#Anyway in my head: JB showed up to the hotel first and has been there a while before Catherine

[beebfreeb]

Hotel guests.

[4dtk]

stuck with you

pairing: enemy!journalist!haechan x journalist!reader

genre: angst, fluff, humour, enemies to lovers (hope i did the trope justice tbh TT)

warnings: cursing, f words lmao, i mention stranger things a lot in this??? mainly bc i just finished watching it w a friend. i also only use ‘haechan’ when narrating the story so i don’t get confused! the timeline for this is Very Weird as well bc like i didn’t consider how long a pandemic would last…… so Uhm. pls just excuse the weird ass time sequence. also referenced yangyang’s bastard child behaviour from dream plan where he packs his things messily and kun had to mf intervene and yangyang had the audacity to go like “see, this is how u get ppl to pack for you, now i don’t have to do anything” 💀

word count: 8k (a headache to proofread...)

A/N: first time trying an e2l trope and im not sure if it was done ok??? i didn't want it to feel too rushed so i tried to spread out the days as much as i could!! i also included small snippets of their life w the other so it won’t seem like the fic is just focusing on the e2l concept! was inspired tons by the lyrics of stuck with u by ariana grande and jb, so that song is definitely something you can listen to if you read this! hope you enjoy ^^

[day 1]

"you're insufferable," you groan, reluctantly handing over the remote control for the hotel's television after some unsuccessful scrolling.

hotels never exactly had much range anyway. 

you were very much already dreading the time ahead with the male, sadly having been stuck in quarantine not even half a day with haechan. 

offering to go to a neighbouring country to report on the rising covid-19 situation, you didn't expect your rival to tag along, no doubt seeking to craft up a better story than you would.

and so, you were now nudging the remote control into his waiting palm with a roll of your eyes. you hoped it emphasised your annoyance with him even a little, standing up to prepare a cup of tea before bed. 

"are you going to keep watching television while i sleep?" you ask a genuine question, peeking at him through the mirror of the vanity that sat outside the bathroom.

he just shrugs with a tired sigh, turning his attention back to the cartoon playing in front of him. 

"okay, well, keep to your side of the bed and i'll stay in mine. we need to be social distancing, anyway."

there's a hint of "okay, loser" mumbled under his breath, but you pay it no thought as you finish your tea and brush your teeth before you skillfully set up a fortress made out of pillows.

"ow! what the hell?" 

"your leg was in the way, jeez! move it, and i'll stop annoying you," you said, putting up the last of your requested pillows beside where haechan currently sat. 

taking one last glance at haechan, you wondered when the lockdown in your country would last before they start letting people fly in. for now, you were trapped with the nightmare himself in a sad hotel room, with only a bed to share.

"goodnight," he tells you, but the sardonic way he says it irks you to the point where you settle for silence instead. the only thing that drones on are the voices of the cartoon, soon fading as you feel into a dreamless sleep.

[day 4]

"this virus thing is probably driving me insane by day, and you, lee haechan, are adding on to it!"

"no headlines, no idea what style to write in, minimal pictures-" the doorbell to the hotel room interrupts your current rant, prompting you to storm off to answer the call with an annoyed look. 

"what now?" taken aback by your quick response, the housekeeping girl retracts with downturned eyebrows and a voice hesitant to speak. your roommate comes to the rescue almost immediately when he's heard the commotion.

you watch as he sends her a smile and a wink, deflating when he's let her in to clean up the room. you're not sure why you can't keep your eyes off the both of them as they converse, blaming it mostly on your hatred for the male.

with the last of her duties fulfilled, you offer to help her with the cleaning supplies as an apology, but she cuts you off almost immediately. there's a linger in her step, however, as she walks the short hallway to the door, evident in wanting haechan to send her off as he received her.

turning back to call him, he holds up a hand as he types down his opening lines to an article, prompting you to shoot the housekeeper girl another apologetic look.

"sorry again," you mumble, letting out a sigh at how this was all playing out. day four and you were already making enemies with the hotel crew.

"maybe day forty-one is where i fall in love with lee haechan," you scoffed, perhaps listing down all the unfortunate things that could happen while you were in quarantine.

one of them was catching feelings for your rival.

rolling your eyes, you settled on the bed to catch a few Zs as he continued to work on his article, though you weren't exactly sure about the weight your words held.

[day 9]

"haechan, what is this?" you ask with an eyebrow raised, his dirty boxers barely hanging off your finger. 

haechan only groans at that, knowing you were relentless in the laundry. even in a pandemic, he was sure you'd prioritise your clothes first.

"jesus! don't go picking up my underwear just like that!" he snatches it from you, folding it neatly and placing it next to where his luggage sat. unfortunately, yours was right beside his. 

"you think just because you're doing the laundry you're able to look through a man's prized possessions-!"

your jaw drops, "it was near the sink, haechan! i don't want to look at the checkered pattern on your boxers when i brush my teeth. i don't want it near my face either." 

haechan groans yet again, running a hand through his hair in frustration before turning back to the computer, a blank document opened up in front of him.

despite gathering findings, interviewing healthcare workers and serving the public alongside frontline staff, he had deleted every attempt at writing.

there's a rumble from the bathroom, perhaps from your upset stomach or the choked pipe, but sometimes they sounded too similar he couldn't tell it apart. haechan stifles a laugh when there's a "fuck!" echoing behind the door, though unsure if he should help you or not.

when haechan hears another crash, he comes running without hesitation with a face morphed into furrowed eyebrows and a tilt of the head.

"don't just stand there, you moron!" 

haechan snaps out of his daze to assist you off the floor, swiftly helping you even more off the floor as he carries you to the bed with a stiff one arm. you notice his other hand hanging awkwardly, probably not knowing what to do with it before you feel the soft sheets under your butt.

he gets to work within a minute, fishing for an ointment and some bandages his mother forced him to bring. he remembers it as he always has: a caring mother looking out for her son, maybe a little too much sometimes. 

haechan is thankful for his mother, now, for the stray bandages laying around in his pouch.

you watch in silence as he cleans the cut with alcohol, wincing when his hand hadn't even touched your skin.

"my hand isn't even on your skin yet! jeez, calm down." 

you shake your head, holding onto his bicep to halt his arm, "just use water, please."

exhaling in exasperation, you wonder if you've pissed him off tenfold when he leaves for the bathroom with a side-eyed glance, though not hostile.

"problematic," haechan whispers, dabbing a wet cloth over the wound carefully before applying the ointment and securing the bandages. 

"your words contradict your actions so much, haechan. i never know what you're thinking." sighing, you pull your leg away from his hold after he's done with the bandages, making your way to the bathroom and leaving him in his thoughts.

"why do you want to know?"

haechan gets silence; the lock of the bathroom audibly turns to signal another wall put up between the two of you. with another frustrated groan, the boy plops down on the chair to work on his article with the right words forming in his mind.

even if he was the one who asked, he wasn't sure if he was ready to tell you.

[day 13]

"stranger things is freaking me the fuck out, man!" haechan whispered, ignoring your pleads and groans to continue writing. 

"haechan! give me the damn laptop! i don't even know why you brought an HDMI cable when it doesn't work with the television system here!"

"well, we got one that matches it, didn't we?" he said, eyes peeled to the screen that showed the young boy, will, in the upside-down.

"you mean you did!" you shoved him, ready to disconnect the devices before haechan held you back, clearly entranced by the next sequence of eleven being able to see will in a pool of salt. 

"ugh, god, i don't even know why people watch the show!" you spill with sourness, knowing the show was praised for its excellent acting and writing.

haechan raises an eyebrow, turning to you with a strangely slow speed. 

"stranger things have received multiple awards, and you didn't give any other reason. are you scared?"

when you struggle to find words, haechan laughs at his revelation, hiding his pearly whites behind his hand as he continues to make fun of you.

"yeah yeah, i'm scared! so what?" 

"'oh haechan! oh no~ i'm terrified, would you care to provide some comfort?' jeez, don't worry, man, i'll protect you." there's a cheeky glimmer in his eyes and a cocky smirk on his face which you very much want to wipe off with the disinfectant in the toilet.

"it's not all that bad, c'mon! give it a-" turning back to the tv, the sudden attack of the demogorgon lashing out at the camera has the male screaming, hiding behind your body in fear.

"you were saying, mr superman?" you deadpan, unlatching his arms around your waist as you sink deeper into the sheets with your phone in hand.

[day 17]

haechan thrashes in his sleep, almost knocking the wine glass you had in your hands when he crosses over the pillow barrier you made. 

"what in the hell-" you winced, keeping an eye on the male should he have any more outbursts that would ruin both wine night and the stuff you were working on for the article. 

with tipsy hands, your keyboard keys unconsciously write out a letter of disdain and confusion regarding haechan, the boy sleeping next to you with a cute drooling face and curly hair.

with beautiful tan skin like that, you wondered why he didn't model instead. with a voice as impressive as his, you wondered why he didn't sign a contract. with natural hosting capabilities, you wondered why didn't fucking get the place of a talk show host. 

because man, he can get pretty bothersome sometimes.

[day 20]

the next few days pass by with a breeze.

despite not knowing how the current pandemic will turn out, you find haechan more bearable, his habits being dumped in the past with a wave of a hand.

petty arguments occur, of course, until one of you brushes off the matter like nothing.

today was one of the days you won't back down.

there's worry evident on your face, eyes scanning through every last document on the stupid laptop. fingers travel fast over the keyboard as the realisation slowly dawns on you. 

with slumped shoulders, you take a deep breath before turning to the male.

"what do you mean you accidentally deleted my article? i know we're sharing the damn laptop, but we established that you stay on your files and i stay on mine."

the other waved his hand, "i did not touch any of your files, (y/n), i'm not sure what happened."

"how could you not know? what the hell? i had good content on it, but now i have to spend more hours reorganising the news and interview answers and everything else in my notes. thanks, lee haechan."

"maybe if you weren't so caught up in me trying to sabotage your place in the publication team, then you would've believed me." he shrugged, taking a seat on the one bed like nothing.

you scoffed, arms crossing across your body. "funny how you mention sabotage because a villain never reveals their motive. that's why you came with me, didn't you?"

haechan stuck his tongue out to the side of his mouth, eyes blinking and rolling like an 8-ball that it sickened you to the core.

"villain? i'm the villain?"

"was i not clear?" you hiss, stepping closer to the male.

"no, make it more precise, please. i wanna hear it word for word. spit it out, coward."

with every word, you plunged your finger into his chest, looking deep into his eyes. "you're set out to take my place for department editor, where you know i'm best at."

"and that department would be...?" he crossed his arms, looking down at you with scorn you wished you could slap off his face.

"the..." you gulp with his face all up in yours, eyes boring as he awaits your answer, no doubt losing confidence at your realisation.

"the world depart...ment? you love to travel, right?" you trail off, biting your lip in anxiety when you remember how he was on the plane. you don't exactly remember whether he was more excited or scared.

"wrong! try again."

"politics?" you propose.

haechan's face contorts into disbelief, with his mouth twisted with perplex and eyebrows furrowed. "me? politics?"

your mouth runs dry at the roadblock you've faced, and as that annoying, stupid smirk grows, your hatred for him increases by the charts.

"naming departments i'd rather die than join, running your mouth, accusing me of deleting your files..." haechan shakes his head dramatically, rolling his eyes and letting out a fat sigh.

"you think i wanna be stuck here with your infuriating ass? god, you're so entitled, aren't you? aren't you?!"

"talking like you own the place, talking like you're the only one in this world, talking like- mhfh-"

within three angry steps, you were across the room.

within three booming steps, your hands were on his face.

within three significant steps, you were kissing lee haechan.

"you never learn to shu..." with horror, you're brought back from the trance with widened eyes.

"oh, god, sorry. what. what the hell. what the fuck?" you whisper, pushing the boy away with both hands in a panic, trying to highlight your scorn for him by wiping your lips on your sleeve.

had you liked it?

the other scurried to the balcony in a frenzy while you collected yourself in the bathroom, although no amount of water could calm your nerves. 

with shaky words in bed, you both agreed to never talk about it again.

[day 25]

"hey, i can see your damn annotations on my article, (y/n). will you stop it?" haechan whines, making you second guess if he was joking or not.

for the nth time that day, you roll your eyes and proceed to sip from your cup of gin tonic that haechan desperately wanted you to try. it was... a refreshing taste, but hell, you wouldn't drink this even if it was the last beverage on earth.

"i'm just giving my feedback, be thankful i didn't bring up that stupid kiss five days ago. bleugh." 

haechan falls quiet at that, fingers lingering over the keyboard as he typed out some note with the speed of a sloth's. 

"hey, call me donghyuck. that's my actual name," he mumbles, glancing at you through his bangs while he awaits your reply.

"donghyuck? is haechan an alias?"

the boy shrugs, "i don't know, maybe. my friends gave it to me when i was younger, and i just stuck with it."

"full sun? your friend gave it to you, sure." you grin with a gesture of your hand, almost spilling the gin in the clear glass before breaking into small laughter with the other.

[day 28]

"hey! hey, what the hell?" you whisper, feeling the boy huddle up to you in lightning speed. 

"what is wrong with you?" you whisper-shout, nudging him off your body as his phone screen remains as the only thing illuminating his face.

"sorry, i- i was watching stranger things while i was shitting and after i cleaned up... i heard something and bolted out of there."

"so now you're butt naked? hyuck, ew!" you groan, thankful for the sheets that were covering your body and his junk. his reluctance to get off you didn't seem to bother you as much as earlier, but you still wished he wasn't literally naked against you.

"go put on your underwear, you big baby. i'll be here when you come out. no demogorgon is going to come out, for real."

"no no, i was watching season two and it was that big shadow thingy that freaked me out. can't you feel this poor boy shivering?" haechan sighed, eyes never leaving the corridor that led to the bathroom.

"i can, and i also can feel your dick. please get dressed, or you're sleeping on the floor," you mumble, pulling the sheets to cover your freezing body.

[day 31] 

your face hits something soft, cuddling into it even further because of its warmth before you realise there was only one other thing that would be warm in the room.

haechan.

your breath shakes, and your eyes widen as you pull yourself away from his embrace. your subtle movement leaves him thrashing around, though, and his arms tighten around your figure slowly and endearingly.

gulping, you will your hands to stay in their place, opting to freeze to death although there are hints of heat crawling onto your face.

when you wake up, you find that his hand's in yours and maybe you were searching for one wrong thing. an anomaly, an exception. it fit in yours perfectly, however, his tanned skin glowing lightly under the rays of sun filtering through the curtains.

you hoped he didn't realise the small shift of your fingers as they enclosed around his hand.

[day 32]

"what are you doing out here?" haechan asked quietly, peeking around the sliding door before joining you on the chilly balcony. it wasn't much, but it was still different and refreshing from the old, stagnant aircon air that was blowing in the hotel room.

"can't sleep," you whisper. you had your arms around your figure cautiously, as if it could protect you from all the bad, evil and terror in the world. at this point, you weren't sure what was it that you were feeling, but it sure didn't involve entertaining haechan's teasing. 

luckily, he bit his tongue from making the usual snarky remarks.

"it's two in the morning, what's up?" 

you shake your head in reply, watching the empty streets as the last light in the apartment across you switches off. sure, at two in the morning, pavements were dusty clean, and the birds were sleeping, but there would always be younger boys smoking along the road, or a drunken group of friends laughing about a past memory. 

now that the pandemic forced everyone into their homes, everything was pretty much dead. there wasn't that excitement you felt when you saw a late-night kiss shared between two lovers or the snug hug of a child to his father who was working overtime that day.

"nothing's up, hyuck, it's fine. you can get back to sleep if you want."

maybe today you two were the one causing the ruckus this time, though. haechan may have let his words slipped, and at that moment, you knew you regretted that bloom in your chest when his lips met yours.

"you're so hard to read, (y/n). i want you to be able to trust me, tell me what's going on."

"why do you wanna know anyway? so you can expose me of my bad habits and weak points?" you whisper, eyes trained on the flickering lamppost a few yards away.

"there you go again! again with the sabotage?" haechan scoffed, exiting the small space and stepping back into the room of mixed emotions.

"is this just about your feelings for me?" 

haechan laughed, "my feelings? might i remind you that you were the one who kissed me full on the lips twelve days ago? what was that all about? i wanna talk about it, even though we said we wouldn't! i wanna talk about why you hate me so much. i wanna talk about why your emotions are so contradictive!" 

your mouth hangs open as you sputter out a heated reply, but instead gets interrupted with a knock on the door. 

"keep quiet, you damn teenagers! i don't need your petty fights at two in the morning!" with padded feet, the guest returns to his room and slams the door to emphasise his complaint. swallowing, your mind goes blank as it focuses only on one question.

"why do you want to know so much lee haechan? what are you gaining out of this? if it's not sabotaging, then what is it?!" you whisper, standing your ground as with the first argument. 

your throat is clenched up, and your fists are balled up tightly with nails digging into your palm. your heartbeat races like a fast car and your breathing's laboured in the cold room. there's no movement for a second, though they feel like minutes on end as haechan struggles to answer your question.

"what is it, lee donghyuck?" you cry out again, the sparkle in your eyes shining brightly from the tears of your never-ending dispute. he wished it was from the moonlight, instead. he wished the two of you were laughing over the rim of wine glasses and sharing the mischievous glimmer of the moon in your eyes.

"it's nothing. don't mind it." the other turns to catch up on sleep, leaving you to bite your lip.

"now you're doing it, now you're the one doing it. just tell me, you dumbass!" you mumble, pulling on his pyjama sleeve and tugging you to him.

"i like you, okay! it's out there now, i like you a lot, but you make it feel like a crime to do it," haechan whispers, "whatever. fuck this."

"no- what- no, we'll talk this out." you propose, adjusting your grip on his wrist with the curl of your fingers.

the male shakes his head and snatches his arm back, "no, forget it, and i'd prefer if you left me alone, (y/n)."

even with the warmth of his body next to yours, your body felt frozen and stiff. even with the thick duvet cover over you, you felt out of place in the stale hotel room, with colour becoming black and white, they merge into grey as the moonlight shone without a care for your problems.

there's action on the balcony when your eyes flutter open in the morning, noticing the quiet way haechan observes those rushing to work as well as social distancing officers making their rounds.

his eyes look hopeful and youthful, different from the tired ones the night before, or rather, this morning. you hadn't forgotten the angry neighbour banging on the door, and you definitely hadn't forgotten about how much you've wounded haechan this morning.

with a soft knock, you let him know of your presence and you just miss the way his eyes soften at your bed hair and messy appearance. his gaze turns hard in a second as he turns back to the apartment across yours, the balcony door showing your reflection of how hesitant you were.

haechan wished he could take your hands in his and accept your apology in a heartbeat, but he stayed seated and waited for whatever you wanted to say.

"don't run off, please." there's a shameful hand on his shoulders, and he's dying to get up when he sees your downcast eyes in the reflection across the street.

"i was too caught up in getting department head that i... didn't consider other possibilities. even the possibility of you uhm... liking me. it's still a weird concept to me, especially with how much we bicker."

"i'm sorry i didn't stay to hear out your feelings and rather, i just talked over you instead. i'm not sure if you want to accept this or not, but i want to open up—about this, about your feelings and... i don't know how much i've masked my emotions, i just know that we need to communicate."

the doorbell interrupts your apology, but you internally thank the housekeeping for bringing breakfast for the two of you.

with silence over breakfast, you weren't sure how the other felt as he scoffed down the croissant and almost burned his tongue with the coffee he ordered.

[day 33] 

the boy barely watches the television and instead, reads over the article you were working on. seeing as it was already there when he logged on, he skimmed through it out of curiosity, finding that you were rephrasing the messy typos and sentences frantically on your notes.

haechan never forgot the way you were typing away on the laptop, eyes reading and rereading the sentences to make sure they made sense, to make sure they were clear to the reader. 

the argument had taken a toll on you, too. he sees it in the way your eyes sink when your words turn out choppy and lacking, he sees it in the way you lug your body to the bathroom after a late night, he sees it in the way you struggle to hold your smile while attending an interview. 

'haechan. you confuse me. i'm not...' the note below it trails off, piquing his curiosity at what it had in store.

'haechan.' big and bold letters it wrote, with a few dozen question marks below it. your writing skills shine through even in an informal note about your self-proclaimed rival, each line prompting the other to read more.

'you confuse me. i'm not sure what you're at but, it doesn't seem natural for you to tag along with someone you hate, right? that's what i was thinking too.'

'jeez, i remember hating when suyeon told me you were coming along. i didn't believe her one bit until she showed me your plane ticket and the hotel rooms next to each other. god, and when i came here, it was a day of interviewing before the damn government decided to close flights and force us into a room together.'

'i heard that other people had to be separated. i didn't know why we were the unlucky two that had to be put in a room together. i wished we didn't, almost. of course, you annoyed me when we first moved in. hogging the tv to no end, leaving your dirty underwear everywhere, running your mouth just like at our workplace.'

'i couldn't take it, maybe. sure, my brother has similar antics, but there was just something about you that just set me off, you know? i wouldn't have thought it was the opposite, or at least, i think so.'

'i'm counting the days. day 17 and i'm not sure why i feel this bubbling feeling inside me. of course, there's anger—i'm sure it's there, but there's also this other thing i get whenever i look at you.'

'my heart clenches up, and my hands become clammy, but it couldn't be a crush, right? i would've wasted my breath shouting, and my strength whacking your shoulder.' that makes haechan chuckle and look over at you where the soft light dances over your face.

'and then i started imagining. how would your arms wrap around me? how would your infuriating laughter, which somehow turned out to be so contagious, feel in the crook of my neck? yikes, that was cheesy.'

'what would it feel like if we fell in love for one night? where would you bring me and what would we eat? would we make out in your car like unruly teenagers?' 

'what would it be like to love you? it's dumb, isn't it? i don't know. i've liked this bickering thing we had going on, and it's amusing to see you one-up me. i'm not sure if i want that to change and i'm not sure if you want us to, either.'

'maybe i'm wrong, and i'm the only one in this thing. this is so stupid, writing while he's sitting next to me. i'll regret this, maybe. goodnight.'

haechan sighs, closing the device in thought, confused at the words he wasn't exactly supposed to read. had you done this on purpose? he was sharing the laptop with you...

the boy brushed it off, placing the laptop on the vanity before adjusting your side of the duvet, hoping he could find the right words. with hesitant steps, he keeps to his side of the bed, thinking, thinking, thinking. 

when he couldn't no more, haechan fell into the spell of slumber in the comfortable hotel room.

[day 34]

"tea?" he asks from the bathroom as the door clicks behind you, returning from the short hotel walk with a new keychain hanging from your sling bag.

"yeah sure, thanks." 

the water runs as he fills up the kettle as the constant whir of the aircon and the conversation on the television keeps you company in the vast quietness of the room. 

you weren't sure if you should say anything, but when you saw the dishevelled appearance of your roommate, you knew you had to bring up the argument and apology.

"haechan, about our... feelings. do you want to talk about them?" you whispered, a reply reaching your ears in the form of his spoon against the porcelain mug.

haechan hands you the drink wordlessly, sitting on the chair at the vanity before sipping cautiously at the tea. there are unexchanged glances between the two of you before he sighs at your expectant hand tapping the sheets.

"i think it's about time we did," he mumbled, dragging the laptop off the wooden table with anxiety. the other opened it without saying anything, catching you by surprise when the mouse hovers over your note.

"hae- donghyuck! no! what the hell?"

he holds up a hand and clicks on it anyway, making your heart drop to your stomach as he turned the device towards you.

"read the bottom." haechan whispers as you pull the laptop closer to you, settling it on your lap as he observed your expressions carefully.

'i read it, i'm sorry.' you look at him and lift up a hand to prepare to whack him, a defeated sigh escaping you before you carried on.

'was it wrong to read it? of course, and i cannot apologise more for doing shit like that when we still have unsolved tension between us in this small ass room. it was incorrect, but.'

'do you feel the same as me? is bickering all we have to do? why can't we work anything out? they're the questions i keep asking myself after i read your letter.'

'i guess i was too caught up in the fight and not wanting to be the loser that i... can't deny that i've never thought about wanting to get to know you, even if you were that sought out to be my destined enemy.'

'when we fought earlier, you kissed me. i know we said not to mention it, but, uhm, it was good. i liked it. i'm not sure if the reason why you did it was because of the reason you mentioned in the note, but at the time, i assumed it was to shut me up. i thought something would happen after, though you pushed me away and apologised right away.'

'it was a far off dream that i had, but i think it was after i bandaged your foot. you said that you didn't know what was going on in my mind, and i told you.'

'it was like, i was granted an insight into an alternate world, another universe where you didn't feel the strain, where you legitimately assumed i was going for your position.'

'you scoffed when i confessed, right then and there, on day 9. i was counting, too, and it was a scary, confusing dream. i think that's why i held it off as long as i could until your words puzzled and angered me further because you just didn't get it.'

'you scoffed and told me to get lost, pushing on my shoulders where we fought on the balcony for everyone to see. you never spoke to me, you never mentioned my article nor the interviews. we never joked over wine, and we always kept to our side of the bed.'

'i was convinced that heaven wanted me to stay away from you and your heart. maybe it was broken too many times, and you had someone up there looking out for you.'

'i feel like i'm copying off the textbook of some greek mythology starter pack, but i'm for real! no kidding.' you smiled, looking at him with nervous eyes at the small joke he put in.

'i guess whoever put that dream in my sleep really wanted us not to be together because i think i would've told you i liked you on the spot itself. i let my conscious get the best of me.'

'i know this is a lazy way of conveying my feelings, and i wished i could do it with words, but i feel like you wouldn't believe me otherwise. i rushed it this morning when you went on your morning walk around the hotel and when you let me know of your stroll in a soft voice, i wanted nothing more than to get you in my arms as we wake up to the housekeeping service.'

'i didn't want any more tension between us, and i didn't want to be interrupted by your alarm while we avoid each other more. it hurts seeing you escape the room in haste. you said it was weird for me to tag along with someone i hate, too, and that someone was you. i guess you found out why.'

looking up, you found him right in front of you, mouth dry from his reply to your letter. with a gulp, you leaned forward to meet his lips halfway.

"i'm sorry to whoever's up there," he whispers, prompting a grin and a laugh out of you.

the laptop is forgotten on the bed as haechan situates himself over you, clutching your shoulder gently while his lips move quickly, fast to make up for lost time. 

"wait wait, wait, you're not playing me, are you?" you mumble in return, reluctantly pulling away while witnessing the way his eyes soften at your guard still up. haechan shakes his head forlornly, tongue pressing up against the side of his mouth nervously.

"no, i'm not, (y/n)," he says quietly with as much sincerity he can muster, removing his hand from your shoulder with a forced smile. 

"okay." there's a shakiness to your voice, but when you bring his lips back to yours, it gives you a rush of confidence. your skin is burning up, and your hands can't stop wandering as his lips capture yours, repeatedly moving against yours like a trance.

you grant haechan access to your mouth with a whimper, melting into his embrace as his arms wrap tighter around your figure. his eagerness lingers when he pushes forward, straddling your lap as his leg nudges the laptop.

"wait, hyuck, wait, the laptop!" you joke, placing the device on the floor before getting back into the kiss with just as much fervour. within a minute or so, the other breaks away to say the words you so hated to hear:

"we... we need to talk. we can't just kiss the fight off, although i very much like to," haechan murmurs the last part, making you stifle a smile. 

you nod quickly, repeating the word "okay" like a robot. your hands naturally travel from his arms down to his fingers, and you clutch them like your life depended on it.

"we have... established, that i like you, correct?" haechan whispers, scooting closer as his tea-ridden breath surrounds you. from here, you could even smell the buttered croissant he ate this morning.

it made you smile, something simple as that.

"why- why are you laughing (y/n)?" he asks anxiously, eyes darting to find the reason why you found this so funny.

"no. no no no, i'm thinking of... the croissant you ate just now, and," you sigh, resting your head on his broad shoulder. 

"i'm thinking of the way your eyes light up when you show me the articles you idolise so much, and i'm thinking of the way you cuddle up to me whenever we watch stranger things." 

"i'm thinking of the way you thought i wouldn't give you a chance, even though i've been pondering on the same thing as you. i'm thinking of the things that make up lee haechan, lee donghyuck. yes, you like me, and yes i like you, but i guess i haven't told you the reason."

"i hated you, i really did. i found every reason to convince my mind to hate you. gaining trust, signing up for events you didn't know shit about, sucking up to the seniors, stealing my friends when they didn't know your personality. the personality i didn't even want to know because i was too busy in my little bubble."

"assuming you'd want to get department head was the cherry on top, because why else would you want to tag along? that was the factor that convinced me and confirmed my suspicions from day one."

you grunt in opposition, clearly not liking the truth that was spilling from your lips. haechan deserved to know, however. you kept your eyes trained on his lap where his hands were holding yours in support, crumbling from the blindness that caused your hatred. 

"so from then, the plane ride, immigration, the cab to the interview place, the cab back, the hotel room, my hatred for you boiled over." you listed, voice breaking as you looked haechan in the eye. 

"it was stupid of me to assume, to assume the worst of you when i didn't even know you. i wasn't even sure why i felt so bitter looking at you, but the way you acted, the way you whined, worked me up so much that i figured that was how you were."

"now when i'm sitting here with the curtains drawn, i can see why you're so attractable and easy to talk to and easy-going and bright that my friends keep talking to you."

"i can see why the seniors turn to you because you're reliable and hardworking without uttering a single word."

"i can see why you wanted to hop on this flight with me because you're always curious about the world and how you can expand your skill set."

and as you said word after word, haechan observes you with a soothing hand against your forearms. his eyes shine for a different reason, for the lost time he could've had if the two of you didn't have this massive barrier. a massive barrier that's been up for the longest time. 

brick by brick, the wall is being torn down. as you hold haechan's face in the stillness of the room, you feel closer to him than you've ever felt and his tears match your frustrated ones. 

choking on sobs, delayed apologies were all you could whisper.

"i'm sorry, i'm sorry, really. we fought so bad that day, and i was so goddamn insensitive..." you sigh, swallowing a lump when his hand reached up to wipe the tears. with a blocked nose, you breathe shakily as housekeeping interrupts the moment. 

you nod towards the door as he stood up slowly to reveal the same housekeeping girl. she cleaned up the bathroom and wardrobe quietly as the two of you stood awkwardly in the small space. she had left the sheets since everyone was practically stuck in, anyway.

haechan nudges you toward the door with a shove, shooting the same housekeeping girl a small smile and a bow as an apology to the previous run-in.

"he confessed his feelings?" she inquired softly, noticing the tear marks on your face.

you bit your lip, "yeah."

"that's good, he's finally not a coward." she laughs, folding the used towels and placing them with her.

you leaned against the door, asking for an explanation with your puzzled look.

"he was someone i liked, before. we had classes back in high school. it was just a dumb crush, honestly." the housekeeping girl shrugs, resting her head on her fist in thought.

"i think he liked me, and i did too, but we didn't do much except for exchange looks and flirt because both of us were just too scared." she shakes her head and adjusts the disinfectant spray bottle, fidgeting with the nozzle.

"i'm glad he had enough courage to admit his feelings." 

nodding along to her statement, she bids you farewell as her figure fades with each step, leaving you with a sense of calmness to the end of this situation.

[day 38]

"is... is this okay?" haechan asks, arm hovering over your body while waiting for your confirmation. you smile and nod, sinking into his side as you venture in the third season of stranger things together. 

"don't you think we should be working on our articles?" you whisper, looking up at him from where you were with raised eyebrows.

the boy opens and closes his mouth in thought, gesturing to the television with an exaggerated expression. 

"stranger things, ma'am."

you click your tongue and sigh with a smile, turning back to the show as you try to relax for an online interview in a few hours.

[day 39]

"what do you say about my set-up?" haechan nudges you, proud of the hangout area he prepared on the balcony. although small, he had no trouble making it look comfortable. 

with a smile, you pop open the wine to celebrate the last scheduled interview for the trip, clinking glasses with haechan in the setting sun.

the country you were supposed to return to was slowly opening up flights for those stranded overseas and as refreshing as a different environment was, you missed home and the warmness of it.

you missed the office and your desk. hell, you even missed the mediocre coffee from the pantry.

with the last of the wine finishing, haechan pours half into your glass and the other into his, clinking one last time before you one-shot the beverage.

the high of the alcohol is gradually brought down by the mellow atmosphere and colours of twilight. as pink and orange cross over on the horizon, haechan mumbles a low "c'mere" to you in the darkness.

you hum in response and get up from your seat, bringing a pillow with you as haechan shifts to make space. sinking naturally into his arms, you sigh while you try to contain a smile full of content.

"this is nice," you admit, the corners of your lips disobeying your command, prompting you to shoot him a smile. haechan nods against your hair, a comfortable arm around your waist while you trace the tan skin of his arm.

the other taps your waist repeatedly, turning in response as he whispers out a question that makes your heart melt.

"can i kiss you?" you grin, slipping a hand around his neck and pulling him in right away. haechan's caught by surprise, laughing into your lips and striving to savour the moment as much as he could. 

a shout from across the hotel distracts you from the kiss. looking up, you realise it was the apartment resident opposite you shooting you a 'rock on' gesture.

"you guys are not fighting anymore! congrats!" you both stifle a snort as you wave back to the resident, sighing in relief when their balcony door slides shut.

"should we go inside, m'lady?" haechan giggles, replying in the form of a nod, cleaning up the area while you head in.

[day 41]

"i didn't think they'd be letting flights in so early," you mumble, folding your clothes neatly as your vision shifts to haechan... shoving his fair share of apparel into his luggage.

"donghyuck... what the hell?" you roll your eyes, shoving the boy softly as you took over the task at hand. switching personalities almost immediately, haechan fakes an interview segment with exaggerated tones.

"see, everyone, this is how you convince someone to do the work for you," the boy lays on the bed with a satisfied expression, "now i don't have to do anyth- ow!"

"if we ever live together, maybe i should punish you by doing the laundry and then folding it," you grunt, working at the speed faster than you expected while you fold shirt after shirt.

"are you proposing we move in together?" haechan peeks through an open eye, curiosity dripping from his tone. he tried to feign nonchalance but awaiting your answer felt like a weight on his heart.

your next words lifted that weight, a seemingly invisible force bringing his upper body off the bed as he stares at you in shock.

"maybe, not now but... in the future, maybe," you mumble the last part, focusing on the clothes to prevent the male from seeing the fluster on your face.

"for real?" haechan sits up, biting his lip to contain his excitement as your confirmation. 

"we'll be all stupidly domestic and shit, and i'll say i love you five years from now before you go off for work if you want that and stuff," your voice goes lower and quieter, especially towards the end, biting off way more than you could chew.

"aw! i love you too!" haechan gushes, bringing you into an embrace as your hands go limp, scrambling to explain your emphasis on the 'future'.

"d-donghyuck, i meant the future, not now..." you manage to spit out, hoping you need not answer his queries any more. your mind blanks out at the current situation, wishing you hadn't said those dumb things.

he grins into your neck, "i know, i'm just answering for future me."

you groan and escape the hug with a roll of your eyes, "yuck, too cheesy!" the boy just lets out a laugh, watching the way you fold his clothes despite your initial annoyance.

[day 42]

suyeon switches between the two of you in disbelief, finger crooked at the ambiguity of "we like each other".

"wha-" suyeon doesn't get the chance to finish the sentence before you shoot her a thumbs up, grabbing haechan by the arm and your stuff with the other.

you were happy to leave the office after a quick debrief since you two had reported to the office right after arriving at the airport, relieved when you heard he'd spare a few more days for your articles to be cleaned up.

"so, (y/n), what would you like to do now?" haechan looks at you through the reflective material of the elevator, observing the nervous wringing of your fingers.

you're glad for the material protecting your face because there's a smile that you struggle to keep as his soft, gentle voice carries through the quiet space.

the anxiety ends when the lift sounds, prompting your eyes to trail down his arm. your hand moves on its own accord, grabbing his last finger with yours as you proceed into the lift sheepishly, not missing the way haechan's eyes show his bright smile behind the mask.

"maybe i'll get to know you more, lee donghyuck."

haechan lets out a gasp, "have you not learned about me enough? scandalous." 

you feign a punch in his direction, the luggage beside you tripping over its wheels due to your swift movement. the only response you get is a giggle from the other as he tightens his pinky around yours, pressing a soft kiss to your cheek right above your face mask just as the elevator doors open.

"man, i really do want to punch you now," you mutter as you let haechan lead you, wanting nothing more than to rest in the arms of your enemy-turned-friend? enemy-turned-someoneyoulike?

you weren’t exactly sure.

he doesn't answer during the walk to the main road, nor the ride back to your home, the only constant thing being the way he admires your profile in the taxi, shrugging when you counter with a playful "what?". 

"nothing," haechan grins.

[there are more days to come]

sure, day forty-one may not have been the day you fell in love with haechan, nor the day where he outwardly claims you as his lover.

but, taking it slow never hurt anyone, either.

you know it in the way he tells you he can't go in unless he's invited and you see it in the way he asks if he can switch the television on while you prepare some drinks.

like the hotel, you know it in the way he asks if he can kiss you and the way he deepens his kisses with caution.

you appreciate it in the way he quickly apologises for a personal question, while visibly relaxing as you brush it off with a smile.

with hours pass, day forty-two becomes day forty-three, and haechan remains as chivalrous as always.

days pass, and you submit your articles. weeks pass, and you get to know the boy more and more. months pass, and you feel his love in the way he plays with your fingers in the dark and pulls you close under the sheets.

even if you hadn't acknowledged the love between the two of you, that note you wrote half-drunk matched the way you felt now—with how your heart clenches up and with how your grin never leaves your face with haechan around.

there are more days to come with lee haechan, lee donghyuck, even if it meant getting stuck together in a hotel room with unsaid words.

[tiredandtoothless]

👀

Your turn.

heeee ok i’m up!

this is from a modern AU (bc i apparently only write AUs lol) one shot that i’ve been tinkering with off-and-on since like... july. basically, the premise is that sansa and jon send JB to go find arya after they get sansa to the wall, but jaime bows out at the last second. it’s a lot of brienne pining for jaime and feeling abandoned, as well as a lot of brienne and arya getting to know and learning to trust each other.

essentially, it’s an aged up brienne & arya road trip fic with a heaping serving of JB pining. because i guess i just love a good ol’ road trip fic? i definitely plan on finishing it eventually, but it’ll probably have to wait until a few other things wrap up.

this bit is pulled from the end of the first act. brienne’s in braavos and has just come back to her hotel room to find an unexpected visitor. warning for a LOT of monologuing ahead lmao

“There’s this woman who runs the kitchen where I live. She’s a good woman. Stern face, a bit crotchety, but a kind heart when it comes down to it. She’s old, this woman. She was old as sin when I met her and that was, what? Four? Five years ago? And she’s only gotten older since. Funny how that works, yeah? People growing older all the time. Used to be, anyway. The older I get, the more I find that things I took as absolutes—you know, aging and death and justice and the setting sun... taxes. Things like that. Not so simple anymore, are they? That’s what I like about this woman, though: she’s simple. She bakes the bread, simmers the stew, tells me to scrub this pot and then that one, and she gets older. The way we’re supposed to. Well, a couple of weeks ago she fell, the poor thing. Slipped on some beet greens and wham!”

The green-haired woman slaps an open hand, the one not pointing a gun at Brienne’s guts, against her thigh. “Just like that. Bruised her hip something awful, poor love. Nothing broken, though. Small mercy, that. She’d be completely out of commission if it had broken, and her apprentice is useless. Has no idea how to knead a decent loaf of bread. Like he’s afraid to hurt the dough, you know? He’s soft. Takes a certain brutality to knead the dough. That’s the only way you get it right.

“So, the woman, she says to me—to me, not the apprentice, because, like I said, he’s useless—she says, go down to the market and pick up the day’s catch from Beqqo—that’s the fella we get our fish from. No problem for me. I was happy to do it, actually, because I’ve got friends all over: in the markets and at every harbor. In the pillow houses and inns. Even got a few courtesans who’ll buy me a pint from time to time. It’d been a while since I had a chance to pop round and say hello to my friends.

“I get to Beqqo’s stall. I sign for the catch. He offers to fix up a few oysters for me. For the road, yeah? I tell him, thanks, Beqqo, you’re a catch and a half. Bit of fishmonger humor goes far with him. Funniest thing, he’s just about to hit the oysters with his special hot sauce when he stops. Just… freezes, really. And he looks at me, and he says, all cryptic-like, a woman’s come round here looking for a girl with a long face and grey eyes. That caught my attention. I ask him about to woman who’s been looking for a girl with a long face and grey eyes.”

She hops down from the table, feet landing silently on the cold stone floor. She keeps the basket to her back, protective, and the gun pointed in Brienne’s direction. Her finger rests steadily against the trigger guard.

“Big woman, Beqqo says, blond hair and eyes blue like the summer sky. Westerosi to be sure. Says the girl’s her niece. He tells me he’s seen the photo. He tells me the girl in the photo, she’s standing next to another girl with auburn hair. So, I start thinking to myself… it sounds like someone out there’s looking for Arya Stark.” The woman arches one green brow. “But how could that be? Everyone who ever cared about Arya Stark is dead.”

The green-haired woman pauses, gives Brienne the opportunity to confirm or deny her suspicions. Brienne says nothing. Grounds herself to the feeling of her fingers wrapped firmly around the hilt of her dagger. The green-haired woman’s eyes flicker to the dagger, and when she looks back at Brienne’s face, her expression is almost amused: go on, you big lug, try it.

“So I thank Beqqo and I head back home. Give the catch over to the woman’s apprentice. Finish up a few things here and there. And then I go back into town. Five friends I visited. First four all told me the same thing. Big blond woman with big blue eyes like the sky—did you know people around here call you the Sapphire Warrior? You’re something of a folk hero in the slums.

“I visit friend number five and I hit my luck. He has a picture on his phone. Well, a picture of a picture. The one you’ve been showing anyone who’ll look. Lo and behold, there’s little Arya Stark glaring right at me. It’s true, I realize! Arya Stark’s big blond aunt is looking for her.” She steps closer, adjusts her grip on her gun. Brienne’s heart rate picks up.

“Funny thing is,” the green-haired woman says, “Arya Stark doesn’t have an aunt. Not a living one, anyway. Not last I checked. Certainly not a blond aunt. Certainly not one with eyes like the sky and a big, scary gun she calls Oathkeeper.”

She smiles then, and nothing about it is friendly. “So, who are you? What do you want with Arya Stark?”

The gun is even closer now. Far too close. Brienne can smell the salt on her skin, intermingling with the scent of freshly baked bread.

There’s no way the green-haired woman could miss from this range. And the basket—something is wriggling in the thrice-damned basket. She wants to ask about it, but the answer would probably be a hunk of lead in one of her vital organs.

Brienne’s head swims. The woman in front of her has a soft, heart-shaped face. It’s hard to know for sure in the dim light, but Brienne would bet money that the woman’s eyes are honey brown. She’s certainly not Arya Stark. None of this makes sense. She shifts on her feet and chokes on the silence.

“I asked you a question, Sapphire Warrior. Two, in fact,” the green-haired woman says, and tilts her head as she briefly holds up two fingers.  

When Brienne scolds herself, it’s Jaime’s voice she hears in her mind. Why isn’t the gun strapped to your hip at all times? Why are you staying in this dump in the first place? I gave you enough money for someplace nicer. A small kingdom’s GDP, you said; an embarrassment of riches, you said. Why can’t I leave you alone for more than five minutes? Are you slow? Did you hit your head? Big, dumb, obstinate cow. Do you have a death wish?

[mieteve-minijoma]

Songfic Day 14: If

Day 14: A song you’d love played at your wedding: If - Bread

Jughead and Betty throughout their wedding day

*****

If a picture paints a thousand words,

Then why can't I paint you?

The words will never show the you I've come to know.

  6:32 am - Betty

  “Good Morning Besties! Time to rise and shine, we have to get the blushing bride to the chapel on time and we’re already behind schedule,” Veronica sang, pulling back the curtains of the grande suite she’d rented for her best friend Betty’s wedding.

 “Christ Lodge, the sun is barely up, can you not?” Toni grumbled from one of the large king size beds that she and Cheryl had passed out the night before. Jellybean lay sprawled out on the sofa, snoring despite all the noise around her. 

 “No can do, Topaz. As maid of honor it is my duty to keep you bridesmaids on schedule while also making sure B has everything she needs and stays sane today. Last thing we need is Alice complaining that things are running behind,” she said, placing two lattes beside Toni.

 “V, it’s entirely too early to mention my mother. I need my coffee first before we can even go there. What time is it anyway?” Betty yawned, stretching as she spoke.  

  7:35 am - Jughead

  “Archie!” Jughead yelled across the apartment he shared with his best friend, Archie. After today, he would be moving in with his fiance -well wife- and he really couldn't wait.

 He and Betty have been together for 6 years now and he couldn't be happier with his life. They were both officially done with school and had just opened their own Private Investigation Firm. That way they could work together while also allowing Jughead to have time to work on his novel. 

 Life had been good to them and now they finally get to be man and wife. Jughead was trying not to be sappy about it all, but this was his ultimate dream come true.

 "What is it Jug? What time is it?" Archie asked, hair askew and wiping the sleep from his eyes.

 "It's almost 8, coffee’s in the pot. Have you seen my cufflinks? You know the ones Dad had made, the little silver crowns? I can't find them anywhere," Jughead was a bit worried when they weren’t on his dresser that morning. FP’d had them made for the wedding with an identical pendant made for Betty to wear as well. And his Dad didn't give him a lot of gifts growing up so these were very important to him. 

 "Yeah man, there in the box with mine and the groomsmen's in my bag ready to go to the church," Archie said in a calming voice, "Don't freak out man, as your best man it's my job to keep you calm and threaten to murder you or break your legs if you try to run."

 "I think death threats and acts of violence are a bit extreme, don't you Arch?" Jughead laughed.

 Archie rolled his eyes, grabbing a cup to pour them some coffee, "Tell that to Veronica."

  If a face could launch a thousand ships,

Then where am I to go?

  9:23 am - Betty

"V, I’m so glad you talked me into doing a massage and facial before our mani-pedis. This is literally heaven," Betty sighed, taking a sip of her mimosa while the manicurist massaged lotion onto her calves.

 "Only the best for my B. I wanted to make you feel as special your wedding day as everyday of my life has felt since you came into it," Veronica smiled, eyes glistening. Betty teared up at her best friends heartfelt words.

 "Oh, V. I love you so much," Betty pulled her into a crushing hug, being sure not to shift her lower half. She felt a tear roll down her cheek and whispered, "Thanks for always being there for me, no matter what. I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for you."

 Veronica pulled back, laughing through a sob, "Ok, enough of that. I may have gotten the best waterproof makeup money can buy, but we aren't trying to test that claim today."

 "Betty?" They both froze when they heard the voice calling from the hall. Betty let out an exasperated sigh.

 "In here, Mom."

  9:47 am - Jughead

  "Coming!" Jughead yelled, walking towards the front door. When he opened it, he was met with the smiling faces of his father and his other three best friends.

 "Congratulations, boy," FP stepped in, hugging his son tight, "I can't believe you're actually getting married."

 "Thanks Dad, what you you doing here so early? I didn't expect you for another hour at least," Jughead said, hugging and high-fiving his groomsmen -Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Kevin- as they entered the apartment.

 "You know Alice, she was itching to leave Riverdale at 6 this morning. I held her off as long as possible but that’s like fighting a grizzly bear and well, Archie wasn’t around for back up. Is JB here?" FP asked, looking around Jug's apartment for his daughter.

 "She decided to stay over at the hotel with the girls so they could all be together to get ready or whatever they plan on doing," Jughead said, shrugging his shoulders.

 "Looks Sweets will be disappointed. He was hoping to see her before we all had to get ready," FP nodded his head towards Sweet Pea who'd spent the entire time with his nose shoved in his phone, dopey grin plastered on his face.

 It honestly used to bother him Sweet Pea and Jellybean had started dating when she turned 18 but he got over that fairly quickly. Just seeing how good they were for each other eased Jughead's mind. Besides that, Sweets looked at Jelly the same way he looked at Betty, so he knew what they had was real.

  There's no one home but you,

You're all that's left me too.

  11:56 am - Betty

  "Stand up straight, Elizabeth. We still have to finish getting you in this corset or we will never get your dress on properly," Alice huffed, pulling on the fabric. Veronica had gone downstairs to handle a situation with the caterers and all the girls had stepped out to get drinks and snacks for the rest of the wedding party, leaving Betty alone with her mother for the first time all morning.  And frankly, she was about to her breaking point. 

 She loved her mother, she really did, and ever since she and FP had gotten better but as soon as the wedding planning started she had started to nitpick every little thing Betty did or choice she made. 

 With hips like yours, would a mermaid cut dress be appropriate? Elizabeth, just because Jughead wants a chocolate cake doesn't mean he should get it, it’s your special day. Is that really the font you chose for the invitations? You’re seriously going to have your bridesmaids and groomsmen mixed up on both sides?

 It has gotten so bad that Jughead and FP had to step in to tell her that it was enough and that she needed to back off. Which she did, that is, until she arrived this morning and thought she’d try to pack months of criticism into one morning. Betty didn’t need to deal with this today, of all days, so she grabbed her phone and sent an SOS text.

 SOS... Send reinforcements to slay the dragon and save the princess...

 “Mom, I'm sure it will be fine,” Betty tried to stop the discussion but Alice was having none of it and cut her off. 

 “Elizabeth, I just don’t want those extra pounds you’ve added these last few weeks to show through because you didn’t properly shinch your corset. Now- “ Alice was interrupted by a knock at the door. 

 “Hey Alice, Dad said he needs your help. Something about his tie or something?” Jellybean smiled sheepishly but winked at Betty once Alice turned her back. Betty smiled, mouthing her thanks to her future sister-in-law.

 “I swear, I have no idea how that man survived all those years on his own without me,” Alice scoffed as she marched out of the women’s dressing area. Betty was grateful when Veronica walked back in the room, an apologetic look on her face and holding two lattes.

 “I am so sorry, B. I swear I didn’t mean to leave you alone with her this morning,” Veronica apologized.

 “It’s ok Ronnie. Jug took care of it,” Betty smiled, sipping her cinnamon dulce white chocolate mocha.

  12:02 pm - Jughead

  Betty: SOS... Send reinforcements to slay the dragon and save the princess...

 “Dad, get your woman before I have Sweet Pea hogtie her and toss her in your truck,” Jughead groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose in his frustration.

 “Oh Lord, what’s she doing this time, boy?” FP asked. Jughead didn’t answer, just handed him his phone to show FP the text from Betty. “Alright, I’ll take care of this. JELLY!” he yelled.

 “Yeah Dad?” Jellybean said, walking in from the hallway where she and Sweet Pea were talking with the rest of the wedding party.

 “We have a code viper in Betty’s room, can you handle it for us please?” Jelly nodded, running out the door.

 “Code viper?” Jughead smirked. 

 FP simply shrugged and smiled at his son. “You’ve met that woman, right?”

  And when my love for life is running dry,

You come and pour yourself on me.

 2:00 pm - Betty

 “Betty, you look beautiful,” FP choked, grinning as he walked up to her at the front of the church. She beamed at FP, tears pricking her eyes.

 “Thanks FP, you clean up well yourself,” she chuckled. She was thankful to have FP in her life as her surrogate father. After everything that happened with her father and his death, she never thought she’d have a chance to be walked down the aisle properly. But after living with FP and Jellybean her senior year, he really became the father she no longer had and she was so grateful.

 “Are you nervous?” he asked. 

 Betty shook her head and smiled, “Not even a little bit.” 

 The music began and FP offered her his arm, “Let’s make you a Jones.” Betty placed her tiny hand in the crook of his arm and grinned. This was the moment she’d been waiting for all her life.

  2:00 pm - Jughead

  The doors opened slowly and Jughead lost his ability to breathe. At the end of the aisle, standing beside his father, was the most beautiful vision he had ever seen. Betty’s dress, form-fitting until just past her hips and flaring out at the bottom, made her look like a princess in a fairytale. Her veil had tiny diamonds that sparkled like the stars in the sky, catching the light with every step she took towards him. 

 When their eyes locked, Jughead could feel the tears dripping from his eyes despite the goofy grin that was plastered on his face. He could see that Betty was as much in the same boat as he was, her smile rivaling the sunshine and her hands gripping tighter to the bouquet of wildflowers in her hands.

 As his future stepped up to stand beside him, he knew that his life was finally complete. He had loved her for so many years that he couldn’t remember a time when he didn’t. His whole life had been leading to this moment and he was speechless. Betty placed her hand in his and squeezed, grinning at him.

 “Hi Juggie.”

  If a man could be two places at one time,

I'd be with you.

Tomorrow and today, beside you all the way.

 3:33 pm - Betty

  “I met Betty in my sophomore year of highschool when my family moved to Riverdale from the city. She was my tour guide at Riverdale High and the moment we met, I knew she would be my best friend. And even though we have had our ups and downs in the past, I have never regretted a moment that I have spent with her. My life would be incomplete without her,” Veronica paused to wipe a tear from her eyes, “Oh, and Jughead is ok too, I guess.” Everyone burst into a fit of laughter.

 “In all seriousness, I have been around Jughead and Betty throughout their entire relationship and I can safely say I have never seen two people more in love. Well except for my Archikins and I,” everyone chuckled again at the nickname, “Jughead, Betty, I wish you all the happiness in the world and I know that, without a doubt, there is not two people more suited for each other then you two. I love you guys, salud!” Veronica held up her glass as everyone chapped and sipped their champagne.

  3:35 pm - Jughead

  “Thanks everyone, um, I have known Betty and Jughead for my entire. We have all been friends since we were still in diapers and our parents would bathe us together,” Betty and Jughead blushed as people giggled, “Um, yeah but we have been through a lot together. I was actually really shocked when I first found out that they were dating, just simply for the fact that I never saw it coming. No one did really. But I remember seeing them one day outside Southside High and, with the help of Ronnie, I realized that they were soulmates. And I also realized that I wanted what they have with each other. I got lucky and found my soulmate too,” he paused to smile at Veronica, “Jughead, you have always been more like my brother than anything and I am so happy for you. You deserve to be with someone who will treat you like you are their whole world, and you’ve got that person beside you. Betty, you have been my rock since we were two years old. You helped me pass the second grade, you saved my life more than once when we were younger and I will always be thankful to have you in my life. You will always be my best friend and I am so happy that you and Jughead have found the happiness you both deserve together. I love you guys, cheers!”  

 If the world should stop revolving spinning slowly down to die,

I'd spend the end with you. 

And when the world was through,

  6:26 pm - Betty

  Betty was thankful she had decided to change into a more comfortable dress as she moved with Veronica on the dance floor, dancing to cringy Britney Spears songs just like they’d done so many times before. Betty bit her lip as she looked over her shoulder to see her husband standing off to the side, laughing and having a cigarette with Fangs and Toni, tie long gone along with his coat. 

 He had rolled up his sleeves earlier in the evening, showing off all the ink that he’d accumulated over the years that Betty loved to look at. His suspenders were hanging down around his hips in their usual place, his hair falling into his eyes and Betty couldn’t help but think of how sexy he was. And better still, how he was all hers. 

 She told Veronica she was taking a break and walked over to the bar for some bottled water. As she sipped her drink, she glanced back over to where Jughead was and caught him staring at her while taking a drag from his smoke. She winked at him, biting her lip and slowly walking towards one of the coat closets near the front of the reception hall. Just before opening the door to step inside she ran the tip of her tongue around the rim of the water bottle and grinned, knowing he wouldn’t be far behind.

   7:44 pm - Jughead

  “Mmm, Betty?” Jughead pulled away panting, lips bee stung from ravaging his wife in the tiny coat closet. Her breasts heaved as she tried to find her voice, “Yeah?” she said, latching her lips to his neck, sucking a dark bruise for everyone to see.

 “Do- um, do you think they’ve noticed we are missing yet?” Jughead asked, moaning loudly at the feeling of his wife's tongue on his bare skin. A loud banging at the door startled them both causing them to jump apart like two teenagers.

 “Yes, we know you’re missing and yes, the entire banquet does know what you are doing in here,” Veronica shouted through the door. Jughead’s face turned bright red as Betty burst into laughter and threw her arms around his neck.

 “Take me to our room, husband. I have plans for you,” Betty grinned. 

 “Don’t threaten me with a good time, wife,” She squealed with laughter as Jughead threw her over his shoulder and pushed the door open to make a mad dash for the elevators. 

  Then one by one the stars would all go out,

Then you and I would simply fly away

[peaches-of-1]

Peachtober | Day 29: Story Book

Idol!Reader x Jaebum

Citrus Scale: Lemon

“Into the Woods, hello, I am Lil’ Red~!” You said as you walked on stage for your Rookie of the Year award. There were tears in your eyes because of how happy you were.

The rings on your skirt harness jingled a little as you did a little happy dance. You thanked your fans all over the world for their support during your debut year. It felt so sudden, out of nowhere. They were called your Grandparents, and you smiled at them through the camera and in the audience behind the idols.

You knew you didn’t have much time left, so you said, “I will fill up my basket and bring you more sweet treats in the form of new music very soon. I promise. Thank you.” Again you bowed and then were led off the stage.

When you were back in your seat, the other solo female artists were cheering you on since you were all sat together. There were male solo artists to your left. Jaebum was on your right with his group Got7. The two of you had been talking all night, so he gave you a high five, not wanting to go in for a hug or touch your leg as a sign of friendship.

He smiled at you, “Good job! ‘Wolf’ is my favorite song too. I listen to it at least five times a day.”

Jackson scoffed, “You listened to it on the way there, in the shower, in the gym…”

You began to blush and felt the blood rise in your cheeks, “Ah, thank you for the support.”

As a rookie, you were required to go to the after party and to drink since you were of age. Pictures with idols. Even after your social meter ran out, you had to put on a smile even though you just wanted to put up your hood and throw your wedges off into the void. Even when it was time to go home, finally go home…

The van broke down. You were from a small company too, so this was the only one that you had. The other van was in the shop and. You wanted to scream.

“Hey, Lil’ Red, is everything ok?” It was Jaebum driving his own car, looking at you still in your stage outfit that you accepted your award in.

You sniffled, “Van broke down. I just wanna get back to my hotel, but it’s so far and we can’t get to it. We’ll have to get it towed, and I just wanna take a shower.” You whined and stamped your foot. “Sorry. I’m not in the best shape right now. Tired, y’know.”

He nodded, “Red Manager-nim, would it be ok for me to take her back to the hotel while you get this sorted out? She needs to get some rest.”

“Jaebum-sunbaenim, you don’t have to. I can just wait it out.”

“Nope. Little Red Riding Hood needs to make sure no wolves get to her before she gets back to her grandparents’ arms. Think of it as a Cinderella carriage.”

You looked back at your manager who nodded and handed you the room key before hugging you, “If you need help, call the police first.”

JB was one of the most trusted faces in K-Pop, not too popular, very humble, great smile and very charming. People started calling him the Wolf recently because of how he suddenly got very good with Got7’s latest dances which were the hardest they had ever done. He’d bare his teeth during the choreo which caused a photo to go viral. His hair was sticking up as he was in mid motion, all fours, with his teeth bared. Like a wolf.

So you got into his car, passenger’s side, taking a picture with him to post on social media, calling him your woodcutter since he saved you from having to wait for a tow truck to get through traffic. It was also to keep him accountable, make sure nothing you didn’t want happened.

If you went missing, they knew who to ask. He asked if your manager wanted to take a picture of his license plate, which she did. Then you two went off.

“What kind of music do you want to listen to?” Jaebum asked with his silver hair messier than it was earlier.

“Just something indie. If I hear another K-pop song tonight, I’ll scream.” You said, looking out the window.

He chuckled and then put on some old R&B. That was just what you needed to hear. Right, he loved that type of music. It was always good, and you knew this one.

“Woah, woah, zoom, I'd like to fly far away, yeah. Where my mind can be fresh and clear and I'd find the love that I long to see where everybody can be what they wanna be…”

You saw his reflection look over at you, surprised. The corners of your mouth turned upwards in a smile.

“Hey, I know you said your hotel was farther, but mine is just up here. You could at least take a shower before going to your own place or you could stay the night.” Jaebum said. “Anything you want. I’ll sleep in my manager’s room or with one of the other members.”

You felt your cheeks get hot again, “Uh, yeah, I guess I can crash at your room for the night. I don’t have anything to change into, though.”

“Borrow my clothes for pajamas, and your manager can get you in the morning.”

And so that’s what happened. You hopped into the shower and washed your thick hair before getting out and putting on one of his oversized hoodies and a pair of underwear he bought from a nearby 24 hour shop in your size. Boxers because he didn’t have any shorts. He was on the phone with someone and couldn’t help but stare at you as you entered the bedroom.

“Hey, um, I know this is sudden…” he began, “But would you like to eat dinner together before I left you alone?”

You agreed.

Over your third bottle of soju, the two of you began to giggle over Youngjae’s joke. It had turned into a late night party with the boys of Got7, their secret partners, and you just having a good time and eating pizza and drinking.  Then it was just you two again.

JB was on the bed, “Ah, I was supposed to ask if I could go sleep in my manager’s room, but I’m sure he’s already asleep. I’ll sleep on the floor.”

You waved your hand, “No, don’t worry about it. Just sleep in the bed with me. Nobody has to know, and I sleep better with something warm to hold onto anyways.”

“W-what? I, I couldn’t--” He said with his Asian flush turning into an Asian blush. “It’s, I mean. If you really want me to.”

The false confidence of alcohol was getting to you, “If we’re talking about stuff I want, we don’t have to just sleep in this bed.” you said, standing up from the eating nook and walking over to him.

He was looking up at the ceiling, “What do you--Y/N?”

The idol was surprised when you began to take off his sweat pants and pull them to his ankles while you yourself were on your knees. He quickly stopped you.

“No no nonononono. Y/N, I don’t want you to--just because we’re both--and people will--”

You pinned his arms above his head, and focused on his eyes, pouting.

“Isn’t this how it’s supposed to go? You chat up a rookie girl all night, take her back to her place, get her drunk, and then we fuck before you either kick me out with cum dripping down my leg, or you cuddle me to sleep.”

He blinked, “Life isn’t fanfic? That isn’t why I asked you to come over.”

You sighed, “Can I at least kiss you then?”

“Yeah, I mean it’s not like I don’t wat to, I just--” He nodded and you leaned over to press your lips against his.

Because he really wasn’t into it, you tried to hold back. That is until he squeezed your hands and turn you onto your back. He began kissing down your neck and somehow he smelled sweeter than he should’ve having just eaten sushi. Wasn’t he just saying no just a second ago? You honestly were just gonna kiss him and go to bed, but it seemed like he changed his mind.

“Oh, now you wanna be a fanfic?”

His lips were swollen from leaving markings on your skin, “Maybe just a little.” Jaebum smirked and captured your lips once more. “I mean, if you really want my seed dripping down your leg~”

You bit your lip, “Do whatever you want to me.”

He kissed you as he stripped you of his hoodie and revealed you hadn’t put on a bra after the shower, so you had been hanging out with the guys without a bra. Like you were gonna put on a dirty sweaty bra after such a nice shower. He began to suckle on your nipple, making you arch your back in pleasure.

“You’re so cute~” he growled. “Can I ask you a favor?”

You tilted your head at him, “Depends…”

“Can you wear your red hood while we…um…” He asked. “I just think it’s really cute and I want to see you in it.”

“Sure, just don’t stain it, wolfy.” You went near your bag and put on the hood you had been wearing all night that went just past your shoulders.

It ticked your nipples as they rubbed past.

“I should tell you, the stuff about me being a wolf goes past my face.” he said, taking off his pants and revealing a cock standing upright. It was mostly human in form except for one thing.

“You’ve got a knot…?” You asked rubbing your legs together.

Jaebum nodded, “I got it done as a gag, but decided to make it permanent just recently. Hopefully, it’s not too much.”

You nearly pounced on him and lowered yourself down on his cock, “Nope, not at all~oh goodness~” You weren’t able to fit it in yet, but you assured the idol. “By the end of the night, I’ll fit it all in me.”

“Or we can keep trying other nights, y’know, for practice?”

“Are you asking me out, JB?” You asked, bouncing on his thick cock.

He smiled and nibbled on your neck, “I’m asking you to be my girlfriend.”

You blushed and nodded, “Yes.” and then giggled. “Lil’ Red and the Wolf of K-pop. Seems like fate.” a shiver went through your spine.

“I’ll show you a real wolf tonight, my love.” he said, thrusting his hips upwards into your heat, making his knot slip into you completely.

Oh, and this was only the beginning.

[izzy-b-hands]

Every Road Leads to an End, Pt. 1

Y’all had to know this was coming at some point lol. My first Kingsman fic, this one in particular set Post-Golden Circle. I’ve got a lot more planned, for this time period plus during each movie and in between, but for now, I think this is a good start. 

A forewarning that I’m taking canon and making it what I want, because while I love the movies dearly, there’s also a good number of things I’d have maybe done differently, or at least messed about with and considered changing. For one, the little pup Eggsy gets Harry in Golden Circle? He’s around again, because I wanted to know what happened to the puppy. I named him PJ, for Pickle, JR (after dear Mr. Pickle.) 

So, here that is! 

My love to all who read/like/reblog!

“You texted me, and I quote, ‘Major emergency, come quickly.’ This-” 

“Is an emergency,” Harry finished. 

Eggsy stared down at PJ, who was wagging his tiny tail happily. “This is dog-sitting. I thought there was a mission, and I’m only supposed to be called back in the event of that or-.” 

“There is, this!” 

“Okay, and where are you off to then? If there isn’t a mission, aside from watching your dog,” Eggsy asked as he picked up PJ.

“I...have a date.” 

“You have...where did you meet...I have so many questions,” Eggsy said. 

“And they will have to wait; I am already late. Thank you for arriving so promptly, instructions are on the fridge regarding PJ’s dinner and bedtime, and I’ve left you money for your dinner,” Harry was like a bullet on track to its target, walking fast enough Eggsy could hardly keep up as he followed him to his bedroom. 

“Oi! Now I get to ask at least one question before you go.” 

“Fine, one. Then I need to finish dressing; I cannot find the right color pocket square I need-” 

“I’ll help you find it if you answer,” Eggsy interrupted. “Where’d you meet her?” 

“Him.” 

“Okay, him. Where was it? I mean, you’re something of a homebody, when you aren’t working-” 

“I am not,” Harry scoffed, and turned to rifle through the pile of folded pocket squares tossed on his bed. “I do things.” 

“You texted me a week ago, and I quote-” 

“That is quite enough of my quotes, I think.” 

“You keep interrupting like that; I’ll just find more of them. Anyway, as I was saying, you said ‘lots of excitement tonight, saw a fox in the garden.’ I mean...Harry.” 

“Are you going to help me find it, or not? I need the same shade of salmon as my tie, and I’ve found every other shade under the bloody sun, and I even sort these by shade, I’ll have you know, and,” Harry sighed and tossed a handful of squares back onto the bed. 

“You’re nervous!” 

“I have been in situations far worse than a first date; I am not made nervous by this,” Harry shook his head, and shuffled through another bunch of squares. 

“You are absolutely a nervous wreck, oh my God. This is adorable! Look at your dad, PJ. I have never seen you like this.” 

Harry sighed again, clearly exasperated, and turned to Eggsy. 

“Put the face away, I’ll help. Now, don’t get mad, but could you just wear a different color tie, that matches one of the squares we know are here and ready to be worn?” 

The kiss on the cheek wasn’t expected, but it was sweet. “Eggsy! Genius! I’ll change it straightaway, then-ooh, I’m going to be even later! I don’t have an excuse for that, we had a reservation and everything...” 

“Tell him I was late showing up. I don’t mind taking the blame,” Eggsy bit back a giggle as Harry whirled past him to another drawer. “Would I know him, if I saw him?” 

Harry stopped dead. 

“Harry?” 

He turned again, a new silk light green tie in his hand. “I can’t...I will tell you. All of it, later. I promise you that. This is also, technically, a mission. That turned into more, and if anyone else with Kingsman or Statesman found out it had, the trouble we would be in.” 

“So he works for Statesman?” 

“No.” 

“He works for us?” 

“Eggsy, please,” Harry sighed desperately as he switched ties. “Like I said, I will tell you everything, later. Once things are more...solid.” 

“As in your relationship with him, or the mission?” Eggsy asked as he set down PJ, and swatted Harry’s hand away from the tie. “You’ve got it all crooked, hang on. And is the mission to...you know?” 

“Eggsy!” 

“Just checking! Even if it isn’t, I mean, I can spend the night here with PJ. I’m already the ‘Prince That’s Never Seen’ to the Swedish media. Won’t be any issue if I’m not home for a day or two, and I let Tilde know it might be a few days, depending on what was going on. So, you know. If things happen...let them happen. Have some fun. Safe fun, I mean, actually, do you have-” 

Harry was bright red as he snatched up the matching pocket square and his coat from his bed, and strode out of the bedroom with Eggsy and PJ on his heels. 

“Oh, look at him blush! PJ, your dad is gonna have a wonderful night, isn’t he?” 

PJ barked in response, wiggling as Eggsy picked him up again. 

“Yes, he is, and then he’s going to tell us all about it when he gets back,” Eggsy continued, even as Harry spluttered half-protests, sighing and shaking his head as he walked out the front door. 

Without any shoes on. 

“Give him a minute,” Eggsy told PJ, who stared up curiously at him. “He’ll realize in one, two, three, and-” 

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Harry spat as he stomped back inside, struggling on with his shoes before heading back out, one oxford still untied. 

“That’s a lad,” Eggsy smiled. “C’mon PJ. I think you deserve your dinner, and I will order mine, and then I think a movie is in order. We’ll find something with a dog in it, just for you.” 

It wasn’t long before they were settled on the couch; PJ fed and a pizza box open on the coffee table, and the closest thing Eggsy could find for ‘something with dogs’ (an episode of Planet Earth) on the TV for PJ. 

Then his phone buzzed with a text alert. 

Stuck between a rock and a hard place. Advice?

Eggsy frowned at the text from Harry. Text were strictly for non-Kingsman, and non-confidential and/or coded Kingsman business. This, however, wasn’t code for anything that he knew of. 

Is one of the things the guy you’re seeing? And if so, what is the other thing? 

He could hear Harry’s frustration in the reply.

No! Not exactly. He invited me over, but he knows we’d both be in trouble if anyone knew about this; no one is even supposed to know he’s alive!!

That many exclamation points signaled a show of proper emotion from Harry, whatever this was, it was deeply serious to him. But it was hard to advise when he only had not even a quarter of the story. He sent back his biggest question. 

Who?????!!!!!!

For about five minutes, there was nothing, and he almost set his phone back down on the coffee table. Then: 

Merlin.

“Fucking hell,” Eggsy murmured. “And how in the hell? There’s no way...somebody has to be fucking with him, which means who knows what he’s gotten himself into now.” 

He sighed, and bemoaned that he had left his luggage at his hotel, rather than bringing it with. There wouldn’t be enough time to get it, change into a suit, and try and configure Harry’s location so he could get there. 

Unless. 

He hadn’t ever actually spent a night in Harry’s guest room, but Harry had always assured him it was supplied for him, should he and Tilde ever need a place to stay. Searching it proved just that: three suits with varying colors of ties and other accouterments for him, and three matching dresses and pants suits for Tilde, plus three tiny matching jackets that would have fit JB. 

“PJ, you hold down the fort, yeah? You’re a big boy now, I think I can trust you,” Eggsy said as he finished putting in his cuff links and pulled on his jacket, watching as PJ settled down on the couch with a sigh, his grey wiry fir blending into the dark material. “I’m gonna go make sure your dad makes it home, and when we get back, we’ll have that leftover pizza. I’ll make sure he lets you have a little, promise.” 

 From there, he was on his own. His watch and glasses let him track Harry somewhat, but wherever he was, he was on the move. With whoever this impostor Merlin was, surely, and that was who he really wanted to track. But even if this Merlin was using any Kingsman or Statesman tech, he wasn’t registering on any of Eggsy’s gear. 

He got as close as an Italian restaurant, dropped off by a non-Kingsman cab, if only so as not to arouse Harry or the faux-Merlin’s suspicions if they were near enough to see it. There, outside of it, the dot representing Harry had stopped. Or so it seemed to have, finally, though at no point had the dot gone into the restaurant, leaving him wondering where on earth the actual dinner had been, and why on earth Harry was stumbling around in the dark with the faux-Merlin. 

There were a few dark alleyways just near the restaurant. A small chance to be sure, too easy if anything. But as he wandered down the first, the blip of Harry’s dot on the map superimposed over his glasses got louder and louder and-

“Jesus,” Eggsy ducked behind a bin, then peeked back out over it. 

Up against a nearby wall in the alley were Harry, and what for all the world looked like Merlin, kissing hard and utterly unaware of anything else going on around them, apparently, since he hadn’t exactly been quiet as he’d ducked away. 

“If I’m wrong,” Eggsy whispered to himself, then shook his head. Even if this was somehow real, Merlin had somehow survived the land mine and was safe and back, it was better to check, to interrupt and know for sure. 

“Let him go,” he stood and pulled his pistol, pointing it at the possibly faux Merlin. 

“I think he’d rather I didn’t,” and god it sounded like Merlin. “Harry, did you not tell him?” 

“I was going to, later,” Harry hissed, and whipped around. “Put that down! What on earth are you doing?” 

“Not many men could survive a land mine. Fewer still could survive it, and be repaired well enough to go into hiding afterwards. So if you really are Merlin, and if you are...know that I am sorry for all this, but I’ve got to have answers. As of right now, I have no proof you aren’t some...double, hell bent on doing God knows what with Harry-” 

“Hell bent on doing something with him, that’s for sure,” Merlin murmured and giggled, pressing a kiss to Harry’s cheek. “If you’re still up for it, after we explain things and send Eggsy on home.” 

Harry sighed and pushed himself away from Merlin. “Look. I-I should have just told you everything straight away. I know you, and you’re a good agent. And a good agent would have done just as you’re doing now. It’s just...I mean, this was a date!” 

“Still is,” Merlin called from the wall. “This isn’t quite how I saw it going, no, and I certainly didn’t think Eggsy would be involved, but this doesn’t ruin the night or anything.” 

“Oh my God,” Harry muttered, and pushed his glasses up as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. 

Eggsy lowered his gun. “Well?” 

“Tell you what,” Merlin said, striding forward. “You both come back to mine, for now. We can explain things, then Eggsy, you can go back home feeling that all is well-” 

“To Harry’s, actually. I was dog sitting,” Eggsy interrupted before stowing his gun away. 

“Right,  back to Pickles, JR, then, knowing that all is well and Harry is safe,” Merlin continued. “And Harry, if you’d like, well...” 

“I could just about die right now. And I’ve never said that about anything,” Harry sighed. 

“Dramatic, outside of work, isn’t he?” Merlin snickered as he led them out of the alley and down the sidewalk. “Part of why I asked him out, you know. Nice to get to see the man under the agent again. Don’t get me wrong, I love the agent, but I liked the man first.”

“Makes sense,” Eggsy replied, giggling as Harry blushed ever more red, trailing just behind them. “So, did you two ever...before this, I mean?” 

“That’s a lot of old history to be getting into,” Merlin smiled. “Maybe a bit too much for tonight, but later on, perhaps-” 

“Oh my God,” Harry muttered again.

“Think I should take the overuse of that phrase as a good sign for later?” Merlin asked with a positively wicked grin. 

“MERLIN!” 

Eggsy and Merlin fell against each other in a fit of laughter as Harry sighed deeply yet again. 

He calmed once they were in Merlin’s house though, his coat off and tossed onto the couch as if he lived there, and Eggsy half-wondered as they settled onto it. 

“So. I’ll make a long story short, so you can get back to PJ, and we can get back to...other things,” Merlin said. “I did survive the mine, but barely. And I very nearly didn’t survive the jungle, because my tracker didn’t click on again to let Ginger Ale know I was still kicking until you all had already left.” 

“How the hell did you survive?” 

Merlin shrugged. “I shouldn’t have, Eggsy. Chalk that one up to dumb luck, perhaps. That, and Ginger Ale, or should I say now, Agent Whiskey’s fantastic medical research and work with prosthetics.” 

Eggsy gestured to Merlin’s legs. “I have to admit, I was curious.” 

“Amazingly built prosthetics, all thanks to Agent Whiskey. She assembled a team to get me out, get me to Kentucky, and get me healed and well again. And she would have told you and Harry both right away, but-” 

“It wasn’t assured he would survive,” Harry interrupted. “And so I asked them not to say anything to you at that time. I didn’t want you to lose him twice. I figured it, rather selfishly, I admit, that it would be enough for me to lose him twice.” 

“But you didn’t,” Merlin said softly, grabbing Harry’s hand. “I’m right here, not going anywhere.” 

Harry only nodded, but Eggsy could see his fingers tighten around Merlin’s. 

“With you still not knowing I was alive, and my continued survival not assured at that point, I was put into a sort of hiding. Kept in Kentucky, under Statesman medical care and guard. I remain under their guard now, to some degree, and not Kingsman guard because, well-” Merlin shrugged. “Kingsman is still rebuilding. We have Agent Tequila here, and Harry, and yourself as a reserve agent, but that isn’t much. And there’s concern that some of the guards I tried to take out with me are still out there, and might be looking for me.” 

“Didn’t they find them all? Or all the pieces of them, I guess,” Eggsy asked. 

“Enough...pieces to make up all the bodies except for two. We might have presumed they were just truly blown to smithereens, until certain messages started to arrive at various locations, specifically the rubble of the Kingsman HQ and your old home, Eggsy. Agent Whiskey was the one who suggested surveillance on those locations and a few others after I was recovered from the field, and thank goodness she did. We might never have seen them until it was too late, otherwise.” 

“Too late?” 

“Attacks,” Harry said. “On Statesman HQ, specifically trying to get to the medical ward. One got damned close too. No identifiable information on them, except that everything done to erase their identity was similar to what Poppy had done to her cronies. Erased fingerprints, filed down teeth, all that. But since we know Poppy is dead, that tells us nothing. And the henchman that we thought died when the land mine went off weren’t identifiable either, not even the pieces of the dead ones. So figuring out who the live ones are, if they are alive, and where they are...” 

“Damn near impossible, until another attack, which hasn’t happened because you’ve been kept under guard here. And that’s why no one was supposed to know you’re alive,” Eggsy finished. 

“And why this,” Harry sighed, picking up Merlin’s hand and kissing it, “is so very risky. If anything happened as a result of me, I swear-” 

“I know, and I’m willing to take the risk,” Merlin interrupted. “Anyone would for someone they love. Eggsy would for Tilde, essentially does being married while being an agent, right Eggsy?” 

Eggsy nodded. “Harry. You shouldn’t deny yourself this, happiness, just because of the risk. There’s always going to be something, you know? Life just isn’t that easy, that safe...especially for us. Tilde and I, we know the risk, and we both accept it to be together. If you and Merlin feel the same...why not go for it?” 

The look Harry was giving Merlin gave Eggsy his out. “And, that said, I think maybe my portion of the evening is complete, and the portion with you two is uh...yeah. I’m gonna head out, go back and let PJ have the bit of pizza I promised him, and then turn in for the night, and you two aren’t even paying attention to a word I’m saying right now.” 

They certainly didn’t seem to be, again concerned only with each other and kissing and the fussing about with Harry’s tie, which was plenty for Eggsy to see. 

“I mean good for ‘em, you know?” he told PJ as they snuggled on the couch, his suit hung back up in the guest room of Harry’s house, the pizza warmed up for a late night/early morning snack. “But...bit like watching your parents snog, you know? Like, they’re adults, consenting and all that and isn’t like that...urge disappears as you age, I just. It was time for me to not see anymore. You get it, right, PJ?” 

PJ whimpered, and snuggled in closer. He was laid out on Eggsy’s chest, and very nearly had his cold nose poking Eggsy’s chin as he moved closer and closer. 

“Aw. You just miss your dad, don’t you? Well, never fear, he’ll be home in the morning. Er, later morning, considering the time. Dads have to have their fun too, and in the meantime you’ve got me!” 

Eggsy flicked off the TV and closed his eyes, listening to PJ’s soft breathing as he finally fell asleep. 

And then his watch buzzed on his wrist. 

He carefully moved his arm, to not disturb PJ, and looked at the alert.

ALL KINGSMAN AND STATESMAN AGENTS, REPORT TO NEAREST HQ LOCATION IMMEDIATELY. AGENT COMPROMISATION HAS OCCURRED. 

[cooperjones2020]

Nobodies Nobody Knows, chp. 6

Summary: She is the lamp in Hero’s tower, the scissors in Delilah’s hand, the blood in Guinevere’s bed. She is a million and one metaphors and all of them are his undoing. (Some of the scenes from Second City but from Jughead’s perspective. More a character exercise than a story.)

A/N: Guys, it’s real intimidating to update on the same day as @lessoleilscouchants and @sylwrites, but, despite being not all the way happy with this chapter, I’m determined to turn this day around.

ao3–>http://archiveofourown.org/works/11434950/chapters/25623927

Nobodies Nobody Knows one / two / three / four / five (ao3)

Second City one / two / three / four / five / six / seven / eight / nine (ao3)

“Any idea why Mary left this on the sink in the bathroom?” He hands Betty a cellophane-wrapped gift basket and an envelope, her name in Mary’s handwriting across the front.

She takes the card out and her face slips into a gentle smile. “A thank you gift for looking after the house.”

The basket is filled with little toiletries, the kind you’d find in a fancy hotel. Betty opens a plastic bottle and squeezes out some lotion. “It smells like a person I used to be.”

He shuffles closer to her so he can smell her hands over the lingering aromas of garlic, tomato sauce, melted cheese. “It smells like Friday nights in the cab of FP’s truck, driving you home.”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah.” Then, the scent of the lotion hits him with a wave of memory so strong, for a moment he can taste one of Pop’s cheeseburgers. He can taste the menthol in the lip gloss she used to wear. He can taste—

“Maybe you could stay for a while. We could…watch a movie.”

He doesn’t realize he’s leaning toward her until she speaks and his head jerks back in surprise. “I’d like that.”

She gets so excited when she sees Before Sunrise is on TV that she immediately launches into a viva on why it’s amazing and why he needs to see it and why Julie Delpy is her forever girl crush. And so, he capitulates. He gives up on his campaign for Django Unchained, a modern classic that, unbelievably, Betty has never seen.

He has seen Before Sunrise. Has seen the whole trilogy, actually. He went through a Richard Linklater phase a few years ago, after he discovered Boyhood. But he also saw them in college. A girl he hooked up with had made him watch them, saying they were so romantic. His lack of reaction exasperated her. Now, he wants to give Betty exactly the reaction she is looking for. She assumes he hasn’t seen Before Sunrise, and so he doesn’t have the heart to disappoint her.

Nothing about this day has gone how Jughead expected. He’s normally a creature of routine. He likes the regular pattern of his days, the small undulations of activity. Now, as he sits on the opposite end of the couch from Betty Cooper, and as her bare feet sometimes brush his thigh, he’s thankful for unmet expectations. It’s the cherry on top of what has turned into a surprisingly happy day. He scoots down so he can rest his head against the back of the couch and stretches his legs so one is braced on the coffee table in front of them and the other is extended out toward Betty. If that brings her feet closer to his leg, so be it. It’s a comfortable position, damnit.

His familiarity with Linklater’s canon means his mind wanders in and out over the course of the movie.

When Jesse tells Celine, “You know what's the worst thing about somebody breaking up with you? It's when you remember how little you thought about the people you broke up with and you realize that is how little they're thinking of you,” he remembers Betty, so nervous and so brave, interrupting him in the basement this afternoon. He’d chosen Leonard Cohen to accompany his work, the low tones just enough to cover the sound of her feet pattering overhead. It did such a good job that he hadn’t noticed her until she was close enough to pitch his heart into a staccato rhythm that momentarily alarmed him.

“Hi, um, are you busy? I wanted to talk to you.” He didn’t think she noticed, but her hands fluttered in perpetual motion—around each other, against the thighs of her jeans, into the hem of her shirt.

“No, not really. What’s up?” He removed his safety glasses and tossed them behind him, leaning against the table and running a hand through his hair.

“I just wanted to apologize to you. About before. You don’t owe me an explanation. You had every right to break up with me. We were in high school. That’s what people in high school do.” Her apology startled him into speechlessness, a rare occurrence in his life. But he knew she was expecting him to respond.

“Thanks, I guess, though you don’t have to apologize. But for what it’s worth, I’m sorry too. I may have had a right to, but I definitely didn’t go about it in a very good way.” It’s not at all what he meant to say. But somehow, it’s what came out.

“Friends, then? I’d really like us to be friends.” Betty extended her hand. This time, he managed to shake it like a sane person.

“Friends. Definitely friends.”

“So…what are you doing?” Mercifully, she landed on a topic he could go on about for days. He showed her his progress and glowed like a lightning bug at her praise and her desire to help. Betty and power tools was not a combination his imagination needed. It was up there with Betty and mechanic tools, a fantasy he only let himself revisit at the lowest of times.

Now, the glory of the moment has passed and all he can do is berate himself for being a yellow-bellied coward. Some people may break up because ‘that’s what people in high school do,’ but they weren’t some people. And Betty knows it as well as he does. But the currency of any relationship is secrets, closely guarded, bartered, traded away.

Later, when Celine says, “If there's any kind of magic in this world, it must be in the attempt of understanding someone, sharing something. I know it's almost impossible to succeed, but who cares, really? The answer must be in the attempt,” he remembers Betty calling him out for playing with his hair and asking about the whereabouts of his old beanie. He hadn’t been able to help himself from spilling his guts then.

“It’s at home. I don’t wear it most of the time anymore. It’s basically my security blanket. For when I’m feeling off-kilter. I actually didn’t even have it in Chicago with me until recently. I saw it in my room in Riverdale and grabbed it more out of nostalgia than anything.” That wasn’t a thing he needed her to know. Oh well.

Sometimes, being around her is like peering through the looking-glass. She’s simultaneously a sixteen year old girl and the grown-up woman before him. It trips his tongue up. He knows her and he doesn’t. Once, he knew every freckle on her skin, every turn of expression. Every shade in her eyes. When she looks at him, he doesn’t know if he’s falling or floating. But he never wants to stop.

He knew he needed a reality check, so he said, “Can I ask about Hunter?”

“Oh, sure. There’s no big story. It just…wasn’t meant to be.”

His mouth was full of lasagna so he tried to gesture at her so she’d keep talking.

Betty leaned back in her chair and wrinkled her nose, drawing up one side of her upper lip.. “We met in college. For some reason, the editor of the paper wanted me to try my hand at the sports section. So I covered a lacrosse game where he got hit in the face.”

He’d known she was engaged, but had managed to avoid any information about the man in question. He sounded like Archie but with a trust fund. Jughead attempted to cover his reaction with humor.

“Stop it. Honestly, when I look back on it now — he definitely seems more like the kind of guy Veronica would go for, not me. Or Kevin. Kevin definitely had a crush on him for a while when we first started dating. But yeah. I loved him, I think. I just realized I didn’t love him enough to marry him.” It was a story he could have written for himself. No one was enough to fill the Betty-shaped hole in his amygdala.

“Any girls in your life?”

“No one worth mentioning. Not now, anyway.”

He glances over at Betty on the couch beside him. Her legs are curled up like a doodle bug’s. She’s somehow managed to wrap herself up in the throw blanket like a burrito and her head rests on her clasped hands, the pillow discarded near her waist. He remembers the words he’d used to describe her. She is the lamp in Hero’s tower, the scissors in Delilah’s hand, the blood in Guinevere’s bed. She is a million and one metaphors and all of them are his undoing.

Once, she was the cushion that let him be the most broken of his selves.

At some point in the past decade or so of his life, between JB moving home and starting high school, between finishing college and publishing his book, between losing Betty and regaining Archie, he made the decision to just take what he’d been given. Jughead had given up being a misanthrope for Betty Cooper once, he tells himself he isn’t willing to risk giving in to hope again.

When the movie ends, he turns off the TV. Betty rolls herself up to a sitting position, her hair disheveled and her eyes lidded.

“So what did you think? Did you like it? Do you think they come back in six months?” The wine has made her sleepy. Her lips slide off one another and Jughead can’t help himself from wondering, again, what they’d taste like – the oak of the wine or the tang he remembers as Betty. A tang he is no longer sure he hasn’t just made up. He shakes himself out of those thoughts.

“It was cute. My vote is he does, she doesn’t.”

“Interesting. Even though Celine is the more romantic of the two?”

“I wouldn’t say that.”

“Well, I guess you’ll just have to watch the sequel to find out.”

“Guess so. I like that it ends on the ambiguity, that the audience gets to decide. They simultaneously do and don’t. Like Schrödinger’s date.” He pauses and turns to face her, pulling one leg up onto the couch. “But also, doesn’t the fact that there is a sequel indicate that they do come back?”

“No spoilers.”

“Have it your way.” He reaches forward and swipes his phone off the coffee table. “I’ll just look it up on IMDB.”

“Forsythe Jones!”

“Elizabeth Cooper!” Betty leans toward him, so he lifts the phone above her head. It’s childish, but she’s close enough that he can again smell the lotion. Then she gets him right in the ribs, right in the spot he’s most ticklish. He’s surprised for a moment when she plays dirty, but he shouldn’t be.

He repeats himself, “Have it your way then, spoilsport.”

“I am not the one being a spoilsport here. You were literally going to look up spoilers.” She’s so emphatic he can almost hear the italics, so he just laughs in response.

He’ll take what he’s been given. Today, he’s been given friendship. So he makes some noises about having to get home because it’s late. He gathers up his helmet and other accoutrements. Betty follows him to the back door, still wrapped in the throw blanket from the couch. Just before he slips out the door, he pulls her into a hug, cupping the back of her head and pressing his face into her hair.

Scratch that, this is the cherry on top of this weird but wonderful day.

[awkward-stilinski]

Turbulence in Chicago

okay so im gonna put everything i can remember from the show in here because omg so much happened

since jb’s birthday was a few weeks ago, we started the show by singing him happy birthday

bambam dabbing for a minute straight (used both arms and his leg at one point?? he was rubbing his neck afterwards from dabbing too hard lmao)

jackson getting jb to say “netflix and chill”

if they weren't idols, yugyeom would be a dancer (HIT THE STAGE), bambam would be a youtuber (”SUBSCRIBE”), youngjae would be studying to be a music therapist :’), jb would be going to college and hanging out with his friends more (??? then jackson brought up netflix and chill and made it dirty but it sounded like jb had no idea what netflix and chill was and the translator was shook), mark would be in college (bambam said he would work at in-n-out jffgksdfjk), jinyoung would be an ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER (jackson got on his knees in front of him and jinyoung patted his head omg), and jackson would be an athlete because “i have the thighs for it” (HE SAID THAT)

jinyoung’s first question (he pulled two and convinced danny lim to let him do both) was for jb and asked “why are you so handsome”

jb said that he didnt know

so jackson shouts “YOU’RE GORGEOUS HONEY.... I LOVE YOUR NOSE” (me too tbh)

jackson said that his craziest concert experience was when they were doing hard carry at an award show and it was cold af, so when he was turning, his snot was flying out of his nose!! he said it almost hit youngjae but it missed him

if yugyeom was an animal, he’d be a golden retriever (jackson played fetch with him on stage??? and he started barking???)

mark’s ideal type is cute and shorter than him (so daniel lim basically)

bambam said that they’re the only group who ships themselves and then jackson starting yeling markbam and jackjae, bambam went over to gyeom and was basically like “ok but yugbam tho”

youngjae really loves chicago style pizza it was so cute when he talked about it

apparently the bed sheets in their hotel were super soft because they all started talking about it 

they get so competitive omfg their rock paper scissors match plus yelling their names in the mic so danny would pick them to say the answer

punishment #1 was doing 5 squats while flapping their arms like ahgase (youngjae did so many squats i was #blessed and jb started to bboy when he did his squats)

punishment #2 was doing that one aegyo song (i cannot remember whats its actually called but you all know what im talking about)

yugyeom won both games (with just the guys + the one with the fans)

when bambam’s partner was walking to the backstage thing, bambam was like “hurry up ive been waiting for u all my life”

jackson also said something similar but i dont remember

they were lowkey rushing because none of the girls introduced themselves???

so danny was like “whats your team name” and bambam was like “it’s lit” and then he turns to his partner and goes “wait whats your name?”

jackson shouted into his mic “YOUVE BEEN WAITING FOR HER YOUR WHOLE LIFE AND YOU DONT KNOW HER NAME???”

THE GIRL SITTING DIRECTLY NEXT TO US GOT PICKED TO BE MARK’S PARTNER AND I WAS SHOOK

youngjae’s vocals slayed as always and again i was Shook like fr stop sleeping on his talent he is an incredible singer (he started singing boomx3 a capella and it was AMAZING)

EAAAAASSSYYYYYY and SO AMAZING 

for ending speeches, jackson said he always asks himself if he’s happy with what he’s doing and went “the answer is always yes” and then he talked about wanting igot7s to be respected and that he doesnt want other group’s fans to look down on us

jinyoung KILLED ME WITH HIS ENGLISH HE’S WORKING SO HARD IM SO HAPPY FOR HIM. anyway, he said that we should stay healthy and he was like “we know it was really cold outside” (it was cold af i couldnt feel my hands for like 20 minutes when we were in line) and talked about how he’s happy to get love from american fans

mark talked about how chicago is the only town they’ve come to for 3 years in a row (see: my longest yea boi ever) and he also said that we should stay warm in the chicago weather (i zoned out during his speech bc i was looking at youngjae im sorry)

jb said that he’s grateful for all the fans’ love and appreciation for the past three years (again i was too captivated by youngjae to remember more)

youngjae said he really appreciated the passion that the chicago fans had and actually stopped for a minute because he couldnt think of what to say sdkjfdsh my baby

bambam said that chicago has this energy that got7 is drawn to and that he vibes off of the fans’ passion so he’s happy that we give them so much love

also bambam said that we aren’t allowed to look at other boys because igot7s are only for got7,,,,,,,, im not crying you are

instead of talking, yugyeom showed us his feelings by doing a sexy dance to prove it,,,,,,,, i watched kim yugyeom hump the floor and it was incredible

in the encore, jb kept throwing sweat towels into the crowd and being extra af about it

youngjae was standing on the pit barrier and it looked like he almost got pulled down into the fans but he got out of it before it could happen

they were all taking phones from fans to film videos and it was super cute

barely an hour after the show ended, they were on vlive from backstage at the theater

in conclusion, this was an incredible night and i’d give anything to live it again fgjfgdkgjfd

[mujerbella]

Weekend getaway in Langkawi

Last 3 weekends trip to langkawi was awesome! I was there with Amanda, Cherie, Diane and Gwen to celebrate Diane’s birthday. Few days before the trip, I realised that Diane and Abood share the same birthday! oh how I miss him!

It was my first time in Langkawi, *jaw dropped, I know*. We left school after International day, Thanks to Tim for his kindness though! Flight to kuala Lumpur at 3.40 p.m. I couldn’t remember what time we reached KLIA but fortunately we didn’t miss our next flight to Langkawi.

We reached Langkawi at 7.40 p.m. and Diane picked us from the airport and headed to Berjaya Resort Langkawi, our home for the weekend. It was 15 minutes away from the aiport but in a jungle! 

My real girly girl ass started to hate the place already. It was dark, We had to walk up the hill, a steep hill to get to our room. Thank god, my luggage wasn’t heavy. 

Later that night, we had dinner at Phan-Thai Restaurant which located in the hotel compound. It’s a stilt restaurant over the water, love the ambiance and of course the food too. we ordered a few dishes they’re all good but they came in small portion. I felt kinda bummed because they were kinda expensive! Too bad I don’t have a better photo of us at the restaurant.

I was so tired, but I couldn’t sleep that night and I was tossing and turning until 6 a.m.. Cherie and I decided to go for a morning walk. It was a looooong walk, it took us about 1 hour 30 minutes from our hotel room to the restaurant we went to the previous night which was located at the furthest part of the hotel and back. To be honest, I got sick after the long walk but I enjoyed watching the beauty of the nature. Plus, I saw a few Hornbills and yup I was soooo jakun!

After the long, tiring walk, we met Diane at the beach then headed to Dayang cafe for our breakfast. This was my favourite of all because it’s FOOD and it’s buffet and I could eat whatever I want! There were pastries, salad, western, Malaysian and Indian cuisines.Heaven! but since I was sick I couldn’t & didn’t eat much! The food was soooo good! I love their potato kurma and coconut danish the most. filled with spices and flavorful and I’m currently drooling whilst writing!

We didn’t do much on that day, we spent most of our time at the hotel, relaxing by the beach and pool. and I enjoyed it even though I knew there were so many places to be discovered in Langkawi. Anyhow, me and cherie decided to go to Langkawi Sky Bridge which was located 500 metres away from our hotel. 

Went up to Sky Bridge was totally my idea. I went to OCBC skyway in Singapore and it was fine and I could walk without holding my friend’s hand. Langkawi Sky Bridge was a total different experience! There were soooo many things running in my head as walked on the Sky bridge and when I was sitting in the gondola. It was an experience that scared me to death! 

We took 2 Gondola rides to go to the top. First from the base station to the middle station. We got off the gondola at the middle station & enjoyed the view at the platform. It was crazy crowded but we managed to take some photos. Then, we took our second steep gondola ride to the top station. It was foggy but we could see the view from the top station. It was cool, breezy and we were walking in the cool mist! 

From the top station to the sky bridge we had to walk trough undergrowth and walked up and down high, steep stairs. This was the crazy part which made me regret making the decision I made. I was gasping for air as my unfit body was screaming for help and asking me to stop! I managed to get to the Sky Bridge though, I glad I didn’t give up! It was waaayyy more foggy up there to compare to middle station platform but the spectacular view can be seen and I felt satisfied and happy! the view was beautiful, you can see few islands, hotels. EVERYTHING! 

We walked across the sky bridge and Cherie doesn’t feel scared at all. she acted as it was nothing, as if she was walking on the ground, while I was petrified, walking and trying to hold the railing and praying that I wouldn’t fall off the bridge! Guess what I did next? I stopped walking! My fear has taken over my mind and Cherie had no choice but to hold my hand! Funny? I know, I couldn’t deny it either! But I am proud of myself. I’m super scared of height but I made it up there! We took some photos there too and while we were enjoying the view, two guys approached and asked to take photo with me! I felt like a celebrity but I said no. 

Later that night we went to Casa Del Mar Hotel at Pantai Chenang. Amanda made a reservation for Diane’s birthday dinner. It was a very beautiful 4 stars hotel but the price is way too expensive than our resort! well, I bet it’s because of the location. It was immensely happening while our resort is more private. We had dinner at La Sal Restaurant at the hotel. I love the ambiance especially the sunset and we can watch fire eater show from the nearby bar. I had chicken with blue cheese. It was stupendously scrumptious!! To make it short, I would love to come back, especially with the love of my life, someday. 

Anyway, we did not only celebrate Diane’s birthday but at the same time we were celebrating Ines, Our new friend’s life celebration! I will write about her next time. We had a great night. After dinner we went for a walk and shopped at the retail stores along Pantai Chenang. It reminds me of Batu Ferringhi, but in my opinion I like Batu Ferrighi better, the pasar malam, the crowd and of course the cheaper price! I had shawarma for supper, I’ve been craving for it forever and I couldn’t find a good one in JB. It could say it was a great ending to my amazing night!  

On the second day and also the day were leaving, I woke up at 7.30, Cherie has gone for morning walk. I got up, packed my bag and got ready to hit the pool then to breakfast. While waiting for cherie to come back, I sit on the balcony enjoying the morning air for few minutes. As I entered the room and locked the sliding door, I had a surprise visitors, it’s the monkeys! Not one, but 5! I swear I was so lucky I got into the room before they came or they would acted crazy and would have invaded my room! I have a video of them playing on my balcony but unfortunately I couldn’t get the url, sigh!

I was the first one and alone at the pool. Diane and Cherie decided to go to the beach. I prefer pool better than beach, I have no idea why. The weather was good that morning. I really enjoy my one hour morning swim where nobody watched me.

Amanda and Gwen joined us later for breakfast. We saw Ines at the Cafe and ate together. It was a great breakfast for sure. I am always excited when it’s about food and I got more exited when I saw nicoise salad, alas it wasn’t that good, it had too much vinegar. I had a better one at school’s cafeteria! It was such a bummer. But hey, I should be grateful, everything else was good. 

I couldn’t accept the fact that were leaving on the same day though.So after breakfast I relaxed & lazying around at the pool for few minutes before I went back to my room to get ready to leave.

We  gatherd at the hotel lobby and had some drinks before we left the hotel. It was a welcome drink but we had in before we left, lol! we headed to Pantai Chenang again for some shopping and of course chocolate shopping too!! like seriously, if you go to Langkawi without buying chocolate you’re dumb! They were cheap! I got kinda crazy as I entered the chocolate store. I wanted Lidnt dark chocolate but they didn’t have it in stock anymore! I ended up buying chocolates that I can find in JB because I was lost and didn’t know what I wanted to buy but the price was different and cheap for sure.

After all the shopping, my head was spinning from the heat, Diane drove us to the airport. Returned our rental car and it was time for us to go home. My bag’s weight exceeded 8kg because of all my chocolate and that’s why I hate Air Asia. Luckily Cherie’s bag wasn’t heavy! So I put some of my chocolate and iPad in  her bag and the workers didn’t weight our bag again *thanks for being dumb* and all was good and we’re ready to go home. 

I can’t deny my heart sunk as I get into the airplane and trying to accept the fact that we’re leaving. It was a great weekend get away with the ladies. I was sad before the trip and but I came back happier than ever. Now I can’t wait for another one!

Here’s a little monkey eating an apple it stole from cherie’s bag to cheer up your day!