#In fact i probably have a lot of run ons and grammatical errors

[sexybritishllama]

in further neopets discord news, oh boy is there drama in my awful virtual pet game website today. strap in if you want way too much information on neopets’ broken economy

for some context, an event has just launched called the faerie festival. this is the first event to be run by the ‘new’ TNT (aka. the neopets team aka. the staff) since the leadership change, and they've said in recent editorials that this year’s faerie festival is going to be a combo of two previous popular events:

the faerie quest event, wherein people can get a free quest from a faerie every day in exchange for a reward (something that’s normally limited to random special events and therefore quite rare)

the charity corner, a highly requested event that hasn’t run since 2020, where you can donate random items to get points that can then be exchanged in a prize shop

there’s a LOT of ultimately worthless items on neopets that people gather from doing dailies and things, but charity corner actually gave a use to hoarding all of these, so people have wanted it back for ages. people have been going out of their way to hoard extra junk items for like 2 months now, after TNT teased the event in an editorial

this event was originally meant to start on 20th august, but got delayed 2 weeks, presumably because of issues behind the scenes. people were generally a bit disappointed but relieved if this meant they were going to get a proper, well prepared event without bugs

flash forward to 2nd october, the actual start of the event. nothing actually opens up for several hours on the day- that’s somewhat waved off by the fact that staff presumably need to be in the office to launch everything, a midnight launch isn’t expected

but, eventually, it opens!

well… kinda. there’s one page with one dialogue scene available and a link to an event page for spending neocash (the premium currency that costs irl money). the faerie quest page is giving out free daily quests, which is nice, but literally just the same as they did back in 2020. where’s the item recycling part? did this really need 2 weeks of delay?

the next day, the FAQ page for the event is published neopets support site (but not announced via news). still no sign of the actual event starting- seems like that might not be until moday?

as well as multiple grammatical errors, the FAQ had a few… concerning elements. most notably:

only 10 items could be donated per day

points would be awarded based on the rarity of the item, with the maximum rarity being r200-500, worth 15 points each

this meant people's hoarding of junk items for months was... essentially useless

r200-500 items basically means either hidden tower items (rare, expensive items that can only be bought in an account age locked shop with a purchase limit of 1 per day) orrrr….. neocash items. In other words, players could either spend an exorbinate amount of their in-game currency to buy up items to donate, or they could just hand over their credit card and pay to win

people were Not Happy about this

not long after info spread and the outcry started (and a sizeable number of people cancelled their premium membership in protest), the FAQ was quietly updated to remove mention of donating neocash items. that took away to pay to win element at least

however, now there was a new problem. a tombola man problem.

i mentioned already that the highest rarity items are pretty rare and expensive. one of the least expensive of these is an item called the Squeezy Tombola Guy Toy. you can probably see where this is going already

because you can only buy a maximum of one tombola guy per day from the hidden tower, your only option if you want to buy more than that in a day is to go to user shops. however, in light of the event, people had already started buying and hoarding tombola guy toys. equally, others were buying them purely to sell at a profit. this made the perfect storm and caused the price of the tombola guy toy, which was normally 110k NP, to explode up to 500k, 600k, even 700k within just one day

BUT THEN THE FAQ GOT UPDATED AGAIN. surprise, you can now donate 30 items per day! also they just got rid of the highest rarity tier altogether. the maximum you can get for an item is now 8 points, for rarity r102-r179.

this has now made the squeezy tombola guy toys useless. unless you’re a collector they don’t serve any function beyond that of a normal neopets toy (of which there’s thousands of much cheaper options). the price has now plummeted down to BELOW what it originally was and many users now have piles and piles of the dolls sitting in their inventory, mocking them

so what now? well, because no one ever learns, everyone is now flocking to what is now the cheapest high-rarity item eligible for donation. most are going for omelettes, which have a few different options at r102+. these have also inflated by like 400% from before the event, but unlike the squeeze tombola guys, these are only worth a few thousand neopoints, so not as bad a potential loss in comparison

it’s worth noting that while all this is going on in preparation for the recycling event, neopets is also experiencing insane inflation in a lot of other items right now, including those required for people to complete faerie quests. for example, a Griefer, which cost 5000 np just last week, is now worth selling for 1 MILLION

So yeah. 3 days into the event and that’s where we are so far. who knows what tomorrow might bring

[shipmansflannels]

"who asked first" with the yellowjackets

yay! I'm back! the decision to open a new blog just for yellowjackets wasn't easy at all, but since it's been a year since this obsession has barely gone away and I already had an extremely confusing blog with layouts and the like, I wanted to start over with this one. hope you like it. I'll make a very simple and small prompt first, and then I'll make the masterlist and the oneshots/fanfics. stay tuned! sorry for any grammatical or coherence errors, english is not my first language and I'm trying to improve!

--------

who asked first with the yellowjackets girls...

jackie taylor.

well, if we're going to be honest here, you definitely asked first.

of course, jackie had already been rehearsing for weeks how he would ask you out. but she's obviously a girlfaillure, so you definitely asked first.

it was probably when she least expected it. it could be at soccer practice, or when you were coming home from school together and you had the audacity to ask her to go out with her to some hypothetical and boring place in the middle of the street… whatever.

all I know is that this little loser was eager for you to ask, and she definitely rolled out the classic, "took you too long…"

shauna shipman.

again, you asked first.

shauna doesn't have the social tact to ask you out (she's just like me), and drunk is even worse, so you actually had to make the first move most of the time.

just like jackie, it could have been when she was at soccer practice, or when she was alone enough to vent to her journal and you were able to get close to her without scaring her. anyway, the thing is, shauna was already secretly expecting this to happen (a lot of her journal pages were about you btw), so it wasn't a surprise either when you asked her out.

despite everything, you didn't have any difficulties on your first date. she's pleasant company, I suppose.

natalie scatorccio.

one of the rare exceptions where she asked first.

okay, don't be fooled, either. natalie is very cocky from time to time, but asking to go out with you is definitely one of the times she tends to weaken. so, kevyn probably dared her to do it and she just took advantage of her cooler personality to use it on you.

but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. in fact, it's kind of a good thing (and probably depressing for her) because she only felt like herself when she asked you. I see in nat a huge tendency to ignore some of her feelings, especially when it comes to people she likes.

the invitation was probably also full of teasing on her part, from body language to the words used for it. and somehow she made it look cool and convinced you to accept it.

things that only natalie scatorccio could do.

lottie matthews.

for some reason, I'm 100% sure you asked first.

I know many of us think of lottie as a completely carefree, liberal and often bitchy enough person to ask someone out on a date. but, if we count the pre-crash, I think she was a very insecure person and uncertain of her feelings, more due to the influence of the pills.

so, as incredible as it sounds, you asked first. it was in an extremely relaxed conversation between you that the invitation ended up unintentionally, and she was visibly panicked when she agreed.

lottie is probably the type of person who has a rehearsed speech in front of the mirror while getting ready, and with her enviable style and expensive clothes (some stolen), she would do anything to make your date the perfect date.

taissa turner.

she asked first.

taissa is confident enough to ask you out, I have no doubt about that. but she definitely spent weeks planning the perfect invitation, just in case everything went wrong and she needed to run (just like what happened when she thought about breaking allie's leg before nationals).

anyway, taissa would certainly ask first and it would be quite a surprise for you. taking into account that, from the moment you accepted, you would discover that van also knew about her friend's ideas, and later that half of the team also knew. it would be a shock because you wouldn't understand tai's intentions at first.

but none of them are necessarily bad. one, is that tai was really excited if you accepted, and her anxiety couldn't stop her from wanting to tell the world. two, because she was overly excited that you had agreed to go out with her, and wanted the world to know it as well.

van palmer.

as much as I would really like to prove otherwise, you asked first.

van has the same problem as lottie, but in her case, it's excessively because of the sarcasm jokes and high charisma. she thinks she's being too much for you and that asking for something like that on this level would end up scaring you away.

in the end, it's totally the opposite, but it's going to take van a long time to figure that out, specifically. the invitation would happen when she least expected it, probably when you were feeling confident enough to pass notes to her during classes.

it's a cute invitation, and one that van would hold in question for a long, long time.

misty quigley.

there would be no other answer. she asked first.

misty has no shame in admitting that she has a crush on you. and of course, to ask you out on a date, this shame decreases even more. she doesn't even care if she will be made fun of by her colleagues, what really matters is that she planned everything for you to accept.

and when I say everything, it really means everything.

from the moment she will slide up to your table and quietly ask if you accept, to the tone of voice she will use to persuade your brain to accept, to the place she will take you hand in hand and then let it slide. … she literally thought of every detail.

and, well, knowing misty quigley's ability to create plans, the whole thing worked out… until you figured it all out and admitted that you liked it even more, much to her surprise.

laura lee.

you asked first, of course. there would be no other answer either.

of course, not ruling out the possibility of laura lee asking first, given her hidden impulsive personality, but, in this case, taking the obviousness into account, you asked, and had to be careful with every line said in the invitation.

of course, it needed to be at a time when you were alone, because you were afraid that pressure from other people would make you feel suffocated. this, of course, did not happen. she thought it was a classic weekend outing, like you guys usually did, until she realized your real intentions.

and, truly, at no point did it make her feel restrained or scared. she was ready to be vulnerable and be herself around you, no matter what.

(but, if you casually ask lottie at some point, she will definitely claim that she saw laura lee rehearsing some speeches and compliments for you in the locker room mirror…)

[mysteryanimator]

ANIMATION BREAKDOWN PROCESS OF THIS LETS GO (Sorry for any grammatical errors!)

SCRIPT/STORYBOARD: (you can watch here)

Now THIS. The script was very weak because I wanted to board immediately, so it started strong then fell off at the end (also generally I'm not a stronger writer, which haha fics my beloved). Now I know this, spending more time simmering with the script will genuinely only 1) stronger compositions for storyboards 2) it will be so much faster to board. Like I can board fast, but I can board fast AND well if I sit with the idea a bit longer. This will be a massive running theme how I like my shots earlier rather than further in.

side note I LIKE PANEL 11 A LOT, I just feeI didn't translate it well enough into animation which sucks because its a pretty panel and you get a softer moment from Olrox which I found was important to get across.

Also at some point, the 180 rule (which keeps characters on like one line behind the camera... not sure if I worded that right) gets broken and it bugged me for AGES but decided I had to just move on LOL.

These are my thumbnails b4 I go to animatic/cleaned storyboards which are SO MESSY (I'm a lot better at annotating my thumbs now LOL). The original prompt was top service blood bag x powerbottom vampire and i don't think i portrayed that well enough throughout BUT i think the intro did a good establishment. Which fun fact, this was scrapped but there was actually 20 seconds of Mizrak eyeing Olrox "What is it like? Blood?" Then Olrox leans down and commences the thigh glide.

These backgrounds are a mix of texture-bashing (walls/floors) along with some good ol' painting materials from scratch. Also, these are olddd and I can do a lot better yay, but was a good test to see how to make a consistent-ish scene.

ANIMATION: (You can watch the rough anim here)

I'll be super upfront how I don't like most of it AHHA. From starting this in July to posting this in September, I've improved a lot since then.

Since this was a bit ago, I don't remember too much but I remember going ham onto learning material from Dong Chang and animation servers. However in all honesty I think this was only really applied to the earlier shots. I got super frustrated with my "slow speed" so I tried to jump ship and do cleans super early on, which like lets be honest- pumping out two rough anims a day with uni on top is not slow idk what I was on about. This ended up giving me MORE work during the line/colour stage PFFT because I would end up correcting my mistakes in my roughs. Like Myst stop, this is for fun and you're learning, please take it easy LOLOL.

COMPOSITING:

Working on compositing this time around was slightly different, and I'll also admit it is not my favorite composite I've done (and again, I like my earlier shots then my later shots). My after-effects layers looked insane keeping track of the highlight glows on their clothes BUT it definitely paid off. Skin tones however were SO DIFFICULT (mostly in part to the fact I decided to experiment with how I approached it, so it definitely skewed how I worked with this)

I also definitely struggled between the dreamy look and keeping it clean and crisp, and while the dreamy blurred aesthetic does work in some cases, I opted out for the sake of clarity.

Beloved edge light my friend. It's making me learn SUPER late into it how I probably should have planned out a third shadow pass since edge light at the point is a crutch and I think planning it out ahead would get nicer more precise shadows LOL.

Because I brain rotted so hard for this animation I actually commissioned two people to help me work on this! I'll briefly talk about their stuff but please check out their work!

MUSIC: Astralbardkeep

Due the fact I don't have voiceactors, and I had a very specific vision in mind, I decided to go "you know what, let me be super self-indulgent". I had a lot of notes and inspirations for the music, BUT i wanted to have Olrox's theme from the original games peek through, which you will notice happens at the bite AND at the end.

TITLE CARD: Hataui0

This might've seemed overkill, but this friend of mine is very talented at making graphics/typography to suit the requirements of each individual project. (Also a secret ploy to make him make nocturne fanart /lh). So that entire end bit, he illustrated it along with that title, in which the themes I bestowed him were Mucha and Gothic art.

Thank you for reading if you got this far! Suffice to say this was supposed to be a compare and contrast between the animation I did in February, and while I may not quite find this body of work up to my normal standards, it substantial amount of improvement, which is the most important thing here! With the ten billion other things in my life going on, I can only be happy with the progress thus far :D

February on the left/September on the right

[cirilla-fiona-riannon]

Galileo Galilei Main Story

Translations may not always capture the exact nuances or tone of the original text. Expect grammatical errors and inaccuracies.

Spoilers ahead. Not proofread.

Afterward, we carried Galileo, who was on the brink of death, into the mansion.

Arthur and Charles, who know their way around medicine, and Faust, who's an expert in anatomy and pharmacology, took over the treatment.

Arthur: "He barely made it. Luckily, he missed the vital spot."

Mitsuki: "Really? That's good to hear."

Charles: "But it doesn't change the fact that he's still in a dangerous condition. It's a wonder he's alive even now."

Faust: "Being half-vampire, his natural healing ability should be better than a human's, but he's unusually weakened."

After hearing their gloomy remarks, Comte thought it over.

Comte: "It might be the influence of the progenitor's miasma."

(Miasma…)

I recall the suffering Galileo and Vlad endured.

Comte: "The progenitor's miasma was painful even for us who were just there."

Comte: "Galileo's body was taken over, albeit for a short while."

Comte: "It's possible that his body was directly weakened by that time."

Mitsuki: "Is there no way to cure it?"

Comte: "I don't know. I hope it's something that will heal over time."

Comte shook his head apologetically.

With so little information about the progenitor itself, no one likely knew the solution.

Vlad: "That's probably why the progenitor sought a vessel."

Vlad: "I saw the body of an old man rotting away in that throne room. It's likely that the body couldn't withstand the miasma or the tremendous power."

Vlad: "The progenitor survived by transferring to a new host."

Leonardo: "Plus, the weapon Galileo used to stab himself is actually designed to kill vampires, which makes things even worse."

When the weapon was brought up, several people glanced over at Drake, who was also at the mansion.

Vlad: "There should only be one weapon in the world capable of killing a vampire, and it's a spear."

Vlad: "So, what exactly is your knife?"

Drake: "There's a lot of history behind it."

He shrugged his shoulders and gave a wry smile.

Drake: "Well, given the current situation, I have no intention of harming any of you."

Drake: "But we were driven by a desire to destroy the world. It's true that we were investigating you all."

Drake: "If you consider me dangerous, do whatever you want with me. I'm not going to run."

Drake: "Galileo probably has the same resolve."

(No way.)

Listening to their conversation, Leonardo sighed.

Leonardo: "I can't overlook what you were trying to do, but it's not our call to label you as dangerous."

Comte: "That's right. No one here has that right."

Mitsuki: "Also..."

After listening to their exchange, I spoke up.

Mitsuki: "I'm sure that simply judging someone isn't the answer."

Scenes of persecution and discrimination that I've witnessed flash through my mind.

I remember the kids whose lives were cut short just for being dhampirs—Miguel and Mireia, stuck in the slums, and Galileo, who got labeled a heretic.

I've seen the horror of judging based on race, ideology, biased information, and limited perspectives.

(I've pursued the truth with my own eyes since meeting Galileo.)

(I won't repeat the same mistakes from the past to stop the cycle of negativity.)

Mitsuki: "We mustn't turn away from the truths that Galileo and the dhampirs have experienced."

Mitsuki: "I want to embrace both anger and hatred and think together about the future of this world—regardless of the country, era, or race we come from."

Drake: "Mitsuki..."

(It'd be great if we could all be a bridge to everyone, just like Galileo wanted.)

(So, please live, Galileo.)

(This world may have made you despair many times, but there is surely a future where you will smile again. I will definitely find it for you.)

I want you to live. I want you to be happy.

I want to make you happy.

As I held on to these thoughts, the long night began to break.

Comte: "Regardless of the country, era, or race we come from, huh?"

Vlad: "Those were Mitsuki's words just now."

As the sun began to rise, Vlad and Comte exchanged words in front of the door that led to all beginnings, the one that guided the historical figures and Mitsuki.

Comte: "Hey, Vlad. We've crossed time through this door and resurrected historical men as vampires."

Comte: "I've started questioning our actions since the door began to warp. However, after hearing Mitsuki's words, it felt like continuing to walk even through this distorted fate would connect us to the future."

Vlad: "Yeah. And, beyond the differences in races, we will walk together."

Vlad: "Even if the idea of living forever goes against the principles of the world, everyone is still living in this world."

Galileo's condition repeatedly fluctuated, and he gradually began to stabilize.

However, no matter how much we tried, he didn't wake up, and many mornings and nights had passed.

Mitsuki: "Galileo, I'll place these blanc flowers here."

I placed the flowers in a vase on the table.

Right now, Galileo is sleeping in his room at the hideout.

------------Flashback-----------

Comte: "You want to take Galileo back to his home?"

Mitsuki: "Yes. He has a precious garden there."

Mitsuki: "It might be just a comfort, but I want to at least let him be close to it."

Comte: "I see. I understand. Maybe it'll have a good effect."

Comte: "I'll make preparations right away."

---------Flashback Ends--------

With Comte's arrangement, I continued to take care of Galileo at the hideout.

(Maybe the dhampirs can help him wake up through his dreams.)

I know it was a baseless and faint hope, but I was ready to believe in anything if there was even a small chance.

Mitsuki: "Do you remember? When I had a fever, you took care of me. Hehe, now it's the other way around."

Mitsuki: "Back then, your presence made me feel less anxious."

Even though I spoke to him and smiled, there was no response.

(If he were awake, I wonder how he would react.)

(He'd probably say 'I see' or something equally indifferent.)

Remembering his calm demeanor made me miss him, and a sense of sadness welled up.

After tidying up Galileo's stuff, I left the room.

Mitsuki: "Huh?"

In the living room, I noticed some unfamiliar luggage.

As I pondered what was happening, Draco suddenly flew in and placed his toy on top of the luggage.

Mitsuki: "Is this your luggage?"

Draco: "Captain! Sail! Captain! Sail!"

Mitsuki: "Huh? Sail?"

Drake: "You're a bit too early, Draco."

Turning around, I saw Drake smiling broadly.

Mitsuki: "Drake, you're leaving?"

Drake: "I was thinking of going on a journey after Galileo wakes up."

Mitsuki: "Where are you planning to go on this journey?"

Drake: "Hmm, where to? I haven't decided yet, so I don't know."

Drake: "But a journey without a destination can also be fun, yeah?"

His ambiguous response gave me a bad feeling.

(Could it be?)

Mitsuki: "Drake, are you planning on not coming back?"

He showed a thoughtful expression, then looked around the room as if to take it all in.

Drake: "Who knows? But I no longer have a reason to be here."

Drake: "I still think this world should be destroyed, but I don't have any reliable means to make that happen now."

Drake: "Whether I find a new way or not, I'm better off wandering in the sea."

Mitsuki: "But what about Galileo?"

Drake: "He has you."

He looked me straight in the eyes.

Drake: "You really are the woman of destiny, Mitsuki."

Drake: "In the end, you saved Galileo's life. No, you saved our lives."

Drake: "You changed the disastrous fate we were destined to follow."

Mitsuki: "But I hindered the paths you both were taking."

Galileo and Drake had joined hands because of their despair. You could say I hindered their wish.

Mitsuki: "Do you hate me?"

Drake: "No way."

He shrugged his shoulders as he said these words.

Drake: "I knew he was carrying too many burdens, but I chose not to interfere."

Drake: "No matter how heavy they were, he would never put them down. It was his reason for living."

(His reason for living? That might be true.)

The many regrets that were too heavy to bear but impossible to let go were keeping Galileo alive.

Drake: "But if there's someone like you who understands everything and is willing to accept even his desire for destruction, then he might be able to gradually let it go."

Drake: "You've constantly clashed with Galileo's stubborn heart without giving up."

Drake: "You brought him back when he was about to get lost. Thank you, little fawn."

Mitsuki: "Drake..."

I wasn't sure if it was the joy of hearing those words or the sadness of the sudden farewell, but my eyes started to well up.

Drake: "Oh, by the way, I've got a stash of gold and silver hidden somewhere here. Feel free to use it if you find them. My parting gift for you."

Mitsuki: "Hey, Drake..."

Drake: "And Galileo will wake up soon! It's just a hunch, but even a bit of hope is better, right?"

Mitsuki: "Come on, listen. Galileo needs you."

Mitsuki: "You were the only comrade he saved, a companion who shared the same hopes and dreams."

Drake: "......."

My persistent words are met with a determined silence.

Mitsuki: "But still, if you're really going to leave, then be sure to come back someday. Galileo and I will be waiting for you."

When I conveyed my heartfelt wish, he gently patted my head.

Drake: "Well, if I feel like it."

Drake laughed like he didn't have a worry in the world.

It was a bright, sunny day with a clear blue sky.

Mitsuki: "It's a nice day today, Galileo. Look, the midday moon is out."

Sidereus: "Woof!"

I visited his room and opened the window.

Sidereus, who had followed me, sniffed the gentle breeze, while Galileo's silvery hair swayed and shimmered faintly in the wind.

However, his eyelashes didn't flutter at all.

(How long has it been since I've seen Galileo's eyes?)

A dark shadow started to fall over my heart, but I shook it off.

Mitsuki: "Maybe I'll do some cleaning. Though it's already tidy and clean."

I gave Sidereus a treat and sent him to another room, then started to clean.

While dusting off the desk, I accidentally knocked over the flower vase.

Mitsuki: "Crap!"

The spilled water trickled down to the drawer, so I opened it to check if any had gotten inside.

Mitsuki: "Yeah, it's wet. Huh?"

I noticed an old, folded paper crane stored inside.

Mitsuki: "This origami crane..."

It was a plain origami crane folded from white paper with no distinguishing features.

But the moment I held it, distant memories came rushing back like twinkling stars.

------------Flashback-----------

Galileo: "Are you okay?"

Mitsuki: "I-I'm okay."

Galileo: "Ah, at last I—"

Hearing the gentle voice from above, I lifted my head.

Galileo: "Have I managed to save someone?"

---------Flashback Ends--------

Mitsuki: "No way."

The warmth of his embrace, the paper crane I offered to express my gratitude, and the beautiful eyes from my memories, now overlapped with his amethyst eyes.

(Was he the one who saved me when I was a kid?)

Mitsuki: "Could it be..."

Recalling the last words we exchanged, I looked back at him sleeping.

(Did he know?)

Did he know that we had met long ago?

Did he know that he saved me back then?

This miraculous fate brought us together once more across time.

Mitsuki: "It's unfair that you kept it a secret all this time."

How should I express this feeling?

How should I tell him that these precious feelings born within me were all directed towards him?

Mitsuki: "Galileo."

I knelt beside the bed and held his hand.

Mitsuki: "Please wake up, Galileo."

Mitsuki: "I have so many things I want to ask you and talk about."

Through my blurring tears, his profile looked pale, and the hand I brushed against my cheek felt cold.

At that moment, as I fervently wished for his awakening, his fingertips moved slightly.

Mitsuki: "Galileo!!"

Previous Part ╎ Romantic ╎ Dramatic

[eating-plastic]

Unwinding by the Lake: Ace Visconti x Fem!Reader (SMUT)

Warnings: NSFW, smut, (minors and ageless blogs do not touch please and thanks!), age gap (older man-younger woman. Reader is ALWAYS +18), AFAB!Reader, Oral Sex (male and female receiving), face fucking, face sitting, fingering, daddy kink, slight degradation, lots of pet names, fluff, comfort, probably some grammatical errors

Word Count: 2898 words

A/N: This is a part two for my other Ace Visconti x Fem!Reader fic Away from the campfire. I was originally not gonna write one, but a lovely anon on AO3 asked if I could write one focusing on "Ace using reader's mouth" and I was all like "You know what? I can certainly do that!" Unfortunately, they asked me this months ago lol whoops. Oh well, better late than never, right? I don't know, hopefully someone else enjoys this. Cheers!

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

Despite the horrific circumstances that led to it, your relationship with Ace is one of the best things that has ever happened to you. Your relationship continues to burn strong, so much so, that it makes it easy to distract yourselves from the unforgiving and harsh realm that is the fog. It is something you are incredibly grateful for, even with the embarrassment you sometimes feel when he gets the urge to smother you with affection in front of the other survivors.

It is also a sentiment that he echoes greatly. You have no idea just how happy you make the older gambler. While your shyness would make someone believe that you are aloof and uncaring, you are the sweetest woman he has ever had the pleasure of meeting. And while he may consider himself a “lucky bastard”, he truly believes that you actually being with him is nothing short of a miracle. 

Ace knows he isn’t the best man in the world. While he can be helpful and even heroic in his own way during trials, he also knows that he can be impulsive and brash. Traits that he still possessed from his old gambling days that seemed both ages ago and mere minutes ago. Time works oddly in the fog.

The point is, despite loving you and you loving him, he still feels like you’re too good for him sometimes. A beautiful, caring, younger woman like yourself didn’t deserve “an old fuck up” like him; his words, certainly not yours. No, in his head you deserve a nice, simple life with someone more like you and a nice house with a picket fence, maybe some kids and a dog. A life that, when he wasn’t in the entity’s realm, would’ve scoffed at and continued to chase the rush and adrenaline from a game of blackjack or poker. 

Now though, he honestly wouldn’t mind a life like that, especially with you. He was done with rushes and bursts of adrenaline. God, does he hate it here in the fog. Not only because of the trials, but also because they remind him of a fact he hates to admit: he is old.

As much as he can joke about how he’s not as old as Bill or Ash, he still wasn’t as young as he likes to think. Hell, he didn’t even have the excuse that they had where their past lives were full of running from monsters. Heh, zombies and demons; two things that he wouldn’t have believed in, but now, after being here for God knows how long and seeing all that he has seen, would be tame. 

After doing five trials back to back, Ace is surprised he was even able to drag himself over to the place where he knew you’d be waiting for him: the good ol’ lake. He leans against a tree and lets out a groan of exhaustion. He raises his hands to his face to rub it in a means to get some sort of energy back.

“Ace?”

His eyes shoot open and he quickly clears his throat at the sound of your voice. As soon as he sees you peek around a tree, he flashes you one of his signature smiles and straightens his back; he hopes that you don’t see him wincing from that. Unfortunately for him, your keen eyes spot it in an instant, causing your face to drop.

“Hey, babydoll. Been missing you,” he says, trying to distract you from his drained state. 

You just shake your head and hold his face in your hands, a gesture which makes him visibly relax and drop the suave act he was putting on. 

“Tough day?” you ask, though you already know the answer to that. From the fact that you hardly saw Ace all “day”, for lack of better terms, you figured he was marathoning trials.

“Eh, what can I say? I was clearly someone’s favorite,” he shrugs, nonchalantly. “But hey, let’s not think about that. Right now, let's think about you, me, and a nice hour or so alone. What do ya say?”

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

You honestly can’t think of a better way to unwind than snuggling up with Ace by the lake. Despite how comfortable you are with your head on his chest and seeing a look of content on his face, you can’t help but think about another way to help the older man relax. Then again, you don’t want to ruin the wholesome mood and the thought does seem rather out of character for you. 

“Yeah, this is just what the doctor ordered,” Ace sighs before glancing down at you. Confusion takes over however, as he sees your conflicting face. “You okay, Y/N?”

You meet his gaze and your face quickly grows warm before looking away. Your fingers fidget with the fabric of his undershirt as you try to put together what you want to say.

“Um, well…I don’t know. I-It’s nothing,” you attempt to assure him that everything is fine, but he clearly isn’t buying it.

“Hey, you know you can tell me anything, angel,” he moves the hand that was resting behind his head to hold your hand that was playing with his shirt. “Come on, what’s up?”

You look back to his face and see how soft his expression has become. You sigh and turn your attention to his hand holding yours. You certainly aren’t going to look him in the eyes when you make your proposal.

“I guess…I just have another idea to…help you relax?” you cringe. Oh how you wish you were less awkward with things like that. 

“Oh really?” Ace asks, intrigued. He lets go of your hand to tilt your head up to look at him. Of course he wants to see your face for this. “And what might that be, hm?”

“W-well… it might be better if I…showed you,” you then move slowly and carefully to straddle his waist, resulting in him giving you a sly smirk. “Is…is this okay?”

“You’re the doctor, here, baby,” the older man wastes no time with grabbing your waist, with one of them threatening to move lower. “You know what’s good for me.”

God, it’s all enough to soak your panties, but this is all about Ace, so you lean down and kiss him. That doesn’t stop you from rocking your hips back and forth though, especially as he works his tongue into your mouth. Even when you pull away for a quick breather, you quickly move to leave a trail of kisses along his jaw and neck, getting lower and lower. 

He can’t help but chuckle at the initiative you’re taking, still as shy as ever but he still feels proud at your taste of confidence. It was funny since you could handle trials like they’re nothing, yet when it’s just you and him during moments like this, you turn into a stuttering mess. Despite that, he certainly isn’t going to stop encouraging you with taking the reins, even if it’s only slightly.

Once you reach his abdomen, you push his undershirt up and trace your fingers over his skin before fiddling with his belt. While you fidget with it, another dirty thought enters your head making you audibly whine. 

“Aww, are we getting eager already?” Ace props himself up on his forearms to get a better look at you.

“Well…,” you breathe. “This is about making you feel better, so…you should be able to use my mouth however you like.”

While this isn’t the first time you’ve had his dick in your mouth, he’s never really fuck your mouth before. With your dirty mind though, the idea just sound so fucking good. Besides, it would definitely make him feel better.

“Really? You want daddy to fuck your mouth, huh?” he purrs.

“Y-Yeah,” you mumble, your eyes not leaving the belt that you had just undone. 

“Well, if that’s what you think is best, then let’s go ahead with the procedure, ‘doc’.”

You nod before undoing his fly and taking his cock out. You can’t help but wet your lips at the sight of it, before leaning down to drag your tongue up the shaft. Ace allows you to lick away at his member for a little bit, but soon rest his hand on the back of your head. You quickly move to wrap your lips around the leaking tip and look up at him through your eyelashes, silently giving him his green light.

To your slight surprise, he doesn’t start out rough. Instead, he slowly moves your head up and down his dick, getting a feel of things. The pace has you ensnared with anticipation for him to go faster because you know eventually he will. The thrill of it, on top of the pleasant sighs and breaths that escape Ace’s lips, go straight to your cunt.

“Yeah…that’s it. Always knowing just what daddy needs,” he exhales before suddenly slamming your head all the way down his cock. You let out a muffled moan in surprise and feel your pussy clench around nothing. 

That is the turning point that you were waiting for. Ace figured you were probably prepped enough, so why not pick up the pace? It’s rough and brutal, every time he slams into the back of your throat makes tears prickle in the corner of your eyes and saliva seep past your sealed lips. And honestly, you only get more and more turned on by it all.

Just as you are about to reach your hand under your skirt to help relieve that ache in between your legs though, Ace pulls you off of his dick causing you to whine in confusion. I mean, sure a little break sounds nice, but you feel more frustrated than anything.

“Shit, am I going to rough for you?” he asks, noticing the tears streaming down your cheeks and how out of breath you sound.

“What? N-No, not at all,” you pant, wiping your face. You take a couple more deep breaths and compose yourself before speaking again. “I’m enjoying this too. I-I want you to continue. Please, I…I want your cum down my throat”

You feel way to fucked out at this point to feel embarrassed by your confession. All you do feel like doing is giving the older man the best puppy dog eyes you can muster and moving your head back down to lick the tip of his member. Ace lets out a hiss and tightens his grip on your hair from your actions.

“Hah…you’re gonna be the death of me, angel,” he chuckles and nudges your head closer to his dick. 

With that, you eagerly wrap your lips around him once more and he resumes the harsh pace he had before. Your hand can also complete its mission of granting you a bit of relief as it is able to move under your skirt and push your damp panties to the side. The feeling of your index and middle finger gliding through your slick fold makes you shudder and moan around the gambler’s cock.

“Aah…hah, you keep doing that, and you’ll get your wish granted for sure,” Ace groans and rolls his head back.

You take this as motivation and know exactly what to do to drive him crazy. You move your finger to stroke your clit, making you moan and whimper even more. 

“Fuck! Mm I knew you’d like the sound of that. Who kn-ah knew a sweet lil’ thing like you could be so dirty,” that’s when you feel the slightest twitch of his cock against your tongue. God, he is so close and that just thrills you even more. “O-oh…! Heh, you just love being used, huh? Just like being daddy’s favorite sex toy, right?”

If you could nod, you would, but instead you answer with what you’ve been giving him before: your muffled noises and willing mouth.

“Yeah, that’s it. That’s it! Oh fuck! Fuck!”

Your mouth floods with Ace’s cum and you try to swallow as much of it as possible, but it’s not an easy feat from just how much of it there was. What you can’t get down drips past your sealed lips just like your spit. It’s all overwhelming enough for you to pull your hand away from your wet cunt to grab his thigh as a brace.

Once he comes down from his high, he pulls you off of him and pulls you both to sit up. He then tries to gently wipe your face as clean as he can get it.

“There we go. Good as new,” he smiles and kisses your lips tenderly, something which you eagerly return.

“Do you feel better now?” you ask when you two pull away. Ace laughs before placing another kiss to your forehead.

“Oh yeah. That fixed me up real nice,” suddenly, he grabs your hips and pulls you closer to him. “But unfortunately, doc, I don’t think I got the money to pay you. You need a reward though, and I think we can work something out.”

“O-Oh, well…you really don’t have too. This was all about you,” you stutter despite your body crying for its canceled release.

“Really?” he drawls and places open mouth kisses along your neck. “So that little pussy of yours doesn’t need any attention? Come on, sweetheart, I saw that hand of yours under your skirt.”

To prove his point, he too snakes his hand underneath the soft fabric. When his fingers meet your soaked lips he hums in amusement.

“Oh yeah, my babydoll needs something all right,” he smirks and slips his index and middle finger inside of you, making you gasp. You then grasp at his jacket and pant while he pumps his digits. “Hmm, let me think….Oh, I think I know.”

“W-What?” you whine, but then give him a frustrated huff as he pulls his fingers out of you.

“I’m thinking about treating you to a nice seat right…here,” he then raises his hands to motion at his face. 

“Oh,” is all you can squeak out as a response, but Ace can tell you love the idea.

“That sounds good, doesn’t it, angel?” he purrs and plays with the waistband of your panties before pulling them down, indicating that he wants you to take them off. You nod your head eagerly and awkwardly remove the fabric due to your position. “Mhmm, I thought so. Now then, let’s get comfy again.”

With that, he lays back down and casually rests his hands behind his head, waiting for you to get into position. You slowly and carefully move yourself up his body until you’re eventually hovering above his face. 

“Uh…is this ok-ah!” you get cut off as Ace pulls you down and your pussy collides with his mouth. He wastes no time licking away at you, his hands now gripping your thighs next to his face like a vice, making loud, shaky moans tumble from your lips.

“A-Ah! A-Ace, slow down-hah!” you cry out, but still grind yourself against his face. God, you’re already so close to cumming and you only seem to inch closer each time his nose brushes your clit. 

In response to your plea, the older man hums before latching his lips around your sensitive bud and sucks on it hard. You wail out in pleasure and almost double over. Your hands scramble to grab anything as a brace, one settling on Ace’s hair and the other grasping at the dead grass underneath you two. 

Your new hunched position makes it a little hard for him to breathe, but truthfully he couldn’t care less; he’ll happily suffocate between your legs as long as it means he gets to taste you. This thought makes him release your clit from his mouth, opting to now fuck you with his tongue instead. That doesn’t mean the bundle of nerves in between your legs gets a break though, as he lets go of one of your thighs to stroke it with his thumb.

This is what ultimately does you in, as you cry and your thighs tremble from his actions. All it takes is three more strokes of his thumb before your release washes over you, your sobs of pleasure echoing off of the trees around you. Ace slips his tongue out of you and places kisses along your wet slit and his hands massage your thighs as he waits for you to come back down to Earth. 

Once you get your bearings, you shakily move off of him to sit and continue to catch your breath. Ace props himself on his forearms to flash you an amused grin, licking your slick from his lips and wiping the rest off with his sleeve.

“Whew! God, you are perfect,” he muses, making you laugh shyly. He then scoots closer to you and wraps an arm around you, embracing you at his side before peppering the top of your head with kisses. You can’t help but giggle at this and bury your face into his neck, a pleasant sigh leaving your lips.

“I love you,” you whisper as you nuzzle into him.

Ace gives you a smile and looks down at you. No, he may not think he is good enough for you, but you clearly think he is. And that is all that this old gambler needs. 

“I love you, too, Y/N.”

[lizard-shifter-noms]

Still Subject to Change Chapter 27 (NEW)

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Hello everyone! i decided to repost arc 1 of SSTC

(the chapters were way too long and had a bunch of typos but hopefully this will make reading easier)

this Story contains Vore, Dont like dont read.

if there are still any grammatical errors i’m sorry.

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The last thing Oakley pulled out of the bag was weirdest of all a glowing roundish crystal.

This one actually made sense seeing as he would need light and at least that thing did not emit smoke.

I wondered if it emitted any heat though, I hoped not much.

“Hey where did the other two go? I wasn’t away that long, was i?”

Robin clumsily climbed over my arm again which wasn’t exactly necessary since he could have walked like four steps around it.

“Rikaad went back to sort paper stuff and Arthur is somewhere around the tower just looking how run down the thing is.

The winged man nodded.

“I see, and the little ginger decided to use you as a mattress I guess?”

Robin just stuck his tongue out at him.

“Eh maybe, don’t really care about that, also how the hell did you fit that much stuff in such a small bag?”

While I spoke Robin went over the said bag and peered in before managing to stick his entire arm in up to the shoulder.

“Why is it like this? There so much room? But the bag is small? Oakley?”

Him sticking his entire arm in had startled me but now he said that the inside was bigger than the bag was? How was that possible?

“Well you see, a little bit of magic woven into the fabric allows for quite a lot of storage!

Sadly it’s the only one i have as it’s quite expensive to make”

A magic bag, of course that’s what it was, Did he own anything normal?

He took the bag from Robin and stuck his tail in to rummage for something else.

Using his two pronged tail for that did make sense seeing as how wings would have trouble fitting.

It was interesting to see how he had adapted to the fact that he couldn’t do everything with his hands like most people and had instead found a way around it.

He pulled out something that looked like an oversized glass jar that was halfway filled with something teal colored and seemed to have the same viscosity as honey.

What the fuck did he need that for? Was that just medicine?

I never heard of bright teal medicine.

Robin also pointed at the jar confusedly.

“What’s that? I do like the color, what is it for?”

Oakley raised the container in the air so we could see it better.

“Basically a disinfectant, among other things, and i agree teal is a nice color”

He put the jar next to his bag and then took the rope to tie it around himself.

That confused me a bit, he probably knew i could get people out without help so why was he tying himself to a safety rope?

He must have noticed my confused stare as he told me what it was for.

“The teal stuff is basically a stronger version of what i gave Arthur, mixed with some other things as well, it WILL make you numb enough to not have control over the affected muscles for about four hours so i do need the rope”

Oh, yeah that made sense, but that meant someone had to stand at the other end of the rope to get him out, well both Arthur and Robin were here, the first of which was just coming back from exploring the tower and full of dust.

“Oh hey Oakley!”

He waved to the winged man who stared back.

“Perfect timing! I will need your help! You just need to hold the other end of the rope here!”

He tossed said end to Arthur who scrambled to catch it out of reflex.

He looked thoroughly confused.

“Wh- wait what do you need the rope for? The hell are you going to do?”

Oakley wasn’t really paying attention to him though and instead picked up the stuff he needed which included the glowing crystal, the weird box and the jar with the teal stuff.

While Oakley did that Robin was messing with the bag by sticking his arm in again, likely to test how deep it was.

After that he even stuck his head in, probably to see if he could make out anything visible.

He pulled it out quickly though and I wondered what else was in there that he had that reaction.

Maybe he saw something spider shaped and noped out.

Then Oakley had everything ready.

He was holding the glowing crystal with his tail and the rest was secured in either his pockets or his hands, The cloak he usually wore was abandoned off to the side.

So that meant the only thing to do now was-

Eugh, my least favorite part of this, Oakley had wings, and a tail, What if I damaged them?

What if one of those appendages got snagged on my teeth?

Oakley didn’t seem to have any concerns though, he was just standing in front of me expectantly.

My brain blanked on what to do for a second before i remembered, right, Oakley was gonna fix the stitches and to do that he had to get to them.

But I wasn’t exactly sure how to proceed, he was only mostly human shaped and I didn’t know what to do with the wings.

Should I tell him to tuck them close?

Or to have them spread out at his side so he’d be slimmer?

At this point he seemed to know what to do better than I did as he tucked his wings very close to his body and wrapped his tail around one of his legs.

“Well, open up big guy, no use wasting time now!”

My brain was still blanking on a lot of things but I simply did as told.

Lowering my head to the ground I opened my mouth wide enough for him to fit, and to my surprise he climbed right in, no fear or hesitation whatsoever.

Also having someone willingly climb into my mouth like this was extremely weird and i was not sure if i liked it.

And strangely enough he tasted of sawdust which did not make it better, At all.

Overall it wasn’t awful but i couldn’t say that i liked it either, frankly i just wanted this all to be over with.

Oh, wait, technically I had to swallow now but my mind was still a bit slow.

That changed when Oakley punched the dangly bit over my throat, the Uvula was it called? Causing me to swallow against my will.

Apparently he’d gotten impatient with me and decided to just go ahead.

At least he didn’t have feathers.

Yeah, now I was sure I didn’t like this, at least not when it was Oakley.

I just about stopped myself from coughing and instead swallowed again, feeling the safety rope that Arthur was holding slither over the groove of my tongue.

That was an uncomfortable feeling as it was like there was something stuck in my throat when it wasn’t.

At this point I just wanted it to be over with as fast as possible so I swallowed again and again till the odd shaped lump was all the way down to my pouch.

Oakley ‘dropped’ in with a weird squelching sensation and then I could feel him right himself, wings relaxing a bit and tail unfurling.

I kept as still as possible and was only breathing shallowly so I wouldn’t disturb him.

I still didn’t know what exactly he was going to do or what he needed the box for when he had the teal stuff but i was not about to fuck things even more up by moving.

So I sat still except for one of my paws which opened and closed repeatedly and dug grooves in the ground while Oakley seemed to get ready to do whatever it was he planned to do.

Arthur was just silent, holding his end of the rope and staring at the ground while Robin had started making flower crowns again with the daisies that grew around the tower.

Then there was an awful sensation, like Oakley had just ripped one of the stitches out by force.

“YOWCH! Oakley! What the hell was that?!”

And my pained shout Arthur almost dropped the rope and Robin did drop the flowers he was working on.

Then Oakley answered with a mildly muffled voice.

“Just as I thought! The flesh around the stitches started to grow over them! the sooner i remove them the better”

Grown over the stitches?! Grown OVER the stitches?! What the fuck!

I didn’t think that could happen, or at least not so fast.

Ughh why me? I only tried to help and now I was stuck with a possible infection risk and the stitches literally melding into the lining of my pouch.

There was another painful twinge that signaled Oakley had just ripped another stitch out and I dug the claws of my free hand into the ground.

A smaller hand suddenly grabbed my paw and I looked over to see Robin holding onto my fur.

I relaxed the tiniest bit until Oakley ripped another one out and I growled in a low tone.

The sound surprised even me as i didn’t know i could emit such a noise, And it had been completely involuntary too.

Worried that the sound had scared the smaller men, I looked at them.

Arthur seemed to just be surprised and Robin moved to hug my hand.

Well, it was possible that they had mistaken it for a sound of pain.

It kinda was if I was honest, and as long as they weren’t scared I could deal with it.

Oakley yanked another stitch out and since Robin was hugging my hand I couldn’t even dig grooves into the ground anymore to distract myself.

And I didn’t dare move the other arm out from underneath me.

There was the sound of a quiet and dull impact behind me as well as signals sent to my brain that indicated that my tail had hit a tree.

Since I couldn’t use any other limbs to fidget it seemed my tail had just started to swivel from left to right like that of an agitated cat.

Sure, whatever, I could deal with that, and there was at least one limb I dared to move now.

Robbin was still hugging my paw in an attempt to be comforting.

It kind of was even, his hands were warmer than the ground so that was something better to focus on than Oakley doctoring around.

I managed to just about contain a flinch when Oakley ripped yet another thread out.

How many were even in there? He had to be done soon right?

Another was ripped out and the hair on my back stood up.

Robin had at this point started to absentmindedly pet the upper side of my paw, it was strangely soothing, and way better than whatever the fuck Oakley was doing.

He had to be done soon right? I wanted him out of there, also-

“Oakley didn’t you say that the teal stuff numbs?

What the fuck are you doing?”

He answered almost immediately while ripping out yet another stitch.

“Well yeah, the ‘teal stuff’ numbs but it also accelerates the healing process by a lot, so if i put it on first the stitches would get stuck more and you don’t want that”

Oh so that was why, fuck me then, just sitting here with a weird Fae fucker abusing my insides even more.

I let my head sink onto the ground with another pained sound as he ripped yet another string out.

“How many of those are even there? Please tell me you’re done”

There was a brief weird numbing sensation that spread from where ever the fuck he applied the teal stuff.

“Almost, this one is done now to the other stab wound!”

The other one? Ohh nooo come on, How many stitches had Rikaad put there in the first place?

At least one was done now, and numb as fuck which i was actually glad for.

“Oakley? How many stitches are there anyway?

Please tell me it’s under ten”

“Well the first one had six, this one has four, So brace yourself, I’m going to remove them now!”

As soon as he said it he ripped out a stitch in the other place that got stabbed.

This time, now that I had a warning, and being used to it from the other stitches he pulled it was a bit less awful.

Still horrible and painful though.

While I tried my best not to move Robin had slunk away from my hand and was now next to me.

He ended up hugging my shoulder a good bit away from my throat or anything connected to it.

“Are you okay? What’s Oakley doing?”

”I’ll be fine, as soon as Oakley is done ripping the stitches oOOUT, Dammit Oakley, give a warning!”

While i Answered Robin Oakley had ripped another stitch out, catching me by surprise.

I really wanted this to be over with but at least there were only two more to go through.

I huffed in displeasure and glanced at Arthur who had sat down on the ground and was fiddling with his end of the rope.

I wasn’t the only one that wanted this to be over with apparently, He looked bored and unsure of what to do.

Well he couldn’t exactly help Oakley or me with this stupid situation.

The best he could do was keep holding the rope and then do whatever Oakley said.

Which was hopefully soon, I wanted him out of there and the rope hanging down my throat did not make it any better.

On top of that the stupid rope tasted like dust and I really wanted to spit it out.

Not to mention that it dug into the groove of my tongue uncomfortably.

Oakley ripped out yet another stitch, making me lash my tail against the trees behind me.

One more to go and then I was done, at least I hoped so.

By now the numbing effect applied to the first wound had helped a lot even if it did feel weird.

Or not feel? Whatever the case I couldn’t feel anything there right now, no pain but no touches from Oakley either which was kinda eerie.

He said it numbed for about four hours right?

Well I could deal with that as long as it was healed afterwards at least.

Finally Oakley ripped out the last stitch and then applied more of the teal stuff, now making the entirety of my pouch numb.

It was clear why he tied the rope to himself for this.

I couldn’t feel anything in my pouch anymore and I wasn’t even sure if my muscles would obey me now.

Yeah, the rope was a good call on his part.

As uncomfortable as it was for me it did serve a purpose.

Said purpose being that Arthur could pull him out with it.

“Heya! I’m done, so tell your blonde friend to tug at the rope and get me out!”

Finally! The entire ordeal had been awful and I was glad it was bound to be over in a minute or so.

“Hey Arthur?-

He looked up at me.

“- Oakley wants you to pull the rope and get him out, just please be careful that thing is literally IN my throat and having rope burn there is not something i want”

He gave a thumbs up and gripped the rope.

“Sure, brace yourself i’m trying to go slow, if you want me to go faster tap the ground or whatever”

I nodded and then lay down again to make my throat as straight as possible and minimize the choking risk.

Robin ran up to be behind Arthur and grabbed the piece of rope that was splayed on the ground behind the blonde man.

Then Arthur counted to three and started pulling.

It wasn’t fast but it wasn’t agonizingly slow either, It was a steady rhythm of pulling the rope and then gripping the bit in front of it to tug more out.

At first it was just more numbness but the more they tugged Oakley out the more I could feel that there was indeed something in my esophagus.

At this point instead of gripping more rope as he went he was just walking backwards, likely to avoid the parts of rope that had been drooled on.

I wasn’t really to blame for that one though, having something dry in your mouth just gave that response, not my fault at all.

Oakley was at this point halfway up and blocking my windpipe.

Good thing I had remembered to take a breath beforehand, and that I could hold said breath for about five minutes.

Feeling the wet form of Oakley slide into my mouth I wasted no time in leaning forward and letting him drop to the ground.

I immediately began coughing as the rope had irritated my throat the entire time and I was really glad that it was finally over.

Even if it felt weird to - well not feel i guess?

True to Oakleys word the entirety of my pouch was numb and would stay as such for about four hours.

Well, still better than before, and Oakley had brought all of his stuff back out so I didn't have to worry about that either, I flopped to the ground where I was and ended up kind of on my side but not really on my side.

Robin immediately took advantage of that to bury himself in the exposed fluff with an adorable squeak.

Glancing over to what Oakley was doing I saw Arthur handing back the slightly damp rope and Oakley tossing said rope into one of the broken windows of the tower.

Well that was one way to get it dry, probably.

whatever, not my problem.

Now I barely had any problems anymore, sure there was still the Fae hating thing, but Rikaad was working on fixing that.

For the first time in forever there was nothing wrong and I could just relax.

That was weird as fuck.

I decided to enjoy that blessing for now.

Just then Oakley came over, ughh, was there something else i had to do now?

“Say how are you? It is numbing as intended right? I just want to make sure i used enough and that there’s nothing else wrong now”

So he was checking up on his ‘patient’, well That was nice of him.

“It’s numb as hell, I don’t feel anything there so I’m pretty sure you used enough of that stuff, though it’s eerie to not be able to feel a part of my body.”

He just nodded in acknowledgment.

“Well if you need anything else i will sweep all the dust out of my new house! You might want to move though unless you fancy a dust shower”

A dustshower was not something I wanted, and I could somehow imagine that Oakley would use his wings to blow the dust out of his house like some oversized bird.

He was an oversized bird, at least in my opinion.

I ought to get a nice and shiny rock to test just how birdlike at some point.

I stood up which felt a bit weird due to the numbness in my core but since i didn’t fall over i didn’t care.

Oakley was now dusting his new place, So where else on the castle grounds could we go?

Aside from the shed and the tower I didn’t know any places, if there even was more aside from plants.

Eh, I could just chill between some of the plants then, as long as I didn’t destroy them I doubted that anyone would care.

Maybe Barsen, but he was who knew where right now.

A tiny hand grabbed at the arm that had the bracelet and I looked down to see a mess of red hair.

Robin was tugging me in a random direction, Well exploring was also something to do.

So I started to slowly walk in the direction he wanted so as to not trample over him.

Maybe we’ll find something cool?

Arthur joined us even if he didn't hold onto my arm like Robin did.

“Well, where to? Just randomly walking or?”

He shook his head.

And while passing the tower I looked into one of the windows and saw a familiar compass laying on top of a broken branch.

Rikaad must have returned the one Oakley gave us while he was here.

“I wanna go along the cliffside!

Like why don’t they have a wall there? Maybe we’ll find out why!”

“The cliffside? You sure? That seems dangerous, and i’m not keen on falling off of THAT”

Arthur interjected, and to be fair he was right.

It might very well be that there used to be a wall but it just fell down into the ocean.

I wouldn’t get too close to the edge in case the ground there was brittle.

Falling to my death after all this would be really fucking dumb.

“I mean we can look but i’m not sure how stable the ground there is, What if it breaks off? As Arthur said i’m also not keen on dying”

“We don’t have to get close! I just wanna look! Like the window in the castle!”

For a second I could have sworn that Arthur’s face went a bit green.

Well, not my problem if he had vertigo, poor Arthur though.

“Well I think that’s fine? But i’m not going to get as close as you are, Im bigger so the floor might just break off”

“Yeah, Donovan’s right, don’t get too close!”

Robin stuck his tongue out at Arthur and then kept dragging me as best as he could forward.

“It’ll be fine! I’m not gonna fall, I promise!

I’m not gonna stand directly on the edge! I'm not that dumb!”

I hoped he was right, but it was just for the sake of curiosity so what’s the worst that could happen if we were being careful.

As long as we kept a safe distance to avoid falling it should be fine.

Somehow I had the feeling that Arthur wouldn’t get anywhere close at all.

Oh well, then i had to make sure nobody got too close to the drop then.

Ducking under a low hanging branch we breached into free space.

Yep, there was the aforementioned drop down to the ocean.

How tall was it anyway? Then I saw something that made my heart, the working one anyway, stop for a second.

Barsen was plucking out weeds and the like while only holding onto a branch from a walnut tree.

He was basically hovering over certain death and did not even blink.

Did that guy know what Fear was??? By the looks of it not.

Still, screaming at him to get away from there might startle him into letting go.

So talking normally would have to do.

“Barsen? What are you doing?”

The other two seemed to only now notice there was someone else and gave surprised and worried noises.

“Oh what the hell man, get away from there! You’re gonna fall!”

Robin hid behind my arm again as if that would help the situation.

Barsen just looked up and waved with a handful of weeds while hanging on to that one branch.

“Hello! Don’t worry, I’ve done this a thousand times before, I’m not going to fall! I'm almost done anyway”

He stuffed the plants into a pocket of his work pants and climbed up the walnut tree’s roots back to safe ground.

Brushing Dust off he walked over to us.

“Nice to see you are all well! What do you think of the garden?”

I just stared at him for a few seconds as he acted like he hadn’t just hung over a multiple hundred feet high drop to death.

Then his question registered in my brain.

“Oh, I think it’s really pretty!

It doesn’t seem to cluttered with random flowers either i like that”

That was true, the noble gardens I had seen before all seemed to be stupid tryhard in comparison to this one, This was more subtle and not filled with eye bleeding bright flowers next to even more oversaturated stuff.

PREVIOUS / NEXT / OVERSIGHT

[nauwuna]

Do you think I'm ugly or annoying?

Warning:English is not my first language, probably punctuation/grammatical errors

Summary:the reader is insecure about herself and the boys comfort her

Note:I want to also write about blue lock boys so here I am (I will write this scenario for tokyo revengers too)

Yoichi Isagi/Hyoma Chigiri/Reo Mikage

Isagi

Isagi had just returned from training, he was so happy to finally have time with you, his girlfriend, but something goes wrong.

As soon as he enters in the house he heard sobs coming from the bedroom.

He runs to see what happens, did you get hurt or something? He thought

He find you crying in the bed, you where hugging the pillow and you didn't notice that Isagi was just enters in the room.

<<i-I'm so u-ugly>> you crying out, Isagi's heart stop to beat for a second after he hears what you say.

You find yourself ugly?

He sit on the bed and approached you, he stroke your hair and you finally notice him.

<<Y-yoichi?>> you looking at him.

<<you find yourself ugly?>> Isagi thinks before speaking and says:<<you aren't, you are so beautiful, I love your smile, the way you laugh>> he smiled and looking at you.

Isagi wants let you know how much he loves you.

<<I don't care if you are too fat or too skinny, if you are blonde or brunette, what I really care is who you really are Y/n>> you can't say his words didn't touch your heart, you hug him and he hugs you back.

<<I love the way you are, please remember that>> he smiled and kiss your forehead.

<<I love you too Isagi>> you whisper while hugging him.

<<can we stay like this a little longer?>>

<<sure>> he cuddles you unit you feel asleep in his arms.

Chigiri

You were in your shared room, you were thinking about yourself while you looking in the mirror.

Chigiri, your boyfriend, had returned from a training.

When he entered in the bedroom he finds you crying in front of the mirror, he suddenly panick and hugs you.

<<ehy! What happened? Why are you crying?>> he ask nicely while he dries your tears.

You look at him and ask:<<do you find me annoying? Or ugly? I mean...I really talk a lot and maybe you don't care about what i say and->> Chigiri stops you.

<<I don't find you annoying or ugly, why you think those things?>>

<<i-I'm insicure>> you told him, Chigiri take a deep breath and says:<<I like when you talk about your hobbies, when you talk to me about those series you always like to watch, I like it because I see how happy you are when you talk about it>> he blushes and look away.

<<also, I think you're really beautiful, so don't think the opposite>> you smiled at his words.

Chigiri was still blushing, he looks so cute you think.

<<thanks you Chigiri>> you smiled at him.

<<you don't need to thanks me>> his embraces were still around your body.

<<can we cuddle?>> he finally look at you and nod.

The two of you cuddle for the rest of the day.

Reo

It's pretty difficult not be insicure with a boyfriend like Reo, he is talented and a lot of girls likes him.

You always ask to yourself how you end up with Reo? There are so many girls more beautiful than you that would love him.

You never talk to him about your insecurity, you don't want to annoyed him or something.

But the more you don't talk about, the more your insecurity growth, so one night you finally gave in and cried.

<<honey? Ehy, what's wrong?>> Your boyfriend ask, you two were in your shared bed.

<<R-Reo, please be honest with me ok?>> you take a deep breath and ask:<<why did you date me? I'm not so pretty, and I think there are other girls more beautiful, also I'm not like them so maybe you find me annoying, I don't like expensive gifts like

designer clothes or jewellery, I'm not an elegant person>> you look down waiting for a response.

<<because I love you Y/n>> you look at him, the look in Reo's eyes was sad, he couldn't bear to see you so tormented by some stupid stereotypes.

<<I love the fact that you are so different, you prefer to stay at home with me and watching some films instead of going to a fancy restaurant for dinner>> he laugh.

<<you are so perfect>> he strokes your cheek to dry the remaining tears.

Reo moves closer and closer to your face until your lips meet in a kiss.

<<thanks Reo>> you blushing while you smile at him.

<<now, let me cuddle you>> Reo pulls you into the bed and starts cuddling you.

[generic-whumperz]

Bullshit & Masterlist(s)

THIS BLOG CONTAINS ADULT (NSFW) CONTENT, VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED! 

(This ain’t a daycare, minors kick rocks)

Hang your scruples at the door, horrors dwell within.

Side blogs:

•@generic-whumper (SFW whumping) •@generic-throw-away-blog (random bs & some fandom stuff) •@generic-writing-tips (exactly as it sounds) •@generic-horror-slut (for just straight up horror and gore)

The Aid Masterlist (current WIP, 18+)

Apocamerica AU

Other works can be found at the bottom of this post under “Story Stuff,” but there isn't much else because I'm focusing on The Aid for now.

Congratulations, you have stumbled upon another (generic) whump blog, hence the name! Blog est. Aug 2023. Currently just working on one story right now (yay hyperfixations), that is slowly consuming every waking thought. Help

Fun facts to share with the class:

I prefer to be anonymous on here, so just call me “Generic/Gen,” them/them, mid (quit lying to yourself) late-20’s.

Dyslexic bitch & silly goose—please excuse typos, misspellings, and any grammatical errors! I re-read and edit as best as I can, but my brain be playin’ tricks on me, and shit falls through the cracks! Just manage your expectations is all I’m sayin’, I’m not a professional.

I’m (unfortunately) an American and my obnoxious word choice will probably reflect that.

I’m currently a full-time college student taking a single class because I suck! But still, any written works I choose to share will not be uploaded on a set schedule (I write slow, my brain only occasionally works, & yada-yada), I apologize in advance!    

I run a queue—and nah I won’t tag it.

Lover of cryptids (Mothman fucks), paranormal enthusiast and certified Haunted™️. Weird shit WILL leak into my writing eventually. Don’t be surprised if a ghost or skin walker makes a cameo. It’s more fun this way, just go with the flow.

House plant addict. They are all my children. Ask me how big my monstera is ;)

Irl I’m a (professional) stained glass artist

What You’ll See Here: 

All types of Whump; I’m talking all of it bay-bee (detailed types below this section), including: polls, writings, prompts, tropes, scenarios, art, gifs, etc.

Reblogs-a-plenty

Really bad home grown memes 

Whumpy rambling coming straight from my delirious brain

My own sub-par short stories, ficlits, and maybe even an eventual series or two

My own mediocre art

I fuck with a lot and don’t really have any “squicks”, but to narrow it down, the prime pickings are:

All gender & POC whump (including lady whump, lady whumpers, mixed gendered Whumpee & Whumper combos, etc. Errybody getting whumped ‘round here. But yes I love to see men particularly in distress and blubbering bloody messes, sue me.)

APOCALYPSE

CULT

SLAVERY

TORTURE (especially in explicit detail)

Cannibalism & weird blood shit

Gore and body horror (including puke and all that)

Hurt/no comfort, I prefer maximum pain and immense suffering, with no silver lining.

When I do dabble in comfort—recovery and caretaking is preferably longer with nuanced healing journeys and after character has been through absolute hell.

Physical, emotional, and psychological whump (if there’s all three it’s a magical trifecta of hurt)

Drug (illicit and otherwise)

Dehumanization

Captivity (short & long term)

Vampires & zombies (these are my weaknesses)

Multiple Whumpees, multiple Whumpers

Family of whumpers (this is niche I know but fuck is it my kryptonite) 

The biggest POS and/or terrifying Whumpers imaginable (for the love of all things unholy, make them shamelessly bad and vile)

Chains, restrains, collars, gags, muzzles, rope (etc.)—just tie that biz-nitch down!

Explicit stuff like non-con, dub-con, forced drugging, etc. Wreck that bussy.

Other Story Stuff & Random Things:

Subject X: BB217 Intro

[mynamesaplant]

The Headspace that is Grief (Ch. 7)

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Summary: The grieving process is different for everyone, Emmet and Olivia know that first hand but they just don't know it yet. Sometimes it takes another person experiencing the same things as you to move through those feelings. Together, they learn and grow with their grief and each other.

In this chapter: A trip to Spear Pillar ends more poorly than expected.

Notes: Sorry this is a day late, I've been playing a lot of Stardew Valley, so that's had my whole focus for like... over a month now? Damn. This was not beta read - so if there are spelling or grammatical errors, let me know. Regardless, I hope you enjoy!~

<< Previous | First | Next >>

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The summer passed by with record speed. It was early fall before they knew it. Neither Emmet nor Olivia saw much of each other, both entirely engrossed in their work. Olivia was running all over the place in her little truck, often leaving some breakfast for Emmet in the fridge and gone all day. The bed packed to the brim with pre-packaged pints and bushels, she was taking her weekly tours to her merchants. Many trips to Hearthome for the bakery serving poffin and to Snowpoint to take the ferry to the Battle Frontier. She had a circuit, trying to tackle certain parts of the region in sections so she wasn’t running from Snowpoint to Sunyshore in the span of a day.

When she wasn’t running all over Sinnoh to make deliveries, she was at home working on her online orders and store or taking packages to her physical storefront in Cedaridge. If Emmet hadn’t been so consumed with his research on the legendaries of the region, he would have tried to offer his assistance to her more. He did try to a few times, but he learned to stop pressing the issue early one morning when she slammed her truck door a little too hard as she got in.

The wordless ‘no’ reminded Emmet of his time still working the whole of the Battle Subway on his own. Singles and Double lines. The Multi lines were closed for the foreseeable future. His resistance to accept any help from his coworkers or friends. She was the same. She accepted help from Hayate, and only Hayate, when it came to her plants and berries. Emmet supposed it was her pride getting in the way, probably a little bit of guilt too. If she couldn’t do this, what else might she not be able to manage? He could sympathize, but also knew it was an unhealthy mindset. But it also wasn’t his business. His energies were elsewhere anyway.

The libraries at Canalave and Celestic had produced plenty of information on legends and myths, but nothing on how to summon them. He had asked Cynthia to take him to the ruins at the top of Mount Coronet and she did with no argument, but no amount of communing or praying had ever earned a response. The mountain remained eerily silent. It vexed him because he was close – so close in fact that he could taste it and to be denied again and again… He wasn’t going to let it stop him now.

“Miss Olivia?” She was hunched over her fossil of a computer, tack-tack-tacking away at some financial report she was running from what Emmet could see over her shoulder. No reply. He said her name again a little louder. “Olivia?”

“Yes?”

It came out as a stressed sigh and Emmet almost bit back his question. Almost.

“Do you know the route to get up to Spear Pillar?”

The tapping of keys ceased. Olivia swiveled around in her desk chair, her mouth pulled into a frown and eyebrows drawn tight. He wanted to go to Spear Pillar?

“I do, but an older couple run a business in Celestic to take people up to see the various ruins on the mountain. If that’s-”

“No!” Emmet said abruptly, not wanting to go back to town and accidentally run into Cynthia anytime soon. She was polite and usually quite helpful, but Emmet couldn’t help but feel like she was holding something back. Not that he knew what that something was. “I mean – I would just like to see Spear Pillar.”

“Er,” Olivia turned back to her computer and clicked her virtual calendar. Studying it once it had taken its sweet time loading in, she said over her shoulder, “I can show you a little later tomorrow, if that’s alright?”

“That sounds perfect. Yup. I will be here all day tomorrow. Grooming day.”

She tried to hide her cringe when she tapped in her “appointment” with Mr. Emmet around 7. It would still be light enough to get there and back, she could order dinner from Toubuchi Udon, and crash. Already slated to be a long day, Olivia was already dreading it in the back of her head.

“Alright, you’re on my schedule, Mr. Emmet.”

She chirped, unaware how much her voice was slipping into the one she used for customer service. The Subway Boss noticed but made no comment. Probably just tired.

“Verrrrry good.”

Emmet headed to his room, listening in the dark to his landlord move around and speak quietly to Pokémon before she went upstairs. He was almost positive that this time at Spear Pillar would be just as fruitless as all the other times at, but he was nothing but relentless.

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

The following day was a lot of polishing and brushing and scrubbing. His decision fell in tandem with Galvantula’s and Haxorus’ molts. He and Ingo did their best to keep up with grooming, but it was especially crucial for Galvantula. Her limbs would start to lock up until she freed herself from her old shed.

Haxorus was rubbing up against everything, little flakes drifting off her hide like grayish snow. The dragon lounged in a large, inflatable kiddie pool, she needed to be hydrated during her sheds, and Garbodor was helpfully scooping cups full of water to get the portions of Haxorus not in the pool.

Emmet sat cross legged on the grass, absently polishing Klingklang’s and Durant’s while he kept tossing little glances to Galvantula, who lay on her back writhing and squirming as her shed came off inch by inch. She was still on her back as Emmet finished removing the soot and polishing the glass on Chandelure’s body. He had intended to help Archeops with his preening, but he took a detour to check on her.

“Hello little lady, do you require assistance?”

Galvantula hissed in response, struggling to free her legs from her shed, but Emmet never touched without permission. A few more moments of struggling, a few Joltiks chirping beside her to cheer her on, the Electric type freed herself.

“Good girl. Take a break now.”

Swarmed by her younger siblings, Galvantula chittered and righted herself to lay in the sun for her dewy fresh limbs to harden.

Miss Olivia’s Pokémon were also in the garden, seemingly interested but not approaching, they were focused on tending to the green space in their trainer’s absence. She always seemed to be grooming Raichu, his affinity for sweets often made his glossy coat feel tacky. It looked to be a very labor intensive and precise procedure, so she might not appreciate him attempting to clean the Electric Pokémon up. He severely doubted Infernape would allow him to be that close to him for an extended period of time for a necessary groom. So, Emmet left them alone.

Archeops was usually on top of his own maintenance, but the Subway Boss still liked to help him preen to build a stronger relationship with the fossil Pokémon. Tweezing erupting pin feathers delicately to remove the waxy tips. Just like with Eelektross, Emmet also filed the Rock type’s nails.

Crustle was already underground to find fresh soil for his new shell. Emmet explicitly told him to stay out of Miss Olivia’s garden and, so far, he hadn’t seen any disturbed areas on the property, so he must have been somewhere else on the mountain. While he filed Eelektross’ nails, checking his fins and mouth for any signs of parasites – not that that would ever happen! Emmet took verrrrry good care of his and Ingo’s Pokémon – he wondered if Crustle’s new shell would be noticeably different from the Unovan one. Professor Juniper would have found the topic fascinating – Burgh too, probably.

Excadrill was pawing at himself with a growl, trying to loosen the caked-on mud and dirt on his slackened skin. Of all his Pokémon, Miss Olivia really seemed to like Excadrill. With his help she was able to move whole portions of her orchard around without completely destroying the root systems. She was out there every day with the Ground type as he toiled away underground until everything was where she wanted it to be. Excadrill loved the work, he loved digging and burrowing, which was not something he could have done easily in Nimbasa. Ingo often took him to Route 4 to play and dig as he pleased, but this was more of the soil that his species was used to.

It took a good hour and a half of brushing with an undercoat brush, and that was already after scrubbing him with a bristle brush to rid him of mud and plastered on to him. The really caked-on stuff was at the base of his claws and at the sharp helmet-like ornament on his head, but there was plenty of dust hidden in his dense fur. Last was polishing for Excadrill and he tottered off to doze next to Galvantula and the Joltiks.

“One more.”

Emmet said to himself. He refused to think about it. He refused to get his hopes up. Just focus on cleaning up his team. He was not going to allow himself to get impatient as he waited for Miss Olivia.

There was no cleaning Garbodor. He tended to groom himself anyway in his own strange way, but he never smelled bad. Trubbish and Garbodor could actually produce a rather pleasant odor around people who loved them and took care of them properly, like he and Ingo did.

So that left Haxorus, who had pretty much shed on her own. Emmet tested parts of her tail, noting that beneath was neither sticky nor gooey and gently peeled. Haxorus’ scales shone brightly, grumbling with delight as her tusks received a good scrubbing, polishing, and filing. Everyone was all cleaned up and Emmet’s stomach was rumbling.

Miss Olivia’s Pokémon followed him back inside. He was positive that Infernape still didn’t really trust him, but Raichu seemed more intrigued by him than anything. Electric types always had an affinity for him and Elesa. Their mutual interest actually got their foot in the door in terms of friendship. Emmet went on a few dates with her before she had come out.

“It’s not you!”

Elesa had told him in a panic, but Emmet didn’t take it that way. He came to the realization that he was gay after the dates he had had with her, so he understood. After that they remained really good friends. Ingo too.

Raichu hovered around him, an arm length or two away from him as Emmet slapped together a sandwich with some pickles on the side. Deli meats were not too common unless Emmet specifically went out to look for them in Jublife or Canalave, but he had come to enjoy fried chicken cutlets with some lettuce, mayo, and mozzarella. His time with Miss Olivia had nudged him into being a little more adventurous, but she also accepted his limitations… She really was a kind person.

Almost like he had read his mind, Raichu chirped and moved closer, cozying up to Emmet.

“Hello. I am not giving you treats.”

The Pokémon didn’t seem interested in treats or his food. His soft fur against his neck made a shiver run up his spine because it was triggering the same sensation one might get if they were being tickled. He stifled a chuckle, his shoulder shifting to guard his exposed neck when Raichu’s tail twisted lazily around his bicep. Small paws kneaded his stiff shoulder, the Pokémon rubbing his head against him with small, happy cheeps.

“I am Emmet. What are you doing?”

It didn’t seem like a big deal. Just the Pokémon warming up to him. He allowed it, sitting down to eat his lunch as Raichu got comfy.

Olivia arrived home a few hours later to discover a funny scene. Raichu was sleeping on Mr. Emmet’s chest on the couch, the man himself just scrolling through his phone with one hand and stroking her Pokémon’s head with the other.

“Sorry, he can be annoying when he wants affection.”

Mr. Emmet glanced around at her, scooping Raichu up with one arm to sit up right.

“I do not mind. He is very soft.”

“He gets salt baths and a good brush down every week.”

“I noticed. And Infernape?”

“Grooms himself, but I try to comb him every so often. He’s very particular… Ready for a little hike?”

Emmet was already moving around the room. He had been ready hours ago. He was using the grooming as a distraction, but his mind was buzzing like a swarm of angry Beedrill. This would always happen when he was closing in on a lead. Don’t get your hopes up. Manage your expectations.

Considering how close Cedaridge was to the top of Mount Coronet, it didn’t take as long to get to Spear Pillar as it had with Cynthia. Emmet already knew the drill once they exited the tunnel and felt the pressure and drop in temperature, he had taken the time climbing up the underground path to button up his coat to the collar. He was about to bypass Miss Olivia and head up the stairs toward the dais, when he felt something holding fast to his sleeve.

His knee-jerk reaction was to yank out of her grasp, not that Olivia was surprised. His expression was unreadable for a moment, an odd mix of apprehension and exasperation, before Mr. Emmet recomposed himself.

“Sorry,” she replied sheepishly, putting her hands up and away from him. “Here. I usually take a second to pay my respects before coming up here.”

Rummaging through her pocket, she produced two berries. Two Lansat berries. They were hell to grow, but they were for very special occasions. A pocketknife was able to crack its shell and she worked it open until she reached the fruit within.

Emmet watched her place one down on the stairs before she handed him the knife and the other berry. Okay. She really wanted him to do this. He didn’t really understand why. Cynthia hadn’t made him do anything. However, he obliged. Perhaps some sort of superstition for the inhabitants of the mountain.

He hadn’t seen many Lansat berries, but he was under the impression that the red shell was also edible. Pokémon seemed to eat it with no trouble, but he had a delicate human mouth.

He placed the berry down by hers and was about to step over them when Miss Olivia cleared her throat.

“This is a divine place, Mr. Emmet.”

Ah.

“Right.”

He muttered, stepping back into line with her and copying her closed eyes and hands clasped in front of her… Well, for the most part. The Subway Boss kept peeking to see if she was finished, unsure what exactly he was supposed to be doing. The gym leader in Johto had a similar expectation of him - Clair, was it? No, that was the Dragon’s Den. She had just expected him to battle to prove his worth. He more than met her high expectations. No, it had been Morty at the Brass Tower and then the Tin Tower. He had stopped and bowed his head, mumbling something to himself in reverence, and waiting for Emmet to do the same. Miss Olivia expected the same.

It wasn’t that Emmet was unaware of or against any particular religious belief, he just never really got religion. Yes, he had respect for everyone’s beliefs - but praying, burning incense, bowing? It didn’t quite click. He often humored whoever, but it often left him scratching his head.

Emitting a soft sigh through his flared nostrils, Emmet closed his eyes. He had realized just how much his eyes ached as he closed them, like he hadn’t blinked in a long time.

I am Emmet. I do not know what to say… I want to find my brother. Please help me find Ingo. I would do anything for him.

“Okay, thank you, Mr. Emmet.” That was the only response he received. He opened his eyes. The fruit still sat on the stairs, uneaten and fragrant at his feet. Emmet stepped over them and made his way slowly toward the dais. “Sorry. I was always taught to treat places like this with respect. You never know who’s watching.”

He replied with a grunt and began to weave his way between the pillars, examining every inch of the place and Olivia watched him work meticulously while she stood by the head of the stairs. It was odd. This place had a presence. Pressure on your body. A low hum that would rattle your bones and make your vision go fuzzy. Spear Pillar was ancient, and it demanded your respect. Mr. Emmet was not being disrespectful, but Olivia had always been taught not to upset things bigger than yourself if you could avoid it.

She had never been particular good with prayers, but she gave it a shot. Something was better than nothing. Hugging herself, she waited and waited for Mr. Emmet to approach the dais.

“Do you know much about the ruins?”

“No, not really.”

She replied truthfully. Olivia had played in the mountain ruins a lot as a child with her best friend, but never Spear Pillar. It was just a little too far, a little too difficult to get to, and a little too daunting to approach. Even now that sense of fright still sat on her chest as heavy as a Copperajah.

“Used to be a place of worship for the ancient people of Sinnoh. It changed hands a couple of times. Supposedly, a great disaster made it look like this.”

Mr. Emmet gestured at all the broken pillars from which the place derived its name. That made sense. It must have fallen into a state of disrepair from the disaster and continued to deteriorate after its destruction, people gradually moving away from the place to leave it in isolation on top of the mountain.

“I wouldn’t have pinned you as a history buff, Mr. Emmet.”

He looked slowly around at her, his brow furrowed, and the corners of his mouth flattened out, which was the closest he could get to a frown he could get she had discovered. He said he wasn’t. Olivia wasn’t sure if she was convinced. Mr. Emmet seemed to realize that and quickly clarified.

“It is not a passion. It is a necessity.”

Necessity?

“Why is a necessity?” He didn’t answer, his gray eyes scanning over the pictograms and symbols on the dais, and they flashed momentarily angry. Why did he feel so close? What on earth was he missing? “Well, if you want to know more about the ruins, there’s a tour group in Celestic that-”

“I have already spoken to Cynthia. I have already spoken to everyone I can think of. All tracks lead to empty stations. By the sacred swords, this is infuriating!”

Emmet did not notice her flinch or spot her edging away. What she said next was soft and sheepish, she did not know how much it sounded like pity.

“I’m sorry.”

It was not remotely her fault. Emmet just needed to get this frustration out. This place was hiding secrets and he desperately wanted to know them. A pent-up fury that had been building and building since he first started this journey was starting to reach critical mass inside the Subway Boss. All the dead ends, all the false hope, all the detours and delays – Emmet just wanted his brother back. His brother, who would have never left him by choice. His brother, who loved him, and who he loved in return. Ingo, his brother, his twin, his closest companion, and confidant, was just out of reach and Emmet was tired of it.

“Sorry? Our paths may run alongside each other, but you have no idea.” When she didn’t say anything too stunned by his raised voice and blunt words, he rounded on her. Miss Olivia looked like a young Deerling; big, frightened eyes and completely frozen limbs as she waited for the other shoe to drop. “Dragons above, you are clueless. You do not get it and you never will.”

It was a harsh bark and Olivia shrank back from his imposing frame, barely containing a whimper because she did not understand why he was lashing out at her. Perhaps proximity, she was here, and she looked like an easy punching bag, but that was no reason to get nasty with her. Although she was frightened, Olivia inhaled sharply, her chest puffing out in indignation, and squared her shoulders. She took a step towards him, jabbing him in the chest with a stiff index and hissed through gritted teeth.

“I will be waiting at the entrance to the cave. I don’t know what your problem is, but you need time to cool off.”

The walk back down the mountain was utterly silent. Neither made an attempt to engage in conversation, or even so much as glance at one another. Emmet had spent another ten minutes storming around the ruins until he had mostly mastered his anger. Unsurprisingly, Miss Olivia only offered him a cold shoulder the entire way back, which was deserved. She only told him there were some leftovers in the fridge before she headed upstairs with her Pokémon following close behind. Alone in the kitchen, Emmet sat at the table with his head in his hands.

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[likesunsetorange]

25!!!!

ask game

25. what’s your revision or rewriting process like?

as of right now it’s kind of a cluster fuck bc i am in fact a cluster fuck but i function off organized chaos so i guess here is sort of how it goes?

for one, my uni pays for us to have grammarly premium so that definitely helps me to see like minor grammatical errors AS i’m writing especially bc i think sometimes ny brain works faster than my hands do while typing so i write backwards and all weird sometimes lol

i tend to edit by scene (this is like debated by a lot of people bc of like the revision process but i find it works for me and i go through and re read everything anyways so 🤷🏽‍♀️) so this is like what i do for each scene

i finish writing and then i go through and like adjust any like sentences i want to sound better so syntax, verbiage, metaphors, etc and that’s my second run through of it

then once im done with the entire chapter or whatever i go through everything and do the same process again and adjust accordingly if ive added or changed stuff that may have needed to be fixed since i tend to edit by scene (also i write non chronologically half the time too lol) so this is where i add any connecting things that need to be fixed and such

then i have it sent to be beta read and go over the stuff they adjust/suggest! and if i have any questions and stuff or want a suggestion of a part to fix ill ask them during my writing process if it’s like essential in that moment or like if it’s a phrasing thing that can be fixed while they beta read i’ll leave a comment on the gdoc while they read!

also i write in different colors for every time i edit!! so each run through is a different color so i know what’s been changed through each read through!! i learned this from @irememberthedark and i really love it so much!!! so each chapter will look all colorful LOL here’s an example from the last dol chapter!

i probably explained this very bad and it’s a bit confusing and probably not the best of methodical way of writing but i’ve found it’s what works for me!! i have like severely bad adhd so like i have to work around that lol and so this kind of helps me in that sense!! i haven’t ALWAYS done this, i’ve only more recently done it bc i want to put more effort and such and better quality into my writing!

but also sometimes for stuff like the cabin au when i kind of write it spur of the moment i just straight up wrote that and edited a bit and then asked mar to beta read it 😭 so like it really just depends on what it is tbh. but mostly also bc i am kind of a messdkdkdkdk

[glasses-mcgee]

ꕥ !! Author's Note !! ꕥ

Hey guys! So this will be my first ever Fanfiction ever, I guess? I mean I published few stories on different accounts but I wasn't really that much fluent in English, given by the fact that it has MULTIPLE grammatical errors and such that made it so hard to read ngl (and cringe). But anyways! Here is a snippet my fanfic "Just Got Lucky". It's a fanfiction based of THE BOYS. If you want to read more, I'm more active on WATTPAD than TUMBLR. I'll try my best to update asap! Thanks and Enjoy yall!!

Just Got Lucky

CHAPTER FIVE: Cherry Bomb

WORDS: 1224

!! Spoilers Ahead !!

"Please. I won't tell anyone you kidnapped me. Release me, and you'll be known as the person who saved Translucent. I won't tell Homelander anything, I promise just please let me go." Translucent begged. Sky knelt down to his level, her expression a mix of confusion and amusement. "Wait, wait, wait. Let me get this straight. You want me to let you go, so you can what? Go back to being a giant invisible douchebag? Do you hear yourself right now?"

Translucent's face twisted in panic. "I'm serious! Just let me go, and I'll make sure Homelander never finds out about this."

Sky snorted. "Oh, yeah, because your word is worth so much right now. 'Hey, Homelander, don't worry about the whole kidnapping thing, we're totally cool.' Yeah, that's gonna fly."

"I... I can help you! I have connections!" Translucent stammered, trying to come up with a convincing argument.

Sky's face lit up with mock realization. "Oh, connections! Why didn't you say so? Let me just unlock this cage real quick so you can introduce me to your little invisible friends."

She stood up, shaking her head and chuckling. "You know, for someone who's supposed to be invisible, you sure can't see the reality of your situation. You're just a guy who got caught with his pants down. Literally, I might add. Not a good look."

As Sky turned to leave, she glanced back at Translucent one last time. "Enjoy the view, Shiny Butt," she said and gave him the middle finger.

With that, she walked out of the cellar, slamming the door shut behind her. Translucent's desperate pleas echoed inside the room, but Sky ignored them, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction. Maybe this world needed a little less of Translucent and a lot more people willing to stand up to the so-called heroes. It's time to know that their actions have consequences.

Her moment of dark excitement was cut short when she saw Hughie rushing towards her, his face pale.

"Sky...Homelander's here," Hughie said, his voice trembling with anxiousness.

Sky's eyes widened, and she slapped a hand to her forehead dramatically. "Oh, fantastic. Just what we needed. Vought's psychopathic hero."

Hughie glanced nervously over his shoulder. "What do we do?"

Sky put her hands on her hips," We've got the most dangerous superhero on the planet knocking on our door, and we're hiding in what smells like the world's worst abandoned meat locker. Great planning, everyone!"

Hughie was visibly shaking. "Sky, this is serious."

Sky turned to him, her face a mask of exaggerated calm. "Serious? Hughie, we're about to have a showdown with the guy who could probably kill us all with a sneeze."

She started pacing, thinking out loud. "Alright, alright. Plan A: We throw Translucent at him and run for it. Plan B: We act super casual, like, 'Oh hey, Homelander, didn't see you there. Just having a casual hangout with your invisible buddy.'"

Hughie looked horrified. "None of those plans sound good."

Butcher stormed in, catching the tail end of Sky's "plan." He looked furious. "What the bloody hell are you on about, Sky? This ain't a time for your bloody jokes."

Sky turned to Butcher and widened her eyes, "Okay that was too much, I'm sorry."

Butcher's eyes narrowed. "This is serious business. Homelander's not some prat you can just take the piss out of. We need a proper plan."

"Oh, shit. Oh, shit! He could see us. He's got X-ray vision. He can see through the fucking roof." Hughie panicked, pacing back and forth. "And super fucking hearing. You pull that detonator, he will hear," Frenchie said, adding salt to the wound.

"We've got to throw him off scent..." Butcher paused and looked at Frenchie, "Pittsburgh." He shook his head and placed his hands on the table, contemplating whether to do the plan or not. "Do you know how much this will cost me?" Frenchie worried.

"Put it in the tab," Butcher said while smirking, both men leaving the two behind.

"Guys?", Hughie looked at Sky who was busy typing on her phone, "Calm down, Hughie. It's just Aaron. He's been sending me memes. Honestly, if I don't reply, he'll start calling me, and you know how that goes."

"We don't have time for memes, Sky! This is serious. We need to focus. Frenchie's rigging the place to blow, Butcher's making a diversion, and you're just... texting?" Hughie's face was flushed with anxiety.

Sky's phone buzzed one last time, and she looked at Hughie with a raised eyebrow, holding up her hands in mock surrender. "Okay. No more texting. I'm here. What do you need?"

Hughie's face was pale as he looked around, clearly agitated. "We need to figure out what's going on. Frenchie and Butcher are gone, and—"

Before he could finish, a loud clatter echoed from the cellar. Hughie's heart skipped a beat as he realized it was the sound of metal hitting the concrete, until the door flung open.

"Oh, no. No, no, no," Hughie muttered, his voice trembling. "He's gone. Translucent's out."

Sky kept her phone in her pocket and stared at the open door, "Well, no shit." she said, trying to mask her concern with humor. Hughie then ran to get the remote from the table and threatened to push it.

"Get the fuck back in that cage before I press the button," Hughie's voice cracking out of nervousness and adrenaline rush.

"Just take it easy, okay?" Translucent said, trying to calm Hughie down with his rapid breathing.

"Please, just go back in the cage." Hughie pleaded.

Translucent walked closer, trying to negotiate with him, "Look, if you kill me, they're not gonna stop looking for you. You'll be glancing over your shoulder your whole life till they find you, which they will."

Hughie's hand were trembling as he held out the remote with the detonation button to Sky, "I...I can't do this. Please, take it. I can't be responsible for this."

"So wait, if I press the button, he'll explode and then we get to see Translucent be a hamburger helper?" Sky asked, glancing at the remote annoyinngly as she held it.

The supe's eyes narrowed in frustration. "I'm serious. If you let me go, I can help you."

"Oh yeah, because a superpsycho decided that we'll be Bff's right now is a great idea." Sky shrugged dramatically. She can seriously hear Hughie's pants of anxiety and she couldn't take it anymore. The dust from the broken debries aren't helping either, scratching her nose that it almost went red.

As Translucent stepped closer, Hughie panicked. "Sky...this is your call, I just can't do it."

She then thought about it for a moment. Translucent did make a point. If they kill him, Vought's going to be up their asses their whole lives, plotting for their so called justice. But, if they let him go, he'll probably just snitch and tell them everything they did to him.

Sky arrived at a conclusion and sighed, "Okay, if I let you go...What's the catch?"

Before Translucent could respond, Sky sneezed violently, the dust and ashes from the broken cellar door tickling her nose. But then...she felt her face was wet. There wasn't any leakage in the basement. Sky wiped her forehead and looked at her bloodied fingers. She accidentally pressed the button when she sneezed.

Sky killed Translucent.

[taliesin-19]

Boy, it's been ages since I've done one of these... I'll start this by yelling at you for ever doubting or second-guessing yourself of not being capable of writing a good Luna. Fuck off, that was delightful. Now, since this is in fact an ask, if you had narrow it down 3 aspects that makes you write dialogue and particularly children's dialogue, what would they be? I know you obviously have a lot of experience, but that doesn't always translate well to paper... Love ya 😍 #nextchapterwhen

Hey random reader! This answer has been a long time coming, but I'm going through some old asks and figured I'd give this one a try.

So three things that I find Important in writing dialogue? Let's see...

1. Unique character voice. The goal should always be for the reader to be able to distinguish who is talking even without a dialogue tag. Just a few examples from my writing:

Harry usually talks more dryly, struggles to put things into words and can be unintentionally blunt because of it. He's got some 'ers' and 'erms'. He's not very verbose unless he's more emotional.

Abby talks a lot. She starts sentences and goes in a different directions. She's probably got the most dashes and ellipses in her dialogue. When she's nervous or excited, she talks more. When she's upset, she doesn't talk much at all.

Ron's dialogue is one of the most fun to write for me. He's usually poking fun at people, lightening the mood, being the voice of reason. A lot of his dialogue is sarcastic, filled with slang and swears. He's not a talker either. He'll have the one-liners that serve as comic relief most of the time. But when he's serious, he's gonna toss a few words at you that instantly shut you up and make you realize you're being an idiot.

Hermione is also fun to write. She's obviously going to have the biggest vocabulary, never swear, not have too many dashes and ellipses because she's usually very eloquent. Sometimes her anxiety will kick in though, and she may stutter and overcompensate by talking more.

As for the kids, writing children's dialogue is definitely tricky. They all need their own voices too. They can't be too cutesy or too mature. I find what helps is writing normal dialogue, but then changing grammar structure and word usage to reflect their age. They're probably all going to have a lot of run on sentences and dashes to reflect how their thoughts shift more quickly. Lily will have a few speaking errors (not overdone) like saying certain big words wrong (ex. 'vestigates instead of investigates) or having grammatical errors ("funner" instead of more fun), etc. Lily is also very repetitive sometimes to indicate when she's being whiny. Al doesn't talk much except when he's with an adult one on one, or he's fighting with his siblings. James takes over most conversations, even with his cousins and tends to be bossy and self-assured. You won't see him with as many rambling/ellipses-filled dialogues.

And now that I've rambled, the next two important factors:

2. Sentence structure variety. This applies to all writing, but dialogue should especially not be a whole page of:

"blah blah blah," he said.

"blah blah blah," she said.

You need to mix it up to get a nice rhythm of reading and to make the conversation feel organic.

A. "B," he said.

"B", she said. "B."

A.

"B".

(if that makes any sense)

Adding movement in the dialogue tags is Important as well to remind readers that these are living breathing people that aren't just spouting words at each other.

This kind of leads into the last thing (for now, there's many other things I'm sure).

3. Creating a rhythm. Idk how to properly title it or describe this. But the time it takes to read the words on the page should be relatively equal to the rhythm in which you want the characters to speak. So if you want a pause, use words outside the dialogue to create the pause. For ex:

"The sky is blue," Harry said.

"You're right."

Vs.

"The sky is blue," Harry said.

Abby looked up, squinting at sun before looking back at Harry. "You're right."

In the second example, you're forced to create a pause in the dialogue which more naturally replicates the rhythm of speaking. I find it helps to read things out loud to hear the rhythm. But just like with point #2, you want a good variety in rhythm. Cause if it's too uniform it won't sound natural.

Okay I hope that answers your question. I could go on about this stuff cause I love dialogue so much. Prose can gtfo though

[redbone135]

So, Mr. English Teacher…😏 Did you realize you made a typo using the wrong there (you used their instead of there) in one of your tags? I should let you be on that but you know I can’t resist the urge to tease you about grammatical errors😂🤪

Also: I found out tonight at Youth Group/Bible Club - I help the Bible Club (kids from K to 6th) leaders with crowd control - that another lady at church has noticed I have an attraction to You-Know-Who😰 She said no one told her but she figured it out. Then I asked her if he knows and she said: “Oh he probably does. But the fact that he’s not running away from you is a good sign.” I think you told me that too?? Agh!

But… that also makes a little uneasy, ya know? Cause like, what if someone else notices? Someone who might happen to have kind of a big mouth…?

Hey missy, I did notice, actually :P That was not the only typo in those tags by a longshot, either. I make a lot of typos in my tags because, besides being an English teacher, I am also a lazy... individual. Now that I’m not being paid for my spelling and grammar, I’ve let it relax a lot. That doesn’t mean I don’t notice them, it just means I don’t have to care as much anymore. You knew what I meant anyway :P

And it’s time to be blunt, lol, Abby, he knows. He knows. If other people are figuring it out, provided he has a couple brain cells to rub together, he almost certainly has, too.  Again, I don’t know the guy, but he probably thinks it’s cute. If he found it annoying or off-putting in any way he wouldn’t still be texting you and offering to spend time around you.  Don’t worry so much about it - after all, he is going to have to know eventually, right? You don’t want this to just stay a perpetual crush, so eventually you two are going to have to talk about it. Let it happen naturally and don’t worry so much about it. Trust that whatever God has planned will happen with or without your guidance. 

[anonslimes]

Punching a bucket over and over again until everything is okay but it’s not

Description: “I don’t understand how he could just….do that. It’s utterly ridiculous. Stanley that bastard. Oh how I hate him. Always wanting to have control and apparently thinking that getting rid of me makes that possible. But no, he needs to understand that he needs me. No one else will protect him like I will. No one. Really what was he thinking? That he can just toss me away. That he can abandon me here? Thinking he can do it on his own? Hah. He might just be crazy. I know one thing, I’m not crazy. In, fact I’m far from it in fact I-“ or exactly what the title says! We

Tags: The Stanley Parable, Tsp Narrator, Tspud bucket, mentions of Stanley, Short fanfic, Angst, Physical Violence?

Author’s note: This is based off of a roleplay with me and my friends where the Narrator gives the silly bucket the ability to talk. The Narrator is in physical form for this story and he can look like whoever you want. The context is that Narrator is handed the reassurance bucket by Stanley before Stanley runs into the skip button building and presses the skip button before the Narrator can stop him. This is around the final few skips where the Narrator is present. Apologies for any grammatical errors.

The narrator looked at the building once again. The door had long since disappeared so there was no way of telling if Stanley was even conscious. Was it worth noting? Time didn’t feel relevant anymore so he hadn’t kept track of it.

However, he had taken a lot of time to reflect on his thoughts, on everything that had happened. And his thoughts were mostly filled with a burning anger that made him want to set fire to the world. Then after spending about four hours ranting about it out loud he would calm down and go back to looking at that building as if somehow Stanley would teleport back out.

“I don’t understand how he could just….do that. It’s utterly ridiculous. Stanley that bastard. Oh how I hate him. Always wanting to have control and apparently thinking that getting rid of me makes that possible. But no, he needs to understand that he needs me. No one else will protect him like I will. No one. Really what was he thinking? That he can just toss me away. That he can abandon me here? Thinking he can do it on his own? Hah. He might just be crazy. I know one thing, I’m not crazy. In, fact I’m far from it in fact I-“

“Oh my god, shut the fuck up!” The bucket yelled out in frustration.

This made the Narrator stop his ramble and glare at the metal thing. He disliked that bucket. No, he hated that bucket. He wished he had never made that mistake. He wanted to wipe it off of the face of his story.

“Silence you thing. You know what you are? You are a bucket. Just a damn bucket! I don’t have to listen to an object that will never be good enough for anything more than transporting liquids!” The Narrator snapped

“Hah, that’s bullshit! I have brought more joy and comfort to Stanley than you could have ever imagined. In fact I bet I make him happier that you do” The bucket replied

“I made you, I gave you to Stanley. Without me you would have meant nothing! So what if Stanley enjoyed your comfort? That was your purpose! But Stanley’s not here, so you are useless right now, absolutely useless” The Narrator could feel his face turning red.

“Tell me, Narrator, does Stanley even like you? Really think about it. You have always given him every reason to despise you, in fact, that’s probably why he left you here in the first place. I was probably just a distraction so he could run and leave you here to rot and die. That’s what I would have done. That’s what anyone with a brain would have done. You’re a selfish man who likes making others suffer for your enjoyment. You would be a mess without Stanley’s attention. Stanley is too good for you. You are not enough for him. I hope someday you realize this and go burn in hell you piece of sh-“

The narrator slammed his fist so hard into the bucket that he could hear the metal being twisted. When he pulled his hand back he could see the large dent he had created. His mouth itched to apologize but then he had a realization. He didn’t need to apologize, he didn’t need to do anything. Stanley wasn’t there. Right now, it was just him and the bucket.

So he punched it again, and again, and again. Punching it over and over again as a sadistic spread across his face. It felt good, it felt so good just to let it out. Not having to simply tolerate it and move on. Here, in this very moment, he was in control. And he loved it.

Soon he tired himself out and the bucket was starting to bend into another shape so he simply just plopped himself down and laid on the ground. He looked up into the sky, the clouds were as grey as he felt. This was his memory zone after all.

He closed his eyes, and it started to rain. The water fell onto his face and mixed in with the tears coming from his eyes. Here in this very moment, He was alone. And he was scared. “The end…is never the end…is never the end….” The narrator began saying it over and over and over…

[axlorg89]

For the "send me a ship" meme: do you have a favorite KH pairing, and if so, why? 😊

Can I cheat and say more than one? Because more than one.

Sokai: Ah yes the obviously canon pair. With unsatisfactory amount of screen time together and when one of the pair is on the sidelines… With such a fate why would I hardcore ship it the way I do? Because of the characters themselves. I shipped this when I first played the game because it was obvious to 7 year old me, but I began to dig into this couple when I replayed the Remixes and noticed more details. The driving force for me is the fact that this couple is that how fond they are for eachother. Every moment the two has for each other just makes me love them more because of how cute and wholesome they are. 

One of my favorite moments is the hug and the endgame for KH2. In the hug, Kairi really puts her heart into that hug because she finally can’t believe that Sora is right before her whom she almost forget even existed. She feels guilty and reassured with this. Sora on the other hand looks guilty because he promised Kairi he’d be back and obviously with Riku… But here he is not with Riku. To add up on it, he made her a wait a year and indirectly “forced” Kairi here in a dangerous place no less to look for him. He’s happy at the sight of her but this reunion wasn’t what Sora wanted for Kairi or deserved. Now flash forward to the end where Sora and Riku finally come back home. In that instance where Sora is running toward Kairi is where the real reunion happened for the both of them. Not only that but here he is, at the islands with Riku. This is their perfect reunion because they know the evil had been defeated (Oh little did they know) and their smiling faces don’t lie about how happy they are to see each other. Now tell me those looks don’t look like love.

Ahhh this is getting long and I kind of lost my train of thought. Basically speaking, their actions and intentions for each other make them a great couple. There is so much you can dig into them and see such support they have for eachother. Sokai is so healthy/cute/amazing and I’m just fangirling at this point. With many more amazing moments for them that it’s hard to describe into words since their actions speak miles.

Rikushi: Okay now this is a pairing I can put words for… probably. Now this is a pairing that I liked after seeing 358/2 days. Surprise Surprise a rarepair (Because they are sorely lacking in fanart even though they deserve more). After everything Xion goes through, she really falls back on a certain character in the latter half of the game which is Riku. And I don’t mean to say she values Riku higher than her best friends but that in this instance of serious struggle, Xion feels more security along him while she feels more comfortable with her friends. It’s at this point in time where Xion is treated as less of her own person by those around her, even Axel, and not letting her make decisions for her ownself. Riku, on the other hand, is going on a quest to make sure his best friend wakes up and will take any measures to ensure it. But even despite that, he gives Xion time and more importantly, respect to make a hard choice, even as it’s cutting close to Sora’s time. Xion as well, makes sure not to betray Riku’s trust and respect in her for the same reason that she respects his goal and aim. They also have many great parallels and similar personality traits that they’d be compatible. Hell they could understand each other probably more than the person that they aim to save which are Sora and Roxas. An easy strike against this pairing is that Riku is doing this because he’s reminded of Kairi and Sora within her… which is not wrong but also wrong. In the beginning he does view her as that but the finale of 358/2 days is what convinces me that’s no longer the case. It’s the fact that Riku is still able to remember Xion and more importantly he realizes what she has done. He knows she sacrificed herself for herself, Sora, and Roxas who Xion also knows/believes will go back to Sora. With Xion’s, quite literally, dying words for him to stop Roxas, I believe this strengthens his resolve on bringing back Roxas to Sora. As such he embraces the darkness once more. At the very end, Riku sees Xion for her at the very end as her own person with her own wants and wishes. This in my opinion separates the full comparison of Sora and Kairi the whole time.

-breathes out- Okay that was too lengthy, just know that I love this pair a lot and they would be a great couple. Like people give this love and realize what a great pairing this could be.

You know what? BONUS TIME. I’ll just pop another one in here JUST bECAUSE

RokuNami: Okay where do I go with this couple? Aesthetically HD Pleasing and amazing singing voice actors *cough* okay pairing wise. These two may at first seem like “clones” of Sora and Kairi but they really aren’t and they know that perfectly well for each other. Namine, the moment she stepped into this world, was alone. Not only that but she was controlled as well without having a sense of control for herself. Even in KH2 Namine is still under the control of someone as harsh as DiZ in that small white room. Although she later cherishes Axel and Riku as companions (according to the kh2 novels), Namine knows that she is a witch being kept around walls. And then comes Roxas who perks her curiosity. She sees his memories and relates to him and the feeling of being kept in the dark to which Roxas has suffered intensely from. That is the connection to which Namine feels the “want” to meet Roxas even though she shouldn’t deserve anything since she is a witch as she is constantly been described as. In this, Namine takes more steps for her and also to help Roxas. She also decides that Roxas deserves the truth which is all Roxas ever wanted from the latter half of 358/2 Days. And Namine gave it to him, no sugarcoat at all or bias at all. I believe Roxas greatly senses this within Namine as well and can relate to her in his fleeting summer days. At that point, Roxas knows something is up and that Namine is giving him answers when she really shouldn’t be. It could be fair to say that out of the four he met in the real world(Axel, DiZ, Riku, and Namine) he would choose her first and foremost. These two are honest to god cinnamon rolls and they have similar traits such as being self sacrificing and compassionate. In all honesty, they set out a groundwork for a truly cute (also hurt/comfort) couple. Hopefully we can see more of them in KH3 possibly because they don’t have much screentime. One thing is sure though, they have an unbreakable trust and are super freaking cute and are happy to have each other.

[springalwayscomes]

Not even a gift

Plot: Since the moment Jungkook saw your ass he swore he never saw something that beautiful. But then you turned around, and well, that was a total different thing. The poor man couldn’t even stand beside you without embarassing himself or embarassing you, and evey time seems to get worse and worse and...worse. 

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

Genre: Dancer AU, Fluff, Humor, Smut, One Shot

Wordcount: 30k

Content Warning: Jungkook can’t stop embarassing himself, swearing, sexual innuendo, sexual tension, awkard situations, masturbation, sexual fantasies, a lot - a lot - of fluff, Reader with stress issues, overwhelming parents, trust issues

A/N: I wrote this when I was just joining the fandom, last year for Kookie’s birthday. I remember wanting to pst this so badly but it stayed in my drafts because I wasn’t sure it was good enough and I was a little insecure about the ending. I told to myself that someday I’d rewrite a new ending and post this, but knowing myself and how I work with my writing, I know that that day will never come because even if did so, I’ll probably end up with not liking my style of writing anymore and editit all out, leave it like this or delate it. So I told myself that I’d rather prefer to publish it. cause at the end this story was incredibly funny to write - sometimes I would laugh all alone like an idiot while writing it - and to be honest I think it’s pretty good. It’s the very first fanfiction I wrote about BTS so it’s also very meaningful for me. For reasons as the ones I already mentioned I decided to not edit this, so you might find some grammatical errors, please understand that this was the first time I wrote something from scratch in english. If you’d like to read it in episodes I’m going to publish it on youtube as a series too, where you’ll be able to live the full experience of the story since there you can visualize it too, as for the story it’s exactly the same as here. Enjoy reading this one, I know you’ll have fun!

Watch the first episode on Youtube

Since the moment Jungkook saw your ass he swore he never saw something that beautiful. It wasn’t just fit and solid, it was the way you were moving it on the beat, making it look like something he’d die to touch, squeeze, hold.

That was the very first thing he noticed about you.

He couldn’t help but fantasize how you’re face would look, watching your back from the doorframe of the ballroom. He imagined you sweat, little drops forming on your forehead caused by the the movements. He tried to focus his attention on the other dancers, fixating his gaze on the girl beside you making the exact same moves as you, but something about your presence kept on calling him like you were a mermaid and he was a poor sailor.

His dark doe-eyes ended again on your body, being in the last row it was hard for him to find your reflection in the mirror, other bodies moving endlessly making him grimace. He was running out of time, the poor man got stuck in traffic on his way here, already twenty minutes late, and god knows why he stopped looking at you dancing.

He shook his head when even after the music stopped your back was still facing him, not that he minded, but he was really dying to know how your face would look like.

Someone must have been both incredibly hungry and in love with him, cause a second later, you were bending over, resting your elbows on your thighs and giving him an even more beautiful view of your ass while trying to catch your breath. 

Breath stuck in his lungs, Jungkook gulped hard, making his adam’s apple jump up and down.

The girl next to you said something that made you laugh, back invaded by the spasms of your laughter, something he couldn’t hear because of all the talking that was going on in the room. He wished he could. He imagined your voice, soft and sweet, and soon enough is mind was already wondering about your features.

Snorting and getting out of his trance, he remembered himself he had to practice. Ready to take the first step away from the ballroom which he didn’t belong to, he shook his head a second time and turned, ready to leave his thoughts about you in that room and never meet them again.

But a second song started. And this time, he recognized the beat. Holding his breath again, he faced the entrance with a speed that got him shocked by himself.

Your hips were moving again, slowly and sensually, hands drawing abstract shapes in the air, hair attached to your skin. Your sweat shorts were doing nothing to hide your skin from his dark eyes, all he could think about was the way it seemed to shine under the lights of the room and the way your sweat would make it look even more glowing.

He hissed through his teeth, trying to push away the though of his hands against your skin, the way he’d like to trace your thighs with his fingers, leave pecks against your body and mark your hips with his lips. He brought his gaze back on your ass, sinful eyes burning against your skin and jaw clenching, Jungkook licked his lips and watched you arch your back before bringing your left leg to your head, holding it with your hands as you tiptoed your right foot.

«How long have you been here?»

He literally jumped, locking his gaze with whoever gave him a heart attack. Standing beside him, looking at him with his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes wide were Yoongi.

«I-»

«You know this is the wrong room, right?» he looked at him with a blank expression, trying to understand what Jungkook was actually doing standing at the doorframe of a different studio, without even caring about the fact he should be practicing with him and the others.

«I know, I was just... looking around.» he managed to let out, before taking a deep breath and stepping towards Yoongi.

The moment he realized he was rocking a half-hard just by his previous sight, he clenched his jaw and gulped again. If Yoongi had already noticed his situation then he wouldn’t know cause his face was no longer on him, neck turned to peek into the room that stole the maknae’s attention before. The youngest one used that moment to bring his bag in front of him, and then headed to their dance class trying not to draw too much attention.

That was the first time he saw you.

Jungkook dropped his bag to the ground as soon as he entered his bedroom, removing his sneakers and his socks he headed to his bathroom in a matter of seconds, begging to feel the cold drops of water wash away all the sweat on his skin and the heat of his body, even though the last one wasn’t because of the workout.

His cock was aching, so damn hard and throbbing against his sweat pants.

He wished they finished their practice just a few seconds sooner. Dancing was a pain in the ass today, all he wanted to do was head back to your doorframe and peek at you, loose his gaze on your body, trying to steal a glance of your face.

But still, it didn’t happen. He couldn’t help but think about how’d you look during the three hours of rehearsals, he thought about it so much that now he had a clear image of you in his mind. And it was pretty platonic, almost inaccessible.

He removed his shirt and his pants, letting them fall on the ground, and then turned on the water, already hooking his fingers under the elastic band of his boxers. He was so hard that it ached.

Jungkook took a deep breath and palmed himself through the material, immediately hissing at the touch. Deciding it was not enough he let the cloth slowly fall to the ground, creating a wall around his ankles that he surpassed in a second getting in the shower.

He didn’t waste time on lathering, he just shut the glass door and closed his eyes while bringing his hand to his shaft. The fingertip of his thumb collected the precum leaking out of his slit, moving over his head and making him clench his jaw shut, breath already uneven.

He though about the way you moved your hips, he’d like to hold them tight and down on the bed while fucking into you. He’d take such a good care of you. He’d fuck you so good, making you whimper and moan every time he’d hit your g-spot, he’d squeeze your ass in his big hands, leaving marks as a reminder of his touch. He’d kiss your skin, he’d kiss your neck and he wouldn’t even mind tasting the sweat caused by your rehearsals today, but in his mind, that’d be caused by what you two are doing.

Jungkook groaned and stroked himself, bringing his hand now to his base and tightening his grip around his girth. Throbbing, pulsating cock begging to release all his seed.

His movements were firm and clear, his fist moving so fast that his wrist was hurting, head falling back, mouth agape and eyebrows knitted together. The sound of his movements blended with the clatter of the water, his shoulders raising from time to time because of the heavy breathing, hips bucking against his hand. He wished it was you, the only part he’d seen of you, he desperately wished he was fucking your ass, so, so hard he’d make you whine and cry in pleasure. He imagined the sounds you’d made, and even though he didn’t even know how your voice sounded or how you looked, he already knew that it’d be his new favorite sound.

«Fuck» he groaned, fucking his cock in his hand even harder, moving his hips and meeting his hand halfway. He bit his lower lip, flesh aching and almost bleeding under his teeth, bringing his free hand to his heavy balls and massaging them. His pace fastened even more if it’s possible, his hips were snapping so hard into his hand picturing your ass in its place, he was so close he could taste it. He pictured your body bent over his bed, taking him so nicely, moaning out loud and clenching around his greedy cock, so needy and so damn wet for him.

«God, fuck» he growled, shoving fast into his hand. He wished he knew your face, he’d like to picture you taking his big cock in your lips. He already know they’d look so damn beautiful around his girth, gagging and drooling for him, he’d hold your head still and fuck himself into your pretty lips so good, letting you eat all of his seed.

That, that was what brung him to his apex. Abs contracting and rough breath, muscles tightening and eyes squinting, lips open letting out low groans.

«Fucking hell»

Hot white spatters stained his hand and chest as he rode his orgasm, keep shoving himself into his hand. The water washed away his seed, it disappeared so fast he didn’t even see it, and when he opened his eyes he took some time to catch his breath leaning against the wall behind him.

His mind went blank, for just a little. He couldn’t think of anything else than the idyllic orgasm he just had, just the thought of it made his cheeks flash red.

Then, the thoughts hit him. He didn’t even know your name, and here he was, masturbating over you. He was going to change that.

The second time Jungkook saw you he did  not rush out of his house thirty minutes earlier than he was supposed to. He couldn’t help but ask to himself what was going on with him, he certainly knew he never felt the need to see someone he didn’t even know. God, you didn’t even noticed him. Standing at the doorframe of your rehearsals room, looking at you move your body in such a charming way he swore he never see someone dance like that. Why were you in the last row? You deserved to be in the first one, that wasn’t fair. But, in that way he couldn’t see you, so he stored the information at the back of his mind. When you stopped your movements and you suddenly disappeared into the crowd, he again remembered to himself that he didn’t even know what he was doing.

Come on, was he really going to stand there for about other ten minutes and watch  you dance without doing nothing? He desperately wanted to know how your face looked, by now he could say he had a perfect picture of you in his head. And if he was right, you were probably the best thing he ever seen. 

Just the thought made him lick his lips, taking a deep nervous breath. He needed to talk to you. But what would he say? “Hi, I’ve been watching you dance”? Ew, definitely no. He tried to come up with other possibilities but his mind was totally blank, panic making his way through his thoughts and taking every part of him, leaving him only with sweaty hands and an adam’s apple gulping in his throat.

«Jungkook»

A voice made him turn, his gaze suddenly traveled to his right side.

«Oh, hey» he blurted out, Taehyung was staring at him with an arched eyebrow and inquisitive eyes.

«What were you doing?» the oldest one got closer, his hands in his pockets and a slight smile forming on his lips. Jungkook shook his head.

«Mh- I- waiting» he stuttered. His friend knitted his eyebrows looking at him for just a few seconds, then his gaze met the ballroom in front of them, where Jungkook’s was again scanning bodies, trying to find yours.

«Are you looking for someone?» Teahyung asked, receiving just a shake with his head from the youngest. But he knew better than that, he knew Jungkook well, maybe too much, he couldn’t even try to hide something from him.

When his eyes finally found you again, Teahyung knew it was you, he could just tell by the way he opened his lips, forming a little “oh”, his eyes never leaving your body.

«So you were waiting, uh?» he scoffed.

«Yes?» the maknae wanted to punch himself in the face, that was not supposed to come out as a question.

«Do you know her name?» Taehyung asked. He turned away in the blink of an eye, staring at him with wide eyes. It took him a few seconds to understand he’s been caught, but eventually he decided to just sigh and shake his head again. «Well, I know it» he shrugged like he had just said nothing. Jungkook looked at him with an unreadable expression, trying to understand if what he just heard was real or if he just imagined it. He studied Taehyung’s face like he was some kind of poem, carefully and thoughtfully, wisely looking for a hint to tell him he was just playing with him, but he really seemed serious.

«I can introduce her to you?» he turned to look at him, the youngest was playing with his fingers, eyes staring at the floor, all of his confidence seemed to fade away.

«Why?» he asked.

«What do you mean why?» Taehyung almost laughed at the maknae’s words, and he almost felt guilty. Almost.

«I- I don’t know...» he sighed. Why was he even acting like this? He wanted to talk to you, desperately wanted to know how your face looked like, his imagination was sending him crazy. How did he even ended up like this? He just saw you dance and his mind wasn’t his anymore, constantly wondering about your face. There was just something about you that was making him insanely curious.

«Oh, come on!» unexpectedly, the hyung grabbed him by his arm, making him almost loose his balance while dragging him into the room, taking big steps towards you. No one seemed to notice what was happening externally or inside of Jungkook, heart beating a mad pace, slippy hands like he just dipped them in the water, mind shocked and freaking out attempting to find anything, literally anything that could’ve helped him. Anything would’ve been good, anything for saving him from who knows what his mind was thinking, neither he could understand himself. He never felt more afraid to speak to someone in his life, he swore. Why was he even freaking out? He couldn’t find an answer in those few seconds that divided you from him, and he ended up behind you sooner than he realized. His body instantly tensed.

Teahyung, like the amazing friend he was, tapped your right shoulder, making sure to keep his grip tight on Jungkook’s arm, afraid he would’ve run away at the first opportunity. And he would’ve.

«Yes?» turning, you met the hyung gaze, two deep dark eyes staring at you, breath held in his throat. Damn, you were beautiful.

Oh, God.

That was the first thought that passed Jungkook’s mind when he finally saw your face, all of his fantasies immediately falling to the ground, breaking into a million pieces. He didn’t even know someone that beautiful could exist. His eyes staring at your face like some kind of piece of art. He definitely did not expect you to look like this, he did not see it coming. He thought you were beautiful, but God, not like this.

«Bye» that was the first and last word Taehyung blurted out, finally releasing Jungkook’s arm. Then, he simply walked away, like he did not just leave you two alone, like nothing. You raised your eyebrows, stunned by what just happened looking at the man head to the door and then simply disappear in the hallway. When you realized you were left with someone you couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable, shifting your gaze from the corridor to the man in front of you.

In that moment, Jungkook’s heart started beating even faster, if that was possible. His dark doe-eyes stared into yours for a few moments, not even blinking, mouth agape and breath caught in his throat. He looked like he just saw something... something really-

«Am I that ugly?» you blurted out.

When he realized you were actually talking to him, he felt the need to hide, run away, he wanted the earth to open under his feet and engulf him in. His cheeks flashed red, eyes finally starting to blink.

«No I-» his throat was dry, so he swallowed hard and tried to get a little bit of his nerve back.

«I-I just didn’t expect you to be like t-this»

What? Now he really wanted to hide, what the hell was he thinking? Nothing, his mind was totally blank. He didn’t even remember how to create an actually real sentence.

«Sorry?» you asked. Only then, he realized how your voice sounded, definitely lower than he thought. And he loved it.

«Uh- Oh God. I’m sorry»

And that was it, the end of your first conversation. Jungkook looked at your face for just a second more, than his legs did the job for him, he wasn’t even thinking straight, mind totally blown away and panic invading every rational part of him. He simply turned and started running away, disappearing in the hallway just like his friend did a matter of seconds before.

You grimaced, left standing in the rehearsals room, eyes following his tall and muscled figure until you were left with nothing but confusion.

What had just happened?

That was the second time Jungkook saw you.

He was drawing again, eyes fixated on the sheet in front of him, colors over colors over colors, sketches and shapes that apparently didn’t have any meaning. It was just a mess, overlapped lines with circles and circles with blurred shapes that he didn’t even know could exist.

He was desperately trying to take his mind off of what he had done, but it didn’t seem to work.

Probably, he was just taking everything too much to heart, and he knew that. He knew he was making a big deal of something stupid but he couldn’t help the way he was feeling.

Why did he have to act like that? Why did he walk away in that way? You possibly thought he was just some jerk playing around, and only that thought made him clench his jaw. But that was his last problem. Not only he did made you think he was an idiot, but he made you feel uncomfortable without even trying. The words you said and the sound of your voice kept on echoing in his mind like one of those stupid songs you can’t seem to send away.

Were you joking? Probably? Did he really made you think he was looking at you in that way cause you were ugly? God, you were way too far from that for him.

And above all of that, why did he even say something like that?

“I didn’t expect you to be like this”, God, what was he thinking about? And what did you think of that stupid sentence? Jungkook let out a low groan, the thoughts invading his head were making it impossible to focus on the drawing.

What the hell did Taehyung do? He said he was going introduce you to him, why did he left like that?

When Jungkook entered their rehearsal room the hyung simply smiled at him and winked in his way, like he had just made some kind of magic happen between you too. Well, it didn’t happen. Everything was just a fucking mess, and the biggest thing heaving on Jungkook’s shoulders was that that was the first time you ever saw him, the first impression you had about him. Now it was gonna be three times harder for him to even talk to you, let alone make a move on you. Jungkook didn’t even answer Tae’s wink, only wanting to end the rehearsals already and go straight home to drown into sleep. But it was late, and he certainly wasn’t sleeping.

Jungkook huffed letting his pencil hit the wooden table.

Was he going to try to change what happened or was he going to leave everything like that? Sure as hell, he wanted to know you. But he just couldn’t help himself, he never felt more frightened in his life to talk to a girl as now, and that feeling made him feel helplessly under pressure. What was he even going to say if every time he opened his mouth, all that was coming out were awkward words? Your face added to the sound of your voice made him look like a poor moron, and he knew deep inside of him that that was your effect on him. It was going to happen again, he knew it. He needed to find a way to not ridicule himself and not make you uncomfortable every time he opened his mouth.

«What?» Yoongi’s eyes have never been wider than now looking at Jungkook. Now, the maknae was desperately looking for advices, and he knew that Jimin and Yoongi were the right persons for this kind of situation.

«You really did that?» Jimin let his mouth hang open, eyebrows raised.

«Yes» Jungkook sighed «I don’t know what’s wrong with me, God.» Yoongi and Jimin looked at each other, both of their expressions stuttered by what the youngest had just told them. «How can I fix this? I mean I-»

«First, stop dwelling.» Yoongi interrupted his endless rambling, firm tone and eyes pointing directly in his. Jimin nodded. «You’re thinking too much. I mean, do you even think she noticed all of this? Are there any chances she probably already forgot your face?» his words made the maknae feel better for just a bunch of seconds. Maybe you already forgot him. It was a good thing, right?

«You think so?» why did he sound disappointed? Yoongi raised his eyebrows and nodded.

«And if she remembers you, all you need to do is go and talk to her, you can fix this Kookie» Jimin smiled at his friend.

«And say what?» his voice came out louder than he thought, almost breaking in the middle. He was just not that positive. He messed up, and there was something inside him telling him that that was not goin to be the last time.

«Anything?» Jimin made it seem so simple «I mean, anything is better than what you said» he added. Jungkook shook his head. «Sitting here is not gonna fix this» he said again, then taking a sip from his hot coffee.

«I can’t-» his voice suddenly stopped working, his throat holding the words in. His eyes shifted from the wall he was staring to to you, walking into the cafe on your high heels, jeans sticking to your legs like they were handmade just for you, a little bit of messy hair because of the wind running through the streets of the city, hanging from your shoulders. Eyes moving into the cafe like you were desperately looking for something, maybe someone.

«What? It’s her?» Jimin whispered, slightly stretching on the table to get the maknae’s attention. Yoongi simply avoided asking, he knew he wasn’t going to get any answer. So he just turned around looking for your figure in the crowded little shop. When he finally found you, he knew it was you. He had already saw you the other day, and he saw Jungkook’s pants too, but he kept it to himself.

Smirking, he stood up, eventually bringing back Jungkook from his own world. He watched his friend take long steps and cross the room, and his hands started to sweat again, even more than the day before. Yoongi surpassed you just a step before you were in line for the bar, almost making you step on him.

Rude.

Jungkook could already feel himself going crazy, him and Jimin staring at the scene in silence dying to know what Yoongi had in mind. He saw you stretch over his shoulder trying to take a look at the pastry, in the meantime Yoongi stepped towards when another client left the line. Time seemed to slow down for how much it was taking for every single client to order, Jungkook’s agitation growing bigger every second.

When Yoongi’s turn arrived he still couldn’t understand what was going to happen, watching him through the crowd and shifting his gaze from him to you from time to time was definitely not working. He caught Yoongi talking to the employee and a second later he was paying and turning around with who the hell knows what in his big paper cup. Keeping his eyes on the floor and faking distraction, he stepped on your foot and when he raised his head all he did was giving you a shocked look.

Then he did it, making the maknae line wide their eyes like they were four lighthouses, Jungkook literally hold his breath for what it seemed to be like years. His drink was on your clothes, soaking you, your drenched black shirt dripping on the floor. Your face shattered when you realized you were actually soggy, Yoongi gave you an apologetic smile and then he walked out of the cafe as if nothing had just happened. He really hoped Jungkook would understand it was his turn. Well, again, he didn’t. He just stared at you, your face still in shock and your moth forming the shape of an “o”, people surpassing you on the line without even glancing at you. Jimin shook him awake from his trance making him grimace and pushing him from his chair.

«Go, go, go!» he silently screamed moving his hands in the air. “Oh, lord” was all he could think while looking at you standing still and a scared Jungkook walking uncertain.

You stepped to the side when you noticed people kept on surpassing you giving you upset looks since you wouldn’t move from the line, it only took you a few steps to the side to rush into someone. Your shoulder hit his chest and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes. It was just not your day.

«I- I’m sorry?» the voice came from beside you, the man standing still against your right shoulder without even moving. What was supposed to be a statement came out as a question and Jungkook wanted to punch himself again. You had to back away to create a little bit of distance before lifting your gaze to him.

When you saw him, it took you nothing to remember him.

«You? Again?» you couldn’t help but roll your eyes. You were not this rude usually, you just weren’t that type. But today definitely wasn’t your day. First, someone surpassed you, you just said nothing because you weren’t the type to argue for something so stupid, you even justified him thinking maybe he didn’t notice you. Then he spilled his tea on you, and without even helping you he just ran off as if nothing had happened. Now, him. Was this some kind of joke?

Jungkook couldn’t help but frown at your words, silently and slowly making their way through his body until they reached his intestine and tangled every part of his guts together.

«I- I’m sorry?» he said again. What? You locked eyes with him, cocking a brow at him.

«What are you even sorry for?» you sighed, bending over the table in front of you and grabbing a tissue from the plastic container. He brought his gaze to his friend, eyes still wide and throat completely dried. Jimin showed him a thumb up and suddenly shifted his gaze, in a second he turned around with his cheeks now red. When Jungkook turned again he hissed through his teeth, you did not just caught them and you weren’t staring at him with an even more confused look.

«I- I can buy you some coffee?» he blurted out, his voice cracking in the middle of the question making it almost seem like a prayer. Your lips formed an “o” again, suddenly looking down at your clothes and rushing to clean them with that little tissue. You were just thankful it wasn’t hot, whatever thing it was. Jungkook stood there still like a rock, scared of moving and making everything even worse.

«No, but thank you.» you sighed at the sight of your drenched black shirt, drops on your jeans. What were you going to do now? You had to go to work in thirty minutes, you didn’t have time to go back home and change into something else, your boss was already going crazy with all the work he had to, his reaction at your delay wasn’t something you wanted to experience.

«Please?» Jungkook’s voice seemed to light something in you, lifting your eyes and locking them again with his. That was the moment you really noticed his beauty. And he was just that beautiful. In the meantime, he was really trying not to break out and scream, his tongue was just moving by itself. His mind was totally blank and his hands were so sweaty that they would probably as wet as the shirt you were wearing.

«I don’t have time for coffee now, but thank you.» you declined again, trying to bring a smile on your lips but failing. You sighed and turned, making your way out of the cafe in a matter of seconds. Jungkook stood there with his eyes still wide, watching you walk away and trying to catch just that little bit of air enough to make him survive. It was only when Jimin’s face appeared in front of him that he seemed to realize you weren’t there anymore, and in a second his legs made the work for him again, running out of the cafe like a mad man. What was he even doing? What the hell?

Jimin followed him rolling his eyes, all his hopes that his friend had made it hitting the ground. He had never seen Jungkook like that, not even when he dated that girl he had a crush on for a year. Jungkook had always been charming, he never had that much problems with a girl, there had been times he was more shy, but he had always found a way of breaking his barriers.

This time there was just something different.

When he saw you on the sidewalk his legs fastened even more and he only stopped when he was behind you, quickly grabbing at your wrist and turning you around in an abrupt yank that got Jimin to stuck on place and grimace. He even heard you squint from where he was, and he certainly didn’t miss the smack of your hand on his face once you turned and faced him.

Jungkook’s face heated up, suddenly loosening his grip on your skin and blinking a few times, staring into your eyes, his features unreadable. Silence suddenly seemed to fill the crowded street while you two looked at each other, your face looking regretful the second you realized it was him and not someone who was trying to steal your purse or rape you during full day.

Jungkook was at a loss of words, and when he realized now he had to say something, he panicked again.

«I’m sorry?» that was not happening again, he wanted to scream.

«You’re sorry?» you erupted like a volcano, your arm still in the air even thought his grip was no longer on it. Jungkook’s head slowly shook up and down, gulping harshly.

«What are you sorry for?» your question made him knit his eyebrows. Was it really so hard for him to form a real sentence? The answer was yes. His brain just didn’t seem to work.

«About the coffe?» now, he really wanted to scream and tear his hair out.

He had just scared you and hurt you and all he managed to say was “about the coffee”? What was that even supposed to mean?

«The coffee?» you narrowed your eyes at him, he brung his hand to the back of his neck scratching it.

«The drink?» he said again. For god sake.

«Uh?» you just couldn’t understand. What was he even trying to do? He was sorry? Everything was just so confusing, and if last night you thought just a little bit about what happened yesterday with him, you were sure this was going to be in your head for the rest of the day.

«The drink Yoongi spilled on you?» why was every single one of his sentences a question?

«Who is Yoongi?» you whined without even thinking, but then you grasped it. The rude man was someone he knew. Was something wrong with his friends? First that one yesterday, now this Yoongi.

«Yoongi is-» Jungkook seemed to realize what he had just done and he stopped talking, letting out a tremulous breath. He just told you he knew the man who basically ruined your day. Great job.

«So, are your friends all like this?» you didn’t even know what you were doing, but the stress was just too much to handle at that moment. The man stared at you again, eyes shifting to every feature of your face.

«Uh? Wha- what?» he babbled. Jungkook was loosing it. And Jimin could see it from a block away. He wished he could do something to help him, anything to save the situation, but he just couldn’t. What would he even say, anyway? “Sorry, he just likes you so much that he doesn’t even remember how a normal human acts”? That wasn’t going to work.

«Are you friend with this Yoongi?» you asked. Jungkook nodded slowly, almost uncertain of what he was doing.

«And the one from yesterday was also your friend?» you asked again. This time he frowned, making you narrow your eyes.

«Taehyung?» he wondered, confusion blinking in his eyes.

«I don’t know, maybe? Was it his name? The one that poked me and ran away?» you sighed.

«But he- Oh. I can’t-» Reality hit him, and he had to take a deep breath to stop his dwelling.

«What?»

«I’m- I’m sorry?» there he was again. Was he kidding you? Just when he seemed to know other words, they were there again.

«You already said it, even though it doesn’t seem like you are.» you were really going crazy. Late for work, drenched, without your breakfast and with a charming guy talking nonsense in front of you.

«I am» his voice came out louder than expected, making you unconsciously squint and ward off a little bit.

«Well, thank you, I guess?» you glanced at the sidewalk, then again bringing your gaze to his face. The way the light of the sun hit his eyes made yours stare deep into them, the black pupils and irises almost fading with each other, the little sparkles of the light reflecting in them made them seem like one of the darkest nights, but with the brightest stars you’ve ever seen.

Your mouth ran dry when your gaze met his lips, a soft glow making them look even more captivating, you wondered if he was wearing a lip balm, a part of your mind wondering how it’d taste.

«I’m gonna be late for work» you mumbled. Jungkook shook his head.

«Okay» What? Are you serious, Jungkook? Okay? He visually grimaced at his own words, and for god knows why the corners of your lips raised up just the slightest at his awkwardness.

«I should go now» you gave him a little gentle smile and then turned, finally heading to your car. You had just taken a few steps on the sidewalk across the street when you turned away and realized he was standing still, eyes still fixated on you, but he wasn’t alone anymore. Maybe a friend of his? You hoped he wouldn’t hit you in the head, given the others. You crossed the street again, walking back towards the man and glancing at the ground feeling your cheeks reddening under his sight. 

You stopped a few steps away from him, raising your head and finally facing him. «I’m sorry too» you said, slightly smiling. «You know, for the slap» his lips formed an “o” but he quickly managed to smile, for the first time. And lord, what a smile he had. You swore you never saw something that beautiful. Your breath got stuck in your throat, heart madly beating in your chest, threatening to come out. And you didn’t even noticed, but your smile became a real one, wide and shining with its own light and reaching your eyes. Jungkook’s heart skipped a few beats just at the sight, his legs shaking under his body and a sudden feeling of warmth invading his chest, it was like his guts were back in place.

A drop of rain hit your forehead and in that moment you realized you really had to go, rain wasn’t something you could deal with now, not with your already soaked shirt and your delay. So you just turned again and walked away.

That was the first time you and Jungkook actually spoke to each other, kind of, I guess you could say.

«Didn’t you two talk?» Yoongi asked running a hand in his blonde locks. There they were again, but this time, thankfully Jungkook would say, they were in his house. He really didn’t know how to handle another one of his friends’ mishaps in your presence, not that he would’ve met you anyway, but here he felt more comfortable. It was normal for them to meet at someone’s place on a Friday night, it’s something they’ve always been doing for a long time that now it was like a tradition. Every Friday they would met and talk, even though they’ve been seeing each other almost every day. And now, it was no difference. Or maybe just one. You. Jungkook wasn’t talking about how much he was excited to perform or how much he loved the new choreography, he was talking about how embarrassing that moment was. Wait, those moments. Thanks to Taehyung, Yoongi and himself, now he had collected a few moments that really made everything seem awkward.

«We did but...» he groaned «Why did you have to spill your drink on her?»

«For you to go help her?» Yoongi made it seem so simple.

«How could I have helped her with her soaked shirt? She had to go to work and you ruined her morning. And if it wasn’t enough now she knows I know you! And you!» Jungkook’s voice cracked in the middle while pointing his accusing index finger towards Yoongi and Taehyung.

«What? How?» Yoongi couldn’t believe his ears. He gave him a chance and he let it slip through his hands like it was a cool chunk of ice.

«He told her» Jimin got in the conversation briefly glancing at his youngest friend. Jungkook was really going crazy.

«And? What’s the end? Tell me you got her number?» Jin rested his forearms on his knees, waiting for an answer that just wasn’t meant to come out.

«You don’t even know her name, do you?» the maknae brung is gaze to Taehyung, his dark eyes almost seemed to surrender in front of all the mess of the situation. The friend sighed, guilt already invading his throat. When he pushed Jungkook in that situation, he thought he was gonna handle it, to him he just needed a little bit of motivation. He didn’t think it would’ve ended like this. He shook his head.

«Great.» Jungkook stood up, unreadable features and body tense.

«But at the end it was good, she smiled at you» Jimin helplessly tried to bring back a little bit of positivity.

«Yes, after I made everything uncomfortable and awkward. How am I even supposed to make a move after what happened? First Teahyung, then Yoongi. Then me!» he bursted out. «The first time was already hideous, but this? I hurt her, let her know that basically all my friends are weird and when she said “I’m gonna be late for work” my answer was “okay”. Who am I even kidding? I-»

«Oh, come on!» Joonie decided to open his mouth, his loud tone made Jungkook shut up, everyone now looking at him. «This is all in your head, Kookie. Stop it. You need to take a deep breath and face this in a different way. Clearly, shutting your mind off and letting your body do the work it’s not what you need.» he raised his eyebrows at him. Jungkook had started pacing, he really wanted to fix things, but every time it seemed to get worse and worse and worse and... worse.

«It’s so frustrating, I swear! It never happened to me, never. I can’t control it, my brain just doesn’t work when I’m with her» he groaned locking his dark locks in his fist and pulling a little.

«Oh, cheesy» Hobi wrinkled his nose receiving in exchange a death stare from Jungkook.

«So you don’t even know her name?» Jin seemed to realize his words only now, eyes wide and moth hanging open. Jungkook clenched his jaw before letting his body falling to the couch. Not even the soft material of the cushions seemed to make him feel better, not even the slightest.

«I don’t know her name» he answered, saying those words more to himself than to his hyung. All of this seemed so stupid.

«Then start from it. Give to this beautiful woman a beautiful name, you can’t keep rambling about someone for about an hour without even knowing their name.» Namjoon’s tone was firm, making its way through the maknae’s ears, his words seemed like playing with him. He was right, he didn’t even knew your name, how the hell was that possible? He had the biggest crush and didn’t know the basics.

What Jungkook didn’t know and never could imagine was that you were thinking about him in the same moment as he was talking about you to his friends. What happened that morning was still replaying in your mind like a short film, from the moment that Yoongi spilled what you figured out was tea on your clothes to the moment you headed to your car. There was something about that awkward meeting that you just couldn’t seem to shake off. That man was so awkward and charming at the same time that the match sounded both weird and interesting.

Still, you couldn’t hide your annoyance towards him that morning. You couldn’t quite discern if he was just playing with you or if there was a meaning behind his actions and words, I mean, he apologized for his friend so much but he didn’t really act different than him, he yanked you. And apparently without any meaning. He already apologized for Yoongi before, so why follow someone you don’t even know to do it again?

Remembering your slap against his cheek you unconsciously squint your eyes, drowning in the dark. You really wouldn’t have punched him if you knew it was him, but the moment you felt someone’s touch against your skin you panicked. Not that he didn’t deserve it, well, actually he didn’t, but you don’t usually punch people like that, you really thought someone wanted to steal your purse or rape you, You puffed.

You just wished to not bump into him or his friends again, or at least to not be the main character of their misfortunes again.

Summer was finally coming to an end, and with the end of a season comes the beginning of a new wardrobe, at least for you. You already had clothes for the imminent autumn but with all the money you had saved you could squander a little bit and reward yourself, you worked hard and didn’t even leave for the holidays this year, sad but true. So now you were lowly humming in the street without even realizing it, the music invading all of your senses, the melody taking control of your body like it was made of a thin sheet of glass that could be broken anytime with the slightest pressure.

You entered the shop and removed an earphone, slowly making your way through the crowd and getting ready to buy something as a reward for all of your sacrifices. The sight of the soft fabric of a white dress made your eyes sparkle and your feet started moving towards the mannequin like they were apart from your body, bringing your hand to the cloth you touched the smooth material.

There was no way you were not buying it.

The shape seemed perfect for your body, you could already see yourself wearing it so you were quick to cross the room, ready to grab your hanger. Apparently, not quick enough, but you didn’t notice right away.

Looking through the dresses for your size made you frown, everyone of them either too big or too small. You were almost giving up when your gaze met the tag you were looking for, eyes widening and happiness already creeping up in your body.

Then, a hand came in the way. You watched it grab the crutch, dark ink marking the light golden skin, long fingers closing around the hook. Your breath got stuck in your throat and you really felt all your hopes falling to the ground now. Sure you were not gonna argue with whoever just took away your dream dress, you didn’t even have the right to do it, you should have been quicker before rather than staring at it with dreamy eyes. You were already starting to turn and look for something else with a knot in your throat but you couldn’t help your eyes and followed the arm of the stranger, the skin almost glowing under the light of the shop. You met two broad shoulders, the cleavage of the light shirt he was wearing showing his collar bones and making your fingers tingle at the sight, but if you knew who was waiting for you at the end of that neck you would have already ran away.

The previous night after his friends left Jungkook had spent at least three hours trying to find a way to make a third impression on you, if that was possible, this time preferably good, and he figured out nothing. Eventually he felt asleep all tensed and annoyed, remembering the next morning he had to buy something for Namjoon’s birthday coming in exactly two weeks.

When he woke up today and headed to the shop three blocks away from his house he did not expect to find you there. From the moment he saw you at least a hundred of different emotions had run through his body, starting from worship and ending up with panic, but this time his mind didn’t switch off, or maybe not at all. Listlessly choosing something for Namjoon, Jungkook came up with a plan, and it was apparently clear: buy you a dress and give it to you as both a present and an apology for everything that happened the day before, from Yoongi’s drink on you to the way he kept on making things awkward, and maybe finally ask you out.

So when he saw you staring at that dress with dreamy eyes he instantly walked towards its reproductions, sure as hell that now he had something to work with in his hands. But it was only when you approached the same counter as him that he realized he didn’t have any clue about your clothing size. I mean, he could have guessed it, but it wouldn’t have been the same. He was supposed to ask you and tell you something like “let me offer this to you for making up for yesterday’s mess” and “would you like to hang out sometimes?” but when he tried to speak his voice got stuck in his throat, his hands badly sweating. So he tried to understand what you were looking for, careful not to get caught, and possibly keeping it in mind for buying you something else, and it all worked until he saw your eyes full of that joyful light again. In that moment, his heart skipped a beat as he understood you had found what you wanted.

As I said, this time his brain didn’t stop working, he knew he couldn’t grab the dress practically from your hands, that would’ve been the worst third impression of all times. He just needed to remember the measures printed on that little tag and look for something else. He knew but his hands moved by themselves and Jungkook felt himself stiffening again.

When you locked eyes with him you couldn’t help but snort. What was going on with the universe? You were sure you didn’t do anything that bad to deserve this. And why was he involved in all of your misadventures? Him, him, him, him and him again, couldn’t at least the gods send someone else once in a while to punish you? The fact that it was him made the knot in your throat grow even bigger and you instantly felt a flame of anger burning in your chest. If he was someone else you would’ve probably let go, but not with him and not when he was holding the dress you wanted to buy after long days and late nights of work, stress and a little bit of panic too.

So you did the first thing that came to your mind, you grabbed at the hanger he was holding in his other hand and immediately walked away leaving him with his mouth agape and his gaze digging holes in your body.

You turned the corner and went straight to the changing room, desperately trying to keep yourself from bursting out in the middle of the shop. You closed the curtain behind you and finally took a look at what you were holding. A men’s hoodie. You were going to buy it, wether you liked it or not. Not a big deal, you already had men’s clothes in your wardrobe, right?

Taking a deep breath you sat on the little couch in the fitting room, you were really starting to think he was playing with you. That had to be it. He was just enjoying himself, having fun with making you feel like an idiot. Unintentionally, some tears streamed down you cheeks, all the accumulated stress from work and from the rehearsals you were having almost every day, all the sleepless nights you had in the last three months trying to save money, some days even working your ass off until the first lights of the morning would appear, all the times you felt like you didn’t belong; everything was coming out in the shape of little drops. You hadn’t been crying for a long time and stopping now seemed like light years away, so you got up and went out of the dressing room heading to the checkout without even glancing around.

Jungkook was still in the same place you had left him, and when he saw your cheeks sparkling just in time before you could wipe the tears away he knew it wasn’t because of the sweat this time. His heart broke, features screaming nothing but regret. If only you had turned around you would have seen it even from there.

But instead, you paid your new hoodie and went out, ready to burst out once again you’d be surrounded by the safe walls of your apartment.

«God, I can’t believe it» Jungkook groaned again for about the tenth time since the beginning of the phone call.

Jimin and Namjoon had been meticulously chosen for today’s vent, and this time he was sure he had something real to ramble on about, it wasn’t all in his head anymore. He had made you cry.

«It was the worst third impression of all times! My plan was good, damn, why do I have to be like this around her? Every single time, it happens every damn time» he hissed through his teeth. On the other line, Jimin was staring at his white ceiling with his eyebrows furrowed and his lips pursed, trying to help his friend as best as he could, but he knew there was nothing he could do. Jungkook had to fix this, again. And Namjoon felt the same way as he took a sip of his coffee, his hair still messy from the long sleep he had just awakened from.

«I know you don’t need to hear it, but you’re the worst suitor on earth» he blurted out rubbing his face with his hands. «How can you expect to be more to her than an awkward weirdo if you can’t even talk or act normally in her presence? At least did you get her name?» Namjoon knew his words were doing nothing but emphasizing the horrible situation but he just couldn’t contain himself anymore. Jungkook didn’t need to be pitied, it would have led him nowhere. The maknae grunted in frustration. That was the only answer Joonie needed.

«Stop everything you’re doing» his words made Jungkook frown.

«What?»

«I said stop everything you’re doing» he repeated again, then taking another sip from his coffee. The youngest stared at the screen in disbelief.

«I am doing nothing!» his high-pitched tone made Jimin squint his eyes.

«Okay, then come to my place for lunch and bring that freaking dress with you» he ordered, now getting up and putting his mug in the sink.

«Can I-»

«Yes, Jimin, no need to ask» the hyung interrupted his friend already expecting his question.

«I’m gonna shower, but please be careful with that dress Kook» Namjoon’s tone softened and his words almost sounded like a prayer, Jungkook couldn’t help but glance at the piece of cloth laying on his couch with a worried face. That was not the right place for it.

«Okay, I got it, I got it» he said more to himself than to his friend.

«See you later» Namjoon got off the phone in a second, already on his way to the bathroom.

«Kookie, I know you can do it, okay? We can’t do more than what we are already doing, we can’t fix this for you, you have to fix it. But we’re here to support you.» Jimin’s words gave birth to a bittersweet smile on Jungkook’s face and he internally thanked God for his friends.

«Thank you Chimin»

They talked for another ten minutes before finally getting off the phone, Kookie’s eyes shifting again to what was supposed to be your dress now and shutting down.

He needed to fix this, again.

«So?» Jimin patted his fingers on the wooden table moving his gaze between his three friends. Unexpectedly Taehyung had knocked on Namjoon’s door just before they were about to sit down and have lunch with an expression that promised nothing but bad news.

«I wanted to buy you something for making up for what happened yesterday and the day before, but apparently I screwed up again. This is for you.» Jungkook repeated for the fourth time, then reached his hand out on the table, his chopsticks holding an amount of chicken noodles not even possible to put in his mouth. Namjoon opened his all of a sudden and gobbled them in just one gulp, making Jungkook frown.

«You just ate her dress!» Jimin bursted out laughing at the scene in front of his eyes, the corners wrinkling, his melodious laugh even took over Taehyng’s brooding face, the hyung smiled like a baby.

«I’m hungry and it was the third time he was doing that! He practically saw it coming!» he claimed, already taking with his chopsticks another amount of inhumanly impossible food to eat.

«You have yours!» the maknae tried to sound as serious as he could but his smile fooled him.

«Don’t bother me, I’m feeding you and giving you advices, this is the least you could do in return.» he mocked him with a new beaming smile on his face, Kook shook his head and took a bite of his meal.

«I think it could work?» Jimin brung the conversation back to where it was supposed to be, glancing at Tae and Joonie.

«Just try to stick to that» Taehyung said nodding «and don’t forget to breathe. And please, don’t panic again.» he added. Kookie nodded, this time had to be good. «You think you can do that?»

«I have to» he sighed, already feeling under pressure. Jimin and Namjoon smiled at him, trying to reassure him.

«Alright, now Taehyung could you tell us what’s wrong?» the hyung suddenly shifted his gaze to the other maknae seated next to Kook, who raised his eyebrows and shook his head faking a smile. «Come on, we can see it. Tell your favorite therapists what’s wrong and let us help you.» Jimin nodded at his words.

«Alright, I...» Taehyung took a deep breath, his long slender fingers ran through his hair and fisted a dark strand, slightly tugging it.

«Oh my God, this is so hard to say out loud» he groaned. Now, if there was a tiny possibility that they’re friends weren’t worried about him, his words certainly did their job.

«TaeTae, come on» Jimin widened his eyes.

«Alright. Do you all remember Gillyflower?» his words only brung more confusion to their faces. «The girl with pink hair?» he tried again, and this time a bunch of “ooh” and “yes” made him nod. He took another deep breath. 

«Well, I asked her out and she was about to answer when Tannie suddenly started barking and puling at the leash. I tried to mke him stop but he kept getting worse to the point he yanked me. I- I stumbled and trying to grab onto something I...» he harshly gulped, silence invaded the room.

«What did you do? It can’t be worse than what I did, right?» Jungkook’s doe-eyes were staring at his friend’s face trying to catch a hint of his actions.

«I don’t know, it’s the first time something like this awkward happens between of us, but it’s just...» he puffed letting his shoulders fall and then again shaking his head.

«What?» Namjoon were desperate to know now.

«I groped her breasts. But I was just trying to hold onto something and- Oh my God this is the worst thing I could have ever done» he groaned and hid his face behind his hands trying to cover his cheeks flashing red. Jungkook’s eyes considerably widened, Jimin’s lips formed the perfect shape of an “o” and Joonie shut his eyes , almost forgetting how to swallow. Almost.

«What did you do after that? Tell me you apologized, tell me you did it?» Chimin’s gaze was basically begging him.

«Of course I did, but I was still shocked and... I may have left my hands on her for too much time» his voice was muffled by his hands, still covering his reddish face.

«Oh, God» Jimin let out, tilting his head back. «What the hell is happening to us?» he whined, earning a death stare from Namjoon.

«You mean what the hell is happening to you? This things don’t happen to me, luckily.» he stated.

«Oh, please Joon, your face is dirty for all the eggs you have on it. You know you have your bag stuffed with blunders» Jimin whined again and Namjoon pointed his index towards him.

«That wasn’t supposed to come out!» he argued.

«It didn’t! But I’ll blurt out all of your secrets if you don’t admit you can be a weirdo too!» the hyung puffed.

«Please, everyone knows I’m an oddball, there’s no need to argue on that. But my blunders are far beneath theirs!» he pointed at Jungkook and Teahyung the youngest was now trying not burst out laughing for his high-pitched tone. Jimin groaned.

«What was her answer?» Jungkook asked, carefully looking at TaeTae. He gulped.

«She started laughing and I apologized myself again before entering home. I thought she was making fun of me but I realized it was an uncomfortable laugh just after I shut the door. Now every time I see her in the hallway I hide behind the corners and avoid her. She must think I’m an idiot.» Teahyung’s words made Jungkook feel slightly better, maybe it was selfish but he felt less lonely.

«You need to talk to her» Namjoon mumbled with his mouth stuffed of noodles.

«We’ll make up a speech for you too after lunch, alright?» Tae shook his head.

«No need for it, I can handle it. I think» he sighed for the hundredth time.

The Sunday that followed got Jungkook incredibly frustrated. In two days it was gonna be his birthday and he and his friends had all agreed to take a day off from the devastating rehearsals to celebrate it together, so now there he was,  meticulously watching his figure dancing in the mirror. He hadn’t slept well and his eyes were praying for just a bunch of minutes of rest, body already tired only after an hour of movement. When the music stopped he thanked Jin with a grateful smile before approaching the bench on the side of the room to grab his towel and gather his sweat.

«I think this-»

«Kookie!» Jimin shouted with his eyes wide, his voice echoed in every single corner of the room and in a second Jungkook realized why. He didn’t really do it, please.He let his hand fall at his side, and yes, there it was. Your dress in his hand, now moist and clammy.

His voice burst in the loudest tone he’ve ever used: «Who the hell pulled it out of my bag?!»

The group immediately got closer to take a look at what he was talking about, Namjoon and Taehyung held their breath when the maknae opened the folded cloth revealing the white peace of dressing he had carefully putted in his bag just in case he’d met you here, even though it was quite impossible being Sunday.

«Oh my God, I thought it was a towel and-» Jin started explain himself but got interrupted again by Jungkook’s low groan.

«I am screwed, I give up.» his chest swelled like a balloon and his shoulder raised almost to his ears just to heavily fall a second later. «If this isn’t fate then I don’t know what it is» he complained letting his body go limp after he seated on the bench. And as if what had just happened wasn’t enough his eyes caught your figure in the hallway, your body managing to move graciously on your high heels even though at a speed that seemed almost impossible for you not to fall, your hair swinging with every step.

«Bad luck?» Hobi kneeled in front of him and Jungkook scoffed, shifting his gaze on his muscled legs once you disappeared behind the corner, his dark locks creating a curtain to hide him from the rest of the world while he rested his elbows on his knees.

«Bad luck? This is a tragedy. And not just because of the dress. Everything I did until now is a tragedy. This is just the cherry on top of it all. Maybe this is just not meant to happen and that’s why I keep messing things up.» he grumbled with raspy voice. And he really believed that for a moment, maybe he was right. Everything, every single thing he had done so far had just messed things up more, even though he was desperately trying to do the opposite. He still didn’t know your name but had however already managed to made you feel uncomfortable, hurt you and made you cry. What a charming suitor he was. At this point he could’ve-

«If thinking about it like this makes you feel better.» Namjoon spoke with his gaze on the maknae. He licked his lips and waited for Kookie to raise his head, but it didn’t happen. «You don’t have the dress, who cares? It’s a peace of cloth, Kook. Your apologies are more important and you still have your speech. You can do it.» he kneeled in front of him beside Hobi, finally catching his gaze. What he didn’t expect was to actually find his eyes shining because of the stressed tears he was desperate to hold.

«He’s right, Kookie. Come on, you’re the golden maknae. And if it goes wrong we’ll have finally found something you’re not good at» Jin smiled at his youngest friend, his words made him lightly giggle, Yoongi nudged him.

«Just try again, okay?» Hobi smiled at him and Jungkook had to take a few moments for himself to finally answer.

Probably, no, wait, sure as hell the easiest thing was to give up. You already had a clear picture of him by now, there was no way you were changing your mind with just an apology. He had already apologized for at least five times the other day, and he had made you cry the day right after. So the possible answers now were two: yes or no. Such a big difference between them but such a thin line for him, especially now that he had lost the only thing that maybe would’ve helped him. He didn’t want lie to himself, he knew it was easier to give up and go back to being a normal acting human, not embarrassing himself anymore and feeling like an idiot all the time. But it was too easy like that, and just the thought made him frown. He couldn’t explain what it was to himself, but there was something about you that made him fatally, hopelessly curious. Since the very first moment he saw you, something turned on inside him, and I’m not just talking about his cock.

«Okay» he whispered to himself, the air of his breath fanning the golden skin of his hands. He took a deep breath and stood up.

«What?» Yoongi asked looking at him. Jungkook nodded.

«Okay, but you promise me you won’t do anything?» he pointed his finger against Yoongi’s face and then moved it back and forth pointing at everyone of them. When they all nodded Jungkook knew it was the moment to leave the room. 

Jimin pursued his lips when he saw him walking towards the door and quickly sided him. «Wait, you’re doing it now? Is she here? It’s Sunday!» he spoke so fast and his tone changed so many times that Kook turned to face him with an amused smile, almost forgetting about what he was about to do. «Do you remember the speech?» he asked again. When Kookie nodded and finally left the room Chimin stayed still with his gaze on him, acting like a mummy leaving her little child for the first time to the kindergarten.

«He can do it» Yoongi patted his shoulder.

You weren’t supposed to be there, not on a Sunday morning when all you wanted to do was drown in your bed and never let go of your sheets without the clock pointing at least at eleven. But you didn’t have any choice when you realized what day it was. It wasn’t just an usual Sunday, your family was coming at your place for lunch in about two hours from now, and you had promised them to cook something special, or at least to try your best. You were already feeling under pressure and your parents weren’t exactly the definition of easy-going people, always ready to judge everything you would do and every step you’d take. No wonder why you’ve grown to be their total opposite, never daring to judge anyone, and you knew they hated it. But you didn’t care and kept doing your thing, without worrying too much. Luckily, distance had made everything so much easier, until this kind of moments. The stress was running through your blood like it was part of your body, you were practically on the edge. You really didn’t want to hear them complaining about your stupid passion and how you should stop chasing your dreams just to find an even more steady job than the one you already had, so you had quickly decided to bring your gym bag here. You had grabbed everything you could find in your house that could have led their thoughts to your athletic side and just stuffed all in the bag now hanging from your shoulder, from your pointe shoes to your sweat shorts.

The lockers were safe and you knew it because you had already done this at least five or six times, so you simply opened the steel door and placed your bag in it with loose motions before shutting it and locking it with you keys. You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. The stress of your job, the rehearsals, all the money you wanted to save to buy your house and what happened in the last days were hovering on your mind so much that you knew you would have bursted out if you had to worry about your parents too. So this was the easiest way.

Heading to the door you fastened you pace until you got out, the sun made your skin burn and you harshly puffed, already wishing the winter to come.

At the same time, Jungkook was looking for you in the whole building, he even took the stairs and went to second floor once he figured out you weren’t in your usual rehearsal room. He thought you’d be in the changing rooms but he couldn’t afford himself to the risk of finding you half naked, even though the picture of you he had in mind was making his mouth drier every second more while taking the stairs again. It was when he distractedly looked out of the window that he saw you crossing the street. His feet never ran faster than that moment, praying for you to stay on the main street so that he’d found you more easily. He crossed the hallway and made his friend’s heads turn when he rushed in front of their door, that stupid speech replaying in his head over and over again like a prayer.

«Oh man» Namjoon covered his eyes with his right hand at the sight.

Once the maknae was out of the building he welcomed the light of the sun by squinting his eyes, his already sweating body heated up even more while desperately trying to get to you. The street was not that crowded at this time of the morning with the sun almost at his highest spot and the hot breeze threatening whoever was out, so he thought he could make it. Then, he saw you stopping on the sidewalk. Maybe you noticed him? Impossible.

A second later you were opening the door of a taxi and he didn’t know if rather laugh about his bad luck or cry. He could’ve just let go and talk to you the next day, you were definitely going to rehearsal on Monday, or maybe even on Tuesday. But it’s Jungkook we’re talking about, and by now we all know a part of his brain seemed to switch off when it comes to you. Or maybe this time, it turned on. The stress he felt those days had built up so much that he just wanted to burst out once and for all. He was tired of dwelling about his clumsiness and weirdness when he was beside you and didn’t want to feel guilty for making you feel uncomfortable anymore. So he sped up, his legs almost gave in for the big gap he wanted to close in a matter of seconds. 

But he made it. He knocked at your window with his fist, hands sweating and chest raising desperately gasping for air. When you turned and squinted your eyes because of the light of the sun he again swore he had never seen something, someone that beautiful in his life, the rays of sunshine painting little sparkling stars in your pupils and your skin gleaming.

You knitted your eyebrows at the sight, the charming but odd man staring at you as if he had just seen who knows what. What did he want now? You didn’t have time for his teasing, not with all of the things you had to do before the hurricane that your parents were would show up and take over you for the next hours.

«Please» he managed to say, or at least he mouthed it, and a part of him thanked your shut window for not giving him away, but just a little part. If hearing the lack of his voice would’ve made you listen then he would’ve talked with his hands.

With everything he did he was not really expecting you to listen to him, not when he was making things awkward once again, not in this situation. He was hoping it with all of his heart, but he knew it was not going to happen. Indeed, it didn’t happen.

The taxi started and you fixated your gaze on the street without a second thought, already brushing away the weird feeling that his gaze made you feel. You checked your phone screen: 11.34. Great. You were praying every god in heaven to save you from your parents’ likely early arrive when a thump made you both frown and hit the backrest with your head harshly enough to wince. You realized your taxi just hit the one in front of him in a second. Someone was definitely mad at you.

That was Jungkook’s moment. He widened his eyes at the sight and rushed on the sidewalk before he quickly approached your cab. His heart was beating so fast that for a moment he feared for his life. He opened your door without a second thought, you were hissing through your breath, eyes shut and pursued lips. While he took in the sight you felt a gentle hot breeze on your skin. Opening your eyes you gasped when you saw him standing there. Definitely really, really mad.

«I can’t do this» you bursted out loud, more to yourself than to the men that now were both staring at you.

«It’ll only take ten minutes» the cab driver gently smiled at you. The poor man then brung his gaze to the other standing at your door, holding it so tight with his hand that his knuckles were white. You tried to fake a smile as best as you could.

«I’m sorry but I’m running out of time, I’m gonna make it on foot.» you claimed. Before waiting for any answer you shifted your gaze back to the man who was blocking you into the car, his body stiff and not giving you hits of movement. You waited for something, anything, but he just kept staring at you making you feel like a fish out of water and you didn’t have time to deal with his awkward behavior now, you were really late. So you stood up anyway, almost stepping on his toes, and you held your breath while making your way through his body and the car. The way he kept his dark doe-eyes into yours without any sign of backing off made you shiver.

Jungkook harshly gulped when your body slightly touched his, his skin tickled at the feeling, the lightest of touches creating the strongest of the addictions. «I- I can give you a- a ride?» he stuttered, finally removing his hands from the door of the car. You started walking without even turning at his words, too much overwhelmed by the awful morning you were having. Kook was staring at you still in the same place as before, mouth agape and eyes sparkling at the way you were moving your hips, but when he realized you were already on the sidewalk he forced himself to follow you.

«I’ll give you a ride?» why did he keep doing that? That was supposed to sound more sure, more like a statement maybe? You snorted.

«Please, stop it» his presence beside made you even more nervous, what did he want? Why was he doing that again?

«I- I can drive, I can ride you-» what the hell was that? God, he kept making things worse without even trying. Your face immediately shot up, eyebrows knitted together and blood boiling in your veins.

«What I meant is-» he stopped talking again, his feet did the same and for a moment he considered letting you walk away and just give up. With how fast you were walking you were already disappearing into the crowd. But he sided you again.

«Look, I don’t have time for your teasing now, you can do it tomorrow.» you didn’t need to shift your gaze from the sidewalk to know that he was again there.

«What? I- No, I want to do it now!»

Did he really said that? Turn on your damn brain, Jungkook.

You rolled your eyes. «I can’t belie-»

«Can I just give you a ride?» he suddenly blocked your way with his body, arms outstretched and dark eyes praying yours. «Not in that way» he added, desperately trying to fix his stupid mistakes.

You couldn’t understand what the hell he was doing, standing there in front of you, in the middle of the crowd, praying to give you a ride after everything that he had done in just... three times you met? 

«No.» you shook your head and quickly got over him. «In both ways» you added, slightly smirking at yourself for your words. Jungkook sneered too, following you again like a puppy.

«You’d get there faster, please. Just- just a ride?» his continue pleads made you whine and stopping your steps you turned to face him, realizing just now how much he was taller than you.

«I don’t even know your name» you stated, ready to claim your victory. Jungkook let his mouth fall agape while looking at you standing so close to him, not that it was that close, but the rays of the sun were making everything too much to handle for him.

«Jeon Jun- Jungkook?» he managed to say, to ask, voice cracking in the middle.

«You don’t sound so sure of that» strangely, you smirked. Jungkook’s heart almost stopped right there and then.

«I’m Jungkook» he repeated trying as best as he could to smile without showing his nerves on the edge. You took in the sight squinting your eyes at him.

«Okay, Jungkook. I still don’t know you, so the answer is still no» you smiled at him and were about to start walking again but he got in the way a second time. His brain panicked again when he realized he had to say something now, eyes widened and throat dry. Mind blank, totally blank.

«I wanted to buy you something for making up for what happened yesterday and the day before- oh, shit not yesterday. I mean, yesterday and the day before but the day before that too.» he lowly groaned and shut his eyes, already feeling his face heating up. He watched your features change from annoyance to curiosity and then slightly smirking, but he couldn’t quite define if you were just having fun seeing him struggle or if you were actually smiling for his words.

You can do this, Jungkook. You can do this. Just go on.

«Apparently I screwed up again. This is for you.» the only sentence he wasn’t supposed to say came out like it had its own life and the maknae’s eyes widened even more while staring at your unreadable expression.

«So?» you asked folding your arms.

«I- i can’t- oh God» Jungkook wanted the earth to swallow him in. The embarrassment was eating him alive. «I can’t give it to you» he blurted out without even trying anymore to contain his voice.

«Jungkook, I really, really, don’t have the time to deal with this now. My parents are coming over for lunch and I still have to cook, they’re gonna start a-» you started blabbering but stopped when you figured out you were saying too much. «I don’t have time.»

«I can cook.» he claimed «I can cook, I’m- I’m good at it and I’m fast» His face has never been more red than in that moment, not even when he asked her first crush ever out. Never than when he was with you.

«What are you trying to say?» you sighed, again checking your phone, the bold characters of the time made you whine.

«I can- help you with the lunch?» he tried again.«You can trust me. I swear- my friend is a chef. He-»

«Are you serious?» you interrupted his endless speech with a hint in your voice that neither the both of you quite get. Your question didn’t sound like an annoyed one, it sounded more like... Surprised? Kinda. Desperate? Oh, hell yes.

Jungkook nodded, and in a second your wheels brain worked like crazy. It was almost 12.00 and you knew that your parents wouldn’t arrive at the established time, they were probably already in the car looking forward to the moment you were going to open the door and ready to start complaining about how late you were for everything, how your life wasn’t good for you, how you should’ve been more like them. No, you weren’t playing they’re game, not today.

Going to your apartment now would’ve meant arrive in twenty minutes, then you had to make sure everything was in place and absolutely remember to lock your bedroom, your mother had this weird habit to always pry and snoop in your drawers as if you were still a teenager, you hated it. You had to cook and set the table too.

Oh, lord. You couldn’t believe you were really thinking about this.

«I’m Y/N» you sighed, locking eyes with Jungkook. The information you had just given him seemed to make his features even more shocked. 

Y/N, he repeated to himself, finally having a name for your breathtaking face. You had really told him? After all he had done so far?

«Are you really serious? Cause please, I don’t really have time for your teasing.» now it was you the one almost begging.

Jungkook’s eyes widened so much that they almost fell out as he forced himself to nod. «Yes, I- I’m serious. I can help you?» his voice was shaking.

«If you promise your friend won’t set fire to my kitchen?»

Jungkook’s features lost all their hope in a blink hearing your words. He really thought you were letting him in your place to help you considering all the awkwardness between you two? Well, he hoped it. It would’ve been a good way to prove you he wasn’t a jerk and maybe get to know you a little better. It wasn’t fair to be that much head over heels for someone you don’t even know. But that thought vanished in an instant. It took him a few seconds to understand he had to call Jin.

Please, please. He hoped the rehearsals were over and that he had already taken a shower.

«I promise, I swear he won’t do it» Jungkook’s sweaty hands went in his pockets and grabbed the phone. «I- I’ll call him»

You let yourself sigh when he brung the phone to his ear. This was all too overwhelming, the nervousness was eating you alive and the fact that now you had to worry about his friend too made you hold another sigh. Please, tell me he’s not teasing me again. This was your prayer, the words echoing through your mind like a mantra while the man talked to his phone taking a few steps to distance himself from you.

«Jin, please. You own me this for the dress. And I promise I- I will do whatever you want me to do. Just, please do this for me» he prayed lowering his voice and staring at you.

«You’re lucky I just changed. Alright.» Jin nodded on the other side of the line, everyone was staring at him waiting to know what happened.

«Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you. I love you» 

«I know, how can’t someone love me?» he scoffed «Where are you?»

«A few block away from the studio, in front of the crossroad, but please hurry up. Really, she’s running out of time»

«Alright, alright. I’m on my way. Don’t say or do awkward things.» that was the last sentence he left him with.

Jungkook stared at you for a little bit before putting his phone back in his pockets, studying the way you were biting your lips and snorting from time to time, fingers playing with each other in nervous movements. He couldn’t help but ask himself why you were so nervous. Your parents were coming over, shouldn’t you be happy to spend some time with your family?

You were desperate, totally overwhelmed from your parents’s judgement, still thinking about their faces when they would see you hired a chief just for a stupid lunch. “Couldn’t you do this on your own?”, “This is ridiculous.”, their voices were already playing in your mind.

You turned to look at Jungkook, his gaze immediately leaving your face and his cheeks flashing red. You approached him in a second.

«He’s coming» he let out a deep breath, and so did you. You didn’t have to worry about lunch anymore, thanks God. «I- why... Can I ask you why are you so nerv- nervous?» his question made your mouth fall agape. Was it that obvious? 

«I’m not»

«Oh» he puffed «O-okay. I’m sorry» you frowned.

«Why do you keep saying that?» Jungkook gulped harshly.

«I- I shouldn’t have asked.» and now he was looking like a puppy for the first time in front of your eyes. For a moment he didn’t seem the charming awkward man that had made you feel uncomfortable anymore. The silence filled the air even though the streets were chaotic. 

Seeing him like that made you speak: «You won’t tease?»

«Wha-What? Why?» Kook thought the conversation was already over, so when you asked him he really didn’t had his brain working. «I mean, why should I t-tease you?» doe-eyes staring directly into yours.

«You always do it» you shrugged. In that moment, Jungkook really felt awful. You really thought all he had done was because he was teasing you?

«I don’t»

«Yes, you do»

«No, I don’t» his voice sounded firm for the first time. Your eyes left his.

«Then this is you? You usually act like... you acted yesterday? And the day before? And the-»

«No, I- I don’t» he sighed «but I’m not teasing you. I never wanted to?»

«Why are you asking me?»

«I’m not! It’s just-» he let the sentence disappear like a speck of dust blown off by the window. «I won’t tease» his voice made you look back into his eyes and the silence filled the space between you two again, your face lost his brightness.

«My parents are not easy-going people. It’s just that.» Jungkook raised his eyebrows.

«Yes, but a chief?» he let out without even thinking, the second he saw your features changing he wanted to slap himself.

«I know, it’s desperate» he held his breath, the guilt already sneaking in his body for letting you think he thought that.

«No!» his voice came out louder than expected «I-It’s not. I was just curious. Maybe I should hire Seokjin too when my parents come to my place. He cooks better than me» you scoffed and his heart sped up like crazy. Finally, he thought. He was dying to hear that sound escape your lips, and now that he was the cause of it he wanted to hear it more.

«Jungkook!» Jin’s voice remembered him what you were really doing and he couldn’t help but feel disappointed when he turned to watch him get closer with each step. Your mouth hanging open at the sight. Tall, broad shoulders and a charming face. Was it a thing running in his group?

«I’m Kim Seokjin, but call me Jin. I’m your chief for today.» he introduced himself once he stood in front of you.

«I’m Y/N. Thank you for doing this, I’m aware I didn’t give you time to-»

«Don’t worry, really. It’s not a problem.» he smiled. You nodded and gulped nervously before glancing at Jungkook, who was standing there shifting his gaze between you and his friend, praying everything would work out fine.

«Let’s go, you can tell me about what you’d like to eat while we get to your place»

And with that, you nodded at him and gave a smile to the maknae. Jungkook’s heart skipped a few beats.

«I swear, she has the worst parents ever.» Jin claimed, eyes wide and shocked features. «They really aren’t easy-going people.»

«Did they complain about the food?» Namjoon asked, the hyung raised his eyebrows.

«They didn’t dare, luckily for them,» he scoffed. «but from what I heard from the kitchen that woman really has the strongest self-control ever»

«What happened?» Hobi sat beside him on the couch.

«You mean what didn’t happen. First, when they came in they didn’t even greet her, they just gave her their coats and ran past her like nothing.» he raised his index finger while shaking his head. Jungkook’s eyes widened.

«Then they started complaining about her apartment. “I don’t really know how you like this place so much”, “it’s so small”, “do you even have a second bathroom in here?”, “you should move”. I mean, let her breathe!» he imitated your parents’s voices, an high-pitched tone for your mother and a weird twang for you father. His middle finger went up.

«After that, her mother tried to break into her room as if she’s a fifteen years old teenager. What the hell was that? She even locked it before they came in, I saw her.» and now his ring finger too.

«What?» Yoongi couldn’t believe what he was hearing, and neither the others. Everyone’s expression was only screaming shock, staring at their friend like he was telling them a crime novel. Jungkook had his eyebrows knitted together, mouth agape and an emotion neither he could quite get running through his blood.

«I swear I’m not making this up! They’re the worst!» Jin shook his head. «When they saw me serving the plates her mother raised her eyebrows and waited for me to go into the kitchen before she started spitting out all her venom. “Couldn’t you do this on your own? Of course not. You’re still trying to dance, right? That’s why you don’t even have time to learn how to cook”, “your mother is right, you should start to act like an adult, Y/N. I think it’s time for you to stop with that”. It was like being in hell, and I was in my heaven, you know I love standing in front of the stove. I honestly don’t know how she managed to stay calm.»

«Oh, God. She must feel so much pressure» Hobi muttered, Yoongi and Taehyung nodded.

«I know. I could see it in her eyes when I left, she was acting like nothing happened but she really seemed wrecked. She insisted to pay me but I refused her money, I told her she’s fine since is your “friend”» Jin looked at Jungkook, who weakly smiled as a thank you for his actions. He already knew that your parents were not that easy from your words and the way you acted that morning, but God, he never though they’d be like this. How did you even manage to not burst out at them?

Your pillow was doing nothing to muffle your sobs, they could be heard even with the sound of the TV on and the sheets hiding you from the light light of the screen. Useless to say, you were feeling like shit. You always tried your best but always fail with them. You were used to it, so why were you crying? Again? You wished your parents were different, more amenable, you even wished you were different, the daughter they expected you to be. But you weren’t, and all you were left with was hope, every time. Maybe the next time will be better, that was what you usually told to yourself, and that was probably why you ended up crying this time too. You needed to stop it and face the fact that it was not going to be better. You weren’t the problem, and deep inside you you knew it.

You simply needed to face it.

Finally, here comes today. It’s weird for you to think this, but you actually want to meet Jungkook, to thank him. The awful night you had made you think of how hard you try with your parents even though you keep telling yourself it’s not true. After having a chief cooking for you, the only thing you can do is cope with it. You can’t deny you were being anxious for the whole time, still skeptical about the situation, afraid that Jungkook was maybe teasing you again and his friend was no one but a someone looking for fun him too. But he wasn’t, he’s been nice for the entire time, always smiling and trying to make you feel comfortable, he sure knows how to marvel a new client. You saw him blinking a few times because of your parents’s words, but you’re grateful he didn’t tell you anything. He was professional and friendly, and you feel so sorry about not paying him and making him deal with the awkward lunch of you and your parents.

Thus, you are now walking in the studio hoping to find Jungkook or maybe one of his friends, not sure of what exactly are his schedules. You look for him until you realize you’re already five minutes late for your rehearsals so you decide to rush back in your room. What you didn’t expect is to find him at your doorframe, eyes shifting from person to person. His figure makes you hold your breath, his features taken by whoever his looking for, lips pursued, tall and muscled body wrapped in a pair of black jeans and a gray shirt.

«Jungkook?» you call. Jungkook’s heart drops when he realizes it’s your voice, then in a second the embarrassment is there again, making his ears and cheeks flashing red.

«H-hi?» he slowly moves his stare until it’s on your face.

«Were you looking for me?» his eyes wide, he weakly raises his eyebrows and now his lips are slightly parted in a pout.

«N-no? Yes, I mean no, I- fuck» he mutters, shutting his eyes at the end of the uncommon answer and hissing under his breath. You knit your eyebrows. Once he opens his eyes again you can’t help but smirk, just a little bit. With the half-gone sensation of him teasing at you it’s more easy to do it.

«I- what was the question?» he really doesn’t know how to answer you. You scoff and shake your head.

«Never mind, I was looking for you but now I really can’t talk. Do you have some time later?» your uncertain tone makes you cringe, again feeling weird in front of him. You can’t help it, it’s just something that happens every time in his presence.

His brain stops working again. «Oh, yes? Y-yeah»

«What- what time do you get off?»

«I- well, I- uhm... Yoongi!» he suddenly screams, panicking and widening his eyes when he shifts them from you to his friend, his tone radiates nothing but frustration.

Thanks God, he thinks, but a second later he’s already regretting it. You quickly turn to see his friend approaching you in heavy footsteps, and when you link his face to his name another wave of uncomfortableness sneaks in your body.

Yoongi looks at you only when he sides his friend, gulping harshly and trying to fake a smile as best as he can. «Hi, I’m Yoongi?»Why do they all speak like this? 

He shifts his eyes from you to Jungkook and viceversa, hoping someone to talk and tell him what the hell is he doing there with you two. When Jungkook finally speaks his voice his shaking. «What dime do- do we get o-off?» his eyes are basically praying Yoongi to answer.

«I think at seven?»

«Oh» he lets out, lowering his gaze on you again. You try to shrug off the mix of emotions his dark eyes give you.

«Okay, I... I’ll wait for you? I guess, if you tell me-»

«13» Yoongi interrupts your blabbering seeing that the maknae’s face is as blank as a white sheet paper, still in shock from what’s happening, he probably wouldn’t have known how to answer you.

«Thank you. See you later then» you try to smile without letting your uneasiness creep in and quickly enter the rehearsal room, letting out a deep breath.

«You know you’ll have to talk to her later, right? And what was she talking about?» Yoongi asks as soon as you can’t hear him. Jungkook shrugs.

«She- she wants to talk? I’m gonna die in the awkwardness, I know it. I’m gonna embarrass myself so much I won’t even be able to breathe, fuck.»

«Y/N?» Jungkook stares at your reflection in the mirror, his movements suddenly stop nd Hobi frowns at him.

«Jungkook, what are you doing?» he screams over the music. The maknae blinks a few times before he understands you’re looking at him and he’ll make everything more awkward if he keeps standing still like this with his eyes on you. Thus, he takes a deep - deep - breath and  counts the time again before catching up with the moves.

His body makes you hold your breath, his movements are clean and outright, his style is impactful, even the small details incredibly focused and accurate. His muscles twitch under the clothes, and you can outline the muscles of his legs even without even trying. Only the sight makes you shudder. His body is something you really didn’t dwell on, too much taken aback from the way he usually acts around you, but having a show like this in front of your eyes is something you can’t really turn away to. The way he moves his hips in a particular move has you clenching around nothing, and you suddenly blush at the thought of how he’d move them in a different situation, your heart beats faster.

Jungkook tries to not let your presence influence his rehearsals but he can’t help to steal a few glances at you while he moves on the rhythm. When he sees you blushing and glancing down his body he can’t help but smirk a little bit, even though his heart beats louder with every second. He glances away again when you eventually raise your eyes to his face, body stiffening in an second.

When the music finally stops and you seem to wake up from your trance you find yourself looking at the others, realizing only now that you probably should have asked before coming in the room like this, so you stand up and go out in a second.

Yoongi suddenly runs behind you.

«Y/N? Right?» you have no chance but to turn and nod.

«I’m sorry, I sho-»

«You can stay.» he smiles at you «And I’m sorry for the tea, the other day»

«Are you sure?»

«About the tea? I’m really sorry» he bits the inside of his cheek.

«No, I mean are you sure I-»

«Oh, yes. Jungkook would like it if you stayed» he suddenly points his thumb to Jungkook, who’s staring at the two of you with his lips parted and apparently in trance like you were just a few seconds ago. When your eyes lock with his you shrug to hide the weird shiver sneaking into your back.

«Okay, then» you smile at Yoongi and head back to the bench at the side of the room. 

You spend at least twenty five minutes staring at Jungkook, your eyes rarely meet the figures of his friends, completely taken by the way he moves and the emotions he makes you feel with every song. At the beginning the maknae feels his cheeks heating up and his body as stiff as a trunk, but with the time passing by and the seconds becoming minutes he slowly gains a little bit of confidence, and when you see him even more free and secure you can’t help but take in the sight releasing a deep breath you didn’t know you were holding. He’s like a magnet, some weird kind of energy attracts you to him, maybe it’s the way he speaks with his face or the way his eyes seem even darker and deeper when he sometimes glances at you and immediately glances back. Time seems to run and before you know it the music stops again and the group is lets out uneven breaths, heading to the bench you’re sitting on to grab their towels.

You feel your cheeks heat up when you notice almost every one of them glance at you with a look you can’t really read. Jungkook is still in front of the mirror, eyes completely focused on the way his body moves and repeating movements like a mantra. When he finally stops and turns around his gaze locks with yours, his heart pounds in his chest, palms sweaty all of a sudden.

«Kook, here!» one of his friends throws him a bottle of water and the man quickly catches it bringing it to his lips and taking a few sips. You watch the way his adam’s apple moves from your seat. He closes the bottle and finally heads to the bench, he feels so nervous he’d do something awkward and make you both feel uncomfortable that he almost thinks of running away. The others seem to quickly disappear to go to change and when he finally stands beside you you don’t really know how to act. The silence fills the room and makes you wince, your tongue comes out to wet the petals of your lips, Jungkook holds his breath.

«I like your style of dancing, the way you move» you blurt out. The maknae seems almost shocked at your words.

«I- I like it too» and here we go again. «I mean, I like yours too?»

«You watched me dancing?»

Jungkook groans. «I- oh, ye- yes?» he quickly gives up on lying «I watched you»

«Oh, I didn’t notice» you nervously smile. «Thank you, then»

Jungkook brings his white towel to his neck, wiping the sweat from his skin. That stupid action hits you like a wrecking ball.

«I’m- I’m sorry for everything that happened,» he speaks without thinking «I- I never wanted to tease you. I’m really sorry it- it came out like that. Really sorry.» his tone is shaky and he still can’t believe he managed to let out a full sentence without embarrassing himself or you. For some kind of reason his words make your gaze deepen in his, the weight of your irises almost crashing down Jungkook’s mind.

 You shake your head. «You apologize every time» a smile breaks through your mask.

«I don’t want to... make you feel uncomfortable? It’s just... I’m really so- sorry if it came out in the wrong way. I always end up embarrassing myself but I wanted to make a good impression, it’s just-» he suddenly stops talking, feeling all of a sudden even more nervous to say the words he was almost spilling out, he scraps at the back of his neck.

«You make me nervous» he really said it. 

His words hit you like a train, fast enough to make you doubt you really heard them and hard enough to stun you. «I make you nervous? Oh, I’m sorry I-»

«No, no, no, no» he quickly complaints «In a good way, I- I guess?» 

«What do you mean?»

Jungkook opens his mouth to speak a few times but always fails and closes it, before putting the towel on the bench and harshly gulping. «I- Can we talk about something else? Please?» he almost whines, making a weird smile form on your lips.

«Do you want to go to the cafe?»

He nods at your proposal, lifting his index finger. «Just give me a minute to change and-» he lowers to grab at all his stuff on the bench but unintentionally hits the bottle of water which falls to the ground. He lets out a deep shaky breath, the words I’m so bad at this echoing in his mind. You manage to bend over and grab it but at the same time he takes a step towards it to do the same, stopping when he sees your hands holding the bottle. When you raise back, the view you meet with makes you hold your breath and your cheeks red like peppers, Jungkook is not quick enough to rush back, and you can’t help but feel uncomfortable again, but this time there’s a different emotion too that you’re not quick enough to grasp.

It happens in a matter of seconds, but it seems like minutes when you glance at him, standing tall and looking at you bewitched by the sight of you like this. And he needs to remember himself you’re actually here to hold back the dirty thoughts that are already filling his head. You gulp hard, your eyes scanning his beautiful features and saving the breathtaking sight, his crotch almost touching your cheek because of the lack of distance. And you can’t deny, your thoughts take you to a different dimension that makes you fucking throb.

«Just- give me- give me a minute?» Jungkook stutters with a deep low voice, heavy breath and cheeks heating up.

«This are the kind of things that makes me think of you teasing me» you don’t even know where your words came out from, how’d you manage to make a full sentence still watching him from the same position.

«I swear, I didn’t want to-»

«It’s okay» you unintentionally lick your lips and he finds it even harder to keep a clear head, his cock already hardening. «Go?»

He slowly nods waking up from his trance, and manages to rush back into the fitting room with fast steps and heavy breathing, hoping that the others are not there. Not now that with every steps he takes he feels harder with the image of your eyes looking at him from down.

«Fuck» he hisses letting his bag fall to the bench. Luckily, no one’s here anymore and he’s only left with his boner. What is he supposed to do now? He can’t just change and go out, you’d see it, definitely.

Fuck.

Jungkook quickly heads to the door of the bathroom and takes a deep breath before locking it, lowering his sweat pants and his boxers on his thighs. The second the material doesn’t hug him anymore his cock jumps to his stomach, tip already red and dripping with precum. How do you manage to get him this hard without even trying?

His hand immediately wraps around his shaft, squeezing himself a little bit, just enough to make his head fall back and his lips part letting out a strangled whine. 

«Fuck» he hisses before he starts moving his hand, his mind going back at you and how damn good you looked before at the height of his cock. The first time he masturbated thinking about you sucking him dry he didn’t really think he would ever have a picture of you to accompany his actions to. And now that he has it, he can’t seem to get enough of it. You’d look so fucking good giving him the blowjob of his life, hollowing your cheeks and wrapping him in your mouth, he’d fuck it so good you’d be drooling and gagging for him. His thumb slowly caresses his frenulum and he twitches under his hand, stroking himself faster and harder. He doesn’t even realize it but the image of you he has in mind is making him louder than he usually is, panting and hissing, begging to explode.

«Oh my god, fuck.» he groans.

You can’t hear him from where you are, but your tights are tightening anyway. What happened just a few moments ago is replaying in your mind over and over again. The view he gave you of him staring directly into your eyes while you were basically facing his cock it’s making you go out of your mind. You can’t deny he’s charming, with features that make you feel dizzy, but this was too much to handle even for you. Your mind can’t help but fantasize how he’d fist your hair while you’d lick him, and just the thought makes you clench around nothing, the wetness between your folds already soaking your knickers. You try to push the image away, but the way you’re desperately squeezing your thighs for some kind of friction tells a total different story.

Jungkook bites his lips, his abdomen twitching and his shoulders heavily raising.

«Y/N» he whines, picturing you on your knees for him. In his mind, your hands are one on his inner thigh and the other playing with his nipple, twirling it between your index and thumb and making him even more sensible.

«Shit, so good» his voice is husky, sure as hell it would make you shudder and fall on your knees if you’d only hear it. His movements become more sloppy, the knot in his stomach almost about to burst. He groans and speeds up even more, hips practically hitting his hand with every stroke. He imagines your thighs tightened, the wetness in your folds, the way you’d taste, and he feels even closer.

«So fucking good»

Jungkook spits in his hand. His breath stutters more, and he suddenly doesn’t remember how to breathe anymore as he strokes himself harder, the lewd sound of him shoving in his fist becomes louder, the only sound feeling the bathroom and the fitting room.

The thought of you cupping his balls and massaging it makes him do the same thing, he pictures your tongue licking and swirling around the head of his cock. That is the last chunk he needs to come undone in his palm, spatters of white hitting his chest as he fucks himself through his orgasm until he’s too sensitive to even make one more stroke, letting his head resting on the door behind him. Eyes closed, heavy breath and mouth completely dry, Jungkook takes some time to recover from the heavenly climax he just reached.

God, what he’d give to know that he had the exact effect you had on him, but you’re just too shy to do something about it here. If you were home, well that would be a different thing. You’d help yourself with your vibrator, fucking it into you like it was him. But now, now you’re just trying to contain your thoughts, waiting for him to come out and go to the cafe.

When you realize it’s been a while since he disappeared you decide it’s better to go and see if everything’s okay. Standing up you unsurely walk to the door of the fitting room, the structure of the building being always the same makes finding the way easier. You knock at the door.

«Jungkook? Are you okay?»

«I- uhm, I’m coming, give me a second!» he answers back with a high-pitched tone, so you nod and go back to your bench, waiting for him. It takes him another three minutes to finally come out, his hair are a little bit messy and you think he must’ve ran his hands through them a few times.

«Are we- are we still going?» he asks. With your worries at the door of the fitting room he thought you might have heard him before, but when you nod and smile he lets his previous thoughts fade.

You head out of the studio and to the cafe, trying to ignore the way your panties practically slips against your folds. Jungkook tries to think about what to say and how to begin a safe conversation for the both of you without feeling uncomfortable or awkward but he just can’t seem to find nothing else than the question he asks.

«You wanted to talk?» lowering his gaze to his side he looks at you walking in silence. You quickly nod.

«I wanted to thank you, actually» you turn to smile at him, the butterflies in in stomach invading every part of his body.,«You know, for Jin.»

«Oh, no- no problem» he smiles back, his eyes sparkling and you can’t deny the sudden warmth you feel in your chest. «It’s the least I could do, for what happened?» his sentence sounds again like a question, but by now you’re kinda used to it. You scoff.

«Let’s say I forgive you for the dress and the awkward meeting» you tease. His eyes squint and he wrinkles his nose.

«That wasn’t my fault» he murmurs.

«Your friend?»

He nods. «Teahyung»

«Well, then I forgive Teahyung and you for the dress» you smile again, his heart is beating like crazy.

«How much do I have to embarrass my-myself for the drink Yoongi spilled on you?» he’d like to giggle but he feels so freaking nervous that all he can do is let out a puff.

«I don’t know, you’re pretty good at that. I’d end up enjoying the show eventually and it wouldn’t be fair, I’d let you go on» you tease again. Jungkook’s cheeks heat up. His brain trying to understand if you’d say something like this because you like the way he acts around you or just for the fun of teasing him. The truth is, neither you know it now.

«It’s the thing I seem to be better at» your giggle makes him feel lighter.

«I was kidding» you stop your steps and he realizes you’re already in front of the cafe.

«You’re forgiven, more than forgiven. I actually feel like I owe you something now» you explain looking directly in his dark eyes, and damn, he’s really beautiful.

«Oh- no, no! Don’t, please» he shakes his head. «I- I wanted to make it up to you, you don’t owe me anything»

«Well, let me get you a coffee or something you’d like at least?» you point at the shop behind you. Jungkook licks his lips and takes another deep breath before nodding, following you in and trying to look elsewhere but the way you swing your hips with every step. You’re gonna be the death of him, and he’s slowly falling even more with every word you say.

Thanks to the time the cafe is almost empty, only two or three clients are sit on the chairs at the counter. Nevertheless, you sit at your favorite table, the one in the corner always forgotten by practically everyone. There’s something about this table that makes you feel safe, maybe it’s because no one seems to look at it, sometimes even the waitress forgets it.

«I’ll get a tea» you announce without even glancing at the menu, Jungkook tilts his head to the side and hides his head behind it. You wait for him to choose what he wants and when he’s done you raise your hand to the waitress behind the counter. The woman quickly walks to you, giving you a gentle smile.

«What can I serve you?»

«A tea for me»

«I’ll have a Red Velvet latte» Jungkook says, leaving you amused by his choice. The waitress quickly nods and leaves you with another smile.

«Red Velvet?» you ask «I’ve always wanted to try it but I always end up with tea or coffe» you reveal, Kook raises his eyebrows.

«I like- I like it. Maybe you want a sip?»

«Don’t worry, I’ll get it the next time»

«We can switch drinks if you want» he says as the same time as you.

«Really, Jungkook, don’t worry» you smile at him.

«Anyway, I really am thankful for Jin yesterday. He helped me a lot, without him I’d probably end up having a breakdown» you scoff at the end of your sentence even though it’s true. Jungkook watches you as you speak, completely taken by your words and the way you move your lips, your voice seems to be the only thing catching his ears now, not even one of his favorite songs playing in the background gets him.

«Thank you for being so nice and help me, Jungkook. It was Sunday and-»

«Hey, no problem» he cuts off your rumbling with his hand on yours, and the second he realizes what he has just done he takes it away with wide eyes. The only trace he leaves on your skin is the dampness of his sweaty palms.

«I’m- I’m sorry»

«Stop it, please» you almost whine and his features instantly sadden, afraid he just made another mistake. He tries to hide his expression but fails, and the guilt sneaks into you making you shake your head.

«I mean, stop being so stiff. Tell me, what is it?» you ask.

«What?»

«What do I do to make you this nervous?» you ask again. «I can try and-»

«It’s not you.» he cuts you off again. «I- I mean it is you, but it’s me. I-» he stutters.

«I can try to hide my face if you want» youironically propose as you grab the menu and cover your face with it. Jungkook frowns but immediately smiles at your silliness. «Does it work?»

«It- It’s not making any difference» he holds back a laugh.

«Are you sure?» you giggle. He shakes his head.

«I am, just- please, look at me» his words play a strange trick on your mind, making you harshly gulp as your heart skips a few beats. It’s noy like he had just said something that important, but your mind goes blank for a second.

«Y/N?» he calls, eyes fixated on the menu you’re holding. He stretches his arm out and grabs at the paper, slowly lowering it from your face. Your eyes, your nose, your lips. Jungkook stares at every feature of your face taking in the sight in front of him, the power you have on him is fucking scary, and he’s realizing it for the first time now looking in your eyes.

«What happened?» he lets out in a whisper, not really certain of his voice at the moment. You gulp and shake your head. You don’t even know what happened, how are you supposed to explain him?

«There you go, your tea and your Red Velvet» the waitress comes in the way, and you thank her in your mind for saving you from the awkward situation you just putted yourself into. However, the interruption is fast and she leaves in a matter of seconds leaving you with your drinks.

You can’t help but glance at his glass, the crimson color of the drink intrigues you and the chocolate chips on top are the perfect frame. Jungkook lifts it from the table and stretches his arm again towards you, putting the drink basically under your nose.

«Try it» he manages to say holding his breath. He doesn’t even know where he gained all of this boldness, he just did it without thinking. And now that you stare at him he’s beginning to think he’s making things awkward again.

Your hands cover his, giving birth to another session of butterflies in his stomach and a shudder running down your spine. Jungkook understands he has to remove his hand from the glass to make you drink and he slips away like he just got burn by a blazing fire.

Taking a sip you let yourself taste the sweetness of the latte and the chocolate chips before giving him his drink again, deciding this will definitely be your next order at this place.

«It’s so good» you whine, Jungkook smiles.

«It’s one of my favorite drinks, Jin- he always tries new things and likes to feed us like babies. He introduced me to this»

«I really like it» you bring your cup of tea to your lips, taking a sip. «My tea is so boring now» his smile widens.

«We can really switch drinks if you-»

«No, don’t worry, really»

He nods, taking the first sip of his Red Velvet.

«So Jin is kinda like the mama of the group?» Jungkook smiles at your comment.

«He is the oldest» he nods. «He likes to take care of us and we like to eat» you giggle at his words.

«His cooking is really good, I haven’t eaten that good in months. I should have insisted more on paying him» you take another sip from your tea.

«Trust me, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it» Jungkook smiles at you, and it’s a matter of seconds before he finally noticed he’s not stuttering anymore. In fact, he feels more comfortable. «He was happy to help»

«Oh, trust me, he helped me a lot»

You try to think what would’ve happen yesterday if it wasn’t for him, the result would have been even worse than it already is. Jungkook’s heart warms up knowing he was really able to help you, he made something right. The smile you have on your face makes him want to work even more to create a brand new one.

«What about Yoongi? Does he spill his drinks on everyone?»

«No, he doesn’t» Jungkook scoffs and avoids telling you the reason why he actually spilled it. «He’s the second hyung. Actually, he’s usually very quiet. His stage name is Suga»

«I heard about him» you raise your eyebrows. «Someone told me he injured his shoulder fighting over a first prize but I didn’t think it was him they were talking about, and honestly I didn’t know if it was true» 

The maknae shakes his head. «It’s not true. He actually got injured while working, he had to find a job to pay for his dance lessons and eventually he started a delivering job. He got hit by a car.» Jungkook stares at the wooden table «People often say that or that he tried to beat one of the judges and got kicked in his ass. I don’t get why they like to make up something so stupid» an heavy sigh leaves his lips.

«Last year I broke my uncle because I was pushing myself too hard for a contest and eventually I didn’t perform. I heard people say I couldn’t ‘cause I was pregnant» you tell him, the memory still makes you wrinkle your nose. Jungkook’s eyes widens before he opens his mouth.

«I hate rumors» he mumbles. «Who- who do you want to know about now?» he stutters a little bit, deciding to bring back the conversation to a positive vibe.

«Taehyung? Was it his name?» you squint your eyes.

«Yes» he nods. «Taehyung is the second maknae and a fashion icon in the group, we always try to look as cool as him but he just has that something that makes you give up and stay in your sweat pants.» you giggle at his comment and he can’t help but smile at your sparkling eyes.

«He doesn’t usually act like the first time we met, he’s pretty confidential.» Jungkook takes the last sip of his Red Velvet and you do the same with your now almost cold tea while you take in all the informations.

«Namjoon is the dad of the group, he’s always willing to give you advices but at the same time able to give you a good shake. He and Jimin are my go to when I need to talk to someone, but the others are pretty good at listening too. Jimin is the third maknae»

«Who’s the first?»

Jungkook puckers his lips. «Me» 

«How old are you?»

«I’m twenty two» he answers, remembering this is the last day he gets to say it. For a little moment he thinks of you at his birthday, but he forces himself to push the picture away, it would be weird to invite you when you’re talking fr the first time.

«I’m older than you!» you can’t help but exclaim, Jungkook licks his lips.

«Really?»

You nod.«I’m twenty four»

«How- how should I call you then?» he bits his lips, a little bit of nervousness sneaks again into him, worried you don’t like the way he has been talking to you.

«Oh, please don’t call me noona!» you shake your head and smile at him.

«Are you sure?»

«Yes, Jungkook. Don’t change the way you were talking to me, I liked it. It was natural» you smile at him, your heart beats faster when a smile shines on his face and lights up his features. Jungkook is trying to be as natural as he can, trying to speak without blubbering still stunned by your presence in front of him, and hearing those words make him less tense.

«Hoseok is the only one left. He’s a ray of sunshine, always able to make you smile and laugh. His stage name is J-Hope. He’s a spring, his movements are as fluid as water. Oh, and he can’t hide his expressions whenever he’s angry, even though it’s difficult to annoy him. His face goes like this» Jungkook’s try to emulate his friend is quickly cut off by your bursting laugh because of his expression, and he can’t hold back his giggles at the sound of your happiness.

«Sounds like a beautiful group» you say when you finally stop laughing, your cheeks are hurting while you take a look inside your mug, realizing only now it’s empty.

«It is, they’re my family» the tone he uses makes a knot built up in your throat, smiling melancholic. And who the hell knows why, Jungkook notices it. 

«Is- is something wrong? Did I say-»

«No, no, no. It’s fine, I’m fine» you quickly say smiling again. He would like to ask you what’s wrong again until you’d probably end up answering him but he thinks he’d invade your personal space and annoying you.

«Are you sure? I- I know I ask this a lot but-»

«I’m sure, thank you for asking» you interrupt him with another gentle smile. Jungkook knows it’s not true, but he nods anyway, bringing his gaze to his empty glass. His action makes you bring yours to your phone, unlocking the screen and realizing only now it’s almost eight and a half.

«I should go now»

He raises his glance, the feeling in his chest it’s telling him to not let you go but he can’t do that.

«I’ll see you tomorrow at the studio?» you ask him while getting up from your chair, rummaging through your purse looking for the wallet. Jungkook is about to say yes when he remembers tomorrow it’s their free day.

«No, not tomorrow» he smiles at you getting up and producing a shrill sound with his chair against the floor, his cheeks heat up for the fiftieth time only in an hour.

«Oh, I guess I’ll see you on Wednesday then? Or whenever we-»

«Could you give me your number?»

If he thought his heart already risked a heart attack many times with you, then now he should be dead from the way it’s beating. Blood running through his body so fast that he can hear it his in his ears, the tip of them and his cheeks flashing red, palms sweating more than before. Maybe he shouldn’t have asked you.

You stare at him for a few seconds, completely stuttered by his question as you gulp harshly and blink a few times.

«You- you promise you won’t send me nudes?» you joke, and this time you are the one who’s left with her mouth agape, wondering where the hell that just came out from. «Oh my-»

«If you don’t ask for them I won’t» Jungkook scoffs, the fact you just said something like that is making him feel lighter. You raise your eyebrows at him.

«I won’t, I surely won’t» you quickly rebut but you’re afraid he might be offended so you keep adding words making everything worse. «I mean- not that I wouldn’t like them, it’s just-»

«Y/N» he interrupts your dwelling. «I- I won’t send or ask for nudes» he laughs at his own words at the end of the sentence, making you grimace.

«I’m- I’m sorry, I don’t know why I said that»

«It’s okay» he smiles at you and you let out a shaky breath before putting ten bucks on the table and heading to the door with him.

Jungkook dials your number on his phone and quickly sends you a message to let you save his, still freaking out in his mind for what happened in just an hour of being with you.

The afraid of being awkward he felt at the beginning is still there, but he feels more comfortable now that he knows a little bit about you. He’s still nervous, palms still sweaty and heart still beating like crazy, gaze still trying to lock with yours just to shudder and blush under it. He likes the way his nervousness shaded with the comfortableness you made him feel talking to you, his chest both threatening to explode because of the tension but still tasting the sweetness of the naturalness and ease, the combo is one of the weirdest to ever exist, but it’s true.

«Goodbye, Jungkook» you smile at him after putting your phone back in your purse. You think about your actions for a moment before quickly tiptoeing and leaving a soft peck on his cheek that makes him almost feel dizzy. The way your soft lips touched his skin will haunt him even in his dreams tonight. He’s not rapid enough to smile at you while you turn and walk away, too shocked by your actions, but he smiles anyway.

This is the first time Jungkook realizes he just had a bite of the cake, and now he wants to eat it all.

«Are you kidding?» Taehyung’s deep voice resonates through the stairwell and Jungkook can hear it even by pulling his phone away from his ear.

«I’m not, Tae» he rushes to the door and hangs up before opening it sure that his friend is already there. In fact, he is. Standing still in front of him in his Gucci palazzo trousers looking like a model.

«Happy birthday, Kookie» he smiles at him and hugs him tight making Jungkook chuckle.

«You just said it on the phone»

«I know» he pats his shoulder. «Where are the others?»

«They’re coming» Jungkook takes a look to his lounge, the table is already set and the food is almost ready, Jin will be proud of him.

«Is she coming too?» Taehyung asks, Jungkook turns like top.

«What? No»

«Why not?»

«I don’t know... we don’t have that much of intimacy. And with you?» he knits his eyebrows thinking of the possible ending of doing something like that. «She’d probably feel like a fish out of water and you’re gonna embarrass me if I’m not the one doing it» he shakes his head.

The bell rings and Kook rushes to the door to welcome his friends, Hobi and Jin are standing there with the biggest smiles on their faces and hands full of envelopes, smiles as bright as the sun.

«There will be a day when you’ll be old and people will make fun of you, and it’s coming! Happy birthday!» Jin hugs the maknae laughing for his own words and Jungkook does the same. Hobi joins the hug, making Tae grimace and run to them.

«I feel alone» he mumbles before wrapping his arms around the three of them, Jungkook in the middle is almost dying, being the burger in the middle of the bread.

«Happy birthday!» Hobi screams, his voice echoing in the hallways remembers Jungkook the door is still open.

«Okay, now set me free» he laughs. «Where are the others?» their grip on him loosen and he finally closes the door.

«They went to buy you a cake, Seokjin made you one but Joon ate it last night without knowing it was yours» Hobi burst out laughing.

«It was obvious! He should’ve known it!» Jin screams frustrated with his eyes wide.

«Look at that!» Jimin points at the cake through the glass, his eyes sparkling at the sight and his mouth begging to taste the sweetness of the sponge cake. He looks like a baby.

«Ugh, Chimin! It’s for Jungkook, not you!» Namjoon scolds him making the corners of his mouth drop.

«I know what he likes!» he says back. Yoongi shuts his eyes, they’ve been in here for almost ten minutes now, fighting over which cake they could buy and not really getting anything.

«Do you-»

«He’ll like that» Yoongi cuts off Joonie’s words and point at the cake nodding to the pastry chef behind the counter who quickly smiles at him.

«Could you write “Jungkook” on top of it?» Jimin asks with a kind smile, the baker nods and he raises his eyebrows at Namjoon.

«See? It’s gonna be perfect, you need to listen to me!»

Namjoon sighs and shakes his head, taking a glance out of the shop to see his girlfriend still in the car waiting for them, eyes fixated on her phone.

Your parents had decided to ring your doorbell without telling you they were coming over. Luckily - or unfortunately - it’s Tuesday, and on Tuesday you’re usually home for lunch, but when the doorbell squeaked you didn’t really think it was them. Maybe the postman or a neighbor, but not your parents.

«Surprise!» they both screamed. It was the worst surprise ever. You didn’t know they were coming so you didn’t make lunch for them, didn’t tidy up properly, didn’t hide your things and didn’t lock your door. Plus, you weren’t prepared for another mental breakdown, not so soon after they gave you one just two days ago. And you still aren’t now, listening to them talking while you eat your salad.

«Your mother decided to come visit Ailiseu for a few days and September is already here so we decided not to wait until next month, it’ll be too cold» your father explains, his smile going from ear to ear. You instantly pray for the mental health of your cousin knowing how your parents can be, she’s gonna go out of her mind.

«Exactly! And we’re staying at her place, since she has a big house. Sorry honey, we would’ve asked you but we thought we’d be too much in here.»

«No problem» you try to sound as kind as possible. This is the good side of having a small house, at least.

«How long will you stay?»

«Three days» your father says «but we’re going to Ailiseu for dinner, we’d like to spend today with you»

«Take a day off of work.» your mother points her index finger at you. «We’ll have fun! We could go to the mall and buy some clothes, I really don’t like the shirt you’re wearing»

You stop eating fixing your gaze on your meal and trying to stay calm. This is a nightmare. How are you supposed to not go to work when they saw you were fine this morning? And notify them in half an hour? Your boss is going to go out of his mind and kill you. You won’t even be able to rehearsal today, obviously.

«Mom, I-»

«Please?» your father cuts you off.

You give up. It’s scientifically proven that you can’t beat them at this game without bursting out, that would definitely lead to an argument and you really are not in the mood for it. So you nod and finish your lunch listening to all their stories, your mother complaining about everything: the broken electric hand dryer at the gas station they stopped in, the way your father drives, your shirt - again -, your salad, your house and again your job. All of her words only make you wish to end this day as soon as possible but against your desire, time only seems to slow down while you wait for your her to come out of the bathroom.

You’re ready to go to the mall, you already called your boss and told him you had a setback and couldn’t go back to work this afternoon, and like you predicted before he didn’t sound happy at all, groaning things you couldn’t understand and quickly hanging up. Your mother is been in the bathroom for twenty minutes now making you frown and sink in your couch. When she finally comes out you head to the door in a second.

«Let’s go shopping!»

Your feet are hurting, if they could talk their exact words would be “fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck” at every step you take. You’ve been in here for almost six hours now, dragged from a shop to another, from a salon to a shoe store and you’re pretty sure that by now you entered all the shops in the mall.

«What’s the time?» your mother finally stops walking at your father’s question, taking a glance at her golden watch.

«It’s almost eight,» she answers raising her eyes to you «we should probably go. Do you mind giving us a ride to Ailiseu’s place?»

You try to fake a small and force yourself to nod despite your tiredness, all you’d like to do now is lay down and sleep. Your brain health is being put to serious danger today, with all your parents endless rumblings and complaints, your mother even tried to buy you a shirt just for you to go change the one you have on in the public restrooms.

You head to your car with big strides and yawning, your parents’ words behind you about how beautiful your cousin’s house is  and how much their parents must be proud of her are making your chest heavy and your head pound.

You hope not to stay stuck in traffic once you get in your car and get out of the parking lot. You only make it to a few blocks before your wishes and hopes totally fade away, the cars blocking the street and the sounds of the honking filling your ears.

«We’re gonna be late, Ailiseu is waiting for us» your father sighs.

«Can’t you take a different road?»

«How am I supposed to take a different road now? There are cars behind me» you huff at your mother’s words.

«Then honk!»

«It’s not gonna change a thing, everyone is doing that!» you claim. Your dad shakes his head.

You wait at least five minutes before you move again, the silence only filled with your mother’s huffs and annoyed muttering. When you think you finally made it and you’re gonna be home soon, a loud thud makes you shudder and not even a second later you’re being pushed against the wheel because of the swing of your car, hitting your forehead against the glass of the windshield.

It takes you a few moments to realize you just got hit and before you know it you’re already putting on your hazards and heading out of your car. How is it even possible to witness to accidents in just a few days? 

You take a look to your parents while they do the same as you and when you see they’re fine you let out a sigh of relief that lasts as quickly as it came out. Your car is devastated at the back and there is no way you can walk home without shedding parts along your way, you only feel grateful that you and your parents are not hurt.

The man in the car behind you approaches you with fast steps and a worried face, tired eyes and shaky voice.

«I’m so sorry, I should’ve been more careful»

You don’t even understand how he managed to make such a mess to your car with the traffic on the streets now, he probably came out from one of the small roads where there weren’t cars and you were the lucky one to welcome him in the jam.

The man leaves you his number telling you to call him once you know how much this is going to cost you and quickly leaves, you end up calling a taxi for your parents and a tow truck for your car, trying to stay as awake as possible. After forty five minutes of waiting you’re so tired that you could lay down and sleep in the middle of the road if it wasn’t for the cars threatening your life, but apparently someone is hearing your prayers and the tow truck comes to rescue you. Your car is brought to the mechanic and you say goodbye to another one hundred bucks for the tow truck. You’re left alone in the middle of the jam, so you move to the sidewalk ready to call a cab. You had the worst day and you’re already thinking of how much you’ll have to work to get all the money you just lost back.

«Y/N?»

You’re being caught off guard when someone calls you while you’re bringing the phone to your ear. When you turn and find Jin smiling at you you quickly hang up.

«Jin, hi»

«What are you doing here?» he looks down at you as if he’s the Eiffel Tower and you’re the grass.

«Uhm, my car broke, I was going to call a taxi»

«If you want I can give you a ride? Can you wait a little bit? Just the time to sing happy birthday to Jungkook and give him the gifts, we’re looking forward to embarrass him» he laughs.

«Oh, it’s Jungkook’s birthday?» Jin nods realizing only now that Kook probably didn’t tell you. «I don’t know... I don’t want to bother, I wasn’t invited and I don’t have a gift and-»

«I think you’re thinking too much» he quickly cuts you off. «I don’t think it will be a problem for Jungkook or the others, he’ll be happy to see you»

You sigh. You could call a taxi and wait for it, spend another fifty bucks and head home. Or you could wait a little bit and spend the time you’d spend waiting on the street with them and maybe have a little bit of fun after this awful day, maybe. If things won’t get awkward again. It’d save you money you could use for the groceries, after all.

«Lead the way» you end up saying thanking him with a warm smile. He nods and soon you’re in the elevator waiting for the doors to open, hoping not to look as awful as you feel right now. You still feel sorry to break into his birthday party without an invitation, a gift or even a little bit of more intimacy between you two, so when the doors open and you hear the laughters coming from one of the apartments you think of getting back outside and call a cab. But it’s too late, one of his friends already holds the door open for Jin, glancing over his shoulder with curious eyes and widening them at you.

«Jimin, this is Y/N» Jin introduces you to his friend gesturing with his hands an impossible language for you to understand, not that it does have meaning, he’s just trying to tell him to contain his expressions.

«Y/N, hi!» his voice is soft and it makes you smile without an apparent reason. You link him to Jungkook’s words yesterday, the third maknae and apparently, the friend he often chooses to ramble on to.

«Jungkook!» he screams over the laughters coming from the other room, eyes still fixated on you.

«Teahyung won’t let me come!» At the sound of how happy is voice sounds, laughing and cracking in the middle you can’t avoid the warmth in your chest.

«Come in» Jimin steps aside and lets you and Jin in the house. «You can give your coat to me»

You thank him and give him your coat before you’re following Jin in the other room where the others are. Their laughters stop in a second when they glance at you, now filling the place just with silence. Jungkook’s heart stops beating for a moment, totally shocked and overwhelmed by your presence, mouth agape and eyes widened. He wasn’t prepared to see you, he totally wasn’t. He stares at blankly as if he just saw a ghost and not even when Taehyung finally sets him free from his hold he’s able to say something. Your cheeks are burning like fire under all their gazes.

«I’m Taehyung» the guy who was holding him smiles at you and takes a few steps before reaching out his hand. «I’m sorry about the awkward meeting»

«Oh, don’t worry» you shrug at the memory.

«Jungkook?» a deep voice seems to wake him up from his trance, Namjoon is telling him to do something with his eyes.

«I’m Namjoon»

Soon enough all of them gather around you and shake your hand welcoming you into the house with bright smiles and kind words. The only girl in the group tells you to call her Kitty and tells you she’s the Namjoon’s girlfriend, she seems pretty nice and you end up talking for at least twenty minutes, all of your tiredness seems to disappear. The only one you still didn’t talk to is Jungkook, and you’re afraid he’s annoyed by your presence. The thought makes your head throb, but you wouldn’t blame him after all. It’s his birthday and sure he’d like to spend it with the people he loves, not with you that he doesn’t know much and weren’t even invited.

«You should go talk to her» Namjoon whispers in Kookie’s ear.

As if he hasn’t thought about it already. Jungkook knows he should talk to you, but as I said before, he really isn’t prepared for this. And seeing you talking with his friends and smiling makes the feeling in his chest even more uncontainable. You’re smiling and you seem at ease with them, sipping from your glass from time to time and laughing at Jin’s jokes. He likes this picture, you in his house, all bright and happy. He could get used to it. And all of this, only makes his anxiety grow until it’s skyrocketing.

«I’m gonna say or act awkward and ruin things again, I’m not-»

«And do you think that staying here won’t? She’s in your house, it’s your birthday and you didn’t even greet her. It surely...» he trails off when you take a few steps towards them. Jungkook bits the petal of his lower lip feeling the usual but still new mixture of emotions rushing through his blood until it reaches his chest and totally takes over him. Namjoon pats at his shoulder and glance at you with a kind smile before standing up from the couch with Hobi and heading to the kitchen. Jungkook stares at you for the millionth time, wishing to say something, anything, but the words are caught in his throat.

«Happy birthday» you stop in front of him, glancing down at the pillows beside him. «Can I?»

 He raises his eyebrows and opens his mouth even more before nervously nodding.

«I’m sorry,» you say softly after sitting on the couch «I didn’t want to break in and annoy you, my car broke and Jin offered me a ride home and-»

«You didn’t annoy me, you don’t annoy me. Never- you never annoy me» he blurts out. «You- you can stay as much as you want» his cheeks are heating up, and you don’t even know why but you suddenly smile like a baby, his words make you feel more at ease.

«I don’t have a gift»

«It doesn’t matter» he smiles at you, your heart both stuttering when you lock eyes.

«If I’m being honest, I-» he stops talking, eyes shifting from yours to meet the ground.

«What?»

Jungkook stays silent for a moment, thinking about what he wants to say over and over again, trying not to make it sound as cheesy as it sounds in his head, but the truth is that there aren’t other words to express it.

«I like you here»

«What?»

«I-» he gulps «I like you here, with us?» he wants to slap himself. Why did he even think about telling you something like this?

«You seem happy?»

You squint your eyes at him, something about this conversation is making you more nervous than usual.

«I think I am?» why are you asking him?

Jungkook scoffs at your tone, it comes out so naturally that it makes your heart flutter. «You don’t sound so sure about that» he quotes your words, a bright smile creeping upon your face.

«Everyone is so nice and easy-going, and they made me feel comfortable even though I wasn’t meant to be here» you shrug. «You weren’t joking when you talked about them»

«Actually...» he clears his throat «I though of invating you yesterday but I- I didn’t cause I though it would be weird? I mean-»

«Jungkook, you don’t need to explain me why you didn’t invite me. Don’t justify yourself»

«I’m not» he replies fast enough to make you knit your eyebrows.

«But I’m happy you’re here now» the sound of those words are like sugar to your hypoglycemic heart, hearing them makes you feel something you never experienced, something that you missed since you were a little girl. The simple act of being happy to have someone near you and not expect anything from them is something you never witnessed, neither from your parents, even though they love you under those cold masks they wear. People always seemed to expect something from you, always. Jungkook is not telling those words without meaning them, he’s not expecting a thing from you. Not even a gift.

«Jungkook!» Hobi screams from the kitchen, tone breaking into a laughter and soon joined by others too. Jungkook shuts his eyes for a moment and then smiles before standing up from the couch. With boldness he didn’t think he has, he stretches his hand out for you to grab it, waiting with held breath and unsure dark doe-eyes staring directly into yours.

It’s a matter of seconds before you loose up and reach out to his hand, fingers intertwining with each other’s and a shudder running down your spine.

Jungkook stands still for a moment, his hand is limp against yours, he didn’t really think you’d grab his hand, not in this way. You’re not holding it to help you stand up, you’re intertwining your fingers with him. It’s different. The heat rising in your cheeks makes you feel like a teenager with her first crush and only now you realize that that’s why your heart is pounding and your brain is overthinking more than usual. You’re about to split away since he doesn’t tightens his grip on you, mentally slapping yourself for doing something like this. You’re fingers leave his and Jungkook’s chest feels suddenly more heavy. Reaching out again, he grabs your hand, fingers intertwine with yours and this time in a tight and sicure grip. His hands are a little bit sweaty for the nervousness, but so are yours. Your heart stutters, breath held as if you were free diving.

Both of you stand still for a moment before turning to look at each other, not even the time to say something that Hoseok is calling again from the kitchen.

«Jungkookie!»

«Happy birthday!» the screams fill the apartment, Jungkook’s features are priceless with his eyes squinted and his cheeks flashing red, trying as best as he can not to die under everyone’s affections.

«Blow out the candles!» Jimin shouts «I’m the one who choose the cake!»

The happiness and the intimacy in the room is so overwhelming that you feel out of place for a moment, but Taehyung grabs you by your arm and brings you closer to the group.

«Come here, embarrass him with us» he winks making you laugh. Jungkook shakes his head, he’s still at ease for the happy birthday song but he can’t fight the big bunny smile taking over his face. And when he sees you laughing with Teahyung, it takes him just a second to let go of the uncomfortable feeling in his chest only to be left with the desire of the sweet taste of the cake, and not the one on the wooden table.

Taking a deep breath he blows out the candles, eyes fixated over you making your heart skip a few beats. He doesn’t even think of a wish, all he wants it’s here tonight; the warmth of his friends, the love they feel for each other, maybe the new beginning of something, anything.

The candles die out, leaving the room in the dark for a few seconds before someone finally turns the lights on.

«Time for the presents!» Namjoon screams.

«Oh, please!» Jungkook whines and the laughters of his friends grow even more. Yoongi disappears to bring all the bags with the presents in and everyone except from Jungkook and Hoseok seats on the carpet in front of the couch even though it’s empty, you guess it’s one of their habits.

«I’m gonna cut the cake» Hobi announces turning around to face the table and start his task while Jungkook makes his way through the bodies of his friends, apparently towards you. He stops in front of you, still standing still a little bit out of place.

«You wanna sit on the couch?» he points at the sofa and you end up asking yourself why you didn’t do it sooner. You sit on the cushions, eyes fixated in front of you even when he follows you and sits beside you under everyone’s gaze, his friends staring at him before gazing away.

«Here comes the cake!» Hobi is a ray of sunshine with his bright smile while he distributes the dishes to everyone and soon enough you’re closing your eyes and letting out a whine at the taste of the sponge cake.

«It’s so good» you let out with your mouth full, words almost puzzling. Jungkook bursts out laughing and you need to gulp trying not to choke.

«Ah! See?» Jimin points at Namjoon «I choose it!» he turns to you with bright eyes and a big smile reaching his eyes.

«My taste buds are thanking you» 

Yoongi enters the room with his hands full of bags and places them beside Jungkook.

«Alright, let’s begin» he sits in front of the couch. Jungkook takes a deep breath and turns to grab the first bag.

«This is from?»

«Ugh, I forgot to write it again» Hobi murmurs making everyone laugh. Jungkook opens all the gifts, every single one of them makes you know him a little more, a little better, a little deeper. From the sweater of Hoseok to the set of products for his skincare by Jimin, they all tell you something about him. It’s Jin’s turn when he suddenly gets up from the carpet and shakes his head in the jumpiest of ways.

«Wait, wait, wait!» he almost screams. When he realizes what he’s doing he try to fake a smile. «I need to talk to you»

«What?»

«I need to talk to you» he repeats.

«Now?»

«Jungkook ya! Yes, now!» Jin looks at him with eyes widened almost as if he’s trying to communicate with him but Jungkook can’t really understand what is happening, so he just wakes up and follows Jin in another room, not a second later the hyung comes back just to bring his presence for Kookie with him.

«Alright, I’m gonna take another piece of cake» Namjoon says, her girlfriend gets up from the carpet with him to do the same. Taehyung smiles at you from the ground and quickly gets up, sitting next to you. You end up talking for at least ten minutes, conversation as fluid as the water and a comfortable feeling of naturalness you haven’t been feeling for a long time. You think you’d like to hang out with them more, they make you feel good with their positivity.

Jungkook finally comes back in the room after fifteen minutes, gaze and smile that now you can identify as nervous. He sits on the couch beside you grabbing Jin’s present again, digging in the bag until he finds it. Ripping the paper off, the new set of kitchen tools lights up his eyes. Now that the presents are all discarded, Jin looks at you.

«Do you want to go home now?»

Would that be wrong or weird if your answer was no? You glance at Jungkook, his eyes already on you.

«Wait, wait!» he bursts out, now standing up and heading out of the room. Your expression is blank until he comes back, wondering what just happened. Jin seems to smile when he see his friend rushing back with a bag in his left hand.

«Come ou- out, please?» Jungkook asks. You nod still uncertain and you follow him to the balcony, he makes sure to close the door behind you so that nobody can hear you.

Silence fills the air just for a little bit, the only sound that can be heard is the night, so peaceful and quiet, the light whistle of the wind. Jungkook is again repeating to himself that he can talk without embarrassing himself or making you feel awkward, he did it until now, kinda. He clears his throat and raises his gaze, hand scratching his neck. This can’t go worst than the first times you met, after all. It’s a simple action.

«I-» he stops without even starting.

«Am I making you nervous again?»

His expression changes, eyes widening and mouth hanging agape as he starts to shake his head.

«No, I- I mean...» he trails off and you don’t know why, but you feel the need to reassure him. So you smile at him, one of those warm smiles that makes his heart stutter and wonder if he’ll ever get to see another one, if this one doesn’t kill him. He gathers all his strength to talk through the smile that wants to take over his features.

«I’ve got your dress» he lifts his hand.

«What?»

«I’ve- I’ve got your dress. This is your dress, the dress you wanted» his cheeks are burning.

«It-it’s not my dress, it’s yours»

«I-» his eyes widen at the thought of the explanation he has to give you, so many words he wants to groan.

«I saw you liked the dress and-»

«You saw I liked the dress?»

«Yes, I mean- I was in the shop when you came in.» he claims. «I saw you looking at the dress and I thought you’d like it as an apology gift? So I- I was trying to understand the size you were looking for and praying that there was on- only one or that you’d let me buy it for you.» he quickly blurts out.

«There was, but you had already found it and I- I should’ve just walk away but I didn’t and-» he stops again.

«You know the end»

He had already told you what happened but you really didn’t think it was this, with the little details it sounds totally different. The silence makes his way again and Jungkook feels like he’s about to explode for the way his cheeks are heating up, so he’s quick to place the bag in your hands.

«I- I wanted to give it to you and I took it at the rehearsals. Jin- he mistook it for a towel and- this- this is a new one don’t worry. I tried to search for it online but apparently they only sell it in his store and Jin found it today and-»

«Thank you» you cut him off, your warm smile reaching your eyes and now setting on fire his. He’s sure he’s gonna burn by the end of this.

Opening the bag and raising your hands to look at the cloth you realize that you couldn’t care less now. It’s beautiful, but it’s just a piece of cloth. It’s the action behind it that you find more beautiful, even though you would’ve never think about it this way just a few days ago. Jungkook searched for it online, and he grabbed it from you because he wanted to buy it for you. Well, maybe he should learn how to contain himself, but it doesn’t matter. He never wanted to tease you or make you feel uncomfortable, it’s just a consequence of him being around you. And that’s exactly why he acted like that.

«I’m sorry»

«We need to stop to say that» you scoff. «I don’t care anymore, not now that I know what happened»

«So- you- you’re not mad at me?» 

«Why should I be?» you frown at him «Jungkook, I’m not. Honestly, I-» you stop talking to glance at him. And the only thing you can feel is your heartbeat raising until it’s skyrocketing, you can feel it in your ears. An insolite warmth, a weird sense of happiness you never got to really feel. And something inside you is telling you to fucking let go of your armor, break it apart and take a risk for once, just one and just now. Damn, how much you would like to know what’s the taste of his lips, of him. If only you were more bold.

«Trust me, I’m not mad at you» you almost whisper, so low you’re not even sure he heard it.

Jungkook shifts his gaze from you to the dress in your hands, and before he can stop himself the words are already leaving his mouth. 

«Do- do you want to wear it?» he wants to slap his face again.

«Now?»

«You’re right, do- don’t. I mean, if you want to wear it I-»

«Jungkook, stop talking»

You look into his dark doe-eyes fighting the urge to drown in them, but it’s just a matter of understanding it, you already are breathless and desperately swimming to get to the surface.

«I don’t think it’s the right dress code for tonight and Jin is probably waiting for me»

«I- I can give you a ride if you want? I mean, you can stay more, you know that?»

«I wouldn’t like to both-»

«You don’t.» he states, eyes never leaving yours.

«Please, stay? Just a little more. Or let me take you home?» he’s almost imploring for a little bit more of your presence, but he doesn’t care anymore, not now. There’s something inside him that doesn’t want to do anything else than let you know the effect you have on him, what a strong power.

«Alright» you breath out. «I’ll stay, but tomorrow I have to wake up at six, I’ll probably have to go in a little bit»

Jungkook nods and feels the guilt sneaking in at the same time.

«Oh, I didn’t know it. You- you can go»

«Jungkook, I’ll stay for a little bit more. Don’t worry.» you lightly scoff, his worrying for you causes a weird feeling in your chest. «I’d be happy to eat another piece of cake.» you smile.

«Plus, I like being with you» 

Jungkook feels his chest warming, the thought of him making you feel good almost sends him dizzy. He knows that he can’t answer you now, he’d just say or blubber something without any sense, so he just smiles. One of those smiles that you really don’t know what they do to you, but you can feel it.

You end up talking for another five minutes before he goes in to bring a piece of cake to share and to tell Jin he doesn’t have to leave now to take you home, you didn’t tell him if he can give you a ride, but Jin usually leaves pretty late, so it’s not a problem for him.

When he comes back again he’s sure he has never seen someone as beautiful as you. The way the light of the moon lights up your features and the shadows of the night make them look even more charming, the way the light breeze makes you hair swing.

Jungkook sits beside the table and you do the same, body facing the city lights that make you feel a little more small.

«Here» he gives you a spoon. You eat the cake, air filled with light laughters from time to time and light conversation. His presence really seems to make you feel good, lightweight. Like you haven’t felt in months. The end of the time you gave yourself quickly arrives and you end up standing up and ask him for the bathroom before you go home.

The tiredness is taking over you again, but you’re not regretting staying more, not even a little bit. Placing your phone and your purse on the washbasin you start to think of how fast things can change in just the slightest amount of time. Just a couple of days ago you thought he was trying to make fun of you with his friends, and now you’re enjoying their presence and wishing the night would last just a couple of house more, so that you could go to sleep later. But it’s not possible, so you quickly grab your purse and rush back where Jin is waiting for you. You told him before you would be leaving with him, even thought the thought of Jungkook giving you a ride home was screaming to come out, you don’t want to ruin the party by bringing away the birthday boy. Saying goodbye to everyone is like a promise of seeing each other again and you end up sharing your numbers with Namjoon’s girlfriend and with Teahyung, telling each other you’d like to hang out together.

When it’s Jungkook’s turn he hands you your bag with your dress in it knowing you left it on the balcony to go to the bathroom.

«I’ll see you tomorrow?» he asks with a low tone as if it’s a secret.

Thinking about what happened today with your car, you’re not quite sure if you’ll make it to the rehearsals tomorrow, you have to work until midday and if your boss lets you, you’d like to work overtime to save more money, you already spent a bunch of them for the tow truck and you still have to fix your car. You’re just glad your mechanic is a friend of yours and will probably give you a discount.

«I’m not sure I’ll make it, I’ll probably work overtime» you grimace. Jungkook‘s features fall a little bit but he’s quick not to show you and nods. You’re about to tiptoe and leave two pecks on his cheeks like you did with everyone when his hand reaches yours and your heart do cartwheels. Your fingers intertwine for the second time tonight and you can feel your cheeks heating up with his.

Jungkook keeps telling himself to not make you feel uncomfortable, this is a bad idea, but he really doesn’t understand you feel everything but uncomfortable right now. The warmth of his body is so close to yours that you’d like to crush in his arms without any hesitation. Looking up at him, he stares at your face, marveled by the way you make him feel before quickly tilting his head. The action is so fast you don’t have time to understand what’s happening, and in a second his lips are pressed against your forehead, gente and dangerously soft that you’d die to feel them on yours.

Without even realizing it your arm wraps around his back and he feels himself stiffening at the contact, he wasn’t expecting it, and neither his cock, now throbbing in his jeans and remembering him that its better if he lets you go. So he does so, trying to smile as best as he can and ignore the reddish of his cheeks. Thanks to God no one is watching you, or he’d be dead by now.

«Good night, Jungkook. And happy birthday.»

And so you smile at him and turn around to head to the door with Jin.

What a birthday.

It’s only the next day you realize you don’t have your phone. You want to yell at yourself for adding another piece to the puzzle of your stress. You did nothing but run like crazy for the whole morning at work and you thought that at least you could relax during your lunch break but apparently, it’s not possible. You have two free hours and you don’t have any idea about what you’re going to eat for lunch, but you repeat to yourself it doesn’t matter. You’re just praying you told the right address to the cab driver and hoping that he is home. You’re going to Jungkook’s, and the thought alone makes a fluttering sensation rush through your chest, and now you’re even more nervous. You usually wouldn’t break in people’s house like this but it’s the only way, you really need your phone today considering your car is at the mechanic’s and your parents are in the same city as you. You can’t wait until tomorrow and hope he’ll bring it to the studio, this is the only way.

When you find yourself opening the car door and taking a glance to the building in front of you it’s safe to say you feel relieved. At least the address is the right one. Your steps are smooth and you make it to the entrance door without any problem, but when you search for his name on the intercoms you suddenly feel stuck in place, your heart beating faster than usual. Repeating to yourself you need your phone, you press the button and wait for him to answer. A few seconds pass by and you’re already losing hope when finally a bzz signals that the entrance door is just being open. You expected him to ask you who you were but he simply quitted so you stare at the name on the button wondering if you should press it again. Your fingers move faster than your thoughts and a second later you’re waiting for him to answer to tell it’s you, but Jungkook seems to have a different idea and again, he just re opens the entrance door. Sighing gently and giving up, you enter the apartments and get in the elevator.

The thought of being here again is making your chest warm, so warm it feels like a summer day. Last night since the moment your head touched your pillow you thought about him shamelessly, trying to understand the way he made you feel and to categorize it in some kind of way. You found no answer, you don’t even understand yourself when you’re with him. Yesterday has been one of the worst days ever but it took him nothing to make it better for you, even with his stuttering and nervousness, he was able to make you feel... mattered? Since the moment you met him for the first time Jungkook screwed up almost every time you talked, but he always found a way of making it up, maybe with a little bit of unease and already on his way to screw up one more time, but he did. And just the simple fact he cares enough to try even though he knows you so little makes you smile and worry at the same time. You’re not used to all this attention, you’re usually the one who’s always trying to hard, at his place.

The doors open and and you have to go out to let the person in front of you get in the elevator, so you end up staring at his door.

«I’m going now!» a yell comes from inside, you don’t have time to understand whose voice it is or what it’s happening that Jimin is already standing in front of you with his eyebrow raised and a smile forming on his lips.

«Hi, Y/N»

«Jimin, stop teasing me!» Jungkook screams from inside. Jimin widens his eyes and then his lips in a shocked expression as you smile at him.

«Hi, Jimin»

Just the sound of your voice and the maknae is losing it all, rushing to the door to see if his mind played a trick on him. Apparently it didn’t, since you’re staring at him with your mouth open and your breath stuck in your throat, and Jimin has pretty much the same expression.

Why are you... Oh-

«Fuck, I’m sorry» his cheeks heat up and Jimin shuts his eyes as Jungkook realizes he’s not wearing his shirt, fast enough to run to his bedroom that he could challenge the wind. His friend shakes his head.

«I should go, see you» he holds the door open for you to enter and then goes out with a warm smile. The second he shuts it you’re left in a house that now seems ten times bigger than yesterday night, maybe for the lack of people, maybe for the silence. Or maybe because you feel so little in this moment you wouldn’t be surprised if someone stepped on you.

«I’m sorry to break in your apartment like this» you speak out loud, not sure if he hears you. Jungkook bites his lips.

«I forgot my phone and-»

«Here» he shows up from the corner of the short hallway, your phone in his hand.

«Thank you» you grab it and put it in your purse.

«I charged it for you yesterday night»

«Oh, really?» he nods. You smile as another thank you and Jungkook opens his mouth to speak when a low grr fills the air and this time it’s you the one with your cheeks reddening.

«Are- are you hungry?» What a stupid question, of course you are. «I made some pasta if you want it»

«I should be back to work in an hour and a half and I’m not sure I have the time to eat, I have to wait for a cab too»

«I- I can take you? If you want?» he licks his lips. «It’d save you time and the pasta is ready»

He’s right, and your stomach is dying to be filled.

«Alright» you nod and he smiles triumphant, the way his eyes seem to smile at your words makes you wonder.

«Why are you so kind to me?»

Jungkook’s smile turns into a slight pout that makes you want to peck his lips as he raises his eyebrows.

«What do you mean?»

You struggle to find the right words. «I- You... you always try to help me or worry about me, even for little things like when we went to the cafe and you kept on asking me if I wanted to switch drinks. When things become awkward it’s because you try to make a good impression and fail, but you’re always trying.» the tone you’re using makes Jungkook grimace. He can tell you’re not used to this from the way you’re shifting your weight from foot to foot as you speak.

How can he explain it to you? How can he tell you he’s so head over heels for you he can’t even think of stop trying? Jungkook bites the petal of his lips furiously as his mind tries to find the right answer, but there is not and he lets out a strangled groan as he realizes it.

« I... I- I really like you» 

Your expression is blank, totally. His words almost seem not to touch you as he studies every part of your face for a reaction.

«You’re not used to this, ri- right?» he scratches the back of his neck.

«I’m really not» you breath out. Jungkook knits his brows together.

«Do you- you want me stop it?»

«I-» you shake your head «I don’t think so? I’m really not used to it, Jungkook. It may sound incredibly stupid but I never had someone who asked me if I wanted to switch drinks just because he wanted me to taste the best one and not to actually steal it from me.»

«Well, now you have me» his words are firm, so incredibly firm it makes you clench your jaw, and his eyes are the same.

«I- I charged your phone because I was worried you would need it today and couldn’t use it. I’m offering you a ride because I like spending time with you, I don’t want something in return other than you, your time.» his voice his calm and his shoulders seem to loose with every word he says as if he’s letting go of a heavy weight.

It’s all striking you in a second, and the hit is so hard you end up holding your breath. It’s not really the fact he likes you that makes you this stunned, it’s the fact he actually cares. Your parents never showed their affection to you without expecting you to give them something back, wether it was a high grade or a good impression on your neighbors, and when you stopped trying to always give back something their affections towards you had simply stopped, replaced by fake “honey” and other nice words just to cover the fact they didn’t really believe in you enough to show it. And with your friends and coworkers is pretty much the same, always waiting for something in return.

The sudden realization makes your eyes tingle and you vision blurry.

«I’m sorry»

Jungkoook shakes his head and gets closer, the thought that no one ever cared enough to show you how much you matter or acted just for the simple intent of doing something for you and not actually for them wrecks him apart. His mind flies back to when Seokjin told him about your parents and how they acted or spoke to you, he can clearly see the weight of every single word of them in your shiny eyes now, hurting you and making you question his good actions just because you’re used to the most selfish ones. It makes him want to bury you with attention, show you that people can do something for others too and not just to feed their egoistic side.

«Come here» it’s as low as a whisper, but you don’t hesitate a second to let his arms wrap around you, hiding your face on his shirt and soaking it with the tears that are now streaming down your face. His grip is tight and you can hear the stuttering of his heart against your ear, one of his hands gets to your hair and starts to softly, sweetly stroking at them to make you calm down just a little bit, head tilted over yours. His heart is aching seeing you like this.

«I’m sorry»

«Shh, stop saying that. We apologize too much» he holds you even tighter as you fist his shirt in your hands. Jungkook leaves a soft kiss in your hair and your heart skips a beat at the intimacy of the action. It’s only then that you realize you’re really letting someone see this side of you, the one you always try to hide because it’s to fragile to break, the one you hide even from yourself.

Slightly tilting your head upwards to lock eyes with him, Jungkook tries as best as he can to smile at you, even though his chest is has heavy as yours. His hands cup your cheeks, his thumbs caress your skin and wipe your tears away.

«Jungkook»

«Yes?»

«Please, kiss me»

His lips crush onto yours, Jungkook groans at the feeling and you instantly bring one of your hand in his locks as he tastes the salty taste left by the tears. As you lightly bite the petal of his lower lips Jungkook feels like he’s dreaming, and he prays not to wake up. His tongue slides in your mouth, wet and warm against yours, tracing and exploring each other and making you slightly tug at his locks, he moans in your mouth and brings one of his hands to your waist, bringing you closer to his body. The kiss is passionate, so damn needy, but not only in a sexual way. You need love, affection. Jungkook is more than welcome to help you with that, letting you waste all of your insecurities and frustrations on him until you feel completely dried, left with nothing but the realization of his taste on your lips, his hands against your skin, his embrace around you, him. And you need to push away to take it in, letting his forehead hover over yours and his heavy breath crush down on your face. His eyes are looking into yours and they make you feel things you now are able to categorize as humanly impossible, so dark and deep but so bright at the same time, lips still brushing against yours as you both take deep breaths. The frustration in your body is gone, your tears are dried, the only thing left is the need you feel to have him again on you, the desperate desire to taste him again. His mind prepares to the thought of a possible rejection, the idea you begged for him to kiss you just to drift your thoughts away storms his mind but he repeats to himself that whatever thing will come, this was definitely worth it. He’ll just have to face the fact that he just got only one bite of the cake. How can he even believe in it? Your lips are addicting, and he’s already craving for more.

«I could get used to this» you whisper. Jungkook never felt so relieved in all his life than now, letting out a shaky breath heavier than the others.

«Please, do it» he whines making you giggle and bring your lips on his again. This kiss is different from the other, more slow, more sweet, more intimate in a different way cause it’s just about you two. There aren’t emotions to run away from and to waste on the other, the only emotions are the ones you feel for each other. His lips move cautiously on yours as if he wants to taste every single part of you and imprint in his mind, your hand leaves his hair just to reach his neck and then his cheek, resting on his jaw. When you move away he rests his forehead again on yours and tilts down just to leave a few more sweet pecks on your lips, totally addicted to your taste. As you look at him you think this man we’ll send you out of your mind, if he didn’t already.

«Could you get used to me caring about you too?» he breathes. Your smile is bittersweet.

«It might take me a little bit» you answer. Jungkook strokes your cheek with his thumb, showing his bunny smile and making your chest a warmer and happier place.

«Then we’ll practice together, uh?»

«I’d like that»