#Almost for nostalgic reasons alone‚ like that shot we get of the five of them + Emily towards the end before they separate again

[jacksintention]

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[nihyunluvskookie]

14th Feb’

Choi Seungcheol one shot

Pairing: Choi Seungcheol × Female reader

Genre: Angst

Warnings: no warnings, if I missed something please let me know.

Word count: 2.5 K

Song: house of cards

Author’s Note: I was actually planning to post this on 14th Feb’ but things happened and I am uploading this now, let me know if you liked this angst or not, also I wrote this while this song was on loop, I think I definitely felt something, happy reading 

Today’s 14th February, how much I wanted to tell myself that I don’t miss him anymore, but my heart was telling me something else. I pulled myself together and got ready, I took out my white gown and got ready for the wedding. I was excited for my friend’s wedding, this is the reason I flew to USA after six years, this place, I have so many memories with this country and specially this place; I don’t want to remember them but they were my best memories and now thinking about them is only painful, it’s painful because now, I am alone.

Agreeing and coming to this place was very tough decision for me, I started letting go of everything but being my first love, I just can’t forget few things anymore, I smile at those silly little memories but they start hurting sometimes when I think what if he was with me right now, how things would've turned into right now? What if we choose to stay here and be happy together, maybe we would've got married by now? Maybe we would've taken vows infront of eachother.

I looked at myself in the mirror, the white A-line dress with off shoulders, it looked pretty. I can’t believe this girl, who is getting married was my undergraduate batchmate, we weren’t very close but she was a good friend. After completing our bachelor’s degree we went to different universities and I went to Canada with him for Masters and then….

I looked at the mirror, applied light makeup, and applied red liptint. I smiled at my reflection, I wonder who’s the groom because she didn’t disclose anything to me yet. I went out of the hotel room and took a cab to the venue. She must have been so happy, after meeting her love, she’s finally taking it to the next stage. I just want to see her smile after this long time, all these years she never disclosed anything about her boyfriend, she always said she loves him a lot and she’s finally getting married with him.

I looked at the streets here, in California, they were familiar but looked unfamiliar and brought the nostalgic memories. Walking down the streets holding his hands, looking at eachother with eyes full of love. I smiled at myself, am I still in love with him even after we parted our ways five years ago? This sounds so stupid, how can I be still in love with him, both of us were afraid of the results and I was willing to take a step, but he was not sure, he was the one to take a step back and end everything between us then why am I blaming myself for not holding us together, why can’t I forget him till now, it’s already been years.

“We reached” I paid the cab and came out of the cab. The Venue looked all white, white is a pure colour to start with, everything looked so pretty. I was walking alone, until I saw his friends just outside the venue, they were about to enter and I halted my steps, I was anxious. They saw me and stopped walking, everything came to my mind, they were really very nice to me gradually only one of them is still close to me.

‘meet my friends’ he said and pulled me closer, there were three more guys sitting on the couch, I smiled at them. ‘hi, I am Seungcheol’s-

‘we know you, we are in same class and only Jeonghan is in different departments, still all of us know you’ Joshua smiled at me, I smiled back at them, slowly we all used to hangout. All of them were way too nice and kind to me but, Joshua was something else, he would take care of me way too much, maybe because we were in same department and we did everything almost together, he would help me with my assignments as well. He was such a good friend to me, he was really important to me. he’s the only one who is still close to me, we talk rarely but he’s still that kind and down to earth Joshua.

Seungcheol got the best group of friends, he’s so lucky to have him, I used to say this to him nearly everyday.

All the memories from the first day I met them officially came back to me, all the memories are still fresh inside me, they were one of the most precious ones. I missed them, my body was tensing up slowly. They were walking towards me, I was thinking why were they here but then it’s probably because Soyeon was our batchmate, to be specific mine, Seungcheol and Joshua’s. I still couldn’t move my feet and they were coming, towards me. I am seeing them probably after 4-5 years. I missed Joshua the most, all these years I wanted to meet him but we could never, he came to me and hugged me tight.

I was so surprised, I couldn’t move, I wanted to hug him back and slowly I calmed myself and hugged him back. It was getting nostalgic, years of friendship.

“I missed you Lia, let’s stay like this for a while” I nodded in his embrace, I felt better, I didn’t know I was longing for his hug so much, I was trying not to cry. After some time we parted, “you look pretty” I smiled at him, I looked at other two, Jeonghan and Mingyu, they were smiling, “you’re really looking pretty and you’re still the same old Lia” they laughed. It wasn’t awkward at all, we caught up with eachother and then it hit me, if… his… friends… are here, maybe he’s here as well. I was holding myself back from asking about him.

“Lia… Seungcheol-

“Let’s go inside, let’s not be late for the wedding.” They smiled awkwardly smiled at me but Joshua’s eyes said something else to me, they looked…. Concerned? Sad? Unreadable?

I saw people, from my school, university, and some unknown people, Joshua was with me whole time, he was walking with me, in my pace. “Shua, can I go and meet the bride? Before her wedding?”

“Sure, you can, want me to come with you?” he asked sweetly.

“It’s okay”

“No, let me accompany you”

“But Shua-

“let’s go”

We walked towards Soyeon’s room, we were walking, and suddenly he asked “are you okay?” that was a very sudden question, “yes, of course, I am why would you ask?”

“Just, how was your flight?”

“It was good, also don’t worry I will be okay if I see him here today, I am not sure, if he would come here or not, because I don’t know if he’s invited today in Soyeon’s wedding” before he could say anything, “Now stay here, let me go and meet her quick, then we go back” he sighed and then smiled at me, felt like he wanted to tell me something very important but I stopped him from speaking, I was somehow very anxious, I had this weird feeling that it’s something very shocking and it will hurt me, it was in his eyes. I could feel it.

I saw Soyeon, “LIA!!!” she saw me and ran to hug me tight, “Be careful lady, you’re wearing your wedding gown, be careful”

“Yes, I will be. I missed you Lia, you were such a good friend of mine, I can’t believe it’s almost 6 years since we last met eachother” I nodded, “you look so pretty, today”

“Thankyou” I opened my sling bag, and handed her a wrapped box, “what’s this?”

“I hope you like it, don’t open it now. Open it later” it was a pendant, I wanted to gift it to her. “Thank you so much Lia,”

“Let’s catch-up after the wedding, Joshua is waiting for me outside.” She held my hand and asked “Are you guys together?” I was surprised at her question, “No, we are not” I smiled at her, she smiled back. “Okay, then all the best for today” she nodded.

I went out of the room and saw Joshua talking to the phone, I heard him saying ‘I don’t know if she knows, I’m worried’ what is he talking about, “Shua” he turned to me

“I’m hanging up” and he hung up,

“Is something wrong?” I asked him, “No, nothing. Let’s go” I nodded.

We were walking, to the venue, I was a bit excited for the groom, who is he. While walking inside, I was getting a bit anxious even I don’t know why. Everyone was enjoying it, meeting with old friends, families, everyone looked happy; looks like everything is perfect. We were standing in a side, while standing, I felt something was burning and paining, probably I got a cut because of my heels, these pencil heels were new and I haven’t used pencil heels since few months. I tried to not get bothered about it, I don’t even have a band-aid right now.

I saw other two coming towards us, Mingyu and Jeonghan, I smiled at them. “Did you meet her?” I nodded, “she looked really pretty” they all smiled, I felt like relieving the old days; only he’s not with us here today.

“Excuse us for a second, we’ll be back” I turned to Joshua, he held my arm and took me to the place of sitting, some people were sitting, they were unknown to me. he made me sit on a chair, “what happened” I saw him handing me a band-aid which was inside his pocket, “use this” I took it.

“thank you”

“Just the same old Lia, who never says if she’s hurt or when she’s in pain. Don’t do this Lia.” I took off my heel, and used it. “I’m okay Shua, it’s just that it’s the new pair of heels you know” I smiled at him, “thank you for worrying”

I got up from the chair, ‘now let’s go, I don’t want to miss her walking down the aisle”

“hold this” he showed me his arm, I was confused, he took my hand and placed it on his arm, “let’s go” and we started walking, we saw Mingyu and Jeonghan.

“This is about to start” I was still holding Joshua’s arm. I saw Soyeon walking with her dad, with bouquet in her hand. She really looked so pretty, “told you, she’s looking pretty. her soon to husband is really lucky to have her” and three of them looked at me, they just looked puzzled, specially Joshua’s eyes… they were… wanting to tell me something.

I shrugged it off and my eyes were following her, the moment I saw the groom, my heart stopped. It was…

My eyes were not leaving him, my grip on Joshua’s arm got tighter.

HIM.

Choi Seungcheol

Everything hit me like a bullet, it hit me hard, I was feeling betrayed, played, cheated, numb, there were no feelings that could describe me. Soyeon is getting married to him, the man whom I loved the most in this whole world but we parted ways five years ago, just felt like my world crumbled down.

‘Lia, I am sorry, but I can’t do this anymore.’

‘Why cheol? Was everything a lie till now? Why are you leaving like this? please don’t go, stay with me please’ I was crying, it was hurting, and hurting.

‘Lia I can’t’ his words were hurting me.

‘I’m ready to do everything, you want but why now? Why now when I am already like this’

“Lia, sorry’ he removed my hands which were holding his and started walking away.

‘I loved you, I still love you Seungcheol ’ he didn’t even look back at me left me there crying alone

“was she the reason? You could’ve told me” my eyes were getting teary, all the memories I had with him, started flooding back, our first date, our first kiss, our first trip together. All these years I told myself, I will be strong and I won’t cry when if I ever see him in future, but never prepared myself for this, witnessing him as my good friend’s husband, never. All the courage I built up all these years started crumbling down, I couldn’t stand anymore, my legs were feeling weak. Was I the one who was played on? Was I played? I wanted to ask myself again and again.

“I do” I heard his voice, my mind went blank, is this a nightmare? I couldn’t hear anything anymore, it felt like my world stopped.

My tears started falling down, I couldn’t stand still, I stumbled back, Shua held me tightly, “Lia” I turned to look at him, his eyes looked at me with pity, I could feel it, I couldn’t hold back anymore and started crying. Why was I crying so much, it felt like it was only me and Seungcheol, no one else and he was smiling brightly, wearing that black tuxedo. Once it was a dream for me to see Seungcheol in this, attire and me in white pretty wedding gown. We would take the vows together for eachother, that was all house of cards I made myself.

How much did it take to walk away like that?

How much did it take to hurt me like this?

You destroyed my house of cards while I built years ago, why did you do this Seungcheol?

“now, you may kiss the bride” I heard it, I was still looking at him, my eyes never left his, he saw me. his eyes met mine, he was looking at me with a hint of surprise, as if he never expected me but expected me here to witness this as well and then turned to look at Soyeon, he was leaning closer and my heart was shattering into pieces. I suddenly felt a hand pulling my face and hugging me tight, so that I won’t be able to see.

“You don’t need to see and hurt yourself” his said softly “He’s is the groom, today… it’s his wedding, Lia… that’s what I was trying to tell you today” his voice came out as a whisper and he sighed. I cried more. Soyeon knew, I loved him and he was with me, how could she do this to me, betrayal? Cheated? Played? Sadness? What else am I not feeling? Should’ve known that in the dark, I’d be too dumb to see

“How did I miss his name in the wedding invitation Shua?” I was angry at myself for not realizing anything and crying alone like this.

“Shua, I realized… I’m still in… love… with him…, all these years, I’ve done nothing but love him whereas I tried so hard to forget him and hate him but then? How am I still in love?” I barely managed to speak, I was choking on my tears, “I love you Seungcheol” and cried, Joshua hugged me tight.

“It’s okay, I’m here. don’t cry.”

“it hurts, because I’m still in love” I had nothing alive inside me anymore, because I don’t know how to love him from afar, he have my heart.

We fell like a house of cards

[baepsaesbae]

None of Your Business

Pairing— Jung Hoseok x reader  

Genre— SMUT, enemies to lovers au, business/professional life au, slight angst, slight fluff, mutual pining bc im a slut for that

Warnings— inappropriate workplace behavior, explicit unprotected sex, face sitting, slight biting, one (1) butt slap, dirty talk, swearing, switch!Hoseok, Hoseok being a god damn nuisance, (also I’m not a business person so if you are and I state inaccurate/dumb things I apologize in advance)

Word Count— 8.9k

Summary— You have a shot at attaining a huge promotion at your company. The only problem standing in your way is the same one that annoyed you in college. Jung Hoseok. How will you manage to spend an entire weekend at a conference juggling impressing your supervisors while simultaneously battling Hoseok?

A/N— This super cool banner was made by the one and only @kimtaehyunq​, thank you so much! Please let me know what you guys think. Feel free to leave a comment or send an ask! 

The business world has always been mercilessly cutthroat; that’s one of the first things business students learn when they enter college. The competition to get an internship at a top company was fierce. Recruiting has to start at least a year in advance if you even want to give yourself a chance.

Luckily for you, you were the top student in your program. Well, one of the top students. Over the past four years, your position had been flip flopping with some surprisingly competent bonehead who annoyingly plagued your life.

“Excited to be graduating this semester, ___?” an all too familiar voice interrupted your studying.

“Excited to graduate as top of the class? Yes, of course,” you replied coldly. 

“Top of the class? That’s a little presumptuous, don’t you think?” the handsome boy sat on your table.

“I think it’ll be pretty much set in stone after this last final,” you returned your attention to your notes.

“Well, even if you’re number one, I think experience matters a lot in this field,” the boy refused to leave you alone. 

“Then it’s a good thing I did an internship with one of the top companies over the summer,” you glared at him.

“Oh yeah, how could I forget about the internship that you stole from me?” the boy pouted.

“I was obviously more qualified. And how could you say that when you stole my opportunity to go on a study abroad trip with my favorite professor last Spring Break? I’m still furious that he chose you over me solely because you were sleeping with his daughter,” you retorted.

“That was a coincidence! I don’t know how many times I need to tell you that,” he tried to defend himself.

“Whatever. Do me a favor and leave me alone, Hoseok. Hopefully today will be the last time I’ll ever see you.”

“That’s kind of sad to think about. Who else will get under my skin and annoy me every time they open their mouth?” Hoseok bantered, “Also, I told you to call me Hobi.”

“That would imply that we’re on friendly terms. I don’t like lying, Hoseok.”

“Fine. Good luck on that last final. See you around,” Hoseok hopped off the table and patted your head.

“Don’t touch me,” you grumbled as he walked away.

That was five years ago.

The company that you interned with gave you a job offer immediately after graduation. Quickly moving up through the ranks proved to be an easy feat since your tenacious nature made you the ideal employee. 

You were currently waiting outside of the CEO’s office. Seconds felt like hours as you mindlessly bounced your leg. It was eerily silent, and all you could hear were the click clacks of the receptionist’s keyboard as she worked. You looked around at the bleak décor that was a sorry excuse for modernism as you racked your brain. Were you in trouble? Did something happen? You were summoned up for a meeting but had no clue what it was going to be about. 

Once you were finally called in, you were greeted by both the CEO and VP of the company. 

“___, please take a seat,” the CEO politely smiled, “As you know, I am getting old. I am unmarried, so therefore I have no one to oversee the company after I’m gone. The executive council and I have been looking for people to fill my shoes. Or at the very least, take a seat on the executive council if one of them were to take my place.”

“Your numbers have been exceptional this month,” the VP chimed in, “And every month prior. After much deliberation, your name has been cast into the lot.”

You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. Being a member of the executive council at your age was almost unheard of.

“There is one other candidate that has also been hand selected at the other branch. You both are to attend a conference in which you will mingle with executives from other companies. There will also be a time in which you will pitch an idea to me on how to make this company better,” the CEO continued when he saw your loss for words.

“First and foremost I would like to thank you for this opportunity. I will do my best to live up to your expectations,” you bowed to show your gratitude. 

“Perfect. The conference is in two weeks. I believe that should give you ample time to prepare your presentation,” the VP shook your hand.

After shaking hands with the CEO, you turned to leave. However, something was nagging you. 

“May I ask who the other candidate is?” you inquired.

“Jung Hoseok from the northern branch,” the VP answered without missing a beat. 

“Ah,” your brain exploded.

“Do you know him?” the CEO asked.

“We went to college together. I know of him,” you said curtly.

“Well you’ll finally get your chance to meet him. I’ve heard he’s very popular with the ladies at his branch. That’s not pertinent to his skills; however, you can’t blame an old man for wanting to know the gossip of his own employees,” the old man chuckled.

“Of course,” you smiled politely as you excused yourself from the office.

Jung Hoseok? That douchebag? Just your luck to run into him again (to fight for the next step in your career no less!). You think back on all the run ins you had with him during your collegiate days. Nothing but irritating memories of the two of you competing for the top spot came to mind. 

Whatever. It didn’t matter who the other candidate was. You had to get to work and come up with a brilliant plan that will impress the CEO. You brushed the thought of Hoseok aside. It had been a couple of years, maybe he wouldn’t even remember you. There’s no need to stress out over something so trivial. 

The weekend of the conference had finally arrived. You were instructed to travel together with Hoseok. You waited alone at the airport terminal. If you were lucky, Hoseok wouldn’t show up at all. You weren’t. 

“___!” Hoseok called out your name in a sing songy voice.

“Hello Hoseok. Glad to see you haven’t changed,” you were already irritated.

“How are you? It’s been so long. You look great!” he went in for a hug but you turned away. 

He stood awkwardly with his arms in the air for a second until he bounced back. He took the seat next to you and began chatting. You answered his list of questions apathetically. 

“Did I do something to offend you?” Hoseok finally asked.

“I just think it’s funny that even after all these years, I still have to compete with you,” you retorted.

“Still hung up on that? It doesn’t even matter anymore. We got good jobs and now we’re here. Together! Isn’t that cool?”

“No, not at all. Although I guess it will be nostalgic coming out on top once again,” you smirked.

“Your competitive nature always amused me. You’re so cute when you lose,” Hoseok teased.

“I never lost to you,” you gasped.

“That’s not what that one study abroad trip with Professor whatshisname says,” he cooed. 

“Professor Namjoon! You knew he was my favorite, you prick. At least I graduated as top of the class with honors,” you argued. 

“My GPA was off by thousandths of a point. That doesn’t really bother me. But I’m glad you have something that makes you happy,” Hoseok shrugged. 

‘This is gonna be one long fucking weekend’, you thought. 

The flight was short and pleasant since Hoseok left you alone. You wanted to see as little of him as possible during this trip. You intended to get that promotion no matter what. 

After the plane landed, the two of you made your way to the hotel that was hosting the conference. 

“Hi, last name ___ and Jung?” you smiled at the hotel concierge. 

“Ah yes, you guys are here for the business conference?” the concierge asked.

“Indeed we are!” Hoseok chimed in from behind you.

“Alrighty, I got you guys all checked in. Enjoy your stay!” the concierge handed you a singular set of keys.

“Oh, I’m sorry, there must be a mistake. We’re in two separate rooms,” you politely tried to hand back the keys.

“The reservation is for a singular suite,” the concierge explained.

“Probably cheaper that way,” Hoseok reasoned while nodding.

Your fake smile faltered for a second. How the hell are you supposed to spend an entire weekend sharing a room with the most despicable person on the planet?

At least the hotel itself was grand. There was no way you’d ever be able to afford to stay in such a swanky place. The lobby was decorated with ornate marble pillars that were laced with gold trimmings. It even had a fancy fountain in the middle to greet incoming guests, which you thought was a bit overkill. 

“Excited to sleep with me, princess?” Hoseok teased, obviously picking up on your annoyance.

“Fuck off. Stay the hell away from my bed and my things,” you spat.

“Who’s to say that you won’t be able to stay away from my bed?” he smirked. 

“You wish,” you rolled your eyes as the elevator finally stopped on the top floor. 

You led the way to your shared suite with Hoseok. The trip was exhausting; you couldn’t wait to take a nap on your large luxurious bed that was probably topped with Egyptian cotton (one can dream). 

You immediately dropped your bags on the side of the room and flopped onto the bed, shutting your eyes. 

“Interesting,” Hoseok said.

You ignored him.

“Very interesting,” he continued. 

“What? What is so interesting?” you sat up and glared at him in frustration.

“Take a quick glance around the room,” he suggested.

Your heart sank, “No fucking way.”

You loved this trope in fanfics, but in real life? Fuck no, not with this asshole. Yes, there was only one luxurious king sized bed in the room. 

“Well, looks like you're going to sleep on the floor,” you smiled sweetly at him.

“The bed is huge, we can definitely share,” Hoseok argued.

“I think the fuck not,” you dropped back onto the bed, “I’m sure you’ll whore your way into someone else’s bed each night anyway.”

“I don’t think I need to, not when I’m already sharing a bed with you,” he flirted.

“Bite me, Hoseok,” you sighed, not in the mood for a tit for tat.

“Are you into that? I’d happily oblige,” he responded as he sat on the other side of the bed.

“I’m afraid that’s confidential information that you are not privy to,” you huffed, turning away from him.

“Are you really going to make me sleep on the floor?” he asked quietly. 

“Would you listen to me if I said I wanted you to?” you were curious to know.

“Look, I’ll admit that I can be an asshole, but I’m not a creep. If you’re really not comfortable with sharing a bed with me I’ll sleep on the floor. All I’d ask of you is to spare me a pillow.”

There was a short silence as you mulled over your options. 

“Fine, we can share the bed. But I demand a pillow divider to be set between us,” you caved.

“Wahoo! Thank you so much for your generosity, ___. Do you want to use the bathroom to get ready for bed first, or shall I?” Hoseok celebrated.

“I’ll get ready first,” you lazily rolled off the bed and trudged to the bathroom.

You were so tired that you missed hearing Hoseok’s soft chuckle as he watched you stumble to the bathroom. He patiently waited for you to finish before it was his turn to get ready for bed. You were sound asleep by the time he was done.

The blankets were haphazardly sprawled out on your side of the bed. One leg was under the covers while the other was completely exposed. Your mouth was agape with a bit of drool seeping out, and your shirt lifted up to expose some of your tummy.

Hoseok smiled at the sight. Never in a million years did he think he’d ever be lucky enough to see you like this. He pulled down your shirt in an attempt to make you look decent, but there was nothing he could do about your drooling. He tucked you into the sheets properly, making sure that the blankets covered you up to your neck.

He settled into his side of the bed. You forgot to put up the pillow divider. Hoseok stared up at the ceiling, unable to sleep. He turned over to face you in an attempt to get comfortable. 

‘She looks so sweet. Almost cute,’ Hoseok thought. 

He quickly brushed the thought aside. You were his rival, and have been since the first day of college years ago. He sat up and created a pillow barrier. Bickering with you first thing in the morning was the last thing he wanted. 

The first day of the conference was filled with attending various meetings while attempting to make as many networking connections as possible. You got up early and left the room before Hoseok was even awake. The less time spent with him, the better. 

Of course, completely avoiding him was impossible. You were to sit with your respective company during the meetings and presentations. The VP sat between you and Hoseok, while the CEO switched between sitting on either side. You were thankful for the separation, but nervous nonetheless.

The CEO would occasionally lean over to ask you questions about the presentations, and he intently listened to your responses. The VP would merely look over occasionally to give you a smile or wink; he acted more like moral support. You knew the entire weekend would practically be an interview, but you underestimated how anxiety inducing it would be. 

The higher ups finally left you alone when lunchtime came around. You picked up your lunch in the hotel’s decadent ballroom that had been turned into an eating area. You scouted an empty table in the far corner of the room in the hopes of finding some peace and quiet.

Hoseok had other plans. He saw you sit down at the table and happily followed you.

“Hey there buddy!” he greeted you as he sat down.

“Shouldn’t you be networking with new people?” you rolled your eyes at him.

“I could ask you the same thing,” he retorted as he took a bite of his sandwich.

“I’ve been doing that since before you were awake. I think I deserve a break,” you replied.

“I forgot that you’re quite the hard worker. I couldn’t have asked for better competition,” he said.

“Was that a compliment?” you asked with an amused grin.

“Yeah, and it’s the only one you’ll ever get from me. Is your pitch to the CEO ready?” Hoseok inquired.

“It has been. And no, I’m not going to tell you what it is,” you proudly answered.

“Oh c’mon! Mine is ready too! You’re a damn fool if you think I’m gonna steal your idea. I’m just curious,” he pouted.

“Fine. I’ll tell you if you tell me yours first,” you offered.

“So distrustful,” Hoseok feigned offense, “Okay, so I think offering higher bonuses for working overtime would be a good start. There could even be competitive bonuses in each department for the person who gets the best numbers that month.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” you said at first, “But don’t you think that would just create more animosity between coworkers?”

“I think competition is a healthy motivation factor. It worked for me in college,” Hoseok defended his idea.

“Everyone is competitive in college. Especially in the business schools,” you argued.

“Yeah, but not everyone is you,” Hoseok stated. 

“Excuse me?”

“Honestly, I probably wouldn’t be here today if you weren’t always on my ass,” he admitted, “Being your rival was kinda fun. You got flustered so easily, it was almost cute.”

“I do not get flustered easily! Plus, it was always you who was on my ass,” you huffed.

“I see that you still do,” Hoseok laughed, “But seriously. The universe brought us together again so I guess it’s telling me to thank you.”

“That’s uncharacteristically nice of you to say,” you looked away from him to hide your reddening cheeks, “You pushed me too, so thanks for that...I guess.”

“Mhm, no problem buddy. I’ll see you in the next presentation room,” he got up to leave.

“Wait Hoseok!” you called after him.

“Yeah?” he turned around quickly.

“I didn’t tell you my idea--”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s brilliant,” he winked before walking away.

The rest of the day passed by quickly. You retired to your room, exhausted from all the forced socialization. Your mind was stuck on what Hoseok said earlier. Maybe he wasn’t as big of an asshole as you thought. Perhaps you mistook a friendly rivalry for toxic competition.

You were sprawled out across the bed in your pjs when Hoseok entered the room.

“Are you gonna sleep like that?” he asked.

“You’re gonna have to forcibly remove me from your side if you want it that badly,” you replied with your eyes still closed. 

“That’s fine,” Hoseok said as he abruptly rolled you over to your side.

“Hey!” you squeaked out in protest.

“It was either that, or I laid on top of you and suffocated you.”

“Hmph,” you let out a displeased noise.

“Oh my god, you’re so bratty. How old are you?” Hoseok chuckled.

“Old enough to know that you’re a meanie,” your response was muffled by the pillow you buried your face in.

“Sorry I’m a what?” Hoseok teased.

“A meanie!” you quickly got up and slammed a pillow into Hoseok, catching him by surprise.

“I’m the meanie? You just pelted me with a pillow!” he cowered away from you.

“And I’ll do it again!” you threatened.

“I don’t think so,” Hoseok suddenly lurched forward, tackling you back onto your side of the bed.

You’re both laughing at this point. Seeing Hoseok up close and personal made you realize how handsome he truly was. Had he always been this attractive? Hoseok’s cheerful laugh echoed throughout the room as he loomed over you, pinning you down.

“I’ll get off if you promise not to hit me with a pillow ever again,” Hoseok tried to say in a serious tone, but his smile betrayed him.

“Sorry, I can’t make such a ridiculous promise,” you sassed.

“God, you really are so bratty. Kinda cute, kinda naughty,” Hoseok tsked.

“There’s nothing you can do about it,” you stuck your tongue out at him.

Hoseok leaned down to whisper in your ear, “Oh, I’m sure there’s something I could do.”

That sent chills down your spine. This was perhaps the most intimate moment you’ve shared with someone in a long time. 

“Keep dreaming then, lover boy,” you said. Truth be told, just that one sentence turned you on, but you couldn’t let him know that.

“As you wish,” Hoseok released you and retreated back to his side of the bed. 

“Maybe you aren’t as big of an asshole as I remembered,” you chuckled.

“You thought I was an asshole?” Hoseok laughed.

“I did. Maybe I still do. Not that it matters, we’ll never see each other again after this stupid conference.”

“That’s not true,” Hoseok disagreed, “I’ll be on the executive council, so you may see me from time to time.”

“I like the confidence. Too bad it’s in vain,” you teased, “I’m going to bed. Our day starts early tomorrow.”

“Our?”

“The. The day starts early tomorrow. Just go to bed Hoseok,” your turned over to conceal the faint smile on your face. Maybe he wasn’t so bad afterall. 

The second day of the conference started off as boring as the previous day. The various presenters droned on about different strategies regarding the improvement of a company with a plethora of charts and numbers to back it all up. The CEO wasn’t as talkative today to either you or Hoseok. The VP still made his reassuring gestures to you, flashing smiles and winks here and there.

“Can I see you privately after the last morning presentation?” the VP whispered to you.

“Yes, of course!” you excitedly answer. Currying the VP’s favor may come in handy later. 

After the last presentation, the VP discreetly led you to a vacant corner. His tone became serious as he began to speak.

“The CEO discussed his initial thoughts with me last night. I know I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but he’s currently leaning towards Hoseok,” he explained.

The news made your heart sink.

“I’d rather see you on the executive council, if I’m being frank. My pride is on the line since I recommended you,” his voice lowered, “However, I think there is a way to sway his opinion.”

“Which is?” you eagerly asked. 

“Someone might overhear here, meet me in my room in an hour,” the VP covertly handed you his room key.

He walked away without another word. The fact that the VP was on your side gave you a faint sliver of hope. The next hour of free time was spent frantically networking while your mind was obviously elsewhere. Every now and then you heard Hoseok’s voice, and just the sound of it spurred you on to make even more connections. By the end of it, your face began to hurt from all the fake smiling. 

You were standing in front of the VP’s hotel room exactly an hour after your secret rendezvous. The door opened immediately after you knocked.

“You’re extremely punctual; that’s wonderful,” the VP observed as you entered, “Make yourself comfortable.”

You scoured the room to find a place to sit. Your uneasiness must have been obvious, as the VP gestured towards the bed.

“Thank you,” you said as you awkwardly sat at the edge of the bed, “What is your plan?”

“It’s quite simple actually,” the VP sat beside you, “I just need to get to know you better. That way I can give an authentic and flawless review to the CEO.”

“So, you’re going to conduct an in-depth interview?” you asked timidly as you noticed him scooting closer to you.

“You could say that,” he voice lowered as he rested his hand on your thigh, “We have about 45 free minutes remaining. I believe you should make the most of this interview, Miss ___,” he smiled slyly as his hand began to travel upwards.

“How dare you?!” you yelled as you abruptly pushed him off of you, “I’m going to report you to HR!”

“Then say goodbye to your promotion. You really think you were chosen just because your numbers have been decent? You definitely were not the CEO’s first choice. He didn’t even know who you were. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t even be here,” he explained with a shit eating grin. 

“Then why the hell would you even bring me up to the CEO? Just so you could try and sleep with me?” you were enraged.

“Don’t blame me for wanting some eye candy to entertain me during this god awful convention,” he smirked.

“Fuck you, you fucking pig,” you spat.

“Ohhh feisty. I like that in a girl. If you leave now, you can kiss that promotion goodbye,” the VP called out to you as you stormed towards the door.

“And you can kiss my ass, and shove that promotion up yours,” you snapped, flipping him off before slamming the door behind you.

Tears welled in your eyes as you made your way to your room. You were absolutely distraught. Had all your hard work been for nothing? Had you been nothing but a pretty sight for men to stare at for the past five years?

You entered your hotel room to find Hoseok laying on the bed. You quickly wiped away your tears; you hadn’t expected him to be there. He appeared to be taking a nap. You watched his chest rise and fall slowly as you snuck into the bathroom. You freshened yourself up to the best of your abilities. Maybe a little power nap would help calm your nerves. Too bad Hoseok was taking up the bed. Fuck.

You left the bathroom to see if maybe you could curl up in one of the corners of the bed. Luckily, Hoseok was on his side of the bed. You set a timer for half an hour and slowly crawled under the covers. Your eyelids felt heavy as you closed them.

“If you wanted to cuddle you could’ve just let me know,” Hoseok’s voice surprised you.

“Well, I don’t. Leave me alone,” you responded.

“What if I want to cuddle?” he asked.

“There is an abundance of perfectly good pillows for you to use,” you sighed, then sniffled a little.

“Are you sick?” Hoseok asked with a worried tone.

“No, I’m fine,” you answered quickly, panicking. 

“___, what’s wrong?” Hoseok was sitting up now.

“Nothing, leave me alone,” you turned away.

“If you insist, I won’t push it. Just know that you can talk to me if you need to,” he offered.

You heard him get off the bed. You pulled the sheets over your head to hide your face. You cried silently as Hoseok shuffled around the room, presumably getting ready to leave. Suddenly, he pounced on you.

“Hoseok! What the fu--” you cried out as he yanked the sheets off of you.

“Surprise attack!” he gleefully exclaimed. 

His expression quickly changed when he saw your tear streaked face. You looked up at him with puffy eyes. You were too exhausted to hold your cold stare. Instead, you looked away in embarrassment.

“___, what happened?” he asked softly.

“It doesn’t matter. But congrats, you basically got the promotion,” you laughed in defeat.

“You spoke with the CEO?” Hoseok was shocked.

“No, with the VP. That stupid son of a bitch. He--nevermind. I blew my chance, so the job is all yours. I am almost positive that I am unemployed now as well,” the tears returned and you couldn’t stop them.

“Hey, ___, it’s okay,” Hoseok tried to comfort you, “If the CEO didn’t tell you himself, then you can’t be 100% certain.”

“I was literally only invited because the VP tried to get in my pants!” you blurted out.

“What?” Hoseok was dumbfounded.

“He just told me that I’d have the job if I had sex with him. Can you fucking believe that? How long have I not been taken seriously? This has been so demoralizing,” you let it all out.

“Aw, c’mere,” Hoseok pulled you up and gave you a warm embrace, “What did you say to him?”

“I told him to shove it,” you sniffled against his firm chest. 

“There’s the you I know. You haven’t changed a bit,” he chuckled, “We can talk to the CEO together tomorrow about this.”

“Why would you help me? The promotion is basically yours because of this,” you sighed.

“I don’t really care for it, if I’m being honest. I’m satisfied with my job now. I don’t want any more responsibilities,” he answered while stroking your hair. 

“Then why are you here?” you looked up at him.

“I only agreed to come after they told me that you’d be here,” he admitted. 

You didn’t know what to say. Too many things have happened in the past hour alone. 

“Don’t get it twisted, I was just curious to see how you’ve been after all these years. Plus a free trip is always enticing. Getting to share a bed with you has just been an added bonus,” he smiled.

Your timer rang, causing you to break away from Hoseok’s arms. 

“Guess it’s time to go to more boring meetings. Yay,” Hoseok feigned enthusiasm. 

“I’m gonna stay here. There’s no point in me attending anymore,” you stated.

“Nope, you’re going. I’m dragging you with me! You gotta show the VP that he didn’t frazzle you at all. Fuck that guy. Well, not literally,” Hoseok was pulling you out of bed.

Hoseok subtly made sure that you sat between him and the CEO the entire time. You caught him giving the VP dirty looks, which made you feel a little better. 

You quickly excused yourself after the last meeting and tried to make a break for your room. Unfortunately, Hoseok prevented you from doing so. 

“You got a date for the banquet tonight?” he asked.

“No. It shouldn’t be too much of a problem because I’m not going. Have fun with your date though,” you shook your head.

“Who said I had a date?”

“I’m sure women were basically throwing themselves at you.”

“You’re not wrong, but I turned them all down. I have my eyes set on one gal.”

“Lucky her, I guess,” you rolled your eyes.

“Indeed. Although I still gotta ask her,” he looked around the room as if he was searching for her.

“You better hurry. Isn’t it in a couple hours?”

“Yep. Alright, here goes nothing!” Hoseok rushed off, finally giving you the chance to disappear.

You let out a sigh of relief as the elevator doors start to close. However, someone’s hand shot through at the last second. Hoseok stumbled in as the elevator doors reopened. You groaned. Why can’t you escape him?

“Did she say yes?” you asked with an indifferent tone.

“Not sure yet. Will you go to the banquet with me?” Hoseok asked.

“Fuck off.”

“Alright, well she just said no. Ouch,” Hoseok clicked his tongue. 

“Wait, are you being serious?” your eyes widened.

“If the word ‘date’ threw you off, then I’m happy with going as friends,” he proposed. 

“I’m flattered, but I’m really not in the mood to party with random strangers.”

“You don’t have to. Just party with me. Why would I let you be sad and mopey all alone in a hotel room when you could be drinking free booze?”

“Is the alcohol is free?”

“Duh, it’s all being charged to the company. Plus dinner is served.”

“Ok fine, I’ll go. I guess I didn’t pack that stupid dress for nothing.”

“Let’s not allow a gorgeous dress to go to waste,” Hoseok agreed.

“You haven’t even seen it,” you suppressed a smile. 

“Anything can be gorgeous if you’re the one wearing it,” he winked.

“Oh, shut up,” a small smile cracked on your face.

Hoseok was the first to get ready for the banquet. He wanted your look to be a surprise so he insisted on going first. You were beginning to find his weird yet endearing antics kind of cute.

You weren’t prepared when he came out of the bathroom. You were well aware that Hoseok was a handsome guy, maybe even handsome enough to model. However, you weren’t ready when Hoseok emerged in a grey suit with his hair styled to reveal his forehead. His radiance was comparable to that of the sun, and he only shone brighter when he smiled at you. 

“You look good,” you tried to act cool.

“Thank you! I’ll admit I do enjoy dressing up from time to time. But who doesn’t, am I right?” he beamed.

You nodded as you hauled your things into the bathroom. After about an hour, you were ready: fully dressed, makeup done, confidence soaring. You had forgotten how therapeutic dressing up could be. 

Your dress was a deep emerald green that was elegant yet seductive. It had a side slit that flirtatiously showed off one of your legs. The neckline gracefully outlined your cleavage while still remaining on the classy side.

“Holy shit. You look amazing!” Hoseok praised you as soon as you stepped out.

“I was only trying to match you,” you said shyly, trying to hide your flushed cheeks.

“I think it’s safe to say that we’ll be the most breathtaking duo there. Shall we depart?” he extended out an arm.

The dinner started out with boring speeches by people you didn’t care to remember the names of. Hoseok elected to sit at the table furthest away from the stage, which was an excellent choice. That allowed the two of you to chat the night away in hushed voices. You both had already gone through five glasses of wine by the time the speeches were finally over. 

“The dance floor is now open! Enjoy the rest of the night, and don’t forget that there’s an open bar!” the MC shouted through the mic.

The lights dimmed and a disco ball lowered in the center of the room. People began to crowd the dance floor. You laughed with Hoseok as you both observed various awkward shuffles and sways. 

“Wanna dance?” Hoseok yelled over the music.

“I can’t!” you yelled back.

“I’m sure you can! Let’s go!” Hoseok didn’t wait for a reply.

He dragged you to an empty space on the dance floor. The two of you began drawing attention to yourselves as soon as you stepped out. Two beauties were dancing in the open for everyone to see. You shyly swayed to the rhythm of the music and laughed at Hoseok’s silly moves. However, Hoseok began to move in a way that was absolutely bewitching. He looked like a professional dancer with the way he commanded his body to hit every beat. Hoseok had drawn a very large crowd as people began cheering him on. 

You were amazed by his stage presence. You’ve always had a thing for dancers, and he looked downright sexy. The song ended and Hoseok gave his audience a dramatic bow, awarding him deafening applause. 

“I didn’t know you could dance!” you shouted when he returned to your side.

“I like to dance in my free time! Did you like it?” he shouted back.

“I’ll admit it was sexy,” you laughed.

“You think I’m sexy?”

“Maybe I do,” you winked.

You had more fun than you expected while dancing with Hoseok. He made you feel secure, so you were able to let loose. You didn’t care what you looked like, as long as Hoseok was there with you. 

The night progressed and you began to feel bold. A particularly raunchy song came on, as if it were asking you to grind on Hoseok. And that’s exactly what you did. You guided his hands to your hips as you grinded into his crotch

“You sure you wanna be doing that?” Hoseok spoke into your ear with a low voice.

“Absolutely,” you replied.

Hoseok spun you around and gazed at you intimately while he brought you closer into his body. Various body parts were rubbing against each other now. The sexual tension was palpable. 

Hoseok’s hands were running up and down your body, and your mouth was dangerously close to his neck. The scent of his cologne was intoxicating. You couldn’t help yourself; you leaned forward to plant a soft kiss on his neck. His low growl was an indication that he liked it, so you kissed him again with more vigor. 

“You’re going to have to stop,” he scolded.

“Shit, I’m sorry. Did I overstep your boundaries?” you were embarrassed.

“Absolutely not. But I can’t fuck you out here in public now can I?” he towed you off the dance floor and made a beeline for the elevators. 

Thank god no one else was in the elevator, neither of you could keep your paws off of each other. Hoseok’s hands were unabashedly feeling you up and down while his crotch was slowly grinding into yours. Your arms were wrapped around his neck as you planted kisses along his sharp jawline.

Hoseok couldn’t stop whispering naughty things into your ear during the entire elevator trip up to your shared room. His lowered voice sent chills down your spine as he expressed just how eager he was to finally have you. You felt yourself getting wetter by the second.

“I wanted to strip off that dress the moment I saw you wearing it,” he cooed, “God, I can’t wait to see how beautiful you’ll look underneath me.”

“Hoseok, do you ever shut up?” you teased with a coy smile.

“I dunno, you might have to make me,” he played along.

“Maybe sitting on your handsome face will do the trick,” you said as you nipped his ear.

“Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

The elevator doors finally opened, and Hoseok quickly dragged you out. He immediately tore off your dress the moment the hotel room door was closed. You did him the same favor as you frantically unbuttoned his shirt to reveal his toned body. 

“Why don’t you be a good boy and wait for me on the bed?” you suggested.

“Yes ma’am,” he complied, his eyes never leaving your body.

“Like what you see?” you asked, turning around slowly to fully show off the lingerie that perfectly complimented your body. 

“You are so fucking sexy, ___,” Hoseok smiled in awe.

“I’m so glad you think so. You’re not too bad yourself,” you winked at him.

You finally joined Hoseok on the bed. You kiss his body from his abdomen all the way up his chest before stopping at his mouth. You took a second to relish the feeling of his plush lips against yours before he deepened the kiss with a ferocious intensity. 

“Wanna try and shut me up now?” Hoseok lifted his eyebrows suggestively once the kiss broke.

“With pleasure,” you responded as you began to position yourself above him, “Wait, do you want me to take this off?” you gestured to your undergarments.

“No need,” he said before abruptly pulling aside your panties.

You slowly lowered yourself onto his face and stopped when you felt his breath on your pussy. Hoseok impatiently gripped your hips and pulled you directly onto his tongue. The sudden contact made you gasp. Hoseok didn’t waste any time getting down to business.

He flattened his tongue out to cover as much area as possible as he licked across your folds. He expertly flicked and lapped your pussy in the perfect places. Your legs began to tremble, and you had to grip onto the bed’s headboard for support. 

You looked down to see the beautiful man’s face buried in your pussy; that sight alone was almost enough to bring you over the edge. Hoseok’s hands slithered their way up to your chest, where he began to twist and pull at your sensitive nipples through your bra. 

“You taste--so good,” Hoseok panted out from underneath you.

“Should I get off--fuck!” you were interrupted by Hoseok sucking on your clit.

His mouth was heaven sent. Your body began to heat up and soon you lost the strength to hold yourself up even against the headboard. 

You cried out as you came all over Hoseok’s face. His face was glistening with your juices as he smiled up at you. He seductively licked his lips to taste you again.

“Your turn?” you asked.

“As much as I wanna see your pretty lips wrapped around my cock, I think I need to be inside you more,” he replied as he repositioned himself.

He stripped off the rest of his clothing. You watched with admiration as more of his skin became exposed.

“You can take off the fancy underwear now,” he said once he caught you staring.

“You don’t want to see it anymore?” you fakeed a pout.

“___, you’re drop dead gorgeous in it. However, I advise you to take it off yourself because I won’t hold back. I don’t want to ruin your underwear, just you,” he replied.

Hoseok mixed in little nibbles while he kissed along your neck. Your voice dripped with bliss as you quietly moaned. 

“I guess you do like being bitten, huh? What about this?” Hoseok licked your neck, causing you to squirm underneath him.

“I think I like that too,” you whispered, biting your lip.

You wriggled out of your undergarments, leaving yourself completely naked in front of Hoseok. You pull at the hem of Hoseok’s underwear, eager to see what he was packing.

You were not disappointed. Although he was well endowed, what he lacked in length was made up for in girth. 

“Do you want me to use a condom?” he asked.

“I’m on the pill, and I’m pretty sure I’m clean. I haven’t been intimate in an embarrassingly long amount of time,” you admitted, blushing.

“I find that hard to believe,” Hoseok said while kissing around your face, “Since you’re so damn beautiful,” his lips found yours and led you into a passionate kiss. 

His hips began to grind into yours, his dick rubbing against your bare pussy. You wrapped your legs around him, bringing him closer.

“Please don’t tease me,” you pleaded.

“What are the magic words?” Hoseok teased.

“Fuck me, Hobi,” you begged.

“Oh my fucking god,” he growled.

He slammed his hips into yours, not giving you enough time to adjust to him. The stretch was intense at first, but it soon turned into nothing but pleasure. Your euphoria grew as he rhythmically bucked his hips into you. 

Hoseok spread your legs out as wide as you could go, giving him quite the erotic view that only aroused him more. You tried to stifle your moans, but were failing miserably.

“Don’t hold back baby, let me hear you. Show me how good I make you feel,” he leaned over to whisper into your ear. 

You complied instantly, your moans resounding around the room. Hoseok’s position allowed him to hit you deeply with every stroke. Without a word, he pulled out of you and flipped you over onto your knees. He roughly forced your chest down, leaving your ass in the air for him.

“Your ass is so fucking fat,” he said as his hand connected with your bare skin, causing you to shriek.

He kissed it afterward while his fingers teased your clit. He realigned himself with your entrance. This new position was even better than the last. You could no longer hold in your moans even if you wanted to. Hoseok repeatedly hit your g-spot, and you could feel another orgasm welling up within you.

“Hobi, I’m gonna cum,” you cry out.

“Say that again,” he demanded.

“I-i’m gonna cum!”

“No, not that. That’s hot but call me Hobi again,” he chuckled.

“Hobi!” you said with an exasperated tone.

“Yes princess? Fuck, I’m close,” Hoseok’s movements were becoming more haphazard by the second.

“Hobi, right there oh my god keep going please,” you begged, “Hobi...ah shit!” you came undone.

It wasn’t long after until Hoseok followed suit, pulling out to cum all over your ass. He rolled off the bed to get something to clean you up with. 

“How are you feeling?” Hoseok asked.

“Better. You?” you answered.

“Doing pretty well. I fucked the girl of my dreams,” he said gleefully.

“Shut up,” you playfully pushed him.

“I’m serious. I’ve adored you since college. I lived for your playful banter,” he began to explain.

“It wasn’t playful,” you interjected.

“Yeah, I know. But that’s what made it fun! All the other girls just wanted to be with me for my looks or whatever. None of them knew the real me.”

“And I did?”

“More so than most. You always pushed me to do my best. I really just wanted to be good enough for you. Kind of silly huh? I even dated that girl in an attempt to make you jealous. Which backfired since her dad was Professor whatshisface who took me on that trip,” Hoseok opened up.

“Hobi I...I’m so sorry. I was such a bitch to you back then. And now too I guess. My competitive side gets the better of me. I was always annoyed by how you were seemingly good at everything. It even irritated me that you’re the most handsome man I’ve ever seen in my life,” you began to apologize, “Oh, and his name is Namjoon. Professor Namjoon.”

“Thanks for reminding me. I hate to admit it but he made me a little jealous. I wanted you to praise me the way you praised him. Anyway, things can change now that everything's out in the open,” Hoseok smiled, “You’re even calling me Hobi! I’ve been dreaming about this moment.”

“Was it everything you ever hoped for?” you joked.

“You said it when you asked me to fuck you, then you said it multiple times while I was balls deep inside of you. So yeah, I would say it was everything I could’ve hoped for, if not more,” he pulled you into his chest.

The two of you continued talking for what felt like hours while cuddling. You hadn’t been this relaxed in ages. You were nearly asleep on his chest when he stroked a strand of hair from your face. 

“Tomorrow will be interesting, huh?” he said softly.

“I guess I still have to pitch my idea to the CEO,” you sighed softly, “What a waste of time.”

“It’s not a waste of time if you’re gonna get the promotion,” Hoseok reprimanded.

“I already told you, I’m not. The VP will make sure that you get it. This is good for you. Don’t worry about me,” you kissed his cheek, “We should get some sleep now.”

“Alright. Goodnight, ___,” he kissed your forehead.

“Goodnight Hobi.”

“Fuck, I really love when you say that.”

It was time. Time to pitch your idea to the CEO for no damn reason. You were beyond nervous, and Hoseok could tell. He tried to ease your nerves by giving you a firm shoulder massage as you both waited to be called into a small conference room.

The VP emerged, ignoring your mean scowl, and called Hoseok in to present first. Of course he would go first, no need to waste time hearing your proposal.

It was an anxiety riddled wait. You recounted the previous day’s events, which was a mistake because that only infuriated you. The whole situation was an affront on your character, and you will not stand for it. You debated giving the VP another piece of your mind at the end of everything. 

“___, you’re up,” the VP called you after Hobi finished.

“You’re gonna kill it,” Hobi encouraged you, coupled with a pat on the back.

“This is pointless and you know that,” you sighed.

Hobi shook his head in disagreement. It was heartwarming to see how supportive he was being. Maybe it was due to the fact that the job was practically his already. It doesn’t matter now. 

“Good morning gentlemen,” you greet them.

“The floor is yours, Miss ___,” the CEO responded cordially.

“I’ll keep it short and simple. I propose that the best way to improve the company is to shorten work day hours and increase PTO days,” you said confidently.

“Is that it? Can you expound on that?” the VP cynically asked. 

“Yes, I’m so glad you asked,” you smiled coldly, “Studies show that employees are exponentially more productive when they are happier. Not only will the company become more efficient, but the overall company atmosphere will become more positive. Interpersonal relationships between employees and bosses will improve in an appropriate professional manner,” you glared at the VP.

“That’s a very interesting take,” the CEO said thoughtfully, “Do you have any suggestions regarding the actual work that the company does?”

“No sir. The company has been thriving, so I believe that the way things are running now are proficient. However, as a company, we should always be willing to listen to our employees’ concerns,” you stated.

“You’ve brought up interesting points to the table. As an employee, do you have any concerns you’d like to express?” the CEO asked.

“There is one pressing matter that comes to mind,” you stole a glance at the VP to see him shift uncomfortably in his seat, “I firmly expect that employee/supervisor relationships should be strictly professional.”

“Are you just giving us your opinion on office romances?” the VP sneered.

“I believe that trying to use intimacy as leverage is highly immoral, if not a fireable offense,” you held your ground.

“Of course,” the CEO agreed.

“Then said employee would simply need to file a complaint with HR,” the VP dismissed you.

“What better way to get my complaint heard than speaking directly to the CEO?” you smiled sweetly, “Sir, yesterday the man sitting beside you crudely suggested that I sleep with him in order to gain the promotion. He also alluded that all of my accomplishments are for naught, and that I am purely ‘eye candy’.”

“Is this true?” the CEO asked his VP in dismay.

“Of course not. She’s grasping at straws. Look how desperate she is to get the job,” the VP quickly defended himself.

“I am not lying. I am fully prepared to be fired on the spot. I cannot continue to work at a company that allows this kind of sloppy behavior to go unpunished. Thank you for your time,” you bowed and quickly took your leave.

You released a huge sigh as soon as you were outside of the room. Hobi rushed over to your side. Suddenly, you began to laugh hysterically. Hobi looked at you nervously, obviously concerned about your mental state.

“Isn’t it so funny? All my hard work had just been flushed down the toilet by a stupid man drunk on power. I love that!” you wheezed.

“___, ___ calm down. What happened?” Hobi inquired. 

You told him what just went down. A smile crept across his face as you got to the part where you put the VP on the spot. 

“I wouldn’t count yourself out just yet dude,” Hoseok shrugged, “All we can do is wait.”

“Yeah, I’ll be the first one to congratulate you on your new job. Then I’ll begin my search for a new one,” you gave him a thumbs up.

The VP stumbled out of the room and angrily stomped towards the both of you.

“You fucking bitch! Who do you think you are? Do you even know what you’ve done? I know people. I’m gonna make sure your life is hell!” he yelled at you.

“That’s enough! You have been dismissed. I do not want to see your face around here again. Clean out your office on Monday,” the CEO ordered, “Would the both of you please follow me back into the room?”

You both timidly followed him, curious as to what he had to say.

“I apologize on behalf of the company for this incident. This isn’t the first time a complaint has been filed against him. Unfortunately, he always told me that they were just futile grasps for leverage and I foolishly believed him. However, his loss is your gain,” he smiled, “How would you like to be my new Vice President?”

You were agog. Hoseok’s eyes widened as he stood beside you.

“Surely there are more qualified people,” you stammered in disbelief.

“There definitely are. But none of them are what this company needs. It takes a special person to have their rival pitch all the reasons why you are a better candidate than they are,” the CEO happily nodded.

“I- he what?” you cast a surprised look at Hobi.

“Oh yes. He spent all his time highlighting your best qualities as an employee. It was quite a shock,” the CEO smiled.

“I will humbly accept your offer. Thank you so much sir, I will work even harder!” you bowed gratefully.

“That brings me to Mr. Jung. The position on the executive council is yours, if you want it,” the CEO offered.

“If the offer is unopposed, then I have no choice but to accept. I will do my best!” Hobi joined in your bowing. 

“Wonderful! It’ll be refreshing to see some lively young faces at those atrocious meetings,” the CEO laughed, “Oh, and one more thing. The two of you will have to relocate to the main branch, I hope that’s okay. I look forward to working with both of you.”

You both nodded gleefully. After the CEO dismissed the pair of you, the trip back up to your hotel room was nothing but joyous. It was like you were in a dream that you never wanted to wake up from. You even pinched each other to make sure it was all real. 

“I can’t believe you were advocating for me,” you hugged him.

“You deserve it. Your impressive diligence should not go unrewarded,” he squeezed you tighter, “Plus, this ended up being pretty sweet! Congratulations to both of us!”

“We need to go out to celebrate!” you wiggled.

“Yes! Let me take you out,” Hobi tackled you onto the bed.

“Where shall we go?” you playfully ask.

“Maybe we should go explore our new city together?” he suggested.

“Our?”

“Yes, our. And when I say I’m gonna take you out, I mean as a date. Because I want to date you. And have been wanting to for years,” Hoseok charismatically emphasized.

“I’m looking forward to starting this new chapter of my life with you then, Mr. Jung Hoseok,” you press your forehead against his. 

“Imma be all up in your bidness girl,” he joked.

“Your business is my business now loser,” you teased back. 

Looks like all that hard work had paid off, and there’s no better reward than finally being with Jung Hoseok.  

Published May 13, 2021. No editing, copying, translating, or reposting allowed. All Rights Reserved © 2021 Baepsaesbae.

[ships-bynoa]

The Titans are almost back, bitches. aka 3x06

Guys, literally every time the titans are together-or even paired up-the episode gets ten times better, but in 6 episodes there is simply not enough Kory and Gar. I can easily forget that when I’m basking in the episode they are in, especially when they’re giving us family dynamics.

Kory:

“You’re not mad that I left. You’re mad I came back.” Kory’s face tells us Blackfire is right on the money, and who would know her better than her sister?

So, Kory, oh boy. Our girl is on edge. She is slowly unraveling and is super vulnerable and raw with Kom around and little sister is going to exploit it and her guilt, which I think she’s carrying a lot of. So far their dynamic has been fascinating because there’s so much to read between them and so many accusations being flung back and forth, from both. From Kory; you sense guilt and even contempt and from Kom there’s envy and resentment, but also there’s a sense of idealization for her older sister, too, which of course, with younger siblings, there always is an element of that. And as an older sibling, there is always an unspoken and sometimes spoken responsibility placed on them for their younger siblings. Parents often don’t realize it, but they can create a lot of tension within siblingships by assigning roles.

They remember home and family very differently, which is often the case, too. Kom was often thrown in the pit and to that, Kory attributes her sister’s constant rebellion as the reason, and yet, Kory herself was a bit of a rule breaker, sleeping with her guard, Fiddei.

Kory was being suffocated by the laws and customs of her home planet; one could say she rebelled by going on a mission, to escape her duties. Home did neither of them any favors because while one rebelled because she did not fit in, the one who did fit in was dying inside, surrounded by little robots and becoming one herself. Being told what to eat, wear and who to love or be friends with is yikes.

I was thinking Kom began her game of manipulation in the bunker, but she really started before that when she sent Fiddei to bring Kory home when she probably intended to kill him all along. After all she would’ve castrated him if she’d had the chance to for sleeping with Kory in the first place. Shortly after Fiddei’s death, Kory flamed out. No powers. Emotionally wrung out from the news her family was dead and now the culprit is here. These two know each other very well and know exactly how to get underneath each other’s skin. Right now Kom is getting underneath Kory’s and our girl is losing patience fast. 

I’m wondering when exactly Dick will tune into Kory’s anxiety-ridden state and step in to support.

Ultimately, I just want to see what truly happened to the girls on their planet and how we have the versions we have now. Like, Kory said to Rachel, “No one is born good or bad, we are defined by our choices.” I get the feeling Kory has given Kom so many chances to make a different choice and has become disillusioned, meanwhile Kom believes nothing she does will give her the respect she feels she deserves anyway, so she may as well blow shit up, figuratively and literally. At least then she’ll have Kory’s attention.

Gar: 

Gar losing it on Dick was so cathartic and yet he could’ve gone much further, considering Dick abandoned him last season to go jail and hallucinate Bruce. It ultimately led to Gar (and Conner) being kidnapped and experimented on by Mercy. It’s actually all the adults fault this happened, but as the leader promoting his family everywhere he goes, he needs to keep his eye on the ball. He would know if he spent five minutes at home with them that Gar is struggling. Last season Gar was #OperationSaveTitans and this season he’s #ThisFamilyIsDying. He’s doing what the adults should be doing, or at least leading the charge on it. He’s the glue, but who will hold him together?

He’s carrying too much emotional responsibility and Dick’s dismissal, because he is fully locked into Gotham and being Batman, makes me mad. Get your head in the game, Grayson. Gotham is going to eat your family while you retread the nostalgic steps of your past.

We all know Dick’s not good at expressing himself emotionally, though he’s usually forced to express something when talking to or being confronted by Kory, so I was proud of him for giving Gar the floor to speak. I just wish Gar spoke about himself, but then again, he needs more time and consistent offers to be heard. I’m happy Dick followed up the conversation up with a bonding/training session. There was definitely pride in Dick’s face because Gar really has come a long way in this group, but he needs MORE SCREEN TIME. I’d like to see the two of them out in the field together the way we’ve seen Kory this season with Gar and Conner. 

I wonder if Gar losing control is the start of all his trauma bubbling up to the surface, will being in Gotham, hunting down a friend be too much?

As a side, has the CGI tiger face gotten worse?

Kom (and Conner):

First thing’s first, what music are we thinking Kom listens to? Probably the kind of music she can break your tailbone to, like, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole and Jay Z, or Prince, Jimmy Hendrix, Stevie Nicks and Led Zeppelin? Rihanna?

Kom is absolutely a villain this season and if she isn’t, what a waste that’ll be. A mastermind at mind games (see, her picking up the chess piece), who is going to drum up Kory’s paranoia and anxiety around her being there. Trying to kill her suspicion by guilt tripping her while simultaneously being a do good-er to the group, feigning interest in helping the Titans to earn her way in, a tip from our boy, Conner.

She says she wants acceptance and I believe that’s absolutely true, but she doesn’t know how to get that without using power, so she’ll continue to covet acceptance through and with power because according to Kory, she’s always been a climber. Add to that, being born the cursed child and the only royal member born without the gift of fire, something that differentiates them from the common folk, being too frail to participate in the same games as Kory, having a speech therapist be her only friend while being the object of ridicule and you have a villain origin story nicely set up.

I really enjoyed Conner and Kom’s exchange. The boy lit up when he spoke about seeing his family happy and it made me light up. He’s so genuine and has a big heart and Kom is going to take advantage of it, that’s not to say she won’t develop real feelings for him, but she can like him and still use him.

Conner’s “you have to earn your way into the family,” is perhaps an internal and personal struggle he has from sharing blood with Luthor. I think it may come from an insecure place because he was made a titan as soon as he woke up and no one questioned it, but as he’s only half of superman, he’s constantly trying to prove his usefulness for good, which losing Hank has rocked, leaving him vulnerable to Kom’s recognition for his otherness. Their otherness.

She gave us insight into her mind, but also she has likely seized an opportunity to use the vulnerability against Conner and to her favor by making him her kindred. Outcasts. Will she gain influence over him? He’s still young and learning, and trusting, too.

Her interest in him felt layered, ignoring the ugly customs of sex servants, she was also observing Kory’s relationships and ranking them in her sister’s life. Her being able to determine who may have Kory’s interest (which Kory gave away with her vulnerable display of worry over Dick’s welfare in front of Kom) will surely come into play at some point, right? After all, Kom did kill Kory’s last lover/royal guard. This may be me projecting. LOL.

Romantically, I’m waiting to see how they play it before I decide if I like it or not, but so far, they have a nice chemistry. Friendly.

Dick (and Barbara) :

What a lovable dumb ass. 

I was so happy Kory lost it on him and called him on his lone ranger shit, at least when it’s her, even when he’s being an idiot, he’s still listening. “Let’s go.” and I thought it was hilarious that he tried explaining himself, but when Gar called him out, he got all huffy with, “Excuse me, young man.”

Gar asking Kory not to have words with Barbara over Dick getting shot was so funny because Dick’s face seemed to ask the same when she asked how it happened. We love a protective Kory. I’ll be looking at him when it’s his turn to reciprocate.

I don’t like him dismissing their concerns about his personal safety and how it affects them, it’s like he’s learned nothing after running off alone to battle Trigon, or rather has unlearned his lessons of S2. I’d like to see some more permanent emotional growth from him by this season’s end. In his current state, he’s not an exuding leader. He can’t be when he’s still wrapped up in Bruce and all things Gotham. He’s not tuned into Kory’s anxiety, or Conner’s grief and insecurity, or Gar’s emotional burden. 

He’s started making it up to him, but he has much to do in taking Gar’s concerns and emotional needs seriously.

I’m not even going to try and work out the timeline between Barbara and Dick and Dick and old Titans in San Fran and S1. But it doesn’t bode well that Dick’s dream with Barbara ended in a nightmare. 

I wish they’d never did the whole Dick and Dawn relationship in S2 because they’re basically repeating some of the beats in showing us how they don’t work as a couple, only his relationship with Babs makes a lot more sense even though I don't care. Dick has unfinished business with that relationship, Bruce and Gotham and I can only hope he’s wrapped it up for good by this season’s end. I want to see relaxed, smiling and happy Dick in THE PRESENT. I still Babs will be the one to notice and point out Dick's feelings for Kory.

Barbara (outside of Dick) is being downplayed a little, no? Dismissing Dick’s suspicions about Jason when he arrived, showing no knowledge of Jason’s visits to Crane and then taking the bait and moving Crane after he got a light beat down. A commissioner who was also a very capable vigilante is tricked by a recording and goes to meet “Bruce” on her own. I really enjoyed that she could hold her own and the fight scene was really good, but it was a bit baffling that she fell for that ruse. So far, she’s not entirely good at her job.

Dick’s a distraction in his own right and her feelings clearly get in the way, which is why she keeps asking him to leave the precinct and Gotham; because she’s pining a fantasy and he’s ruining it. Lastly, I really like the way Savannah plays Barbara.

Why’d they do that to Tim?? :(

Overall, it was a better episode and I enjoyed it more than latter episodes, but they’re not quite there yet for me. I’m  still waiting for Team Titans.

[mah-gah-lee]

They had been lovers - (alex mercer x sibling! reader) + (luke patterson x reader)

words count: 2052

request: no

summary:  Y/N find a huge secret about his brother and need some time alone. But Alex seems to want talking about all of this.

warnings: sadness (?)

a/n : I tried to make this fic gender neutral, I’m not sure I've succeed but I really tried.

If you want to be tagged in my next fic, let me know! Don’t forget to tell me if you've liked it!  

tagged: @standingtalllove​ @happinessinthedarkesttimes​  @asdfghjkl-fanfics  @lukeys-giggle​

The night was beautiful, the clear and dark sky made it possible to see the thousands of small dots twinkling. The stars were multiplying in the sky like the hundreds of thoughts going through your head. You were serene, calm and the immensity of the night did not scare you. You wouldn't trade your seat for anything in the world. Even though your head was full, you had the strange feeling of being emptied. Being alone on this roof didn’t scare you, on the contrary, it washed away all the anxieties that had been created in the hollow of your chest these last hours. After finding out about this secret, you couldn't blame your brother. Or rather, you couldn't be mad at him for that reason. But you were hurt. A twenty-five years silence had been broken, an intimate information Alex had kept deeply for himself, for them. A secret that destroyed the dusts of hope that had formed in your soul since you were fourteen. The theories about twins have never been truer than now: they shared everything, down to the person they had feelings for.

 This will teach you to dig through your old stuff. But could the boys really blame you? The loft was a mess, it was flooded with all your stuff. Rose seemed to have kept everything: some of the boys' clothes - most of which belonged to Luke since he had mostly lived in the garage when he had run away - their instruments, the many songbooks, the demos, the band's banner, but also, countless memories like many Polaroids.

Among the photos that you had browsed to get drunk of the times when the four of you were still alive, you have discovered some more intimate than others. It all started with a photo of Alex asleep on the sofa: "First night", another where you could see two hands intertwined, you recognized Luke's rings. Alex also wore rings, but it was the tricolor bracelet that made you realize it was him with Luke. Another cliché was becoming even more obvious: Luke licking Alex's cheek as your brother grimaced in mock disgust. In the white space of the Polaroid it was written in black felt-tip pen with a messy handwriting: "playing with the handsome boyfriend"

 But it was the last picture that broke your heart. Luke seemed to be the most romantic of the couple, which surprised you a bit as your brother was quite sentimental. The last shot showed the guitarist, supposedly lying on the sofa bed. Around his neck, Alex's blonde head could clearly be seen. He was tight against him, hiding, perfectly asleep. Both were shirtless, which made you uncomfortable looking at the photo. Once again, a note was written on the white space of the polaroid: "a year of love".

 One year. A full year, twelve months of a secret relationship and maybe even more. How long have they loved each other? How long had it lasted? Because you couldn't really deny this information anymore, the photo made it obvious: they had been lovers.

 A distinct pop sound was heard. The sound of a few footsteps on the roof tiles caught your attention, but you didn't move. The movements approached you, a fuzzy pink shape giving you a clue to the disruptor of your thoughts. Soon, the intruder comes to lie down next to you, leaving you overwhelmed by the scent of his cologne. You don't need all these little details to recognize your neighbor on the right. There was only one person who allowed himself to enter into such a private moment: your brother.

 You felt blue and you let the darkness of the night engulf you. The secret that you had discovered explained many things like: this complicity that Alex shared with him and only him, the small touches, the looks that you had sometimes intercepted between the two musicians. You knew now: They had been lovers.

 Silence reigned for several minutes without it being awkward, neither of you or Alex knowing how to start this conversation. Come to think of it, was there really a need to discuss it? It was the drummer who finally broke the silence.

 “y/n…i’m sorry”

 You let out a sigh before smiling weakly into the night. It was typical of your brother: apologizing when there was no need. Alex was a sensitive person and even under his armor of sarcasm he was incredibly gentle.

 “why are you apologizing about, ‘lex?”

“I didn’t know. I’m your brother, your twin, and I didn’t know.”

“I am the one who hides his emotions the best.”

"Why didn't you tell me?"

 Slowly you turned your head to look deeply at your brother. You could see the worry in his eyes but also the regret. This question, you could very well have asked him in return because between you two, it was him who had hidden a huge secret. But you couldn't blame him, it was his right. You didn't have any and that's why you kept your feelings quiet.

 "Because you would have tried to control your feelings to make me happy."

 Alex couldn't lie about it. It didn't matter what he had been through with the guitarist and lead singer of their band. If he had known his sibling had feelings for Luke, he would have suppressed his in a second. Despite your lying positions, you could see him look down, seeming to consider your words. He knew you were right, that he would have done anything for you even if it meant sacrificing his feelings for his best friend.

 "Alex, you have the right to be happy."

 But it was not enough. Your brother was moving his thoughts like you had done a few minutes before. This situation seemed to upset him, like any situation involving change.

 "’Lex ..."

 The blond drummer turned his face to you, lost. You knew you would have to find the right words, in addition to repeating the ones you had already said just a few seconds ago. You sighed to give yourself a little courage, helping him to find a calm that had escaped very slightly.

 "I don't blame you. We don't control how we feel. I'm not mad at you. You deserve to be happy, Alex."

 A faint smile played on the corners of Alex's lips as a few tears beaded from his eyes. Slowly, you stretched out your hand to erase them with the back of your index finger. It was your turn to be the protective sibling. Sometimes Alex needed to be reminded that he was important and that thinking about himself wouldn't hurt him.

  You've always had a crush on Luke. You realized your feelings for your brother's best friend when you were fourteen. You had never declared yourself, however, considering that the friendship that existed between your brother and the guitarist was too precious. Friendship ... If only you had known that there had always been more than that between them. Because the reality was there: They had been lovers

 But despite your feelings, you had always been close to Luke, as you were to Reggie. They were first and foremost Alex's best friends, but step by step they had become yours.

 “Does he know? Does he know that…I love him ?” you asked

“I think he's starting to understand.”

 Since your arrival in 2020, things had changed between you and Luke. The first time the guitarist had been to see his parents, Alex, Reggie and you had followed him in secret. But when the boys left, finding it best to leave Luke alone, you stayed. You stayed until he saw you and got angry. You stayed until he exploded again, in your arms as you ran your hands through his messy hair, kissing the top of his head tenderly to give him the much-needed comfort. Because deep down you knew. You knew Luke just needed to be loved again, he needed to be “touched” after seeing his parents again.

 After that moment everything started to change. It was like Luke needed your presence all the time, to feel against him. He was eager to hug you, rub his nose on your neck, or just kiss your cheek. You had the impression to feel his gaze sliding over you more than usual, you melted when he gave you a warm smile. But all of this, all of these signs that you thought you saw might have just been your imagination.

 Silence came over you again and once again it wasn't embarrassing. You liked the silence, you liked looking at the stars without any noise around you. Only your breaths disturbed this soothing silence. As you gazed at the sky, you couldn't help but countless thoughts cross your mind. You had so many questions for Alex. How did it happen? When did it happen? How long had it lasted? Were they still together today? You seemed to know that last answer already, having noticed the looks Luke had been giving Julie over the past few weeks, especially at the concert they played Finally Free. But the only question that crossed your lips was this one:

 “Do you still love him?”

 You looked back at your brother, only to see him smirk, almost nostalgic.

 “Part of me always will. He’s my first love.”

 It seemed like a logical answer and it broke your heart once again, although on a certain side hearing this from your brother seemed to hit you less and less hard. Reality hit you with less pain. You were starting to get used to this idea. They had been the most important person to each other for a year: they had been lovers.

 “You know…it’s over…between me and him”

 Unconsciously, your brother had answered one of the questions you had been asking yourself since the moment you discovered this secret. In a way, you were sad to hear that your brother was no longer with Luke. That their relationship was over and your curiosity took precedence, once again.

 “why?”

“because we work better by being best friend. Because I know he’s falling for someone great.”

 You regretted your question now. Luke had evolved, just like Alex was currently doing with Willie, although that's what led you to Caleb and those really painful electric shocks. But it was obvious, Luke was also starting to recover from this love affair and you noticed how not special you were another one was. All those looks, those moments where your skin had touched, everything was in your head, everything was only the rantings of a teenager in love.

 “Yeah, Julie is great”. you said with a little disappointment in your voice

 Alex chuckled. You had both risen to a sitting position. Your arms circled your knees as you rested your chin on them. You turned your head towards your brother, raising an eyebrow. And despite the darkness of the night, he could see your questioning expression thanks to the reflection of the moon on your face.

 “It’s not Julie I was thinking about”

“Reggie?”

 Alex laughed again before sighing gently. You couldn't be so oblivious or you just tried to ignore the possibility, shielding yourself from possible teenage grief.

 “You.”

"Me?"

“Yes, y/n. You. Luke is falling for you. ”

“But… Alex… he’s.. And, you ..”

“I'm okay with that. You deserve to be happy and I know you’ll be good to each other.”

 In perfect timing, the distinctive sound of a pop was heard behind you. Alex looked up and his shy smile confirmed the doubt that had settled in you as to the identity of this new arrival. Your brother gave you a protective look and then gave you a slight wink.

 "I think you need to talk to each other."

 The blond drummer stood up cautiously and when you turned your head to see him go, you noticed the hand he placed on Luke's shoulder. And the last thing you heard before your brother disappeared into a ghostly cloud was, "I trust you. Take care of her/him like you took care of me, Luke."

 They had been lovers and now, strange as it may sound, you had Alex's blessing ... leaving you the possibility for Luke as for you, of being, in turn: lovers.

[catwatcha]

Pairing: Chan x Reader

Genre: Angst/fluff/smut

Word count: 2153

Warnings: 18+ smut & cursing & fainting

Authors note: shit goes down in this chapter so eeeeeekkkk

You’re too hard to forget.

It’s been one week without any dreams. I have moments where my eyes are closed and I see flashes of images that look like various hospital rooms. But none of them have Chan. I told Jasey what had happened, I think. Honestly my body felt numb and my head was ringing so I don’t know what exactly I said, but I said enough that she would leave me alone, because I don’t want to think about it.

Unfortunately, it’s all I can think about.

It’s Monday morning again. I walk into school and plaster a smile on my face, knowing that I can take off in just six hours. I can do that, right? Yes, I think. I walk over to Jasey as usual, but stop when I see a familiar face. It’s the boy who I saw outside the coffee shop a couple weeks ago. He seems to recognize me too, because he stares at me with wide eyes. “Uhhh,” I say when I look at him, and thankfully Jasey doesn’t seem to notice and interrupts me. “Y/n! You’re here! This is Minho,” she says, and I can see the blush spread across her cheeks. This is her secret. And apparently, mine too. “I’m Y/n,” I say to him, though I’m looking at my shoes. He hesitates, but introduces himself in a similar way. I silently thank him for not saying anything like, ‘I know you’, or, ‘wait you’re the weirdo who’s friends with my girlfriend?’ We shake hands. He smiles. I smile. And then I turn on my heels, because suddenly I feel dizzy and I’m having flashbacks and if I don’t run, my feet might stay grounded forever, in a state of confusion and shock. “Y/n!” Jasey yells after me, but I keep walking, because I don’t know what else to say. I hear a few whispers behind me, and then I feel a hand gently pulling my arm, stopping my escape plan. I don’t want to turn around in fear of explaining myself to Jasey, but this is worse. The person with a grip on my arm is Minho. I see Jasey on the other side of the courtyard, and she knows something because she’s staying put. Does she know what I told him? Does he even know the depth of what I told him? Right now I don’t care. Because no matter what I told them or told myself, the dreams are gone.

Minho lets go of my arm, but I know he wants to know what’s going on. I speak first. “Sorry, I’m running late and I have English and I’m happy for you and Jasey so anyways I’m gonna get going…” I said. “Y/n, yeah?” he says. I nod, and turn away but he reaches for my arm again. “Wait, I want to talk to you for a minute!” he nods over to a bench, inviting me to sit down. But before I can think, my head is spinning and Minho is there and Jasey is rushing over and there I am. I’m shaking, for reasons I don’t know, and there are so many voices yelling at me from reality as well as from my very own mind. My head hits the concrete, and I pass out.

“I’m okay love.” Chan is in a hospital bed. His hair lies flat, and his skin pale. But he still looks like Chan. My Chan. His eyes shine looking up at me, and his lips form into a smile. I hug him. “Why haven’t I been able to see you?” I ask. It’s been days of waiting, hoping, and wondering if he was okay. They wouldn’t let me in, but I knew I could’ve if he wanted me to. “Why didn’t you let me see you?” I asked as my eyes filled with familiar tears. “Because even though I was hurt, I knew that if you saw me it would hurt you too. And seeing you hurt causes me more pain than anything physical ever could.” I thought about his words, but only for a moment. Because the next thing I know, I’m consumed in a kiss that made my heart stop. I missed him. But he’s okay. It’s us against the world, and I knew nothing would change that. We were back. Chan was going to be okay, and so was I.

I woke up in the nurse’s office. I’ve only been here a few times, usually when I faked a cough to get out of class or when I get migraines. This time though it felt like I was in the middle of some depressing party, held just for me. To my right, Jasey and Minho are standing over me, talking in worried tones. About what, I don’t know. To my left, I see my mom, and that’s when I think this is serious. Then again, She was probably just obligated to be called because of the school phone call I’m sure she received. As if I had pushed some sort of button, the all look at me at the exact same time. Well, I think. This is awkward. Mrs. Amy, our school nurse, is the first to speak. “Y/n, can you hear me? You hit your head pretty hard. Do you want some water?” I shake my head. I don’t want water. I want to go back to bed. Because even though my head is actually pounding, and I’m still a bit nauseous, none of it matters right now. Chan is back. Why now? I look at Minho. He looks at me. When I shook his hand, something felt so familiar. Like he was connected somehow, but no matter. “Thank you.” I say, and I’m smiling like an idiot. He looks at me confused, but I get up and I walk out of the crowded office. And I’m running, because I have so much to do but I have only one place to go right now. I’m going to the coffee shop, and I’m not going to be scared to go in this time. It could be the beginning of the rest of my life if I would just take the extra three steps.

Minho’s P.O.V.

“Minho, I’m so confused right now,” Jasey says to me. “We literally just watched Y/n pass out hard, and then run away like she got a shot of adrenaline.” It was about 9 a.m.now, so I was very late to school. I decided to just skip today in general. This was far more interesting than world history. “I don’t know, Jae. I don’t even know her,” I say. Y/n and I hadn’t even really met that day at the coffee shop. Is this about what she said to me then? I barely remember. I just remember trying to comfort someone who looked a bit shaken up. I never thought she might be broken completely. Maybe this has something to do with that Chan kid? Maybe a breakup, who knows. I love Jasey, but do I have to deal with her friend now? It’s bad enough that Chris is already going through some breakup with a girl he won’t tell me about, and he’s slept at my house every night this week. We play music and he reads and I like that he makes me pizza (that boy can fucking cook, even if it’s just simple things), but I don’t know Y/n. I can’t handle this too. “You should talk to her,” I say to Jasey. “She’s just going through something right now,” she says back, and looks down at her shoes. I think. And then I have a stupid brilliant idea, that could help both me and Jae. We were both so caught up with our friends that we never got much time together. “You know,” I say. “If she’s going through a breakup, I may have an idea. Or even not a breakup, but just rough shit. I know it’s hard and stuff, but I think she should talk to one of my friends. Actually, I think they’d get along really well. They could keep each other company.” I mean, Chris and Y/n. I think they’d be cute. “Calum, that’s never going to happen. I’m sorry baby, but Y/n is taken. I mean, sorta.” She’s laughing, like what I said, it was the dumbest idea in the world. Ouch. “She’ll be okay. I’ll talk to her later,” she says. Oh well. Was worth a shot, if not for Y/n, for Chris at least. I apply her last words to him as well. He’ll be okay. Everything will be fine.

Y/n’s P.O.V.

I’m scared again. Five minutes ago, I told myself to take a deep breath and just walk in. That was after the twenty minutes of standing there, pretending to be on my phone and thinking. I did this so nobody would ask me what’s wrong, like Minho did. Big mistake. But now I’m here and I’m scared. Thinking about Chan always made me feel dizzy because I didn't know what was real and what was a dream. It felt like it had all just become one big blur, dragging myself to and from school, skipping my way to meet Chan and trudging my way to meet Jasey at her place. She knew about the shop, and she knew that I’d never gone in, even though I was there so often. After running out of school this afternoon, she deserved a call from me, at the least. So I called her and went over to her place, and here we are back at the same downtown corner with the smell of coffee and muffins drifting through the air. I was smiling like an idiot, and had told Jasey why I was so adamant about getting out of school. I left out the part about Minho. To me he was just another human on this earth who happened to be dating my best friend, but he had a weird effect on me. I definitely didn’t tell Jasey. She didn’t ask. “Are you ready? Let’s just grab something to go, I’m really thirsty anyways.” I knew I couldn’t stand there like an idiot for any longer. I almost lost Chan once, the worst had already happened. I knew I was ready for anything. I took one last deep breath before bracing myself, and I took my first steps into the nostalgic feeling cafe.

I took in this new feeling, both the physical and mental aspects of it. It was exactly the kind of place that I dreamed of spending hours in, reading books and writing poetry. It had dim lights and a few couches, and wooden tables were scattered around the room. It’s exactly what I knew it would be, aside from a few changes here and there, but I couldn’t help but take it all in with wide eyes. Jasey had left to go order a drink for her and myself, and I went to the table that faces the window, like I had known myself to do many times before, yet never before while conscious. This was a feeling that I was starting to like very fast. At first I couldn’t remember why I was even here, but that was only for a moment. I looked around me, but I saw no sign of a dark haired boy with the eyes that I drowned in every night. There was barely anyone here, actually. I still saw my best friends backside at the counter, waiting for our drinks and striking up a conversation with the barista. A few seats over was a boy who caught my eye.

He had bright blonde hair that was down across his forehead. His shirt was tattered, but in a fashionable way, which he wore with black skinny jeans and dirty black converse. His eyes were piercing right into mine, a dark brown that I wish didn’t scare me as much as they did. I looked down at my hands to see them shaking the smallest bit. There was something about his presence that made me uncomfortable, but at the same time like I belonged even more. He looked out of place, but acted like it didn’t matter. Just like me. I looked up again, surprised to see that he was still staring at me with an unknown emotion in his eyes. He looked confused, almost. He stood up, and I unconsciously held my breath, not knowing why he was walking over to my table. The door was behind me, but he wasn’t looking at the door. He was looking right at me, almost as if he was looking through me. He stood 2 feet from me now at a dead stop. I studied his face, while I’m sure mine had “shock” written all over it.

“Allie?”

[szivtalan]

love is in the words unspoken

all these moments are golden,

forever is mine with you

the blossoming of the cherry trees always puts hawks in a strange mood. he thinks they’re romantic, magical - reminds him of a time when he was more naive, more dreamy, didn’t know much about the world. it’s nostalgic, to see the carpet of sakura petals on the streets, reminding him of what is and what could’ve been.

‘hawks!’

it’s ironic that he runs into endeavor’s child just as the flowers begin to fall.

‘hey, it’s todoroki.’ he grins, glancing at the two heroes behind the one already rushing up to him: deku and dynamight. ah yes, the three musketeers, as they call themselves. it’s nice to see the top three teaming up that way. ‘where’s the honorific though, kiddo? i’m still much older than you.’

‘not that much.’ shoto replies, and it feels like a shot to the heart. that’s right... they’re both in their twenties now. ‘and i figured i’d drop the honorifics now that i’m above you on the hero ranking list.’

the tilt of his head would be adorable if he weren’t such an asshole. tokoyami was right when he said that his youngest was different than endeavor - hawks only wished to see such a playful side of him.

‘the disrespect.’ hawks laughs, slapping shoto on the shoulder. he hits harder than what would be necessary, but the boy doesn’t even bat an eye. sturdy. and tall. holy shit, is he taller than hawks now? ‘anyway, i really don’t mind. are you guys patrolling around here?’

‘GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE HALF-AND-HALF, BEFORE I GO THERE AND BEAT IT!’ one youngster yells at them.

‘kacchan, don’t be so rude! he’s talking to hawks-san!’

‘friendly bunch.’ hawks snorts, and shoto just shakes his head with a smile.

‘they’re the best. i’m just trying to catch up.’ he admits, sounding sincere.

‘DON’T IGNORE ME, FUCKFACE!’

‘what are you doing around here anyway?’ shoto asks. ‘isn’t your office in a different city?’

‘yeah, i just came here to stretch my wings, take a walk.’ hawks says, ruffling his feathers a little for emphasis.

‘are you walking on your wings?’

‘n-no...?’

‘then how-’

‘WRAP IT UP NOW!’ at dynamight’s next shout, shoto visibly flinches. he seems more irritated than scared, at least to hawks.

‘i just wanted to thank you for helping my dad all those years ago.’ shoto says then, bowing his head a little. hawks takes it back, he doesn’t have an ounce of disrespect in his body. he’s just a little warped in the social area, and hawks has a fairly good guess where he gets that from. ‘i’ll be going now.’

‘wait, ah- how, how’s the old man?’ hawks tries to aim for anything but desperate. ‘i haven’t heard from him since the retirement.’

shoto looks at him thoughtfully, and those dual-colored eyes make hawks immeasurably nervous. he feels like he’s staring into his soul, opening up the secrets he’s got locked inside.

‘he’s well. i go home on weekends.’ shoto says, pulling up a notebook and a pen. ‘here’s the address. i think he’d appreciate the visit.’

the road to the todoroki estate was the most tiring one hawks had taken in a while. it’s not like it was far from where they met with shoto, but he spent the entire time worrying if he’s dressed well for the occasion, if he should just walk instead of flying to not get gross and sweaty - if endeavor will even let him in, or he’ll just pass by and get told off.

the house is huge, traditional, designed in classic enji taste. hawks could see the roof from a street away, almost walks into a lamppost while staring, his heart picking up the speed both from the scare and the nerves. his feet feel heavier with every step, walking down the street, finally getting to the gate-

and seeing todoroki enji, former number one hero, the feared endeavor sweep the walkway to his door, the scene way too casual to not send an already spring-up hawks into hysterics.

‘what the hell is that?’ hawks spits, laughter erupting from deep in his belly. the look on endeavor’s face just makes him shriek louder, his abs clenching with it. ‘is that- a fucking broom for ants, endeavor, you look so funny-’

‘can’t a man just do his chores in peace?!’ endeavor’s yelling now; sparks fly on his heated skin, and then they burst into flames.

‘now that’s the endeavor-san i know and love.’ he laughs, holding onto his own stomach, wiping his tears. endeavor’s face appears red under all that fire, he walks up to the gate to let him in.

‘what are you doing here, anyway?’ he mumbles, extinguishing himself as hawks walked in. he holds his broom under his armpit rather awkwardly, with the gracelessness of a man not quite used to doing the cleaning. hawks looks at him, observes: the slouch in his shoulders, the specks of grey in his stubble, the blush high on his cheek, the early wrinkles. he smiles to himself, reasons unknown, buried deep in a secluded part of his heart.

‘ran into your kid downtown, he said i should drop by and say hello.’ hawks lifts the nylon bags he’s been carrying, offers a lopsided grin. ‘i brought takeout.’

‘hmpft.’ endeavor is elaborate, as always. a man of few words and plenty actions, something hawks has always admired in him. ‘you can stay. only for the food.’

‘so you’re still very much hopeless in the kitchen, eh?’

‘don’t make me change my mind, brat!’

the house is huge on the inside, at least five bedrooms, two bathrooms, a big kitchen and dining room, and one living room all fit into one floor. all of it echoes from their steps, empty and lonely.

‘your boy said that he’s visiting you on weekend.’ hawks pries, shrugging his coat off as he hands over the bag. his fingers brush against endeavor’s fight-hardened, calloused ones and his heart feels like it could jump out of his chest again.

‘whenever he has the time. shoto’s a busy man.’ endeavor nods, his voice dripping with pride. hawks doesn’t need him to say any more to know how fond he is of his son. it makes him smile, actually. ‘why?’

‘and the rest of your family?’ he asks, a little more cautious.

‘i see rei and natsuo on holidays, and fuyumi usually spends her school breaks here.’ enji sets down the bag at the low table, grabs a pair of chopsticks from the dish rack. there are plates piled high there: it seems like he can clean up after himself, but refuses to put things away. hawks figures it’s pretty comfortable, considers that for a second before he realizes how much he can see into endeavor’s private life.

they sit down at the same time, and their eyes meet. ‘i’m not lonely.’ enji immediately turns defensive. there’s probably pity or sadness in hawks’ eyes, he wasn’t paying attention to his expression for a second.

‘i wasn’t suggesting you were.’

‘being alone is something i deserve. so i take my punishment with pride and strength.’ enji squares his shoulder, sitting up impossibly straight at his uncomfortable seat. he takes the boxes out, scatters them across the table for them to reach. no plates, though. ‘itadakimasu.’

they eat mostly in silence, warm, comfortable, and hawks can’t take his eyes off him. endeavor looks so casual, so approachable like this. he looks soft, in the slightly frayed sweatpants, a little weary from use, and the soft cotton shirt hugging his bulging muscles, stretching across his enormous shoulders. his face is a little thin, the wrinkles obvious on its unharmed half. from this close, hawks can see the grey hairs on his temple, too.

‘i’m looking for a place to stay.’ hawks announces once they’re finished eating. the look of surprise and something else - hope? no, it can’t be... - flashing across endeavor’s face startles him, but he’s not about to back down, now. ‘what-... ugh, how much do you think you’d rent out a room for?’

‘what?’ endeavor appears shell-shocked. ‘wh- why?’

‘well, because my apartment building is remodeling, and i’m pretty sick of living in the busier side of the city anyway. figured i’d change it up, move into the suburbs-’

‘that’s not what i’m asking.’ he snaps. ‘why me? don’t you have friends who’d let you stay with them?’

‘not anyone i’d like to move in with.’ hawks shrugs, playing with a few leftover grains of rice. ‘you know, i can cook, and i’m also willing to dry off and put away your damn dishes.’

‘hawks...’

‘c’mon, we can have sleepovers! i can braid your hair and you can braid mine. it will be fun!’

‘i can’t let you do that, hawks.’

‘okay, yes, i admit, your mane’s a little short for a proper french braid, but i can make do-’

‘hawks.’ enji’s voice booms. ‘no.’

‘you’ve known me for almost a decade, old man.’ hawks is talking back, suddenly fired up. ‘why won’t you just let me take care of you?’

‘because i’m a perfectly capable person who doesn’t need anyone to take care of them.’ he huffs, steam seeping from his nose. ‘and because i can’t let you do that to yourself.’

‘what, enji?’ he’s loud. is he shouting? he can’t tell.

‘waste your time on a bitter old man who isn’t worthy of you.’

now they’re pulling up the big guns. hawks deflates, props his head up on his elbows.

‘retired, but still on your self-deprecating bullshit.’ he sighs. ‘will you take it to the grave?’

‘hawks, i’m serious-’

‘and i’ve been serious, too. my entire life, about my feelings for you. you kept shaking me off, saying it wasn’t appropriate for someone your age dating someone so young, saying you were married, but all this time, i kept getting refused because you hate yourself too much to allow yourself to be loved?’

hawks doesn’t know when he stood up, but he’s falling to his knees beside enji now.

‘what kind of an asshole does that...?’ he whispers, staring right into enji’s fearful eyes.

‘an asshole who cares about you.’ enji murmurs, letting hawks hit him in the chest.

‘this isn’t “caring” about someone! this is just lying to yourself and keeping yourself from being happy!’ his fingers tangle in the front of his shirt, pulling him closer.

‘keigo-’ enji hisses, losing his balance and gripping the edge of the table so he doesn’t fall against the other man.

‘tell me no.’ hawks proposes, his free hand coming up to cradle his jaw, so prickly and manly and strong, the shudder that ripples through him from the gentle touch, making him so weak and vulnerable. ‘no more running away, enji, no more games. tell me no right now, and i won’t ever bother you again.’

endeavor furrows his brows, the skin around his scar pulling grotesquely over his face with the struggle. he takes a deep breath, and hawks gets goosebumps as the hot air from the exhale hits his skin.

‘i can’t...’ enji whispers, and hawks can barely hear over the sound of his heart shattering. he starts to let go, but he forgets to breathe and move altogether as enji leans in instead, hand coming up to hold him close by the back of his head. ‘i can’t say no, not anymore...’

the first touch of lips against his have his insides flutter, almost working him into a panicked frenzy. he can only hope that enji can’t feel his heart beating in his throat as he kisses him, deep and desperate and oh so careful. hawks clings into him, lets him chase him for a change, holds on for the ride.

when they separate, hawks feels dizzy, drunk with heat and pleasure. enji looks just about as much present, he seems dumbfounded.

‘well, uh.’ he says, and hawks would kick anyone who says he doesn’t have a way with words.

‘i can come on thursdays and fridays.’ he offers, for now. ‘that way your kids can still have you on weekends.’

‘thanks.’ that’s all endeavor says before he pushes a few stray strands of hair back from hawks’ face, leans in for another kiss.

it’s a date, then.

[scripts4dreamers]

I literally JUST sat down, pt. 6

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Seven

AN: Alone time with Spencer Reid isn’t something you’re ever willing to pass up.  Characters: Spencer Reid, Penelope Garcia, Derek Morgan, Aaron Hotchner, Jennifer Jareau, David Rossi. Pairings: Spencer Reid x reader Spoilers: None Warnings: Mentions of crime and violence, alcohol

---------------------------

“I could eat a horse,” Emily grumbled, collapsing into her seat on the jet, “when’s the last time we had solid food?”

JJ shook her head, “God, I don’t know. Maybe yesterday?”

“18:43 yesterday,” Spencer agreed, shooting you a tired smile as he took a seat beside you, “that’s when the call from Martin came in.”

Everyone nodded, remembering the frenzy that followed the call, everyone rushing to gather SWAT units, interviewing witnesses again, formulating a plan of attack and a de-escalation strategy. It had been a blur of movement and activity and that, combined with the nearly 10 hour standoff that followed had carried you for well over 24 hours, and left everyone hungry, tired and in desperate need of a shower.

“Ugh, I did not miss this part of the job,” you whined in time with a loud grumble from your stomach, “do you have any idea how many meals I missed when I was working at the bookstore? None! Not one. I had three meals a day and as many biscuits as I could eat,” you sighed nostalgically, “those were the good days.”

Emily moaned, “Ah, biscuits. Tell me more.”

You chuckled and shot her a fond look.

“You’ve got no idea what you’re missing, Emily,” Spencer cut in, “the biscuits Y/N makes are heaven. The ‘better than sex’ ones?” He rolled his eyes and groaned, a noise that made your cheeks flush and sent a bolt of surprise straight through you, “I dream about them.”

JJ hummed her agreement, closing her eyes as she reminisced, “I remember those, they’re Will’s favorite too.”

“That’s because Will has excellent taste,” you joked, shooting her a flirty wink, “in all things.”

Emily frowned, “Hey! Don’t flirt with her, keep telling me about these Better Than Sex biscuits.”

It had been nearly two weeks since the last big break in your case and, honestly, it was starting to grate on your nerves. No matter what you did it was like there was this massive clock counting down the days until another body would be dropped in your lap, probably with some other creepy detail on it; like your first pet’s name carved into the victim’s forehead. Garcia had been tracking down security camera footage from the shopping center you’d visited to buy your perfume, but there hadn’t been too much luck. A lot of the shops had already taped over their footage, and the ones that hadn’t had been grainy or awkwardly placed. All that they could reliably see was a tall man in a dark coat with a baseball cap on mirroring your movements in a few different stores.

Garcia was trying her best to enhance the images but, until she could, they were stuck. The only thing that helped your nerves was being on cases, and the fact that you almost always had someone with you to help keep you distracted.

“Well, they’re biscuits,” you smiled.

“And?” Emily pushed.

“And they’re better than sex,” you finished.

Emily rolled her eyes, but she was smiling as she did it, “That so?”

“I guess it depends on who you’re having sex with,” Spencer offered, meeting your eye for just a second, “in my experience they’re definitely better than casual meaningless sex, like a one night stand, but maybe not better than all sex.”

Your eyes widened and, much to your embarrassment, you felt yourself flush again. Spencer Reid and sex were two things that you worked very hard to keep separate in your mind. If they ever overlapped it happened in private and late at night, when no one was around to see your pupils dilate. You were a profiler. You were surrounded by profilers, and you’d learned long ago that the only way to keep secrets from a team like that was to make sure that your body language was stable and consistent at all times. Spencer Reid made that difficult. Spencer Reid casually talking about sex while his thigh was brushing up against yours made it damn near impossible.

“I need to try these biscuits,” Emily declared, “Y/N/N, will you make me some? Please?”

You snorted, “When? My shop’s closed indefinitely.”

“You can make them at my place,” Spencer said softly, just to you, “I haven’t used the oven in my apartment since...ever, I think, but it should work.”

“I’m-I’m staying at your place?”

Spencer shifted in his seat, “Yeah, it’s my turn. Garcia didn’t tell you?”

You made a mental note to shave Penelope’s eyebrows off at the earliest possible convenience in retaliation, but you kept your face neutral.

“No, she didn’t. Are you sure you’re okay with this, Spence? I don’t want to be a burden, and I know that you really value your privacy.” You asked, keeping your voice low.

Spencer smiled, something soft and fond glimmering in his dark eyes, “Of course I’m sure, Y/N. This is about keeping you safe.”

“I know but-“

“No!” Spencer interrupted with a laugh, “No buts. You’re staying at my place. Okay?”

You pressed your lips together, a million different arguments fighting for prominence in your mind.

“Okay?” Spencer repeated.

You deflated, “Fine. Okay.”

He leaned back in his seat and gave you a smug smile as he opened the book he’d brought with him. War and Peace, in the original Russian of course. It was a painfully nostalgic image and you felt your eyes start to droop with exhaustion.

“You’re impossible,” you yawned, “you know that?”

He smiled, “Yeah, yeah I know, Y/N. Get some rest, I’ll still be impossible when you wake up.”

You hummed, feeling a rush of comfort and warmth as you let sleep drag you under.

“Night, Reid,” you mumbled.

——————————-

Spencer was weirdly nervous as he fumbled for his apartment keys. It was stupid, of course, you’d been to his apartment before. Hell, you’d practically lived there in the weeks after Maeve’s death, but something about this felt...different. Maybe it was that he knew that you were in danger, and because of that you being there felt like an act of trust. Maybe he was nervous that he hadn’t cleaned up enough, or that you’d spent the entire flight with your head on his shoulder. Maybe he was worried that his oven actually didn’t work and he’d gotten your hopes up for nothing. Maybe it was-

“Spencer,” you said with a gentle laugh, “I can hear the cogs in your brain whirling. Calm down, everything’s going to be alright, I’ve seen your place before.”

Spencer smiled and he felt the tension start to ease out of his shoulders. Maybe it was just because it was you. The key finally slid into the door and he welcomed you in, grabbing your suitcase with one hand as he went.

“Welcome to Casa Reid,” he said, “ignore the books, unless you want to read any of them of course. You remember where my room is, right?”

You shot him a look, “What? No! Spence I’m already intruding on your fortress of solitude, I’m not taking your bedroom too.” You flopped down onto his couch, crossing your legs on the cushion and your arms across your chest with a determined glint in your eyes, “I’ll be right here if you need me.”

He rolled his eyes fondly, “Really, Y/N/N? This is the hill you want to die on? I know you’re as tired as I am. Wouldn’t it be nice to just collapse into a soft bed?”

“I’m sure it would be,” you agreed, “you’ll have to tell me all about it tomorrow morning.” You pushed yourself up and grabbed your suitcase from his hands with a sweet smile, “I would love a shower though. Maybe when I’m done you’ll have thought of a clever comeback? If not,” you shrugged, “we’ll get dinner.”

And with that you strode off in the direction of Spencer’s bathroom, shooting him one last playful smile as you went. As soon as you were out of sight Spencer sighed happily, collapsing onto the couch you’d just vacated and listening as the shower switched on. He was tired, bone tired; he was starving, he was thirsty and there was a dull sort of pressure in his temple that might have been the start of a headache, but despite all that he didn’t care. He was happy, almost giddy really, and that was enough. While the sound of the shower echoed through his apartment, Spencer let himself start to drift off.

-------------------------

The moment you were done talking Spencer’s world went quiet. All around him he could see his friends’ mouths moving, their shocked faces burned into his mind as they begged you for answers, but it was like they were on the other end of a really long corridor and he couldn’t quite make out their actual words. Instead there was just this rushing in his ears and the pounding of his heart, just a little too loud, as he tried to process the idea of his world without you in it.

“I’m leaving,” he heard you say again and again, like a stuck record in the back of his mind, “I handed in my resignation a while ago. I’m just here to pack up my things.”

For some reason that didn’t seem right. It didn’t seem right that you could be “leaving” and then be gone for good on the same day. It was too fast, Spencer hadn’t had time. Time to process, to think, to convince you to stay, to come with you, to tell you how he felt, to cry, to yell, to throw things, to laugh to-

“We’ll still see each other,” you lied through a sheepish smile, “this doesn’t have to be goodbye forever. Just goodbye for now.”

Spencer shook his head, his eyes trained on the patch of floor just between your feet like if he stared long enough it might give him the answer. The answer to what? It didn’t matter. He vaguely heard Garcia complaining in her own way, and JJ asking you to reconsider but, still, it was like it was happening to someone else. You’re dissociating, the rational part of his brain supplied, you’re dissociating because you can’t cope with losing someone you care about, you can’t cope with losing Y/N. He pushed the thought away, forcing it into a box somewhere in the very back of his mind as he fought to stay in control in the moment. Oh wow, Spencer Reid has abandonment issues, he thought to himself, how original.

“Excuse me,” he muttered, hoping it was too low for anyone to hear as he turned on his heel and walked straight out of the conference room.

As he went he could feel the sets of eyes on his back and the heavy weight of a mixture of confusion and pity they brought with them. For once he didn’t care. All that mattered was that his eyes were stinging and his chest was tight and, no matter what happened you couldn’t see him cry like this. He couldn’t let you see him break down because, the second that you did, he would be found out. You would put your arm on his shoulder and say something kind and he would look into your eyes and….you’d know. You’d see all the pain and the fear and the betrayal and you’d know in an instant how desperately and completely Spencer had fallen for you. And that couldn’t happen, it just couldn’t.

——————————-

Spencer sighed, shaking his head to snap himself out of the sad reminiscing. His heart was strangely heavy at the memory and he swallowed hard past the growing lump in his throat. That had been a hard day, but it had been nothing compared to what had come next. Showing up at work everyday and being met with your empty desk, the suffocating absence of your laughter, your voice, Derek and JJ trying desperately to compensate, Emily’s sullenness, even Garcia and her constant little check ins. Everything they did just made it more obvious that you weren’t there, that you’d really left, and that you were never coming back.

He looked towards his bedroom without meaning to, subtly reminding himself that you were there and that he wasn’t on his own anymore.

For now, the cynical voice in the back of his mind whispered. Until this case is solved and she packs up and leaves again like nothing happened. Then it’ll be just like it was before. Except that that wasn’t true. No, this time it’d be worse.

------------------------------

Spencer fiddled with the strap of his satchel, working his jaw as he tried to get up the nerve to either walk into the bookshop or turn and leave for good. It had been nearly four months since he’d last seen you, but you still texted regularly and sent him pictures of the store whenever you could. Not that it ever felt like enough. Four months of fighting himself and trying to figure out what the right thing to do was. Should he chase after you and beg you to come back? Should he offer to help around the bookstore in his free time? What did he want from you? What was his endgame here?

For a long while Spencer just watched you through the glass as the questions whirled around his head like a hurricane. You looked happy, he noticed as you laughed at something one of your employees said, like you were in your element. There was a peacefulness about the way you moved here too, like there was no hurry, like you had all the time in the world. It had been a long time since he’d seen you that happy. Not since that night, the one he wasn’t supposed to think about anymore. Not since he’d ruined everything and set your friendship on a collision course with disaster. You’d never said so, but Spencer knew that that night was why you left. He knew it was his fault, even if you didn’t want to admit it.

He sighed, fighting down a sudden rush of bitterness that tasted like ashes in his mouth. Something about seeing you, really seeing you again,brought all the hurt and confusion of that night back to the surface. Maybe it was just that it felt real now, final, like something that was always meant to happen the way it had. Something he had no control over. But you were happy, he reminded himself, and that was all he really wanted, right?

Spencer felt something in his chest splinter and, while his resolve was still firm, he turned on his heel and walked away. It wasn’t his place, he told himself again and again as he walked, he had no right.

-------------------------------

“Spence?” You asked, your worried voice cutting straight through his daydream like a knife, “are you okay?”

His head whipped around and he felt the knot of anxiety in his chest loosen as he took you in. Your hair was wet from the shower, your skin dewy and soft-looking beneath your pajamas. You looked calm and strong, and so painfully familiar that Spencer felt something near his heart swell with appreciation. So he brought his attention back, leaving the mistakes of the past alone for the time being so that he could better enjoy the present. He was home, and you were safe and for a moment everything was right in the world.

“Yeah,” he answered with a smile, “yeah I’m good. I-uh-I didn’t want to order dinner before you were finished because I didn’t ask what you wanted.”

You relaxed ever so slightly, “Hmmm,” you started, making your way over to the couch and plopping down next to him like it was the most natural thing in the world, “how about pizza?”

Spencer smiled, “I could do pizza. What kind do you want?” he asked, pulling out his phone to place the order.

“Ohhhh no,” you replied, shaking your head, “no, no, no. I’m not falling for that one again, Doctor Reid,” you joked, “I will not have you topping shame me in my own home.”

“In your own home?” Spencer laughed, “Oh, so this is officially your home now?”

“For the next few days yes, it is,” you shot back smugly, followed by, “I’ll have whatever you’re having, but no mushrooms.”

“Since when do you hate mushrooms?”

“Since now, duh,” you replied with a shrug, “seriously though, so long as it’s warm and filling, I really don’t mind.”

“Two warm and filling pizza’s coming right up,” Spencer said, “Garcia leant me some movies to watch as well if you want.”

Joking around with you the way he always had was an equal measure of comforting and bizarre, but Spencer wasn’t going to question it. As you bickered back and forth about whether or not Legally Blonde was the best courtroom film ever made, he tried to shake off the slight sadness in his chest. It was impossible. Every time he made you laugh or saw the edges of your eyes crinkle with a smile he was reminded of that empty desk, and the hole in his chest, and the way losing you felt like losing an arm. It wasn’t your fault, you were being your usual incredible self, but that was sort of the problem. Small acts of kindness to you, like grabbing a blanket and throwing it over both of your legs without a second thought, were just that, small acts of kindness. But to Spencer they were like patches of warm sunlight when he’d been expecting cold weather. It was painful. By the time the pizza had arrived, he’d changed into pajamas and you’d convinced him to watch Legally Blonde, he thought he had it under control. Or at least under control enough that you wouldn’t notice. He was wrong.

Less than fifteen minutes into the movie you pressed pause, turning to face him on the couch with a determined look on your face.

“Okay, spill it.” You demanded, “What’s wrong?”

“What?” he asked, heat creeping into his cheeks, “I don’t-what?”

“You went somewhere,” you explained, “somewhere in your head. You only do that when something’s bothering you.”

“Nothing’s bothering me, Y/N, I just-”

“Spence,” you interrupted, scooching closer and staring into his eyes pleadingly, “please don’t lie to me. I know you too well for that to work. Just tell me what’s wrong, is it me? Did I do something?”

“No.” Spencer said quickly, desperate to wipe that sad look off your face “No, Y/N/N you didn’t do anything I’m just-I’m not-” he took a deep breath in, thinking through his words, “I’m not sure...how to do this, exactly.”

You tilted your head, confused but, to his relief, didn’t shut him down.

“How to do what?” You asked sincerely, “Watch Legally Blonde? I know it’s not exactly your style but-”

“No,” he laughed softly, “no, not the movie. I don’t know how to be here, with you,” he admitted, “like this. Everytime I think I’ve got it, I remember what it was like without you and I just-” he shook his head, “I shut down. I pull away, and I don’t want to, I want to be here because you’re my friend and I care about you. It’s just that everytime I try….”

“You imagine what it’ll be like to lose me,” you supplied, sadly.

“I don’t imagine it, Y/N, I remember it.” He said, “All those years of seeing you every single day and suddenly you were just gone, and I couldn’t handle it. I kept expecting you to just walk back in one day, or that I’d wake up and the whole thing would just have been some weird fever dream, but it never did. The months just stretched on and on and on and-” he met your eye, “and now you’re back, and everything’s great again, but it’s been more than a year and, I don’t know, I guess I just don’t want to get my hopes up.”

The admission made Spencer feel lighter, like a weight had been lifted from his chest but, when he met your eye, his heart sank just a little bit. You pressed your lips together into a thin line, sniffing as you fought back tears. But they were angry tears, Spencer realised. You were sad, but you were also furious, and it made him swallow hard.

“Spencer, I don’t know how many times I can apologise,” you finally started, “I should’ve given you more warning, I shouldn’t have kept how I was feeling a secret, I know that now,” you continued, “but you didn’t lose me. Nobody lost me. I lost you. I lost my family, my job, my second home, the entire community of people I’d built up, all of it. I was alone, really alone, and starting from scratch in a city I barely recognized because I’d spent the last however many years flying around the country and completely neglecting most of the city I actually lived in. I also discovered that, outside of the BAU, I have exactly two friends, neither of whom live in the state so, at first, I spent 99% of my time just sitting in my apartment crying over what a huge terrible irreversible mistake I’d made and eating cookies.” You explained. Spencer opened his mouth to interrupt but, before he could, you shot him a pleading look, and he let you continue, “And I know it must’ve sucked, not having me around. I know you must have felt completely hurt and betrayed and confused, and I swear to you, I’m not trying to minimize that at all. All I’m trying to say is...it wasn’t easy for me. I didn’t just step out of those doors into some sunny, perfect idyllic life where all I did was bake cookies and read books. It was hard. I worked hard, and I don’t want to have to feel bad about that.”

You looked so sad in that moment that Spencer wanted to cry. He had never truly considered the implications of leaving the BAU, of how hard it must’ve been starting over when being in the FBI had always been your dream. Instinctively, he reached out and took your hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, just so you knew he was there.

“I don’t want that either,” Spencer promised, “I’ve only ever wanted you to be happy, Y/N.”

You nodded, wiping your eyes as a few stray tears slipped down your cheeks, “I know that, Spence, I do. I just-” You let out a deep breath and seemed to pull yourself together, squeezing his hand in return, “it felt like the only person who cared about me was Garcia,” you admitted, “and so, coming back, I was really scared. I didn’t quite know what I was walking into. I thought I knew, but I wasn’t sure so I just-” you shrugged, “acted like nothing had changed. And maybe that’s my fault but-”

“It’s not your fault,” he interrupted, feeling a swell of protectiveness ballooning in his chest, “none of us knew how to handle a situation like this.”

“But I should’ve considered how weird this must be for you,” you insisted, “I should’ve known that you-that you’d need more time, or more space from me than the others.”

“I don’t want space,” he said earnestly, “I promise you, Y/N, the last thing I want is to be away from you again. I’ve made that mistake once and it didn't work out too well.

You gave him a watery laugh and Spencer felt his spirit lift just a little. It was crazy how simple everything became in Spencer’s mind when you needed him, how easily he could be open and vulnerable without fear. It was you, he’d do anything for you, even bare his soul to make you laugh.

“I guess, what I’m trying to say,” You continued, “is that I’m scared. I’m so scared that, the minute this case is over, I’ll be alone again, starting from scratch, with nothing but two Murder Storefronts that no one is going to want to come within one hundred feet of, and you guys will just go on without me.”

Spencer smiled and tugged you close, wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you into a tight hug.

“That’s not going to happen, Y/N/N,” he promised.

“How do you know?” You whispered into his hair.

“Because,” he replied honestly, “I won’t let it.”

-----------------------------------

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[thewayshedreamed]

This Time— Part 4

A Nessian Fan Fic

Fic Masterlist

This update took me longer to get up than I expected! I overthought the shit out of it, but here it is, finally! Hope y’all enjoy a touch of Nessian fluff as much as y’all have appreciated the angst, but also, I’m sorry for the end of the chapter. 🤭

Warnings for strong language, mention of underage drinking, and mentions of grief.

Enjoy!

————————————————————————

After her heart no longer threatened to jump into her throat, Nesta managed to use the restroom and wash her hands, giving herself a silent pep talk in the mirror. She paused at the door, steeled herself, and walked into the bar, as if Cassian hadn’t completely mind-fucked her less than ten minutes ago.

Still determined to keep the night drama-free, she walked over to the bar, ordered herself two shots of whiskey, and walked over to their booth to sit. Amren had returned to the table, joined by Feyre, Mor, and Elain. Nesta slid into the booth next to the birthday girl, greeting her with a bump of her shoulder, and took the first of her shots.

“Oh gods. That looks terrible.” Elain scrunched up her nose as she stared at the next shot.

“It does the job!” Nesta took a deep breath and threw the second shot back with impressive speed. She was usually one to be more conservative on their nights out, so her back-to-back shots were met with cheers from around the table. Elain rested her head on Nesta’s shoulder as she giggled, followed by a slurred, “I’m so happy you’re here, Nessie. I love you.”

They ordered another round of drinks as they changed erratically from one topic of conversation to another. When Nesta heard the ice clinking at the bottom of her empty glass, she suddenly realized the compound effects of her earlier drinks, her shots, and the one she just finished. She noted how her vision was truly starting to blur as the room spun, and she felt her body flush. She leaned over to Elain and let her know she was going to step outside for some fresh air. She assured her repeatedly that she would be okay.— Yes, she had her phone on her.— No, she didn’t need anyone to accompany her. She slid out of the booth and walked briskly toward the front door of the bar.

Once she made it outside, she walked down the side of the building in an attempt to find a quieter spot to lean against the wall. There was a group of men outside; obviously having a celebration of sorts and being as loud and unruly as humanly possible. She aimed to increase her distance from them, walking down the building and closer and closer to the parking lot. She found herself staring down an aisle of parked vehicles, eyes landing on a familiar truck about halfway down the row. Before she realized where her feet were carrying her, she was staring at the tailgate of the truck, hand reaching for the handle. She worked through her faulty, drunken logic.

Surely he wouldn’t mind if I sat on his tailgate instead of the ground.

It’s likely a little safer to sit here than it would be right next to a group of drunk men, alone.

The group would be out for a while yet, so as long as she closed it, he’d never know anyway.

Tired of standing in her wedges and unable to think of a single reason not to do it, she lowered the tailgate. She turned around, braced herself on her hands, and hopped to lift herself enough to sit. She dangled her legs, swinging them back and forth lightly. She took a few steadying breaths, already feeling better than she had inside. There was a soft breeze kissing the back of her neck and cooling her cheeks. She felt incredibly content for the first time in weeks, and she shuddered at how the familiarity of where she sat contributed to the feeling.

After several minutes, she got bored of staring at the few cars across the aisle from her and the ones leaving. She scooted back several feet into the bed of the truck so that her legs were supported and lay back to look at the sky for a little while. She lost herself in trying to identify constellations that her mother had shown her years ago and whispered a quiet hello to the woman she missed so much. It was always surprising to her how many she remembered after all this time, especially considering that the pace of her life didn’t allow for much stargazing anymore.

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn’t hear the footsteps that approached from her left. She had located the five brights stars in a small “v” that told her she was looking at Taurus, and was tracing her gaze up to the two bright stars marking the horns when she was abruptly pulled from her thoughts.

“Well, well. What do we have here?” Cassian asked the question through a soft chuckle, but Nesta still jumped in surprise. Her head popped up, eyes snapping toward him instantly.

“Shit, Cassian. You scared me.” She relaxed into her prior position but angled her chin down to maintain eye contact. It was surprisingly comfortable in the bed of this truck.

He lifted his eyebrows at her words, one lifting slightly higher than the other. They always had when he was truly surprised, not that she noticed. His eyes were still upturned at the corners, and it calmed her to know he wasn’t annoyed with her blatant use of his property.

“I’m sorry?... That wasn’t my intention, but I didn’t really expect to see you in the bed of my truck, either. Kind of seems like you should have expected me to come by at some point, at least.” He was still giving her a mischievous smile, and she realized that she would have to quickly get a leash on her thoughts to get through another interaction.

She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head quickly. “Oh. Yea. No, I know. I think I just figured that I’d be back inside before you made it out here,” she said, as if it was the most reasonable explanation in the world. “Are you leaving? I’m really sorry, I’ll get out.” She sat up, but before she could start to scoot herself down, a broad hand wrapped gently around her shin.

”Stay. I’m not leaving anytime soon. Kallias left a little while ago, and he called me to tell me he thought he saw my tailgate down. I didn’t remember leaving the bed open, so I came out to check. Relax.” He offered a soft smile, and she felt her heart skip at his sincerity. He removed his hand from her shin to lean forward and brace himself on both hands. Her eyes caught on the little bit of his tattoos that were visible on his chest and traced down his arms. Before she could silently berate herself for her staring, he was speaking again.

“So. What are you doing out here, Archie?” He looked up from the tailgate, amusement crinkling his eyes at the corners. She groaned dramatically at the old nickname that he gave her in high school. She had a love-hate relationship with it; hate because it was awful, love because he coined it. He used it less and less as they got older, but it still made its appearance every now and then when he teased her.

“Gods, can we please let ‘Archie’ go? It’s so terrible.” She couldn’t help the small giggle that erupted out of her as she talked. She took a deep breath before answering his question. “My drinks hit me all at once inside, so I came out to get some fresh air.“ She adjusted her body a little to situate herself and lifted her gaze back to the sky. “I’m doing drunk people things and laying down to look at the stars until I can handle going back in there.” She gave a small smirk as she let her head fall to the side, looking at him again.

“For one, as long as I’m living, ‘Archie’ stays. You might as well lean into it. For two, perfectly reasonable. I’m glad I could offer the proper amenities for your drunk stargazing.” He winked at her then, a friendly gesture rather than suggestive in any way. She could tell he was more relaxed than before, the alcohol likely taking its effect on him, too.

She cleared her throat and asked the question on her tongue before she could think better of it.

“Are you in a hurry to go back inside? Join me?” She patted the space next to her for good measure.

You’re doing a terrible job of ‘leashing’ yourself, Nesta.

“I think I could spare a few minutes for you, Archie.” He turned around and easily sat on the tailgate. He pushed himself backwards to lay on his back next to her, only to be met with her hard glare. He let out a laugh then, shaking his head at her and looking at the sky.

“You know, this is pretty nostalgic.” He brought his arm to rest under his head, settling into a comfortable position as he spoke.

“I have to agree with you on that,” she said through a laugh. It was oddly reminiscent of their late high school and early college days of underage drinking at any and every party. So often, they would find themselves drunk, laying in the bed of his truck or on someone’s porch, sharing drinks and stories from earlier in the night.

“The only thing missing is a pint of cheap liquor that we had no business drinking.”

”Don’t forget the straw.” Nesta was grinning now and resisting the urge to look at him. His proximity, combined with their shared memories, was already a lot to navigate.

”I would never. I’ve received enough verbal lashings in my day to always remember the straw.” They were both laughing now, enjoying the comfortable banter. “I still don’t understand your insistence on that.” Their laughter faded into comfortable silence, and she noticed his head turn toward her lazily once they fell quiet. She looked over at him and watched his Adam’s apple bob before he spoke.

“I’ve really missed my friend,” he said quietly, as he shifted his arm closer to her. He grazed his knuckles over the back of her palm, and his eyes scanned her face.

She continued to look at him, unsure she could break it even if she tried. “Me too. Really.” Her voice was almost a whisper.

He swiftly picked up the heavier atmosphere settling over them and shifted both of his hands toward his body. He laced them over his stomach as he shifted his attention back to the sky. “So, which constellation were you so invested in when I walked up?”

She looked back up at the sky before answering him. “Taurus.”

“That’s a good one. Momma Archie would be proud that you remember.” She was touched by the affection she heard in his voice for her mother. He’d grown close to her in their years as friends and had taken it hard when she passed. His tone shifted into something a little more playful when he said: “Even though you’re feeding every rom com stereotype of the drunk girl, staring wistfully at the stars, and—“

She interrupted him with a laugh and a jab to the ribs. “Shut up! Don’t you dare make fun of me, you shit.”

He feigned a deep groan, as if her jab had truly wounded him, and clutched his side. “Gods, keep your sharp elbows on your side of the truck.” He seemed to recover quickly, his tone dripping with jest, “Is this the part where I point out a really obscure constellation that reminds me of you, and you fall madly in love with me?” There was nothing implied by the question, she realized; his only aim to give her a hard time.

“As if I would expect you to know any of them. Much less the rare ones,” she deadpanned, even though she failed to completely hide her smile. Before she knew what was happening, he was sitting up suddenly and rolling toward her. His hands found each side of her rib cage, and he started to tickle her mercilessly.

“Don’t be a jerk! I’m more than just a pretty face, I’ll have you know.” He was laughing as he spoke, fully delighting in her misery.

“Okay, okay, okay! You win! Cassian, PLEASE.” She was laughing so hard that tears started to pool in the corners of her eyes.

He finally stopped his torture, looking down at her through bright eyes. She was acutely aware of how close his face was to hers, their noses almost touching. She felt the weight of his leg casually thrown over one of hers during the tousle, and she blushed at the heat she felt throughout her body at the contact. His eyes softened slightly and, before she could ask him what was wrong, he spoke softly. “Fuck... I was hoping some time away from you would help a little more.” He lingered for only a couple of seconds, shifted his weight, and rolled away from her to sit up on the tailgate.

It took her mind a minute to realize his meaning, and she immediately felt guilty. This was all her fault to begin with, not only in how she responded to him those weeks ago, but in inviting him to sit with her tonight. She sat up next to him and placed her hands under her thighs to avoid reaching for him.

She furrowed her brows and cleared her throat. “And I’m assuming that it didn’t help as much as you wanted?” It was odd conversation to broach, but it seemed insensitive to say nothing at all.

His hands were braced on the outside of his thighs, his shoulders slumped as he looked out into the parking lot. He turned his head toward her subtly, only looking at her through his side eye.

”Didn’t even touch it.” He gave her a sad smile before he broke eye contact.

One would assume that after ten years of friendship, she would no longer be surprised at how open he could be. She marveled at the genuine man next to her and how he managed to never let the trauma of life change who he was. She envied him, to a certain extent, because she didn’t think herself capable of trying to even fake that level of openness with others.

“Cass, I’m sorry, I—“

”Don’t.” There was no bite in his words, only an insistence that she not blame herself. “It’s ok.” He ran one hand through his long curls before hopping off the tailgate. He extended his hand to her.

“Ready to go back? The ladies will send the troops looking for you if you stay out much longer.”

She accepted his hand long enough to slide off the tailgate and gain solid footing. She smoothed the back of her jeans to make sure they weren’t dusty, straightened her blazer, and offered him a smile.

“You lead the way.”

——————————————————————————

It was only another hour or so that passed before Elain felt she had sufficiently celebrated her birthday. They were sitting in their booth again, joined by Feyre, Rhys, and Azriel. Mor had dragged Cassian and Amren to the dance floor, clearly having gotten her second wind.

Elain yawned and looked over to Nesta. “Nessie... Would you be ready to go?”

”Sure, El. Want me to get you home? I can get us a Lyft.”

”Mmm. I’m thinking slumber party. Your house.” She smiled sweetly, knowing she was going to request birthday breakfast the next morning.

Nesta rolled her eyes knowingly. “Fine. My house it is.” She ordered their car.

“Hey! I wanna come!” Feyre’s blue eyes flared, and her expression was one of a petulant toddler. It was a reaction bred from years as the family baby, always fearing she was being left out. Nesta felt another rush of affection for her; for both of them.

Within minutes, they were piling into a small SUV. Feyre sat behind the driver, Elain in the middle, and Nesta slid in next to her. Their driver was polite and quiet, confirming their destination and falling silent the rest of the drive.

“Nessie, I’m mad at you.” Elain slurred the words as she rested her head on Feyre’s shoulder, eyes closed. Nesta snapped her head in her direction, not even remotely aware of what she could have possibly done to upset her in the last five minutes.

“What the hell for?!” Her voice wasn’t loud, but her surprise was obvious.

”Because you’re friends with Az.”

Nesta was quiet for a moment as she considered. ”You’re going to have to give me more to go off of, El.”

Elain huffed a breath through her nose and said, “You’re so close to Az. And that sucks for me because he’s never going to even look at me. Cause I’m your little sister. And he’s nice and considerate and wouldn’t want to make you mad.”

Ohhh, I see. So she’s confirming what we all knew already. She likes Azriel.

Feyre let out a soft giggle and lay her head on top of Elain’s. She rested her hand affectionately on Elain’s leg, a gesture that aimed to soothe her sister’s drunken anxieties. Nesta couldn’t fight her smile at Elain’s “angry” words and disguised her amusement as best as possible as she spoke.

“Ellie, I wouldn’t worry about that. It’s not like Az is afraid of me in the slightest. Plus, he’s basically the only man that I’d find worthy of you.”

”Okay. Well, nevermind, then.” She yawned and was dozing within seconds.

Nesta’s eyes met Feyre’s identical ones across the car, and they both had to suppress their giggles to avoid waking her. The night had been a roller coaster of emotions, and she wasn’t sure how she could ever survive life’s ups and downs without the two women in the car with her. Sure, there were times where her and Feyre would almost come to blows, and Elain’s gentle spirit would tire of their hotheadedness. But no one else would ever know her like they knew her.

Thinking over the course of the night, she started to feel compelled to reach out to Cassian. She alternated between the compulsion and the rationale part of her brain (likely the sobering part) that was telling her it was a terrible idea.

Are we okay? Does he resent me even more? Is he annoyed that I put us in this position?

Why do you care? This is what you wanted. What you demanded of him.

She suppressed the reason threatening to deter her, opened their text thread, and typed a short message.

N: It was really was good to see you tonight. Sorry I didn’t get to say bye. Just wanted to reach out and tell you to be safe getting home.

She hit send before she could overthink it and locked her phone to avoid staring at the screen. She knew she would only find herself willing the ellipsis to pulse and show he was typing. As luck would have it, they were already pulling up to her apartment complex, and her attention would be monopolized by getting her sisters inside and comfortable. They woke Elain up and prompted her to walk inside to Nesta’s bedroom. She dug through her drawers to get them each some nightclothes, all but forced them to wash their faces, and forced spare toothbrushes into their hands. She padded into her room to change into her own night clothes, plugged in all of their phones, and made sure they each had a pillow across her king bed. She chuckled to herself at the eldest sister caregiving behaviors that would likely never leave her. Elain and Feyre walked briskly into the room, Elain announcing proudly that she called ‘middle’ as the birthday girl. They settled into the sheets and both of her little sisters were asleep within minutes. She was on the brink of unconsciousness herself when her phone vibrated on her bedside table, startling her awake. She blinked against the brightness of the screen to focus on who was calling her.

Shit, it’s Cassian. Shit shit shit.

She hit ‘accept’ and quickly brought the phone to her ear. She whispered her “Hello?” before glancing over at her sisters to make sure they weren’t disturbed. Not in the slightest.

She was met with rustling sounds, much like those of someone’s pocket during an accidental dial, and muffled conversations. She assumed he had, in fact, pocket dialed, but she waited a few more seconds. She told herself she should just in case he was trying to get situated, sabotaged by the alcohol coursing through his system. She repeated her greeting but didn’t want to get any louder for her sisters’ sakes. She was about to hang up when she heard his voice coming clearly through the phone.

“I know! I haven’t seen you in what, almost a year?”

”Yea, almost exactly! I’m surprised we don’t run into each other more often, to be honest.” The second voice was unfamiliar and unmistakably female. She felt her stomach lurch, but she couldn’t hang up.

Cassian laughed casually and said, “No kidding. It’s not like Velaris is so big.”

”Shit. I think my friends are leaving me. I’ll see you next week though, right?” Her tone was clear, insinuating that she knew his answer.

”Absolutely. Is Wednesday after work ok? Around 5:30?”

”Ill be there! Bye, Cassian!” There was more rustling, as if they had come together in a hug, but she acknowledged that her imagination was likely torturing her.

“Sounds like a plan. See you then, Alis!”

Hearing her name is what finally had her ending the call and tossing her phone back onto the table. Her head was swimming. She was suddenly humiliated at her earlier text, wishing she had never sent it.

You should feel better, honestly. He probably doesn’t resent you. He may not have given your actions a second thought at all. He’s moving on.

She turned over before she could be consumed by her thoughts, tucked her face into the side of Elain’s shoulder, and drifted off to sleep.

————————————————————————

A/N: I just want to thank y’all again for the support I’ve gotten for this fic. Y’all really have been the best! My apologies for how this one ended, but we’re getting somewhere, I promise! Please don’t kill me 🙈

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[taeyongdoyoung]

summary: the forest is your only escape from the everyday troubles with your family until you find danger lurking behind the trees. or rather, danger finds you. your fateful encounter with the vampire ravn leaves you wishing for a different life. you strike an unexpected deal with the stranger that will soon turn into something more…

pairing: vampire!ravn x reader

genre: vampire!au, angst, humour, slight fluff

warnings: human trashnaming lmao, blood, fangs, sensual (?) biting

word count: 2.6k

author’s note: magician!seoho cameo especially for @wandu *mwah*

part one 🌙 part two 🌙 part four 🌙 part five 🌙 part six 🌙 part seven 🌙 part eight 🌙 part nine 🌙 part ten🌙 part eleven 🌙 part twelve 🌙epilogue

Two weeks later, you awoke in the middle of the night, because you were feeling peckish. You had already gotten used to the expensive red velvet sheets that surrounded you every night. It wasn’t their softness or the riches in Ravn’s castle that gave you comfort. It was the realization that your family could no longer bully you for not being married well-off or judge you for reading too much or anything they chose to hold against you.

You could finally be yourself. And not in the way you had been in the forest - lonesome. You finally had company that accepted you for who you were. There was one tiny downside, that company consisted a vampire that required your blood. But you reminded yourself this was your idea in the first place. And though sometimes uncomfortable, it was still way better than your previous life.

You got up from the bed to search for said vampire. He didn’t really need sleep so the bed was just there as an accessory of some sorts. You were glad for it, because you were planning to stick around. You couldn’t find him anywhere so you made yourself at home and went to prepare some food. Ever since you’d “moved in”, Ravn had made sure you’d have all the commodities a human could possibly require, including a previously empty room that could now be perfectly classified as a kitchen. 

You were very grateful for his kindness but there was a part of you that kept saying this was too good to be true. Sure, you were giving something in return, but was it enough? What if his intentions towards you changed at one point? What if one day he decided he no longer liked your blood and tossed you away? What would you do, then? Or what if…he just killed you once he grew bored with you? Admittedly, you weren’t really scared of death. But you still liked living. After having endured so much torment, you were now enjoying life and you didn’t want that newfound happiness, that freedom to end.

As you were making yourself a sandwich, you suddenly heard a noise coming from somewhere nearby. You looked around but could see nothing and nobody.

“Ravn, is this you?” you asked fearfully.

However, you were shocked when you were met with a complete stranger lurking in the shadows!

“Who the hell are you?” the suspicious man inquired.

“I could ask you the same!” you shot back.

“I asked you first!” he continued.

You groaned in frustration.

“What are you doing in the kitchen?”

“What are you doing in the kitchen?” he mimicked your voice.

You rolled your eyes, completely done with this stranger.

“RAAAAAAVN,” you yelled for dear life, hoping that your vampire host would kick the intruder out as soon as possible.

“Wait, you know Ravn?” the man asked.

“Uh, yeah. Do you?”

“Are you kidding? I’m his best friend, Seoho!” 

“Oh. I’m…” How were you supposed to introduce yourself? Ravn’s blood bank? His human roommate? What were you to him?

Luckily, you were saved by further questioning things, because Ravn walked into the kitchen in that very moment.

“Y/N, are you okay?” he asked, visibly concerned about your well-being, which made your heart flutter despite your better judgement. “Ah, Seoho, hi!” Ravn’s tense posture immediately relaxed. “Did you scare my human?”

He’d called you his human…Never before had you imagined that being a vampire’s human would excite you in such a way. You had previously thought that being too possessive was somewhat cringey. What had changed? Why were you so quick to fall for his charms?

“I’m not scared!” you quickly stood up for yourself. “I just didn’t know who he was, that’s why I called your name.”

Ravn smiled fondly.

“There’s no need to worry,” he reassured you. “Seoho is my best friend. He’s a magician.”

“Woah,” you were amazed to have met yet another supernatural creature. Things were getting more and more interesting.

“Would you like to explain to me why there’s a human in your castle?” Seoho intended to find out.

Ravn gulped anxiously. Seoho was staring at him intensely. You looked at Ravn, then at Seoho, then back at Ravn and the tension in the kitchen was too terrifying to move or speak a word. What had you done wrong?

“Y/N, could you go upstairs for a bit? I need a moment alone with Seoho.” Ravn whispered gently but you knew this wasn’t a request. 

So, you quietly slid away from the room, but before you could start walking towards your new bedroom, you couldn’t help but overhear Ravn’s answer.

“She won’t tell anyone about what we are.”

“How can you be so certain?” Seoho responded angrily. “Don’t you remember what almost happened to Xion when his secret was exposed?”

You were in no place to hear any of this but it was too tempting to miss. You felt really bad about eavesdropping but if you wanted to survive in Ravn’s castle, you had to know what to avoid doing or saying.

“How can I forget when I’m the one who pulled him out of this mess, in the first place,” Ravn replied just as angry.

“There’s a reason why I insisted on erasing your victims’ memories! Humans are the lowest form of existence and they can’t be trusted!”

“I was a human once,” Ravn reminded his friend in a sad, almost nostalgic voice.

“Yeah, and how did that work out for you, huh? I swear to Lucifer, if she exposes us…”

“I can deal with the consequences for my actions, Seoho. Just leave Y/N out of this.”

“What makes her so special?”

Ravn was silent for a brief moment.

“Oh, no. Don’t tell me she’s…”

“Shh,” Ravn interrupted his friend as if he somehow knew you were listening at the door. “It’s just a theory.”

“You’re being very defensive over a mere theory,” Seoho pointed out.

“I’ll let you know when I find out for sure.”

“Well, until then, you can’t blame me if I choose to stay away,” Seoho announced.

“I understand where you’re coming from,” Ravn said calmly.

“Good night, sweet prince.” Great. Another Shakespeare fan, even though he strongly disliked you. And the whole human race, for that matter.

“I’m not dead,” Ravn laughed.

“Well, technically, you are,” Seoho reminded him and judging from the abrupt end of the conversation, he’d somehow disappeared. Magicians, eh? 

You could now hear Ravn’s steps approaching so you ran up the stairs as fast as you could. You wondered if vampires had super hearing as well as super speed. 

You hurriedly opened the door to your bedroom and flopped yourself onto the bed, grabbing the book on your nightstand and opening it at random, meaning to pretend you had been casually reading and not at all eavesdropping Ravn and Seoho’s conversation. 

Soon enough, Ravn walked in on you only for you to realize you were holding the book the wrong way. Fuck. You mentally slapped yourself for being so stupid and reckless. Ravn sat down to you calmly and sighed.

“What part of go upstairs did you not get?” he asked you in a serious tone.

It was at that moment you knew…you fucked up.

“How much of it did you hear?” Ravn continued once you didn’t say a word.

“M-most of it,” you replied in a small voice. 

Your hands were shaking and you put the book down, because it was of no use right now, you’d gotten caught and you were going to die. Goodbye, world.

Ravn sighed once again.

“Are you angry with m-me?” you murmured sheepishly, avoiding to make eye contact.

“Not really,” he confessed. “Just…upset.”

“I’m s-sorry for listening, I didn’t m-mean to.”

“Then, why did you do it?” Ravn asked, slightly raising his voice, which made you flinch.

“I wanted to know why your friend had such an intense hatred for humans. And to…possibly avoid doing anything that would make you share his opinion. That would make you…want to get rid of me.”

You finally dared look into his face. What you saw wasn’t what you expected to find. He didn’t seem angry at all, just…unbelievably sad. Like he’d said.

“And did you find the answers you sought?”

“Not really. I’m just as confused as before.”

Ravn scoffed lightly.

“Ask away, then.”

“What almost happened to your friend Xion…did it have anything to do with a human?”

Ravn nodded.

“Will you…t-tell me about it?”

“Xion is a vampire like me,” Ravn started. “Once upon a time, he fell in love with a human girl. And for a while, he thought she loved him back. Until…she betrayed him. She came from a family of vampire hunters. She was deceiving Xion for months. And one night, she made him walk right into a trap. Luckily, Seoho had warned me about having heard a fraction of her thoughts. At first I doubted it, but something made me follow Xion. The girl had led him deep into the forest. He was surrounded by her, her brother and their parents. She had poisoned him with juniper and he was too weak to defend himself. They were torturing him and…were about to put a wooden stake through his heart if I hadn’t intervened. I…had to kill all of them. I usually don’t kill humans but…Xion is my friend, I couldn’t just let this go.”

You were quiet for a couple of minutes, silently considering everything you’d heard and what it meant for you. Of course, he had killed humans. It was vampire nature, after all. 

But you were surprised to find out that this changed nothing about how you felt. You still wanted to stay with him. Were you afraid? Hell to the yeah. Were you also curious to find out more about him? Now, more than ever. Did that make you weird? You didn’t know and you didn’t care.

“I’ll understand if you want to walk away. And I won’t stop you,” Ravn said in a composed tone but you could see he was struggling.

“Why would I want to leave?” you were frantic. “You had no choice. You had to save your friend. If…someone threatened to kill a friend of mine, I would react in the same way, irregardless of whether my enemy was human or vampire.”

Ravn smiled knowingly. He didn’t bring up the fact that you never before mentioned anything about having any friends.

“And if it were your own family who threatened to kill your friend?”

You smirked viciously.

“Especially if it were my family. I would, in fact, enjoy it.”

His eyebrows rose in shock. He never pressured you for any information about why you’d rather stay in his home than return to your own. He figured you’d tell him if you felt ready.

“Do you have any more questions?”

You considered asking him about his theory concerning you but you remembered how he’d interrupted his friend Seoho, probably because he knew you were listening on the other side of the door. Which meant that he didn’t want you to know. So, you decided to forget about it. For now. You shook your head.

“But I want to say something, instead.”

“Go ahead,” Ravn encouraged you.

You hesitantly put your hand on top of his and looked him directly in the eyes.

“What that girl did to your friend Xion…I would never do to you.”

Ravn’s pupils sparked with emotion but his words were as cold as his skin.

“Never say never.”

“I wouldn’t!” you insisted passionately. “I made a promise!”

Ravn laughed.

“Okay, okay, relax,” his free hand touched your cheek softly. “I trust you.”

You beamed and leaned into his touch.

“So…you won’t get rid of me yet?” you inquired in a cute voice.

“Do you trust me?“ 

"No,” you chuckled, the lie leaving your lips easily.

“Clever girl,” Ravn caressed your cheek and you could swear you were seconds away from melting. He was kinder to you than any humans you’d interacted with in your short life. “You can even read books backwards! Truly a talent,” he said, mockingly reminding you of your awkward plan to appear nonchalant.

“Stahpp,” you pushed his shoulder with your own. “I was scared you’d be mad at me!”

“What, and you didn’t consider the fact that I could literally hear your loud breathing and the blood pumping through your veins?”

“I knew it! You guys have super hearing, as well. What else should I know?”

“Mmm, how about…I can hear your stomach grumbling right now. You never had the chance to eat that sandwich you were making, did you?”

You groaned in embarrassment.

“Ugh, right. Cause your friend interrupted my midnight snack.”

“Well, how about you finish your sandwich and then, take care of my midnight snack?” Ravn suggested smoothly.

“Sounds like a deal,” you giggled and grabbed his hand and hurried towards the kitchen.

You munched on your sandwich happily, while Ravn observed you. The knowledge that you were the food was a bit troubling but you were strangely certain that Ravn wouldn’t kill you. For him, having hunger for human blood was just as natural as you craving bread or cheese or tomatoes. And you were learning how to accept that. The way he had accepted you for yourself.

“I’m done,” you informed him, sounding a tad bit too excited to be devoured by him. 

You leaned back against the kitchen counter and offered him your neck. Ravn walked towards you slowly, the anticipation forcing you to quiver needily. There was something intoxicating about the way his fangs pierced your skin, something that made you lose yourself in his touch. 

Of course, you would never tell him that, it would give him far too much satisfaction and you liked that he believed this was a quid pro quo relationship. If he knew just how much you were enjoying yourself, you were afraid it would change your dynamic. And you weren’t ready for that. 

The minute his teeth were finally on you, you had to bite your own lips to stop yourself from moaning his name. He was holding your lower back for support and you could already feel your legs starting to give out. But you didn’t want to stop him just yet, because there was something absurdly sensual about him biting you, your human blood being transferred into his immortal body. You knew you wouldn’t be able to hold on for too long but you treasured every second in his arms as if it was eternity. Once you felt your legs shaking, you dug your nails into the back of his neck to signal him you were about to pass out. Ravn immediately released you, causing you to stumble awkwardly. His hands were immediately wrapped around you again.

“You good?” he asked in concern.

You nodded weakly and placed your hand against his chest for support.

“Can you walk?”

Another nod on your behalf. Ravn stepped back, giving you space. You barely made one metre before you tripped, collapsing right into his arms.

“What am I to do with you?” he tsked at your feebleness and lifted you carefully.

He was so strong. If it were anyone else, this would probably frighten you, but because it was him, you felt uncharacteristically safe. As Ravn carried you upstairs, you could feel yourself drifting away. It wasn’t exactly passing out, you were just sleepy, so it was okay. You hadn’t broken his ground rules.

“Ravn?” you murmured seconds before falling asleep.

“Mhm?”

“Thank you.”

“What for? If it wasn’t for me and my bloodthirst, you wouldn’t be in this state,” Ravn said, amused by your sudden gratitude. But you were already in dreamland.

To be continued…

[spiderman-homecomeme]

day four - some other beginning's end

MEETING AGAIN AFTER HIGH SCHOOL

A/N: DAY FOUR!! GIVE IT UP FOR DAY FOUR!! WOOOO ! This fic is set in a college AU. Peter is a bartender, MJ’s a DD for her friend group. Ba da bing. Ba da boom. Enjoy!!

Thanks @spideychelleweek​ for giving us this fun week of amazing content!!

So, here’s about 6k of a few Brad Davis references, Peter being a hot bartender, MJ being MJ, a splash of grenadine, and too much nostalgic music. 

Read here or on AO3

-

MJ’s not sure what it is—it could be her friends tipsily singing (if one could even call it that) along to Take Me Home Tonight on spotify after some pre-bar drinks at Cindy’s place, or it could be the jagweed in the car behind her currently riding up her ass, or it could be the constant texts from her newly made ex-flame lighting up her phone—but something about tonight is making her regret agreeing to be the designated driver on Girl’s Night With Three Exclamation Points. 

Of course, she’s always happy—no, willing—to drive her friends to and from home on a night of drinking. She’d much rather know they were safe with her or the occasional Uber instead of just going about it themselves. But she honestly doesn’t feel like going out tonight. Normally, she’d be fine going with them, but after the emotional labor of having to end it—whatever “it” was—with a guy who she really just wasn’t feeling “it” with, she would have been happy to stay at home reading all night. 

And yet, both of them, Cindy and Felicia, endlessly insisted that she get herself out there again. That she needed to keep meeting new people. That she should play the field now that Brad’s officially out of the picture. And it would be so fun, they said. Even if she’s the sober, they said.

It’s not like she doesn’t think she’ll have a good time; going out with two of her best friends almost always brings about some interesting, funny stories. That’s not to say it’s ever unpleasant when the three of them hit the town. Sure, there are times when MJ would rather spend a quiet evening in, and times when MJ ends up wanting to turn in early, but she’s never actively disliked going out.

But...

She isn’t exactly feeling it tonight. 

Felicia sits in the front with her, faking a cough as she starts the song over. “Oh—Oh shit. How’d that happen?” She asks innocently as Eddie Money starts to sing again. 

Cindy laughs from the backseat. “Felicia, oh my God,” She groans, drawing out the ‘a’ in her friend’s name. “You’ve played that song four times already!” 

“Five times, actually,” MJ pipes in, not moving her gaze from the traffic ahead. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Felicia says with a not-so-innocent smirk. She squints her eyes, pretend-examining Michelle’s phone. “Something’s wrong with your Spotify or something, MJ. I dunno what to tell you. It just keeps playing the greatest song ever composed over and over again.”

“Uh-huh.” MJ passes her friend a doubtful side-eye glance. “Tragic.”

“You should get that fixed,” Cindy says while unsuccessfully suppressing a snort.

And despite all the surrounding factors stomping on every last of her nerves, a fond smile pulls at the corner of MJ’s mouth. 

“Okay, Cindy, remember the mission.” Felicia pulls down her mirror, reapplying her dark purple lipstick. “Get MJ some ass.”

Michelle’s exceedingly glad that she has such control driving, otherwise she might have crashed at that comment. “I don’t need any ass.”

“Some dick?” Cindy asks from her place in the backseat. 

Felicia reaches her hand back for a high-five.

“I especially don’t need any dick tonight. Not looking for any one night stands.” MJ’s hands flex on the steering wheel. “Besides, why—why are you even trying to hook me up with someone tonight? I’m literally your only ride.”

“We can call an Uber,” Felicia says without even looking up from her own phone. 

Cindy nods. 

“Guys, I’m really not looking for anything,” MJ says. “I tried the whole hook-up thing already. It sucked.”

“That’s because Brad sucked,” Felicia says with an almost playful roll of her eyes. 

MJ does laugh at that. “I mean, you’re not wrong there, but I don’t think it was exclusively his fault.” After a pause, she continues. “I don’t know, I just don’t think I’m a hook-up person. I have to actually enjoy spending more than five minutes with someone at a time before I can have sex with them.”

Cindy sits back in her seat. “That’s fair.”

“And Brad was at a solid four minutes fifty-seven seconds,” she jokes.

“That’s generous,” Felicia mutters under her breath. 

Snorting, MJ clicks her turn signal, pulling them into a parking spot about two blocks from the dive bar Cindy had picked for their evening. 

She loves her friends, she really, truly does. 

But right now? She’s tired. She doesn’t want to go into a crowded, loud bar, and be hit on by weirdos. She doesn’t think she even has the energy to come up with clever retorts to any creepy one-liners. 

They exit the car, the two other girls still snickering to themselves, clearly not holding their pre-bar tequila shots well. 

It’s crowded, that’s for sure, but not nearly as horrible as MJ thought it might be. There are only a few people at the bar, a majority of the patrons scattered throughout the place. Felicia points out the three bartenders working, and though MJ can’t hear her over the chatter and music, she’s pretty sure whatever she said was along the lines of how hot they all were. 

The three girls move to stand at the bar, MJ resting her elbow on the counter, waiting patiently. 

Almost immediately, one of the bartenders takes notice. He grins a bright, friendly grin as he starts to make his way over. 

“Ooooh, jackpot,” Felicia mutters under her breath as she leans forward on the bar. 

MJ will give Felicia credit where credit is due. This one is cute; brown curls, nice, warm smile and kind eyes, etc. He’s shorter than the other guy and not really as modelesque as the girl, but there’s this undeniable charm about him. 

And at the same time, something undeniably familiar that MJ can’t quite place. 

“What’s up, guys?” The bartender asks, throwing his white towel over his shoulder. “What can I get ya?”

“I’ll have a screwdriver,” Cindy says.

Felicia flashes a flirty smirk, smokey eyes squinting. “Dark and stormy.”

The cute bartender stops at MJ, seemingly oblivious to Felicia’s flirting.

“Just a water, thanks,” MJ says, pressing her lips together into a thin, yet polite smile. 

“Designated driver. Respect,” he replies with a firm nod, though he seems to do a double take when he really looks at her. For a second, his smile grows as a look of recognition falls over his face. Almost as quickly, however, he finds his composure. 

But his smile—the one that’s seemingly directed right at her—stays, and it makes her feel like she just did a shot of Everclear. Everything in her turns to jelly, and she’s suddenly mad at herself for swooning over this random white boy. 

And again—it’s way too familiar.

“Thanks,” she finally forces herself to respond with a shy smile after a too-long silence. 

He seems to have gotten a little lost as well before clearing his throat, excusing himself as he starts to make the drinks. 

When he leaves to go grab some ingredients, as soon as he’s out of earshot, both friends spin to face her. 

“Okay, what was that?” Cindy demands. 

MJ jerks her head back in confusion. “What was what?” 

“Did you know him?” Felicia cuts in, eyebrows raised suggestively.

“No,” MJ finds herself answering quickly, finding herself getting defensive for no reason. “I don’t… think so? I mean, maybe he was in one of my classes freshman year. I don’t know.”

Something tells her that’s not it, but for the life of her she can’t figure out what it is.

Where the hell did she know this guy?

“Well, if you don’t know him already, you should,” Felicia gives her a playful nudge. “He’s cute. And he seems into you.”

Said Cute Bartender Boy passes by again, holding up his index finger and announcing that he’d be back in “just a second,” but not before throwing another wayward glance back at Michelle.

Felicia and Cindy turn to stare pointedly at her.

MJ can’t help the warmth creeping up her neck. She rolls her eyes, both at her friends and the fact that it’s all so very high school. “Shut up.”

Cute Bartender Boy comes back, Cindy’s and Felicia’s drinks in hand, both girls thanking him. “Yeah, sorry about the wait. Apparently, there’s a bachelorette party coming in later, so we’re getting ready for that.”

“You’re good,” MJ reassures him. 

Again, her two friends watch her. 

CBB (Cute Bartender Boy) smiles easily at her, before pressing his lips together, snapping his fingers against his palm lamely. “Water, right?” He asks again, clearing his throat.

She only nods, finding herself unable to keep a steady amount of eye contact before having to look down at her hands. 

He leans a little on the bar, putting one hand on his hip as he shakes his head. “Well, ma’am, I’m gonna need to see some ID for that.” 

She scoffs, glancing away again to hide the fact that she thought the dumb joke was funny at all. 

He smiles again—and it gives that same stupid, intoxicating feeling as it did before—turning around to grab a glass from behind him. 

The minuscule tilt of her head as she looks at him is unconscious. Truly, she feels as if she’s already met this guy, but she can’t figure out where. Everything about him is utterly familiar. 

“Mmhmm,” Felicia hums, quietly taking a sip of her drink, Cindy raising her brows and looking away. 

MJ’s startled out of her thoughts. She turns to glare at her friends. “What?”

“You do realize we’re still here, right?” Felicia teases. 

If MJ were an immature person, she might smack the drink right out of her smug friend’s hands, but she holds herself back, only considering the idea for a split-second. The image that flashes through her mind almost makes her smile. 

“Do we need to leave you two alone?” Cindy offers, throwing a thumb over her shoulder, the humored tint in her eyes sending an itch in MJ’s chest. “‘Cause we can go. It’s fine.”

“Will you guys calm down?” MJ shoots another warning glare as she turns to completely rest her arms on the bar. “We’re literally just talking.”

“Oh, yeah. Totally.” Felicia nods, giving a sly wink before taking another sip of her drink. “I gotcha.”

Before Michelle can get the last word, CBB is back again, this time with her drink. “One water. On the rocks,” he says with a cheeky smile. “Enjoy.”

“Oh—” MJ wracks her brain for a comeback, her usual quick wit and dry sarcasm failing her at the last second. It takes an almost embarrassingly long amount of time for her to stammer out, “I wanted it neat, though.” 

But when he lets out a genuine laugh, a little of that embarrassment gives way to this dumb fluttering in her chest cavity. It’s then, as she glances around, she notices that both of her friends have disappeared into the bar, abandoning her entirely. 

And normally, she might be annoyed at that. She should be annoyed. But right now, as she’s trying to find a way to be mad, she’s coming up completely empty. She can’t find it in herself to care. 

“I can remake that water for you—” the bartender’s joking voice pulls her back. “If you want.”

The corners of her lips turn downward into a nonchalant frown as she waves him off. “No, no. It’s fine. It’s fine. I’ll live.” 

He lets out another quiet chuckle, but he doesn’t walk away. Instead, he lingers, toying with the white towel in his hands, opening his mouth and closing it again as if he’s trying to choose his next words carefully. 

“Uh—Um…” He rubs the back of his neck with a free hand. “Sorry if this is a weird question—and I don’t mean it in a weird way—but… Do I…? Know you…? From somewhere?”

He asks the question as if he already knows the answer. 

MJ pauses mid-sip, pulling away from her water. 

“‘Cause… You seem really… uh… Familiar.”

Again, it’s as if he’s only asking out of politeness.

“Not a weird question,” MJ finally says. “I was kinda getting that, too,” she adds quietly, almost too quiet to where he has to lean over the bar counter to hear her.

He seems to get a sense of confidence. “Did you by any chance go to Midtown Tech?”

Michelle nods slowly, taking another long sip of her water. “Yeah, I did. How’d you know?”

“I’m pretty sure we were in the same graduating class,” he says, squinting a little as he continues to look right at her, a thoughtful smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. 

And then it hits her. 

Of course. 

High school.

It’s only been three years since she graduated. How could she have missed something so obvious?

And suddenly, the memories come flooding back. She knows exactly who this guy is. 

He was only the star of her thoughts, dreams, wishes, and doodles for a solid four years of her god damn life.

“Peter?” She asks, her head tilting to the side, her gaze almost calculating now. 

“That’s me,” he grins with a shrug, before pointing at her. “Michelle?” He breathes out, almost a sigh of relief, when she nods again. “I’m surprised you remember me!”

Remembers him? HA.

Oh, she remembers Peter Parker; she only had a crush the size of the sun on him throughout her entire four years in that hellhole. He was always so stupidly nice to people, no matter what, always wanting to do the right thing, to stand up for the little guy. Back then, he was a skinny, shrimpy guy with a wild mop of floppy dark curls that always seemed to get in his eyes. But now… his hair is shorter, still curly, but more styled. He’s less scrawny, more bulky, like the only other place he goes besides working at the bar is the gym. 

“I—I just didn’t recognize you at first!” MJ’s finally able to get out, finding herself stunned at how blind she had been. “You look… different.” She smiles fondly.

In the dimly lit bar, MJ can still see Peter blush. “Yeah…” He trails off, glancing around briefly. “Just uh—hittin’ the gym. Mostly. But I do a lot of… Free running. In my spare time. All the time. Every day. Yep.” His voice gets a little tight, and he clears his throat, glancing around the bar. “And—and you look great, too. Still. As usual!” He huffs out a nervous laugh. 

MJ’s brow scrunches slightly, not sure what exactly he means, but she still takes the compliment. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” He grins. “I like your shirt,” He offers after a beat, his hands once again wringing the towel between them.

Michelle quickly glances down, suddenly forgetting what she was even wearing that night. She smiles briefly, seeing Joan of Arc staring back up at her. “Oh—” She breathes out. “Thanks. Again.”

“You’re welcome. Again.”

A beat of shared eye contact passes between them. 

Peter’s the first to look away this time; a group of older men are now standing at the bar, their boisterous laughter grabbing his attention. He turns to her again, mouth pulling into an apologetic smile. “I’ll be right back,” he promises, his hand giving the counter a single, firm pat. 

He doesn’t need to come back, that much is obvious, but the way he throws one last glance over his shoulder at her makes her care less and less. 

It’s weird, though. Not necessarily bad, though. He looks different, now, that’s for sure, but she can tell he’s still that same goofy, kind nerd she fantasized dreamed about throughout all of her awkward teenage. And it’s funny, MJ’s never been one of those people who treats muscles, abs and whatever else has been deemed attractive by society as some sort of dealbreaker in a partner, and she hasn’t changed her tune at all, even presented with such a prime example in the past twenty minutes... but—

Maybe it’s the warm, glowing lights of the crowded bar, or the nostalgic music, she’s not sure. There’s just something about watching Peter make drinks, the way he smiles so warmly when talking, the way his eyes light up when he hears a funny jokes, the way he dances goofily as he enthusiastically sings along to the blaring sound of Smash Mouth, the way his jawline looks as if it could cut the very glasses that he pours drinks into, just... something about the way his biceps flex in that ridiculously tight, black t-shirt as he tosses the shaker over his shoulder—

“Told you I’d be right back.”

Michelle startles, catching herself before she falls forward, her hand coming out from holding her chin and onto the counter. “Oh, hey.”

“You good? Need to slow down on that water?” Peter asks with a teasing smirk, tilting his head down. “Do I need to cut you off?”

“Ha ha,” she retorts with a dry laugh. 

“Seriously, though; can I get you anything else?” He asks, though despite his words, his mischievous expression remains very much the same. “Anything besides water?”

“Nah, I’m good.” 

“You sure? I can get you a soda? Virgin margarita? I can make it look like you’re drinking.” He looks at her expectantly, eyebrows raised, head tilted slightly. “Ooh! I make a great Shirley Temple.”

“Aren’t those super easy to make?” 

He snorts. “I mean. Not for… Not for everyone.”

Michelle watches him back for a moment, her own gaze challenging his. “Okay,” she sits forward, leaning onto the bar. “Bring it on.” As he starts to turn away, she speaks again. “Shirley Temple, first, please.”

He gives her two solid thumbs up, and she swears he winks at her before spinning around again. 

It’s strange, how the same fluttery, gooey, youthful feelings can come back so easily; that she can time travel instantly with just a single smile and a silly crack of a joke. It’s not as if she hasn’t thought about Peter at all throughout her years at college; there’s been plenty of times where she’d accidentally reminisce about the old days and cringe about how obvious she always thought she was, and how he never really seemed to notice her. She doesn’t blame him for that, of course. As obvious as she had been, she’d never actually made any sort of move, forever watching from the sidelines as one of the background characters of his life. 

It’s never been a sad feeling, per se. It’s been one that makes her face and neck unbearably hot; makes her want to cover herself with a blanket and never come out again when she thinks about it in the minutes before she’s about to fall asleep. 

He returns moments later, a pretty red drink—with a cherry on top—in hand. He presents it to her with a dramatic flourish—though he’s careful not to let it spill. 

She stares blankly at him, raising a single brow. 

He cracks a half-smile. “Alright, madam. Here is your Sprite and grenadine.” He finishes it off by placing a grossly cute red and white striped straw in it. 

Michelle’s lips press into a fleeting smile. “Thank you very much.” She takes her drink, tipping it at him before taking a long, contemplative sip. Her brows furrow as she tastes the saccharine sweet grenadine. 

“Well?” Peter asks, leaning on the bar with one hand, the other tucked into his pocket. 

She sits back, cocking her head to the side as if in deep thought, smacking her lips for dramatic effect. She shrugs with a slight frown. “It’s alright.”

“Alright?” Peter lets out an almost offended, but good-humored, scoff. 

“Alright.”

“Damn.” Peter shakes his head. “I shouldn’t have talked it up so much, huh?”

“Yeah, my expectations were too high.”

Another moment passes, the sounds of lively chatter and Blink-182 becoming almost nonexistent in their little corner of the bar. Peter’s face twists into one of faux-disappointment, his bottom lip caught between his teeth, Michelle only just able to prevent the smirk threatening to form on her own. 

Then, like a drunken tidal wave, that bachelorette party Peter had mentioned earlier comes screaming into the bar. 

Michelle can see the way the light in Peter’s eyes dies in that moment. He sucks in a sharp breath through his teeth, baring an already tired smile. She covers her mouth, hiding the way the corners of her lips are violently twitching upward. 

Peter turns his attention back to her again. “I mean, at least they called ahead,” he says, trying to look on the bright side. “Most don’t.”

A piercing shriek of joy and laughter cuts through the air. 

Michelle flinches before finishing her drink, mostly in an effort not to make eye contact with any of the girls wearing the bright pink sashes that say things like ‘wild thing,’ ‘maid of dishonor,’ ‘shot queen,’ and—her personal favorite—’miss behaving.’ Her eyes drift back to meet Peter’s; his are wide and she can see the hint of fear behind them. 

“Oh, God,” he mutters under his breath. 

MJ doesn’t say anything else, offering a quick smile before breaking her maraschino cherry off the stem and tossing it into her mouth. He glances at her out of the corner of his eye, his lips pressing together to fight off a smile as she chews. 

Peter watches as the bridal party approaches the bar, and he braces himself, knowing he’s about to have to walk away from the conversation, but relaxes when one of his colleagues takes over. His shoulders drop as he lets out a relieved sigh. “Thank you, Harry,” he mutters under his breath. 

MJ stops twisting the cherry stem between her fingers, eyes flitting up to meet his, not hearing what he said. “What?”

Peter’s eyes move down to her hands, his arms folded across his chest as he rocks back on his heels. “You ever… You ever hear that… that weird thing about tying a cherry stem in a knot in your mouth?”

Her movement stills, and again, she looks up at him. That same, shot-taking warmth floods her system, and she wonders if somebody in the bar cranked the thermostat up. “I’ve heard of it,” she says, expression impassive.

“Ever tried it?” He asks, not-so-casually leaning on the bar. 

Is he… flirting?

Her jaw shifts, eyes narrowing as she stares carefully at him, biting at the inside of her cheek to keep any sort of smirk from forming. “I haven’t.” 

Something flashes in his eyes, something challenging. Competitive. Something that makes her cheeks burn. “I can actually do it.” The nonchalance returns. “Pretty fast, too.”

She wonders if she should take the bait. 

Folding her arms as she leans toward him, she eyes him carefully. “Okay, let’s see it, Parker.”

Peter breathes out with a smile, pulling one of the many cherries out of the cherry jar. He eats the fruit quickly, swallowing before tossing the stem into his mouth. It’s (unsurprisingly) difficult to hold eye contact with him, but MJ holds her ground, eyebrows raised as he successfully knots the stem in approximately fifteen seconds. 

He pulls it out triumphantly, a proud, cheeky smile stretched across his features as he presents his masterpiece. “Boom,” he says, placing the knotted stem down on a folded napkin. 

“Wow,” MJ draws out sarcastically. 

“You think you can do better?”

She fixes him with a challenging stare.

Wordlessly, she pops her stem into her mouth, and almost instantly, she realizes just how difficult it actually is. She’s sure the faces she’s pulling right now can’t be the least bit attractive, but something in her doesn’t care. Her tongue wrestles with the stem for an embarrassingly long amount of time—she can feel the beginnings of a cramp starting to form—and she makes the mistake of looking up at Peter watching her, trying not to laugh. Without warning, a bubble of laughter comes out of her. She brings her hand up to cover her mouth as soon as the snort happens.

Michelle’s not one to give up easily, but she knows a fruitless endeavor when she’s in one. “Ah, damn,” she says, pulling the stem out of her mouth and folding it into a napkin. “That’s… really hard.”

The snicker from across the counter pulls her attention back, and she’s not surprised at all to find Peter snickering at her failure. 

“Oh, shut up.” She throws the stem at him. 

“Hey!” He jumps to the side, just barely dodging it.“I have to clean that up!”

She scrunches her nose. “My bad.” 

Breaking eye contact, he moves to pick up the stem with a napkin, throwing it away. When he looks back at her again, the air seems to be sucked out of the very room, and she wonders if there’s some kind of weird magic at play that makes him just able to have that effect on her. 

Before she can say anything else, Miss Behavior and Bride-To-Be come up to the bar where they’re at. 

“Um, excuse me!” Miss Behavior snaps her fingers, grabbing Peter’s attention. “Um, hi!” She smiles a smile so sickeningly sweet. Her voice is nasal and high pitched, her words slurred. “Can we get some free shots? My friend’s getting married to this guy soon, so a round of tequila shots would be amaaaaaazing.”

Bride-To-Be flashes a bright, if not a little crooked, smile.

Peter offers a small, apologetic smile. “Sorry. Can’t.”

“But—” Miss Behavior’s jaw drops, as if what Peter’s just said is the worst thing to happen to anyone on this planet. Ever. Michelle’s surprised she doesn’t immediately ask to speak to the manager. “She’s getting married!”

“Yeah! I’m getting married,” Bride-To-Be beams, pushing her hand forward to show off the rock on her finger. 

“Congratulations!” Peter cheers, matching their excitement, though he flinches at the end. “But, free bridal shots are only on every other Tuesday.” He throws a quick wink at Michelle.

“Oh my Gooooooood! That’s so rude!” Miss Behavior whines. 

Peter nods, lips pressed into a thin smile. “That’s right. Every other Tuesday.”

Miss Behavior’s about to open her mouth again when Bride-To-Be stops her, holding a hand out. “What’s today?” She shouts over the music. “Saturday?” She hiccups, dragging her friend away and into the flock of other party members, her drunken shouting fading away under the music. “C’mon, Taylor.”

“Can’t wait,” Peter flashes a tight grin as he waves. He sighs, relaxing when they’re finally gone. 

Michelle stares at her empty glass. “Why did her sash say ‘Miss Behavior’?”

“Huh?” Peter looks up at her, brow pinched together in confusion. 

“Her sash… It said ‘Miss Behavior.’”

“Yeah, so?”

“Based on what the other sashes say, hers is supposed to imply that she misbehaves—” MJ’s eyes narrow as she continues to think out loud. “But… if she’s Miss Behavior… then she’s actually implying that she behaves.”

A snort of laughter suddenly comes out of Peter. He shakes his head as he covers his face. It takes him a second, but he gathers himself enough to actually make human conversation. Michelle only watches calmly, the corners of her mouth just barely twitching upward. 

“Oh, God—” He wipes at his eye. “Can I—” Another laugh. “Can I get you another drink?”

Michelle’s not sure if her dumb commentary was actually all that funny, but she’ll certainly take it. “Sure,” she replies.

He throws another easy grin her way before disappearing again. But he’s not gone long, coming back with a cup of clear liquid. With the same showmanship as with the Shirley Temple, he presents the drink to her, placing it in front of her, dropping a green olive in as a final touch. “Ta da!” He beams. “Virgin Martini!”

Michelle nearly chokes on the laugh that wants to come out of her. “...How?”

“Oh, it’s just water. With an olive in it.”

This time, she lets that laugh—that comes as more of a sudden, slightly undignified snort—out of her. “You just wasted an olive, then. For a dumb joke.”

“Nuh uh. Do you like olives?”

“They’re alright.”

“See? Not wasted at all.” He pauses a moment, still laughing. “Hang on, I’ll get you a real drink.” He blanches. “Not—Not a real-real drink… A—It’s a… You know what I mean.” He scurries off, and for the nth time that night, she fights off a laugh.

It doesn’t take long, and he comes back with a brand new, golden drink, garnished with a fancy looking orange and cherry flag. With not as much flair as before, he places it on the spot in front of her. “Aaaaand here you go. Enjoy.”

“What’s this?” She asks, toying with the thin straw. 

His eyes look upward, as if they might find the answer on the ceiling. “Mango, peach, orange juice,” he counts on his fingers. “And… some sweet n’ sour.”

She gives a quiet nod, going in to take a slow sip. And it’s damn good. It’s hard not to show it on her face, too. 

A slow smile stretches across his face, reaching his eyes. 

“Don’t you have other customers?” MJ asks, eyeing him carefully. The question isn’t meant to be rude. 

Peter shrugs. “Yeah, but I’m helping them.”

MJ fixes him with a deadpan stare. 

“Did you forget about Bride-To-Be and Miss Behavior already?”

“They don’t count.”

“Technically I helped them.”

“—Realize they couldn’t just get free shots,” she finishes for him. 

Peter looks down, his bottom lip caught between his teeth. “Seriously, it’s fine. As long as I make sure I’m helping out when I’m needed, I’m fine—and happy—to stay here talking to you.”

At that, it’s MJ’s turn to look away, her insides now seeming to fully turn to goo at this point. 

They spend what seems like mere seconds—but in reality is another hour-and-a-half—just talking; catching up on each other’s lives, how everything’s changed in the past three years. She asks about his Aunt, finding out that she’s happy again with some guy named, well, Happy. Peter asks about her life and her family, then asking how her art’s been coming along. 

In all honesty, she’s surprised he even mentions it, much less remembers that about her. 

They joke back and forth, just as they had in the beginnings of the night. She watches as he tends to a group of Boomers, trying to suppress her laughter as he just nods quietly to what they complain to him about. He looks over at her, grinning from ear to ear, unable to tear his eyes away as he pours a beer for one of the men. 

The beer slips out of his hand half-a-second later. 

Although the warm jitters have never left, Michelle can’t help but feel a sense of ease sitting here, talking with Peter. Listening to his stories about all the different customers he’s had to deal with; him listening to her ramble on and on about the latest true crime documentary she’s been watching. 

It’s shortly after the last call for alcohol that he steers the conversation in a new direction. 

“You wanna know something crazy?” He asks, voice a little softer as he leans forward on the bar. 

By now, the bar has slowly been emptying out, the volume of conversation dying with it. Now, she feels as though speaking at a normal volume might invite eavesdroppers.

“What?” MJ subconsciously leans in as well. 

Peter glances left and right before moving the tiniest bit closer. “I used to have the biggest crush on you in high school. I really liked you.”

MJ’s brain nearly short circuits at the new information, and it takes her a moment to catch up with what she thinks she just heard. 

What??

But, surprised as she is, she has enough of her bearings to come back with a way to mess with him, keeping her composure to some degree. “And that’s crazy? That you could like me?”

Peter’s eyes go wide, his jaw dropping as he rushes to correct himself. “What? No! No, Michelle, that’s not what I meant at all—”

“—I’m messing with you, dude.” She decides to take pity on him, pressing her lips together into a thin, timid smile. “And call me MJ.”

He breathes out in relief, nodding with her. “Oh, okay. Cool.”

Before she can respond, or perhaps investigate his new confession further, she feels a wobbly, leather-jacket clad arm wrap around her shoulder. “MJ!!” Felicia croons into her friend’s ear, Cindy popping up from behind her, just as drunk. “We just paid our tabs, let’s gooooooooo.”

“Goooooooooo!” Cindy chimes in.

MJ throws Peter a blank, tired stare, though there’s a fondness behind it. She shrugs her drunk friend off.  “Yeah, you guys go ahead, I’ll be out in a minute.” 

Felicia pouts before glancing up, her face suddenly lighting up seeing Peter. “Oooooh you wanna talk to cute bartender some more. Okay. Okay. I see you.”

“I gotta pay my tab. God—shut up, Felicia!” MJ hastily spits out, face burning as she passes a side-eye glance to said cute bartender, who seems to be eating this up. 

“Nice, MJ,” Cindy not-so-subtly whispers in praise after giving Peter a glance. 

MJ wants to hide. “Guys—”

“—Come on, Cindy. Let’s leave these two alone,” Felicia snickers, dragging their friend to the door. 

“Fiiiiine.”

MJ slowly, ever so slowly, turns to Peter, not wanting to look him in the eye. She can feel his stupid grin on his stupid face without even seeing him as she pulls her wallet out. “Here, lemme just… pay my tab.”

“Oh, no, don’t worry about it.” Peter waves her off. 

Her gaze snaps up to his. It proves to still be a mistake, because that dumb, shit-eating grin is still there, but she holds her ground. “Uh, no, dude, I gotta pay.”

“Seriously, it’s fine.” His smile softens as he waves a dismissive hand. “It’s kind of an unspoken rule that we don’t charge DDs for non-alcoholic drinks and what not. Especially if they’re DDs that are super cool. And funny. And interesting. And pretty.”

She fights away the eyeroll threatening to show, feeling the heat engulfing her entire body. “Well, I gotta pay for something. How about the olive?”

Peter stands there, staring at her, the corner of his lip pulling upward. “The olive?”

“The olive.” She stares back, challenging him. 

It’s a staring contest between the two of them, one that MJ is determined to win. She has a plan, and in order to execute that plan, she needs to pay for something. 

After another second of her unwavering stare, Peter relents. “Well… Okay. That’s... ten cents? I guess. But like… Just know that I’m overcharging you.”

MJ laughs, handing him her card. 

Peter shakes his head as he runs the numbers at the register. He comes back with a receipt in hand, dropping a pen on top of it with a sense of finality. “Alright, ma’am. That’ll be ten cents.”

She takes the paper from him, grabbing the pen and scribbling something down before folding it up. When she hands it back to him, she reaches into her pocket, pulling out a single dime and handing it to him. “A tip for you,” she jokes as she gets up from her stool and makes her way to the exit. “One-hundred percent. Pretty good, huh?” 

With another shake of his head, he looks down as he pockets the coin, laughing. “Yes. Amazing. Thank you.”

His smile never leaves as the door closes behind her. 

--

“Well?” Felicia demands as they get back into the car. 

MJ stays quiet, pressing her lips together in an effort to hide the smirk starting to show. 

“Are you gonna tell us anything?” Cindy pleads as the engine starts. 

Without a word, Michelle pulls the car forward, finding herself slowly losing the neverending battle against that damn grin. She sighs, her hands relaxing at ten and two as she begins the drive home. 

“We’ll see,” is all she says. 

Her smile grows at the simultaneous, tired groan that comes from her friends. 

--

Peter wipes down the bar counter, the folded receipt burning a hole in his pocket as he finishes cleaning up as Closing Time blares around him. He quietly bops around to the music, glancing up every so often as the manager goes to lock the front door. 

He waits a moment, both of his hands hesitating mid-air before pulling the piece of paper out, unfolding it. 

His face warms, his heart thundering in his chest as he reads. 

A note.

On it, a phone number, and next to that, a neatly-written message that somehow makes his smile widen even more: 

I really like(d) you, too. 

  -  MJ

[lovely-van]

emily (part one)

Of course she had feelings for him. How could she not? Van was fucking perfect. But she didn’t want to tell him that. Emily was so used to being alone mostly, only casually dating guys, cutting things off if it seemed like too much. And she really, really didn’t want to let him in. But Van was doing his best to work his way into her life.

word count: 11k+ 

warnings: language, some smut, drug use etc

notes: i am so so sorry that it took me this long to post!!! i’ve honestly been just kind of relaxing since finals ended and it took me a while to edit but here is part one! also this isn’t a song fic i just didn’t know what else to name it hahaha and this is def not my fav story but it was the first piece i wrote so here ya go :)

Emily always loved parties. She loved them in high school and even more so now that she was a few years into college. Although she didn’t prefer to be the life of the party per se - she wasn’t quite outgoing enough - she just loved the atmosphere. All of the people drinking too much, dancing, making mistakes and living out their youth. Her mother always gave her the same disappointed look when she went out on a Saturday night in high school. Emily would roll her eyes, grab her jacket, and groan, “Mom, don’t look at me like that.” Emily’s mom would just shake her head and mutter something about how at least she had good grades. 

Tonight was no different. It was the last Saturday before fall semester started, the last chance to let loose before classes and endless schoolwork began. Emily sat in front of her bathroom mirror, applying mascara while her friend Mary fumbled around with the speaker. “Mary, I’m dying in this silence. What the fuck are you doing with that thing?”

Mary let out a frustrated groan. “The bluetooth isn’t working. I swear I’m gonna fucking break it!” Suddenly rap music started blasting from the small speaker. Mary let out a little scream which drew a chuckle from Emily. “Finally,” Mary muttered. She slid into the bathroom behind Emily, plugging in her curling iron. 

“I can’t believe summer’s over already,” Emily said, finishing up her highlighter. She gave herself one last glance in the mirror and figured she looked good enough. It was still so hot being early September she couldn’t even think about wearing a jacket, especially knowing how hot the frat houses would be. 

“Ugh, I know. And we only have one year left after this!” Mary whined. Both Mary and Emily were juniors at their college while their other roommates were all sophomores. This led to them feeling really old and nostalgic often, even though they were really only halfway through their college career. Carson, one of their younger roommates, always teased them about being old women. Mary and Emily would object to this immediately, of course, putting up a fight about how they couldn’t even legally drink yet. 

Emily nodded sadly in agreement, spraying on a little perfume. She left the bathroom and ran down the stairs, tightening the little pigtails she had put in for the half-up look she was digging lately. 

Carson and Spencer, the other roommates, were all downstairs drinking already. They were playing some video game and occasionally shouting at it. Just as Emily passed the door at the bottom of the steps, it opened. Emily jumped, laughing when she saw it was Spencer’s girlfriend, Sarah. “You scared the shit out of me!” Emily said as Sarah giggled too.

“My bad,” Sarah said. She walked in, taking a seat right next to Spencer who wrapped an arm around her waist, leaning over to kiss her. The two were high school sweethearts and very much in love, which disgusted pretty much everyone else in the apartment. But they were cute and so happy together that the rest of their friends put up with them.

“Hi babe,” Spencer said, kissing her one more time before going back to playing. Emily fixed herself a drink and hoped to get a little buzzed by the time they left.

---

The party was in full force by the time the five of them arrived. Emily did manage to get a decent buzz going which helped when she looked around at the disgusting scene of the party. Frat parties were like no other, people grinding throughout the whole dance floor, couples making out wherever they wanted, and the floor was always sticky. Emily and Mary snagged a couple drinks from the makeshift bar in the kitchen that was really just the island and made their way into the dance floor. The DJ was playing very questionable music which was annoying to Emily since her favorite thing about parties was dancing. 

Despite the shitty music that consisted of mostly shitty remixes, Emily and Mary danced hard to every song. After a few minutes, they bumped into a few people they knew who were complaining about the summer ending. They chatted for a bit, trying to discuss their upcoming schedules for the school year when they were interrupted by someone on a microphone. “Alright so clearly, Dylan here sucks as a DJ. This was his tryout and he failed. So my boy Max is gonna take over!” The crowd cheered and Emily almost felt bad for poor Dylan until the new DJ started playing some really good throwback songs. Immediately, Emily and Mary felt much better, dancing way harder and sweating even more. The other thing about frat parties is they were always so fucking hot. 

Emily noticed that Carson seemed to be interested in this really short girl near them, which was pretty funny because Carson was 6’5. She was happy to see him lean down and start talking to her, and within a few minutes she was standing in front of him somehow managing to dance despite the height difference. Looking around, there were definitely a few attractive guys but none that particularly stuck out to Emily. Oh well, the night’s early. 

After a few minutes, Emily’s hair started sticking to the side of her face and she knew she needed a break. “Do you wanna take a shot?” Emily shouted at Mary who nodded eagerly. The two trekked through the crowd, weaving their way through all the sweaty people. They reached the bar, passing Spencer and Sarah in the corner, giggling to themselves. “Do you guys have tequila?” Emily shouted at the bartender who nodded. She put up two fingers and smiled, “thanks!” He poured some tequila into two dixie cups and shoved them over.

“Tequila? You’ve got to be out of your mind, love.” Emily nearly choked on the shot in surprise. Love? She managed to swallow again and looked to her right. Leaning against the wall was a tall, almost ridiculously attractive man. His large hand engulfed the red solo cup that he took a sip out of. He pushed his hair back with the other hand, leaving it annoyingly perfectly tousled. He smirked at Emily. 

“What’s wrong with tequila?” she questioned, leaning on the bar with one hand. 

The guy wrinkled his nose. “Can’t stand the stuff. Got real fucked off it one night and well, y’know.” 

“Yeah, that’ll happen. One of my friends took a shot of it once and then threw up all over the dude next to her,” Emily laughed.

The guy chuckled and took another sip. “Glad you didn’t do that to me.” Emily couldn’t help but marvel over his accent. Definitely British - plus the whole ‘love’ thing. She also wondered how the hell he was wearing a button down shirt and jeans with how hot it was in the house. 

“Yeah that’d be fucking disgusting,” Emily snorted. More people were trying to come into the kitchen for drinks plus it was obnoxiously loud, which meant she had to move a little closer to the random guy. She realized she could have just left the crowded area but for some reason she didn’t want to. 

“I’m gonna go back,” Mary stepped over to say. She had been talking to the bartender but she just shot Emily a smile and headed out. 

“So what’s your name then?” The guy asked, bringing Emily’s attention back. She leaned up against the wall next to him.

“Emily.”

“I’m Van,” he stated with a grin. Van? Emily thought, weird name. 

“Like Van Morrison or what?” she shot back. He chuckled and nodded. 

“Exactly.” Emily wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol or if this guy really was that attractive but she knew she didn’t want to leave him yet. His eyes were so mischievous and his smile was so cute she just felt she had to get to know him better. 

Van just sipped his drink again and Emily wondered why he’d even been standing here alone in the first place. “Sooo... you wanna take a shot with me?” Emily smirked. 

Van scoffed in response. “Oh, of tequila I suppose?” Emily nodded. “Alright then, I guess so. Hey, Ryan could we get two shots of tequila?” he directed at the bartender who nodded.

“Yeah, I got you.” Van pushed off his place from the wall and Emily followed, moving right next to him on the bar. Ryan poured the shots and pushed them across the counter. 

“Thanks, mate,” Van said before letting out a sigh. “Why am I doing this again?” he laughed. 

Emily shrugged. “For me, I guess?” Van debated this and then nodded. 

“Yeah, guess so. Alright, cheers,” he muttered before he and Emily downed their shots. Van cringed, making a nauseated face. “Fucking disgustin’.” 

Emily laughed, feeling pleased with herself for being able to drink it so easily. “What’s your drink of choice, then?”

“I dunno, probably just a beer. Or maybe vodka,” Van replied. He caught the bartender’s attention again and motioned for two regular drinks. More people were trying to come into the kitchen, nearly shoving the two out of the way. Emily quickly grabbed the drinks from the bartender. “Shit,” Van mumbled when a guy bumped into him, bringing his hand to the small of Emily’s back and gently pushing her back to the wall so they could lean again. 

“So you’re British, right?” Emily questioned, handing him his drink. 

“Yeah, I’m from Wales, moved here for school though.” He nodded his head along to the song which was actually quite good. Max was doing much better as the DJ. 

“And why’d you come here?”

Van shrugged. “I dunno, I really always wanted to come to the states, I suppose. Actually one of my good mates from back home was close with a guy who came here for uni and he made it sound so amazing I thought, fuck it why not try it out? And course I love it ‘ere,” he rambled then looked down at Emily who was smiling softly up at him. Was it the tequila? Or did he somehow even hotter? Emily wanted to jump him right there. “What about you, where are you from?” Wow, his eyes are so fucking blue. And those eyelashes… Emily felt all squirmy as he stared down at her. 

Emily laughed. “You’ll never guess.” 

“Oh, bet I will. You’re from… New York.” Was he leaning closer to her? 

“Nope.” He definitely was. 

“Texas?” Was he?

“Nope.” He smelled so good. How did he smell that good in a grimy, nasty frat party? 

“Okay, I give in. Tell me,” Van grinned.

“Minnesota,” Emily replied, letting out a laugh at his raised eyebrows. 

“Wow, I never would’ve guessed that. I can’t say I’ve ever met someone from Minnesota, don’t think. The place with all the snow, yeah?” 

Emily continued sipping on her drink. “Exactly.” Van shook his head, probably in disbelief. 

“And what are you doing in California?” he mused. 

Emily couldn’t help but just stare at him. God, he was fucking hot. He kept pushing back his hair or tucking a little bit behind his ear, which of course was golden brown and a little longer like she loved, curling up at the bottom of his neck. “This is a really good school. Plus, it’s always warm and the beaches are just,” she leaned her head back thinking about them, “amazing. And the parties, come on.” 

Van chuckled, nodding in agreement. “Makes sense. So what year are you then?”

“I’m a junior. You?”

“Ah, well I’m actually on exchange here. I’m in my second year here, so what a sophomore? And I’ll go back and finish the other two years back in the UK.” So he was younger than her? Surprising.

“Ah so you’re young still,” Emily smiled. 

“Yeah, but I love an older woman,” Van smirked and took a drink. Jesus. 

The two continued to talk for quite a while, bantering back and forth and refilling their drinks a few times as well. They continued to move closer to each other as well, nearly pressed up against one another until Van shot out the age old question: “Do you wanna dance?” Emily nodded and grabbed his hand, leading him through the kitchen back out to the dance floor which was still lively. By now, even more people were making out and things were somehow even messier. 

Emily was solidly drunk by now so she really didn’t care what was going on around her. She shot Van a small smile before turning around and pressing up against him. His hands immediately dropped to her waist, bringing her in closer. He was so warm and so much taller than her and Emily loved it. The alcohol definitely helped as she grinded on Van, him gripping her hips tightly. They danced together so well and they had a lot of fun too, singing along to the music. At one point, Emily felt Van’s breath on her neck and she almost couldn’t take it. She was about to turn around and kiss him, honestly, when he whispered in her ear, “Do you wanna come outside with me?” She nodded and he slipped his hand down to hers, interlocking their fingers and leading her around the kitchen and up the flight of stairs - she didn’t even know there was another floor in this house - past a few stray couples to a balcony. Van pushed open the door. “After you,” he gestured. 

Emily stepped out into the balcony, glad to finally be away from the hot, sticky air inside the house. She tilted her head back and breathed, leaning her arms on the edge of the balcony. She heard the door shut and then turned to see Van fishing through his back pocket. She was surprised to see him pull out a pack of cigarettes. He put one in his mouth and then dug around more in the pocket of his black jeans for a lighter. Emily watched him light it so carefully, putting one hand near the end so the wind wouldn’t blow it out. He took a long inhale, his cheekbones sucking in and Emily couldn’t help but look at his lips wrapped around the end. Van kept the cigarette in his mouth, exhaling while he spoke. “Want one?” He asked Emily.

She shook her head. “No, I’m good. I’m kinda surprised you smoke,” she stated, continuing to watch him without really caring. Van looked exponentially hotter while smoking a cigarette, she decided. 

He took another long inhale before finally pulling it from his mouth. He blew out a long stream of smoke, making sure it was away from Emily. “I know, it’s a nasty habit. But everyone back home smokes and I just couldn’t bring myself to stop.” Van laughed, looking over at Emily. They were standing really close, sides pressed up against each other. Tingles ran through Emily’s body at every place they touched.

Emily bit her lip. “Could I just actually take a hit of yours?” Nothing wrong with a little drunk cigarette right? Plus, when someone of his caliber was offering… Van nodded, taking one more long drag and to Emily’s surprise, bringing the cigarette right up to her lips. She couldn’t inhale nearly as long as Van so she didn’t try to. She figured if she hadn’t been as drunk as she was, she probably would’ve coughed too. Vans finger grazed her bottom lip as he pulled it away, smirking. Emily felt like her skin was melting off. 

He put it back in between his lips and gave it a few more long pulls before finishing it. There was even a spot for cigarette butts and the ends of joints on the balcony so Van tossed it in there. The two looked out on the balcony which had a pretty spectacular view. A few blocks away, they could see the ocean. Some people on the street below were stumbling out of the party and laughing or screaming. It was like something out of a movie. The music could still be heard, though it was muffled. Van sang along to an old Fall Out Boy song quitely, nodding his head to the beat and Emily couldn’t help but be impressed. “You’re like, good,” she mumbled, turning to look at him, resting her head onto one of her hands.

Van chuckled. “Eh, not really but thanks.”

He looked down at her and Emily’s stomach jumped. Without even thinking about it twice, Emily leaned up and kissed him. Van kissed her back immediately, dropping his hands to her waist. Emily wrapped her hands around his neck, curling her fingers into the ends of his hair. She felt a little bit of stubble scratch her face and she wasn’t sure if it was from the alcohol or just how attractive he was but fuck, Van was a really good kisser. He tasted like tequila and smoke and bad decisions. Emily nearly melted in his touch as he pulled her even closer. She felt so small as he pressed her against the edge of the balcony, towering over her, his hips digging into her stomach. Emily gently bit his bottom lip and a little noise emerged from Van’s throat, which caused Emily to let out a little giggle.

“What?” Van whispered, pulling away and resting his forehead against hers. She stared up at him, unable to hide her grin. She leaned in and just kissed him again lightly, for a few seconds. His hands moved up to cup her face, moving her hair behind her ear. Their lips moved slowly before Emily pulled away and leaned her head onto his chest. She breathed in - maybe a little too deep - but Van didn’t say anything, just wrapped his arms around her waist. “You wanna go somewhere?”

Emily leaned back and gazed up at him. Her vision was a little clouded but she was mesmerized by the way his eyelashes framed his eyes that were so light blue it wasn’t even fair to the rest of the world. “Yeah,” she replied, biting back a smile. Van shot her a small smile back, revealing the tiniest dimple. He reached down and intertwined their fingers, pulling Emily behind him. He led her down the stairs, through the house, nodding ‘hi’ to a few people all while keeping their hands tight to his back. At one point, someone cut in front of Van causing him to abruptly stop, which meant Emily ran right into his back. “Oof”, she muttered as Van chuckled, rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand. They finally reached the back door, a cloud of smoke coming along with them. 

“Fuck, think I just got stoned too,” Van laughed as he and Emily stumbled onto the street. Emily giggled, agreeing with him. 

“So where are we going?” she questioned, holding his arm and leaning on him. Van slung an arm around Emily’s shoulders, keeping her close as they walked down the sidewalk, narrowly avoiding crying girls and guys who looked like they were about to vomit in the street. Van reached into his pocket and squinted at his phone, then slid it back and exchanged it for another cigarette. He lit it with one hand, keeping the other around Emily.

“You hungry or anything, love?”

Emily debated this. Of course she was hungry. There was nothing better than some drunk food plus she hadn’t eaten in many, many hours. But usually when you leave with a guy he just wants to take you straight to his place, not stop for food. “Yeah, I kinda am. Is that okay?”

Van chuckled, “‘Course, I’m quite hungry as well. Where do ya reckon we should go?”

And that’s how the pair ended up in a McDonalds at 1 AM, stuffing their faces with french fries and chicken nuggets. They were probably too drunk to be in public but honestly, so was everyone else. This McDonalds was notorious for being the place students went to after parties or bars because it was open 24 hours and in the perfect location. 

“So ya were pretty hungry then,” Van laughed, nudging Emily’s foot and causing her to giggle. She had barely even spoken to him since she got her Happy Meal. 

“Yeah, I guess so. I realize I didn’t eat dinner,” Emily paused and thought about it, “or lunch.”

“That’s terrible.” Van shook his head. He leaned back stretching an arm out on the back of the booth. Emily just shrugged and sipped on her Sprite. 

He finished his food almost right away and Emily was kind of impressed. “You know, you don’t really look like a frat boy or anything,” Emily blurted out, leaning forward on her hand. 

Van smirked. “Oh you don’t think so do ya?” Emily furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head. “Nah, I’m not in one. My roommate last year pledged and then I became quite close to ‘em all, they’re all pretty good lads. Only thing that sucks is I couldn’t live in the house with ‘em.” 

“So where do you live?”

Van motioned his head backwards. “A couple blocks that way, I got one roommate and he’s alright, not real close to him or anything but he stays out of my shit which I like. Plus he’s always willing to share his weed so can’t really go wrong there I s’pose,” Van rambled on, waving his hands around. He was so animated when he spoke. Emily was trying to figure out of it was the alcohol or if he always babbled like this. Either way, she loved listening to him talk, loved the way his account sounded so thick when forming certain words. 

“Mhmm. So do you think I should just go back home or…?” Emily was still pretty drunk and so was Van, meaning if one of them didn’t make a move soon they’d probably just pass out in the booth. 

“Uh, if you want but I was gonna offer you to come to mine, if you wanted,” Van said seriously, his voice seeming to lower a bit. 

Emily nodded, “Yeah, sure.” So the two continued to roam the streets, hand in hand and laughing with each other until Van brought them to an apartment building. He dug around in his pockets to grab his key and once they reached the elevator, Emily couldn’t help but lean up and kiss him. He was slightly surprised but he kissed her back eagerly, only pulling away once the elevator doors opened to reveal an angry looking older guy. Emily and Van tried to stifle their giggles as he rolled his eyes and pushed past them. “Oops, he looked fucking pissed.”

Van fumbled with his keys, trying to unlock the apartment door for a good few seconds. “Christ,” Van mumbled, finally pushing it open and letting Emily go in. His hand rested on her lower back, leading her into the living room first. It was small and a little messy but considering only two college guys were living there, the apartment wasn’t terrible. “Want any water or anything, love?” Van asked, walking into the kitchen and flicking on the light as Emily plopped down on the couch.

“I’m okay, thanks.” She couldn’t help but pull the soft blanket that was on the back of the couch over herself as she stretched out, leaning her head back. She heard some banging in the kitchen and wondered what Van could be doing. 

After a few minutes, Van turned the kitchen light off and came back into the living room, chuckling. “You look comfy,” Van mumbled, sitting on the end of the couch a few inches from Emily, his right ankle resting on his left knee. Emily set her phone down and held back a yawn. She nodded, looking at him and waiting to see what he was going to do. Van almost seemed to be avoiding eye contact, picking at his nails. He was nervous. Emily found it adorable.

Emily pondered the situation for a few minutes. She knew she was going to lose her buzz soon - the opposite of what she wanted in this moment. Yeah, she was tired and comfortable under the fuzzy blanket but she was also inside a hot British guy’s apartment, alone with him on the couch. She would be insane to not make a move. 

“Come here,” she mumbled, reaching her hands out and motioning for Van. The corners of his mouth lifted up as he scooted closer, Emily moving her legs slightly so he could fit right next to her. Emily bit her bottom lip slightly, smiling. 

Van finally leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, ever so slowly. She reached up and put her arms around his neck, tugging at his hair. Van moved the blanket over a little and started rubbing the inside of her thigh gently, his other hand on her waist. Emily tried kissing him faster but Van seemed insistent on keeping it agonizingly slow, his tongue moving into her mouth teasingly. Emily let out a little whine which made him chuckle against her lips. “Hm?” 

Emily decided to take matters into her own hands, pulling back and lifting Van’s hands off her, then pushed him back so he was laying on the couch. It wasn’t the easiest thing to do since he was clearly a lot bigger than her but he seemed to like it when she straddled him, putting her hands on his chest. “You’re killing me,” she whispered, leaning down and pressing a kiss on his neck. Van’s eyes fluttered shut, bringing his hands to her waist, rubbing her sides up and down gently. She leaned to the other side, hair brushing along Van’s nose but he didn’t seem bothered as he let out the smallest moan. Emily started kissing down Van’s neck, not hard enough to leave a mark but hard enough to make him squirm. She pressed kisses up his neck and across his jaw and then was about to switch back to the other side when Van leaned forward, pushing her back again and kissing her hard. Fucking finally. Van’s hands were moving everywhere and Emily could tell he was worked up, meaning her plan was successful. 

“Should we go to my-”

“Yes,” Emily cut him off immediately. She climbed off him and let Van lead her to his bedroom. He shut the door and quickly pulled some clothes off the bed, tossing them in the corner. Other than that, his bed was made nicely and he even had some cute fairy lights plugged in. Emily wasted no time crawling onto the bed and pulling Van on top of her, pressing her lips to his immediately. Eventually, Emily brought her fingers to the buttons on Van’s shirt, slowly undoing them. Van started edging his hands up Emily’s shirt slowly, nearly leaving burn marks on her skin and she pulled away, tugging her shirt over her head immediately. This drew a slight chuckle from Van as he looked down at her, biting his lip. 

“Christ,” Van muttered, leaning back down to kiss Emily again. 

---

“Oh my god, Mary turn that fucking thing off,” Emily mumbled, curling up tighter in bed. Of course her alarm would be going off so early even though it was the weekend.

“Sorry, love, forgot to turn it off. ‘M not Mary, though.” Emily opened her eyes and had to think for a second before she remembered where she was. That’s embarrassing. She was currently lying underneath Van, her arms wrapped around his neck as he leaned carefully over her to turn the alarm off on his phone. He shut it off and then laid back on Emily’s shoulder. “But that is me mum’s name.”

Emily snorted, rubbing her eyes carefully. “I must’ve slept like, really hard,” she muttered. Van buried his head closer to her neck, sighing softly. He mumbled something, probably in agreement.

Emily closed her eyes again and replayed the events back in her head. They didn’t end up having sex, which definitely surprised her. There was some hand stuff and whatnot but that was about it before they went to bed - except Van was being exceptionally cuddly and touchy. “What time is it?” She asked.

“‘Round nine,” Van replied, “you have a cute morning voice, y’know. All scratchy.”

“Mm, thanks,” Emily smiled. “I think I have to get going though.” 

Van shifted a little bit so he was laying on his side next to her, putting an arm across her stomach and pulling her a little closer. “Why’s that?”

“I work at 11.” He looked almost disappointed. 

“Oh, alright. Too bad.” Emily laid next to him for a bit, trying to not make it seem like she was ditching him right away but she felt like she probably should get up soon. 

She cleared her throat, “Yeah, I gotta get going.” She snuck out from under Van’s arm and sat on the end of the bed, reaching for her shirt. She slipped it on and scanned for her jeans too. She spotted them hanging off the corner of the bed, so she grabbed them and slipped them on, then grabbed her phone off the bedside table and looked at a few of the notifications. Emily could feel Van’s eyes on her but she tried to play it off. She sighed, shoving her phone in her pocket. 

Van moved to sit on the edge of the bed, still only wearing his underwear. He reached forward and grabbed Emily’s hand, tugging her down close to kiss him. She pulled away after a few seconds and looked down, “Well, thanks for the fun night but I really don’t wanna be late,” she said, glancing up into Van’s eyes. His eyebrows were furrowed and he still looked sleepy and cute, which was making this more difficult. 

“Um, yeah I had a really nice night with ya. Could I get your phone number or somethin’ then?”

“Oh yeah, here,” Emily murmured, handing him her phone with her Snapchat open so he could type in his username. Van handed it back and stood up, bringing his hand to her lower back. 

“I’ll walk you out, love.” Van guided her to his front door before resting an arm against it and leaning down to kiss her. “See you soon, then, Emily.” He gave her a sleepy smile, hair messy and cheeks flushed.

“Bye,” Emily replied, staring at his eyes for a second before slipping out the door. 

---

Emily nearly threw up when she walked outside and looked up at the sun. It was way too bright and too nice out for how she was feeling. She realized Van’s apartment was actually really close to hers, so she just decided to walk home rather than pay for an Uber. 

She pulled out her phone and ignored the many texts she had missed, instead immediately calling Mary. “Pick up,” she mumbled. 

After it rang a few times, Mary’s morning voice came through the speaker. “Oh my god, hey,” she mumbled. 

“Hi,” Emily laughed, crossing the street. “I’m on my way home now.”

“Already? I kinda thought you were really into this guy so I thought maybe there’d be a little morning  action,” Mary chuckled. 

Emily bit her lip. “Yeah, he was cool but I didn’t wanna stay there forever, you know. I told him I had to work at 11.”

“Ah, okay. Well, I’m in bed so just come cuddle with me and you can tell me about it,” Mary replied with a yawn. 

Sure enough, about ten minutes later, Emily was climbing the stairs and hopping into Mary’s bed. The shades were still drawn and it was nice and dark. “So what happened to you last night?” Emily started. 

Mary buried her head in her pillow. “I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“Mary, you didn’t.”

“I did,” she sighed. Mary had a habit of almost always hooking up with her ex, JJ when she was drunk. Well, and when she was sober too. It always went like this: JJ would text Mary about how he missed her, she’d go to his place, and then he’d text her the next day that he was glad they got to see each other one last time. This had happened probably ten times, at least. 

“Why do you do this? He treated you so bad,” Emily replied. Which was true. JJ and Mary met freshman year and dated until about halfway through sophomore year until she found out he had been cheating on her with multiple girls in the sister sorority to his fraternity. 

Mary groaned. “I don’t know, I can’t help it. Whatever, let’s stop talking about me and talk about you and this hot British guy.” 

Emily tried to hold back a smile. “Um, yeah. So his name is Van, he’s like, an exchange student here. Very nice, funny. And he was hot.” Mary looked so eager to hear more about him. “What?” Emily laughed. 

“What, that’s it? Give me details.”

“Okay, okay. So basically last night we ended up dancing and then he took me out on the balcony at the house, we like made out there and then we left and stopped at McDonalds,” Emily laughed, “and then he invited me to his place which is like very close to here.” 

“And?”

“And that was pretty much it. We didn’t have sex, just like other stuff you know.”

Mary raised her eyebrows. “Oh, really? Why not?”

Emily debated this. She wasn’t even sure herself. “Um, I don’t know, he seemed like he didn’t really want to, honestly. Like he was… really into doing other stuff and like never brought it up and I just kind of went with it.”

“Do you think he was a virgin or-”

“No, definitely not,” Emily cut Mary off. “He was way too good at everything. It’s hard to say, I guess.”

“So are you gonna keep talking to him or what?”

Emily shrugged. “Um, I don’t know. I would probably hook up with him again, y’know, but I don’t know. I’m not gonna reach out to him first. He’s cool, but like, you know.” 

Mary nodded in agreement. “Yeah, that makes sense. Do you think he’ll message you?”

“Honestly, probably. He was like, very cuddly and stuff which was just weird. Guys are usually so not like that.” 

“Yeah, definitely. Well, I’m probably gonna go back to bed for a little bit honestly, I feel like shit,” Mary chuckled, pulling her blankets up to her chin. 

Emily laughed, “Yeah, I’m gonna shower and then go back to bed too.”

A few hours later, Emily was still lying in bed when her phone buzzed. She had just woken up from a nap and by now it was around 1 PM. She grabbed her phone off the night stand and almost dropped it when she saw the notification that read “van is typing”. “Shit,” she muttered to herself. After a minute or two, she got a message from Van. Emily tried to ignore it, going and checking her other social media for a while. She eventually decided to text Mary and have her come into her room and help, depending on what Van had said. 

“Okay, open it.”

Mary sat next to Emily on her bed, waiting. “It’s a chat,” Emily said. 

hi emily just wanted to let you know i had a really good time last night. glad to have met you and i hope i can see you again soon xx

“Oh shit,” Emily murmured. 

Mary nearly snorted. “So he’s definitely into you. I don’t even know what you say back to that.” Emily groaned, flopping back on her bed. 

“I don’t know either. The thing is I don’t wanna, like date him, obviously but maybe I should just talk to him a little bit and we could hang out in the future.”

 “Yeah, so true.”

Emily began typing her response.

yeah i had a good time too :) 

“I’m just gonna leave it at that.” Mary nodded, approving.

A few minutes later, Van replied, asking how work was. Of course, Emily had almost forgotten that she told him she was working, so she had to come up with a fake reply about it being boring. Van continued to respond fairly quickly, asking her questions about her job and then about school, and other things like that. Emily would reply, albeit not super enthusiastically, keeping the conversation going at least. 

This went on for a few days. Classes started but Van continued to message Emily, switching over to pictures. Emily would open his Snapchats and bite her lip, because of course he always looked really good in them without even trying. He was really, really attractive. And he was so funny, too. He often made jokes that made Emily giggle while she was alone in bed at night. But she tried not to let this affect her. 

It wasn’t until Thursday afternoon that Van hinted he wanted to hang out again. Emily was just about to start getting ready to go out with some friends.

what are you up to tonight? x 

Van always ended his messages with an x. Must be a British thing. 

i’m going to bars w some friends. are u going out? 

Emily bumped her head along to the music Mary was playing as she slipped on her jeans. 

think so. where ya heading? x

Emily responded with the names of a few bars she and her friends had discussed they were going to stop at. At around nine o’clock, Van responded with an adorable picture of him smiling, beer in hand. 

Emily looked at it for a few moments before replying with a picture of herself drinking her own mixed drink. She wondered if she’d see him out. 

---

About two hours later, she didn’t have to wonder anymore. Emily, Mary, and Carson finally got into their favorite bar after having to wait outside a while. The place was packed, so Emily didn’t see Van right away.

“Thought I might see ya here.” Emily was leaning on the bar, credit card in hand and waiting to order. She looked up to see Van next to her, looking ridiculously attractive, of course. His hair was pushed back, looking perfectly messy and he was wearing all black, just like her but he just had on a crew neck sweatshirt with his black jeans. He had a nearly empty cup in his hand and his eye was nearly twinkling as well. 

“Yeah, me too,” Emily replied. She was a little drunk by now, already having pregamed and been to one other bar for a few drinks. 

“Let me get you a drink, love,” Van said, setting his cup down and reaching into his pocket for his wallet. 

“Oh, no you don’t have to.”

 Van shook his head immediately. “What are you drinking?” 

So Emily was caught in a bit of a tough situation. She had to stand by the bar waiting for the drink which meant she had to talk to Van. It was a little weird, after only texting back and forth for the past week. But she was still extremely attracted to him, of course. After the drinks arrived and they cheersed, Emily said, “I should probably get back to my friends,” she gestured to Mary and Carson who were laughing across the bar, “but I’ll see you later?” 

Van looked a little disappointed, his eyebrows furrowed. “Yeah, yeah, sure. I’m probably staying here for a while, so.” Emily smiled and walked away. 

“Wait, is that the British guy?” Carson questioned as soon as Emily was near them. She nodded. “Actually, my buddies in Theta Chi have mentioned a dude from England. Bet that’s him.”

“Yeah, probably.”

“Now that I’m thinking about it, Lenny and Miller are like, really tight with him. They said he’s like, super funny and a really good guy.”

Emily leaned her head back and groaned. “Don’t say that shit to me.” Carson just laughed, knowing how she was. Emily was never one to get feelings involved with the guys she saw. It was too messy. 

“I think he’s slightly attached already,” Mary pointed out. Emily shrugged, trying not to think about him. 

But of course, an hour later, Van was all she could think about. Funny what alcohol will do to you. It was after midnight now, and Emily was scanning through the bar for his tall, lanky figure but she couldn’t see him. “I wonder if he left,” she mumbled. 

“Who?” Carson mused, smirking. 

Emily rolled her eyes. “Van, duh.” Mary and Carson exchanged a look, eyebrows raised. 

“Thought you weren’t really into him?” Carson questioned.

Emily shrugged. “I’m not but I’m drunk and he’s hot, so y’know. I’ll just message him.” 

She pulled out her phone and squinted at it. 

hey you still at jordan’s? 

Emily double checked it for spelling errors before she hit send. She responded to a few other messages before she saw he replied. 

bathroom. you? xx

Emily messaged him back quickly, describing where she was in the bar and waited for him to show up. Which he did, only a couple minutes later. 

“Hey,” Van said as he slid in to stand next to Emily at the table she was at. 

“Hi,” she smiled. 

“Hello,” Van said with a grin, directing it at Carson and Mary who were almost laughing to themselves.

“Oh yeah, this is Mary and Carson. Two of my roommates.” 

Within a few minutes, Van and Carson were nearly best friends. They apparently had a lot in common. They were talking about soccer at the moment, which Emily had little to no interest in. She leaned on the table, sipping her Vodka soda as Mary chattered on about what JJ was texting her. “God, he’s such a dick,” Mary muttered, angrily typing a response. Emily snorted to herself, knowing that she would probably be going to his place later. Emily dragged her gaze over to Van and Carson who were watching some highlight video that Carson had brought up on his phone. Emily debated about what to do in this situation. 

She decided to reach out and rub Van’s back gently, making him turn quickly and look at her. He had been laughing at something Carson said so he was still smiling at her, eyes shining bright.

“Another drink?” Emily asked, biting her lip as she touched his arm just for a second. 

Van’s whole expression changed. “Yeah, let me get ya one, love,” he said in a low voice, giving her a small smile. Van turned and scooted away towards the bar to order. 

“Dude, he’s so funny. I think I’m in love with the guy. I don’t know how you aren’t,” Carson laughed. Emily rolled her eyes but she wasn’t really listening, instead just watching Van as he talked to the bartender and laughed, his charm coming out. He was so good with people. Van returned with two drinks but within twenty minutes, he, Emily, and Carson were heading back to their apartment. 

Mary was going over to JJ’s of course, and Emily was walking down the street, hand intertwined with Van’s. Carson was telling the story of how he had just gotten rejected by this girl at the bar he had apparently liked since last year and how he’d be spending the night with a bottle of lotion. “Carson, ew.” Emily laughed, nearly tripping over a curb. Van kept a tight grip on her hand, making sure she wouldn’t fall. 

When they got inside the apartment, Emily slipped off her shoes and led Van up the stairs right away. Carson saluted them and headed into his own room for the night, to do God knows what. Emily quickly plugged in her fairy lights and flopped down on her bed, slipping her shoes off. 

Van had his hands shoved in his front pockets, looking around at her pictures on the wall and other things. He looked particularly interested in her old record player. “This is class,” he said, carefully inspecting her records. 

“Oh, it was my Grandpa’s,” she said, leaning her weight back on her hands. Van was smiling, apparently enjoying the music she had. 

“Can I play somethin’?” Emily nodded. He fiddled with the record player for a second and then Emily’s eyes widened when she heard a song by one of her favorite bands ever, Turnover, start playing. 

“Holy shit,” she whispered as Van came and sat next to her.

“What’s that?” 

“You like Turnover?” Emily questioned, staring at him as he slipped his boots off. 

“Oh yeah. Absolutely class. This album is unbelievable,” Van replied, turning to look at her. 

At this moment, it was safe to say Emily was mesmerized. Yes, she was drunk again and yes, he clearly felt a lot more for her than she felt for him, but she didn’t care about any of that as she stared at him. 

“What?” He whispered, eyebrows furrowing. Emily just leaned forward, grabbed his face with one hand and started kissing him. Van responded immediately, kissing back gently. He put one hand on her waist, sighing into the kiss. The music played quietly in the background but it somehow made everything better. Emily felt even more drunk off the taste of his lips as she shifted, pushing him to move back on the bed and he took the hint, lying down. Emily broke the kiss and straddled him, his hands rubbing along her legs and up to her waist.

Van looked nearly entranced in this moment but honestly, Emily felt the same way. She couldn’t stop staring at him, his eyes were hooded but still sparkling and he kept licking his lips. Eventually, Van leaned up and pressed his lips against hers, cupping her face in his hands. Emily shifted a little, which drew the softest groan from Van. Emily thought she had never heard something so beautiful in her life.

After a few minutes, Emily flipped the two over so Van was hovering over her. He seemed to be intoxicated by her as he leaned down and started kissing down her neck. He switched to the other side, running his hands along her body while biting her neck ever so gently. 

“Fuck,” Emily moaned out quietly. Van stopped, biting his lip and then stared at her eyes. He kept staring as his fingers reached down to graze the hem of her shirt, which she helped to pull off right away. He kept staring as his fingers worked down, gripping onto her belt and slowly unbuckling it. Emily felt like she was about to explode as he tugged her pants off. He just kept staring at her while he slipped her underwear off, too. She had both of her hands on the side of his head, running through his hair. Emily almost squeezed her eyes shut but she felt like she had to keep them open, staring at him. 

After a few minutes, Emily was a mess. She was sweating and so unbelievably turned on. “Van,” she mumbled, pulling his head up to look at her. 

“Hm?” He licked his lips. 

“Do you wanna fuck?” 

Van shifted, leaning forward to kiss her then pulled away and started, “Love, I...” he let out a small sigh, “Emily,” he whispered. Emily’s eyes had so much want in them, it was driving Van insane. “I, ah, want to, of course I do. But I think maybe we should just wait.” 

Emily bit her lip, feeling a little rejected almost. “Oh. We can stop, then.” She started to sit up. 

Van gently pushed her back down on the bed. “No, no, I want to keep doing this. Emily, ah, well I fancy you a lot. Really, you’re just fucking...Christ, somethin’ else. Please, don’t think I don’t want this,” he muttered. “Just wanna wait for the whole sex part, yeah?” Emily just nodded, leaning up to kiss him again. 

After about an hour, Emily was laying on Van’s chest, his arm around her, thumb rubbing up and down her arm. “Mm, I need a smoke,” Van mumbled, rubbing his eye with his other hand. 

Emily’s eyes were closed, her fingers gently tracing across the lines on his stomach. “If you want, you can just open my window and smoke in here,” she murmured. 

“You sure?” She nodded. Van slid out from underneath her, carefully. He reached down to slide his underwear back on and then grabbed a cigarette and a lighter out of his pocket. Emily laid on her side, watching as he pulled open the blinds and cracked open the window and lit the end of his cigarette carefully. The window didn’t have a screen so Van just flicked the ashes right outside. Emily stared at him, admiring the way the orange glow from the cigarette highlighted the details of his face. Her eyes trailed over the curve of his shoulder blades, the bend of his elbow, the little dimples at the bottom of his back. Fuck.

Van blew smoke out the window carefully, his eyes focused on something outside. He finished off the cigarette and looked around, clearly unsure of what to do with the butt. “Put it in there,” Emily whispered, gesturing to a cup on her bedside table. Van nodded, dropping it in. He leaned over to the record player and flipped the record over, as it had stopped a while ago. He turned the music down a bit and Emily held the blankets up so Van could slide in next to her. She immediately snuggled up to him, feeling how warm he was and trying to ignore the spark of his skin against hers. Van leaned down and dropped a kiss on her forehead and Emily closed her eyes, needing to remain unaffected by it all. 

“Night, love,” Van mumbled, reaching his hands up to stroke her hair slowly. Emily fell asleep within a minute of this. 

--- 

The same thing happened on Friday night. Emily was at a party with Carson - Mary at work, sadly - dancing and enjoying herself when Carson lightly hit her arm. “Hey, there’s Miller. Oh, and Van!” Carson immediately turned and walked over, grinning as they did that weird handshake thing every guy does, the three of them laughing. Emily’s eyes were drawn to Van, him wearing all black once again but she was surprised to see he was wearing a short sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up a little. He was rather skinny, and quite pale, honestly, but his arms did have a little outline of muscle. 

Emily decided to make her way over to the three, greeting Van with a ‘hi’, who wrapped an arm around her shoulder, bringing her in for a small hug. They ended up all talking, dancing, and drinking for a while. Emily was honestly having a really fun time. Van, Miller, and Carson got along so well but Emily felt like she fit in too. 

“Alright, I gotta head out. My girl’s texting me, so,” Miller said, slapping hands again with Van and Carson, nodding at Emily. 

“See ya, mate,” Van said as Miller made his way out of the party. Emily realized that Van had probably come with Miller, and now here he was with Carson and Emily only. 

So it was down to three. Until Carson started dancing with a girl who was quite tall, way taller than Emily but still shorter than him. 

“Oh shit,” Van laughed as Carson and the girl started kissing right next to them a few minutes later. Emily laughed along with him, feeling a little grossed out by the sight. Van shook his head and turned away from the couple, then leaned down by Emily’s ear. “Dance?” he asked quietly. Emily nodded, turning around and standing right in front of Van. His hands slid down her sides, holding her hips tightly. They danced like this for a while, a little slowly, Emily leaning her head back a little onto Van’s chest. At one point, she turned around and reached up to kiss him. Van didn’t even hesitate to kiss her back, bringing his hands from her waist down to her ass. Emily pulled away after a few moments, totally breathless. Van’s hair was sticking to the sides of his face and a little sweat dripped down his neck because of how ridiculously hot the basement was. But Van still looked so good. 

A while later, Van, Emily, Carson, and the girl whose name Emily hadn’t learned yet were walking home. Carson was absolutely hammered, stumbling down the street and laughing about something. The girl was trying to hold his hand but he was weaving around aimlessly, and he tripped slightly over the curb. “C’mon, mate,” Van chuckled, letting go of Emily’s hand to put an arm around Carson, helping him stay upright. They eventually made it inside Emily and Carson’s apartment, Carson heading straight to the bathroom. The girl sat awkwardly on the couch in the living room as Van asked Emily where their glasses were to get Carson some water. 

“That cupboard, yeah,” Emily murmured, leaning against the counter. Van filled the glass with water from the sink. 

“He’ll probably be needing this, yeah? But he’s fine, I think,” Van said with a little smile. Emily watched as he turned and headed up the stairs to take care of Carson who from the sound of it was puking his guts out. It was pretty sweet to see him acting like this, taking care of one of Emily’s friends when he really didn’t have to. 

Emily made a disgusted face as she went to sit by the girl on the couch. “Carson’s not usually like this,” Emily said with a laugh. 

The girl just smiled, looking a little unsure of herself. Emily heard Van laughing upstairs. “Your boyfriend’s a good guy.”

      Emily looked up from her phone, “Oh, no, he’s not my boyfriend. He’s uh, yeah, no,” she laughed awkwardly.

“Oh, really? You guys seem so cute together,” the girl replied. 

Emily bit back a smile. “Thanks but no, we’re definitely not together.” She stood up and climbed the stairs as Carson came bursting out the bathroom. 

“Is Lauren still here?” he asked, Van standing behind him, trying to hide his laughter. Emily nodded and Carson pushed past her. 

“Carson, did you brush your teeth at least?” She whisper-yelled at him as he ran down the stairs.

“He did,” Van said with a chuckle. He flicked off the light and walked out of the bathroom, grabbing Emily’s arm and pulling her close to him. He brought his hands up to her face and just stared at her for a second. “You’re quite beautiful, y’know,” he murmured. His eyes were a little squinty as his cheeks flushed from the alcohol. He was glowing. 

Emily smiled, looking away. “Stop.”

Van ran his thumb across her cheek, then tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “No, I’m serious. Absolutely class.” 

“Thank you,” she whispered, then leaned up and kissed him. 

---

It went on like this for a while. Van got Emily’s actual phone number and started texting her everyday. Almost every weekend, the two met up at a party or bar and then spent a night together, unless they had an exam or work or something else going on. Van tried making other plans quite often, asking Emily if she wanted to go for coffee or dinner or something, but Emily always came up with an excuse. There was a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach, growing worse each day. She attempted to get rid of it by ignoring Van’s requests for dates and keeping it strictly sex between them. But it wasn’t easy. 

“Emily, you totally like him. Why won’t you just admit it?” Mary questioned Emily on one Saturday night that they actually decided to stay in. All of the roommates were home, watching movies and just relaxing. 

They were on the topic of Van and how great he was. This happened quite often. Mary and Spencer had taken a liking to him, almost as much as Carson had. Ever since Van had taken care of him when he was throwing up, Carson basically worshipped the ground Van walked on. 

“Yeah, for real. I’m telling you, I have feelings for him. And I don’t even like dudes,” Carson said, shoving popcorn into his mouth. 

Emily rolled her eyes. “Guys, stop. I’ve told all of you this. Yeah, he’s cool and whatever but I just like hooking up with him. I don’t like him like that.” 

Carson, Mary, and Spencer let out a collective snort. “Yeah, sure,” Spencer said under his breath. Emily shot him a dirty look.

“I’ve never even hung out with him unless we were drinking first so I don’t know where you guys are even getting this from.”

“Oh my God, Emily. Van tells me all the time that he wants to take you out on a real date but you always avoid it. He also told me you haven’t even had sex, so I know that’s not why you keep hanging out with him.”

“Carson!” Emily shouted, feeling a little blood rush to her cheeks. Carson just shrugged, eating more popcorn. “Look, I know he likes me, okay? He’s told me. And yes, he asks me all the time to get dinner and stuff, but I don't know. I just don’t date people, okay? I don’t like the idea of being with just one person. And I don’t believe in relationships.” Spencer rolled his eyes at this, most likely thinking of how much he loved his girlfriend Sarah. 

Mary scoffed. “Dude, have you even hooked up with anyone else since you met Van?” Emily didn’t respond. “No. And I know that guys are still hitting you up and wanting to hang out. So what the hell?”

Emily just shook her head. “Stop trying to make me like him! It’s not gonna happen. I haven’t even really been around him when we were sober.” 

Carson and Mary exchanged a look. “Okay, so invite him over,” Carson replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

“I’m not gonna invite him over, we’re having roommate bonding.” 

“Jesus Christ, Emily. We’re watching fucking Cars right now. Invite him over, I swear to God, before I get pissed off,” Spencer shouted from the kitchen, grabbing himself a beer. 

“Fine. I’ll see what he’s doing. But I’m not inviting him over til later.” Emily rolled her eyes and opened the last text she had gotten from Van.

From: van

what you up to x 

From: emily :)

not much, just watching some movies with my friends. hbu?

From: van

i’m at home, just bought some weed off my roommate. you interested? 

About an hour later, Emily was in the bathroom, brushing her hair out when she heard a short knock and then the door to her apartment open. She could tell it was Van, him laughing loudly along with her other roommates right away. He could really draw anyone in with that laugh. It was contagious. She sprayed a little more perfume on before shutting the light off and jogging down the stairs. 

Van was sitting next to Carson on the couch, who was updating him on what was going on with Lauren, who he seemed to be catching feelings for. Van turned and looked at Emily when she reached the bottom of the stairs. His face lit up and Emily tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach it gave her.

“Hi, love,” he said with a grin, patting the spot next to him on the couch. 

“Hey,” Emily replied, sitting next to him. Van squeezed her thigh gently and then kept his hand there as he turned to keep talking to Carson. 

“Yeah, we went out to dinner last night. I dunno, I think I do actually like her,” Carson said, shaking his head. “And she’s a freshman! What the hell is wrong with me?”

Van chuckled. “Nothing, mate. Can’t help who ya want.” Emily bit her lip, looking down at Van’s large hand on her leg still, his thumb gently stroking across it. 

“So you guys wanna smoke?” Van asked a few minutes later. There was a chorus of ‘yes’s’ and Van smiled, standing up to get his jacket. He pulled out a bag of weed, a few wraps, and his favorite lighter. “Mind if I do it here?” He asked Emily, gesturing to the coffee table.

“That’s fine,” she responded, getting up and heading to the kitchen. She grabbed a piece of paper towel, bringing it to Van.

“Oh, thanks, love.” He got to work, emptying the wraps and sprinkling the bud inside, then rolling. Emily pretended to not watch as he brought each of the blunts up to his lips, licking them to seal them. That’s... hot, she thought to herself. After a few minutes, the windows were cranked open and Van handed a blunt to Emily. “Wanna start it?” Emily nodded, putting it in her mouth and grabbing the lighter off the table. She lit it carefully, sucking in and making sure the end stayed lit. She exhaled and then brought it up to her mouth again, hitting it one more time before passing the blunt over to Van. Emily tried not to stare as he inhaled it for a long time, then blew a couple of o’s. He licked his lip and passed it to Carson. 

When the first blunt was finished, Van immediately lit up the second one. By the time the five of them had all finished it, they all seemed decently high. They all had pretty distinct high personalities. Carson and Spencer were laughing so hard no sound was coming out of them. Mary had been staring at the TV for so long, entranced by some dumb show she always liked to watch while high, hand shoved in a bag of Cheetos. 

And Van, well, Van was just a more lowkey version of himself while high. He was a little quieter, but he was really, really touchy, and his words a little drawn out, his voice raspier. He was laying on the couch while Emily was getting a drink. When she came back, he held open his arms and made grabby hands. Emily smiled at him, setting her cup down and sitting on the couch by him. They had to adjust a little, Van sitting up more and Emily leaning back on him. Vans eyes were barely open, but that had happened almost immediately after he had started smoking. “Hi,” he said quietly as Emily laid her head on his shoulder. 

“Hi, Van.” Van wrapped his arms around her waist, grabbing one of her hands and intertwining their fingers. He stretched his fingers out, highlighting how long they were compared to Emily’s. 

“Like when you say my name,” he mumbled.

“Yeah?”

“Mhmm. But I just like you.” Emily shut her eyes. She could see faint designs dancing behind her closed eyelids. It had been a few weeks since she had smoked, so she was feeling a little different than usual. 

“I’m so fucking tired.” Emily opened her eyes to see both Carson and Spencer standing up. “Like, I’m about to sleep so good,” Spencer said. 

“Well, goodnight then,” Carson said, yawning. They both headed upstairs leaving only Mary, Emily, and Van downstairs. 

“You wanna go up?” Van asked, rubbing Emily’s arm softly. She nodded, not one to speak much while under the influence. 

So they got up, hands locked together, said goodnight to Mary, and ended up lying in Emily’s bed. The window was cracked open so sounds of the traffic below filled the room, along with a record Van had put on. Emily was lying on Van’s chest, eyes closed as he sang along to The Killers. 

“I don’t mind if you don’t, I don’t shine if you don’t,” he sang quietly. Emily was so impressed. 

“You’re so fucking good,” she mumbled against his chest. “You should be in a band or something.”

Van chuckled. “I am in a band, love.” 

Emily’s eyes opened wide. She sat up, staring at Van. “Wait, what? You’re in a band?”

Van reached his hand out, tracing his thumb along Emily’s arm. “Mhmm. Didn’t I tell ya that?” Emily shook her head vigorously, clearly in shock. “Yeah, well. We’re not real big or anything. Played at a couple bars, done a couple competitions, that type ‘o thing. I was in one back home too, but obviously that’s kinda on hold.” 

Emily’s mouth was still wide open. “I can’t believe this. That’s literally so hot, Van,” she groaned, lying back down on his chest. Van chuckled, pulling her in tight.

“If I would’ve known you’d react like this, I’d ‘ave defo told ya sooner.” 

“What’s your band’s name?”

“Catfish and the Bottlemen,” Van replied, his voice so raspy. 

“Hmm, cool name. I wanna see you perform sometime,” Emily said. 

“Yeah, I’d love that, honestly. How ya feeling?” 

Emily shrugged. “Okay, I guess. Starting to come down so I’m getting a little tired.” 

“You wanna go to sleep?” Van asked. 

She shook her head. “Mm, no not yet.” She leaned her head back to look at Van who was already staring down at her. His eyes flicked down to her lips then back to her eyes, searching them. 

“Em?” He asked, licking his lips. 

“Hm?” 

“How come you never want to do anything normal with me? I, you know, ask you to dinner and stuff but you always say you’re busy. But then I see you every weekend, usually only when we’re drinking or somethin.’” Emily turned her head, laying back on Van’s chest. She let out a small sigh.

“Van, I... uh, I don’t really know.”

“I like you a lot, Emily. I really do. We met, what a month ago? But I think about ya all the time. And I’d really, really like to take ya out sometime on a proper date. I wanna spend more time with you.” 

Emily was quiet for a moment. She sat up again, biting her lip. Van sat up a little too, staring at her. “Van, I just… don’t know what to say,” she whispered. She looked into his eyes, which were full of expectation. She could feel her own eyes starting to water just a little so she started blinking quickly, looking at her hands. Van ran his hand up her arm, around to the back of her neck. She shivered slightly at his touch. 

“Hey, it’s okay. You don’t have to say anything,” he murmured. Emily chewed on her lip for a second before looking back at him. 

“Okay,” she whispered. She felt so vulnerable and she knew why. Of course she had feelings for him. How could she not? Van was fucking perfect. But she didn’t want to tell him that. Emily was so used to being alone mostly, only casually dating guys, cutting things off if it seemed like too much. And she really, really didn’t want to let him in. But Van was doing his best to work his way into her life. He knew she was closed off. He knew that she had slept with a lot more people than he had. He knew that she liked to party maybe a little too much. But he didn’t care. “I’m sorry. I wish I wasn’t like this,” she muttered, quickly wiping a single tear away. 

“Come here, love.” Emily crawled up closer to Van so they were only about an inch apart. “‘S okay, honest,” he mumbled before pressing his lips against hers softly. Emily’s eyes fluttered shut, kissing him back. She fell apart under his touch, Van’s hands roaming up and down her body slowly, his fingers finding their way underneath her sweatshirt. Emily was straddling Van now, but letting him be totally in control. He pulled away to tug her sweatshirt over her head. Van stared at her body for a moment, eyes wide in awe, just like he did every time she removed her clothes. It made Emily’s stomach flutter every time, too. “Flip over, hm?”

The two switched positions and Van leaned in to kiss her neck, then down her body slowly. His lips brushed against her stomach and Emily squirmed a little. He looked up at her, eyes hooded, full of want. He tugged her leggings off, tossing them onto the floor, then moved down to press kisses against the inside of her thighs. Emily was shaking as he brought his hands up to tug off her underwear, then pressed her hips down against the bed. 

A few minutes later, the two had swapped positions again. Van had just let out a groan that made Emily’s eyes almost roll back into her head. “Love, do you... Should I grab a-” Emily looked up at Van, his lips swollen and hair messy from running his own hands through it. 

She nodded. “If you want to, Van.” They hadn’t talked about sex since Emily had asked him the second time they hooked up. Emily never wanted to push anything and she was fine without it. But she would be lying if she said her heart wasn’t pounding right now, her stomach jumping at the possibility.

“I do, yeah.”

A few hours later, they were still awake. The record player had stopped a long time ago but neither of them seemed ready to sleep. Emily was lying on her back, Van on top of her, one arm wrapped around her waist and her arms around his neck, every part of their bodies intertwined. She was running her hands through his hair, him letting out a hum every so often. “I really like ya, Em. I really, really do,” Van mumbled against Emily’s skin. Emily smiled to herself but didn’t say anything back. 

[lady-divine-writes]

ACITW AU one-shot “Under the Fireworks” (Rated PG)

Summary: Every year since that first year, Kurt and his family join Sebastian and his family on the Smythe estate to watch the fireworks, but this year, Sebastian might have something different planned.

Read on AO3

“It might sound strange,” Sebastian says thoughtfully, in a way that sounds totally put on, “but I feel like we’ve done this before.” He flips his end of the aging plaid blanket – an heirloom of summers past - to help Kurt straighten out the wrinkles. The blanket domes upward as it catches the air, but when it settles down and he can finally see Kurt’s face, Sebastian snickers at the unamused stare aimed his way.

“That’s because we have,” Kurt says flatly, “for the last eight years, Bas, and you make that same stupid joke every…single…year.”

“Then you should have expected it,” Sebastian says superiorly, “so don’t look so put out, princess.” Sebastian kicks off his shoes carelessly, leaving them in a heap in the grass, and crawls across the blanket to where Kurt is carefully untying his own shoes and setting them aside. “Ouch! Fuck!” Sebastian groans, lifting up off his hip.

“What was that?” Kurt asks, irritated at what he assumes is another lame joke at his expense. Frowning, he cranes his head to catch a glimpse of where Sebastian is frantically rubbing his sore ass cheek. “Let me guess…you need me to kiss it and make it better?”

Kurt waits for Sebastian to go after the obvious bait he has dangled in front of his face, but Sebastian seems uncharacteristically flustered all of a sudden - his cheeks coloring beneath Kurt’s expectant glare.

“Uh…no...it's nothing,” Sebastian says, the reply clipped and plain and slightly uneasy. He readjusts his jeans and curls up beside a befuddled Kurt. “I must have sat on a rock or something.”

Kurt hears a muffled wave of laughter in the shadows nearby, and looks around at the other blankets spread out on the nearby. To their left is Charlotte and Gregory – Charlotte resting between her husband’s legs and looking at them with a fond, nostalgic smile while Gregory chuckles good-naturedly behind her. Beside them sits Julian and Cooper, who have apparently foregone the formalities of waiting for the fireworks to start and are now engaged in a heated make-out session in full view of God and country, blissfully unconcerned with the discomfort of the family surrounding them.

Of course, there really isn’t any discomfort. If there is one thing that Kurt realized about the Smythe family pretty much from the start is that beyond the gates of their extravagant estate, love is always welcome.

Ahead of them, Liv and Brian have set up a blanket with their three children – Charles, Georgia, and Brianna. The family was surprised when such an independent and career driven woman like Olivia had children so quickly after her marriage, but the five made such a perfect fit that after the initial shock no one ever found a reason to complain. Olivia, Brian, and their children were always so happy, almost Norman Rockwell-esque in the picture they made of familial perfection, that it made Sebastian sick to his stomach just looking at them.

At least, that’s what he made a point of telling Kurt, protesting his love for the three imps excessively even though when the children came to visit Sebastian could often be found throwing a football with Charles, reading to little Georgia, or resting on the couch with baby Brianna in his arms.

Sebastian is still Kurt’s snarky meerkat, but how much that meerkat has grown - from reprehensible rogue to an almost equally reprehensible but undeniable gentleman.

Over to their right sit Kurt’s father and Carole, huddled together for warmth beneath a crocheted blanket Kurt’s mother had made longer ago than he can remember. It’s nice to see it out and about, especially making an appearance at family functions like this one. It makes Kurt feel like she’s there with them. Kurt knows she would have loved the Smythes, and he’s more than certain that she and Charlotte and Olivia would all have been thick as thieves.

The years are not being kind to Kurt’s father, and he thanks the powers that be - whoever they are - for one more year they have together. Kurt looks over at his dad, resting against Carole’s shoulder, and when he catches his son’s worried gaze, Burt smiles.

It nearly brings a tear to Kurt’s eye.

The only empty space on the grass is the spot usually occupied by Finn and Rachel, but they spent this fourth of July in New York, and Kurt knows exactly why. Finn is a private man at heart, regardless of the gregarious and attention-seeking woman that he has for a girlfriend, so he chose to have a private moment alone with her on the day he wanted to ask her to be his wife.

Kurt sighs, thinking about how romantic it will be for her, on a blanket in Central Park, with the fireworks overhead, and Finn down on one knee, asking for her hand. Finn had promised to text Kurt the minute she said yes, and he can’t help but fidget, waiting for the text alert on his phone to chime.

“What is it, babe?” Sebastian asks when Kurt squirms for the fifteenth time. “Do you have ants in your pants or something?”

“No,” Kurt says, rolling his eyes but snuggling closer.

“Because the ants around here are ruthless,” Sebastian jokes. “We should probably take you upstairs and strip you down…”

Kurt doesn’t say a word. He reaches beneath his arm and pinches Sebastian on the flank, smirking at his yelp of pain.

“No, really, tell me how you really feel,” Sebastian grumbles, yearning to rub the spot but not wanting to move and dislodge Kurt from his side. Tonight is a night for being close, and he has no intention of letting Kurt get away.

Kurt sighs again and looks up into Sebastian’s eyes – soft and moss-green beneath the ambient light.

“I’m just thinking about Finn and Rachel,” Kurt admits, his voice wistful and dreamy, matching the expression on his face. Sebastian nods. He knows all about Frankenteen (or Frankenadult, he guesses, since they haven’t been teenagers for years…Sebastian is going to have to think up a new nickname he decides) and his plans to ask his hobbit girlfriend to marry him. He wants to laugh at the corn syrupiness of it all – the obnoxious sentiment that usually makes Sebastian want to hurl.

He would laugh, if his own plans weren’t exactly the same.

The first firework whistles its way into the night sky, exploding with a pop and a brilliant spray of white light. Kurt forgets about Finn and Rachel for the moment and stares star-struck at the gorgeous display, and this year’s display promises to be the most lavish ever, but several other pairs of eyes are pinned instead on Kurt and Sebastian’s blanket, where a shaking Sebastian fumbles in his back pocket for a tiny black box – a box that holds the culmination of the last eight years of their lives, years filled with insults and banter, difficult college years spent apart, a few not-so-serious breakups, one almost serious one, and then the utter and complete realization that there was nothing in the world that they wanted more than each other.

Kurt feels Sebastian move, feels him pull away and he holds his breath, a small smile slipping onto his lips as he dutifully keeps his eyes glued to the sky.

He bites his lip and waits because he knows.

Sebastian could never keep a secret, at least not from Kurt. Kurt knows everyone is watching them. He knows his dream of the last year and a half is about to come true.

After this evening, he’ll spend the night with Sebastian, celebrating the rest of their lives together, but first he’ll go to his bucket list and cross out a recent addition #247- get engaged to my boyfriend on a picnic blanket under the fireworks.

[cali-holland]

X Marks the Spot- Tom Holland One Shot

Pairing: Tom Holland X Singer!Reader

Prompt: You and Tom dated in high school and even got matching tattoos together, but you two are pulled apart from your different careers.

Word Count: 1500

Based On: The One That Got Away by Katy Perry (I suggest the acoustic version!) and I Love You by Alex and Sierra

Masterlist   Tom Holland Masterlist

*Gif is not mine*

~~~

“Is this really all we’re going to do for my birthday?” You asked Tom, pulling away from kissing him for air.

“Making out in my car isn’t the way you want to celebrate a new year?” He grinned.

“I’m enjoying myself, but we do this almost every night. I want to do something crazy, something stupid tonight.”

“What do you have in mind?” Tom replied.

“Want to get matching tattoos?” You suggested.

“You know both of our parents would hate that.”

“So we don’t tell them, we just have to hide it.” You explained.

“Okay, let’s do it.” You two got settled back into the car seats and he drove off to the nearest tattoo parlor.

“What are we getting?” Tom asked as you two waited for the next appointment.

“X and O? Just a simple one?” You stated.

“Perfect.” He replied, giving you a quick kiss on the lips.

~~~

The time of pure love and happiness halted to an end when your singing career kicked off and Tom’s acting career drew him away from home as well. Both of you worked tirelessly to achieve your dreams, but for the time being it just didn’t seem like those dreams would happen together.

It had been four years since you had last heard from Tom, five years since you got the little X tattoo on your hip and since Tom got his little O tattoo on his hip. All these years later, your paths crossed once again at none other than the Graham Norton show. You were there performing your latest single, I Love You, while Tom promoted Spider-Man: Far From Home.

“Are you serious right now?” You asked your manager as she told you who was going to be on the show with you that night.

“Yes, why would I be kidding?” She replied.

“I kind of hoped you were.” You said, sighing as you sat down in your dressing room backstage.

“It doesn’t make a difference who’s here, does it? You just have to crack some jokes and talk to everyone. You’ve done this before, you’ll be fine.” She reassured you.

“Yeah, it’ll be fine.” You stated. Your publicist left the room and you took a moment to try to gather your thoughts, trying to wrap your head around what will happen tonight between you and Tom, when you have to act like you don’t personally know each other. Pulling you away from your own thoughts, a knock came from your door and you got up to answer it.

“Hey,” Harrison spoke as you opened the door.

“Harrison?” You couldn’t help but smile fondly upon seeing him. You opened the door wider, “Come in, come in.”

“How have you been? I love the music by the way.” He said, stepping inside and sitting across from you on the couch.

“Busy as ever. I’ve got the tour coming up, so I’m excited about that.”

“Oh yeah, I’ll have to come to one of your shows.”

“How are you? It’s been ages.” You asked.

“Good, just the usual for me. It’s nothing big.”

It got quiet for a moment before you spoke again. “How’s Tom been?”

“He’s been good, just busy like you. He actually suggested that I come say hi. He would stop by, but he’s doing this other interview right now.”

“Sounds like Tom.” You let out a small laugh, knowing that one of the reasons you two broke up was because he eventually would stop being around for you and you would turn to Harrison instead.

“I should get going, but I’ll see you after the show, right?” Harrison said, standing up and making his way back to the door.

“Yeah, of course.”

“Good luck tonight. You’ll do great.” He smiled.

“Thank you,” You replied.

Time went by and eventually you made it on stage to perform as Tom and the other celebrities sat around Graham’s couch. The soft beginning to your song started and you sang along as it picked up its pace. Tom, on the other hand, sat there with the most nostalgic smile on his face.

“I fell in love with a beautiful boy

And he still takes my breath away

When you left, it was the end of my world

'Cause I'm never proud to say

That I love you

More than you think I do

And I love you

Now you don't want me to” You finished off the song and then joined everyone else on the couch as the audience applauded.

“Beautiful, beautiful as always Y/N.” Graham Norton told you.

“Thank you. It’s always a joy for me to be here.” You smiled, trying to keep yourself from looking at Tom who was awkwardly drinking his water.

“Now, you’ve got a world tour coming up. You’ve got to be excited for that? So excited that you even got a new tattoo for it?”

“Yes, I just got it.” You replied, nervously looking over at Tom who was already looking at you.

“Can we see it?” Graham Norton asked. You laughed, adjusting your heel strap to show the small bumblebee tattoo on your ankle.

“Get your tickets for the Sweet Like Honey world tour now.” You joked, promoting your tour.

“Ah there it is!” Graham nodded in approval. “You didn’t want to actually have a honey tattoo so a bee works.”

“Save the bees, man!” You teased.

“Is this your first tattoo?” He asked.

“No,” You let out a laugh at the thought of the black X sitting on your hip, “I have an X tattoo on my hip, that’s the only other one.” 

“An X?” Graham questioned as Tom turned to you, shocked that you’d share it.

“Yep, me and my high school boyfriend got matching tattoos.”

“Wait- two questions: you didn’t get it removed and what kind of guy would let you walk away?” The audience roared in laughter as you let out a nervous laugh.

“He had a big role in my life, so I never felt the need to get rid of it. He’s a good guy, it was just wrong timing for us.”

“Is this who the song is about?” Graham exclaimed before reading the lyrics, “Maybe if I got my timing right, I wouldn't end up alone?”

“Hey now.” You started, “That’s just a song I wrote ages ago and I love it. It’s a song for anyone who’s ever felt like they left a relationship unfinished.”

“Does this mean this guy has a second chance?”

“I-” You felt your face turn bright red as you were at a loss for words, “I’m not saying because he could be watching this right now.”

“Well, whoever Y/N’s ex is, I think you got a shot.” Graham teased. You playfully rolled your eyes as you began to take a drink.

“So Tom, how was it filming Far From Home? Are we finally going to see a smooch between you and Zendaya?” Graham added in the same teasing tone. Now it was Tom’s turn to be red.

“I don’t know, you’ll have to see the movie to find out.” He said.

~~~

After the interview finished, all you wanted to do was to sink into a hole and never step out in public again. Your path back to your dressing room was stopped by none other than Tom Holland himself.

“Tom, long time no see.” You said, trying to work yourself around him in the hallway.

“Y/N, I want to talk to you.” He stated.

“About what? Are we catching up like old friends or talking about the fact that we just had to pretend to be strangers for an hour because god forbid someone knew we dated previously?” You asked, bringing up the deal he made with you when you two broke up. Tom thought it’d be best for the two of you to not mention that you’ve dated before, keep it on the down low sort of thing. You agreed for the time being, but that was the hardest interview of your life.

“I miss you, okay?” Tom said. “I really, really miss you.”

“You didn’t make it feel that way when you left.”

“I know you miss me too.” He tugged his jeans down a little to show off his tattoo. “We still have them because neither of us wanted to move on.” He readjusted his jeans and grabbed your hands in his. “I made a mistake letting go of you. I love you, Y/N. Please, just give me a second chance.”

You let go of his hands and pulled your skirt down just enough to show off your matching tattoo. He smiled as he saw the small X. “I’ve missed you.”

“X marks the spot.” He joked, leaning in to give you a kiss.

[littlepurinsesu]

V Watches MagiReco - Episode 3 Review

*Spoilers for Magia Record Anime Episode 3*

And so the Rena and Kaede friendship-ending plotline comes to a very satisfying conclusion! This episode actually had me in tears quite a few times (;Д;)

So many things to talk about and unpack so I’m going to try and keep it as succinct as possible >_< Starting with the most obvious: OH MY GOSH THOSE TRANSFORMATION SEQUENCES. I LOVE THEM. SO MUCH. HOLY CHEESE (♥ω♥*)

Yachiyo was the most elegant water goddess ever. True beauty right there. I have nothing else to say. Perfection. Momoko’s was super BADASS I LOVED IT omg all the flames and kicks!!! They really did a good job showcasing the duality of her tomboyish image and her gentler, “girly” side. Rena’s was like a cuter and more whimsical version of Yachiyo’s (since they have the same water theme), and I really love how the anime took the mirrors in her doppel and featured the imagery so heavily in her transformation! That last shot with the thunder was also super cool! And Iroha leaping off the building with all the feathers was so pretty *___* The bird imagery is as heavy as ever with this transformation, especially with the fact that she’s literally “flying” as she “falls” off the building. I also find it quite interesting how the cloak always comes last with a slight delay, especially with how the cloak was depicted as being almost “its own thing” before she caught up and merged with it!

All in all, these transformations were top-notch, and I love them even more than the ones we saw in Rebellion. They definitely lean more towards traditional magical girl transformations (which I personally prefer), while still retaining a decent amount of the trippy look of the Rebellion transformation style and overall PMMM aesthetic - a really good balance that encapsulates the tone of MagiReco quite well, in my opinion ^^

Okay enough rambling about transformations and onto some plot xD

Mitama finally appeared! Her voice is as Mitama as ever, and I really like the touch they had with how all her movements seem very deliberate and calculated, and very flamboyant. She gives off the impression of a very friendly and approachable person, but you can’t quite tell what she’s thinking or hiding, and get the feeling that there’s definitely more to her than meets the eye. Which is basically Mitama in a nutshell, so A+ for her portrayal. I do wish we saw her do a bit more, though, but it was only her introduction this week, so hopefully we’ll see more of her in the coming episodes :) The Mayu cameo was shorter than the Ren one, but I do like this method of “debuting” characters without shoehorning too many girls into the main plot, so I hope they keep this pattern up.

One small issue I had with the episode was the fact that they seemed to either change or gloss over the tension between Yachiyo and Momoko? This is biased because I’m a viewer who’s familiar with the game story, so seeing them getting along fine threw me off for a moment. But I guess it wouldn’t be an issue with anime-only fans, especially if they really did decide to just do away with the tension and have the two of them as perfectly amicable friends. Which is fine, too. I was just confused for a moment because of my expectations (one of the interesting things when you watch an anime with a preconception of the plot and characters) ^^;; I did like their tension and the way they made up in the game, though, so I’d be a teeny bit sad if they really did cut it, but that’s more of a personal preference, so not really an actual problem :)

Momoko’s super awkward and stiff “apology” was hilarious to watch, though xD Also, Momoko with her hair out!!! Definitely wasn’t expecting that! I thought it was supposed to show how stressed or tired she was worrying about Kaede, but no, seems like she sometimes just walks around with her hair like that. While I prefer her with the ponytail, I always appreciate it when anime (especially magical girl anime) show the characters with different hairstyles; makes things so much more realistic :3 And Mitama doing her hair was super cute, too ^^

The way they went about showing Rena’s internal struggles was really well-done. One thing I’ve always liked about PMMM is how you often get a sense of things being either “not quite right,” or you just have no idea what’s going on. I felt that in the scene with Rena watching TV in her room (Sayuki cameo!), transforming in and out of different characters. It’s strange and eerie, and it disorients you because you’re wondering what’s going on and what’s even real. But it’s a really nice kind of confusion that keeps you on edge, which PMMM is really good at, and I think it was captured very well in this episode.

I personally don’t relate to Rena’s personality or struggles at all, but for some reason she always manages to make me cry. I bawled when I read her Magical Girl Story in the game for the first time, and the little bits of it they incorporated here (much appreciated) got me sobbing as well... I really hope they don’t stop developing her character after the main five enter the scene and Team Momoko takes a backseat. There’s so much to explore with Rena, and I think they’ve done a really good job so far.

Kaede is as precious as ever, and her interactions with Rena were super sweet. I think it’s nice that Rena has a friend who’s so open and patient when she’s trying her hardest to open up and express herself well. The past two episodes really showcased the relationship dynamic between these two, including all of its strengths and weaknesses. I did, however, furrow my eyebrows slightly when they found Kaede. It’s understandable if they wanted to change the brainwashing from the game version of events, but the fact that Kaede seemed so chill and undisturbed when they found her seemed kind of weird to me, and frankly, didn’t make much sense xD I’d expect her to be a bit more scared or even traumatiised after being stuck in a place like that all alone, especially considering her timid nature xD

But the fight against the Rumour was definitely a feast for the eyes. The Rumour looked quite different from the game version, but in this case I think the creative liberty they took actually made the Rumour seem more distinct from a Witch. The barriers aren’t exactly identical in nature, the the huge winding staircases extending into the sky really go to show how large the scale of a Rumour can be. Iroha didn’t do much, but Yachiyo and Momoko had amazing teamwork; the water and fire looked amazing together! And again, I loved the use of mirrors in Rena’s attacks! It’s a unique and aesthetically interesting choice, and also helps differentiate her water-based attacks from Yachiyo’s. Kaede’s trees and leaves also looked lovely!

Backtracking a bit to the very beginning, but I wasn’t expecting Touka and Nemu to make an appearance so soon! That short scene did a pretty good job at showing the basic facets of their personalities, especially Touka’s, as well as their relationship dynamic. It was a really nice way to parallel and lead into the friendship-ending dilemma that Rena and Kaede are experiencing.

And on the topic of things I was not expecting... that Mami appearance at the very end!!! She showed up earlier here than in the game, but I think that scene provided some pretty important information that the game glossed over. Here we aren’t just told that Kyubey can’t enter Kamihama for mysterious, unknown reasons; we’re actually shown what happens when he tries. And seeing Kyubey openly asking Mami to go to Kamihama and investigate gives her a very logical reason to be there when she eventually gets introduced to the game’s main cast. But yeah, seeing Mami definitely had me feeling all nostalgic again ;___; I don’t even remember the last time I saw her, or any of the Holy Quintet  members, moving in anime form (;Д;)

Oh, and Lil Kyubey is possibly one of the world’s most adorable creatures ever and I WANT ONE AS A PET OMG (ᗒᗨᗕ)

This week’s review turned out a lot longer than the ones in the past weeks (and I just keep jumping all over the place between topics and not even going in chronological order) ^^;; Probably because I just had too much to scream about because of the transformation sequences ^3^ So I’ll quickly end this now by saying how excited I am to finally see the mightiest magical girl Tsuruno Yui debut next week!!! (*≧▽≦)

[athirdofgosh]

ShikaTema Short (ft. Shikadai) - Operation Troublesome

I originally uploaded this 3/4 years ago but I delete my old account. I’m back now to finish what I started.  

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

It was quite late in the evening at the leaf village, and the two Nara boys needed a favour, and by the looks of it, it was a BIG one. Inojin, expecting it to be his father, opens the door.

“Oh. Hey Shikadai, hey Shikadai’s dad.”

“Hey Inojin. Are your parents in?”

“Right now, just my mom.”

“Great, that’s exactly who I need to talk to.” said Shikamaru with a hint of relief in his voice. The two enter into the house, Shikamaru walking quicker to the living room than usual.

“What’s up with your dad?” Inojin asked Shikadai.

“I’ll tell you in a bit” he nervously replied, awkwardly smiling as he scratched the back of his neck. The Shika-Ino kids headed to the bedroom to talk.

“So…” Inojin said wondering why the two came, “…what makes you and your pops come over? Isn’t it kinda late, It’s like 10:30.”

“Well..” He gave off a nervous chuckle before beginning his troublesome story, “Funny story really…”

……………………………………………………………………………………………

“…and make sure everything is spotless before both of you go to sleep.” exclaimed Temari, loudly slamming her bedroom door shut. She clearly wasn’t happy, but why? Reason: Shikamaru and Shikadai had forgotten to clean up the kitchen…again. Now don’t get the wrong impression, Temari is a very loving mother and an extremely loving wife, but for someone of her calibre to be subjected to washing pots, pans, plates and cutlery all the time - is a no no. So, when she came home to meet a mountain of dirty dishes in the sink, it made her tick. In this household everyone has to do their part. And if you don’t? It’s confiscation time.

The Shika duo continued their sluggish efforts to clean, Shikamaru washing the dishes, Shikadai drying them with a cloth.

Shikadai, head faced flat on the kitchen table, was first to clear the tension in the air with one mighty relevant question,  

“I’m not getting my Gameboy back aren’t I?”

“Nope” answered his father as he scrubbed burn marks off a pot.

“And you’re not getting your phone back either.”

“Nope” Shikamaru sighed.

The two groaned simultaneously, “What a drag.”

“Why does mom have to be so grumpy all the time? We didn’t even notice the sink was full until she got back.” Shikadai moaned.

“I dunno, but it is what it is.”

*Mini ‘maru looked up to his older “Hey Dad, what do you see in mom?”

Shikamaru put down his sponge and turned in nostalgic joy. The time had finally come for him to tell his son the same thing his dad did.  

“Well son, sometimes she….” He paused and thought, “Wait, he doesn’t need to know this yet. I mean, yeah, he’s around about the same age I was when my pops told me, but do I really want him to have girls on his mind right now”.

Shikadai, interrupting his moment of thought, “Sometimes she….?”

“…I’ll tell you later.” And he went back to washing up.

“Ahh daaad! Pleaseee talk to mum!” He couldn’t hold in his upset anymore; he was on the verge of completing the most popular videogame in the village which no one had even come close to finishing. The kid was known for being the ‘Game Completion-ist’ and that title couldn’t be lost to anybody.

“There’s no point. What makes you think she’ll listen to me? We’re both in trouble.” Shikamaru really wanted his phone back too, he’d been on a winning streak on the Shoji app he downloaded a few days before. However, the game he was in before his phone was confiscated by the annoyed blonde was tough. So tough that if he had to range it from Genin level difficulty to Jonin level difficulty…it would probably fly off the scale and land on Jinchuuriki level.

“Can’t you just take it?”

“She’ll stop me.”

“Then use Shadow Possession to stop her!”

“Your mom hates Shadow Possession Jutsu being used on her, and with a passion. Last time that happened she (*SPOILER* *SPOILER* *SPOILER*) …then we (*SPOILER**SPOILER**SPOILER*) ….which led to (*spoilers from the ShikaTema series*)…until (*SPOILER**yes I am shamefully advertising my story in this one shot**SPOILER*)…resulting in (*SPOILER* *sorry* *SPOILER*)”

“…oh…well I guess that’s a no then.”

The two continued their wash-dry duet until Shikadai had a eureka moment.

“Dad! I’ve got an idea!” He eagerly said and tip-toed to his ear to reveal his mastermind plan. Shikamaru’s face began lighting up as the steps to the plan were revealed, it was calculated, it was strategic, it was…. a plan worthy of a Nara.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

“What was the plan???” Inojin asked keenly, rocking back and forth on his bed in anticipation. Shikadai smirked. “The plan was simple, retrieve the Gameboy and the phone”

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Shikamaru and Shikadai creeped up behind the bedroom door, cautiously avoiding all the wooden tiles that where known to creek when stepped on.

“Did you get the spare duvet from the closet?” Shikamaru whispered.

“Yeah, it’s on the sofa.” Shikadai whispered back.

“Good. Now remember, she keeps the confiscated things in the bottom drawer, so ONLY go for that one.” He made that instruction very clear.

“Ok. I’ll go in first, you come in when you hear me groan.”

“Right.”

Shikadai opened the bedroom door and entered to meet Temari sitting upright in the middle of the king-sized bed, legs stretched across the duvet, looking over paperwork. He lazily strolled to the bed as if he was out of energy and flunked himself right next to his mother.  

She peeked over and questioned him, “Is the kitchen tidy?”

“Yes mom.”  

“Don’t lie.” she said sternly.

“Mom, the kitchen is spotless. You can even go and see for yourself.” Temari’s eyes returned to her paperwork.

“…..can I have my Gameboy back now?”

“No.” She answered firmly, her eyes still glued the sheets in her hand. Shikadai groaned, loud and clear, an indication for Shikamaru to come in, which he did.

Shikamaru entered the room in the same fashion his son did, lazily and with a lack of energy. Temari still not convinced that the kitchen was tidy to her standards asked her husband;

“Shikamaru, is the kitchen tidy?”

“Yes Tema.” He replied in his ever so monotone voice.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

“….so, I covered myself in the duvet, faced outwards and waited for my dad to do his part.” Shikadai was getting more and more into it as he told the story.

“What was your dad’s part?” Inojin asked.

“To take his hairband off. My mum can’t help touching his hair when it’s all out.” And he was right…

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Shikamaru pulled his hairband swiftly off his ponytail and slid under the duvet on the other side of his wife, intentionally flicking his hair next to her arm. She, almost off instinct alone, reached her hand out and rifling her fingers through his silky black hair. Temari loved the feeling of his hair, she had no idea why, she just did.

“Are you not going to go to sleep?” he asked.

“Not yet, I’ve still got a couple of pages to read over.”

“Hmm. How….”

……………………………………………………………………………………………

“…and I waited for the key phrase.”

“That being?"  

……………………………………………………………………………………………

”…troublesome"

In a flash, Shikadai grabbed the pillow from under his head and swung it at Temari, smacking the sheets out of her hands. Before she could react BOOF, another one, this time from Shikamaru. It was a tag team assault from the duo. Temari tried to jump out of the bed but the pillow hits kept coming.

“Ah-! Oi-! You-pffft!” pillow feathers accidentally fell into her mouth.

……………………………………………………………………………………………“What!” shouted Inojin in disbelief.

“WHAT!!!” shrieked Ino from the living room. The two looked over at the door.

“….I think your dad’s at the same part of the story as us.”

“….there’s more by the way….”

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Temari, bracing all the pillow hits, lays out her arm in reach of Shikamaru, a move that Shikadai predicted. In that instant he flipped the duvet over her, covering her body, Shikamaru followed suit and held down his duvet wrapped wife on the bed.  

“Ah! I swear- Grr! Get off-!”

“Shikadai! Now!”

Shikadai hoped over the two and slid off the other side of the bed to the drawer. He frantically pulled open the drawers, accidentally pulling open the top drawer first. What items he saw in that drawer shocked him.

“…oh…oh wow…damm….” The drawer was filled with square packets that had rubbery circle things in it, some of the packets read ‘pineapple flavour’. He looked back at his parents who both, gobsmacked, froze in their positions.  

“…THE BOTTOM DRAWER!” screamed Shikamaru.

Shikadai pulled the bottom drawer and grabbed the phone and Gameboy.

“Go, Go, Go!” he shouted as be began leaping off Temari. The Shika duo ran for the bedroom door while Temari in utter rage tried to free herself from the duvet. Shika seeing that she was almost free runs back to the bed, tilts the mattress causing her to tumble off the edge, and sprints out, closing the door after him. The guys regroup downstairs in the living room.

“Yesss! We did it!” cheered Shikadai as he went to high-five his old man.

“Mission accomplished.” and the two excitedly high-fived each other.

“….mom’s not that pissed, right?”  

“Right now, yeah she is. But tomorrow morning she should be fiiine. I’ll tell her it was payback for that prank she pulled on me with your uncle, she’ll get over it by the end of the day” answered Shikamaru as he snugged into the duvet on the sofa. He knew there was noooo way he could go back up there. Before he could enjoy the great feeling of lying on the sofa and playing shoji on his phone, he heard a quiet rattling sound.

“…errm, Shikadai. Did you lock the bedroom door...after you left?”

“Lock it? You never said-”

“WHERE’S MY BLOODY TESSEN!”

“Crap! RUN SHIKADAI! RUN OUTSIDE!”

Temari grabbed her Tessen from the closet and jumped downstairs to see the boys already dashing far off into the distance.

“YOU TWO COME BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!!! I SWEAR I’M GOING TO BREAK YOU BOTH!”

The pineapple-head boys stopped where they were, noticing that they were too far for her to attack them with her Tessen without destroying the Nara compound.

“Hey Temari!” shouted Shikamaru, “........you alright?!”

“AM I ALRIGHT!” the blonde haired kunoichi was livid. “DO I LOOK ALRIGHT!”

A light flashed on from a neighbouring villagers window.

“Excuse me! Some of us are trying to slee-”

“SHUT UP!” Temari roared.

“….sorry.” The neighbour turned off his light and wept himself to sleep, learning to never interrupt an argument ever again. :)

“….I..I love you hun-?”

“COME AND SAY THAT TO MY FACE!!” Shikamaru tried to save himself using the ‘I love you’ phrase, but he failed. Epically.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

“…aaand after that we came here, hoping that your mom could talk to her for us.”

Inojin couldn’t believe what he heard. Did pineapple head and pineapple head junior really decide to mess with the princess of Suna? Temari of the Sand?

“Well, urm. Good luck with that.”

Shikadai pulled out his Gameboy and turned it on, his face lit up when he realised the game had managed to autosave. He was still on the last level.

“Yes! I still have a chance to beat this game!”

*KNOCK KNOCK*

“Shikadai!” Shikamaru’s voice from behind the bedroom door, “Let’s go, now.”

“One second dad!” he replied. “Looks like aunty Ino agreed to help us out.”

Relieved, in his usual laid-back manner, he walked to the bedroom door and opened it… to find his dad awkwardly kneeling on the floor with his ears twisted by a very, VERY - VERY furious woman. Shikadai’s face turned pale, like his soul had been kicked out of his body by this woman’s devilish stare.

“…..h-h-h-hey mom-”

“SHIKADAIIII!!!!!…”

Shikadai never got to complete that final level…ever.

R.I.P. Shikadai’s Gameboy. Gone but never forgotten

LOL. This would probably never happen….like ever, but we all need some ShikaTema humour in our lives. If you enjoyed this short please like and reblog to show that you do. BONUS SCENE!

[Outside in the middle of the street]

TEMARI:ヽ(`▭´)ﾉ Don’t you dare even think about running off this time!

SHIKAMARU: \(╥ₒ╥)/ L-Look Temari, we can talk this out-

TEMARI: (🔥益🔥) SHUT IT! And if you use ANY shadow techniques to save yourself, I swear - I WILL summon Kamatari!

SHIKAMARU:  Com'on hun! What about Shikadai?! Wasn’t he apart of this too?!

TEMARI: Shikadai - A KID, will be punishment once I get to him! However, since you, a GROWN MAN, want to be childish and play games you’ll be punished like one!

SAI: ⊙_⊙ (Is this how she punishes Shikadai? No wonder why he always comes over to play.)

TEMARI: And to think my intellectual genius of a husband with an IQ of over 200 couldn’t stop and think “Wait, maybe messing with my wife when she’s clearly working hard at night isn’t such a good idea” BUT NO. Ooh ho ho! You are going to regret it!  

SHIKAMARU: But TemTem! It was a harmless prank, that’s all-

TEMARI: \(🔥益🔥)ﾉ HARMLESS PRANK??? I fell off the bed! My work papers are a mess! MY SHIKADAI EVEN SAW OUR PRIVATE DRAWER!!!!!!

INO & SAI: ooooooh.... (Ino & Sai suggested that private drawer them)

SHIKAMARU: (WORRILY GROANS & SHIVERS IN FEAR) Ino! thought you were going to help me out! Do something!

INO: I did! She was going to blow you away with 3 moons, now it’s down to 2. See that? That’s friendship.

SHIKAMARU: WHAT! How is that-

INO: Ready Temari?

TEMARI: (≖.≖) Ready.

SHIKAMARU: O-Oi! Wait! Please!

(Temari swings her fan, hurling Shikamaru high and far into the night sky)

SHIKAMARU: AAAAAaaaaaahh…….

INO: (o_O) ouch, right into the Nara clan forest…

TEMARI: (-.-) (WATCHES HIM DESCEND INTO THE FOREST)  

INO: (☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞  So…lunch tomorrow?

TEMARI: ☜(ˆ▿ˆ☜) Lunch tomorrow.

(meanwhile, Shikamaru hits a tree and begins falling, hitting every branch on his way down)

SHIKAMARU: Ah! Ow! Ee! Oo! Argh! *THUD*…aaahh!

(a deer walks up to him on the ground and looks down)

SHIKAMARU: (╥︣﹏᷅╥) …Sup.

DEER: (•ᴥ•) (DEEP MALE VOICE)….Sup.

HIDAN: (MUFFLED VOICE FROM UNDERGROUND) Sup….bitch.