need to worry about. She just needed some super air.” As Franky finishes, his expression becomes serious once again. “She knows we’re docking soon, so she’s gettin’ ready.” 

Sanji turns away swiftly, eager to end the interaction. “Great, I’ll bring the rest to her then.” Placing his hands in his pockets, he takes the first step down the stairs.

“I wouldn’t bother, Sanji. Give my girl some space. Luffy will eat her scraps.” Franky’s voice turns serious, a hint of hesitation in his phrasing, which is incredibly rare given Franky’s decisive nature. Sanji shifts his eyes to Franky, a knowing look glazing over his expression. He takes a deep sigh, puffing out some smoke from his cigarette. Without a word, Sanji crouches, taking a seat on the top stair, hunching forward slightly. “You better be doing the right thing, Franky. Mimi’s a good woman.” Sanji furrows his curly brow. “Beautiful, considerate, patient, and a good heart. A lady like her deserves nothing short of your best.”  

“Damn it, bro, I know already.” Franky groans, stating bluntly. He continues on, his voice low and serious. “Like I said earlier, it’s not a problem. I’m not a dumbass, rushing into things. I’ll make my bets, but she ain’t one of ‘em.” Franky rubs his brow, bothered by his thoughts but stubborn to admit it. 

A moment’s pause ensues, broken only by Sanji standing up once again. He nods, taking another puff of his cigarette. Keeping his head forward, he smiles slightly at Franky’s response. “Good. Proposing to a lady takes a certain finesse. If you rushed into it and scared her off I’d kick your ass.” Sanji looks over his shoulder, glancing at Franky, who is returning the gaze through the corner of his eye. He pauses again, his tone slightly more tender than before. “She really does love you, Franky. Show her that same love back.” 

Franky’s lips curl into a small pleased smirk at Sanji’s words. “Thanks, bro. I’m glad Moxie has a man like you.” He replies, giving Sanji an acknowledging nod, watching Sanji return the gesture. Franky watches as Sanji continues his way down the stairs towards the lawn deck, leaving Franky to his thoughts once again. 

A few minutes turn into an hour, and the crew finds the ship approaching the island’s shore. Ahead of them was a small, quaint island, decorated by a few rolling hills on either side and a quiet beach along the shoreline. The waves cascade in and out in a gentle rhythm, adding to the serenity of the atmosphere.

Perfect.

Franky steers the ship a good distance away from the island, close enough to travel on the Mini Merry, but far enough for his plan to work. 

___________________________________________________________________

Knock, knock, knock.

Mimi’s eyes, not leaving the reflection in her mirror, grits her teeth as she slides one last pin into her silver-haired bun, securing it in place. “Come in,” Mimi replies, fiddling with the shoulder strap of her short summer dress one last time, making sure it’s not too tight, lest it would be uncomfortable and dig into her shoulder. 

“It’s about time! Everyone’s already on the lawn deck. If you don’t hurry up we’re leaving without you!” A familiar young woman’s voice scolds. Before turning around to greet her, Mimi catches the glimpse of an orange-haired woman making her way inside the room, closing the door behind her. “Besides, Robin and I wanna make it to the markets before the stores close. I haven’t struck up a good bargain in a while.” 

Exhaling, Mimi examines herself in the mirror before turning over her shoulder to face her comrade. “I’m almost ready, Nami, I promise.” Mimi replies, taking one last good look at herself before walking back over to the closet. Pulling the wooden dresser open, she scans her eyes along her neatly lined-up shoe collection at the bottom of the dresser. Her eyes shifted between two pairs, a nice pair of brown sandals with colourful beads around the leather and a simple pair of red open-toe wedge heels. Watching Mimi shift her eyes, Nami almost swears she could see a bead of sweat running down Mimi’s forehead. She gives a sigh, walking over to the dresser. 

Nami tilts her head, her long orange hair falling to one side with a puzzled expression as she peers into the wooden dresser alongside Mimi. She gazes down at the collection of shoes in front of them, watching Mimi’s puzzled expression for a moment. Mimi bends down, picking up both pairs and holding them up before abruptly turning to Nami.

“Which pair should I go with?” She inquires, watching Nami’s expression carefully. Flicking her between the pairs of shoes and Mimi’s face, Nami raises her eyebrow decisively. 

“You’re really considering wearing heels with that? I’m all for a cute heel, but those sandals work better with the dress.” Nami answers, her eyes fixated on the shoes. 

Mimi nods slightly, looking at the heels in her hand before her eyes return to Nami’s expression. “It’s the bright red colour, isn’t it?” Mimi asks, her tone flat and decisive. “It distracts too much from my dress.” 

Nami nods slowly. “That, and the fact that we’re walking on the beach. Heels like that would be a hazard.” 

Nodding in agreement, Mimi sets the red pair of heels down in the closet, closing the doors not long after. She takes a few moments to seat herself on the bed, slipping her sandals on with haste and checking around the bedroom to make sure she didn’t forget anything important. Lipstick, money, sketchbook, emergency medication, her portable sewing kit- yup, all set. She grabs her small bag, meeting Nami at the doorway. 

__________________________________________________________________

The faint sound of lively banter picks up, increasing in volume as Franky cracks open the hatch from below deck. He’d figured that if he couldn’t put his mind to rest, he might as well make use of it and go check over the fireworks he and Usopp had created for the occasion. Boy, did Franky feel lucky to have a friend like Usopp, who would use his projectile knowledge and work with him to create a grand firework display with only a day’s notice. They stayed up almost all night working on it, knowing it had to be perfect. Inside the fireworks, Franky implanted small bombproof receptors that would allow the light from the explosions to take on specific shapes on command. 

The only thing in his whole plan that he’d put more thought and effort into than the fireworks was, of course, the ring. He’d spent a good many hours on it, taking extra care and attention to every detail. He was even lucky enough that Nami let him spare a couple small precious jewels from their most recent loot to add to it, and he was pretty proud of the result.  

Franky pushes the hatch open, pulling himself up onto the lawn deck to reconvene with the remainder of the crew to head to the island. He scans his eyes over almost everyone, save for Nami and Mimi, who he figures needs an extra few minutes as per usual. His eyes meet with Usopp, flashing a quick confident smile as he makes his way over to him. 

“Ready to make a show, bro? Just checked her over one last time. She should be ready to roll! Ow!” Exclaims Franky, his usual enthusiasm hiding his concerns.  

Usopp gives a confident grin, placing his fists on his hips and puffing his chest slightly. “Don’t worry, man! I’ve got it covered. Just say the word and Mimi will watch a fireworks show like she’s never seen before! I’ll make sure of it!” He grins. Franky grins wider. “Damn straight you will!” Franky chuckles, giving Usopp a brotherly pat on the back. “We just gotta make sure the timing’s right. Can’t have you setting ‘em off too early.” 

Usopp reaches into his pocket, going to pull a small device out of it. His fingers slip as he takes it out, scrambling to catch it with his other hand, only for it to bounce off his fingers. “Careful, bro! Don’t drop it!” Franky exclaims. Usopp grits his teeth, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead as he makes his attempt to catch the small device, his hands flying in a frenzy for a moment before finally catching it firmly in his left hand. 

He gives a hearty sigh of relief, finally holding the device up to Franky. “That’s why we made these, right? These transmitters should beep when it’s time for me to set them off!” A proud smile returns to Usopp’s face once again. 

“That’s right,” grins Franky, giving Usopp an approving thumbs up. “As long as you light ‘em in the right order, it’s no problem!” 

Usopp beats his chest proudly, giving a single understanding nod to Franky. “I swear on my life that I, the great Usopp, will not let you down! I’ll light those fireworks so well that it’ll be stuck in your memory for years to come!” Usopp exclaims, almost boastful. Franky grins once again, his gaze lingering on Usopp for a moment before the words “We’re ready” draw his attention away. 

To Franky’s delight, he’s greeted with the view of Nami and Mimi finally rejoining the rest of the crew on the lawn deck. He feels a familiar warmth in his cold metal chest, his heart jumping at the sight of her. Standing before him was his girlfriend Mimi, wearing a short white sundress adorned with a blue and green floral pattern. The dress hugged her body nicely, its neckline decorating her chest with small frills that ran all the way to the puffed sleeves that were just hanging off her shoulders. Her hair was pulled back behind her head into a curly bun, which was slightly different from her usual half-updo with the exception of the two strands of silver hair framing her face. 

He takes a moment to gaze at her, his expression softening for a moment. Franky knows that Mimi takes joy in dressing herself up, but something about seeing her now has made him realize that, yes, this is really happening. 

Franky picks up his slightly slack jaw, clearing his throat with a soft grin. 

“I’M GONNA BE FIRST TO THE MINI MERRY!” Luffy shouts. Waiting for no one, he grabs the hatch to the lower decks and swings it open with haste, practically jumping down the hatch towards the Soldier Dock system. 

“Right, then. You heard Luffy, everyone head down to the Mini Merry.” 

___________________________________________________________________

The waves roll against the shore, cascading slowly as everyone takes their first steps in the sand from the Mini Merry’s floor. Like usual, Luffy is one of the first out of the boat, basically slingshotting himself onto the beach with the help of his Devil Fruit powers and the closest tree within his stretchy arm’s reach. Mimi smiles a little as she watches the chaos unfold, Luffy running around in excitement, Nami and Sanji yelling at him to wait, and everyone else along for the ride. Minus Usopp, who willingly stayed back on the Sunny. 

Mimi hangs back for a moment, allowing the other crew members to step out of the boat before her. Her eyes dart around, taking notice of the rustling palm trees and the evening sky as the sunset glistens on the water. Allowing her thoughts to wander for only a moment, she is brought back to reality by her beloved Franky’s voice. 

“C’mon, babe, hurry up!” Franky exclaims, offering his large red hand to Mimi. “Don’t tell me you’re planning on sittin’ there the whole night!” Franky tilts his sunglasses down a little with his free hand, smirking at her. Mimi turns her head, her vibrant eyes meeting Franky’s dark ones. Her shoulders shake in amusement, a small playful smile pulling at her lips. “I only considered it for just a moment…” She jokes. She takes Franky’s hand, standing up in the boat. She uses Franky’s strong support to stabilize herself before stepping onto the golden sands carefully.

“Nope.” Franky chuckles. “Even if you tried, I wouldn’t let ya. There’s no getting out of this one!” 

Mimi grins. “Hey, you know I’d never pass up an opportunity to go shopping.” She chuckles, swinging her small leather bag strap over her shoulder. “Besides, I’ve been needing some new fabrics for my sewing projects. A few yards of some nice material, at least.” 

With his hand grasping hers, a smaller, silvery metal hand extends from the palm of his larger red ones. His smaller hand carefully grasps Mimi’s, interlocking his fingers with hers. Franky raises Mimi’s knuckles up to his lips, bending down slightly to reach them as he presses a firm kiss to the back of her hand, smiling slightly as he does so. “Now that’s the spirit!” He grins, looking down at his comparatively smaller  girlfriend with a pleased expression. 

“Hello?! Let’s get moving!” Nami calls out from farther ahead. 

Mimi takes her eyes off Franky for a moment to take notice of the ladies across the beach near a tree clearing, Robin waiting patiently for Mimi, and Nami slightly less so. She brings her eyes back to Franky. “I guess that’s my cue… are you coming?” Inquires Mimi, taking a few steps towards her crewmates before pausing and turning back to her boyfriend. 

“Nah, you ladies have fun. Chopper wants to find some medicinal herbs, and Luffy’s been going on about tryin’ to catch some weird bug.”

Mimi snickers, her shoulders shaking as she imagines Luffy’s enthusiasm. “You really just want to go bug catching with him, huh?” She teases. Franky grins widely, raising an eyebrow. He lifts up his sunglasses, looking down at her with a teasing smile. “I’ve been needin’ some more scrap wood for quick ship repairs, so I was gonna tag along to keep an eye on ‘em. But…” Franky pauses, “...if I find any bugs on that scrap wood, no promises it won’t land on your pillow.” 

Mimi’s jaw goes slack, giving Franky’s arm a light, playful shove. “Franky, don’t you dare!” She exclaims with a smirk, a hint of a laugh in her voice. 

A deep chortle resonates in Franky’s throat as he leans downward. “I’m only messin’ with ‘ya, sweetheart.” He clarifies, placing a kiss to Mimi’s forehead. Her expression softens, closing her eyes as he kisses her. “Now stop messing around and get goin’. Nami’s about to blow a fuse.” Franky says. Mimi nods, placing both her hands gently over the soft blue sideburns running down the sides of his cheeks. She stands on her toes, pulling him in closer as she places a quick peck on his lips. 

“Okay. I love you.” Mimi smiles, looking into his eyes as she pulls away hesitantly. Removing her hands from his cheeks, she continues over to the other side of the beach towards the clearing where Nami and Robin were waiting for her. Franky watches her make her way over, a warm expression forming on his face as he does so. He waits patiently for Mimi to be out of earshot before turning towards the remaining crew members. 

“Alright, let’s get moving.”

___________________________________________________________________

The serenity of the small surrounding town resonates through its streets, the white teak wood buildings patterned on either side. The sunset rests just below the clouds, its last daylight reflecting the faces of passersby as Mimi, Nami and Robin make their way down the shopping district. Scanning her bright teal eyes over the windows of the surrounding shops, Mimi’s eyes widen at some of the lovely garments on display in the shop bay windows. Her eyes land on three mannequins, each with three stunning casual clothing designs. Each of them had uniquely intricate embroidery in certain areas, complementing the differing materials, almost as if each garment was repurposed and put back together in a tasteful manner.  

“Robin, Nami, look at those outfits!” Mimi exclaims, stopping in her tracks to admire them for a moment. Nami stops and raises an eyebrow before her eyes open so wide you could see stars in them. Following Mimi’s voice, Robin turns to the window as well, a small smile warming her face as her eyes land on the mannequins. 

“They certainly are lovely, aren’t they?” Robin responds with her usual warm tone. “They are quite eye-catching. It reminds me of your work, Mimi.” 

“Oh, that skirt is so cute!” Nami squeals as she admires a short brown faux leather skirt. She examines the beautiful gold detailing on the sides of the skirt, which complemented the skirt’s black leather pockets nicely.  

Without another thought, Mimi grabs the handle to the door, holding the door for her friends behind her as the three of them step inside the shop. Racks on racks of unique, one-of-a-kind garments lined the beige walls of the store, the yellow overhead lighting giving the shop a cozy, trendy atmosphere. The three ladies immediately spread out across the small interior, sifting through the well-crafted clothing on the shelves and racks. 

Skimming the rack with her hand, Mimi catches onto the stiff material of a short denim vest. Taking it off the rack, she immediately notices the inside of the vest, which was lined with a nice floral fabric. The back panel of the dark vest was decorated with old embroidered floral patches, an element she really admired about it. “Amazing…” She mutters to herself. She continues to admire the vest, holding it up before the price tag swipes in front of her eyes. 

“225 Beri” the tag reads. Mimi’s face drops. 

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?” Nami exclaims. “300 Beri for a SKIRT?! Who the hell would pay that?!” 

“It’s hand-crafted…” A woman’s voice chimes in. Mimi looks up from the vest  in her hands, her eyes meeting the face of a stern middle-aged woman glaring at the three of them. “...and it’s one-of-a-kind, made with upcycled genuine material. You’ll only find it here.” The shop owner continues, attempting to further prove her point. A starstruck expression crosses Mimi’s face. Simple clothing is easy to find a bargain for, but in her eyes, true art and craftsmanship is deserving of the price. Mimi’s face contorts slightly, her furrowed brow and pained grimace an indicator for her indecisiveness. 

She wanted this vest. Badly. But she knew she couldn’t justify spending a chunk of her Beri allowance on it, or Nami would have her head for her poor spending decision alone. Sighing, she places the vest back on the rack reluctantly. 

Facing a rack of short dresses, Robin hears a small familiar “puru puru puru puru” sound. She reaches into her jacket, pulling out her small transponder snail and answering the call. 

Ka-lick.

“Robin, how’s it holdin’ up on your end?” A familiar, gravelly voice pipes up on the other end of the line, a slight energy to his tone. 

“Franky. Mimi’s preoccupied with browsing designer clothing with Nami. A particularly good distraction for her, too. One of the denim vests seems to have caught her eye.” Robin chuckles softly into the phone, her tone quieter so as to not alert Mimi, though Mimi’s attention seemed elsewhere. 

“Sounds super!” Franky lets out in relief, his tone upbeat and hopeful. “The crew and I are close to getting ‘er done. If you and Nami can get out of there before Mimi’s done her stuff, we’ll swap places and I’ll pick Mimi up SUPER style while you ladies make some tweaks to the arrangements back at the beach!” He continues, recounting the next steps of his plan. “And make sure to pick out some nice flowers, ya hear?”

Robin gives a small, tender smile. “I’m glad you’re putting in so much effort for her, Franky. Just make sure that the ring is properly fitted to her finger when you propose so it doesn’t cut off blood flow to her finger and make it fall off.” She says, still smiling as she amuses herself with her own dark humor.

Franky audibly shudders at Robin’s comment over the transponder snail. “DAMMIT, ROBIN, DON’T STRESS ME OUT MORE!” He exclaims, off-put by her out of pocket comment. “Just make sure you and Nami get outta there without Mimi seeing’ ya!” 

With that, Robin gives a slight understanding nod before hanging up the transponder snail with a ka-lick. 

——————————————————————————————————

Shhhhhhh.

The island birds chirp in tune with the rustling palm trees, which fanned out over the heads of the remaining crew. Some shade from the leaves above felt calming, cooling down the beads of sweat that were rolling down the foreheads of the remaining crew as they traversed the forest ground, carrying fresh cut wooden planks and a variety of foraged items. 

A sigh of relief escapes Franky’s lips. He knew that Robin and Nami were well aware of his plans, and it’s times like these that make him feel thankful for his trustworthy crew mates. He hangs up the transponder snail, refocusing his attention to the rest of the crew, who were scattered about as they foraged for materials in the wooded area not far from the beach they set foot on when they arrived on the island. He readjusts his shoulders, balancing the wooden planks over them as his eyes scan the remaining crew. 

“WHOAAAAA, LOOK!” Luffy’s eyes light up in excitement.

Immediately, Chopper’s attention is caught by the energy in Luffy’s voice, his sweet, round reindeer eyes widening with curiosity. Luffy gestures excitedly to a large mushroom, his eyes fixated on a plump Hercules beetle perched atop the fungi. “IT’S A HERCULES BEETLE ON A MUSHROOM! THEY’RE THE STRONGEST BEETLES EVER!” Luffy exclaims, taking the beetle in his hands and showing it off to Chopper with pride. Chopper’s eyes sparkle with wonder and awe at Luffy’s find, his mouth agape as he admires the beetle. 

“REALLY?! You mean it?! It’s so strong it could carry another beetle!?” Chopper asks, his voice riddled with excitement. 

“UH HUH! So strong it could fight another beetle and win!” Luffy grins, his smile stretching from ear to ear in childlike glee. 

“Can you two stay focused?” Sanji snaps. “You’re supposed to be looking for flowers to use as decorations for Franky’s beach setup for Mimi! A lady like her needs flowers, not bugs!” 

Luffy’s face drops in disappointment. “Aww, fine” he bellows, stuffing the beetle in his pocket for later. Without thinking, he tosses the mushroom in the air, popping it in his mouth, followed by Sanji and Chopper turning to him in a panic. 

“LUFFY!!! DON’T EAT THAT, IDIOT!!!” 

Franky grins, watching as Sanji and Chopper attempt to wrestle Luffy to spit the mushroom out, shaking his head slightly. He turns his gaze, taking notice of Brook staring at a peculiar flower bush. 

“I believe these hibiscus might be suitable for Miss Mimi, Franky.” Brook pipes up. He reaches a skeletal finger out, stroking one of the flower petals gently, admiring it’s beauty. 

“Finally, you found something actually useful!” Franky exclaims in relief. The past hour or so had proven mostly unsuccessful in terms of finding decorations for the arch Franky planned to whip together on the beach before Mimi arrives. And, for the record, Franky was getting a bit tired of all the useless leaves and pebbles being brought to him by Luffy at random, despite Luffy’s best intentions. He sets the planks of wood down next to him before pushing back the branches of the flower bush, grasping the stem with his large metal hands. 

With one strong yank, he uproots the bush, leaving the rest of the crew stunned for a moment. Brook’s bony jaw drops, Chopper and Sanji mirroring his expression. Luffy, however, laughs gleefully at the sight of Franky uprooting a hibiscus bush with his bare hands. 

And Zoro, of course, is nowhere to be seen, having last been seen with the crew circa an hour ago. 

_____________________________________________________________

It’s not long now until the crew’s efforts come to fruition. After gathering a few more materials, and making the group effort to lead Zoro back to the beach they first set foot on, the last few steps of Franky’s plan were being carried out.

With each passing minute, Franky’s heartbeat grew louder and louder. Of course, there were still a few things to prepare before Robin and Nami arrive, before he sets out to pick Mimi up from the shop, but even trying to use those to get his mind off his worries was proving unsuccessful. Regardless, he hid it well behind his confident persona. 

He takes one good look at the beautiful arch he built on a whim, but planned well ahead of time. The rustic wooden planks Zoro had helped him cut, nailed together and set upright in the sand formed a perfect heart shape, which faced the ocean and framed the sunset like a painting. He takes it all in for a moment, before turning his attention to the hibiscus bush from earlier. 

Footprints trail behind him in the sand as he makes his way to the bush before grabbing handfuls of the bright coral flowers. 

It wasn’t until he looked up that he noticed two slender figures approaching in the distance across the beach. 

“It’s about time you got here. I bet the shop owner kicked you out.” Zoro called out to Nami. 

“Oh, SHUT UP. You’re one to talk!” Nami retorted, well aware of Zoro’s poor navigational habits. Robin, on the other hand, takes immediate notice of the lovely hibiscus flowers Brook had pointed out to Franky.

“Think ya can manage with these? We were almost hard outta luck until Brook saw ‘em.” Franky scratched his head a little. Without a word, Robin crosses her arms, setting her focus on the heart-shaped arch. The crew watched as a line of slender hands sprouted along the sand from the bush to the heart-shaped arch, passing along individual hibiscus flowers from one hand to the next as Robin’s hands placed the flowers neatly along the arch. Having a Devil Fruit like hers is useful when her friends need a helping hand. 

Nami looks at the near-completed arch, her eyebrows raising in a pleasant surprise. “Wow, this actually turned out well! I expected less, but this isn’t half bad!” She says, giving a nod of approval. 

“Aw, c’mon, Nami. Don’t do me like that.” Franky chuckles deep in his chest, recognizing her joking backhanded compliment. “It’s the most super proposal arch you’ve seen and you know it. Besides, I’ll always burn some midnight oil if it’s for my girl.” 

Puru-puru-puru-puru. Robin’s transponder snail rings once again. 

Oh shit. 

——————————————————————

After a few unsuccessful try-ons, Mimi steps out of the changeroom in the shop. She’s amassed quite the pile of clothes. She couldn’t help it, having an eye for clothing styles and a heart for artistry, being a fellow artist and seamstress herself. Even more so with Nami having handed her more than a few things by recommendation, thinking they would look cute. So, naturally, Mimi had taken her time.

Just long enough to give Robin and Nami ample time to leave the shop and get back to the beach without Mimi noticing. 

“Nami? Robin?” Mimi raises her volume, hoping one of them would hear. She waits a few moments, her calls falling on deaf ears as she receives no response. She sighs. “Are you kidding me? Where did they go?” Mimi mutters under her breath. Slightly miffed, she pulls out her miniature transponder snail from her bag. 

Puru-puru-puru-puru. The transponder snail rings. Puru-puru-puru-puru. 

Ka-lick.

Putting on her most pleasant voice, Mimi speaks. “Robin, where are you? Did you and Nami go to the next store over without me?” 

On the other end of the line, Robin answers. “Ah, Mimi.” Robin pauses momentarily, carefully considering her answer. “We did, the crew ran into a group of murderous wild apes on the beach. We had no choice but to run to their rescue.” Robin smirks slightly, unbeknownst to Mimi. 

“Oh, okay.” Mimi replies, without second thought. An air of awkward silence goes by, and Mimi remembers Robin’s sense of humor, especially in serious situations. Her eyes widen. “WAIT, NO, ROBIN. BE SERIOUS.” Mimi pipes up again, her voice louder. 

On the other end of the line, Franky overhears Mimi’s response. “She didn’t seriously just buy Robin’s joke as an actual answer!” He exclaims, thankfully out of earshot of Mimi over the transponder snail.

 Robin chuckles slightly. “Regardless, wait outside the shop for a few minutes.” She answers cryptically, before hanging up the transponder snail with a ka-lick. 

Mimi gives a puzzled look, hanging up the transponder snail before placing it back in her bag. Picking up the pile of clothes she’d tried on, she quickly plops it on the return counter next to the changeroom before heading out the door without a word. 

Sitting on a bench just outside the shop, she feels the evening air make her hair dance gently as she waits, as instructed by Robin. Her feet shuffle beneath her impatiently, her eyes shifting around as she watches the setting sun, the bright ball of fire concealing itself behind a cloud every so often. 

The peaceful evening air was cool and quiet… until a faint sound of a revving engine came within earshot. Mimi catches a glimpse of a large, red, three wheeled motorcycle with a yellow star on each back wheel, as well as a driver with wild blue hair. The last sunlight of the evening reflects off the front of the motorcycle, revealing the letters “FR-U” printed in black on the front. 

And she recognized him immediately. 

She has not the slightest clue how Franky managed to get his FR-U Black Rhino motorcycle from the Thousand Sunny to shore, but the sight of him zooming into the town in his bike practically ran over any worries she had previously. And nearly a few townspeople as well, but that was of little concern to Franky. 

The bike half circles on the brick road in front of Mimi, allowing for a half donut before the bike comes to an abrupt stop. Franky looks over his shoulder, flipping up his sunglasses as his gaze meets Mimi’s smiling eyes. 

“What’s a super pretty lady like you doin’ here by herself?” Franky smirks. “Need a lift?” 

A bright, closed-mouth smile graces Mimi’s lips. “Did you even need to ask?” She stands up, grabbing her bag and sauntering over to the bike, swaying her hips in a playful imitation of a model catwalk to play along with her boyfriend’s obvious flirt. The bike had no steps up, so Franky lifts Mimi onto his lap with ease since he, unfortunately, only built one real seat into the motorcycle. Mimi gets comfortable, laying back into Franky’s chest as he once again reaches for the handlebars of his motorcycle. 

And before Mimi could blink, Franky stepped on the gas. 

——————————————————————

“That was a smooth stop. You’ve gotten good at that.” Mimi smiles, pulling her silver hair out of her face as the bike comes to a rolling stop, the same rowdy half-donut Franky picked her up with. She looks over the side and takes notice of a small clearing of a forest pathway. 

“Good?!” Franky says, in mock offense. “That was better than good. That was super!” 

Mimi chuckles and shakes her head. “Okay, fine, that was super.” She glances at him for a moment, looking up at his towering frame above her with a genuine warmth in her eyes for just a moment, just enough to make his heart jump. 

Just enough to remind him that this is who he wants to spend his life with. 

Mimi goes to slide off Franky’s lap and off the bike, but is quickly caught off guard by Franky’s hand stopping her. 

“Oi, where do you think you’re going? You’re not gonna tip your handsome driver?” He says. Mimi looks up at him once more briefly, her teal eyes meeting his in curiosity. She finds Franky looking down at her, eyebrow raised in his usual teasing banter she’s so used to from him. 

Her smirk matches his, picking up his cue. Instead of kissing him, she reaches her hand up towards his shiny metal nose, pressing and holding it down for three seconds. “Boop” she states, a slight laugh in her voice as she watches her cyborg boyfriend’s hair flatten itself into a stylish, slicked-back hairstyle reminiscent of one that he wore during the crew’s adventures in Zou. 

It was then, and only then, that she stretched upward and placed a kiss to his three-pointed chin, before finally sliding off his lap and onto the ground. 

“Heh. Alright.” Franky smirks, his shoulders shaking slightly before hopping off his bike, leading Mimi into the forest path entrance. 

The minutes it took to walk the forest path leading up to the beach had Franky watching Mimi’s facial expressions closely, as if waiting to see the moment of surprise on her face. The uncertainty of his thoughts had mostly subsided, especially since there’s no use worrying about it now that every other part of his plan had been executed. 

All that was left now was to watch the pure, unadulterated joy that would cross Mimi’s face when she sees the surprise he and the crew had waiting for her. 

And joyful it was. 

The way Mimi’s eyes lit up shone brighter than any precious metal he’d ever seen. She’d completely lost any words she had on her tongue, breathless as she processed the beautiful scene laid before her. Her eyes danced around the scenery: the rustic wooden planks in the perfect shape of a heart, nailed together and decorated by various bright orange and pink hibiscus flowers. The setting sun, which fit into the heart-shaped planks like a perfect picturesque photograph. The Thousand Sunny, rocking gently on the ocean in the distance. Her pirate family, all present save for Usopp, who gave her a wave from the Sunny in the distance.

And, most importantly, Franky. Her best friend and the love of her life, at her side as he gave her his signature, comforting ear-to-ear grin. 

A smile creeps its way onto her face before words can escape her. 

“W-what is this?” Mimi asked, her voice riddled with joy and sentimentality. A question she already had a feeling she knew the answer to, if it wasn’t glaringly obvious. 

“Just a lil’ something we whipped up.” Franky responds nonchalantly, with all his usual confidence. Mimi takes another look around, meeting the eyes of almost all her crew mates as they smile knowingly back at her. 

“Is this why you’ve all been acting so cryptic to me these past couple nights?” Mimi smiles, half laughing. Her question is met with silence, but the warmth from their expressions never faltered. Franky gives a small nod to Brook, who gave a small nod back, before picking up his violin and playing a small melody. 

He turns his head towards the ocean, watching the sun begin to dip behind the Thousand Sunny, illuminating their impressive ship. 

“Ya know how my dream’s always been to build a ship strong enough to sail the world?” Franky starts, his voice warm but serious. Mimi turns her attention to Franky, her eyes following his gaze outwards. 

Mimi gives a small nod. “Yeah?” 

“There’s a second part to it, not sure if I ever told ya that.” Franky inhales sharply. “I wanted to sail that ship with you on it. Just like old times, or somethin’ like that.” 

Mimi’s breath catches in her throat. She feels her smile widen even more at the thought, the butterflies in her stomach dancing as she stares at the painterly sky. “Just like back home when you’d build your Battle Franky ships and take me on them to kill Sea Kings?” 

Franky gives a shallow laugh, one that resonates in his chest. “You got it.” He pauses, his smile fading slightly. “I really thought that part of the dream got lost when you left, ya know. Scared me real good for the better part of a decade.” Franky says, his voice slightly shaky. Mimi turns her gaze to Franky once more, her eyes soft with slight concern as she watches his eyes begin to well up with tears, his bottom lip in a pout.

She reaches out her hand, placing her hand on his large, boxy blue forearm reassuringly. She’s not going anywhere without him ever again, and she wanted to show him that, even just a little. 

After a deep breath, Franky regains his composure. Still teary-eyed, but enough to continue on. 

“I’ve done so damn much in those ten years. I don’t got a clue what I could’ve done to deserve something so super, but you came back to me, Mimi. I didn’t think you would, but you’re here.” Franky continues, his voice still shaky. He brings his large hand up towards his face, wiping a tear away from his eye. 

“I’m bored. Just say it already, Franky!” Luffy blurts out. Franky and Mimi turn their heads. 

“LUFFY!” Nami and Sanji yell in tandem, calling him out. 

Franky smirks slightly at Luffy’s response. He turns back to Mimi, his feet dragging slightly in the soft sand as he turns to come face to face with her. “I guess I’m just trying to say, you’re the cola that fuels my heart. It doesn’t feel right to live my dreams without you bein’ a part of ‘em.” His tone warms up a little more, leading up to his next words. 

“So, I just got one more thing to tell ya, Mimi.” Franky smiles, this time softer. Without breaking eye contact, he holds his giant fist in the air, forming a thumbs up large enough to catch Usopp’s eye from the Thousand Sunny. 

Scrambling, Usopp makes his way down to the lawn deck of the ship, lighting a match and setting a fuse. He sets the first firework off, almost confident that it was the correct firework… until he looked at the word written on the firework.  He looks at the label again, his eyes widening with panic as the realization sets in. Despite his best efforts to stamp the fuse out or blow it out, it was too late. 

He gazes across the water towards the beach in defeat. 

From the beach, Mimi hears a loud popping noise, beckoning her to turn her head towards the ocean and sky once again. The sea breeze catches her long strands of silver hair as one-by-one, the fireworks explode from the deck of the Thousand Sunny. 

The evening sky glows with many colours as the fireworks take the shape of an almost familiar phrase.

“MARRY.” “ME.” “WILL.” “YOU?”

Mimi watches in awe, chortling slightly at the incorrect order. Franky glances at the fireworks for a moment, chuckling slightly. 

“Aw man. Dammit, Usopp!” He sighs. Franky flips his sunglasses down over his eyes, waiting for Mimi to turn her attention back to him. Mimi shifts her eyes back to Franky in surprise, finding him grinning back at her through his sunglasses. 

Lowering himself, Franky gets down on one knee, now meeting her eye level given his huge stature compared to her. Mimi’s heart jumps, almost in disbelief that this is happening. Like, really happening, as if it wasn’t already years in the making. She can feel the tenderness in his gaze as she watches him reach into his speedo, pulling out a small, wooden, cube shaped box. 

“REALLY? IN YOUR UNDERWEAR, YOU PERV?” Sanji exclaims, horrified by Franky’s ring box storing tactics. 

Franky clicks his teeth in a charming smile. “Hey, gotta make sure it’s super secure!” Mimi holds back a laugh, rubbing her forehead slightly. Franky refocuses his attention back to her. 

Opening up the box, he reveals a beautifully crafted gold ring, adorned with a few small precious jewels. In the middle, it had some tiny gears, which connected to the teeth of a top and bottom band, allowing for the ring to rotate by moving one of the bands. Upon glancing at it, Mimi could tell it was Franky’s handiwork, the hours he must have spent to make it. The thought that went into it. 

It was at this moment that it made sense to her, the nights Franky kept coming to bed later than usual after spending time in the workshop late at night. Mimi covers her mouth, her fingertips touching as if she’s saying a prayer of sorts. She had been holding back her emotions since they stepped foot on this beach minutes ago, but this time she couldn’t contain herself as tears of joy streamed down her face like the canals of their home, Water 7. 

“So, whaddaya say, beautiful? Will you marry me?” 

Mimi pauses, her eyes wide and filled with emotion. Her breath hitches in her throat. There was never any doubt in her mind her answer, yet the air is still as everyone awaits her response. Without warning, she wraps her arms around Franky. Mimi buries her face in the shoulder of Franky’s green blazer, sobbing loudly. 

Slightly confused, Franky holds her gently. 

“Baby! S-so, is that a yes or no?” He asks. 

Mimi pulls away slightly, a smile evident on her face through the tears. 

“That’s a yes, dummy.” She smiles softly. “I love you.” 

THANK YOU FOR READING!! This has been a project for MONTHS so I'm happy you read and/or enjoyed it!!

Tag list: (ask to be added or removed!)

@100shark ✯ @avatarduck ✯ @brahms-and-lances-wife ✯ @brutally-loving ✯ @fictodreamer ✯ @jpeg-indulgence ✯ @kissingarthurclaus ✯ @lawismyhusband ✯ @literally-just-there ✯ @moxanji-real ✯ @r0tten-hav3n ✯ @starshakez ✯ @strawbeaniie ✯ @strawhatwife ✯ @solsunships ✯ @vergils-beloved ✯ @wiggogsy ✯ @zoroscanonhusband

[ayumicchi14]

GAKUEN K -WONDERFUL SCHOOL DAYS-

Fushimi Saruhiko route

Event 38

Translation below the cut

Konohana Saya: (Today is the graduation day of third year seniors after all. It's something that I've known from a long time, but it's lonely that we have to apart today...)

Munakata Reishi: "Good morning."

Konohana Saya: "Ah, Munakata-senpai."

Munakata Reishi: "What's wrong? You look gloomy."

Konohana Saya: "I feel lonely when I thought that I have to part with seniors today..."

Munakata Reishi: "If you're making a face like that, I can't graduate with a peace of mind."

Konohana Saya: "I'm sorry..."

Munakata Reishi: "Since graduation is a thing that to be pleased about, so please send off with a smile."

Konohana Saya: "Yes... You're right."

Munakata Reishi: "I don't have any regrets in this school."

Munakata Reishi: "It's because I'm confident that Blue Club will be able to tow splendidly with Fushimi-kun and a heartening junior like you."

Konohana Saya: "Thank you for even saying that about me."

Munakata Reishi: "...I think I'm really glad that I paired you with Fushimi-kun."

Munakata Reishi: "You have been helped in every way with his support, haven't you?"

Munakata Reishi: "And even more than that, I think that being paired up with you has been a great sustenance for Fushimi-kun."

Konohana Saya: "I doubt that. In the end, I can't be that helpful for Fushimi-kun..."

Munakata Reishi: "Even if this is true on the job, for the more fundamental things, your existence is helping him."

Munakata Reishi: "it is also thanks to you that I can freely entrust Fushimi-kun as the next club director."

Munakata Reishi: "Please have a confidence with yourself. You're a necessary existence for Fushimi-kun, and for Blue club too."

Konohana Saya: (I can't believe Munakata-senpai is giving me a words of encouragement like this...)

Konohana Saya: (I can't fret over on it anymore. I have to see the seniors off with a smile)

Konohana Saya: "Yes...! Thank you so much!"

*at auditorium*

Awashima Seri: "Current student. Farewell address."

Fushimi Saruhiko: "Seniors, congratulations for your graduation today."

Fushimi Saruhiko: "Thank you very much for guiding us, and being a role model in various situations such as in club activities and committee works."

Fushimi Saruhiko: "This time, we are going to teach juniors the things that we learned from seniors."

Fushimi Saruhiko: "After graduation, please visit our school from time to time and tell us what you have been up to. Congratulations for your graduation today."

*in club room*

Akiyama Himori: "Fushimi-san, thank you for the farewell address."

Fushimi Saruhiko: "I just did it because Awashima-sensei asked me."

Munakata Reishi: "Just as the farewell words, I will visit Blue club from time to time and watching Fushimi-kun's director manner."

Fushimi Saruhiko: "Please give me a break. It's difficult if I'm being watched by captain."

Munakata Reishi: "Then, how about you give a greetings as a new appointed club director here?"

Fushimi Saruhiko: "At this stage, there's nothing new to say."

Munakata Reishi: "There's must be something for future policies."

Fushimi Saruhiko: "Err... please do the things you have to do. That's all."

Munakata Reishi: "That's a very short greetings. But, if it's Fushimi-kun's method, then we will have no choice but to comply."

Munakata Reishi: "Please take care of Blue club."

Fushimi Saruhiko: "Haah... well, I'll do it just the way it is."

Munakata Reishi: "Fushimi-kun had her as the reassuring pair, so I believe that you'll be okay."

Fushimi Saruhiko: "Reassuring? You mean, her?"

Munakata Reishi: "Konohana-san, you did well in this one year. From now on too, please support Fushimi-kun."

Akiyama Himori: "Thanks to you joining the club, Blue club became more lively. Thank you for the fun times."

Konohana Saya: "Me too. I keep receiving help from the seniors."

Konohana Saya: "I think I want to contribute to Blue club as best as I can, so that I can return the favour."

Awashima Seri: "Third years, please go out. Your parents has been waiting."

Konohana Saya: "Take care. Please make sure to come to Blue club again."

Munakata Reishi: "Yes. I will come certainly. You too, take care."

Akiyama Himori: "Please be careful with your physical condition. It's not good if you're trying too hard at anything."

Konohana Saya: "Yes!"

Munakata Reishi: "Well then, excuse us."

Blue club member 01: "I will send you off until the gate."

Blue club member 02: "Me too!"

Awashima Seri: "Ah, Fushimi-kun and Konohana-san."

Awashima Seri: "Fushimi-kun, as a new club director, I'm looking forward to work with you from now on."

Fushimi Saruhiko: "Yes."

Awashima Seri: "You too. You're such an unusual transfer student at school, and I wonder what would happen to you at first, but you've totally became a Blue club member."

Konohana Saya: "Yes. It's all because of I'm joining Blue club that I had a very enjoyable year."

Awashima Seri: "As the advisor, I'm so happy for you. From now on, please continue club activities without forgetting the feeling to have fun."

Konohana Saya: "...Everyone's left."

Fushimi Saruhiko: "Are you sure you don't want to go?"

Konohana Saya: "I will stay here. Congratulations, from today you're club director."

Fushimi Saruhiko: "Nothing to be happy about."

Konohana Saya: "You're not happy?"

Fushimi Saruhiko: "Becoming club director is just a pain in the ass."

Konohana Saya: "There, there. If you got entrusted as a director, that means you're being trusted by everyone in Blue club."

Fushimi Saruhiko: "Trusting me won't do you any good."

Konohana Saya: (Even though he said that, he will doing his job perfectly)

Konohana Saya: "Right. To celebrate Fushimi-kun's new role as a club director after this, do you want to go out eat something?"

Konohana Saya: "I'm happy that Fushimi-kun become director. That's why I want you to let me celebrate it."

Fushimi Saruhiko: "...Well, I'll go out with you."

[cinnamorollcrybaby]

Can’t live without your love inside me now

Tags: sextherapist!Nanami x fem!reader, nocurse!au, taboo romance, heavy topics such as sexual assault, dead dove due to the power imbalance and heavy conversation, is this considered angst? idk

Synopsis: In which Kento Nanami is a sex therapist, and his client is a young neglected wife with an emotionally absent husband. He teaches you what love is really all about.

An: Just another warning that this fic deals with heavy themes. It’s honestly been so therapeutic for me to write due to my own history. If it’s not for you, I have plenty of other Nanami fics that are more lighthearted. For the anons in my requests asking for more Nanami, this is for you.

Part one. | Part two.

“With those things in mind, I’m interested in what has brought you into my office today.”

“I’m not sure… Sex just doesn’t appeal to me much anymore.”

Being a sex therapist, Kento Nanami has heard it all. He’s seen this same presenting problem again and again. He’s counseled young and older men with erectile dysfunction. He’s counseled persons of the LGBTQ+ community come to terms with their sexuality and how that relates to sex. He’s counseled so many people who come from purity culture and struggle with sex. He’s counseled couples who can’t seem to get it right in the bedroom. He’s counseled sexual assault survivors.

Kento Nanami prides himself on upholding the ethics of counseling. He keeps the code of ethics proudly sat upon his shelf. His goal as a therapist was to give everyone a safe space to divulge their most vulnerable inner thoughts to him.

Sex was too often treated as a taboo, offensive subject, which is why Nanami got into sex therapy in the first place. He wanted to change the stigma around it. Sex was a basic need for the majority of individuals, and many times, people have poor experiences with sex since it’s not normalized and hardly talked about.

“Okay, so is it fair to say you don’t often feel like you’re in the mood for sex?” he asked as he looked towards his client. A pretty young lady sat across from him on his couch. His “office” was in his home, finding that people often didn’t want to talk about sex in what they considered to be a “public” space like a therapist’s office.

“Yeah, I mean… I just...” your voice trailed off. You already felt like this might be a mistake. Your arms crossed over your chest as it felt like you were naked in front of your incredibly handsome counselor.

His office was nice, serene almost. He had different seating options and all kinds of fidget items around his office. He also had a plethora of books on a shelf behind his desk.

It seems he enjoys spending his time reading up about the art of sex. You can’t help but feel your face warm from thinking about him reading those sorts of things in his free time.

The walls were painted a nice soft blue grey color, and the office smelled like fresh linen from the aroma diffuser in the corner of the room. Several different houseplants were also scattered about. They all looked healthy, assuring you that Nanami paid attention to detail. He was responsible and consistent.

“Take your time,” Nanami assured you as he sat back in his chair. “The first visit is always the hardest. Don’t feel pressured to get down to the bottom of why you’re lacking a sexual drive. These things take time and trial and error.”

That was… almost reassuring. You took a deep breath as your fingers absentmindedly twirled a strand of hair behind your ear. The familiar ministration worked to calm your mind.

“I’m young, and I’m recently married. I have no kids. I feel like I should be… I don’t know— at my sexual prime or something.”

“What gave you that idea?” Nanami probed as he continued observing your small nervous habits. He found his lips trying to curl into a smile, but he kept his face meticulously trained as a look of interest.

“Well, girls talk, you know? My girlfriends talk about their lack of a sex life stemming from other obligations or from a lack of a connection…” you explained as you briefly looked up at Nanami. Each time his hazel eyes met yours, you had to look away immediately.

When you found his information online, you didn’t think he’d be this handsome. You just saw all of his credentials, and you had heard good things about him on different websites centered around “rating” therapists.

Of course, you had done some digging on him. There was no way in hell you were going to go to some strange man’s house to talk about sex. That sounded ridiculous.

“Do you compare yourself to these so called ‘girlfriends’ often?” Nanami asked calmly. His voice was even and smooth, allowing you feel even more safe to open up.

“I mean, no. They’re just all I have in terms of what’s normal for sex.”

“Okay, so let me make sure I understand this right. You lack a sexual drive. You feel guilty that you lack sexual drive because you believe you don’t have a good enough reason to not want sex on a regular basis, and you think that you’re not normal. Does that cover it?”

You winced a bit as it was all laid out on the table for you. Your eyes squeezed shut, trying to hide from how pathetic you sounded. You sheepishly nod in response.

“Y/n, open your eyes for me,” his voice spoke gently, coaxing you to slowly flutter your eyes open to look into his. Once he had your gaze, he went on, “These are all normal feelings to have. I can blab on and on to you about how our society is blatantly misogynistic when it comes to sex, but I’ll spare you the details since I’m sure you’re painfully aware. We’re going to figure this out together, alright?”

You took a deep breath, letting his words wash over you as a security blanket. It was nice to have someone to just talk about these things freely to. You felt a glimmer of hope shine through.

“Okay,” you said with a small nod, feeling more confident now.

“So, you mentioned earlier that you're recently married. Tell me a little bit about that."

You try not to have a physical reaction when Nanami brings up your husband. It was a topic that felt too raw.. too close to home. You’re supposed to be a dutiful wife, right? So, why would you feel that way when talking about your husband?

“Oh, uh… well,” you stammer, looking away from Nanami as you suddenly came up blank on your own marriage. “We got married about a year ago. Some say we’re still in the honeymoon phase, but…”

Nanami perks up a little in his chair. Some therapists take notes or record their sessions. Nanami doesn’t believe in it. He thinks it takes away from the moment. He’d much rather be present with his client rather than jotting down notes.

“But..?” he urges you to go on.

“But… I guess it just doesn’t feel that way.”

“What is your idea of the honeymoon phase? What does that look like to you?” Nanami asks, clasping his hands together in his lap as he relaxes into his chair.

You take a moment to process his question. What does the honeymoon phase look like?

“For me, it looks like the movies where couples do things for each other without being asked. They’re attuned to each other’s emotions, and they make a conscious effort to be sensitive to their partner’s feelings.” Your eyes meet Nanami’s once again, and you let out a deep breath. No one told you that counseling would be this mentally strenuous.

“Okay, what about in your current life? Do you feel like that’s how it is now?”

You nearly laugh from the question. You mentioned that sort of love being in movies because you’ve never seen it in real life. You’re nearly convinced that it doesn’t happen in real life, and anyone who claims to have that type of love must be lying.

“No, I feel like we’re both focused on our own lives… We just happen to also be in a marriage together.”

“That doesn’t seem like an active partnership,” Nanami responds as he searches your face thoughtfully. He can feel his heart ache for you. This is by far his least favorite presenting problem to work with because he can’t just tell you that you need to leave your husband. All he can do is inspire you to seek the changes you need. “What are you focused on in your own life right now, y/n?”

You feel the tension set in your shoulders and neck as soon as you hear that question. Just thinking about what all you have to do is enough to stress you out. “For starters, I work full-time. It’s a standard corporate job from eight to five, but it can be a lot.”

“That’s not easy, y/n. Just because that is what’s considered to be standard, doesn’t mean it’s easy. I’m sure that’s a lot on your plate.” His voice was low and calm. His presence felt so warm in the room; you feel like you’re finally able to open up a little.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I also take care of the house and our pets.”

“The housework… is that all your responsibility?” Nanami asks as his eyebrows knit together slightly. He feels like he’s already scratching the surface of why you don’t have any sex drive.

“Yeah. If I want him to do anything, I have to delegate the work to him. My husband always says to just tell him whenever I want something done, and I should be grateful that he’s willing to help—“

Nanami couldn’t help himself. He doesn’t like to interrupt clients often, but the more you talk about tour husband, the more he’s having to hold himself back. “That’s the bare minimum.”

You’re slightly taken aback, and you look away from Nanami. A part of you knows that he’s right, but… you didn’t want to bad mouth your husband. A large boulder of guilt settled into your stomach.

“Tell me what you’re feeling right now,” Nanami’s voice returns to that gentle tone. “That probably wasn’t appropriate for me to say. I apologize.” He knows he shouldn’t have said that, and he knows he has to appropriately handle this if he wants you to feel comfortable enough to open up again.

“I guess I just… It feels wrong talking negative about my husband to another man. It just feels different when I’m ranting with my girl friends.” You straighten your posture and take a deep breath. It feels good getting that out in the open.

Nanami slowly nods his head. He can see why you view that act as troublesome. “So, you’re feeling tense because of our opposing sexes? Tell me. Does your husband know where you are right now?”

“Well, yeah… He was honestly the one who told me I needed help since I don’t feel any sort of sex drive.”

Nanami’s teeth subtly clench together, but he keeps a stoic expression as best as he can. The thought of your husband claiming that there’s something wrong with you absolutely repulses Nanami.

“How does that make you feel?”

Your fingers twitch a bit as you look down to the ground. You should be honest with Nanami if you really want the help that you came here for.

“I guess it makes me feel like I’m not good enough for him. Every time we have sex I try to cater to him, but it just feels like it’s never enough. If he had it his way, we’d probably have sex everyday, but I just don’t have that kind of time, energy, or desire.”

Nanami feels his chest tighten while he listens to you. This is why he hated working with this presenting problem. This man is ruining your confidence and self-esteem, and your low sex drive is either completely natural or it’s because of him.

If Nanami could show you what it was like to be truly loved, he would. Then, you’d probably open your eyes and see that your husband is the one who isn’t good enough for you.

He shakes those thoughts out of his head. He knows he’s bound to a code of ethics. He can’t pursue you romantically or sexually. It’d be morally wrong.

“That’s heavy.” He nods, allowing silence for reflection. He then speaks up again after a pregnant pause, “Let’s break down what you said sentence by sentence, okay? First, you have said that you feel guilty and not good enough in terms of sex.”

You slowly nod, still avoiding eye contact with Nanami. Why didn’t anyone tell you that this would be so emotionally exhausting.

“Do you put a lot of pressure on yourself to perform?”

That question alone opened up the floodgates. Tears bit into your eyes, and you covered your face with your hands. “All the time,” your voice cracked, betraying how deep this affected you.

“Oh dear,” Nanami says softly. He grabs a box of tissues, and he hands them to you. “Sex is meant to feel natural and progressive. It’s understandable that you don’t feel any drive if you’re constantly pressuring yourself.”

You nod as you take the tissues, dabbing your eyes gently.

“I just,” you let out a deep shaky breath, trying to calm your nervous system. “It’s easier to just do it and get it over with rather than to hear him ask multiple times.”

Nanami clenches his jaw. His hand gently finds your shoulder, and he makes you look up at him. “Listen to me. If you take nothing else away from this entire session, take this. Asking multiple times even though the answer was clearly a no is coercion. Whenever he asks multiple times, he’s hoping that you get tired of telling him no and just give in.”

Your eyes meet Nanami’s, and your eyebrows furrow a little. Coercion? No.. no, that can’t be right. He’s your husband. He’s just asking to make sure you hadn’t changed your mind. He wouldn’t coerce you into anything you didn’t want to do…

You slightly pull away from Nanami. “I don’t think that’s right… He wouldn’t do something like that. He’s not abusive.”

Nanami leans back. He chides himself internally for going in too deep too quickly. He’s grateful that you’re giving him grace right now. You definitely could’ve just left the session after he blatantly told you that your husband was a conniving piece of shit.

He takes a deep breath. “I apologize. I must have it wrong,” he says as he regains his posture. He knows he needs to make you understand. “Would you like a cup of tea?”

“Oh—? Uh, no.. no I’m okay, thanks.”

“Are you sure? It’s good tea.” Nanami leans in slightly, not breaking eye contact with you.

“Yeah, I’m sure… I don’t really think I can stomach it..” you respond, confused as to why he was suddenly wanting to make you tea.

“Tea is good for digestion. It might help your stomach. You really don’t want any? I can make it quickly with an electric kettle I bought the other day.”

You slouch back a little, a frown covering your lips. “I mean.. I guess tea would be okay.”

Nanami then gives you a knowing look, and the realization hits you. “Did you actually want the tea, or were you just going to accept the tea because I kept pestering you?”

Goddammit. This therapist is good.

Taglist: @theuniversesnepobaby @airandyeah

[clown-bimbo]

Despite being transmigrated to a world of magic almost completely different to your own, with a rich history and culture you know nothing about, you are still expected to go to school.

And you can't even get any of your medications for it.

You're like halfway through the school year, and you are stressed. Maybe that's putting it nicely. You are stressed, pressed, and depressed, and studying for a history test of a world you were never a part of. And on top of all the typical school bullshit, there's also your social life, Grim, whatever bullshit Crowley throws your way. There's also the crushing dread you'll never get home again, and the depression that comes with your situation and oh yeah the depression that runs rampant in your brain without the proper chemicals to tell it to shut up.

You're fuckin S T R E S S E D.

And your buddies are starting to notice it.

Hi, and welcome to the first horny addition to Stuck In TWST Without Meds. Today we'll be taking a look at how Cater, Trey, Leona, Rook, Vil, Idia, and Malleus might fuck your brains out to distract you from the fucking everything in your life.

18+ content below the cut. minors, this one isn't for you

all characters (including you) are 18+. established relationships.

In hindsight I don't think this is at all "smutty" enough so I'm sorry!!! But I'm really proud of how each one ends. Might go back and make them smuttier or make a smuttier part two idk but I like how it is rn

🍀

Trey already typically stays up fairly late, what with vice housewarden duties and all, but he's surprised to find you have him beat. When he left you in his room, it was with your promise that you'd be done in a minute. Buy he was gone for a good half hour longer than 'a minute', and there you were, still at his desk, furiously scribbling away with bags under your eyes.

Cute.

You don't even notice when he comes up from behind you to place a small kiss on your cheek.

"I think it's about time for bed, prefect."

"Just a minute."

"That's what you said an hour ago."

That gets you to actually look at the time. You whimper at the hour gone (and little progress made), but brush him off.

"It'll only take a minute."

Trey sighs and shakes his head.

He considers for a second leaving you be, but this is the man who got Riddle away from studying for treats. He's got tricks up his sleeve. Though he is about to use some very different tricks for you.

It starts with his hands on your shoulders. Innocent little rubs to your shoulders. Another kiss to your cheek. A kiss to your jaw. A kiss to your neck... that sweet spot between your neck and shoulder. A nibble.

His hands are moving, too. From your shoulders, to your biceps. Soon he's taking your hand in his, holding it up to his lips.

"Trey--"

"Yes?"

"W-what," You suck in a breath as he leaves another love bite on your neck. "What are you doing?"

He simply hums.

His other hand gets to your thigh.

Your pen is abandoned.

💎

Cater whines your name from his spot on his bed.

"Just a second, Cater."

"But that's what you said an hour ago!"

He has that adorable look in his eyes, and if you'd only look at him!!! he KNOWS he'd have you in his hands.

But you won't, and he doesn't.

He flops back onto the bed with a sigh.

Until he gets an idea.

For a second, one foolish second, you think you have peace. Until you start hearing a quiet but telltale shlick shlick shlick.

His breathing starts to quicken. Then he's oanting. Soon you can hear quiet moans escape his lips.

And you can hear your name as well.

God damn it.

Cater grins as you finally get up from his desk.

🦁

Your stress is stressing Leona out.

He's lounging on his bed while you work on studying for Trein's test. Leona commented that you're taking freshman history, which is "baby stuff" to which you reminded him "I AM LITERALLY NOT FROM THIS WORLD, LEONA." And, to his credit, he did try to tutor you, but Leona is the kind of tutor that only works for certain individuals and you, bless your heart, are not that type.

So he gave up (lazy lion) while you continued to work. But he can basically hear your cogs turning from his spot and it's just not productive for either of you.

So, with a growl, Leona grabs you by the collar, only to start aggressively unbuttoning it.

"Leona-"

"Shut up."

"Leona, I-"

To which you are met with a 'shut up' kiss.

But you're pretty quick to forgive him once he has you on your knees under him.

"You're working too hard, Herbivore." He grunts from over you. "Give that little brain of yours a break and let me do all the work, alright?"

🏹

It's already difficult for you to continue studying when you have Rook whispering all sorts of French terms of endearment into your ear.

He's all over you, trying to coax you away from work and into bed with massages and the aforementioned French nothings.

Nothing.

He sighs, leaning back.

Until a wicked little idea brings a grin to his face.

"Mon amour," He whispers, to which you hum in reply. "I'm going to get a snack." Another hum.

A second later you feel a hand at your pants zipper. You look down to see none other than Rook, of course, hitting you with a closed eyed smile.

👑

Vil had been helping you with your homework. Bit even after he had stopped to get changed for bed, you had kept to it. And now you had vil worried about you. While he respected your gumption, you weren't going to get anything out of staying up all night and worrying yourself. You had used up your productive hours (quite productively, he would like to add) and now it is time for sleep.

He calls your name once.

...

Oh, this will not do.

He stalks over to you. He reaches out with one perfectly manicured hand and traces your jawline.

"Darling," He purrs. "It's time for bed."

"I cant." You reply. "I-"

"Uh, uh, uh, uh." He brings a slender finger to your lips. He takes your chin between his fingers and turns you to look at him.

"It's time for bed." He repeats. "Are you going to behave for me, or am I going to have to show a naughty little spud its place?"

💀

Let's be real, Idia's probably not going to sleep at a reasonable time, but he's also not staying up stewing over homework. If he's gonna have you staying up all night in his room with him it's gonna be—

W-w-w-wait, not like that!!! He was gonna say if you're gonna be staying up all night with him it would be cuz you're playing videos games! That's all!!

Oh, but now he's thinking about it... but you're working... ugh, but it's such beginner knowledge! But you're so focused... you... you wouldn't notice if he–

But you do notice. You do notice the 6 foot tall flaming haired nerd (affectionate) humping against you. It would be harder not to notice.

🐉

Malleus is concerned about his precious child of man. He can see how stressed you are. How hard you work. He wants nothing more than alleviate the troubles plaguing your mind.

And Lilia had a... curious suggestion.

Youre working away within your own dorm room when there's a knock at your door.

Malleus grins down at you.

"May I come in?"

And you say yes.

You worry about your work left upstairs, but you play the role of gracious host and prepare him a cup of tea. He takes a seat.

"You've been troubled recently." He notes.

You sigh. "I've just been stressed with all this work."

"I see." He's silent for a moment. "I dont like seeing you in so much distress." He confesses. "Might I offer my assistance?"

You blink. "Oh, sure. Yes, I'd love that. Thank you." You expect he's going to help you study.

You do not expect, however, for him to press you up against a wall and his lips against yours.

[halfway-happyyy]

home to you {jack abbot}

synopsis: it takes a traumatic event for doctor jack abbot to realize he's through being casual about his next-door neighbour.

no warnings, straight fluff, scattered use of the nickname kid. this is the direct result of thirsting over this HOT old man for the past month.

“I’m not looking for anything serious at the moment.” 

Jack Abbot had breathed life into those words with his lips pressed against your neck, their vibrations sending shockwaves of pleasure up the length of your spine, and to what felt like every nerve ending in your body. His hands, and the extraordinarily skilled fingers that belonged to them, roamed every inch of skin you could spare, and the neural pathways that sent signals to your brain to speak were absolutely not firing on all cylinders, because it took you a ridiculous amount of time to murmur, “well that makes two of us then, because neither am I.” 

And yet, while neither of you were actively looking for anything serious, the right side of your bed remained occupied by the weight of his body most mornings.

He held his cards incredibly close to his chest, and most of what you knew about him (which still wasn’t much) was information he had dropped for you like breadcrumbs. He’d been married; and though his wife had fought bravely, she succumbed to the disease which had ravaged her in a way he hadn’t seen in a long time. He had done two tours with the military, which had done nothing for him, except to permanently part him from his right leg and to leave him with an intense desire to work in emergency medicine. He was a creature of the night in every sense of the word and had jumped at the chance to take a position as the night shift attending physician at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. This meant that at seven in the morning, when you were debating about getting up and ready for work, he would just be coming off of the night shift. 

When you considered the way in which you first crossed paths with him, you still cringed. Over a year ago, you’d been battling a persistent craving for oatmeal raisin cookies. You had everything set out to make them minus the cup and a half of white sugar needed, and was at a loss for what to do considering the early morning hour. Enter your mysterious, hardly-ever-seen next-door neighbour. You had heard the sound of his key turning in the lock and waited a couple of minutes before plucking up the courage to go over and knock on his door. You doubted you’d ever forget the first time you really got a good look at him. He, in his navy, blood-spattered scrubs, and the black stethoscope still around his neck. His salt and pepper hair which still held traces of its original copper, and the five o’clock shadow that stubbled his devastatingly handsome face. 

“I’m so sorry to bother - I would have asked 708 but she’s on holiday at the moment and I really just need a cup of sugar if you can spare it.” 

He’d cocked his head to the side, mild confusion giving way to mild amusement. 

“Sugar?” He’d rasped.

You nodded. “I’m making cookies and I just ran out. The store doesn’t open for another hour and a half.” 

“What kind of cookies?” 

You’d felt the blush seep into your cheeks before you murmured oatmeal raisin. 

He nodded approvingly. “I can spot you the sugar, if you promise to save me a couple of cookies.” 

“Yeah, I think I can manage that.” You’d grinned. 

“We’ve got ourselves a deal then. Wait here, I’ll be right back.” 

And, the rest was history. 

Jack had exited the elevator just as you were locking up. He propped himself against his door for support and offered you a small, tired smile. 

“Rough night?” you asked, despite the fact that you could tell just by looking at him that his shift had been a brutal one. 

He nodded. “Lost a vet last night.” 

Oh.

He rid the emotion from his throat with a short cough. “Not a single scratch the entire time he'd been over there, and a drunk driver nails him.” 

Your heart sank. 

“I'm so sorry, Jack.” 

He offered you another sad, fleeting smile and shrugged a shoulder. “That's the job, right?” 

“What are you going to do now?” You asked.

He released a breath of warm, pent-up air and shook his head. “Try and sleep. I've got an appointment with Carson in a couple of hours, which I'm looking forward to.” 

The silence lingered on a little while longer before he asked you what your plans for the day were. 

“I’m waiting to hear back from a friend if she needs me to go to Pittfest with her or not.” 

He lifted his eyebrows. “Fun.” 

“Maybe,” you laughed. “But being surrounded by a bunch of drunk, loud, barely legal people isn't exactly my idea of a great time.” 

“That’s fair,” he breathed. “But take care of yourself if you do end up going, yeah? You’d be amazed at how fast dehydration can set in.” 

“Alright, Doc. I'll watch out.” 

He fished his keys from his pocket and turned back to you. Whatever he wanted to stay was still lodged in his throat, as if he were mulling over whether he should say it or not. 

“Would you like to have dinner with me tonight? Before my shift starts? That is - if you're not slummin’ it with the barely legals all day?” 

You couldn't help the smile that bloomed on your face. 

“Yeah, Jack. I'd like that.” 

He grinned down at the ground before turning back to you and nodding his head. “Alright. I’ll see ya then, kid. Take care.” 

“Yeah, you too, Jack.” 

~

You woke with a start to the incessant sound of your phone ringing and a slick sheen of perspiration covering every square inch of your body. You glanced at the clock beside your bed and cursed the glowing red digits. 4:15 pm. Not much time to get ready before you had to meet up with Jack. You reached for your phone and gasped when you saw the number of missed calls you’d had from him. Taking a deep breath, you pressed his name and leaned back against your headboard for support. 

He picked up on the first ring. 

“Jesus kid, I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for the last half an hour. Where are you? Are you okay? Are you safe?” 

His tone was thick with worry and entirely foreign to you, and it made the hair on the back of your neck stand on end. 

“I’m fine, Jack. I’m fine. I’m at home, I just woke up from a nap.” 

He hesitated a beat before rasping, “you didn’t end up going to Pittfest?” 

You shook your head. “No, Maggie found a more enthusiastic partner to go with her.” 

You heard his audible sigh of relief even over the crackling static. 

“Oh, thank god.” 

Swallowing hard, you finally managed to ask him what on earth was going on. 

“There’s an active shooter at the festival. I’m headed back to the hospital to help. Please, please stay home. Don’t leave for anything,” You were too stunned to speak. “I gotta go, kid. Promise me you’ll stay where you are.” 

“Of course, Jack. I promise.”

You’d given up on watching any news about the festival an hour in, the anxiety too much to bear. Maggie had contacted you around six to let you know that she and the person she’d gone with were both safe and back at her house, which was an immediate weight off of your shoulders. To keep your thoughts from turning to Jack, and how his colleagues were faring, you hunkered down in bed with a book you’d been in the middle of for ages. It did not help. Nothing seemed to scratch the surface of your mounting dread, and so for the second time that day, you closed your eyes and willed yourself to sleep. 

When you woke a while later, the sunshine that had been so prevalent before you’d drifted off had vanished entirely, giving way to an inky darkness. It was nine-fifteen PM, and you’d received a single text message from Jack from half an hour before that simply read - on my way home. Your shoulders dropped and you released a breath of air that felt like you’d been holding since the moment you spoke to him on the phone. It didn’t matter if you were up for the rest of the night now, all that mattered was that Jack was alright, and that he was coming home. 

You wandered out into the kitchen to make a cup of tea, and as you stood at the stove and waited for your kettle to boil, a knock at your door shook you from your reverie. 

You weren't entirely surprised to find Jack on the other side, and you let him in wordlessly.

Once inside your front hallway, he dropped back against the wall for support and took a long, tight breath. 

“You scared the shit out of me today, kid.” 

In the low, warm light provided by the lamp in your hallway, you could see the blood that spattered his scrubs. The crimson drops that had landed on his shoes, and God only knew where else. 

“I know,” you breathed. “I'm sorry.” 

He hoisted the cammo backpack from his shoulders, cleared his throat, and asked if he could get cleaned up here. There were layers to the question that remained unspoken - can I get cleaned up here because my apartment is so quiet, and so lonely that I can barely stand it. That I've been surrounded by calamity all day and all I need is just a few quiet hours with you. 

“‘Course you can, Jack. There are fresh towels in the cabinet beside the washroom.” 

He emerged a little while later, naked entirely except for a pair of black boxer-briefs. As he stood in the doorway of your bedroom, you watched in unconcealed awe as the water droplets he hadn't managed to towel off raced each other down the smooth planes of his freckled chest. 

“Do you require a formal invitation?” you quipped. 

Jack shook his head wordlessly, and pushed himself from the doorframe to join you. He sat perched on the edge of the bed, removed his prosthetic, and swung himself in beside you. 

“Is this okay?” He whispered, once the dust had settled. 

You turned to face him then, and in the sliver of pale orange light from the crack of the door, you could make out every freckle on his face. Every smile line (there were so many), and every miniscule scar was on spectacular display for you; a frontrow seat to the worlds most wondrous man. In the year that you two had spent dancing around your feelings for one another, you had grown so fond of his face, and of the strong, sure hands that spent so much time repairing, and helping people.

“Yeah, Jack. This is okay.” 

“Can I tell you something?” He whispered.

You swallowed hard. “Yes.” 

“Today made me realize that I have absolutely no interest in being casual about you anymore.” 

Oh, shit.

“There was a period of about five seconds today where I let my thoughts travel to the absolute worst scenario where you were concerned, and to put it plainly- I couldn’t bear it.” He cleared his throat. “And if I’ve learned anything in the past eight years, it’s that I have to be transparent with the people I care about because life is so fucking short.” 

It occured to you that this might all be coming from a place of adrenaline and fear. And while you wanted nothing more than to be with him, you dreaded the possibility of him making a mistake or rushing into anything because of that.

“Jack, I need you to know that this is all okay - that if this is all only ever what it’s going to be between us, I can handle it.” You reached toward him to trace a fingertip down the bridge of his nose. “I know how I feel about you, and if this is all that you’re capable of sparing right now, I'll still happily take it.” 

He shook his head. 

“In the year that you and I have known each other, you’ve never asked for more. You’ve never waivered under the insane hours, or the emotional baggage a guy like me tends to accumulate, and you deserve more.” He reached for your hand and brought it to his lips, deliberately brushing each knuckle. “I want to give you more.” 

“Okay, Jack.” 

He quirked an eyebrow. “Okay?” 

You nodded and leaned forward to press a kiss to his lips.

“You’ve laid it all out on the line for me, and I want it, I want you.” 

And as you watched a slow, sleepy smile tug the edges of lips skyward, happiness warmed inside of you like sunshine through a stained glass window.

[itsthecline]

Maybank! Reader trying to get Rafe off of her as JJ is face timing her! I need to know how she'd react. I just know Rafe would be such a tease!!!

are you trying to kill me?

maybank!reader x rafe cameron

summary you’re spending time with your boyfriend while jj has been trying to get ahold of you

warnings profanity , jj almost catching you with rafe , secret relationship

a/n oh lord , just know this is not the only time this has happened

18+ minors dni

you were at rafe’s house for the weekend. initially , you were supposed to spend a couple of days in charleston ; there was a farmer’s market going on that you had wanted to go to , but rafe had a meeting in the morning. so instead of a weekend away , you both decided on a weekend at home.

no phones , no disruptions. just you and rafe. you had told jj that some touron was taking you to some place special , seeming unimpressed but still choosing to go. that got him off your back so he wasn’t checking your whereabouts all weekend. if he did , he’d see you were at tannyhill.

“i know you’re upset about not making it onto the mainland this weekend,” rafe apologized from his desk , looking at you as you lounged on his bed, “sorry.”

“baby , it’s fine,” you assured him , scrolling through tiktok on his phone while he finished up some paperwork. “you’re hot when you’re in business mode. i don’t exactly mind,” you added , getting up from bed and stalking over to him.

“yeah?” he smiled , spinning in the chair to face you and give you a seat in his lap, “well i’d hope you’d think so considering this deal will help us in the future.”

rafe was always talking about that. your future together. he constantly told you every move he makes is securing the life that you both wanted. a life away from your families ; a life that you could spend together without anyone else’s opinions.

“i like when you talk about our future,” you admitted , arms coming around rafe’s neck as you found purchase in his lap, “gets me excited. y’know , it’s nice to see how much you care about us.”

“i care about you more than most things,” rafe replied , planting kissing from your cheek down to your neck.

you sighed , really letting the feeling of his lips sink into your sink. “i’m sorry that everything is so difficult,” you sighed , letting your head fall to his shoulder as rafe’s hand rubbed your back, “i wish things were different , and you could be with me in front of everyone. i know it bothers you,” you continued , pressing kisses into the side of his neck and face.

“i would love if i could show you off to everyone. let the whole island know that you’re mine,” rafe agreed, “but i know that it’s not a plausible option until we have the ability to get away if need be.” he was right ; there was no world that you could be publicly dating rafe cameron. mostly because of the stigma around pogues dating kooks , but also because of your friend group’s history with rafe and his friends.

“i love you regardless,” you smiled , looking into his eyes gently. you loved this man more than anyone in your life— besides jj. rafe pressed a smiley kiss onto your lips , picking you up and moving to the bed. his body covered yours as he kissed up and down your neck , getting you to laugh and try to push him off “stop it! are you trying to kill me?!” you cackled , still trying to remove him.

“i think you’ll find your attempts to get me off of you aren’t going to work , babe,” he laughed into your neck , lifting for a second to kiss your face, “it’s cute though.”

“yeah well , it’s not my fault you’re gigantic,” you sighed , lungs not filling as much as usual because of rafe’s weight on you, “besides it’s not like i’m actually—“

your words were cut off when your phone started ringing. you knew it was your phone when you heard the ringtone. it was jj. “who is it? thought we agreed no contact with the outside world.” rafe grumbled , letting his head rest on your shoulder.

“get off of me,” you rushed out , actually trying to get him away now, “it’s jj,” you announced , reaching for your phone on the side table , but you couldn’t because rafe was keeping you in your spot.

“no , we agreed,” he shook his head , refusing to move.

“babe , it might be important,” you huffed , really , truly pushing at him as your phone rang one final time before going silent, “rafe! what if something’s wrong? i gotta call him back. get off , freak,” you were still laughing a little , but only because you could feel rafe chuckling to himself.

you were finally able to reach your phone , grabbing it just as jj called again. a facetime call now. “what could he possibly want that’s more important than me and you fucking?” rafe asked , thrusting his hips against yours jokingly.

“literally the possibilities are endless,” you sighed , accepting the facetime after telling rafe to ‘please shut the fuck up for once in your life’

“dude , i know you said you’re having your romantic getaway weekend with what’s his face , but you will not believe the swell i just dominated!” jj started talking as soon as you picked up , angling the phone so rafe’s head was out of frame.

“wow! that’s cool , bud,” you mused, “but i’m kinda busy , so…” you made a face , knowing jj could tell that you didn’t want to be on the phone with him at the moment.

“ew! i don’t care that you’re fucking some touron , i just had to tell— hey , where are you anyway?” jj asked , squinting his eyes in the sun to try and view his screen and your location a little better.

you glared at rafe when he stifled a giggle. “at some hotel with what’s his face,” you lied , rolling your eyes, “i gotta go , jacky!”

“okay , use protection. i love you. see you in a couple of da—” he rambled before you hung up on him and hit rafe.

“why would you laugh!” you couldn’t help yourself but join in , finally pushing rafe onto his back on the bed and getting on top of him, “you’re a bad influence , y’know.”

“you love it,” rafe smiled , hands finding purchase on your hips as he looked at you.

“debatable.”

rafe sat up , bringing you with him as he leaned against his headboard. “what can i do to swing your vote?” he wondered , pressing soft kisses all over your face, “i’ll do whatever.”

you laughed and grabbed his face , kissing him back. the kiss was practically teeth clashing because of your smiles. “consider me convinced already.”

taglist @maybankslover @annatartastic @maroonz @icaqttt @yootvi @inlovewithmorales

[freakcliff]

iwtv universe dashboard simulator

girlmand reblogged

😶‍🌫️gaysexinthecity Follow

not saying vampires are real but i think Daniel Molloy gets way too much shit . like if i was a pulitzer prize winning journalist in my seventies and some guy called me and was like im a vampire want an interview i wouldn't hesitate either. fuck man sure tell me about being a vampire. i'll believe you

🎆 magical-swiftie

reading Interview with the Vampire rn and Claudia and Madeline are sooo Long Face core

#now that i think of it a lot of tvl's songs fit this book really well #like #'she gave me life I gave her death'??? # that's so them!!!

🏞️ girlblogg1ng

btw if you're still listening to the vampire lestat, unfollow me now. and like, seriously consider why you're giving plays to a guy who appropriates ancient egyptian history for his vampire schtick, it's honestly sickening

#the vampire lestat #tvl #maintagging because people need to see this honestly #.txt

🌄sampire

keep seeing ppl try to cancel tvl for things hes said to his fans or how he talks about ancient egyptian mythology and not that song where he talks about fucking his mother. like im not crazy right he wrote a whole song about how he fucked his mother

💟 stingorarr

"we are your children/but what do you give us/is your silence/a better gift than the truth?" sounds like it should be some ancient Greek poetry but it's literally in a song by the vampire lestat!!!

it just hits so hard... like your parents gave you nothing but maybe the truth would be more unbearable than silence...

#tvl #the vampire lestat #twmbk #those who must be kept

sampire reblogged danielmxllxy

🌫️ beatlesrpf Follow

please tell me you guys arent serious about the vampire lestat. please tell me youre not stanning a man who wrote "im an actor in my makeup, i get fatter when we break up"

#guys please #this is worse than the tortured poets department

🤖 carrieblogging Follow

Based on your likes!

Hey, Tumblr, I need a little help here?

So, my best friend has been acting a little weird lately. Like, his sleep schedule has gotten really strange (stranger than normal 😅), and I haven't seen him without sunglasses on in a week?

His diet has changed, too, like he used to always be snacking whenever I'd call him, but now he doesn't eat anything that I can see.

He even cancelled our tickets to ComicCon!! I've been waiting to meet up with him for years, and now he's just bailed on me?!? I'm mad, but honestly more worried than anything....

#carrie speaks

🌌 marbellina124

guys I think I've found the vampire Armand at the MET 😏😂

#it doesn't match the dates from the book so like #yeah #but imagine.... #parisian mutuals you have a power that can be used

interview-with-the-glampire reblogged wormyworms

🪱 wormyworms Follow

mmm tbh the only reason i *don't* believe vampires are real is because if *i* was interviewing two vampires to write a book about their life? i would not be leaving that house without their fangs in my neck and eternal life. just saying

🌇 interview-with-the-glampire

understandable but have you considered. if I went to interview two vampires and got immortality and vampire sex out of that deal I wouldn't go around letting everyone know :/

danielmxllxy reblogged sampire

🌌 marbellina124

so were all in agreement he fucked that vampire right

#oh I think he fucked AT LEAST two of those vampires #iwtv #rb

[little-jana]

"Hints to Love"

Pairing: Spencer Reid x reader

Genre: fluff

Warnings: kissing

Word Count: 2k

Summary: Valentine’s Day has never been anything special for you—until anonymous little surprises start appearing, each one more thoughtful than the last.

You weren’t expecting anything for Valentine’s Day.

Sure, some people in the BAU had secret admirers—Penelope always got a bouquet of roses from a mystery sender (though everyone knew it was Morgan), and JJ had Will. Even Emily had a history of unexpected romantic gestures.

But you? You’d never been the type to receive love notes or gifts.

Which was why you were so surprised to find a small envelope sitting on your desk that morning.

Frowning, you picked it up and turned it over in your hands. No name. Just a quote written in neat, careful script on the front:

"The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it." – J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

Your lips parted slightly. You’d told someone—who?—once that you loved Peter Pan, that the whimsy and belief in the impossible had always spoken to you.

You opened the envelope, unfolding the small piece of paper inside.

Happy Valentine’s Day. Consider this the first of many. A hint: I admire the way you never stop believing in people.

Your heart gave an unexpected flutter.

Who…?

You glanced around the bullpen, but no one was looking at you. Everyone was going about their business as usual.

You tucked the note away in your desk, your mind already spinning.

---

The second gift appeared just after lunch.

When you returned to your desk, there was a single, perfectly wrapped package sitting atop your case files.

JJ walked by, smirking. “Looks like someone has an admirer.”

You rolled your eyes, but warmth crept up your neck as you peeled back the paper, revealing a book—The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.

Your breath caught.

You’d mentioned once—once—that it was one of your favorite novels.

Tucked inside the front cover was another note.

"Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing." – Oscar Wilde

Beneath it, in the same careful handwriting:

A hint: You see the value in people when others see none.

Your fingers trembled slightly as you held the paper.

Who knew you this well?

---

By mid-afternoon, you were on high alert, watching for any sign of your mystery admirer.

When Garcia waltzed over and dropped a tiny box onto your desk, she wiggled her eyebrows. “You. Are. So. Loved.”

You sighed, opening it carefully. Inside sat a single, delicate charm—a tiny silver coffee cup.

A soft laugh escaped you.

You were notorious for your love of coffee.

Another note.

"I have measured out my life with coffee spoons." – T.S. Eliot

And underneath:

A hint: I know exactly how you take your coffee.

Your heart pounded.

This was someone close. Someone who paid attention.

Your gaze flickered to Spencer, who was sitting at his desk, fidgeting with a pen, his eyes fixed on his paperwork.

No.

It couldn’t be Spencer… could it?

---

The final note came just before the end of the day.

A single folded piece of paper, waiting for you when you returned from a meeting.

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." – Nat King Cole

And beneath it, a final message:

Hint: You already know who I am.

Your breath hitched.

Your fingers trembled as you turned the paper over, realizing there was something written on the back.

Meet me outside.

---

You stepped into the cool evening air, your pulse racing.

And there he was.

Spencer.

He stood near the entrance, shifting nervously, his hands tucked into his coat pockets. His gaze lifted the second you stepped outside, his expression uncertain—hopeful.

Your breath caught in your throat. “It was you.”

He swallowed. “Yeah.”

You stared at him, mind reeling. “You left me all those notes? The book? The charm?

He nodded, fidgeting slightly. “I… I wasn’t sure how to tell you how I feel. So I thought maybe I could show you instead.”

Your heart swelled, the weight of every note, every gift, crashing into you all at once.

“You like me,” you said, barely above a whisper.

He let out a soft, nervous laugh. “Yeah. I do. I have for a while now.”

Warmth spread through your chest. “Spencer…”

His gaze dropped, his voice quieter. “I know this was kind of a ridiculous way to tell you, but I—”

You didn’t let him finish.

Instead, you stepped forward, reaching up to cup his face, and pressed your lips to his.

For a split second, he froze—then he melted into you, his hands tentatively settling at your waist. The kiss was soft, hesitant, but filled with everything he had been trying to say.

When you finally pulled away, he was staring at you, wide-eyed. “Does this mean…?”

You smiled, running your thumb over his cheek. “It means I like you too, Spencer.”

His face lit up, and for the first time in a long time, you felt like maybe—just maybe—Valentine’s Day was your favorite holiday after all.

[kyeomofhearts]

Back For More | J.WW

+ summary: while adjusting to your new life in college, you couldn't help but attract the attention of wonwoo, someone who you happen to have a history with.

+ pairing: badboy!wonwoo x fem!reader

+ word count: 2.7k

+ content: badboy!wonwoo, college au, mature language, flirting (wonwoo is a menace), jealousy. [pls let me know if i missed anything!]

HC | Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V

[ᝰ.ᐟ] i hope you guys enjoy this! it's most likely going to be a two-parter so definitely let me know if you want to be added to my taglist! i would greatly appreciate it if you guys reblogged (maybe with comments too ^^) since i thrive on your guys' validation :)

You were tired, very tired.

Granted, this was your own doing. Maybe if you hadn't pushed your responsibilities to the side last night you wouldn't have had to wake up so early to study for an exam, but what's done is done. This whole college thing was not going so well, to say the least. Sure, it's only the beginning of the second semester, but you already feel exhausted by all of your class workloads.

Just ten more minutes of this boring lecture and you could finally go home and crawl into bed. But… that's only if you avoid him today. Which now that you’re thinking about it, you hope he isn’t waiting for you outside, again. That would be the last thing you needed today.

With that being said, things have felt a little weird if you were being honest. Of course, this was your first year of university, so things were bound to feel new and different. But there was something, or rather someone that was making you feel strange.

Around two weeks ago you noticed that Wonwoo, an old classmate of yours, had recently started to become a bit friendly towards you. While that normally wouldn’t be considered weird, you couldn’t help but feel skeptical about his intentions. You knew the kind of people he surrounded himself with, and especially the girls he would go after; which was the exact opposite of you. So what exactly did he want from you?

What also makes this situation more odd is that you’ve basically known Wonwoo for your whole life. Of course, you don’t actually know him, you just happened to go to the same elementary, middle, and high school (which is insane if you think about it). Acquaintance is a perfect word to describe your relationship with him, nothing more nothing less. So yeah… it’s a little weird when the guy you have been around for (almost) your whole life is suddenly trying to befriend you, there definitely had to be something wrong with him.

All you knew about Wonwoo was that he was on the more reserved and quiet side; mainly keeping to himself most of the time. His group of friends was quite the opposite of him, which always made you wonder how he even became friends with them in the first place.

Seeing how the lecture was ending soon, you started to pack your stuff; you were more than ready to dash straight out of the classroom. Having finished all of your assignments for today, you had nothing left to worry about. So once the professor had made her goodbyes, you made a straight beeline to the door, nothing was going to hold you back from your long-awaited nap. Your pace was brisk, attempting to avoid the backed-up main exit, you decided to go to the opposite door. The walk back to your apartment wasn’t too bad either, most of the time you saw it as a way to daydream and listen to music. So while you scrolled through your various playlists, you happened to miss the (very obvious) figure following you.

Wonwoo called out your name a few times until it finally dawned on him that you had your headphones on. He took a few long strides to catch up to you; he was very adamant on getting your attention this morning. With ease, he quickly plucked your headphones off of your head.

“What are we listening to today?” He said while adjusting the headphones on his head. It took you a second to fully process what he was doing. You knew he was doing it to provoke you, but you were determined to not let that happen today. So to his surprise, you simply kept walking. You figured that he would continue with his antics if you gave him the reaction that he wanted so you did the opposite, you ignored him.

What shocked him the most was seeing you pull out an old pair of earbuds and plugging them into your phone. He was dumbfounded to say the least, how were you so prepared and why were you ignoring him?

And again, he quickly caught up with a few simple steps. He took your headphones off of his head and tapped them against your shoulder.

With a tired sigh, you turned around to face him but couldn’t help but admire his face. You really didn't want to lose that ‘expressionless’ look you were going for (to help you ignore him of course), but that small smile of his was enough to crack you down. It's like he knew that it was your one weakness when it came to him. This was the most annoying part of it all. Anytime he smiled or looked at you, a tiny part inside you secretly liked it, making you crave his attention at times.

Objectively speaking, Wonwoo was very handsome. That was something you could never deny, you would even go as far as to say that he was your type but you didn't particularly like the people he called his ‘friends’ so you were stuck in a weird limbo.

“Is there something on my face, birdy?”

You scoffed at the nickname. “I told you not to call me that.”

Wonwoo’s eyes were looking straight into yours, a smirk slowly creeping up to his lips. It didn't help that he was looking really good today either, his messy hair combined with the whole biker fit did wonders for your eyes. He was about to say something before you heard your ringtone go off, evidently cutting him off.

Oh.

It was Hyunwoo. That's odd... you finished your shared project with him rather early, what could he be calling you about? Either way, you answered the random call in front of a rather annoyed Wonwoo.

"Hello?"

"Heyyy yn, I was wondering if you wanted to get lunch later today?" You couldn't help but feel your eyes widen at his sudden question. Since when did he want to hang out with you? Last time you checked he had a plethora of girls that he was talking to... maybe he was interested in you? No, you shouldn't get too ahead of yourself...

"Um... let me check if I have anything to do first. Can I call you back?" You knew that you sounded nervous but how else were you supposed to feel when the cute guy from your physics class was literally asking you to eat lunch with him?

As soon as you ended the call, you felt Wonwoo's arm snake its way down to your waist. You couldn’t help but yelp at the sudden intimate contact. Chuckling at your reaction, he leaned down, closer to your ear. “Who was that?”

"No one." You stated simply, it wasn't his business anyway.

"Hm, okay," Wonwoo rested his head on your shoulder, continuing to speak lowly in your ear. "I'll remember that birdy."

Before you could even come up with something to counter him, he decided to speak up once again.

"Well, I do have something rather important to tell you." His voice was so calm and soothing, you could honestly listen to it for hours on end if you had the chance.

"What is it?" You hoped he couldn't sense your rather, embarrassing, curiosity.

"Heard you used to have a little crush on me," his voice was evidently smug, knowing that this would surely get a rise out of you.

Which it did.

Your face burned at the memories of when you used to have a crush on Wonwoo. But, that had to be in fourth grade… so how could he have known about that? Nonetheless, you scoffed at his statement, not wanting to know that you were a little embarrassed by the sudden reminder.

“Key word, had,” you rolled your eyes at him. This did make you curious though, who could have possibly told him that? So you asked him exactly that.

“How do you even know about that?” His smile never faltered even as you lightly pushed his hand away from your waist. If anything, this made him want to touch you even more.

“I have my ways,” he stated simply. Of course, he does. You hated when he would shrug things off, now this was going to bother you for the entire week!

One thing about Wonwoo was that he has always been curious about you, this interest stemming back all the way to your elementary days. This curiosity eventually intensified in junior year of high school when you began to show your blatant distaste towards him. He just had to get to know you.

He looked down at you, his face was unreadable like always. You never knew what was going on in that mind of his.

"Why are you here? Shouldn't you be hanging out with your actual friends?" Sometimes you couldn't help but blurt out your thoughts to him even if they sounded a bit rude. His face faltered for a split second, probably caught off guard by the random question. Shoot, you really didn’t mean to say that out loud. Although, it looks like Wonwoo didn’t take any offense to your sudden question. If anything, it made him... smile?

“I am hanging out with my friend,” he stopped you to face him, “which is you.” You rolled your eyes at him. That had to be the corniest thing he has ever said to you if you were being honest. You just hated that giddy feeling he would give you any time he said something remotely cheesy.

"Ugh, you're so dumb," you groaned while checking the time on your phone. It was getting close to noon and you hadn't responded to Hyunwoo's question from earlier. Maybe it was best if you didn't go... who knows what he wanted from you. If you were being completely honest, you didn't know if you had it in you to see other people at the moment, aside from Wonwoo of course.

"Have somewhere to be?" Wonwoo asked, a hint of concern peeking through his voice.

"No, thank god, but I do have a scheduled nap to get to so if you don't mind-" you were cut off by the sound of an engine revving, making your body jump at the unexpected noise. You turned to see where the source of the commotion was coming from but then realized it was coming from a group of bikers nearby; most likely Wonwoo's friends.

Or so you thought?

Wonwoo didn't seem too pleased with the group that was getting closer to where the two of you were. On the contrary, Wonwoo looked pissed. His jaw was visibly clenched, the gentle grip he had on your waist tightened, and his eyes lost that playful spark he had earlier. You couldn't help but feel guilty for thinking about how hot Wonwoo looked when he was angry. Of course, you would never want to be on the receiving end of his anger but seeing it on the sidelines was quite... interesting.

Wait. This might actually be serious, so it's best if you leave before anything crazy happens.

"I think I'm going to head out now..." you said quietly as you tried to slip away from Wonwoo's (awfully) strong grasp.

He turned to look at you, his eyes softening once they landed on your figure. Why did they have to come and bother him at this exact moment? He knew that whatever was going to happen was not going to be pretty, but he found himself reluctant to let you go.

Before truly letting you go, he quietly asked, "Are you sure? I can take you home if you want me to." As soft as his voice was, he still managed to sound composed which was comforting considering the situation.

You nodded in response, "I don't live that far from here so it's fine, thank you for the offer though." You managed to flash him a small, awkward smile before turning away from him and heading toward the direction of your apartment. You didn't know what exactly was going on between those guys and Wonwoo but it for sure wasn't friendly. Although it wasn't exactly your issue, you couldn't help but feel worried about Wonwoo, even if he was a pain in the ass sometimes.

Much to your dismay, that scheduled nap never came your way that day.

You blame Wonwoo, how were you supposed to sleep peacefully knowing he was probably getting jumped? Okay, you might be jumping to conclusions but what else were you supposed to think about when he was visibly angry at the mere sight of those guys?

Realistically speaking, it's only been two days since that whole incident happened. Granted, you haven't seen Wonwoo since then but that could mean a lot of things.

[...]

While you were in line to get a smoothie from one of the pop-up shops near the campus, you felt a sudden tap on your shoulder.

"Did my little birdy miss me?" You felt Wonwoo say right next to your ear, his breath fanning across your earlobe. It sent a wave of tingles down your spine, making you shudder in turn. Though you weren't a fan of his spontaneous appearance.

"God, you need to stop doing that! I almost slapped you I swear-" You stopped mid-way once you turned around and saw his face. He had a few cuts on his lips and eyebrows and one big bruise across his cheek. Those guys really did a number on him.

Your eyebrows furrowed in concern, "are you okay?"

He tried to wave it off but you could tell he was bothered by your question, "It's fine, really, don't worry about it." Was he insane? How were you not going to worry when he was visibly injured?

"Were these from the guys on Tuesday?" You couldn't help but ask, where else would he get these cuts and bruises if it didn't come from them?

His demeanor immediately switched and he pushed himself away from you.

"It's none of your business so stay out of it."

"Okay." That was the only thing you said before grabbing your smoothie from the worker and quickly walking away from the shop. If he wanted to be like that then so be it. You most definitely were not going to wait for him to 'open up' by all means, he could throw himself a pity party for all you care.

"Wait-" He tried reaching for your arm but you were too quick for him. Your steps were swift, helping you create a reasonable distance between you and Wonwoo. He called out your name a few times before giving up, he didn't want to gather any unwanted attention from the people nearby. Reaching your pace, Wonwoo was finally close enough to grab your wrist and make you look at him.

"Are you seriously ignoring me?" His voice was a bit jagged, no doubt coming from the unexpected cardio you made him do to catch up to you.

Unfortunately for him, you were petty. "You said it wasn't my business, so please do not talk to me because I really do not care." You brushed past him once again this time making sure he could not grab your arms or wrists.

He exhaled in annoyance, "Look I'm sorry-" Wonwoo was mid-apology before being abruptly cut off by the voice of a guy yelling your name out loud.

Speaking of the devil, what immaculate timing.

"Hey yn! Did you still want to get food after class?" Hyunwoo jogged to where you were standing but saw how Wonwoo was still trying to talk to you.

"Sorry, were you busy with him?"

You instantly responded to Hyunwoo, "No, he was just asking for directions, but yeah I'm down for food." Like before, you made your way towards Hyunwoo, making sure to bump into Wonwoo. He couldn't help but stay frozen in place as he watched you walk to class with some random guy, jealousy slowly invading his mind.

Directions? Did she really...?

As much as Wonwoo wanted to be mad at you, he really had no one to blame but himself. The whole situation with his old group of 'friends' was really getting to him so once you popped that question it just seemed to send him over the edge. He just didn't know how far you would go to express your annoyance towards him. Now all he had to do was find a way to properly apologize to you before that Hyunwoo guy got to you first.

The only thing stopping him? He didn't have your number or any of your socials...

[Part Two: II]

[lisired]

where angels fear to tread

pairing: jaehyun x (f) reader

genre/warnings: fwb to lovers, fluff, implied smut, angst

summary: Three years ago, you had a summer fling with Jung Jaehyun, and what was simply sex turned into more after you caught feelings for him. Then, you find out he has a girlfriend, and decide to call it quits. Three years later, he's back in town, trying to come back in your life, and most importantly trying to come back into your heart, but you're a little hesitant to let him.

word count: 14.5k

a/n: i think this was my first jaehyun fic? LOL… as always, feedback is appreciated!

“Not fair.”

“It’s very much fair, Jaemin.”

“How come the blueberry head gives you shit on the house? I asked him for a free coffee and he told me the only way I was getting coffee for free was if he splashed it on my face. Very unprofessional. I demand the manager.”

You want to tell him that the manager would just suck up to Taeyong in private because the customer is always wrong, but something in you tells you to be quiet.

“Saved his life,” you shrug, digging a fork into your pie.

“Saved his life?” Jaemin repeats, wide-eyed, “you just said that like it was the most normal thing ever.”

“I don’t think he would have actually died,” you mutter, but decide to tell the tale anyway, “You remember when I told you I was taking a two-week vacation out of town because Yeri invited me and some of her friends to her stepdad’s beach house?” Jaemin nods, “Well Taeyong was one of those friends. Saved him from drowning in the pool, and ever since he thinks he owes me his life, so he gives me a lifetime worth of stuff on the house.”

You consider Jaemin your best friend, although him not physically being with you for the past two years was the reason why he’s unaware of some minor details of your life during those years. Of course, he knew about the vacation—you had so much fun that you told him nearly every damn detail of it—but there was still some things you kept to yourself. Such as how you saved Taeyong from drowning. You thought that you’d look like a praise-seeker for bringing that up anyway.

You scan the room for Taeyong (the blueberry head) and once your eyes find him, you wave and wink. He waves back and smiles bashfully, before tending to one of his customers. You also think that Taeyong might have a little crush on you, but that’s not relevant at the moment.

“Oh wow. I guess not all heroes wear capes. Some heroes wear pie crumbs on their mouths.”

You wipe the corner of your mouth with a napkin then squeeze it into a ball to throw at Jaemin, making him gasp dramatically and start rambling about how you shouldn’t treat the best friend you haven’t seen in two years like this, but the chime of the cafe door distracts you. Your face falls in horror, and you’re still as a statue as it all races back. The pain, the memories, the emotions, everything you gave him that you can’t take back.

“I have to go,” you say, but Jaemin grabs your wrist.

His voice is filled to the brim with concern, “What’s wrong?”

Where you do even start? You sigh, ducking your head on the table in an attempt to cover your face the best that you can. The past is intertwining with the present and you do not enjoy it one bit. Fortunately, he sits away from you and doesn’t seem to acknowledge your presence in the room, but it’s just your luck that for the first time you’re seeing him in almost two years, he chooses to show up right here, right now.

“See that guy that just walked in?”

Jaemin nods with reluctance, subtly scanning said guy with his eyes, “Yeah, what about him?”

With a deep breath, you brace yourself for uncovering a part of your past that you’d rather keep ancient history, “Remember that fling I told you about from the vacation? That was him. And I never told you this, but we didn’t exactly end on the best of terms. I called it quits when I found out that he had a girlfriend.”

Another one of the vay-cay details that you kept to yourself. Technically, you did tell him about the fling, but it was nothing too specific aside from the fact that you were getting dicked down. You never told him about the way things abruptly ended, and you sure as hell never told him that you caught feelings for a cheater.

Jaemin’s face falls, and you’re not sure why. You think that he’s offended because you never told him about something so huge (and he is, but the two of you have bigger fish to fry at the moment so he decides it best to complain later).

Eyebrows furrowed, you ask, “What’s wrong?”

“Jaehyun is…” he pauses, and your lips part to ask how he knows his name until, “Jaehyun is my roommate.”

If you had the energy, you would sigh. Of course, Jaehyun also happens to move back in town and ultimately transfer back into your college for the second semester. You had to be a criminal in your past life, what else could you have possibly done to deserve something like this?

Taeyong walks over to your table, wearing a discontent frown, “Jaehyun’s here, do you want me to distract him so that you can leave without him noticing?”

“No way the blueberry head knew about this before me.” Ah, there it goes.

Taeyong glares, but he doesn’t say anything, instead locking his eyes on you to catch your response and his face softens when he does.

“Please,” you sigh in relief, “Thanks Tae, you’re a lifesaver.”

Taeyong smiles at the weight of your words, “It’s the least I could do. Now you two get out of here.”

It isn’t something that you need to be told twice, Taeyong goes to distract Jaehyun and you two bolt the fuck out of there. Though even out of sight, Jaehyun isn’t out of mind. In the beginning you knew it was nothing serious, Jaehyun had other girls that he fucked. But the fact that he was cheating on some poor, innocent girl was more then you could handle, and it would be selfish of you to risk getting caught up in that mess.

For a while, you and Jaemin ride in near silence. It’s your car, but he claims you aren’t in the right headspace to drive and you didn’t argue. You don’t feel the best at the moment.

“Is this a bad time to invite you to my roommate’s Summer Break Kick-off party this Friday,” Jaemin asks over the radio, his voice cutting through the SHINee song playing lowly.

“Kinda,” you snort. “Is he coming?”

“Probably, yeah. I mean, he was invited. But my roommate’s other house is pretty big it’s been forever since we last partied.”

You blink. Why does your roommate…

“Don’t question it. I don’t know either.”

You fight the urge to laugh. Instead, you weigh out the pros and cons. Technically, you and Jaemin could always find another place to party if you wanted to so bad, and even if the house was big, there’s still a fair chance of you running into the one man you dread ever seeing again. You aren’t too sure if that’s something that you’re ready to risk right now.

You sigh again, pressing your face against the car window. “I’ll think about it.”

You haven’t stepped foot in a place this expensive-looking since Yeri invited you on that little summer vacation to her stepdad’s beach house (two years ago.)

Jaemin somehow managed to convince you to show up by pinky promising to do a week’s worth of your assignments next semester, and you’d be a fool for turning that offer down. It isn’t clear from the outside, but academically Jaemin is sharp. So now, you’re searching for Jaemin in a sea full of red plastic cups. He was right, the house is humongous, and now you’re really beginning to question why someone with this kind of fortune at their fingertips lives with three presumably broke college students.

At least they’re playing SHINee. That way you can sing along to your favorite boy band while you simultaneously search for your best friend.

It might be harder for him to spot you. You chose to wear something dull, deciding against standing out too much just in case Jaehyun wanted confrontation, so looking for you is like searching for a needle in a haystack. You two could have just spent the night karaoking with Jaemin in your living room just like the good ‘ole days, for heavens sake.

Na Jaemin, when I find you, you groan. He doesn’t answer your calls or texts, and just for this you should make him do your homework for two weeks. Three if you bump into Jaehyun. You stop at an empty spot to catch your breath.

“God, what are these guys’ parents? The CEO’s of Samsung?” you mutter, to yourself.

“Aw, so close.”

Not expecting an actual answer, you jump and turn in the direction of the voice. You find a tall, handsome man smiling at you. His teeth are so white that it looks like he eats Colgate for breakfast.

“Kai, I’m the host of the party,” he grins, yet then his expression falters, “do I know you from somewhere?”

“I was thinking the same thing!” You laugh, analyzing his face. He does look a bit familiar.

You tell him your name, and the way he repeats it once more then blinks a few times concerns you a little. It’s not that you have a bad reputation, but did he know you from something bad?

His eyes widen. “You’re Johnny’s ex-girlfriend.”

That, you are. Back in high school you and Johnny dated for some time, broke up after a while since you drifted apart from one another, but agreed to stay friends so you’re both cool. You’re relieved that’s all, but you still don’t remember where you know Kai from, and you’re almost one-hundred percent sure it isn’t high school. You don’t even think you went two to the same high school.

“That’s me,” you confirm with a nod, “I still don’t know where I remember you from, though.”

If this were a cartoon, Kai would have a thought bubble above his head, and moments later it would transform into a lightbulb, “Are you friend’s with Yeri?” he guesses, and you nod, “she’s my step-sister. She probably told you about me.”

Oh. Well now the dots are connecting. Yeri did in fact tell you about him, mentioning that his family is the one her mom married into when explaining how filthily rich she became—because her brand new step-dad is indeed a CEO.

You make an O with your mouth, “Small world.”

“I know, right?” Kai, or as you know him from Yeri (also why you didn’t recognize him immediately), Jongin, laughs, “Care to dance?”

At that, you frown, “I’d love to, but I should really find Jaemin. He’s my best friend and we’re supposed to be spending time together because he just moved back in town recently.”

Kai looks a little sad by the rejection but handles it well, nodding in understanding, “Good luck. Last time I saw him he was over there,” he points, “losing a drinking game.”

That could mean nothing good. That meant wherever he was, Jaemin was more than likely going to be shitfaced by the end of the night. You sigh internally, almost wishing he’d go back to being the shy and introverted boy you knew in high school.

You met Jaemin in your sophomore year, at a party his friends forced him to go to, and you had a couple of mutual friends, but until then you two were nothing more than strangers. Speaking of which, that’s how you bonded, even though it was a fight getting him to say more than five words at a time. You were sure your friends Sicheng and Yuta had a thing for each other, whereas he hadn’t suspected a thing. So you made a bet, and only a couple minutes later, they were found making out against a wall. He owed you 50 bucks.

When Jaemin is still no where to be find, you’re ready to cave in to defeat. You feel like you’re in a maze, walking around in circles and it shows in the ache in your feet. You’re about to give up and turn around, until you walk into something, or someone, and all audible to you is the sound of splashing before someone yells shit, I’m sorry!

Oh, you’ll make sure they’re sorry. You’re not sure what you should focus on. How your top is now soaked, or how familiar their voice is. Until you look back up and see a walking, breathing and unfortunately talking, nightmare.

He calls out your name.

Like before, you turn and walk away.

He says it again, louder, and follows you.

“I don’t want to talk to you, Jaehyun.”

Still, he tails behind you like a lost puppy, despite you obviously trying to stay far, far away, “Can’t you hear me out? It’s been two years.”

“Two very peaceful years,” you stop dead in your tracks and finally turn to face him. It hurts you to look at his face, because the memories wash over you like waves, yet you do it anyways. You want to show him that you’re strong without him, not weakness and vulnerability, “and I told you two years ago that I want nothing to do with you.”

Jaehyun’s no good for you, you know that. You know that all he’s ever wanted to do is get inside your pants, that he’s never cared for you. So why are you tempted to hear him out?

No, you refuse, you will not let nostalgia win you over. That’s all it is. You miss what you had, but you don’t know if you miss him as a person.

“At least let me help you dry your shirt, it’s my fault that it’s ruined,” he tries again, but you’re hell-bent on making him feel as miserable as he did you.

“No.”

“Y/n—”

“No means no, Jaehyun,” another voice cuts in, and while it isn’t the one you’ve been looking for, you’re thankful nonetheless. Beside you stands Kai, tall, angry, and intimidating, “you gonna make her tell you to fuck off?”

Jaehyun glances at you, and you see the emotion in his eyes, but you don’t fall for them. Not anymore. He’s already caused your heart to feel enough pain that you can’t bother to try and carry the burden that is his own. So he gives up and walks off, finally leaving you alone.

And you let out an exhausted breath.

“Show’s over, mind your business,” Kai tells the audience you hadn’t even known formed, and not willing to risk going against him, everyone returns to their previous activity. He looks at you, and all the anger is washed with concern. “You okay?”

Are you okay? You don’t know anymore. Nostalgia is kicking your ass, and though you try not to think about him, you can’t help but reminisce.

“Yeah,” you say, but you’re not too sure. “Thanks. A lot.”

Kai shrugs, “No biggie. Do you think you and Yeri match sizes? You can use the bathroom in my bedroom to change because no one’s dumb enough to go in there.”

You sigh in relief. Chivalry isn’t dead. “Yes. Thank you.”

Kai leads you upstairs to Yeri’s room, or at least the one she stays in when she’s here, and let’s you choose a shirt. It isn’t an easy decision with Yeri being the epitome of fashion, but you pick quickly to spare Kai’s time, even though he tells you that he doesn’t mind. He then takes you to the bathroom in his room because according to him, Yeri’s one is under repair.

Even though Kai is guarding the door with his life and you know he wouldn’t just barge in there without your say-so, you lock the door. You meet your gaze in the mirror, eyeing yourself closely. Everyone is insecure sometimes, but after things ended between you and Jaehyun, you were extremely self-conscious for months.

To anyone who had never been in your shoes, it might’ve made more sense than anything for you to feel better about yourself knowing that even though Jaehyun had a girl, he kept coming back to you. Yet who’s to say you were the only one? To this day, you’re still convinced that the only reason he keeps trying to win you back is because him losing you plus you being the one to end it put a major dent in his ego.

You hate that he had that kind of power over you, to the point where he made you hate yourself. You hate that a man like him made you cry so many goddamn tears and now he expects you to dry his own.

Reminding yourself that Kai is waiting, you tear your gaze from your own before tears have the chance to spill, and wipe yourself dry so that you can put on your - or Yeri’s - shirt. Now that you think about it, it’s too cute to return. You might take it. She’s too rich to notice, and even if she does, she’s still rich. She can easily replace it.

Kai greets you with a smile as you step back inside his room, and you find yourself smiling back at him. He’s been treating you so kindly this whole time, and now that you think about it, you’ve never heard a single bad thing about the man. Yeri clearly doesn’t mention him very often, but it’s never been anything bad when she does, and even when Jaemin was telling you about his roommates, he described Kai as “the funny one that called his mom a lot.”

“Ready to join the party?”

And then you frown. “I don’t know.”

Kai quirks a brow, “Well don’t tell me you look this good just to not show yourself off.”

Amused, you scoff. Kai’s been smooth from the beginning, yet now he’s unabashedly flirting with you. “Are you flirting with me, Kim Jongin?”

Confusion spells itself out on his face. You have never once said his name tonight, and the one time you do, it’s his government. “How do you know my name?”

“Yeri,” you shrug, “but if you want me to just call you Kai then I understand.”

“Well, usually I reserve my real name for my close friends and family,” he grins, and God he looks devilishly handsome when he does, “but it sounds so nice on your tongue that I’ll make an exception.”

It’s painfully obvious that you don’t know how to react, eyes a little round and your lips parting, yet nothing coming from in between. It makes Jongin laugh.

“And yes, I was flirting with you,” he winks, “but anyways, if you really don’t wanna go back out there, which is totally fine, we can just chill in here. You seem like a nice person, and I’d like to get to know you.”

“Get to know me?” You quip, finding enough balance to play into his game after being knocked down by his charm briefly, “or my body?”

He arches a brow in amusement. “That feels like a trick question.”

You shrug. “Be honest. I might feel the same way.”

Maybe it’s a good thing that tonight didn’t go as planned. Kai’s had you since the moment he introduced himself, and it seems every five minutes he gets better.

“Well, I don’t see why I can’t multitask,” He purrs, taking your words as an invitation. An invitation that he was accepting.

You giggle. He eyes you gently, noticing the way you slowly inch closer to him, “I like you.”

It’s an initiation, turning the keys and putting the car in drive, and you want to see if Jongin will take the wheel. And it seems that to your fortune, he does.

“Guess it’s a good thing I like you, too.” Jongin chuckles, and he’s so close. You can feel his breath on your skin, tickling your neck, and it makes something in you crawl with arousal.

And the gap between you closes.

You already liked Kai last night, but you definitely like him this morning.

You woke up to the smell of pancakes and bacon, and not just any kind of pancakes, but chocolate chip pancakes, your favorite. If anything can make you like someone, it’s chocolate chip pancakes.

“How’d you know chocolate chip was my fave?” you giggle, not expecting a serious response, but after the whole scenario with him yesterday, you should have already known he would have one.

“Yerim’s told me about you, too, you know,” Jongin replies, “It wasn’t even too long ago, it was winter break. We were all staying at my dad’s house for a couple of days, and she invited you over one morning. Everyone was gone but me and her when I went downstairs, and I saw her making chocolate chip pancakes. It blew me, because she’s an avid hater of chocolate. Then she told me they were for her best friend, because you love them, and after last night I learned that the best friend in question happened to be you.”

You and Jongin learned a lot about one another last evening. After you had sex, you didn’t expect to hit it off like you did, yet you spent a great deal of the night talking on his silk sheets. For starters, he’s a wonderful man. Funny, polite, respectful, thoughtful, caring, and he has an amazing personality. The sole flaw you could find in him was that he likes Hawaiian pizza. What kind of sick person enjoys Hawaiian pizza?

And you fell asleep in his arms. It was perfect, almost too good to be true. You considered the possibility of a relationship with him, you enjoyed his company and he was shameless to admit that he enjoyed yours. And yet still, you couldn’t help but think of Jaehyun.

The way he had also made you feel the same way, all those years ago. How he never fucked you and then shoved you away, but he talked to you until the sun came up, or spooned you to sleep. It was ridiculous, and you can’t believe that one encounter with Jaehyun had you acting like a teenager in love for the first time again. Not to mention the encounter in question was horrible. Jaehyun isn’t good for you, but for some reason your heart seems to still want him.

“If you want know so bad, just ask.”

“What?” Kai blinks, unaware that you’ve noticed the way he looks at you, not just now but ever since that encounter with Jaehyun. The longing in his eyes to say something, yet he resisted.

“I know you’re curious about me and Jaehyun,” truth be told, it isn’t just for him, but for you. Maybe if you remind yourself of what Jaehyun’s done to you, hear it aloud, you’ll snap out of it and shake this weird feeling. “So go ahead. Ask.”

Jongin’s surprised at how well you read him, and you can only hope that he doesn’t read you just as well.

“I figured you didn’t want to talk about it, and I didn’t want to overstep my boundaries.” How utterly Kai of him. And honestly, he’s right. You don’t want to, but at this point it’s a need.

“It’s okay,” you assure.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“If you don’t want to talk about it, then that’s okay, you know. I understa—”

“Kim Jongin,” you say, and he pauses, a part of being because he still hasn’t gotten used to you calling him by his government name, yet he loves it when you do, “I am not about to beg you to ask me. I promise you, it’s alright.”

Jongin hesitates, but gives in reluctantly, “Okay, so… what happened for Jaehyun to be so intent on talking to you last night? Break-up?”

“Not really,” you say, trying to keep your voice level and flat. You weren’t the girl Jaehyun was in a relationship with, “It wasn’t a romantic relationship. Just sex, no strings attached.”

Jongin nods, “Ah, so a fling?”

“Mm-hm. I met him when Yeri invited her best friends to your dad’s beach house for a fun summer vacation during break. We hit it off well and it wasn’t much longer that he had me in his sheets. It really was fun, so we agreed to keep fucking around. And then some months later, I found out he had a girlfriend the whole time.”

He makes an understanding face, familiar with Yeri’s Pal-Cations (as she likes to call them.)

“Yerim didn’t tell you he was dating someone?”

“No one knew about us. He wanted to keep things secret,” you chuckle softly, “and that’s when I found out why.”

Silence falls over Jongin, and you sit there and let him ponder. Being able to say it all like this makes it seem so simple, and perhaps it should be. Jaehyun fucked up, and you owe him nothing. If he broke up with his girlfriend, maybe things would have been different, but he didn’t and that’s why he should leave you alone.

“Do you think he’s changed?” You shouldn’t ask. It doesn’t matter what Kai thinks, he doesn’t know Jaehyun like you do and he hasn’t known him for nearly as long. His opinion doesn’t matter.

Kai blinks. “I mean, you know what they say. Once a cheater, always a cheater.”

“But I’m asking for your opinion.”

You’ve never seen Kai so speechless. He’s always had something on the tip of his tongue, always. That’s when you consider that you’re probably dumping a shit ton of unwarranted info on him, especially since you had to practically coerce him into even asking you about Jaehyun. Before you have the chance to apologize, he answers.

“I don’t know him nearly as well as you probably do, but from what I’ve seen in the past 2 weeks, he’s nothing like some stupid, immature fuck boy. He carries himself well, cracks his jokes but he’s respectful and doesn’t push his limits, and I’ve never seen him with a girl,” Jongin says. “Come to think of it, he’s single. The boys discussed our dating situations and relationship statuses just so that we wouldn’t be surprised if we got up in the middle of the night and saw some stranger. Said he was single and wasn’t looking for sex.”

And you sigh in defeat, because the only thing that’s changed about Jaehyun according to that description is that he’s apparently single now and isn’t looking for sex.

Or maybe he was some stupid, immature fuckboy. You don’t know. And ever since you found out about her, you haven’t been sure if you’ve ever known him like you thought you did. You haven’t been sure about anything.

“Do you want him back?”

The questions catchs you off-guard. It isn’t exactly new, but you’ve never had anyone ask you this other than yourself. It’s all that you can think about. Do you really want him back? Or do you just miss what you had? What if it’s both?

“I don’t know,” you answer. And trust, you’ve been thinking about it since that whole ordeal at the café Monday. Even if you do, you shouldn’t. You don’t know Jaehyun’s motive, and there are plenty of other guys that can provide you everything he was giving you. One is literally looking you dead in the eye. He’s replaceable, you tell yourself. You don’t need him.

But that sure as hell has nothing to do with you wanting him.

“You don’t know?” Kai lifts his brow, “Or are you simply in denial?”

You feel like he’s your therapist, and the thought almost makes you laugh. Everything reminds you of Jaehyun. How sometimes, you’d play therapist for each other after you had sex, either directly afterwards or in the morning like now. It was so much more than sex, you think. To you, anyways. And that’s likely how you caught feelings.

Oh, dear god.

Even after two years, maybe those feelings you had for him still linger.

“I realized something,” you really don’t have to say anything, it’s written all over your face.

Jongin makes the conclusion, “You want him.”

Slowly, you nod. You think that you shouldn’t, but you do, and Jongin was right about you being in denial. You guess he really does read you just as well as you do him.

“I’m not gonna sit here and tell you what you should or shouldn’t do because it’s your choice to make at the end of the day, but let’s take everything into account,” Jongin starts, voice sterner than it’s been all morning, “I’m not saying age is an excuse, but he was eighteen. All eighteen-year-old boys are stupid. Take it from someone who’s been there. But he’s twenty-one now, and it’s been years. That’s plenty enough time for him to grow and change.”

You nod along. That’s true, and while you could never be too careful because who’s to say he’s changed, who’s to say he hasn’t?

Kai adds, “If you want to take the risk, take it. If you don’t, then don’t. He made an inexcusable mistake. But he’s human, and all humans make mistakes. You dont owe him anything, especially not forgiveness, but be a little open-minded.”

The decision is yours. You can hear Jaehyun out and try to salvage your relationship, or you can continue to shut him out. You don’t owe him a second chance, but god, you must admit that you’ve always secretly longed to give him one, just so that you could go back to what you had.

Whenever you contemplate giving him a second chance, you think about her. You try to put yourself in her shoes, wondering how she must’ve felt, if she ever knew that the man she loved was fucking around with another woman. Maybe that’s how they broke up. Days ago, the thought would have made you run further and further away from him. But now, it’s almost like you’re rooted in place, bumping into dead-ends.

If you were her, you’d be unforgiving. But you’re not her, you never will be her, and that makes you want to be a little more selfish.

That makes you want him.

“Thanks, Kai,” you say, truly grateful to have his unbiased opinion. Usually you wouldn’t trust people you met less than twenty-four hours ago with your personal business, but all the shit you and Kai exchanged last night makes you willing to permit an exception. And then, you feel bad because even after the kind things he’s done for you since last night, he’s still sitting here advising you on your complicated you-problems. “And I’m so sorry for dumping all my problems on you, you’ve been so sweet and the least I could do—”

“Hey, no worries. If you ever need to talk, I’m here,” Kai interjects, “and if you want me to do a bit of snooping around…”

You shake your head. “No way. You’ve already done enough for me, and I don’t want you to get caught up in my drama. I can handle it.”

“Sure, you can. But I don’t want a girl like you to wind up heartbroken, especially over a possible jackass, and at very least you should see if you can trust him before you, well, trust him,” As though he can sense you about to object, he adds, “No buts. I’m going to keep a few tabs on him and alert you if there’s anything suspicious.”

You sigh, and don’t argue because it’s obvious he isn’t changing his mind. You’re grateful.

You smile. “Thank you.”

“Of course. And if he breaks your heart, I’m here.”

You scoff, “Flirting with me again, Kim Jongin?”

“Oh, baby,” he growls, “Keep saying my name like that and I’ll make you forget he ever existed.”

Ten minutes ago, that would have been tempting. But now you know what you want, and you’re determined to have it.

Yeri thinks it’s a bad idea.

Taeyong thinks it’s terrible idea.

Jaemin thinks you’ve had better ideas, but he’s willing to cooperate nonetheless.

“I don’t get it,” Taeyong shakes his head, “That guy broke your heart.”

“He wasn’t trying to,” you mutter.

“And he still did, that’s the crazy part.”

“It was two years ago. To be fair, all of us were stupid at eighteen.”

“Not all of us were cheating on our partners with a girl we met on summer break, though,” Taeyong quips, incredulous that he’s even having this discussion with you. You’ve always been on the same page, what changed?

You groan, “God, Taeyong. Sure, he cheated. Duh, he was in the wrong. But it wasn’t me that he cheated on and it’s not like we were ever in a relationship. He couldn’t have known how I felt about him when I did everything in my power to hide my feelings. And what if he’s changed?”

“And what if he hasn’t?” Taeyong retorts quickly.

The silence in the room is deadly. Taeyong can’t believe that he’s having to talk some sense into you, all while your other two friends sit quietly observing your argument. Is he the only one thinking around here? Why aren’t they helping?

Then, Yeri speaks up from the other side of the room, “Instead of arguing, let’s just put Jaehyun to the test.”

“And how do you plan on going about that?” Taeyong grumbles.

“Letting her talk to him, dimwit, how else?” Yeri rolls her eyes, “I know that you probably think that allowing him within a ten-foot radius of her is going to break her heart, but you’re greatly underestimating my best friend’s strength. She isn’t stupid, she can identify red flags.”

“Ease up on the fighting words,” Jaemin chuckles, “but I dunno, Yeri’s right. The only way she’ll know if he’s changed is to see for herself. If she notices anything odd, she can give him the boot. It’s not rocket science.”

You glance at Taeyong. Truthfully, you don’t need his permission, and both of you know that. But it would be nice to feel validated by your best friends, especially the overprotective one.

Taeyong glances back at you, and his expression softens. He’s always had a soft spot for you, and it’s hard to tell you no. Plus, he doesn’t want to be the token villain when everyone else is telling you to go for it. To chase what you want.

And in all honesty, Taeyong wishes he could chase what he wants. But the last thing he is is selfish, so maybe now is the time he lets you go.

Finally, he groans, “Alright, fine. Whatever. Talk to Jaehyun, see if he’s really ready to commit. But if this guy breaks your heart, I’m going to quote-unquote accidentally spill the hottest coffee on his face, just to give him a taste of the fire that is hell, where he will burn for eternity.”

Jaemin shivers, having flashbacks to the first time he spoke to Taeyong, “You love a good coffee threat, don’t you? So many fighting words.”

Taeyong doesn’t reply, just glares at Jaemin sharply.

“Hostile, but I’m with him,” Yeri nods, “Mark my words, that man will die a slow, painful death if he makes one more mistake.”

“Yep!” Jaemin agrees, “Don’t worry, babes. We got your back.”

At that, you smile. Your friends are on your side. Now, here comes the real trouble.

Mustering the ability to talk to Jaehyun.

Fortunately, Yerim’s annual Pal-Cation was right around the corner, and would extend until the end of the week.

Last year, Jaehyun didn’t attend.

Correction: he wasn’t invited.

Yeri and Jaehyun haven’t been on amazing terms since she became aware of everything, which put a dent in their relationship. This year, she’s invited him in favor of playing Cupid.

You’re a little nervous, anxious about being in the same space as Jaehyun for more than three minutes after all these years. You’re scared and you’re not sure of what, because if Jaehyun’s really as changed as he implies he is, the result should be predictable.

Then again, you don’t really know Jaehyun’s reason for wanting to talk to you, and that makes you all the more panicked. Of course, he wants you to hear him out, but what does he want to come out of that? A second chance? At what?To you, your relationship was so much more than sex. But what if it wasn’t to him? What if he just wants to get inside your pants?

“Girl, please,” Jaemin scoffs, crashing against your hotel bed like he owns the place. He’s in comfortable awe, and probably wouldn’t think twice if someone told him the beds were made out of marshmallows, “you were defending his life choices like yesterday—god damn, these beds are soft—and now you’re having second thoughts? Since when do you back down from things?”

You throw a pillow at him, “I was not defending him!”

“I talked to him earlier, when he asked me if I was sure about wanting him here,” Yeri states, sitting on the seat in front of the mirror. “Told him that there’s no way in hell he’d be here right now if I didn’t want him to be. He laughed and promised me he wouldn’t do anything stupid, and I told him know, because if he does do something stupid it’s off with his motherfuckin’ head.”

Jaemin smiles, satisfied, “Yeah, that should do it. I’d be scared half to death, you could probably pay someone to kill him and no one would suspect a thing.”

“Enough about killing him,” you grimace, “I’m just, I dunno, nervous, I guess. What if he just wants to get in my pants?”

“Guess you better go found out, and tonight is the perfect opportunity. I reserved the pool, so we have the entire area to ourselves until midnight.”

“Yeah, and that wouldn’t be too bad anyways. When was the last time you got laid?” Jaemin adds.

You sneer and flip him off, “For your information, I got laid at that party Friday night when you left me for dead to go get drunk. And that’s why your ass was hungover. And Yeri, you never told me that your step-brother was so fucking hot.”

Yeri exclaims, “You slept with Jongin?”

“You slept with her brother?”

And that’s where you conclude that you’ve overshared, and it’s time for everyone to have some time to themselves, “Alright, everybody out,” you push and pull them both out, until they’re standing outside your door, “I’ll see you guys tonight.”

Then you shut the door, and lie on your bed, sighing with comfort. Jaemin’s right, the beds really are comfortable. You’re feeling drowsy already and decide to rest your eyes. There’s hours until it’s Pool Time.

Pool Time comes faster than you wished.

You’re antsy, but Yeri has SHINee’s Punch Drunk Love playing, so you feel more at ease. It also serves as a reminder that you’re going to need a drink or two to get through the night.

It doesn’t help that you had a dream about Jaehyun while you were trying to rest your eyes, about the night when you first you met him. You were at Yeri’s step-father’s beach house, and the dream was specifically when you made out in the middle of the pool. I’ll never let you drown, baby. You shake the memory away.

You glance around, and see everyone’s here. Yeri’s talking to her friend Mark who obviously has a crush on her, Jaemin’s engaging in conversation with Taeyong who for once doesn’t look like he wants to rip Jaemin’s head off, Yeri’s other friends are playing in the pool, and—Jaehyun.

Jaehyun’s seated at the bar, looking dead at you, which is exactly where you need to be but your lunch and your stomach seem to not be getting along suddenly. You tear your gaze, and glance back at Yeri. You need her help, one last push or words of encouragement, but you’re not selfish enough to interrupt Mark’s attempts at flirting with your friend and getting some.

Well fuck, you groan. You’re all alone this time, and deciding you look stupid standing there by yourself, you march to the bar and hoist yourself on the stool beside Jaehyun, ignoring the increasing speed of your heartbeat. It doesn’t help that this place only has two barstools.

“What can I get you, sweetheart?” The bartender asks you. She’s pretty, got long dark hair and a nice face. You wonder if Jaehyun flirting with her is the reason she’s been smiling so hard since before you sat down, trying to stifle a giggle.

And you frown at your own thoughts. Leave it to you to automatically assume the worst.

“No idea. Suprise me,” you sigh, and with a nod she gets to work.

It’s difficult, more like impossible to ignore Jaehyun’s presence beside you. He isn’t saying anything, isn’t doing anything as far as you can tell without looking at him, but the knowledge that he’s there has you on your toes.

The bartender brings back your drink, tells you to enjoy and you say thank you before having a taste. You need this before you dare say a word to him.

And then he dare speaks, “Hi.”

You can feel your heart racing and you don’t know why, but you do know that you don’t like it. There’s no reason to feel like this, you heard Jaehyun talk at the party. You somehow manage to chirp back quietly, “Hi.”

“Aren’t you gonna look at me?”

It feels like he’s challenging you, almost to say you’re too much of a pussy to look him dead in the face, and you know you’re more than likely making that up but Jaehyun’s the first person to know that you’re last person to back down from a challenge, so you do turn to look at him.

It takes everything in you to stay rational when you do. You get the chance to look at him, to really look at him, and you’re taken aback by his features. He looks the same, but different all at once, obviously a little older.

Beside you is no longer the teenage boy with the cute, high-pitched voice, but a man with a deep and matured sound to his voice. He’s smiling a little wildly at you. It’s the first time you’ve seen him smile in years.

You take a sip from your drink so that you don’t smile back and say, “I’m looking.”

“See something you like?”

“Nope,” you lie, as though you weren’t obvious checking him out seconds ago, “just you.”

“Aww, don’t be like that,” Jaehyun grins playfully, “smile a little, won’t you?”

“Let’s cut to the chase, Jaehyun,” you change the subject. You refuse to let his little games work on you. “Didn’t you want me to hear you out? Hop to it or I’m leaving.”

He blinks. “Here?”

Well no one can hear you other than the bartender, but it’s a personal issue that deserves the utmost privacy and it’s not like you’re willing to share your personal business with a stranger, so you agree to walk around the pool with him. Close enough so that you’re not bumping into walls, distant enough to not be overheard.

You glance at him, “So?”

Jaehyun sighs, “Rather than defending myself, I think I should apologize. For not telIing you I was in a relationship, for risking dragging you into drama, it was selfish. I was selfish.”

It was selfish. He couldn’t have been thinking of your feelings, or even her feelings.

“There’s no excuse for what I did, and I can’t imagine how belittled it made you feel. You don’t have to forgive me, and I know you’re probably gonna hate me forever for this and I don’t blame you. But I want you to know that I’m sorry,” he gives you those emotional eyes, the same dejected gleam in them, “Sincerely. And if there’s anything I can do to make it up to you…”

“Tell me why,” you want the answers that you’ve been searching for all these years. Not exactly closure, but you don’t want to live in doubt, wondering maybe you were never enough, and that’s why you were always the side piece.

“Why I did it?”

You nod, and he’s silent for a moment.

“I mean, I don’t know. I don’t know why eighteen-year-old me did the shit I did, but I know that I did it and I can’t take it back. I’ve looked back so many times and I still can’t fathom…” Jaehyun trails off, then starts shaking his head, “you know what? Maybe I do know why.”

Don’t cry, you tell yourself. You’re stronger than this. You’re blinking back tears, attempting to keep your voice level as you whisper, “Why then, Jaehyun?”

“It’s not the shocking, life-changing reason I always thought it would be,” he chuckles sadly, “it’s because I was stupid. And careless. I wasn’t thinking, but at the same time I thought I had the world at my feet, and I guess I did but then I…” Jaehyun stops to take a breath after he realizes he’s rambling. “But then I lost you. And that’s when I realized that this, the lying, the cheating, the going behind your backs—it was stupid.”

“It was stupid,” you agree, and he laughs a little more. “But let me ask you one more thing…” you say. He doesn’t reply, but his eyes tell you to go ahead. “Did you love her?” Or did you love me?

Jaehyun nods lazily. “At one point.”

You bite your lip, unsatisfied.

“Did you love me?”

That catches him off-guard. You almost expect him to stop walking the way he’s frozen, and you feel your stomach churning in regret.

“Nevermind, forget I asked that—”

“When you first left, I was unaffected,” Jaehyun interjects. “Like I said, I thought I had the world at my feet, so I thought you were replaceable. I tried replacing you. But it wasn’t the same, no matter how many times I tried, it was never, ever the same,” his eyes muse at you, “No one looked at me the way you did, no one talked to me all night and made me laugh like you did, no one ran circles through my mind like you, no one was like you. So I knew I needed you back, but by the time I realized you were already gone. And that’s when I knew I had fucked up.”

He adds, “So, yeah. I did love you. Maybe it was at the wrong time, maybe it was too late for me to love you, maybe I wasn’t supposed to, but I did and I don’t think I’ve ever stopped.”

Jaehyun’s thumb runs over your eyes, wiping a string of tears that you hadn’t even know you cried. He doesn’t say anything about it, just pulls you closer to his chest.

“What about you?” He asks.

“What about me?”

“Did you love me?”

Now it’s your turn to freeze, and then you almost laugh. Of course, you loved him. You were in love with him. Hopelessly.

“Can I be honest?”

Jaehyun nods. “Mm-hm. That’s what this is all about, right?”

You exhale a sharp breath, preparing to tell one of your deepest, darkest secrets to the one person that was never supposed to know, “When I told you the reason I wanted to end things was because of you cheating on her, that wasn’t the whole truth. It was part of it, and though I’m no homewrecker, there’s another reason. I was in love with you—hopelessly, helplessly, utterly—and I couldn’t stand the thought that you never felt the same, that I was just a plaything to you.”

“Y/n—”

“Let me finish,” you order, “I left to take care of me. I thought it would have been disrespectful towards myself to stay in that position, when from my understanding, I loved you yet you loved her,” you feel another trail of tears coming, and wipe them away before they have the chance to spill. “At that moment, when I found out you already had someone, I felt like I didn’t know you anymore. I thought that maybe you never really cared, and I was the only one that felt it.”

It, the love. The spark. The connection. The butterflies in your stomach when he held you close, or called you cute pet names. The emotion whenever he was deep inside you.

“It felt like I had given my heart to a stranger,” you laugh humorlessly, “because for all I knew, who’s to say I was the only one you were fucking behind her back? I felt so, so stupid. Like I was never enough. And when I first saw your face again after all these years, all of that hurt came back. But at the same time,” you look him in his eyes, “all my feelings for you came back, too.”

It’s silent for a moment, but it isn’t awkward. You’ve just confessed your feelings for one another, not only now, but for the you of two years ago. For the you of eighteen who never thought you’d ever have this chance.

And you can’t believe Jaehyun’s actually had feelings for you, too. It always seemed like some fairytale thing, but hearing one another out like responsible adults instead of immature teens changes things.

“Wow,” Jaehyun whispers in surprise, “Wow. I was such a fool. I made a simple thing so fucking complicated. Imagine where we’d be if I would have just broken up with her and realized my feelings sooner.”

Together. You’d be together, as one.

“Could’ve, would’ve, should’ve, didn’t,” you say lightheartedly, “There’s no use in worrying about that. You’ve apologized. And I forgive you.”

“You forgive me?” Jaehyun gawks. “Why? I thought you’d hate me forever or something.”

“I kinda still hate the you of two years ago, he’s an asshole,” you giggle, “but the you standing next to me right now, today, is a changed man who knows his mistake and won’t do that shit ever a-fucking-gain. Or else.”

Jaehyun snorts. “Of course not. I wouldn’t dare.”

You smile, “Good.”

“Good. So do we address our relationship too, or…”

“Later, please,” you groan. “Come sit by the water with me.”

Jaehyun agrees, and so now you’re sitting at the edge of the pool, your head resting on his shoulder.

“Is SHINee still your favorite band?” He asks.

“Yeah,” you mumble, heart warming at the fact that he even still remembers that.

Then he teases, “Do you still swoon over Lee Taemin?”

You give him a very, very icy glare, “Shut up. I’ll push you into the pool right now.”

“You wouldn’t,” Jaehyun challenges.

Wrong move, you smirk. You love a challenge.

So in one swift movement, you do push him into the pool, and the sound of him yelling and the water splashing is like music to your ears. You giggle, watching as he comes back up, hair heavy and soaked as it sticks to him like a second skin. You also take notice of his white t-shirt, or his abs through the soaked cotton. Six pack. Toned. Stupid dumb crazy hot. Damn, sometimes you forget why you kept coming back to him.

He sneers, unamused. “Not funny.”

“It’s a little funny,” you disagree with a smile.

“Oh yeah?” he says, “Look, Lee Taemin!”

You turn without fully processing his statement yet, “Wha—agh!”

In an even swifter motion, Jaehyun’s pulled your ankles, and now a distracted you falls into the pool with a splash. Not to mention, your bikini cover-up is still on. This, unfortunately, is karma. Inconvenience aside, you’re getting deja vu, a distant memory seeping back into your mind.

You whine, “Not fair.”

“It’s a little fair,” he mocks, and you can’t help but roll your eyes.

“You’re lucky I know how to swim,” you wringe out your hair, “You would have had an lawsuit against you if I didn’t.”

You wonder if he’s taken the hint, if he’s gonna say it. You remember that exact moment, being so close to his face and feeling so warm. I’d never let you drown, baby.

And like a rehearsed line, he says perfectly, “I’d never let you drown, baby.”

“You remember.” Your tone is like a question, but it’s a statement.

“I remember a lot of things about you,” Jaehyun states, and perfectly timed, the current song fades into your all-time personal favorite—SHINee’s 1 of 1. “For instance, is this still your favorite SHINee song?”

One glance in Yeri’s direction confirms your suspicion that this is all her doing, as you see her giggling at you, phone in hand. It was already suspicious of her to play SHINee when she’s an Ariana Grande girl, but now you definitely see her her crystal-clear intentions.

“Yeah,” you mutter, but as you turn back around you notice he’s definitely close enough to hear you. Your noses are almost touching, and you can feel your heart racing. You feel like a teenager in love all over again, blood pumping, your heart beating in your ears. Deja vu.

Jaehyun must be feeling it too, because he asks, “Can I kiss you?”

Yet again, you blush. “Sure.”

And on cue, his lips are against yours. Jaehyun’s still an amazing kisser, he feels gentle yet he’s so fierce, gripping your waist as your fingers tangle in his hair. You know for a fact he’d be even rougher if you weren’t inside of a pool.

His lips feel better than you remember, and then he bites your lip. You moan, lips parting and he darts his tongue in your mouth. You can taste his drink on his tongue, faint remnants of whatever he had in his cup.

Fuck, you forgot how high kissing him makes you feel. It’s like an addictive drug, and you can feel nothing but your heartbeat and his lips on yours. You don’t want him to stop.

And then, to your misfortune, he does stop. You whimper, not really taking notice of how out of breath you are as you’re overcome with greed.

“Why’d you stop?” You frown.

“You need to breathe, babe. You wanna almost drown in the pool like Taeyong?” He laughs.

Speaking of Taeyong, you check on him with your eyes. To your surprise, he’s still talking and laughing with Jaemin, the pair obviously hitting it off and super into one another. It makes you smile. That boy’s had a huge crush on you that you both know you can’t reciprocate for years, and it’s time he lets you go.

“Hello… Earth to y/n? You look like the cute puppy eyes emoji.”

Your eyes snap at Jaehyun, “Shut up,” you reply, “And kiss me.”

“Bossy,” Jaehyun teases, but he must like that about you, because moments later he’s kissing you again, even more passionately than before.

“Oh, c’mon!”

Yeri giggles, “Sorry, y/n. The majority rules!”

For the second day of your California vacation, Yeri’s decided to take everyone to an amusement park an hour out from the hotel. You asked her why she didn’t do Disney Land this year, but she said it was reserved for her first Bae-Cation.

You roll your eyes. What happened to chicks over dicks?

The point is, you wanted to separate into groups, considering it would be easier to keep up with everyone. However, everyone else wanted to do pairs, arguing that there was more freedom and it’d be easier to come towards a mutual decision instead of arguing over what to ride.

So everyone grabs their partners, and you’re shocked when you see Jaemin and Taeyong step beside one another. You’re incredulous. Jaemin’s just been abandoning you left and right ever since he came back.

“You two in love or some shit now?” You fold your arms, eyes pointing at them accusingly. “What happened to those coffee threats, Yong? I thought you said Jaem was annoying. And Jaemin? You said he was scary!”

Jaemin shrugs coolly. “He was, but then I realized something. Taeyong’s like an egg, he has a hard shell—” Taeyong glares, “—nevermind, he doesn’t like that comparison very much. Taeyong’s like a smore, hard on the outside yet warm and soft on the inside. Oh, and very deli—ow!”

Jaemin holds his stomach dramatically, looking at Taeyong who stands with a satisfied grin on his face. Perhaps, Taeyong still is a little scary.

“Jaem! Yong!”

“Ooh, that reminds me,” Jaemin eyes twinkle, “I think our ship name should be Jaeyong.”

Taeyong disagrees, “No way. It should be Taemin.”

“First of all, you two will never be Taemin,” you interject with a scowl. “Anyways, you two figure that out. I’ll go be with my partner.”

And you stomp away to spot Jaehyun waiting for you with a cheeky grin. You’re optionless, you suppose. Yeri’s with Mark again, Taeyong and Jaemin are obviously a thing now, Seulgi’s with Winter and Jennie’s with Nayeon.

It’s not even like last night ended poorly. Last night couldn’t have been better, you spent your time making out and drinking with Jaehyun in the pool until midnight. It was too good to be true, you felt like Cinderella, having to slip back into her normal life by the time the clock struck twelve.

Now though, you have to be alone with Jaehyun. Okay technically, you’ll be surrounded by hundreds of people, and depending on where you go your friends may or may not be accompanying you, though still. It isn’t that you don’t trust him, but isn’t it natural to feel uneasy?

Jaehyun calls, “C’mon, princess! Let’s go get hotdogs. I’m hungry.”

“We ate at the hotel,” you snort.

“So? That was an hour ago. Plus the time it took for us to get through that crazy ass line. If you’re not hungry, I’ll buy you a lemonade or something.”

A lemonade does sound good, you ponder. It’s summertime, and no amount of sunglasses and mosquito-repellent sunscreen is going to help you beat this heat. It’s ninety-something degrees.

“Fine,” you give in, and an eternity later (curse these never-ending lines) you’re sitting down at a bench, you sipping on your humongous cup of lemonade and Jaehyun eating a hotdog.

To be honest, you really didn’t need the largest size that they had. You were just testing his reaction for the fun of it, expecting to have a giggle or two, but he totally surprised you, buying it and insisting you should have it even after you told him that you were just playing.

The Jaehyun you knew three years ago was many things, and rich was not one of them.

“Let’s talk,” he says after discarding his hotdog in the bin. Oh of course, Jaehyun’s brain cannot function when he’s running low on food.

Playing dumb, you ask, “About what?”

“Us,” he answers simply.

“In the middle of an amusement park?”

“It’s important,” Jaehyun grins, “You don’t trust me.”

Perplexity is written all over your face. You trust Jaehyun on the basic level, you feel safe around him and in his embrace. But you’re not sure if you trust him with your heart just yet, and after everything he did, you have the right to be scared.

“And I understand why. I hurt you once, you’re scared I might do it again. So let’s start over,” he concludes, and you blink. “From scratch. Past aside. I want you to get to know me, and I wanna get to know you. I’m sure there’s plenty of things I don’t know about you now.”

I mean, you know the gist. You didn’t say that aloud, of course. Through a discussion last night, he still knows your favorite color and your undying love for pie and SHINee, especially Taemin, your birthday, your mom’s birthday, even your dog’s birthday—okay, maybe he knows too much. Or you overshared. Who knows.

And you still remember a lot of facts about him, but at the same time, there’s still so much you don’t know about one another.

“Right,” you agree, “So by starting over, you mean…”

“Completely,” he answers quick. “Let’s re-introduce ourselves.”

Your lips don’t quiver, drawn into a line. “You gotta be kidding.”

“I’m serious!” Jaehyun claims. “C’mon, I’ll even go first.”

“Jaehyun—”

“Aht, aht! You’re not supposed to know my name,” Jaehyun chides. “Hi, my name’s Jaehyun, I’m twenty-one, and I like Cigarettes After Sex. The band, I mean. I don’t smoke.”

You roll your eyes. There was no need for him to explain, because literally everybody knows Jaehyun likes Cigarettes After Sex, the same way everyone knows you like SHINee. But for the sake of placating him and getting this over with, you refuse to make any comments.

“This is so corny.”

“The longer you wait the longer it takes.”

Reluctantly you give in, but not without a groan. “Hi, Jaehyun. My name’s y/n, I’m also twenty-one, and I like SHINee.”

Jaehyun claps dramatically, “Bravo! Was that so hard?”

“Yes, actually.”

He giggles, tells you to stop being dramatic and you two begin your mission to ride every ride that you can within the span of a few hours. You get more snacks in between, sharing a container of butter-y delicious popcorn and double-dating some rides with the other pairs (which unfortunately happens to lead to you witnessing Mark throwing up in a bush).

Unfortunately, time flies by fast when you’re having fun, and when Yeri texts the Pal-Cation Pals group chat to meet up by the first popcorn stand in fifteen minutes, you know you have little time remaining, enough for one last ride.

The Ferris Wheel.

Last but not least, the Ferris Wheel. You and Jaehyun have been saving it for last, agreeing the full experience is at dark night, when the colorful lights illuminate the indigo sky.

“Let’s go!” You pull him into a cart, and he laughs at your enthusiasm.

When the ride starts, Jaehyun holds your hand and you rest your head on his shoulder. It feels nice and comfortable, and you quickly realize you miss having him like this. Close to you. And it’s silent for a moment. You and Jaehyun have always had these moments together, where you’re not talking one another’s ears off, but holding each other in warm silence. You have always valued the other’s company.

You watch as the world gets smaller underneath your feet, how the Ferris wheel lights twinkle in vibrant colors, and shine on its surroundings. You see how the other rides glow in the dark, appearing so close yet so far away.

It’s beautiful. Your eyes flare different colors—red, blue, pink, green—as you gawk in wonder. If you could, you’d stay like this forever, watching this astonishing sight with Jaehyun at your side.

“You look pretty in the light,” Jaehyun marvels, snapping you out of your daze. The butterflies and their flapping wings come back, and he’s always been able to make you feel like this so easily.

Warmth fills your cheeks, and you turn around so that he doesn’t notice. “Don’t I always? Or are you saying I only look pretty in the light?”

Jaehyun rolls his eyes, “You’re still impossible. I’m trying to flirt with you.”

“Then do so,” you smile. “Keep telling me about how pretty I am.”

“Look at me,” Jaehyun whispers, but it’s loud and clear to you. Slowly, you do look at him, noticing the way his lips curl into a soft grin, and how the purple light casts on his gorgeous skin and features. “Your lips are pretty, too.”

Next, he’ll call your bones pretty and you’ll still feel your face flush with heat.

Jaehyun kissed you for hours last night, but when his lips collide with yours again you know that you’ll never get used to the feeling. Your fingers card through his hair while his gravitate towards your skin, cold hands sending a shiver down your spine as they mesh with the evening warmth.

You bite at his lip this time, wallowing in the sound of his moan as it tumbles from between his parted lips. He can feel you smiling, the corners of your lips spreading apart as you stifle a laugh.

It feels like fire consumes you, like you’re melting, melting into his touch, like candle wax as his fingertips trace your skin. Like a bomb’s ignited inside you, like you’re exploding, and the more you feel him the more you desire him. The more you crave him, the more your body yearns for him.

You know you have him when you move for his neck, marking a trail of red lipstick stains that look purple in the light. He takes it as a challenge, retaliating with a bite at your neck that makes you sigh in pleasure, and this is definitely why you get along so well—you’re compatible.

“When we get back,” you gasp, ignoring the complacent look he casts at you, “Meet me in my room.”

“What about the others?”

“They saw us making out in the pool, Jaehyun, literally nobody cares,” you roll your eyes. “No more sneaking around shit, right?”

He smiles, “Right. Can’t anyways, your lipstick is all over my throat.”

You giggle, and bring him back in for another kiss as the ride begins to slow to an end.

The next couple of days are equally eventful, yet fly by far too quickly for your liking. You hit the beach and unfortunately witness a woman being stung by a jelly fish, visit some museums, the zoo, and even hike near the Hollywood sign. You also make sure to spend Yeri’s money on some souvenirs, and Jaehyun buys you matching necklaces. You have his J, he has your first initial.

Today is Saturday—already. Tomorrow you will return home, and you’re not sure if you’re ready or not. You sigh as you scroll through your camera roll. You’ve had so much fun this week, there’s the pictures of Mark’s scared face on the roller coaster, Taeyong buried alive into the sand, Yeri and the girls trying on humongous sun glasses at the mall, and the video of Jaemin and Jaehyun arm-wrestling to determine who’s the better Jae to prove it (Jaehyun won).

Like a normal Saturday, today’s the one chill day. The whole week has been chaotic in a fun way, but Yeri had nothing else planned, so she told everyone to take a day to wind down and feel free to venture out to wrap up the vacation.

Which leads you to now.

Jaehyun and you agreed to visit the park, just walking around and talking, and perhaps doing some making out in between. You’ve been doing that a lot lately, and you’re pretty sure you’re addicted. It’s like there’s crack in his lips that cannot simply be fixed with chapstick.

“It’s hot,” you complain.

Jaehyun snorts. “We’re in California, babe. Imagine Yeri took us to Florida.”

You wince. You’re barely beating the Californian heat, there’s no way you’ll survive down south in Florida. It doesn’t even snow there.

“I thought you were gonna say some fake-romantic shit, like I’ll reach into the sky and throw the sun into the freezer, princess, just say the word,” you mimick his voice exaggeratedly.

Jaehyun rolls his eyes, but laughs nonetheless, “No can do, princess,” he teases, “but I can get us some ice cream from that stand over there. Stay put, I’ll be right back.”

“Wait!” You shout. “You even know what I want?”

He says your favorite flavor, and even your preferred container to consume it in, “Right?”

A smile spreads on your lips, and your heart flutters. He remembers. “Right.”

Jaehyun shoots you a smile then jogs over to the ice cream stand, pulling his wallet from his pockets. You gotta remember to ask him where he’s getting all this money from, this man could be a drug dealer for all you know.

Nonetheless, you sit at a nearby bench and pull out your phone. Nothing beats checking up on your Animal Crossing island while you wait.

You notice the presence of someone sitting beside you but don’t bat an eye, knowing without looking that it isn’t Jaehyun. And who are you to shoo away a stranger if they want to rest their feet?

“You must be y/n,” hearing your name, your eyes snap to the side instinctively.

And that’s when you realize that this stranger may not be as unknown as you initially thought.

Your eyes widen, “You…”

“I am, Jaehyun’s ex-girlfriend,” she, Victoria announces proudly, like it’s some achievement to be clipped onto the fridge.

You never met her, but you’ll never forget her name, or her face for that matter. It’s kind of stupid, how you found out. You were on Instagram, and you saw Jaehyun’s account in the replies of Yeri’s post. You clicked his profile, because you had never exchanged accounts before, and you quickly saw why.

He didn’t post her often, amongst all the flaunting images of himself, but when he did he made it crystal clear that she was his girlfriend, and what sole other woman would he continuously post onto his page?

“What are you doing here?” You ask, an obviously bitter edge to your voice. It isn’t she that you should be bitter towards, but you can’t help but feel slightly defensive.

“Relax, darling, I’m not stalking you on whatever summer vacation he’s had the courtesy to whisk you away on,” Victoria giggles. Of course not, that would be obsessive. “It’s actually a coincidence to see you, but since we’re here, let’s talk.”

Disinterested, you reply, “There’s nothing for you and I to discuss.”

“Of course, there is! You were fucking with him while he was with me, right?” she gives you a picture-perfect smile that makes you want to grit your teeth, yet you compose yourself. She sighs, “You know that, and yet you’re like what, dating him now? I’m telling you now, once a cheater, always a cheater. You might think he loves you now, but I promise you, he’ll stab you in the back the moment you aren’t looking.”

Victoria misjudges your silence as you giving her the go-ahead to continue, “I know that you know, and I know you’re trying to convince yourself that he’s changed, but he’s still the same old bastard he was three years ago. I mean just look at him, he’s even flirting with that lady now.”

With furrowed brows, you turn in Jaehyun’s direction, eyes finding that he actually is flirting with the ice cream lady. You can’t believe your eyes. Really? The fucking ice cream woman? He isn’t trying to be subtle with it, either.

She tilts her head as she speaks in your ear, “See? He doesn’t give a fuck. Not about you, not about her, not about any of us. You’re just yet another notch in his belt.”

And suddenly, all those doubts come back, the ones that you had pushed away and replaced with your growing feelings for him. Yet now that they’re existing within the same space, it’s even more terrifying, it’s exactly what you feared.

What if Jaehyun never really cared? What if all this is just some big act? What if he’s just been playing with your emotions this entire time? What if you don’t really know Jaehyun like you thought?

You want him, but what if he doesn’t really want you?

Jaehyun walks over, seemingly not noticing his ex-girlfriend’s presence, “I got the ice cream. Who’s th—Victoria?”

“Hello, Jaehyun,” she waves, offering him a smile. “We were just talking about you.”

“What the fuck did you tell her?” Jaehyun scowls, taking notice of your silence and the empty, unhappy gaze you shoot him. You don’t even smile, hardly even blink.

Victoria shrugs. “Nothing she doesn’t already know.”

“I’m walking back to the hotel,” you announce, sliding your phone back into your pocket and peeling yourself off of the bench.

“Wait!”

He calls out your name.

For the third time, you turn and walk away.

This time, though, he’s not letting you walk away. Not without putting up a fight first.

“Why are we doing this again?” Jaehyun yells. “Why? Did I do something? We can just talk this out, you know. What happened to no more secrets?”

You retort, “You fucking tell me, Jaehyun! How am I supposed to know that you don’t have secrets?”

“The same goddamn way I know you don’t have any! Trust!” And the realization hits him hard. He knows that it’s only been some days, but what could Victoria have said to make you back out so hastily? “Is that what it is? You don’t trust me?”

Tears sting your eyes. “Trust you? You want me to trust you? With you being the kind of person you are? You’re out of luck.”

That burned Jaehyun. After all of the bonding you’ve done lately, he would’ve thought that you would trust him a little more, but he sees clearly now. He sees that he’s done all he can do, and now it’s time for you to do your part.

“What kind of person am I, y/n?” He asks coldly, shoving his hands in his pockets.

You spit, “You’re an asshole.”

“Yeah?” Jaehyun laughs tonelessly, “Well frankly I think you’re an asshole, too. So when you’re ready to be assholes together, let me know.”

And this time, Jaehyun’s the one that walks away. This time, you understand his pain, as you have those tear-stung eyes and that quivering voice. That empty feeling inside, the pang in your heart. The way it’s killing you inside, but you don’t have it in you to move, to chase him. All you can do for now is let it eat at you slowly.

Maybe Victoria was wrong. Maybe you’re planting the knife in your own back.

Sunday comes slowly, and you’re glad you didn’t ride the same van as Jaehyun. You still have to deal with the curious stares your friends shoot you, but it’s better than confronting your emotions, or at least you think it is.

You’re not ready yet.

When you get home, the first time you do is order Panda Express via Uber Eats so that you don’t starve as you rot in your room. The next thing you do is flop against your bed and and sob.

A few days go by like this, in pure brutal agony. You drowning in your thoughts, the maybes and the what if’s. You feel like a teenage girl experiencing her first break-up, lost and confused and unsure of how to deal with the hurt. It’s no one’s fault but yours though, and it’s your job to fix it or forever hold your peace.

Love is hard. You know that. You accept that. If you couldn’t, then it would be wrong of you to try be in a real relationship. But loving, as a verb, is easy. Too easy. So easy, to the point where sometimes, you don’t realize you’re doing it until it’s too late. What’s harder is accepting the fact that love isn’t a choice, but a feeling. If it was, you would have chosen to stop loving Jaehyun years ago. You would have chosen to fall in love with Taeyong, or maybe even Kai.

But your heart chose Jung Jaehyun, and it must have a mind of it’s own, because no matter how much you tell it to let go, it doesn’t listen.

That’s why as the days go by, they’re slow and empty. Because Jaehyun’s not there. Not with you. And a little voice in the back of your head is saying he’s with another girl, but your heart is telling you to have faith. You are severely conflicted.

Just when you think you might just spend the rest of your life rotting here, you’re quickly proven wrong by the dedication and genuine care and concern of your best friends.

“Hey, bitch,” Jaemin strolls in casually, as though this is his room, “New guy already?”

“What?”

“Some guy opened the door,” he replies, flopping against your bean-bag cough.

You blink, gears turning in your mind as you try to decipher what man could possibly be inside of your house—oh. You roll your eyes, “That’s my roommate’s boyfriend, you dumbass.”

“Oh,” Jaemin mumbles, then his eyes twinkle as he makes a move for your desk, “Ooh, Panda Express.”

Suddenly, Yeri storms inside your bedroom, flickering on the lights inside your very much dim and deprived of life, sunshine and happiness room, chanting vigorously the lyrics to Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj’s The Light is Coming, “The light is coming to give back everything the darkness stole!”

You groan, yanking the sheets and comforter over your face to block out the light like a vampire, “You guys, please leave me alone.”

“Nope,” says Taeyong, who follows suit after your other friends, venturing into your room. You fight, you tugging the covers towards you while he attempts at pulling them off. It’s a quick battle which you lose, and you soon accept defeat. “You’ve been suffering in silence—and darkness—for far too long. So, fess up. What did that punk do? Do I need to prepare the coffee?”

You sigh, Saturday seeping back into your memory. “He didn’t do anything.”

Jaemin blinks. “What do you mean? Why else have you been sulking in your bedroom for the past four days like a divorced man who’s ex-wife took the kids and the TV? Shit, all you’re missing is a bar and some alcohol at this point.”

You roll your eyes, “I mean, I was the one that fucked up this time.”

“What?”

“What?”

“What?”

They all gasp involuntarily, and if you had it in you, you would roll your eyes at the chorus of what’s.

That day rewinds in your head, how it was so warm then so cold within a matter of moments. Your eyes water as you recall everything that happened, Victoria, your public altercation, walking back to the hotel alone while it felt like there was a rain cloud above your head, despite the piping hot conditions outdoors.

It isn’t like you don’t want to let Jaehyun in. You do, but you’re terrified of granting him that permission, of giving him your heart when he’s broken it before. But this way, you’re only breaking your heart more, and breaking his, too.

“I did something stupid. I assumed the worst when I shouldn’t have, and then I got scared. So I ran,” you want to bury yourself underneath the covers and sink into the earth to be forgotten, but you have to deal with your mistakes. “And I broke his heart. Now I need to fix it, but I don’t fucking know how.”

Yeri thinks you’re dumb.

Taeyong thinks you’re stupid.

Jaemin thinks you’re out of your fucking mind and an absolute fool for letting your thoughts destroy you, but he’ll do whatever he can to help.

“Talk to him, duh,” Yeri says like it’s the most obvious thing in the world, and it is, but easier said than done.

“How? I bet he doesn’t even want to see my face.”

“Are you kidding?” Jaemin gawks. “He’s been moping around the apartment like literally all week, and me and Jongin haven’t said anything because we thought it was his fault! He also has divorced man syndrome!”

Oh. You feel extra stupid now, and you can’t believe you let Victoria get in your head. Collapsing onto your pillow, you groan, “I really am an asshole.”

“Maybe, yeah,” Taeyong agrees, “but so is he, you guys are a match made in heaven.”

“Or hell,” Jaemin chimes in.

Taeyong glares. “With that being said—and I mean this in the friendliest way possible—get your head out of your ass and go talk to him.”

And you smile softly at that. If Taeyong’s giving you the push, you know that everyone’s right and you need to do something. Now.

You nod and whip out your phone with a sigh, opening iMessage. Can we talk?

(Delivered.)

(Read.)

Sure.

Antsy, you’re fidgeting. Your anxiety is spiking and you can feel your heartbeat directly in your eardrums, but this time your fears won’t scare you off. You wait for Jaehyun, feet tapping against the ground restlessly, until you see him nearing.

He walks over to your side, leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets and you feel your heart wrenching a little when you notice that he doesn’t give you his wild grin he usually shoots whenever he sees you. His face is inscrutable, and you bite back the urge to run, because you know now that no matter how fast you run, you’ll never be able to hide from your feelings.

“Hey,” your voice is giving up on you, but you refuse to let it. Get a grip.

“Hey,” Jaehyun whispers back. His eyes are dark and empty, and that’s how you know you cut him deep. There’s always a gleam to his eyes, whether sad or blissful.

You can do this, you tell yourself. You’ve talked to him about much worse before, this should be nothing. But still, it’s never been quite like this. You’ve never made this bad of a mistake.

“About Saturday,” you begin, still fidgeting but managing to look at him, “I’m sorry. I jumped to conclusions instead of asking you, instead of trusting you, and I let Victoria get in my head—”

“Yeah, what the hell was that about?” Jaehyun interjects. “Sorry for interrupting you, but I’m still confused. Did I do something?”

“She pointed out that you were flirting with the ice cream lady. What was that?”

Jaehyun blinks, processing your statement, and when he does he begins shaking his head, “Seriously? You’re telling me this is all over the fucking ice cream? I was only flirting with her to get free ice cream! You know they was trying to charge me fifteen dollars for 4 scoops?”

“It’s not just that!” You exclaim. “Like, yeah, that triggered it, but—fuck, Jaehyun, I was scared, I was so fucking scared. I was overthinking, and all my doubts and fears came back, that what if you never cared, what if you don’t want me like I want you, what if I don’t know you like I think I do? I was scared to trust you, scared that I love you because I don’t want to lose you again—”

If Jaehyun was a dog, his ears would perk up. “You love me?”

“Yes,” you answer boldly. “I love you, Jaehyun. I’m in love with you, and up until now that scared me half to death, because I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to know that you love me, too,” and especially enough to stay. “But now I know. I trust you, Jaehyun. I love you, I want you, and I’m gonna be honest, I’m still a little scared. But that’s what love is, trusting someone to not break your heart. It’s a risk I’m ready to take for you.”

Jaehyun is silently stunned. He doesn’t have much to say, taken aback by your confession and the fact this actually happening. “You mean that?”

You nod, smiling. “Every word.”

In seconds, Jaehyun has you pinned to the wall, his lips against yours. God, you missed this feeling. The feeling of his plush lips against yours, his hands on your body. You miss kissing him irresistibly, every hour of every day, for moments at a time until you were breathless.

Jaehyun seems to have missed it just as much, kissing you with a passion—hungrily; greedily. He kisses you like he can’t have enough, like his lips have an insatiable hunger.

And you can’t believe you’re making out with him behind your apartment, but you’re willing to try new things for him.

Jaehyun taps your thighs, and by now you know that that meets to jump, so you do, shrieking a little, yet he doesn’t let you fall. “I got you,” he whispers in between kisses, breath tickling your skin, “and I won’t ever let you go.”

It’s been five days. You’ve been trying not to think too hard about the label thing, maybe Jaehyun is planning something, he wouldn’t just forget to ask you to be his girlfriend.

You’re walking back to your apartment when it happens.

“Excuse me,” a stranger with an oddly familiar voice calls at to you, and when you whirl around, the last person to see is…

“Taemin?” You nearly scream. He points his index finger to his lips, gesturing for you to be quiet, which makes sense because you’re in public but there’s literally no way the man standing before you is the Lee Taemin. You’re dreaming.

You even pinch yourself, much to his amusement, and come to the realization that this is very much real. You could faint. Taemin? Lee Taemin? From SHINee? There’s simply no way.

“I believe this is for you,” Taemin holds in his hands your all-time favorite SHINee album, The Misconception Of Us. You take it, staring at the album in disbelief. You’re gawking. “And one last thing. Come with me, please?”

Okay, what the hell. He has to be trying to kidnap you or something, it’s perfect bait. Who wouldn’t agree to follow their favorite artist after they randomly pop up behind you and offer you your favorite album for free? You’re lucky it isn’t some kidnapping scheme, because you ultimately end up following him despite your doubts.

He takes you to the cafe, which, to your surprise is empty. At least you think it is, until Jaehyun slips out of hiding, walking up to you with a smile.

“Jaehyun,” you can’t help smile back, “What the?”

“Flip it over,” he says, gesturing towards the album, and curiously, you obey. To the back is attached a sticky note that says, To my 1 of 1 girl, will you be my girlfriend? It’s cheesy, but it has you smiling so hard your cheeks hurt.

“Yes!” Instantly, you crash into his arms. “Yes, yes, yesyes yes—” he has to cut you off with his lips, and you melt into kiss.

You pull away the second you hear the intro to your favorite song, 1 of 1, and look onto the cafe stage (yes, the cafe has a stage for Friday through Saturday night performances) to see Taemin beginning to sing and cover the other members parts.

You’re mind-blown. A part of you is still convinced that this is a dream, because how the fuck did Jaehyun get a man as busy as Lee Taemin to do this? You forgot to ask him who he works for, but do drug dealers have Lee Taemin money?

“How did you—”

“Shh,” Jaehyun pecks your lips, “Taemin’s singing.”

You roll your eyes, yet giggle. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Jaehyun engulfs you in a warm, comfortable hug, “And only you.”

When he says it, you trust him. You believe him. Because the Jung Jaehyun you know and love today is a man of his word, and that means you get to love him with no fears, and no worries.

Love is a challenge. And in this moment and the next, it’s safe to say you’ve won.

[lcvecove]

⭑     …     ❝ 𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐍 ❞ ; connor bedard

𝓹airing , fem!crosby!reader x connor bedard

in which supporting a crosby is in every canadian’s blood , so when sid’s daughter competes in the olympics, everyone is there to support, including her boyfriend connor.

꒰ 𝓷ote , I did use a few of summer’s pictures in this if you recognized her. she was obviously a huge inspiration for this smau. this was such a fun pairing to write! I might just have to write them again in the future 😋 . . . ꒱

TSN

liked by connorbedard, jackhughes and others.

TSN: Y/N Crosby competed at the 2024 olympics. The eighteen year old won four medals in total for Canada. Three of which were gold, while also setting a new world record.

. . . view all comments

user87: those crosby genes are strong

natemackinnon: YEAH SHE DID!

user12: always a good time when we get to see a crosby competing at the olympics

user15: *** a crosby carrying canada on their backs at the olympics

user98: *** a crosby dominating the olympics

pittsburgpenguins: baby sid all grown up and breaking records 🥺

kletang: just the other day she was a baby barely fitting in the stanley cup and now she’s a grown up

geno.malkin: little sid doing big sid things 😌

user11: I wonder if she ever gets tired of everyone always mentioning her dad when talking about her accomplishments

user52: I mean it’s hard not to mention him, considering her dad is THE sidney crosby.

user14: I think it’s really sweet how sid always tries to stay out of the spotlight to let her have her moment though. always trying to make sure no one spots him at her events and stuff. so all the attention will remain on her.

user19: I also think it helps that they have a really good relationship, Y/N is always happy to talk about her dad and has said countless times how much she admires him and how big of an influence he’s had on her life and her career. I think she understands what a big figure in canadian sports history her dad is and copes with that pretty well.

bradmarchand: doing us proud 🇨🇦

user70: am I going crazy or did you guys also see bedsy on your screen while she was swimming?

user56: I saw him too! wonder what he’s doing in Paris👀

yncrosby

liked by connorbedard, willsmith, and others.

yncrosby: had my brat summer in paris😚⭐️🥐

. . . view all comments

charlixcx: so iconic of you 💋

yncrosby: OMGG

yourbff: my best friend is an olympic gold medalist ⭐️😌

bradmarchand: kid better watch his hands

yncrosby: you can’t even see his hands ??

natemackinnon: exactly.

geno.malkin: good job baby sid

yncrosby: thank you G💛

user16: girl just tag him already we all know who it is

user13: fr. as if the TSN panel hasn’t been discussing their relationship for the last week 😭

sportsworld

sportsworld: nhl superstar connor bedard seen with girlfriend Y/N crosby in vancouver over the weekend. the pair was spotted having lunch with Y/N’s dad, Sidney Crosby.

. . . view all comments

connorbedard: *** seen with three time gold medalist Y/N crosby

user17: tell them king

user89: the fact that him confirming their relationship is because he won’t allow them to diminish her accomplishments is so freaking precious 😭

user19: canada’s royal couple

user99: they’re so cute🥺

user12: the way they look at each other , stoppp

user98: sitting on his lap in front of your dad is brave

user90: oh to be a fly on the wall when they announced their relationship to sid😭

user65: or all the honorary uncles. I just know nate, brad, geno, etc. gave him soooo much shit

connorbedard

liked by macklincelebrini, kevinkorchinski, and others.

connorbedard: wag summer 😌

👤 ; yncrosby

. . . view all comments

adamfantilli: my favourite wag🙂‍↕️

yncrosby: same😋

user16: a rare unsponsored bedsy post

user13: all his posts are either about hockey or his gf. there’s no in between

user99: dedicated to the two loves of his life. we love to see it

maddybedard: these pics are so cute 🤍

yncrosby: thanks to you ms photographer 🥰

maddybedard: the least I could do since you took me to paris

yncrosby: ❤️❤️❤️

connorbedard: ❤️❤️❤️

user14: simp

user95: the fact that he only responded to her comment

user61: can’t wait to see all the content we’re about to get of these two since they’re public now

[i-care-4u]

QUIT | J. FÉLIX

PAIR: JOÃO FÉLIX X FEM!READER

REQUESTS ARE CLOSED | MASTERLIST

you loved joão the way he loved his past lover. from the first time dating joão, you couldn’t help but to feel lucky that you’re in a relationship with the rising star. however, it wasn’t the same case with joão. in simple terms, you were just his rebound.

during the course of your relationship, joão would think about his past relationship with his ex. everything reminded him of her where even doing the simplest tasks like going to the grocery store was a sign that he just misses her presence.

your friends noticed the body language between you and joão. while you were being too attached to him by resting your head on his shoulder, he wouldn’t lay an eye on you. rather, he would think about his ex, and a memory involving a moment like this.

you remembered the conversation you had the next day with your friend.

your friend, clara, argued, “y/n baby, that man didn’t even laid an eye on you.”

you were feeding into your delusions, believing that joão loves you, “maybe he’s just tired, okay?”

“tired? he was very much outgoing when i saw him with his friends while you were asleep on the couch,” clara sighed, “y/n, i don’t care about his status, but you can do better.”

“i can’t.”

you were well aware of the people’s opinion of you. when the internet found out that you and joão were dating, people began comparing you to his ex, where you were considered the “better” girlfriend. of course, you didn’t liked being compared to his ex, who had a history of cheating. joão had been cheated on a couple of times, therefore making you feel bad for him.

“what do you mean you can’t?”

you repeated, “i can’t let him go like that.”

clara looks at you, “y/n, isn’t it obvious? joão hasn’t moved on.”

that sentence was engraved in your head for the next month and forward.

there was a thing that people say: your first love is unforgettable.

-

as predicted, you and joão broke up the following month. around this time was when his ex came back to the city.

you had a hard time ignoring the interactions between joão and his ex. you were upset that he came back to her after what she did, but you were so defensive of joão, who will experience heartbreak once more.

everyday, you come on instagram to check up on joão to see what he’s up to. in recent events, he was seen hanging out with his now girlfriend at a nearby restaurant. that girlfriend being the same one that cheated on him months prior.

“he’s with her again?” your friend, isabel, looked at the picture of joão and the girl. you knew who she was talking about instantly.

“yeah…” your voice softened, sensing insecurity.

isabel puts her phone on the coffee table.

you sighed, “i just don’t get why he came back to her after everything she did. i just want to see him happy.”

“i know you want to see him thrive again, and it’s not your fault that he went back to his old ways. there’s going to be someone else that’ll truly love you.”

isabel was right, and you knew that. however, you were constantly reminded about the things you and joão did during the course of your relationship.

as days turned into months, you couldn’t help but to continue to view how joão was doing online. he seems perfectly fine, according to his posts on instagram. the more you scrolled down, the more you realized that you could’ve been there. spanish grand prix? that was your idea. miami, florida? that was originally a trip you planned with him.

you couldn’t help but to tear up. as you set your phone down, you thought about everything that is going on in your life. you keep agreeing with your friends telling you to move on, but the process was hard for you.

-

you flew to barcelona with clara and isabel, where you three were going to stay for a week.

the third day, you three attended the fc barcelona game. you were a fan since childhood, and you were overjoyed at the fact that you’re finally seeing your team live.

“i can’t wait to see pedri play,” isabel looked at the field where all the players are standing.

some big names showed up on the lineup. lewandowski, pedri, de jong, gavi, but one of them stood out to you. as you paid close attention to the player’s face, you felt disbelief. the number 14 jersey belonged to someone that you used to know. that face looked familiar, as it belonged to joão félix. joão, the one who dreamed about playing for fc barcelona. and it was the same joão who had left you for his cheating ex.

“oh…” you didn’t know what to say. rather than saying something about joão to your friends, you instead kept it to yourself.

however, joão is an important part of your love life. of course, your friends brought it up.

“félix is playing for barça now?” clara asked you and isabel.

you avoided clara’s question and remained focused on the field. meanwhile, isabel nods, “yeah.”

they both turn to face you. as you see their eyes staring at you, you chose to ignore them.

isabel pats your shoulder, “hey, i know joão is in the same place right now and if you want, we can leave the stadium and go explore other parts of the city, no?”

focusing on the game, you didn’t want to exit the game. it didn’t even hit half time yet. “no, i’m good where i’m at. i don’t want to waste any of our money because of him.”

-

after the game, everyone including the three of you, started exiting the stadium. as you were on your way out of the seats, a pair of eyes looked at you. you ignored what was going on in the background and ignored that joão was playing for your childhood team for now.

on the field, joão was ready to end the night. he was giving hand shakes to the opposing team, and entered the locker room before leaving the stadium for today.

in the locker room, joão couldn’t stop thinking about what could’ve possibly been you in that audience.

“you’ve been quiet today joão. what’s up?” ferran sat down next to him.

“i saw her. she was with her friends just now.”

“joão, you need to leave her, she’s no good for you. are you aware on how many times she has cheated on you?”

“it’s not about her. it’s another girl.” joão sighed.

“please don’t tell me. y/n?”

joão nodded silently, his thoughts racing. maybe ferran was right: he needed to move on from his past, the cycle of grief and longing. however, facing reality proved more difficult than he had anticipated. ferran placed a hand on joão's shoulder, conveying concern. "joão, you should let go. you can't keep clutching onto something that isn't meant to be. i’ve seen the body language between you two, and turns out, it’s not meant to be.”

-

listening to ferran's words, joão rather ignored him. instead, he decides to navigate the crowds of barcelona. glancing around, he noticed a familiar woman standing in the crowd, her presence both comfortable and alarming. it was you.

time appeared to stand still as their gazes locked, the air thick with unspoken words and lingering feelings. joão experienced contradictory emotions, including longing, remorse, and hope for the future. joão approached you with confidence and a fast heartbeat. "y/n," he said softly, his voice full of apprehension. you were surprised and concerned. "joão," you replied softly.

you and joão were struck by the shared history and feelings while standing in the city center. It was as if time had folded in on itself, forcing you guys to confront memories from their past. joão interpreted your eyes as a reflection of his own sadness and longing. he wanted to reach out and bridge the gap between you and him, but he wasn't sure if he had the right to beg for forgiveness.

you were also suffering with your own inner turmoil, torn between the sorrow of the past and the light of hope in your heart. you hoped joão had changed and was ready to go forward, but feared disappointment. joão broke the silence with a mumbled plea. "y/n, i understand i made mistakes, but i want to make things right. i want to show you that i've changed and that i'm no longer the same person i was before."

as joão's comments hung in the air, you felt a knot in your gut, hanging down like a heavy load from your shared history. you wanted to believe him, trusting his good intentions, but you knew some wounds were too deep to repair. your voice was trembling with emotion. "joão, i've seen you repeatedly go back to her, not once, but three times, and i won't accept it. i cannot be seen with someone who has not been healed from their past relationship."

your statements broke joão and revealed the brutal reality of their situation. he wanted to protest and beg you to give him another chance, but he knew it would only exacerbate his impending sorrow. joão bowed deeply, burdened by his wordless regret. he realized he had lost you not only now, but possibly forever.

“as much as i love you, all i can tell you is good luck finding someone.”

as you turned away, your footsteps echoing in the deserted streets, joão was left alone with his thoughts, grappling with the bitter taste of regret and haunting echoes of what may have happened.

[phillystrega]

To Be Gorgeous, To Be Seen 1/4

aka my response to the first prompt in the 911 What’s Your Pride Event.

My responses will be separate posts/chapters but all of them will take place in June between seasons 7 and 8. AKA Buck’s first Pride.

Also on AO3 here.

They’d been seated for lunch for all of five minutes when Buck said, “did you know there was a chevalier in France during the American Revolution who was definitely born a dude but successfully sued the French government for them to identify her as a woman?”

Eddie and Hen blinked at him from over their lunch plates but it was Bobby who broke the silence by saying, not unkindly, “no Buck, I did not know that, nor did I expect it to be your answer to the question as to whether you did inventory yet or not.”

“Oh. Uh, no.” Truthfully, he doesn’t even remember being assigned inventory today, which is unlike him. Inventory is his favorite, it basically mandates use of a clipboard.

“What's a chevalier?’ Eddie asked, throwing Buck a much-needed life preserver.

“It’s like a knight,” Buck said. “She spied on England for France. Told France they should help the Americans during the revolution. It was pretty dope.”

Eddie nodded like, yeah, pretty dope. Hen just squinted at him before exchanging a look with Chim that usually didn’t bode well for Buck.

“Buck, are you speed running queer history?”

“No,” Buck said quickly, then, “well, not on purpose, but I mean, I was googling some stuff and I just kinda ended up there.”

“I’d rather he talk about gay history than have to hear any more about artificial insemination programs for fish,” Eddie said, making a face.

“Hey, overfishing is a serious issue,” Buck protested–the most dangerous fish in North America was also suffering from population decline and Buck felt more people should know about that. The look on Eddie’s face said he clearly didn’t agree on that point.

“So this is, what,” Chimney said, “your belated bi research dive?”

“I don't think the chevalier was bi,” is all Buck can think of to say.

“Wait,” Eddie said, putting his fork down. “Are you even bi? I didn’t think you’d picked a word yet?”

“Oh, uh,” Buck suddenly was very aware of every face at the table turning towards him. “Yeah, that’s. I’m bi.” He feels himself flushing a bit which seems silly considering the number of intimate personal stuff he’s shared previously at this table.

Chimney took a handful of parmesan out of its small serving dish and threw it into the air like it was confetti. “Mazel tov.”

“I am not cleaning that up,” Ravi called from the end of the table.

“Are you freaking out?” Eddie asked.

Buck frowned. “I have a tiny dust pan, I’ll clean the spaghetti cheese…”

“I forgot about the tiny dust pan,” Eddie admitted.

“I could never forget about the tiny dust pan,” Chim sighed.

“The tiny dust pan should’ve been our first clue you weren’t straight,” Hen said. “But I think Eddie meant are you freaking out about the bi thing.”

“I am not freaking out,” Buck said, making a show of saying so as calmly as possible. He meant for that to have a reassuring effect on his teammates but judging by everyone’s face, he missed the mark.

“It’s a big thing to learn about yourself,” Bobby said. “An adjustment period is normal.”

“I have adjusted, the adjusting has happened,” Buck said. “Now I’m just…you know. Learning things. About the community.”

“So you are speed running queer history,” Hen said, pointing a finger at him in a way that made Buck want to slide under the table a little bit.

“I don’t think Tommy’s gonna insist on giving you a pop quiz before he takes his pants off,” Chimney said.

“He definitely is not,” Buck said, smirking, and he batted away the balled up napkin Chim immediately sent in his direction. “No, I just, I don’t wanna embarrass myself, and by extension him, by not knowing these things about a community that’s supposed to be, like, mine now.”

“Maybe it would help if you actually went out to meet the community,” Hen said. “Come with me to the Queer LAFD Committee meeting.”

“We have a committee?” Buck perked up at that, the part of him that enjoys knowing rules and procedures suddenly intrigued by a whiff of bureaucracy.

Hen looked amused by him and reached over to gently pat his hand. “There are bylaws and everything.”

“Hear that, Buck?” Eddie said, voice full of false excitement. “Bylaws!”

“Or is it bi laws,” Chim said, eyebrows moving up and down. “Get it? Bi laws, like bi–”

“We get it,” everyone at the table droned.

“Just for that,” Bobby announced as he rose from his seat, plate in hand. “You have to clean the cheese confetti off the table.”

Chim frowned and watched as everyone else got up, one by one, to follow Bobby to the dishwasher.

As Buck moved up from his seat and passed Chim, he clapped a hand on his brother-in-law’s shoulder, and whispered, “And you’re not allowed to use my little dust pan.”

[dramaticals]

daisy chains

pairing: theodore nott x reader

summary: daisy chains mean a lot to you, and theo makes you one to tell you how he feels. fluff. / requested by anonymous.

word count: 789

author's note: i fear i'm an angst gal and i'm rusty when it comes to fluff. and if you squint, pansy's also interested in reader.

"When will you give it up?"

Your fingers were stained green, and loose petals were sticking to your fingers. It was a messy task that shouldn't have been messy at all, but you were determined, as always.

"Never," you said, giving Pansy a pointed look. "Daisy chains are so cute. My dad used to make them for my mom and me when I was younger. Honestly, if someone made me one, I'd take it as a sign and marry them on the spot."

"Interesting." Pansy said, a look flashing across her face that definitely meant she was tucking the information away for later. You don't notice, as your gaze was focused on the wilting flowers loosely tied together.

"I feel like you're setting me up." Theo said. His eyes flickered between his meticulously-made daisy chain and a smug Pansy. Theo had spent all morning carefully tying daises together by hand (using magic felt like cheating).

"Oh, please. When have I ever led you astray?" Pansy scoffed, holding up a single digit to preemptively shut Theo's smartass response down. "Just trust me, Nott. You wanted a way to show her you were interested in her, and I'm telling you the perfect way to do it. Now go and give it to her, before I regret ever telling you this."

Theo shook his head and took another look at the daisy chain in his hands. He'd never put himself out there like this before (as he typically only made moves if he was 100% on the other's reciprocated feelings), and it was increasingly nerve-wracking considering he was putting himself out there for you.

You and Theo had been friends ever since you bumped into each other on the train in first year. All the cabins were full and Theo had impulsively invited you to sit in with him and his friends. The two of you got along so well that his friends had admitted that they'd never seen Theo so chatty with a newcomer in his life.

"Merlin, any longer and those poor flowers will wilt."

"Jokes on you, I put a stasis charm on them."

"Stop stalling." Pansy said, shoving Theo forward and in your direction.

You were sat on a ledge in the courtyard, scribbling into a notebook, completely unaware of Theo approaching.

He cleared his throat. You looked up.

"Theo," you greeted with a smile. You closed your notebook and set it aside. "I missed you at breakfast."

"Yeah, I was pretty busy." Theo said, settling down beside you, careful not to reveal the flower crown hidden behind his back.

You gave him a nod of understanding, shifting slightly to make room for him. "Let me guess: the History of Magic paper? Because that one's such a pain—"

"No, not that. I mean, yeah, that paper was rough. But I was actually making something for you."

"For me?"

Theo nodded, and you gave him a curious look. He looked nervous—his perpetual bedhead was perpetually bedhead-ing more than usual, and his gaze couldn't hold yours for more than a second. You were ready to point his demeanour out to him until he revealed a daisy chain that rivalled the one in your fondest childhood memories.

"Oh," you sounded, your eyes bright in shock. Your lips curled into a smile at the sight. It was delicate and perfect and it was better than anything you've ever made. If you weren't so familiar with daises, you'd have sworn it was fake. "Wait, but how did you...?"

"Pansy told me." Theo said, his thumb grazing one of the petals gently. "May I?"

You nodded, and Theo placed the flower crown atop your head. You bit back a smile as you brushed your own fingers against the crown.

"I love it, Theo," you said. Unable to hold your excitement back any longer, you threw your arms around his neck and pulled him in for a hug. "Thank you. It's perfect."

You felt Theo laugh as you embraced him, his shoulders relaxing and the tension easing away. As he pulled back, a teasing smirk tugged at his lips.

"I know you told Pans you'd marry the person on the spot, but I'll be kind and gracious and not hold you to that promise. I'll happily accept a date, though."

"A date?" Your cheeks flushed pink. You're too stunned to even comment on the fact that Pansy had told Theo about your half-joking daisy-chain-marriage-pact and he had acted on it.

"I want to take you out on a date."

"You do?" You asked, not unkindly. It was obvious to nearly everyone how your feelings for Theo had blossomed into something more than friendship. You just never thought it'd be a possibility.

"Yes. Will you let me?"

[ask-the-pioneer]

"I've always been captivated by them. Something about the shiny exterior, how they glimmer when you tumble them around in your hands. My younger self would obsess about them, a childlike fascination. Even back then I instinctively knew they had value. My mom would use pearls I found to pay for a safe passage at scavenger tolls. We tried to bypass those points as much as we could, but sometimes it was unavoidable."

"It's a looong story…. I was found roaming the wilderness by my mentor, who brought me to er, an entity, called an interator. Do you know of iterators? Apparently they are what was left of an ancient civilization that once inhabited these lands. I couldn't wrap my head around it at first. Iterators are massive, absolutely huge, like mountains. Do you see that big structure of a regular, smooth shape?"

[She points towards Five Pebble's can in the distance]

"That is an iterator's «superstrucute». A mountain, the entire thing… is a person. It still sounds crazy when I say it."

"Ah, right, my name… like I mentioned, I got lost and my mentor found me. He brought me to his iterator. If my memory serves me right, his name is «No Significant Harassment», or NSH for short. I recall thinking at that time, «Harassment? I hope he won't be cruel to me». I had no concept of iterator names, their meaning, why it's three or however many words long. It was incredibly confusing to my young mind, though looking back at it I consider myself very lucky. The iterator was, dare I say, «god-like» (his own words), but benevolent. I saw how well he treated Hunter – my mentor – and it made me trust him more, even though I was scared and wary in the beginning."

"Would you believe it if I told you… there are stories written inside the pearls? That those things I’ve been obsessing about all my life are used for storing information? I had many of them leftover from when I lived at a scavenger outpost. One cycle, NSH noticed my interest, and – I wish Hunter had told me about this sooner, but – the iterator shot at my head with something…? And suddenly I could understand everything he said. Not that he said much, because I started crying loudly and ran straight out of there, haha. But before I bolted, he gave me one of his pearls as consolation. I think he felt bad for the scared little me."

"After that, he would eagerly read all the pearls I brought to him. That is how I learned more about the culture of the peoples who were here before me: the Ancients, their customs, why the iterators were built, and much more. It was like the knowledge of the entire world was suddenly revealed to me – to a seemingly insignificant being, a tiny speck in an endless ocean of life. It both made me feel very important, and very small. And, yeah, it has intensified my obsession with pearls beyond mortal limits. What if I could write into a pearl? I could archive the history of my entire species! All the stories my mom told me when I was small? All the places I’ve been to? Or other scugs have been to…"

[Her eyes widen, sparkling with glee]

"Y-yeah… that would be nice… sadly I am what I am – a slugcat. I don’t know how to do this very advanced stuff at all. I have no means of doing this. I once asked NHS for help, but there’s only so much he could guess from my frantic signing. I don’t think he understood me, in the end. But he did appreciate my efforts, and I was given a title – the Pioneer, like a person who is the very first to explore something uncharted. Apparently no slugcat before me thought of reading from or writing into pearls? I find it a little hard to believe."

"This one! This is a very special kind of pearl – it contains an ancient poem from which my name originated. See, my name was a gift from NSH the iterator. It’s spelled: «Mirmyntasseth». The best way I would describe it, is… it’s a name for a feeling, or an experience. The way it was explained to me, is that the word «Mirmyntasseth» is an expression of seeing a marble roll on a flat surface, then hitting another marble. Ah, right, you may not know this – a marble is like, like a pearl, but translucent and even more ornate. I was told that marbles were used by the Ancients for entertainment. They had a game where you rolled one to hit another. I'll admit, I can see the appeal. Throwing rocks is fun, although I image this game was considered a more dignified pastime."

[She tumbles the dark pearl in her hands, admiring its luster]

"The poem inside this pearl, one of its verses spells: «Eight Marbles Cast in Stone». The poem itself is long… very long… I had the iterator read it to me once, and we had to stop in the middle because the rain was coming. Maybe I will ask NSH to read it again, when I’m back at his superstructure with Hunter."

[Her gaze trails off to somewhere far away for a moment, a subtle grimace on her face. She closes her eyes and shakes off the thoughts that cloud her mind]

"So, um… yes… that is why I am called Eight Marbles Cast in Stone, or Marbles for short. I like how it sounds, it has a nice ring to it. And it’s a gift from an iterator, a god-like being. I consider it a great honor."

"…that said, I wonder why he didn’t just name me «Pearl»? Wouldn’t that make more sense? Maybe it didn’t sound cool enough. They’ve used pearls just to store information. I guess it’d be silly to be named «Dirt» because you doodle in dirt, or «Batfly» because you love eating batflies? Hmm…"

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Mozus Trein - Strict Suit Vignette

"Youngsters these days..."

[Sports Field]

Trein: 1, 2, 3, 4… 5, 6, 7, 8…

Vargas: Trein-sensei, you're not counting loud enough! With training that feeble, your muscles won't feel your passion!

Trein: Don't be absurd, there would be no difference in my muscle strength simply by raising my voice.

Trein: Furthermore, I have no need to build muscle, anyway. I am simply hoping to loosen my stiff body.

Vargas: Yeah, but the other day, I heard you saying to yourself about how you wished you could move as easily as you did when you were younger…

Vargas: So, how is it? Do you like the special "Smile-All-Day-Long Training Regimen" I came up for you?

Vargas: I bet your muscles are squealing with joy!

Trein: Is that what you named this regimen…? Although, I suppose I don't get the feeling that you are attempting to make a fool of me…

Trein: …I suppose I must admit that there have been some positive results.

Trein: At first, I had no confidence that you knew what you were doing… Ahem. Pardon. I must say, I've been feeling much better since starting these exercises.

Trein: Recently, I've been waking up much earlier than before, possibly due to my age.

Trein: Since Lucius is still fast asleep at that time, I could only bring myself to read books, or drink tea in bed…

Trein: Lightly exercising in the morning like this only benefits my body, and is a pleasant change. I thank you.

Vargas: Hahahah, I'm sure, I'm sure. You see, muscles really solve everything.

Trein: Everything? That seems to be a rather large overestimation.

Vargas: Is it, though? I mean, there's no point in just staying locked up indoors, is there?

Vargas: You should just toss your books and do more important things…

Vargas: …Ah.

Trein: Hmm. So, you're telling me that Ashton Vargas-sensei believes that books are useless?

Trein: Have you never learned anything from a book? Then I suppose you have an overwhelmingly brilliant mind.

Trein: If you truly are that wise and knowledgeable about everything…

Trein: I suppose I must have you teach me how to be a proper professor, as well as these exercises.

Vargas: Oh, really? I'll do my best.

Trein: I SAID "IF"!

Trein: My word… Now, I concede that in order live a long life, working on your physical health is just as important.

Trein: One requires strong legs to carry themselves far and wide in order to personally observe the knowledge this world has to offer.

Trein: However, the most vital object to a mage is knowledge. Knowledge is what allows our magic to grow even further!

Trein: You think books are nonsense? Youngsters these days… It would behoove you not to disrespect those who came before you.

Trein: It's because of instructors like you with that sort of mentality that we are falling behind Royal Sword Academy in terms of testing.

Trein: That academy is much more thorough than ours. Naturally, they are not only learning about recent developments.

Trein: At Royal Sword Academy, there is a course where the professor selects literature and reads it with the class, and has the students give their opinions on the piece…

Trein: The resulting discussions are fervent, and even I was astounded by the quality of their final reports at the end of the semester.

Trein: It is absurd to even consider getting rid of books. Our academy should follow in their footsteps.

Vargas: Wow, you sure know a lot about the way another school does things. …Oh, right!

Vargas: I think I heard about how when you were younger, you were hoping to work at Royal Sword Academy.

Trein: What? …Who told you that?

Vargas: The Headmage. I heard you've also applied multiple times even after being hired here.

Vargas: "Even though he has a perfectly good school here… How could he!?" he let slip once.

Trein: That man truly does not know how to keep his mouth shut…

Trein: Ahem. Well, I cannot deny that there was a time I had those thoughts.

Trein: With their shimmering white castle with a long history, it is an academic institution at its height.

Trein: That is why I believed that the Royal Sword Academy was exactly where I deserved to be…

Vargas: Aren't you giving them a little too much praise, there? C'mon, just one look at my muscles is enough to send those stuck-up guys scrambling!

Trein: Stop trying to solve everything with your muscles. As I keep telling you, that isn't the answer.

Trein: Well, anyway… All that is in the past. Now, I am thankful that I did not go to work for them.

Trein: …Since I wouldn't have the chance to see that school lose if I hadn't chosen to go to another academy.

Trein: One day, under my tutelage, Night Raven College will utterly defeat Royal Sword Academy soundly.

Trein: And I will see them regret their choice to not hire a professor as talented as I.

Vargas: Looks like Trein-sensei's the type to really hold grudges…

[Classroom]

Heartslabyul Student: Zzz… Zzz…

Lucius: Mrrrooowww～

[SLASH!]

Heartslabyul Student: GYAAAAAH!!!

Trein: What is all that noise!?

Heartslabyul Student: Ouch… Lucius scratched my cheek!!

Trein: What of it? I'm sure you were simply nodding off.

Lucius: Mrooow～

[Trein picks up Lucius]

Trein: That's right, good. That was a fitting punishment for the rude boy.

Trein: You should thank Lucius for waking you up. Now, we'll continue the lesson.

After class

Heartslabyul Student: I'M SO PISSED OFF～～～!

Heartslabyul Student: Yeah, sure, I fell asleep, but he didn't need to scratch me! It's not my fault that that old man's lesson's just too boring!

Octavinelle Student: So, my dad used go to Night Raven College too, right…

Octavinelle Student: He says that Trein's classes hasn't changed a bit. Said sometimes they'd even get the same worksheets as before.

Scarabia Student: No wonder it's so boring. The class is so old, it's basically fossilized!

Scarabia Student: From what I hear, Lucius was always watching the students like that during Trein's classes, too…

Scarabia Student: Looks like he really likes seein' us gettin' scolded by him.

Heartslabyul Student: The pair of them just piss me off… Think there's any time those two have ever been nice to a student?

Grim: HEY, TREIN!

Trein: What is it, do you have a question for me?

Grim: Nyahaha! I think you got something you wanna say to me, don'tcha?

Trein: Something to say to you, Grim? …I'm afraid nothing comes to mind. What are you talking about?

So, basically…

Grim: IT'S THIS! THE TEST WE JUST GOT HANDED BACK!! Grim: My score went up 10 points from last time! Ain't I amazin'? Grim: You better heap tons of praise on my genius awesomeness!

2. Yeah, I don't get it either.

Grim: What, you don't know either, [Yuu]? Look at this! The test we just got handed back!! Grim: My score went up 10 points from last time! Ain't I amazin'? Grim: The two of you better heap tons of praise on my genius awesomeness!

Trein: Sigh… Is that the only reason why you called out to me? You are still nowhere near average.

Trein: What does it say when you are unable to answer a single question on this section of fundamentals?

Trein: It seems you lack the foundation necessary. If the foundation is shaky, then no matter how much you try to learn, there will be no progress.

Trein: The crucial aspect of education is compounding new knowledge onto prior knowledge. You should always focus and strive to do your best.

Lucius: Mrooowr～～～ Ffft

Grim: M-Myaaah. He's started lecturin' again.

Grim: Tch. C'mon, you coulda at least said one nice thing…

Trein: …However, your ability to solve this problem here was spectacular. We only briefly reviewed this topic in the notes.

Trein: If you were capable of producing the correct answer, you must have thoroughly read your textbook. That is a commendable effort.

Grim: !!

Grim: Nyahahah… Yay! Yahoo～ I gotta tell those jerks who're always pickin' on me that Trein said I did good!

Grim: See that, hench-human? Ain't I awesome?

1. Amazing! 2. You're a genius!

Grim: Right? Hehe, I guessed right. Lucky me!

Trein: What…?

Grim: Oops.

Trein: You guessed? You mean to tell me you picked an answer at random, and this result was merely due to luck?

Grim: N-N-N-No way. I just misspoke!

Trein: Well then, I should give you a similar problem. Since you were capable of answering the previous problem, this should be a non-issue.

Grim: But I can't do that!

Trein: So it was a random guess after all. I had hoped that it had been the fruits of your efforts… Disgraceful!

Grim: But, c'mon～

Trein: NO TALKING BACK!

Trein: I cannot stand such laziness whatsoever. And you sought to win my praise in this manner?

Trein: This is unacceptable. You must receive your just punishment. Now, what shall it be…?

Trein: First, you shall review this test from corner to corner. Understand?

Trein: You will write out each question and answer in your notebook until you've thoroughly committed it to memory. All of it.

Trein: Finally, in order to see if you've truly absorbed the material, you will take a new test specifically on this subject, and must pass it with full marks.

Grim: A test!? But I just did one!

Trein: YOU'LL DO ANOTHER ONE!

Grim: MYAAAAAH!

1. You reap what you sow… 2. You just had to say something…

[Lecture Hall]

Trein: Well, it seems it's time to head back to the residence. Lucius, get ready to leave.

Lucius: Mrooow～

Trein: Ah, right. If I recall, we were almost out of milk. I should purchase some on the way home.

Trein: What else… We still have some vegetables, but I should purchase some meat… Hm? My phone is ringing.

[answers phone]

Trein: What is it, Dolly? It's not often you call me at such a time.

Trein: Hm? On your next break? …I see, I see! That is splendid.

Trein: Anna mentioned that she will also be able to come home. It will be nice to have the whole family together for once.

Lucius: MROW!?

Trein: Could you hear that? Yes, it seems Lucius is also excited to see you two.

Trein: How long will you be able to stay? …Hm, I see. You'll be able to enjoy your time a little, then.

Trein: Come home safe. Make sure to behave yourself so as to not cause any issues with those around you as you travel… …I am not nagging.

Trein: …I understand, yes, yes. You've grown into a fine adult. I'll abstain from "nagging" you. That is what you prefer, yes?

Trein: …Yes, your papa is also looking forward to seeing you. Talk to you later.

[click]

Trein: …Did you hear that, Lucius? Dolly and Anna will come home for their next vacation.

Lucius: Rrowwr～～～

Trein: Haha, don't sulk.

Trein: Yes, it is a tad worrisome that they live so carefree like children even as adults...

Trein: However, they lost their mother during their formative years, so they've been through such hardship.

Trein: They may have matured and left the family home, however providing them a solace to return to is still a parent's duty to their children.

Trein: …I'm sure she would have wanted that as well.

Lucius: Rrooowr～～～～～

Trein: Indeed. You were just as attached to her when you were a kitten, I remember. I know just how heartbroken you were as well.

Trein: That is why during this upcoming break, the two of us must welcome them home with open arms, for her sake as well.

Trein: First, the fireplace requires cleaning. Ah, yes, this is also an opportunity to replace the rug. And…

Lucius: Rrowr～～～

Trein: …No, you need not do anything, Lucius. Whatever would we do if you were to break a nail while attempting to put away all your cat toys.

Trein: No need to sweat. All you should do is rest on your little couch and enjoy yourself.

Lucius: Rrowwr～～～～～

Trein: Yes, I know. Since we are sharing in such grand news, I shall open up your favorite can, as a treat.

[rustle]

Grim: THAT AIN'T FAIR!

Trein: Hm!? That surprised me… [Yuu], and Grim. What are you doing here?

1. We were just heading home. 2. We just happened to pass by.

Grim: We were workin' on that stuff you gave us, and look how long it's takin'! And we're not even done…

Grim: But who cares about that… I just heard what you said.

Grim: You keep yappin' 'bout how I gotta work haaaaard, or learn more stuuuuuff or whatever…

Grim: But you're sayin' Lucius doesn't gotta do anything, that's totally different from what you said earlier! That ain't fair!

Grim: So, I wanna do what he does. Hey, Lucius, swap places with me!

Lucius: MROWR!?

Grim: MEEEEOOOW!

Grim: Humph. If I do this, then I won't have do deal with all your naggin', and I can just lay around and get pets and tasty treats, right?

Grim: This is the life! Myahaha!

Trein: No! Do not climb on the desk and try to replace Lucius. Stop it!

1. You sure you're good with just being a cat?

Trein: It's just as [Yuu] says. Lucius is my precious familiar. On the other hand, Grim, you are a student! Trein: Do you not think you are simply causing more of a headache to [Yuu], who supports you day in and day out?

2. I mean, it is a pretty neat gig.

Trein: Wha… Even you say so, [Yuu]? I do hope you aren't planning on jumping on the desk as well.

Trein: As students given the honor to become Night Raven College students, you dare wish to merely relax and do nothing…?

Trein: How wretched. Students thrive because they are thrown into the strenuous trials of academia.

Trein: While you are under my tutelage, I will not allow such disgraceful behavior to continue.

Trein: Both of you must never forget that you are students at this esteemed academy!

Requested by Anonymous.