#I love this job in an odd sort of way. it keeps me sane

[newsiegirlscout]

The odds that a retail worker has carefully clambered over the wall of boxed soda cases located three inches out from the wall with no other entrance to retrieve a fallen glazed donut from waste is low, but never zero.

[pandenewie]

Prom King

SYNOPSIS:

Y/n and their best friend Intak made a bucket list to make their final year of high school absolutely perfect. Although Y/n’s list of to-dos is now complete, Intak has just one more thing to tick off - win prom king. All is well, until they hear a certain Kim Sunoo is also running.

PAIRING: sunoo x gn!reader

GENRE: nonidol!au, highschool!au, enemies to lovers, slowburn (they hate each other for most of it) fluff, crack, ft P1harmony Intak, Itzy Yuna, Le Sserafim Kazuha, Ateez Seonghwa, Stray Kids Minho, TXT Beomgyu, Enhypen Jay

WORD COUNT: 18.2k

FRIDAY - 21 DAYS TILL PROM:

“Bestie!”

Part of Y/n regrets teaching Intak internet slang. The amount of “slays” and “side eyes” heard each day would draw any sane person to their limit. But they suppose the goofy smile on his face makes up for the near insanity. Just.

Y/n and Intak have been friends since middle school after he accidentally made them cry because their team lost dodgeball. One apology and a shared popsicle later, they were inseparable. Now, all these years have passed and he’s still the same 12 year old boy from back then, stealing their pens and waking up early just to carpool to school (he claims Y/n’s car’s a.c is better, but really he just wants to spend time with them.)

“You literally saw me an hour ago.” Intak can’t help but roll his eyes at his friend’s words, pulling Y/n into a side hug nonetheless. “That’s like… a whole 60 minutes.” He groans, causing Y/n to sigh. “Oh no! Poor little Intak… how are you gonna survive when we go to university? Or even worse, when we have actual jobs?” Intak lets out a laugh, attempting to brush his hair out of his face. “Bold of you to assume I’m not attached to your hip for life.”

Intak has always been clingy - or better yet, loyal. Once he opens himself up to someone, he attaches himself wholeheartedly to that person. It’s one of his many dog-like qualities that make him so easy to be around - so easy to adore. Stressing over homework? Intak will lend his mostly wrong answers. Crying over an ex? Intak’s over within minutes with movies and ice cream. Y/n feels very lucky to have someone like him in their life.

A lot of people at their school assume that the two are dating, which is honestly laughable to them. Obviously to an outsider, this sort of affection may seem a little odd but with Y/n and Intak it’s just natural. Their relationship is anything but romantic. Besides, Intak is just so… Intak.

“You know, I feel bad for your future wife.” Y/n sighs as they walk with Intak to their next class. The boy turns around to look at them confused, Y/n mentally cursing at his long legs as they struggle to keep up with his speed. “Why? She’ll love you too. We can be a cute little trio!” Intak gushes. “And be a third wheel for the rest of my life? No thank you.”

The rest of the day speeds by quickly and before they know it, the final bell rings, dismissing the students for the day. Students rush to get out of their seats but are immediately stopped by their teacher, Mr Lee.

“Before you run off, don’t forget you have your final presentations due next week. Try to meet up with your buddy over the weekend if you can.” A class of groans erupts at the teacher’s words - bar Intak and Y/n, who look at each other with a smirk. Pros of being partnered with your best friend.

“Oh, and the list of contenders for prom king and queen is up by the gym. Voting starts next week and remember you can only vote once so… yada yada no one’s listening. You’re dismissed.”

Before Y/n can even finish packing up their books, Intak grabs their hand and pulls them out of the classroom. “What the hell Intak? My car is that way!” Y/n groans as he pulls them through the halls, not so gracefully bumping into a few people along the way.

As they eventually come to a stop, Y/n realises that he has taken them to the gym. “Look, there’s my name!” Intak gushes, pointing at the bold Hwang Intak that’s written on the paper. Y/n smiles lovingly at their friends happiness but can’t help the gentle roll of the eyes that follows. “Did you just take me here to brag about running for prom king?” “No, I’m here to check out the competition.”

At the beginning of the year, Intak and Y/n each wrote a “bucket list” containing the things they wanted to achieve in their final year of high school. It was full of simple things, like having perfect yearbook photos, joining certain clubs, etc. Y/n ticked off their final one just last week, after they had finally gotten an A on Mr Park's “unbeatable assignment” they’d heard upperclassmen complaining about for years. Intak however, has just one more thing on his list. Win prom king.

Intak’s eyes vigorously scan over the list before his shoulders seem to deflate. “What’s wrong?” Y/n asks, immediately squeezing in next to him in order to see the list as well. Their eyes quickly scan the names before landing on the one right at the bottom… Kim Sunoo. “Well… there goes my bucket list.” Intak laughs, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. 

Sunoo has always been Intak’s rival of sorts. It all started years ago, when the two took the same dance class. Intak and Sunoo were each other’s biggest competition. When it came down to Sunoo’s fluid and flexible dance style versus Intak’s bold and precise one - Sunoo almost always came out on top. Intak was good, sure. But Sunoo had a natural charm to him that Intak just couldn’t compete with. The same thing happened throughout school, when they both decided to join the drama club. Intak once again, was in second place - constantly losing roles and opportunities to Sunoo. 

Finally, high school came around and Intak managed to find something he really shined in, which was soccer. Not only did he really enjoy it, but there was also no Sunoo around to steal his spotlight. That was until Sunoo joined the cheerleading team and once again, the spotlight became shared.

“Come on, I’ve got practice but I can walk you to your car.” Intak attempts to pull Y/n away from the list but they stay put - anger practically dripping from their body. “That selfish asshole.” Y/n scoffs, aggressively poking his name, as if proving a point. God, even his handwriting is annoying. “He’s already the captain of the cheer team, the lead in the school play, has nearly perfect grades and is on the student council. He just needs to have this too? Can’t stand someone else having the spotlight for one fucking night?”

Y/n is fuming. It’s no secret that they aren’t the most fond of Sunoo, especially due to what he put Intak through over the years. This is just the icing on top of the “reasons to hate Kim Sunoo” cake.

“Hey, it’s alright. I don’t care that much anyway.” Intak attempts to calm his friend, finally managing to pull them back the direction they came. “You wouldn’t have put it on your list if you didn’t care, Intak.” Y/n sighs. “Well yeah but I’m up against Sunoo! I’m not gonna win so there’s no point in making a big deal of it.” Intak mumbles. Y/n can tell that he’s disappointed. For whatever reason, winning prom king is really important to Intak. So in that moment, they mentally promise to do whatever it takes to make it happen.

MONDAY - 18 DAYS TILL PROM:

Intak doesn’t hate people. No matter what they do or say to him, he just can’t bring himself to do it. Y/n however, isn’t anywhere as nice as Intak. So they hate people for him. This is evident on their face as they make their way towards Sunoo’s desk as soon as class is over.

“We need to talk.”

Sunoo looks up from his book at the sudden presence, and his eyes light up with mischief as they lock with Y/n’s.

“Y/n! To what do I owe this pleasure?” His voice drips with sarcasm as he lays his chin in his palm, looking up at Y/n with a smirk. Violence is never the answer but god, does Y/n want to punch him right now. “Oh cut the crap Sunoo.”

Sunoo knows all about Y/n’s hate for him. And although he swears he’s done nothing to deserve it, he certainly isn’t opposed to biting back. What’s the harm in dishing out the same treatment? Besides, Y/n looks extremely cute when they’re mad.

“You know, you look so pretty when you smile, Y/n. It’s a shame I only see you when you’re scowling.” Sunoo teases, bringing his finger up to gently poke at the furrow between Y/n’s brows - causing them to push it away almost immediately. “Stop being such an ass and I’d have something to smile about.”

Sunoo can’t help but laugh at Y/n’s meaningless jab, only making them even angrier. “Why the hell did you sign up for prom king?” They spit, almost as if the words were venomous. Sunoo can’t help the confused expression that makes its way across his face. They’re upset over that?

“I don’t know, Yuna signed me up without telling me.” Sunoo shrugs nonchalantly. This answer only adds fuel to the fire that is Y/n’s anger. “Oh you’ve got to be kidding me. Do you even care about being prom king?” They scoff, causing Sunoo to shrug once more. “I think the whole thing is stupid to be honest.” He says. “Great! Drop out.” And with that, Y/n swiftly turns on their heel and walks out of the classroom.

The silence however is short-lived as Sunoo jogs up behind them. “Why the hell would I drop out?” He asks, causing Y/n to roll their eyes. “You said it yourself, you don’t care about it. And yet you running for prom king directly stops other people from having a chance.” Y/n states. Now it’s Sunoo’s turn to roll his eyes. “You’re acting like it’s a scholarship or something. It’s just a dumb plastic crown-” “-WOULD IT KILL YOU TO THINK ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE FOR ONCE?” Y/n yells, cutting off his sentence.

“Kim Sunoo! Y/N L/N! Why aren’t you two in class?” Mr Lee pokes his head out from his classroom, looking at the two with a scowl on his face. “And what is so important that you need to yell in the halls?” He continues. Y/n looks at the ground sheepishly, mumbling an apology. “I want to see the both of you in my classroom at the end of the day, now get to class.” Mr Lee scolds.

Sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with Kim Sunoo across from a visibly frustrated Mr Lee is not exactly how Y/n saw their afternoon going. Intak waits nervously outside the classroom, pressing his ear against the door in hopes to hear what his best friend is in trouble for now.

“It’s not just today’s stunt that I’m upset with. You two have a knack for… disturbing the peace whenever you’re together. And honestly, it’s doing my head in.” Mr Lee sighs. “Now we obviously don’t expect all of our students to get along perfectly, you’re human beings after all. But is it too much to ask for you both to be civil about it? Or at least wait to scream at each other after school hours?” He continues. “No offence sir, but I would rather jump in front of a moving bus than see Sunoo after school hours.” Y/n says, causing Sunoo to scoff. “It’s after school right now, dummy.” Sunoo rolls his eyes. Mr Lee sighs once again, sensing that an argument is about to start.

“This is what I mean. When I don’t get along with someone, I go out of my way not to see them. It seems you two go out of your way to fight.” Y/n and Sunoo both mumble out apologies. 

“I’ve been talking to some of your other teachers and we all agree that something should be done about this. So, we’ve decided to sign you up with the community centre down the street. They needed new volunteers and it’s the perfect opportunity for you two to put this weird feud to rest and make some real change. And, it’ll look good when applying for college, which is a nice bonus.”

Y/n and Sunoo look at Mr Lee as if he’s just told them the worst news imaginable. In some way, he has. “Look Mr Lee, I’m all for helping the community and all but can’t Intak and I do it?” Y/n asks, causing Sunoo to roll his eyes. “That defeats the whole purpose if you do it with him.” He scowls. “I don’t want to hear any fuss about this. It’ll be two days a week, after school Thursdays and Sundays. And if I hear that either of you are acting up I’ll have no choice but to strip away your senior benefits - which means no senior trip and no prom.”

If Y/n hated Mr Lee a minute ago, those words that just came out of his mouth made them love him again. Poor guy doesn’t know that he’s just given Y/n a great idea… Sunoo can’t run for prom king if he’s been kicked out of the whole event. All Y/n needs to do is find a way to get Sunoo in trouble at this community centre without getting themself involved.

THURSDAY - 15 DAYS TILL PROM:

Waiting outside the community centre in the scorching heat is not how Y/n planned to spend their afternoon. And with no sign of Sunoo, their anger starts to boil up - much like the temperature outside.

Just as they’re about to give up and tell Mr Lee that Sunoo was a no-show, a familiar car pulls up in the carpark and none other than Kim Sunoo steps out.

“You have some nerve. I’ve been waiting for like 10 minutes!” Y/n scowls, causing Sunoo to furrow his brows. “What time were we supposed to get here?” He asks. This only frustrates Y/n more. He doesn’t even respect them enough to value their time?

“God, you really are selfish. The email said 3:30.” Y/n pulls out their phone to back up their point with the email, only for their face to fall. “3:45 babe.” Sunoo smirks, watching as Y/n’s face heats up in embarrassment. They were sure it said 3:30. “Were you just so excited to see me that you came early?” He asks, making Y/n scoff - avoiding eye contact. “You wish! I was just… showing my dedication to… y’know, serving the community and… stuff.”

For the first time in what seems like forever, Y/n feels small under Sunoo’s gaze. They are so used to butting heads, always having a snarky remark or point to make. It seems that this interaction has somehow managed to knock Y/n off their pedestal - at least a little.

“I’m sure you standing out here has done so much for the community. Now, I don’t know about you but I’m gonna go inside.” Sunoo says, playfully ruffling Y/n’s hair before entering the building. Y/n scoffs out a few insults before fixing their hair and following suit.

Inside the building is a lot cooler than outside, the cold air conditioning a stark contrast to the outdoor heat. The two stand awkwardly in the front reception, watching as the person behind the desk talks on the phone.

“Wait, I’ve got people. Go complain to someone else.” The person says before abruptly hanging up, his irritated expression flipping to an almost scary smile. “Hi! How can I help you?” He asks. Sunoo nudges Y/n, who rolls their eyes before speaking up. “We’re here for the volunteer thing.” Y/n says, glancing down at the name tag that reads Minho - with a small cat face drawn next to it.

“Cool, what department?” He asks, typing something on his computer. “Uh… what?” Y/n asks, causing Minho to let out an exaggerated groan, spinning in his chair for added effect. “What department are you in? It’ll be on the sign up email.” He clarifies. Sunoo scrambles to check the email from Mr Lee, not seeing anything about a department. He shows Minho the email, causing his eyes to light up. “Oh! You’re the trouble kids?” He asks, turning his attention back to the computer momentarily. “I wouldn’t say that…” Y/n mumbles, causing Minho to laugh slightly. “It’s not a dig at character, trust me. Nothing wrong with a little rule breaking.” He winks. “Don’t tell your teachers I told you that.” He adds before standing.

“Looks like you’ll be doing a little bit of everything. I’ll throw you in with Seonghwa at first, that way you can come to me when you actually know what you’re doing.” Minho says, unlocking a backdoor before gesturing for the two to follow.

Minho leads them down a nicely lit hallway, pointing out different rooms and doors as they go. “Since we mainly do goods distribution here, we’re split into department’s so it’s easier to manage. You’ve got Seonghwa for kids - so that’s everything from toys, baby products, anything else children need. Then Beomgyu is in grocery. That’s just your basic food items. And then finally I’m on clothes and pet stuff.”

After his little introduction, he stops at a door before loudly knocking, causing Sunoo and Y/n to jump slightly. The door quickly opens and the head of a man who looks around Minho’s age pokes out. “Fresh meat.” Minho jokes, gesturing to the two students. “I told you to stop calling them that! And you wonder why people say you’re scary.” Seonghwa sighs, opening the door fully. “I’ll take it from here. You can go back to your phone call.” He continues.

Minho bids his goodbyes before walking back off down the hall. “Don’t let him scare you. He’s secretly a big softie.” Seonghwa says. “Anyway, I’m Seonghwa. I run the kids department here. I’m guessing you’re Y/n and Sunoo?” He asks, causing the two to nod silently.

Seonghwa looks at the two suspiciously. “Are you sure the school sent the right kids? Your teacher said you’re at each other’s throats 24/7.” He asks. “I’m sure Y/n will start something soon.” Sunoo mumbles, causing Y/n’s eye to twitch. They bite their tongue however, if they want this plan of getting Sunoo in trouble to work then they’ll have to make sure they’re on Seonghwa’s good side. “I’m sure we can put our differences aside for this. Especially since it’s helping the community.” Y/n says, causing Sunoo to roll his eyes at their words. “I hope so. It’s amazing what can happen to a bond when you do something like this. You should’ve seen Minho and Beomgyu when they first started.” Seonghwa says. “Right, I guess I’ll give you a tour of the department.” He continues before walking them down the hall to the storage room.

FRIDAY - 14 DAYS TILL PROM:

“And we barely even argued! Which is weird.” Y/n exclaims, after reciting their experience at the community centre. Intak hums, shoving some of his lunch in his mouth. “Maybe you two are finally getting along.” He says nonchalantly. “Oh please, I’ll never get along with someone like him.” Y/n scoffs, causing Intak to roll his eyes. 

“I still don’t get why you hate him so much. You guys are more similar than you think.” He points out, causing Y/n to gasp. “First of all, never say that to me again. And second of all, he made your childhood miserable! Of course I’d hate him.” Y/n states matter-of-factly. “I wouldn’t say he made it miserable. I’m already insufferable as it is, imagine how big my ego would be if I never lost anything! Plus, it’s not like he beat me on purpose. That’s just how stuff goes sometimes…” Intak rambles. The two lock eyes for a moment and for a second Intak thinks his little speech got through to Y/n. “I’m still gonna hate him.” Y/n shrugs, causing Intak to sigh.

SUNDAY - 12 DAYS TILL PROM:

By the time Sunday rolls around, the fact that Y/n will have to spend all day with Sunoo finally settles in. Sure, they’ll have loads of stuff to do to hopefully keep them busy, but that won’t change the fact that he’s there. His presence alone is enough to frustrate Y/n.

“Sunday’s are pretty busy since it’s the one of days we hand everything out. So we have both delivery trucks picking stuff up and individual people. I’ll probably keep you two on sorting for now, just so I don’t overwhelm you too much.” Seonghwa says, making Sunoo and Y/n nod. “We do grocery on a separate day from clothes, kids and pets because of the amount of stock. So Beomgyu will be wandering around if you need any help and can’t find me. He’s only a few years older than you guys so I think you will get along well. You can always ask other volunteers too if you’re stuck.” With that, Seonghwa dismisses the two.

“Why the hell would you do it that way?”

“Babe, Seonghwa literally said there’s more than one way to do it.”

“Stop calling me babe! And if he saw what you were doing, he’d change his mind.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

The sound of Y/n and Sunoo’s argument fills the sorting room. It all started with Sunoo deciding he was going to stack the lego boxes upright rather than laying them flat. His thinking being that it takes up less room and leaves space for other things. Y/n however, insists that laying them flat leaves plenty of room for things to go on top - as well as making the container easier to close. Both are technically correct, but that’s not an acceptable answer to them.

As the two continue to argue, Sunoo yanks the box of lego out of Y/n’s hands - causing it to fall, splitting open and scattering lego pieces all over the floor. “Oh you’re so fucked.” Y/n laughs, causing Sunoo to complain about how they started the argument.

“Who the hell is screaming in here?” A voice asks. The two turn around to see Beomgyu standing in the doorway, his eyes lighting up as he sees them. “Oh hey trouble. I should’ve guessed it was you two.” He says, his gaze then falls to the lego all over the floor. “Oh shit.”

Sunoo and Y/n quickly try to pass the blame onto each other, causing Beomgyu to wave them off. “No offence, but I don’t give a shit who started it. Let’s just pick it all up before someone stands on it. Stepping on lego might as well be a torture method.” He says, crouching down to grab the broken box.

He notices the quiet atmosphere in the room and awkwardly laughs. “Don’t get scared now, this kinda stuff happens sometimes. If it makes you feel any better, Seonghwa takes home the faulty ones to add to his collection.” He says. The thought of Seonghwa at home surrounded by lego sets makes Y/n and Sunoo laugh slightly.

“Just… try not to do this sort of stuff when you’re in my department, okay? Spilled lego is a lot easier to handle than food.” The two nod as Beomgyu places the box on the counter. “Well, I’ll leave you two to it, then. Maybe try to be a little… quieter with the next argument.” He winks before leaving the room.

MONDAY - 11 DAYS TILL PROM:

“So… how was Sunday?” Yuna teases, causing Sunoo to look at her with an unimpressed expression. “Oh shut up.” He mumbles, causing her to stifle a laugh.

“I just feel bad for Y/n.” Kazuha says. “Being forced to spend time with Sunoo would be hell for anyone, but especially them.” Sunoo rolls his eyes at his friend, flipping her off before turning his attention back to his food. “Zuha’s right, you’re gonna drive them insane.” Yuna says. “Hey! They do the same to me!” Sunoo complains, causing Yuna to roll her eyes. “Well yeah, but they do it because they actually don’t like you. You do it because you’re trying to live out some weird enemies to lovers fanfic trope.” She points out. “True, not sure why you thought that would work.” Kazuha jumps in. “We get it, I’m a dumb guy who doesn’t know how to communicate my feelings. You’ve said this all before.” Sunoo dismisses.

“Just saying… maybe if you, I don’t know… spoke to them like normal people do to their crush.” Yuna shrugs. “Cause that works out so great for you two.” Sunoo deadpans. “You’re bitter because you know we’re right.” Kazuha teases, causing Sunoo to roll his eyes again.

TUESDAY - 10 DAYS TILL PROM:

Speak to them like a normal person. The thought has been running through Sunoo’s mind ever since lunch yesterday. Given the nature of his and Y/n’s relationship (if you could even call it that), he never even considered talking to them normally to be an option. But as he spots them walking down the hallway as school comes to an end, he figures what better time to start than now?

“Y/n!” Sunoo calls out, jogging through the halls to catch up to them. “Go away.” Y/n replies. “Oh come on babe, would it kill you to give me two seconds of your attention?” Sunoo asks, grabbing Y/n’s wrist. “Let go of me.” Y/n snarls, despite making no effort to pull away. Sunoo chooses to ignore their request, opting to teasingly pull them closer. “I wanna show you something.” He smirks, causing Y/n to roll their eyes. They quickly pull their arm out of his grip, folding their arms securely across their chest. “Well make it quick, I’m going to watch Intak’s practice.” Y/n mumbles.

Sunoo rolls his eyes at the mention of Intak but chooses not to comment. “One of my neighbours was talking to my mum about a care package she got. Apparently she’s signed up with the community centre. My mum sent me a photo.” Sunoo says, grabbing his phone and showing the picture to Y/n.

On his phone, is a picture of one of the boxes they packed on Sunday. This one is one of Y/n’s (you can tell from the way the lego box is placed). Y/n’s eyes light up at the photo, which doesn’t go unnoticed by Sunoo. “She said her sons were super excited when it arrived. They made the lego set together almost immediately.” He says, swiping to show a photo of the completed lego set.

“Oh my god! That’s so cool!” Y/n exclaims, leaning closer to get a better view of the photo. Sunoo attempts to ignore the way his heart skips at the gentle pressure of Y/n’s shoulder brushing against his. “I know right? Obviously it’s nice to make a difference but… actually seeing it is just… it’s awesome.” Sunoo says, causing Y/n to nod enthusiastically.

It goes silent for a second as Y/n suddenly notices how far they were leaning into him, immediately stepping back. Sunoo can almost see the invisible wall being built between them as Y/n puts their guard back up - the sight causing Sunoo to frown slightly. “I uh… thanks for showing me that. I’ll see you on Thursday.” Y/n mumbles awkwardly before walking off down the hall.

THURSDAY - 8 DAYS TILL PROM:

With prom just over a week away, Y/n can feel their plans of getting Sunoo kicked out slowly start to slip through their fingers. Turns out, trying to get Sunoo in trouble whilst staying out of trouble themself is a difficult task. It’s not like they can just start an argument like usual, and Sunoo’s unfortunately not the type of person to easily fall for sabotage.

“Hey trouble!” Minho exclaims as the two walk into the community centre. “Are you ever gonna stop calling us that?” Sunoo asks, causing Minho to laugh at the slight pout on his lips. “Stop breaking Lego sets and maybe I will.” He teases. The two teens visibly tense at his words, causing Minho to only laugh harder. “I’m just messing with you, shit happens. But do that in my department and neither of you will reach adulthood.”

He’s joking. It’s a joke. But the downright evil smirk on his lips almost makes it seem like it’s not…

“Anyway, this week is your last week in the kid’s section so try to make the most of it. We’ll rotate you every two weeks so you get used to all of the departments, then you can pick which one to volunteer in for the rest of the program.” Minho explains. “Oh! And before I forget!” He adds, aggressively wheeling his chair towards a cabinet - pulling something out of one of the drawers before wheeling back to the two.

“Your very own name badges! I didn’t draw anything on them since we don’t know what departments you’ll be in but we can always add to them later.” Minho says, handing a name badge to each of the students. “The drawing is for the different departments? I just thought you really liked cats.” Sunoo shrugged. “While that’s also true, they have a professional meaning too. Cat because I run the pet department.” Minho states. “But don’t you also run the clothes department?” Y/n asks, causing Minho to sigh. “That’s just temporary. Used to be run by this dude called Jay but he… took an early flight. If you get what I mean.”

“He means an actual flight.” A voice interrupts the conversation. The three turn around to see Seonghwa standing in the doorway. “Jay went back to America to be with his family. You really need to stop telling people he died, dude.” Seonghwa clarifies, earning an eye roll from Minho. “He’s dead to me.” Minho mumbles, causing Seonghwa to scoff. “Anyway, I’ll get these two out of your hair. That lady from Goodwill is supposed to be dropping stuff off in an hour so try not to ignore her when she gets here.” Seonghwa says. Minho waves him off nonchalantly before going back to whatever it is he does on his computer.

As the three walk back towards the storage area, Sunoo takes note of the little drawing of a lego block on Seonghwa’s name tag. He nudges Y/n gently - subtly pointing it out to them, earning a gentle smile and quiet giggle in return.

“Since you’ve already mastered packing boxes, I figure I’d let you unload and organize today. All these boxes came from a delivery truck yesterday. You’ve just got to unpack them and put them on the right shelves. Easy?” Seonghwa asks, earning affirmed nods from the two. “Great, if the three of us work hard it should only take us an hour or two. Then we can go over some stock checks and maybe do some more packing if there’s time.”

There's not a lot to argue about when you're busy working. Especially when the two are working with Seonghwa - someone they absolutely don't want to annoy. But it's a weird feeling for Y/n, practically spending hours on end with Sunoo yet not even muttering an insult.

“Okay, that’s us.” Seonghwa announces suddenly, causing the two students to look up at him confused. “But we still have a few orders to pack?” Y/n questions, causing Seonghwa to wave them off. “I’ll finish these later - we get in trouble for keeping you after hours.”

The two collect their things and go to leave but get stopped by Minho and Beomgyu, who are chatting about something in the reception area. “Woah woah, where are you two running off to?” Minho asks. “Uh… home?” Y/n asks, causing Minho to narrow his eyes at them. “You got a ride?” He asks accusingly. “I drove.” Sunoo nods, before the attention shifts to Y/n. “Oh, uh I caught the bus.” Y/n admits. Minho sighs at their words, rummaging through one of his desk draws before pulling out a set of keys.

“Beomgyu will drop you off.” He says, placing the keys in Beomgyu’s hands. “Have you seen the state my department is in? I don’t have time to play uber driver.” Beomgyu argues. “So you’d prefer our little Y/n here to catch the bus at this time of night?” Minho argues. “Why don’t you drop them off?” Beomgyu asks, placing the keys back in Minho’s hand. “I’ve got a very important business call and Seonghwa will kick my ass if I miss it.” Minho shrugs.

“Well, I’m sure Sunoo can drop them off.” Beomgyu suggests, turning his attention back to Sunoo. “Uh… I guess I could-” “-Really, it’s fine. It’s only like a 10 minute bus ride.” Y/n clarifies,  earning a death glare from both Minho and Beomgyu. 

“Y/n, if you get on that bus and get kidnapped and murdered, I will personally study witchcraft and bring you back to life just to kill you again myself.” Y/n’s eyes widen at Minho’s words, causing Beomgyu to awkwardly chuckle. “What he means is, we don’t feel comfortable with you taking the bus alone and strongly advise you to get a ride with Sunoo.” Beomgyu reasons.

The thought of spending any amount of time alone with Sunoo makes Y/n want to pull the hair out of their scalp. But they suppose it is better than potentially getting kidnapped. And Minho and Beomgyu don’t seem like the type of people to budge on this sort of thing. So Y/n reluctantly agrees, and Minho makes sure to walk the two to the carpark and personally watch them drive away - for extra precautions.

The car ride is silent and awkward. Despite the lack of arguing that has been going on between the two, it is blatantly obvious that there is still a massive wall placed between them.

Sunoo doesn’t know what to do to break the tension. Does he just let the two sit in silence? Does he try to talk about his day? Does he turn the radio on? Deciding a conversation is probably the best way to go, he lets out a shaky breath before mumbling:

“So, how are you liking the community centre?”

With the silence that follows his words, he almost thinks that Y/n didn’t hear him. Either that, or they hate him so much that they’d rather ignore him than have one conversation. Considering it’s dead silent, the latter unfortunately seems like the more likely option. Sunoo’s thoughts however, are cut short when Y/n replies:

“It’s more fun than I thought it would be… and the guys are really nice.” Sunoo nods at their words, letting out a small hum of agreement. “I was a little scared of Minho at first.” He admits, his attempt at potentially lightening the mood successfully landing, as Y/n lets out a small, breathy laugh.

"Yeah… I don't think I've heard someone affectionately threaten murder so much before." Y/n jokes. They're still turned away from Sunoo, opting to stare out the window in order to avoid looking at him. But at least they're joking now. It's progress.

"What happened to your car, by the way?" Sunoo asks curiously. Y/n sends him a confused look, causing him to elaborate. "I mean… don't you usually drive Intak to school everyday? Why didn't you drive here?"

Y/n let's out a scoff, looking back out the window. "The idiot tried to cook a pizza on the dashboard. Some bullshit about it being the hottest day of the year. He saw it on tiktok." Sunoo's face scrunches up, mumbling a small ew. "Apparently it'll take a while to clean, too. I think melted cheese got into the radio or something." Y/n shrugs.

"Does that mean you'll need a ride on Sunday too?" Sunoo asks without thinking. He internally face-palms as Y/n visibly tenses up at his words. God, why does he have to be so stupid?

"Uh… Intak should be free on Sunday…" Y/n mumbles. Sunoo has to stop himself from rolling his eyes. A habit, he likes to claim - opting to ignore the tiny amount of jealousy boiling in the pit of his stomach at the mention of the other man's name. Of course Intak would be the one to take them. The two are practically joined at the hip.

The car is silent for the rest of the drive, with the two only mumbling short goodbyes as Sunoo pulls up to Y/n's house. He chooses to stay, watching as they walk up the driveway and into the building. Y/n doesn't look back.

SUNDAY - 5 DAYS TILL PROM:

“Oh, how's the plan going?” Intak asks suddenly, as he pulls into the community centre parking lot. "Huh?" Y/n asks confused - causing Intak to deadpan at them. "Your whole thing of getting Sunoo to drop out of being prom king. It's on Friday." He clarifies.

Oh right. That plan. Y/n honestly forgot all about it, especially after the awkward interaction they had in Sunoo's car on Thursday.

"I haven't made much progress." Y/n sighs. "Because you're making progress in other areas?" Intak asks, a small smirk spreading across his face. "Don't think I haven't noticed the tension at school, and different from the old tension." He adds, earning an eye roll from Y/n. "I think you need to get your eyes checked." Y/n retorts, ruffling Intak's hair before grabbing their stuff and getting out of the car.

"You're picking me up tonight, right?" Y/n asks. "No, I'm gonna abandon you." Intak deadpans. Y/n gives him an annoyed look, making him laugh. "I'll text you when I get here." He says, causing Y/n to wave him off. "No need, I can spot your shitty car from a mile away." Intak goes to reply but Y/n shuts the car door- making sure to slam it for added effect.

As Intak goes to drive off, he winds down his window. "Have a fun day at work my Pookie Pie!! I love you." He calls, blowing a dramatic kiss to add some flare. Y/n rolls their eyes, flipping him off before entering the building.

Sunoo is already there, signing in at the front desk with Minho and Seonghwa. "I didn't know you had a boyfriend, Y/n." Seonghwa says, earning a scoff from Sunoo. "Yeah, a shitty one. Where was he the other night?" Minho grumbles. "He was busy with soccer practice. And uh… he's not my boyfriend." Y/n says, awkwardly scratching the back of their neck. "Might as well be." Sunoo mumbles bitterly, his comment not going unnoticed by Minho and Seonghwa, who both mumble short apologies for the mistake.

The two share a knowing look before Seonghwa claps his hands, gaining the attention of the two teens. "Right, since today is your last day in my department we'll just focus on practising what you already know. And later on, Beomgyu will give you a tour of his department so you can get straight into things next week."

Minho watches as Seonghwa gets the two to work, immediately going to find Beomgyu and explain to him what the heck just happened.

There is something wrong with Sunoo - that much is clear. He and Y/n aren’t friends of course, but there hasn’t been this much tension between the two since they started volunteering. Y/n doesn’t understand what went wrong?

As Sunoo ignores their question for the umpteenth time, Y/n finally feels themself snap. They grab the box of toys out of his hand, shoving it back on the shelf before crossing their arms across their chest - effectively cornering him in the storage room.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Y/n whisper-yells, not wanting to gain the attention of Seonghwa. “What’s wrong with me? You just ripped a box out of my hands?” Sunoo rolls his eyes. “Because you’re ignoring me!”

It’s stupid, Y/n knows. They’ve spent their entire high school career wishing for the day that Sunoo would start ignoring them. But now that it’s here, they hate it.

“And why do you care? We aren’t friends, Y/n. Even if I try to talk to you, you just go right back to running off with Intak every chance you get.”

And then it clicks. Everything always goes back to Intak.

“Oh my god, Sunoo. This is all about Intak? He’s my best friend, dumbass. And your stupid grudge with him doesn’t change that.” Y/n is fuming, and their volume is no longer at the front of their mind. Sunoo scoffs, pushing past Y/n and picking up the box once again. “I think you’re the dumbass, Y/n. Because everyone but you can tell that you and Intak are not best friends.”

Before he can get back to work however, Y/n catches up and shoves his shoulder - causing the box of toys to fall to the floor. “You’re a fucking hypocrite, you know that?” Y/n scowls, earning another eye roll from Sunoo. “I’m not the one in love with my best friend.” “People can be just friends, Sunoo! You of all people should know that!”

Y/n knows they are yelling, but they don't really care. In fact, they hope that the entire building can hear every word they’re saying; maybe then Sunoo will understand how ridiculous he is being. Even if they were in love with Intak, which is so far from the truth, what the hell does it matter to Kim Sunoo?

“No one says shit about you and Kazuha. Or you and Yuna. How is this any different? Do you get like this when they talk to other people, or am I just special?”

Of course you’re special Sunoo wants to scream. But he holds back - knowing better than to dump all his emotions onto Y/n. Especially now that they’re this worked up.

“Are you two finished?” A calm voice breaks through the tension, and both teens snap their heads to look at the figure. Seonghwa stands leaning against the doorway, his face expressionless as he looks at the two.

It’s as if they’d seen a ghost, and Seonghwa has to hold back his laugh at this. Remembering that he is, in fact the grown up in this situation - he takes a deep breath before ushering towards his office. “Come on, let’s all have a little chat, shall we?”

Seonghwa is scary when he’s mad. Minho and Beomgyu would be too, if they weren’t spending their time trying to hold back their giggles. They can’t help it though - not with Y/n and Sunoo sitting there like two children being scolded by their parents.

“I have tried my best to not… interfere with the relationship between you two. Simply because it is none of my business. But when you are in our building, you must obey our standards, and whatever that was back there is certainly not the type of behaviour we like to see.” Seonghwa states, his voice clear and stern. “Isn’t that right, guys?” He adds, turning to the other two adults in the room - who clearly were not paying attention.

“Uh… yeah.” Beomgyu replies, his voice cracking slightly. This finally sets Minho off, his fit of laughter soon turning into a safety hazard as he begins to choke on his own saliva. Seonghwa can’t help the sigh that escapes his lips, watching in mild disappointment as Beomgyu pats Minho’s back in an attempt to help clear his throat.

“Anyway, we think it will be best to separate the two of you for a little bit, until the hostility goes down. Sunoo, you’ll spend the rest of the day with Minho and Y/n, you’re with Beomgyu. I’ll continue where you left off in kids.” Seonghwa says.

“Wait, so you can’t deal with them so you just pass them onto us?” Beomgyu asks, offended. “Be grateful you’re not getting both of them.” Minho rolls his eyes, letting out a yelp as Beomgyu pinches his side.

It’s weird to see them talk so openly about the two, as if they aren’t sitting in the very same room. Y/n can’t bring themself to look away from Seonghwa, a strong sense of guilt building up in the pit of their stomach. He looks stressed, and Y/n can’t shake the feeling that they’re a major factor.

“Well… is there anything you two would like to say before I send you off?” Seonghwa asks, the attention in the room turning back towards the two teens. Y/n gulps under the gaze, glancing at Sunoo from the corner of their eye - who is avoiding eye contact all together. The two mumble quiet apologies, which almost go unnoticed by the others. Seonghwa sighs once more, gesturing for everyone to leave his office.

MONDAY - 4 DAYS TILL PROM:

“You look like someone died.” Kazuha states, dropping her food tray on the table and effectively snapping Sunoo out of his thoughts. “His relationship with Y/n did.” Yuna snickers, letting out a shriek as Sunoo’s empty milk carton flies towards her head. “Resorting to violence, now? No wonder Y/n doesn’t like you.” Yuna teases, throwing the milk carton back towards him.

“Wait, what happened with Y/n?” Kazuha asks. Sunoo sighs in response, picking at his food. “Nothing, I just fucked everything up… like always.” The response earns some eye rolls from the girls. “Stop acting like a pick me and explain what happened. Or I’ll go ask Y/n myself.” Kazuha threatens, although her words are all bluff.

Sunoo lets out another sigh, deciding there’s no use trying to argue with his friends. “I got jealous of Intak and said some… things. Y/n got mad, for obvious reasons and now we’re not talking.” He doesn’t even need to look up at his friends to tell that they are rolling their eyes at him.

“You are one of the dumbest people alive.” Yuna scoffs. “I know.” Sunoo whines, resting his head in his hands. “What did you actually say to Y/n?” Kazuha sighs, mentally putting on her couples counsellor hat. Sunoo hesitates, knowing he’s about to get ripped into by the girls. “I said that there’s no point in us being friends if they’re just going to run off with Intak every chance they get… and that it’s obvious their relationship is more than that.”

The table is silent for a few moments as Sunoo’s words set in. “You are the reason I hate men.” Yuna groans. “No literally, do you realise how hypocritical that is?” Kazuha asks. “Obviously but I was angry and just said whatever came to mind.” Sunoo frowns.

The girls give each other a look before turning back to Sunoo, who continues to wallow in his self-pity. Sighing, Kazuha moves to sit next to him, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Maybe it’s time to be honest and tell Y/n how you really feel about them.” She says, causing Sunoo’s head to shoot up from it’s position on the table. “Be honest?” He asks with wide eyes. “Yes, Sunoo. If you tell Y/n that you said that because you were jealous and you like them then maybe they’ll actually give you a shot. It’s a much better plan than whatever the hell you’ve been doing this entire time.” Yuna points out. “And if they reject you, at least you tried.” Kazuha attempts to reassure, only to be met with glares from her two friends. “Way to boost my confidence.” Sunoo mumbles, picking up a spoonful of his lunch.

THURSDAY - 1 DAY TILL PROM:

“So… I heard you’ve got prom tomorrow?” Beomgyu asks, trying to break the ice. He hasn’t been alone with Y/n before so he’s not entirely sure what to say. Judging by Y/n’s groan at his words - he definitely said the wrong thing.

“Not looking forward to it?” He adds. “Since Sunoo will be there, no, I’m not.” Y/n mumbles, trying to turn their attention to the box of cans they are currently unpacking. They have nothing against Beomgyu, he’s sweet and all but god, does he not know how to take a hint. 

“What happened between you two, by the way? I know you never got along but something must’ve happened to cause such a fight.” Beomgyu pries. “I really don’t want to talk about this right now.” Y/n sighs. Being met with silence, they think that Beomgyu has finally given up. Until he speaks again:

“You know, I heard that hating someone uses almost as much passion as loving them.”

This causes Y/n to choke on the air in their lungs, looking at Beomgyu with wide eyes. “I’m not lying! Hate sex is apparently really good… not that I would know, of course.” Y/n chooses not to pry at Beomgyu’s blatant confession and instead raises an eyebrow at him. “Are you really recommending hate sex to a highschooler?” They ask, causing Beomgyu to wave them off nonchalantly. “It’s an example, Y/nnie. I’m just saying that hate can be a confusing emotion. Sometimes you think you hate someone, when really you like them and just don’t know how to express it.” “That sounds pretty toxic.” Beomgyu waves them off again. “Just trust me. I know a lot about this stuff.”

“So… how are things going with Y/n?” Minho asks, his sudden words causing Sunoo to look at him with wide eyes. “I… huh?” Sunoo asks, confused. Minho rolls his eyes at this. “I’m not an idiot, I see the way you look at them. And judging by the way they treat you, they do not feel the same. So what’s the plan?”

Sunoo is overwhelmed by the sudden topic. “Uh… give up and go home?” He mumbles. This was not the answer that Minho wanted, judging by the look on his face. “I would slap you right now if Seonghwa wouldn’t fire me for it.” Minho threatens. “Listen, as someone who is basically an expert at this whole hate to love thing - I’m going to give you some advice.” He continues, placing a hand on Sunoo’s shoulder. 

“You need to be obvious enough with the flirting that they can pick up on it but subtle enough that they think you’re just trying to annoy them. Then, when the tension gets high enough, you go full on flirt-mode. Catch them by surprise and reveal your feelings while their guard is down. And if you’re too scared to talk, just kiss them. Works like a charm.”

Sunoo looks at him skeptically, causing Minho to roll his eyes. “You think I’m joking? Beomgyu would tell you the same thing.” His words are very clearly alluding to something but Sunoo chooses to ignore them. “What if they just end up hating me even more?” He asks - his words causing Minho to let out an annoyed groan. “Then you suck it up and move on. If you open up about your feelings and they don’t accept it, then they’re not the right person for you. Was I this clueless when I was a teenager?” Noticing Sunoo’s hesitation, Minho continues. “Look, you’re a nice guy and you seem to really care about Y/n. I’m sure they only hate you because of some petty bullshit and not because you’re a terrible person. Have confidence in yourself!”

Sunoo nods affirmingly at Minho’s words. Have confidence in yourself.

FRIDAY - PROM NIGHT:

“Can I look yet?”

“No.”

“How about now?”

“Still no.”

“...”

“Intak, I swear to god, if you open your damn eyes…”

“I won’t!”

Y/n rolls their eyes at their best friend, looking themself over once more in the mirror. Once they’re happy with the completed outfit, they turn towards Intak - who’s stood in the middle of their bedroom with his hands covering his eyes.

“Okay… you can look now.”

As soon as the words leave Y/n’s lips, Intak’s hands are flying away from his face. His eyes fall on Y/n’s outfit as they stand awkwardly in front of him. “Woah… is it wrong for me to say you look hot?” Intak laughs, letting out a scream when Y/n hits his shoulder. “Hey! Don’t crinkle the suit!” He whines, earning an eye roll from Y/n. “Then don’t say cringy shit.”

“I’m serious though, you look great. Everyone’s gonna go crazy when they see you.” Intak compliments, causing Y/n to scoff. “Yeah, right. If I look so good, why am I taking you as my date?” Intak frowns at this. “You’re the one who turned down my idea of you and Sunoo going together.” He points out. “Yeah, cause that would literally be considered a form of torture.” Now it’s Intak’s turn to roll his eyes at Y/n’s exaggeration. “You’re just pissed that you guys fought. It would’ve been a great way to make up, you know?”

“Can we not talk about Sunoo right now?” Y/n asks, almost desperately. Intak narrows his eyes for a moment before sighing. “Fine. But as soon as this thing is over, you’re explaining what the hell happened with you two.”

Prom - the supposed “best night” of a high schooler’s life. The glitz and the glam. Food, drinks, music. It’s everything a teenager could wish for.

As Y/n and Intak walk into the school gym, they look around in awe at the decor. “You know, this turned out a lot better than I expected.” Y/n comments, causing Intak to nod in agreement. “I know, right? It barely smells like feet in here.” He jokes, letting out a pained noise when Y/n jabs him in the side. “So… are we going to the dancefloor first or the snack table?” Intak asks, causing Y/n to look at him with a blank expression. “Snack table it is.” He adds, laughing as Y/n aggressively pulls him towards the assortment of foods.

“I’m just gonna head to the bathroom!” Y/n mumbles, their voice slightly muffled due to the music. Intak sends them a thumbs up, letting them know he got the message. After a few moments, Intak feels a sudden presence behind him and turns around to see Sunoo standing there.

“Looking for Y/n?” He asks, causing Sunoo’s eyes to widen slightly. “Uh… yeah. I thought they’d be with you.” He mumbles. “Bathroom.” Intak shrugs, earning a slight nod from Sunoo. Intak gestures for him to take a seat and Sunoo hesitates for a moment before sitting down.

“How did you know I was looking for Y/n?” Sunoo asks, causing Intak to shrug. “Well, you weren’t coming to hang out with me.” He jokes, earning an awkward laugh from Sunoo. “Are you still upset about… you know?” Sunoo asks. “Oh, god no. I got over that like, freshman year.” Intak says, waving him off. “Oh. Okay, well… I feel like I should apologise anyway. I wasn’t like… trying to compete with you or anything.” Sunoo says, causing Intak to laugh. “It’s all good, like I said, I forgave you ages ago. Y/n on the other hand…” Intak trails off, causing Sunoo’s eyes to widen.

Everything finally seems to fall into place. Y/n hates Sunoo because of what happened with him and Intak? He supposes it does make sense; they are best friends after all. But if Intak is over it, then why isn’t Y/n?

“Can I be honest about something?” Sunoo asks, causing Intak to look at him confused. “As long as you don’t confess your undying love for me. You’re cute but not really my type.” He jokes, making Sunoo laugh so hard he almost falls out of his chair. “Trust me, you’re not my type either.” He responds, causing Intak to scoff in feigned offence. “You know what? Maybe I do still hate you.” Intak pouts. He keeps the act up for a few moments before returning back to his smiley self, gesturing for Sunoo to go on.

“This is gonna sound really weird but… whenever I see you and Y/n, I can’t help but feel jealous. Like, you guys are so in tune with each other and… you’re close with them in a way that I can only dream of. I don’t know… guess it made me unknowingly hate you which probably added to why Y/n hates me.” Sunoo rants. Intak’s face doesn’t give much away, as he stares forward with furrowed brows. For a moment, Sunoo thinks he’s said something wrong.

“Y/n’s a complicated person. They like it when people are open and honest, but hate being open and honest themself. They’re also super stubborn… you probably already know that. They hate admitting when they’re wrong but really admire it when others do.” Intak says. Sunoo looks at him confused, not entirely sure what he’s trying to say. 

“Y/n’s basically a hypocrite, who looks for people that do and say the things they refuse to. That’s why we’re so close, we balance each other out. You, however, are more like Y/n, which is why I think you guys butt heads. You both want to be more open but your stubbornness gets in the way and you argue. I think that’s the difference between me with Y/n and you with Y/n.” Intak points out.

Sunoo’s face screws up at Intak’s words as he lets out a dry laugh. “Doesn’t sound like me and Y/n are a good match, then.” He mumbles. “I think you can understand Y/n a lot better than I do. Sometimes they do things and I just don’t get why. But if you and Y/n are going to be friends… or more, one of you will have to adjust a little. And judging by this conversation we’re having, it looks like you’re trying to.” Intak says, a genuine smile on his lips.

Sunoo is in awe. He’s never felt so called out yet reassured at the same time. “Where the hell did you learn to give advice like that?” He asks, shocked. Intak laughs slightly, scratching the back of his neck. “I watch a lot of couples therapy programs. It’s a guilty pleasure.” He mumbles. Just as Sunoo is about to ask what shows, the two are interrupted by Intak’s phone going off. He looks at the screen to see Y/n calling, immediately answering and putting them on speaker.

“Intak! You have to come outside and see this dog. It’s wearing a little bow tie!” Y/n exclaims, happily. “Outside? I thought you were in the bathroom?” Intak asks. “I move quickly. Now hurry up!” Y/n ushers, continuing to rave on about the dog as Intak waves goodbye to Sunoo.

“Ladies and gentlemen, if we could have you all to the dance floor to announce this year’s Prom King and Queen.”

Y/n is probably feeling more nervous than Intak - judging by the way they’re squeezing his hand. “I think you’re gonna break my knuckles.” Intak leans down to whisper, causing Y/n to roll their eyes. “Shut up.” They whisper back.

Has the principal's intro speech always been this long? No one asked about how proud you are of all the contestants, they just want to hear who won. After what feels like literal hours of talking, the drumroll begins to play throughout the gym.

“And the winner of Be Lift High’s Prom King is…”

.

.

.

.

.

“Hwang Intak!”

Y/n is probably more excited than Intak, too - judging by the way they practically scream in his ear. Intak grins widely as Y/n shakes him back and forth, receiving a few pats on the back and whoops from the crowd around them. Snapping out of his shock, Intak gently pulls away from Y/n’s grip and walks up to the stage to be crowned.

Despite Intak walking away, Y/n immediately feels another presence beside them. They turn to see Sunoo standing there, watching fondly as Intak accepts the crown. Y/n attempts to ignore him, turning their attention back to Intak. Despite this, Sunoo had already felt Y/n’s eyes on him and gently nudges their side to get their attention.

“He looks really happy.” Sunoo points out. His statement earns an eye roll from Y/n, who immediately turns to him with a smirk. “Jealous you didn’t win?” They asks snarkily, causing Sunoo to laugh slightly. It’s not the sarcastic laugh he usually does around Y/n. It’s a small, genuine laugh. “No, he deserves it.” Sunoo smiles before turning his attention back to the stage, where Intak is about to start his acceptance speech.

The smirk on Yn’s face immediately drops as they take in Sunoo’s words. Sure, he doesn’t have to be jealous… but Y/n at least expected a snarky comeback. Why is he smiling like he and Intak are friends?

“You look really good by the way.” Sunoo says, not taking his eyes off the stage. Y/n immediately scans his face for any signs of sarcasm or teasing. None. Awkwardly coughing, Y/n turns away from Sunoo and back towards the stage. They mumble a quiet shut up but the subtle blush that spreads across their cheeks shows they didn’t hate the compliment.

“And we’ll now announce Be Lift High’s Prom Queen…. Nakamura Kazuha!”

“Fuck yeah!” Yuna screams, immediately covering her mouth when she realised the rest of the crowd hadn’t started yet. She mumbles a few apologies before pushing Kazuha towards the stage.

With Kazuha now joining Intak on the stage, Yuna squeezes herself between Sunoo and Y/n - slinging her arms around both of their shoulders. “Do you think anyone heard me swear?” She jokes, causing Sunoo and Y/n to laugh. “Judging by the way Mr Kim is currently glaring into our souls, I’d say yeah.” Sunoo says.

The trio watch in amusement as Intak shuffles aside for Kazuha to give her speech, her sending him an awkward yet genuine smile. “They’re kinda cute, don’t you think?” Yuna asks, causing Y/n to scoff. “Oh please, she’s way too good for him.” They laugh. “I don’t know, Zuha’s taste in guys is…” Sunoo trails off. “Questionable.” Yuna finishes for him. Y/n shoots the two a confused look but chooses not to ask further questions.

“So, what were you and Sunoo talking about when I was on stage?” Intak asks as he and Y/n slow dance together. “Oh god, don’t remind me. Weirdest conversation we’ve ever had.” Y/n rolls their eyes, causing Intak’s to lighten up with interest. “Come on, spill the tea.” He says, laughing as Y/n physically cringes at his choice of words.

“I don’t know, it was just weird. Like, he was saying how you deserved to win and when I tried to tease him about it, he just didn’t react. And then he said I looked good… without being sarcastic!” Y/n rants, earning an eye roll from Intak. “You call that a weird conversation?” He asks. “Well yeah, it is for people who hate each other.” Y/n huffs.

“Y/n… you don’t seriously think Sunoo hates you, do you?” Intak’s question causes Y/n to look up at him, a confused expression painted across their face. “Uh… have you seen the way he acts around me? We’re like… constantly at each other’s throats.” Y/n points out. “Yeah, and who starts almost all of those arguments?” Intak asks.

Y/n falls silent for a moment as they think back to all their arguments with Sunoo. Sure… they’re often the one that takes it from teasing to yelling but… that doesn’t make Sunoo completely innocent.

“I think you should apologise to him.” Y/n’s eyes practically fall out of their skull as the words slip past Intak’s lips. “I think that’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever said.” Intak raises a brow at Y/n, almost in a challenging way. “Y/n… you know how much I love you but as your best friend, it’s my job to tell you when you’re being stupid… and this whole beef you’ve got with Sunoo is stupid… maybe if you start seeing him as a person rather than as some annoyance in your life, you’ll start to recognise that.” Intak says, finally, before dropping the topic.

Y/n pouts slightly as they mull over Intak’s words over and over again… he’s right. Y/n hates it when he’s right.

THURSDAY - 6 DAYS AFTER PROM:

I think you should apologise to him.

Those words have been repeating in Y/n’s brain all week. It’s very rare for a piece of Intak’s advice to stick with them for this long - usually he just says a few quotes he stole from Twitter and hopes it does the trick. It doesn’t. 

Walking into the community centre, Y/n is surprised to see an unknown man sitting behind the desk instead of the usual Minho. As soon as he hears the door open, the man looks up and sends a small smile to Y/n.

“Uh… hi?” Y/n asks, walking up to the desk, puzzled. “Hey. You’re one of the volunteers, right? Y/n?” The man asks, causing Y/n to nod quietly. Their eyes quickly flicker down to his nametag - reading the name Jay along with a small drawing of some shoes. Jay? As in, the guy who used to work here?

“I thought you were in America?” Y/n asks, causing Jay’s eyes to widen slightly. “Oh… I was, yeah. But now I’m back.” He shrugs, passing Y/n the name tag box. Their eyebrows furrow slightly when they see that both Minho and Beomgyu’s name tags are still there. Just as they’re about to ask, they get interrupted by the door opening.

“Sorry I’m late, the coach tried to have an extra cheer practice.” Sunoo says as he walks into the building. He stops in his tracks when he spots Jay behind the desk. “Who are you?” He asks, bluntly. “Jay, and you must be Sunoo.” Jay says. Sunoo glances at Y/n, as if to ask what is happening. Y/n just offers a confused shrug back.

“Okay, as you can probably tell, I’m not Minho. Something happened and he had to take the day off which means, obviously, Beomgyu had too as well.” Jay says. Y/n and Sunoo aren’t sure why that’s obvious but they choose not to question it. “Because we’re down two people, things are going to look a bit different today. We can’t have you both in departments by yourself because, no offence but you’re not fully trusted to be left alone yet. Seonghwa’s still in kids, but he’ll also be checking on you two in grocery. I’ll take care of clothes and pets myself.” Jay says, earning affirmative nods from Sunoo and Y/n. “Cool, Beomgyu should’ve left you a note of what he wants done today but if you need any help, just ask me or Seonghwa.”

Beomgyu’s “note” turned out to be the computer password so they could access todays food pack orders along with the words “fuck things up and I’ll kill you” scribbled at the bottom. Not extremely helpful but Y/n expected nothing less.

“So we just… put the stuff on the list in a box?” Sunoo asks, making Y/n realise that he hasn’t actually worked in grocery yet. “Oh… yeah. We print off the order ticket, grab everything that's on it and put them in a box, stick the ticket on the top and then tick the packed button on the computer… it’s pretty simple once you get the hang of it, and everything’s labelled so you shouldn’t have any trouble.” Y/n rambles, quickly demonstrating how things work.

The two quickly get to work, in complete silence. It’s a little awkward. This is the first time Y/n has actually seen Sunoo since prom, other than quickly passing each other in the halls, and the first time that they’ve worked with him in the community centre since their fight.

I think you should apologise to him.

Groaning slightly, Y/n turns their attention back to the order they’re currently working on. The last thing they need right now is Intak’s stupid face in their brain, trying to convince them to apologise.

“Hey, Y/n? Can you come check this for me?” Sunoo suddenly calls, snapping Y/n out of their thoughts. “Uh... yeah, one sec.” Y/n replies, putting the finishing touches on their order before walking over to where Sunoo is working.

They find him in the produce section, looking puzzled. “Everything okay?” Y/n asks, causing Sunoo to jump slightly at their sudden presence. “Oranges and mandarins are the same thing, right?” Sunoo asks, causing Y/n to giggle slightly. “Um… no. Mandarins are little and come in pieces that you peel off, oranges are big and you need to cut them.” Y/n says, causing Sunoo to nod. “We only have oranges, then,” He says, turning to look at Y/n. “And I need mandarins.”

Sighing, Y/n does a quick scan around the produce section. There are in fact, no mandarins. “We’ll have to check the back storage.” Y/n says, walking towards the door to find Seonghwa. “You coming? I can’t carry a bulk box of fruit by myself.” Y/n says, causing Sunoo to immediately follow them.

Once the two grab the key from Seonghwa, they make their way to the back storage room, where all the unneeded products are kept. It’s weird being in here again. Last time the two were in this room, they were screaming at each other. Walking past the kids and pet sections, they finally find themselves in the grocery area.

“Over there.” Y/n points in the direction of the fruits, going to walk towards them. They realise that Sunoo is oddly quiet and turn around to look at him. “Are you okay?” Y/n asks. It’s silent for a few more moments before Sunoo blurts out two words Y/n never thought they’d hear him say.

“I’m sorry.”

Y/n doesn’t know how to respond. It seems that even Sunoo is a little taken aback by his words, judging by his wide-eyed expression. “Um… what?” Y/n laughs awkwardly. Where was this coming from?

“I’m sorry for… everything, really. I’ve been giving you hell for years for basically nothing. I was just jealous of you and Intak and I took it out on you when I should’ve just-” “-Are you kidding me?” Y/n asks suddenly, interrupting Sunoo’s words. “I’ve been thinking about apologising to you all week and you beat me to it?” They continue, causing Sunoo to look at them confused. “It’s not a competition…” Sunoo laughs awkwardly. “But I’ve hated you for years because of something you did unknowingly as a kid… and you didn’t even do it to me! Why the hell are you the one apologising?” Y/n asks, a small pout to their lips. Sunoo can’t help but look at them endearingly… are they really upset that he apologised before they could?

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Y/n asks, causing Sunoo to laugh slightly. “Sorry, you’re just really cute.” He says, causing their eyes to widen. A pink blush immediately spreads across their cheeks, earning a slight smirk from Sunoo. “Shut up.” Y/n mumbles, avoiding eye contact. 

“Would you feel better if I took my apology back?” Sunoo asks, half jokingly. Y/n pauses to think for a moment before silently nodding, causing Sunoo to break out into a toothy grin. “Okay, then… I'll take it back.” He says, his words causing Y/n to look up at him again. They bite their lip nervously as he quietly waits for them to speak.

“Okay so like… I’m sorry for being a bitch and hating you for something you didn’t do. It was really childish of me and I hope that we can be friends… maybe.” Y/n rambles, their eyes nervously flickering from Sunoo’s to various parts of the room. Sunoo smiles at their nervousness, his heart swelling slightly at their words. “It’s okay… when I found out you didn’t like me I started purposefully annoying you. If you can’t tell, I think you’re cute when you’re mad.” Sunoo says, the pink blush on Y/n’s cheeks turning darker with each compliment. “Stop calling me that…” Y/n mumbles.

“You don’t like when I call you cute?”

“Hate it.”

“Your blush says otherwise, babe.”

“Shut up!”

“So… are you just gonna ignore the fact that I said I was jealous of you and Intak?” Sunoo asks, causing Y/n to look at him confused. “Why?” Y/n asks. “Because I like you and I hated that he was close with you in ways I couldn’t be… thought he had a better chance with you than I did.” Sunoo mumbles, causing Y/n to scoff slightly. “Oh please, Intak wouldn’t have a chance with me if he was the last man on earth.” Y/n says, choosing to ignore the part where Sunoo said he likes them.

“What about me?” Sunoo asks, stepping forward slightly to minimise the gap between them. “Uh… what about you?” Y/n asks, attempting to step back but getting stopped by the shelf behind them. “Would I have a chance?” Sunoo asks, continuing his steps until he is directly in front of Y/n, their back pressed up against the shelves. “Um… if you were the last man on earth, you mean? I guess, I don’t know. I don’t even think I’d survive long enough for us to be the last people on earth. Especially if it was like a zombie apocalypse or something, I’d probably die super… early.” Y/n rambles, the last words trailing off as Sunoo gently grips their chin, lifting it slightly so they’re making direct eye contact.

“I mean now, Y/n. Would I have a chance with you now?” Sunoo asks, his grip on Y/n’s chin stopping them from looking away. Y/n’s breath seems to get caught in their throat as they see Sunoo’s eyes flicker down to their lips. “I don’t know…” Y/n breathes out.

Their mind feels fuzzy. Up until about a week ago, they don’t think they’d ever had a positive thought about Sunoo. And now here they are, trapped between his body and a shelf, as he confesses that he likes them? Y/n has no idea how to process this new information.

“Are you guys okay in here?” A sudden voice calls out, causing Y/n to immediately push Sunoo away from them. They shut down the part of their brain that immediately misses his touch and peek behind the shelf to see Jay looking around the room for them. “We’re fine! Just took a while finding what we needed.” Sunoo calls out, going to grab one side of the mandarin crate. Taking note of Y/n’s slightly dazed expression, Sunoo can’t help but laugh slightly. “Actually, do you mind helping us carry this? Y/n’s a bit out of it.” Sunoo calls out again, sending a teasing wink to Y/n who immediately scowls at him. Guess that his feelings for them won’t change the constant teasing.

“I saw you drove today, your car’s fixed?” Sunoo asks as the two walk out of the community centre. “Yeah, it is. Which reminds me that I need to get Intak to pay me back.” Y/n says, taking a mental note. “Well, if you ever need a ride again, just know my passenger seat is always free for you.” Sunoo says, his words causing Y/n to blush slightly. They mumble a small thanks, causing Sunoo to smile endearingly. “Well, I’ve got to go. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Sunoo says, causing Y/n’s eyebrows to furrow. “School, babe.” Sunoo clarifies, making Y/n’s mouth fall into a small “oh”. Sunoo shakes his head with a gentle smile, ruffling Y/n’s hair affectionately. “Have a good night, Y/n.” He says before going to get into his car, waiting until Y/n has gotten in theirs and drives off before he leaves as well.

FRIDAY - 7 DAYS AFTER PROM:

“I told you so!”

Y/n reaches over to cover Intak’s mouth with their hand, shushing him as they look around the classroom. Thankfully, everyone else is busy with their own conversations to be listening in on theirs. Intak licks their hand, causing them to immediately pull away with a disgusted look. “You’re so gross.” Y/n mumbles, wiping their hand on Inak’s shirt sleeve. “I don’t care, you and Sunoo are getting together, I was finally right about something.” Intak teases, earning an eye roll from Y/n. “We’re not getting together, he likes me. There’s a difference.” “But you like him too!” Intak urges. “And how the hell do you know that?” Y/n asks, defensively. “Because we’re besties! I can basically read your mind at this point.” Y/n looks at him with a blank expression, clearly not believing his reasoning. “Plus you’re blushing, which is kind of a dead give away.”

Y/n throws their pen at Intak, who only pokes out his tongue in retaliation. He is right - they both know it. Which is what makes the whole situation more frustrating. Being confronted with the fact that you might like someone when you’ve spent years thinking you hate them is not a fun feeling. Y/n can’t help but think back to the conversation they had with Beomgyu last week. Sometimes you think you hate someone, when really you like them and just don’t know how to express it. God… did everyone see it but Y/n?

Obviously, they always knew that Sunoo was attractive (although they’d never admit it). And yeah, maybe a small part of them did secretly enjoy having Sunoo’s attention - good or bad. But does that really mean that they like him? Like, want to go on dates and hold hands and kiss and post cute couple pictures with cheesy captions to annoy their friends kind of like? Surely not…

…

Okay, maybe.

But liking Kim Sunoo and wanting to date Kim Sunoo are two completely different things. You can like someone and leave it at that - a hypothetical crush with no real drive to transition into an actual relationship. Just someone to watch from afar and dream about until you either get over them or fall for someone else. That is exactly what Y/n plans to do with this whole crush thing. Sunoo, unfortunately, is not making this easy.

“Y/n!”

The sudden call of their name causes Y/n to jump slightly. That doesn’t sound like Intak. And Y/n doesn’t speak to any other men at school because, why would they? Which means it has to be…

“Do you know how long I’ve been looking for you?” Sunoo asks once he’s finally caught up to Y/n. They look like a deer caught in headlights, looking directly into the eyes of the one person they’ve spent all day avoiding.

Y/n is almost too distracted by the situation to process the words coming out of Sunoo’s mouth. He’s been looking for them? That should not make their heart flutter the way that it does.

“Where have you been?” Sunoo asks, his follow-up question finally breaking through the thoughts that are overflowing Y/n’s brain. “Oh, you know… around.” Y/n attempts to play it off, aimlessly waving their hand to appear as nonchalant as possible. Sunoo doesn’t buy it for a second, looking at Y/n with raised eyebrows. “Okay… well, I was wondering if you were busy this afternoon?” Sunoo asks. “This afternoon? There’s a game on.” Y/n says, causing Sunoo to chuckle slightly. “I know. I’m a cheerleader, remember? I was meaning before the game.”

They always get paninis with Intak before his games - something he claims gives him good luck. Despite this, Y/n can practically hear Intak screaming at them to say no, they’re not busy, and they’d love to spend the afternoon with Sunoo. But some part of them is holding back, scared of getting too close to Sunoo.

Sunoo notices Y/n’s hesitation and his face falls slightly, though he immediately covers it with an understanding smile. “Intak?” He asks, already knowing the answer. Y/n nods slowly, an overwhelming feeling of guilt washing over them. Why did feelings have to be so confusing?

Sunoo goes to walk away but Y/n suddenly calls out, their voice leaving their body before they even have time to comprehend the words. “You can come,” Sunoo stops in his tracks, turning around to look at Y/n once more. “If you want.” They add.

It’s silent for a moment before Sunoo smiles - not the sad one from before, a genuine smile. “Sure… how about I bring Yuna and Kazhua, too?” He asks. Sunoo’s not an idiot, he can tell how uncomfortable Y/n is in his presence. If he wants things to work out with them, he needs to give them time to get comfortable. If that means bringing their entire friend group on what he wanted to be a date, then so be it.

“I’d like that.” Y/n smiles.

“So uh… where are we going?” Yuna asks, curiously. Her grip tightens on Kazuha’s arm as the trio walk down the street. “That cheap Italian place down by the library.” Sunoo says, his words immediately causing Kazuha’s face to screw up. “Who gets Itallian before a game? Isn’t that more of a post-game meal?” She asks. Sunoo shrugs. “Apparently Intak needs his good-luck panini before every game and I’m not really in the mood to argue with our star player.”

“He plays like that because of a panini?” Kazuha asks, shocked. “It’s not the panini, idiot. It’s the fact that it’s his lucky food… think of it like manifesting.” Yuna explains. “But with paninis.”

Thankfully, the restaurant isn’t too far away from the school. It’s likely why Y/n and Intak started going. As soon as the group walks up to the little building, squished between the public library and a laundromat, Sunoo realises that it’s not as bad as he thought. Freshly painted with what looks to be a handmade sign hung carefully above the door and intricately decorated on the interior.

Stepping inside, the group’s eyes immediately land on Y/n and Intak. They’re the only customers in the restaurant, so it’s impossible to miss Intak’s wide smile and over-exaggerated wave.

“Wait, this place is so cute!” Kazuha exclaims, immediately going to sit down with Y/n and Intak. “How long have you two been gatekeeping this?” She continues, pointing her finger accusingly between Y/n and Intak. Y/n immediately raises their hands in surrender. “Ask Intak, he’s the one who didn’t want anyone stealing his luck.”

Intak’s eyes widen at Y/n’s statement. “Hey! Don’t turn this on me!” He exclaims, his face heating up slightly as the group laughs. “It’s okay, the golden boy just didn’t want anyone stealing his precious spot. No biggie.” Yuna teases, patting Intak’s shoulder with feigned sympathy as she moves to sit down as well - pushing Sunoo to sit in the spot next to Y/n before sliding in after him.

Sunoo attempts to keep some distance between himself and Y/n so as to not make them uncomfortable. Yuna doesn’t seem to get the message though, sliding into the booth and pressing Sunoo right into Y/n’s personal bubble. They don’t seem to mind though - judging by the subtle blush creeping up their neck and gentle smile on their lips.

“Is now a bad time to say that I’ve never had a panini before?” Yuna asks. ‘Oh god, don’t make him start.” Y/n mumbles. Their words fall on deaf ears, as Intak begins to ramble about paninis and all the amazing combinations you can have. Y/n zones out of the conversation, aimlessly flicking through the menu instead. 

“What do you recommend?” Sunoo asks, quietly. Y/n looks up at him with a raised brow. “Don’t trust Intak’s recommendations?” Y/n asks, jokingly. Their words cause Sunoo to chuckle quietly. “More like, I want to have your favourite.” Sunoo mumbles, playfully winking when Y/n’s face flushes.

This is going to be a long night.

“Oh, shit. What time do we have to be there tonight?” Yuna asks, pulling out her phone to check the time. “Practice starts at 5, game at 6. I’ve only told you, like, 4 times today.” Sunoo says, a not-so-subtle roll of his eyes earning him a slap on the arm. “Thanks, Kim Sunoo. Where would I be without you?” Yuna replies snarkily. “Not the game, that’s for sure.”

“Are you coming early too, Y/n?” Kazuha asks, finishing off the last bite of her panini. “I always do. Intak forces me to watch him practice.” Y/n says. “It’s not forcing! You can say no…” Intak pouts. “If I say no you get like this, which is not as cute as you think it is.” Y/n laughs, causing Intak’s mouth to drop in offence. “I am so cute! You’re just blind, clearly.”

“Maybe this time you can watch our cheer practice, instead.” Yuna suggests, “I know a certain someone would love that.” She continues, a little quieter so only Y/n and Sunoo can hear her. Y/n’s face heats up at the implication behind Yuna’s words as Sunoo nudges her in the side, his face telling her to knock it off.

“Or just watch boring Intak, whatever you want.” She finishes with a shug. “Since when was it International Bully Intak Day?” Intak asks, sulkily taking a bite of his (third) panini.

Intak gets pouty when Y/n doesn’t pay attention during his practice and games. Y/n has made that mistake far too many times, and now makes sure to keep their eyes on the field at all times. Why is tonight so much more difficult? Kim Sunoo… that’s why…

Y/n never really watched the cheerleaders before. Like they said, Intak got pouty. But tonight, their gaze can’t help but slowly drift to where Sunoo stands. They jump slightly as Sunoo tosses one of the smaller girls in the air, lifting her up like she’s nothing and catching her with equal ease.

He must be pretty strong.

Y/n immediately shakes the thought out of their head, looking back at the field. The game has long started since now, the bleachers filling up with loud, enthusiastic supporters all there to watch their team win. Intak’s on fire, as usual. The crowd roars with every point he scores, expecting nothing less from their school’s star player.

As Y/n fixates their full attention onto their best friend, they hardly notice Sunoo walking over to where they’re sat. Sunoo smiles down at Y/n, finding their concentration cute before playfully ruffling their hair.

“So, we’re pretending you weren’t literally staring me down a minute ago?” He asks, his words and action causing Y/n’s attention to immediately flicker to him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Y/n mumbles, swatting his hand away before fixing their now ruined hair. “Course you don’t, babe.” Sunoo replies, messing up Y/n’s hair once more before taking a seat next to them.

“Aren’t you supposed to be on the field… you know… cheering?” Y/n asks, trying to make it seem like they’re annoyed by his presence. Y/n’s never been an actor though and Sunoo can read right through them. “You expect me to cheer for the whole game? That’s so tiring.” Sunoo frowns. “I should get to have a good time, too.” He adds, sending a playful smile to Y/n.

That’s how Y/n and Sunoo ended up watching the game together. With every scored point, everyone around them got more enthusiastic - their excited movements pushing Y/n and Sunoo closer together. Neither of them minded, though.

Sunoo suddenly lets out a groan when he spots Yuna calling him back onto the field. “I have to go back.” He mumbles, looking at Y/n apologetically. “It’s okay… go do your thing.” Y/n smiles. Sunoo can’t help the way his smile mimics Y/n’s, even the tiniest bit of their happiness is contagious to him. God… they’re so pretty. Before he can even realise what he’s doing, Sunoo leans in to press a quick kiss against Y/n’s cheek, ruffling their hair once more as he stands before running back to the field, yelling about how he’ll “be back.”

Y/n sits there, stunned, for a moment. Did that really just happen? Did Sunoo just kiss them? They bring a hand up to gently press against the spot where Sunoo’s lips just were. The skin burns slightly at the touch, likely from the ever growing blush that seems to be constant whenever Sunoo’s around. It takes Y/n a handful of seconds to snap out of the fluttery trance Sunoo’s kiss put them in - and he didn’t even kiss them on the lips! This crush really is going to be the end of Y/n…

“WE WON!”

Intak’s yell could probably be heard from the other side of town. But Y/n doesn’t care, as they run happily into his open embrace. Every win for Intak is like the first; it’s only fair that Y/n matches his enthusiasm.

“You did so good, Takie.” Y/n says, giving Intak a loving squeeze before pulling away. Kazuha is next, running to give Intak a hug - much to the surprise of the rest of the group. “Guess we’re all hugging Intak.” Yuna shrugs, running up to him as well - making sure to grab Y/n on the way and pull them into the, now group hug.

Sunoo watches the group with an amused smile on his face. “Bring it in, bro.” Intak winks, making Sunoo laugh slightly. “Okay, bro.” Sunoo says teasingly, before joining the hug as well - making sure to take a position next to Y/n.

“Why are we hugging?” Y/n asks. “Because I did so amazingly that you guys just wanted to show how much you love me?” Intak asks, hopefully. “Whatever you say, buddy.” Yuna laughs.

Pulling away from the impromptu group hug, Y/n can’t help the way their eyes naturally drift to Sunoo, who was already looking at them. The rest of the group immediately notice their two friends, Yuna giving Kazuha a knowing nudge.

“Hey, Intak. Didn’t you need to show me and Yuna that… thing?” Kazuha asks, suspiciously. Intak’s face lights up at this. He loves this game. “Oh, that’s right! I almost forgot. I’ll go show you now. Just you, me and Yuna.” Intak says. Sunoo has to stop himself from physically face palming at the performance. “I think they get the hint.” Yuna laughs, grabbing the two by the arm and pulling them away from Y/n and Sunoo.

“Well that wasn’t suspicious at all.” Sunoo jokes. “What would he even have in his car to show them?” Y/n laughs, looking back in the direction the three went, only to spot them not-so-subtly crouched behind the bleachers. “They’re watching us.” Y/n mumbles. “Of course they are.”

Silence falls between the two as Sunoo appears to have a sudden wave of nerves wash over him. Y/n looks up at him with slight concern - Sunoo doesn’t normally get nervous. “Look… I just wanted to say that I had a really good time with you today… it’s nice to just hang out without working… or yelling at each other.” Sunoo starts, causing Y/n to laugh slightly. “We do yell at each other quite a bit.” They agree. “That’s not stopping, by the way. If you do dumb shit I will call you out on it.” Y/n playfully warns, causing Sunoo to laugh. “Oh, 100%. Just like how I’m going to keep purposefully getting on your nerves.” Sunoo teases.

Due to the conversation taking a playful turn, Sunoo’s nerves start to subside. “Look, I know this is all very sudden for you so I don’t expect an answer straight away but, I was wondering if you wanted to-” 

“-yes.”

Sunoo’s eye brows furrow slightly at Y/n cutting him off. “Would you let me say it?” He asks, teasingly, causing Y/n to laugh. “Sorry, I got excited… keep going.” Y/n urges him to continue, looking at him with a playful smile. “I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date… with me… and not our friends, this time.” Sunoo asks, smiling gently.

Y/n can’t stop the giddy feeling that’s building up in their stomach. It’s almost like they want to start jumping around, they’re so restless. Never in their entire life would they have thought that they would have these feelings about Kim Sunoo… guess the heart works in mysterious ways.

Y/n nods enthusiastically, jumping to pull Sunoo into a tight hug. “This is new.” Sunoo comments, hugging back nonetheless. “Sorry, I’m just weirdly excited and I didn’t know how to say it in words.” Y/n mumbles against Sunoo’s shoulder. “Don’t apologise… I could definitely get used to this.” Sunoo says, tightening his grip around Y/n’s waist.

The two stand there for a few seconds, trapped in their own little bubble. Their precious moment is soon interrupted by the hushed whispers of their friends, who still haven’t left their hiding spot. Sunoo pulls away with a groan, shooting a fake glare towards the others. “Okay… let’s go get those idiots.” He says, wrapping an arm around Y/n’s shoulder to pull them in the direction of the rest of the group.

“So, just so we’re being clear… our next date is gonna be with our friends, too?”

“Without, Y/n. Without.”

“Sorry without… Yuna and Kazuha, but Intak is coming.”

“Bring Intak and you’re not getting a second date.”

“I’m just teasing. Besides, I doubt you can stay away from me after this.”

“You know what? I’m starting to regret confessing to you.”

As the two playfully bicker back and forth, Yuna, Kazuha and Intak notice them coming over and decide to leave their hiding spot. “So the lovebirds finally got together, huh?” Yuna asks, earning eyerolls from Y/n and Sunoo. “Nothing’s official yet so don’t jinx it.” Sunoo warns, causing Yuna to look at him with a teasing smile. “So I shouldn’t talk about how you’re madly in love with Y/n and it’s taken you literally years to-” Yuna’s ramble gets cut off by Sunoo charging at her, causing her to end her sentence early with a loud squeal.

“Zuha, help!” Yuna exclaims as she attempts to run away from Sunoo. As the three friends laugh and chase each other around the now empty field, Y/n feels the sudden presence of Intak resting his chin on the top of their head.

“You look really happy.” He comments, the simple words causing Y/n’s smile to spread even further across their face. “I am.” They reply. “Sunoo’s cool… he’ll treat you well.” Intak mumbles, yawning slightly due to it getting later. Y/n snorts slightly at his words, playfully elbowing him in the stomach. “Why are you acting like my dad?” They ask, earning a shrug from their best friend. “I’m just happy that you’re happy.”

SUNDAY - 9 DAYS AFTER PROM:

Walking into the community centre feels a lot different on this particular day compared to all the previous times. Perhaps it’s due to the fluttery feeling in Y/n’s chest at the thought of seeing Sunoo again. They haven’t seen him since Friday night, where they agreed to go on a date. They did, however, text throughout most of yesterday.

Minho is back in his position at the front desk, with Jay, Beomgyu and Seonghwa in various other parts of the reception area. Sunoo also stands in the reception area, signing in for the day.

“Y/n, come and clear this up for me.” Minho says as soon as Y/n makes their way through the sliding glass doors. Their eyebrows furrow slightly but oblige nonetheless, not wanting to piss of Minho this early in the day.

“This kid says that you and Sunoo didn’t argue at all last week.” Minho scoffs, pointing accusingly at Jay, who holds his hands up in defence. “I honestly didn’t even know they were the problem kids until like, 2 hours into the shift.” Jay argues. “We didn’t argue.” Y/n shrugs, causing all the adults to look at them in shock. Sunoo tries to hold back his smile as he finishes signing in, unfortunately not going unnoticed by Beomgyu.

“Did something happen between you two?” Beomgyu asks with a smirk on his face, throwing his arm over Sunoo’s shoulder and shaking him a few times. “Beomgyu, that’s none of our business.” Seonghwa attempts to scold. “I see blushing.” Minho teases, pointing at Y/n’s face. “Let’s just get to work, are we going back to the old schedule?” Y/n asks, turning their attention fully to Seonghwa. He almost looks startled by Y/n’s question. “Can I trust you two to work together properly?” He asks, looking at both Y/n and Sunoo suspiciously. The teens quickly nod. “Okay… we’ll go back to the old schedule. You two will be in with Beomgyu today and then you’ll start fresh with Jay in clothes next week.”

“Okay but like… you guys are dating now, right?” Beomgyu asks as he walks into the food storage room, a large box of bread in his hand. Y/n and Sunoo look at each other, both questioning his words. That’s not even something they’re sure of. They agreed to go on a date… does that mean they are dating?

Beomgyu notices the confusion and chuckles slightly. “We’re not labelling it, huh? I remember those days.” He smiles, placing the box on the table. “Just try not to let it get in the way of your work… no matter how hard that might be.” Beomgyu says, almost as if he’s speaking from personal experience.

WEDNESDAY - 12 DAYS AFTER PROM:

Going on a date with Sunoo is exciting and terrifying at the same time. Everything is changing… they went from spending all of their time with Intak, to suddenly being in a friend group with Intak, Sunoo, Yuna and Kazuha. What if this thing with Sunoo doesn’t actually work out? Their friend groups have already basically intertwined and Intak seems to really enjoy having the others around. The last thing Y/n wants is to ruin it for him. They really like Sunoo, too. This needs to work out.

“Stop worrying about shit that isn't going to happen." Intak playfully scolds, softly hitting Y/n over the head with his book. The act immediately snaps Y/n out of their thoughts, making them look up at Intak with a small pout. "You didn't have to hit me." They mumble. "Yes, I did. You've been like this all day. Your date tonight's gonna go fine. I don't get why you're so worried." Intak says. "I'm just scared that I'll mess everything up." Y/n frowns, shaking their head in their hands in an attempt to silence their negative thoughts.

"You didn't mess it up when you literally hated him… how could you mess it up now that you like him?" Y/n struggles to argue with Intak's logic. They know that their insecurities are irrational and yet there's still this tiny part of their brain, shouting about how terribly this is all going to go.

"Well, no time to be insecure, here he comes." Intak says, gesturing over Y/n's shoulder before walking off.

The sudden presence of an arm around their shoulder causes y/n's entire body to relax. They know it's Sunoo; it always is.

"Where's he going?" Sunoo asks. "You scared him off." Y/n jokes back, causing Sunoo to laugh slightly. "Hey! I'm not even remotely threatening, thank you." He argues, pinching Y/n's shoulder. Strange how as soon as Y/n is in the presence of Sunoo, all their negative thoughts from before seem to mysteriously vanish.

"Are you all good with going right now? Or did you want to head home first?" Sunoo asks. "Well I didn't bring my car today and my ride just abandoned me so, I guess now works." Y/n shrugs.

Dinner and a movie - the most timeless first date. There's enough time at dinner to talk and get to know each other whilst also being able to just ignore each other during the movie if the dinner part doesn't go to plan. Y/n and Sunoo don't exactly have to get to know each other, though. It's more just getting to know this new side of each other.

So far on the date, Y/n has learnt that Sunoo is quite the gentleman. They're not sure if he's just pulling out all the stops because they're on a date or if he usually treats his partners like this but the chivalry is spot on. Letting y/n choose the restaurant, holding open the door, pulling out their chair, the works.

"You know," Sunoo starts, pointing a fry in Y/n's direction. "You never actually told me that you like me." Y/n rolls their eyes at his statement. "Yes Sunoo, I agreed to go on a date with you because I don't like you." They reply sarcastically. Sunoo holds his hands up in defence. "Is it wrong for me to want to know how my date feels about me?" Sunoo asks teasingly. Y/n's heart flutters at the word date but they try to ignore it. "When you're only asking because you want to hear me say it, yes."

Sunoo looks at Y/n expectantly, making them sigh. "Fine… I really like you, Sunoo." Y/n says, the genuine tone in their voice makes Sunoo smile brightly. "I really like you, too." He replies. Y/n grumbles something about him being stupid, which makes Sunoo laugh before turning back to his food.

"Okay, they didn't have any mint chocolate left which is… honestly criminal, but they had your favourite so I just got two of them." Sunoo says, happily handing Y/n an ice cream cone. "How did you know cookie dough is my favourite?" Y/n asks suspiciously. They have had many conversations with Sunoo, none of which involved anything they liked.

"You always bring those little cookie snack bars to the community centre… so I just took a guess." He shrugs. Y/n's eyes narrow at Sunoo. "What else do you know about me?" They ask, making him laugh slightly. "I'm very observant, so, a lot. You'll find out eventually." Sunoo winks, causing Y/n’s eyebrows to furrow.

Once the two find their seats, Sunoo pulls out the rest of the snacks that he had snuck into the theatre (why would he buy a bag of lollies for $6 when he could get the same ones at the grocery store for $2.50?) Y/n’s eyes widen as Sunoo lays out the snacks he had brought, each one being one of Y/n’s favourites.

“Okay, you’re messing with me now. You asked Intak for help, didn’t you?” Y/n asks, skeptically. “I swear, I didn’t.” Sunoo says, only confusing Y/n further. “Then how did you know to get me all of this? Y/n asks, their eyes shining in awe as they look at Sunoo. “Y/n… I’ve liked you for… almost 2 years now? It’d be weirder if I didn’t know about these kinds of things.” Y/n’s eyes widen at Sunoo’s words. It’s as if all the air has been knocked out of their lungs. “You’ve liked me for two years?” Y/n asks, almost in disbelief. “Why didn’t you say anything?” They ask, going to hit Sunoo’s shoulder but Sunoo catches their hand instead, holding it gently in his. “Be honest, Y/n. Would you have liked me back 2 years ago?” He asks. Y/n falls silent. They both know the answer to that. “I don’t know what to say.” Y/n mumbles. Sunoo smiles, reaching over with his other hand to ruffle their hair. “You don’t have to say anything.”

Their hands stay intertwined throughout the entire movie. It just feels right, the coolness of his skin contrasting against Y/n’s warmth. The way they each tighten their grip whenever a particularly tense scene plays or how Sunoo’s thumb gently grazes over Y/n’s knuckles when a sad one does. Neither wants to let go. Even when the movie comes to an end, the lights in the theatre turn on and everyone starts getting out of their seats, their hands stay intertwined.

“Okay, turn right at the next street.”

“No, the one after that.”

“There’s like this big tree, remember? That’s the one.”

“You missed the turn off.”

“Has anyone ever told you, you’re really bad at giving directions?” Sunoo laughs, as he does yet another u-turn. “Why do you think I’m usually the one driving? I don’t give directions, I take them.” Y/n grumbles. “We’re going to your house, Y/n. Surely, you know how to get there.” Sunoo laughs. “I’ve never been this way so I don’t know the names of anything.” Y/n argues. “Babe… use google maps.”

With an exaggerated sigh, Y/n finally pulls out their phone and types their address into google maps. “There, since I’m clearly no help.” Y/n pouts, shoving their phone on the dashboard. Sunoo can’t help but smile affectionately as he watches Y/n sulk. He reaches over to playfully pull at their cheek, causing them to swat his hand away. “You’re so cute.” Sunoo coos, laughing at the way Y/n’s face immediately turns a dark shade of pink. They mumble a quiet shut up reaching forward to link their hands with one of his, once again.

By the time Sunoo pulls up outside of Y/n’s house, they’re no longer sulking. Sunoo puts the car in park, taking off his seatbelt before turning to Y/n with a smile. “I had a really nice time tonight.” He says, reaching forward to take hold of Y/n’s hands. “Me too.” Y/n smiles. “And I’d like to do this more… a lot more.” Sunoo says. “Me too.” Y/n laughs, feeling overwhelmed with the amount of affection they feel towards the boy in front of them.

“Can I be your boyfriend, Y/n?”

Time in the car seems to stop just as those words left Sunoo’s lips. Kim Sunoo… as Y/n’s boyfriend? Months ago, Y/n would’ve thought that to be one of the worst things to happen to them. A form of torture… they’d probably say. But now… as they sit in Sunoo’s car, their hands intertwined with his, after one of the best first dates they’ve ever been on… they can think of nothing they want more.

Well… maybe they can think of one thing they want more. As their eyes flicker down to Sunoo’s lips, Y/n can’t help the overwhelming thoughts of how they would feel pressed against their own. Sunoo seems to notice, with the way the corners of his mouth turn up into a slight smirk. Is he licking his lips subconsciously? Or is he trying to drive Y/n even crazier than they already feel?

Y/n realises they haven’t answered Sunoo’s question. With their mind racing a mile a minute, they don’t even know what to say. Y/n’s brain flashes back to what Sunoo said earlier in the night… You don’t have to say anything.

Y/n decides to communicate their thoughts through their actions, not trusting their brain or voice to formulate a better response. With a simple nod of the head, Y/n slowly leans in, their eyes fluttering closed as they finally feel Sunoo’s plush lips against their own.

Y/n hasn’t kissed enough people to know what makes the perfect kiss but they reckon this one comes pretty close. They were never one for cliches, but the sparks, the butterflies, everything’s there. Everything’s right.

Maybe Intak was right (this seems to be a pattern recently.) As their lips dance together, Y/n can’t help but think that nothing with Sunoo could go wrong. They know it’s unrealistic, that all good relationships run into problems along the way, but that’s for future Y/n and future Sunoo to worry about. Right now, they can just relax in their ignorant bliss.

THE END

[monochromeanswere]

i started a thing @urianius

It is of great disappointment that I, Finn, the greatest hero of all time must put together a letter apologizing for the damage I caused this weekend at your bakery. Lovely place by the way! My intentions were not to cause any harm, but instead to protect every patron from the evildoer lurking in the back of the shop, in the third booth from the end near the windows with the good view might I add! 

Now, looking back, there were plenty of things I could have done differently. Should I have attempted to break through a window? No, absolutely not, and I do apologize for the cracks I added to your otherwise pristine property. I also apologize for causing multiple customers to spill their drinks and food. Again, this was not my intention, but I still feel sorry for all the harm that I caused in the process of saving the day.

I am well aware that you think my actions were part of a prank or that I was just another college youngster playing around, but I assure you my actions were nothing of the sort! I was simply trying to protect everyone! Sure, I had the wrong guy, but my heart was in the right place, promise!

Anyway, please don’t take me to court. I can’t afford it. I’m begging you. Please. I’ll do anything. 

Signed, 

Your Local Superhero FINN!

He lets out a great sigh and flops onto his bed with a great deal of exasperation, running a hand through his overly bleached hair that had begun to really show its damage within the past month or so. That was an easy fix. Trying to fix his reputation was not going to be such an easy feat, after all. His letter to the cafe on the other side of the city had reaped no response and he was beginning to assume that the owner had ignored him. He didn’t understand entirely, surely they could understand that his intention was only to save the day! Then again, when he really thought about it, outside of the house work he performed nobody seemed to appreciate his good deeds. 

He knew he just needed his big breakthrough and he’d begin to resemble the likes of Clark Kent or even Spiderman (who was his personal favorite). On top of a grand heroic deed, he’d need a costume and branding just like the heroes he looked up to, but where exactly could he get those things? It wasn’t as if there was a store that provided the hero essentials, nor did he think that anybody would be willing to invest in a nobody like him.

Not yet, anyway. One day he’d be there! He’d make them all understand what a great hero he was! He just needed to beat the right criminal, foil the right crime and make sure his name made headlines. The question was how exactly he went about doing this. Unless he set something up, the chances of him stumbling upon the perfect crime was nearly impossible, he figured he had better chances at winning the lottery than that. For all his faults and general lack of intelligence, he was smart enough to realize that his dream wasn’t an easy one to achieve. 

See, Finn already knew he was a superhero, it was just that the general public didn’t understand it yet, but he was going to prove it to them once and for all that he was. In the meantime, he busied himself with odd jobs and typically spent his days beguiling grandmothers while cleaning their house and attempting to not destroy their kitchens when they asked him to assist with their baking. There were many reasons as to why he took on these odd jobs, but ultimately it boiled down to them being heroic acts in his own right. These people shouldn’t have to clean their own house! No, instead Finn, the greatest superhero of all time, could vacuum their floors and rid their apartments of those nasty dust bunnies that lurked in every corner.

On one hand, those thoughts would seemingly only serve to keep him sane, but in reality he genuinely believed that every act of his was one of the utmost heroism. There were those out there that called him a fool, a sham, and even a few who suggested he take a visit to the looney bin (what a horrible name to call it!) but he ignored all of them. Stuck within his daydreams, Finn carried out what he referred to as his missions with great enthusiasm and a zest for life that he found many lacked. He had wonderful friends and a few fans that would cheer him on, though it was clear to everyone but Finn that they were just playing along in hopes that he’d understand they were trying to ask him out due to his cute demeanor, not because they genuinely believed he was a hero.

Finn was blind, not in the literal sense, but it was thought he blocked out all negativity or any semblance of reality in his life. This was, perhaps, not a bad thing, but there were times where a nice slap of reality would certainly serve him well. The cafe incident was a great example. The man couldn’t even remember the name of the place and had only managed to write to them when his dearest friend supplied the name and address for him. Incidentally, they’d been there on the day of the incident. In fact, they’d been one of the many unfortunate customers to spill their coffee onto the floor. Finn had not noticed at the time, of course, but once his friend had a nice grip of his arm and dragged him away from the scene of the crime fuming he began to understand that perhaps he had acted a bit rashly. Even so, he determinedly told Sieun multiple times that she didn’t understand, it was all in the name of justice! Certainly she could understand that!

She did not. Instead, she basically grounded him. It was an unfair punishment in his eyes, but he listened like an obedient child. Most of the time, he was more akin to a petulant toddler, but when it came to Sien her word was law in his eyes. He would never do something to cross her, especially not on purpose. 

He didn’t feel the same about everyone he knew, which may come as a shock considering his desire to be a hero, but even those with their heads up in the clouds can see when someone is not so desirable to be around. For Finn, there weren’t many who rubbed him the wrong way, but when they did he often gave them the cold shoulder or outright attempted to bother them. There was one that worked at his local cafe that he visited frequently, a man named Charlie that Finn simply could not stand. It was something about the way Charlie held himself and the way that he spoke down to everyone around him as though he was the authority on everything in life. Charlie saw himself as a king, which was quite entertaining as his appearance suggested anything but. He had the looks of someone unsettling, always greasy hair and skin and he brought about a certain stench, as well. Finn was not one to judge on appearances, but there was something about Charlie that just made his skin crawl.

There was also the fact that Charlie constantly hit on the woman he’d fallen in love with. Just the thought of her alone was enough to make his cheeks flush red, but thinking of Charlie speaking to her made his nostrils flare and a sound of annoyance escaped him. On the list of nerdowells that Finn had unfortunately met, Charlie was currently his greatest enemy. That being said, outside of the one time that Charlie had insulted the hero directly to his face, he’d generally avoided all contact otherwise. Part of it was due to the fact he smelled quite awful. But mainly because Charlie was not the type of person you could mess with. Even if Finn did pull a prank it would only cause Charlie to lash out like an oversized child and Finn did not want to put anyone else through that sort of thing. 

[keilemlucent]

half-day

hawks | takami keigo x reader 

word count: ~3k

absence helps the heart grow wounds 

warnings: reader takes medication, angst, sad uwu 

beta’ed: @hawnks

a/n: so in the middle of all the horny, here’s some angsty, SFW, hurt/comfort i wrote as a vent. enjoy 💗

...

“Did you take your meds yet?”

You paused on the edge of the bed, rubbing at your eyes with the inside of your wrist.

“No, I forgot. Sorry.”

You kicked yourself for how weak your voice came out.

Keigo’s wings drooped, though you could only tell by the wide shadow they cast on the wall of your shared bedroom.

It was late, far too late for you to be awake, but you’d forced yourself to stay lucid and somewhat lively to wait for Keigo to arrive home after patrol. It wasn’t something you did often, as he so often was kept past his scheduled hours.

This night was no different.

He’d come through the balcony door in the early hours of the morning, sighing harshly and kicking off his boots with a huff before even noticing you blinking at him from the couch.

And with a single look, his heart sank.

Keigo wasn’t an idiot.

You looked so tired.

Your eyes were shadowed, punched with sleepless bags and the corners of your pretty lips pulled down and taut. You worried your hands, picking at your cuticles and fingernails.

You mustered up a smile, and fuck, if it wasn’t one of the weakest things he’d seen in a long time.

He’d been quick to whisk the two of you off to bed after that. A short shower later, he slung on some sweats and draped a towel over his shoulders. He tried to keep his look casual, despite his own exhaustion, aches and anxiety.

Because you looked shitty.  

Not that you ever looked bad, Keigo had seen you in any number of states. Fucked up, fucked out, bright and shining like the sun itself and tear-streaked—

But none hurt in the same way or as much as he’d been seeing you lately.

When he crept into the bedroom, your gaze was vacant, trained on the floor as you picked at a hangnail on your thumb.

So he asked about your meds, just probing, seeing where you were at.

Truthfully, Keigo’s work had been keeping him from home, though he wasn’t actively avoiding you like this.

But, he did have the undeniable knowledge that his absence was hurting you.

Guilt.

“You don’t need to be sorry, dove,” Keigo slipped next to you on the sheets, letting his wings stretch out and back over the thrown back covers. “Do you want some fresh water?”

You shook your head, silent, as you grabbed your pill organizer from your nightstand.

Keigo eyed the old glass of water, frowning. He could practically see the dust settling on the surface of the stale liquid.

“Are you sure—”

“It’s fine, Kei’, let’s just go to bed,” Your voice was so hollow, half-broken and swallowed up by the gulp of water you took down with your meds.

Keigo managed to keep a grin on his face, but it was hard.

He couldn’t restrain himself from taking your cheeks in his hands, worrying your undereyes with his thumbs the moment you set the murky glass down.

You didn’t say anything, just sagged into his grip, brow creasing.

There was a tension in the air, but nothing that could be cut or the kind that could easily immolate. This was the kind of sluggish frustration that pulled on your muscles and ligaments like gummy syrup.

It dragged the two of you down.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” You spoke without thinking, your hands inching towards his knees.

Why was he?

“Lots of reasons, the first being that I love you,” Keigo reminded you, softly, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

It was all the touch you needed to fall into his shoulders, pressing your face into the wet towel around his neck.

It would’ve been cumbersome, a deterrent from fully touching him, but in that moment, it soaked up the budding tears at the corners of your eyes.

He didn’t need to know how poorly you were doing.

Why did his little affections send you spiraling?

Why did each of his touches feel like aloe to a wound that was deep and tarry, impossibly endless and nothing that could be tackled in a night?

Why did it hurt so good?

“I don’t want to hear the others,” you told him, squeezing his covered knee. “I think I know. I’m sad, not dumb.”

Your quip earned you a half-hearted chuckle, Keigo smoothing a hand up and down your spine.

“Can you lay with me?”

You gave a wordless answer, slipping into the sheets with him while feebly rubbing at your eyes.

Keigo sends a few feathers to click off the bedside lamps, keeping on a small light atop the dresser, the kind that throws pinpricks of faux stars onto the ceiling in oscillating little rings.

It was a false comfort, but you’d both take it.

You laid facing each other, naked in mind and body by then.

With your cheek squished into your pillow, it was even easier to see the tear tracks and worry that you carried.

Keigo had to be careful, he knew he had to, if he pushed you too hard for your words or feelings, you could just lockup, deflect and drift off into fitless sleep yet again.

You didn’t make him reach for too long, didn’t let him worry himself for very long, before you spoke up, weakly, and interrupted his thoughts.

“We’re okay, right, Kei’?”

The question sent splinters of worry into the tender flesh of his heart.

Keigo responded instantly, dragging your body into his as his feathers twitched and ruffled, “Yes, yes, we’re completely okay, better than, I love— “

“I know,” You pressed your face into his sternum, locking an arm over his lower back. “I know you love me.”

You still sounded so empty.

Keigo didn’t know what to do, fuck, he was grasping for even what to say.

“How can I make it better?”

He had to try, right?

Maybe that was the reason why he’d been rushing off so often and for so long lately, without rest, no matter how he felt.

He was a hero, his job was to make things better. He wanted to fix things, mend and stitch the ills and pains of others.

Yet, the person closest to him was splitting at the seams.

Work had been busy, busier than normal, and it just gave him the excuse to avoid his personal problems, like any sane, normal person.

Maybe, he was justified in shoving off the weight of everything, maybe, but only because every time he asked how he could help, you’d just say—

“You can’t, Kei’. It’s okay.”

Just like you did then.

Except, in the past, your voice would just echo from your lips as you gave him a sad smile.

This time?

Your voice broke and your breath hitched as you tried to tug him closer.

He can feel your tears wet his chest.

You tried to fight for so long.

You still were, notably. Against the loneliness and against the odds of your odd relationship, you smiled and mused your way through the struggles of it. You loved Keigo, and the burdens were bearable. They were never from him, they were from the fucked circumstances of his employment and the conditions around it.

You had a deep, heartfelt understanding of this. It was communicated about since the beginning of your partnership, and you had learned, quite well, how to deal with Keigo’s job as a hero. You’d peace with it, mostly.

A lot of the time, contending with this reality was hardly difficult.

But, it was distinctly entirely unmanageable during times when your own mental health started to spiral downward.

So, here you were, beginning to weep into your partner’s chest over all of the weight that was bearing over your mind.

Each moment, your mind sparked with a new poison, until one slipped out amid your muffled tears.

“I can’t even fix m-me— “

You snapped.

And you damn near shrieked into his chest.

Keigo hadn’t seen you do this poorly in a long time.

It hurt, all of it did, but like fuck he was going to push off the responsibility any longer. You’d never admit it, but his absence had to be doing some damage.

“You don’t need to,” Keigo promised, shifting to straddle your hips.

Maybe, on a different night, things would’ve gone a different direction.

Not that night though.

Keigo pressed his weight over your chest, tucking your face into his neck as his feathers settled up and over the two of you. A scarlet shield that read black in the witching hour of the evening.

You didn’t really notice, but you could feel Keigo’s breath and body over the top of yours. He was like some sort of barrier towards the outside world and god did you need it.

You tried to reply, but your words came out as blubberings, broken by tears and ragged breath as you buried yourself into Keigo.

Despite the fact that Keigo was over you, it was the unseen, soul-crushing weight of you that bore down on him.

How did you let it get this bad?

You choked on another sob, your thighs squeezing around his hips.

Your nails raked down his back, an accident borne from your own frustration. Keigo didn’t react to the pain, even when it tread so close to the sensitive roots of his wings. He could bear it— if you had to, he would as well.

This is the least he could do, right?

Be there, though he definitely should’ve been there sooner.

He nuzzled his nose into your temple, brushing his lips over the sweat and tears gathering.

“Cry, dove, I’ve got you now.”

And god, did you.

You sputtered and wept against him, whatever hollow sheen you’d been carrying falling away to a flood of pent up pain.

Keigo had his own mess of emotions about being complicit in letting you get to this point, and what that said about him as a partner, but he swallowed those feelings down to the pit of his stomach and busied himself with comforting you.

He wiped the tears from your cheeks, kissing away the stray ones that dripped down to your jaw and neck. His fingers and nails scratched and massaged your scalp, part of him prayed that the little circles he drew would pull some of the tension and stress from inside your skull, but that was just fantasy.

Ultimately, the only thing to do was nothing, and that was probably why Keigo avoided it for so long.

Powerlessness was not something he was used to, nor did he want to become familiar with it. He was the number two hero in the nation, for fuck’s sake. The last thing he ever felt was helpless, sans a few choice feelings about his arrangements with the Commission.

But with you?

He felt so useless in moments like these.  

But, that was the nature of these things, and he knew this, the two of you had been over that, but that didn’t mean he didn’t feel himself getting choked up.

And as much as he wanted to suppress his own feelings, he just fucking couldn’t.

And everything spilt over at once, as things tend to.

Keigo scooped you up, pressing your front to his, pressing your cheek into his own, a few of his own tear tracks forming.

The feeling of Keigo’s own sadness tugged you from your own panic.

You swallowed thickly, your dry tongue sticking in your mouth as you tried to speak coherently.

“H-hey, Kei’?” You asked, trying to rub away at his tears. “C-could you take a h-alf day tomorrow? You don’t need to, but— “

Keigo shushed you with a kiss, sagging over top of you a moment later.

“Yeah, y-eah, of course,” Quietly, Keigo added, muffled into the crook of your shoulder. “You shouldn’t have to ask.”

“It’s okay, but it’s how i-it is,” Your voice shook as you coaxed Keigo to meet your gaze.

And oh, to bear souls with another is quite an intimate thing, don’t you think?

Especially when there was so much raw between the two of you, things that weren’t quite right, and things that hurt a bit too much.

Yet, at the same time, as you searched Keigo’s pretty ambers, more vibrant next to his reddened eye whites, you held nothing against him. There was both implicit and explicit understanding swimming in the air between you.

The unavoidable harshness of your arrangement with the truth that both of you cared so much, even if you didn’t know how to chew of your chunks of reality. It was comforting, seeing Keigo give you a broken little smile as you rubbed his tears away, and he yours.

“I love you,” Keigo's wings fluttered with his words. “I’m sorry for not being here like I should’ve been.”

“It’s okay,” It was, mostly. “I’m sorry for pushing you away.”

You both needed to be better, but being ‘better’ was a process in and of itself.

Carefully, you rose, your hands finding Keigo’s bare hips while his helped prop up your back.

You swallowed around your fat tongue, grimacing and reaching for the stale glass of water.

Just before you could grab it, Keigo reached past you, stopping your hand from closing around it.

“Let’s start small,” Keigo gave you a weak smile. “Can I grab you some fresh water?”

You nodded, the warmth and care of the gesture immediately relaxing you. Quirking a brow, you managed a small grin, “Yes, thank you.”

And you let him.

And all that you’d been carrying with you didn’t dissolve, but it maybe felt lighter.

...

You spent the rest of the night twisted up in each other.

Truthfully, Keigo felt greedy. He’d been too absent and that had made him needy for you and your touch, even if it was just idle and soft.

He craved you in other ways, but you were more than enough.

By the sun rose came, he was hardly sated, but he had calls to make and things to arrange.

...

The next morning, you awoke alone, though the sheets were warm.

A few feathers laid around you, snuggling up to your cheeks and under the covers, fluttering every so often against your bare skin.

As you drew back to lucidity, you could hear Keigo’s muffled voice from the kitchen.

Your body ached, but in a necessary way. It reminded you of the night prior, along with your scratchy eyes and raw throat.

You threw on one of his shirts and padded towards his voice.

Despite your state, and the rawness of the air, Keigo still managed to stun you speechless, as he so often did.

He stood in the kitchen, hip popped against the counter with a pair of sweats hanging dangerously low on his hips. His phone was tucked between his shoulder and ear as he spoke low, hushed and hurried, his hands and a handful of feathers helping prepare two steaming mugs of coffee.

You didn’t eavesdrop, only approaching when Keigo breathed a sigh of relief and the phone was set down on the counter.

Somehow, you were able to surprise him.

Your arms looped around his waist from behind, circling and squeezing.

“I’m guessing you’ve gotta run?” You mumbled into his spine with a weak laugh. “I should say fly, huh?”

Keigo clicked his tongue, turning to drape his arms over your shoulders, “Nope, neither, dove. Two days.”

“… Two days?” You scrunch your brow, though Keigo was quick to smooth out the wrinkles with a quick kiss.

“Two days off a month, barring emergencies, not counting today. Fully off and all yours. And that’s not counting today,” Keigo’s smile warmed his voice. “Sound good?”

Your scrambled psyche rushed to catch up with the revelation that ‘holy fuck, Keigo actually had real, scheduled time off.’

“I can see how hard you’re thinking, chickpea,” Keigo tsked, somehow wrangling you onto the counter top, slotting himself between your parted thighs. “I’ve got this one, okay? I want to be around more.”

You bit your lip, gaze pointed towards the ground.

“For me or for you?”

“Why can’t it be both?”

You swallowed your tongue, still frowning.

It easily could.

Keigo needed the rest, even if he had trouble admitting it. As much as he claimed to be lazy, he was more so a workaholic due to his background. It was difficult for him to ever stop working for any considerable length of time.

Perhaps it wasn’t in his nature, just his training.

All the same, the idea of having Keigo around and mostly to yourself for a few days a month seemed goddamn fantastic.

“... Can it?”

Keigo softened visibly, rubbing at your side, just below the bottom hem of your sleep shirt. Maybe, he was a bit sheepish in those moments, but he’d had to be pretty stern making the calls he had that morning.

Speaking to the right people to allow him to get that time off had been a pain, but seeing the slow way you were deflating and melting into his arms made it worth it.

Not to mention he needed some lazy days as well.

“Of course it can,” Keigo gave a soft little smile. “Both of us getting a bit of extra rest, don’t you think?”

You flickered your gaze to his, where the gooeyness of his amber eyes caught and held you.

A part of you, one that had been particularly loud lately, screamed to ask for more reassurance. That in some way, Keigo was lying and you had to know.

But, with a deep breath, and a press of your forehead to his, you relaxed a bit.

Not enough, but it was a sure start.

“Alright, but only if you promise to let me help you relax too, and that includes today,” You silenced any retort he might have with a gentle kiss.

The moment you tried to pull away, Keigo’s hand was on the back of your neck, holding you steady and close.

“I dunno dove, it is my half-day,” He hummed with a raise of his eyebrows, the dark circles under his eyes hardly detracting from how luminous he so constantly was, “I think I’ll do whatever I’d like.”

You gave your own little grin, “That’s alright too, I guess. As long as you get some rest today.”

“So, a lazy day, that’s what I’m hearing?” Keigo’s wings fluttered at the concept.

With a nod and one more stolen kiss, you hummed, “A lazy day it is.”

[petri808]

Quarantine memories fic hoarding craze for @thenaluarchive

— thank you to @phoenix-before-the-flame for helping jump start this fic 💜

It was Natsu Dragneel’s absolute favorite time of the day. 1 pm for him, and 8 am for Lucy, his… well, right now they were just online friends separated by distance and priorities. But judging by how he talked about her to friends, you’d never know it. They’d met three years ago on Twitch through a random chat stream about an anime series, and he continued following Lucy on her writing streams. Three years ago, she was a sophomore in college while he was in his senior year. Lucy later moved on to a graduate program, but they stayed in touch, growing close. To Natsu, she wasn’t just some girl online but a real friend he cared very much about. His friends called Lucy his online girlfriend. Pfft. He wished he could call her that.

Roughly two thousand miles away, Lucy Heartfilia was hating life. Her curtains were drawn, and a blanket was pulled over her head to drown out the light. The air conditioner was down to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, working against the low-grade fever and pounding migraine born yesterday. Migraines… the bane of her otherwise healthy existence. It was her fault after all, the temptation of a chocolate dessert knowing full well it was one of her triggers brought on said migraine and all she could do was bear it.

Why?

“Stupid hoarders!” Lucy groaned to herself.

As if dealing with a pandemic wasn’t bad enough, people’s selfish reactions to it were worse. A government agency had claimed that acetaminophen products could help with the virus’s symptoms, so what did people do? Panic buying anything and everything they could find containing that drug! The problem for people like Lucy, is the one over the counter medication that helped with her migraines was Excedrine… an acetaminophen product! And she’d just. run. out.

Lucy’s phone rang and she knew exactly who it could be based on the time. So, she clicked the answer button without opening her eyes.

“Hey, Natsu,” she groaned out.

“Morning Lucy! Oh geez, you sound like a frog.”

“Thanks,” she retorted sarcastically. “I’ve got a migraine.”

“Ouch.” Natsu genuinely flinched. He rarely got headaches, but this wasn’t the first time he’d talked to Lucy when she was going through one, so he knew what she was going through. “The meds aren’t helping?”

Lucy sighed. “I ran out. And did you see the news about all the hoarding? Every store here is bought out. It… sucks.”

“I could check around here and send you any I find,” he offered.

“Aww, that’s sweet of you Natsu, but I don’t wanna trouble you.”

“Pfft. Nonsense. I’m sure you’d do the same for me.”

“Thanks, Natsu. I appreciate it.” Lucy smiled through the pain. There’s a good reason her feelings for the man had grown over the years. His sweet and caring, yet fun and goofy, positive personality was an easy drug to get hooked to.

“Anyway, I gotta get back to work.” Natsu whined. “Good morning again, stay hydrated, and I’ll check on you again when I’m finished for the day, okay Lucy? Get some rest.”

“Have a good day at work Natsu.”

“Will now, after hearing your voice. Talk to you later Luce.”

She giggled softly. “Bye, Natsu.”

Lucy shifted under her blanket as she clicked off the phone to lie on her back. His sexy voice did wonders for her mood despite the pain still ravaging it. Now all she had to do was drag herself out of bed to eat something and drink water. She never had an appetite when she got these migraines, but it was a necessary fuel to fight it. All Lucy had left were extra strength Tylenol, so she could only hope it would at least take the edge off until the migraine ran its course.

Like so many others, this pandemic had really taken a toll on Lucy’s psyche. It’s not as if she went out a lot before it took hold, but just the fact it made going out dangerous brought different emotions to the situation. School had moved online which sucked all its own, she missed casually hanging out with friends on campus, and simply longed for the freedom of leaving her apartment as she pleased. But she understood the precautions of a quarantine. Frankly, she agreed with the city’s efforts to keep them as safe as possible no matter how many grumbled about it. Did it make it easier? No. But it was a necessary evil.

They weren’t completely trapped, could shop for necessities, visit family or friends, just encouraged to limit such gatherings as a safety precaution. If you went out, wear a mask, and just don’t stand too close to other people. Well, unless Lucy knew the person, why would she want strangers in her personal bubble anyway? And the mask thing? Have you ever been out shopping, and someone just sneezes without covering their mouth? Yeah— seriously, would it kill people to use one?! Why were people so selfish during times like this? Not everyone, but too many. Just like with all the hoarding frenzies that swept through cities, it was frustrating and— “Ugh…” being in a pain-driven bad mood was sure bringing her down today.

But despite all the external frustrations, the feelings of isolation from being in a quarantine for months were probably the most mentally exhausting part. It was lonely being so far away from home during a pandemic. Lucy’s been in college for five years and while she’s made friends in the new city, she was starting to crave comfort instead of an empty apartment. Her life online was one of the few things that made her happy, like Natsu’s daily calls, and kept her sane.

Natsu… her face heated up every time she thought about the man. They didn’t have a lot of hobbies in common, but he was always so supportive and made her laugh like no other could. Where they lacked in commonality, was made up in ease of conversation. It hadn’t taken very long for their online chats to feel more like an old friend and less like a faceless stranger. Over the years they’d talked about meeting in person one day after she finished school. It also helped that he was from a city not too far from where she came from, so if she chose to move back it would be convenient. But she also loved the new city she called home. Oh well, Lucy sighed. It was a decision still a couple of years away to make.

The next morning, Lucy woke up to find her migraine had finally given up. She could still feel the little bastard hiding, simmering somewhere ready to strike, but if it stayed mellow, it was something she could tolerate. Throughout the day, Lucy wasted no time in catching up on the homework she couldn’t finish the day before and making sure to stay hydrated with food in her stomach.

Lucy’s phone rang around 2pm.

“Hi Natsu, how was work?”

“Same ole, same ole,” he chuckled. “And how are you? Still feeling, okay?”

“Yeah, it hasn’t come back.”

“That’s great!”

Lucy could hear a lot of background noise, so she asked about it. “Oh, you’re not home yet?”

“Nah, and the commuters are being extra noisy today,” he responded benignly. “Anyway, tonight I won’t have time to talk cause I got a project due for work I need to finish.”

“Oh, that’s okay. Yeah, I’m still catching up from yesterday too and Levy’s dropping by for dinner.”

They chat for a few minutes about their day as Natsu waited for transportation. Lucy knew he used the subway to and from work, but today it sounded a little different, noisier and she swore there were engines instead of the normal train sounds. Maybe it was static. Finally, Lucy caught the muffled words now boarding.

“Shucks, time for me to go,” Natsu cut through. “Sweet dreams Lucy! I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Good night, Natsu!”

Lucy spent the afternoon relaxing online, chatting with friends and gaming. Her friend Levy McGarden later dropped by with take-out food for dinner and the two women caught up on random topics while movies droned on the television. They were both in grad school, so during the semester there wasn’t a lot of time to hang out, but they made do. Lucy was also doing a paid internship at a local magazine 4 days out of the week as part of her master’s program. She really enjoyed working there under one of the senior editors. He made it a fun learning experience.

Life was almost perfect except for the background isolation of the pandemic. Lucy was glad she wasn’t one of the individuals affected by jobs cuts, but it still got under her skin to feel trapped in a way. It was nice with her friend over... ‘Maybe I should see if Levy wants to become roommates?’ She wondered as she drifted off to sleep. The apartment would sure feel a lot less empty.

A knock at the door roused Lucy from her sleep. She blinked and yawned, looking at the alarm clock and that said 9 am the next morning. ‘Natsu didn’t call,’ she thought how odd. Maybe he slept in after working late.

Lucy dragged herself out of bed, throwing on a robe to answer the front door. “Gimme a sec,” she called out as she neared it.

“UPS delivery, ma’am.” The male voice responded.

‘UPS?’ Lucy grew confused. She didn’t remember ordering anything through them, but maybe she’d forgotten?

She peaked out of the peep hole, but all she could see was the box being held up. Okay a little weird, but some of the delivery people did that to show they were legitimate service people. Lucy slowly opened the door but kept the chain lock on while peering through the gap. But what she saw next brought on instant tears.

“H-How?” Her voice stammered out as her fingers quickly undid the lock and opened the door wide.

There Natsu stood holding a small brown box, dressed in a uniform of sorts, with a mask hanging under his chin, and wearing a goofy grin.

Lucy snorted a laugh as her eyes crinkled in happiness. “Is that a Halloween costume?”

“Yeah,” his smile widened, and hand scratched his head. “Surprise delivery,” Natsu held out the box, “for Lucy Heartfilia.”

“What is it?” She asked as she took it from him.

“Oh, I um found you Excedrine.”

Lucy opened the box to find 4 bottles. “You certainly did,” she laughed. “But why’d you bring it yourself?”

“It was quicker than the mail and… I hoped…” Natsu’s mannerism grew sheepish and tentative, “it was about time we finally met in person?”

Her face softened with a smile. “It truly is.” Lucy gestured into the apartment. “Please, make yourself at home.”

[voiceless-terror]

Ink (TMA Fanfic)

For TMA Gerry Week 2021 Day One

Pairings: Jonathan Sims/Gerry Keay/Martin Blackwood

Rating: T

Summary: Art’s how Gerry shows his love- a few snippets where he does exactly that. No powers-au, Gerry and Martin own a bookstore. Takes place in this universe but can be read alone!

He’s getting used to having people who want him around.

Gerry’s had friends, sure. Once he left the institute and began working odd jobs, he realized how much he genuinely enjoyed having company. He still isn’t the most social of creatures, but he does enjoy a night out with old coworkers who enjoy his stories and laugh at his jokes. But now, with Jon and Martin, they want him around all the time. Even after they started dating, even after he moved in, he was always waiting for the other shoe to drop. It never does, though. And Gerry, in spite of himself, begins to relax. Begins to feel at home. 

He’s laying on the couch, scribbling in his notebook when Martin surprises him with a peck to the top of his head. “Whatcha drawing this time?” He was very excited when he heard Gerry liked to draw, immediately asking to see his notebook or anything he’d done. He’d only recently shown him some of his work; he knows Martin would never make him feel embarrassed, but, well. It’s another part of himself no one’s ever been interested in. Until now.

“Jon,” Gerry responds, leaning into the touch. It’s an amateurish attempt in his opinion, just a rough sketch. But he’s got the proportions down and he never forgets a face. Couldn’t forget, in Jon’s case. 

“That’s…” Martin trails off, peering closer at the page. “That’s really good. You’ve even got him smiling!” It’s not that Jon never smiles; he smirks and laughs and snarks. But he’s managed to capture that rare, bright grin that makes Gerry’s heart skip a beat.

“Mhm.” Gerry nods slightly, pen tapping against his sketchpad. He turns around, seeing the naked fondness in Martin’s eyes and has a particularly wicked thought. “Y’know, this is how he looks when he’s watching you.”

Martin sputters, turns a lovely shade of red. “W-What? Really?”

“No,” Gerry smirks. “It’s the way he looks at the Admiral.” A groan and a light smack to the shoulder prove his joke is unappreciated. “Sorry, sorry! I’m sure he also looks at you that way-”

“You’re an ass.” Martin rolls his eyes but oh-so-gently picks up his hand, pausing to inspect the ink-stained fingers. “A very talented ass.” His mind blanks as Martin kisses them one by one.

Thoroughly distracted, he never gets around to finishing that sketch.

_______

Painting, as it turns out, is a lot harder than it looks. Still quite fun, though.

They’ve just found the perfect space- a little out of their price range, but Gerry’s got savings and Jon was willing to part with a bit himself. Martin fretted over his ‘meager contribution,’ as his savings were depleted in the final months of his mother’s care. Ridiculous that he would ever think his contribution meager, considering he’s the one who scouted for locations and did all of the paperwork and stayed up late, agonizing over their finances. Some days, Martin’s the only one keeping them sane. Gerry and Jon are due to remind him of that.

Which is why they’re handling the decorating. Jon claims to have no artistic talent, but he does have a knack for making places seem like home. There are boxes filled with knick knacks and rugs and pictures, all waiting to be hung somewhere once Jon’s finally settled on a layout. Gerry’s left with painting the walls, labeling the different sections in whatever way he sees fit. He’s currently at work on the horror section, painting a stylized eye above the tarp-covered bookshelf when he hears the sound of the bell; Martin must be back from the store. They’d run out of appropriately-sized nails and after a minor freak out, he’d been on his way.

“Find what you were looking for?” he calls, listening as Martin’s footsteps grow closer, the crinkle of bags in his hand. “Here to save the day?”

“I wouldn’t call it saving,” Martin snorted, setting them down on the ground with a thump. “But it’ll certainly help. That looks nice.”

Gerry pauses, considering his work. He really needs a darker green for this. “Thanks. It’s a work in progress.”

“I’m sure it’ll turn out great,” he murmurs distractedly, and Gerry turns to look back at him. The lines of his face are more pronounced than usual, as are the shadows under his eyes. A sure sign that the stress is getting to him. Gerry understands, and he’s not much for being particularly sappy but he does what he can to help.

“Hey,” he calls down to him from his ladder. “C’mere. Need your opinion on something.”

Martin sighs, but heeds the call. “What is it? You know I’m rubbish with this art stuff-”

“It’ll only take a second. Come closer.”

“What am I supposed to be looking at-”

“Closer.”

As Martin huffs and leans towards him, Gerry darts his paintbrush out, drawing the quickest of hearts on Martin’s cheek before he can pull away. 

“Gerry!” Martin startles and his hand reaches up to wipe at his cheek.

“Don’t smear it, it’s a heart.” He pauses, going for his gravest voice. “Because I love you so much. I’ll be devastated if you ruin it.”

“I don’t appreciate that.” Martin sighs but drops his hand, his face softening already. Exasperation has never been paired with fondness, not when it’s aimed at Gerry. Another thing he’s starting to get used to.

“Shame. It looks good.”

Martin goes home with a heart on his other cheek as well. He looks ridiculous. Gerry loves it.

_________

When Jon’s particularly stressed, Gerry leaves him post-it notes.

Often he leaves before Gerry even wakes, so he’s got to do them the night before. A little cat here, a little caricature of Bouchard there. He leaves a variety, depending on his mood. Jon always gives him a kiss when he gets home, a soft ‘thank you for the note,’ and that’s all he needs, really, to keep doing it. He likes making Jon smile.

Martin’s gone grocery shopping and Jon’s pulling a late night again, so Gerry’s alone in the flat looking for something to do. There’s nothing on Netflix worth watching (or at least, worth watching by himself) and he’s not in the mood for his latest novel, so he decides he’s going to be productive, make a list of all the things he has to do this week. Jon’s always going on about lists, though he leaves them everywhere and never seems to accomplish everything on them. Maybe it’s the act of making them that’s relaxing. It’s worth a try.

He makes his way over to the second bedroom they (mostly Jon) use as an office. He’s sure Jon’s got a little notepad here that he can use, and he wants it to look as official as possible. He opens the left hand drawer but only finds Martin’s receipts, and on the right he finds a plain-looking notebook, a little worn with use. Maybe that’s what he uses-

Gerry opens it. Pauses. Blinks. Feels something heavy and thick form in his throat.

It’s his notes- his stupid little sketches, his ‘have a good day at work’s, his smiley-faces and little hearts. Each carefully placed on page after page with an accompanying date, neat and tidy, like a little scrapbook. Mum used to throw out his ‘doodles,’ as she called them, told him his time was better spent on actual art, but Jon’s kept all of them. Like they mattered. Like they were important. He sets it back down on the desk and just stands there, heart beating hard in his chest.

Gerry’s tearing up like some sort of moron so he’s distracted and doesn’t hear Jon come home, doesn’t hear his usual grumblings and sighs. Doesn’t hear him until Jon’s right behind him, startling him with a hand on his arm. “Sorry, I was just- Gerry, are you alright?”

Alright. Alright. It’s a word that doesn’t encompass everything he’s feeling. Wanted, embarrassed, a little overwhelmed. And so, so happy. 

He turns around and grabs Jon in a fierce hug, overcome with affection and eager to hide his stupid tears as he squeezes Jon to his chest. “You’re adorable, you know that?” he says, peppering kisses to the top of his head despite Jon’s weak protestations. “Real fuckin’ cute.”

Jon melts into his embrace, even as he complains. “I’ve got no idea what you’re on about, Gerry,” he says into his chest, the words muffled. “You’re being absurd.” Jon’s just about the only person he knows that uses ‘absurd’ on a daily basis. It’s insufferable. Gerry loves it.

“Just let me hug you, you little ogre.”

_________

Sometimes, Gerry’s the one who’s got to be up early. Doctors appointments are a bitch, and after a brief scare last year, it’s important that he keep up with them. Martin helps him schedule, marking the appointments on the calendar with a bold black marker that can’t be missed.

This morning’s particularly brutal, with an eight o’clock appointment an hour’s commute away. Jon went to sleep at a reasonable hour last night and he needs the rest; Gerry knows if he wakes Martin, he wakes them both. Jon’s never been good at sleeping alone. 

He’s stumbling blearily around the kitchen, about to put the kettle on when he notices it. On the table is a post-it note; he doesn’t remember leaving one for Jon last night, but he’d been rather tired, so who knows? Gerry putters around, fixing his tea and nibbling at toast when he finally spares it a glance. 

It’s not for Jon. It’s for him.

Good luck at your appointment! It reads in Martin’s familiar, neat script. Accompanying it is a small doodle that has to be Jon’s; it’s not particularly good, but it clearly shows a little Gerry, makeup and all, with a plaster on his cheek and a heart over his head. It looks like Jon spent time on it. Spent time on some stupid little post it note to make Gerry smile. 

He puts it in his pocket. Takes it out a few times in the waiting room, stares at it. Everything looks fine, the doctor says at the end of the appointment. He’s so lucky.

He’s so lucky.

ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29635833

[randombtsprincessa]

Belladonna || 1

All Rights Reserved. © RandomBTSPrincessa, Tulips98.

Author: Randombtsprincessa

Characters: Min Yoongi x Reader, Past Lovers! AU

Words: 3k

Genre: Heavy Angst, Smut 

Rating: This chapter is General up to NC-17, rating might go up as story progresses.

Summary: Your life has finally settled into a routine; keeping you far away from your home, friends, family and the man who broke your heart. Coming back home means facing him again and maybe you’re not as over him as you’d like to believe.

Warnings: (in-chap) Heavy Angst, mentions of a toxic relationship.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. The idol used as the Muse for the lead is not in anyway affiliated with the work. The characterisation is a work of mine. Any asks or accusations against the work on the grounds of inability to keep fact and fiction seperate on the part of the reader, will not be entertained. 

A/N: Its’s rather sad that the disclaimer has to be added but eh, it’s a bad time for tumblr writing fandom and people are being very mean. Brush past that if you’re sane. Anyway, a very very huge hug to my best friends for screaming at me about this fic. A bunch of thanks to @softyoongiionly​ for hyping up the chapter! And a round of applause for @kithtaehyung​ for beta-ing the chappie!!

Happy Birthday Yoonfie baby!!

It was cold inside the cabin, the air conditioner turned extreme while the outer windows fogged with condensation. Your head leaned against the pane, the thudding and rolling of the train wheels under you jarring your brain in your skull as you watched the world outside flash speedily by.

Trees, small gravelly roads, sign boards, sparse traffic here and there…and then rolling grasslands before the pattern repeated itself…redundant, normal, and soothing.

You sighed, a puff of white exhale clouding around your mouth while your eyes drifted back to the interior of the cabin. This sight was a lot more different, with different people having different lives, problems, worries…

A woman tended to her sniffling child, holding a handkerchief up to the girl’s running nose…a man spoke into his phone; harried and rushed as he more likely than not slurred a few words together…

It was when your eyes caught a girl laying her head on the boy next to hers’ shoulder, smiling serenely when the boy ran a hand through her locks that you turned around again, eyes back to watching the redundant.

There was nothing soothing about people watching.

Or maybe there was and it required some form of inner peace to find the charm in it.

You didn’t have that sort of inner peace; neither did you have the patience for it.

People watching for people like you was anxiety inducing…and you really didn’t want that burden on your shoulders right now. There would be enough anxiety waiting for you when you set your foot home.

“____?”

You turned coffee worn, blue light sunken eyes towards your boss, standing over you with his files clutched to his chest nervously. The sight was enough to make you chuckle. For all his genius, Kim Namjoon was just a giant fumbling through life. It made him a stellar boss and manager, but it also made him a wonderful friend.

“Yes?”

“I just got your email for the leave application.”

You blinked up at your boss expectantly, face calm and relaxed. Of course, your brain had shot straight to overdrive, praying, wishing, and begging for a miracle that would allow your boss to refute the application.

A large red denied would do nothing to hamper your mood; at least it would stamp down the very intrusive tendril of panic that was already gripping around you.

You waited until Namjoon was done rustling inside of the folder in the crook of his arm. The white print out was placed in front of you, green letterings spelling ACCEPTED AND FORWARDED, scrawled on the top screaming obscenities at you.

You looked back at Namjoon.

“We don’t have a lot of work load right now plus you look dead on your feet. Some time away with your folks will be nice, won’t it?”

You very nearly grimaced at his words.

He was sincere, of course he was. Namjoon didn’t have a conniving bone in his body, but right now, you couldn’t help but resent his kindness, his mushy brain that railed against exploiting his workers. You hated the fact that he looked into your eyes and saw past the stubborn energy and caught onto the exhausted person underneath.

So you offered him a tiny smile, just in case the flicker of your crushing despair was made clear onto your traitor face.

“Thank you, Namjoon.”

He placed a heavy, tight hand on your shoulder as he passed by.

“Have a nice vacation, ____.”

Usually, someone who was away from home, working their ass off, making something of themselves away from their family should ideally jump at the chance to take a vacation, to go home and see the family and friends they had.

Ideally…one should be happy at the prospect of going home.

So many times, however, situations were rarely ideal. Sometimes there were complications, convolutions, obstacles…

Sometimes people had no love in their hearts; sometimes there was nothing at all.

Sometimes, there was dread.

Right then, in the rattling carriage that carried you to the small town which had spawned your existence, you could sense the dread carving a pit into your stomach, roiling and curling like a wretched cat kept too long from sunshine.

There was no relief for the upcoming long sleepy times, no joy at the prospect of home food…of warm embraces…

There was just that god awful dread.

You hoped you wouldn’t throw up; though there was nothing in your stomach to hurl but for the coffee you’d pumped in you from the station café. You couldn’t keep anything else down.

You had upped and left your home right after the end of your college life. Many things had come to an end with that particular period in your life. You had scampered and scrapped together enough courage to exit the hole that still robbed you of breath sometimes when you twisted and turned in your bed – sleepless.

You had left shattered pieces of your heart in your whirling escape of the town, the space that you had now the only light that shone at the end of the tunnel back then. Your family and friends, as supportive as they were, had never truly understood why you had nearly clawed away from that world.

To them, it had been the job opportunity.

And it was understandable…

The town, as well-knit and seemingly lovable as it was, was used to being self sufficient. The people there didn’t ever need to leave, they knew everything, helped everyone, and any problem one of them had was a problem for them all.

You couldn’t fit yourself in that mold anymore.

You had left – knowingly cut yourself away from that community.

Your friends had remained; some spreading out of course but they were still as much a part of that bunch as they had been when born.

You didn’t expect anything from them.

Not when he was also still a part of that community.

Your mind jerked away moments before conjuring his likeness behind your eyes, the ticket collector bearing down to save you from the torture of it.

Your fingers fumbled with the pockets of your bag, slipping the stub into his patient hands as he clipped and handed it back to you.

You accepted it meekly, folding into yourself again, eyes drifting back out the window and firmly tugging your thoughts away from your past. You had to prepare for what was going to come now.

Nobody expected you to come, you knew. It was a surprise to you yourself that you had found enough guts in you to pull this off.

Namjoon’s words came back to you.

Some time away with your folks will be nice, won’t it?

You weren’t going to hold out much hope for that.

You found a cab almost immediately out of the station, the many cruisers that stood to one side eager to free you of your luggage and take you off to your destination. You gave your address shakily, hoping this particular driver wasn’t one of the townspeople. Luckily, the man didn’t bat an eye, instead nodding and quietly switching on the radio for the drive over.

You leaned back into the seats, arms grasping the strap of your handbag tight as the moment to face your family and close ones drew closer.

Objectively, your little hometown was very pretty.

Trees lined the major roads, small clusters of buildings interjecting the greenery to spread business to the good people. And as tense as you were, your mind couldn’t help but pick out the differences.

Boutiques were newer and flashier, the diners you remembered now expanded to add cafes or banquets. The town hall was an imposing as ever, only a new marble fountain added to the square in front of it now.

By the time your cab entered the section of the suburbs where you had grown up; your back was straight, neatly aligned with the window. If you had been dreading the homecoming before, it was all gone; replaced with an odd form of resignation.

You lugged your bags out and paid the taxi driver with cold hands, winding bloodless fingers around the handles to pull them up the drive way towards your open door.

The house was full, open and bustling – a normal day for when your mother threw one of her success parties. She was one of the famous people in the town, her career as a landscaper and home decorator for big names making her in turn the man source of revenue and attraction for the town.

It had been both a source of pride and embarrassment to you in your teens. Mainly because your mother insisted on these parties each and every time one of her projects turned out well. But then, as you grew you realized that this is why your mother was important to the town.

She was more than half the money earned and the social events of the calendar.

Inside the house, small clusters of people gathered here and there, in the living room, the kitchen, the dining space. You stood at the door; feeling more exposed than you ever had here but moved in quickly, lest one of them notice you in the doorway and start blabbering about it.

Of course, the three big bags that you carried more than made up for it.

One of the groups of women nearest you turned their heads in synchrony, taking double looks as you passed by before the murmurs began.

How could you tell?

Well because, gossip usually lowers ones’ volume. And each group you passed stopped conversing before muttering arose in its place.

You cut across the living room to your father’s den. Here, there were all men, hands cupping your dad’s cut glasses of scotch but thankfully no one mentioned you dumping your bags right by the door and walking back out.

Your hands fiddled with your scarf, wondering where your family was in their own party but you were loathing asking one of the guests.

Even as you convinced yourself to walk over to one of the ladies by the window sofa, a figure walked past opposite you, a handful of trays of cocktail bites and glasses on them. You jumped, watching as the woman placed the trays on the coffee table, smiling at the people before she turned…and spotted you.

Your sister’s eyes widened, eyelashes fluttering before quick steps led her closer to you.

“____?” She asked, almost checking if it really was you.

You smiled wryly, hand still tangled with your scarf. “Hi Sana, yes it’s me.”

“Oh my god!” She threw herself at you, arms wrapping around your neck to draw you into a warm and nearly forgotten embrace. You stood in her hold for a few seconds, managing to pat her back before she was pulling away, eyes glistening at you.

“Oh god, don’t cry,” you whispered immediately.

“Shut up, these are happy tears; my little sister is home! Hang on; I’ll go get Mom and Dad.” She turned on her heel before you got another word out, mouth parted as she disappeared into the house.

You stood rooted to the spot, hoping against hope she brought your dad first. You just knew your mom would start bawling and then all the neighbors and her social circle would start hovering like the pack of vultures you had the low opinion of them as.

It was unfair and very rude of you, yes, but you couldn’t help but remember half the rumors and gossip that had come from none other than these same people when you had first left. Sympathy or well wishes from them now, would only make you more disgusted.

It had made you keep your own mother at a distance, seeing as she was probably the source of their information.

Thankfully, you knew you could always depend on your dad.

A no-nonsense and rational person, he was only guilty of being extremely in love with your mother. You knew he only bore these parties for her sake and of course your sister, Sana’s.

So when you saw Sana come back, with both your parents you still heaved a relived sigh.

“____, my god, you’re really here.” Your mother was the second to hug you, your father following.

“We didn’t think you would make it this year too.” Your dad said.

“Yeah, it’s been hectic…a lot…for the last couple years.” You repeated the same lies you’d been spouting for two years now. You had spoken the same lines into your phone, in your emails over months and it came much easier while speaking them to their faces.

“Very hectic for a well-established firm, ____, you could’ve asked for a leave, I’m sure office policy allows that.” Your dad said in that logical baritone that rendered most arguments moot.

“That is actually how I got away, Namjoon insisted.” You said; not completely untrue.

“Well, I for one am very happy my little girl is back to me. You’ll stay for a bit, won’t you?” Your mother stroked your hair back from your face.

You smiled tightly at her, thinking of the weeks Namjoon had generously piled on you out of respect for your relentless working for two years under him.

“Yes.”

You caught Sana try and push in, her eyes seeking yours even as your mother squealed in jubilation. “Perfect, we are going to have to throw you a coming home party.”

“Y/M/N,” Your father said lightly. “We are at a party now.”

“Yes, but ____ deserves her own night.” Sana put in before grabbing your hand. “Come on,” she dragged you away from your debating parents.

“Not a lot has changed I guess.” You spoke drily.

“Yeah, maybe, listen I think we need to –”

Sana was cut off by a gasp of your name, your head swiveling to see Park Jimin, one of your old friends gaping at you.

It was a whirlwind of reunions and emotions as people gathered around you, astonished that you’d come back without any mention of it.

“Yeah, I – I guess, it’s a surprise.” You scratched the back of your neck awkwardly, going over the faces of your childhood to college friends.

Many things had changed while you were gone, true – to the town, to the people and even to your friends but one thing you were glad to see…they hadn’t cut you away completely. Yes, your interaction with them had been reduced to the odd Facebook and Twitter chats and the occasional emails and texts here and there but they still looked…happy to see you.

Park Jimin and his twin, Jihyo had been the first ones to come to you, Jihyo hugging you tightly enough to make you wince. She had been your roommate in college; she probably knew you as well as Sana did – maybe even better. She had introduced you to Jimin and the three of you had been inseparable throughout your college life.

Jimin had apparently been friends with one of your childhood friends, Kim Taehyung.

You were not so shocked to know he was now married, living next door to you with his wife, Nayeon. Sweet and charming, she hugged you like her husband.

“It’s almost like I already know you,” she explained to your unsure smile, “they talk about you so much.”

“Ugh, I’m already worried.” You cringed.

“They were all nice things don’t worry. We had to put down a couple old gossips down here and there, though.” Jimin came to defend his friend.

You glanced at them curiously.

“Oh yeah, it was just old gossipy hags around the town, don’t worry about it. People moved on from you pretty soon to a Miss Mina. She’s a spinster, which apparently is a sin.” Taehyung rolled his eyes. “She lives a few houses from us.”

“Also, I think your mom told that friend of hers, Dahyun to stop people gossiping about you. They were task-forcing the town. It was fun to watch.” Jimin added.

A sudden wave of affection for your mother rose up in you, before being quelled by the reminder that she must have done it to protect her own image.

You shrugged then, picking up a glass from one of the trays to take a sip of your mother’s homemade cocktail – fruity and simple on your tongue.

“Enough about me, what about you all?” you pointed at Tae and Nayeon, “Married with a house,” your finger moved to Jimin, “Sports coach,” then Jihyo, “Choreographer,” you stopped.

“What about the others, any news?”

“Not really, we are the ones who still live here you know. Plus, no offense to your mom, but I doubt folks would leave their city jobs to come to her parties.” Jihyo muttered; exchanging a glance of solidarity with you before her eyes widened suddenly.

“What?” you asked.

Her eyes quickly went to her brother, Jimin’s eyes a little more slow on the uptake but they widened too…before repeating the process – albeit comically – with Taehyung.

“What is wrong with you all?” You asked again.

“Um, ____, did Sana tell you -?”

Jimin paused nervously, refusing to look at you as he fiddled with the rim of his glass.

“Tell me what?”

He looked helplessly at his sister. Jihyo hesitated before placing a comforting hand on your shoulder. “Listen, ____, while you were gone” -

She broke off, her eyes darting over your shoulder and stuttering to a stop.

In that moment of her silence, the conversation behind you was clearer.

Or rather, one particular voice was…

Low and deep – soft morning grumbles came back to you – muffled conversations from behind you made you turn around.

It was a voice you would know anywhere. It was one that haunted your dreams, one that crested the ache in your heart on particularly bad days…

It was one you would know beyond a void.

Min Yoongi stood directly across from you, in your home, undoing his coat and removing his scarf, conversing lowly with your sister.

Something she quickly muttered to him had him freezing, long nimble fingers stopping in the unknotting of his scarf.

And then as if he could feel your gaze, could feel your presence, the reason why you left everything behind looked straight up at you, eyes locking across a room…just like the day you had first seen him.

[deepseavibez]

Fall Pronto_1 || JHS

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-> Picture Source - Pinterest

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Fall Pronto [Hoseok x Reader]

Part 1 || Part 2

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Genre - Smut; 21+; Best Friends Brother

Summary - Hoseok was quiet. He focused on work and stayed out of the way. He was calm and collected. He was patient. He didn't even dispute your food choices. What a man. It made sense that he stayed over while he visited the city for business;you had the space and it would only be a few days. There was nothing complicated about a short visit, of course not, after all, he was only your best friend's brother. Right?

🎶 - Waves - KANG DANIEL (feat. Simon Dominic & Jamie

Warning - 21+!Only; Smut; Vulgarity;

Word Count - 2.1k

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It was late, a bit after two in the morning according to your bedside clock as you squinted to look at it properly. Your throat dry and skin itchy from the humid weather, you threw the covers off and stepped onto the wooden floors.

As you walked down the hall, a glance at the room next to you, the door wide open and bed untouched confirmed your roommate hadn't returned for the night.

Shaking your head absently, you decided to call her when you got back in your room. She worked too hard, too late, and she was too in love with her job.

But then, Seri was one of the lucky ones that way. Her family was well off, her job was perfect for her and she was beautiful.

You would be salty about it, but Seri was wonderful. A kind heart, caring and she was one of your best friends.

You sighed, a smile crossing your face at the thought of one of the most important people in your life.

Barefoot, in purple cotton shorts and a shirt, you walked to the kitchen. Delirious and tired, you navigated yourself through the dimly lit house, purely by muscle memory.

Yawning, you reflexively covered your mouth with your hand as you passed through the lounge and into the kitchen, illuminated by the moonlight shining through the window above the sink.

Opening the fridge, you scrunched your nose as you found nothing to your liking, so you grabbed a cup from the overhead drawer, and filled it in the ice water dispenser.

Humming at the coolness of it against your hand, and placing it against your lips, you were just about to drink as you turned around, only to let out a ear piercing shriek.

Cup forgotten, you clutched at your heart as you identified the familiar face and struggled to compose yourself.

The cup of water and its contents on the floor in pieces, you stared up at the face of the man that plagued your mind and caused you sleepless nights.

Jung Hoseok was absolutely handsome. A diamond shaped face, brown eyes and a jawline created to stand out he haunted your every sane thought. And considering the circumstances his presence did nothing to calm your fast beating heart.

Now dressed in nothing but a pair of shorts, his clear smooth skin, lean tummy and muscles drew your attention. You gulped audibly, trying to be as discreet as possible about his affect on you.

Would it be too much to hope my reaction could be passed as being chicken shit for the dark.

You thought it would be okay to have Hobi over, after all his sister was your roommate and he was only crashing for a week or two. But the days proved to already be too much.

You were antsy and you weren't used to being so flustered. Being single and having no sex for almost a year now, didn't help. You didn't want to feel so drawn to him, but it happened gradually and yet, all at once. Like a fine wine aging to potency.

His presence, was a stark thing. Within the hour of meeting him, your body hummed in awareness of the man, butterflies fluttered through you when you made eye contact with him and if it was even possible, the heat always kicked up a notch when he was around.

Hoseok saved his smile. For his sister. For a good plate of food. For his best friend, Yoongi. Other than that he made head nods a common acknowledgement for you.

Initially you just had an uncomfortable vibe with Hoseok around, which was fair. He was a stranger in your home and in your personal space, of course you felt uncomfortable. But you knew yourself, it was not just about leaning away when he leaned forward, or not making any skin contact with him through effort, you noticed that once it did happen, you wanted it way too much.

You can remember all too well, as you walked out of your room less than a day ago, and straight into something solid and warm. His hands caught at your arms as he looked you over and steadied you. The slight touch sent tingles across you, wanting to lean into his scent, his cologne, the expanse of him already too large in front of your 5'2 frame. You jumped back as if burned and mumbled an apology as you scurried away.

He said nothing to you. Didn't push you or anyone else, you had probably never met someone so set in their standard way of life and yet meeting middle ground with others.

As far as you knew the work habits ran in the family, because he always had his laptop open, one hand on it while he spoke on his Bluetooth and texted with the other. Direct and blunt, his voice carried over commands as if disobedience was never invited to the party.

His rolled up shirt sleeves and the Audemars Piguet watch on his hand, as you walked in on the scene almost had you closing your eyes asking for help from the universe. Because those forearms, curled around you, near you, those hands on you, those fingers in you... the cold shower you had did nothing for you that evening.

Now as he stared at the broken pieces on the floor and your clearly shaken form, you cursed yourself for actually forgetting he was under the same roof as you.

Blinking rapidly, you hissed at him. 'You freaking scared me!'

This man, he didn't deserve your tone, or the disrespect, but he triggered ferity in you on a level so intense you stayed as far away from your apartment as possible while he was around. It was all you could do to protect yourself.

'I happen to live here too,' he looked at you with irritation.

At least that reaction helped; irritation deserved irritation.

Deciding you shouldn't make a snide remark about how long he would be staying, you turned your attention away from him to the floor. Moving your hair aside, you looked down at your bare feet, hunting a way out of the sea of glass that could much likely hurt like a bitch if you stepped on it.

A short look, confirmed that Hoseok wasn't fine either, his feet were bare too.

So engrossed, with your dilemma you didn't notice, Hoseok huff in impatience and reach for you.

You yelped as a pair of strong arms, grabbed you under your thighs, hands flailing as you caught at his shoulders. Even in your shocked state you reveled at the feel of his muscles under your palm, and it took a portion of self control you didn't think you had not to grip into them with your nails and run your hands across the smooth expanse of his skin.

Your legs instinctively wrapped themselves around his waist, the action putting your center's together, the ravaging demand to rock your hips into his was leashed in before you could carry it through.

'What the hell are you doing!' The panic in you could be heard through your cold voice.

'Are you fucking kidding me? You're barefoot! Do you want to get cut?' You brushed aside his concern. You had to. The odds already too stacked against you.

'You're also barefoot,' pointing it out by looking down.

He ignored you. You stared at him waiting for some sort of explanation. He averted your eyes and didn't give one, so you took it upon yourself to try and get out of his grip.

'Can you stop? I'm trying to help you!' he said gruffly as you wiggled.

You huffed, and pushed harder at him, but he had a strong grip. 'I can take care of myself.'

You needed space. You needed to be away from him.

Something wild in you reared it's head but you pushed it aside. Baring it's teeth, you knew all too well you wanted this man and you hated it.

He moved his hands from your waist, and tightened it on your ass, adding more pressure to your center. You only now noticed he was hard. Very hard.

You held back a moan at the realization, but couldn't stop the breath leaving your body as you made eye contact with him.

Stilling yourself, hunting for a thread of calm, you cleared your throat and swallowed through the harsh lump formed in it.

Looking away you frantically searched for the next logical step in the situation. You felt your demeanor tearing itself apart, ice cracking into pieces.

Close to tears at wanting something you shouldn't and the frustration of the situation adding onto it, you whispered softly, 'Please put me down... away from the glass.' You sounded breathless, and you hated it, but assertive all the same.

Surprisingly, he listened. He managed to evade the glass as he walked you over to the island across the kitchen and placed you on it. Letting go off him you looked down, if he'd stepped wrong his expression didn't indicate it. So you swallowed your concern.

'Thank you.' You dragged it through clenched teeth. You evaded eye contact as you said it. Your blood was raging. Your skin too sensitive, too soft.

His hands finally leaving you made you feel empty, but at least you were safer, more from yourself than him.

You waited.

He just needed to move away from you and get out from the space between your legs, then you could get your shoes and clean up this mess.

He didn't.

You looked up at him again, an annoyed, questioning expression on your face.

'I want to know what's your problem with me.' Slightly taken aback at the direct question, you managed to keep yourself composed. Hobi never smiled around you, you didn't even think you were allowed to think of him as Hobi either. He reserved that right for his friends. But that was fine, you never intended to be his friend. He needed to leave as soon as possible. Sunday couldn't come fast enough.

'Move,' you bit out, wanting to crawl out of your skin with the need to sink your teeth on the firm muscle of the man in front of you. 'I need to clean up.'

He leaned in closer, hands on either side of you, caging you in. 'You're pissy with me. You have been since I got here.' His breath fanned your face, you tried evening yours. 'And you don't get out of this position until I know why.' His tone was quiet, but molded in steel, that of a man who had clearly reached his limit.

And so had you.

'Fawning over you is not a requirement Hoseok,' you managed with a smile and a tone so sweet, it drew blood.

'Someone should bite you... hard.' he responded gruffly. 'Then maybe you'd loosen up a little bit.'

You clenched at the near snarl, his tone doing all sorts of things to your body. Especially making the pooling between your thighs more noticeable.

Your nails dug into your skin, as you felt his breathe on your lips. 'It's not like you've been very forthcoming since you've got here.' Nerves far too close to the surface, you needed out or you really wouldn't be able to keep that part of you under wraps.

'Oh hell no!' His eyes slammed into yours. It was the first time you'd heard him come remotely close to raising his voice. 'Don't you dare pin this on me.'

'You took one look at me and decided you couldn't stand me, and I want to know why.'

You breathed in, an attempt to calm your beating heart.

'Look,' you started, 'I'm an asshole generally.'

'That's bullshit and you know it! I've seen you with others. Especially my sister.' His anger was a palpable thing. A blade with a serrated edge would have been less dangerous.

Patience wearing thin, you snapped, 'Get out of my face Hoseok!' You pushed at his chest.

'Are you sure I should?' He leaned in further, restraint evident he continued, 'You probably swipe at me because you can't have me close enough!'

You inhaled sharply.

His eyes widened in shock, as he pulled back. His mouth fell open at your reaction, a resounding, 'Fuck,' leaving his lips.

Part 1 || Part 2

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[md-admissions]

2020 (The dumpster fire) in review

I’m BACK after a long, long year. I’m working on figuring out the evolution of this page/blog. It’s brought me a lot of joy over the years and I want it grow as I grow. What that means, I’m trying to sort out. 

But for now...let’s talk about THE year.

1 - What did you do in 2020 that you’d never done before?

Survive a pandemic, publish in JAMA, start teletherapy, enjoy dating, kiss someone while sober, I ALSO KINDA DATED SOMEONE, GUYS! Got broken up with, healing from the break up, started a twitter, took on leadership roles I’ve never taken on, took my ID Boards exam, gave job talks, interviewed for jobs remotely, bought a recording microphone, lost 50 pounds (intentionally!!). Started a master’s degree, QUIT the degree program.  2 - Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I kept 5 out of 7 of my New Years resolutions!! So I’m absolutely making more.

3 - Did anyone close to you give birth?

Guys...nine people. Count ‘em. Nine people. All my close friends. Gave birth. Like...end me. 

4 - Did anyone close to you die?

No but I knew many who died. Or bore witness.

5 - What countries did you visit?

I narrowly avoided country-passed quarantines in January as I flew back from Asia. Won’t say what countries for now.

6 - What would you like to have in 2021 that you lacked in 2020?

More progress in radical honesty, vulnerability, healing traumas that have held me back from creating healthy boundaries. More time with friends, more art, more music. More time unafraid to love and be loved. 7 - What date from 2020 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

11/4/2020. Took my ID boards that day.

8 - What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Publishing in JAMA with a colleague I have the privilege to call a phenomenal friend and the best collaborator I’ve ever had. 

9 - What was your biggest failure?

Waiting so long to finally hear my inner voice tell me that master’s degree wasn’t where or who I was anymore 10 - Did you suffer illness or injury?

Minor things.  11 - What was the best thing you bought?

The lap desk I’m currently using. Or my noise cancelling headphones. 12 - Whose behavior merited celebration?

My ID division. We fucking came together during this horrible shit. I’ve never been prouder or felt closer to a group of colleagues. 13 - Whose behavior made you appalled or depressed?

Anti-maskers, most of the US government, the list is so long.

14 - Where did most of your money go?

Food and clothes. Clothes because I lost so much weight I needed new clothing

15 - What did you get really, really, really excited passionate about?

Excited feels like a strong word. I was passionate about many things. Passionate about BLM, PPE shortages, writing out my advanced directives. Mentoring during a pandemic, being a mentee during a pandemic.  16 - What song(s) will always remind you of 2020?

Betty Who: You’re In Love 17 - Compared to this time last year, are you: I. Happier or sadder?

Sadder, but I know it’s the only way to feel after such an awful year. And that it will take me to a happier me as I continue to work through it.  II. Thinner or fatter?

Thinner

III. Richer or poorer?

Richer.

18 - What do you wish you’d done more of?

Therapy 19 - What do you wish you’d done less of?

Think that I was alone and only I could solve my problems 20 - How will you be spending/spent christmas?

Christmas at home with some Chinese take-out and watching It’s a Wonderful Life

21 - Did you fall in love in 2020?

No but I learned to really like someone without becoming infatuated 22 - How many one-night stands?

Zero. 23 - What was your favorite tv program?

Next in Fashion, Legendary, Bridgerton, Giri/Haji, Castlevania

24 - Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

Uh hell yeah 25 - What was the best book you read?

This is How you Lose the Time War 26 - What was your greatest musical discovery?

This will sound odd but...re-discovering my own love for singing and music 27 - What did you want and get?

To publish meaningful research, to break internal emotional barriers, to stop using food to address feelings and actually ADDRESS them, to make true friends 28 - What was your favorite film of this year?

Gosh...I don’t remember any this year. Was kinda...drowning in work

29 - What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 32 and I got donuts for the infection control and stewardship departments that I work in! I ordered fancy Thai take out. I slept in. 30 - What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

No pandemic. A girl can dream.

31 - How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2020?

LA pop/punk, but make it office 32 - What kept you sane?

The Ologies podcast. Intense talks with friends. 33 - Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

KEANU REEVES. ALWAYS. Especially this year. 

34 - What political/social issue stirred you the most?

Black Lives Matter.  35 - Who did you miss?

My best friend.  36 - Who was the best new person you met?

For all the pain I’m currently going through, a guy I met at work who I maybe-kinda-sorta-dated for 2 months. I made some wild breakthroughs and grew a lot from it, even though it didn’t end the way I wanted. I’m grateful for the me that’s growing and becoming through that experience.

37 - Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2020:

The best, most authentic people are vulnerable because it’s scary as fuck and necessary

[tae-cup]

The Policeman | Night Terrors FINALE

Pairing: OT7 x Reader

Summary: The prestigious department of police and investigations in Seoul, Korea, is called to the small town of Cape Springs in rural California. Nothing is quite what it seems here.

Warnings: Blood, violence, you know crime stuff? Fluffy stuff somehow

Genre: Mystery, Crime, Angst, a lil humor, sexual innuendos, language, someone is shot 

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 5.1k Words

A/N: Thank you guys so much for support in this series. You probably saw it coming, but I really enjoyed writing and weaving this story together. From the very beginning, I tried to weave in little clues <3 I’d love to know your thoughts and thank you so much, again, for reading this! This series is sort of my second child, the first is Down With The Ship, and my first stab at writing mystery...so I hope I did it well haha XD 

I love you all thank you!

Beautiful header by the wonderful @dnrequests

Other:

Series Masterlist

Normal Masterlist

Previous | End 

“Hoseok. When there is a serious threat, it’s you or them.” Namjoon handed him the gun. “Or in this case, them or the victim. What we want to do is disable them. You have one shot.” 

The man held the gun delicately, like a bird that might fly away. 

“I could kill him.” Hoseok said, hesitation in his voice. 

“I trust you won’t.” Namjoon watched him carefully. 

“This gun could kill a man!” Hoseok felt himself shaking. Why why why? He had shot a gun before, but it was never at another person. 

“Or a woman.” Namjoon walked around the barrier. 

“I wish I didn’t have to carry this around.” 

“Mr. Jung, listen to me,” Namjoon shook him slightly and the police officer stilled. 

“Everytime you carry a gun,” He plucked the metal out of his hand and waved it around. “you are prepared to take a life. That’s how it goes. There’s responsibility in your hands. Remember what you said to me, in our interview?” 

“You do what you have to do, that’s part of the job.” Hoseok nodded, reciting his moral code. 

“So do your job.” Namjoon pressed the gun back into his hands. 

“Yes, sir.” 

        Hoseok took a deep breath, assuming a shooting stance, balanced and limber, feet apart, one slightly in front of the other. He looked at the target and shot. Bullseye. 

      He pulled the trigger as naturally as he breathed. 

“I’ll go with you, Namjoon.” You protested, chasing after the taller man. 

“I don’t want your emotions getting in the way of what could very well be a hostage situation.” He argued back, pulling on his coat and holstering his pistol. The others were following along with similar actions. 

“So you’re calling me emotional?” 

“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.” 

“I can’t believe this. I thought you were beginning to trust me-”

“I trust you, Y/N.” Namjoon turned to face you and you paused. 

      There was a pain in his eyes as he glanced from you to the door. The others were ignoring the confrontation, instead heading out the door as fast as possible. 

“But look at yourself.” His voice was soft and you were reminded of the chief who was shaking in his boots on his first day.

    Namjoon reached out hesitantly and placed a hand on your arm. Your eyes darted from the warmth of his hand to his face. 

“You’re overworking yourself. You look like a mess. Please, take some time to look after yourself.” 

“Hae-won is still a suspect. There are so many signs-” You started, but Namjoon sighed in annoyance. 

“While that may be true, we have to approach this situation with a hostage situation mentality.” He affirmed. 

      The chief moved his hand and you crossed your arms, rubbing your hands over your biceps. The room suddenly felt cold without his hand. You looked to the ground and then back at him, defeat in your eyes. You were sick of fighting with them. You were done. 

“At least tell me where you’re going.” You said softly. 

“Matthew Street 2410. It’s a warehouse or something.” He explained quickly, heading for the door. “We’ll be back soon, Hae-won in hand. Then you can question her all you want.” 

“That’s Yoongi and Taehyung’s job!” you began, but he was already gone. 

        A heavy pit fell into your stomach as you retreated to your lab. The presence was still there and it sent a chill down your spine. Out of habit, you swept your eyes from side to side to check the dark corners of the room. The lights flickered on one by one. You lazily went through the test results, stumbling across the pill test. You frowned at the thin piece of paper. If only I had definitive proof.

       Frustrated with the lack of evidence, you checked over the machine you used again, the one with the scratched lens. Your mind wandered back to the odd encounter you had with Hae-won. She had looked nervous, eyes darting from side to side, rocking back and forth on her heels. She had acted...odd, even for Hae-won standards. Then Jin’s words came back to you. 

       Hae-won didn’t come to talk to us, what are you talking about? The open doors, the strong feeling that someone had been in your lab. You bent down to check over the machine. Something was wrong.

      The wires that should have been hooked up to each other, were now mixed and matched like a poor reconstruction of a rainbow with messed up colors. Could she have...messed with my machine? You bit at your lip, letting out a frustrated noise. 

       You moved to another machine and checked over it to make sure everything was in place. After double checking a thousand times, you prepared the fragments of pill that you had left over. You tapped your foot anxiously and checked your watch. You had an hour.

       Namjoon felt guilty. It was a common feeling among the group, but despite working together for years, their communication skills sucked. The chief was aware that Hae-won had grown on Jungkook and Hoseok and it was probably a shock that any of this was happening, but even he realized that you were correct. All the dots lined up except the eye witness descriptions of a man as the killer. 

“Is this it?” Namjoon tensed. The van pulled into the gravel driveway of the abandoned warehouse. 

“Yup.” Jin murmured as they surveyed the ominous structure. 

“Okay,” Namjoon twisted in his seat to address the boys. 

      He was always nervous in hostage situations. It was his job to get everyone out alive and, hopefully, unharmed. 

“Everyone listen up.” He snapped. 

     The men turned their attention from the old building and to their leader. The car beeped softly as Namjoon unbuckled his seatbelt. He cleared his throat and Jin muttered an apology, shutting off the car. The lights in the car dimmed to black and the chief could just make out the faces of his team. 

“Just like in any hostage situation, we have one chance.” He briefed.

 “Now, Yoongi goes in first, try to reason with the kidnapper. Taehyung stay close behind, but out of sight. Hoseok, have your pistol ready and stay behind me and Jin. Jungkook, remain outside or as close to the outside as possible. Jimin, I need you to be right next to Taehyung in case anything goes wrong. We need someone else who’s a good shot.”

“I’m not a kid.” Jungkook shot up. 

“You’re inexperienced and a real life is in our hands, kookie.” Namjoon said sternly.

      Jungkook went quiet. The chief had come out in Namjoon and everyone knew to shut up. 

“Ready?” Jin breathed. Namjoon gave the slightest of nods and Yoongi slid open the door of the van with a loud thump. 

        The sound of their steps on gravel echoed like thunder in the quiet. The stars were out and the hazy white and gold streak of the milky way painted across the sky. A child breeze ruffled Jimin’s hair. 

       Jimin rested his hand on his pistol, stalking closely next to Taehyung. The two were pressed to the shadows, silently stepping onto the concrete floors of the warehouse. The place would give any sane person the creeps. Good thing that none of them were all too sane. That’s what happened when you investigated the gruesome murders of people. 

       Taehyung’s steps were light and Jimin followed in his footsteps exactly. They hid behind a large steel beam and watched as Yoongi walked in, unarmed and peaceful. The man had always had a calming presence. Hoseok was right outside the door, Jin leaning over his shoulder. Namjoon was next to them and Jungkook was hidden in the treeline, keeping watch. 

“Hae-won?” Yoongi’s gruff voice reverberated around the empty space. 

“I’m here.” Her voice was soft and quiet. 

       Yoongi had a calm exterior, but his heart rate leapt through the roof and thrummed through his body when he saw what was before him. Hae-won stood in the ghostly moonlight, pale as a vampire, and just as menacing looking.

      It was weird how someone so small could have such a large presence and vice versa. His heart jumped into his throat and he found himself choking. There was something so off about the way she was standing, the way she spoke that contrasted the manic look in her eyes. 

      He cursed under his breath for feeling so unnerved by someone he’d spent weeks with. Hoseok swallowed, his eyes searching for Jimin’s gaze to confirm anything, and the look in his younger counterpart’s eyes confirmed the worst. Either she was indeed a hostage, or this was a rouse. And he refused to let it be rouse. It just couldn’t be. 

“I was kidnapped.” She explained calmly. “The murderer took me by the arm and hauled me off in broad daylight. Just goes to show how no one really cares in this town, right?” 

“And where is your kidnapper, Hae-won?” 

“She’s right here.” Hae-won said, her voice breaking off. The words she spoke were insane, but the way she said them was calm, robotic. 

She pointed to her chest, to her heart. “She kidnapped me.” 

“Hae-won, I understand, now, please, we can talk and figure something out if you just come with us.” Yoongi said, trying his best to keep his tone steady. “I know, you’re scared.” 

“I’m not scared.” She scoffed and Yoongi nodded. 

“Okay, you’re not scared. So how are you feeling?”

“I can’t feel much of anything anymore, Yoongi.” She cracked a small smile that only added to her stilted look. 

      His heart thumped and his blood rushed loudly through his ears. 

“I understand-”

“I know you’re all there.” She hurried on, cutting off him. Yoongi let her ramble.

 “Jimin and Taehyung go in, hide, and get ready to shoot or have backup. Hoseok is outside with Namjoon and Jin. Jungkook is hiding in the treeline.” She chuckled darkly. 

“I know everything about you and all your plans. I didn’t do all that work these weeks for nothing.” Hae-won clenched her fists, memories of pale blue dresses and crimson red blood in her mind. 

      Her nails dug into her palms, leaving deep crescent moons. 

“But don’t worry, I’ll be getting the whole gang involved tonight.” 

       The samples crashed to the ground as you held your head in your hands. No no no. The machine had been tampered with, but after you had gotten everything in order, the results had been incriminating to the highest degree. Incriminating who? Hae-won. But honestly, what else did you expect at this point? You had tested the pill three times. 

        Every. Single. One. Read back as positive for rohypnol. Everything was falling into place. The girl’s sketchy behavior, her apprehension. You strode out into the hallway and across to the Investigators’ Nest. Files were stacked neatly, the court case still on the desk. You opened the file to the court proceedings. Two times it mentioned an anonymous testifier, someone who was close to Joo-Eun, the victim. 

       You read it over. The case was under Joo-Eun v.s. Cape Springs. You scanned the page. In the back, there was a newspaper clipping. You held up the old piece of paper to the light. The faded print was hard to see, but if you squinted, you could make it out. 

         It was an interview with Hae-won, dated back to when she would have been graduating high school and right after the murder of Joo-Eun. You sucked in a breath. 

“Hae-won, a best friend to Joo-Eun, testified today in court. ‘I just want justice for my friend.’ She said.” You read softly. 

         You gently placed the clipping back in the folder and left the room. You felt...pity for her. She had lost her best friend, she was hurting. But was that a motivation to kill? You grabbed your car keys and the test results, and left the building, shutting off the lights. You locked up the old station, hoping to never have to solve another crime in that place again. 

        You unlocked your car and got in. You couldn’t even feel pleased about being right in your suspicions, you were simply worried for your coworkers and the men you cared deeply for. It was time to make things right.

       What was he doing here? Jungkook sat outside the office, tapping his foot wildly. His adrenaline was through the roof as he shifted uncomfortably. The man next to him was called inside and he scooted over. He had been waiting for an hour, but the nerves still hadn’t slowed. 

      He glanced at his watch. He really needed this job. The young man gripped his briefcase tightly and then little by little let it go. He let his grip relax and the briefcase fell into his lap with each deep breath. Someone cleared their throat and he looked up, startled. 

       A young woman stood with her hair in a neat bun. 

“Hello, I’m Y/N!” She said cheerily, holding out her hand. 

      He rose quickly, his case clattering to the floor. He internally screamed at himself and clumsily shook her hand before crouching to pick up the case. She seemed amused. 

“I’m Jungkook, Jeon Jungkook.” He nodded. “I’m here for the, uh, achem, interview.” 

“I figured.” She chirped. “Mr. Kim will see you now!” She gently shoved him towards the door. “And don’t worry, Namjoon is actually pretty nice once you get to know him.” She whispered and then shut the door. 

       Jungkook stood awkwardly in the door. Mr. Kim sat in his leather chair, surveying him. The chief then nodded at the seat and gestured. 

“Sit.” He commanded and Jungkook wasn’t one to disobey orders. 

      Once he had settled in, Mr. Kim leaned forward, lacing his fingers together.

 “Now tell me, Mr. Jeon,” God, it felt like he was being interrogated. “Why do you want this position?”

“I would like to get work experience and I’ve always been fascinated with the whole criminal justice and policing system.” He said hurriedly. “And I’ve heard that you’re the, uh, best.” 

“That we are.”Mr. Kim smiled and unlaced his fingers, sitting back to observe the man. “Now, we don’t offer these jobs to just anyone. So tell me, what makes you different?” 

“If you want me to be honest, Mr. Kim,” Jungkook scratched the back of his head. “I’m really not sure. I’m not...all that special.” 

 “Fuck fuck fuck!” You unclipped your seatbelt and raced out the car door. 

      There were loud shouts and your heart sped up. You crept along the side of the building until the entrance was in view. You peered cautiously around the corner. 

      The sight before you was not pretty. Yoongi was shouting at the others to back away and Taehyung stood next to him. Jimin was already retreating while Hoseok and Jin were tugging Jungkook back. Namjoon was trying to shout orders over Yoongi and Hae-won was in the center, cackling like a mad woman. A glistening knife was held to her throat. 

“Shut up!” She shouted, her voice a growl, low and animalistic, unlike anything you had heard from her. 

“If you don’t shut up, I won’t hesitate to slide this over my neck like every single pig I’ve killed in this town.” She chuckled and you could see the wetness of tears on her cheeks. 

“I have nothing to come back to. The town hates me anyway. If Joo-eun couldn’t get retribution, justice, when she should have, then maybe I can give her justice.” She choked. Her hands shook. “I deserve this.” 

“You didn’t even know Joo-Eun, I thought?” Yoongi said calmly, his voice scratchy from yelling. 

“You guys are idiots.” You revealed yourself, your shadow gracing their faces. “She’s her best friend, or should I say was?”

“Keep her name out of your mouth!” Hae-won screeched back, her voice trilling high into hysterics. 

       Her eyes scanned the room wildly. So this was the murderer. A wolf in sheep's clothing. 

“I ran the tests Hae-won. Those aspirin in your medicine cabinet looked off, so I decided to give them a test.” You stepped closer to her. She stiffened, keeping the knife to her throat.

 “Rohypnol.” You declared.

“I won’t deny it, Y/N. You were smart, you always kept your work at such a distance from me.” She laughed, the blade tugged slightly across her neck at the movement. “But good thing these guys trusted me enough. I guess it’s just another example of the system failing people like us.”

“People like us?” You halted your approach. 

“Women, men, people. We, who dare try and go against this system so carefully set up by those around us.” She fixed you with a hard stare. “I mean, haven’t we both been screwed over by the system? Joo-Eun never got justice, you will never see justice.” 

      You went quiet. You could feel the heavy eyes of your coworkers on you. You glanced to the side, meeting eyes with Jungkook. 

“No one believed me. Do you understand what it’s like, to have the town turn their backs on you?!” Hae-won furiously regained your attention. You stepped closer, now only a few feet away. 

“Y/N, step back.” You heard the command of Namjoon. You held up a hand, silencing him. 

“I’m sorry, Hae-won.” You whispered. She went still, her face melting into a look of confusion. 

“What?”

“I said,” You gently brought your hand up and she let you guide her hand away from her throat. 

“I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve that. And the system has been pretty shit as of late.” You gave Namjoon a pointed glare which he had the decency to look away from. 

“But you can’t hate the world forever.” You sighed and wrapped your arms around her. She was stunned, silent, and unmoving. “Please just come back with us. We’ll make things right.” 

      The tension was palpable. Everyone in the room held their breath. 

“There’s nothing to make right. I have no regrets,” Hae-won breathed in your ear. “And I cannot take back what I have done.” She ripped you away, pulling your back to her chest and lifting the knife to your throat.

         Well, shit. That did not go as planned.

          That was a big problem of yours, rushing into things without a plan. Well, that was really biting you in the ass right now. Instantly, seven guns clicked into place. 

“Go ahead, shoot me. We both go down.” Hae-won smiled, her vice like grip uncharacteristically strong for someone of her stature. “Do you know what it’s like to see your best friend’s corpse?”

“I don’t want to find out.” Hoseok’s voice rang clear and you looked at him.

       You couldn’t find it in yourself to be truly terrified because they wouldn’t let you die, right? After everything you’d been through and you still had undying trust in these boys.

“Put the knife down Hae-won. I won’t say it again.” Taehyung said, his deep rumble ticking your eardrums. 

       Instead, she pressed the knife harder against your jugular and you let out a squeak of distress. You could see Hoseok’s hands shaking, Jimin’s eyes staring coldly into your own, and Yoongi’s sour expression. When you looked at Namjoon, you just saw...fear. That only meant one thing; She was going to do it. You were going to die.

A shot rang out and you saw red.

      Jimin hated fake apologies. It was a thought that he had often, especially when his ex texted him. He stared in disgust at the pathetic gray bubble. 

I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done it. 

      He threw the phone onto the comforter and paced his room furiously. Back and forth, up and down. He was sure the neighbors would yell at him next time they saw him. 

      The blonde ran his fingers through his hair and rooted around his closet. His ex had never been a nice woman. He should have known she was poison from the beginning. 

      With the red lipstick and plunging neckline, her attire had screamed at him to kiss her. So he had. Jimin was a man of discipline, but he had always lost control in her presence. 

      He wouldn’t allow himself to do that again. He pulled out a tie and tugged on a suit jacket. When he stared at his reflection, eyebrows knitted together and lips pulled into an unflattering frown, he set down the tie. 

     The man took a couple of deep breaths. She was doing it again, making him feel out of control. Controlling his temper, controlling his love life. A lot of his life was about control. 

      He massaged his cheeks and let himself relax. He tied his tie and pulled on socks. Then, he walked calmly back into his bedroom, reached across the comforter, and grasped his phone. With a few decisive taps, he sent his message and dropped his phone back into his pocket. 

Sorry doesn’t cut it, sweetheart, Cheaters never win. 

         You heard screaming. Was it you? You turned to the side, realizing Hae-won’s tight grip had disappeared. No. 

          It was definitely Hae-won screaming. She writhed in pain on the floor, slowly trying to crawl away. Blood smeared down her leg. The knife had fallen to the floor and you quickly kicked it far out of reach. 

         Hoseok’s face gave away no emotion. Inside, his mind was reeling. Did he really just do that? Just as calmly as he had shot, he walked over and placed a pair of handcuffs around Hae-won’s wrists. 

“Hae-won, you are under arrest for the murders of Hak-kun, Jane doe, Iseul, and two others. Everything you say can and will be held against you.” He recited dutifully.

        Jin and Jimin rushed over. Jungkook was quiet, standing and watching the scene unfold like a movie. A few minutes later, an ambulance has pulled up and a team of paramedics is pulling Hae-won away on a stretcher.

      Officer Nam arrived, shaking hands with Namjoon and going around to thank every person. Jungkook accepted the handshake in a daze, barely registering what was being said. 

       Once everyone had cleared out and it was just the eight of you standing in an abandoned warehouse, you let out a collective sigh. A few chuckles rolled around the group, but Jungkook was still. 

       Namjoon wrapped him into a hug and pressed a kiss to his temple before ushering everyone back out to the van. He watched as you looked sadly at all of them laughing and joking before stepping into your car and driving away. 

         Jungkook had always been observant. Shame arose in his cheeks as he remembered the failed kiss. The boys had raised him better than that. 

        The quiet that followed the case was short lived. Soon enough, they were busy with the trial and conviction of Hae-won. It was funny how Hae-won’s words rang true, how the whole town so easily turned their backs on her, despite having chanted her name a few days ago like a saint.

         They discovered heavy layers of coats and jackets, despite it being almost 90 degrees every day in Cape Springs. Namjoon put this forth as evidence of her being able to match the physical description of a man.

        Hae-won pleaded guilty to first degree murder. They took her away with a smile on her face. 

 “Can we talk?”

“You know, I’m really sick of hearing that lately.” You muttered, twisting around in your seat to look at Jungkook. 

“I just wanted to say…” The young boy shifted around uncomfortably as the airplane’s ignition clicked on and the cabin began rattling.

“You’re sorry? You wish it hadn’t happened?” You pursed your lips. 

“Yeah I’ve heard it.” Then you rubbed at your tired eyes. “You guys really hurt me, but I’ll be okay. I’m stronger than you think.” 

       You then twisted to face away from him. You heard him sigh unhappily and close the window shade. 

       Jin was a man of principle and order. Everyday he went to the same coffee shop to get the same coffee and bagel at the same time. He always got home at the same time each night, 8:00 P.M. on the dot. He counted on others to be able to accommodate this, and while it might seem selfish or even pompous on his part, he actually believed it helped other people. 

       This was all to say, Seokjin didn’t take risks. He was a firm and stubborn man with little time to break out of his mold. He knew he was probably going to take up some office job, but in the meantime, he liked to study the law. 

       Namjoon was the opposite. Namjoon liked to go out of his way to try something new, to find a new problem and then solve it. It was in his nature as a rather helpful person.

        When the two, Jin and Namjoon, combined, they balanced each other out. It was a careful balance, maintained by careful precision in language and movement; were the other to step too far over into the other’s boundaries, the scale would tip and fall over. 

       It didn’t take long for the boundary to be crossed. 

-

“Mr. Kim!” 

“Yes, Mr. Kim?” Jin looked up from his files and peered up at the chief through gold rimmed glasses. 

“We have a situation.” 

        Whoever thought it was a good idea to put four men in the same dorm room at a time was on crack. That’s what Jin had decided when he spent a few weeks in the station. 

      The place had dormitories for officers that were working on long cases or who needed somewhere to stay on and off shift. He cursed Y/N for being one of the few females who stayed at the station, so she got her own room. Jin was stuck sharing a room with Namjoon. 

       When he arrived at the scene of the crime, there were two men rolling on the ground fighting. 

“YOU. ARE. ONE. ARROGANT. BASTARD.” One shouted. 

“I’M JUST DOING WHAT YOU’RE TELLING ME!” The other screamed. 

      Hair was being tugged, punches were being thrown. Namjoon cleared his throat and Jin tapped his foot. 

“Men, what do you think you’re doing?” Namjoon started calmly. They didn’t register his voice, so Jin squinted, spotting one face, and knew exactly who it was. 

“Mr. Min Yoongi. Mr. Kim Taehyung.” Jin said, his voice clipped and stern. The men screeched to a halt and simultaneously turned to look at him. 

       Taehyung was on top, a fist full of Yoongi’s shirt in his hands. Yoongi pulled at Taehyung’s hair. Both panted, out of breath. Jin surveyed the damage. Taehyung had a bloody nose, which was now dripping onto Yoongi’s neck. A red bruise was blossoming on Yoongi’s cheek. 

“You’re professionals for god’s sake.” Jin pressed his lips into a thin line. 

      Then he glanced around, seeing as no one had seen this little fight. His face melted into amusement. They looked a right mess. 

“You guys look awful. Wash up and get some rest. No one was hurt too badly, right?” They shook their heads. “Then,” Jin clapped his hands together. “I guess there’s no harm done. Just try not to do it again “ 

       The men scrambled away, muttering under their breaths and he was sure they weren’t kind words. 

“I wonder how those two get along.” Namjoon mused. 

“They somehow make it work.” Jin smoothed the lapels of his jacket. “It’s sort of like us.” 

“But we wouldn’t roll on the floor punching each other!” Namjoon protested, following Jin as he made his way back downstairs. 

“I would if I had to.” He smiled. “What kind of second in command would I be if I wouldn’t get into a fist fight with the chief when he’s being an ass?” 

“But I’m not usually an ass, right?” Namjoon stuttered. 

“Well...you do have an ass.” Jin winked, causing Namjoon’s face to flush red and his mouth to hang open in shock at his usually well-mannered coworker. “But you’re not terrible, Namjoon.” 

“That’s reassuring.”

“Do you want a pat on the back or something?”

“Actually I would like that-”

“No.”

The first barrier had been broken. 

        Landing in South Korea felt like things were returning to normal. Jin had assumed the motherly role of the group once more, making sure everyone had their bags. You stood, in a hurry to get off the plane. Hoseok and Jimin had shared a row in front of you so they were the first to leave. 

        Namjoon and Jin were next from the middle aisle while Taehyung and Yoongi were first on the far right aisle. You and Jungkook were last, but when you stepped off that plane, it felt like something had changed. 

          You were now separated from the horrors of the USA and back home. You, of all people, knew this place wasn’t the safest, but it was pretty damn good. And it was...calming to step back into this city you called home. 

“Hey, Y/N.” Namjoon snapped a couple times in front of your face before you refocused. 

“Wha-oh sorry.” You gripped the suitcase he handed you. 

“Long flight?” 

“Yeah, I was really tired, but I couldn’t sleep, not really. It was more like short bursts.” You laughed a little. He chuckled along, but then softened. 

“Are you okay?” 

      No, but you needed everything to be okay right now. The past few weeks had been haunting, gruesome, and bone chilling. You had been right next to a goddamn murderer, a cold, heartless, killer. But Hae-won wasn’t like that. She was chilling in her kindness, the fake genuineness that had everyone falling. 

“No.” You sighed and reached out to squeeze his arm. “But I really need things to be okay right now, so please,” You dropped your hand and bit at your lip. “Just let it be okay.” 

“Of course.” He nodded, heading on. The sun was just setting. 

       The seven shadows of your coworkers stretched before you, beckoning you to run to them. You turned and looked back at the airport entrance. Cars whizzed past you, oblivious to the horrors you had seen, living peacefully in ignorance. Hoseok was quiet, clearly having the same feelings as you. You wanted to say something to him, but he was always just out of reach.  

“You coming?” Jimin turned to look at you and you froze. His eyes were kind, his mouth even tilted into a small smile. 

“Yup!” You looked both ways quickly before crossing over to them. 

“You just jaywalked.” Namjoon pointed out with a goofy smile. 

“What are you, a cop?” You smiled, remembering one of your first conversations with him. 

“The correct line is ‘I don’t see any cops, what are you gonna do, arrest me?’” He teased and hooked his arm around your waist. 

“Alright, you smart ass.” You groaned, leaning against his side. 

“You’ll always be our girl, you know?” Namjoon leaned down, his breath fanning across your neck. 

“I know.” 

        A news alert flashed across the billboards. You frowned, eyes drawn to the red LEDs. The others turned as well. THIRD MURDER IN DAEGU, IF YOU SEE ANYONE SUSPICIOUS PLEASE CONTACT THE POLICE BY DIALING 112. 

“You know what this means, right?” Jungkook turned to you, a small smile on his face. 

         You nodded, your grip tightening on Namjoon’s waist. 

“We have a serial killer on our hands.”

 Taglist: @lovelyseomin​ @yoonchrisgullwrites​ @mimisxs​ @slutkoo​ @mon-art-de-reve​ @sadboibts​ @hunnayesblog (i’m not sure why the tag isn’t working)

Previous | El Fin

[appletart09-but-sanders-sides]

“I’m me”- Grand Guardians AU oneshot

CHARACTERS: Janus “Deceit” Sanders, Virgil “Anxiety” Sanders, Patton “Morality” Sanders

PAIRINGS: Past Moceit (Janus/Patton), Familial Anxeit (Janus/Virgil)

SETTING: Sanders Sides Grand Guardians AU (An AU in which all the sides are deities or “guardians” of the traits they represent)

WARNINGS: Angst, a mental breakdown of sorts, identity issues, abandonment 

WORD COUNT: 1349

NOTES: I don’t know exactly where this idea came from. I was working on Patton’s design a few days ago, and suddenly I had to write this scene. I hope you all enjoy it, despite the angst, haha

Have fuuuun <3

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

Janus practically stormed into his home, tearing off his cloak and hat, throwing them to the floor the second he was inside. Large wooden doors slammed behind him as he slithered deeper into the dark.

Why did he abandon us?

What do they have that Remus and I don’t?

What did I do wrong?

It had been the first time Janus had seen Virgil since Virgil had run away. And to be honest with himself, Janus had almost hoped that Virgil hadn’t left willingly. He wished that he could’ve saved Virgil from them, he wished that he could’ve brought Virgil home. Where they all belonged; Remus, Virgil, and himself. In this awful little dysfunctional family that was the “dark” guardians. 

Janus made his way through the winding labyrinth of his home, eventually getting to his study. Good. I should at least be able to get myself together here. He lied to himself. The guardian stood in the doorway of his study, flicking a switch by the door that lit the oil lamps around the room, bathing it in golden light. Janus took a deep breath, still standing in the doorway of the study. He could practically hear himself guiding Virgil through the same exercise.

Breathe in for four seconds.

Hold your breath for seven seconds.

Breathe out for eight seconds.

Good job Virgil, now just repeat that, just breathe.

Janus felt his heartbeat slow from the violent pounding it had been when he entered the house. He had at least calmed himself down a little bit. There was a reason he had taught the more anxious of his sons that breathing exercise; it worked. 

Now that he was more composed, Janus entered his study, pacing over to his desk and taking a seat. By habit he reached across the desk and picked up his journal from it’s spot sitting against the wall. Wait. Do I really want to write about today? Janus had been keeping journals for countless years; since long before the “split” that divided his family centuries ago. It had been a recommendation from Patton. 

Now now Dee, I know you really don’t like talking about your feelings, but you can’t just internalize them! That could hurt you!

…

Oh! I know! Why don’t you keep a journal? That way you could get your feelings out without having to talk about them when you don’t want to!

Janus caught himself smiling, lost in the memory of the conversation. Lost in the memory of Patton. Janus’s expression grew bitter. Virgil wasn’t the only person he’d seen today. He shoved his journal back to the spot it had left empty, standing up from his desk with a frustrated huff.

“Oh I just love thinking about all these depressing realities,” He hissed under his breath, unsure about who he was talking to. “Would it be so much to ask to not think for five minutes?”

Before Janus knew where he was going, he found himself standing in front of his bathroom sink, taking off his gloves. He turned on the water to as cold as it could get, splashing his face. He got water both on his shirt in his hair. But frankly, he couldn’t care less right now. He felt the cold water running down his skin and his scales, trying to jolt himself back to reality, trying to jolt himself back into the present. 

Huh, that’s odd. Janus swore that some of the water dripping down his cheeks wasn’t the cold water from his sink.

Am I… crying? He thought, running his hand over his scaled cheek, questioning the moisture he found there.

He finally looked up to inspect his reflection, wanting to put himself back together and forget that any of the last day had happened. But instead of his own face staring back at him through the mirror, there was Virgil’s.

Sloppy hair, bangs covering his exhausted eyes. Dark black circles underneath them. Virgil looked… 

tired? 

No.

Afraid?

No.

Sad?

That’s it. Janus thought. Why was Virgil sad? Wasn’t he happier now? Wasn’t he better off? Why was he looking at Janus like the snake was dying? He hated that look.

“I can’t look at you right now.” Virgil’s mouth moved in the reflection, Janus’s voice came out. There was a pause. A horribly silent pause where Virgil kept that same dejected look on his usually grumpy face. 

Then Janus felt his skin ripple, just like it always did when he shapeshifted. He kept his eyes locked on the mirror, on Virgil. Or, more accurately, on where Virgil was melting away into another figure. 

The face now looking back at Janus was soft, kind, freckled. Dusty brown curls framed the face, which had a pair of almost cartoonishly large glasses perched on its nose. 

“Is this who you wanted to see?” Patton asked, his musical voice just like Janus remembered it all those years ago.

“I think so,” It was Janus’s voice this time. Low and hissing when compared to Patton’s joyous tone.

“Oh Jan, I worry about you, you know that?” Patton’s voice said. “I’m not sure if your heart can snake much more of this” Janus let himself laugh at the horrible pun, but was surprised when he couldn’t tell who’s laughing he heard. But he did look up at his reflection and see Patton smiling at him. Janus could never forget that smile. It was radiant, like the sun itself. But the smile in the mirror wasn’t quite right. Patton’s head tilted slightly, his smile shifting.

That’s it. Janus thought.

Then he caught himself, seeing Patton’s face in the mirror fall into what looked like it could be panic.

“What am I doing?” This time it was clearly Janus’s voice that rang out in the room as Patton’s mouth moved. “I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve cursed you. I couldn’t tell you how many days and years I’ve spent confused over what you did. What you did to our family, Patton,”

There was a pause, Patton didn’t respond.

“And yet, Virgil chooses you? Over me?” Janus’s voice hissed from Patton’s lips. “I raised him. I loved him. He was my son!” There were tears welling up in Patton’s eyes now. “You… you can’t just keep taking my family from me.”

With those words, Janus looked away from the mirror, unable to look Patton in the eyes anymore. His hands were locked tight holding onto the countertop, his head hanging from his shoulders. He could see droplets of water falling into the sink. Odd, I could’ve sworn I turned the water off.

“Janus,” Patton’s voice suddenly rang out. Calm and gentle, almost the loving voice that Janus remembered from centuries ago. “I’m not sure why Virgil left home. I’m not sure why he ran away from you and Remus. You were his family.” Janus looked back up as the reflection of Patton in the mirror. The face in the mirror took a deep breath.

“You can’t stay here Janus. It’ll break you. Jumble your mind until nothing’s left,” Patton said. Or, had that been Janus? He couldn’t tell. 

Whoever it had been, they were silent now.

Janus watched Patton carefully in the mirror. He watched as Patton’s entire form seemed to ripple and shift, contorting until there was a different person in the mirror.

Someone tall and thin, almost concerningly so. He was dressed well in black and yellow, but it seemed like the collar of his shirt and his hair had gotten a little wet. Janus inspected the face in front of him. It was angular, sharp, and unwelcoming. Nothing like Patton’s face. But perhaps the most striking feature on this face was on its left side. It was littered in green scales. Like a snake. Like a monster. Someone who would drive everyone he loved far away.

Janus snapped back into his own mind, realizing who the man in front of him was. Then, he spoke words that he had to repeat to keep himself sane more often than he’d like to admit.

“I’m me,”

“I’m me,”

“I’m me,”

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

GRAND GUARDIANS AU TAGLIST:

@galactic-magick , @zadi-jyne , (DM me or send me an ask if you’d like to be added <3)

[dontasktheradiodemon]

Alternate Picnic (4/19/2021)

Alastor a.k.a. Leal (@usedhearts) and Alastor a.k.a. Astor (hey there) have a picnic, how lovely.

And during the picnic, Leal reveals that Alastor a.k.a. Alastor in @ruddygore's universe appears to be rapidly going insane from grief and isolation—so, what do they want to do about it?

usedhearts

It was a lovely spread that Valera had set up. Leal couldn't help closing his eyes to take in the scents wafting off all of it. She'd really taken to these recipes-- he liked that.

Glancing up, he looked at his alternate as he took a bite of gumbo.

"So, about our self from Ruddy's Hell..."

dontasktheradiodemon

He liked it a hell of a lot less than his alternate did. These were *family recipes*, what business did somebody *outside* of the family have knowing them, much less an *entirely different species*—!

But the alternate presently here hadn't been the one to teach Valera, and he didn't know the culprit, and anyway what right did he have to tell his alternates what to do with the family recipes, it was *their* family too—

Anyway he'd already had his furious stomp-off and now he was just dealing with it. Angrily eating while pretending he wasn't angry.

"Hm?" It took him a moment to work out who his alternate meant. "Ah. Yes, right—that's what everyone's taken to calling the Sir Pentious who's fond of Ruddigore. Our self who interrupts overlord turf wars to discuss baby names for radio towers?" A huff.

usedhearts

"Yes, that's just the one. I went with Val to collect some gifts from Ruddy for Elizabeth, and he was there. It was....odd. He was just sitting there with tape over his mouth." He took another bite to keep his smile from twitching.

"Apparently, Ruddy had told him that he could stay and hang around as long as he stayed quiet. But I found it...undignified. Don't think I could do it. Sit there, not saying anything, for who knows how long? No thank you.

"But....well, my dear self, I'm concerned for him." His brow furrowed and he cracked open a crawfish, sucking the meat from the tail and head before breaking into the claws for what little was in there.

dontasktheradiodemon

"Reminds me I've got to finish my gifts," he muttered under his breath; but that wasn't really the question here, was it?

"Odd," he agreed, albeit not with quite as dire overtones as his alternate. "Dignity's optional in situations where it's not... how do I put it—narratively useful." Because Alastors were always constructing narratives around themselves, weren't they? "Some of our alternates find it more optional than others. I'm more surprised he was willing to keep quiet! But maybe he enjoyed the challenge, maybe he had his Mic and audience to speak for him, maybe he was entertained by whatever he was watching..."

Or maybe he craved Sir Pentious's company. Would Astor be willing to slap some tape over his mouth in exchange for permission to remain in that Sir Pentious's presence? No; Astor already found him nearly too condescending to stand, and he could hang out with Penny and Telly freely. But what about half a year ago? Possibly. Maybe this alternate was a kindred spirit.

And if that was the case, *this* alternate would probably be blind to it. All the same, he asked, "Do you think he was there unwillingly? Any signs he was drugged, hypnotized, restrained?"

usedhearts

"Oh, no, he was there willingly, I learned that later. I talked with him, first through a notepad, and then when he was leaving, we actually talked. No, that's not what concerned me."

Leal sighed, taking a roll to pick at, he huffed. How to word this? Should he dive straight to the point, or give some more context? Ah, to Hell with it.

"Alastor, his smile dropped."

dontasktheradiodemon

Astor paused with a bite of salad halfway to his mouth. His invisible audience rhubarbed around him; he shushed them—what a pack of gossips—and said, "I trust there's more to the story than 'it broke so he slapped some tape on as a quick repair job'?"

usedhearts

"It only fell for a moment, but both Val and I saw it. It was when Ruddy told him to leave." He was really tearing into that roll now, ripping it into little pieces as he ate it.

"I was, understandably, concerned when I saw that. And shocked. That's when I went off with him to talk for a bit, ostensibly to see him out. You remember Ruddy mentioned that the Cannibal Colony was gone? Well, Rosie is too, and Mimzy. He told me that, and apparently, he went on another rampage because of it-- which is understandable, certainly, I would feel much the same in his position-- but according to him, he doesn't remember what he did during it."

He took a breath and stuffed some more bread in his mouth to give himself a short break-- it was all rushing out and he didn't want to overwhelm Astor, after all.

dontasktheradiodemon

Astor's eyebrows twitched up. Rosie *and* Mimzy. He'd been bouncing back and forth between them to keep himself sane for far longer than he'd been alive.

"Rampage like that, I doubt I'd have a clear enough head to keep track of what I did either." But he'd withhold more commentary than that; he got the sense his alternate wasn't done yet.

usedhearts

He certainly wasn't done, and he took a breath.

"Yes, absolutely, I hardly recall what _exactly_ I did during my first one, it's no wonder he doesn't remember. But that's not all. Apparently, during his rampage he....hurt Vaggie, or he killed her, I'm uncertain. 'She's not around anymore' is what he said. Charlie is still going through with the Hotel despite that, but no one else at the Hotel will speak with our alternate."

Another breath.

"Ruddy is literally the only person who will speak to him, and who isn't terrified of him."

dontasktheradiodemon

And there went his chief distraction, too. Granted, it had turned out to be something of a poor distraction—but it was a distraction that had let him network with other distractions, that was something. "What about his underlings? Niffty, Husk, et al. I know they're hardly in a position to substitute for *friends,* but even socializing with the indentured help is better than socializing with no one."

usedhearts

"I didn't ask after the two of them, unfortunately, but I feel like when he said that everyone at the Hotel was scared of him and wouldn't speak with him, they were included in that."

Leal reached for some of the okra, piling it on his plate. Even a discussion like this wasn't going to dissuade him from good okra.

"Charlie will talk to him but, obviously, that's strained and I'm assuming that she'd only talk to him about Hotel things. He _is_ still helping, though? But....obviously, it's not going well. I told him I'd talk to some of our other selves, see if we could at least visit and talk with him."

dontasktheradiodemon

"Oh, are they with the *hotel* instead of with *him* now." Well, strange.

Why even help with the hotel at that point? Without even a *tenuous* connection to anyone in the hotel but Charlie, he might as well be watching it through a telescope, and he'd probably get just as much pleasure out of it. Something to fill the time, he supposed.

"He ought to be visiting other universes as well," Astor mused. "Not just *receiving* visits. I can teach him how to do it if he doesn't already know. Across four or five dimensions, we might be able to scrounge together one normal-sized social circle that isn't scared of him."

usedhearts

"Yes. I was figuring between you, me, and perhaps Alexa, we'd be able to make some sort of plan. But there's also the fact that, well, he could be a danger-- not just to random passerbys, but to the people trying to befriend him. It's safe enough for us, because we know mostly what he's capable of, as well as we can for any alternate. I just worry about him causing harm to other non-Alastors, and then that damaging him further."

He sighed and got a bowl of jambalaya this time. "I think we should use caution until we know better how stable his current state is."

dontasktheradiodemon

"We could unleash him in a dimension we don't care about? Ideally one where something took out our local alternate, so nobody important will get irritated if we make a mess."

The jambalaya was all Leal's. Astor didn't think he could touch his mother's recipe prepared by another person. "If it would help—my own Rosie and Mimzy have seen me when I've been an absolute mess, I doubt either of them would object if I asked them to indulge another me's grief. But I suppose we'll have to make sure he's stable enough not to do something stupid at the sight of them first, won't we?"

usedhearts

"That's an idea. Somewhere where we can see what he does, but don't care about anyone there he might hurt, if he is _that_ unstable." His static hummed as he thought, his spoon hanging out of his mouth.

"Oh, yes, that's an idea I had too-- taking him to see one of our Rosies or Mimzys to help him cope, but yes, it would be good to gauge how he could react first. I certainly don't want him having a bad reaction and hurting _mine_, I would feel awful.

"And branching from that, it would probably be best, I feel, to _not_ show him how to transport himself to other Hells _yet_. Just in case. Once we're more sure about his state, though, I would be fine with that too."

dontasktheradiodemon

Astor grimaced slightly. "I *suppose.* He ought to have open communications, though, we can do *that* much for him. If he figures out his own way out from there, it's on him, but he can't be left dependent upon *us* always calling him first to get somebody else to talk to."

usedhearts

"Of course, of course. I just don't want a possibly unstable version of us causing chaos in _our_ universes. That would be, frankly, disastrous. And _we'd_ be blamed." He chuckled, humorlessly.

"I don't know about you, but I definitely don't want another massacre hanging over my head."

dontasktheradiodemon

He laughed harshly. "Have regrets?"

usedhearts

He snorted, rolling his eyes. He grabbed more crawfish, cracking them open with hard snaps. Shellfish was always good for getting out traces of aggression.

"Of course. Don't you?" He arched a brow as he sucked the meat from a tail.

dontasktheradiodemon

"I get the impression that more of our others than not have no regrets about it at all. They got what they wanted and don't mind the side-effects enough to wish they'd done it differently." A shrug. "Bully for them, I suppose."

But he was grabbing some crawfish, too. Purge some of that destructive instinct.

usedhearts

"Bully for them." No, he didn't sound bitter whatever would give anyone that idea. He tossed the empty shells into the provided trash bucket as he continued to eat.

"I don't get that-- not regretting it, that is. I don't regret plenty, but that....that I do. Are they just...content with people running screaming from them? Do they not care that we can't show our faces without someone pissing themselves?" Snap. Shellfish was definitely a good choice tonight. He sucked down some more crawfish meat.

dontasktheradiodemon

"They miss the fame but prefer the infamy," he said morosely. "The times when they want somebody to stick around and chit-chat are outnumbered by the times they want everybody to flee in terror." He was reducing this shell to crumbs, and he hadn't even touched the peeled meat yet. "Many times, they're also the sort that call themselves overlords. They crave that power."

usedhearts

Leal can't help his smile turning into a sneer, lip curled up at the thought. "Other people call me 'Overlord' or say that I'm the 'Overlord of Radio' like V*x is the Overlord of Television, and it always irks me."

He sighed, snapping another crawfish in half. "When I was fresh off the drop, I liked it. There's a certain luster to having everyone that scared of you. Being invited to all the parties, given whatever you want, etcetera. But after nearly 90 years of it? It's....boring. I was lucky enough to gain a few friends, I suppose. Rosie, Mimzy, Madame...but I'm tired of it. If I could go back and stop myself, I probably would."

He perked up a moment then, eyes widening. "Oh! Though, that reminds me: you should go see the Burlesque at Madame's Cabaret soon-- I hear one of her headliners has got some new numbers lined up!"

dontasktheradiodemon

"The problem with overlord parties is that *overlords* go to them. Watching them politic at each other is all good fun, but *socializing* with them...?" He sighed, looking wearier than he usually let anyone see. "They're so tedious." He nodded in tired agreement; yes, he'd have stopped himself too. Stopped himself or done it all differently.

But he perked up as well at the promise of entertainment. "Oh, *really?* A talent worth seeing, I take it, if you're recommending them?"

usedhearts

"Oh yes! She's been on stage for fifty years now, and she's very good. Always puts on a stunning performance, fills the house-- you'll have to use my booth on the night she performs, otherwise there won't be a seat in the place!" He chuckled.

"She mixes modern things with classics, and gets risque, but not to the level of some of the other performers. And she uses magic for some effects, it's quite something, I'm sure you'll have a gas."

dontasktheradiodemon

"Well, well, she sounds like a delight! All right, take me when you go, I'd love to see. I've been meaning to make time to visit Madame's Cabaret anyway."

usedhearts

"Oh, I'll have to meet you there-- but I'll be sure to let you know when she's next scheduled! I keep up to date on when she's performing." He nodded and chuckled.

"We got off track, didn't we?" He shook his head a bit, smile turning rueful. "Back to our alt, I think if I introduce him to you, and we both talk with him some more, we can suss out if he's well enough to visit other universes. Start with unaffiliated ones, then build up to ones like ours. How's that sound?"

dontasktheradiodemon

Meet him there? What had Leal got scheduled that would keep him from making the start of the show on every night they could have gone together? And Astor hadn't even heard about it yet? Well, he supposed he was hardly the closest person in Leal's social circle these days.

But before he could figure out a way to pry for details without admitting he didn't already know about Leal's current commitments, they shifted back to the original topic. "Right, yes." He sighed. The alternate. "It sounds reasonable. Although even if his mask *is* cracked enough to show a frown, if there's something he really wants to keep hidden I wouldn't put it past him to keep just enough on to fool even his alternates. So. Stay wary, I suppose."

usedhearts

"Of course, of course. I mean, there's plenty we keep from ourselves-- you, me, Alexa, Engi, Rhedd.... I certainly wouldn't put it past our other alt to keep things to himself. But as long as he doesn't seem ready to crack open like an Egg Boi under a strong heel, we can offer him more that just Ruddy to deal with."

He nodded, to himself and to _himself_, as he went back for seconds on the jambalaya. Val had really outdone themself with that.

dontasktheradiodemon

Astor nodded in agreement. "And who knows. If he's lucky, maybe someday he'll make friends with people other than himself," he said wryly.

"In the meantime, if he's only got one person to talk to, I suppose he could do a lot worse than Sir Pentious. Consistently unintimidated by us *and* flying a ship full of toys." He's just kept peeling this same crawfish until it's a handful of meat surrounded by the dust that was once its shell. Maybe he ought to finally eat it. "... Although the duct tape isn't promising."

usedhearts

"Ruddy does seem to have a lot of interesting things there on his ship, not to mention-- have you seen those Fabrege Egg Bois? Those are something." His static hummed as he took a few bites.

"You know, Ruddy thinks me the 'weird' Alastor, because when we first met I gave him some of these." He lifted a crawfish and wiggled it around. "And then went diving for oysters for him and Val. Though, to be fair, I did turn into a fish before I dived." He laughed.

dontasktheradiodemon

"I have seen them! Quite spectacular, aren't they? They look like they ought to be locked up somewhere in Buckingham Palace."

He glanced Leal up and down. "The look does stand out," he said dryly. "Is he *aware* what a delicacy edible shellfish is in Hell, though? He should have been honored." A jack of many trades, but apparently cooking wasn't one.

"I'm fairly certain I'm just one step above a non-entity to him." Which was better than being dismissed as the weird one, he supposed.

usedhearts

"They do! I always feel the urge to smash my foot through Egg Bois, but I restrained myself with those ones." He chuckled again.

"He was visiting here, though, on Okkylk! Should he really be surprised that I can blend in with the local populace?" Another chuckle. "And what makes you say that? Weren't you helping him with something? Thought I saw that on the dash."

dontasktheradiodemon

"I was, yes—and I think he might forget that I was involved entirely if I don't remind him once a week or so. When I followed up with him on Okkylk he hardly deigned to *look* at me." A scoff, and a wan smile. "Well, if he throws any parties I want to go to, I'll just have to write myself an invitation rather than wait to get one in the mail."

usedhearts

"Hm! Wonder why. Madame seems very interested in him, did you see her at the barbecue? It's no wonder, though, she has a hard time finding gentlemen her size, and especially one from her same time period." He shrugged a bit.

His brows shot up as another thought struck him. "And what's the deal with that other alt of ours that's popped up recently? The one that's become King? You talked with him, haven't you? I saw the 'King of Hell' bit in his bio and decided to not interact."

dontasktheradiodemon

"I didn't notice. I mean—obviously I noticed HER, but I didn't catch them interacting."

Oh, the king. *There's* a potential can of worms. "You probably decided not to interact for the same reason I *did*. Sounds dangerous, doesn't it? If the alternates who call themselves overlords are a big enough bunch of power-hungry joyless nuts..." He shook his head. "I don't know a lot yet. But I've gotten an invitation to his palace in exchange for a bit of light musical entertainment, date pending. I'll see what I can see then."

usedhearts

"I'd be very interested to see what you find out-- If you're willing to share it, of course. I just don't want to try myself." Another chuckle.

"I have been reading his posts, though, and he seems...bored. Like all of us, I suppose. But his Hell also seems different. It would have to be, since he's been ruling for 70 years."

His eyes narrowed as he remembered something else. "And there's the fact that I think he was in _my_ Hell, when Valera and I burned the boba shop again. But we didn't see anything, and more importantly, I didn't _sense_ anything. That's troubling."

dontasktheradiodemon

"Oh, of course! I go to retrieve information for *all* of us. After all, if he decides he's bored enough to declare multiversal war, it's going to take more than one of us to keep him contained." He was already preparing for worst-case scenarios.

Astor tilted his head thoughtfully. "*Huh. That's... an interesting trick." *Troubling* was right.

usedhearts

"That it will. And I know who's side I'm on." He winked at Astor.

"Huh is right. I don't like the thought of him watching us, or being in our Hells without us knowing. It's disconcerting. And who's to say that's the only places he's been? He could've been _here_ for all we know!" He gestured around them, at Okkylk in general.

dontasktheradiodemon

"Well, if he's here, he could be neighborly, sit down, and have some dinner with us," Astor muttered. "That's one of my biggest worries—what powers *does* he have now, in his position? The options are limitless."

usedhearts

"They are. And limitless power plus boredom are a historically bad combination." Leal sighed, grabbing a roll and a fresh bowl of gumbo.

"Be careful when you go over to see him that he doesn't decide you're simply too much fun and try to keep you."

dontasktheradiodemon

"Oh, believe you me, that's my top worry. But *somebody* has to take that risk, and we're collectively not a very self-sacrificial person, so I'm not going to sit around and wait for somebody else to take it."

usedhearts

"You hit the nail on the head with that." Leal chuckled and shook his head.

"Collectively, we're a pretty selfish lot, good move. I know _I_ definitely wasn't going to volunteer for temporary court jester detail."

dontasktheradiodemon

"And you benefit from my uncharacteristic burst of selflessness for free! You're welcome, and count yourself lucky my morbid curiosity is *just* high enough to tip the balance."

usedhearts

"Yes, thank you! I'm glad it is, or we'd all be waiting around until one of us decided their curiosity just couldn't be held back anymore! Which, frankly, probably wouldn't be long, considering it's us, but still."

Leal sat back, his hands folded in front of him. He was full, at least for now.

"Was there anything else important we needed to discuss or is it about that time I send you off with a whole platter of crawdads?"

dontasktheradiodemon

How about that time very recently when Astor ruined a hunting trip and then they argued about who hadn't communicated well enough and then didn't talk about it again. "Mmmno! Nothing important that I can think of!"

usedhearts

Oh, that? Leal had already forgotten about that-- well, for now. It would swing back around eventually. Until then, though...

"Well, alright! Had a delicious dinner and a nice chat, we've got a game plan for our alt. I'd say that was productive!" He laughed, and started pushing crawfish into a take out container he just magicked up. That's why it was big enough to take a whole platter of the things.

"What else did you want for leftovers, my dear me?"

dontasktheradiodemon

Clever, but has Leal ever considered the benefits of normal-sized containers that somehow hold vastly more food than they look like they should?

"Oh, the crawfish will be just fine, thank you!" After he'd recognized what he was tasting, he hadn't been able to touch most of the rest, anyway.

usedhearts

Oh yes, he has, but the thought of a comically large 'chinese' food container full of crawfish just tickled him!

He stood and offered the container to Astor.

"Happy trails, then, my dear me! I look forward to our next meeting!"

dontasktheradiodemon

“And I as well!” He accepted the container and bowed theatrically to his other.

One last quick trip indoors to thank their host (and to pester his best friend (again)), and he’d be on his way.

[queen-of-the-avengers]

Better Late Than Never

Characters: Bucky Barnes x Pregnant!Reader, Nick Fury, Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Rumlow

Word Count: 2,109

Warnings: mostly fluff, minor angst

Request by anon: Can I make a request where the reader is pregnant with Bucky’s kid so her life is constantly in danger because people either want her alive or dead and Bucky will do anything to keep her safe? Idk if that makes sense.

Summary: Your life is always put on the line because you’re Bucky’s best friend and also carrying his child. What no one else knows is that Nick Fury put a safe house aside for situations just like these kinds... whether Bucky knows or not.

Squares Filled: drunk dialing (C4) and presumed dead (K5) (card one and two) @buckybarnesbingo​ // no news is good news @as-the-saying-goes-bingo​ // best friend since childhood @marvelfluffbingo​ // “whatever it takes” @star-spangled-bingo​ // poor communication skills for @trope-bingo

Author’s Note: If you have any requests, please send them in! This is unbeta’d and any and all mistakes are all on me.

You and Bucky have an odd relationship, to say the least. Everyone asks if you’re a couple, and when you tell them no, they are shocked to hear that. You didn’t know Bucky back in the 40s, you only knew him when HYDRA got to him--when they were perfecting him to become the Winter Soldier. HYDRA kidnapped you from your hometown when they needed a nurse of sorts. They kept you alive with food, water, and a serum so as long as you tend to their soldiers when needed.

Bucky needed you the most.

When HYDRA put Bucky away once they were done toying with his mind, you would sneak into his room and wake him up just to talk to him. He would be Bucky when he was with you, while he’d be the Winter Solider whenever he was with everyone else. You tried to keep his mind sane, but it didn’t always work out. He tried not to hurt you in the process of hurting everyone else, but you’d never tell him what he’d do when he went Winter Soldier on your ass.

It was only until Steve rescued him that you got to know Bucky for who he is rather than what everyone else made him think. He got to be his own person, and that’s the person you fell in love with. He needed a serious detoxing, so he was sent to Wakanda to get the bad stuff erased from his mind…

You went with him on that, also.

There is nothing you wouldn’t do for Bucky, and everyone else sees it. They see the love you have whenever you stare at him or talk about him. They see the love he has for you whenever he takes care of you. He hasn’t been to the dark place in a long time, so it’s refreshing to see the smile shine through.

What makes people think you and Bucky are a thing is because you’re currently pregnant with his son. Steve told you the serum prevents pregnancy and sterilizes the user, but somehow, you and Bucky made a child together. Your son isn’t and wasn’t planned at all, and you can still remember the call you gave him asking him to come over and comfort you.

“Bucky, I need you right now. Please come over,” you drunk-beg.

You had been dealing with some stuff that lead to you being drunk off your ass, but the first person you called is Bucky, and he’d answer every single time.

“You’re drunk, Y/N, I don’t want to get in the middle of that,” he chuckles.

“Come on, James,” you purr. “Want to know what I’m wearing?”

“Y/N don’t do this. You’re drunk and we’re best friends,” he poorly begs.

You can hear the want in his voice.

“I bought this really cute lingerie piece that’s lace and has a bunch of holes like fishnet and it makes my breasts so full. I think I’m going to take it off, or do you want to do it for me?”

It’s no secret that you two share something special, but he never acted upon it. The other end of the line is quiet for a few seconds, and right when you thought he hung up, he says the one word you’ve been waiting for the entire night.

“Yes.”

That night was the only night you two ever got together, and it resulted in you two making a son. You’re six months pregnant, so you’re careful about who enters your life. Will you and Bucky ever be together like how you two want but won’t admit? You really don’t know. All you do know is that a lot of things are going to change once this baby is born. Bucky has always wanted to be a father, but you know there is some part of him that thinks he won’t do a good job.

All because of that damn serum.

There will always be threats just waiting to happen; it’s like that with all of the avengers. They have superpowers and superhuman strength and something that makes them more than ordinary, so there will always be people who want to challenge them or to get something from them. The day you met Bucky is the day you signed the end of your life (or that’s how he loves to put it).

You can take care of yourself no problem, but you have someone else to think about now. Danger can be in every corner, and you have to be prepared for it.

What you weren't prepared for is some of HYDRA’s thugs that have been sneaking around in the darkness wanting the Winter Slider to come back. These men are ruthless, and they will stop at nothing to get what they want. That means if you’re in their way, they will kill you if it means they get to have Bucky.

Nick Fury knew this was going to happen, so he set up a safe house for you. It’s a safe house that’s not in the system, so it’s really hard to find if they wanted to use you as leverage. Bucky and Steve had been out when Fury got you, and he took you away immediately. You didn't even have time to pack or leave a note. Fury assured you that everything you could ever need would be at the house, and to contact Bucky would be a bad idea.

If the bad guys really wanted to know where you were, having Bucky know would only put you in danger. If they think you’re dead, then Bucky will, and then he would have nothing to lose. It’s a stupid plan, but you don’t have anything better at the moment.

“Please, whatever it takes, make sure he doesn’t die. I am not letting my kid grow up without a father. Please, Nick,” you beg as soon as he drops you off at the cabin.

“I’ll do my best. Don’t have the baby without us,” he says and drives off.

“How long do you plan on keeping me here?!” you yell after him, but you get no response.

All you can do now is wait and worry because you know you won’t do anything else.

Bucky’s glad to have the avengers back him up on this. They know he’s done some destructive stuff,  but they’ve forgiven him for that. Even Tony, which is surprising since he watched the video of his parents dying over and over again. Still, he could use all the help he can get right now.

It’s a good thing Bucky has a metal arm because he would certainly be dead with the way these HYDRA guys are treating it. Everyone on his team has a person they need to deal with, and Bucky is dealing with the leader of the crew. No words are exchanged throughout the fight, but his actions do the talking for him.

Rumlow aims at Bucky, but the former Winter Soldier knocks the gun out of his hands as if it were a feather. Bucky raises his metal fist, ready to rain fire down on Rumlow, but his words stop him.

“Searched for your girl, and guess what we found. The house in disarray. Guess she’s dead, and she took that son of yours along with her,” he laughs.

Bucky puts all his force behind the punch as his metal fist makes contact with Rumlow’s face. Bucky doesn't know what he’s talking about, but he hasn’t heard anything from you in days. Are you really dead? Is his entire family just gone?

He uses that anger and motivation to kill every single last HYDRA member before rushing over to where Tony and Steve are.

“Tell me it isn’t true!”

“Whoa, what’s going on, Buck?” Steve asks.

“Is Y/N dead? Where the hell is she?”

“Easy there, Manchurian Candidate,” Tony states and holds his hand up.

“Find out where she is!”

“Alright, fine.”

“She’s not dead, right?” Bucky asks his other best friend.

“Let’s hope not. We don’t know until we know, so let’s not lose our heads right now,” Steve says calmly as Tony leaves to go find where you are.

It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours, and Bucky is already losing his mind over the thought of you being dead. You can’t be dead because then that would mean everything you have ever sacrificed for him would have been for nothing. The thought of losing you makes him want to do something he might regret, but you have that effect on him. You’re his best friend, the love of his life, and the mother of his unborn child.

If you’re dead, then he may as well be.

“Just remember, Buck,” Steve begins as he leads him away from the mess they left, “no news is good news. Don’t jump to conclusions just because you might not hear from anyone.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” he whispers, but his mind is already going to the dark place in which you can only pull him out.

“That’s it? That’s the whole battle? What was the point of bringing me here if I was only going to stay here for less than a day?” you ask and get inside the car with Fury.

“They showed up at your house. Had you been there, you would have been dead. It was smart bringing you here.”

“Is Bucky okay? Please tell me you didn’t kill him,” you sigh.

“Bucky is fine. He’s worried about you more than anything. At least, that’s what I hear,” he chuckles and drives away from your little sanctuary.

“Did you tell him I’m fine? Where I was?”

“We might need this place again. It’s best not to tell anyone where you’ve been. If they ask, just say you were safe. Trust me, it’s better in the long run that no one knows about this place.”

“I know about it.”

“And I’m asking you to not tell anyone about it.”

“Fine, just take me to Bucky, please.”

Fury does exactly as he’s told and takes you to where the love of your life is. You don’t wait until the car is stopped to hop out and head inside the Avenger’s towers. Everyone is on the first floor, and Bucky is the only one pacing. Steve sees you, and he stands up immediately.

“Bucky?” you ask before Steve had a chance to say anything about you to him.

All heads turn to you, and Bucky is the only one that comes barreling at you. He wraps you in his arms and tries not to crush you as he gives you a big hug.

“Where the hell were you? Rumlow said you might be dead and the house was torn apart,” he asks once he sets you down. “Are you two okay?”

“We’re fine, Bucky. I was safe, okay? I wasn’t anywhere near the danger, I promise. I can’t tell you where I’ve been, it’s top secret. Just know I was perfectly fine--we were just fine.”

“I thought I lost you,” he mumbles and reaches into his jacket pocket.

“I know, and I’m sorry. But I’m here. I’m okay,” you try to calm him down.

“Just know this isn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision. I’ve actually thought a lot about this,” he says just as he takes out a ring.

“Bucky, what are you doing?” you ask, completely forgetting about the audience you two have.

“What I should have done the moment you told me I was going to be a dad because I knew you were the one for me.”

“We haven’t even dated,” you whisper.

“But you’re my best friend, and we’re having a kid, and we live together. I want to do this with you, and you’re the only one I want to do it with. You were there for me in my darkest days, and I need to show you I can be here for yours. I’m not sure what else to say except for this: will you marry me?”

Everyone else had smiles on their faces as they wait for you to make a decision. Bucky is your one true love, and there is nothing that can make this moment sour. You hate that it took you this long to figure out what you two are, but better late than never.

“Yes,” you smile and graciously accept his ring.

He pulls you in and plants a kiss to your lips as everyone else cheers for you two. You’ll always be in the line of danger, but if you’re by Bucky’s side, then you know you’ll be able to get through it together.

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[whatcouldgowrong-ohthat]

Lazy Wednesdays

Request by Anon: “ Hii! I saw you’re taking requests. Could you pleaaase write a Scott Lang X Reader one? Where Scott gets jealous of another Avenger?💗”

I love Scott Lang and this is awesome. Honestly, I wish I wrote more for him, but I don’t. And I suck for that. Anyway, thanks for requesting him, hun!!!

Summary: Scott loved when Lazy Sundays fell on well, any other day of the week. They were filled with movie marathons, cuddles, and simply enjoying his girlfriend’s presence. However, it seems this day is determined to not go Scott’s way.

Word Count: 1590 words

Warnings: Tooth rotting fluff and a jealous Scott?

Masterlist

Scott loved mornings like this. Lazy Sundays that fell on Wednesdays were meant to be cherished. And he had every intention of doing so. Reaching across the bed, his arm slipped around Y/N’s stomach. Her old college shirt had ridden up in the middle of the night – not that he cared. Scott tugged her closer to him, squeezing her tight and placing a small kiss on her shoulder.

A small breath of laughter made him realize that their morning was about to end. The day was going to begin. Tangling his legs with hers, Scott decided that maybe it would be best to try and trap her. But she always had other ideas.

After all, between the two of them, she was the responsible one.

“Scott,” she murmured, her fingers lightly tracing his arm. He grumbled against her back, shaking his head no. “Baby, we got to get up.”

It was a lazy effort. They both knew that. After all, her face was still happily buried in her pillow, sounding jus as sleepy as he still felt. He shook his head again. “Five more minutes.”

“We can’t.”

Scott pouted as Y/N dragged herself out of bed, barely able to keep his hands away from her. She turned to look at him, laughing when she saw that his hair was sticking out at weird odds and ends. “God, you’re cute,” she muttered. Shaking her head, Y/N placed a small kiss on his forehead.

Flopping onto his stomach, Scott watched her as she took quiet strides to their bathroom. That lazy smile of his was back even as she slipped out of sight. He heard the shower running and groaned. The day had officially started.

--

And four hours later, Scott found himself wishing he could reset the day. He sat in the Avengers living room, hardly able to pay attention to whatever it was that lit up the massive tv. Seriously – why did Tony have such a huge television?

Glancing over his shoulder, he could hear the sound of Y/N’s laugh. It wasn’t one of those sweet, melodic sort of sounds. Y/N laughed with her heart and soul, loud and obnoxious. It was one of his favorite things about her. But it bothered him to hear someone else was getting her to laugh like that.

Especially when it was one of the Avengers. Scott loved his teammates, don’t get him wrong. But he wasn’t the Captain America. Or a God like Thor. Without the Antman suit, Scott felt pretty average. And when a person spent most of their time around people who could move things with their minds or walk through walls, their self esteem took a bit of a hit.

Craning his neck, Scott tried to catch a glimpse of whoever it might have been. Of course. Sam. He shouldn’t have been surprised. Sam and Y/N had gotten along ever since she joined the team. She encouraged his love of Red Wing, something the rest of the team didn’t quite appreciate. But that didn’t really matter to Scott. He liked that she did the abnormal. It was why she and Cassie got along so well.

Another laugh and Scott felt his heart twist. He knew he shouldn’t be jealous. He did. That sane part of his mind was reminding him that Y/N loved him. Not Sam. Yet…

Scott pushed himself up, catching a very confused Bruce’s eye. “You alright?”

But Scott didn’t pay him any mind. He was fully aware that he might look like an ass for this, but he didn’t really care. That is – until he found himself about to step inside the kitchen. Neither Sam nor Y/N had noticed him yet, their backs to him and looking over something she was showing him.

Scott couldn’t be that guy. The jealous asshole that refused to let her have any guy friends? No. That wasn’t him.

Turning on his heel, Scott decided it was better to get some space. Just take a moment to breathe before he said or did something he might regret.

So lost in his thoughts, Scott didn’t even notice that Y/N had looked over her shoulder and saw him walking away. Her brow furrowed, concern etching itself into her features.

“Everything okay?”

Y/N looked back at Sam. He always noticed when her emotions switched. It wasn’t like she would waste her time trying to hide it. Glancing back where Scott had been, Y/N bit her lip. “I think so?”

--

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.

Twist.

Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.

Twist.

Repeat.

Scott’s repeated footsteps trailed the same path over and over again. His feet were threatening to put a hole in the ground, but he didn’t really care. It was a nice distraction. The repetition was anchoring him, pulling him out of his jealousy.

He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts, he didn’t even register that Y/N was watching him from the doorway. She tilted her head, noticing the way he was mumbling and grumbling. Whatever was going on in his head, her boyfriend was clearly trying to talk himself out of it. “Scotty?”

The man jumped about a foot in the air, eyes wide as he jerked his head to the door. “Oh! Hi! I – Uh…”

Y/N pushed herself off the doorframe, crossing the room. “Hey. You – Uh…What?” Scott couldn’t stop the nervous smile that appeared as she teased him. Her hands reached for the ones fidgeting at his sides, interlacing their fingers. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Scott winced. “It’s really stupid.”

“I’m dating you, Scott.” Y/N grinned as his nose and brow stitched together in confusion. She pressed the spot, forcing his nerves to relax. “Clearly I don’t mind a bit of stupid now and again.”

She was so cute. And sweet. Scott huffed, his forehead dropping against hers. “I got…” He mumbled something incoherent.

“Couldn’t quite catch that.”

Scott groaned. Why was she making this so difficult? Mumbling once more, Scott cleared his throat before finally admitting, “I got…jealous.”

“Jealous?” She repeated the word as if it were the last thing she expected to hear. Scott never seemed to be the jealous type. Flustered? Sure. Chaotic? A bit. Frustrated with idiots? Who wasn’t? But she had never seen jealousy from him. Her mind drifted to her and Sam in the kitchen, laughing and goofing around. “Is this because of me and Sam?”

Scott winced and shook his head. “No.” He squeezed her hands, opening his eyes. “It’s because of me. Y/N, I’m not going to be the guy who gets jealous and declares who you can and can’t be around. I was just – I got insecure.”

“Insecure? You? The cat burglar and infamous Antman?”

He let himself laugh at her teasing, knowing she was just trying to get him to feel better. “Compared to all the guys we surround ourselves with? Y/N, I’m pretty ordinary.”

Y/N frowned, pulling him to the couch in their shared apartment. When they both sat down, Y/N braced her elbow on the back of the couch, her body twisting to face him. “Who told you that?” Silence. Himself. She reached for his hand, interlacing their fingers and giving it a light squeeze. “Scott…I adore you.”

He looked up, brows raised. Scott knew Y/N didn’t get angry often, but he would have thought his getting jealous over something as trivial as her and Sam would have warranted…frustration. Not sympathy. “I’m confused.”

She smiled. “I know.” Kissing his knuckles, Y/N scooted closer and absentmindedly played with his hair. “Why were you jealous?”

“Because…it’s…” He looked down at their hands. “It’s Lazy Wednesday.”

Y/N recalled how Scott had said something about enjoying days where they got a day off. The rare occasion would occur where it happened in the middle of the week. They didn’t have to work. They didn’t have to be superheroes. Cassie would be with her mom. It was just them. She knew Scott adored being a dad and that they both liked their jobs, but being able to just enjoy a day? With no pressure from the outside world?

That was important to him.

“Well…Lazy Wednesdays are super important.” She kissed his shoulder, lifting his arm and wrapping it around her. “And that’s on me for forgetting. We should’ve been in here, curled up and watching movies. Not surrounded by the others.”

“Y/N, you don’t have to – “

“Shush, you.” She chuckled when Scott’s cheeks turned a bright pink. “It’s not a having to. I enjoy our Lazy Wednesdays just as much as you do. Even if they fall on a Monday or Tuesday or any other day of the week. I love them. And we have both talked about how important little things like this are to you.” Moving to sit in his lap, Y/N smiled when she noticed he was paying attention to everything she had to say. Hanging on every word. She loved that about this man. He listened to her. They communicated. It was probably the easiest part of their relationship. “Sometimes you just have to remind me if we’re in the middle of one of those days, okay?”

Scott smiled as he looked up at her, placing a small kiss on her nose. “Okay.”

“Now,” Y/N carded her fingers through his hair. “How does jumping back into pjs, ordering pizza, and watching The Goonies sound?”

Scott grinned like a kid on Christmas. “That,” he kissed her cheek. “Sounds,” then the other. A small kiss on the lips and he murmured, “Absolutely perfect.”

[aion-rsa]

Why The Great North Isn’t Just Another Bob’s Burgers

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It’s easy to take one look at FOX’s newest animated comedy, The Great North, and assume it’s exactly like the long running and beloved Bob’s Burgers. Two of The Great North’s creators wrote a good chunk of Bob’s Burgers episodes and the shows share a near-identical art style after all. At first glance some of the Bob’s Burgers character archetypes seem to be involved as well: awkward daughter, an odd sarcastic youngest child, and a loving, if somewhat offbeat, father.  So why bother with something like Bob’s Burgers when you could just watch Bob’s Burgers?

While there are a few surface similarities, by the end of the first episode of The Great North you’ll realize there’s so much more to it than just an Alaskan set version of the Belcher family. It’s got humor all its own, unique characters, and the potential to be something that isn’t merely a rival to Bob’s Burgers but a truly unique experience.

So let’s head up north to discover all the reasons why The Great North is so wonderful. As a brief primer, the show is set in Alaska and follows the Tobin family with fisherman dad Beef, artistic daughter Judy, loveably dumb son Ham, bear-suit wearing son Moon, oldest and eager to please son Wolf, his always chipper and new to Alaska fiancé Honeybee, and Judy’s best imaginary friend Alanis Morissette…played by Alanis Morssette.

The Family’s Lack of a Mom is Refreshingly Handled

A lack of a mom is a huge trope in animation at this point (look at damn near every ‘90s Disney movie) and if there is a mom, especially in a comedy, she tends to be wacky or overly loving. The Great North puts a new twist on both of these in its very first episode.

The plot of the premiere deals with Beef struggling to get over his ex-wife years after she abandoned the family. An ex-wife isn’t anything to write home about, a single dad taking care of a family is a comedy trope in of itself, but it’s what we learn about Beef’s ex that makes this element so refreshing.

Instead of the mom just not being present or having died off screen, Beef only acts like she’s dead, a fabrication everyone goes along with to keep him sane. When he isn’t around though Judy is quick to point out the rest of the family doesn’t buy this and they never liked her much anyway. She even flat out states,

“She was a really bad mom, okay? And it was actually better when she left.”

The other kids then list off horrible things she did, like name their dog Grandma solely so, “she wouldn’t be lying when she said we were with Grandma when people asked.” She runs a blog with her “new lover” about stores that wont chase you if you shoplift. Even in her goodbye letter to Ham she just wrote, “smell you later.”

I love this so much because it replaces all the easy sentimentality of a dead or simply absent mom that comedies love and instead opens up some fantastic new storytelling opportunities. In the pilot alone it gives us deep insight into Beef, that despite how awful she was he refuses to think anything but the best of her. Why is he like that? Is it his way of not thinking about all the terrible things she did? She’s left him so broken he has to concoct an elaborate fantasy to keep himself sane. It makes you instantly love the character and while he does seemingly get over this denial in the pilot I can foresee it impacting him for the rest of the series.

It’s also so refreshing because the kids aren’t all that broken up about it. Knowing their mom was terrible helps reflect a lot of what kids go through in real life. Sometimes they just have a bad parent and there’s no deep explanation of why, they just are and it’s not great. Maybe Judy and the others are hurt by this and I’d love to see the show tackle that in the future but even if it strictly keeps this part of their characters on the comedic side of things? It’s empowering. These kids aren’t broken up by their awful mom and want her back; they’re thriving BECAUSE she isn’t around. 

Nick Offerman Being Nick Offerman

Over the years Nick Offerman has perfected the deadpan and loveable character that brought him to fame in Parks and Recreation. His role as Beef isn’t a major departure from that mold but it does allow Offerman to be even warmer than his most famous character. 

As Beef he’s a capable man who gets up to see the sun rise and chop wood. He loves nature so much he steals a potted plant from a mall to take better care of it. His love for his family is on full display and he often goes to absurd lengths to keep them together. Offerman brings a great charm to the role and all of the jokes he delivers are winners. 

The Rural Location

Bob’s Burgers draws much inspiration from its city setting, while The Great North is set in rural Alaska. This may seem like a surface level change but once again opens up all kinds of new opportunities for stories and characters. Where the Belcher family was somewhat cynical to city life (you would be to with a landlord breathing down your neck) the Tobin family openly embraces the chilly north.

Judy sits out on the roof and talks with her imaginary best friend, Moon takes great pride in his ability to mimic a soon to be eaten cadaver laying out in the snow, and Beef specifically gets up every morning to stare in wild wonder at Alaska’s majesty while whispering “hot dog.” The whole family even delights in going to the mall, which is the kind of joy only someone living out in the middle of nowhere can truly appreciate.

The Different Character Dynamics

Even after eleven truly fantastic seasons Bob’s Burgers characters still manage to never feel stale and the team behind the show always finds new ways to play around with them. With such a rock solid cast of characters you’d think they could tackle any story imaginable but The Great North is already proving to be a home for stories that just wouldn’t work for Bob’s Burgers.

The most noticeable change is that most of the kids are older. Judy and Ham are both sixteen which opens up a lot of possibilities that couldn’t be done with the Belcher kids. They can get involved in more serious relationships, have jobs (as Judy gets in the first episode), and are able to be more autonomous from the family. Wolf, the oldest of all of them, is engaged! Imagine what could be done with a soon-to-be married couple? Honeybee herself also functions as a delighted fish out of water to Alaska, her thoughts on the Tobins’ life a needed commentary. Her outgoing personality also clashes well with Moon’s stoic nature.

Read more

TV

The 10 Best Bob’s Burgers Episodes

By Chris Cummins

Judy and Ham also share a more loving sibling dynamic than any of the Belcher kids ever have. In Bob’s Burgers the kids don’t wear their hearts on their sleeves, they’re more likely to make sarcastic quips about one other. The Great North though has Judy and Ham share a special bond, the two have a secret handshake that goes for an indeterminable amount of time. It’s really sweet and it makes me excited to see what kind of comedy can be mined from this more openly affectionate family.

Ham Is Gay And I Love Him

Ham is my favorite character so far in this show. He’s a little slow on the uptake but loves everyone in his family a lot and can even make a perfect replica of a cadaver… in the form of a cake. He also happens to be gay, a fact that is wonderfully confirmed in the first episode when he blurts out, “I AM GAY!

To which Moon responds, “we know. You’ve come out to us a bunch of times.”

Beef then adds, “we love you just the way you are, damn it!”

Ham, clearly not remembering his past comings-out, yells, “WELL, THANK YOU FOR BEING AN ALLY!”

It’s a great scene and kicks any subtext out the door. Queer audiences don’t have to sit around guessing who COULD be queer in the show (as they’re so often forced to do with so little representation in media) there’s a character who said OUT LOUD he’s gay. He’s one of us!

Bob’s Burgers has had several one-time gay characters (Bob did refer to himself as “mostly straight” once but that was more of a gag) but getting a gay teen in the main cast is sublime. He’s also a different sort of gay teen then we’re used to in television, with a tiny “probably thinks it’s cooler than it actually is” mustache and his “not quite all there” personality. He’s not a stereotype, he’s got some obvious flaws, but he’s loveable! Sure enough, his family loves him and accepts him.

Having a gay character in the cast opens up so many story possibilities. Are there any other gay kids in this rural town? What if there’s only one and he’s forced to date him? Does he know what kind of guys he likes yet? Where do the gay kids hang out in this town? 

It also must be reiterated that his family loves him and accepts him. While drama over coming out and acceptance is totally valid, I’m glad that Ham will get the chance to just be gay and his family will support him all the way. We can just see him happily (if somewhat absent-mindedly) live his life and that’s needed in a world with so little queer representation. As a pansexual man myself it’s heartwarming. I wish I had a character like Ham when I was growing up. 

Alanis Morissette Is A Main Character

Yes, Alanis Morissette is in The Great North (played by the actual Alanis Morissette) but in an absolutely perfect choice she’s not the REAL Alanis Morissette, she’s Judy’s best imaginary friend who just happens to be Alanis Morissette. Judy’s artistic so it makes sense she’d look up to someone as incredible as the Canadian musical genius. As an imaginary best friend she tends to serve as a sounding board for Judy’s thoughts and gives absolutely flawless advice.

Even better though? The imaginary Alanis Morissette also only appears in the Aurora Borealis. That’s… incredible. What a way to take advantage of the show’s location!

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

 The Great North is a delight. It’s only been two episodes (the third one premieres February 14 and the first two are available on Hulu) but it’s already shown a lot of promise. Not in the “oh it’ll get good eventually” sense but in the “no it’s already great and I want to see more of it!” Don’t think of it as another Bob’s Burgers, just think of it as its own wonderful moose-filled show (it’s Alaska, what did you expect) and you’ll have a fantastic time. Truly, in these dark times we could all use a little help from imaginary best friend Alanis Morissette.

The post Why The Great North Isn’t Just Another Bob’s Burgers appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[repentantsky]

Top Games I’m Looking Forward To in 2021 (Part 1)

2020 was a horrible year, but the thing that kept me and many other sane were the slue of great games that came out, or in my case, a combination of that and buying older games for my handheld consoles. However 2021, has a lot more games that are my style, so I’m much more excited for it than I was for most of this year. Allow me to have my longest list yet in celebration of this fact, and do so in parts as there is a lot to talk about, as I look at 8 upcoming games in 2021, that I can’t wait to play. To make things fair, and hopefully to keep this list as accurate as possible, I will only be counting games that have a release date as of my writing this. Also, my lists aren’t usually ranked by how much I want to play a game, as much as they are how much I want to talk about a game, so my most anticipated game for next year could easily be the first entry. With those explanations out of the way, let’s talk about games. 

8. The Medium. 

The Medium is a horror game made in a similar vain to Silent Hill’s Midwich Elementary, in that there are two realities existing at once, and you are constantly switching in between them. The idea is always one that has fascinated me as a horror fan, but the Medium really looks to amping up the scares by using the visuals that we can currently attain to increase the fear factor, instead of making everything pretty to try and sell people on that end of it. The gross, disgusting, and frightful looking world we are presented with in The Medium is one I cannot wait to explore, even if I don’t have an Xbox Series X to play it on. Regardless of anything, it looks like it might be my personal favorite horror game of 2021 when it comes out, barring no delay, on January 28th. 

7. Ys IX: Monstrum Nox. 

The Ys series is honestly one of the more underrated long running series in JRPG history. If you need proof of that, just play Ys Origin, Memories of Celceta, or Ys VIII for confirmation. These games are incredible. YS IX looks to be taking the series in a darker direction than most, if not all the previous entries in the series, and not only is that super compelling, but it seeing YS in a darker light, might actually go a long way in helping it become the franchise it deserves to be in the eyes of fans everywhere. The combat looking more refined than ever, on top of the best visuals the franchise has seen to this point only add to the excitement, and the characters, from what we’ve seen so far, also look like they’ll stand out in a series full of fantastic characters throughout. YS IX, probably won’t be my JRPG of the Year, but darn if it won’t be up in the top 5.

6. Little Nightmares 2.    

Did I make it clear that I love horror yet? I hope so because this might not even be the last horror game on this list. The original Little Nightmares was honestly my favorite horror experience when it released, because no other game really did a better job of making you feel isolated, alone and weak, which is the prefect setting for horror. While Little Nightmares 2 won’t be doing the isolation aspect as much as the first because of a second playable character, with the danger ramped up enough, which the demo seems to show that it will be, it should be more than capable of bringing out the fear that made the first so memorable. There’s almost nothing scarier than being a small child in an adult world that seems to want you dead, and Little Nightmares 2 has all the vibes set up for freaking everyone out. I doubt many in the horror genre will be able to do it as well as this game will. 

5. Persona 5 Strikers. 

Finally we are out of horror and darker games and all that, for a bit, as Persona 5 Strikers is easily looking to be my favorite warriors games of 2021. Not only do I love the concept of Warriors titles, but the Persona universe is one that fits that genre well by default, having a near endless slue of famous enemies to turn into either fodder for the thousands of kills we’ll get, or bosses that will gave fans a sense of nostalgia, espeically if they are fans of Shin Megami Tensei and older games in the franchise. I’ll admit, I’m a little bummed it’s not Persona X Shin Megami Tensei, where characters from both the original franchise and the spinoff can get together to cause mayhem, but it’s the next best thing, and I am all here for it. The story promises to be incredible, and the gameplay fantastic, with that Atlus special touch added in. There’s no reason not be excited about what they put out there. 

4. NieR Replicant ver. 1.22474487139...

Gawd, that name though. Crazy name aside, NieR on the PS3 was a brilliant game, that was sadly underrated due to the time of it’s release, a lack of marketing, and people generally not knowing who Taro Yoko was at the time. His history speaks for itself though, with the brilliant yet weird Drankengard series, and NieR itself really being a shining example of what he can do. To see Replicant, a game that never made it to the West, be remade with combat done in the style of NieR Automata, is such an exciting prospect that I can hardly contain my hype. Not only does the title look better than the original by miles, which was visually fascinating to begin with, but the wonderful and odd music, and everything that can really be expected of Taro Yoko is there in full swing. We are looking at an upcoming masterpiece I am certain.

3. Super Mario 3D World + Bowsers Fury

I’m not always the biggest fan of Mario mainline platformers, but seeing as I really found myself enjoying his most recent Switch and 3DS exploits, I cannot help being excited for the chance to play a Mario game I haven’t had the chance to previously, with some extra content to boot. Car Mario looks like a lot of fun to play, and the chance to play with up to four people is something I can’t pass the chance to play. I know very little of the game, other than it’s massive popularity and high praise upon release, and sometimes, it’s nice to go into a game as blind as possible, even if the story isn’t likely going to be anything to write home about. Whatever the title brings, it will be enjoyable to say the least, and possibly the most solid of platformers for 2021. 

2. Bravely Default II.

I won’t lie, I have a complicated history with Bravely Default as a series. While I did manage to power my way through the first game, it took some time to make it happen, and honestly, despite it’s great characters and even better story, the gameplay left me wanting. However, Bravely Default: End Layer was and still is one of my favorite JRPG’s on the 3DS, so here’s hoping enough of the good that came from that game, finds it’s way to Bravely Default II. Regardless of if it does or not, I always willing to give a format a second go, and I’ve already found myself completely in love with the playable characters, just from the two demos alone, so all signs point to a fantastic game that I cannot to wait to experience. 

1. Poison Control.

The best part of doing a list like this, is throwing something in there that no one expects, and may not have even heard of. Without a doubt, the most anime shit style game on my list, Poison Control is a game that might be more about the story, than the gameplay. The basis is you are stuck in another world, with two characters bound to one soul, and you’re goal is to remove the poison from people’s minds, by invading their brains and literally clearing it out. You might monsters and run over the poison in their heads, to hopefully make them better people. Despite the dark sounds setting, and even the slightly darker visuals, this is probably one of the most light hearted games on my list. I have to say though, there’s always something to these sorts of games despite their obvious lack in certain quality, that I enjoy. The game doesn’t actually have a Western release date either, so I’m cheating a bit, but with a catchphrase like “Purge Poison, Raise Hell” how can you not be at least a little bit excited for what’s to come of this game. 

And that’s my list. Did I miss anything you’re super excited for? Let me know in the notes below, and be ready, because part 1 of this list will be all about games without a release date, and that’s where the hype can really begin.