#I had a whole text planned and then forgot what I wanted to write lol anyway

[hoodharlow]

In Tune With You

AN: idk, I was rereading Jack and Miriam and got in the mood to write some 2021!Jack and Miriam hanging out in Louisville

Requested? Kinda, I sent @nattinatalia and @heavyhitterheaux some tiktoks and one of them had Jack and Miriam vibes lol

Warnings: Jack being a terrible flirt and sm*t

Word Count: 4.7k words

“Mom, you’re joking.” Jack laughed.

“Am I laughing?” Maggie said sternly. 

“No.” he mumbled. 

“Then obviously, I’m not joking. Miriam is a guest, and you will be respectful of that and sleep in your own bed.” 

Miriam and Daisy were flying in from Atlanta and staying over for the Fourth of July weekend with Jack and his family. Jack invited her over since she wasn't visiting her family; Joseph was in Sydney filming, Miriam’s parents and grandparents were in Mexico for vacation and Katalina was in Europe for Men's Fashion Month. She didn't agree at first because she didn't want to take up space but Jack reassured her that it was okay for her to visit. He even facetimed Maggie to get her stamp of approval. So she agreed since she essentially had a week off from filming and didn't want to spend those few days alone in her brother's house.

Jack flew in from Vegas the night before and spent the whole morning helping his mom deep clean their house. He prepared his room for her, but his mom had other plans and fixed up the guest room, much to his dismay. He also bought some of her favorite foods and ordered Daisy's expensive dog food. 

"Wasn't Miriam landing at eleven?" Clay asked. 

"Yeah why?" Jack said. 

"It's 11:07." His brother nodded at the digital clock on the stove.

"Fuck!"

Jack grabbed his keys and ran out of the house. He pulled out his house and saw a few messages from Miriam, letting him know she landed. He called her and propped up his phone so he could talk to her through the speaker. 

"Hey." She answered after three rings.

"I'm so sorry. I was helping my mom set up your room and lost track of time. I'm ten minutes away." He said, changing lanes to get on the freeway. 

"It's okay, I'm in one of the gift shops looking for some bowls for Daisy. I forgot to pack her bowls." She said. 

"I'll call you again when I'm pulling up." He said. 

"Okay, bye." 

"Bye." 

He hung up and sighed. Thankfully there wasn't that much traffic and he was able to arrive at the airport at the time he told her. He pulled up his hoodie and put on his Prada sunglasses. He got out and called her. He spotted her by one of the bushes outside near the loading lane. Daisy was the first to notice him. She tugged Miriam, almost knocking her down. 

"Oh my god, Daisy, chill." Miriam mumbled. 

Jack bent down and hugged Daisy. He scratched behind her ears how she liked then stood up. He pulled in Miriam for a hug. They stared at each other for a few seconds, but then pulled away. Jack looked behind her and only saw two small carry-ons and Daisy's crate on the baggage cart. She had on her backpack and her bag. 

"That's all you have?" He asked, taking the cart so she wouldn't have to.

"Yeah, I mostly packed shorts and my undergarments. I planned on stealing some of your clothes too." Miriam shrugged, texting her parents to let them know she landed.  

"What are you taking to the lakehouse?" He carefully placed her things in the trunk. He went to return the cart in one of the return sections. 

"What do you mean?" She crossed her arms. 

"Every year me and a few of my close friends rent out a lake house and spend the Fourth of July there." He said, holding the door open for her. 

"And you're telling me this now?" Miriam frowned.

"I figured you'd over pack like you always do." 

"I pack accordingly and when I 'overpack' it's so I have options for events and places I have to be at." She clarified. "You told me we were chilling at your parents' house and that's what I packed for. Not once did you mention the lake house or that we're staying with your friends." 

"Let's go home and figure something out there." Jack mumbled. 

Miriam suddenly felt overwhelmed. She didn't mind the lakehouse or that she was meeting Jack's friends. What annoyed her was that he never mentioned that those were their plans. She hated feeling unprepared for things. 

They arrived at Jack's house. Miriam collected herself and plastered on a smile. Clay opened the door for her and hugged her, before helping Jack with her luggage. She went to great Jack's parents with Daisy. Their family dog came out and tentatively sniffed Daisy. The two dogs instantly became friends and chased each other in the front yard. 

"Lunch is ready if you're hungry." Maggie told Miriam. 

"Is it okay if I freshen up first?" She asked her. 

"Of course, let me show you your room." 

Miriam and Daisy followed her upstairs to a room next to a bathroom. 

"Here's your room. The bathroom is the room over. Jack's room is across the hall and Clay's is next to his. Mine and Brian's room is downstairs. If you need anything don't hesitate and let me know. Okay?"

"Everything's good. Thank you." Miriam smiled. 

"I'll leave you to it then." Maggie excused herself. 

Miriam was about to close the door when Jack appeared in the doorway with her luggage. 

"Can I come in?" He asked her.

"Yeah." She nodded. 

He placed her carry-ons on the foot of the bed and sat on the edge of the bed. He wiped sweat off his hands. "I'm sorry for not telling you about the group hangout. It's a tradition with the gang and I wanted to include you because you mean a lot to me. You have every right to be upset with me and–"

"I'm not upset with you…well I was, but not anymore." Miriam cut him off. "I was mostly upset because I packed ugly clothes. Like I'm gonna look like Adam Sandler and Gustavo from Big Time Rush had a love child." 

"That I can fix. I have a friend who works at a clothing store. If you want we can stop by after lunch." He said. 

"I was gonna ask if there was Target but that works too. Thank you." She hugged his head. Since Jack was sitting, he hugged her thighs. 

"It's the least I can do…I am sorry." He rested his head on her tummy. 

"You should be. I, Miriam Dominguez-Miller, can't be out here looking like shit."

*

Miriam wasn't joking when she said she was going to look like Gustavo and Adam Sandler. After lunch she showered and changed into a cropped white beater  and oversized green shorts . Thankfully they were enroute to the shop Jack's friend worked at. 

Jack pulled to a parking spot and jogged over to Miriam's side to open her door. 

They walked toward the store. Miriam was amazed at how people didn't give Jack a second glance. In LA and Atlanta someone always did a double take when he walked by them. Some had the decency to keep going about their day but others stopped and asked for pictures. She knew one of his pet peeves was people shoving their cameras in his face, so seeing him be normal was nice for a change. 

Just as Jack stepped in front of her to open the door, a girl with braids locked the door and flipped the sign from open to closed. 

"Diana, open the door." He tugged at the door handle. "I'm going to leave a bad yelp review and your mom is gonna get pissed."

"You're not fun." She said, unlocking the door. She smiled brightly at Miriam. "Hi, you must be the infamous Miriam. You know he never stops talking about you."

Miriam turned to Jack and gently nudged him with her shoulder. "You talk about me?"

Jack felt his cheeks warm up. He scratched the back of his neck and laughed it off. “We should hurry because my mom asked me to pick up dinner later.”

“Don’t rush me. It takes me a long time to look this good.” Miriam sassed him. 

“If you say so, Adam Sandler.” 

It took her a second to remember she looked like shit, but before she could  react Jack was already on the other end of the store sitting on a bench with his friend. She went to one of the racks and began looking through the clothes. Before she knew it three hours had gone by and went through the store. She was only going to get a few swimsuits and some tops, but then she started making outfits in her head with every other item she saw. Her number one rule in shopping was if she could make three outfits for three distinct events then she would buy it. Jack met up with her while she waited in line to pay. 

‘Bidi Bidi Bom Bom’ by Selena Quintanilla began to play through the speakers. Instantly Miriam bega singing to herself, but a few other people around heard her. When the song ended a few people clapped, making her feel shy. 

“Did you know you could sing like her?” Jack asked her. 

“I’ve been told I can imitate her, but I won’t say it myself because I don’t want her die hard fans to come for my ass.” she said. When she did the Elle Song Association video, a few viewers pointed it out but others were quick to shut it down.

“If they make a biopic of her you should audition,” he commented. 

“They already made one.” She said, 

“They did? When?” he asked incredulously.

“Are you kidding? JLo plays Selena. It’s what put her on the map.” 

“Wow, I feel out of the loop.” 

“We can watch it later. It’s on HBOMAX, but prepare to cry.” 

“I don’t cry in movies, Miriam.” 

*

Jack sat up abruptly, pointing at the tv. “She didn’t catch the rose.” A few seconds later the news reporter in the movie said that Selena was shot. “She was shot!?”

“Jack be quiet.” Maggie sniffled. 

The whole house was quiet as the movie continued. Maggie, Clay, and Miriam were full on sobbing by the end. 

"The ending always gets me." Maggie said, wiping her tears. "She was gone too soon." 

"She was." Miriam agreed. She looked over to Jack, noticing him wipe his tears. "Are you crying?"

"Psh, no." He said, clearing his throat. "I ate some of your spicy twisty chips and the spice got to me." 

"I haven't opened the bag." She said, shaking the bag to show it wasn't opened. 

"I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried." Clay said, kissing ass. 

"We're going to bed." Brian announced. 

"Don't stay up too late. If you want to avoid traffic tomorrow, y'all are gonna have to leave early." Maggie said. 

"Goodnight." Miriam bid them. 

"Night darlin'." Jack's mom said. 

"I think I'm going to bed too." Clay yawned. 

"Goodnight Clay." Miriam said. 

"If they're going to bed, maybe we should watch Spider-Man in my room?" Jack suggested.

"Wait, which one are y'all watching?" His younger brother asked, ignoring Jack's gestures to get out of room.

"The animated one with Miles Morales." Miriam answered. 

"Can I join you? I haven't seen it in ages." Clay said, wedging himself in between Jack and Miriam, earning a glare from his older brother.

"Yeah, but I'm gonna take Daisy out real quick, don't start it without me." She said before whistling to Daisy to follow her out to the back yard. 

Jack smacked Clay. 

"What the fuck, dude." Clay shoved him back. 

"Go to bed!" He whisper-yelled. 

"No! I want to watch Spider-Man." He whispered back.

"I was this close to having Miriam join me in my room." 

"Oh I'm telling my mom you were gonna undermine her." Clay got up.

"How much for you to keep your mouth shut and go to bed?" Jack asked, pulling up venmo. 

"Let me watch Spider-Man."

"Yeah, no." 

"MO-" 

Jack clapped his hand over Clay's mouth. "Fine but you're sitting over there." 

Clay rolled his eyes and sat on the other couch. Miriam and Daisy came back inside but they went upstairs. Minutes later Miriam came back alone dressed in a cropped white beater and silk pajama pants. 

"Sorry, Daisy is very particular about her sleep." She said, cuddling up on Jack. 

"Don't worry about it." He said, rubbing her arm. 

The movie played. Within the first ten minutes Clay curled up on the couch and fell asleep. His light snores filled the living room. Jack glared at him. He knew Clay wasn't going to make it through the movie and that he cockblocked him on purpose. 

"Should we wake him and send him to his room?" Miriam said. 

"That's what he gets for wanting to stay up later than he's used to." He said. 

Jack and Miriam were at the part where Gwen had to get her head shaved because Miles got his hand stuck on it when Jack shifted in his seat and placed his arm over Miriam's shoulder. His hand dangerously close to her breast. A few seconds passed and Jack moved his arm to the back of the couch, much to Miriam's dismay. 

"I'm gonna get some water." She said, getting up. 

She tripped over her slippers but Jack caught her by the hips before she fell over. She held onto his shoulders. Without thinking twice he pulled her to his lap. He grabbed the back of her neck, bringing her into a kiss. Miriam deepened the kiss and grabbed his free hand, slipping it under her top. Jack squeezed her breast, tugging her nipples how she liked. He groaned in her mouth as she slowly rocked her hips against the tent in his shorts. 

Clay snorted in sleep, startling awake. Jack and Miriam pulled away from each other. "What did I miss?" He asked groggily.

"Not much, uh, I'm gonna go to bed." Miriam said, evidently flustered. She pushed her hair back and gave Jack a small smile. 

Jack gave the same smile back. He didn't tear his eyes from her ass jiggle as she jogged upstairs. A throw pillow hit him in the face. He was ready to fight his younger brother. 

Clay simply shook his head and reminded him that, "Mom said keep it in your pants."

***

Jack was going to murder whoever brought the karaoke machine. Nobody wanted to use it the first days the group was there, but something shifted and they all wanted to perform. Everyone took a turn. Miriam was the last to go, but she was three songs in. And it didn't help that the girls were encouraging her and asking for encores. Though that comforted Jack because his girl friends were very closed off and didn't make any additions to their group. To see them welcome Miriam with open arms meant a lot to him. 

"Miriam put the karaoke mic down." Jack said through his teeth, getting on the makeshift stage, which was just the small platform in front of the fireplace, to get Miriam down. 

Obviously she didn't listen. She continued her rendition of Glamorous by the iconic Fergie. "So if you ain't got no money, take yo' broke ass home. G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S, yeah, G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S. We're flying first class up–" 

Miriam didn't calculate how much room she needed and slipped. Luckily Jack had been hovering and caught her. He couldn't risk her getting more injuries. The first day she slipped on the dock and bruised her knee. 

"Mic." He said, holding his hand out. Miriam rolled her eyes and passed it to him. He set it down on the binder with the catalog of songs. 

"Boo!" Aleena yelled, throwing popcorn at Jack.

Mallory, Diana, and Priscilla followed suit and threw popcorn at him. They chanted Miriam's name, but Jack just glared at them to stop. 

"I'm tired." Miriam mumbled, nuzzling her head in his chest.

"I bet you are. Did you even have breakfast?" He asked. 

Miriam woke up late and didn't eat with the group but she swore she was going to eat something. Though now that Jack thought about it, she didn't pinky promise him. She just nodded and double fisted two mimosas.

"I had some of the mimosas Mallory and Priscilla made." She said resting her chin on his chest to look up at him.

"So the only thing in your stomach is champagne and three drops of juice.” he sighed. It was well past noon and she should eat something. 

"No silly, I also had some palomas." she giggled. 

Jack rolled his eyes at her comment. He steered her to the kitchen and sat her on one of the chairs. He didn’t trust her sitting high up on a stool. He grabbed a bag of the frozen yakisoba and popped it in the microwave. After three minutes, the noodles were ready. He poured the contents on a bowl and cut a lime in half. He placed the food in front of Miriam and sat next to her. 

Miriam wiggled her fingers toward the bottle of sriracha that was out of her reach. Jack handed it to her and squeezed the generous amount onto her noodles. She began eating, quietly singing ‘Heavy Hitter’ to herself. Once she was done eating, Jack washed her dishes and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. 

They finally made their way upstairs to their room. Miriam went into the bathroom and brushed her teeth. She untied her Doc Martens and settled in the large bed. She huffed. The room was really hot and she could only sleep if the room was as cold as Antarctica. Luckily there was a ceiling fan. She tried to stand up, but she lost her balance. Fortunately for her, Jack was there and caught her. 

"Bro, what the hell are you doing?" He said, setting her down on the bed. 

"I'm hot." She whined. 

Whenever Miriam has a few drinks in her system. She either got whiny and cried when things didn't go her way. Or she'd get horny and want to dry hump Jack. The latter usually ended with her getting whiny and crying because didn't get her way. Jack didn't want to deal with either version of her so he catered to her every need. 

"That's easy to fix." He reached for the pull switch on the ceiling fan and pulled it twice. "Is that good?"

Miriam nodded. She grabbed the blanket bought at Target the other day and covered herself. Jack set a timer on her phone and put it to charge. He was about to exit the room when Miriam sat up. 

"Wait, where are you going?" She asked. 

"I'm gonna leave you to rest." He said. 

"Can you stay with me? But really stay, not stay until I fall asleep." She pleaded quietly. 

"Fine." He gave in. 

He kicked off his shoes and got under the blanket with her. Miriam wedged leg in between Jack's legs and hugged his stomach. She rested her head on his chest. Jack began to play with her hair until they dozed off. Not even five minutes Miriam woke up annoyed. 

"Miriam, I fucking swear if you're sneaking out…" Jack grumbled. 

She didn't answer. She sat up and undid her bikini top. It was digging into her sides and annoying her. The whole time they'd been at the lake house Miriam only wore bikini tops, except when she went to bed, she wore one of Jack's t-shirts. While she was at it, she took off the denim short shorts she wore, only staying in her bikini bottoms. She settled back in the same position she was in. 

Jack rubbed her back, but pulled himself away when he felt her bare skin against his fingertips. 

"Bro why are you naked?" He asked in a panicked tone.

"I'm not naked, I still have my bottoms." Miriam clarified. 

"Let me get you a shirt." Jack said.

"No, I wanna sleep like this." She pouted. "Come back to sleep."

"I'm not sleeping with you when you're topless." He argued.

"It's not like you haven't seen my chichis before."

"That's besides the point. Miriam, you're drunk."

She teared up. "Why won't you sleep with me? I just wanna sleep." 

"Will you put on a shirt?" He asked her in a stern tone.

"Yeah." She sniffled, wiping her tears. 

Jack grabbed one of his shirts and tossed it to her. She put it on and moved so Jack could settle back where he was. Miriam laid back on him. She reached for his hand and intertwined it with hers before finally dozing off. 

Later in the evening Jack and Miriam rejoined the group in their dock. They had several chairs and blankets set up so they could watch the fireworks. They brought out a few coolers filled with drinks and snacks. They also had some of the leftover pizza from dinner. It was now nighttime. 

Miriam pulled out her phone to check the time. She bought some medicine for Daisy to take so the fireworks wouldn’t scare her. But she had to time it so the pill could take effect when the fireworks went off. She saw the time and it was the window she had to give Daisy the medicine. She got up from the blankets and dusted herself off. Daisy was in one of the lawn chairs cuddled up with Jack. 

“Hey I have to take her so she can take her m-e-d-i-c-i-n-e.” she told Jack.

“I’ll go with you.” he said, getting up effortlessly with Daisy still in his arms. 

Miriam grabbed a slice of pizza from the table and followed Jack back to the house. She rushed to their room and grabbed Daisy’s medicine. She also bought her a snood to cover Daisy’s ears for extra precaution. She reached the kitchen and took out a pill while Jack distracted Daisy with her rope toy. Miriam tucked the pill in the pizza crust. She tossed it to Daisy who caught it without thinking. Before she realized that ingested medicine, Miriam tossed her a few pieces of pizza. 

“Did you give her the medicine?” Jack asked.

“Yeah, I’m going to stay for a bit and make sure it does take effect.” she said, rubbing Daisy’s belly.

“I’ll stay with y’all.” 

“No, go back with your friends. We’ll be fine.” she reassured him. 

“I’ll stay that way so you won’t walk over alone.” 

“Bro–”

“I’m staying and that’s final.” 

Miriam rolled her eyes and picked up Daisy, but Jack took her from her arms and carried her upstairs with her trailing behind them. Jack set Daisy down on her bed. She reached for her octopus stuffed animal that Jack gave her after their first meeting and cuddled with it. 

Jack didn’t plan for it to get too cold in the evening. He wore a button up short sleeve with matching shorts. He decided to change into a tracksuit. But he was struggling with the buttons on his shirt. 

“What are you doing?” Miriam asked, getting up from the floor. 

“These fucking buttons.” he mumbled, sitting on the edge of the bed.  

“Aver.” she stood in between his legs. 

She unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it off his shoulders. Letting her body take the reins, she straddled Jack’s lap. She cupped his face and pulled him in for a deep kiss. One of Jack’s hands held onto the back of her head whilst the other wrapped around her waist. 

“We can’t have sex.” was the first thing that came out of Jack’s mouth.

“Oh.” Miriam got out of his lap embarrassed. “I’m so sorry. I assumed and–”

“I meant here. We can’t have sex here.” he explained. “I don’t want our first time to be quickie before we head out to see the fireworks with your dog snoring next to us.” 

“But can we still get frisky? Because I swear if you don’t play with my nipples or my pu–”

“You’re so demanding you know that?” He cut her off, helping Miriam out of her dress, leaving her in her green plaid bikini, and dropped to his knees. 

“Wait, can you take a picture of me?” she asked. “I forgot to get a picture of me in this one.” 

“Fine,” he said enthusiastically. 

Miriam grabbed her phone from the night stand and handed it to him. She leaned against the small vanity. Jack took a few pictures of her then handed her her phone back. She looked through them. They weren’t the best quality, but she still appreciated the effort. 

“Okay, I’m ready,” she said, jumping onto the bed. 

Jack didn’t waste any time. He was on her like his life depended on her. Without pulling away from their kiss, he undid the straps of her bikini, tossing it on the ground. He pulled away from her lips and kissed down to her chest. He tweaked one of her nipples while he nipped and sucked her other breast. Satisfied with the love bites on her chest, he captured her lips once more. 

After another heated make out session, Jack finally kissed his way down to Miriam’s thighs. He laid on his, pressing one of her legs down to keep her in place. He rubbed her clit, making her a whimpering mess. 

“Jack, I fucking–fuck!” she moaned out as Jack dove in between her thighs. 

He wiggled his tongue at her entrance. He moaned out at her taste as continued to eat her out. Minutes passed when he finally slid his middle and ring finger in her. She gasped at his touch. Her hands tangled in his hair pulling it for relief.

“Fuck!” She moaned out. He sped up his fingers then he slipped them out of her and rubbed her clit, quickly bringing her to her climax. She repeated his name over and over as she came. 

After Jack cleaned up her release, he kissed up her stomach and gave her a peck on the lips before laying next to her. Miriam rolled to her side and lazily made out with Jack. While still making out with him, she undid his shorts and slipped her hand inside his boxers. She pulled out his cock. She slipped her hands in between her thighs and rubbed her hand on some of her arousal to use as some sort of lube while she jacked Jack off. 

He was putty in her hand. Whining and grunting her mouth while she slowly continued to stroke his length. She ran her thumb over his tip then squeezed it as some of his pre-cum leaked onto her hand. 

“Want me to finish you off in my mouth?” Miriam asked softly.

“Yes, please.” Jack groaned. 

“Miralo, todo polite and shit.” she giggled as she situated herself in between his legs.

She spit on his length and slowly jerked him off with both hands. Then Miriam slipped him as far as she could take him. He let out an incoherent sound until she reached the back of her throat. She did it a few more times, egging him on. She pulled away, with a trail of saliva spilling from the corner of her mouth, and kissed down his length. Jack reached for one of her hands and placed on his knee, lovingly squeezing her hand. Miriam slowly bobbed her head up and down his length, getting her mouth used to him. She took him a little deeper each time. 

One of his hands gripped the back of her head, keeping her in place as he thrusted into her mouth. Miriam let out soft moans. Her hands gripped his legs, nails digging into his thighs. She continued to stroke him as he came, taking all of his release.

Jack sat up and brushed her curls away from her face. He pulled her in for a kiss as a firework went off, startling them both. 

“That’s our cue to go back.” Jack sighed.

“Or we can stay…” Miriam smiled innocently.

“Bro, I’m not fucking you.” he said, kissing her temple. 

“You’re no fun.” she pouted. 

“I promise you. It’ll be worth it. When I finally have you all to myself, I’m gonna take my time with you and make you mine.” 

Miriam frowned. “Jack, you can’t tell me that and expect me not to get horny.” 

•••

Jack via Instagram Stories on July 4th

@'mdm: indie day weekend

@'jackharlow: you're welcome for the last picture

-> @'mdm: it's blurry but tyyyy amiguchis 😌

-> @'jharlowfan: not amiguchis, he's hella friendzoned 😭

@'zendaya: 💚💚💚

@'cozane: 🎆

@'yungskylar: fucking G

@'die_ana: gorjussss

@'aleeeena: 💍

@'jackfan: why are Jack Harlow's friends commenting on her post 🧐

-> @'mdmxjh: she met them? maybe I'm reaching but the fireworks picture looks like one Jack posted on his ig story on the 4th of July and she posted that drink that's known in Kentucky? Maybe she was there too?

->@'mutual: well he commented that he took the last picture 😳

->@'mackshipper: the dress in the 4th slide looks like the one from a video one of Jack's friends posted from the lakehouse

->@'jackfan: what video?

->@'jhupdates: out of respect of Jack's friends and their privacy, I won't post it, but there's a video from a few days ago and Jack is hugging a girl wearing a dress like the one Miriam posted

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Taglist: @cherryxcreme @heavyhitterheaux ​ @carma-fanficaddict ​ @youngharleezy @youngharleezyxo ​ @babyharleezy ​ @that-90s-girllll ​ @alinaharlow @harlowcomehome @nattinatalia @webinurcloset @gassyandsassy1 @jackharloww @awhore4moree @noescapricho-essentimiento @a-moment-captured @neon-lights-and-glitter @purecinnamonextract @cherry4everrr

[azulera]

We Go Together

Pairing: Jadon Sancho x Black Reader

Summary: Jadon wants everyone to know he’s yours.

Notes: don’t know where this one came from really bt i literally gave myself b*tterflies while writing it … it was so fun and i think its so so cute. also helloo to the JS25 girlies how are you :) hope u enjoy :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“This is so random, but, I can’t lie. I hate braids. Like, on girls.”

Jadon looked at Reiss from the side of his eye, barely lifting his head from the back of the couch. Maybe they’d been vegetating on the chocolate-colored sectional too long, the blue light exposure from watching TikTok after TikTok finally getting to his friend’s head. It had to be that.

“What, bro?”

“They’re childish, brother, look.” Reiss leaned over, showing Jadon a clip of a girl being spun in a salon chair, with bright blue box braids trailing down the cape around her back. Reiss sucked his teeth twice before the video even ended. “It’s a little kid’s hairstyle, like primary school plaits. I do not rate them.”

Jadon laughed in a loud burst of sound, and shook his head at his friend’s wild take. Reiss’ complaining had triggered an image in his mind that easily refuted each of the critiques he brought up. He pushed the phone away from his face.

“Nah, you’re tripping. Braids are fire. Especially with the little baby hairs out, slicked down and that.”

“Noo, bro, the baby hairs get so extra!” Reiss rocked in his seat. “It’s gotta go, the whole style’s dead.”

“Maybe on gyal you see, but my girl, her things different. I’m telling you.”

“Oh my days– you almost did it, you know? You almost made it ten whole minutes without mentioning Y/N. It’s been 2 years, bro, we get it, you’re locked down, it’s cute, whatever.”

Jadon shrugged, a smile on his lips that he didn’t care to hide.

“I’m jus sayin.”

Reiss laughed, and switched subjects to show him another TikTok he thought was hilarious, but the picture in Jadon’s mind that his friend had summoned was too strong to ignore now, the warm feeling in his chest too sweet to pass by quickly. He half-listened while Reiss explained the meaning behind the joke, and scrolled to your Instagram profile. He went back a few weeks to spring break photos where you were sea-side in a flowy linen outfit with waist length braids falling over your shoulders, caught in the ocean wind. A minute later, he’d reposted the photo to his story, with a caption below.

“I love box braids. 😍 And my girl 😍”

He smiled again when it published, his thousands of followers viewing the image and leaving a flurry of cherry red hearts rising in the corner of the screen. Reiss, realizing he was no longer being listened to, peeked over Jadon’s shoulder, and rolled his eyes.

“You are such a simp, bro. I would banter you more if I wasn’t a little bit jealous.”

“Don’t worry, brother, it’ll happen for you one day. When you stop hating on girls’ hairstyles, I bet. Saying braids are dead, nah, you’re mad.”

Reiss shoved against his shoulder, but quickly slipped back down his internet rabbit hole, and a text came into Jadon’s phone.

Y/N: not u reposting my old pics lol you were lurking?

Jadon: No Jadon: Actually yeah Jadon: Reiss was trashing braids and i had to set him str8 Jadon: Can you come by?

Y/N: you 2 are mad i swear Y/N: and i thought u and him had plans after the match?

Jadon: Nah the braid comment was too much Jadon: I wanna see you

Y/N: yeah thats poor from him. i can be there in an hour :) Y/N: and i just got fresh braids done yesterday, i forgot to tell you lol

Jadon: 😍

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“What’s your middle name then? William? Zachary?”

The question registered only faintly in Jadon’s headset, all his focus instead zeroed in on the pixelated movements of his starting XI as they ran alongside Marcus’ XI. The teams were so well-matched that every possession was a battle, and the 85th minute found them in a deadlock with one goal each. It wasn’t quite the time for casual conversation.

“My middle name? What do you mean? No-no-no-no!”

One of his center backs made a sloppy pass, and a pressing forward had intercepted it. Thankfully, the keeper recovered and the score remained 1-1.

“Stop trying to distract me, bro! It won’t work.”

“M’not, I swear! It’s just the letter there on your bracelet. It’s catching the light and I can see it through the screen. And it’s not J or S, so.”

Jadon looked down at his wrist for a moment, at the thin gold chain draped along the left one with a capital letter and small, earth figure hanging in the center. Marcus was right – the jewelry did shine in the light coming in through the window and glowing from the computer monitor, and the sight twitched the sides of his mouth.

“It’s not my middle name, it’s for–wait, wait–”

Jadon paused the game and Marcus cursed over the headset. Still, he went on unbothered, more than happy to provide context around the question his teammate had innocently or not so innocently posed.

“So the letter, that’s for my girlfriend's name. She bought it for me for my birthday, couple years back. It’s nice, innit.” The grin that had started as a twitch now stretched across his mouth. “And the little earth thing is like, it’s like a reminder. That when I’m away, different country, different city, whatever. She’s always with me.”

Marcus smiled at him over the monitor, shaking his head even as his fingers itched to get back to the match.

“Aw look at you, Sanch, big softie. It’s too bad your missus ain’t here now though, to save you gettin whooped in FIFA.”

“No, you’re lucky she’s not here, really, cause I’d have been on a hattrick. It’s a miracle you’re even gettin a sniff, bro.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, stop chatting then and press play. Five more minutes and then we’ll see.”

Jadon resumed the game and leaned forward in his chair, his thumbs flying over the buttons. When his team paused for a corner minutes later, thoughts of you, which had been simmering under the surface ever since Marcus’ inadvertently brought you up, flashed through his mind. It was hard when he was in Manchester, and you were in London, but the little spiel he’d given his teammate reminded him, just as the bracelet did, that if the two of you could ever be considered “apart” it was only ever in a physical sense, never an emotional one. There was nothing that could separate him from you as far as he was concerned, unless he were to tear his own heart out of his chest or something equally dramatic. He decided instead to raise his hand to his mouth, pressing the letter charm softly to his lips. It was your name he whispered against the gold, uncaring if Marcus could hear, as he sent the cross flying towards the box.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Can I help you find something, sir?”

The salesgirl rested a hand on his forearm as she asked, and Jadon flinched at the touch. He’d been in the shoe store for a few minutes already and no one had noticed him yet, but the intensity of her look told him he’d been recognized. She was suddenly stood so close some of the hair from her ponytail brushed against his shoulder, and he could see the dark clumps in her heavy lashes. Her fingers were cold.

“Yeah, actually,” He stepped away from her while he talked, letting her hand drop. “I’m looking for a pair of those, uh, ugg slippers, slides, the ones with the fur. Do you have those?”

“I believe we do!” She flashed him a smile that lasted too long to be comfortable, and then turned slowly on her heel. “Follow me.”

They walked to the winter footwear section and she lead the way, walking slower and swinging her hips more than was necessary for the 30-second trip. Her performance, however, was lost on Jadon, who had opened up his phone to read his most recent text thread.

Jadon: Baby pick a color, it’s important

Y/N: for what?

Jadon: Don’t worry about it just pick Jadon: Red, blue, black or brown

Y/N: don’t even know what i’m choosing 😳 Y/N: but i’ll say red, it’s our fave

Jadon: 👍🏽

They’d come upon the display of slip-ons, and the girl swept an arm over them, slipping back into a sales monologue about their current popularity with customers, and how the fur-lined interior was more comfortable than any other ugg shoe she’d tried. He thought her boss must be somewhere around, but noticed there was no one near them.

“Do you have the red ones in an 8? And also a 5.5.?”

“Let’s just see!” She bent at the waist, searching the rack of boxes for the numbers he’d requested and making little noises of exertion all the while. Jadon’s eyes were still on his phone, searching for the notes app entry where he’d saved your clothing and footwear sizes and preferences years ago.

“Ooh, I’m sorry, sir, it looks like we only have the red ones in a size 8 and up. Are you sure you need the 5.5?”

She’d moved down into a squat, and now looked up at him through her lashes, biting on her lip. Her eyelids fluttered like there was something stuck on them.

“Yeah, I gotta have them. One second, please.”

Jadon: Pick another color, sorry Jadon: show you why in a bit

He looked up from his phone, waiting on your reply, and found the girl staring back at him. She took his returned gaze as some sort of invitation.

“You know, we sometimes have more stock in the back, extras that don’t make it on the shelves. We could go take a look together, if you want? The door has a lock on it.”

Jadon’s eyebrows flew into his hairline. He looked around the store bewildered, at a temporary loss for words, because all he could think to say was “Don’t you see my girl standing here?” and regrettably you weren’t. He couldn’t believe that anyone could look at him and not see that he was yours.

“Woah, no – absolutely not–” He stepped away from the girl for the second time, putting his hands up between them to maintain the distance. “I’ve got a girl, still.”

“And? I’ve got a man, too. But you’re Jadon Sancho.” She blinked her lashes harder, looking at him again with a challenge in her eyes that he wanted no parts of. Now, he wished he’d said “no” when she’d asked to help him.

“Nah, you have lost it.” Jadon laughed shakily, still in disbelief that she was propositioning him so boldly when he had your name written right there on his forehead. Or at least that’s how it felt. He shook his head and walked to the furthest part of the shelf where the brown colorways were kept, keeping a wide distance from her crouching frame.

“I’ll find them myself, yeah, thank you.”

The girl made a frustrated noise that he would’ve had to strain to hear, before she stood, her eyes still focused on him. She paused a moment, and with a shrug, took off to another part of the store.

Jadon breathed a sigh of relief. Just after, his phone buzzed with your response and it was just as he imagined.

Y/N: brown, then. it looks good on both our skin (whatever it is)

His smile returned.

At the register, he snapped a photo of the two stacked boxes just before they were bagged up and pressed send.

Jadon: Early bday present for u ❤️ Got a pair too cus I wanted us to match

Y/N: 😁 omg! thank u babey Y/N: that’s so sweet Y/N: i didn’t think you fancied them tho

Jadon: ❤️❤️❤️ Jadon: Yeah they look bare comfortable Jadon: And i need people to know we go together when we go out 😭 u don’t kno what i go thru

Y/N: ugh ur so brave, going out in public for me Y/N: thank u for ur sacrifice

Jadon: my **pleasure, innit ❤️

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“That’s what you’re wearing? You're sure?”

Jadon continued primping himself in the mirror beside you, flattening the crease in his jeans, and fitting clear glasses onto his face. Lastly, slowly, he dragged his palms down the lines of his shirt, and turned to admire the details on its back.

“Of course I am, what you mean? Got it customized and everything, just for your special day, didn’t I?”

The shirt was jersey material and a bright lilac purple with two grey stripes down the front, but the other side was what had made your breath catch when he’d pulled it out of his bag. Y/N’S BOYFRIEND it read, in sparkly block letters across the back.

“I love it! I love it so much. I love you! Come here.” was all you managed at first, through rapid kisses to his lips, cheeks, and neck, but now that the shock had passed the meaningfulness of the gesture began to set in. You hugged him from behind then, feeling the prickle of the glittery letters against your chest through your robe. The love and appreciation you felt was overwhelming.

“How’d you know I’d wear purple, too?” You murmured into his back.

“Cause I just know.” He answered, looking extremely proud of himself. His hands curled around yours as they travelled up his chest, bringing the left one up to his mouth for a kiss.

“You'll make me cry, you know. Ruin my make-up.”

“Nah, none of that. Go on, finish gettin ready.” He squeezed your butt gently. “They’ll have shut the lights off already, and I need everyone to see.”

Now, inside the small party being held in your honor you were convinced the shirt looked even better, shimmering under the flashing dance-floor lights and complimenting his tanned skin. Together with your lavender shirt-skirt set you looked like brown-skinned Barbie and Ken, like two halves of the same whole, and knowing so made your “birthday girl” glow increase tenfold.

Through the night you floated between groups of friends and acquaintainces, trading memories, laughing hard, and saying thank you for the thoughtful gifts and warm messages given from those who’d come to celebrate. Jadon stayed by your side without fail, clocking the eyes on his garment as he passed, and it seemed the the edges of his smile extended each time there was a whisper of “Aww” or a gasp of surprise. Every now and then he would drop your hand, letting you stray a little ahead of him before wrapping an arm around your waist or joining hands again, so that anyone who hadn’t seen the first time knew exactly who “Y/N” was. When you realized what he was doing, it first made you laugh, then feel warm, and then drag him onto the dance floor so you could pull your bodies close.

“I’m not gassin it, am I?” He asked into your ear, hands carefully pressing your back to his chest. “I’ll go chill, let you dance with your friends.”

“Nah, you’re exactly where I want you.” You leaned your head back onto his shoulder for a moment, closing your eyes, feeling the gentleness of his hands on your waist, of his voice in your ear. Remembering how it was your name on his back for all these friends and strangers in the party to see. The music bumped and your bodies’ continued swaying to it.

“I’m happy you’re here, baby. And I can’t stop thinking about your shirt.” You let out more of the happy giggling that had characterized the night. “It’s my favorite gift so far.”

He shrugged, and you felt the movement against your back.

“I’ve been out the city for a while, innit. Just want to make sure people know what it is, that they ain’t forgot.”

“Do you think I don’t do that?” Your body stilled between his arms. “Is that why you’re on about it so much?”

“No, I don’t think that.” He guided your waist to keep moving again, making a lazy circle in time to the beat. “But I gotta make sure. You know that with me people always got something to say, innit. Always speculation, rumors and that. So I do what I can to make sure there ain’t no questions, about us, I mean. Cause there ain’t.”

“Well, I don’t think nobody’s gonna get confused after tonight. You couldn’t have made it any more clear.”

Jadon only laughed, his actions tonight already saying far more than a million words could. He ducked his head down into your neck for two, three warm kisses, squeezing at your hip, and his soft lips on your skin made you shiver.

You turned in his arms towards him, wrapping yours around his neck.

“It makes me feel so good, though, that. That you’re so proud to be with me. Makes me feel very lucky, and special, very in love with you.”

“You are special.” His lips twitched, fighting a smile, and you scratched one hand into the hair at the back of his neck. ”You’re everything. And you’ve held me down for so long, baby, there ain’t even nobody else to think about. It’s just you, innit.”

“I love you” you spoke, a smile breaking across your features, leaning against him, cradling his face, parting his lips in a gesture that said mine. He returned the kiss and the three words in one breath, his heart thumping, and the only thought in his head a repeat chorus of yours yours yours.

[firetextskpop]

hi how are youu

could you make a poly!wonhui in idol au? the subject is entirely up to you!

thankuu <3

A/N: I wasnt 100% sure if you wanted reader to be an idol too, or not but I will write them as such lol.

Your member's eyes fell on you as Seventeen's Wonwoo stood at your dorm door. He wasn't supposed to show up by himself or at all. Usually, his manager would come to the door to pick you up but that was when you guys had something planned. To your knowledge, there was nothing planned, but here 1/2 of your boyfriends stood. Basketball shorts, a white t-shirt, not even trying to conceal his identity.

"H-hey! What're... you... doing here." You broke the silence. Wonwoo's eyes scanned the faces of the people before him before coming up with a good excuse.

"Dino told me you played pretty well and my team is short one. I came to see if you wanted to hang out with us for a bit" Well, the excuse sounded good at the moment. The oldest member of your group looked at you in confusion. "I haven't even seen you run." They said and you rolled your eyes.

"I'll be out in a bit. Thank you for the invite!" You scurried to your room but not fast enough because now your roommate member was on your tail and shut the door behind them. "JEON WONWOO? WHAT IS HE DOING HERE? HOW DO YOU KNOW DINO?" Seeing as your group has been debuted for only 6 months, you can see how everyone is confused. "Dino asked me to do a dance with him for their new song for social media." You responded, finishing getting ready. Which wasn't a lie, that is how you met Dino, but Wonwoo was a whole different story.

When you were training, you decided to visit the Pledis building (when it was still active) for motivation, and as you were leaving Wonwoo came in. His eyes met yours and immediately, he fell in love. You noticed it was him but wanted to respect his privacy. To your surprise, he called after you and asked why you were there and tried to get to know you. You answered his questions the best you could but after 5 minutes, his manager began pulling him away. Wonwoo pulled away, well aware he had a schedule and gave you his Kakao to keep in touch. He let you know that he'd love to help you in areas you needed help and would support you in your idol journey.

"Y/n, your phone." Your roommate said, knocking you from your trance. The phone lit up.

jhw:

i forgot to tell you...

Then the text cut off for privacy. Quickly, you rush out the door and ignore the many questions coming from your members. When you find the car that contains your boyfriend, you rush to get in before any fansites recognize who you are. Immediately, you're met with an arm around your shoulders and a smug-looking Wonwoo. He was very obviously head over heels for you and you appreciated it so much as well as tried to show him the same affection back.

"Jun has a surprise for you when we get to his place." Ah! You never actually read his text. "I forgot to tell you that Nonu was coming! Wear something comfortable." Nonu was the nickname you both had for Wonwoo. Being as it was Jun, you could imagine he had something intricate planned. No telling if it had some obscure meaning from something that happened in your relationship that not even your younger boyfriend remembers or something new that barely anybody has ever thought of.

Arriving at the apartment, you and Wonwoo sat in the car as the manager knocked to make sure Jun was there. Once the door opened, you both rushed inside and the door shut immediately after. Jun's apartment was like a second home to you. The pictures on his wall consisted of pictures of the three of you, his family and mostly his magazine covers. He says it keeps him motivated to keep going but you nor Wonwoo were complaining. Today, however, you noticed a theme in the pictures he had up. It started with the very first picture he ever took of you. The photo was before the 3 of you started dating. As you and the brunette followed the trail of rose petals on the floor, the pictures became more recent. At the end was a kitchen table with fresh food set up and your blonde boyfriend setting the last bit of food and drinks upon the table.

"Wen Junhui.." You mumble. His eyes met yours and he immediately smiled. "Oh, hey Xiao Baobei" Jun greeted you, coming to hold your hand and sit you down at the table. The foods consisted of the first meal you and him had on your first solo date. Wonwoo sat on your right side and his hand rested upon yours while watching Jun as he sat on your left and Wonwoo's right. "No hey for me?" The younger nudged his boyfriend. Jun smirked and placed his hand on the nape of Wonwoo and said "Hello Da Baobei" A smirk crept up onto Wonwoo's face and he began to eat.

The food Jun prepared was impeccable. Tasting the meat alone brought you back to the time Jun had suddenly made his confession. Funnily enough, you and Wonwoo had been dating for 3 months, barely branching into the new romantic versions of yourselves (Really just you, Wonwoo had been romantic with you since day 1). Seventeen were well aware of your relationship and you had spent time with them on multiple occasions. At this point, you were occasionally their background dancer so you were no stranger. This particular day it was you and the 96s hanging out. Jihoon had recommended this amazing restaurant and he and Wonwoo went to get it. Back at the dorms, you, Hoshi, and Jun watched youtube videos.

Amidst you all sharing laughs, the other 2 members had returned with the food and you all began to eat and enjoy the videos. Jun sat on one side and Wonwoo on the other. You dropped a piece of meat and it bounced from your lap to Junhui's. Without a second thought, he picked it up and put it in his mouth. "Hey! That was mine." You shoved him lightly and stole a piece from his plate. As he went to return the complaint, Wonwoo jokingly said "Why don't you 2 just kiss already." YOU were well aware it was a joke. Jun, however, didn't and lightly gripped your chin, bringing you closer. To say the least, everyone in the room was a little shocked. Soonyoung was very anxious and didn't want his younger friend upset so he immediately said something to try to make it less awkward. "Jun.. uh.. i don't think he was serious." Hoshi began rambling on the context but Wonwoo stopped him, now looking at the red-flushed man. "You like y/n?" The eldest of the 4 nodded and then the brunette turned to you. "Do you like Jun?" Your bottom lip made its way in between your teeth. Wonwoo smiled and caressed your cheek. "It's okay if so. I can share baby." Slowly you nodded and the only thing Wonwoo had to say was. "Okay." and turned his attention back to the video. It felt a bit awkward after but due to the relationship the boys had, it was over fairly soon. Later that night, Jun actually pulled Wonwoo to the side and let him know that he also had a crush on him as well. He felt like saying it in front of the other boys would have made the tension worse and well, we see how everything worked out.

Back to the present day

"It must've been great." Jun jokes and kisses your forehead, taking your plate to wash it. "It really was, thank you both sooo much." You say. Wonwoo pulled you onto his lap and gave you a kiss, then Jun comes by and gives you both kisses. "Let's cuddle on the couch" The younger suggests and carries you over. Now Jun is sitting with his legs on the couch, Wonwoo in between them laying on his back with you on top. Jun's hands ran through Wonwoo's hair and Wonwoo's hands roamed up and down your back and your hands rested against both of them. All of your breathing fell in sync and in the words of the popular song, there's no place you'd rather be.

[soundslikediamonds]

Rescuer (part 1)

Summary: (I'm not very good at summaries but!)

This whole concept came to me after watching Butler's interview with Josh Horowitz. Just seeing him in his hoodie and with his scruff just in that cold apartment over zoom made me think of this whole concept, yet it's super long, so I'm writing it in parts. I also got inspired seeing all those pictures with fans on the set of Bikeriders.

This is a fic where while walking alone at night, reader is being followed, but fortunately before anything can happen Austin saves reader.

Word Count: 4291

Disclaimer: This is my first time using Tumblr and first story posted here. I hope everyone enjoys!

Warnings: uncomfortable topic of being followed late at night, family dysfunction...

Hope you enjoy! (y'all I am SO nervous to put this out there lol)

_________

You close the front door and seal it with the lock. It's pitch black outside, a swollen full moon out with distant clouds. The air you breathe is cold and fans out little fog clouds each time an exhale escapes your mouth. It's no later than 12:00 am and you just finished all that you were taking for the night.

You would be back in a few days, when you were sure your Dad would be out. He was away this night, working a long night shift and you knew that. That was the reason why you managed to sneak back into the house and take some more of your belongings without your dad knowing you were here. It was clear he didn't want you back, not after that explosive argument last week that the two of you had which left him kicking you out.

You had no problem with leaving. Actually, it was something that tempted your mind for quite some time now. Somewhere between dad's anger, and the two of you fighting all the time, it was so exhausting. He made you get out of the house and made it very clear that he didn't want to see you again. You grabbed some extra clothing and toiletries for the night and your backpack before you called your friend Ava asking if you could sleep over. She was obviously awake and wasn't one who would take much to persuade.

You didn't go into detail of why you needed to be over there. It was late and the last thing you wanted to do was tell her that you, a college student, was officially homeless, having no real thought-out plan of what you would do. You just kept it simple; you were at the campus library studying into the night and by the time you headed back, you realized you forgot your keys and no one was in the house.

'just need somewhere to sleep for the night and then i'll be out tomorrow morning. kinda crazy how this is my life rn ahahaha'

You had texted Ava those words, to which responded in laughing crying emojis.

'dww!! it's life. it happens. i'll make sure to give you some of my clothes'

Shoot. The clothes. Although you did have a set of pajamas for the night, it would probably make more sense that you would burrow Ava's clothes. After all, you were locked out of your house. Where would those clothes come from if otherwise?

You placed everything you gathered in your backpack and took the bus to get to the other side of town. On the bus there was practically no one and as you had the back seats to yourself, you took this time to really think about what this meant for you.

You didn't have a home. You had class in the morning, and then two more in the afternoon, but you didn't have a home.

If you wanted help (which you probably should have asked for), that would require you telling the whole story of what happened, which was something you didn't want to go through.

If you took time to really think about it, you would probably cry. It was a surprise that you haven't done it yet, but it was probably because you haven't had the time, in retrospect. It was only the sound of your dad's tone that rung your ears, telling you to "leave and never come back" that made you scurry to your room, take what you needed to take and leave without saying another word, or giving eye contact to your parents. Your body moved quickly than what your mind could even process and now that you were sitting still since this pressing hour of chaos, you allowed your eyes to close, resting your hand on the top of your head as a small sigh escapes your breath.

What would you do now?

You stayed in that position for only a little while before deciding on opening your phone and choosing to listen to the song you thought would suit the moment best. As you looked out with window, you allowed for the duration of the melody to give you a sort of comfort and you told yourself deep down inside that everything was going to be okay. You were going to be okay.

That was last week.

Now, as you start down the stairs throwing one more glance over your shoulder at your old house, you tread down the street. For these past few days you've just been keeping yourself in an small Inn. It's been okay, mostly you were out for the day and so the Inn only did its thing and helped you out at night with a bed to lay down on and rest. But tonight was your last night and you had no idea what you were going to do afterward.

You were sort of on this plan of just going to a 24/hour coffee shop and stay there "studying" for the night. You've looked it up and there are a couple of places in the area. So, you considered that at least for the night you'd stay at the coffee shop to think things through.

You aren't alone as you walk. You glance down at your phone and notice that you have 15 more minutes before you'd reach the bus stop. The sounds of footsteps are distant behind you and, just because, you look over your shoulder just a little bit, but a chill runs through your arms when seeing that it's a man wearing all black with a hood over his head. He looks right out you and you whip your head forward, feeling your chest heave in a mini-gasp.

Now, you tell yourself, there's no need to overreact.

That would usually help you, but it is late and dark, and no one else is out. Plus, he's walking pretty slow, and has no problem with walking and staying behind you. Curiosity now takes over you as you decide to lessen the pace of your walk just a tad, and suddenly you hear his footsteps slow its pace as well.

Frowning, you now pick up the pace, to which this man does the same. Your heart starts beating fast and you check your surroundings, realizing the neighborhood you're in is dark and the lights to the houses by the streets are all out, indicating that everyone is either asleep or away.

You take a breath and decide to cross the street, just going at it because there aren't any on-going cars, but once you reach the sidewalk, you look down at the silhouette that's casted from the orange streetlight and see a distant but present shadow still trailing behind you.

You are officially. Being. Followed.

You've heard of stuff happening like this, and it's absolutely horrible. No one should be able to feel their own life being threatened just by walking down the streets at night. You just never thought of it happening to you, yet right now, your chest rises and falls as your hands collect sweat.

You have to stay calm.

If you start running, chances are he'll take off after you. You need to lead him someplace where there's people, yet you don't know this area half as well, and it's hard to make up places in the dark.

Silently praying that nothing happens, you take a risk a turn a sharp corner to another block which at this intersection you would normally continue to walk straight, but your legs aren't in control of what's going on and move out of fear and in search for desperate help.

Your eyes luckily find a light and you realize that you're coming to a gas station. The lights are open, so you knew that there has to at least be someone in the corner store. If you just casually walk in, the man following you would have to leave.

You start to hear footsteps from behind you pick up and your heart starts pounding within your chest. For some strange reason, although you are ridiculously scared, you aren't running. You aren't screaming for help. You're managing to speed walk with your head held high although trying to focus on your breathing and steady yourself. It's crazy how you're not looking back, but only walking faster, keeping your eyes straight on the blaring lights.

The Gas Station is right across the street from you and- without even clicking any buttons at the intersection which you should- you walk down the street and go up the small hill, and as your eyes avert to the station, you notice a tall man in a Carhartt jacket over black jeans, walking out of the corner store. He's looking down at the receipt in his hands as he walks to the pump. You're relieved to see someone at least, and you know that you're just seconds away from safety. However, as you're walking, you're scared when you see now in the corner of your eye, the man who is following you, starts jogging in your direction.

Without thinking you start making a light jog, no longer to the corner store, but to the man who's right in front of you, who has no idea of what small chase scene is in front of him as he looks at his receipt. By the sound of nearing footsteps, the man in front of you looks up just in time for you to greet him loudly before wrapping your arms around his neck, holding on to his tall frame. The man stumbles backward, but you turn your head to whisper in his ear.

"The man behind me is following me, please help me," You whisper, and that's all it takes before you feel strong arms wrapped around your waist.

"Hey, babe, sorry, I was just about to text you. Didn't mean to make you walk over to me." He says, the low tone of his voice vibrates your forehead as your head rests against his chest.

You're squeezing him now, thankful that the security in his voice and the tightness in his hold makes you feel safe right here in the Gas Station parking lot, right where some creep has followed you to. You don't even know if he's still there, or walking closer, and you don't want to know. You're not lifting your head up from being buried in this man's chest.

"Hey, the funniest thing happened at work today, but I'll tell you all about it once we go home. And you get to pick the movie tonight, but I gotta tell ya, if it's those cartoons again, I might just cry." The man says, a small chuckle coming out. A breath escapes your lips, almost like relief in itself. You'd smile if you could, if you weren't so scared.

Now, as you're still in the hug, you can't really hear anything. It's quiet and you're not sure what's happening in the world where your face is not against the fabric of a fall jacket, where you're not heavily breathing with tears stinging your eyes. You'd like to hear what's going on, or maybe you don't, but you can't, because all you hear is the sound of your heart pounding through your ears.

Finally after what seems like the longest seconds of your life, you feel the pad of a thumb stroke slowly through your hair just barely, just enough that you can tell it's within intent. To soothe you. You begin to match your breathing, your chest rising and falling, to the thumb strokes against your hair. You suddenly feel a lift of the hand and arms start to loosen just by a little bit.

"He's gone." You hear this man whisper in your ear.

Those words suddenly break you and now all of the emotion from the following to the chase catch up to you as hot tears slide down your cheek.

The man in your arms now holds you tightly once more and starts swaying you in his embrace.

"I am so sorry. I truly am, I...I'm so sorry." He says, with a deep and genuine ache in his voice. You nod, even though he did nothing but save you from what could've been, and just the thoughts of how the night could've turned out entirely worse, sobs now bubble and pour out as you begin crying on his chest.

"Do you wanna sit in my car?" His voice asks, and you hear the decibel of his voice raise just a little bit higher as it coats with soft and gentleness. You realize he's asking you that way because he wants you to decide. He wants to make it clear that whatever it is, he's not the one telling you to do anything. Not after this horrible experience.

"Okay." You choke out, nodding once again, before you slowly pull yourself away from where you nestle in his chest. You blink back to reality and look around you, seeing that the creep indeed is gone and you're standing outside in the parking lot of the Gas Station, while this tall man, who looks just a few years older than you, stares at you with kindness and grace. This is the first time you actually look into the eyes of your angel of the night. He has golden hair, a hint of scruff on his chin and around his pink full lips, with piercing baby blue eyes that sparkle even in dim light.

You try to smile, though you're wiping your eyes at the same time, and you can't help but feel like you look rather like a mess.

"Thank you so much." You say above a whisper.

The man doesn't comment on what he did, instead takes your arm gently and leads you to his car, a black vehicle near the last pump nearest to the car wash. While one hand still rests on your arm, you watch as this man digs up his car keys from his jacket pocket and unlocks the doors. He opens the passenger seat for you, to which you whisper thanks before he closes the door and walks around his car, leaving you only a few seconds to truly absorb everything that just happened in what seems to be in slow motion and in a flash at the same time.

You sit in silence for a moment, leaning backward in your seat as you try to look back and see if the creepy man would just pop out from nowhere. You're subconsciously doing it. You don't even realize that's what you're doing, looking at the back window until his hand is planted on your arm, bringing you back into reality. You turn immediately, looking at your rescurer.

"You're safe here." He says.

You nod. You believe him, but you don't even realize your hands are shaking until he looks at them, and you notice his jaw clench. You hug yourself, trying to remove the attention from your shaking hands and you feel his hand touch your shoulder. You try another smile as you turn to look at him.

"Thank you. I don't know what more to say but... thank you so much." You say, feeling like there are not enough words to express the true gratitude your heart.

He nods before he looks down in his lap, letting out a big sigh. You shake your head in response, now using your hands to massage your forehead in small circles. The two of you are silent in the car, but the both of you are thinking of everything that went down.

"My mind wants to think about how...he could've done anything to me. I've just been saved, and that's what I'm shook up about- the fact that it could have happened." You say, wondering what's even wrong with you.

Sure, you almost had something terrible happen to you. But someone came to your rescue just before it did. And instead of focusing on that and being grateful, you're still thinking of what it was that could've happened. Is that normal?

"I would be more concerned if you weren't thinking about the "what ifs". That's completely and totally valid." The man sitting beside you says. He then takes another breath.

"But I'm so glad nothing happened. And I'm proud of you for doing what you did. You know, you saw someone and immediately went to them when you felt in danger." He expresses.

You're sort of blocking that amount of praise that's trying to enter in, just because you don't believe you did anything out of braveness but out of fear. You were trembling in this man's arms, for crying out loud. He could have someone, or maybe he didn't want to get involved, or anything of that matter. But, you were grateful nonetheless.

"Thank you for going along." You say in a small voice. And he really was amazing. There was something about what he said, there was no hint of never knowing you before this. It was like you both were together. It was like you were truly going home with him. It was like you were going to pick the movie. With no hesitance he was able to get into this character and save you just by how he held you.

He shakes his head now, folding his arms as he looks ahead. "I was, uh...I was supposed to go to the other gas station, a few miles away from this one. There was too much traffic, and I decided to go here, even though I was complaining because the prices here are more expensive. But I realize that there was a reason why I was here."

He turns and looks at you, an actual scared look on his face. "If we were just seconds from each other, who knows what could've happened?"

You close your eyes. Your mind is going there, but you don't want it to. You don't want to go there. Based on the fact that you're not answering, the man breaths out a sigh.

"What happens now? Is there somewhere I can take you? Are you going home?" He then asks.

Your eyes then flicker open. How are you going to explain this?

Somehow in the midst of everything going on, you haven't thought of the fact that there was no place to stay. That your friends' places couldn't be used, or that your time at the local Inn was up. You couldn't think of anything when that creep was after you, but now that it's all over, you have to face the reality of the scary revelation.

"I, uh..." Your eyes flicker down, and you look at your shoelaces. You then look over at him. You're about to tell him, but your throat gets caught and you bring a hand to your head and close your eyes, slowly rubbing your forehead in small circles.

"You can just take me to the coffee shop. The one on Berden." You reply, your voice small.

He blinks at you, before giving a little nod, and you watch as his fingers mindlessly strokes the bit of scruff his has on his chin.

"Oh. Sure, yeah, we can stop for coffee if that's what you'd like. And then after that where will I take you?" He asks.

"Well..." You let out a breath. "I'm going to be staying there. I have, um...I have a lot of studying I need to do. That's where I was going, anyway. To the café...before...y'know, everything happened. Before I met you. I was on my way to the coffee shop." You ramble on.

You mentally kick yourself. Why do you have to sound so awkward when you're lying? I mean, sure you actually do need to study, but you're not really planning on it.

The man's eyebrows furrow as he turns and looks at you. You can tell just by the look in his eye that he's confused, and that he doesn't believe you.

"You can't study now. Not after everything. You need to rest somewhere." He argues.

You shrug, not meeting his eyes. "I'll be okay."

"I won't be able to sleep knowing that I had a chance of taking you home and refusing it. It's no problem driving you, really. Even if you live an hour away." The man says.

"It's okay, really." You try and persuade.

"It's just..." You watch as the man sighs, drawing his fingers to the scruff of his chin. He scoffs. "I don't know, it's so dangerous here."

He looks over at you in seriousness. "Is there no where I can drop you off?"

You nod. "Yes, the café on Ber-"

"No, no." You watch as the man shakes his head. He lets out a sigh and closes his eyes. When he finally looks at you, you swallow the guilt of not being able to tell him the whole truth. In this stranger's eyes there's a look of wanting to keep you secure.

"I have this feeling...you don't want to be home right now." He guesses, his voice a whisper.

That causes you to look down at your shoes. You feel his eyes on you and you know you're done. With that instant motion of not being able to look him in the eye, you're sure he can tell that his assumption is right.

When you finally look at him, you shoot a small smile. "You know...I can take the bus or something. You've done so much for me already, and I thank you. But, you probably have family waiting for you at home, or someplace to be." You say.

There's a silence as the man leans back, his back touching the seat. He slowly smiles, looking down at his hands.

"I uh...I live by myself in a lowly apartment, so...it really is no problem to-"

Suddenly, the man stops talking and then turns to look at you. He looks at you with a puzzled look on his face and you're wondering just what it is that he's thinking.

"I could propose something, but it might be strange." He starts, his fingers going back to resting on his chin.

He tends to do that a lot more than he's conscious of, you think to yourself.

You look at the hesitance on his face and blink. "What is it?"

"Well," He sits up straighter in his seat. "What if you just crashed at my place for the night?" He asks.

You blink. "What?"

He shoots a gentle smile. "Yeah, I mean...it's late, and it's obvious you don't want to go home. My apartment's close, and..." He holds you arm gently.

"I'd be completely out of your hair, there's a room that's completely secluded, you wouldn't see me at all, and there's office space if you dare wish to study...even though, I personally feel like with everything that's happened, going to sleep would be the best option, um...but I...I could make you some tea, uh...and I have these scented candles that I find always helps me, just feel better after a long tiring day...of course, I've never been through what you've just gone through, I mean that's absolutely terrifying, but-"

You then touch his arm. The poor man is rambling without even taking a breath. And he looks so apologetic, almost like it was his fault.

"What's your name?" You ask, changing the subject completely.

It takes him aback, for sure, and you find yourself start to smile. He blinks, chucking a little bit.

"I guess we haven't really formally introduced each other. I'm Austin." He says, extending his hand out.

You look at his eyes. Austin. It wouldn't be the first name you would guess, it's sort of unexpected, but looking at his face, you don't know if there's any other name you would give. It's charming, which is one of the words you would use to describe him.

You smile, reaching over and shaking Austin's hand as you say your own name. He gives a friendly smile laughs.

"Nice to meet you." He says shyly, which causes you both to laugh awkwardly.

"Nice to meet you, Austin." You smile. Then Austin looks at you with a serious look.

"Hey, um...I really am offering for you to stay at my apartment. Just for the night if that's easiest, and then," He shrugs. "And then, whatever you want to happen next, I'll allow." He says.

You nod. You know his intentions are good. You know, and it doesn't take much to know- that he is a good man. You almost experienced what wasn't a good man, and it scared you. It scares you to think that somewhere that man, and other people like him are out and about, roaming innocent streets to do sinful deeds for humans that don't deserve anything like that.

A chill runs down your spine as you think back to what could've been. Right now, however, there is nowhere else you can go. You'll admit you're in a very vulnerable state. You're mind isn't the best that it can be. You're still shook up. You're scared, and you know deep down that if you are anywhere away from Austin this time of night, you'd be even more afraid.

So with that, you look at Austin, who's been looking at you this whole time. You take a deep breath and then nod.

"Okay. I can go to your place for tonight. Thank you." You say in a small voice.

Austin nods, giving your arm another reassuring touch before he starts the car. And without another word he's set and soon you both are off, driving into the empty streets of night.

[imhereforbrownies]

Never been happier

Han Jisung/Reader

Summary: Jisung has been your best friend ever since your first year of college. However, what you feel for him is far away from just friendship. Once he asks his classmate out, you somehow realize, that it might be your last chance to confess your feelings and address something that he let slip while being drunk. Just some college!au best friends to lovers kind of stuff (I suck at summaries, sorry).

Warnings: a bit of angst, cursing, fluff, best friends to lovers, college!au, idiots in love, mutual pinning, slight slowburn, mentions of drinking, jealous!reader, jealous!Jisung, I didn’t really use any pronouns for Y/N so this should be for everyone (I hope), Lisa and Jennie of Blackpink make an appearance for no particular reason other than that I love them lol - I hope that’s all, let me know if I missed anything please~

Word count: 10k+ (I apologize again)

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Today was a shitshow.

First your stupid phone died in the middle of the night so you overslept, then you managed to pour your morning tea on yourself when you were hurrying to your first class, then you found out you forgot about an assignment you were supposed to turn in today. Fortunately your professor was kind enough to give you extra time to turn it in, extending it to today's midnight, so instead of spending afternoon with Jisung and the boys you were writing a paper on Sigmund Freud. You don't know exactly how you managed to put it together, but you did and now you are laying face down in your bed, absolutely drowned out, debating with yourself whether to go and make yourself second dinner as a treat or not. Suddenly your phone buzzes.

You groan out but reach for it anyways, turning your face to the side to see an incoming message from no one else than your best friend.

> Are you up?

You chuckle. As if he didn't know.

< Sure, what's up?

You know Jisung had something he wanted to share with you today and being the curious human you are you couldn't wait to hear it. But then you had to cancel your plans because of the assignment and it's fair to say it didn't really raise your spirits. Jisung's message gave you hope though. And when it takes mere seconds for him to text back, you know it means he really has something important to say, tension growing in your chest.

> You know Ha-na from my Music History class? I asked her out and she said yes.

You stare at the message, eyes widening, your heart hammering like crazy, the dull sound reverberating through your whole body, your breathing pausing for probably longer than it should. You feel as if someone slapped you.

> Are you there?

Jisung's second message snaps you out of your little stupor and with sweaty fingers and trembling heart you reply.

< Sure. That's great, dude.

Tears finally raise in your eyes as you realize what's going on. This is what he couldn't wait to share with you? This is why he was so smiley these days? Ha-na from his Music History class?

Oh, saying you feel like a dumbass is an understatement. Let's say that maybe, just maybe, a little part of you hoped that the reason for his smile was you, that maybe he really felt the same way you do and that maybe he finally wanted to confess to you officially. Guess not.

You stare dumbly at the screen, your chest filling with something heavy and dark, making your heart ache.

You know this is your fault in the first place. You were a coward just like your roommate Lisa said. You should've confessed to him a long time ago just as she instructed or at least confront him about what he said after Jeongin's birthday party but you were so afraid you'll ruin the friendship you two have that you eventually fully missed all your chances.

> I wanted to tell you today but since you were busy I thought I'll let you know like this.

You sigh softly, biting on your lip to hold back any sound that would dare to escape your lips, burning tears rolling down your cheeks. You thought today could not get worse yet here you are.

< You know it was schoolwork, it wasn't intentional.

You close your phone, throwing it away as you flip the sheets over your head, burying your face into the pillow as if it could swallow you up whole, your sorrows and regrets included.

-

This is how Lisa finds you about half of an hour later, returning from her late class with smile on her face that drops instantly when she sees you in your little cocoon. She knows that means no good.

"Hey there, Y/N! Not a good day?" She asks softly, putting down her bag and crossing the room to reach your bed. You don't reply at all, which makes Lisa frown a bit. She gently peels the covers off of your body just to find you already sleeping, crumpled tissues spread around your body, making Lisa's frown deepen as she carefully covers you with the blanket again. She contemplates whether to wake you up or not, when your phone buzzes softly. It takes a while for her to find it, the buzzing indicating a second incoming message helps her locate it in the feet of your bed, twisted in your sheets. She hesitates a moment, not wanting to intrude your privacy but all it takes is one look at you, the hurt painted over your features even in your sleep making her act before she could change her mind, her hands freeing your phone just to find at least ten unread messages from Jisung.

> I know, I didn't mean to make it sound harsh

> Are you still up?

> Y/N?

> Y/nnnnnnnn

> Are you mad at me?

> Did something happen?

> Did I do something wrong?

> Y/N???

> Is this because of Ha-na?

> I won't go out with her if you don't like her.

> Please, answer me.

As she reads through them she puts together a decent image of what happened, her eyes turning to you with mixture of sympathy and worry.

She knows that even though you might not admit it out aloud, what you feel to Jisung is much more than just a crush.

"Ah, Y/Nie," she murmurs, putting your phone on your bedside table. She sighs softly, deciding to let you sleep. She'll have enough time to discuss it with you tomorrow.

Or at least that's what she thought. But when Lisa wakes up the next morning you're already gone. It could be considered nothing out of ordinary if only your classes didn't start much later than hers today.

Lisa sits up in her bed and lets out an irritated huff, looking around the room to find out what's left of you here. You didn't take your bag nor your phone so she assumes you didn't head to school yet and that you rather wanted to hide away somewhere, which gives her no comfort at all. She reaches for her phone, determination flashing in her eyes. She won't leave it like this.

-

You sit underneath the blooming cherry tree in your favorite park, sipping your frappe as you stare at your old sneakers, mind wondering somewhere far far away, your surroundings being lost on you.

You woke up really early today, which is very unlike you, but you somehow couldn't fall asleep again, your mind constantly returning to Jisung's surprise announcement from yesterday and his words from months ago, ringing through your mind like and omen.

After spending about an hour rolling from one side to another in your bed, you decided to get up and head outside. That's what led you here. You needed some time to be alone and to think this through properly. Your feelings aren't raging inside you like yesterday, the sadness and anxiety make you feel numb now.

You mindlessly nibble at the straw, swaying your feet a little as you think about what you're going to do about this mess, when a pair of black sneakers and a skateboard appear in your vision, a shadow being casted over your form, forcing you to look up at the stranger. Your eyes meet his and you realize it's no stranger at all. It's Chan.

"Hey, Y/N," he greets you with a grin, dimples appearing on his cheeks.

"Hi, Chan," you manage a smile, moving a bit to make space for him on the bench and he takes your invitation, resting his skateboard on the side of it as he takes a seat, small smile on his lips.

"What are you doing here so early?" He asks, turning to you.

You know Chan approximately as long as you know Jisung. You met them during your first year of collage. You three took the same class and were assigned to make a project together. You clicked with them instantly and you stayed in each other's lives ever since. You often returned to those memories in your mind, looking back at those days with nothing but gratitude. Getting to spend time with them and the rest of the boys brought so much happiness into your life. Maybe that's why you were always so terrified to lose Jisung.

"Y/N?" Chan's worried voice takes you out of your head and you realize he asked you a question.

"Uhm, sorry. I- I just woke up early today and wanted to spend some time outside before my classes," you shrug, dropping your gaze back down to your sneakers.

"Are you sure that's it?" He nudges your shoulder with his gently, making your eyes snap back to him.

"What kind of question is that?" You raise your eyebrow at him, eyeing him suspiciously. Chan chuckles softly, scratching the back of his neck in what you recognize as nervous gesture.

"Lisa called me," he admits, making your features curve in confusion. Lisa did what? Why would she- oh.

"So you both know," you murmur and Chan hums in agreement softly.

You feel embarrassment creeping on you and so you just look down and sip your frappe. When you ignored Jisung's messages and cried yourself to sleep yesterday, you didn't expect anyone else to get to know about it. But here you are.

"So you are here on purpose. And here I thought that you finally crawled out of the cave you call studio to get some fresh air as a part of your self care routine or something," you mumble, making him chuckle.

"Yeah, you wish," Chan states, which makes your lips twitch into amused smirk.

"But for real, I'm here because I'm worried about you, Y/N. Both of you," he switches back to seriousness, all the teasing gone from his tone.

"Both of us?" You ask, your eyes finding his at the mention of Jisung.

"Yeah. He was really nervous to tell you about Ha-na, you know," he says softly and you can't help but frown.

"Why? What did he thought I'll do? Jesus, we are best friends for almost two years now. It's not like I'd get all-," you cut yourself off, realizing that what you're doing right now is exactly what you wanted to say you wouldn't do.

It's not like I'd get all jealous or something.

Yeah, sure.

Chan apparently catches up on your trail of thoughts and his hand finds yours, squeezing gently.

"He was just worried you won't like her, that's all. He really cares about your opinion," he states and you bite on your lower lip as harsh as you can, holding back tears.

"I don't even know who she is," you whisper when you're sure you can keep your emotions on leash.

"Really? I thought-," this time it's Chan who doesn't finish his sentence and you who's left to read between the lines.

"I'm in love with Jisung, Chan," you state and surprisingly, your voice doesn't tremble.

Silence settles between the two of you for a long moment, much longer than you would like, making anxiety grow inside you.

"Oh," is all Chan lets out and your facade finally crumbles, tears raising in your eyes and rolling down your cheeks.

"I've liked him ever since the day you two walked in the class but then- then we all became friends and I just- I didn't want to ruin everything with my stupid feelings but now he's going out with Ha-na and- I- I- didn't know what to do," you sob as Chan pulls you into his arms, letting you hide your face in the crook of his neck while his hands run over your back soothingly.

"What do I do, Chan?" You ask, desperately clinging to his form as if your life depended on it, your eyes filling with hot tears.

"I know you probably don't want to hear this, Y/N, but you should tell him," he says softly and you stiffen.

"No. No, no, no, no, no. I can't do that, Chan. There's no way. No. Never. He- he apparently doesn't feel the same and I'm pretty sure it would only make things awkward between us and I just- I can't lose him," you murmur, biting on your lower lip and shaking your head.

Chan pulls away just enough to be able to look into your eyes, his gaze soft yet focused.

"How do you know that?" He asks.

"What?" You whisper.

"How do you know he doesn't feel the same?"

The weight of his eyes on you makes you shy and so you look away, fidgeting with the sleeves of your oversized hoodie.

"Well, why else would he ask her to go out with him, if he felt the same?" You murmur, your own words working like a salt on a wound, making your chest burn. This specific question wouldn't leave your mind ever since you read Jisung's message yesterday. You thought- you thought the feelings were mutual and that once you gather enough courage, you'll confess and that maybe, just maybe, it'll all work out just fine.

"Maybe he thought you don't feel the same," Chan offers and you chuckle humorlessly.

"Yeah, sure. Even Jeongin knows about it. How could he not?" You finally meet his gaze again, your eyes full of tears. You feel so tired after all the crying.

To your surprise Chan scoffs.

"I thought that after two years of knowing him, you would know that sometimes he's just- Jisung. I think he would not let himself believe that you could feel the same until you'd literally rub it in his face," he states and you stare at him, your brain replaying his words again and again until you have to admit this might be true.

Even though Jisung seems like the cockiest boy you've ever met, you know he's mostly trying to mask how sensitive and insecure he can be. Chan is right. If he really meant what he said that night at Jeongin's, he wouldn't probably own up to it. He gets too lost in his own head sometimes and you know that can be a problem. Besides, you still don't know if he remembers it in the first place.

"Maybe you are right," you say eventually and Chan chuckles.

"Yeah, trust me. You should give it a try. He's supposed to go out with Ha-na tomorrow so you still have enough time to tell him. Don't waste it, please," he states, his eyes full of care holding you a hostage and so you find yourself nodding mindlessly.

"Good. Now... did you have a breakfast already? I know this place down the street..."

-

Once the door of your flat closes behind you, you find yourself in tight embrace of no one else but your roommate. You're a bit confused, especially because Lisa was supposed to be in her class by now but you return the hug anyways, letting her ramble.

"I was so worried about you. I'm sorry I called Chan and got all involved but I didn't know what to do and you know I hate to see you sad. I would go looking for you but you left your phone here and I didn't know where to go. I'm sorry, Y/N."

"It's okay, Lisa. Really. Thank you, actually. Talking to Chan really helped me," you say softly.

She pulls away and looks up at you, your smile making her own lips curve into one.

"So you're not mad?" She asks and you shake your head.

"No."

"And you're not sad anymore either?" She assures and you can't help but scoff.

"No. I'm anxious but not sad," you confess.

"Okay, good. We can work with that. Let's start with me making some tea and then you'll tell me what makes you anxious, okay?" She offers, leading you into your little living space and you nod in agreement.

You settle on the couch and watch Lisa as she makes her way around the counter, pulling out your matching mugs and getting everything ready to make the tea.

"I want to confess my feelings to Jisung," you admit suddenly and she freezes. Her eyes snap to you, her lips parted in surprise as little what? escapes her mouth.

"Yeah. Uhm- Chan said I should give it a try so I was thinking, you know- yeah," you shrug, trying to stop yourself from fidgeting.

"I mean I've been telling you to do so for about a year but okay," she states, making you chuckle.

"No, but really. I'm happy Chan gave you the encouragement that you needed. Whatever he said to you, I'm sure he's right," she says and you smile, nodding.

"I really hope so," you murmur and you mean every word. You know how much is at stake and you're about to risk it all.

"I'm just gonna get my phone, okay?" You glance at Lisa and she nods with a smile, humming some tune as she waits for the water to boil and so you head to to your joined bedroom.

When you pick up the phone and the screen turns on, you almost drop it. The amount of unread messages and calls from Jisung makes you realize that Chan was 100% right in one thing. Jisung does care about your opinion a lot. You feel guilt flood your veins as you read through all of the mess that he left you throughout yesterday's night and today's morning, anxiety seeping through his words, making you want to smack yourself for putting Jisung through this. You acted like a bad friend. Hell, that's an understatement. You acted like the worst friend.

Before you're able to stop yourself, you're dialing Jisung's number and pacing around the room as the phone keeps ringing.

Finally he picks up.

"Y/N."

The way he says your name cannot be compared to any time you've ever heard it before. It's desperation, relief, sadness and fear all melted into one, making your heart clench painfully in your chest.

"Sungie, I'm so so so sorry. I- I know there's no way I could ever excuse my behavior in any way but I really do apologize. I- I fell asleep yesterday because I was so exhausted in the evening and today when I woke up I went for a walk and I left my phone at home. I'm really sorry," you blurt out, intentionally leaving out certain parts of the story. He doesn't need to know about that.

"No, no, no. There's no reason to apologize, really. I just thought you're- I misunderstood the whole situation and I got anxious again, I'm really sorry," he states and you can spot the nervousness in his tone. You really wish you were there with him so you could hug him tight.

"It's not your fault at all, Sung. Really," you assure him and he sighs softly.

"Okay," is all he replies but it's soft and even so you know his brain finally switched off the panic mode.

"I- I wanted to ask you something actually," you state, biting on your lower lip as you stare out of the window at the people down on the street, everyone trailing behind their own matters.

"Oh, what is it?" He asks without missing a heartbeat.

"Are you free tonight by any chance? I thought that maybe we could hang out when it didn't work out yesterday. We haven't seen each other in a while properly," you offer, praying he would say yes without questioning your motives further.

"Uhm, yeah, sure!" He replies and you can't help but smile.

"Good. See you tonight then, Sungie," you say softly.

"See you, Y/Nie."

-

It's honestly a miracle you were able to sit through all of your classes and pay at least a fraction of attention to what your professors said when all you could think about was your little rendezvous with Jisung. You agreed to meet at six at your favorite coffee shop and the closer the hour got the more nervous you grew, debating with yourself whether this really has to be done. Chan's words gave you courage though. Maybe Jisung still does feel the same and maybe you really have to be the one to officially make the first step. Even if he didn't feel the same anymore, you're grown ups, right? You can overcome this and stay friends, it's no big deal after all. You've lived like this for months now, with his words on your mind, and a thing didn't change between the two of you. So maybe this could work just fine.

You repeat this to yourself like a mantra the whole way to the cafe. You know Jisung has a habit of showing up late, so you don't really rush while you try to prepare a mental speech for him about all those chaotic emotions swirling through you.

To your surprise, once you open the glass door of the coffee shop, he's already sitting in your usual place, his skateboard resting against the side of his seat. He's playing with the menu nervously, looking at it as if he didn't have it memorized by now, his messy dark hair hidden by the snapback, the oversized hoodie he wears swallowing up his body. You can't help but smile. This is exactly how you know Jisung. This is exactly how you love him too.

You greet Jennie who stands behind the counter before you head to him. Besides being Lisa's best friend, Jennie is also an acquaintance of yours since she works here, where you and Jisung are usuals by now. You notice Jennie's smirk as her gaze flicks between you and Sung, making you want to roll your eyes. She never missed a chance to tease the two of you about the 'obvious mutual pinning' as she calls it.

Once Jisung catches the movement in the edge of his vision, he looks up, your eyes meeting. You feel your heart do a little jump in your chest, your cheeks heating up. Grin appears on his face as he stands up and heads to you, pulling you into his arms with your name slipping through his lips. He holds you tightly as always and you can't help but melt against him, resting your head on his shoulder while your arms envelope his back.

"I'm so happy to see you," he confesses and you really have to stop yourself from doing something stupid.

"Me too," you murmur instead, pulling away to look at him.

"God, have you slept recently?" You ask, noticing the dark circles that formed underneath his deep brown eyes, worry creeping into your chest.

"I- uh- not really," he admits, looking down to avoid the frown that appears of your face.

"Sungie. Is something going on?" You ask, gently grabbing his arm and leading him back to your table, both of you sitting down opposite each other.

"N-no. Well, nothing serious. I'm just struggling with sleep. No particular reason," he shrugs, his hands fidgeting with the menu again and so you reach out, taking them in your own.

"Have you talked about it with your doctor? I think she should know about it," you say softly and he sighs, his fingertips grazing your wrists mindlessly, making goosebumps raise on your skin.

"Yeah, I did," he states and finally looks up to meet your gaze.

"And what did she say?" You ask, knowing that sometimes you have to push Jisung a bit to get him to tell you the whole story.

"She had a few suggestions. I don't know how to work with it though," he shrugs and you chuckle.

"Ah, Sungie. We can make it work, I promise. You should've told me earlier," you say and he bites on his lower lip, his eyes searching yours shyly.

There's something about this whole situation that makes you feel uneasy. He's too nervous, too fidgety. He's usually not like that. Only when-

"You're not telling me the whole truth, are you?" You whisper and his eyes widen softly, his whole body stiffening before he shrinks a bit, gaze dropping to the table.

"No," he admits.

"What is it then? You know you can tell me everything, Sung. Chan already told me all your embarrassing secrets that night we got drunk at Changbin's birthday party," you state, trying to lighten up the mood but Jisung doesn't budge, which kind of terrifies you.

"This is not something I can tell you, Y/N," he says and you could swear your heart stopped for a second here.

"What?" You murmur, your brain trying to catch up with his words.

"I- I just can't. No," he shakes his head as he retreats his hands from yours, the sudden distance between the two of you making you feel cold.

"I mean- I have no right to force you. If you don't want to tell me, then you probably have a good reason for it and I respect it," you state with heavy heart as you bite on your lower lip, taking your own hands off the table to hide them in the pockets of your hoodie.

You both stay quiet for a moment, just looking anywhere but each other, the atmosphere turning too heavy for your own liking. That is until Jisung clears his throat, instantly earning your attention.

"What about you? How are you these days?" He asks and you stiffen, remembering why you are here in the first place.

"Uhm- well, I manage," you shrug.

"What the hell does that mean?" He leans forward and you fight the urge to lean back as if that could help you escape his piecing gaze.

"I- I don't know. There's a lot of it in school. I just can't wait for summer," you murmur, hoping Jisung will take the bait and leave you alone, but it doesn't seem like that.

"I know you tend to overwork yourself. We talked about this already though. You should rest properly, Y/N," he states and you sigh, nodding.

"Yeah, mom," you murmur and he chuckles.

"Ya, I mean it!"

"I know."

Your eyes meet, smiles on your faces. And suddenly everything feels okay again. It always does when it's the two of you. That's what you love about Jisung. He always gave you peace, always made you feel like whatever kind of shit you were dealing with didn't matter at all, like everything had a solution in the end and it does. Even this thing between you.

"I have to tell you something," you blurt out, your heart palpitations reaching the roof when you realize you really said it out aloud and there's no backing out of this now.

"Okay?" Jisung offers, smiling softly. You look down, squeezing your eyes shut as you exhale, remembering what Chan said.

Don't waste it, please.

"I- I-," you stutter out, your mind shutting down completely, the whole speech you prepared turning into thin air and leaving you a little vulnerable trembling mess.

No, you got this.

"I kind of- I like you, Jisung," you state, keeping your eyes down, too afraid to look up at him and see his reaction. Just when he stays suspiciously quiet, you actually dare to take a peek at him and assure he didn't just leave in the middle of your inner battle. He's there though, looking at you like a confused little puppy.

"I like you too, Y/N. But I kinda hoped you- I mean- you know that since we are friends, right?" He raises an eyebrow at you and you feel like screaming. God, you'll really have to rub it in his face, won't you?

"No, what I mean is that I- I love you, Jisung. Like much much more than a friend. I do for a while now and I didn't know how to tell you and now- I felt like this was my last chance. You don't have to do anything about it of course. I- I can handle it. I just- Chan- he said I should tell you so- here I am," you finally breathe out, feeling like your mind is probably about to explode.

"Chan?" He echoes and you look up at him, confused.

"You told Chan before you told me?" He asks and you feel like you'll probably jump over the table and choke him.

"What the hell? That's all you got out of this? What was I supposed to do? Tell you and ask you for advice?" You raise your voice, making a few people look in your way but you really couldn't care less at the moment.

"I'm your best friend!" Jisung argues.

"Jisung, I swear to god, I'm gonna murder you," you state, clenching your fists on the tabletop.

You pictured this going a lot of ways but this definitely wasn't one of them.

"You know, if you told me instead of your new best friend Chan, you would've probably found out that I feel the same but whatever," he states, folding his arms on his chest as he leans back nonchalantly.

"You- you do?" You squeak out.

"Well, it doesn't really matter now. You apparently prefer to talk to Chan anyways so-," he states, waving you off while you stare at him, completely shocked.

"Jisung, please, stop joking around or I'm gonna cry. I mean it," you state and he snaps his gaze back to you, apparently concerned.

"If this whole thing is a joke, I can't take it. I- I've been struggling to tell you for so long and if you want to laugh at it now I don't want to hear it," you say, standing up without facing him, ready to leave, feeling too exposed, too vulnerable to handle being in his presence anymore.

"Y/Nie, wait! That's not what I meant to do at all, I promise. I don't want to laugh at you. I- I really care about you. I love you, Y/N. A lot. I'm sorry," he states apologetically, his hand reaching out to you to stop you, grabbing your wrist.

"You know how I get in serious situations," he adds, but you almost don't hear it over the roaring of your own heart in your ears, his words resonating on your mind.

"You love me?" You ask, turning around to look at him, the tears still glistening in your eyes. The sincerity, worry and affection you're met with are enough to melt your heart.

"I do," he nods, hint of certainty in his voice.

"Why did you ask Ha-na out then?" You inquire, your heart trembling a bit at the mention of it. Jisung sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Because of Minho. He said I should ask someone out to try and forget about you," he says softly and you stare at him for a moment, before you chuckle.

Jisung gazes at you, unsure how to react.

"This is ridiculous. I thought it was obvious I felt the same," you state and he chuckles.

"I thought so too," he says, making you smile. So he probably doesn't remember what he said then. Not that it matters now, your whole body buzzing with excitement from his sweet admission.

"I guess we should thank Minho," you offer and he shakes his head.

"No way. We would never hear the end of it, I swear," Jisung states and you start laughing.

"That's true. We must pretend we somehow figured it out ourselves," you state and he hums in agreement, pulling you into his arms by your wrist, his arms settling around your waist.

You are a bit surprised, looking into his eyes shyly, your cheeks burning.

"You think they'll believe us?" He asks and you scoff.

"Probably not," you admit, snaking your hands to the back of his neck, your fingers playing with his soft hair, your eyes glued to his.

"I thought so," he murmurs before he closes the distance between the two of you and kisses you softly. You melt against him completely, letting him savor you like you've always dreamed of, your lips dancing against each other as if this was always meant to be. And you kind of believe it was. Because there's no way this would ever make you feel so good.

The taste of him on your tongue is addictive and you immediately chase after it, letting him pull you closer by your waist, your bodies pressed flush against each other, your hearts racing rapidly in tandem. You feel like every cell in your body is buzzing, making your skin tingle as your fingers run a bit further into his hair, your insides melting.

"Ew, get a room you two."

The female voice immediately snaps you out of your little bubble, both you and Jisung pulling away a bit breathless, your cheeks burning in embarrassment.

You catch Jennie's mischievous gaze as she passes by you, giving you a playful wink, making you want to disappear into thin air.

"Sorry," you murmur, exchanging a flustered glance with Sung, who's biting on his lower lip, endearingly trying to contain his grin.

"Come on, let me treat you to some hot chocolate," he offers, wrapping his arm around your shoulders and leading you back towards your table.

"Can't say no to that."

-

After spending about an hour chatting over a cup of hot chocolate and sharing cheesecake, you both decide to call it a night and get going. Jisung forces you to let him pay for the two of you before you say your goodbyes to Jennie and head home.

You can feel the shift in the dynamics between the two of you, as if you shared a secret now, something only you two know and understand and it's both comforting and terrifying.

"So- what will you do now with Ha-na?" You ask, nudging his shoulder as you walk down the street together. Jisung groans out, detecting the teasing in your tone, making you chuckle.

"What do you think I'll do? I'll explain how the things are now, of course," he states and you smile.

"Hmm. And how the things are exactly, Jisung?" You murmur, looking at him with raised eyebrow and he smirks.

"I don't know, why don't you tell me?"

Just as Jisung finishes the sentence, a loud roar of thunder echoes through the space, the first heavy raindrops following by soon, before it turns into straight on downpour, soaking your bodies through and through.

"Ah, shit," you mutter, putting on your hood as you try to walk faster.

"Come on. If we jog for a moment, we'll make it to my flat soon," Jisung offers, raising his voice so you'd hear it through all the ruckus around you and you agree, trying to ignore the butterflies fluttering in your tummy as his hand envelopes yours.

You both start running, despite the water drenching your clothes and shoes as you try to avoid bumping into other people hurrying to hide from the rain. You can't believe you didn't notice the thunderstorm coming. You always tend to check the weather, but you were too preoccupied with the whole situation with Jisung that you somehow forgot.

The absurdity of the situations makes you giggle as you squeeze on Jisung's hand tighter, letting him lead you as you stumble through the rain.

When you think about it, it's quite freeing and you realize that after a long time you really feel careless and happy. Every worry that tortured your body seems to dissipate, leaving you calm and contend, smile curving your lips as you tug the hood lower into your face to protect it from the water.

"Hold on just a moment. We'll be there soon, baby," Jisung encourages, taking a turn and tugging you along and you almost stumble once your brain registers the pet name slipping through his lips, your heart jumping at that, while warmth floods your cheeks.

"Okay," you reply quietly, not even sure if Jisung heard it over the rain.

He doesn't respond anyhow, picking up a pace instead as his apartment building greets you at the end of the street.

You keep up with him and soon you stand in front of the front door while Jisung's wet fingers fumble with the keys. He finally manages to unlock it and he lets you in first before following quickly after. He rushes you into the elevator, letting out a soft sigh once he presses the button with his floor number and it starts moving upwards, tugging his hood down and resting his back against the wall, his eyes meeting yours and you give him a smile, trying to hide the shivering of your body, but it doesn't go unnoticed by Jisung.

"God, you're trembling," he states, closing the distance between the two of you, his hands grabbing your arms and he starts stroking them over your soaked hoodie, trying to warm you up, making you let out a shaky laugh.

"It-it won't h-help, Sungie. I-I need dry clothes, d-dummy," you stutter through shattering teeth.

"You're right. You need to take hot shower too. Why won't this thing go faster?" He lets out annoyed sigh, looking up as if to scold the elevator before his eyes meet yours again and you chuckle.

"It's- it's okay," you soothe, smiling at him, the corners of his own lips lifting a bit at that even though he still looks quite alerted about your state.

Finally the elevator stops and the door slides open. Immediately, Jisung grabs your hand again, hurrying to the door of his flat, keys already prepared in the other one, ready to unlock the door. It doesn't take him as long this time and so soon you're both standing in the hallway, small puddles of water forming underneath each of you as you take off your shoes and hoodies.

"A-are the boys h-home?" You ask, keeping your voice low to not draw too much of potential attention.

You are at Jisung's often, there's no problem with that, but you're sure that Changbin and Minho of all the people know exactly what's up with the two of you and you're not really willing to face their teasing right now.

"No, don't worry," he states with a smile.

"Go ahead and take a shower, I'll prepare some clean clothes for you," he prompts, pushing you forward gently, taking your soaked hoodie from you.

"What about y-you though?" You turn to him, hesitating. You're sure he must feel just as uncomfortable and cold as you.

"I'm gonna go right after you. Don't worry," he assures you, leaning to you to plant a soft kiss on your forehead, making your eyes widen in surprise, your cheeks burning.

You don't dare to argue anymore, following Jisung's orders and heading straight towards the bathroom like in trance.

You close the door behind yourself, letting out a soft sigh, persuading your heart to stop racing like crazy from something as small as what just happened, grin plastered on your face.

You bite on your lower lip, forcing yourself to contain your stupid joy and start taking off your drenched clothes promptly, your shivering body spurring you on.

Once you stand there completely naked, you climb in the shower and put on the hot water, groaning out in pleasure as soon as it hits your cold body. You can slowly feel your skin warming up again as you let the stream wash over you. You stand there just like that for a while, enjoying the warmth that slowly returns into your veins as you hum some melody under your breath.

After a moment you decide you should probably get out already and so you grab a bottle of shower gel, hoping that it's not Changbin's or Minho's, and you quickly wash yourself, before turning the water off and getting out of the shower.

You take out clean towel from the cupboard, knowing well where Jisung keeps them after all the time the two of you know each other and the times you crashed over at his place, and you dry yourself thoroughly. When you're done, you wrap it around your body before grabbing the handle and opening the door, just to almost crash into Jisung. You both jolt a bit, your gaze meeting his wide eyes, before you look down at the pile of clothes in his hands.

"I- uh- I just- the clothes," he stutters out, pushing it into your arms before he turns around and leaves in hurry.

"Thank you?" You murmur, confused about his behavior. It's not like Jisung never seen you like this before. When you think about it, he's been always flustered around you when you somehow lacked clothing but you just thought it makes him uncomfortable since you are best friends. But probably not.

You smirk softly at that before you close the door again. You quickly change into the clothes he brought you, an oversized black t-shirt and some comfy shorts, before wrapping your wet hair in the towel and finally leaving the bathroom so Jisung can wash up as well.

"You're free to go now!" You announce, heading with the pile of your wet clothes into the living room to put them on the heating to dry up a bit.

"Sungie?" You try again once you realize the lack of his response, while lining your clothes on the heating.

"Stop yelling so much, jeez," an all-too-familiar voice takes you out of your thoughts, making you snap your head around just to be met with Minho, casually leaning against the doorframe, smirk on his face.

"What the hell are you doing here?" You inquire, raising an eyebrow at him while he lets out an amused chuckle.

"I can ask you the same thing, Y/N," he states, shoving his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants as he approaches you slowly, making you feel like a prey.

"We were out with Sung and the thunderstorm caught us on our way back so I'll probably wait here 'til it's over," you shrug, noticing how Minho smirks.

"Out with Sung, huh?" He asks tentatively, making you suppress a roll of your eyes.

"Yep," you nod, knowing exactly what you just got yourself into. God, you'll kill Jisung once you see him for giving you the fake feeling of safety when he assured you the boys are not home.

"Does it have anything to do with his date with Ha-na?" He keeps interrogating you, but you're determined to not let anything slip. Not in front of Lee Minho himself.

"No. Well, I mean he wanted to go out to tell me about that, but otherwise no," you shake your head, putting the last sock on the heating before nonchalantly walking out of the living room and into the kitchen only for Minho to follow you. And to no surprise at all, in the kitchen you find Changbin, sitting soundly behind the table and eating cereal, his eyes meeting yours and he grins.

"Hey, Y/Nie! Didn't know you were joining us today," he states, making you chuckle.

"Hey, Binnie. Me neither. The weather caught us by surprise," you shrug with a smile, stopping by the sink to wash your hands, Minho's body leaning against the counter by your right immediately, his persistence making annoyance bubble underneath your skin.

"I know you're lying because I know you were the one who called Jisung today. We were in the middle of a game and we lost because of your stupid phone call so don't try me," he states and you stiffen. Jisung stopped playing just because of you? You thought that once he joined the game nothing could get him away from the console. Your heart flutters at it involuntarily, but you remind yourself to keep your cool, since Minho's sharp gaze is now focused fully on you.

"What are you two talking about?" Changbin asks, apparently confused but neither you or Minho pay his question any attention.

"That's what this is about? You lost your game?" You turn to the embodiment of Spanish Inquisition by your side, raising an eyebrow at him.

"No. Not at all. This is about you casually wearing Jisung's clothes, using his shower gel and letting him kiss your forehead in the hallway," he states calmly, folding his arms on his chest while your mouth opens in disbelief.

"What?" Changbin shrieks, standing up so abruptly that he almost knocks his chair over.

"So, dear Y/Nie, what do you have to say about that?" Minho bats his eyelashes at you, leaning closer to you with an all-too-sweet smile on his face, heat raising in your cheeks.

"I-I-," you stutter, not knowing what to do to get out of this stupid situation, until you spot Jisung entering the kitchen, drying his hair with a small towel, apparently unaware of the conversation that just occurred between the rest of you.

"Ah, there you are. I was wondering, where you went," he smiles at you, before his expression drops, apparently sensing the tense atmosphere between you and the boys.

You must look hilarious. Changbin standing by the table, eyes widened and brows furrowed, still awaiting the explanation, while you cling to the counter, looking like a deer in the headlights, your eyes pleading with Jisung to save you and Minho, who's leaned by your side, watching you with wolfish grin, gently thrumming his fingers against the countertop as if to let you know he too is waiting for what you have to say.

"What's up?" Jisung asks, running his hand through his wet hair, something you've always found incredibly hot, but you dismiss completely now as you find yourself still trapped by Minho's piercing gaze.

"N-nothing. I-I've been looking for you. Did you already take a shower?" You try to play it cool, your stuttering making Minho chuckle.

"Yeah. I-."

"Are you two dating?" Jisung's words get cut off by Changbin, who's apparently fed up with all the teasing and beating around the bush that Minho enjoys so much.

"What?" Han squeaks out, his eyes snapping from Changbin to you and Minho, a hint of recognition washing over his face. He knows what's up now.

"Uhm- no?" He offers, making Minho laugh, while you do a facepalm.

"Yeah, very persuasive," the boy by your side states, making you give him a death glare.

"Sure, sure, sure. When were you planning to tell us?" Changbin asks, still apparently shaken up by the sudden revelation but at least he's sitting down again.

"Probably never," you murmur, your eyes meeting Jisung's and he gives you a little shrug.

"Are you kidding? We are your closest friends," Changbin argues.

"Not true. We're each other's closest friends," you deny but he just keeps going, ignoring your comment completely.

"I would tell you if I were dating someone. Especially if it was someone from our group! How can you hide it from us like this? You call yourself friends? This is awful!" He keeps lamenting, throwing his hands around and all it takes is once shared glance with Jisung and you're both laughing, leaving Changbin confused again.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm really sorry," you breathe out between the laughs.

"They went crazy," Minho murmurs, shaking his head in disbelief.

"No, no. Listen-," Jisung tries but he can't stop laughing either, resting his hand on his belly now.

It takes a few minutes for both of you to calm down and catch your breath and you have to really try to push the image of angry Changbin out of your mind because it was always something that could crack you up immediately.

"Fine. Are you done now?" Minho asks and you nod, wiping your eyes and taking a deep breath.

"The thing is- it's still new, you know? We haven't even settled it between the two of us yet. I mean if we are dating or not," Jisung explains and you hum in agreement.

"Oh, please. Of course, you are dating. I bet you've been dating for months now," Minho states and it's your turn to be confused.

"What the hell do you mean?" You ask, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I mean you remember Jeongin's birthday party, right?" Minho asks and you steal a glance at Jisung, who seems completely lost. Of course, he does.

"Kind of," you murmur, folding your hands on your chest.

"Jisung got drunk as hell and if I recall it well, you were the one who shared the bed with him that night," Minho states, your cheeks heating up at the memory.

"We all thought- you know-," Changbin shrugs and you sigh softly. Of course, they did.

"Especially when you were the reason why he was so drunk, right, Sungie?" Minho teases and you can't help but look at the boy in question, his whole face burning as he looks everywhere but you.

"What does that mean?" You ask, not really understanding now.

"Maybe we should give them some space," you hear Changbin saying, but your eyes never leave Jisung. He looks so embarrassed it makes your heart clench painfully in your chest.

You remember the night as if it was yesterday. You were so excited to celebrate Jeongin's birthday, especially when you and Chan were the ones to organize it. That's probably why it all went so smoothly and thanks to the help of others Jeongin didn't suspect a thing, which made everything even better. You invited a lot of people, old friends, new friends, and even the girl that Jeongin had a crush on, which was mostly Lisa's doing since they had a common friend. You were quite busy with making sure everything went as planned and so you didn't even have much time to drink except for two shots with Minho and the birthday boy himself, but it was apparently different with Jisung. You saw him the last time probably when you were all singing happy birthday to Jeongin, holding the cake Felix baked together but then he disappeared in the crowd for about an hour and when you met him again, he was wasted. And by that you mean he wasn't even able to talk and stand properly. You didn't understand how he could get so drunk over such a short period of time but you didn't question it further, because you knew as his best friend it was your task to take care of him anyways. You had agreed with Jeongin and Chan before that you two will stay over at their place since it's quite on the opposite side of the city than your apartments are and you were really grateful for it that night because there was no way you'd be able to get Jisung into the elevator yet alone over the whole city to his apartment.

You somehow managed to talk him into retiring early and at least taking a short nap to sober up a bit. He eventually agreed, even though it took all you had and with Seungmin's help you dragged him into the spare room where you already had mattresses ready on the floor to sleep on. Seungmin left you two alone almost immediately, dissipating like a shadow, so you had to help Jisung undress all by yourself. He was constantly whining about you being 'such a mom' and a 'party pooper' for dragging him away, but you didn't budge. When you finally tugged him in like a baby, you got up, ready to leave too, but then he spoke up again, in a tone so much different than before.

"Please don't leave."

It tugged on your heart more than you were willing to admit and so you agreed to stay with him, settling on your mattress that was right next to his. He pulled you closer almost immediately, your body flush to his own as he buried his face into your neck, making your whole body stiffen completely.

"I- I love you so much, Y/Nie. You'll never know. I'm sorry for being such an ass about it. I always wanted to tell you, but I'm a coward. Please, don't leave me."

Even though his words were slurred, he sounded so pained and so desperate, as if on the verge of tears, making your heart ache. All you were able to do in the moment was wrap your arms around his form and hold him close, while a single word escaped your tight throat.

"Never."

Minho's protests take you out of your head and you realize Jisung's now gazing at you too and it's your turn to avoid his gaze, your cheeks burning. You know he probably doesn't remember anything from that night, you figured as much since he never spoke of it again and seemed genuinely oblivious when you tried to ask him about it subtly.

Once Minho's complaining dies somewhere down the hall and you hear the door closing, you dare to take a peek at Jisung.

"So- could you please explain what Minho meant by that?" You ask, keeping your voice soft and even, hoping that would give Sung at least a fraction of assurance that you mean no harm by your question.

"I- uhm- yeah. He was right. I got drunk because of you," he shrugs softly, leaning against the small kitchen island, his eyes meeting yours shyly.

"Why though?" You murmur, still not understanding a single thing.

"Because of that dumbass Ryan. You know, the guy who asked you out a few days before the party? I was- I was unable to tell you how I felt because I was so scared I'll ruin everything and he showed up and- I was afraid I'll lose you," he admits, running his hand through his hair nervously.

"So you were jealous?" You ask softly, making Jisung's gaze snap to you.

"What? No. Not at all. I definitely wasn't jealous. Nope," he denies, amused smile forming on your lips.

"Oh, okay. You know, I'm just asking because I was," you state, shrugging nonchalantly as you take a step towards him.

"What?" He breathes out, eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"When you asked Ha-na out. I was jealous. That's why I didn't answer your texts and I acted like a complete dummy," you explain, biting on your lower lip as you stop a few inches away from him, your gazes locked.

"You- you mean it?" He assures and you nod, smiling a bit guiltily.

"Why didn't you tell me then?" He asks and you chuckle.

"I did. At the coffee shop. I wanted to deal with it all face to face. And Chan's encouragement helped a lot," you say and he frowns softly.

"I still can't believe you told him before you told me," he shakes his head and you smack his chest.

"You sound like Changbin now," you state, making him chuckle.

"Okay. You're right. And it's true. I was jealous. I'm sorry I got so drunk at that party. I had to ruin your night pretty bad," he jokes but all you manage is halfhearted chuckle, his words returning to you again.

Should you tell Jisung about it? Should you tell him that you knew about his feelings all those months and you didn't do a single thing about it? What if he gets mad? What if that will ruin everything you just gained?

"What is it?" He asks softly, apparently noticing your blank expression, his hands cupping your cheeks, successfully taking you out of your head and you swallow harshly.

"There's something you should know, Sungie," you murmur, noticing how his soft smile dropped immediately, worry now swimming in his eyes. But you have to say it. You'd hate yourself if you didn't.

"That night at Jeongin's party, you told me something when you were drunk. I- I should've addressed it sooner, but I was afraid it was just the alcohol and that you'd end up rejecting me and I didn't want to make things awkward between the two of us. I'm sorry," you say, dropping your gaze.

"What did I say, Y/N? I don't remember a single thing. Please, tell me it wasn't anything cringy," he states, his tone light and almost teasing, which has the opposite effect than he probably intended, your frustration getting a bit too much.

"You told me you loved me, Sung. All those months ago. And I- I wasn't able to do anything about it because I'm a coward," you state, your eyes filling with tears as you meet his gaze.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be untruthful with you," you whisper, biting on your lower lip to contain the tears.

"Oh, baby. No, no. It's okay. Really. I completely understand. We were both in the same place, remember? I get it. I probably wouldn't tell you either, you know me. It's okay. I promise. Please don't cry," he speaks softly to you, his thumbs stroking your cheeks, brushing away the tears that escape your eyelids, his words soothing your worries effectively.

"I'm still sorry," you murmur.

"Don't be," he dismisses it as he pulls you into his arms, letting you hide your face in the crook of his neck as his hands stroke your back to comfort you.

"I haven't been honest with you either, baby," he states suddenly and you hum softly, prompting him to continue.

"You know how you asked about my lack of sleep? I told you I can't tell you why I'm not sleeping well. It- it was actually because of this thing between us and the thing with Ha-na. I was worried I'm making a mistake and I didn't want to lose you and it was kinda getting a bit too much. It just took a toll on me," he admits and you pull away, looking at him with sympathy, cupping his cheeks this time.

"Sungie, you should've told me. I would've confessed right away," you state and he chuckles.

"Yeah, sure," he muses and you smirk.

"Hey, that's not fair! I would do it for you," you state, making him scoff.

"Yeah, but I would have to tell you about my feelings first and that would make me feel too exposed, when I would be actually aware of it, not like the last time," he admits and you sigh, resting your face against his shoulder.

"We are a bunch of dummies," you state and he laughs.

"True," he nods, making you smile.

"I love you though," you murmur, looking into his eyes now, grinning and he reciprocates it.

"I love you too. Ah, it feels so good to finally say it. I can't wait to get some good sleep now," he murmurs, leaning his head back, contend smile settling on his lips, making you laugh as you smack his chest again, making him yelp playfully, his hands settling on your waist to pull you closer.

"When we are talking about that, you should really go to sleep. It's eight pm already and you deserve some good rest," you state, resting your hands on his shoulders.

"Only if you come with me," he murmurs and you chuckle, rolling your eyes at how cheesy it sounds even though your heart flutters at the proposition.

"If you insist," you state, making him scoff.

"I'm taking the right side of the bed though," he says and you gasp.

"No way! You know that's my favorite," you deny, watching as Jisung smirks deviously.

"The winner picks," he states as he gently shoves you out of the way, before he races out of the kitchen and you quickly follow in his steps, cursing and desperately trying to grasp his t-shirt to pull him back, his giggles filling the hallway as you pass by Minho, almost knocking him down.

"Ya! Stop it! Freaking kids."

His grumbling makes laugh erupt in your chest as you struggle to catch up with Jisung, the feeling of freedom and carelessness from before returning into your veins, now stronger than ever once you two settled everything between you, no worries weighing your shoulders anymore.

It's only you and Jisung, grinning like sillies while fighting over who's gonna get your side of the bed.

And you are sure you've never been happier.

————————————————————

A/N: Hey guys! First of all, thank you so much for all the love you showed me and my Chan fic, it made me so happy :) Today I come to you with something for Jisung because I love that boy like crazy hihi. I just want to say that I already posted this fic once on my old blog but then I deleted it. This is rewritten and a lot longer version of the old fic, so I was just thinking I'll let you know. Again, please excuse any typos and grammatical errors, English is not my first language. I hope you enjoyed this, let me know! Any kind of feedback is appreciated as always. Luv uuuuu

[seraphinitegames]

The Wayhaven Chronicles—Update 12/August/2022

Exciting week this week with starting with Chapter 17!

But also, I had a blast with editing! I totally forgot what I put into Chapter 9, hehe! :D It was amazing rediscovering all the different possible scenes, and the fun in those had me smiling so much and so eager to find out which scene you guys end up choosing!

Also managed to get the text assets and amended graphics to Hosted Games, so that's all ready to go for them! It's nice as that's usually a huge task during submission, so to get it done now is one major thing I don't have to worry about during the hectic submission process.

I keep meaning to check Book Two to see if the save system has been added into the end yet, so if anyone knows if it has, could you just drop me a message! I’d be super grateful! Otherwise I might ask Nai just to run through that and see for me. She’s coming up with some Instagram and merch stuff involving Book Two stuff anyway, so she’s part way through!

So yeah, it’s been a busily intense time but a very exciting one! :D

I’ve broken the plan for the ending chapters into two different versions, which are A and B (so it’s Chapter 17A, Chapter 18A, and Chapter 17B, Chapter 18B, etc, right up until Chapter 19—then Chapter 20 is the ‘aftermath’ chapter, and 21 is the epilogue-type thing!). I think this was definitely a good call to do them as completely separate versions. I’m not sure yet if I’m going to write the full A version of the ending chapters, and then come back and the do the B version. Or if I’m going to do Chapter 17A then 17B, then do that with Chapter 18.

Hope that makes sense! :D

But Chapter 17A is coming along SO well! I changed it slightly to the plan, but I definitely think it was good to make the change as this version has some more emotional punch to it!

It was also the start of getting the floorplans for the Warehouse and other locations finalised (I'm glad you guys enjoyed the kitchen floorplan and aesthetic on Patreon!). Really want to try and get through those at a pace, as I do seem to have different versions in my head for some rooms, which doesn't help with consistency! 

But things are definitely getting more firm with stats, locations, characters, etc with Nai collating all my notes for me. That should really make things a whole lot easier for Book Four (yes, I'm already thinking about Book Four planning, lol!), which is going to be a serious doozy of a book to write, so the more I have as easy reference, the better!

I hope you all have an amazing week! We’ll be offline as usual, so I’ll update you all again next Friday <3

[dapplemoth]

Omg I just found your blog, and your art is amazing!!! I didn’t know that Nightcloud and Mothwing was a ship until now, but cute gremlin Mudkit with his two moms were so adorable that I’m hooked lol. For the hypokits, how about Jayfeather and Poppyfrost?

Thank you so much! I didn't know Nightcloud and Mothwing were a ship either but it was fun writing them in the perspective of a romantic relationship. And Poppyfrost and Jayfeather is an interesting combo! For this to work, a couple things would have to change in canon. But here are the kits!

From Left to Right: Pumpkinkit and Briarkit

First off, Poppyfrost comes to a hard decision and breaks things off with Berrynose instead of remaining mates with him. They try to remain friends to raise their kits together, but it definitely takes some getting used to.

Poppyfrost never forgot what Jayfeather did for her, and would try to grow closer to him as the moons went on. It took a bit for Jay to open up enough with her, but Briarlight's insistence to let her in and Poppyfrost's general kind-heartedness won him over in the end. He, Poppyfrost, and Briarlight became greater friends than they already were, and Jayfeather ends up becoming..a lot kinder and happier than he is in the books. The old Jayfeather is definitely still there and he's still concerned with the prophecy, but Poppyfrost and Briarlight enthusiasm are one of the highlights of his day and help him forget about his problems..if only for a little while. (Disclaimer: He doesn't improve his attitude because Briar and Poppy 'fix him', its his own choice to work on himself in order to be a better friend to them.)

Some minor changes here and there, but it remains mostly the same. There’d probably be subtle hints throughout the text that Poppyfrost was seeing Jayfeather as more than a friend now, but nothing overt. Jayfeather doesn’t develop feelings for Poppyfrost until around...before the Great Battle ends? He’s incredibly ashamed with himself since he still loves Half Moon, but Half Moon shows up and one of his dreams and goes “I died like a century ago, you can move on” and thats that.

He doesn’t actually do anything for awhile since pursuing Poppyfrost would be against the medicine cat code and well..his mom did the same thing. But alas, their relationship just kind of..happened. They were dating without knowing they were dating each other and things only progressed from there. 

When Briarlight passed away it hit them hard, they were a trio and it felt like a piece of them had been ripped away. They comfort each other during this period, and share tongues frequently, discussing the best things about their departed friend. The loss is heavy on their hearts, but it makes them cherish the time they’ve been spending together.

It’s in the Broken Code when the kits are born and hooooo boy is it a development. Poppyfrost’s kits were entirely unexpected for them and of course they were panicked (Jay was also angry at himself, for roping Poppy and his kits into this mess) They both came up with a plan to hide the kits true parentage from the clan. However, Jayfeather told Poppyfrost that he wasn’t going to keep the secret that he was their father from his kits, not wanting to repeat what happened to him and his littermates. Poppyfrost agreed and some time later Briarkit and Pumpkinkit are born.

When Imposterstar starts exiling cats, Jayfeather is kicked out for being half-Windclan AND having kits with Poppyfrost which is revealed to the entire clan for the first time. Likewise, Poppyfrost and even their young kits are exiled along with him. Briarkit and Pumpkinkit hadn’t even been weaned yet, and even some of Imposterstar’s most loyal followers are shocked that he would go so far as to punish the kittens. They survive though, and when Ashfur is killed Jayfeather and Poppyfrost are not only pardoned for their codebreaking, but the medicine cat’s having no mates rule is tossed entirely due to how severe the whole Imposter situation was. Not everyone is happy that they went unpunished but nobody cares what they think; Jayfeather and Poppyfrost can be happy and raise Pumpkinkit and Briarkit in peace.

Pumpkin and Briar’s warrior names will be Pumpkinstem and Briarleaf.

[g0nta-g0kuhara]

OKAY OKAY, I've been reading your Ch4 text posts, and I was gonna just comment, but it got so long, and I was ITCHING to interact so-

Honestly, I think the big reason Ch4 is underappreciated is because of just how divisive Ch4 is as a WHOLE.

Ch5 and Ch6 in a lot of ways are a lot more straight forward!! Especially in characterization. It could (and frequently is) argued what Kaito and Kokichi's motivations are in Ch5, and how they are meant to be interpreted- but it's super open-ended and people can really easily view it the way THEY want to. Kaito and Kokichi can so easily fall into what the viewer WANTS them to be.

Ch4, on the other hand, fundamentally challenges how the characters view each other and, more importantly, how the AUDIENCE sees the characters. For example if you have hated Kokichi since the start, its easy to write him off in ch5 and say he deserved it, but in ch4 you have to confront the fact that Miu was planning to take him out, and that he was SCARED. I've seen people argue the fact that Kokichi SHOULDN'T have been scared as a way to justify how they feel about him and Ch4.

And of course the major Ch4 elephant in the room: A lot of people have to grapple with (or chose to ignore) the real tragedy Gonta faced, because it would mean fully embracing how complicated he is as a character. A lot of people wanted a straightforward: perfect wholesome character was manipulated by an evil villain to kill and faced the consequences, but that's just not what happened. Gonta is a genuinely kind soul and was placed between a rock and a hard place, and whether or not Kokichi had TOLD him... would have been deeply affected by losing another friend, one he thought HE was close with. He lost his memory, not because he was stupid, but because he didn't have the same DOMINANT HAND as everyone else and got his wires mixed up. There's so much to be said about Gonta in chapter 4 but all of it involves a mental confrontation with the fact that he's a human being with free will, who can make both informed decisions and mistakes.

I keep using the word "confront," because that really is what chapter 4 is. Confrontational. Kaito embodies someone who can't handle that confrontation, Shuichi has to cope with the truth and confronting others WITH that truth (including a perpetrator that forgot what he did-), Kokichi has to confront the horrors of the outside world alongside the fact that someone he trusted and worked alongside is planning to kill him, he has to confront the fact that Gonta lost his memory and the fact everyone thinks that Kokichi is just trying to frame his friend, and Gonta has to confront so much of that alongside Kokichi as well as what he, himself did. Something he IS willing to take responsibility for because he recognizes his OWN agency.

(Repeating my thesis like this is a report -) Chapter 4 is incredibly hard to swallow and harder to digest, and because of that gets overshadowed by the following chapters that have a lot more ambiguity and room to pack in as much interpretation as the audience can imagine. There's no fun in wondering how Miu's last moments played out, unlike wondering what REALLY happened in the hangar. Interpretations can be played around with a LOT when it comes to pregame characters, but it's a lot less fun to place blame in a situation full of people who were only trying to defend themselves. To fully appreciate Chapter 4 you have to be open minded to the fact that characters can do "bad" things and it doesn't make them bad people, and that situations can be deeply and blatantly unfair to those you love and those you hate alike.

It's a really complicated chapter, I see you in being obsessed with it, thank you for coming to my Ted talk lol.

(I didnt even know you could send asks this long holy hell!!)

I can see that ch5 and ch6 have a long more areas of wiggle room and ambiguity to play around in. It's no surprise hangar fics are so common. I guess that makes a good deal of sense- the interest in ch4 is less in "What happened that we didnt see" and more the implications of what concretely happened on the characters and their motivations/inner thoughts for doing what they did.

An image I have in my head extremely vividly of trial 4 is Kaito, Shuichi, and Kokichi arguing with eachother (metaphorically with truth bullets- Ideals vs Truth vs Lies (Ive been struggling to think of an art composition along this theme since I finished the damn chapter a year ago ghdsjkf)) with Gonta in the centre in the crossfire. It is a BRUTAL chapter for all of these characters. But within that there is so much to dig into. What was going through Kaito's head as it became increasingly clear Gonta could not be innocent? How did Shuichi deal with his number one support lashing out and rejecting him like he did? What the genuine fuck was going through Kokichi's head?

I'm going to be fully honest here (so I apologize if this is a bit blunt or anything I am trying my best), but I REALLY struggle to grapple with Kokichi's role in ch4 wrt gonta in any type of sympathetic light. With Miu and Kokichi I see the complexity in its entirety. It's heartbreaking to think that those two were friends and Miu chose to target him in her desperation, and Kokichi had to deal with the fact that she was trying to kill him AND with whatever he saw from the truth of the outside world. But when it comes to Gonta.. I almost feel like I can't talk about it objectively. Even just thinking about the trial from that perspective makes my stomach turn in knots. But there is an amount of fun in that yknow?? I cannot tell you how many hours I've spent trying to unravel all that, especially before I played ch5 5 months after I finished trial 4.

The fun and the interest in trial 4 is that its so complex. There's no one complete villain and there's no one true hero, despite what a superficial look at the chapter might tell you (especially pre ch5). Putting these characters in situations where they're so outside of what their standard role in v3 had been so far is so entertaining to me.

Miu asking Kokichi not to struggle as she betrays him (what caused her desperation to get to this point?). Kokichi pushing past being just mischievous and perhaps insensitive to being downright cruel (and what caused the change in his behaviour). Kaito's righteous anger and rejection of Shuichi, his desperation to defend Gonta. (fun fact- they used a sprite for Kaito here that is only used twice in the game AFAIR, once when Gonta is proved without a shadow of a doubt to be guilty, again when he saw the truth of the outside world. It's one of my favourite Kaito sprites). Shuichi having to push through the trial with his only support being Kokichi (which he does not necessarily want) and Kiibo with everyone else against him. The subversion of what Gonta had been saying about himself, and what his classmates had been implying about him the entire time, that he is not stupid, and they've all been brushing him aside because of their own preconceptions, hurting him in the process. It drives me insane. It's so good.

You're so so right, and thank you for this ask. This is the kind of analysis of ch4 that I ADORE.

[backslashdelta]

13, 19, 26 and 42!

Oooh omg okay I love these questions we're getting into process and organization this is fantastic thank you

13. Where or from whom did you learn how to gif?

When I first started, I think I had found some tutorial somewhere that I was using and I wasn't having a great time of it lol. But then @itstruthtime linked me to this tutorial and it pretty much changed my life tbh. 20/10, would recommend to anyone who wants to learn to gif. Of course there are lots of other little tutorials and various tips and tricks I've picked up along the way, but as for the basics, it's that tutorial. And also just like, I would like to make a point to shout out Cim in general who has been very patient and helpful and encouraging as I've been learning things, and is always happy to kindly let me know when I have been doing things I didn't even realize were wrong, like always posting my gifsets as text posts instead of image posts lmao.

19. What is your giffing process like?

Well, it's basically like the tutorial I linked in the last question. I plan out my concept, including scenes and any text that will need to go with each gif, and I usually just write that down in a notepad file that I don't even save. Then I check to see if I have screencaps of the scenes I want to use - sometimes I'll end up finding a different scene to use that way as well, but if I don't already have the scene I want screencapped and I don't find an alternative, then that's my next step (screencapping my beloathed). Then it's loading all the frames in and converting them to a smart object with the gif action I have. And then the fun begins!

Usually I start with a curves layer and maybe levels just to get the brightness right, and then I start playing around with hue/saturation and selective colour to adjust the colouring. About a month ago I realized that you can actually adjust the hue/saturation of individual colours rather than the whole image at once so uh... thanks for Cim for helping me come to that realization lmao. The option was literally right there I just didn't look so WHOOPS. Once I have the colouring right I move on to any typography that needs to be added, which is basically just a process of cycling through a million fonts until I find one or two that feel right, picking colours and setting styles, switching it screen or vivid light or exclusion or whatever else makes it look the best. I do all of that on just one gif, and then I usually drag those layers over to the other gifs as a base and just tweak them until everything looks like it goes together well.

Then I export them all to gifs and load them into a post draft, and this is the point where I usually realize that I forgot to set them to loop so they just play once or stop, or I didn't adjust the end of the timeline so it just goes white and the typography is there without an image behind it for a moment lol. So then I go back and fix that and save the gifset as a draft. I take a look at the post there to see how it looks all together, and I also look at it on my phone (I've realized that some of my gifsets are probably too saturated because for some reason everything looks so much less saturated on my laptop than on my phone, so this is an important step). And then it's just a matter of tweaking things until it looks good in both places!

26. How many un-posted sets are in your drafts right now?

I've answered this already, and the answer remains: none. I'm too impatient for that lol. If I had anything in my drafts, you would know because I would be making posts complaining about it (see: 1, 2, 3, 4)

42. How is your gif folder organized? Is it organized at all?

Yes it's very organized!!

Okay so first in my main gif folder I have a folder for everything I've posted, a folder for templates and just other useful things to come back to, a folder my things I make for my own blog (basically just my header I guess lol), and a folder for things I make for the KurtbastianArchive blog. And then any other folders are just for gifsets that I am working on at the moment. You can see in this screenshot that I'm planning an alignment gifset (like an alignment chart of Glee characters) and a Kurtbastian gifset with Mr. Brightside lyrics... I have not touched either in a long time lmao so they won't be happening anytime soon.

And then within the posted folder, I have a folder dedicated to each gifset I've ever posted. I have sort of standard naming conventions, where I generally start with the character or ship it's about, and will also include if it's for a specific event or a specific person usually, and then some other detail to describe it (which, as you can see, is usually a song name lol).

And then inside each of those folders, I have the PSD and the GIF file for each gif in the set :)

I also have a really organized file structure set up for my screencaps! Each episode gets it's own folder, and then within the folder there are subfolders for specific scenes. That way once I screencap a scene, I don't have to do it again, I can just come back and reuse the same screencaps. I usually try to screencap a whole scene at a time rather than just the specific moment that I plan to use for exactly that reason.

[ariapmdeol]

I don't think I have to sign these anymore lol but still, 8:11 anon back once more

Yeah I noticed that S was canon, considering the start of the DLC implies such. I should have been patient, my bad.

Purple? Damn it genuinely looks blue. Easy mistake to make, thank you for clarifying. And noted on the ending conditions, it's all very interesting just how much matters.

Kanou even in death and specifically after threatening Atou, still wants to help out. RIP <3 and I figured something akin to that? My running theory was that he might have been a doll at that point or something of the sorts.

I'll finish what's currently in the playlist and then see about contacting you, thank you.

UTSUGI THE WET CAT THAT REALLY NEEDS THERAPY PLEASE THIS MAN. They all suck. All these men suck and that's why they're so incredibly good characters.

Oh, do you have links to those solved ciphers, if you don't mind? They sound fun!

And oh! I completely forgot about Seodore disappearing from the picture and seemingly his entire existence. I assume that has to do with the DLC start sequence, so I won't ask but am very intrigued.

All these changes are so incredibly cool. This game is awesome. I wish I had better words but it's just so goddamn good.

I'll also reply to the music answer as well: WEEEE glad my instinct was correct!

If I may, next one for consideration because I have Hajime and Utsugi brainrot: The Good In Me by Jon Bellion. Without thinking it over twice. Yes I am going insane over these characters I love gay tragedies where both parties really need help.

And!! I am so willing to shout about 8:11 once you start playing it. So good

I HOPE YOU HAVE FUN WITH THE DLC!! the first scene of the dlc is actually one of my favorites in the whole game (oughghgh i understand whats going on there i explode).

I'll put the solved ciphers under the cut, though be warned that they won't make sense to you yet! These show up in DLC and the DLC 2020 credits, and i'll end with the ones from the artbook (alas no images for those bc we're not supposed to share artbook things publicly BUT i think the ciphers are fine).

YEAH. YEAH YEAH YEAH!!!! THIS GAME IS SO GOOD. every single detail is planned out in INCREDIBLE DETAIL, there's foreshadowing for things that only show up in Interlude as early as chapter FOUR. I HIGHLY recommend a rewatch after catching up completely, as certain information completely changes the context and makes some documents stand out more sdakjdkaslj. this game is so good COE forever!!!!! like. the ending variations mean EVERYTHING YOU DO MATTERS, and makes it VERY difficult to get S root first try (the youtube TL showed this, but there is unique text if you get S root without getting any of the others first. Similarly, if you do S and then E root, there is bonus text (Which the youtube TL showed as well!)

ohh this is an interesting pick for hajime and utsugi! I think it's very neat :D im not as familiar with the lyrics for this one but i think its a cool choice! my personal hajime and utsugi picks are With a Billion Worldful of ᐸ3 - Mili and 神曲 - R sound design (THERES A REALLY PRETTY ANIMATIC FOR THIS ONE BUT IT'S DLC SPOILERS orz ILL SHARE WHEN YOU CATCH UP).

ciphers: some have screenshots, some don't! anything bolded was encrypted.

DLC record 4: (italics is red text)

This is a concept you shouldn't know. Dante sealed it away. What right do you have to access this place? If this information were to be disclosed, it would be unstoppable. I need to do this to the end. I hope that those who have inherited the Sephira factor share the same motive as I.

DLC 2020 Credits:

reference definition: earth execution name: line A target period: 1912-2019

the border says 'square circle'

Draft: God

ARTBOOK:

the image of the Lantern says 'Protagonist'

the image of a certain character and with a horrifically warped text box says (bold is one cipher, bold+italics was in a diff cipher, normal text was displayed normally):

Unhandled writing operation has occurred in record __. ‘saving data…’ Error: player character does not exist. 2019-05.

fukao why did you do this one in two different ciphers. FUKAO. EVERY OTHER CIPHER IS THE SAME ENCODING EXCEPT FOR THE 2019-05 FUKAO WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME (this last one stumped me for a long time. i learned a lot of random skills in order to study cell of empireo)

[noonaishere]

So I was sitting here, thinking to myself, wondering how long I’ve been working on this fic [also: I was thinking about this LAST week, I just forgot to type up this post. I feel like that’s just… this whole thing in a nutshell] and I decided to go through my phone to find screencaps and go through my gdocs to find the earliest document that’s associated with this coming fic...

And… I had forgotten that - originally - I was planning on doing a Choose Your Own Adventure-style Otome fic. It’d have each member of Ateez be one of the personality types you see in Otome games, and you’d read through it and click links and choose who you’d end up with in the end. I read a really great CYOA story on Twine a long time ago and I’ve been wanting to do one since then, though I haven’t had an idea that I felt was befitting it.

So I looked up the main Otome personality types and tried to fit each Ateez member to each type and then sort of ran out of ideas/was too busy with work, and so I just put it in a folder marked “fics” which has all fic ideas that I’m kicking around (some come to fruition, some don’t). The document is called “Otome Character Archetypes” and the date on that document is Jun 5, 2021.

Anyway, I recall kind of thinking about the idea for a while after that and then forgetting about it. My Jaehyun fic was still updating, and while I wanted to start a new fic so I had something for when that one was done, I think I might have been also working on some original stuff as well.

At some point I scrapped the Otome idea since I didn’t feel like I grasped the personality types enough to be able to write it well, and created a new doc called  “Ateez smau idea.” It’s creation date is November 7, 2021. (I don’t really use this anymore - the last time I opened it was February of last year lol - because I made a better, more organized “book bible” kind of thing at some point.)

Then I got this comment that sort of blew my mind.

And I was like… YO, what IF there were two couples trying to get each other together, our favorite (or at least my favorite) fic chaos but doubled? 

…

What if it was two fics?

So I started writing notes like, immediately-- AND I DELETED THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENT LIKE A FOOL. I KNOW I made posts about it in April and May, but I guess I copy/pasted the text out of the first documents and deleted the remains as I got everything together and made it make sense? Which - I now realize - I need to STOP. DOING. Since I don’t fucking journal about what I’m doing at all, I need to keep the docs themselves to know when I did things 😫😫😫😫😫

I don’t have the original version of the one side of the fic (it’s two fics. I’ll explain when it’s ready to come out. I don’t know why I do these things), but a file called “Notes from first draft” has March 8, 2022 on it. So I had to have written the first draft of it before then; somewhere in between January 19th and March 8th, because those are the dates of luvvvx’s comment and the day I apparently had enough of a first draft to read it and make notes about additions. The first drafts (of each side of the fic) had to have been very bare bones though, because the doc has a lot of smaller points in it that are intrinsic to the plot and that I know I decided on early on in the writing process.

So I started somewhere between: January 19th and March 8th, 2022. 

…And now it’s over a year later since I started the missing doc of the first draft, and I missed BOTH anniversaries of starting the fic (the comment and the first doc).

When I first was like, “When did I start this?” I thought maybe I could make a little post about it and be like, “Congratulations to STILL NOT BEING DONE” and it would be a lark and kind of funny since I’ve been working on this for so long, but I MISSED BOTH OF THEM. I had two and I missed them.

So yeah, idk what this is. 

Happy missed anniversaries I guess 🎉

[harleyanne02]

Can you write a female reader x Dallas Winston with the character only being soft for the reader and the reader being in distress please? Preferably, the reader is normally badass and needs a break :)

ofc honey! I personally don't have a ton of experience being a badass so some of this will be based on things I've read, but I can for sure understand needing a break.

You also didn't mention if you wanted headcanons or an imagine so I'll default to headcanons lol.

TW: depressive tendencies but nothing is explicitly stated, cursing, extremely fluffy Dallas, non-canon Dallas (he's wayyyyy too fluffy in this but hey, its cute), PLEASE let me know if I missed anything in any of my works I don't want anyone to get triggered by anything I miss

Dallas Winston x Reader Fluff

We all know that Dallas Winston is a badass, but what everyone may not know is that he does have one very small but still there piece of his heart that can feel the nicer emotions, and that sliver is reserved for you

You also get the rest of his heart, but you have to share that with Johnny and the gang as well as Tim, but that little sliver is all yours

You acted like you were the same way but in reality your whole heart could feel and you just had walls up around them. But you had to hold those walls up yourself

And Dal kind of knew that? But had never seen anything happen about it

And one day you'd just had enough

Enough holding up those walls, enough being a badass, enough pretending you couldn't feel the stares you got as you walked down the street with one of the town's most notorious bad boys.

You needed a break

So you took the day off from life, you couldn't remember having any plans that day anyways so what's the harm?

You laid in bed all day and relaxed, watched your comfort movie over and over again, did everything you could to make yourself feel better

until 1:00 when you got a text from Dal

Where r u?

shit

you forgot about your date. You were supposed to meet Dal at the diner for lunch and spend the afternoon together

You text him back quickly shit I'm so sorry babe I completely forgot, I've been in bed all day

that was the thing between you and Dal, you were always honest with each other, you didn't have to lie about what you were doing because the other would find out and the other would be more upset about the lying and lack of trust rather than what you were actually doing.

So he texts back u ok?

yeah just tired. read 1:12pm

You put your phone down and sighed rubbing your hands over your face. You felt horrible for forgetting.

You just sat there in bed for a solid 10 minutes looking at the ceiling before you heard a knock at your door.

You got out of bed and looked in the mirror fixing your hair real quick so it was somewhat presentable before continuing downstairs to the front door.

when you open it your boyfriend walks past you and goes straight over to sit on the couch.

"So what's wrong?" he asks you.

"Nothing" you reply, although it was one of the rare times that you weren't telling the truth with him

"I know that's not true, you never stay in bed all day unless you're sick or there's something wrong." he retorts.

"Fine. It's been a long week. I'm tired of having to play this badass role all of the time, it's getting tiring. I just want to exist." You admit

he doesn't say anything back, he simply nods. He understood what you were feeling, before he completely plunged his soul into being a bad boy, there were rare occassions where he wanted to exist as a normal person too.

he walks over to you and puts your arms around his neck and picks you up by the backs of your thighs. You wrap your legs around his waist and cross your ankles on his back as he carries you up the stairs and to your bedroom.

He sets you on the bed gently and kicks off his shoes before joining you.

He turns on the TV and pulls up your favorite movie and once he starts it he wraps his arms around you and pulls you to lay on his chest facing him

He holds your face in his hands and kisses your forehead, then one cheek, then the other, then your nose, your eyelids, before finally stopping and resting on your lips

You two stay like that until the next morning having fallen asleep eventually (but not after Dal ordered delivery because this mans not about to let his bby skip a meal. If you aren't on track for having 2 1/2 to 3 full meals today please go do that and drink some water while you're at it!)

The next morning Dal wakes up first for once (I think it's practically canon at this point that Dallas Winston sleeps in LATE) and just watches your relaxed face and light breathing, looking so much happier than yesterday

And even though he already planned on it, he made a promise to himself that he would make everything okay for you, his baby, his love.

[starglitterz]

cynosure. (vii)

─── chapter 7 ! ~ bubble tea

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summary; you and xiao are genmates under the famed streamer company genshin impact. the chemistry between the two of you is undeniable, and your fanbases absolutely love your collaborations. but when you both start meeting up offline more and more, your connection starts to deepen past just harmless flirting and playful banter. with these real feelings starting to affect both your job and reputation online, how will you two react when your relationship becomes the internet’s cynosure?

a/n: apologies for the ugly formatting i needed space for 10 images so i removed the banners LMAO,,, hehe i hope u all like this chapter bc i certainly do (it went kinda far from my og plan LOL) also i forgot to add this but reading order is; 1 2 3 4

warnings; hate comments

previous.┃masterlist.┃next.

please reblog ! it helps a lot :)

this chapter is dedicated to story !! (@/storytravelled) hehehe tysm for all the adorable tags u leave in the reblogs, they make me rlly happy and i love reading them!! ^_^ <3

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private messages !

groupchat 1 !

groupchat 2 !

twitter !

private messages !

facts !!

scaramouche is a famous tea channel, he starts informs people about drama in the youtube community. his sources are usually untrustworthy but everyone believes him because he's pretty. has been cancelled numerous times but still comes back every single time, much to the chagrin of the poor streamers whom he sets his eye on to make his next video about.

feiyun slope is is the northeastern area in liyue harbour. in-game, wanmin restaurant is actually in chihu rock, but for story purposes it's now at feiyun slope since that's usually where business occurs in the game.

hu tao and yanfei were on a ghost-hunting date, they had stopped to take a break after quite a long time without seeing any ghosts and that's when hu tao texted in the groupchat.

xiao's contact name is tiny because of a joke w his chinese name that i mentioned in a previous chapter. xiao’s chinese name is 魈, read as xiāo and meaning 'demon’, but the word for 'small’ in chinese is 小, read as xiăo. basically if you mispronounce xiao’s name the meaning will change, and so y/n nicknamed him tiny bc of the word 小.

while yanfei says the username is 'genshin-impact-updates', the actual poster is 'gi-updates'. just take this as yanfei having a rare lapse of memory, pretend it's not bc i realised twt usernames can't be that long <3

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a/n; YOOO SOME DRAMA??? LMFAOKMDKSD also i dont know how bubble tea works so i cut out a whole part i had planned for this but! genesussy helped me out when i was asking qs in the discord server hehe 😎 ty genesis btw!! <3 besides that im sorry for delaying this chapter for like 700 years T_T i didnt have any time to write it </3 fun fact i nearly cried editing parts of this on mobile bc it was so laggy omg,,, but now that it's out, i hope u all like it !! also send me theories abt what u think will happen next or perish /j ily all, im abt to go sleep now (i just realised i always finish cynosure chapters late at night HAHA) so goodnight my loves ! or good morning when u read this ! either way i hope you like this chapter and continue enjoying cynosure <333

taglist; @noirkkat @bookuya @ohmykazuha @glazelilyy @oreoz-unfortunately @tiny-aroace @xiaophobic @test-tube @jiinghe @storytravelled @mirikusashes @ben6ett @oliviasslut @bluexiao @lunachelly @aelatus @mimion @akiiyukii @angelhxneyy @give-xiao-almond-tofu @abyssheart @xuanya @normalisthenewnorm @viagiraffe @fuhuashandholder @astersg4rden @nachotrash @childe-support @cynokine @axerrri @ventirain @kait-is-always-late @hushyouu @celestair @rim0na @indecisivehusky @nurserinnn @ariesreii @saving-for-xiao @hellokittykuroo @auradragon199 @xiaoszn @liarchive @almondto-fu @berryqueue @chichikoi @yunaholics @yoimimi @http-mewchuu

usernames in bold could not be tagged :( pls do lmk if want to be added to/removed from the taglist by sending in an ask! taglist pt 2 is open, and will be tagged in a reblog of this chapter when i wake up!

fan accounts !

- @severedftaes

- @/berryqueue

general masterlist.

© starglitterz 2021. do not repost or modify in any way.

[incendiobrock]

Pranked You ;) {Colby Brock}

Request: Hello sweetie! I was wondering if you could do a story where the reader and Colby aren't dating YET but there is yah know, chemistry and tension. But one day sam decided to pull a prank on Colby and it involved EVERYONE. So basically he makes it seem like he woke up in a different world or something where stuff is different. For example: him and reader are dating (you can choose whatever other stuff happens, lol) but once Colby figures out the prank, he pulls reader aside. They have a small argument before reader blows off on him, in which he says "I've never wanted to kiss you as badly as I do know" and that's how they admit their feelings! Thank you! And can't wait to see what you write love

A/N: Hi! Thank you so much for your request, sorry for the wait, I have been very busy with school and work. I hope the wait is worth it though! Get ready for a long imagine, I’m pretty sure this is about 3,000 words. I hope you love it! I just realized that I tried to keep this imagine gender neutral but I forgot that I accidentally put some she/her pronouns in it, I’m so sorry!

Warnings: Angsty, Cussing, Mentions of alcohol, implied smut

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It was just like any other day for you. You woke up around noon because you were exhausted from the day before. Between working, going to college, and trying to keep somewhat of a social life, everyone could see just how worn out you would get day to day. So today you decided to treat yourself with a few extra hours of this beautiful thing called sleep.

Your phone rest on the bedside table and of course checking it and replying to the unread messages was the first step of your morning routine. The first messages you saw were from the group chat that consisted of you, Kat, and Tara. Apparently, while you were sleeping, Tara and Kat had a whole conversation about a girl’s day that they wanted to plan for you three. The last text sent was from Kat and it read, “I can’t wait for y/n to see all these messages in the morning. We planned the best girl’s day while she was probably passed the fuck out in her bed lmao”.

You smiled sending them a text back alerting them that you are indeed alive and down for all the plans they had created. In fact, you would be seeing them later at Sam and Colby’s place for a couple’s dinner/pool/movie date night. Jake would be there as well, and although you were tragically single, you loved all of them to death and hanging out over there was like the most elite sleepovers you would have with your best friends as a child.

A new text appeared on your screen just as you began to emerge from the comfort of your bed sheets, “God finally you’re awake. I’ve been waiting for Kat to tell me you answered her message all morning. I need your help tonight with a prank. Colby is never going to see it coming”

“A prank? I thought you guys didn’t do that anymore...? But I’m in ;)” You sent back. Out of all the trap girls and all the boys, Colby and you got along the best. Ever since you first met, which was years ago at this point, Colby and you have been inseparable. You tried so hard to avoid your feelings for him, in hopes to not develop a crush that ended up ruining your friendship, but Kat picked up on it right away. She told you constantly that she could easily set you up with the beautiful blue-eyed boy, but you insisted that things would happen naturally if there was truly something there between the two of you. And so, you went on, day by day, falling helplessly in love with the sweetest boy you have ever come to know.

Sam sent a message telling you to head over to their place as soon as possible. You swore that you basically lived there already. You were at their house way more than you were at your own. You couldn’t imagine living further than 15 minutes from them. After what felt like a century to Sam, you arrived at the house. Your hand loudly knocking on the big wooden door.

“Hey y/n! How are you?” Kat asked, pulling you into a big hug as she opened the door. You smiled and hugged back at her kind gesture, “I’m good! How are you? Do you know anything about this prank on you know who?” You questioned her. She glared at you, silently telling you to lower your volume. “Y/n! Colby is right upstairs be quiet!” She whispers, laughing at you almost blowing their cover immediately upon arrival.

Kat was quick to take you by the arm and drag you to the theater room where Sam was already sitting on one of the opulent red couches. He greeted you, telling you that he wanted to film your reaction to him telling you what prank you were going to pull. You agreed and sat down on the sofa facing the blonde. “Colby’s taking a nap right now upstairs because he was up super late last night editing one of our Sam and Colby videos. I figured we could use his exhaustion to our advantage and try and prank him that he woke up in some sort of alternate universe. I figured you could go into his room and set up a couple cameras, and I’ll keep two hidden in the living room where me, Kat, Jake, and Tara will be, so we hopefully get his full reaction. I want you to sneak into his bed and like cuddle him or something and when he wakes up, I want you to pretend that you’ve been dating him for a long time now. He is going to be super confused but just try and convince him that it’s true. If he ends up downstairs, we will go along with it too. I really want to see if he will think that it’s real after a while.” Sam explained.

You felt your face burning as your cheeks became a deep shade of red. He couldn’t be serious right? He wanted you to pretend that you were dating Colby? “I- Uh… I don’t know Sam won’t that be a really mean prank?” You tried to play it off, hoping that you didn’t just annihilate all your efforts to keep your feelings hidden. “You guys are like best friends, I don’t think he could be mad at you for such an innocent prank.” Sam replied. You began to feel incredibly flustered at the thought of having to be so affectionate with Colby. The room started to feel like a sauna as the sweat began accumulating all over your body.

Sure, you and Colby had cuddled before, but it was extremely platonic… Plus, it only happened in very specific moments, like last Wednesday after you had a couple of drinks, and everyone was sat watching a movie where he wrapped his arm around you so you could rest your head since it could barely hold itself up. You snapped out of your thoughts quickly realizing that Sam had been waiting on a response from you. You knew Sam was stubborn, he wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. Your eyes met back with his and the only thing you could get yourself to do was slightly nod your head ‘yes’.

“Perfect.” Sam smirked, getting up to turn off the camera and hand it to you so you could set it up in Colby’s room. You already knew that he was thinking about how many points this would score him for a Sam and Colby prank war if it turns out the way he is wanting.

Before you knew it you had made it all the way up into Colby’s room where you had strategically hidden the camera, facing it towards the sleeping boy in his bed. You let out a deep sigh, trying to prepare yourself for what was about to go down. “If this ruins everything for me, I am going to kill you Golbach.” You whispered, knowing the deep sleeper wouldn’t hear a single thing. And so, the prank began.

You took a gentle hold of the silky black sheets and quietly slipped into bed right next to Colby. There was no game plan in your mind, you didn’t even think up a storyline about your fake relationship for once he woke up. You squeezed your eyes shut in fear as you quickly wrapped your body around his, resting your head under his chin as he slept on his back. He twitched slightly, bringing his arm up, lazily holding you back. The breath caught in your throat, this was already hard enough for you and now he is cuddling you back? You glanced up to see his face, his eyelashes were slightly fluttering, and his soft lips had a slight part in them. He was still fast asleep. You decided to try and wake him up by moving around in his arm slightly, hoping the movement would pull him out of his dreams.

“Y/n?” His voice rung through the room, deep and raspy. He sat up slightly, glancing around the dark lair that he called a bedroom, but his arm still remained around your frame. “W-what are you doing here?” He stuttered, visibly confused by the sight of you in his arms.

“What? I can’t cuddle my boyfriend?” You answered, shocked that you could even get those words to come out of your mouth. His eyes widened at your response, pure shock etched into his face. “Boyfriend?” You felt his heart start to race as he replied.

His arm dropped from your body as he delicately pushed himself out of bed. He was now hovering over you as he stood by the bedside table. There was a clear glass with some water sitting on a coaster on the table. His strong hand wrapped around it as he brought it up to his mouth, downing the rest of the water that was in it. You could tell by his body language that he was beyond confused. The glass clinked as he practically dropped it back onto the nightstand.

“Am I dreaming or something? Since when was I your boyfriend?” His eyebrows furrowed as he continued to look at you for some answers. Your heart sunk thinking about how mean of a prank this truly was, at least from your point of view. “Baby… Are you serious? We’ve been together for years now, are you feeling okay?” You said as you threw your legs over the side of the bed, pulling his hand into your own.

Your thumb gently rubbed circles onto the back of his hand, but only for a couple seconds before he pulled it away. “Is this a fucking prank or something?” He asked, irritation evident from his tone. You shook your head ‘no’, it was becoming hard to process words. You knew this was upsetting him, but Sam had you promise to make the prank last for as long as you could.

“I’m sorry- I have to get out of here really quick.” Colby said, making his way out the bedroom door. You said nothing back, hoping that Sam would end the prank for you as Colby made his way down the stairs.

“Hey brother! You’re finally up. Where’s y/n? I thought we were all doing a couples movie night?” Jake interrogated as Colby glanced to see Sam, Kat, and Tara standing over in the kitchen. Colby brought his hand up to his face rubbing his eyes, there’s no way that Jake is saying this too. Colby began to think that he was seriously going crazy. And then everyone else joined in on the conversation. You could hear them loudly as you stayed glued to Colby’s bed.

Sam began to ask if Colby was feeling alright, and you heard Kat say that maybe we should take Colby to the hospital in case he was losing his memory. You felt the panic in Colby rise as he was deflecting everyone’s concern insisting that he wasn’t losing his memory, and that he definitely wasn’t going crazy. He knew for a fact that you two weren’t dating, and none of them could convince him otherwise. “Dude, she’s gonna hear you up there. You’re going to break her heart. You really don’t remember?” Sam pushed.

You finally had enough. You raced out of Colby’s room and rushed down the stairs. You stopped immediately upon entering the kitchen, seeing everybody else still standing there surrounding Colby. The energy switched as they all looked to you, Sam pleading with his eyes for you to keep going. “I’m so sorry Colby, it was just a prank, please don’t be upset.” You couldn’t handle it any longer, the pain on his face was too much for you to bear. You watched as he scoffed back, “I knew it. Fuck you, guys. I’m going back upstairs.”

You felt horrible as you watched him stomp back up to his room, slamming the door shut behind him. Tears stung the back of your eyes, this was all your fault. You excused yourself from the group and somberly made it to Colby’s door. You preceded to place a faint knock on the wood, “Colby? I’m so sorry, can you please open up?” Your voice was so soft, it would’ve been hard for him to hear if he hadn’t already anticipated your arrival. The door swung open as Colby quickly made his way back over to where he previously sat on the couch.

You stayed frozen at the door for a couple seconds, hoping to brace yourself for the angry boy inside. You took hold of the cold metal doorknob, pulling the door shut behind you. You tip-toed your way over to the sofa and took a seat far from Colby. Your mind was running a hundred miles an hour as you tried to concoct a coherent sentence. “What the hell were you thinking? Did you seriously think that I would find this funny?” He spat in your direction.

“It wasn’t my prank, Sam just wanted me to help him out.” You said back, desperately trying to reason with him. He sarcastically laughed, running a hand through his dark hair. “I didn’t ask who’s prank it was y/n.”

You gulped, it felt suffocating in his room. The dark ambiance that normally felt inviting suddenly seemed like your own personal hell. “Colby, I didn’t want to hurt you I swear. I was trying my best to keep everything lighthearted. I could never hurt you.” Your voice was so delicate, it was so hard to speak. The tears were still threating to make an appearance, and that was the last thing you wanted.

“But you did, y/n. That’s the thing. Whether or not you ‘meant’ to hurt me, you did. And everyone else was in on it to. Did you even try and tell Sam that this prank wasn’t a good idea? Did you even think, for a split second, that this was incredibly immature? You were all treating me like I was losing my damn mind, trying to convince me that we were dating when we clearly never were.”

His words hurt, but they were all true. You had never been together, what were you thinking pretending like you were? All to satisfy Sam? To help him get a head start on the prank wars by completely crushing Colby’s heart? He is your best friend for crying out loud. “Look Colby. I never wanted to do this, okay? Did you ever stop and think that maybe I didn’t want to be doing this either? You mean everything to me. Why would I ever purposely hurt you? Especially after everything we have been through. All the ups and downs, the messy breakups, all the fights. I love you so god damn much and I hope you know that I would never, ever, hurt you like that.” By this point the tears were streaming down your face. Your previous spot on the couch was long discarded as you now stood right in front of Colby, praying that he knew you were being serious about not hurting him.

Your eyes searched his for any glimpse of a sign showing that he believed you. His bright blue eyes looked a lot more intimidating than usual. You couldn’t tell what he was thinking, his expression not giving you any clues. Finally, he responded, “Is it wrong that I’ve never wanted to kiss you as badly as I do right now?”

And finally, there was your sign. His eyes no longer looked intimidating. In fact, they had completely changed into something much different, lust. You quickly took a step closer to him as he took a stand right in front of you, placing his strong hands on either side of your face. He roughly pulled you in, causing your lips to crash together with loads of passion. They fit perfectly together, better than you ever imagined them. They worked in sync as the feeling inside of you was igniting a fire. He was so rough, but surprisingly still gentle. Acting as if one wrong move would completely break you. Your lips remained locked as he pushed you backwards, surprising you as your back made contact with his plush bed. He was on top of you, hungrily continuing the kiss.

You both pulled apart abruptly, gasping for air after your heavy make out session. “I guess now’s a good time to let you know that I am absolutely, one hundred percent, in love with you.” You stated, starring deep into his eyes. “Then I guess now’s a good time to tell you that I feel the same.” He responded, bringing you back in for another passionate kiss. You pulled back again, “So, does this mean I can finally see those handcuffs I keep hearing about in action?” You asked him, slightly laughing. “Only if you promise to keep quiet.” He winked back. And that was the start of your amazing, long awaited relationship.

[iwadori]

Haikyu boys when they take a joke/prank too far (Iwaizumi,Daichi)

Word count: 1.9K

Genre:angst,fluff

AN: In the spirit of April Fools I tried to make my first work based on that I hope you enjoy!! (LOL I can’t actually believe this was the first thing I’ve ever written)

Iwaizumi:

“Okay so it’s April Fools Day who are we going to prank?” asked Makki “One of the first years?”

“Do we have to prank someone this year..” replied Iwaizumi “so childish”

“Iwa-Chan!” Oikawa said “Don’t be such a spoil sport.”

“Anyways, it can’t be a first year they’re boring to prank a first year coach will be mad at us, we need someone else.”

Just then, you enter the gym, catching their eye as you approach the group sitting on Iwaizumi’s lap “Hey babe, I can still come over to yours to study right?” you ask.

“Yeah of course, practice finishes early so I'll be there before you.” He said

“Alright, see you then bye babe, bye guys” you said, giving Iwaizumi a kiss on the cheek sauntering off and waving at Makki, Mattsun and Oikawa.

“bye Y/N!” They teasingly responded in unison making you laugh.

As they watched you leave, it seemed as if a lightbulb pinged off in all of their heads (besides Iwaizumi) realizing who would be a great person to prank.  

After a lot of convincing, they finally got Iwaizumi in on the ‘harmless’ plan, all they needed to do now is wait on your arrival.

You’re finally done with school after a long and tiring day of exams upon exams and wanting nothing more than to cuddle with your boyfriend (after he teaches you Pythagoras theorem of course.) You did think he was acting weird when you met him this morning in the gym and throughout break and lunch but you just concluded that it was because he was having an ‘off’ day.

You reached his house and used a copy of his key that he gave you to enter we just enter houses up in this bitch  calling out his name “Zumi-babe, I'm here...”  

“Lets get this shit over with” you said tiredly

Upon entering, you notice none of the lights being on or curtains drawn ‘odd’ you think. You go upstairs going straight to his room hopefully to find your boyfriend in his bed or on his Xbox or something. To your surprise his bedroom door was somehow locked shut (even though not having a lock on his door anyways.) Suddenly, you hear creaks slowly trailing up the stairs and an eerie feeling surrounds you... now you start to feel pretty panicked jiggling the door handle to Iwaizumi’s door as it’s practically the only place you can go.

AN: I hate what I’m writing rn but onwards we right

The footsteps on the stairs start to quicken, and you almost certain that you felt something brush pass your shoulder only adding onto the panic and anxiety that you already feel. Ok, the footsteps on the stairs are basically right near you, so doing the only logical thing you can do you body slam the ‘person’ on the stairs as you motherfuckin should  as tears fill your eyes and you pick up bag bolting through the front door, slamming it shut now in full tears and shakingly scared.

You look behind you and see Iwaizumi’s front door re-open and out comes the ‘iNFaMouS sEiJOh fOuR’ in tears... of laughter. It seems that the boys were in laughing fits that their prank ‘payed off’ getting a reaction out of you. You couldn’t see Iwaizumi’s reaction, but you didn’t care you were hurt, annoyed and wanting to get into your bed.

Once you get home, you decide to block your so called ‘friends’ who decided to make you scared shitless and ignored Iwaizumi’s messages asking “where were you today”.... the AUDACITY.  

The next day, the boy’s seemed to realize the consequences of their actions after spending the whole day trying to get your attention only to be straight up ignored. Iwaizumi is immensely regretful after all his efforts to try talking to you were denied, he decided after his practice he was going to get you to talk to him or at least get you to listen to his apologies on what happened yesterday evening.

You left your clubroom and made your way to the school gate to go home.

“Y/N!” shouted Iwaizumi touching your shoulder making you flinch ‘wow did we really scare her that bad?”  

“What do you want iwa?” You asked very agitated

“Y/N I just want to apologize for yesterday, since it was April fools day and all the boys really wanted to prank someone and I-it just happened to be-”

“It just happened to be me. Right?” you interrupted “Gosh Iwaizumi, I was really scared.. I already had a tiring day and all I wanted was my boyfriend to teach me the stupid Pythagoras Theorem and cuddle me afterwards, but no you and your friends just had to be dicks for a day” you turn around planning to walk away before he grabs you again  

“Wait! Just wait y/n, im sorry and I wont ever prank you like that again” he pleaded

“.. and i’ll help you study?” he added pulling the sweetest face of all time to try and convince you  

“ugh, fine stop pulling that face... and you better teach me Pythagoras Theorem” you said rolling your eyes

“yeah yeah whatever you say y/n” he said pulling you under his arm and walking in the direction of his house.

A/N: WOW I DID NOT like the way this turned out but its my first official thing that I wrote hopefully HOPEFULLY MY WORK IMPROVES (I THINK IT WILL) SO please join me on this ‘ride’ in improving my work  

Daichi:

You decided this morning that you were NOT going to participate in your annual April Day Fool’s prank with Tanaka and Noya... only because of your not-so new boyfriend Daichi saying he didn’t need his teammates corrupting you any longer so you decided to not get involved. With that being said you wouldn’t even think of your boyfriend pulling a prank on you so you didn’t think you’re getting pranked today.

In the gym, the boys were doing the usual: Hinata and Kageyama running after eachother, Tanaka and Noya oogling Kiyoko, Tsukishima listening to music, Yama and Yachi going over club schedules whilst Daichi sat with Sugawara and Asahi.

“So are you pranking anyone today?” sugawara asked

“Pranking someone, isn’t that a bit too juvenile suga?” Asahi replied

“Not you silly, Daichi” said sugawara “With Y/N on his arm they always have to stay on eachothers toes right..she’s a ‘jokester’ right?”

“...right?” Daichi hadn’t thought of it that way, he did know of all your joking escapades before you even got together and how you still liked to joke around now as you date.. He didn’t want you to think that you thought he was too boring for you ?

“Ok. What type of prank should I pull on her..”

Daichi, Sugawara and Asahi (who didn’t really contribute to Suga’s scheming) made a plan for you to meet him at the gym locker with the claims that he had a ‘surprise’ for you .. oh how he was wrong.

Daichi: meet me at the gym locker I have something to show you  

Y/N: Ok!! I’ll be there in 5 minutes

Daichi was nervous, and that was an understatement he didn’t want things to go left and have you thinking he couldn’t even do a simple prank. Once you got there, he saw heard you talking to Sugawara and Asahi outside the door about him wondering where he was in which Suga told you inside the locker room.

“Hey babe” you greeted “what's the occasion in why we’re in here?”

“I...uh..um I need to get something one second” Daichi spoke quickly and rushed out the room closing the door leaving you confused. Minutes passed, and you were now impatient and kinda scared since the room was dusty, dark and cold definitely not your place to be in. You tried texting Daichi but just your luck you have no service ://  

As time went on you tried opening the door but it was jammed shut no hope opening at all you forgot you left your bag outside which of course had your inhaler which did not help the sudden shortness of breath you started to get because of your asthma and claustrophobia. All you wanted was to get out of this room and talk to … Daichi.

Daichi. How convenient that he manage to slip away before the door got closed hmm but he wouldn’t intentionally prank you after ALL the lectures he gave you about not doing pranks this year right?

You didn’t notice how you started to cry and whimper wanting to leave.

On the outside, Daichi heard your cries and ordered Sugawara and Asahi to find the key to immediately get you out which it seems to take a while because Daichi has now stopped hearing your tears making him gulp in fear thinking something bad has happened to you in there.

Sugawara comes to you handing Daichi the keys, his handing shaking as he tries to unlock the door when he eventually does he finds you passed out on the ground of the dusty storage room. Very cliché I know ://

You wake up in the Nurses Office a bit confused on how you got there until your eyes land upon Daichi, remembering how you locked you in the Storage room where you had an asthma attack and passed out. You turned your body away from Daichi not wanting to talk to him right now after the hypocrisy he did.

“Y/N.. Are you alright?” He asked

“Do I look alright?” You responded in a bored tone

“I am really sorry Y/N... I know what I said to you about not doing pranks this year but Sugawara roped me into this and I didn’t want you to think I was too boring for you so I thought doing this prank would make you see me in a different light” he said

“yeah i saw you in a different light alright” you sassed, you then realised what he said ‘too boring’ kind of feeling less mad and more sad that he feels this way “Dai, you’d never be to boring for me … you’re one of the most funness is that a word? guys I've ever met.”

“really?” he asked  

“Of course! I’m kind of still mad at you for letting this happen but I do sort of understand why” you said giving him a hug.

You were eventually cleared to go home and as you left the clinic you saw Asahi and Sugawara standing at the door.  

“Y/N WE’RE SORRY” they bowed to you waiting on your responses

You chuckled slightly at their cuteness and ruffled both of their hair “all is forgiven, just make sure there’s ‘pranks’ this year “

Which they agreed upon.  

A/N: WOW I DID NOT like the way these turned out but its my first official thing that I wrote hopefully HOPEFULLY MY WORK IMPROVES (I THINK IT WILL) SO please join me on this ‘ride’ in improving my work. Feedback is VERY MUCH APPRECIATED and request too since I will literally write whatever...

I may do a part 2 … any particular characters people want?

[swansong-if]

a few things concerning the demo

now that the prologue is out i wanted to share a few notes! i’ve been answering asks from before i even started writing, so if you were here from the start you may have noticed some inconsistencies between what i said i’d do and what is actually in the current demo ✌ not the first time (and won’t be the last) i change my mind but i thought it might be better to make a post about it lol

   instead of different mc stats like initially planned, i’ve decided to flesh out 4 different mc types. the main reason is: rather than having a hundred small variations in form of flavour text, i prefer to rewrite the same scene from a limited number of perspectives. the 4 types are all quite different (i can give more info on that if anyone wants to know), and you get to select both how the mc presented in the past and what is their current attitude!

   the choices that select both past and present mc type are both in the current demo, one at the end of leir’s introduction and one at the beginning of odile’s scene. i haven’t marked them in a specific way atm, they’re simple cycle links, but if you think they should be clearer/marked somehow let me know? the second one in particular is what will shape your mc for the majority of the story, so you could consider it the most ‘telling’ variable there is.

   as a player you will still get to make your own choices regardless of the mc type you choose, since what i call a ‘personality’ type is more like, how the mc acts outwardly and how they interact with others/the whole situation they’re in. there are several other variables that will influence the story so i’m hoping it will still give you a decent amount of freedom in fleshing out your mc, while still allowing me to focus on other sides of the story.

   i can’t speak for future chapters but one thing i’ve noticed writing the prologue: i don’t personally care about writing something ‘linear’. the odile scene has several branches (around 10k words out of 16k are just for that scene alone), but i didn’t worry about making all path equal in terms of content/word count. i wanted to write something that felt natural and that make sense for how each mc acted. all that said, and this goes for future content as well: i’d love to hear your feedback on that, especially if you think that some paths in particular are too unbalanced!

EDITED because of course i forgot: while writing i’ve also noticed how using gendered terms for odile had me cringe a bit, so basically,,, selecting xyr pronouns basically means selecting how xe presents (just on terms of appearance) but i will still write thinking of xem as nb! just to let u know ksdjkjsd