#I literally increased my word count by a third

[myname-isnia]

I think the ghost of Tolstoy had possessed me for the past three hours because there is no other explanation for THIS

[leonstoenailunderhisbed]

First Date, Huh?

Summary: The human race is at danger of extinction. The government had come up with a plan to increase the level of population throughout the country that involved you and a very good looking man.

Warning: unprotected sex. oral (both receiving). creampie. slight degradation. overstimulation. male and female anatomy. afab reader. impregnating. breeding kink (kinda?) aftercare. mentions of medical procedures (I forgot what it was called lol). not proofread. wrote this right after my dream sooo…

Word Count: 5,155

A/N: I had a dream about this and I woke up thinking I was pregnant😭 (be safe out there y’all) anyways, I picked up far cry 5 again and I’m literally eating that game up

“Falling for a stranger, good gracious. I might even fly out to Vegas. I’m thinking maybe you’d be down to do it,” Love Talk (demo), WayV

The world population had been declining after the rise of a deadly disease. People died in groups and the government had tried to prevent the spread.

But their attempts were in vain.

Decades after the virus had finally been tamed. The world had been left with only one third of its population remaining. The economies across the countries crashed and people had to rebuild themselves slowly.

However, that all came to a halt when the government suddenly introduced a new bill.

They had planned for a procreating program. In which scientists were able to develop a new technology wavelength that can determine what person is more biologically compatible with another person.

The government had ordered people to come to the nearest available clinics in order for the scientists to collect a sample of their blood. Of your blood.

Months passed after the collection of blood and suddenly a group of soldiers, along with scientists, stormed inside the houses of people and marked them with bracelet bands.

The soldiers sedated everyone and transported them to an underground warehouse. The warehouse itself was an underground bunker with scientists roaming around in their lab coats.

The underground facility was huge- it could be considered an underground city if the president decided to. But he didn’t.

When you woke up, you noticed you were inside a room with white walls. The floor and ceiling were white. Even the lights were white. Everything was white, except for the red bed you were currently in.

They had laid you down on a bed full of pillows and blankets. Your eyes blurred as they adjusted to the lights of the room.

Sitting up, you’ve noticed- and probably felt- the presence of someone laying down next to you. You looked over at the person and noticed it was a man.

He was waking up as well. He had dirty blonde hair and looked to be tall and broad. His features were rough and masculine, with his stubble being noticeable under the harsh lighting. As you sat up, he slowly sat up as well and took in the environment. When both of you laid eyes on each other, you both let out a gasp and quickly got off the bed.

You quickly realized what either of you were wearing. They had changed you into a skimpy satin nightgown while he was wearing a silk pajama set that revealed his chest due to the V-line cut.

The intercom from the room turned on and a person spoke,

“Good morning to you two. I’m sure you’re both confused and scared but afraid be not. We’re ensuring your safety at this establishment. As you both can see, you’re both wearing the same color of wristbands.”

You looked down at your right wrist and saw the green wristband, your eyes trailed towards the man and his was also green.

“This means that both of you are biologically compatible. Our goal here is to not hurt you. We’re simply trying to bring back the population back to where it should be and we need your help.”

Your eyes widened and so did his. The man’s eyebrows pinched together as look of suspicion and anger appeared on his face. But he didn’t say anything.

“I’m sure you both know what this means. You have the remainder of the day to get started. We expect positive results since we’ve run extensive research on your genetics. That is all, get started.”

Essentially, they wanted you to have sex with a stranger. That’s revolting.

You turned your gaze back to the man, his blue eyes stood out from his features. Neither of you said anything. It was all too…awkward. You glanced at the bed and then back at him. How do you even start something so intimate?

“Um-“ you started quietly, “So…we’re compatible.”

The man simply stared at you and then back at his wrist. He nodded, “Yeah. Seems so.”

“Should I-“

“We don’t have to do anything,” he interrupted you, “What’re they going to do if we do nothing? They can’t kill us. Those mad scientists need as many people as possible and if they killed you or me then what’s the whole point of this?”

You sighed and nodded. He was right in a way. Even if you disobeyed they couldn’t kill you, right?

Sitting at the edge of the bed, you begin to wonder everything that has happened so far. They’re making everyone breeding machines- is what you thought.

Before all of this, you were living your life the way you wanted it. And now you were forced to have a baby with someone you don’t know. All for the sake of humanity.

It was cruel.

“What do we do instead?” You asked quietly.

“Find a way out of here,” he responded as he walked around the room and tried to find an exit. There was no door. No windows. Nothing. As if you two were put in a white box.

He was getting frustrated that he had been put in this position. He didn’t want any of this, not with you. It wasn’t personal but he didn’t know you.

“There’s no way out,” he spoke after some time. It didn’t take a genius to know that you two were locked in this space.

“Do they really want us to…” your voice trailed off as you stared at him. He looked back at you and shrugged, “Maybe. Those crazy bastards are probably stressing about the human race dying or whatever.”

After a moment of silence, you could smell something. Something that smelled good.

“Is that you?” He asked. He also smelled something.

“I was just about to ask if it was you too,” you replied.

He furrowed his brows and sat next to you. He leaned closer to your neck and inhaled softly.

“It’s the both of us,” he whispered. You stared into his eyes at the proximity.

What was happening?

Did the scientists do something? Why did he suddenly look more attractive and smelled enticing?

You leaned back and got up from the bed. Panic started to run through your veins. “Do you think-“

He raised a brow and sat in the edge of the bed as he watched you pace around the room. You hadn’t noticed but he was secretly checking you out in that nightgown. He felt shame and quickly looked away- this wasn’t him.

“Do you think they put something on us?” You asked, your tone laced with anxiety.

The man sighed and ran a hand through his blonde hair, “I don’t know. But they sure know what they’re doing.”

“We should just get on with it. They won’t let us out anytime soon. But maybe they will once we had sex, right?” You asked with a rushed tone. Thoughts occupied your mind and all you wanted to do was get out of this sick and twisted place.

He looked at you with a worried expression, “Are you sure? I mean, we don’t even know each other’s names and-“

“Y/n. My name is y/n,” you interrupted him.

The man raised his brows in surprise and let out an airy chuckle, “Well okay. Name’s Leon.”

He extended his hand out for a handshake and you hesitantly took it. His hands were rough and calloused. Almost made you wonder how they’d feel inside your wet and tight-

What.

You quickly withdrew your hand and looked away. What was going on with you?

“You really want to do this?” He asked softly. You looked at him and swallowed hard. Did you? Or was it whatever the scientists gave you that spoke for you? Either way, you still wanted to get out of this place.

“If fucking you is the only way that could get us out of here then so be it,” you muttered and walked back to the bed.

You sat next to him, shoulders touching.

“Okay then…” he replied quietly, “Guess this is our first date, huh?” He joked.

You looked at him with furrowed brows, how did he have the spirits to joke times like these? Men.

You sat down next to him on the bed, staring at him. He stared right back at you and his gaze fell to your lips. He then leaned in to whisper in your ear, "Can I?”

He put his hand on your cheek as his other hand landed on your thigh. You silently nodded and closed your eyes as he leaned closer to your face.

His breath fanned your lips and all you could do was close your eyes as he finally put his lips on your lips.

The hand on your cheek traveled to the back of your head as he pulled you closer, your hands traveled to his shoulders as you deepened the kiss.

It was a slow, passionate kiss- albeit the current circumstances.

His tongue grazed your bottom lip and you parted your lips just enough for his tongue to delve inside your mouth, exploring every crevice.

The hand on your thigh went higher up to the hem of your nightgown, squeezing the skin gently in between his finger. You moaned into his mouth as he gently hit your bottom lip.

You’ve already started to feel aroused and wet, even though there was a lingering thought in the back of your head telling you that this is wrong.

He leaned closer to you, pushing you down gently until your back finally touches the bed. Leon’s hands moved around your body as he kissed you, his knee right in between your legs causing you to moan quietly.

He smirked at your reaction and moved his lips down to your neck as he pressed his knee into your wet cunt. You couldn’t help but grind on his knee as he sucked your neck. Leaving bruises and hickeys for you to worry about tomorrow.

Your hands wrapped around his biceps as his hands held your waist and squeezed just a tad bit.

He slowly brought his lips down to your collarbone before one of his hands pulled the straps of your nightgown down. Causing the dress to slip down to your waist, revealing your breasts to him.

He pulled back and stared at your hardened nipples with a slight smirk. His fingers hovered over them as he kept teasing you. Then he leaned down to suck the right one, as his hand began to roll your nipple in between his fingers. Your back arched against him and that only caused him to groan at the bliss of sucking your tit.

Your legs squeezed around his as he rubbed it slightly against your covered cunt. He could feel the wetness seeping through the fabric of your panties and that only turned him on even more.

His erection, confined against his clothes, rubbed along your stomach. You could almost feel it twitch as you felt it. Almost.

He pulled back from your right breast and moved on to the second one. His teeth grazed at your nipple as his hand gripped the previously sucked one.

And all you could do was moan and squirm under him.

He moved his lips down from your breasts to your stomach before ripping your nightgown apart and throwing it down on the white floor. Leaving you in your panties.

His lips trailed kisses until he met the waistband of your panties. His fingers ran down your thighs as he slowly parted them, lowering himself until he felt his knees touch the floor. His head was right in between your legs and he stared at the wet spot on the slit of your panties.

He brought a finger and stroked the slit from top to bottom, he made sure to apply just enough pressure for you to not only feel how wet you were but also to feel the way his fingers wanted to prod inside.

You closed your eyes tightly shut as your toes curled. This was all too much and he hasn’t even started. He chuckled lowly, seeing how you were reacting made his pride increase just a little.

He firmly pressed your thighs down on the bed as he brought his face back to the waistband and began to pull your panties down with his teeth. Once they had reached your thighs, he pulled them off with his hands and let them fall on the floor.

You were shining and glistening. His mouth watered and all he wanted to do was dive in. And so he did.

Almost immediately he struck his tongue into your wet hole, licking around as he savored you. He moaned as he tasted you, he’d never tasted something like you and he wanted more.

His thumb circled around your clit, his speed shifting from fast to slow as he watched how much that affected you. He dragged his tongue all the way up and down, sucking your wall and letting them feel just how spongy they are. He then pulled back and moved his thumb away from your clit- which caused to whine in protest.

He gave you a look, one that made you more wet. His eyes piercing yours as he thrusted one finger inside you. He let his index finger stay there for about ten seconds before he actually began to move it. He curled it around as he experimented with what way got you most closest to your orgasm.

His finger curled inside you as he kissed your clit. Sucking it and gently pulling it with his teeth. He took out his finger and then thrusted two fingers inside, causing your mouth to gaze open and let your head roll back against the mattress. He scissored you- fucked you with his fingers.

Pulling out and thrusting all the way back in. His callouses rubbed against your walls, bringing new sensations that you never thought you’d ever experience.

One his index finger hit the spot that made you moan a little too loud, he knew he’d found it. He curled his fingers even more rapidly as he rubbed that spot inside you. Brushing the pad of his middle finger against it, igniting something within you. Your body felt warm and sweaty.

You were coming undone by a complete stranger that is allegedly compatible with you. Your hands traveled to the top of his head and pulled his face closer to your hide. His nose bumped against your slit, his chin hitting fingers. But he didn’t mind, he knew you were close and he wanted you to cum on his face.

He licked your clit as you grinded against his face, your breaths became short and your grip tightened. With a gasped moan, you came on Leon’s face. Your cum spilling down his fingers and chin. He pulled out his fingers and licked as much as he could, swallowing the grace that came out of you.

Once he finished licking you clean, he pulled back and stared at you with dilated pupils. The black consuming all of the blue as he stared at you like a hunter. He got up from the floor and stared down at you as he became mesmerized with your body.

He pulled his shirt over his head, exposing his broad and muscled chest. He then pulled down on his pants, revealing the bulge in his underwear. Pre-cum leaking through the fabric.

You almost drooled and quickly sat up. Crawling your way to him, you sat on your knees as he caressed your head, encouraging you to do whatever you wanted with his dick.

Your hands cupped his bulge and he instantly inhaled sharply. He shuddered at your touch and so you slowly pulled the waistband of his underwear down, watching in awe as his cock sprung free.

The pink tip leaking ore-cum as aforementioned was a sight to behold. Your hand wrapped around his base as you brought your lips over to the head. Kissing it softly as your hand stroked up and down his shaft. He closed his eyes and gripped on your hair, strands meddling in between his fingers.

Your tongue dragged all the down to the bottom, to his ballsack. He shuddered and bucked his hips against your face, smearing pre-cum along your cheek. You parted your lips and slowly took him inside your mouth.

Your hands found his balls and you slowly massaged them, causing him to groan and moan loudly as his grip tightened.

As his dick was inside your mouth, your tongue flicked down the frenulum- just the underside of the tip where the head and the base join. He gasped softly and moaned as he felt you flick your tongue on his sweet spot.

Your tongue slowly moved down from his frenulum to his base, tongue slurping and swirling around as you took him deeper and deeper into your throat. Not deep enough that you’d start gagging because that would probably not feel good.

Instead, you took one of your hands and resumed stroking the remaining parts of his base as you sucked on on the part that fit in your mouth.

Leon was a complete mess; moaning and whimpering as you took him in your mouth. His feet flat on the floor as he looked down at you with pure list and desire. Your eyes met his and he only felt even more turned on.

His cock started to twitch in your mouth and you knew he was about to cum. You continued to stroke his balls and base as your tongue worked its magic on his head and frenulum.

With a loud groan, he gripped your head and forced his entire cock inside your mouth and shot his cum down your throat. Tears pricked at your eyes as you moaned softly as the sensation of his juices spilling down your esophagus. It was warm, you thought.

He pulled back breathlessly and watched as you swallowed his cum. Once he pulled back, some of his cum smeared on your lips and he watched as you licked it back in your mouth. The sight turned him on again and his cock got hard.

Leon got on the bed and slowly pushed you down again. He took hold of your thighs and brought them up to your chest, “Hold,” he demanded in a sultry and low voice.

Your hands wrapped around the back of your thighs as you held them pressed up against your breasts. He aligned his cock to your entrance and slowly pushed in.

“Fuck- so tight,” he muttered as he gasped for air. You rolled your head back and whimpered as he pushed himself all the way through. His pelvic bone making contact with your bone as he slowly began to thrust- not fully out though.

He rolled his hips in a way that wouldn’t allow his cock to leave you completely just yet. He was going slow and gentle, making sure you’ve adjusted first before he picked up the pace.

Once he saw your reaction- face scrunched up in delight as you moaned quietly and breathlessly. He pulled out and then pushed back in with force.

Leon couldn’t control himself anymore. His hands pushed your knees even more down against the mattress, your hamstrings flexing as he pushed this position even more further.

Your breathing increased- chest heaving up and down. His ballsack slapping against your asshole, causing your wetness to spread throughout your both bodies. His tip gently brushed up against your cervix as he plunged in. One of his hands went down to your clit and began to circle it.

You writhed and moaned even more as he simultaneously triggered your two sweet spots. It was all so overwhelming and your mind went blank.

He was fucking you dumb and you loved it. Your jaw went slack, drool coming out from the ends of your lips. Your eyes rolled to the back of your head as you still held on to your thighs.

He left go of your knees and gripped your hips, the sound of wet skin smacking echoing through the room.

“Gonna cum,” he muttered. He leaned down to whisper in your ear, “I’m gonna breed you…fuck- gonna be a good girl f’me right?” He grunted as he kept pounding into you.

His knuckles were turning white from how hard he gripped the fat skin of your hips, as if he was holding on for dear life. You nodded, “Yes,” you breathed out shamelessly.

He grunted some more against your ear and that only caused you to grow closer to your second orgasm. This man was so vocal but it was hot.

“Ngh- fuck,” he moaned as he shot his cum deep into your cunt. Cum spirting into your womb, making sure you took everything without spilling it.

He pulled put and motioned for you to roll over. You obliged and rolled over until you laid down on your stomach. He took hold of your hips once again, raising your ass to his level as he thrusted his cock inside you from behind.

Your face planted against one of the pillow and your hands gripped the bedsheets as your moans came out muffled. Somehow, he hit deeper in this position. His hands went from your hips to your waist and he squeezed it gently.

As he continued to pound into you, your ass cheeks juggling from the force of motion, he took your hair in one hand and pulled your head up. Your eyes were closed as you moaned. This was all so much but you needed more. Completely drunk on his cock is what you were.

He leaned down as he pulled on your hair, “Like it when I fuck you like this, huh?” He taunted. His words were sent straight to your pussy as it caused you to clench around him. You nodded and blabbered stupid yes’s.

“Gonna show me how much you like it?” He whispered as he pulled one and forcefully thrusted in you. You whimpered and moaned as you replied a breathy yes. He chuckled and continued fucking you like a mad dog.

He let go of your hair and wrapped his hand on the back of your neck, his fingers gently pressing on the sides of your throat. You felt lightheaded as he did so but it also added to how hot and turned on you were.

You felt your orgasm near as he continued. Your cunt clenched and pulsated around his cock and it only caused his moans to get short and breathy.

“Feel’s good,” he grunted in your ear. You could only mewl, moan, whimper- all of those sounds were the only things escaping your lips.

His other hand went down to your clit and he pinched it gently, causing a big moan to erupt from your mouth as you came on his cock. Essence spilling down from his shaft and onto the bed but neither of you cared. He groaned and his thrusts faltered slightly as you came on his cock, it felt even more tight and he closed his eyes for a moment as he continued.

But not long after you did he also cum inside you. For the second time. And it felt better than the first. You whimpered from the overstimulation as he shot his cum even deeper, the tip of his head brushing your cervix as his cum (and you were convinced) entered your womb with certainty.

He let go of the back of your throat and slowly pulled out of you. His cock softening as cum oozed out of your cunt and down on the bed. Both of you were left panting and you starting to feel sore and tired already. He looked around to try and find something to clean you with but couldn’t find anything.

So, he resorted to using his shirt to clean you off, “This might hurt,” he spoke softly as he gently pressed the fabric on your cunt and wiped the cum off. He tried to be as gentle as possible as he heard you take in sharp breaths. You were overstimulated and he started to feel bad for how hard he went.

He helped you lay down on your side and dressed you up. He put on your panties but then realized he had torn your nightgown.

“Sorry,” he mumbled shamefully. You shook your shoulders and looked at him with tired eyes, “It’s fine. They weren’t mine anyway.”

You both chuckled at that. You two had almost forgotten the situation you were both in, and maybe that was a good thing.

He pulled on his underwear and pants- since his shirt was used as a towel- and pulled the blanket over your body to give you some privacy. Even though he just fucked you.

He laid down behind you and wrapped his around your waist as he pulled you to him. Both of you closed your eyes and slept for a while, him nuzzling into your hair as your hands rested on top of his arms around your waist.

It was comforting. You felt cared for and that was all that mattered.

-

The two of you woke up to the sound of a door opening. Your eyes fluttered open almost immediately and you covered yourself with the blanket as Leon watched the scientists come in with a suspicious look. He narrowed his eyes as he saw them approach you.

“We’re going to take both of you to the examination room for testing,” one of them said. The other scientists gave you some new clothes before speaking, “We will wait outside.”

After they left, you exhaled loudly. You had forgotten you and the rest of the people were taken for insemination.

You slowly began to pull your new clothes on and walked out of the room with Leon next to you. The scientists saw you both and began to guide to a room down the hall, with two guards following behind you.

They had told Leon to wait in the lobby as they took you to a more private room. A female scientist came up to you and out on some elastic gloves, “I’ll be the one performing your pregnancy test. I’ll be taking your blood so please relax and take deep breaths for me.”

You sat down on the bed and followed her advice. There was no point in fighting or arguing since she clearly looked exhausted, probably overworked. But you couldn’t feel bad. You felt bitter at the fact that you now had turned into a baby machine- along with the rest of population.

With a sigh, you relax your tensed muscles as she took your arm gently and injected the needle on your vein. Blood began to draw from your arm and into a tube. Suddenly, you felt a wave of washiness. Fatigue overtook your body.

The test was over after a few minutes. The doctor withdrew the needle and put on a bandaid, “Okay. Off you go. Test results should be back in a couple of days. For now… I don’t know,” she shrugged tiredly as she moved over to the side of the room where she stored your blood sample with the rest.

There were at least 100 other blood samples. The mere sight disturbed you and you found yourself leaving the room hastily. Walking back to Leon, he looked at you concerned and gave you a once over to make sure you’re okay. Once he silently approved that you were okay, he spoke with a soft tone, “How do you feel?”

“Like shit,” you muttered. “Did you know that there’s a bunch of us here?” You whispered as your eyes searched around, “I don’t think we can leave.”

He furrowed his brows and looked at you, “Why not? We’ve done the deed, shouldn’t we be free to go home?”

You shook your head, “No. I don’t think so. I have a feeling we’ll be stuck here if the results come back positive.”

He sighed and looked away as the information set in. Freedom was so close, yet so far.

“So now we just wait?” He asked quietly to which you nodded.

“And now we wait.”

-

Days have passed and you two were called to a room. A scientist sat in the middle of the room, on his chair where he had stacks upon stacks of papers. Both of you sat down in front of the desk and waited for the scientist to notice you two.

“Ah- you’re here,” he muttered as he swiftly began to look for some papers.

“Alright… just to confirm the information is correct. You’re both Leon Kennedy and Y/n L/n?” The scientist asked.

The two of you nodded silently and the scientist continued, “Okay so, we have the results. You are pregnant. Which means we’ll have to keep you both under surveillance. You are to stay in this facility until the birth of your child. You will be assisted with the birth as well as the raising. We will provide all the essential services required for this procedure, all you two have to do is remain healthy. And please, for the love of God, be kind to the child. The couple before me kept on arguing so the least you two could do is pretend you love each other in front of the kid.”

You and Leon exchanged a glance and then looked back at the scientist. You knew this would happen, it was inevitable.

“Before I forget, you two got assigned a new room. On the second floor. Good luck and congratulations,” he said as he dismissed you both.

The two of you stood up and left the room, only to be met with two guards to escort you both to your new room.

You were to share a room but at this point, you didn’t care. You were too focused on thinking about the pregnancy that you had forgotten about Leon.

-

The more you hung out with Leon, you didn’t know if it was by force or nature, the more you realized how kind he truly is. He looked cold and mean on the exterior but inside he was just a man looking for love. Just like everyone else.

The pregnancy went just fine. Leon was there to support you 24/7 and so were the scientists.

When you had to give labor, Leon stood next to you and held your hand.

You gave birth to a beautiful boy. He had your hair while he had Leon’s eyes. You held your son in your arms and watched as Leon looked at you with awe.

What you weren’t expecting at all was that you fell for Leon. Even before the birth of your son, you and Leon actually began dating. The two of you shared some interests and actually liked to be around each other’s presence.

Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Maybe this was a new type of freedom for you.

[astridthevalkyrie]

your match is made | xavier x reader

“I know,” he continues, tucking a piece of your hair behind your ear, “that the people in our classes, the nobles, the folks in the marketplace, they all hold me in high regard.” “Xavier,” you try to argue weakly, already feeling your heartbeat speed up from where this conversation is going. The thought of losing him, of losing your best friend, your prince, your everything, it is paralyzing. “Please don’t—” “I know that my weapon of choice is a longsword.” “Stop,” you whisper. But he doesn’t, and he looks directly into your eyes with an open, honest sincerity written all over his face. Like this is his truth, even though it is yours. “And I know that you have known me all your life, and I feel that I have known you for even longer than that.”

cw: fluff, like that's it that's literally it this is so fluffy

word count: 6.6k

a/n: lyric credits used in this fic: téir abhaile riú by celtic woman <- fire song btw, listen to bless your ears, it also sets the vibe of this fic very nicely tbh. jeremiah's my favorite boyfailure.

Lanterns hang from every available line in and around the town square, brightening any block lucky enough to fall under its horizon. In every corner and roadblock, there are carts littering the streets, dozens upon dozens of merchants calling out their best prices on their finest goods, all the way from fabrics stitched by the very same threads used for the royals’ robes, to common sweet chocolates that all the teenagers are purchasing in bulk to share with their friends and younger siblings. There is room to move around, but there is not a single area that is not bustling with people, either trying to purchase steamed corn from the stalls or simply enjoying the festivities with their families. And in the center of it all, the bards play with such finesse that their fingers may as well be the source of the music rather than the instruments. 

Such is the celebration of lights, a celebration of the light. Of Philos, of this miracle that humanity has been gifted with. Every year without fail, the people gather in the town square to commemorate this historic occasion, and every year without fail, it is the grandest jamboree you have ever bore witness to.

“C’mon, Xavier,” Jeremiah protests out loud, “what would be the point of having the crown prince with us if he refuses to pay for our meals?”

Xavier simply shakes his head, the serene smile never leaving his face as he denies Jeremiah for the third time tonight—he clearly derives great pleasure from doing it. “I’d hate to rob you of the chance to participate in Philos’ market tonight of all nights.”

Jeremiah groans at his right, and from Xavier’s left, you giggle. It’s the same routine every single year, and at every occasion to be honest, and yet Jeremiah never stops trying to emphasize the difference in his wealth versus the royal family’s. Xavier, who you think would give his last dime to an ant if it looked hungry enough, looks like he loves refusing Jeremiah more than participating in any one of the activities tonight. 

The spicy aroma of rice cakes fills your senses then, and you let out a longing sigh as you look to the stall decorated with steaming bowls on all sides. “I’m starting to get hungry too, now.”

Both of them follow your gaze, where the vendor is hurriedly turning this way and that to discuss prices and accept payments, while three of his chefs work in the back, delivering more as the demand increases. Xavier hums quietly, then takes out a small black pouch from his pocket.

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to eat.” He holds out the bag for you to take, but before you can, Jeremiah scoffs, loudly.

“Oh, that’s sick.” He points an accusing finger at the prince. “That’s sick! If you keep playing favorites, you’re going to get betrayed when you take the throne, I hope you know. I swear I’m going to lead a revolution against you myself.”

“Do you really think my grandis knight would ever let you harm me?” Xavier shoots back, and you beam as Jeremiah rolls his eyes, snatching the pouch straight out of his fingers.

“I’ll take this, and I’m going to get two”—he holds up two fingers for emphasis—”two bowls, and I’m not sharing. Your grandis knight can split her portion with you.” With that, he stomps off in a huff, leaving Xavier with his head tilted and a confused expression on his face.

“I don’t understand. There should be enough coins for three bowls.”

“He’ll get you a bowl.” You raise your voice enough for Jeremiah to hear as he walks. “He’s very grateful that you offered your money, isn’t that right, Jermy?”

Jeremiah makes a rude gesture without even turning back to face you, and you laugh, grabbing Xavier’s wrist to follow him. If it were any other member of the royal family, they’d be getting swarmed right about now, and would likely require at least ten guards to stand around them at all times to ward people off. That is how the king and queen sit, a few blocks away from the main festival, up on a platform elevated high enough that no one could think to climb it, with Lightseekers both in front of them and on the ground, safe and observing the celebration from a distance. Philos’ crown prince is different. Xavier is out in the town with the common folk so frequently that he’s almost lost all the celebrity status his title comes with. Of course, that makes him popular in an entirely different way. The people in the market always seem happy that someone of such high status would lower himself enough to walk and talk amongst them.

His hand slips lower as the two of you go after Jeremiah, warm fingers intertwining with yours. You think little of it, reckoning he doesn’t want to get separated with so many people around. Xavier isn’t one to shy away from touch, at any rate. Once you spar with someone enough, it’s only natural to become physically comfortable with one another. He places his hands on your shoulders when he wants to guide you somewhere, bandages your cuts with his own calloused palms, presses his lips to your forehead to check whether you’re sick or not. In the face of all that, him holding your hand while running through a bustling crowd is hardly surprising.

Jeremiah is waving the pouch in the air hopelessly, trying to be noticed amongst the rest, when the vendor spots the two of you. “Xavier!” he calls happily. “Good timing, I have a fresh bowl ready just for you!”

“Unbelievable,” your chestnut-haired friend mutters under his breath, elbowing you as you laugh at his misfortune. Xavier steps closer, and you see him hold up two fingers to ask for more. When he points over, you wave to the vendor, who waves back before calling out instructions over his shoulder. In almost an instant, he has three steaming bowls filled with rice cakes ready for you to take. Your mouth almost waters at the sight. 

Xavier picks up one of them to offer to you, which you take gratefully. Taking a few steps to the side to avoid crashing into anyone, the three of you find a relatively less crowded place to dig in. 

Before you can take a heaping sip from the spoon, he gently takes your wrist and blows on the hot broth, meeting your eyes with a soft, concerned look. “Be careful.”

“I’m always careful,” you remind him teasingly, but blow some air of your own onto the spoon before finally digging in. As the flavors explode inside your palate, you hold back a moan at how good it tastes.

“Miss Knight!” a high-pitched voice calls out, and you turn in time to see a tiny pink blur moving past people’s legs. 

“Adelaide!” You hand your bowl to Jeremiah, who passes it to Xavier without even blinking, and kneel down to catch the blur in your arms. “Look at you, you look so pretty! I love your dress!”

The little girl’s eyes light up at the compliment. “Thank you! Miss Knight,” she bounces up and down eagerly, “I made something for you!” In her hands, she holds out a product of one of the several craft stalls set up for the children during the festival, a simple but elegant flower crown that she holds out like a grand prize. And from how your heart melts, it may as well be. 

“Oh, how beautiful. Thank you so much. Would you put it on for me?” You tilt your head down, and she places it on with all the care a child of six years would have. You know you’ll have a difficult time getting it out in a while after the flowers tangle with your hair, but you don’t mind at all. Adelaide is your favorite person to visit whenever the three of you come to town, the daughter of the seamstress who makes your uniforms, and you’d do anything to see her smile the way she is now.

“You look like a princess,” she says in awe. Your cheeks warm, and you stand up, gesturing to the other two.

“Speaking of which, you remember Xavier and Jeremiah, don’t you?”

Her small hands grip your dress robes as she hides behind your legs, peeking out at them. Xavier, with both his hands occupied holding your bowl and his own, merely smiles encouragingly at her, while Jeremiah waves. “Hiya, Adelaide. Your dress looks awesome!”

From the corner of your eye, you see her face turn bright red, and right as you’re about to coo inwardly about her adorable little crush, you hear someone calling her name. All your heads turn, as an older blonde boy, out of breath, almost pushes past people in his rush to run to her. 

“I told you not to run off like that! You could get lost—oh.” He stops short when he sees you, blinking as the color returns to his cheeks after his run. “H-hi there.”

“Hi, Neville.” You smile at Adelaide’s older brother, who’s almost always around when you visit. “Enjoying the celebration?”

“Definitely—I’m sorry I haven’t come to see you, I was helping Mother with her stall, a-and I didn’t know your master would give you the night off.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t miss this for the world. And the grandis knight is at the king’s side, he could hardly stay to train me on such an important night.”

“Right.” He stands with his hands on Adelaide’s shoulders, only staring, seemingly forgetting why he’s there in the first place. For a few moments, no words are said at all.

Right when you’re about to cough awkwardly, he snaps back to attention. “Um, would you like to dance?”

“She can’t,” Xavier says immediately, almost making you jump. He’s almost right behind you, looming over your shoulder and staring Neville straight in the eyes with an expression you’ve never seen on him before. 

“Xavier!” The blonde bows clumsily (and unnecessarily) before straightening up, an unspoken question in his eyes. He looks between you and Xavier, and while you hadn’t been planning to agree to his request in the first place, you look at Xavier curiously as well. He’s never before dictated what you do during the celebration, whether you’re with him and Jeremiah or with some of the others in your class. 

“She can’t,” he says again, a bit more softly, “she can’t, because…” He takes one glance at you, then down at the two bowls in his hand, then looks back up. “She’s already going to dance with Jeremiah.”

“What?” both you and your supposed dance partner question at the same time. 

“You’ve been meaning to ask her to dance the whole night.” Xavier’s blue eyes fall on Jeremiah, with a pointed gaze. “This song is about to end, I think now is as good a time as any.”

“But I’m eating!” he whines, shaking the bowl in his hands as though to beg Xavier to take pity on him.

“I’d be happy to dance with her before Jeremiah steps in—” Neville offers, but he’s cut off by Xavier again, and this time his voice is icier, and his eyes are narrowed on Jeremiah who’s pouting at him.

“No, I think Jeremiah should do it now before it’s too late.”

Whatever message he’s trying to get across, Jeremiah clearly understands it, groaning and taking one last sip before grabbing your hand and tugging you to the main grounds. You’re only slightly irked that no one actually waited for your answer on whether you wanted to dance or not. But you’re more confused than anything else. Just a few minutes ago, both of them were fine, what could have happened so soon to make Xavier sound so cold?

“Have you really been meaning to ask me to dance all night?” you try asking, but Jeremiah only rolls his eyes.

“Please shut up. I already have to deal with His Majesty the Oblivious Idiot tonight, I can’t deal with both of you.”

“What are you talking about—”

“Miss Grandis Knight!” one of the bards, the violinist, waves to you. You’re momentarily distracted, smiling at her. It’s quite nice, if maybe a bit egotistical, to hear anyone call you what you’re trying so hard to be even when you haven’t achieved it yet. “Coming to dance?”

“I am!” you shout back cheerfully. “Give me a good one!”

She thinks for a few seconds, then makes a motion to the other musicians. Placing the violin against her collarbone delicately, she begins to pluck a familiar tune, one that has you lighting up and has the crowd cheering. Even Jeremiah grins as the two of you face each other, both of you well versed in proper dance etiquette from taking the same classes growing up. 

First, he bows, mimicked by the other men in the large circle that’s formed, extending a hand to their dance partners. Then you, and the other ladies, curtsy, and with a light step you take his hand and begin the dance. The bards begin to sing the contagious melody, as you and Jeremiah step in place, back and forth, your arms extending then coming together, before he twirls you under his arm. Both of you are laughing for no real reason, perhaps aside from how frivolous this is compared to the fighting techniques you’re usually partaking in together.

The song builds, and builds, and his hands slip to your waist, helping you leap across him before he ducks his head dramatically. The violinist calls your name, pointing at you to sing the next verse. Through your giggles, your cheeks warm at the attention, but you oblige.

Swishing your dress around you, you bounce off Jeremiah, pointing at him with a flourish. “Come now and follow me down, down to the lights of Galway where—” Your eye catches Xavier’s, who’s watching you as though you’re the main event. With everyone else’s attention already on you, you’re not sure if you can possibly take any more, but something about his gaze makes your chest feel lighter, as though in this celebration of lights, the real light is the one staring at you, the one who has eyes for no one else. “There's fine sailors walking the town, and waiting to meet the ladies there!”

The bards take over the song again, yet the spell doesn’t break. As Jeremiah twirls you again and hands you off to the next man, switching dance partners easily, you beckon Xavier towards you, urging him to join. 

The night is young, you try to convey to him wordlessly, and I don’t want to be without you.

He steps forward, as you switch dance partners again. While you hadn’t meant to dance in the first place, it makes you feel lightheaded in a good way. The movements you have to do are light as opposed to rough and unforgiving on your muscles, and the alternating hands on your body handle you as gently as possible instead of trying to seek out all your weak points. 

Your head tilts to the side, trying to see if Xavier entered the fray or not. You’ve lost sight of him, in a different part of the circle now, and you can’t search properly without breaking the formation of the dance and ruining everyone’s fun. The next person you spin into ends up being Neville, who chuckles shyly and tells you, “Not bad, Miss Grandis Knight!”

His moves are far more stiff than Jeremiah’s, but far be it from you to judge when he hasn’t had formal training. The important thing is that he tries, and you still have fun, and besides, the song is ending now. You’re almost back to where you started in the circle, just one more spin and—

A familiar, calloused hand grazes yours, skimming down the side of your arm. You gasp at this touch, far more coarse than the others, and the only one to leave you breathless, not least because it’s accompanied by the striking blue of Xavier’s eyes. 

When he extends and brings you closer, it is more than just natural. Xavier is of royal blood, it is almost as if he was born to do this. Your feet step with his without you having to look down, so familiar with his balance and pace from years and years and years of sparring together. And not even once do you break away from his piercing gaze, because you’re nervous that if you do, he might just disappear.

The song comes to an end, with a final step forward and your hands on Xavier’s chest, and everyone erupts into cheers. The noise surrounding you makes the silence between you and him all the more deafening.

As the two of you simply stare at each other, breathing in sync, one of his hands reaches up, first resting on your cheek before then making its way up to gently adjust the flower crown that had slanted on your head while you were dancing. Once he fixes it, his head tilts down, just enough that his nose brushes against yours, and a smile forms on your lips.

“I am very pleased you joined, my liege.” Your eyes shine in gratitude.

Xavier opens his mouth to respond, and that’s exactly when Jeremiah chooses to slump against his shoulder, yawning. “Oh man, I’m spent. When do we go back to the academy?”

Xavier looks mildly disgruntled. “This is going to go on for hours,” you tell him, frowning, “we can’t leave now. Besides, the fireworks will start soon.”

“Another dance?” the crown prince suggests, sliding your palm into his. 

Jeremiah gives him an unimpressed look. “Give it a rest.”

Stepping past the two of them, you look at all the tables mostly occupied by children being distracted by someone painting little butterflies and stars on their faces or the tiny flutes that are passed out for them to blow into. One of the pastry vendors is handing out baked goods for free, and while you didn’t actually get any chance to eat earlier, you want to find something to actually do. You’re not tired after dancing; on the contrary, now you’re restless and brimming with energy. 

“Come on,” you declare readily, taking both their hands and pulling them into the ruckus. Your boys have little choice but to come along with you. Your feet will start to ache soon too, you’re sure. But for now, while they don’t, and while the way Xavier was staring at you is still burned into your mind, you want to enjoy yourself.

Once again, his fingers tangle with yours, clinging to your hand warmly—a stark difference to Jeremiah’s, which you have to grip onto harder to make sure he doesn’t get left behind. He whines and complains the whole time, telling you he’s sore all over and that the three of you should try and beat the rush by leaving early. You’re used to this routine every year, so you’re not fazed. Nor is he serious, because even though you could physically force him to stay, Jeremiah never tries to leave until you and Xavier are good and ready.

As you run, different students in your section call out to you and Jeremiah. People are just slightly more hesitant to address Xavier directly, but you’ve never understood such a thing. The last thing he is is intimidating. Well, maybe place a sword in his hand and he becomes slightly fearsome (to everyone except you). There’s still no need to pretend that Xavier ever struts around demanding everyone show him the highest respects. He’s the furthest thing from arrogant.

It makes you feel proud, really, knowing you’ll be in the service of Philos’ greatest king.

“Xavier!” someone finally calls out. For a second, you’re thrilled, until you see who it is, and your face falls.

The title of grandis knight comes with a certain authority. Not one that you actually have yet, of course, but people respect the current holder of the position, and as his prized mentee, that respect teeters down to you most of the time. 

Keyword being most.

Just a few months back, you and Lillia had been close friends. You weren’t as close to her as you were to Xavier and Jeremiah, but she was still someone you confided in. You knew a few personal things about her, and she knew a few personal things about you. It was nice to be able to talk to someone who wasn’t a guy, or your trainer, or one of the older students. Just another girl around your age training to become a Lightseeker.

But you should have realized that the respect you garnered by swearing to be the future king’s bodyguard came with a reasonable risk of betrayal as well. And yes, betrayal is a strong word. Technically, nothing happened. There is no accusation you can level at her. At least not without someone calling you hysterical, and that’s hardly needed when you’re already a woman seeking the highest position in the court, second only to the king himself.

It had come down to one night, with just you and her sitting and talking about nothing in particular, when she had leaned in and asked you something.

“So do you like anyone?”

It had been a quiet night, and the two of you had been the only ones awake, holed up in an old classroom, so you hadn’t thought any consequences could come from speaking truthfully—or at least, what you had genuinely believed to be the truth.

“Not really.” You’d shrugged, leaning back on the desk you were sitting on, putting your weight on your palms. “Most of the people in our section aren’t really my type.”

“Really?” Lillia had smiled slyly. “Not even Xavier?”

Your nose had wrinkled—not in disgust, just confusion. “Xavier? Why?”

“What do you mean? You two spend all your time together. You’re always sparring. Doesn’t romantic tension build up after something like that?”

“Maybe if we were equally matched,” you’d huffed, shaking your head, “I always beat him, I certainly don’t feel any tension. Besides, he’s going to be king. And I’m trying my best to be his grandis knight. We could never be in a relationship even if we wanted to be.”

“So you don’t have any interest in him?” she’d asked, a little more forcefully. You’d thought nothing of it at the time. 

“I mean…” Your stomach had twisted a bit uncomfortably and you’d averted your gaze. “If you had a sword to my neck, if I had to choose someone…”

And it had forced you to think about it. A far off scenario, if he wasn’t going to be the king, or if you weren’t going to be the grandis knight, or maybe both. It had been difficult to see Prince Xavier as anything else, but…it wasn’t impossible. If you were both just students, or partners, or even if you worked at that bakery that he loved to frequent. 

If you were just a normal person, and he was as common as everyone else, the first thing you’d thought you’d notice about him would be his eyes. It’s what you notice about him most of the time regardless. He has nice eyes. They have a sincerity in them that most people lack. And he looks at you a lot, so you would know.

He’s not bad to look at either. And he’s kind. A good leader. With a precious heart. And skilled fingers—

Blinking out of the hypnotic thoughts you’d fallen into, you’d hidden your suddenly flustered state as best you could and simply answered, “I suppose if I had to choose to love someone, I’d choose Xavier.”

And that had been that. Or so you thought. Everything had been alright, at least.

Until the next morning, when you’d walked out of your class and seen Lillia’s arms around Xavier’s neck. 

For a second, it had felt like Philos stopped turning on its axis. 

It wasn’t like Xavier had reciprocated. But that was only because he had been too polite to shove her away, and it would’ve been inappropriate to engage in anything further. Crown prince or not, he was still a guy, and obviously a pretty girl pressed into him in such a way would interest him.

And Lillia had caught your eye, and smiled triumphantly, as though to say well, if you don’t want him, then…

Even though you hadn’t said you didn’t want him. Well, you had said you weren’t interested, yes. But you had also told her that if someone held a blaster to your face if you didn’t cherish someone, then you would cherish Xavier. And maybe that hadn’t been a confession, but it hadn’t been you giving her permission to pursue him either. Not that she needed your permission, because it wasn’t like you had a claim on him, and it wasn’t supposed to make your chest burn that he, even for a second, looked at anyone else the way he looked at you.

You hadn’t confided your weak feelings to anyone else after that.

“Hi, Lillia,” Xavier says, snapping you out of your thoughts. You didn’t even realize until now that the three of you had approached her. “What’s this booth for?”

“Oh, it’s amazing,” she gushes, wrapping her hands around his arm and tugging. Your eye twitches. “She’s a fortuneteller. For just a few copper pieces, she’ll answer any one question you want to know about your life.”

“Really?” he asks softly, and all your gazes shift to the woman who bows her head to the prince, sitting in her chair with a purple drape over the small table in front of her. “I’m not sure what I’d want to ask.”

Lillia smirks in a way that makes you uneasy. “Well, I asked about my future partner.”

“Partner? For sparring?”

“For marrying, you dolt,” Jeremiah snorts, “c’mon, Xav, sit down and let’s see which unlucky soul gets to be queen of Philos.”

You’re nervous that he will, and you’re nervous that you won’t like the answer. Because it wouldn’t be you, you’re sure of that. And you shouldn’t want it to be you. That doesn’t mean you think he should be with her, either. What business did Lillia have pursuing Xavier, at any rate? She was training to be a Lightseeker too—but of course, the average knight did not have the same restrictions the grandis knight did—not that it matters because you have no say regardless—

But Xavier shakes his head. “No, it’s okay. My future partner will simply be…whoever the kingdom deems the loveliest of the lot.”

Your heart both inflates and deflates at his response. On one hand, you hadn’t wanted him to have his fortune read, for fear of heartbreak. On the other hand, a part of you had foolishly hoped that he would have the same option to love like everyone else did.

“You should do it,” Jeremiah nudges you with his elbow. Before you can protest, Lillia’s eyes light up.

“Oh, yes, you should! Here, come sit.” 

“Um, I don’t know.” Warily, you gaze over at the fortuneteller, who merely gives you a serene smile. “Is she going to give me someone’s name?”

“No, just a description. She told me my future partner would be someone of noble descent.” Lillia beams, showing off her too-perfect teeth, and suddenly you feel inadequate. You know what she’s implying, even if Xavier doesn’t. After all, there are very few people who would match that description.

So, not wanting to seem like a coward, because the king’s sword is anything but a coward, you step forward, sitting down in the leathery chair. You’re about to reach for your pocket to take out the copper pieces, when Xavier reaches over and places them in the fortuneteller’s palm, giving you an encouraging look that makes your heart sink. Perhaps you should have listened to Jeremiah earlier and called it a night.

When the woman takes your hand, she closes her eyes, running her thumb back and forth against your calluses. Your breath gets stuck in your throat, and you try not to move a muscle. For some reason, it feels like if you so much as twitch, you’ll get the wrong answers, and you’re not even sure what the right answers are. 

Her eyes open, piercing yours with a startling gaze. “Fascinating,” she murmurs, “I see three things about your lover.”

To hear that word—lover, instead of spouse or partner, makes your entire face feel hot. Lillia giggles, saying something under her breath that you don’t catch but makes you feel violent tendencies nonetheless.

“First, he is someone held in very high regard by all around him.”

Oh no.

“Second, a longsword is his weapon of choice.”

Oh no.

“And third, you have known him all your life.”

Well, she may as well have just screamed Xavier’s name at the top of her lungs.

Everyone is silent for a few seconds. There is a heavy pause in the air, because who else could she be referring to? Who else fits that exact description? All Lillia was told was she’d be with someone of noble descent, which could be at least a few people. The painful beating in your chest is onset because there is only one person that your fortune fits. 

You know it, he knows it, even Jeremiah and Lillia know it. 

So you do the only thing you can do. You calmly stand up, offer the fortuneteller a tight-lipped smile, and turn on your heel and run.

Behind you, a few different people call your name, though you note distinctly that Xavier isn’t one of them. After that, even if other people are still recognizing you and trying to get your attention, you can barely think straight enough to identify their voices, let alone respond. You run, out of the town square, out of the festival, out of the sight of anyone who could possibly perceive you.

You run as far as you can before your legs start aching, which, unfortunately for you, takes a long time with your endurance training. By the time you feel even a twinge resembling pain, you’ve already made it a far distance away from the celebration, near the seamstress’ shop. 

With gritted teeth, you heave yourself over the fence, knowing you’re more than welcome in her garden. It’s luscious, orange and lavender chrysanthemums in the center stealing the spotlight from all the other flowers. Instead of going towards them, you curl up next to the lilies, because you already feel unremarkable enough.

It’s not that you think Xavier would be disgusted by you. The two of you are friends—but that’s exactly it, the major problem of having feelings for him. Besides the fact that you are supposed to brandish your sword in his name, you cannot like him because you’d rather die than lose your best friend. You couldn’t even say how long you’ve known him, but you do know that he’s the best part of your life. Not for anyone would you bow your head. Not for anyone would you lay your life down. You’ve observed Xavier for years and years and there is not a single other person in the royal family that you would follow into any battle, through any world, past any planet. 

You groan, burying your face in between your knees. At some point in between the months Lillia first asked you about him and now, you’ve gone beyond just considering him as more than a friend. You’ve even got past having a measly crush on him.

You’re in love with Xavier, and it’s awful.

Breathing slowly, you gaze up at the night sky, where the fireworks have still not made their appearance. The wind teases the flowers around you, making them tilt a little to the left, which is oddly how you feel too. Not uprooted, but bent, just like a flower. 

With a blade of grass in between your fingers, you follow the direction the flowers are blowing in, only to find yourself staring at shining ceruleans.

“Xavier!” you gasp, eyes widening with a start. You move to stand as a reflex, but he raises a single hand, and you stop.

There isn’t a single bead of sweat on his face. He is breathing a little raggedly, and his uniform is stained with some sap he must’ve not been able to avoid from the bushes on the way over. His face—well, his face is pristine as always, there isn’t a moment when the prince of Philos looks anything less than dreamy. But it’s not his features you’re gazing at, but the concerned expression upon them, directed straight at you, with caring eyes and pinched brows.

You almost want to cry just at the thought you’ve worried him.

“Are you alright?” His voice is quiet, cautious, fragile. Like you may break if he’s too forceful in his questioning.

“Yes, fine,” you reply automatically, though you suppose you now have to make up a story for why on Philos you ran away like a child, especially because he sits next to you, knees raised in the same manner as yours.

“I was merely…overwhelmed, by the crowd.” The explanation sounds weak even as your tongue speaks it, but you cannot think of any other reason for your actions. At least this is easier than the truth. Anything is easier than the truth.

For a few seconds, there is silence, and as uncomfortable as this already is, you can’t bear it. So you turn to look at him, and you realize with burning cheeks you realize he is staring right back. You don’t even think he’s looked at the blossoming flowers even once; his head seems to be fixated in your direction.

“I know you constantly score better than me,” Xavier says softly, “but I am not foolish.”

With a hesitant hand, as though he’s asking for permission, he reaches up to once again adjust the flower crown on your head. Your heart falls, and you really should’ve known better to think Xavier could not read you like an open book, especially after a fortuneteller quite literally did read you like an open book.

“I know,” he continues, tucking a piece of your hair behind your ear, “that the people in our classes, the nobles, the folks in the marketplace, they all hold me in high regard.”

“Xavier,” you try to argue weakly, already feeling your heartbeat speed up from where this conversation is going. The thought of losing him, of losing your best friend, your prince, your everything, it is paralyzing. “Please don’t—”

“I know that my weapon of choice is a longsword.”

“Stop,” you whisper.

But he doesn’t, and he looks directly into your eyes with an open, honest sincerity written all over his face. Like this is his truth, even though it is yours. “And I know that you have known me all your life, and I feel that I have known you for even longer than that.”

Your lower lip trembles. Never once did you take him for the cruel type. There is no rule nor reasoning for this, to utterly expose your feelings even more and mock you for them, and if you sit here any longer you’re afraid you will begin to sob, and then not only will your friendship with Xavier be at risk, but your future position as well. The grandis knight cannot be weak. The grandis knight cannot shed tears for such silly matters as love. 

To preserve your role, to preserve your reputation and your dignity, you make to stand, to run even farther this time, but Xavier holds your wrist before you can, tugging you back to face him. There is no cruelty in his expression, in fact there is a tenderness as though he is somehow touched by your very clear devotion to him. 

His finger tilts your chin up, unwittingly making you demand a respect you don’t believe you deserve right now. His brow is pinched, as though he’s upset that you would let anyone, even him, turn you soft as a dandelion.

“I also know,” he breathes, “that this kingdom finds you incredibly lovely.” 

The world seems to stop.

“As…” Xavier’s hand rests itself on your cheek, and the most beautiful smile lights up his face as he murmurs, “Do I.” 

You lean in the same time he does, and faintly you hear fireworks erupt as you kiss the prince of Philos for the first time. 

The world is quiet, and so, so, so loud. Blood rushes to your face and to your ears, and you ignore it by placing both your hands on his cheeks, whimpering softly at how good he tastes. Every burning feeling and sensation you’ve felt in his presence these past few months, and really, your entire life, all seem to explode in this moment. The world is blue, and white, and Xavier.

His lips move so gently against yours, once again acting as though you are fragile, but it feels good this time, the idea of being something so precious as to require care for him. His thumb rubs soft circles into your cheek, you can barely pull away from him to assure him that he can be more forceful if he wishes, more wanting, more greedy. 

“Please,” he whispers against your lips, asking for what you aren’t sure, but you nod your head regardless, because you’d think you’d give him your very soul if he were to ask.

When you do pull back, he is looking at you so longingly it makes you more breathless than even dancing you did earlier. His gray-blonde hair nearly conceals his eyes, so you brush it from his face, breath hitching at his proximity. You’ve always known that he’s the apple of everyone’s eye, but you’ve never had the privilege to admire him so closely before.

“I don’t need a fortuneteller to tell me who my partner is.” Xavier rests his forehead on yours, eyes closing. “Whether it’s for sparring, or marriage, or anything else. You are the only one I want with me, through everything.”

You’re surprised you can even muster words when you shyly respond, “Likewise, my liege.”

His eyes shine, and the two of you finally look up to admire the fireworks bursting across the sky in incredible explosions of color. They pale in comparison to the eruption within you, but they are magical nonetheless, and you lean your head against his shoulder to watch.

A gentle kiss is placed on top of your head. “I know we only celebrate this once a year. It is a special time. Still…” He meets your gaze again, and the corners of his lips turn upwards. Tonight, there is only you and him now, you’re sure of it. “Would you mind terribly if we were to ignore the fireworks?”

Maybe one day you will learn to resist him. You sincerely doubt it, though.

“Not at all. But the seamstress and her kids will probably be back soon.” You place a begrudging hand on his chest, not wanting to stop him, but trying to act proper regardless. “Neville checks on the garden every night. He might see us.”

Xavier seems to consider this for a second. 

“Oh well,” he mumbles, leaning in to kiss you again, “what a shame.”

He doesn’t sound very sorry at all, and amidst the soft glow of moonlight, you surrender to him, lost in your very own little celebration of lights.

a/n: if i had a nickel for everytime i’ve written a character x reader story where they’re at a party and they dance together but then leave to have a nice moment by themselves i’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice, right?

[heeliopheelia]

"everything reminds me of you and it's driving me insane" (jay x fem! reader)

genre: smut word count: 0.7k requested by @forjongseong ♡

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!!

a/n: the last fic for the event!! i had so much fun guys, will definitely do it again once we hit another milestone!! nana babe i'm sorry it took me so long 🤍

masterlist

The floor is already drenched when Jay pulls out his thick fingers out of you. Letting go of his firm grip on your hips, he pulls away slightly to smirk at your trembling thighs as you struggle to keep yourself up on your feet.

"Fuck!" You gasp breathlessly, fingers clutching on the edge of the marble kitchen counter for your dear life.

If somebody told you that this is how the party would end – with your ex boyfriend fingering you stupid in the apartment that the two of you used to share together, you doubt you'd ever believe them... Or maybe you would?

With the way your heart increased three times on its pace when you first saw Jay after almost half a year of being deprived from his ridiculously handsome face – it's actually quite obvious you'd bend to every will of the man you're still shamefully in love with.

Even though you were the one who initiated the break up in the first place.

"Couldn't wait to get my hands on you, sweetheart," Jay mutters, closing the distance between the two of you again and grabbing you by your waist to pull you flush to his clothed bulge.

"Oh, really?" You scoff quietly, fingers brushing the sweaty hair away from your forehead as you turn your head to him over your shoulder. "Could've fooled me with this bitch hanging on your neck the entire night."

"No need to be so jealous. She could never be you," he chuckles underneath his breath and before you know his pants and underwear are dropped to the floor and he rubs his hard cock over your swollen folds. You moan simultaneously when he finally slides it inside of you, bottoming out slowly. Jay's knees feel as if made of cotton when he feels you clenching around him and now he's damn sure that you were literally molded just for him. "Missed this pussy so much," he breathes out, burying his face in the crook of your neck.

He's got you caged in between his arms and the counter as his deep thrusts rock your body into the cold surface. You're already dizzy from the two previous orgasms you've had couple minutes before, and now as you listen to his ragged breaths into your neck, all of your senses are completely blocked out in the favor of him.

The way he fucks you is so messy, so needy and it's thrilling and it's so Jay that you can't help but let your tongue run loose and spill your guts to him right then and there.

"There hasn't been a day that I didn't think about you. Everything reminds me of you and it's driving me insane. Even that stupid orchid I've seen on my way back home in a flower shop today," you confess breathlessly, voice stuttering with every thrust of his. Jay immediately catches the reference to your second date when he bought you the pink flower you desired so much. "We were so good together, weren't we, Jay?"

He groans, grabbing your hips a little firmer. "Shit, that we were, sweetheart."

Your abused hole squelches and drips after each time he bottoms out and you let out a whimper, body draping over the counter as you grip the wooden cupboard with your shaky hand. The sound only spurs him on to fuck you even harder, better, his eyes clenching tightly as he relishes in your small whines of his name. His fingers dig into the plush of your hips as he draws his body into you from behind, panting loudly and pushing you even further into the counter.

When your walls tighten nearly painfully around him, that's when he knows your third orgasm begins to build up. He snaps his hips faster and with you calling his name over and over again, you eventually let go and feel the hot pleasure swallow your tired body again.

It's impossible for him to last any longer with you falling apart before him, your doughy cunt throbbing around him mercilessly, and Jay cums hard, body slouching on top of yours as he holds you tightly with face pressed to your neck.

And maybe, just maybe you're not the only one who's been having a hard time moving on from your irrational decision all these months ago.

And you're sure of that when you feel his arms turning your body around, eyes looking softly into yours before he pulls on your chin and plants a hungry kiss on your wet lips.

permanent taglist: @bambisgirl @arizejkt19 @luvmura @milisabunny @cathy-1997 @satoruskitchenrag @ramenoil @jenjnk @jaylaxies @yoongspi @nichoswag @s00buwu @dazzlingligth

[sc0tters]

Addicted | Luke Hughes

summary: when Alex and Trevor decide to voice their feelings about you it causing Luke to reevaluate his own.

song: Kiss Me - Ed Sheeran

request: yes/no

warnings: mention of underaged drinking, slight bit of swearing.

word count: 2.03k

authors note: this song has been calling my name since I put it on the playlist, and let me just saw that I’m not upset in the slightest. This picture of Luke made me laugh so much that I had to put it in. If you want to check out the rest of the celly you can do so here!

Luke had been in love with you for years.

Thoughts of you consumed his mind from the moment he woke up until the moment he went to sleep. His heart rate would increase and his palms would grow sweaty as he watched you run across campus before you’d tackle him into a bear hug even though you saw him the day before. Every time you were in a more revealing outfit he’d stumble on his words like he had never spoken English before. Every year it was like half of his brain cells never made it to the lake house as all he could do was watch in awe as you’d walk around in shorts and your bikini tops.

But it was fine because you felt the same way as Luke.

The first time you realised this was after a ballet recital of yours when you were six and somehow Ellen convinced all three of her sons to come and Luke said that your tutu was pretty on you.

It like your whole world combusted in that moment as your semi toothless grin joined the conversation “you think so pookie?”

“I know so sparky.” Luke was never one to shy away from complimenting you and it made you swear he only did it to screw with you. The way your cheeks turned crimson red as you’d chew as the inside of your cheeks trying to hold in the inevitable squeal of joy at the compliment.

All of the scales seemed to increase when you went off to college, your friendship grew stronger as you remained his number one supporter, your love for him grew deeper as his eyes never left you at parties because other girls were never what he wanted. Clearly since everyone else could see this you would should have as well, right?

Wrong.

Totally absolutely positively wrong.

His love for you could have been written in big pieces of card in front of your face and it might as well have been like you were reading another language because you wouldn’t have believed it. The same thing went for Luke, every guy you turned down never made him feel more confident. In fact it usually made him feel worse.

You had the most athletic players flirting with you, the start football and baseball players all weren’t good enough for you. So what was to say that some hockey player would be what you wanted?

Luke was usually a confident man, he got that from being around Jack that it became a learnt trait. Yet you seemed to make him feel like a normal kid again. There was no need for the title of being drafted, or for his family name. To you he was just Luke or your pookie and it slowly ate up at him.

Just like every other year July meant it was lake house time. It was the third day of the trip and it was hotter than ever, literally the sun was scorching and you were out soaking it all up. Your bikini was the smallest one in your closet and it avoid the tan lines your top string was undone as your stomach lay on your towel.

Luke had been enjoying the sight he really was, your feet occasionally bounced as you had your favourite songs blaring through your AirPods and it was a sight that made his mouth water.

But when Trevor and Alex walked back in from the porch and started talking about you it caused the youngest Hughes boys mood to turn for the worse.

Trevor shook his head as he grabbed a drink from the fridge “I don’t know how you haven’t made a move yet Hughesy,” he confessed as he cracked the cap of the bottle open.

Alex nodded in agreement “huh?” Luke furrowed his eyebrows as he knew that they were talking about you.

The Ducks player smiled “y/n is out of this world,” he pointed out as none of the older boys were stupid, you were a pretty girl and they all knew it.

Except Trevor was the only one who ever let you know about it, the constant flirting that came from his lips during this lake house trip. It seemed you being over the age of eighteen let you move away from the title of only being Luke’s friend.

Words of warning wanting to tell Trevor to fuck off were desperate to leave Luke’s mouth yet they couldn’t as you walked into the living room.

An oblivious smile formed on your face “what are y’all talking about?” You asked as you reached into the fridge to grab the container of cut up mango that you had made earlier that morning.

Trevor let his outstretched hand reach into the container as he took a piece “just about going for a ride on the boat later,” he lied as his eyes never left your mouth as some of the fruit juice dribbled down your chin landing on your bikini top “hope there is room for me on that boat,” there always was room for you but you were enjoying flirting with Trevor.

Sure you weren’t attracted to him like that but he certainly wasn’t harsh on your eyes “for you sparky? Always.” The nickname was one that you had picked up when you were five, you learnt what electric currents were when you found two wires in Quinn’s room and decided to place them together. The eldest Hughes couldn’t help but laugh when he walked in to see how your eyes lit up like you were in a candy store.

Luke scrunched his nose at the smile you sent the ducks player as you continued you eat your mango but when you pushed your hair behind your ears letting your chest now be on full display the Hughes boy could no longer take it “put this on,” he mumbled as he held out his baseball jersey.

You furrowed your eyebrows as you looked white fabric “okay?” You shrugged as you took the Tigers home jersey and slotted your arms into it.

But that didn’t seem to be enough for Luke as he came over to you and began to button the buttons up “Luke!” You groaned saying exactly what Alex and Trevor were thinking as they sent the boy a glare “perfect,” Luke smiled as he softly pulled your hair out of the jersey letting it lay flat behind your back.

His dagger eyes were sent to both Alex and Trevor the entire day, even on the boat when Quinn was teaching you to drive it and even when you were on Luke’s lap.

“Am I missing something?”

Your question pulled Luke out of his thoughts as he looked at you “what?” He asked as he let his fingers draw over your leg.

It irritated you as you could see that something seemed to be going on between Luke and the two older boys “you seem mad at them,” you sighed as your lips formed into a pout.

Sure it might have been childish to be upset but Luke usually told you everything “it’s nothing,” he shook his head causing your fingers to grip at your can of seltzer.

Yet your pokes didn’t go quiet like he’d hoped “Luke-” your soft words were only met with a glare “just drop it okay?” His complaint was only met with your wide eyes.

Thankfully at that time you were in need of a new drink. So you got up to get yourself a refill.

The boys watched in amusement as you walked back into the house “you really fucked that one up Lukey,” Trevor teased only adding to the boys anger.

Luke clenched his fist “you need to shut the fuck up dude!” He warned as he got up as he pointed his finger at the older boy.

It seemed like this was all bubbling up over today “just go ahead all to her,” Quinn’s voice was soft as he knew that you were on his brothers mind.

The youngest Hughes boy took a large gulp as he remembered that he had lashed out at you first.

Your head remained in the fridge as you looked at the different options for drinks.

The cool air on your face made you grow calm. It was soothing as you tried to not cry, you knew you were overreacting but all of Luke’s actions today seemed to weigh up on you in this never ending battle that you had created based on the feelings you felt towards the boy. Your thoughts were pulled away from your brain as the sound of the glass sliding door shut.

You turned around and was already faced with Luke “Jesus Christ!” You cursed as you clenched your chest.

Luke’s face softened as he looked at you “sorry,” he apologised as he crossed his arms.

He wanted to reach out to hug you “why are you so mad at them?” You asked as you watched the hockey player pick at the bracelet on his wrist.

All of the explanations that went through his mind all didn’t sound valid “it’s stupid,” that was the honest truth, he knew he was over reacting but that didn’t make it any less irritating to deal with.

You scoffed as you sat on the counter “that never stopped you from telling me,” you pointed out as most nights were spent with Luke in your bed laying his bed on your chest as you combed your fingers through his hair.

The way your lips were plump and your cheeks were tinted with a hint of red from the sun that had landed on in them made you look so very kissable.

But Luke remained stood where he was “they think you’re hot,” he explained with his voice barely a whisper as though he was ashamed to admit to it.

Your laugh made him feel better “do they now?” It was a clear stroke to your ego as you watched the boy grow embarrassed.

It shouldn’t have been nearly as amusing as it was “you thinking I’ve got a new best friend to get?” You joked causing him to furrow his eyebrows with annoyance.

Luke situated himself between your legs “‘ts not funny,” he mumbled as he rested his head on your shoulder.

A smile found its way onto your face “it’s pretty funny,” you nodded as you hooked your fingers under his jaw forcing him to look at you.

Your eyes were soft as they studied every feature on his face as though it was the first time you’d seen his face “it doesn’t matter if they think I’m hot,” you explained as you watched his face grow confused “only matter if it comes from a guy who hasn’t even said it.” You added as your tongue darted between your lips.

The hockey remained as clueless as ever when you let your thumb run along his jaw “who?” He was almost asking because he needed to finally hear that dose of reality of who it was that went through you mind in the way you went through his.

A moment of silence was heard so loud that a penny dropping wouldn’t even be noticed “looking right at him.” You confessed causing his eyes to widen.

It was like he was at a crossroads as the ball was now in his court. Truly nothing went through his mind as he was desperate to find the right course of action. The girl he had loved for all of these years, the girl he had longed for to be more than just friends, the girl was you and here you were with all of your cards out waiting for him.

Yet there he was frozen in time.

Again it seemed like it was your turn once more. So you leaned forward as you kissed him, it was brain meltingly perfect. Like that moment you do something that feels so good it makes your brain all hazy, like that.

Luke pulled away with his smile as his finger ran over your lips “what’s got you all smiley?” You asked as you cocked your head.

“I got the girl of my dreams.”

[theharrowing]

White Lies 🤍 2: Sleep sweet, pretty

Yoongi is everything you could ask for. He is attractive, confident, and smart. And his partner Taehyung is as possessive as he is beautiful. Too bad a relationship would be a major conflict of interest.

You need to have them, at all costs.

🤍 Yoongi x Female Reader x Taehyung

🤍 word count: 7.4k + screencaps of conversations

🤍 college au, cop au, partial social media au with a lot of written story, strangers to lovers & established relationship, yandere, hurt/comfort, smut, fluff, angst, slash, poly, minor character injury & death, graphic violence, nsfw, 21+.

🤍 warnings: a lot of deception; very forward flirting; use of date rape drug; effects of being drugged against one's will. there is no assault of any kind, just fear.

🤍 notes: ignore the fact that the chats switch from dark mode to light mode. i use dark mode on my phone, but sometimes it gets switched and i forget to change it back. these screencaps result from me literally texting myself haha it's a labor of love okay. also don't forget mc's fake name is Sandra. she won't be referred to this for too many chapters.

🤍 written parts beta read by @neoneunnajimin

🤍 posted nov. 2023 | read on ao3

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* * *

You pace around beside your couch and stare at your phone as it rings, watching as the 212 number takes up the screen. With shaking thumbs, you halt in place and accept the call, anticipating what Vante's voice may sound like. 

"Hello?" you ask as demurely as possible, squeezing your eyes closed. 

The voice that greets you is deep, rough, and with an accented lilt that makes your heart race. "Well, hello, pretty."

It takes a split moment to get your bearings. How could someone's voice sound like honey and barbed wire all at once?

"H-hey, V," you finally say, biting on your bottom lip and opening your eyes. Although your apartment lighting is not terribly bright, you have to blink a few times. 

"Wow," Vante says, "your voice sounds so sweet."

You huff out a quick, quiet sigh, lips upturning as you catch the bottom one between your teeth, and then you begin to pace around some more. "Yours is very…"

"Very…?"

"Handsome," you respond meekly. "Very handsome."

Vante chuckles, and it is a sound so rich and deep you physically swoon, knees weakening some as you twist your body in the direction of your bedroom, needing to move around and let out some energy. 

"So…" Vante begins, and you smile further as you mirror him, asking, "So…?"

"So, what are you wearing?" 

After a pause, he clarifies, "To the date, I mean," with a tone that is playful and seductive.

With your free hand, you fidget with the bottom hem of your black sweater and almost regret considering an outfit so plain. You remind yourself that the plan is to string him along, at least for now. 

Playing along with V's demeanor, you giggle, doing your best to sound shy. "Nothing too flashy…I was thinking a black tee tucked into black jeans. It's cooling down, so maybe my favorite oversized forest green flannel. And some black boots."

"And this tee…will it be a crew neck, or maybe a v-neck?"

You mentally pat yourself on the back for being the most clever person alive as you say, "A v-neck, in your honor, of course."

"Of course."

"And you?"

"I was thinking about wearing a tight white tee tucked into some tight black jeans. With boots, and maybe a flashy designer jacket."

You hum and close your eyes, attempting to remember Vante's body type in the many photos you have seen. As far as you remember, he is a bit muscular and seems on the taller side. Broad and masculine but not overly ripped. 

"Emphasis on the tight," you tease. 

Vante chuckles, forcing your eyelids to flutter closed, then he says, "God, there are so many things I want to say in response to that, but I feel I should save them for the second or third date."

"Wow," you respond, feeling a sudden shyness that only increases as he continues to laugh.

"Alright, pretty," he finally says, "just wanted to hear your voice quick, but I should let you get back to winding down. I have to finish up here and then catch my flight home."

"Sounds good. Safe travels."

"See you soon," Vante sing-songs, and you feel yourself swaying when you say, "Looking forward to it."

And then the call ends, snapping you back to reality. Your eyes focus on the top of your wooden dresser and you heavy-blink, reminding yourself that this is a mission and that you are not, under any circumstances, supposed to get close to either of these men. 

But god damn does Vante sound real fucking sexy. This might be a problem.

* * *

The Marías play loud and dreamy as you twirl and sway through your room, holding your soft green flannel in both hands. It fans out with each movement, and you twist it dramatically to drape it over your shoulders. 

Although you are dressed down in a tee and skinny jeans, you look good. The garments hug your curves nicely, and the shirt shows off just enough cleavage without it feeling like too much for a casual night at the bar. 

You apply a little makeup to your eyes and cheekbones, then look over your jewelry, deciding on a simple pair of gold hoops and the necklace that you always wear – a small gold charm in the shape of a rabbit's foot dangling from a thin gold chain, for luck.

Although there is plenty of time to eat a meal before heading to the bar, you feel so antsy that you only manage to pick at a salad and some fruit. You chug some water and then check the time. 

And with a deep breath, you decide to head out early and text your boss.

// these two conversations take place at the same time - you can use time stamps to track the back and forth if you want to //

With the phone you were using to text Vante slid into your small black leather purse, and the phone you were texting Seokjin with sitting facedown on the countertop, you swivel to the left in time to find the man who had been sitting across from you taking a seat one stool away.  

"Hey," he mutters, head tilted down too far for you to see his face clearly. "I hope you don't mind that I join you on this side? Things over there got a bit too wild for my taste."

Two things stand out about the way this man speaks. The first is that there is a hint of an accent, especially on certain consonants, and it seems that he is speaking in a slow and measured way that almost makes his words feel somewhat forced. The second is that, despite feeling forced, his voice is very deep but also quite mellow and soothing. 

Although he does not sound like the man you spoke to on the phone last night, there are enough hints of similarities that remind you of him. At least you are somewhat certain that this man is not Vante based on physical stature, but you decide to stay alert just in case.

"I don't mind," you respond, making your voice sound as sweet and inviting as possible.

The man, who seems to be wiping at his drink-dampened black shirt and jeans with a grey bar rag, looks up and regards you with a familiarity in his eyes that causes you to pause. You watch as his face comes clearly into view beneath the visor of the black baseball cap, and his eyes linger on you. 

Time feels as if it slows down as you watch this stranger's eyes trace over your face. And then he blinks rapidly, gives his head a quick little shake, and chuckles.

"Sorry, you…" he begins, turning his attention back to his shirt, then glancing your way briefly to say, "you remind me of someone."

"Oh?" you ask, swiveling on your stool enough to fully face him. 

The man hums, then sighs and lets his arms drape at his sides. He looks defeated; the wet mark on his shirt is pretty large. 

"Lemme buy you a drink to make up for that person's sloppiness?" you ask with one of your wide, winning smiles. 

He shakes his head and tosses the rag onto the bar, turning his body to face the counter but staying angled slightly toward you, tilting his chin at the two shots that have been neglected beside your purse. 

"Looks like you're expecting someone."

"I was," you clarify, dragging out the 's' as you rotate toward the bar but keep yourself slightly angled at him. You glance back at the shots of Fireball. "I think I got stood up."

From the corner of your eye, you watch the man straighten up, and you smile to yourself as he mutters, "Oh! Oh, that's so unfortunate."

Although you should check to make sure Vante is still not receiving or responding to your messages, you feel bold enough to turn to the man and slide one of the two shots his way. 

"Join me?" you ask. "Not as a date but just as…a person who can help me with these shots."

"Are you sure?" the man asks, reaching for the glass and eyeing it suspiciously. "What is this, anyway?"

Rather than answer, you watch the man lift the shot glass to his nose and frown. Through a giggle, you say, "It's Fireball," and reach for the second one.

"Cinnamon," he mutters in understanding rather than a question, and you nod, swiveling once more to face him. He concedes with a shrug, saying, "Alright," and your smile wider. 

"Cheers," you say, holding your shot toward the man who mutters, "Yes, cheers. To accidentally having poor judgment and winding up beside one another." 

You laugh as you tap your glass against his and lift the shot to your lips. The cinnamon flavor kicks you square in the mouth, cloying your senses with a bittersweet assault of artificial earthiness and heady whiskey. 

The man winces and shakes his head, slamming his glass against the counter ungracefully and sticking out his tongue. You take the opportunity to tease him about his toast, asking, "Poor judgment, eh?"

With a deep, pretty chuckle, he says, "You made a date with a flake and I humored conversation with a slob." 

Briefly, your gaze flicks to the woman who had been talking to him before, and she is shouting something while waving her arms emphatically, thankfully not holding a drink. When he finishes his statement with, "And here we are," you rip your gaze away and regard him.

This man is very attractive up close, with soft lips and a sharp stare. If you squint he would look similar to the photos you have seen of Min, only his nose is more straight and pointed, and his eyes appear to be a light hazel green. 

You offer your right hand and introduce yourself as Sandra, sitting tall on the barstool and watching as he hesitates to lift his own. 

"My English name is Cody."

"Cody," you mutter, feeling your lips fight the urge to smile, and you know that your eyes are widening, but you attempt to stay as straight-faced as possible. Cody is such a bro name, you would not have guessed it was his. Cody grabs onto your hand in a warm, firm shake that does not last long enough, and you ask, "And your non-English name? Or is that impolite to ask?"

"Not impolite," Cody responds, "just reserved for those close to me and when I travel back to Korea."

What are the odds that you meet someone from Korea while being stood up by Vante? At least you feel justified in the swirling thoughts that insist Cody seems similar to Min. 

You even wonder if Min Cody, or Cody Min, could be someone's name. You hope that another drink will quiet those thoughts enough so you can have a pleasant conversation with him before walking back home. Once there, you can do some searches just to put your mind at ease.

"This round is on me," Cody insists as he sits high in his chair and reaches for the wallet in his front pocket. 

Another loud group enters and files around the bar to where the two of you sit, and as you get the bartender's attention, Cody begins looking around behind the two of you. 

"There's a hightop in the corner. Would you be comfortable going there?"

Although the bar is not too dimly lit that retreating to the corner would shroud the two of you in shadow, there is some comfort in being seated at the bar with a tender nearby. But the crowd only seems to get bigger and louder, settling on stools to your right while others stand behind those seated, and so you nod, already fed up with this group.

"Sure, yeah," you say as you slam back the remnants of your drink. "I'll secure us a spot."

"Gin and tonic?" Cody asks, stopping you in your tracks. An icy chill works down your spine, and you wonder how the hell he knows what you are drinking. But then he adds, "Or was it something with vodka?"

Although his addition assuages some of your discomfort, there is a nagging feeling that he somehow knows what the bartender poured for you, making you uncomfortable. Your drink was clear, so gin and tonic is a fair assumption.

"Y-yeah," you respond, testing him by saying, "It was gin and tonic. Tanqueray." 

Had he watched the bartender, he would have known the man poured you Hendrick's. Cody seems unfazed.

"Sounds good," he says, adding, "I think I'll have that too," as you turn away with your purse clutched tightly in your hand and approach a tall round table in the corner with two stools sitting vacant beside it. 

As you take a seat on the little wooden stool, you attempt to settle your pounding heart and unravel this situation mentally. The feeling nagging at you to be weary of Cody is quite present, but you are unsure whether it is him that makes you feel this way or if you are struggling to set aside the case that you are working on. 

Seokjin has been going to great lengths to keep things secretive, which in and of itself causes disquiet. And now Cody carries similar enough traits with one of your targets that the foreboding nature of your job is all that you seem to be able to think about.  

It is unfair to you for these thoughts to cloud your mind so heavily, and you hope that this next drink will help you relax. Sure there are a lot of coincidences, but this is a large city with a diverse population. Coincidences certainly can happen. Unfortunately, as soon as Cody approaches with the glasses, your bladder begins to ache. 

"Thank you," you sing-song as you stand from the stool that you only sat on a moment ago. "I need to run to the bathroom quickly."

Cody responds, "Have fun!" and you giggle as you walk toward a small doorway off to the right that opens into a hallway containing two gender-neutral restrooms. As you enter the closest of the two rooms, you click the lock on the door handle in place, then begin to shimmy your jeans down and take a seat, fishing through your purse for the other phone and finding that Vante has, in fact, never seen your last messages. 

You wonder if there is a chance that he has somehow found out that you are an officer attempting to make contact with him. But it would make more sense for him to simply still be in Europe, possibly just playing a game with you because he takes pleasure in toying with people. It seems dramatic even when you think about it, but what else could it be?

As you put your phone away, reach for toilet paper, and wipe yourself off, you take a deep breath in and out and try to center your thoughts. Tomorrow, you will regroup with Seokjin and form a new plan. If you have to wait a little while to get onto Min's tutoring list, it is not the end of the world. For tonight, you should just enjoy yourself. 

With your pants buttoned and everything in place, you wash your hands, inspect your face and hair to verify that you still look as amazing as ever, and exit the restroom. Some top 40s song from the 90s plays that has a lot of the college kids shouting, and you return to your seat while Cody types something on his phone and then slides it into his front pocket. 

"So do you always come to the bar alone and wear a baseball cap to hide your identity?" you tease, unsure where any of this is coming from but feeling a strange burst of energy. You reason with yourself that you still need verification that he is not Min.

Cody laughs, reaches for the hat, and pulls it off. His hair is clearly bleached blond and colored mint green, which is a little more difficult to see in the less well-lit corner. It falls over his forehead, parted down the center, nearly covering his eyes, and he looks dreadfully pretty. 

"Is this look less threatening?" he asks, running a hand through it only for it to fall neatly in place again. 

Once more, the nagging voice in the back of your head tells you that this haircut seems similar to the one in the surveillance photos of Min. You remind yourself that you have never seen the man in person and that your brain could simply be filling in information in an attempt to create patterns because that is what human brains do best. But the similarity is striking.

"Yes," you say after too long of a pause, angling yourself toward him, slightly to the left from facing the table. 

"This one's for you," Cody says as he slides a full drink in your direction. 

You take the chilled glass and lift it to your lips, then you playfully say, "And you didn't drug it, I assume?"

Cody does not immediately respond to what you say; he stares blankly for a split moment before blinking and chuckling. The pause makes you worry, but then he says, "I assure you I did not, but if you would like to switch—"

"No, no," you insist, feeling awkward for saying anything at all. If it weren't for all the time you spent shadowing the special victims detectives over the summer, you would likely not instantly assume that any drink offered from a stranger could be tainted.

With a sigh, Cody says, "Nah, here, switch with me. We'll just swap out the straws because I had a sip of mine."

Before you can respond, he gently pulls the drink from your fingers and replaces it with his own. You watch as he swaps the straws, feeling your mouth tug into a smile, and when he is finished, you pull the drink to your lips and have a sip.

"When the drug kicks in, you might have to walk me to a cab, though," Cody jokes, insinuating that he has now drugged himself, and you nearly spit out the gin and tonic that has barely had a chance to settle on your tongue.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry," he laughs as you struggle to keep your composure and swallow your first sip. You set that glass down and raise your hand as if threatening to backhand him, making him flinch and dramatically gasp. 

Without thinking, you say, "You're a pain in the ass," making him laugh harder. 

"It's not funny to joke about that, I know," he says, still chuckling. "But in my defense, you started it."

Rather than respond with words, you simply hum and have another sip through the straw. This seems to amuse him, causing the laughter to continue.

Conversation with Cody is nice and easy. He tells you that he is a student at a nearby university, and you tell him that you are also a student – the same lie you tell to everyone. 

He talks about growing up in New York with one American parent but visiting Korea often, hoping that once he graduates he can spend more time with his family. You describe your past and relationship with your family with very general, distant details, excluding a lot. 

The parents that come along with your fake identity are not too exciting; mom is a legal aid and dad is a veterinarian. You attend such a prestigious school to follow in their overachieving footsteps, blah blah blah. 

By the time you discover Cody can speak three languages and has a deep love of anime, your drinks are empty. And although you should stop while you are ahead and call it a night, a large part of you wants to keep drinking. 

"Another?" Cody asks, and you sigh, nibbling your bottom lip. 

"I want to," you say, uncertainty in your tone. 

Cody must pick up on it, saying, "But…"

"But I also don't want to get very drunk."

"We can switch to non-alcoholic," he offers, shifting around on his stool. "Or go somewhere else." You raise an eyebrow, and he lifts his hands as if in surrender, insisting, "No funny business! Just thought we could hang out somewhere quieter. Doesn't have to be one of our places. I don't live too close by anyway."

This surprises you a little. "No?" 

"Nah," he shrugs, "I just like the atmosphere in this area more than where I live so I cab over to waste my time and cash here, instead."

Although you should not blurt, "I live nearby," you do anyway. In an attempt to not sound like you are trying to get into Cody's pants, you add, "But I don't know what we would do. I don't really watch TV."

"Have you eaten?" Cody asks, seemingly unfazed by your word vomit.

As if on cue, your stomach grumbles, and you giggle while shaking your head. You remember the meager amount of food you managed to eat before shuffling out into the evening. 

"I had something light, so…no. Not really."

"Why don't we grab a bite nearby? Maybe that will give us the reprieve we both seek…I'm sure most food establishments aren't this loud and rambunctious."

The reprieve we both seek… It's nothing too big or wild, but it is just austere enough to make you think about Vante. Although you feel frustrated that your mind is so eager to continue circling back to him, you consider that if this were Min sitting before you, there is a good chance they both speak similarly. It could be a slip up.

"Or…not…" Cody says, and you rapidly blink out of your thoughts and shake your head, offering a smile and a giggle.

"I space out," you supply plainly, "a lot. Sorry."

"Ah," he responds, sitting up a little higher. "No problem."

"Do you eat meat? There's a burger shop nearby that I really like."

Cody smiles and shrugs. "I eat everything."

As you stand up to stretch, the room tilts. It catches you off guard, and you halt your movement, then do your best to breathe through it and blink it away. Cody has his head tilted down, putting on his hat, and you are thankful that he does not seem to notice.

With a smile, he lifts his hand and says, "Lead the way," but there is something different about his voice. Deep and inviting in a familiar yet unfamiliar way, and far more accented than it had been all night. 

You shake it off and nod your head. Despite only having two drinks and a shot, you are not a heavy drinker as is, and on an empty stomach, it is enough to weigh you down and make you paranoid. You just need to get out into the cool open air and you will feel much better. 

But your feet are heavy. Each step that you take feels weighed down, and there is a lightness to you that feels as if fog is simmering through your system. Alarm bells begin beaming through your body, and you worry that perhaps you should try to get rid of Cody and call Seokjin.

Cody places a hand on your lower back. "Everything alright, space cadet?" he asks in the same tone he has taken all night, and you nod. 

You are certain he could not have done anything to your drink while you sat there and drank it with him. And if he drugged both drinks, he should be equally affected. 

But if he did do something, you are not eager to draw attention to feeling sluggish. You think it would be best to just get rid of him somehow. It just becomes a matter of how much time you have before the effects hit you harder, if at all.

The two of you make your way through the bar, and you oddly feel much more in control when you are moving steadily rather than little by little. You forget all about getting rid of Cody and walk right to the burger spot around the corner. 

But standing on line at the counter in the brightly lit space feels overwhelming, and it all comes back again. You open your mouth and say, "So," but catch yourself. So you really did drug my drink, huh? 

"So?" Cody asks, leaning close, and you notice a musk that cuts through the deep-fryer stench. It's nice and rich, inviting but not cloying. 

"So I usually get the bacon cheeseburger," you ramble, "and fries. But I imagine everything here is pretty good."

"Good to know," he responds, voice bright. You think his hand may be on your lower back again, but you are not quite sure. 

When it is your turn to order, your mind screeches to a halt. You stare up at the white menu board with red text, and you cannot find words. 

"Was it a bacon cheeseburger?" Cody supplies. "A number two?"

"Y-yeah," you respond, looking at the bored teen behind the register. "No tomato, please. And a soft drink."

"You?" the teen asks, eyes moving to Cody. 

Cody hums, soft and dulcet. Hypnotizing. "I'll have the same, but with tomato please."

Without asking, Cody pulls out his card to pay. Only, when he begins to hold it out, he quickly pulls it back. "Actually," he mutters, "I should use this cash."

Although you are unable to see the name on it, you notice that it is a black card, which feels far too prestigious for a university student to have access to. You realize that neither of you told one another your age – you just assume he is close to yours.

The cashier gives the two of you a number and two empty paper cups, and you make your way over to the soft drink dispenser and stare at the options. Caffeine could make you feel better, but then you risk the chance of staying up late. Sugar might cause you to have a hangover in the morning, but you think you could risk it for some lemonade. 

"Preference?" Cody asks, holding up the beverage cups. 

You have gravitated to the ketchup dispenser to fill two tiny paper cups, still thinking about beverage options. 

"Lemonade, please. With like…half ice? Not too much."

"Got it," he responds, holding one of the cups under an ice dispenser. 

"Ketchup?" you ask. 

"Two please."

You manage to get all four tiny paper cups of ketchup into your left palm, then turn to watch Cody securing plastic lids over both drinks and grabbing two paper-wrapped straws. The two of you sit, and you take your drink and straw with a small, "Thank you."

Perhaps it is the prospect of having food in your system that is causing you to feel more energized, but maneuvering through the booths and finding one along the wall is easy. You begin to wonder if maybe something about the gin and tonic was just off. Maybe you got hit with a wave of intoxication. 

Once you get settled, Cody takes out his phone and smiles at the screen before typing out what you assume to be a response to a message. His smile lifts, showing off his gums and pearly teeth, and you catch yourself staring before blinking your gaze elsewhere. 

Out of curiosity, you pull the phone from your purse and check to see if Vante ever saw any of your messages, and you frown at the discovery that he has not. His behavior is weird, but you suppose you were also planning on playing games with the guy. Still, being stood up is being stood up, and it is hard not to take it personally. 

Cody continues typing away at his phone while you wait for your food, chuckling quietly from time to time and making you feel awkward for sitting here with nothing to say. It is not that you don't have people who you can also text, but it feels rude to do it when you are with someone in a restaurant. 

Not that it is a date, nor do you two owe each other anything, you remind yourself, feeling silly for forgetting that simple fact. The two of you are just strangers who happened to meet and who decided to share a drink and a burger. Nothing more. In fact, if you remember correctly, Cody removed what looks like a wedding band from his ring finger earlier in the night.

Another grumpy teen brings your food in bright red baskets, and Cody finally puts his phone away. He smiles and says, "This looks great," and lifts his gaze to you for only a split second before looking back down. 

Something in his eyes seems different, but you are unable to put your finger on what. They seemed sharper, somehow…almost seductive. 

You reach for your food and dig in, doing your best to not moan when the grease hits your tongue. Conversation continues to be non-existent with the exception of Cody groaning through a mouthful about how good his burger is. 

Once you are down to just lemonade and some wayward fries, you excuse yourself to the bathroom. Unfortunately, your bladder is on a bit of a timer when you consume alcohol, and the added liquid does not help. 

You are grateful when there is no line and make quick work of relieving your bladder and washing your hands. The mirror is covered in stickers, but you lean forward on your toes and do your best to take in your state. 

To your surprise, your pupils are constricted quite small, and you begin to worry all over again that something could have been added to your drink. Somewhat sluggishly, you turn and grip onto the door handle, yanking it open and feeling tired from every small movement. 

Cody is back on his phone when you return, but he regards you with a polite smile and glances at you long enough for you to notice that his eyes seem perfectly normal – a sign that he likely did not drug both drinks, and evidence that he likely did not drug yours.

This fixation only makes you feel paranoid, and you wet your lips, eye up the rest of your food, and decide that you should call it a night. Cody's fries are all gone, and he barely has any soda left, which you find rather disappointing because you would have liked to leave alone. You suppose you still can.

"Well, I'm just down the block," you say, rubbing your hands, which begin to sweat, down your thighs. "It was nice to meet you."

"I would offer to walk you home," Cody says through a sigh, leaning back in a stretch, "but being that I am still a stranger, it may make you uncomfortable to have me knowing where you live."

You hum and nod to acknowledge and agree with what he says. 

"But if you'd like I could sit on a phone call?" he offers, resting his arm over the back of the booth. 

With a shrug, you shake your head to decline, but your mouth betrays you by saying, "Alright, sure."

"Yeah?" Cody asks, smiling brightly and sitting up from his relaxed position. He takes out his phone, and although you only catch a glimpse of his lock screen, there is something familiar about the image. It's the colors. Tan skin, greyish fabric, gold jewelry. You wonder where you may have seen it before.

Cody breaks you from your thoughts, asking, "What's your number?"

Once more, your mind draws a blank, and you search your brain. What is your phone number? "Uh…212...555…55…26—wait."

Cody looks up from where he is typing on his phone, and you realize you had given him your actual number and not the burner number that Vante has.

"That's my work phone, it's 5505."

With a light chuckle, Cody finishes saving your number. And then he must call you because your purse begins to vibrate. 

"That's me," he says with a smile and a wave.

"Alright," you respond, reaching absent-mindedly for your cup of lemonade and taking a large gulp. Although you do not look at Cody, you can feel his eyes on you.

Your phone stops vibrating, but you open your purse and pull the device out, ready to call Cody back once you begin your walk. Not that you think you need to, seeing that your block is relatively safe and you are not shy about walking at night. You carry pepper spray and a knife in your purse, but you are also worried you may not have the coordination to wield either. 

With a limp lift of your hand, you begin to wave, muttering, "Uh, thanks. I would have finished my drink and gone home feeling a little defeated tonight. It was nice to have company."

Why are you saying all of this? Cody is attractive, kind, smart, and has a fun sense of humor, but you were planning on just brushing him off. Plus he might be married.

He smiles and it is bright and disarming. From where he sits, his head is tilted back enough to see under his baseball cap, giving a view of his handsome features and long, pretty throat that bobs when he swallows. 

"I'm glad," he says, voices soft and deep. "You also made my night better. I almost forgot all about how damp my sweater and jeans are."

"Almost," you repeat, smiling. Suddenly, you feel shy – why do you feel shy? "Alright, well…I'll call you."

"Okay," he says, smiling as he sits up. 

You turn to leave, and the room tilts once more. So hard, in fact, that it makes you queasy. From the corner of your eye, you notice Cody sitting at attention, and you wonder if you visibly lurched. 

"Ugh, I'm a lightweight," you complain, hoping to brush it off, but before making another move, it begins to feel as if the floor is sinking away. 

"Sandra?" Cody mutters, "You alright?"

"Y-yeah," you insist, but you are not alright. Something is definitely wrong.

"Maybe I should call you a cab? Or something?"

You shake your head, "I live too close. It's not worth it."

"Alright, then how about I walk you? I'll keep my head down. I won't look at where we go."

Although you mean to laugh, it comes out in a scoff. "Alright, fine."

Cody is quick to get on his feet and slot an arm around your waist, holding you loosely but making you feel secure. The two of you walk through the somewhat tight path between booths, hips pressed against one another and warm, but then he gives you space as soon as there is some to give, only resting his hand against your back as he reaches for the door. 

"How many drinks did you have?" Cody asks in a way that is gentle and not at all accusatory. 

"Just what you saw," you respond sluggishly. "Two plus the one shot."

The two of you walk to the left and down the block. In the fresh night air, at a steady pace, you feel much more comfortable. It's the stopping and starting that seems to fuck with you. 

At least the weather is nice – a chill in the air but not cold. The seasons are certainly changing, but at a pace you can acclimate easily to. 

Cody hums some tune, and you keep wanting to ask him what it is, but you find that you are unable to make yourself speak. This causes your palms to prickle with anxiety.

"How long have you lived here?" Cody asks after about a block.

"A few years," you respond robotically, curious why you are suddenly able to talk without issue.

"I was wondering why a college student isn't living on campus. Then again…you seem too old to be living in the dorms." This line of conversation feels strange, but you can't pinpoint why. "Did you take some time off in between schooling?"

"No," you respond before you can stop yourself.

"Did you study something else before theater arts and music?"

"Yeah."

"Interesting."

Fear spikes, and you worry that he may ask you what you previously studied. It is so odd that you are so easily answering questions that you would ordinarily lie around – your undercover persona did not study anything before becoming a theater arts major. She traveled and worked at her father's veterinarian office as a receptionist while taking some time to decide what career path she wanted to take. 

Cody stops abruptly, muttering, "Shit, my shoe is untied," pulling you from your spiral.

As he bends to sort that out, you lift your gaze from where it had been glued and unfocused to the sidewalk and look around. Just up ahead is your building. 

"Oh," you say weakly, "we're here."

You continue on without your companion, putting one foot in front of the other and reaching for your purse, which is slung over your shoulder. Although you use this purse often, you struggle to get the zipper opened, and you stumble while focusing on it too much. 

The hand on your back returns, helping you to feel steady, and Cody asks, "Need some help with that?"

Luckily, you find your keys and hold them up, feeling triumphant. Cody walks you to the front landing, up four short steps to the high Victorian door, and waits patiently as you attempt to grab hold of the correct key, only to drop them to cement in a loud clatter. 

You feel frustrated as you say, "Fuck," and Cody is quick to bend and hold them out. 

"Large gold one," you say, and he lifts the correct key and leans to slot it into the keyhole. 

The last thing you want is for this stranger to walk you to your front door, but your dizziness is only increasing, and you are unsure whether you can make it to your second-story flat alone. 

The brownstone you live in is just like any other – tall and old as fuck. As you enter and begin toward the stairs, every footfall can be heard, creaking in a greeting you are all too familiar with. The staircase is tall, and you grip onto the railing and make your way up. Cody seems to hesitate.

"I don't have to continue if you think you got it," he says.

Without stopping or looking back, you grumble, "Need my keys."

Cody meets you on the stairs, and with a hand on your back, gently presses you to walk up. You are grateful for his warmth and for his assistance. 

And, at this point, if he tries anything once you are in your apartment, it will all be caught on camera. Not to mention, there is a Glock in your nightstand. 

"Thank you," you mumble as you reach the top of the stairs and turn right to the tall white door. "Small gold key."

Inside your front pants pocket, your main phone buzzes with a notification that there is someone at your door. You ignore it, seeing as that someone is you. 

Cody is quick to find the correct key and unlock your flat. He holds onto your arm while you kick out of your boots, and he toes out of his shoes and says, "Just want to get you a glass of water, okay?"

From where the two of you stand near the front entrance, there is a camera trained directly on both of your faces hidden in a bookshelf. You accept his offer and hobble off toward your room.

Your flat is somewhat of a rectangle. You enter into the living room, and to the right, straight ahead down a hallway is your large master bedroom. Tucked away on the left as you walk through the hallway is a kitchen and then a bathroom. 

It feels too warm in your flat, pulling you off kilter, and you throw your purse toward your bed, which rests in the center of your room against the right wall, missing and watching it hit the floor in a loud thud. Then you stumble forward and fall to your butt on the edge of the mattress and begin to yank at the sleeves of your green flannel, wiggling about in an attempt to shed it from you. 

Cody appears with a large plastic white cup and halts in the doorway. He shifts, and you catch him averting his eyes. 

"Just trying to get rid of this thing," you grumble impatiently as the garment falls from your left shoulder but won't comply to go any lower. With a sigh, you give up and smile at Cody.

"You can just set it here," you nod toward your small wooden bedside table. "The door will lock when you leave. Thanks for the help."

Cody approaches slowly, and you wonder if it is meant to put you at ease – no sudden movements – but the anticipation begins to weigh on you. You want to lay down and go to sleep, and you want Cody to leave.

He smiles and levels his face with yours, eyes searching for something. Then he places the cup on the table and says, "I hope you feel better."

"Thanks," you mutter, wishing he would leave. 

Cody bends and lifts your purse from the floor, which is open and spilling its contents. He sets it beside the cup of water and hands you your phone. Then he stands straight and fishes his own from his pocket, thumbing around before calling you.

He lifts the phone to his ear, and when you continue to stare, he tilts his chin toward the vibrating device in your hands. With a knit brow, you cock your head to the side but answer his call, lifting the phone to your ear.

"I figure that if I am being trusted to leave on my own, I should give you some assurance that I am, in fact, leaving."

"Okay…" you respond, drawing the word out. You could have all the assurance you need by watching the video footage from your hidden camera, but you suppose this is a kind gesture.

Cody smiles, lifts a hand, and waves. Then he turns and leaves the room. 

"It was nice meeting you, Sandra," he says, drawing your fake name out nice and slow.

"You too," you mutter, heavy with sleep.

"Sorry the night ended this way."

You sigh. "Me too."

"If you ever want drinks and a burger again, let me know. I'm just a short cab ride away."

Briefly, you wonder if the two of you hit it off. It was fun and comfortable talking with Cody, but you are still concerned with how drunk you became – if that is what you can call whatever is happening to you.

"Alright," you respond too late, hoping to be polite. 

In the living room, you hear some soft sounds and then the door opening. Although it is faint, you think you hear it closing, as well. 

"I have left your humble abode," he says as the phone in your pocket buzzes with another notification to alert you that someone is outside your apartment.

You assume that the reason he insisted on calling was so that once he was outside of the apartment, you would only hear his voice through the phone. It is a nice gesture.

"Thanks again," you say, sighing with relief. 

Through the phone, you can hear the steps creaking as he descends the stairwell. "My pleasure."

You begin to fade fast. Although you know that you should drink water, you twist your body, lift your legs onto the bed, and curl up. You feel too warm to care about your comforter, but you lament not having enough energy to get out of your jeans.

The phone ends up under your face. Miraculously, your cheek does not end the call. 

"Tired," you mutter, feeling your eyelids flutter. 

"It was so nice meeting you," Cody says, and in an instant, your blood turns cold. 

That is the exact voice you spoke with on the phone last night. The accent is much more prominent, just as it was last night, and it is much more gravely. It is unmistakable.

He adds, "Sleep sweet, pretty," before hanging up, and you curl in on yourself, panting and shivering, hanging in a horrifying liminal space of being too afraid to want to sleep but too intoxicated to keep your eyes open.

'Cause I know what you're thinkin' about Babe, I'll let you spin me around I know what you're thinking about Babe, I'll let you spin me around Babe, I'll let you spin me around Babe, I'll let you spin me around

🎵 visit the playlist!

the feelings of being drugged are all kinda made up but also based on the drug ghb. please do not feel the need to sully your internet searches! i will explain it all in detail in upcoming chapters. and you may have noticed that because mc is a detective and trying to figure out who these men are, there is a lot of talk about facial features and accents. this is in no way meant to fetishize these characteristics, it is simply detective work - i tried to keep it as broad/general as possible. the little ploy that was played at the bar is based on something called "operation fireball" - google it if you're into true crime!

also!!! please never take a drink from a stranger or leave a drink unattended!!!

CAN YOU TRACK WHO THESE PEOPLE ARE THAT MC IS COMMUNICATING WITH??? everything will be made clear soon, but feel free to speculate!!! readers of the taegi pov probably already know what's going on, but mc pov purists will have all the questions answered quickly, as well!!! don't worry. 🤍

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White Lies is copyright 2023 theharrowing, all rights reserved. No translations or reposts allowed!

[spikedhe4rt]

Dallas Winston x Reader Smut

Word Count: 1574

I was in Pony and Sodas room getting ready for a party at the Shepherds. Only reason I was getting ready at the Curtis house is because I had sleepover with Soda and Pony. Im closest with them out of the whole gang other than my boyfriend, Dallas. Dallas has always been skeptical of my relationship with the boys but he truly knows that nothing will ever happen.

I mean, Pony is literally 13 14 and Soda is still grieving his relationship with Sandy. Another thing is that I don't like either of them in that way. I decided to sit at their mirror to do my hair. I was almost done getting ready but i wanted to be quick because the gang was already waiting 30 minutes for me.

I took my hair down from the hair tie it was in and grabbed my brush. As I started to brush the small tangles from my hair, I heard the door creak open. I presented a look of confusion as check who it was through the mirror. Dallas. I got up and hugged him tightly. He accepted the affection and hugged me back. "Hi babydoll"

"Hi Dally" I walked back to the dresser and sat back down. Dallas walked up behind me and started to rub my shoulders and neck, softly. I let out a groan of pleasure. "I thought you were gonna stay with me last night." I sighed realization, I forgot. "Im sorry Dal. I forgot because my sleepover with the boys." He stiffened slightly at the mention of the sleepover. Not because of it but because the who it was with. 

I noticed his mannerisms so I turned around pepper his neck with kiss. "I'll make it up to you, I promise." He smiled at me but it quickly turned into a smirk. He looked at the door then at me before saying. "How about right now?." I giggled at his antics "Dally what if they hear us?" He picked me up from the chair, making my legs wrap around his waist. "They won't if you be a good girl and be quiet just for me"  Fuck it.

I pushed my lips on to Dallas's quickly causing him to quickly respond. Our tongues pushed together, delicately. He kissed me like I was feather, like i would blow away if he went to hard. Dallas soon became more aggressive with his kiss, "You're so pretty baby." I moaned loudly before Dallas covered my mouth. "Thought you were gonna be a good slut for me"

I nodded at him, "I'll be a good slut, I promise. Please fuck me" I whispered at him, wanting to stay here forever. I felt hot and just wanted Dallas to devour me with every inch of my life. Just me and my man in the moment. He laid me down on the bed and lifted my dress. I watched his face flicker as he spotted my thong. Amusement. Craving

Dallas took his slender fingers to hook my underwear's lining, pulling them down hastily. "You're so wet for me, babydoll." I whimpered at his loving tone. "All for you Dally" He slowly ran his thumb through my folds. He stopped at my clit, starting to rub small and gentle circles. Too gentle.

"Dallas, use your fingers. please!" He chuckled at my desperation. "Patience babydoll." Dallas slid his middle and ring fingers down, keeping his thumb on my throbbing clit. He immediately pushed his fingers inside me, making me whimper at the sensation. "Please move!" He pushed his fingers deeper inside me, curling them each thrust. "Fuck, your so beautiful when I give you my fingers." I moaned softly.

Dallas leaned down to kiss passionately, his hands running through my hair. "Fuck, faster Dally" He glanced into my eyes as I clenched around his thick fingers. He smirked, before quickly adding a third finger. I sobbed in pleasure loudly, not caring who hears at this point. His speed increased as he kissed my neck., my eyes rolling back as pressure built up in my stomach.

I was in euphoria, feeling my release coming closer. Dallas grinned at me, knowing I was about cum. I was so close to my peak, my hand tugging Dallas locs of hair until he pulled his fingers out. My chest was heaving and my mind was filled with confusion. "This is what you get for missing last night baby." I whimpered at him "Dally you're being mean. Please let me cum."

He gave me a fake sympathy put "Baby I can only get meaner." He stood up and pulled his shirt over his head, showing his perfect chest. Fuck me. He motioned to the top of headboard. I scooted up till my head hit the pillow. He shook off his pants, leaving him in his boxers. He got in the bed and put his face in between my legs.

Dallas licked a wide stripe across my folds. I whimpered at the contact. My hand went to Dallas hair immediately, tugging lightly. I brought his tongue up to my pulsating clit, licking it. He soon took the bundle of nerves into his mouth, sucking harshly. "Dally don't stop." He pulled his head up, looking up at me. His hair was ruffled and his face had my arousal all over it. "Wasn't planning on it, babydoll."

He moved to my entrance, placing his thumb on my overstimulated clit. "Such a pretty slut, sweetheart." He started to rub harsher circle on my clit, making me wail out. "Feels so good Dally. Im your pretty slut" My voice felt like it would give out. "Dallas" I moaned his name, as he used to tongue to explore my opening. "Please" I begged, as my hips jerked up into his face.

He looked up at me with me with his sparkling smile. "Please let me cum. I wanna cum." He tutted his tongue and went back down to finish. He resumed his work on my clit till I sobbed in pleasure repeatedly. I mewled as I felt my release coming close. "Please. Im so close baby" He shook his head "No. Hold it."

I groaned in disappointment and overstimulation. He sat up from the bed and then grabbed my hand to pull me to. "Hand and knees for me." I kiss him before complying.  He brought his hand down on my ass, making me squeak in response. "Good fucking girl" I whimpered waiting for him to fill me up.

He pulled down his boxers, revealing his hard cock. Beads of pre-cum bubbled at the top, showing how worked up he is already. Dallas started stroking his dick slowly, groaning at the sensation. He walked up behind me and started guide his dick through my sensitive folds. "So sensitive, huh? Poor girl." I moaned at his words.

Dallas then pushed to a hilt, his tip threatening to hit my sweet spot already. "Fuck you're so wet for me, baby" He started to thrust into me roughly making me moan. "Dallas!" He grabbed my hips as he thrusted into me, my body trembling in his bruising hold. "C'mon doll, tell me how it feels. Maybe I'll let you cum, slut."

I moaned loudly, trying to find the words to respond. "It feels s-so good Dally. Please please let me cum" I managed to say without slurring my speech to much. Dallas started to thrust faster into my sloppy cunt, his strokes getting more pleasurable each second. My responses continuously consisting of gasps, moans, whimpers, and groans.

I felt a tug on my hair as I was lifted up fast. My back was to his chest as he kissed my neck all over. Dallas used one hand to hold me up as he brought a his other down to rub my sensitive clit. I cried out, my eyes starting to water. "Oh shit" I felt my makeup get fucked but I was too much in the moment to care.

I felt my peak get closer as Dallas's dick hit my sweet spot over and over. My body was convulsing and shaking with overstimulation, wanting a release. Dallas noticed with a smirk, "Poor baby shaking and crying to cum, huh? Not yet sweetheart" I wailed at his words, sobbing with pleasure. He continued to thrust into me at a unruly place. I noticed his thrusts getting sloppier as he started to groan louder. "God your pussy feels so good, doll."

He cracked a hand down on my ass, getting my attention. “You wanted to cum? so cum, babydoll.” I moaned loudly, finally getting my release. “I love you, Dal.” He groaned at my words before releasing his cum into me.

He pulled out of me, putting on his clothes then helping me into mine. I walked back over to the mirror, looking at my fucked up mascara. I checked the clock realizing that the party started an hour ago. “Dally were an hour late to the party” I hurriedly fixed my makeup before grabbing his hand to walk out the room. “C’mon”

The gang was sitting in the living room, what seemed awkwardly watching Tv. We walked into the full room, the floor creaking with our steps. “You guys ready to go?” I said with a big smile on my face. Soda and Pony looked at me with know-it-all face, “Really, in our bed? You owe us new sheets missy.”

————————————————————————

Hi guys!! Hope you enjoy this chapter!! My requests are still open and I recently published a new book. Just letting you know its NOT ab the outsiders. Its a ORIGINAL story but don’t let that stop you from reading it. :) Love you!! 💕 IT ON MY WATTPAD IN BIO.

[wolfjackle-creates]

20 questions for writers, tagged by @gremlin-bot

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

10

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

87,995 (What the hell? I thought it was, like, half that 🤯) [This will increase dramatically once I get a few more things transferred from tumblr to AO3]

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Right now, it's mostly dpxdc. I'm trying to break into more solo DC and DP stuff. I also have a few works for Good Omens that I'm not ready to abandon.

4. What are your top 5 fics by Kudos?

The Nurse's Demands

Electricity

Remember, Remember

Want to Hold on and Feel I Belong

Answer My Call

5. Do you respond to comments? Why/why not?

Yes! I'm in fandom to make friends and have fun. I made one of my best fandom friends through AO3 comments. Besides, talking about things I've made and my thoughts behind them is fun. ^.^

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

On AO3? Probably Carry On. It's a Good Omens two shot that more-or-less starts with Abel's death. It then follows Crowley and Cain as they experience exile together. But I don't really do sad endings, so it ends with Cain finding a degree of peace, even if Abel is still dead.

In general? Never shared, but it's another Good Omens story. A sequel to the above. I wrote 3 fics/chapters that explore a Fallen Raphael!Crowley coming to terms with the fact that he can't heal. So in the 2nd installment, he gets close to some humans and when one is severely injured, he fails to heal them and they die. I won't share more than that, but I literally can't read that fic without crying and I wrote it. (The fourth and fifth part of the series are him wresting the ability to heal back from the binds that were placed on it, so even those have a happy ending in a way. The people who died remain dead, though, so I think it still counts.)

7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Considering none of my dpxdc longfics are finished yet, I'm gonna go with another Good Omens fic, The Demon Piper. This is based off the story of the Pied Piper, obviously. Hamelin, Germany is experiencing a famine due to rats getting into the winter stores. The adults are desperate and many are considering selling their kids to indentured servitude or worse. So the kids and Crowley make a pact to run away together. They they go off and set up their own little settlement in the mountains and everyone lives and it's super sweet. I have a few sequels I need to post that get even fluffier.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Haven't yet! Y'all are the best <3

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

My third Good Omens fic! An Evening In! It's an 18k PWP with Soft Dom Aziraphale and Service Bottom Crowley, human AU. Really, it's just two men who love each other very much. It's so soft and self indulgent, even if they do explore some kink dynamics.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one?

DPxDC is my first time in a crossover fandom. It's been a blast! IDK if it counts as crazy, though.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope. Wouldn't that be the biggest flattery, though.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

No. I don't think my writing style lends itself to co-writing. I'm very particular about how things get phrased and I'm a plotter and most of my planning happens mentally while driving or at work or something.

14. What's your all-time fav ship?

Oh, I don't have one! I have a fav ship in certain fandoms, though. I was in the Sherlock fandom for a while, so Johnlock obviously. For Be More Chill (the musical) it's Michael/Jeremy. For Good Omens it's Crowley/Aziraphale. For Avatar it's Zutara. Newsies has Jack/David. For DC only fics, I'm an avid Tim/Kon shipper or Core Four. But for DPxDC I'm a multishipper. I was also a multishipper when in the MCU fandom (though Steve/Tony became a nOTP for me and was never a favorite even before Age of Ultron).

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Oh, damn. It's hard to say. I plotted out a whole Good Omens Parent Trap Fusion. (Aka take the plot of the Parent Trap and fit in the characters from Good Omens.) I hate to call it abandoned since I would like to go back to it. But time...

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I do panic attacks and emotional breakdowns very well. I'm also proud of how I can weave a complex plot into a coherent story which will hopefully come out once I get further along in some of my long fics (particularly Answer My Call and I'll Carry Your Heart (Until I Find You Again)).

17. Writing weaknesses?

I don't think I'm very good at making sure all my characters have distinct voices. I've gotten way better at that this past year, but I'm still working on it. I'm also too much of a perfectionist which makes me slow. And I jump around ideas too much which makes it harder to finish projects.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages?

I will never do it. Way I see it, if the POV character understands what is being said, the reader should understand, too. Which means it needs to be written in English (the only language I can guarantee the reader of an English story can understand). If the POV character can't understand what is being said, neither should the reader. If it's omniscient POV, I will put it in English if I want the reader to have that information and leave it out if I don't. Not give some readers extra information that others don't get.

19. The first fandom you wrote for.

Naruto. I wrote it by hand in class on lined notebook paper and passed it over to my best friend. She, in turn, gave me drawings of my favorite characters.

20. Fav fic you've ever written?

God, I have no idea. I love so many of my works and each one represents something. The Demon Piper is the fic that got me back into writing at all so that's super special to me. Bring Me Home is the one that got me writing for the DPxDC fandom. An Evening In was my first attempt at smut and I am so happy with how it turned out (never thought I could do it). I'll Carry Your Heart (Until I Find You Again) has a premise I'm absolutely in love with and I have so many plans for it. Want to Hold on and Feel I Belong is proof of how much I love emotional breakdowns and I love how much of a punch it packs. Remember, Remember is my first time writing an introspective piece that covers a long time period and I think it works really well.

No, I don't have a favorite work. No way I could pick between them all.

Tagging: @greensword101, @isalisewrites, @britcision and anyone else who wants to do this!

[the-scouts-codex]

Summary: “Yay I win!” Kalim cheered.  Jamil was confused. “Huh? That means you have to think of something…oh no.”  Kalim beamed even more. “Party at Scarabia!

Scout's Notes: Hello everyone. Guess what this is. That's right, Part three is finnally here! This is Part Three of my third work here on Tumblr, "Party at the Oasis!" The word count will be determined once the entire work has been completed. That being said, I have no clue on how many parts this will need. Also, that would mean that this work will not be on Ao3 until it's completed. Other than that, please enjoy Part Three.

Part One is here.

Part two is here.

Somewhere along the line Renmu and Idia ended up together in the back. They made a sand wall around them and the balloon for protection as they waited. The best plan of action was to do 4 defenders and 5 attackers. Malleus and Lilia defended the front while Idia and Renmu defended the back. Vil and Rook were their front line attackers and Kalim, Silver, and Jamil were their back up. The front line defenders would assist if the back up were compromised. 

It was quiet, too quiet for Renmu’s liking. All he could hear was the birds above and the breeze blowing through the trees. There was no telling who was going to come out of the vegetation or even the water. The vegetation was thick enough to conceal one's movements. If anyone was to attack it would be through the sides where the vegetation met the sand.  The water was too open and left no cover but only 3 people could use that to their advantage. 

Renmu was starting to realize that Team 1 had a serious advantage. Not only were Leona and Ruggie very athletic, they could be very quiet and stealthy when they wanted to be. The Octavenell Trio was another advantage Team 1 had. Not only did they have an aquatic advantage, they could get in and out of the water faster than anyone else could,  swim faster, and breathe underwater. No one would want to be in the water with one of them. But Renmu shouldn’t sell his team too short. They had Lilia, a former soldier, Malleus, one of the most powerful mages in all of Twisted Wonderland, Silver, a soldier in training, Rook, a literal Huntsman with the animal-like senses, Idia, a prodigy in Magictech, Vil, a Global Celebrity with combat training, Jamil, a bodyguard to the heir of a wealthy family, and Kalim, a cookie-faced ball of sunshine. Renmu was just Renmu, a former grave keeper and farmer. What use was that to any of these guys? He would just slow them down if he was to be a little more realistic. Which is why he put himself on guard duty. He would be out of the way that way. 

Idia sighed. “This heat is baking me alive! I might as well be in the underworld.”

“Did you put on sunscreen, Idia-Senpai?” Renmu asked. 

Idia nodded. “Butt loads. I’m not the sunshine type. I’m surprised you're not hot.” 

Renmu rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a hair tie. “Dozo, It’s a hair tie.” Renmu waited for Idia to raise his hands before shooting the black band at him. Idia clapped his hands together to catch it and gave Renmu a double flaming thumbs up. Renmu couldn’t help but smile at the little gesture. 

“Much better…” Idia sighed as he tied his hair up in a high ponytail. 

Renmu never understood how Idia’s hair worked. It looked like fire and acted like fire, but was it made of fire? Did it feel like hair? Was it hot to the touch or felt like nothing? Renmu wanted to ask the Housewarden so many questions but he didn’t think, in Idia’s words, “their friendship level” was high enough for that. He hoped that was increasing though. Renmu would love to be friends with the guy someday. He looked fun to be around. 

“Someone is coming.” Malleus announced. 

Everyone prepared for battle. Renmu loaded his super soaker and kept his finger on the trigger. Idia did the same. His Technomatic water laser flashed blue, indicating it was loaded and ready. Everyone was on edge. Who would emerge from the brush? Leona? Ruggie? The Tweels? The bushes rustled and out came Jamil, scrambling to his feet. 

“Oh it’s just Viper.” Malleus said solemnly. “How goes the battle?” 

“Kalim…got caught.” Jamil panted out. “They're using guerilla warfare!”

“Oh how nostalgic!” Lilia said fondly.

Jamil took a moment to catch his breath. “Floyd and Jade were obviously in the water, popping out of nowhere. Leona was in one of the Palm trees and I don’t know where Azul or Ruggie was.”

“What happened to Rook and Vil?” Lilia asked. “Shouldn’t they have gone with you?”

“The Twins chased us back.” Jamil explained. “The other two went west of where me and Kalim entered.” 

Rook and Vil emerged shortly after, trying to catch their breaths. 

“There they are!” Lilia cooed. 

Vil scowled. “We’re definitely switching positions. The trek here and back is too long.”

“I don’t mind going back.” Rook said with a smile. 

“I mind.” Idia argued. 

“Too bad. It’s a team effort so you’re going.” Vil said, nudging Idia from his spot.

“Tsuitekimasu!” Renmu said, raising his hand. “That way it will be fair.” 

“Okay, who else is going?” Jamil asked. 

Silver raised his hand. “I will. Jamil, you stay.” 

Jamil was okay with that proposition and took on Silver's post. 

“Très bien! Let us forge onward!” Rook cried, leading the way. 

Renmu waved goodbye to the others as they departed. He was excited for what lay ahead. Win or lose, he would still have fun. 

From where Rook and Renmu were hiding, they could see Kalim. Poor Kalim was just chilling out where he had been frozen in place. He didn’t seem too bothered by it. He was chatting away with Cater who was halfheartedly guarding his spot. Riddle was guarding the balloon with Trey to his right. Seemed fitting for the three to be together, Cater and Trey at Riddle’s side.

“Oh, Roi du D’ior, such a brave soul he is. Unbothered by the fact he is stuck in enemy territory.” Rook cried out softly. “His bravery will not be forgotten…” 

“Rook-Senpai, he’s fine. He doesn't look as though he minds.” Renmu whispered. 

“Oui, Oui, of course.” Rook said with a faint chuckle. “Just playing up the moment is all. Makes life more poetic, non?” 

Renmu could definitely agree that Rook made every aspect of life poetic and beautiful. Like he was always watching a play or in one. One of the many things about Rook he had come to like. From his flowery words, his ever present smile, to the feathered hat he always wore. He made Renmu’s life more…beautiful. 

Renmu and Rook slowly made their way closer to the edge of the Oasis. There was a big chance that the Tweels were in the water, waiting for one of them to get too close to or to jump in. Idia and Silver flashed them a signal, a signal that meant “get ready to go on shore.” 

“There’s the signal, Mon Corbeau. Let us tread carefully.” 

Renmu followed closely behind the Vice Housewarden. Leona and Ruggie were still nowhere to be found. All they had to do was get in and get out. The only thing was it wasn’t as simple as it sounded. They had to run close enough to Kalim, free him, and get back onto their side. Without getting frozen themselves. And with the Guerilla warfare they were playing, it was a gamble, a fool's mission, a trap. 

Rook kept looking at Kalim and then to Silver as he kept creeping forward. Silver nodded then Rook took off. Not a second later Renmu sprang up and went after him. Silver and Idia were on the other side doing the same. 

“Cater, to your left!” Riddle yelled. “Trey, your right!” 

Cater scrambled to his feet. His water gun long left beside him when he decided to talk with Kalim, rather than keeping watch. Trey went to shoot Idia but Idia quickly dove behind a palm tree. Silver took his aim at the balloon but Riddle was quick to guard. Rook on the other hand, swooped in and unfroze Kalim. 

“Oh thank you!” Kalim cried out in relief. “I was getting worried that I was left behind…”

“Of course not, Roi du D’ior. Your presence is needed back on our side.” Rook said passionately. 

A water balloon exploded right next to Rook, missing him by a hair. Water balloons came flying out of the sky and onto the shoreline. 

“It’s an ambush!” Kalim yelled. 

“I’m out of here!” Idia yelled running back to the brush. 

“What about the objective!?” Rook yelled after him. 

“I assisted the rescue mission and we did it. Mission complete, 5 stars, cue the fanfare music.” Idia rambled as he made himself scarce. 

More balloons rained down around them, some of them missing them by a smidge. Renmu ran behind one of the pavilions for cover. Rook took cover next to him along with Kalim. Silver was still on the other side. They would need to move soon since there was no way Trey and Cater would wait for them to come out.  

“If Jamil were here he would know what to do…” Kalim sighed.

“It’s okay, Roi du D’ior, we will be okay.” Rook assured him. 

“We’re not going after the balloon are we?” Renmu asked. 

Rook chuckled “why not? That’s the goal after all.” 

“Rook, we’re being overpowered.” Renmu argued.

Rook smiled. “That's all part of the hunt. Mon Corbeau” 

Renmu sighed “Ebi de tai o tsuroutoshiteruna….” 

A water balloon hit Kalim, freezing his ankles to the sand. Kalim sighed. “Not again…” 

Rook and Renmu quickly sprayed Kalim to free him and began moving away from the Pavilion. Silver had gotten close to the Balloon but ended up frozen. Leona was guarding him along with Riddle. 

“We have to save Silver.” Rook declared. “I’ll leave from over there. Renmu, take Kalim back to our side to our left.” 

Renmu and Kalim made a run for it back to the brush. Water balloons began to fly out of the water and onto the shoreline. Renmu now realized that the Twins were hiding in the water, somehow propelling water balloons out of the water. He could see their giant silhouettes swirling around blue water. There was a larger one in the center that Renmu couldn’t figure out; not when running that is. 

As Renmu made it to the brush, a water Balloon hit Renmu from behind, freezing him on the spot. Kalim looked torn on what to do. Should he go back for Renmu or go back to the others?

“Kalim-Senpai, go ahead. Daijoubu desu.” 

Kalim kept running until the thick green vegetation swallowed him whole. The way Renmu had been frozen was quite uncomfortable. He was stuck laying down on the wet sand at the water's edge. He supposed it could be worse. The water in front of him rippled forward into his face. Renmu spit the sandy water out of his mouth. Leona chuckled from behind. Rook was long gone it seemed. “How unfortunate.” 

Renmu paid the beastman no mind. The water in front of him rippled once more. This time the water didn’t hit him but this time a head emerged from the waves. Teal hair is what Renmu sat first then Olive and Gold eyes. Renmu knew now what caused the water to hit him the first time. It was Floyd. 

“Hey, Hey Shrimpy.” Floyd greeted merrily. 

Renmu was speechless. He had never seen the Twins in their natural form. His skin was so pale yet so blue. The fins on the sides of his head looked sharp yet smooth, his shoulders speckled and striped. The center of his chest was a milky white. Renmu wondered how his skin felt. Was it smooth and hard? Or was it soft and squishy? He had so many questions to ask. 

“Shrimpy, are ya okay?” Floyd asked, getting closer.

“Can I touch your skin?” Renmu asked. “Is it soft or slimy? Or is it hard and stuff?” 

Floyd chuckled. “Ah, Shrimpy is just curious. Yeah, I don’t mind if ya touch me.” 

Renmu reached out and touched Floyd's shoulder. His skin was smooth and squishy. He didn’t feel scaly like he thought he would but he was also kinda cold and slimy. Even where his skin changed color felt the same. The only thing that was different was the plains of muscle that could be felt under his aquatic flesh. Renmu also noticed the gills on the sides of his torso. Were they even gills? Renmu didn’t want to touch him there just in case they were. 

“Yaba…” Renmu mumbled in amazement. 

“Jade, the perfect is feeling your brother up!” 

Renmu’s head snapped in Cater's direction. “Chigau!”

Cater cackled at Renmu reaction. “I totes saw you.” 

“I-I just wanted to know what his skin felt like!” Renmu yelled trying to explain himself. 

“Oh? Prefect, don’t you know that's inappropriate?” Jade asked. 

Jade was now next to his twin. Both of them looked very similar in their eel forms but Renmu could still tell them apart. Jade’s bangs were still shorter than his twin’s. Also their eyes were different. Jade’s were down turned and Floyds upturned. Not to mention that their hetero chromatic eyes were mirrored. They were still very pretty to Renmu, human or not. 

“Would you like to touch me too, Prefect?” Jade asked, showing off his razor sharp teeth. 

Renmu flushed. “I-Iya. N-Not when you put it that way…”

The Tweels laughed in sync with one another at Renmu's reply. 

“Oi, where’s Azul?” Ruggie asked. “I haven't seen him since we started.”

“Do not worry.” Jade assured him. “He’s doing his part.” 

Ruggie rolled his eyes and picked up his water gun. “Well he better start helpin’ ‘cause I hear a whole lotta people comin’ this way” 

  Team one readied the weapons. The tweels swiftly dove back into the water without a sound. Renmu waved his fist in the air. “Yay, reinforcement.”

The brush was rustling violently then out came Lilia, Malleus, Vil, and Rook. Trey and Cater started shooting as they ran across the shoreline. 

“To your right!” Riddle yelled. 

Jamil, Kalim, Idia. and Silver came charging from the other side. 

“They all came at once!?” Cater yelled, trying to keep his focus on one target. “I don’t think I can hold them off.” 

Malleus came to Renmu rescue and picked him up. “Arigato, Malleus-Sama” Renmu sighed. 

Malleus smiled. “My pleasure.” 

Cater was struggling to get Rook and Vil frozen. They were dodging his attacks and backing him into Riddle. Whenever Cater froze Rook, Vil was quick to unfreeze him. His attack was having no effect on their advances. 

“Where are those mers at!?” Leona yelled, aiming for Malleus. 

Idia’s laser was shooting at max speed. He was aiming for their balloon and there was no way that Riddle would be able to guard it much longer. Cater began running out of water and resorted to water balloons, making him miss his mark more often. 

“Azul!” Ruggie yelled. 

Suddenly, the sky was filled with hundreds of water balloons. The sheer amount of them cast multi-colored shadows on the water and sand. The water balloons came raining down on them just like last time. Giant purple tentacles grew out of the water; water balloons on each tentacle. They were simultaneously throwing water balloons at them. Kalim couldn’ t react fast enough and was frozen on impact. The eight arms then focused their aim on Vil and Rook. Rook shielded Vil and became frozen in place. Vil ended up frozen by Cater right behind him.

Vil sighed. “There goes that…” 

The next target was Jamil and Silver. Even with the two of them zig-zagging around the sand, the tentacles followed behind them. Jamil and Silver dodged the assault swiftly and used the palm tree’s to their advantage. Renmu took the chase to try and get close to the balloon. Renmu crept slowly behind the pavilion to get closer until Trey’s hulking form stopped him in his tracks. 

“Where are you going, Renmu?” Trey asked with a sadistic smirk. Trey didn’t even let Renmu run; he simply froze Renmu in place next to him. “Sorry, Renmu.” 

The tentacles began to retreat back into the water, most Likely  trying to reload. Silver and Jamil took the chance to help Idia pursue the objective. 

“Get ready!” Ruggie yelled. 

Water balloons and jet streams of water clashed as the battle raged on. Who would be victorious? Would team one be able to hold off Team 2 or Would Team 2 break down the walls and claim their right to victory? There was so much Freezing and Unfreezing of players going on that no one could end the battle. They were so close, yet so far from their shared goal. That goal was to win. 

Vil and Rook were frozen again and so was Kailm, Jamil, and Idia. All that was left was Renmu, Silver, Malleus and Lilia. Everyone was running low on balloons and water and the clock was down to 1 minute. There was no planning at this point. Just plain mindless brute force. Renmu was trying to find a way to just plow through and grab the balloon. He wanted to be strategic but with little time they had left, it was becoming difficult. 

Lilia was first to try and just run through. He weaved and dodged his way through the sand barriers Team one had made. Lilia purposely missed his target and hit Renmu, effectively unfreezing him discreetly. He successfully got around Cater and Trey but the only thing that stopped him was Floyd. Floyd hurled a water balloon from the shoreline. The balloon moved so fast that you couldn’t even tell that it was a water balloon. Lilia chuckled, accepting defeat. 

There was only 30 seconds left. With that, Malleus and Silver went together. Both of them moved simultaneously, making it hard for the defenders to get a good hit off of them now that the only way of attacking was with water balloons. Silver veered to the right in Trey’s direction, making Trey move to go after him. This was Renmu’s chance. The timer ticked down to 30 seconds. There was no time left to think of something great. Renmu began speed walking to the ring where the balloon sat now that Trey was gone. Malleus went towards Riddle, making Riddle keep the other side of the ring exposed. Renmu couldn’t risk trying to throw a water balloon at a water balloon to pop it. He would just try to grab it instead. 

20 seconds remained and Renmu began to run. Ruggie realized that Renmu wasn’t frozen anymore and was running past Riddle’s fence. “Guys, Renmu is going past the gate!” Ruggie yelled, picking his gun up and running to their balloon.

Trey looked to where Renmu was and began running to their gate. Leona looked at Malleus who had willingly stopped in front of Riddle. Malleus smiled at him as Riddle froze him. Leona scowled. “It was a trap!”

Renmu was full blown sprinting. Renmu was quick, but was he quick enough to outrun two beastmen and a former soccer player like Trey? Even with the head start that Renmu had, he could still feel the three of them closing in on him.

“GO, Renmu, GO!” Kalim cheered. 

“Run, Mon Corbeau, Run!” Rook yelled. 

The timer was down to 15 seconds. Renmu was almost there. He could hear an internal clock ticking inside his head with each step he took, the sand flying behind him. Renmu looked back and saw the three of them closing in on him. 

“10 Seconds Renmu!” Vil Yelled. 

“You can do it, Dear Child!” Lilia cheered. 

8 seconds left. Ruggie took the chance to throw a water balloon. The balloon nearly missed Renmu, making Renmu stumble a bit but kept running. 5 seconds left. Renmu was only 6 feet away and Trey and Leona took his shot. Renmu flopped forward into the ring as his feet stuck to the ground. 

“Crawl for it, Prefect!” Jamil hollored.

3 seconds left and Renmu reached forward and grabbed the balloon. They could only win if it was destroyed though. 1 second left to go and Renmu tried to squeeze the fragile plastic barrier as hard as he could. 0 seconds left. The game was over. 

And that, concludes Part three of "Party at the Oasis!" (´｡• ᵕ •｡`)

I hope you all enjoyed it. I had fun writing part three. It took a while but I got it done. I hope you all stay tuned for Part Four. (I hope it will be the last part....) This post will be updated when Part four has been uploaded. Bye for now! (T∇T)ﾉ~~ВyeВye.

Word count: 14135

Part four is here

[teaveetamer]

Have you seen that one recent Twitter thread about the FE3H AO3 analysis? There are some obvious issues with the representative quality of some of the numbers, but I still thought it was interesting. I haven't seen any Tumblr posts about it (at least not in These Circles™) and I thought that you might be the most appropriate person for something like this, but apologies if this is an annoyance. twitter (.) com/castamyre/status/1552034998643048449

Very interesting, thank you! Not an annoyance at all, though if you told me a year ago that I'd be the one people send statistical analysis to I probably wouldn't have believed you lmao. I'll drop the clickable link here so people dont' have to copy+paste

Some of these numbers are just fluff, like new words/authors since last year, and I would have liked to see a little more in depth comparison (e.g. how many new authors were there from 2019-2020, 2020-2021, and then 2021-2022) because just saying "there's x number of new authors now" doesn't really mean anything for comparison sake... if you leave something like this long enough then yes it's absolutely going to see an increase in word count/number of authors/etc. 1000 new authors sounds impressive but if it's compared to, idk say 6,000 in the first year it's a lot less so. The more interesting info to me is "how many authors is that compared to last year?"

Same deal with kudos. I'd love to see a comparison like "here was the median kudos for fics posted in 2019 vs the median for fics posted in 2021". The average and median here is going to be heavily skewed by early fics which naturally would have gotten much more kudos because there was much more activity. A median kudos stat for each ship would have been cool to see as well, because the kudos environment for different ships is so completely different it's really not fair to compare them. You're never going to post, like, a Dimitri/Balthus fic and get 50 kudos without some outside factors (like having other more visible ships tagged as well or being posted to an event/kink meme/whatever). Or kudos broken down by rating??? A G or T rated fic is not going to pull the same numbers as an E rated fic, that's just fact. As is, median kudos is basically a neat number, but it doesn't really tell me anything.

Also funny how the charts start out with "THE FANDOM IS NOT DYING" but aside from a small spike in February and an uptick in July the graph literally shows only ~20 new fics per... what is that, month? Week? On average. I wish the graph was more finely grained, it's hard to see what's going on when it only marks every third month. Assuming I'm even reading the thing right, because honestly it makes my brain hurt a little to look at it

I probably would have used the date posted instead of the date updated too, or I would have done one chart for each. Date updated naturally favors the latter half of the graph because longfics, multichaptereds, etc. could have been posted early but not finished or updated until months or even years later. It might also catch fics with only minor updates (since I believe AO3 does mark them with a new update date, even if it doesn't move it to the top of the archive). Date posted would be much more descriptive of when new fics are actually being added to the archive.

I'd say the rest of this data isn't really that surprising. I do honestly doubt that Shez is going to be moving up into the upper eschelons of characters written about though, considering Three Hopes is a spinoff and at least from what I've seen the fan reception has not been all that great. Maybe it's better in the more transformative minded fandom, buuuuuut IDK.

Also yay, Dimidue isn't in the top 30 least horny ships! And LMAO at Catherine, Shamir, and Rhea being the top three gayest ladies. And Dedue sliding into second for gayest dudes.

Obviously it doesn't really mean much (I mean, of course Catherine is the gayest chick when her only two ships of note are with Shamir and Rhea, and of course Ferdie is the gayest dude when his biggest ship is with Hubert and that ship makes up like 90% of Ferdie ship content) but it is hilarious.

[due4amiracle]

Day 471

Listo:

Laundry/cleaning, Reading, Dailies, #TTRPGThings, Watching.

Laundry/cleaning - Some garbage thrown away, always more to go! ✔

Reading things - - 3 Ebooks for me, 0 Audiobook for Sir! ...Yea. 218 for the year, 25 for the month! - Vampire Dawn (Vampire for Hire #5) by J.R. Rain 53%! Chugged through sommore of this before i read my email and saw i had a hold come in lmao. - House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson 3%! HOLD CAME IN ahh i’m very very excited for this one! - Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young 100%! 3🌟 You know what. It was pretty decent. It went places i wasn’t prepared for, but it left us with a tiny teaser of something that maybe, one day, mayhaps, might be A Thing. Or not. That’s fine too. UwU♡ ✔✔✔✔

Dailies - - Waifu Did mah dailies! Also, level 0/50 BP now~! AND! Tree lvl 40/50! Also! 27/43 max friendship namecards acquired! New MONTH! new weeklies! Gem thingy now level 9/10! ♡ω♡✔

#TTRPGThings - More preparations! AHH! +0 -> 2448 words for the backstory! More kitten things! They’re getting adopted and i’m all weepy about it!✔

Watching things - - Vancouver by Night: Season 1 - Episode 10/19! - 100 Club: Episode 5/??! So... behind... oh no... x_x; - New York by Night: Season 1 - Episode 8/8! SEASON TWO T O M O R R O W AHHH

Other things - Daily Diarrhea Diary - Okish. CPAP timer - ?.? hours with ?.0?disturbances. ???/9. CPAP so confused. i took the mask off last night and read the 4.8 on the screen. i know i did. This morning? There it sits, a big fat 0. i’m very confused. It’s very confused. But! It’s got night before last’s numbers at 4.7 0.2 so... ??? idk. i’m sure this will continue. i’ve got it written down and i am going to take it with me to my appointment tomorrow. So yea.

In other news! We learned so many things today. First and foremost - we cannot be removed from this apartment unless we suddenly commit a felony, start doing/dealing drugs, or other such chaos. That’s it. Once you’re in, you’re in. Whew. Secondly, Sir’s income, because He hasn’t worked for at least a year before this, will not count against rent (aka increase rent) for the first year He works, then the second year it will count halfsies, and the third year it will count fully. That’s... wild. And amazing. Thirdly, as to His Medicaid - Medicaid counts us each as single families, because we are not married, so He would lose Medicaid. But because of The Bad C currently still going on, Medicaid is not removing people. At all. Period. So He will not lose Medicaid until things change. Then it’s ACA and you get what you pay for, so, find the good stuff, and pay good for it. So all of that to say - 40 hours a week is a go. We are already planning on money uses and expenditures and Fixing The Car and Building Battle Stations and Donating Money To Places and other stuff. It’s... wild. It’s amazing. This is the most income we’ve literally ever fucking had. Whew.

Also had my Therapist appointment today, she’s so thrilled for us. But bless her, her poor shitting-the-bed computer just would not acknowledge her camera or her microphone. At all. Period. Thankfully someone in corporate or somewhere apparently got fed up with constantly getting called about The Computers Are Fuckin’ Dying Again WTF Fix It and new computers are being built to arrive Soon™️ so that’s fantastic. So essentially, we sat in Zoom, with me on cam, but us talking on the phone. It was hilarious. It was a great appointment overall.

Anyways. No perioding. Oof my head Hurts, mild abdominal pain, both ears ache, back aches, joints all just kinda ache, lungs kinda grungy. Mood was overall pretty decent, after the stress was relieved, and sobbing about kittens getting adopted, but i’m very tired so. Ya know, SSDD.

Food: A Liquid: A Pain: C Brain: B

Tomorrow: Laundry/cleaning, Reading, Dailies, #TTRPGThings, Watching.

Ever Onwards and Upwards!

[neobubz]

✖ Quiet Down Pt. 3 (M) ✖

☆ okay, hi everyone! this story is a renjun x fem reader x haechan story. please look at the pairings to figure out who the part/chapter will be based around. also, the warnings will be based off each part/chapter as well, so please take notice to that too. i hope you enjoy the story! ☆

PART 1 || PART 2 Word Count: approx. 9.3k Pairings (based on each part): haechan x fem reader Warnings (based on each part): mature audiences only, explicit language, injury to fem reade, oral (female receiving), sq***ting, co-worker relations, consensual relations Preview: “Kiss me,” you manage to voice out through your trance. “I want you to kiss me.” The milk chocolate orbs of Haechan’s eyes darken quickly at your request. Pupils enlarging. “And to touch me…” you practically purr as you say it giving into this feeling of desire. Not laying a single hand or his lips on you Haechan’s eyes roam over your body. “Where do you want me to touch you?” Reaching up with the back of your hand you touch your cheek. Moving your hand down, you slide over your neck and collarbone. Haechan’s careful gaze following you all the way down to where you brush over the side of your breasts. He inhales deeply, his breathing increasing. Tongue glistening his lips he follows your hand down to where you stop at your waist. “Is there no other place?” He quirks a brow. Smiling a giggle leaving your lips you lean forward whispering, “only if you’re lucky...”

✖-----------------------✖

“Great job you guys!” Charlotte rushes up to you. Renjun steps aside as she wraps you in a tight bear hug. “You two were literally like one person!” She whispers in your ear, “and that kiss…”

“Thanks,” you giggle. “I didn’t even see you guys at all.”

“Thanks,” you giggle. “I didn’t even see you guys at all.”

“Maybe if you weren’t having a conversation and were focusing on the game you would have come in second instead of third,” Haechan approaches you twirling their blue bandana around his index finger. “Looked like a heated conversation. Better watch out for the next event. Don’t want to make a mistake and lose out on the luxury suite.”

“We’ll be fine,” Renjun wraps his arm around your shoulders. “We’re a great team, huh?” He nuzzles his cheek with yours.

“Mmm!” You agree. “Plus, it’s better since we’re not that far off in height.” You stand facing him showing how close the two of you were. “I didn’t have to worry about keeping up with you.”

“We’re perfect together,” Renjun holds your hands in his. “In all aspects,” he side-eyes Haechan.

“Like I said on the bus, get a fucking room, will you?” He throws his bandana on the ground storming off to the side as the other teams get ready to start.

“I-I, uh, better make sure he’s okay.” Charlotte walks off giving you a small wave.

“Yeah, he likes you.” Renjun sighs squatting down to sit on the grass.

Joining him you link your arm with his. “I’m sorry,” you whisper. “It’s probably my fault that he’s like this. On the bus,” you look straight ahead to see Haechan and Charlotte taking a seat on the steps outside of a side door of the hotel. Far away from everyone. “I didn’t exactly push him away from me.”

Turning to you Renjun sees your perplexed gaze on Haechan, his own heart starting to sink. “Do-Do you have feelings for him?”

“I can’t say yes and I can’t say no. Just like you,” you nudge him. “I’m getting to know you both. Not to mention you guys are like the opposite sides of a coin. One side being sweet, warm, and kind. The other, wild, risky, and loud.” You laugh.

Renjun kisses the top of your head. “I hope you like sweet, warm, and kind more...”

✖-----------------------✖

“Haechan!” Charlotte shouts running after him. “Come on, don’t get angry.”

“Leave me alone,” he growls. “I’m not in the mood to talk.”

Planting himself on the steps of the hotels side door he runs a hand through his brown locks. Face red from more than just the heat. Seeing you and Renjun acting cute and adorable together making his blood boil.

“So, why exactly did you flirt with her today?” Charlotte asks. “Or, should I say…why did you jerk off in front of her behind RENJUN AND I!” She screams. “Are you stupid? Are you crazy? What if someone caught the two of you. You not only would have risked your job, but hers as well! What were you thinking, Haechan?!”

Groaning he turns in Charlotte’s direction, “look, she was completely blocking me. It’s not like we were in front of everyone, okay?! Plus, she didn’t ‘exactly’ tell me to stop. Hell, she made me cum faster and harder than I’ve ever came before. She went along with it so don’t put this all on me!” He shouts.

Sighing Charlotte sits down next to Haechan. “I’m just saying it was the wrong place, Haechan. Not to mention the guys were around you. What would have happened if Jeno or Jaemin saw you like that? Not to mention, Renjun heard you making noises. So did I! Thanks for that by the way. Here I am away from my hubby and you’re behind me moaning and groaning.” She rolls her eyes the aching need she felt hearing Haechan moaning resurfacing.

Smirking Haechan looks away, “well it wasn’t planned that’s for sure.”

“So, you like her, huh?”

“Me storming off when they started acting all lovey dovey didn’t give you a clear enough answer for you, huh?”

Charlotte swings her hand upside Haechan’s head making him shoot her a glare. “Don’t get smart with me. I’m asking you a simple question. Do you like her?”

Rubbing his head Haechan shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t know, I guess…”

“‘Well, I don’t know, I guess…’ isn’t going to get you the girl you’ve been drooling over all day. Renjun is at least making a clear effort. He’s not trying to play any games or seduce her, or make her a walking horny mess of a woman that can’t think or breathe without you near her. He’s being honest with himself and her.”

“So what?! Let him!” He turns from her, his knees coming up to his chest. “She knows he likes her. I told her he did.” He rests his head on his arms as they rest on his knees.

“Do you want them together?” She moves closer to him. “I’m being serious, Haechan. If you like her…” she sighs. “I know she’d be happy with you too. She’s the good girl type and what the two of you did –” she pauses laughing a little. “I can tell you it shocked her beyond belief but I also think she liked it. The risk. The adrenalin pumping through her veins. Knowing at any moment the two of you could have been caught. It’s something she’s never experienced. With Renjun, I can already tell that everything will be safe. Nothing risky, but I know he has a super freak deep inside him. I can feel it!” Haechan starts laughing. “I know I shouldn’t be telling you this because right now I think that Renjun would be a better boyfriend to her than you,” his laughter lets up shock taking over him. His eyes opening wide as he stares at her stunned by her words. “HE KNOWS WHAT HE WANTS!” She yells. “So don’t look at me like that. Get your shit together by the end of this trip or you’ll lose her.” She stands. “Now get up and let’s get you something to drink. You look like you’re two seconds from passing out.”

✖-----------------------✖

The second group of people get ready to start the race. Jaemin being excluded from this round of games, since Sasha won’t make it until after supper. He walks over to where Jeno and Mia are sitting in the shadows where you had your conversation with Haechan. Your boss waves the bandana in the air signaling the second group to start and automatically you and Renjun start cheering for them. Chuckling and squinting when one of the couples fall and the others losing their bandana. With four couples winning this round the remaining group heads for the starting line. Just as the last group was starting up Charlotte and Haechan head over your way. Haechan looking less likely to kill someone than before. Charlotte takes a seat next to you, wrapping her arms around your arm, laying her head on your shoulder.

“Do we have to do any more of this?” She groans. “I’m exhausted from the first game and it’s hot out here.” She starts whining like a child.  

Giggling you rest your head on top of hers. “You know we do these until there are only two couples remaining. Why complain when you know our fate?”

“I know, but when is he going to call these activities to an end? Can you imagine us doing this when we’re in our forties or fifties?” She sits up peering at each of you.

“Will we still be working under him in our forties and fifties?” Renjun asks her a smile on his face. “I mean, I’d hope for a promotion by then and head up to the next floor. Plus, I hear that their trips are at actual resorts and they just relax during that time.”

“You lie!” Charlotte growls. “What the hell! We work for the same damn company! Why do they get the luxury trips and we’re stuck at a lake?”

“Because we work under them,” Haechan sighs. “I’m sure we’ll all get promotions by then and live the sweet life after that.”

“I’ll miss these activities though. It is a great idea. How many people do we really know on our floor? We always stick with our individual groups. I mean before this trip I never talked to you, Renjun. And I only spoke to you, Haechan, once before. And I certainly never talked to Jeno or Jaemin.” Sighing happily, you stare out at your co-workers. “I’m glad we all got to know each other. Oh! And you guys will love Sasha, she’s super sweet.”

Leaning back Renjun stretches out his legs, “when I first came to this company, she was one of the first people I was paired up with. She showed me nothing but kindness. Even when I kept messing everything up. It was nice of her to not make feel even more nervous than I already was. She really is wonderful.”

Haechan snorts, “why not hang around her then?” He mumbles but it was loud enough for you all to hear.

“Haechan!” You snap.

“What? It was just a thought…” he shrugs taking a drink from his water bottle.

Renjun starts laughing. “I guess I will be hanging around her when she gets here later this evening. We should all sit together for the movie!” He looks at Charlotte giving her a million-watt smile. “I heard that it’s going to be a scary one.”

“Eh?! For real?! That’s awesome!” Charlotte releases you from her grasp. “I hope it’s The Nun that’s one of my favorites.”

Shocked Renjun watches her go on and on about the movie. “She actually likes scary movies?” He whispers to you.

“Ah huh,” you shake your head in disbelief. “And I hate scary movies.”

“She is such a big baby when it comes to them.” Charlotte pulls you close to her, her arm wrapping around your shoulders. “What was that one movie? The one that made you have nightmares for a week?” Shrugging you ignore her question not ready to have her tease you quite so soon. “Awe, come on, what movie was it?”

“It wasn’t a movie…” you groan trying to get away from her, but she puts you in a headlock.

“Oh yeah! It was that one anime, Attack on Titans!” She started cackling. “She was scared shitless. Said she had dreams of Titan’s eating her and her family.”

“And you!” You manage to pull away from her, face red from embarrassment. “I had a dream that you were eaten your body being ripped in half. Sasha too! I woke up in tears because it felt so real. And now you laugh at me and make fun of me?! You’re such a jerk!”

“At least I know if I die, you’ll be devastated,” she tries to calm down but to no avail.

“Well don’t go dying any time soon because right now I doubt I’d shed a tear!” You turn from her facing Renjun a huge pout on your face.

“I think it’s cute that you don’t like them. It’ll make watching them with you a lot more fun.” He chuckles.

“Or,” Haechan leans forward grabbing your attention. “You and I can ditch the movie and have some fun.” Haechan licks his lips wiggling his brows. “I’m sure we can stir up some kind of trouble here at the hotel. What do you say?”

“I’d say I don’t want to get kicked out of the luxury suite.” You smirk taunting him.

“Why would you get kicked out when it’s clear as day that I’m going to be the one in it?” He challenges a fiery glint in his eyes.

Charlotte pouts, “well, I guess I’ll be sleeping out in the hallway like a dog outside its owners’ bedroom.”

You pick up on her cue, “some men have no manners,” you stand up holding out your hand for her.

“Right? Saying it’s his room, not even thinking about me at all!” She wraps her arms around you pretending to cry. “Why is he such a mean person? What did I ever do to deserve this?”

“Nothing at all. He’s just like that I guess!” You stick your tongue out at him and walk away with Charlotte clinging to you.

“What the hell? What about us?!” Haechan shouts.

Charlotte sticks her head up, “I’m taking your girl for myself!”

✖-----------------------✖

After the final group finishes their race, another three groups are added into the running for the luxury suite. With the wave of his hand calling everyone who is still in the running over, your boss signals that the second game is starting up. Jogging farther into the grass you and Charlotte start to slow down, your bodies feeling heavy as stone when you see a long rope with flags towards the middle. The last thing you wanted to play was Tug-of-War. Especially in this heat. The teams are divided up, and of course, Charlotte and Haechan are on the opposite team as Renjun and yourself. Jeno and Mia joining your side, Jaemin finally able to join in, on Haechan and Charlotte’s side. The three teams that won the third round of the three-legged race join your side, while the four teams from the second game on the opposing team.

Jeno takes charge gathering everyone around. The goal was to do exactly what the players in Squid Game did. Thanking the heavens that you watched the drama you agree with him quickly. Mia taking the spot as the leader while a large man was your weight at the back with Jeno, and two other guys helping. Renjun and yourself supporting the middle while two girls were behind Mia. Looking across to see the same type of set-up you quickly look back at Jeno to see him roll his eyes.

“I really hate how competitive this guy is,” he growls. “Jaemin and Haechan must have thought of the same idea. Be ready, everyone!” He shouts. “Mia, you know what to do!”

“Right!”

“Is he sure that Mia should be up in the front? He seems like he would be a better fit.” You whisper to Renjun.

Shaking his head Renjun looks back to see Jeno ready to win this round. “We need Jeno’s strength back here. Plus, it seems that Mia is just as determined to lead from the front as Jeno is to lead from the back.”

Nodding slowly, you make sure that the rope is tucked under your arm. Feeling your palms starting to sweat, you watch your boss hold up the same red bandana as before. He makes sure that everyone is ready and with the swing of his arm down to his side, both teams lean as far back as they can. Creating a stalemate right off the bat.

The rope is taut under your arm. Feeling it shake and slide back and forth as both sides try to outlast the other. Your back starts to ache the longer you contort yourself in the table position you were currently in. Hands starting to turn sore, white at the knuckles and starting to burn from gripping the rope tightly.

“Hang in there!” Jeno shouts from behind you.

“Don’t let go!” Haechan’s voice is clear as day from across you.

A whimper comes in front of you as you see the girl opposite side of the rope as you start to falter. “N-No!” You shout towards her. “Please, hang in there. We can do it!”

She cries out loudly, “my legs and back hurt,” she tries to keep her hold on the rope.

“Jenny don’t let go!” Her partner shouts. “We can win this!”

Suddenly you hear a loud voice from ahead of you. “NOW!”

Mia’s voice alarms all of you. Each one of you gripping the rope, pulling yourselves up you tug as hard as you can. Moving as one person, one unit, one team. Paying no mind to the other team, their shouts, especially Charlotte’s, you focus on the instructions that Mia and Jeno give you. Renjun’s cries of pain behind you, mixing with your own cries of agony for this stupid round to end – you keep your hands firmly on the rope.

“PULL!” Jeno and Mia shout together. “AGAIN!”

Little by little your flag is tugged far beyond your own line, Haechan’s side slowly inching its way to your side. Your breathing is ragged. Your body soaked in sweat as the hot sun bears down on your skin making it sizzle. A guttural scream comes from you when the rope is suddenly jerked back to Haechan’s side. Rubbing harshly against your hands. Your feet slipping from under you.

“NO!” Renjun reaches out catching you before you fall to the ground, one hand still on the rope. Making sure that your team doesn’t lose.

“Th-Thanks,” you balance yourself, gripping the rope again. Wincing the moment your raw palm touches it.

“Mmmm…” He says, forehead and neck dripping in sweat. “We got this!” He nods your way.

“Yeah!”

“PULL!!!” Jeno roars behind you.

Immediately you go back to gripping the rope as tightly as you can. Yanking it with every last bit of energy you have left. Urging Haechan’s flag back to where your side awaits.

“CAVE!” Mia shouts.

“C-Cave?” You look back at Renjun.

“Loosen your grip,” he tells you. “Pass it on.”

“They-They say to loosen our grip, pass it on.” You tell the girl in front of you and she does the same.

“NOW!” Jeno shouts.

All together you stop fighting against the rope and let it go slack. Haechan’s side yanking back as hard as they can end up in a domino effect, falling onto the grass. Seeing them on top of each other, both Mia and Jeno shout to pull. Not wanting to pull on the rope, considering the other side wasn’t even hanging on for the most part – you grip the rope and with one final strong unified pull, you manage to tug their flag past your side.

“GAME OVER!” Your boss yells waving the red bandana in his hand.

Falling onto the grass panting you let the coolness sooth your burning palms. Renjun falls back onto his back behind you exhausted. The only ones not gasping for air, Mia, Jeno and the rather large man you didn’t seem to catch the name of. Instead of trying to catch their breathes they high-five each other celebrating. Across from you Haechan lays flat on his back, and Charlotte on her hands and knees.

“Are you okay?” You look back to Renjun who just gives you a thumbs up, his chest rising and falling quickly. Managing to pull yourself up to your feet you run over to Charlotte. “Are you okay?” You ask her.

“Can’t breathe,” she gasps for air. “Di-Did you guys have to go all Squid Game on us?” She looks at you a small laugh escaping her.

“Jeno’s idea,” you help her up wincing when her forearm rubs against your hands. “You guys did it too so don’t start complaining!”

“This one,” she points to Haechan. “And Jaemin, all their idea and fault!” She shouts. “I need to get some water.” She pats your shoulder walking away to the cooler that holds the water bottles your boss was so gracious to pack for this very reason – complete and total exhaustion.

 “Good game,” you hold out your hand for Haechan to grab. “I thought we were all going to be in a stalemate the whole time.” You giggle.

Haechan reaches out for your hand but stops. Eyes going dark he pops up without your help. “Come with me!” He grabs your wrist.

“Wh-What? Why?” He starts dragging you to where your boss is talking to his assistant. Already gearing up for hopefully the last game. “Hae-Haechan…” You try to yank away from him. “What are you doing?”

“Shut up!” He snaps. Pulling you past Charlotte who looks at you in confusion and shock, you give her a pleading look for her to stop him.

“H-Haechan?!” Renjun stands up alarmed at him literally yanking you past everyone. “Wh-What are you doing?” He shouts.

“SIR!” Haechan doesn’t stop pulling on your wrist until he’s standing in front of your boss. “Sir, we need to go inside and get medical attention.” He exhales heavily, eyes on full alert. Looking him over you try to find the reason he needs medical attention. He seemed perfectly fine when you walked up to him.

“What seems to be the problem?” Your boss eyes you both worried.

“Her hands…” he pulls you forward holding out your palms. “They must have gotten blistered from the ropes.”

Your eyes fall to your hands. Blood drains from your face as you see blisters, blood, and pretty bad rope burn decorating the palm of your hands. Perfectly aware at how hard you were holding onto the rope you didn’t think your hands were that bad. Just a little red and sore, like everyone else’s.

“Lord,” he gasps. “Here!” He bends down opening up a see-through plastic container. “Take this,” he holds up a first aid kit. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t think anyone would get hurt during that one,” he sighs. “But! One must always come prepared!” He sings out placing the first aid kit in Haechan’s hand. “Through the doors and straight down the hallway. Make a left and the bathrooms will be there.”

“Thank you, sir.” Haechan pulls you gently towards the hotel.

No longer fighting against his grip you follow behind him. Staring at your hand that was free from his grip you examine your palm. It must have been when the rope slid out of your grasp. You were gripping tightly and suddenly it was like the worst brush burn you’ve ever experienced. Now…you know why… Haechan rushes through the door holding it open for you.

“Let’s go,” he wraps his arm around your waist leading you down the long hallway.

Inside the hotel, now seeing it for the first time, it’s immaculate! A beautiful high ceiling with sconces lining the wall. The wall, ceiling, and ornate crown molding were all white. The sconces painted a baby blue reflecting the beautiful sky just outside of the doors. The floors a light brown wood with a long baby blue rug.

“This place is beautiful,” you whisper.

“Yeah, just imagine what the rooms will look like.”

“I’m expecting every room to feel like its own luxury suite.”

“Well, at least better than any old hotel that’s for sure. Now come on,” he turns when the hall breaks off, the bathrooms right where your boss said. “Uh, wait…” Haechan pauses. “Men or women?” He turns to you.

Walking away from him you knock on the door to the lady’s bathroom. “Hello! Is anyone in there?” You wait for a reply but no one answers. “Wait here,” you tell him only to stop. “Ah! Well, could you open the door?” You mumble with a pout.

“Nah,” he turns away from you arms crossing over his chest. “I think I’ll just stay here,” he teases.

“Haechan!” You stomp your foot. “Open the door!”

Chuckling he nods, “fine, fine,” he opens the door for you. “Just try not to fall into a toilet.”

“Funny,” you roll your eyes. “Hello? Anyone in here?” You shout as you check all throughout the fairly large restroom. A long counter top with what looks like six sinks are pressed against the right-hand side of the bathroom. The six stalls on the left. All with shining silver doors and handles. The sinks a baby blue just like the carpet and scones – the counter a white marble. The floor just like outside is a light wood and ceiling the same white as the ceiling in the hallway. All it needed was a few sconces and it would have almost been an exact replica of the hallway you just traveled down. Well, minus the toilets and sinks.

Checking each stall to make sure that no one was inside you head back to the door, “come in!”

“Eh?! Are you sure? C-Can’t we just go into the men’s room?” He asks from outside the door.

“GET YOUR ASS IN HERE NOW!”

Opening the door Haechan covers his eyes, “okay, no need to shout!”

“For real?” You sigh. “No one’s in here. Lock the door if you’re so afraid of somebody coming in.”

Taking your advice, Haechan locks the door and slowly turns to you, eyes bulging out at the room. “What the hell…” he suddenly finds all the courage in the world to step inside. “This is what it’s like in the women’s bathroom?” He scoffs. “Why do our bathrooms look like shit? Is it like this at the company?”

Shrugging you go to the long-marbled counter leaning against it. “I guess so, well not to this extent but close. I mean women spend a good amount of time in bathrooms. Fixing our hair, our makeup, gossiping – it should look like paradise.” You wiggle your brows.

“Well, I’d spend a shit ton of time in a bathroom too if it looked this nice,” he mumbles putting down the first aid kit. “Now let me see your hands…” Holding out your hands you open them up revealing two messed up palms. He winces as he examines each of them. “What in the hell did you do?” He sighs. “Were you that determined to win?” He exhales deeply. “Come on, let’s get you bandaged up.” He wraps his arms around your waist. “Jump up,” he instructs and you do, Haechan helping you to sit on the counter, little weight being placed on your hands.

As soon as he knows your settled, he washes his hands clean of any dirt and germs from outside. He goes over to the wall drying his hands before grabbing a couple paper towels. Coming back, he jumps slightly when the sink starts itself.

“It wasn’t about winning; well, I mean it was…I didn’t want to be the one who ended up making our team lose. So, I guess…I held out for as long as I could. Literally.”

Wetting the paper towels, Haechan places them over your palms. Shrieking when he presses his palms down onto yours. “You shouldn’t have let yourself get to this point. It’s just a room. Plus, if Charlotte and I somehow won, you know for sure you’re staying the room with her and I’d be with Renjun, so why try so hard?” He lifts his palms and the paper towels before dabbing around your hand making sure to clean as much dirt off your palms as possible.

“Again, it had nothing to do with the room. Plus, did you not hear Jeno and Mia? It was like bootcamp out there.”

Chuckling Haechan throws the paper towels off to the side. “Jeno can be competitive at times, especially when it comes to sports or using his strength,” he comments. “What do we have in here?” He searches the first aid kit. “This’ll do!” He takes out a small bottle of Benzol Peroxide and a pack of cotton balls. Grabbing a few pieces of cotton, he pours some peroxide on them. “This might sting, okay?” He looks up worried. “Try not to jerk your hand away.”

Nodding you brace yourself. He carefully dabs your palm with the cotton ball. Bubbling noises fill up the silence between the two of you as he focuses. Every time he moves the cotton ball, sliding it along your abused skin you desperately wanted to let out scream after scream. Your lips sucked in, trying not to make a sound to alarm him. Through the grace of someone or something from above you manage to make it through the first round.

Grabbing a couple more cotton balls, Haechan repeats the process and again you hold in every scream, whimper, and cry of pain that you feel when he moves the cotton around your palm. Trying to keep your mind off the twinges of pain you find your gaze moving up to Haechan. His eyes laser focused. Doing his best not to press down to hard. His lips in such a tight line they seem to disappear.

“So, uh,” you clear your throat looking away from him. “What do you think the other games will be?”

Shrugging Haechan tosses the cotton balls off to the side on top of the paper towels. “Not sure, but I don’t think you should participate. Not with your hands like this.” He digs into the first aid kit and finds some gauze. “Here we go,” he grabs another type of gauze placing them down on the counter. “First this,” he rips open the second type of gauze, it being a thicker large square. “I’ll put this on first. Hold out your hands,” he instructs.

“We could have just used the flexible type. I’m sure that would have been fine.”

Not looking up he places the square pads on your hands. “And how do you think you will feel when I start wrapping your hand? I’ll need to make sure it’s tight enough which means it would rub over your already raw hands. That was a terrible idea!”

Puffing out your cheeks you look away. “Jerk.”

Chuckling Haechan starts to use the flexible gauze. Carefully wrapping it around your right hand first. Only when there was enough around your hand did he tighten it. Wincing slightly, he looks up at you an ‘I-told-you-so’ look on his face.

“Whatever we have to do next I really think you should stay out of it. Let Charlotte take over. I’m sure she’d be your representative when she sees your hands all wrapped up.” He tightens the gauze once more before adding the fastener. “And of course,” he sighs rolling his eyes. “Renjun wouldn’t want you to do anything that causes you more pain.”

Seeing Haechan’s face he looks extremely sad, worried, and slightly angry. It wasn’t his fault that you got hurt. It was your own fault. At any point you could have loosened your grip and let the guys and other women take over for you, but that would mean letting down the whole team and that isn’t something you would ever do. If they were going to suffer, so were you. Perhaps more than they did.

“What if it’s an eating contest?” You giggle trying to lighten the mood. “Will you deny me the chance to stuff my face with yummy food?”

“No,” he quirks a brow looking up. “But I’d rather feed you instead. Seriously, your hands are pretty messed up. You’ll need some extra help for a while.”

Playfully growling you turn your head pouting. “I’m a grown woman, Haechan. I don’t need you or anyone to feed me. I can feed myself.”

Mocking your pout, he starts to wrap up your left hand, much quicker than he did your right. “Awe, but it would be super cute. Holding the spoon up and making you go ‘ahhhh’ and seeing you enjoy your food,” he lets out a little giggle that under different circumstances would be the cutest thing in the world, but right now all you want to do is smack him upside the head, bandaged hand or not. “Just thinking about it is so cute!”

Your eye starts to twitch as you see how happy he is imagining feeding you. “Please stop before I puke, you’re not feeding me at all.”

Haechan places your hand gently onto your lap his lips turned down into a deep frown. “I’m being serious. I think it would be cute to feed you. It would feel like we’re –” he pauses his head lowering, eyes casting down to your hands. “N-Never mind…”

Rubbing his thumbs over your wrist, Haechan stares at your hands. Face solemn as if his whole world was crumbling under his feet. Wondering what he was going to say and what is going on in his head, a strange urge to reach out and give his head a little pat. Just a tiny pat to let him know that you’re fine and that your hands aren’t that big of a deal. Surely in a day or two you’ll be right as rain. However, you gulp deeply, eyes becoming wider when his eyes meet yours and you gaze into his beautiful chocolate orbs – slowly inching your way down to his boopable nose, to his small but plumps lips that have graced yours more times than you can count today.

A strong unfamiliar emotion starts to consume you. A feeling of longing. To have his arms around you again. To feel him tightly grasp your waist and neck, pulling you closer to him. His warm breath cascading onto your face. Scorching your waiting lips until his crash against yours. Desperately hoping to still find a lingering taste of his essence that had your mind swirling into a pool of lust.

You skate your tongue across your dry lips before biting down. Haechan watching you carefully. Lips parted as he takes shallow breathes. Waiting anxiously for him to touch you, your body starts trembling in suspense. No man has ever made you want to act on impulse. You’ve never had to deal with this tsunami of raw feral passion coursing through you.

The corner of Haechan’s mouth starts to slide up into a smirk. Eyes light and playful but still dangerous and carnal. “Told you I could dom you anytime…anywhere,” he leans into you, his hands resting on the outside of your legs. “I’m not even touching you and you’re already going crazy.”

Shaking your head, you watch him inch closer to you. “N-No…” your body trembles as you try to protest but the closer he gets to you the stronger the magnetic pool between the two of you grows.

“Why did you just shake then?” He tilts his head to the side as if he’s going to kiss you. Eyelashes fluttering as she smiles at your undoing.

“I’m cold,” you manage to speak without shaking this time. “Being out in the hot sun and then to come in here where it’s cooler is making me cold.”

“Maybe we should do something to warm you back up…” he leans in further. Your legs start to spread to allow his body to get closer to you. “Any suggestions?”

His warm scent washes over you. Making you think of a warm cup of hot chocolate on a chilly winter’s day. Cooking marshmallows over a fire for smores. Warm blankets and cuddles in front of the fireplace. Everything warm and decadent – sweet and luxurious.

“Kiss me,” you manage to voice out through your trance. “I want you to kiss me.” The milk chocolate orbs of Haechan’s eyes darken quickly at your request. Pupils enlarging. “And to touch me…” you practically purr as you say it giving into this feeling of desire.

Not laying a single hand or his lips on you Haechan’s eyes roam over your body. “Where do you want me to touch you?”

Reaching up with the back of your hand you touch your cheek. Moving your hand down, you slide over your neck and collarbone. Haechan’s careful gaze following you all the way down to where you brush over the side of your breasts. He inhales deeply, his breathing increasing. Tongue glistening his lips he follows your hand down to where you stop at your waist.

“Is there no other place?” He quirks a brow.

Smiling a giggle leaving your lips you lean forward whispering, “only if you’re lucky...”

Like lightening you’re pushed flush against the long mirror behind you. Your shirt rolling up in the back making you whimper when the cold glass touches your skin. “I don’t know if you know this,” he grips your waist tightly. “But I’m one of the luckiest men in the world.”

Seeing the fire in his eyes a huge smile graces your lips. “Prove it then.” You taunt.

Just like what you wanted, Haechan’s lips crash down onto yours. The moans and whimpers you wanted to release when he was cleaning off your hand from pain were replaced with pleasure. His lips moving over yours wildly ends up with teeth clashing together as you both devour the other. A low growl comes from Haechan as he intensifies the kiss. Hands travel up your body and as they do so does your shirt. Sitting up, your chest flush against his, he lifts your shirt over your head and off your arms, it falling into the sink next to you.

He leans back eyeing your cleavage. His hand reaches up touching the delicate skin of your neck and collarbones, thumb rubbing over where you tried to hide his kiss marks – some of the makeup fading off from the sweat that drenched your body during Tug-of-War. His hands slide down the straps of your bra ever so slowly. The feeling of his hands on you both chilling you to the bone and lighting you on fire at the same time. Goosebumps form on your skin as you slip your arms out from the straps.

He tugs your bra down just enough to expose your nipples. Using his index fingers, he flicks over your perky buds making them harden with each flick. Your body wiggling under him. “You like that?” He asks giving you a small peck.

Moaning loudly when he pinches your nipples between his fingers you lean in kissing him again. “Yes, feels good… so good…”

Haechan moves from your lips. Kissing the corner of your mouth to your cheek and down to your jaw, where he kisses all along your jawline before heading down to your neck. Stopping to create another kiss mark, he kisses, licks and sucks down onto your neck.

“Haechan…” you moan your fingers gently running through his hair.

He moves down over your collarbones and your décolletage. His soft lips making you crumble into dust with each passing kiss. Finally, his lips brush against your nipple. Crying out into the empty bathroom your eyes close, mouth hanging open. He’s barely touched you and you already feel undone.

“Someone’s sensitive,” his tongue flicks over your nipple while his hand pinches the other. Wriggling beneath him you try to redeem some form of dignity. “So eager to have my lips on you,” he kisses around your nipple making you more antsy.

“Haechan, please…” you plead, your fingers gripping his hair.

He wraps his mouth around your nipple. The sensation of his lips and tongue working your already sensitive bud has you feeling waves of euphoria pooling straight between your legs. Sucking on your nipple like a newborn babe, he glances up at you, a chuckle coming from him. Placing a gentle kiss on your nipple he pulls back with a pop, your breast jiggling when he lets go. Smiling to himself he kisses and has his tongue leaving behind a trail to your other breast.

His hand massages the breast he has finished tasting while his mouth finally clamps down on your other nipple. Again, the wave of euphoria washes over every part of your body. From the top of your head, down your arms, over your breast – making you feel butterflies in your stomach and more goosebumps to decorate your skin, before crashing down between your legs. He comes up again letting go with another ‘pop’ biting his lips as your breast jiggles again.

Coming back up to your lips he gives you a small peck, “lean back for me,” he mumbles against your lips.

Doing as he wants; you rest your back and shoulders against the mirror. Haechan’s hands slide down the sides of your body. Feeling every dip and curve as if he’s memorizing every inch of you. His hands come around to the front stopping at the waistband of your jeans. He raises his eyes gauging your reaction. With the nod of your head, you give him permission. Wanting to feel his lips, his hands, his tongue, and fingers – anything that he’ll give you.

Popping open the button of your jeans, he unzips your pants and thinking that he’s going to slide them off, you brace yourself, but he doesn’t grab the sides. Instead, he cups over waiting core.

“Ahhhh!!!” You moan at the sudden contact.

“This is where you really want me to touch you isn’t it?” He presses his palm hard against you, rubbing up and down.

“Yes!” You cry out. Hips starting to move along with his hand.

“Bet your soaking wet already,” he moves his hand faster. “Panties soaked through waiting for me to touch you.”

“H-Hae-Haechan,” you whimper.

“What is it, baby?” He tilts his head a mischievous glint to his eyes. “Want me to take your pants off?”

“Yes, please! No teasing…” face feeling like the sun itself you all but grab the sides of your jeans wanting them to be removed from you.

Taking your cue, he grabs your jeans. Sitting up enough for him to yank them down to your ankles, he takes off your shoes and socks along with your jeans. Only left in your bra and underwear he stares hungrily at your form.

“Let me see how wet you are,” he grabs under your knees. Bending your legs, you move up further onto the marble top so you can rest the arches of your feet on the edge. Your legs wide open for him. “Shit,” he licks his lips. “Completely soaked through…” he leans forward arms resting on the sink as he stares down at your wet panties.

Haechan places a gentle kiss on your inner thigh making you jerk from the slightest form of touch. Kissing along your inner thigh you tremble under him. His lips land over your clothed mound. Running his nose over your soaked panties he inhales your scent.

“Haechan!” You squeak.

“You smell so good,” he opens his mouth licking a stripe from your dripping hole to your waiting nub. A guttural growl coming from him, his eyes rolling into the back of his head. “Son of a bitch,” he runs his tongue across his lips. “I knew you would taste good, but not this good…”

“Please, I need you…please…”

Sitting up for just a second Haechan yanks the thin fabric of your underwear off you discarding it onto the floor on top of your jeans. With one tiny kiss to your inner thigh, he dives right in. Tongue flicking over your clit rapidly. Your hand reaching down gripping the back of his head, holding him in place. Mouth hanging open your moans bounce off the bathroom walls. He clamps down around you sucking your sensitive nub hard.

“Fuck! Yes…” You start moving your hips. “So good, feels so fucking good…”

Haechan slides his tongue all over your dripping wet folds. Slurping and gulping down all of your wetness like a thirsty animal. Hands gripping your legs for support as his tongue dips inside of you. Lapping up more of your juices that start pouring from you.

“Ahhhh!!! Fuck!” You scream when his tongue prods your entrance.

“Like that?” He asks against the folds of your pussy. “Like my tongue going inside you?”

“Mmm…yes…” you pant. “Again, please!”

Sitting back Haechan drips down a thick strand of his saliva, coating your pussy. Licking it back up he spreads it around before prodding you with his tongue. Your legs spread farther giving him even more room to work you over with his tongue. Looking up at you he slides his tongue inside of you. Your eyes roll into the back of your head, the feeling of the muscle sliding in and out of you sending you overboard.

“S-So good…” your chest rises and falls quickly. “T-Tongue so good…” you can’t even formulate a complete sentence. Your mind and vision growing foggy from pleasure.

Haechan continues to fuck you with his tongue before he pulls back. Lips drenched in your wetness he kisses a line up to your sensitive waiting clit before kissing over it gently. The small gesture making you shiver and giggle. Chuckling he blows over your sensitive bud, seeing you tremble again.

“You’re so sensitive,” he dips his tongue down flicking it over your clit.

“S-So close…” your hand falls from his hair and onto the counter. Your body feeling lifeless as a strong burning feeling starts to grow inside you.

“You gonna cum for me?” He asks swirling his tongue rapidly over your swollen nub. “Give me all your cum like a good girl?”

“Fuck! Yes!” You scream, your body tensing up. “Don’t stop. Please don’t stop!” Feeling your legs start to close up around his face, Haechan blocks them with his hands. His lips clamping down tightly as he sucks on your clit. “Ahh!! Fuck! I’m going to cum!” You scream loudly as the feeling of your orgasm starts to wash over you.

And just like that…Haechan pulls away…

“N-No…” you reach out for him. “No! Why did you stop?!” Tears start brimming at your water line. “No…”

Leaning his head against your inner thigh close to your knee, Haechan stares at you fondly. “Not sure if you deserve to cum,” he turns and kisses the bend of your knee.

“Why? Please! I was so close!” Tears fall from your eyes. The feeling of your orgasm already dying down. “Haechan, please!”

Shaking his head, he places his thumb just above your clit. Your hips jerk forward hoping to somehow make his thumb rub over you, but he only presses down harder above your pulsing nub.

“Sorry, but you went from me to Renjun so quickly,” he moves the back of his hand over your soaking folds, barely touching you. The feeling sending chills over your body. “Kissed him in front of me after you helped me get off.” He tsks. “So, why should I let you cum? I really don’t think you deserve it.” His fingers tickle over your entrance.

“A-Ah-Ahhhh!” You gasp for air. “Please…please…”

“And then there was that whole lovey dovey scene after the three-legged race,” he sticks out his tongue in disgust. “How gross could the two of you be?”

“Haechan!” You ball your hands into fists slamming them down. “Please!” More tears fall from your eyes.

“Awe, baby,” he leans forward kissing the tears from your cheeks. “Don’t do that. You’ll hurt your hands.”

“No more teasing! I’m sorry! Please! I just want to cum…please…”

He shakes his head dropping back down to between your legs. “I bet you wouldn’t have even done what I said for tonight’s movie. You would have come down with some skin tight pair of jeans with this delicious,” he licks from your entrance up to your twitching bud in one long hard swipe. “Beautiful,” he kisses the outside of your pussy before kissing your clit, “pussy all covered, wouldn’t you?”

Shaking your head desperate to feel his lips, tongue, mouth on you again you cry for him. “No, I would have done it…please…”

Looking from you down to your clenching pussy he spits onto your clit. Eyes dark when he looks back up at you. “Liar!” He crashes his mouth down onto your bundle of nerves.

“AHHH FUCK!!!” You scream. He swirls his tongue around your clit and sucks so hard until his cheeks hallow and he runs out of breath. “Fuck! Yes! Yes!” You feel your orgasm start to rev up again. “Don’t stop! Don’t fucking stop!” You grip his hair tightly holding him down against your clit firmly. “FUCK!” Pushing against you Haechan pulls away gasping for air. Leaving you again before you could cum. “HAECHAN! YOU JERK!” Tears pour from your eyes. “Why are you doing this to me?!”

Licking his lips, he brings his middle finger up to his lips before opening his mouth. He sucks on his finger, his eyes never leaving yours. He adds his ring and index finger, opening his mouth wide. Something about him doing this has the walls of your pussy clenching tightly. Anticipating what he’s going to do with his fingers.

“Be honest with me,” he covers his fingers until their dripping wet. “You wouldn’t have done it.”

“Wh-What did you expect from me? To come down in a dress commando?! We would be sitting with our friends. Th-There would be no way for you to try anything. Especially not with Sasha, Renjun and Charlotte next to us. They would know! Please, I’m begging you! I can’t take it anymore…” You reach out for him desperate to get your release. “I’ll do anything, just please…I can’t take anymore of this…”

Haechan slides his ring finger inside of you. “Jeno,” he stares at you as he slides his finger in and out of your gaping entrance. “Jaemin,” he adds his middle finger, stretching you out. “Sasha,” he twists his hand as he pushes his index finger inside of you. “Fuck,” he grits his teeth. “So fucking tight…” He opens his mouth and sticks out his tongue. His spit drizzling down at your entrance helping to coat his fingers.

Pumping his fingers slowly in and out of you, for the third time you feel your orgasm building up again. “Charlotte,” he curls his fingers inside of you brushing against your g-spot like he already had the blue prints to make you a lifeless doll used for his pleasure.

“Shit!” You tremble as he continues to hit the sensitive spot inside of you. “Please! Don’t you dare stop!”

“Renjun,” he kisses your clit gently, brushing his lips across your painfully aching nerves. “Would have been too busy watching the movie,” he slows down his movements. “All of their eyes glued to the screen, while you would be sitting there like a good girl, pussy bare for me.” He moves faster. “They wouldn’t know that you were soaking my fingers at all.”

“Yes the would have! R-Ren…” you gasp as the fire burns inside of you.

“HEY! WHAT’S GOING ON IN THERE?!” Renjun’s voice comes from outside of the door.

“For fucks sake,” Haechan slows down his movements, pulling his fingers slowly out of your quaking entrance. Your legs shaking terribly. “He’s gotta ruin everything doesn’t he?” He glares towards the door until his eyes widen. “Or does he have to ruin anything?” He turns back to you and just like in the cartoons you swear devil horns and a tail sprout from him. “Don’t worry, baby,” he coos his face going back between your legs. “I’ll take care of you,” he licks over your pussy gently.

“H-Haechan…” your voice is barely that of a whisper, your hand going over your mouth when he starts to suck on your clit. “Sh-Shit…”

“HAECHAN?! I KNOW YOUR IN THERE!” Renjun slams his fists onto the door.

Your head darts to the closed door hoping that Haechan did in fact lock the door. “Seems your little boyfriend wants to come inside and check on you,” Haechan stares at you while eating you out. “Wouldn’t that be a sight to see?” He chuckles kissing around your outer folds. “Seeing you spread open for me desperate to cum.”

“N-No…” You whimper trying your best not to make too much noise.

Haechan pulls back seeing your soaking wet pussy starting to drip down onto the counter. “Such a naughty girl you are,” he slurps up your juices loudly not paying any mind to Renjun’s demands to open the door. “Getting turned on just from the thought of Renjun seeing you like this huh? All fucked out with me between your legs.” He sucks on your clit harshly. Your body twists and turns desperate to scream, shout, moan, to make some kind of noise of pleasure.

“Walking in and seeing your beautiful body on display for me.” He snickers spreading your folds open with his fingers licking over every crevice. “Bet he’d just stand there shocked seeing the girl he likes moaning and yearning for another guy.” Shaking your head as you pant behind your hands. “Ah!” Haechan pops his head up smiling sweetly. Lips swollen and glistening with your wetness, “maybe I should just open the door for him? Who knows, maybe Renjun would join in for some fun?” He winks up at you.

“N-No!” You squeak out. “D-Don’t say that…”

Haechan rubs over your clit with his fingers. “I wouldn’t mind sharing at all,” he spreads his index finger and middle finger enough for his tongue to wiggle over your clit as he continues to rub over you. “Bet you’d like that, huh? Having to guys work you over. Making you cum again and again.”

Your legs give out as the image of Renjun bursting through the door comes to your mind. His eyes wide, jaw slacked as he sees his best friend between your legs eating you. Eyes roaming over your body. Face and ears bright red from shock and lust. You desperately trying to tell him it isn’t what he thinks only for Renjun to pull Haechan away from you. His lips attacking yours before he eats you out. Soft lips and hands caressing you so gently that it feels like you’re floating on a cloud. Completely different from Haechan’s animalistic fervor.

Their hands roaming over your body as they take turns making you cum again and again. Desperate for more, wanting to be filled up by them. To be fucked by them…

“Have you shaking for more,” Haechan curls his fingers again inside of you hitting your g-spot. “Want us to fuck you hard like the little slut you are. Fill you up with our cum.”

Your body starts to shake. “H-Haechan!!!” You scream out loudly as you explode. Your orgasm hitting you like a ton of bricks. Liquid spraying out from you like a pressured hose.

“Fuck!” Haechan moves off to the side as you continue to release your orgasm onto the floor and counter. “Shit, baby…” he stares at you in amazement when you slow down. “So fucking hot,” he rubs over your pussy quickly more of your squirt coming from you.

“AHHHH!!! SHIT!!!!” You cry as you start shivering, body turning into Jell-O.

“Good girl,” Haechan holds you in his arms trying not to slip on the drenched floor you’ve created.  

“Open this damn door now!” Renjun screams from the other side.

Your eyes closing you relish in your orgasm. Body shaking, covered in goosebumps – mind and soul leaving you completely. Smirking at your fucked out state Haechan rushes over to the door unlocking it.

“What?” He peeks his head out.

“What the fuck is going on there?” Renjun’s face and ears burning a brilliant red. “Move!” He pushes against the door making Haechan back away before he gets crushed. Rounding the corner Renjun comes face to face with your lifeless form on the counter. Stripped of everything but your bra.

“WH-WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!”

✖-----------------------✖

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PART 4

[sapphireplums]

𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞.

description || eros mind controls the reader to fall in love with him and druig is more than pissed.

warnings || mild angst, eros being a dick, fluff?

pairing || druig x eternal!reader

word count || 1,083

a/n || this can be read as a part two for 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭., but can also be read alone. i actually really love this fic hehe. feedback is very much appreciated! third part will be coming very soon hehe.

WHEN EROS APPEARED at the Domo a few days ago, his eyes never left you, his presence always somehow being near you. Druig did not like this one bit, so when he noticed Eros' lustful eyes, your boyfriend never left your side.

Whenever Eros attempted to catch a glimpse of you, Druig wouldn't hesitate to stare him down. Sometimes when he feels like it, Druig would smash his lips on yours to tease Eros, just for the hell of it. You weren't complaining though, you would take any time of your day to kiss him and be by his side, but lately, Druig's possessiveness seemed to get out of hand.

So that was when you decided to talk to him. You pulled Druig into your room in the Domo, a smirk appearing on Druig's face, thinking intimate situations were about to happen, but when he saw your arms crossed, he started to question what was happening.

"What's wrong, love?"

"You seriously need to stop being a helicopter parent, Dru. I know you don't trust Eros, but you need to cut him some slack. I love having you by my side, but not when it's literally twenty-four-seven." Druig sat up from the bed walking in front of you, his cerulean eyes meeting yours.

"I'm not comfortable leaving you alone yet. Eros is up to something and I'm even more protective now knowing I can't read his mind." Eros was a strong celestial who was even able to deflect Druig's attempt to read his mind. This was one of the reasons why Druig was even more protective of you.

"Please, Druig, just leave me be for a bit and I'll prove to you that Eros is not harmful at all." Druig thought about it for a while, his head spinning deciding whether or not he should listen to you or his conscience.

And he decided to listen to you.

"Alright, fine. Only an hour and then I'm going to go check in on you." you smiled brightly, relieved at the fact that Druig put his trust in you. He gave you one passionate kiss on the lips before walking away, his footsteps receding.

The Domo was relatively quiet once Druig left your side. Seeing your favorite place in the Domo, the library, you continued to walk towards it with the small sounds of the heel of your boots clicking on the hard floor.

When you entered the library, you grabbed the book you were reading several hours ago and opened it up on the page you left off on. Silence filled the air for several minutes until you heard footsteps increasing towards the library.

"I thought we agreed on leaving me alone for an hour, honey," you said, not looking up from your book.

"Oh, did I earn the privilege to be called 'honey' by the beautiful Y/n?" Your eyes widened, recognizing that the voice was definitely not your boyfriend.

When you looked up, your eyes were met immedietly with Eros'. Your heart skipped a beat when you noticed how close he was to you. Chuckling nervously, you closed your book so your full attention was now on the Eternal in front of you.

"Oh, Eros, sorry I thought you were Druig for a second." He flashed his charming smile, looking straight into your eyes.

"Don't worry about it, darling. It’s alright because you’re going to call me lover by the time I'm done talking," Eros said with a mischievous look plastered on his face.

Your eyes widened in fear and before you could get up from your chair and escape, Eros pinned your arms down with the armrest, so you were trapped by his embrace.

"You, Y/n, are going to fall madly in love with me, just like I fell for you." Eros' eyes flashed a light shade of magenta, and before you knew it, Eros was now the love of your life.

"I'm going to fall madly in love with you," you repeated in a monotone. Eros bit his lip lightly before leaning in, his lips meeting yours. Your mind was clouded with nothing else, just Eros.

The kiss became more heated when Eros picked you up, your legs cradling his waist as the two of you never broke the kiss. Eros put you on the conveniently placed sofa next to you and his body was hovering over you, his hands interlocking with yours.

Your hands were weaving through his maroon hair while his hands were going near your lower body. But suddenly, Eros was pulled off of your body abruptly, your eyes furrowing in confusion.

However, the yelling of another familiar voice filled your ears as you turned your head to see Druig aggressively holding Eros by his neck, pinning him onto the wall as he desperately gasped for air.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? I told you to stay away from my girlfriend and you kiss her?!" To say Druig was pissed, was an understatement.

"Druig let him go!" You pleaded with him, his head turning to you with a mixture of anger and confusion laced in it.

"Why should I, he kissed you and I'm not going to let him get away with that."

"Druig, dammit, let go of my boyfriend for fuck sake." Druig let go of Eros, yes, but that was only because of the words he heard coming out of your mouth. Now, this is when Druig finally figured out something was definitely wrong.

"What did you just say?"

"I said let go of my boyfriend." You walked up to Eros and checked to see if he was okay, while Druig stood in his place, dumbfounded. it took several seconds for Druig to process what was happening, but when he remembered what Eros' powers were, anger filled him up once more.

"What did you do to my girlfriend, Eros?" Druig's voice was dangerously low as he walked towards the Eternal. A smirk was placed on Eros' face, making Druig want to kill him even more.

"What do you mean? Y/n is my girlfriend, not yours." With that, Eros grabbed your hand and walked away out of the library, leaving Druig with his emotions scattered all over the place.

Druig knew he should have never left you alone, that was his first mistake, but he was not about to make a second one, leaving you like this.

Druig was going to find a way to make you remember who your true lover was. Even if it meant getting violent.

[mintwithchoco]

beaux rêves: Ep 2 - Experiment

ITZY Yeji x Male Reader

Word Count: 2841 words

Categories: smut, oral, public sex, facefucking, student! yeji

aff link

It was a hot summer day. The sun was beaming down unconcernedly, heating up the students inside of IT’z Academy. Even though it was already 4 PM, there were still a few students around the school, either practicing for the upcoming competition or having discussions about the topic that was taught by the lecturer during the day.

The same goes for you who was sitting at a table in the library, waiting for someone to arrive. You got an assignment from your professor to give a presentation about the reproductive system and sexual intercourse. It was certainly a very awkward topic to be having discussions about, especially when your partner is a girl.

As you were focused on browsing your phone, you felt the presence of someone sitting down beside you. The smell of her floral fragrance filled the air, notifying you that your partner, Hwang Yeji, had arrived.

“Sorry that I’m late, got caught up by my roommate earlier.”

“Ahh, it’s fine. I just got here a couple minutes ago so I didn't wait for too long.”

"Oh, alright then! Shall we...get started?"

You gulp nervously, this will be the first time you will be talking about sex with a literal girl. Nodding in agreement, Yeji grabbed her bag. She took out a few reference books, notepad and her cute mint colored pencil bag. Throughout all of that, you also took out some books and your laptop from your own bag while observing her silently.

Her outfit was definitely eye-catching, dressing up in a deep red long sleeved top with light blue jeans. With her dark, chestnut colored hair styled in high pigtails, her defined facial features stood out to you. Yeji realizes that you’ve been staring too long at her and waves her hand in front of your face. You snap out of your trance and laughed awkwardly while also apologizing for ‘daydreaming’.

The discussion starts with both of you choosing which subtopic each of you were going to present. Then, you boot up your laptop while Yeji starts to take notes from her reference books to put inside the slides. During the whole period, you were stuttering periodically, the awkwardness level between you both were increasing as the stuff that was discussed was getting even more...detailed. Furthermore, Yeji was having a eureka moment, looking fascinated at every single fact that she found in the book.

“So, women can lube up a man’s penis by using their mouth…I thought that they could just use lotions!” Yeji exclaimed.

“Y-Yeah, it’s called fellatio.” You said as you continue to work on the slides.

“I wonder how it would taste…” Yeji mumbled to herself.

“Sorry?”

“Uhh, nothing! L-Let’s continue.”

3 hours passed by in an instant, and you were getting a bit tired at this point. Now, Yeji was working on the slides while you search for more information in the books. Suddenly, she gets up from her seat and fixes up her shirt a little.

“I’m gonna find some more reference materials, wait here okay?” Yeji said and you nodded.

As Yeji left to go to the bookshelves, you took over the laptop to see what Yeji had worked on. In your head, you were only thinking about going home and what you should eat for dinner tonight. A few minutes later, you realize that Yeji has been gone for too long, but you just shrug it off since reference material, especially the ones about reproduction or sex in general are pretty hard to find. Worriness finally settles inside you as Yeji has been gone for almost 30 minutes.

Your gentleman self came out as you closed your laptop and started searching for her. You went through countless numbers of books and bookshelves, but still didn’t see any hints of Yeji. Thinking that more biology books were located on the third floor, you rushed up by the stairs, almost hitting a person on the way to hopefully find Yeji safe. Walking through more and more bookshelves, you eventually found yourself in a pretty secluded place where it was pretty far from the tables.

“Ahh, oppa…” Your ear caught a familiar voice.

You follow where it was emanating from, not caring about why the voice sounded a bit suspicious. Walking slowly while constantly turning your head left and right, you finally found Yeji who was leaning against one of the bookshelves. Because you could only see her shoulders and her hair, you walked closer to her. The sight that you were about to see was definitely unexpected, but a welcome one indeed.

Yeji was looking at a book with pictures of sex positions with her hand inside her jeans, closing her eyes and biting her lower lip harshly. She was constantly moaning your name silently and looking at the pictures for a vivid mental image before closing her eyes as you see her hand furiously moving under her jeans. You couldn’t believe it - She was touching herself in the library!

You stayed quiet, not knowing what to do. Your brain was filled with impure thoughts of what you wanted to do to her right now. The place was perfect, with no one around and dark enough until someone far away couldn’t see anything. After fighting with your own thoughts in your mind, you decided that it was enough. So, you came up to her front bravely.

“Ahh...Eh! Oppa-” Yeji was about to scream until your hand closed her mouth and putting a finger on your lips as a sign of keeping quiet.

“Looks like someone has been pretty naughty.” You said and slipped your hand into her jeans, making Yeji’s eyes widen.

Your fingers feel her pussy that was blocked by her teasing panties. The thin piece of cloth is already damp and warm, acknowledging that she’s turned on. Looking into her eyes, it was certain that she wanted this to happen as she looks at you with lust, practically begging for you to fuck her.

“Damn, you’re really wet. How about we… do an experiment right here?” Yeji nodded instantly, earning you a smirk.

You immediately pull down her jeans and her panties to reveal her dripping core. Yeji gasps as you release your hand from her mouth, finally witnessing a man that was about to eat her pussy out as you knelt down onto the floor. With your fingers, you teased her clit, collecting a bit of her juices to make you taste her. She was sweet, and you wanted more.

Licking your lips in lust-filled hunger with your tongue, it instantly latches onto her pussy, making Yeji moan slightly. She was barely able to cover her mouth with her hand, muffling her moans. You get to work by licking the outskirts of her lips first, then her sensitive clit, driving Yeji into euphoria. Your hands were also working by caressing her thighs gently while Yeji continued to leak for you.

Soon enough, you drive your tongue in a faster rhythm. The thrill of getting caught was something that you never thought would be so exciting. Yeji promptly grabbed onto your hair with her free hand while throwing her head back in pleasure. You moan gently because of the pain, producing a vibration on her pussy that made her squeal in delight.

Your hand suddenly slides over her crotch and assists your mouth to fill up her sensual level, fingering her wet pussy with two of your fingers. Yeji’s eyes rolled back and her body squirmed around in gratification. Even though the air conditioner was blasting its cold air, you both were starting to sweat as the both of you were too indulged in the course.

“Oppa, I’m-I’m g-gonna…” Yeji announced her arriving orgasm.

You had more plans for her, so you instantly stopped fingering and licking her pussy, earning a disappointed and whiny moan from her.

“Oppa! Why’d you sto-” You closed her mouth with your hand again after getting up.

“Don’t question it. You can only cum when I cum, which means-” You forcefully pushed her down on her knees and brought the prominent bulge of your crotch close to her face.

“...you have to suck my cock.”

Yeji looked up to you in awe - your dominance was one of the reasons why she was so turned on. Her hands then grabbed the hem of your pants and pulled it down alongside your boxers. Your freed cock slapped her in the face, making her flinch and giggle. Never in her life has she gotten slapped - let alone by a hard cock. She grasps it with her hand, shocked at how big you were as her mouth was opened the whole time.

“Oh my god...Will this fit inside of me oppa?” Yeji asked while slowly stroking your shaft.

“Ahh, j-just put it in your mouth already!” You demanded, making Yeji giggle because of how needy you were.

A few more strokes were made before Yeji plants a kiss on your tip and swirls her tongue on it. After being satisfied by the taste of your precum, she slaps your cock against her tongue, her eyes forming inverted crescents at you before finally putting it inside her warm mouth, instantly causing you to let out a silent moan. Her lips glide down your shaft with ease, her saliva coating your shaft fully as she moves her head back up.

Grabbing onto your thighs for support, she starts to suck you off with a slow pace. The pressure from the hollow walls of her mouth were driving you nuts as Yeji’s head bobbed up and down on your crotch. Her right hand massages your balls, widening your eyes as she skilfully stimulates you into extreme pleasure. As her pace increases in speed, so does the deepness of her mouth into your shaft.

When you promptly take a hold on the back of her head, Yeji gets a brilliant idea. She suddenly stops sucking you off, making you groan in frustration.

“Oppa, please fuck my face. I wanna taste your cum.” Yeji said as she strokes you gently while looking at you with her lust-filled bedroom eyes.

“With pleasure.”

You smirked as your hands moved itself onto the two ponytails that she had on her hair. It’s like she knew exactly what you wanted. She guides your cock into her mouth once again, leaving a few inches out for you to thrust into. Tightly gripping onto her hair, you began to move your hips back and forth, only inserting a few inches of your shaft so that Yeji could familiarize herself with your length.

When Yeji looked up to you to hint that you could go deeper, you were a little hesitant at first but seeing how needy Yeji’s eyes were, you couldn’t hold the gentleman act any longer. And so you thrust your shaft roughly into her, your tip reached the back of her throat, making Yeji gag loudly on your cock. You realize how loud it was, but you truly believe that there was no one around to see this act.

Your thighs were turning red due to Yeji’s painful grip on them, her fingernails leaving deep indentations on your skin. Both of you savored this moment fully, until suddenly your abdomen tightens, signaling your orgasm was about to arrive. You pound into her mouth faster, not caring how messy her face was getting and how loud her gagging was. Yeji also assisted on helping you to reach your peak by using her tongue to lick the underside of your penis as you continue to fuck her throat.

“I’m gonna cum down your throat baby. Make sure to take it all.” You said to her, replying with a simple ‘mmm’ on your cock.

Within a few seconds, you bury her head all the way down on the base of your cock as your tip bursted out your hot semen, filling her throat as Yeji struggles to keep it all in. Your head starts to feel dizzy due to the amount of dopamine that was released into your brain because of how big your orgasm was. Yeji starts to swallow down your cum as she realizes how much you were cumming to avoid staining the carpet floor.

As your orgasm subsides, you pull out your cock from her mouth with strings of her saliva following it. Yeji shows you her mouth that still kept an amount of your cum before gulping it down her throat, confirming to you that all of your load was in her stomach. She giggled adorably, finally getting a taste of your delicious cum.

“Thank you for the delicious meal, oppa.”

“You’re welcome. Now, let’s move on to the main course.” You brought her back up on her feet and turned her body around to face the bookshelf.

“I’m gonna fuck you real good.” You whispered into her ear, making Yeji’s body shiver in response.

Your hands grab her waist and pull them close against yours, bending her body to show off her beautiful backside to you. Her ass was pleasing to the eye, her thighs were lusciously perfect and you were going to figure out if her pussy was as tight as you imagine it would be. You aligned your cock with her inviting entrance, teasing it with your tip to make her frustrated.

Before she could complain, you plunge your shaft into her tight cavern, earning a loud moan from her lips, causing you to immediately close her mouth with your right hand. You stayed deep inside her for a while, her walls tightly wrapping itself on your cock as it tries to accustom itself with your size.

“Keep your voice down, we could get caught.” You silently said and Yeji replied with a nod.

You began to give her slow shallow thrusts, forcing her to grab onto both sides of the bookshelf. She was truly wet and dripping as the sloshing sounds of her pussy were audible. Gritting your teeth to keep yourself from moaning, your shaft continues to penetrate her insides deeper and faster.

Yeji was under your spell, lost in the arousal as her body easily moved against you with your other hand on her hips guiding her. Even though she was pretty thin, her thighs still jiggled deliciously following the rhythm of your thrusts. The hand on her hips slowly slides towards her heavenly cheeks, squeezing the flesh softly and giving it a smack.

“You like it when oppa spanks you?” Yeji moans into your hand in approval.

As you piston into her harder, you gave her ass a few more slaps, making Yeji vibrate into your hand with her moans. The thought of getting caught by anyone was lost from both of your minds and was replaced with the lustful thought of pleasuring each other. Her pussy constantly clenches onto your cock, allowing it to throb inside her and tightening the knot in your abdomen once again.

“Do you wanna cum on this cock baby?” You took off your hand from her mouth to let her talk.

“Ahh! Yes, please make me cum oppa!” Yeji screamed silently.

Your hips drove itself at a crazy speed, eager to reach both of your peaks. Eventually, Yeji throws her head back and her body shakes violently as she finally comes onto your cock, covering the entirety of it and both of your crotches. She moans carelessly as you kept fucking her through her orgasm because of how close you were to your own orgasm as well.

Just like earlier, you end your thrusts by burying yourself as deep as you can inside her to send your cum into her womb. With a groan, you erupted inside with your semen painting the walls of her pussy beautifully, filling her up to the brim. You hold her there for a while, feeling the warmness of both of your cum mixed together.

“Oppa, I feel so full…” Yeji said.

After feeling that you have milked out everything, you slowly pull out your cock from her messy pussy and observe your cum dripping down her thighs. You both then looked at each other in the eyes and giggled in satisfaction.

“I guess our experiment was a success.”

⠀⠀

❍

⠀⠀

Pain.

⠀⠀

Sorrow.

⠀⠀

Exhaustion.

⠀⠀

Panting heavily, you walk slowly through that same hallway, the old walls creaking and the flickering lights increases the empty ambience around you. Your knees feel weak because of the fatigueness that you’re having, eventually kneeling down on the dusty floor.

“Did I...lose it?” You ask yourself.

As you look towards the end of the hallway, the reflection of you sleeping on a bed was still there. A familiar scent hits your nose, this time stronger than before.

There was hope.

Getting up slowly, determination was set in your mind.

With a deep exhale, you dash towards the end of the hallway as fast as you could, your mind was filled with the goal of your journey.

“I swear, I will find you,” You jump into the reflection.

⠀⠀

“Alongside that dream.”

[stutterfly]

Swipe Right 04 | Patch Notes | JJK (M)

Rating: M (Explicit 18+)

Pairings: Jungkook x Reader, brot7 x friendship

Genre: E2L, fluff, angst, humor, [eventual] smut, PersonalTrainer!Jungkook, fuckboy!Jungkook, Nerd!Jungkook, Nerd/IT!Reader

Word Count: 15.1K

Last time on SR03: You joined a gym to increase your confidence and things progressed the way you want with your tinder match. You ended up in an unlikely competition with your friends when you went new bar together, leading to some unexpected conversations and shenanigans.

CW & Other Tags: Drinking, anxiety/panic attack mentions, muscle tearing injury mention, fuckboy Jungkook, pining, flirting, pick-up lines, sexual tension, Joonie is still Y/N’s best boi, soft Jungkook

Series: Activate your SIMCard

Fic: Swipe Right (4/?- Ongoing)

Do not repost.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

When’s the last time you felt as good as you do right now? Jungkook has pretty much stopped bothering you since that night at Seesaw, your date with Jason went well, and you’ve been sticking to your early morning workouts. You definitely don’t push yourself as much as trainer Hwasa, and you know you should really take advantage of the free trial, but it was overwhelming to take in so much at once and the session made you sore all over for days.

At least your stamina seems to be improving and you’ve discovered post-workout endorphins are real. Tonight is your second date with Jason, a date you’ve uncharacteristically elected to host at your apartment. You can place some blame on those endorphins for your boldness, with pining and disappointment composing the rest of it.

While your first date ended without a kiss, there was enough flirting to keep you hopeful. Neither of you were brave enough to do anything about it then, but you’ve mentally coached yourself into pretending like you have an unbreakable spine with nerves of steel. Meeting him only solidified your attraction, and you’ve resolved to take the lead, even though you feel like you have no idea what you’re doing.

It’s not like you often make the first move, but your confidence in him to do so has waned. You’ve been talking and playing games together online for months without any physical touch. Despite how he’s said he likes you and wants to see you again, you’d still be waiting if you didn’t suggest today.

You’re determined to show him what he’s missing by being a recluse. That’s why you’ve picked out the sluttiest clothes and the strappiest heels you own, decorated your face with expensive makeup, and even styled your hair instead of just letting it do whatever it wants for the day. You check yourself out in the full-length mirror on your bedroom door for the millionth time and pull down on the hem of your dress like it will somehow magically grow longer.

You don’t need the heels; no part of the night calls for them. You’re going to be sitting on the couch with him. If you’re lucky you’ll even move it to the bedroom you spent so much time cleaning. But they’re cute and they make you feel sexy, so you’re going to keep them on until he’s peeling you out of your dress.

Nerves bubble in your stomach, but you have to pretend like they’re not there or you’ll fixate on how hard you’re trying to be confident and cool. You’ll fall apart when it’s obvious to Jason how hard you’re pretending to be everything you aren’t. Checking your phone doesn’t help; it’s almost time.

Taking a deep breath, you pace through the confines of your apartment as you wait, and answer group texts from Jennie and Namjoon. You offer up a selfie, hoping any compliments will build your confidence enough to stave off the anxiety in your gut. A few devil emojis later, some keysmashing, and more than a couple hamfisted compliments from Namjoon, your ego is adequately inflated but you can always use more hyping. Maybe you should send it to Jimin to fish for more compliments? He’d indulge you for sure.

Instead you flop on the couch and open Tinder. According to Jennie, Jason is stringing you along; it’s been months, but you hate to admit that she has a point. So you don’t. She’s been telling you for a while now that she thinks you should pursue other suitors. While you object to her assumptions, she has more experience with this kind of stuff. It’s not exactly something you want to believe, not when you’ve put in so much effort for literal months.

You want to believe in Jason being awkward and dorky and that’s why it’s taken so long for the two of you to hook up. He’s shy and super introverted, but so are you. So why are you the only one trying to make things happen? You want to believe, but at this point you’re uncertain enough to heed Jennie’s advice and keep swiping any time you find yourself in a situation where you’re waiting on him. Like now.

You have your reservations about swiping while you wait for your date to begin, but you can practically hear Jennie cheering you on. He’s late anyway, and it will keep you busy until he arrives. You open the discovery tab and swipe left on a couple incomplete profiles. Most of the guys on here don’t put in any effort. How are you supposed to want to give any of them a chance when you don’t even get a tiny snapshot of who they are?

When you pass on yet another fish pic profile, a blue frame appears around the next guy in line. It takes a moment for your brain to register the name along with the duck-faced photo as someone familiar.

[Jungkook said: Your legs remind me of oreos 🥴 wanna know why?]

How fucking dare he? You match with the intent to ream him out and leave.

You: I told you not to fucking find me on here

It takes only a few seconds before you see the dots move on his end, like he was waiting for the moment you would answer, and it keeps you tethered to the conversation.

Jungkook: Princess!! I couldn’t help myself how are you

Jungkook: Surprised you didn’t block me

You: Don’t worry I’m gonna

Jungkook: it’s bc you wanna know huh

You: ???

Jungkook: Your legs

Jungkook: Like oreos

Jungkook: I wanna split them n lick the cream from the center 😜

Electricity rumbles in your gut, carrying heat and a surge of excitement to your cunt that threatens to flood your panties. You swallow hard and squeeze your thighs together as you stare at the screen. Embarrassed by the response his antics elicit, you scramble to formulate a coherent thought.

You: I wish I could unread 🤢

Jungkook: Aw but that’s one of my favorites

Jungkook: Just like you 😘

You: 🙄

You: I hate you so much

Jungkook: So much that you matched with me?

You stare at the message like a clever response will come to you and when it doesn’t you bite your lip. He’s got a point. Haven’t you learned your lesson not to encourage him? Your eyes scan the top of your phone for any notifications from Jason. Nothing. At least this is keeping you distracted. That’s what you tell yourself.

Jungkook: You’re still here which means 👀

You: It means I’m tired

Jungkook: Of?

You pause for a moment. Namjoon and Jennie can’t know how anxious you are about Jason. It’s the guy’s last strike with them and he hasn’t even met them yet. Jungkook, an impartial third party, might be able to lend an ear. As much as you don’t care what he thinks, you need an outlet for the anxiety in your chest. You start to draft a word-vomit. Jason has been so hesitant to see you in person again and now he’s late. Maybe if you just put it out there to someone you’ll feel better.

Jungkook: If you need to sleep how about a massage?

Jungkook: I’m good with my fingers 🥴

Stupid. In what universe could you confide in Jungkook? Deleting your word-vomit before you can send it, you start to type something else, but your thumb accidentally taps enter at the exact wrong moment.

You: You know what? I want you

FUCK. Goddamn you, sausage fingers.

You scramble to rewrite the sentence but Jungkook is quicker. He has to know it was an accident, but you’re still fucking mortified.

Jungkook: 😈

Jungkook: My place

Jungkook: Ten minutes

You: *to stay off my profile

Jungkook: 👉👌?

You: YOU KNOW I DIDN’T MEAN THAT

You: 🤢🤢🤢

Jungkook: 😩

Jungkook: Now you’re just playing games with me princess

Jungkook: Can’t say I mind just fuck me up 🥴

You: Don’t you have a princess to fuck in another castle? Maybe she can stroke your tiny ego

Jungkook: Ouch felt that from here

He goes quiet and you close the conversation out. Setting the phone down on the cushion beside you lasts all of two seconds. When your phone buzzes twice, you know better than to answer, yet you feel compelled to look.

Jungkook: Hey quick question

Jungkook: Is this the most you’ve used the app to talk with someone you like? 👻

Just like that you unmatch with him and take a moment to seethe. Distraction or no, he’s not worth the mental energy. He always seems to draw you in like a pretty little thirst trap and drain you of your sanity. Not engaging is the safest option so why do you always end up doing so? Maybe it’s that shitty little part of you that gets excited any time he shows you attention.

There’s a gullible girl within you; she sets your pulse on fire when he feigns even the slightest interest, fills your head with wind when he brushes against you, and floods your eyes with tears when he walks away. Still, she wants him to look at you, even if it means he’s really looking through you. You hate her. Why can’t she learn that you deserve better?

You check the time again and wince. Jason is really late now. Not even a text. Or a phone call. Maybe it’s traffic?

Try to relax. Nothing bad is going to happen. You’re going to have fun tonight.

You start up a game to take your mind off the options available to explain his absence. When you’re invested in a game you often lose track of time, but tonight you’re hyper-aware of every minute that passes. You bite at your freshly painted nails during loading screens, chipping the red from their edges. Sounding casual is difficult when you’re worried, but you attempt it anyway via text. It’s ten more agonizing minutes of waiting before your phone buzzes with an answer.

The controller drops to your lap and immediately tears begin to sprinkle your thighs with the manifestation of your heartache.

He forgot.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

An earthy scent fills Namjoon’s apartment as he carefully transfers the last of his plants to a bigger pot, filling in the edges of its roots with fresh soil and patting the edges down with care. His plants have needed this, maybe even more than he needs the mini hangout that will soon follow. The kitchen table is covered in dirt, but at least he’s almost done.

It’s not his fault Jungkook showed up earlier than expected. At least he’s quiet now. It’s been a while, but he’s finally stopped asking about how much longer it will take, so he must either be invested in the show he put on or asleep on the couch.

“Almost done,” Namjoon loudly announces. “Can you text Tae?”

“Kay.” Jungkook yawns as he stands and heads towards the bathroom. “Jin was already cooking when I left so it should be ready soon.”

“Good. I’m hungry,” Namjoon says, carefully transporting the plant to the desk in his bedroom.

As he’s on his way to clean up the mess on the table there’s a soft rapid knock at the front door. The moment he opens it and finds you standing before him, he knows something is wrong. Even the ratty hoodie covering your shoulders can’t hide the effort you’ve obviously put into your appearance tonight. While your makeup seems to have fared rather well, your eyes are red and your cheeks are puffy. His mind automatically assumes the worst about your second date and his jaw tightens.

“What happened? Did he hurt you?”

“He never showed.” You throw your arms around him and openly sob.

“Oh, Y/N…” His arms are around you in an instant, hugging you close while keeping his dirty fingers at bay.

You press your cheek against his chest, letting the tears fall freely. “I’m sorry. I know you probably have plans tonight, but I wanted to stop here—” You choke out a loud sob and wipe your nose with your sleeve as you look down at the floor. “I didn’t want to drive upset but you weren’t answering and I just—”

“Shit. Exam today. I left it on silent.” He pats his pocket to make sure it’s still there, wiping as much dirt as he can on his jeans before placing his hands on your shoulders. “Hey, it’s okay. Deep breaths.”

Jungkook emerges from the bathroom quietly with a furrowed brow and pursed lips. Did he hear your voice or is it his imagination? Unsure if you’re some wishful remnant of earlier texts, he peeks around the corner.

Heels: black, strappy heels with a velvety smooth red undersole. Has he ever seen you in heels? If he has, it’s never been something as flashy as these. His gaze travels up the smooth, exposed skin of your legs until it hits the hem of a skirt. The dark fabric seems a little short; it clings to your thighs, riding up as you embrace his friend. It’s hard not to notice how well it accents the curve of your hips and more importantly: your ass. He’s definitely never seen you in something so revealing, not even on nights where you’ve joined them for dancing.

He pauses for a fraction of a second, eyes trained on the swell of your ass before moving up to find the disappointing sight of your favorite hoodie barring much else from view. Namjoon’s arms outline your shape, but the places his hands rest are far too respectable to glean much else other than simple blueprints.

With his dick leading his steps, Jungkook opens his mouth to announce his presence with a joke. He means to selfishly steal a glimpse of your entire ensemble with some snarky comment but you choke out a sob and his stomach lurches to form a whirlpool of apprehension. His mouth remains open, but his words are swallowed back into the dark swirling pit that now wrenches his gut in circles.

Namjoon looks up just in time to read the confusion and shock on his features. He shakes his head and cups yours against his chest, wordlessly signaling Jungkook to keep quiet.

“Is there anything I can do? Do you wanna talk about it?” Namjoon asks, hoping you don’t see the man behind you slowly backing away like he’s just approached a rabid animal.

You’re sobbing. Why are you sobbing? What happened? Was it what he said before you unmatched? Jungkook tiptoes back into the kitchen without a word. He leans against the counter and shoves his hands in his coat pockets, trying to piece everything together. Did he cause this?

You screw your eyes shut to try to keep the tears inside. It’s no use. They always seem to find a way out. “He didn’t show up and when I texted him, he… he said he forgot."

“What?"

“I thought it would be good after the arcade date, you know? Like, good chemistry. He’s weird. I like him! He seemed interested and we made these plans and he just—” you choke out another loud sob. “God. Am I really so fucking forgettable?”

You wanted your friends to be wrong so badly that you ignored the fact that it’s been like pulling teeth trying to get Jason to meet up again. For him to forget completely is like a kick to the face that leaves all the teeth intact, maybe a little bloody, but stubbornly intact.

“Y/N, no. It’s not your fault. You deserve better than this fucking guy.”

Jungkook swallows hard. This definitely doesn’t feel like a conversation he should be hearing, but it’s loud enough to carry through the entire apartment. Kitchen, bedroom, or bathroom: his options are limited, but he knows there’s nowhere to go to pretend like he can’t hear it. It’s not like he can just walk out the front door now.

“Do I? It’s seems like a fucking pattern, Joon. I fall for people so easily and they always make me feel like an idiot for trying. Donghyun. Seojun. Jason. Jungkook… It doesn’t matter. No one fucking wants me.”

Jungkook tenses. He may not know all the names on your list, but his is among them all the same. Has he really hurt you so much?

“Hey… Don’t think like that,” Namjoon says, his voice soft as he rubs your back. “You know your worth, and it’s not measured by how well someone else can see it.”

Every time you think you’re done crying, fresh tears begin to roll down your cheeks. “I’m tired, Joonie.”

“I know. I’m sorry. We'll get you home."

As you step back to look at him your ankle rolls, and you begin to fall. Hearing the scuffle, Jungkook winces and peeks around the corner. Namjoon has a good enough grip to stop you from fully tumbling to the floor, but you’re definitely not stable by any means.

Although you now face Jungkook, you’re too distracted by your ankle to notice the extra pair of eyes on you. He allows himself to stupidly linger within your line of sight, raking his gaze across your form to take in the details of your attire, right down to your choice of earrings. Even with a red nose and puffy, smudged eyes, the time you’ve spent on your appearance remains evident.

You did all that for some guy who didn’t even show? If that’s how you dress for your dates then his innocent perception of you is completely wrong. What kind of moron would pass up the opportunity to peel you out of that dress and dive into your cunt? You look incredible. What the fuck.

"God. Shit. Fuck! Fucking stupid heels!” You huff out your exasperation and let a small pitiful laugh pass your lips as you right your stance with Namjoon’s help. “You know, I spent hours getting ready and now I just look stupid. I feel stupid.”

“You don’t. You’re not,” Namjoon insists, his palm squeezing your shoulder.

“Namjoon, I shaved my entire body. Do you know how long that took?”

Jungkook forces himself to withdraw into the kitchen. If you see him now you might murder him. He purses his lips into a thin line and tightens his grip around his arms. In an instant he imagines hiking your dress above your hips and parting your legs so he might brush his cheek against the smooth expanse of your thigh all the way to your core. Are your panties as slutty as your dress? Are they cute? Lacy? Plain?

“Geeksquad…” Namjoon sighs loudly. “I really don’t need to know— Hold up. Wasn’t this the second date?”

“Are you slutshaming me?” The tired laugh that follows sounds more like you, but it still hurts his heart. “I’m stepping up my game.”

“Nah. You do you,” he says, a soft smile on his lips that’s obviously full of pity. “You want to stay and get some food? I think I have some sweats you can change into.”

Tires screech in Jungkook’s mind. Is he going to be trapped here for the night? Without dinner? What kind of karmic torture is the universe putting him through?

“No, I’m sorry,” you sniffle, wiping your face with the sleeves of your sweater. “Jennie wants me to come over but I—I didn’t think I could make it with having a full meltdown. You were on the way.”

“No need to apologize.” He pulls you into another tight hug. “Do you want me to walk you back to your car?”

“No, no it’s fine. I’m right in front. Thanks, Joonie.” Your phone begins to buzz in your hoodie pocket. You pull back and wave it at him, already on your way to the door. “It’s like she knew. I’ll talk to her on the way. Thank you for listening to me cry for the millionth time.”

“Always. Text me when you get there, okay?”

“Will do, mom,” you tease with a soft laugh.

“Zip up your hoodie.”

You grimace at him with narrowed eyes but heed his advice on your way out. You also pull your skirt down as far down your thighs as it will reach. Men are gross and you trust virtually none of them.

Jungkook waits until he hears the click of the lock on the door to breathe a loud sigh of relief. Namjoon rubs the back of his neck and stares at the door. He worries about you.

“Yikes. That Jason guy is a dick huh?”

Namjoon swivels on his heels and rounds on his friend. “Like you were so much better to her?”

Jungkook casts his gaze to the floor. “I didn’t stand her up.”

Even he knows that argument is flimsy.

“Guk.”

“It was always just a joke.”

“It’s not though. She really liked you, man. I asked you not to mess with her.”

Memories have warped Jungkook into a jaded man: untrusting although not uncaring. Guilt is the only thing churning in his stomach as he thinks of you. He never expected to genuinely hurt you. Somehow things twisted into a gnarled mess that never really felt like more than a playful game of tug-of-war. But these kinds of games only work when the people involved know that they’re playing. It’s shitty when one pulls another into the mud when they’ve never agreed to participate.

Faced with the reality of how you consider him now, it dawns on him that he’s dragged you into the mud face-first without even the slightest resistance. You’ve stood up and you’ve even yanked the rope in retaliation, but you never should’ve been in the mud in the first place. Regardless of his own emotional ineptitude, he knows you never deserved that humiliation. No one does. The weight of his actions sits heavy in his gut.

Still he tries to justify himself. “All I do now is make pass after pass and she’s the one who turns me down.”

“You said it earlier yourself,” Namjoon sneers, irritated by his friend’s immaturity. “It’s always a joke. You’re never serious and she knows it. Look, you don’t have to like her back. She’s my friend and so are you. Just don’t lead her on and stop with the mind games. Be honest with her. The least you can do is apologize for being a dick.”

“That’s— I feel like… I don’t know how.”

Jungkook can’t bring himself to tell him of your conversation earlier tonight. It just adds to the guilt piling on his conscience. Namjoon used his own words against him and the worst part is it makes sense. It’s so much easier when it’s a stranger at a bar or a random encounter at a club, but you’re neither of those things. He lumped you into that category all the same.

Namjoon clicks his tongue and puts an arm around Jungkook’s back. “Starting with ‘I’m sorry’ can go a long way. She’s a good person and I know you guys can get along. Things were going well until you made that bet, right?”

Jungkook opens his mouth to speak and then closes it. “Mmm.”

“Not every girl is a Jiseo, Jungkook.”

“Yeah.”

“I think…” Namjoon sighs and shakes his head. “I don’t know. Can you try to just... tone it down? Maybe try to patch things up?”

“Okay.” Jungkook’s brow furrows and he chews his lip as he mulls over Namjoon’s words. He reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out his keys. “You ready?”

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

Your head dips forward as your fingers glide across the keys. It's hard to concentrate on your task when you're this distracted by your own thoughts. You stare at the monitor with furrowed brows. Namjoon grabs the back of your chair and leans forward to tower over you.

"Went that well, huh? Did he blow the second chance he didn’t deserve?"

The motion jerks you backwards and you grip the armrests of the chair to steady yourself. Despite your best attempt to curb the irritation in your expression, your frustration remains apparent. You sit back and tilt your head up to look at him, trying to think of something to say, some excuse to not reinforce the "told you so" waiting in your future, not after you showed up at his apartment sounding like a dying whale a few days before. When no ideas come to your immediate aid, you click your tongue and let out a heavy sigh as you turn your attention back to the screen.

"Geeksquad," he presses. "Talk to me."

You exhale through your nose and briefly purse your lips before obliging his plea. The words are quick and quiet so you don't run the risk of bawling your eyes out again. "He canceled.”

Namjoon steps back and the pressure on your seat is gone. He places a large palm on your shoulder. "I'm sorry. Do you want to talk about it?"

Despite wanting to give the opposite answer, you shake your head. You don't trust yourself to speak, but you'd like to tell him. He's clever and you know he'll likely find a way to get it out of you with minimal effort anyway. Still, you don’t think you can manage the words without crying like a baby and you don’t want to do that when the morning has only just begun. Silence falls between the two of you as he gives you time to decide if you want to open up.

After a moment of tapping away you finally give in. You know you’ll feel better after you cry.

"He said he had to stay behind and help do clean-up for the party he was at. And that’s nice and all, but we had plans. I feel crazy. I should be glad that he’s so kind, right? Like that shows he’s a good person, right?” Your voice has cracked but it hasn’t quite broken.

He sighs and flops in the chair on the other side of his desk. “Y/N… I think you’re asking me for answers you already know.”

“But tell me anyway,” you press, tears welling in your eyes. “Our first date went so well. So why-y-” Your voice breaks.

“Hey.” He reaches across the desk and brushes his fingers against your arm. “I know you want me to help you make excuses for him... But you deserve someone who values your time. Clearly he’s just looking to waste it.”

“But—”

“Y/N, you don’t need someone like that. If this is what he’s like before you’re even together, then what kind of effort is he really going to put into a potential relationship? Not enough. There are so many people out there, people that would trip over themselves just to have the chance to be with you. I know you don’t want to hear it, but I think it’s a mistake that you even gave him another shot. He blew it. Twice. Delete his number. Forget him.”

“I know,” you croak. Tears fall from your eyes and you quickly swipe them away, focusing on the task at hand.

Namjoon is right and you know it, but you’re kind of irritated about it. You know it’s not really him you’re mad at, but Namjoon is a good enough placeholder while you try to sort through your hurt feelings.

You muster your most monotone voice as you stand. “I updated your drivers and deleted any cached files that might have been causing issues. Is that all?”

“Don’t be mad at me,” he pleads, rising to block your path as you step towards the door. “You have a big heart and I hate seeing it stepped on.”

In a matter of seconds you melt into his embrace and bury your face into his shirt. “I hate how fast I like people.”

“I know.” He pets the back of your head softly and squishes you against his chest. “It’s gonna be okay. How about udon later? My treat?”

“With beef?” you ask with a sniffle.

“With beef,” he agrees.

“Gyoza?”

“Mhm.”

“And takoyaki?”

“...You’re pushing it.”

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

You slide the appetizer tray across the table towards Namjoon. “Here.”

He shovels a dumping into his mouth right before he speaks. “I could eat this every day for the rest of my life.”

“Could you afford it though?” you tease, taking a sip from the bottle of saké and crinkling your nose at it before passing it to him.

“Not if you’re joining me,” he snorts. “You’re supposed to pour it.”

“No, thanks.” You push the tiny glass full of liquid back towards him.

"Wow. Are you guys on a date?"

You know the source of the voice before you even crane your neck to see Jungkook.

"Pfft." Namjoon waves the question off with a deep laugh.

Despite finding the scenario of ever dating Namjoon absolutely absurd, you can’t help but feel a little insulted by the volume of his laughter. Namjoon’s hangout night was supposed to take your mind off of how unwanted Jason made you feel. Instead, the pit of insecurity within your stomach grows into a thick, tangled brush of hostility. Is being seen with you really so laughable?

“Why would we be?” you snap, turning your attention back to your bowl.

Heat settles in your face and you purse your lips, not daring to look at either of them. You try to wrangle some noodles to shovel in your mouth before you can say something stupid. Their eyes are on you. Jungkook is definitely confused but not alarmed by your hostility. It’s something he’s grown accustomed to. But Namjoon knows when he hurts your feelings, every time, and it’s easy enough to disarm your irritability.

“She’s way too good for a mess like me,” Namjoon says with a light laugh.

“Why are you here?” you ask, tone already softer than before.

"Post-work snackie," he answers, all too cheery for your sour mood. “Came for the noods. Mind if I join?”

He looks to the rosy-cheeked Namjoon for his answer, as you set your hoodie and purse down in the space beside you to give him yours. Namjoon betrays you by scooting over to make room on his side of the booth. You’d mentioned to him before that you’d eventually like to fix things with Jungkook, to somehow make steps for peace. But you only have so much mental energy left to give today.

“Not tonight, Jungkook,” you plead with a sigh.

The frustration in that puff of breath is enough to make Jungkook hesitate. He blinks a few times, wide-eyed. “What?”

“I just… can’t handle your bullshit tonight.”

Jungkook tries to break the uncomfortable tension with a grin. “No bullshit tonight. Promise.”

“No.” Your answer is firm and somehow so fragile that it makes both men worry their brows in the same fashion. “Please, just go away.”

He shoves his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket and takes a few steps back. He doesn’t know what to make of your demeanor, but he can put enough together to know the basics. You’re upset, maybe not at him for once. However unlikely, that’d be a blessing. Maybe you’re still upset about that guy that stood you up a few days ago. If that’s the case, he probably shouldn’t stick around and risk letting on how much he knows about that.

He tongues the side of his cheek and nods, forcing a smile to his face. “Alright. I’ll just order it to go. Planned on that anyway. Catch you later.”

Guilt wracks your nerves as he walks away. The moment you look back at Namjoon, you’re faced with a wall of disappointment that threatens to topple the scale of decision-making in Jungkook’s favor.

“You’re judging me for that,” you mumble. The noodles between your chopsticks slip back into the broth.

“Little bit,” Namjoon admits, watching his friend sulk over to the entrance waitstaff. “You know he told me he’s trying to be nicer to you.”

“What? When?”

“The other day. We hung out.”

He keeps his answers short and ambiguous, hoping your curiosity has been piqued. Maybe this is the golden opportunity he’s been hoping for to patch your friendship.

“Was this before or after he harassed me on Tinder?”

Namjoon’s heart sinks into his butt. Of course Jungkook would make reconciliation harder than it needs to be. “When did he do that?”

“That night I showed up at your apartment like a big crybaby.”

“I went over his place for dinner after you left. Jin wanted to try a new recipe out on us.” That seems to at least make you pause.

“You guys talked about me?”

“Yup.” He goes back to chewing his food, knowing he’s got you hooked.

Your incredulous stare does nothing to pull information past his lips. “Joonie. What did you say about me? What did he say?”

“Mmm?” He slurps up a long noodle. “A lot of things. But they’re not really my words to tell.”

“No one likes clickbait, Joon.”

“Look, all I’m saying is that he told me that he wants to fix things. If you want specifics, maybe we can invite him to come eat with us. It might be easier for the both of you to talk about it over good food.”

You sigh, seriously considering his words even as you shake your head. “Joon, I’m already emotionally compromised. I really don’t want to cry in front of Jungkook tonight.”

“Why would you cry? This is a night for good things only. Namjoon-approved and protected. You don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to... I just thought it might be nice to make some good memories with good friends.”

You roll your eyes but hold your pinky out for him. “Fine. But this is Joonie-Y/N time. You’re cutting into that allotted time slot, you know that right?”

Namjoon rests his elbow on the table, preparing to pinky swear to whatever you’re about to suggest. “Conditions?”

“He sits next to you, he doesn’t make fun of me if I cry, and…. he doesn’t get to talk.”

“Y/N.”

“Fiiiiine. He can talk. But he better be as nice as you say he’s trying to be.”

“We allowed to talk about Jason?”

“If it comes up…” you sigh. “You know, if he’s mean to me and I cry then you have to deal with it.”

He clasps his long pinky around yours. “Deal. But with how all that just went down, you gotta go tell him to come back. He won’t believe me if I do it.”

“Don’t let him be mean to me,” you plead, tightening your grip on his pinky and locking eyes with him. “Good vibes only.”

“He won’t be mean. Good vibes only.” Namjoon nods with a soft smile. “He really is a good person where it counts, Y/N.”

You push your things aside and force yourself to find Jungkook. He’s leaning against a wall near the entrance, scrolling through his phone while he waits for his order. You quietly request to your waitress that you’d like his food brought to your table. She’s nice enough about it, but your stomach churns regardless. It’s the anxiety.

You gingerly poke a finger against his shoulder as you approach. “Um. Hey.”

He seems startled at first, but smiles when he realizes it’s you. “Hmm?”

You take a deep quiet inhale, trying your best not to get lost in the butterflies his charming smile conjures in your gut. You try to tell yourself it’s anxiety and nothing more. Apologies are hard and scary. That’s all.

“I’m… sorry for being rude. I’ve had a rough week but I shouldn’t take it out on you. Come eat with us, please. Namjoon’s buying anyway.”

His eyes seem to light up with surprise and a warm smile deepens the creases around his eyes and mouth. The hope that these feelings of attraction would evaporate with time is a flame swiftly snuffed out and replaced with a burning heartache that deems denial useless. Even now, pangs of infatuation lurk below your feelings of disdain, breaking the tension of its surface with each beat of your heart.

“It’s okay,” he reassures you. “I shouldn’t have invited myself when I saw you guys. I should really get home and shower anyway.”

He looks so clean that you’d assumed he’d already showered. It’s not like you can smell him from where you stand. Maybe he’s lying, but at least you get the sense it’s coming from a place of politeness.

“Jungkook, I want you to come eat with us. Besides Namjoon wants someone to drink saké with him and I cannot keep doing it.”

“I see.” He offers a small laugh and rubs the back of his neck. “Are you sure? You seemed pretty against it before. What changed?”

“Namjoon told me you’re trying to be less of an asshole to me.”

“Did he?” he licks his lips and tries to hide his pleased smile. “I’m surprised you believe him.”

“He also promised me I could punch you in the dick if you make me cry,” you lie, completely stone-faced.

If he knows that’s a falsified statement, he doesn’t say anything. He looks past your shoulder to quirk a brow at Namjoon, who appears to be furiously texting at the table. Jungkook’s phone buzzes a few times against his palm and he’s fairly sure he already knows who it is.

“Come on. I already asked them to bring your food to the table.”

He reads Namjoon’s messages as he trails behind you.

NAMJOON: If you seriously want to apologize stick around, make her laugh, just listen when you need to

JUNGKOOK: Don’t worry

JUNGKOOK: I got u

Before Namjoon can send a text saying that Jungkook's response has the opposite effect, you’re peeking across the table, trying to get a glance at the screen.

“Who’s that?” you wonder. Namjoon’s not usually one to be so secretive with his texts.

“Hmm?” he raises his eyebrows at you and pours you a shot. “Stupid. Don’t worry about it.”

“Ha. Haha. Ha.” You gesture at your face. “You say to the girl with anxiety.”

Crinkling your nose at the glass he offers, you slide it across to Jungkook as he settles in next to Namjoon. “Here. I’m done drinking that stuff tonight.”

He regards it with a quirked brow. Something about your demeanor really has changed, but looking between you and Namjoon does nothing to answer the question of what that may be.

“Okay, so on reddit this guy was reaching. He’s going on about the symbolism in the red scarf—”

Your eyes gloss over the moment he mentions reddit. Is there anything you care less about than Joon’s favorite modern literary discussion threads?

“Got it. Not worrying about it,” you interrupt, bringing your bowl to your lips to slurp some of the broth.

Jungkook hides his smirk by throwing his head back to drink his shot. Namjoon is a genius. It might be scary if he ever decided to use his intellect for nefarious purposes. Lucky for the universe he uses it to protect others, like a real superhero would.

As the three of you dine together, you’re surprised to find that Jungkook isn’t being as annoying as he usually is. In fact, it seems the more he drinks outside of any competitive setting, the more affable he becomes. Maybe there’s something to Namjoon’s clickbaity words. He’s almost the person you remember meeting before the Halloween Party, maybe even more pleasant.

You’re grateful when the two of them start telling embarrassing stories so you can listen and laugh at the way they slur their words and interrupt each other. Laughter makes your heart feel light and full, and brave enough to take the last step to prove to yourself you’re done chasing Jason. As the two men fight over the last piece of gyoza and distract themselves over dessert, you quietly decide to clear your text messages from Jason. Your finger hovers over the delete icon for a second before purging his contact information from your device entirely.

It’s freeing to not have to worry about what you should send him. It’s frustrating to have tried so hard for so long and have nothing to show for it, but at least there will be no conversation history to pick apart anymore. It should feel perfect. That will definitely show him, right? You don’t have to reflect for more than a couple seconds to reinforce the memory of how little he actually reached out on his own.

He still has your number. The only time he ever called was on your first date. He never texted you unless you spoke first. He probably won’t even notice you’re gone. He’s probably relieved he won’t have to answer you anymore. He probably thinks you’re desperate for trying for so long. You don’t realize how well you wear your anxiety.

When you look up Jungkook is watching you while he chews with his mouth wide open. “Hey, why do-” He hiccups and swallows. “Why do you look so sad? You should have some ice cream.”

He scans the table for something to offer you, but he can’t seem to find what he’s looking for in his drunken stupor. After a few seconds his eyes finally land on his own plate where the other half of his red-bean cake sits.

“Do you want my taiyaki?” He holds the tail end of the fish-shaped cake out to you. “It’s really good!”

You can’t help but laugh at the unexpected sweet absurdity of the night. “Jungkook, I don’t want your half-eaten cake.”

He frowns and looks at the pastry. “Is it because I bit it? I’ll break off that part for you if you don’t want your mouth to touch that.”

Although Jungkook definitely is more drunk than Namjoon right now, the older man can’t help but be amazed by how well this is going. He loads up on green tea ice cream and digs his spoon in it. He shouldn’t have been so worried. Jungkook can put away the act when he wants to, especially once alcohol is involved and there’s nothing to prove. You guys are actually getting along. What a relief.

“No, really it’s okay.” You laugh.

Jungkook is already breaking the pastry apart in his hand, watching as it crumbles to pieces on his plate. He blinks a couple times and closes his mouth in a frown.

“I thought that would work.” He sounds utterly defeated.

The waitress walks over just in time to watch Namjoon stick a heaping spoonful of wasabi in his mouth. You're too busy laughing at Jungkook's forlorn expression to notice the way Namjoon's eyes water. His eyes drop to the ice cream he thought he shoveled into his mouth. Right next to the pristine, untouched scoop of green tea ice cream, he finds his spoon resting in the hunk of wasabi adjacent to it. He should really pay attention more. He pushes against Jungkook's side and motions that he needs to get up. The younger man spares a glance his way but Namjoon waves him off while mumbling something about the bathroom.

The waitress tries to keep her composure and looks between the pair of you. "How is everything?"

"Great! Could you please bring us some water?" you ask in your sweetest voice, realizing the two men with you should at least try to start sobering up.

You expected to have Namjoon crashing on your couch on a Friday night, or at least be dropping him off down the hall at Hobi’s place. Jungkook was not part of the plan, but you can’t exactly let him drive home inebriated. You know he’s not your responsibility but you’d feel guilty making him call for a ride home when you’re perfectly capable.

Although you hate to admit it, you’ve had fun tonight. If you’re being honest with yourself you’d like to see what he’s like without Namjoon nearby to police his moves. He’s been nice enough, but you want to know for sure this isn’t an act. You want to ask him if he’s made another bet, or playing some game since he hasn’t hit on you all night. Before you can get your line of questions in order, Jungkook turns to the server with large, pleading eyes.

"Oh! Can you bring some more dessert, please?"

He may be a grown ass man capable of charming the pants off of women everywhere, but right now he is little more than a child begging for seconds. Regardless of everything he's done, your heart softens, endeared and embarrassed by his drunken request to your server.

The waitress nods. "Sure, what would you like?"

His eyes fall to you for an answer. "What do you like?"

You blink at him. "Me? I thought this was for you."

He nods. "Mm. We can split it."

"Um, how about... tempura?"

"Banana?"

Jungkook’s voice is full of anticipation and his upturned eyebrows seem to bargain for agreement. It’s so hard to believe this is the same man who has been so cold to you for so long when he seems so open and warm now. You remind yourself it’s probably the alcohol. It’s probably some secret promise to Namjoon. Some bet with Hobi. Some game he’s playing. It’s probably anything other than what your dumb crush-stupefied heart wants it to be.

The waitress looks to you for approval and you give a nod. "Sure. Banana tempura."

The waitress awkwardly smiles as she gathers the empty platters and gives you a chance to break away from his endearingly drunken face. He smiles across the table at you and wrings his hands while you pick up your phone to check on those nonexistent messages. Maybe if you distract yourself enough you can ignore the feelings that are catching up to you tonight.

“Thank you for inviting me back over,” he says, reaching to the nearly empty bottle of saké to pour himself another shot. “I’ve... been wanting to talk to you."

"I’m surprised you didn’t blow up my phone.” It’s supposed to be a joke, but there’s a harshness in your tone that exposes a venomous bite beneath it.

He downs the shot and plants his elbows on the table, leaning forward on them. "I wanted to say it to your face."

“Oh, really?”

You don’t allow yourself to entertain the idea that he’s about to say anything groundbreaking, but you look away from your phone to meet those dark, twinkling eyes. Suddenly there’s hope in your gut. You’re desperate to put some distance between the feelings jumping to the surface.

“I’ve been a dick.”

“No shit.”

Though the fog of alcohol consumes his apology, his eyes focus on you with clarity. “I’m sorry.”

How long have you waited to hear those words? You never really thought about what you might say in response. His apology sits in the air between you for a moment before he speaks again.

“I’m really sorry. Namjoon is right. I am trying to be less of an asshole to you. We don’t…” he catches himself, “I don’t have a lot of close friends who are women.”

“You don’t say.”

That seems to cut through the fog. He hangs his head and focuses his gaze on the table.

“I never wanted to hurt your feelings.”

“Well, you did,” you mumble.

“I know... I’m sorry.” It’s like now that he’s said it once, he can’t stop saying it. He’s not sure how to make you understand. Maybe you do understand and you just won’t forgive him. Can he really blame you for that?

“Why?” you question; it’s the last barrier protecting your heart, the only thing keeping you from caving. “Why do you care now?”

Jungkook’s head lolls to one side as he sits back against his seat and stares at the nearly empty bottle of saké. “I don’t know. I guess I was thinking… I wish I had a save to reload. Before I messed up.”

It seems that’s the best you’re going to get out of him right now. The waitress sets down a beautiful platter of banana tempura meticulously arranged around a simple mound of ice cream, topped with a single cherry and drizzled with decorative chocolate. She places three waters on the table and you both take a moment to politely force smiles and pause your conversation.

He licks his lips and stares down at the plate and then back up at you. “Can we start over?”

“Depends. Are you gonna go back to being a dick when you’re not drunk anymore?”

“No, no. I mean it. I wanna try to be friends.”

“For real?” You swipe the cherry, pop it in your mouth and tilt your head to regard him. You can’t let yourself fully believe him. You want to. The earnestness in his drunken features charms you, but you hold onto a shred of disbelief as a crutch. You’ll wait for the moment he reverts. Hopefully this time you’ll be prepared for the whiplash that comes along with it.

“For real.”

You reflect on his apology as the pair of you dig into the dessert. “Maybe. Prove it.”

He perks up. He’ll take a maybe. Maybe means the damage he’s done might not be irreparable. The guilt weighing on his conscience feels lighter. It’s a start.

“I will. I’ll find some way to make it up to you.”

You roll your eyes, unwilling to put stock in his words. “Is this another bet with Hobi? About how quickly you can make me forgive you?”

Jungkook shakes his head furiously, wisps of wild black hair whipping his cheeks. “No, I mean it. I promise.”

You drag your lip through your teeth as you teeter on the line of acceptance. “What is a promise from a liar worth?”

He drops the flat of his palm to the table and he pouts. “Hey. I mean it…. Hm. If I break my promise…” His eyes scan the table for anything he can use to change your mind. He looks at his arm pressed against the table and then back at you. “You can choose my next tattoo.”

Your eyebrows rise into your hairline. “Really.”

He eagerly nods. “I’ll get whatever you want wherever you want. Just. Not my face.”

“I want that in writing,” you snort.

Jungkook glances around the table and pulls a napkin from under the plate of tempura. “Do you have a pen?”

“Jungkook, you don’t have to—”

“I’m serious.” He’s not taking no for an answer.

You shake your head and rummage through your purse to supply him with a pen. He smooths out the napkin he’s chosen to use as a conduit for his promise. When he’s finished writing he slides it towards you.

Princess

I’m sorry. I can make it right.

I promise. Please give me another chance.

If I blow it you can choose what & where my next tattoo goes.

As long as it’s not my face. Let’s be friends? #promise.com ♡ Jungkook

Of course he signed it with a heart. Despite his inebriation, his handwriting is still neat. Well, that’s one hell of a promise.

“Okay.” You fold the note and drop it into your purse. “We can try.”

His face lights up as he stuffs a piece of tempura into his mouth, happily chomping with his mouth wide open. He reaches for the saké but you slide a water in front of him instead.

“Friends don’t let friends get totally shitfaced at Hajime.”

He frowns at you but seems to accept your answer with a pout.

“Speaking of which… Where is Namjoon?” You crane your neck to look around the restaurant.

“Friday noodle nights common for you guys?” Jungkook asks, digging into the dessert between massive gulps of water.

“No, not really. We’re usually watching movies at my place or hanging with Hobi. But Namjoon wanted to take me out because I was sad,” you say, finally catching sight of your friend on the other side of the bar.

Jungkook’s chewing slows and he regards you with furrowed brows. “Sad?”

Before you can decide how you want to answer, Namjoon is scooting into the booth next to Jungkook and reaching for a piece of tempura. “Mmmm. What did I miss?”

“Y/N was telling me why she’s sad.”

Namjoon nods like he understands exactly what you’ve been talking about. “He’s a dick, right? Like how do you even stand someone up, not once, but twice? Makes no sense.”

“Joonie—”

“And I know what you’re gonna say, but I disagree. It has nothing to do with you or how you look, Y/N. You don’t need to workout like a maniac to try to change anything. Especially not for someone like Jason. I can’t even imagine—”

“Joon.” You click your tongue and slide a glass of water in front of him. “Please, shut the fuck up.”

As you glare at him, he looks at you with raised brows and wide eyes. Unsure what to do now that he’s obviously fubared the conversation, he casts his guilty gaze to his cup and brings it to his lips.

Jungkook stares at you with furrowed brows, trying to wait to let you fill in the blanks even though he’s itching to ask about everything. He picks another piece of tempura and stuffs it into his mouth, but when you remain silent the impulse to pry takes over. “Jason?”

“He stood me up…” you start, but you close your mouth when you realize you’re going to try to defend him. Your throat feels full, like you can’t get enough air through with a giant knot in it like this. You have to whisper so your voice doesn’t crack. “Twice.”

The couple drinking at the table nearby becomes a much more interesting place to rest your eyes than the two men across from you. Tightening your jaw doesn’t prevent the gloss from coating your eyes. Thinking about it makes you feel so stupid and desperate. Bending over backwards a thousand different ways to accommodate him couldn’t convince him to put in even a minimal amount of effort one time.

Jungkook’s eyebrows shoot up in genuine surprise. “Twice?”

The hurt you feel in your chest scorches your cheeks until anger is filling your head like a teakettle ready to release an unhealthy amount of steam right in Jungkook’s face.

“That’s what I get for giving people second chances,” you snap as you focus back on him.

Joon says your name like it’s a warning but you don’t need it. You feel guilty enough for projecting your anger onto Jungkook with a petty one-liner.

“Sorry. It’s not your fault. I just…” Your throat closes around the rest of the words.

Before an uncomfortable silence can settle over the table, Namjoon inches the bottle of saké with his fingertips until it’s in front of him. “Dating is tricky. Jason sucks. It sucks that he hurt you. But you don’t have to twist yourself into whatever you think he wants anymore. And that…” He pours the pitiful remainder of alcohol into a shot glass and slides it towards you.“...is worth celebrating.”

Jungkook silently nods his head in agreement. It’s obvious you’re on the verge of tears and he doesn’t want to be the thing that pushes you over the edge.

A soft smile curls the corners of your mouth. “That’s true, but…” you slide the glass back towards him and steal the last of the banana tempura. “I can celebrate back at my apartment. Finish your water so you’ll be awake enough to join me. Both of you.”

Jungkook perks up and happily reaches for his water while Namjoon gives you a proud, yet confused look. It seems like a new start to something. What that is remains to be seen.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

Jungkook watches intently as the colors of the city shine through the windows. He runs his fingers over the soft blanket you keep in the backseat, mouthing the words to the song softly playing from your dashboard. Namjoon has been talking nonstop from the passenger seat, which is fine with Jungkook since he’s feeling a little tired. The last session of the day was a bit more intense than intended, but the client left happy and covered in sweat. A success. But Jungkook is sore and exhausted. Physically and socially.

A sense of relief floods him at the memory of his conversation with you. Things may actually be okay from here. Who would have thought crashing your noodle night with Namjoon could have yielded such results?

His head bobs to the music as his eyes wander across the scenery outside until he grows bored and they drift to the interior of your car. A graduation tassel swings from your rearview mirror as you turn. He follows the movement of the tassel when it swings towards you and his eyes land on your face, or at least what he can see of it from this angle.

You look focused and calm while conversing with Namjoon but your posture is a bit rigid and your hands remain planted on the steering wheel in complete control. There’s something about this candid snapshot of your persona that puts him at ease. Your voice is a soft contrast to Namjoon’s, but equally enthusiastic.

He tilts his head as he leans back in his seat, pulling the blanket over his lap and twisting the fabric around his palm. Your eyes flicker in the rearview mirror, catching his. He gives a tiny wave and rests his head against the cushion, fighting the temptation to close his eyelids for longer than a second. The more he listens to you laugh, the more he finds himself smiling. It’s goofy.

It’s also kind of cute.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

Jungkook is surprised when Yoongi answers your knock; he thought he would be asleep. He’s even more surprised when you make yourself at home on his couch and guilt him with a puppy dog pout to make you a drink, and he complies. When Jungkook asks the same, Yoongi tells him there’s beer in the fridge while measuring out the ingredients for your cocktail. The suspicious sour ache of jealousy stabs his gut as he moseys to the fridge but he quickly shakes it off, settling on the floor in front of the tv with a beer in hand.

After a couple hours of drinking, laughing, and playing Jackbox games with the three men, you’re feeling much better about everything. Life is good. Friends are good. Alcohol is very good.

It doesn’t take much to get you drunk. You’re about as much of a lightweight as Hobi and for better or worse everyone has come to know that fact. What’s nice about drinking in Yoongi’s apartment is that you don’t have to walk very far to get home. Things don’t get awkward with the three of them together; it’s actually kind of nice, like a mini Saturday night pregame.

Soon Namjoon and Yoongi are snoring on the couch with a movie playing in the background while you stand in the kitchen with Jungkook. He pours another drink for himself, though he knows it will mostly likely remain unfinished. Tomorrow may bring a massive hangover, but tonight has been surprisingly pleasant. He feels like he’s finally on okay footing with you, maybe even on the road to serious repair. Amazing how well you get along when inhibitions are replaced by inebriation. If that’s what it takes, he’s determined to keep it up.

As he turns his back to place the liquor bottle in the cabinet by the fridge, you swipe a sip of the drink he’s concocted. He spins around in time to see you wrinkle your nose and stick your tongue out.

“Hey, that’s mine!” he pouts.

“Blegh. You can have it. Yuck!” Your face screws up again at the aftertaste.

He drunkenly giggles as he slides the drink closer to him. “What, don’t like sour?”

“Too sour!” You reach for the water bottle Yoongi gave you hours ago and attempt to rinse the puckering sensation from your mouth.

Amused, he tilts his head and watches you take gulp after gulp. He purses his lips and holds back the comment itching to escape, deciding to enjoy a sip of his drink instead. You shimmy out of your hoodie and tie it around your waist and his eyes lazily follow the motion of your arms, noting a slight difference in their musculature. Some errant thought about their shape leads him back to an earlier unaddressed comment that he’s finally comfortable enough to prod you about.

“What kind of workouts are you doing?” he blurts.

Suddenly you feel very exposed. You straighten in your seat and suck in your gut, hyper aware of every imperfection of your body on display to someone so in shape. You immediately begin to fidget with the sleeves of the hoodie you just tied around your waist.

“You don’t have to tell me. I just—” he pauses, exhaling a small breath and looking down at his drink as though he’s wary of continuing the thought.

“No, no it’s fine,” you assure him, too curious to say otherwise. “What is it?”

“When Namjoon said…” he sighs and takes a sip, smacking his lips and licking them before looking back to you. “I thought maybe I can prove myself to you by helping you come up with a plan.”

“You don’t have to do that.” You plant an elbow on the counter and lean on it.

“I want to,” he insists, reaching out for your arm.

His hand is like fire engulfing your skin and your eyelids flutter at the sensation. Instinctively you place a hand over his and rub your thumb anxiously over it. He looks down to where your thumb grazes his knuckles and then back up to your face with a surprised smile.

“Um… Everything,” you say, trying to sound as vague and nonchalant as possible so he doesn’t judge you for your lack of knowledge.

“Like, full body?”

“Uh...” You’ve managed to make a habit of going to his gym a few days a week while successfully avoiding him, but it seems that time is coming to an end. “I… machine.”

“Oh. Like at a gym? Did you join one?” He seems genuinely curious.

“Um, yeah.” Suddenly you pull your hand back when you realize the speed at which your thumb is moving.

“Which one?”

The more you say, the more suspicious you seem, but is saying less any better? Jungkook rests his elbow on the counter and simply looks at you but you don’t look back. A slow smile spreads his lips as the possibility dawns on him.

“Princess… Did you join Iron Kingdom?”

You puff your cheeks and force the air through the tiny opening of your mouth. You don’t offer any sort of confirmation and continue to avoid his gaze.

“And you didn’t tell me?” he playfully prods, drumming his fingers against your forearm.

“I… Yeah,” you admit, your voice small as you stare at the counter. “I didn’t want you to know.

“Why?”

“Because.”

“Because?”

“I don’t want to give you another thing to make fun of me for.”

“I’m not gonna make fun of you.” When you don’t respond he tugs on your arm. The motion is enough to angle you towards him. “Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey.”

“What?” you grumble, staring at your lap even as you face him.

He takes your hands in his and drunkenly waves them around. “Heeeeeeeey. Look at me.”

He pouts until you reluctantly drag your eyes to meet his. “What?”

“Everyone starts somewhere,” he says softly. “Even me.”

The shift in his demeanor catches you off guard and you subconsciously lean forward as you relax. “Well I started with Hwasa, but I was too sore to ask for another session with her.”

He nods sympathetically, clapping his hand over yours. “You should try again.”

You shake your head. “I don’t know. I feel like…”

“Like?” he prods when you let the silence trail for a bit too long.

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” you sigh. “I feel like I don’t belong there. I look so stupid reading the instructions on the machines. I don’t even think I’m doing it right.”

“What?” He makes a sound between a laugh and a grunt. “There’s nothing wrong with making sure you don’t hurt yourself. Nobody knows how to instantly do things. If they tell you they do, they’re lying.”

“Or they’re Namjoon,” you say with a roll of your eyes, glancing over at your snoring friend.

He smiles and clicks his tongue against his teeth in thought. “I didn’t know what I was doing when I started.”

“Really.”

You’re skeptical. It’s always seemed like he was born in a gym. Or maybe hatched. He’s kind of inhumanly gorgeous. Maybe he sprouted from a flower like a mythical god.

“For real. First time doing squats. I think it was gym class? Yeah, I was like twelve or thirteen. I was… not very athletic. Didn’t play sports or anything. Kind of shy. Didn’t really have a lot of friends either…”

The way he trails off makes your heart hurt. Puberty isn’t nice to most people. It’s hard to imagine a world where someone like Jungkook isn’t instantly popular and naturally fit. While you’re not exactly the same person you were at twelve, a lot of your interests and personality quirks have remained the same. You’re still painfully awkward at times. How did he manage to overcome something like that? Is it not ingrained in him like it is you?

“Just a big dork, you know?” He laughs. “I see this girl I had a crush on, Amber. She’s looking at me. I think I have to impress her. So I’m stacking up weight and I think I’m hot shit and go too fast. Know what happened?”

“Please don’t tell me you dropped it on your foot or something,” you plead, squeezing his palms at the way he’s building up the story. The secondhand embarrassment is too real.

“I hear a pop.”

“No!” you gasp, bringing your hands to your face as if you can stop the past from happening.

“And pain. So much pain. I don’t remember putting the weights down but I remember ending up on my back, staring up at the ceiling.”

“Oh no. Knees?”

“Worse.” He points down to his crotch. “Pulled a muscle in my groin. Had to sit the rest of the day with an ice pack on my junk. Was not fun. My point is: don’t give up. You learn more as you go. Give Hwasa another shot.”

His anecdote gives you pause but you’re desperate to cling to the comfort of your anxiety. “My free trial with her is almost up and I don’t think I’ll be able to afford to keep at it.”

“More excuses,” he teases, taking a sip of his drink. “At this point I should just—” His eyes widen, a lightbulb practically forming above his head as he puts his cup down. “I’ll be your personal trainer!”

“Uhh…”

“No, no. It’s perfect. We’re friends now.” He smiles, proud of himself for finding a way to prove himself to you. “I can teach you everything you need to know about working out. I can set up a plan for you and figure out the best way to help you achieve your goals. Oh, man we’re gonna have to figure out your goals. What do you—”

“Hold on. Hold on,” you interrupt with a nervous laugh. “You’re missing the part where I still can’t afford it.”

He rolls his eyes and grabs your glass, holding it under the sink to refill it. “Don’t worry about that. I’ll cover it.”

You’re stunned into silence as you observe the expanse of his back, searching the black fabric of his t-shirt for the definition of his muscles. He sets the cup in front of you, waiting for your agreement. When it doesn’t come, he second guesses himself. Did he overstep?

“I mean if you’re okay with that. Would-would you want to do that?”

The innocent drunken sparkle in his eyes makes your stomach do a flip. When you woke up this morning you hardly thought the day would include getting sloshed with Jungkook and having him offer to take you on as a fitness trainee. It’s like he’s opened himself up just enough for you to see the soft mess beneath. You like it. You like it a lot and you kind of hate yourself for it. While you don’t know if you can trust him past the evening, you find yourself hoping you can.

“You won’t make fun of me?” you ask timidly before bringing the cup of water to your lips.

“It’s my job not to make fun of you. We start where you’re at and go from there. And like I said, I’ll cover the fees for as long as you want. No pressure.” He smiles at you. “What do you think?”

“...Okay,” you murmur with a nod of your head. “If you’re serious, then I’m… I’m in!”

His lips part to expose his teeth as his grin spreads. “Yes!”

As he brings his hand up in a sign of victory, his knuckles knock against his glass. You reach for the cup with impaired reflexes, hands fumbling over the slippery surface in conjunction with his. The sour contents spill across the counter as the pair of you struggle to right the glass. While he’s quicker at getting the glass upright, your brain is faster at processing what to do next and you already have a paper towel in hand, wiping up the liquid as fast as possible.

Your eyes follow the spill to the edge of the counter where it’s flooded over the side. Acting on instinct rather than rational thought, you quickly press down where the liquid has begun to pool in his lap. As you fold the paper towel over, you rub frantically as if the action will keep the stain from setting into the fabric. He shifts in his seat and squeaks out a sound so small that you can’t actually tell whether it came from him or the chair.

It only dawns on you how inappropriate your actions are when you glance towards his face and find his wide eyes gazing back at you. His cheeks, already flushed from inebriation, seem twice as vivid and his mouth is parted slightly as though he means to speak, but he doesn’t. Maybe he doesn’t want to embarrass you, but it’s too late for that.

Your palm stills against his crotch as the shape beneath becomes clear in your mind. For a second you’re frozen, but your lips work quickly to mumble an apology. It feels like an eternity before you will your drunken fingers to release the paper towel. The clearing of Jungkook’s throat is followed by a tiny giggle, then a full on snort. A grin spreads across your lips and you soon follow him into a fit of laughter. You thank the universe for the small mercy of being drunk enough to push your embarrassment to the side for the time being.

“I wasn’t thinking!” you wheeze, tears in your eyes from laughing so hard. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. It’ll dry.” He laughs, dabbing his pants and shirt in the absence of your hand. As he stands he pulls the hem of his shirt away from his torso and looks down at it. “Really. It’s my fault I’m so…”

“Sticky?” You quirk an eyebrow at him, a blatant flirtatious action thinly disguised as a joke as you eye the blot of liquor staining the lower half of his shirt.

Both of his eyebrows raise and a mischievous smile curls the corner of his lips. “...Wet.”

You consider his answer with a pleased hum and turn back to the counter to polish off the last of your water. You’re friends now, right? It can’t be that easy. But it kind of is. So what’s wrong with a little harmless flirting between friends?

Drunk brain, who happens to be a notorious hoe, assures you it’s great. Rational brain might disagree, but she’s taking a well-deserved nap. You’ve at least had a good night. You’re not sure it matters at this point who is giving you the attention you crave. It feels good. So good, in fact, you’re sure you can indulge drunk brain a little more.

You’re drawn to the inky shapes swirling around Jungkook’s bicep as he wipes the counter down. Every time your eyes begin to focus on an object marking his skin with some kind of meaning, he moves and you lose it. It’s brush strokes, isn’t it? You’ve definitely seen a paintbrush and mountains and a knife surrounded by roses. A swathe of grey and purple connects to each one you’ve seen, but you know there are more.

Before you can blurt that you’re dying to know how many he has and how bad it hurt to get them, he turns toward the sink and begins to work his t-shirt up his torso. You watch in awe as the toned muscles of his back are exposed. The image of the bright phoenix does little to hide their definition.

Trying to will yourself to look away is of no use; he’s hot and you’re drunk enough to acknowledge that fact. Of course he peeks at you just as the shirt slips over his head to find you open-mouthed and dazed, ogling him as though there isn’t any shame in the world that could pull your gaze from him. He turns to the fridge to give you a moment to compose yourself, nabbing a water bottle from the shelf in the process. You’re clearly not ready for the way he quickly spins on the balls of his feet to face you.

Y/N.exe has stopped working.

Your fingers hang in the air suspiciously until you lazily drop them. But Jungkook dons a toothy grin and has the audacity to look shy. He mockingly shields his chest from you with the shirt clutched in his hands.

“Princess! Are you… checking me out?”

Somehow you don’t let the fire in your face turn your brain to ash.“Pfft, no.”

“What’re you doing, then?” he teases with a laugh as he sits, scooting his chair closer to yours.

“Counting,” you reply simply, brow furrowed in concentration. To drive the point home, you poke at his flesh everywhere you can make out an object drawn into its surface.

“How many?” he wonders, watching with cloudy, amused eyes.

“Mmm…” You trail your finger down his arm and back up, following the curve of the brushstroke around his shoulder. “Can’t tell if this counts as one.”

He shrugs and rests his head on his palm as he leans against the counter. “What do you think?”

You hesitate when he quickly quirks a brow.

“I think… A lot.”

“Definitely accurate,” he says with a grin.

Awkward laughter steers the pair of you towards your waters. The TV in the background provides enough noise to steal your focus; you’re grateful for the distraction from the attractive man beside you. Drunk brain is telling you to touch him again, to grab his hand, to feel the touch of someone just for the night, to ruin every good thing this night has started to rebuild between you. Anything to stave off the emptiness of your bed, the 2AM thoughts of failure, and the drunken desperation to find someone, anyone, who will fall in love with whatever image you happen to project on your dating profile.

Heart pounding wildly in your chest and blood rushing through your ears, your fingertips tap against the countertop as they inch closer to where his arm rests. Luckily your futile attempts at nonchalance go unnoticed. Jungkook anxiously turns his water bottle over in his hands, trying to gather words in his brain before freeing them from his mouth.

“So…” he begins.

You jump at the sudden sound and retract your hand while he’s not paying you any mind.

“I was thinking. About that guy…”

You wish you could at least pretend you don’t know who he’s talking about. You’ve vented plenty tonight, but still your heart sinks. Deleting Jason’s digital footprint from your life was simple and quick, but the feelings of rejection and disappointment that swirl in the back of your mind spill forward the longer his pause continues.

“I know this probably means nothing coming from me. But I just— I know you liked him, but you can do better.“

Your posture stiffens at his reassurance and you find yourself grateful he’s not looking at you. Do you deserve better?

“You deserve better,” he affirms, as if somehow aware of your internal struggle.

“Thanks,” you murmur with a distinct lack of enthusiasm as you stare down your glass.

It's cry hours, isn’t it?

Realizing you don’t believe him, he takes a deep breath and nudges you with his elbow. “Hey.”

“What.” You refuse to look up because you know you’re on the verge of an irrational stream of tears over some guy you hardly knew. It’s stupid and you know it. But the wet warmth coating your eyes tells you it’s coming regardless.

“I’m... sorry that you don’t feel like you do. Some people can’t get over the weight of their own shit. But that doesn’t mean it’s on you to pick it up for them. If they can’t even bother to carry themselves to meet you halfway, then they’re not worth the effort.”

It’s a perfect time for your heart to seize up and it takes the opportunity to do so. The advice he offers doesn’t stave off the tears, but it resonates deep within you. Namjoon said something similar. It makes you ache to hear it again from someone else. It just leads you back to the same questions you keep asking yourself. What’s so wrong with you that people don’t even want to try? Is it your personality? Physicality? Is it a lack of confidence? What is it?

‘I can’t even get a shitty guy to like me. Maybe I’m the one not worth the effort.’ You don’t dare say those words out loud. Pity isn’t something you’re looking for. A warm body to fill your bed maybe, but not pity.

“Sounds easy when you say it like that,” you murmur, trying in vain to will the tears not to fall. You’re quick to swipe at them and force a smile. “I guess I have trouble giving up on people. It’s not that I’m naive. I try to be realistic. But no matter how many times I get fucked over I just... hope for the best in people. I can’t help it.”

He pats your arm reassuringly. “That’s why you deserve better.”

If only it was as simple as hearing those words and magically being able to believe it. A big chunk of your confidence has crumbled away and there’s no clear path to restoration. As the warmth of his palm comes to rest against your arm, you place your hand over his and squeeze.

“I don’t know if I believe it,” you pause and thoughtfully add, “but thanks for saying it.”

His eyebrows raise in surprise and he offers a tiny, “You’re welcome.”

A shaky chuckle passes your lips. All of his features seem to soften the more you look at them. Maybe it’s the drunken gloss coating his big brown eyes or the way his lips slightly part as he looks back at you. The tightly coiled nerves in your belly urge you to unravel.

Although it's a subtle gesture, he licks his lips as he smiles and it practically seals your fate. If you don't leave now you're bound to do something you'll regret.

"It's late. I should sleep."

Or masturbate.

The speed at which you launch yourself from the seat is unpleasant. You're not sure what's worse: the dizzying vertigo or waves nausea sloshing in your gut. Jungkook's reflexes may be delayed but he's a steady mass of muscle the moment you reach out to steady yourself.

"Whoa. You okay?"

"Maybe," you mumble, finding yourself drawn to the heat radiating from his skin. Instead of walking away, slump down to rest your cheek against his shoulder and sling an arm around him. You might be drunker than you thought. "I don't know."

"Hmm. What do you need, princess?"

"Just wanna stop spinning."

His stance shifts to better accommodate the additional weight you press against him.

"How about you take over Yoongi's bed tonight," he suggests softly. "He's passed out anyway."

"No, I should go home." You peel your cheek from the warmth of his skin.

“You gonna make it there?”

“Yes,” you say indignantly. The world may be a bit wobbly right now, but you’re certain you can handle the short stroll down the hall.

"Okay.” He smiles, loosening his hold. As you step back your foot catches on the leg of the chair and it drags loudly against the floor.

Despite Jungkook’s attempt to keep you standing by grabbing at your arms, he loses his balance and he drops to his knees. The chair clatters to the floor before your ass does. Luckily his grip keeps your back and head far from impact, but you’re too cramped to be comfortable.

“Are you okay?” he asks. Those big, dark doe eyes of his are frozen in fear and a frown adorns his face. He looks so serious it’s ridiculous.

You can’t help but laugh, wiggling backwards to make space between his body and the heat steadily building between your legs. “I’m fine. Stop making that face.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” He sits back on his feet and tilts his head to the side in confusion.

He breaks into a fit of giggles when you dramatically mimic his expression. You roll back onto your elbows, making another ridiculous face to further mock him.

“No, no. It’s more like…” Jungkook takes the opportunity to lean over you, reaching with one hand to squeeze your cheeks to pucker your lips. You blow a disjointed raspberry at him before pulling his hand off to the side.

While the clamor of the fallen chair did nothing to rouse the men on the couch, the sound of Jungkook’s hearty laughter is loud enough to disturb the rhythmic snores of Namjoon.

Jungkook sits back on his heels and peeks over the countertop. He seems miles away, even as you sit up and scoot in to bring yourself closer. Laughter fades into a quiet hum as Namjoon’s snoring resumes.

You're lost in the abyss of his gaze as he turns his head to look back at you. All that remains in your brain at this point is a foggy desire to tug on the silky spirals of his ebony hair until he presses himself against you one more time.

Your hand settles for following the curves of his bicep instead, wondering how it might feel to be wrapped within his embrace. Some might say liquor makes you bold and stupid, and they're right. They should say it. But it also makes you feel invincible, like a goddamn glowing Mario star power-up.

"Princess?"

Enraptured, his eyes follow the motion of your hand as it slithers around his arm and squeezes. Unable to ignore the prompt, he answers with a flex against your palm. His ego swells when you shiver and noticeably hold your breath.

You know it's a mistake. You know it goes against all of your sober judgement, but you find yourself doing it anyway. It doesn't matter that you still harbor a grudge that holds your heart hostage. Drunk hoe vibes are taking the wheel. You’re tired, drunk as hell, and just want to feel wanted. And he's here.

Every fiber of your inebriated being is singing in unison: Why the fuck not?

Heartbeat pounding against your eardrums, you attempt to gauge his reaction as you lean towards him. It's hard to tell from beneath half-lidded eyes, but you think he's leaning towards you too. If he isn't you suppose you can always play it off like you're just a mess. It's not far from the truth. Focusing on the tiny freckle below his lip, you allow yourself to finally close your eyes and go for it.

But the universe isn’t here for your dumb boozy bitch mistakes.

The front door swings open with the sound of jingling keys dropping to the floor. It snaps you back to reality and you freeze, realizing there's no defense that will save you. Jungkook is quick to disengage, poking his head above the counter to acknowledge Hoseok’s presence with a wave. But his friend is completely enamored with the company he’s ushering towards his bedroom.

“Yeah, baby? How bad?” Hoseok whispers to the giggling girl wrapped around his arm.

He pins the stranger against the door to drag his tongue across her neck. Their bodies move rhythmically in a slow grind, a precursor for what’s likely to come. Jungkook purses his lips. How long until one of them notices him watching? It’s not until the girl moans Hoseok’s name softly that Jungkook spares a panicked look towards you.

Oh shit.

You gesture for him to get down before he draws their attention. The last thing you want to explain is why you’re on your knees in Hoseok’s kitchen with a very shirtless Jungkook standing close by. He obliges your silent request, squatting down beside you.

“Feel how hard you made me?” Hobi chuckles quietly.

The girl giggles, her voice growing closer. “You gonna fuck me right here or what?”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Naughty girl. What if my roommate wakes up? Looks like he has a friend over too. You really want them to see what a dirty slut you are?”

You can hear her giggle as he directs her where to go, failing to keep his voice down so you hear every filthy thing he says after. Your hands fly to cover your mouth. Is your skin made of lava? You want to blame it on the close proximity to Jungkook, but the only thing you can imagine is Hoseok’s dick and the eager mystery woman about to be impaled by it. Can you scrub your brain of this memory? How are you supposed to look at him after this?

Jungkook watches your face carefully, trying his hardest not to laugh. Your eyes look so big he’s pretty sure they could roll out of your skull any second. Are you really so innocent? The way you cover your mouth says you are, but maybe it’s just the shock. Maybe you’re just trying to not laugh. Or scream. Or breathe? It kind of looks like you might pass out.

Are you gonna make it, princess? he wonders.

Once you hear Hoseok's bedroom door close, you fuss your hands over your hair and scramble to your feet, releasing a big exhale. The hushed words fall from your lips while you scurry away like a timid mouse. "I should go."

Despite being too far to make contact, he reaches out as you round the counter. "Wait—"

As soon as the word leaves his mouth he struggles to come up with the rest of his statement. There’s no reason to keep you here, except to maybe laugh a little about what just happened to smooth over any second-hand embarrassment. So why doesn’t he want you to go?

He swallows down the blank space caught in his throat and searches every last crevice of his brain for something of import to say. Guilt weighs his gut down, though there isn’t a clear cause. He’s probably screwed something up again without realizing it.

“Thanks for giving me another shot,” he says softly.

You breathe a sigh of relief and offer a tiny smile as you half turn, your hand already on the door handle. “Don’t blow it.”

He nods with a smile. “I won’t. Goodnight.”

“‘Night,” you mumble.

As soon as the door is closed you practically sprint down the hall to lock yourself within your apartment. Maybe it will also lock out all the mistakes your brain has made tonight.

The world feels colder now that you’re not pressed against the human-shaped heater that is Jeon Jungkook. Thinking about him makes your heart swell and ache at the same time. Regardless of how badly you wish you'd asked him to bed, you know loneliness is fleeting and guilt would be a far worse feeling to be saddled with.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

Jungkook picks up the fallen chair, finding your soft, worn hoodie draped over it. Rubbing a thumb over the material, he considers running it back to you, but he can't remember which door is yours. It's not like he's been here often enough to know. Instead he slips his arms through the sleeves before flipping the hood over his head.

He settles on the floor in the space he previously claimed for the night, pulling a blanket out from under Yoongi's ass. Yoongi rolls his head up, a scowl on his features though his eyes remain closed. He grumbles but lies down, facing the couch.

Jungkook regards his friend for a moment before deciding to drape the blanket over him instead of claiming it for himself. Jungkook rolls onto his side and fluffs the throw pillow under his head. As he watches the credits roll on the TV, he nuzzles into your sweater.

He closes his eyes, thinking of you. He knows he shouldn't linger on the little occurrences of the night, especially with how foggy his brain is. He can't trust anything about his memory.

Still he thinks of the way your fingers trailed along his arm and curled tightly around his bicep. He lets himself dwell on the tiny sound you made, the involuntary tremble of your body, and the subsequent hitch in your breath.

He smiles and inhales the subtle scent you've left behind. A new spark of adrenaline fans flames that inflate his ego, spreading warmth from his stomach up into his chest. The world may wobble around him right now, but the little magical warmth within his gut helps him comfortably drift off to dreamland like he's the world's most immovable object.

[favoniuscodex]

scaramouche + body swap soulmate au

prompt: soulmate au where when the reader turns twenty, she swaps bodies with her soulmate. rather than returning to their original bodies at the end of the day, the two soulmates can only return to their original bodies upon sharing a kiss.

pairing: scaramouche x fem!reader

rating: sfw

warnings: foul language, scaramouche’s existence, no beta reader (oops)

word count: 1.5k

a/n: this was the most requested au for me to write for, but i’m posting this one separately because i a) got carried away writing it and b) altered the prompt a bit. hopefully it still remains good enough that the anon who requested it is happy with the results! i love writing for scaramouche, although my interpretation of him will likely end up being super ooc. this is a part of my 50 follower celebration! i apologize to anyone who expected me to write scaramouche in a respectful way

when scaramouche first awakes, he realizes he had finally swapped bodies with his soulmate.

how utterly inconvenient. he thinks. despite the change in body, scaramouche is filled yet again with the rage that fuels him normally.

god has let him live another day and he plans to make it everyone’s problem.

but, before he can wear his rbf again and plan his holy re-conquest of the inazuman throne while doing whatever it is harbingers do, he needs to figure out where he is and get out of this body.

this means he has to find you. great. another incompentent buffoon i have to rely on. he thinks, followed by a steady stream of internalized expletives as he curses the world for placing him within your body.

he stands up and notices a shift in his typical perception of the world. you’re taller than him. he serves the goddess of love and the world made his soulmate taller than him. for a brief moment, scaramouche considers atheism.

as if this godawful, horrid situation couldn’t get any worse for poor, innocent scaramouche, a glance to his side reveals a shield, a sword, and, worst of all, a knights-of-favonious-insignia emblazoned uniform.

scaramouche then decides to rifle through your belongings. he’s not actively trying to invade your privacy, he’s just trying to find where you hide your vision. the world is cruel for tying him to a “perfidious, repugnant excuse of a government puppet”, but certainly isn’t cruel enough to tie him to a visionless plebeian? right?! right!??!?!?!

after nearly an hour of searching and the near destruction of any storage container that may exist in your house, scaramouche is bent over on his knees on your floor, slamming his fist against the creaking floorboards. no, he’s not crying! harbingers don’t cry! don’t look at him! he just spilt some seawater on his eyes! it doesn’t matter that the ocean isn’t nearby!

a knock on your front door disrupts scaramouche’s pity party and he shoots up, furiously wiping at his face to remove the “definitely-not-tear”stains.

“hold on!” scaramouche calls, surprised at the feminine voice that exits his body. he hadn’t even analyzed what you looked like yet. he had had more important things to do.

no, scaramouche isn’t struggling to put your undergarments on! he doesn’t struggle to do anything! he’s a harbinger!

after an unknown, embarrassingly long amount of time elapses, scaramouche manages to swing open the door, now dressed in your typical uniform, sword in his hand and at the ready.

“woah there, sweetheart. didn’t think our relationship had soured that quickly,” the blue-haired man at the door hums, a mischievous smirk spreading across his face.

SWEETHEART?! scaramouche screeches internally. you might be a visionless, uncultured peasant that is a part of one of the worst governments in teyvat, but you’re his visionless, uncultured peasant. scaramouche will be damned before he lets this flamboyant pirate steal you away from what fate decided belonged to scaramouche and scaramouche alone.

“call me your sweetheart again and i’ll rip that filthy eyepatch off your face and shove it up your-” scaramouche hisses, causing kaeya to interrupt him with a laugh.

a laugh? the man who looks like he just got out of a tea party with a three-year-old girl is laughing at me? ME?! scaramouche briefly considers capital murder. mondstadt is known for freedom after all. they could possibly turn the other cheek at this blue-haired menace getting murdered.

“happy twentieth birthday,” the man speaks, his revealed eye sparkling with mirth. “your name is (y/n) and i’m kaeya.”

“i didn’t ask for your name,” scaramouche responds, causing kaeya to let out another laugh.

normally, scaramouche would plead to anyone that he is simply a commoner from inazuma and needs a horse to go rescue his lover, now trapped within his body, and return her to mondstadt. however, his immediate hatred for kaeya had taken abrupt control of his body and eliminated any conniving strategy he may have had in order to steal mondstadtian resources to return home.

“well, kaeya,” scaramouche begins, mustering the most vitriol he can accrue from your voice into his words. “i need a horse if i plan to rescue my damsel in distress.”

kaeya raises an eyebrow, intrigued by scaramouche’s words. “i wouldn’t call her much of a damsel.”

“compared to me, everyone is a damsel. unfortunately, i am contractually obligated by fate to give a shit about this one,” scaramouche responds blankly, causing kaeya to stifle another laugh. “what poor gentleman do i need to seduce in order to obtain a horse with the minimal funding i found inside of this woman’s house?”

kaeya smiles. “i’m the knights of favonius calvary captain so… me. but don’t worry, babe, you already have my heart.”

scaramouche might not be able to commit capital murder without consequence, but he does receive joy from being able to ram his knee into kaeya’s family jewels and watch him double over in pain.

------

scaramouche’s journey to sneznhaya is a long and arduous one, but he much prefers the company of the horse rather than the company of kaeya and friends, whom scaramouche was introduced to at the knights of favonius headquarters.

(however, if scaramouche is being honest, he enjoyed the company of jean. she was dutiful and strong-willed. scaramouche would die before admitting he was impartial towards the acting grand master.)

his journey to find you comes to a halt before he enters the sneznhayan border, however. from a distance, he spots 2 (two? scaramouche queries) horses galloping in the distance and a familiar silhouette on each horse.

scaramouche recognizes his body upon one of the horses first. he doesn’t spend all that time admiring himself in the mirror for nothing!

however, he only pays attention to the person on the horse next to you until he sees their arm raise up, eagerly waving in scaramouche’s direction. a pit of dread settles in scaramouche’s stomach. of everyone in sneznhaya, you accompanied yourself with- ?

“HEY!” the person accompanying you yells, his russet-colored hair ruffling in the breeze. “SCARAMOUCHE!”

before scaramouche can turn the horse around and go resign to his fate of being stuck in your body in mondstadt in order to avoid interaction with him, the two of your horses approach scaramouche’s, coming to a halt a few feet in front of him.

scaramouche looks you, in his own body, up and down and lets out a noise of discontent as he hops off the horse and approaches you.

“you’re not wearing the hat,” scaramouche complains in an even voice, staring you down. much to his surprise, you stare right back at him, taking on the subtle challenge scaramouche has proposed to you through posture.

“i don’t desire to,” you respond, folding your arms. “if we’re going off appearances, you’re wearing that shirt backwards.”

scaramouche’s provoking staredown with you is disrupted as he glances downwards, off put by your statement.

“i don’t really care about correctly wearing the uniform of an establishment that is ultimately useless to the wellbeing of society,” scaramouche retorts.

“you’re literally a harbinger, don’t give me that sh-” you begin, but the third wheel of the conversation interrupts the two of you.

“what?” both you and scaramouche say in indignation towards the man who had the audacity to interrupt the two of you.

“jeez,” the man says, reaching up to scratch the back of his head. “that’s no way to thank me for helping you find him.”

“i literally told you i could find my own way back,” you say. “but fine, thank you, tartagle.”

the man, tartaglia, opens his mouth to correct you, but freezes upon hearing scaramouche laugh at your statement.

“you’re no longer needed, you can leave,” scaramouche states to childe, causing him to furrow his eyebrows in disbelief. tartaglia glances in your direction for assistance, but you silently shrug in response, gesturing with your head for him to leave as well.

as childe leaves, you turn your head back to scaramouche and smile. for once, scaramouche’s insistent anger is quelled, the roaring waters of the ocean within his heart settling into a calm stream. maybe, despite your overall uselessness to society, you wouldn’t be the worst soulmate ever. scaramouche tells himself, trying to ignore the increased pace of his heartbeat.

“ready to switch back?” you ask, moving closer to him, causing his gaze to flicker down to your lips. oh, right. scaramouche reminds himself. he parts his mouth to respond but, for once in his life, doesn’t know how to form the words. so, he closes his mouth, swallows down his anxiety, and nods before moving closer to you as well.

his hand bumps into yours as the two of you reach up to cup the other’s face as you lean into your first kiss. he barely has time to register the light giggle of amusement that escapes your lips as the two of your consciousnesses begin to return to their respective bodies upon your lips slotting against the other’s.

maybe, just maybe, you were made for me. scaramouche thinks.

once back in his body, he doesn’t dare utter his thoughts aloud. instead, he reserves that thought for when he gets down on one knee.