#Or that I'll be unable to study anything and just be wasting a seat. And still unable to do even a simple castration or spaying.

[lanadelnegan]

Wildest Dreams

Jeffrey Dean Morgan x Reader

Song inspo: Wildest Dreams by Taylor Swift

Summary: Y/n's celebrity crush, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, makes her dreams come true when she meets him at a bar after the walking dead comic con.

Warnings: NSFW, 18+, *Jeffrey is single*, plot, smut, sexual tension, cursing, sex, oral, daddy-kink

This is my first attempt at fanfiction ever, ahhh! Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it!

This can't be happening right now. I can't believe he's actually right there. I'm about to touch him.

"Well hello there." Jeffrey's smile widens as I approach his open arms. "What's your name, darlin'?"

"Y/n...Hi" I smile and let him wrap his arms around me.

"That is a beautiful name, y/n. You ready?"

"Yeah, but can we pose a different way though.. maybe looking at each other?" I ask, hoping he can't hear the nervousness in my voice.

"Absolutely, doll." He turns his body facing mine and gently places his fingers around my jawline, looking directly into my eyes and lifting my chin to meet his gaze. "Relax." His tone is soft but demanding.

The photographer counts to 3 but it feels like 10 because Jeffrey's hazel brown eyes are burning flames into mine. I swear this man is staring into my soul as if he can read every thought I've ever had about him. Including that one, because the left side of his mouth suddenly raises and he lets out a "negan-like" chuckle that only the two of us can hear.

I'm the first one to break away from our embrace and I can feel my cheeks redden as I take another glance at him. I make a mental note to never forget what he looks like in person and let my stare linger a little too long on his chest hair peeking out from his white t-shirt. His smirk grows wider and he leans down, putting his mouth next to my ear. "You... are adorable."

When he leans away, the smell of tobacco, leather, and sweet mint fills my lungs.

Even now as I sit in my car, his scent is burned into my nose and the front of my shirt.. I'll never wash it again. My eyes close and my head falls back against my driver's seat.

The rest of my evening is spent binge watching The Walking Dead -season 7 of course - and ordering too much room service. I should go out. I drove 3 hours to Austin, TX.. by myself, which is a big deal for me. I should at least explore the city while I'm here.

I shower and throw on some jean shorts and a cute top, pretending I'm not bothered by the fact that I just washed any trace of my parasocial boyfriend off of me. At least I have this. I hold the picture we took and study it for the 48th time today.

After google searching "nightlife in Austin", Sixth Street seems to be where it's at, so I head that way and although it's only 7 minutes away from my hotel, it takes me 30 to find parking. I have no clue where exactly I'm going or what I'm doing, but hell - I met Jeffrey Dean Morgan earlier. If I could do that, I could do anything. I apply some lip gloss and tell my anxiety to go fuck itself before climbing out of the car.

Bright neon signs from every building light up the street and I smile to myself at the couples holding hands walking past me. I browse around at my options for drinks - not food - because I destroyed $70 worth of room service earlier - and make out the faint sound of Wildest Dreams by Taylor Swift coming from one of the pubs up ahead as if it's calling my name. "Shakespeare's." the old sign reads, and I know that's the one. I make my way into the mildly crowded pub, find a seat at the end of the bar, and don't waste any time ordering a drink.

I bring up the picture of Jeffrey and me on my phone and study it.. for the 49th time today. I'm lost in my thoughts when a deep voice fills my ear. "Shit. That is one handsome dude." He takes a seat next to me and orders himself a drink while I stare at him wide-eyed and unable to speak. Oh.. my god.

Jeffrey orders his drink and turns his body towards me slightly with that signature grin on his stupidly handsome face. He breaks the silence since my lips seem to be paralyzed at the moment.

"Tell me what you're thinking, y/n." ... he remembered my name.

"I'm thinking that there is no way this is real life right now." I grin and look around, trying to mentally focus on suppressing the redness in my cheeks.

He laughs as the bartender places his drink down. "Want me to pinch you?"

"You can do whatever you want to me." I say under my breath as I sip my drink, surprised by my liquid courage. If he heard me, he ignores it and I internally cringe at myself.

"Cheers, darlin'." We tap our drinks and I throw my head back to finish mine completely. I sense his gaze on me and turn to face him completely. "So.. What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" He fires back.

"Apparently having a drink with my celebrity crush." I laugh and cringe again. I need to stop.

"Crush? Me?" sarcasm drips from his smirk as he sips on his whiskey. "Would have never guessed.. not with the way you were blushing like hell during our picture."

My mouth drops open. "I was not!"

"No? Lemme see then." He nods towards my phone in my lap.

I pause hesitantly before handing him my phone and unlocking it for him. Bad idea. Instead of looking at our picture, he clicks on the camera button and turns it to selfie mode. He raises my phone in front of us and leans into me. I'm caught off guard but quickly lean into him, our faces touching and I smile as cool, calm, and collected as I can be in this moment.

He snaps a couple pictures of us and looks at them. "We are fucking cute as shit." He shows me and I laugh.

He pulls some glasses out of his jacket pocket and slides them on his face while holding my phone. I watch him in awe as he takes it upon himself to browse through my phone. My heart drops when he goes to the home screen and sees himself as my wallpaper with cute little hearts and cherries surrounding him. Fuck.

I wait for his reaction but it doesn't faze him. And if it does, he says nothing. He stares at the screen a little longer then finally glances at me with a smirk before turning his attention back to my phone. His thumb presses the tiktok icon and I watch curiously. He's not seriously about to suggest we make a tiktok together. Ick.

Worse. Instead, he clicks on my favorites and multiple squares of his face pop up - edits of him. I almost reach for my phone, but part of me likes that he sees it. What is wrong with me.

He looks at me and raises his brow. For the first time all night, I don't blush when he looks at me and it seems to amuse him because he chuckles and looks back at my phone. He clicks on one of the edits and watches himself on top of another woman kissing her passionately. I watch it with him unashamedly. Before it ends, he suddenly clicks my screen off and hands me my phone back.

"Why did you save that?" he asks with a serious tone.

"Uh, I jus - I liked it." I shrug.

"You like watching me make love to women?"

I laugh to myself. "Uhhh. Yeah, I guess so."

He pauses and stares at me, this time with a serious expression. "Do you wish it was you?"

My eyes widen and I open my mouth to answer but no words come out.

He stands and puts his jacket on. Oh great, I scared him. Good job y/n.

"Let's go." He throws a $100 on the bar and motions for me to stand up too.

I'm obviously not going to question this man. If he tells me to bark, I'll bark. I almost faint when I feel his big palm firmly placed right above my backside as we're leaving.

We exit the bar with our heads down as we quickly walk to his car. He opens the passenger side and I get in, waiting for him to appear on the other side. Leather, mint, and tobacco fill my lungs and I'm gone once again.

I'm so lost in my head that I don't even notice that he's already in the driver's seat. "Whatcha thinkin' about?"

"Don't ask me that. I don't even know anymore." My answer amuses him and he drives a few blocks away to one of the "rich" hotels. The entire ride over is awkward silence with the exception of Jeffrey blowing puffs of cigarette smoke towards the crack in his window every few moments.

"Y/n." He puts the car in park and turns towards me while flicking his cigarette out the window and rolling it up. "At any point tonight if you want to leave or.. you.. want me to stop, I need you to tell me, okay?"

I look at him and his face is the most serious I've seen it all day.

"Okay." I whisper.

"Come here." Is all he says before I'm leaned towards him over the middle console and so close to his face that our noses are touching. I wait for him to make the move but he doesn't. He looks down at my lips and sighs. "Fuck. I'm not going to kiss you."

I back away a little, feeling embarrassed before he continues explaining. He brings me back closer to him and his hand caresses my cheek. "I need you to understand that tonight is a one time thing, y/n. You.. you can't catch anymore feelings for me than you already have, okay? I'm going to make you feel good, but I'm not going to break your heart in the process."

The smell of his minty cigarette breath tempts me and I have to mentally restrain myself from not crashing into this man's lips. But I just nod instead.

"Good girl." Is all he says before he gets out of the car and comes around to open my door.

The way up to his room is quick and discreet. It's 11pm so we only pass two people on the way up and they didn't seem to recognize him. Even his hotel room is already filled with his signature scent, minus the tobacco.

"Would you like to stay the night with me, y/n?"

"Um, obviously. Are you kidding? ..Yes, I'd love to." I laugh and look around his room.

The lights are off, but the room is bright enough with the city lights shining through the windows. I fall into the bed dramatically on the side closest to the window.

"I'm gonna take a quick shower. Make yourself comfortable, okay?" he grins before closing the bathroom door. I stare back at the closed door and imagine what he looks like getting undressed behind it.

I glance around the large room and notice his phone sitting on the nightstand next to "his side" of the bed. He went through mine.. so it's only fair if I -

I reach over and grab his phone. 042266. I type in his birthdate and the phone locks. I laugh to myself. Too easy, old man.

There's a recent text message from.. my number? I click it and the picture he took of us at the bar pops up. And another one - our picture we took at comic con. He sent them to himself.

I don't want to intrude on his personal business too much, so instead I open his camera and take some goofy selfies. The bathroom door opens while I'm mid tongue out. He stops and stares at me as I slowly set his phone down on the bed. I shrug at him and he shakes his head a little and laughs. He appears in nothing but a white towel wrapped around his waist. I turn my gaze away before I get carried away and my eyes get permanently glued to his torso.

"It's okay, y/n. You can look at me. In fact, I want you to."

I look back at him and don't even bother hiding how hard I'm checking him out now. I observe every hair on his chest and my eyes travel south until I'm imagining what he looks like under the towel. A lucky water drop runs down his flat stomach and disappears and I'm hoping the drool I just felt run down my chin was just my imagination. He walks slowly over to my side of the bed and stands next to me.

"You ready to find out what my cock looks like, y/n?"

If I was drinking water right now, I would have just spit it out all over him. I nod and he drops the towel. His cock springs free and I stare at it in awe. He's about 7-8 inches of thick perfection and I've never seen something so hot in my life. He looks down at himself, a proud smirk playing at the corner of his mouth.

"Tell me one of your fantasies, y/n. We're not doing anything tonight that you haven't already thought about."

"I - well, one of them is.. putting it in my mouth." I look up at him innocently.

"What are you waiting for, then?"

I get up and push him gently for him to sit on the bed, then get on my knees in between his legs. If I weren't still buzzing from the drinks earlier, there is no way I'd have the confidence to do this.

He leans back slightly with his hands on either side of him on the bed and looks down at me through lust filled hazel eyes.

"It's all yours baby." He smiles and tucks his bottom lip under his teeth.

I slowly take him into my mouth, savoring the taste of him - like man and fresh leather soap. I groan around him as I take him further and the growl that escapes his throat encourages me to take him as far in the back of my throat as I can.

"Fuuuck baby." His deep voice strains and I watch as his head fall back with pleasure. I continue steadily sucking him and stroking where my throat won't reach. His moans grow louder with each time he hits the back of my throat.

He suddenly thrusts his hips up slightly, causing me to gag and jolt back a little.

"Goddamn it, y/n. You are not making me cum yet." He hanks my hair back and his cock pops out of my mouth and stands strong against his stomach. It's big and wet and throbbing, and my legs clench together and the sight of him.

I stand up and take my shirt off, then my bra. Then slowly slide my shorts and panties down while facing away from him. A satisfied moan escapes his lips and he wastes no time grabbing me and throwing me on the bed. He positions me until my head is on the bed and my ass in the air before I feel his cock press against my soaked pussy from behind. He rubs himself against my wet slit until I'm whimpering and begging him to put it in me.

"Beg for me, baby." He slaps my ass and the sensation causes me to jump a little.

"Please, Jeffrey. I need you. Please."

"Baby, now I know that's not what you call me in your fantasies, is it?" Another slap to my bare ass makes me yelp.

"Daddy.. please!"

His dark chuckle fills the room and every one of my senses is on fire. His scent, his voice, his dick all surround me until I'm crying and pleading for this man to ruin me. "Please daddy, I need you. Please."

"Sorry, princess. I'm taking my time with you." He flips me over suddenly until I'm laying flat on my back. His knees push mine apart, signaling me to spread open for him until he positions himself above me. He leans over me until our faces are inches apart.

My hands roam over his lean body and scratch his back lightly as his lips travel down my neck. His hard cock slides back and forth between my slit and it feels too good every time it brushes my sensitive clit.

"Goddamn, you are soaking my fucking cock and I haven't even put it inside you yet, baby." he groans and bites my nipple gently before taking it into his mouth and sucking so hard it hurts.

He finally leans up, sitting on his knees, and positions his cock right at my entrance.

"Was I or gentle or rough in your fantasies?" He rubs the head against my clit before sliding it back down. My pussy is weeping for him at this point.

"Rough.. please." I choke out.

"Please.. what?" He growls.

"Please daddy!"

He chuckles. "You want it rough baby?" I nod and a tear runs down my cheek at how bad I need him.

"Be careful what you ask for." In one motion, he enters me fully, causing me to scream out at the sudden sensation. My body feels like it was just completely ripped in half, and I wouldn't want it any other way so I cry out for him to do it again. He smirks before pulling out all the way and ramming himself back in.

He starts thrusting at a steady pace and I concentrate on the way his balls feel slapping against me.

Even more tears fall from my face from the extreme emotions he's making me feel. Horny, desperate, obsessed, in.. love.

Fuck.

"Baby. Why are you crying?" He slows his pace and leans over me, assessing my eyes.

"I - I don't know. I - I just.."

"You want me to stop?" his voice is filled with lust and concern.

"No! .. No, don't stop. I just.."

I love you.

"I want it slower." I lie.

"Y/n.. I know you better than that already." He says gently as he thrusts into me deep and agonizingly slow. His lips brush over my ear. "Tell me, baby." He kisses my neck before grabbing my jaw firmly and looking for answers in my eyes. "Tell me, y/n, or I'm stopping."

I close my eyes and blurt out before I can stop myself. "I - I think I love you."

Jeffrey's expression falls serious and he looks back and forth between my eyes while slowly releasing my jaw. His head drops and his eyes close as if he just got slapped, but he continues fucking me.

"Goddamn it, y/n... I told you.. I told you not to catch feelings."

I just stare at him and cry. "I'm sorry."

He closes his eyes again tightly as if contemplating what he should do next. Before I can say anything else, his lips crash against mine. I kiss him back passionately and his tongue slips into my mouth. He picks up the pace with our kiss and his hips and I moan into his mouth.

"Fuck, baby. What am I gonna do with you?" his breathing grows faster and heavier with mine.

"Jeffrey.. fuck, I'm - I'm."

"Cum for me, baby." He growls and quickens his thrusts again.

I scream out for him and he moans into my neck.

"Jeffrey.. you know what else I fantasize about?" I ask him while trying to catch my breath.

"What's that, baby?" His balls slap against me over and over and over.

"What you taste like when you cum."

He lifts his head to look at me and paints a devilish grin across his face. "Yeah? You want me to cum in that pretty mouth, baby?"

I nod without question. I've dreamt about what this man tastes like for so long. If this is our one and only night together, I need to know.

"Fuck." He pulls out of me and leans back on his knees, bringing my head with him as his fingers tightly grip my hair.

"You ready, baby? Open up." His voice is deep and hoarse as he moans out and I swear I've never heard a man sound as sexy as he does right now.

His warm, salty cum fills my throat and I greedily swallow every drop of him, licking his tip until he's completely drained.

"Holyyy shit. Look at my dirty girl." He grins down at me and strokes my hair like he's proud.

He drops down in the bed and holds his arm out for me to lay next to him. I lay my head on his chest and listen to his rapid heart beat. A few minutes pass and I'm hoping he forgot about my little comment earlier. Well - big comment. I can't believe I told him I love him. I mean, I do love him and I think I have for awhile now, but why did I have to be a psycho and tell him that.

He finally breaks the silence. "Y/n.. We have to talk about it."

I sigh. Here it goes. "I know.. listen.. I didn't mean it. Obviously, I barely know you. I was caught up in the moment and I was just.. emotional. I promise I'm - I'm not crazy. I know this is a one time thing and I'm okay with that."

"Hmph." I feel his chest rise a little and he sighs. I lift my head up to look at him and he smiles wide at me before kissing my lips.

"That's too bad y/n.. Cause I was thinking we could do this again tomorrow."

The End.

If you read this, thank you so much. This is my first time writing fanfiction, so pls be nice. If you hate it, I'll cry. :') Xo,kb.

[pigaletta]

Imagine going to one of the best colleges in the country for your course and you got so damaged from the experience that you need to take time to ACTUALLY HEAL FROM IT.

[cheelduh]

How to bet your way into someone’s heart. (Highschool AU)

Pairing: Childe x fem!reader

Warnings: Fake weed. Poor Signora smh. Oh yes, lots of swearing. UNEDITED ASF IM LAZY BYE.

Synopsis: Childe is being an infatuated idiot, Lisa has eyes for vending machine chocolate, and Kaeya is desperately in need of a pencil. With all these distractions, there’s no way in hell you’ll be able focus on the task at hand.

This is crack.

I don’t have time.

You think as you race down the hallway, shoes slapping against the floor as you expertly dodge multiple students in your way.

Bullet. You're as fast as a bullet, because everyone around you is a blur and you don't stop, can't stop, not until you meet your target.

It's funny how one can accomplish many challenges and feats they were unable to, merely due to pressure. Pressure is a twisted ugly thing that can gnaw its way into the pit of your stomach and grow like a parasite. Pressure is a parasite that can either bring the best in you, or the worst, but at the cost of one's peace of mind.

"Move it Signora!" You shouted a warning at the senior blocking your way. There wasn't any time for you slow down at that point, and you'd risk bumping into the breakfast club's stall if you swerved to the side, sending juice flying everywhere.

Signora's eyes widened momentarily, getting the gist albeit her anger, and choosing to back up flatly against the locker.

Her lipstick nearly slips from her fingers as you swerve past, a thick gust of wind in your wake.

It messes with the hair she woke up two hours early for.

Signora plots her revenge. You still don't have time.

You nearly kick the door to your home room down, but you can't risk the perfect image your teachers have of you. So you pat down your t-shirt, take five tempting deep breaths, and tentatively knock the door.

The door opens and you're met with a young man, familiar amber pupils welcoming you.

You try not to huff and puff at the cost of your stamina. Thinking back, there's no way in hell you could have physically been that fast.

"Good morning Y/N," Your homeroom teacher gives you a small smile, moving aside to let you in. "Class is just about to start."

You check your watch, then turn to him with an apologetic tone, trying not to crack under the eyes of your classmates. "I'm so sorry Mr.Zhongli, I slept through my alarm."

Your idiot ass forgot to set one because you studied till four in the morning.

"You're like thirty seconds late, cut the shit." Beidou boos from the back, causing your stance to stiffen.

"I don't wanna hear it Beidou. If anything, you're two periods earlier than usual." Ningguang calls her out for you, but you have a feeling it's more so on behalf of a personal vendetta.

Ignoring the two bickering, Mr.Zhongli gives you the handout. "Take a seat. Do not fret over such minuscule things dear."

Relief washes over you. Your impeccable attendance is not on the line.

Childe tries to flag you down next to him but you send him a pointed glare and sit next to Lisa instead.

"You should give him a chance you know." Lisa doesn't even have to open her eyes to know what's going on.

"Please," You scoff, digging through your bags to collect your notes. "As if I have the time to fool around with a shady kid like him."

Your friend sighs in disapproval, and makes no move to take out her own notes as Mr.Zhongli begins the lecture on the Archon war.

"You should really pay attention." It bothers you that she doesn't, but then again it's not your place to tell her what to do or not to do.

"I don't need to." She yawns, blinking an eye open towards you. "I have you after all."

"I'm tired of saving your ass." You groan and pull a pen out of your pocket to get started on the exercises as Mr.Zhongli talks in the background.

The course outline contained all the topic, and you made sure to teach yourself as much as you could before class to stay ahead.

Immersed in the worksheet, you blinked away your sleep and tried to answer as many questions as you could at the moment. You didn't hear the slight shift next to you, and the change of breathing, or the rate of which time went by.

A familiar scent makes its way into your nostrils.

"Lisa. Why do you smell like mango juul juice." You know the scent from when Signora blew a mango flavoured fog in your face yesterday at lunch when you said you were hungry.

A chuckle erupts and you freeze in place. "That's because I'm not Lisa."

You blink. Once, twice, and then crane your head to the side to meet a pair of teasing cerulean eyes.

Fingers loosening in shock, the pen drops on the desk with a short thud.

You whisk your head towards the front of the classroom, and Mr.Zhongli is nowhere to be seen.

"There's no saving you now." Childe's smirk widens, and he scoots closer to you. "Mr.Zhongli had to get something from the staff room. The staff room is near the cafeteria."

"Which is also near the merch stall." You grumbled, bringing both hands to massage your temples as a headache is beginning it's reign.

"Tsk tsk. Smart girl. I'd like to add that he's forgotten his wallet in his office as well, which is in the south wing."

"Son of a..." You mutter underneath your breath, and opt to scoot further back, but your efforts are futile because your desk is in a corner.

Your next beacon of hope is Lisa, so you scan the room full of chattering students, only to find her pestering her crush, Jean.

Shit...there's nothing getting you out of this one.

"What did it take?" Is your only question, the despair starting to brew. How much did it take for your best friend to betray you?

"A dollar and fifty for vending machine chocolate."

You take a moment to breathe, calming your nerves and burying down the urge to screech. "What will it take?"

"For what?" Childe replies back innocently, and you can't believe how fast he can change masks. You almost give in.

"For you to leave me alone."

"Aww come on girlie," He whines, closing in the distance. "Don't be so cold."

What did your mom tell you that one time? Oh yes. That if you were ever backed against a wall, then just break the damn thing down.

Too bad it's figurative. You're just about ready to sock him in the face if you didn't know he was into that sort of thing.

"I'm serious about you," He says, and it sounds so real, so genuine, nearly makes you sputter. "See? I've even bought school supplies.

He unzips his light backback and spills the contents on the table.

A lone piece of paper flies out, a lighter, and a mechanical pencil with no lead that follows straight after. There's also a pocket knife that you choose to ignore.

You're not the least bit surprised.

"First of all, how the fuck are you passing this class. Second, do you really think I'm into nerds?"

"Well, considering that you are a nerd—"

"You're making things worse."

"My bad, my bad." He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. "But on a serious note. I'll do anything."

You cross your arms. "I'm not just another one of your conquests Childe. It's not like I have the time. There are better things to do."

"You need to relax." He says so simply, with complete disregard as to what you are trying to say.

"I am relaxed." You reply, picking up your pen to continue your work. If he's going to annoy you, then you might as well get shit done while he's at it.

You're not wasting any more time.

"When was the last time you got a full eight hours of sleep?" His voice is soft, too soft, and it's not at all like the Childe you know.

Your pen stops momentarily, but you will yourself to continue writing. The words look fumbled, but you don't care. The best thing to do is get your work done and ignore the idiot next to you.

"C'mon, Zhongli won't be back for another half an hour at least. Let's go." He kicks the bottom of your chair to urge you.

The pen shakes in your hand, and you narrow your eyes at the paper, digging holes into poor question eight. "I'm trying to work here. Let me work." You'll say anything to get him off your back.

"Fine fine fine..." He raises both hands in mock surrender. "I'll stop bothering you."

Your ears perk up at that, and you turn to him so fast he has to hold in his laugh. "Really?"

"Yeah," Childe nods along, bringing your hopes up. "If you win a bet, that is." And they're back to ocean level.

You roll your eyes. There's always a catch. That doesn't mean you're any less interested.

"What's the bet?" You ask curiously, all your focus now on him. Just as he longed for from the very start.

He flicks a thumb towards the door, leaning closer to whisper next to your ear. "We bet when Zhongli comes back."

"Are you kidding me?" You aren't bothered at all at the close proximity, mainly because you're too tired and only care about the freedom that will come with your win.

Childe, however, is a completely different story. His heart is beating a thousand times a second, but his face doesn't show it. Not one bit.

Kaeya leans in from the seat behind you two, interested in what's going on. "Ooooh secrets."

"Shut up Kaeya." Childe and you monotonously drone in sync, still having your little staring contest.

The captain of the skating team smiles, about to ask—

"No. We don't have an extra pencil. Even if we did we wouldn't give it to you." Childe finally breaks his gaze to scare off Kaeya.

Kaeya raises a smug brow, and leans back in his chair like the jerkwad he is. "Then don't let me keep you two love birds."

That's all it takes for him to earn Childe's unwavering respect and loyalty for as long as he lives.

After the two are done creating an elaborate handshake as a mark of their newfound friendship, you decide to just forget about the handout. It's not like you're getting anything done anyways.

"Anyways, back to the bet." Childe says, resting his cheek on his fist as he stares at you dreamily. You try not to break under his gaze.

"If I win, you have to go on a date with me."

"No way in hell—"

"Then I'll bother you for the rest of highschool."

Highschool is eternity. You don't want to live through an eternity of this.

"Fine." You answer, and for the first time he sees genuine fear in your face, it makes him waver slightly. Not enough for him to pity you.

"If I win..." You trail, thinking loud and clear as you ignore the excited chatter of your classmates. "I want you to pay attention to class."

"What?" He exclaims incredulously, blinking in disbelief. "I thought you'd get me to stop talking to you altogether."

"If you're paying attention in class, you don't bother me as much and your grades go up." You grin smartly, and oh archons it livens his entire day up, and it's only nine in the morning.

"You care about my grades?" Childe bites back a smile.

"Not at all." You lie, and quickly look away. Woah the floor tile looking trippy.

He decides it's better to get on with the bet without causing you any more distress. After all, you've given him such cute facial expressions today. He's feeling quite generous.

Pulling out his cracked-as-shit latest model phone, he unlocks it and tinkers with it a bit before turning the screen towards you.

"We'll be using this to time both of our predictions at the same time. Whoever has the closer time to when he finally swings by is the winner." The rules are simply put, no room for error.

You tilt your head in confusion. "Why am I seeing a slime review?"

"SHIT!" Childe fumbles with his phone, aggressively tapping on the screen. He lowers his head and voice as if he's been through fifty consecutive hits in the face. "It's uh, Teucer's account."

"Yeah...okay." Is all you can say.

"Ok what do you bet?" He changes the topic to unfuck the situation.

Putting a finger in your chin, you think for a minute, calculating the average of all the times Mr.Zhongli has left the classroom for a considerable amount of time.

"Fifteen minutes." You're sure of it. It's like clockwork every day.

"Hmm..." Childe crosses his arms, seemingly in deep thought. "Five minutes." He places his bet, and both timers start simultaneously.

Five minutes?! Is he serious?

You laugh inwardly. This challenge is in the bag.

The sense of victory you feel dulls when your ears pick up the echo of footsteps nearing the classroom.. Both your heads snap up to the doors.

There's something scary about Childe once his competitive side comes out. "Looks like I've won." He turns to you, eyes darkening evilly.

"What? There's no way in hell a ginger is right." Your palms are clammed up, eyebrows furrowed in panic. You calculated every single variable, how could this be?

You race to the front, Childe right on your tail as the entire class clamps up. The footsteps get louder, causing even whispers to become total silence.

Then it hits you. The shitty music about getting bitches and bars playing on the other side.

The door is swung open by Childe, and you're face to face with an idiot sophomore with a speaker in his pocket.

Childe’s grin is long gone, and you sigh in relief.

The false alarm encourages the class to return back to their idle chatter.

"Scaramouche?" Childe spits, narrowing his eyes at the unamused boy. "I thought it was Signora's shift today."

By "shift" he means being a complete dickwad and scamming fake weed to students in return for their souls. It only really works on the freshmen.

The only reason the club still runs is because Signora threatened the principal with some sus pictures she snapped of him and his assistant.

"Apparently she had an emergency." Scaramouche explains, lowering the volume on his outdated beats pill. "Something about a hair appointment because she got ran into by a, and I quote "lecherous imbecile.""

You steer clear of the conversation, finding the whiteboard far more fascinating and worth your while.

A loud cough is heard from behind the kid, and you're met with a crestfallen look on your beloved teacher's face.

You go through a whiplash of emotions, becoming completely numb towards your loss.

"They were out of slow cooked bamboo shoot soup." He sighs, handing a stack of papers to Childe, who is wearing the fattest smirk on his face at his victory. "Please hand these out to your classmates Childe, and we will begin shortly."

You check down at the timer despite knowing who’s won. Five minutes and twenty five seconds. Somehow, you don't feel as dejected as you thought you'd feel.

Maybe the date will be fun. Maybe Childe isn't so bad. Maybe...you do have time to indulge in these sort of things. If he’s so hell bent on getting your attention, perhaps it’s possible that you can make some room in your heart for him.

However, all those thoughts fly out the window when Childe hands you the new worksheet.

“I hope you're ready for our date tomorrow. We'll be sparring till sundown, and after you’ll be feeding me with chopsticks." He winks, and it makes your heart flip even though all you want right now is to go to the bathroom and barf your guts out.

Feelings are complicated.

You smile back at him nauseously, tight lipped and all, then you pull out your phone, go on maps, and search for the closest cliffs to jump off of.

After he's done, Childe slouches back in his original seat with a different kind of enthusiasm, and opens up his messages. He texts Zhongli a "thank you <3".

[midnxghtsunwrites]

GROUNDED

PAIRING —

william miller x black reader

SUMMARY —

You and Will have been through too much for you to abandon him at his darkest hour.

WARNINGS —

angst, fluff

"Baby, I'm sorry." Your voice was quiet as you rubbed the back of William's hand. His skin is rough and scarred against the pad of your thumb — a symbol of the hardships he's endured both during his service and after.

You'd stuck by his side all those years ago when he was in the brigade commandeered by Tom "Redfly" Davis. They were close — damn, you were all close. You were practically Tess's aunt, showing up at every birthday party and barbecue before Tom's divorce made way.

The years you've been with Will gave you clarity — into his struggle with PTSD and the emotional impact serving as a Special Force Operative had on him. He even taught you a thing or two, defense-wise, before he was caught in a situation in your local Publix — his arm wrapped around another man's throat because he hadn't moved his cart. That lead you to jump on his back and wrangle him back to reality.

He's a soldier in every sense of the word.

He'd gotten better after that incident — attending therapy sessions and doing more public speaking at military bases. It was better to keep his mind off of the terror and trauma from his years of fighting in a war.

He was doing better. And then Santiago just had to come along and convince him to join him for one last ride. Of course, you couldn't do much but support him — that's all he ever asked for. Your love and support. And you were hesitant to give it to him.

But, you did.

And he left for two weeks and returned with a bullet wound — another scar added to his shelf of souvenirs — and a dead captain.

The first night he came back was spent on the beachfront of your home, unable to hide the tears any longer. That night, he slept with his head over your heart, almost as if to make sure it was still beating.

You gave him his space for three days — to get his bearings and a handle on life.

You weren't surprised when he gathered you up one day and drove you to your spot. It was where you had your first date however many years ago — he'd paid for the meal and was a proper gentleman. Of course, you just had to give him your number and hope for the best. Immediately, you knew he was drawn back.

He'd just finished his first tour and the trauma was as strong as it was present — you didn't expect to get a call back after he dropped you home. You were at work when he did, though.

From then on, you and Will had been connected in a way no one really understood. But, it wasn't for them to understand. It's like a well-kept secret between two lovers.

Will's eyes are trained on your dainty fingers as you trace jagged waves along his tainted skin. Your touch could calm a storm, he always tells you. His back presses against the wall of the restaurant, a tattooed arm resting atop the back of his seat, and his other arm stretched across the cold metal table towards you.

Your fingers run up the inside of his wrist and trails the ink in his skin. It's his Force tattoo, faded against his fair skin from years of wearing it as a badge of honor. This isn't his only tattoo.

Just on his other arm is a tribute to a fallen soldier from his first tour. They were the closest friends each other had before Benny decided to join the army as well. It was by a miracle that he was put into the same regiment as his brother.

It didn't seem like much of a miracle when William's friend was blown to pieces on the field.

William lazily tips the neck of his beer bottle to his mouth as he shifts his gaze to the crease between your eyebrows — one that only appears when you're concentrated.

You're so taken with his marred skin littered with healed wounds that you jump slightly when he lifts his hand to take a hold of your own, removing your fingers from his forearm.

He raises your connected fingers and presses it to his lips. Your lips form a pout when you see the tears gathering in his eyes. As he draws your hand away, his gaze transfers to the bare ring finger on your left hand.

"I love you." He proclaims, as he rubs your ring metacarpal, "And I want to thank you for being patient with me. I know..." He sighs as he tries to find the right words to say. Finally, "I know it hasn't been easy being with someone so broken."

You want to stop him. You want to tell him that relationships aren't always easy. You want to tell him that he's not broken, just in pain. You want to tell him that you love him too. So much that it hurts.

But you don't. You wait for him to express his feelings. As long as you have to.

"You've been there for me, Y/N — even when no one else has. You've been helping me for so long that I feel..." He can't continue, instead choosing to look down at your connected hands.

Your finger rubs against his as you realize this, "It's okay, Will. You know you can talk to me."

Your words give him that gentle push — "I feel like I'm keeping you from your life, Y/N. You've had to deal with my trauma and I've been ignoring you and your feelings. I don't want to do that to you, baby. Not anymore. I wanna take care of you instead of it being the other way around."

Y/C/E meet blue as you lean back in interest. Your boyfriend couldn't be more wrong about how he thinks you feel. He's held you back from nothing — when you asked him to move to a new neighborhood, he packed up your bags and boxes and loaded the moving truck; when you asked him to stick by you when you went back to school, he helped you study and ace all off your exams to receive your degree; when you asked him to be there for you, he was. And you know he always will be.

With this in mind, you slide out of your side of the booth, your hand still intertwined with his. He watches you, carefully as you step off the platform on your side before stepping up on his. His legs are stretched along the seat, prompting you to plop yourself right down on his lap. His beautiful blue eyes stare up at you.

Instinctively, he plants his beer on the table and snakes his arms around your waist, keeping you in place. You can feel the bulge of his crotch on the right side of your thigh but restrain yourself — now isn't the time.

"You see that?" Your right hand presses against his chest while your left hand finds its place on his strong arm, right above his military tattoo. You refer to his instinct to hold you. "That is you taking care of me. That is you loving me more than I deserve. Baby," You search his eyes, his pupils dilating as he's overtaken with love, "You're my life. Don't think you've been ignoring me, Will. We just had to reduce that pain you've been living with. Because I'm not happy if you're not happy."

Reaching an arm around, you take his hand into yours and pulls it from your waist. His hand falls limp as he watches you draw him towards you. You rest the palm of his hand on your chest, right above your beating heart.

At the feeling of the organ beating against your chest, Will is brought back to earth. You keep him grounded and that's all he could ever ask of you.

"This is yours, Will. You own it. We've been through too much for you not to."

As you watch the thoughts swirl behind his expressive eyes, you're confused when he pulls his hand away from you. He reaches into his jeans pocket and emerges with a clasped fist. Hovering over the table palm down, he opens his hand and brings your attention to the rose gold ring — a significant contrast from the wooden surface it rests on.

Your breath catches in your throat and your heart is pounding against your ribcage.

He looks at it for a moment before tilting his head towards you, "Marry me."

"Will..."

"It’s been a long time coming, Y/N. We've been together for eight years — which I'm sure is seven years longer than what you wanted.”

He loves you, ardently, and now he finds the strength he was searching desperately for just the other day. "I love you, Y/N Y/L/N. With every fragmented piece of me that you've managed to put back together. And I'm forever grateful that you came into my life when I least expected you, but most needed you."

Now it's your turn for your heart to melt — you're growing weak at his words, eyes filling slowly with tears.

His eyes remain on you as you crane your neck to ogle the engagement band on the table. The center is oval shaped and sparkling under the dim lighting of the restaurant. It's beautiful, perfect even — more than you could've asked for.

He is more than you could've asked for.

"I'm done with this shit, babe." Will says as he sees an indecipherable look in your eye. Overthinking leads him to believe that you have doubts about his minimalistic proposal, "I'm completely retired. It's just us — no Pope, no Fish, no Benny, no —" He stops himself before he can say the name.

It's too soon.

The silence between you two is deafening as you're frozen in your spot.

All you can seem to release is his name — it's the only word on your tongue. The only sound you could muster.

He brushes a kinky curl from your forehead and stares up at you, awaiting an answer. Everything in you tells you to speak. To do something — anything.

It's only when Will's grip loosens around your waist that you're snapped back into reality. You'd only dreamed for this moment and now that it's here, your brain seemed to be malfunctioning. Instead of opening your mouth, you reach forward and with your index finger and thumb, you lift the beautiful ring from the table.

"Yes." The word is so quiet that you didn't even realize you said it. Speak up. "Yes, I'll marry you, Will. Christ, you didn't even have to ask."

This has to be the first time he's smiled since he came home. It's bright and amazing and nostalgic. White teeth wink at you as he wastes no time taking the ring from your fingers and sliding it on your digit, his eyes seeming to reflect the sparkle of the engagement band.

The kiss you two share is nothing grandiose. Your kisses rarely are — but they still hold a level of sensuality and passion that many can just wish for. Will runs his tongue along your bottom lip before capturing it in his warm beer-flavored mouth. You don't mind — he has good taste in alcohol.

For a moment, you two forget that you're in a public space. One where patrons are making their exit, but public nonetheless. You pull away when you feel the tears gather in your eyes. You love this man with your heart, mind, and soul — every part of you is overwhelmed with a wave of fervent endearment.

"Damn, I love you." Will exhales as he draws you into a homely embrace.

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[honeypirate]

Chocolate Jinx

Tendou x f!reader

So I know time skip he’s a chocolatier in paris. But in this fic he’s in Sendai. It’s how I wrote it before I even remembered he’s in Paris and I don’t feel like changing the whole story now.

Your breaths came out in puffs, each inhale and exhale lasting four of your steps as you ran down the sidewalk, counting as you ran so you could focus on your stamina, inhale one two exhale one two. Towards the chocolate shop that you had an appointment at, an appointment that you are currently late for. "shit shit shit" ran through your head like a prayer that would somehow make you run faster. You knew that you would be late, your mom had asked you to help her with her grocery shopping since your father wouldn't be able to do it for her today, you couldn't say no, you couldn't tell her about this appointment because it was a secret, a surprise for her that will be special goddam it!

You open the door and step into the air conditioned shop, the scent of chocolate hitting your nose making you smile "y/n?" a voice asks, when you finally make eye contact with the man behind the counter you smile "Tendou?" you ask with a breathless chuckle "I’m so sorry I’m late I know it‘s not very professional and I can explain" he chuckles and cocks his head "but? you're not late? Our lesson isn’t for another twenty minutes” "what?!" you exclaim and then laugh, still breathless, as you place your hands on your knees and bending over a little to catch your breath. "This whole time I thought Iwas ten minutes late. I have it written down that it’s 3 but now that you said that I remember" he laughs and walks around the counter holding out a bottle of water "no worries, we can start early if you would like, water?" you nod and take the bottle from him "thank you! I’m glad I’m not late but don't let me bother you if you have other things to do before our lesson." you take a drink and your throat thanks you for the relief.

Tendou turns the shop sign to closed, then locks the door. "it's no issue. when you’ve caught your breath from your run" he chuckles "we can start. Come with me and I will show you where to put your things and give you an apron. did you bring a hat?" you nod and pull one out of your back pocket as you walk behind him, following him into the kitchen. its an old black Yankies baseball cap, you hold the bottle under your arm as you pull your (h/c) back into a low pony before putting the hat on.

"You can put your jacket and things in the office here, there’s a bathroom in the back to the right, aaand.." he reaches up on a shelf and gets down a white apron "here is this, i'll wait for you in the kitchen whenever you're ready" you take off your hoodie, leaving you in a black blouse with flowy long sleeves that you roll up along with your black skinny jeans with the ankles tightly rolled and a pair of checkered vans, you leave your things on the seat of the chair in the office before making your way out to the kitchen again.

You put the apron around your neck with a smile, tying it around your back as you stood next to him at a counter top. In front of you were a few ingredients, cocoa, cocoa butter, chocolate liquor, sugar, as well as a few others and multiple tools. “Ready?” He asks with a smile and you nod “ready!”

“So since you booked the premium one on one lesson, instead of just teaching you to be a chocolatier and just making things out of chocolate, I will also show you how to make the chocolate, so mixing the ingredients, heating, and tempering. I’ve laid out all of the ingredients so we’re ready to go. We will both be doing the same things together so you can see what it’s supposed to look like.” You nod and bounce a little excitedly in your toes “let’s do this!” He gets you set up in your station across from his and goes through the tools with you and after that he talks about how you get from cocoa nuts to chocolate.

He starts his speech that you can tell he’s said hundreds of times “Chocolate is a product that requires complex procedures to produce. The process involves harvesting coca, refining coca to cocoa beans, and shipping the cocoa beans to the manufacturing factory for cleaning, coaching and grinding.” You’re watching him as he speaks, how he moves his hands while he talks, you’re trying to pay attention to the history of your favorite candy that fascinated you as well as admire the handsome man in front of you. His long fingers and expressive eyes, the way he obviously loved his job, he was beautiful. You realize you weren’t paying attention and zone back into his speech and hope he didn’t notice you zone out.

“needs to be harvested manually in the forest. The seed pods of coca are first be collected; they will be selected and placed in piles. These cocoa beans will then be ready to be shipped to the manufacturer for mass production.” You raise your hand a little and he chuckles before nodding at you “Why picked by hand?” he smiles brightly at you, like you’re the first to actually care about the history and ask questions, “good question! The answer is that machines could damage the tree or the clusters of flowers and pods that grow from the trunk, so workers must harvest the pods by hand, using short, hooked blades mounted on long poles to reach the highest fruit.” You smile “what comes next?” He looks so much more passionate about this now that you asked a question, now that you’ve truly shown your interest, before he was going through the motions of the many classes he has taught before to the same people who don’t ask anything just zone out until the cooking starts.

“Well after the cocoa pods are collected into baskets, they are taken to a processing house. Here they are split open and the cocoa beans are removed. Pods can contain upwards of 50 cocoa beans each!” He’s gets more animated as he goes along, you found him to be the most adorable man you’ve ever met. “then the beans undergo the fermentation processes. They are either placed in large, shallow, heated trays or covered with large banana leaves. If the climate is right, they may be simply heated by the sun. Workers come along periodically and stir them up so that all of the beans come out equally fermented.” “How long does that usually take?” You notice him get ever more excited with another question asked “usually 5-8 days” his smile is so gorgeous it makes your stomach flip.

"Chocolate factories take these cocoa beans and use machinery to break down the cocoa beans into cocoa butter, cocoa liquor, and cocoa powder. All which we will be using today.” You match his energy now, excited to be able to learn this today. “Amazing!” Your smile mirroring his. He tells you how much of the ingredients to add to the bowl to double boil and you’re whisking it together as it melts, talking with him was easy as you followed his directions. “So why have you wanted to learn about chocolate?” His eyes are on his bowl as he asks and you flick your eyes up to his face, studying his handsome features as you whisk in the same pace as he is, you’re admiring his fingers as he holds his whisk, his other hand resting the counter, when you look back to his eyes you find him looking at you with a smirk, you blush a little embarrassed as you respond “My grandpa used to be a chocolatier but since he’s in America and unable to make it now, I can’t have him teach me. My mom's birthday is coming up and I thought it would be a nice gift, to give her some handmade chocolate” he smiles wide “that’s so nice of you! I’m sure your mom will really love that” he says “Now we should be ready to temper it so grab your pot and follow me over to the marble counter”

“So to temper, you need to cool it by spreading it out and then folding it into itself to build the right kind of proteins, after it gets thicker we will warm it back up and it should be ready to mold” you nod and reach up to turn your hat backwards so you can see better before taking a spatula from him. “Follow my lead” he begins to pour two thirds of his chocolate out on one side of the marble countertop which was about six feet in length giving you both enough space to work side by side. You pour yours like he does and begin to work it back and forth, copying him. “That’s good!” He points out and you blush “thank you!” You chuckle “I have an amazing teacher” you wink at him, the blush rising to his cheeks makes your heart race so you turn your attention back to spreading the chocolate.

You finish tempering the chocolate and adding it back to the pot, using the still hot water underneath with the third of still warm chocolate to raise the temperature to the right consistency. “I thiiink” you stretch out the word, a little embarrassed to admit what you’re about to admit, “Tendou I think I screwed something up” your eyebrows are furrowed looking into your mixture that has now began to look grainy. He comes closer and looks over your shoulder “hmmm” he says and you look up into his eyes, your expression a little anxious “it’s seized a bit, but don’t worry we can probably fix it and if we can’t we can start over!” He smiles and you and you feel some tension drain from you, for some reason you felt like this would be easy and now that you’re having a hard time, you felt tense. if you ruin this you will just buy some chocolate from here but it wouldn't be the same.

He grabs some of the cocoa butter from the other counter and brings it over to you, "lets add a little more cocoa butter and mix it together, it should come back-" you stir and it incorporates but it doesn't get better "ahh I guess not." he laughs "must have been too hot still and too much steam, no worries, let's start over!" his cheery attitude made you smile. It’s like he doesn’t really mind that you just wasted these ingredients. That he’s just happy to be teaching you and helping you. "If I fail again, I don't want to waste anymore of your ingredients, okay?" he quirks his eyebrows as he throws away your ruined chcolate " I think I should be the one to decide what to do with the ingredients y/n" he cocks his head and smiles brightly "we will make it until it's perfect! for your dear mom!" your heart beats quickly in your chest, this sweet man, you felt butterflies flood your stomach "thank you Tendou" you smile with your eyes closed and he about dies with how cute you are.

After four more tries you sigh and throw your arms in the air "Tendou I think I'm a chocoalte makers jinx! You are a superb teacher and you make amazing choclate, even with your help at the end it still siezes" your voice is frustrated and overwhelmed as you place your hands on your hips and stare at the, once again, siezed chcocolate. "lets go through it one more time, I'm sure you can get it this time!" he says with the same amount of energy he had in the beginning. you look at him with wide eyes for a second before they soften and you smile at him "you are the sweetest guy, do you know that? okay. one more time, but if I dont get it then I’m paying you for all these ingredients" he laughs, his cheeks blushing, as he cleans out your bowl for the fifth time "ya know what they say y/n! a sixth time is a charm!" you chuckle and shake your head before finding yourself back next to him by the stove.

"you have the ingredients and steps memorized now huh?" he laughs as you add the right ingredients to the bowl of the double boiler."I will most likely always remember these ingredients and this experience" you laugh with him and slowly whisk the mixture together as it melts. "wait" he says just now noticing how youre whisking "try it like this" he walks around you and places his hand on yours, holding the whisk and your hand, slowing down your stirring so it was more gentle and smooth, your heart racing as you feel his strong hand on the back of yours "o-okay. thanks Tendou'' your voice is quiet since he's so close. "yes, this is perfect now, lets temper it" his voice was soft and right by your ear, your cheeks get warm and your voice stutters again when you respond "o-okay"

He lets go of your hand and you go over to the marble slab again, pouring out two thirds again, and using a spatula to smooth it out, again. "is.. is this right? I'm doing this right?" you’re secretly hoping he grabs your hand again to help you but you don't think he'll take the bait, how wrong you were. When his hand covers yours once more you gasp softly and smile as he guides your hand back and forth through the chocolate "like this, it’s close. usually people use a thermometer but since I've done this so long it's by feel for me" you're looking at him from the side of your eye with a smile on your lips, his eyes are hooded as he smiles wistfully at the chocolate, his cheeks are dusted pink and his hand on yours is slightly clammy like he's nervous.

To be honest he was nervous, here’s this beautiful woman who he's been teaching for the last two almost three hours now, who's flirting with him and who is kind and funny, and who is so incredibly bad at making chocolate. If this fails he’ll never let you pay for ingredients. He will just offer you another class and hope you accept. "it’s perfect, now" he lets go of your hand and studies your sweet face as you scrape the tempered chocolate into your bowl, you hope your face wasn't as red as it felt.

You go to stir it all together slowly before pausing and looking up at him with a shy smile, "maybe.. you could.. help me with this too?" his eyes widen and his cheeks flush "of course" he moves to stand behind you, looking down at the bowl over your shoulder, his left hand over yours holding the whisk and his right arm around you, his hand holding the bowl halfway over yours, he whisks slow and smooth, his breath hitting above your ear, your voice quiet with his proximity "have you always been good at this?" his chuckles quietly "no I actually struggled a lot in culinary school. I fell in love with chocolate though so I never gave up." your cheeks are so warm you're sure you looked like a tomato "I like that determination, plus you ended up with the most popular and delicious chocolate shop so you're definitely in the right line of work." he blushes with your praise "thank you." he goes quiet as the chocolate finally looks correct "look!" you exclaim "look Tendou! it's perfect! it's shiny and amazing! I did it! I’m a chocolatier!" you’re bouncing on your toes and in his arms as you dance in excitement "time for the molds!" he exclaims and lets you go, moving away so you could go pour your batch into the already set up molds, the only empty ones on the row, the ones he used for his batches already set up.

You pour the chocolate slowly into the heart shaped molds that already have macadamia nuts in each one, after they are full you scrape the top like he showed you when he made his last four batches and put the excess back in the bowl. "these should be set in about an hour if we put them in the fridge but that will be pretty late, you could come back tomorrow to pick them up if you would rather that" he says and takes your bowl, putting the excess in a random mold and then putting the bow and utensils in the sink.

You pull your phone from your back pocket and gasp at the missed texts “oh no. yeah that would be better. I'm supposed to walk home with my brother from his volleyball practise but I lost track of time here with you. shit. i'm sorry i really wanted to stay and help clean up and talk but i have to go" you frown until you meet his eye, they're looking at you inquisitively with a huge smile, "volleyball? what school does he go to?" he asks not even caring about cleaning up alone "oh! he goes to Shiritorizowa. he’s a second year middle blocker! hes quite good although I’m not very knowledgeable about it" you chuckle and then full laugh when he gets extremely excited "that was my school and my position! whats his number?" you raise your eyebrows and get as excited as him, steping towards each other at the same time "hes number 5" "NO WAY!" he shouts and laughs "that was my number! what a small world!" you gaze into his eyes and smile softly "this is so cool. you have no idea how much i want to continue this conversaton but i really have to go" you frown and look back to your phone "how long will you be here tonight?" you look back up into his eyes and he’s cocked his head "probably a while, have to make tomorrow's candies. why?" you grin "can I come back? I’ll walk my brother home and then would you mind if I came back? I could help you and I could get my chocolates for my mom" he grins "that would be great. I would love that" he says, your butterflies return to your stomach "perfect!" you take off your apron and hand it to him "i really had an amazing time here. you’re a great teacher even if i was a jinx five times. i'll see you in like forty minutes max!" you exclaim before running out of the kitchen, unlocking the front door, and running down towards the school, your phone already ringing calling your brother. Tendou walked up front and locked the door again, chuckling softly and thinking about how cute you are. he cant wait to see you again when you return.

when you and your brother get home you stop at the door "do you mind if i bring a friend to your next game?" he shrugs "yeah sure I don't care. wait. do you mean a friend or a boyfriend?” you laugh at his accusatory look "it's a boy but he's not my boyfriend. He used to play the same position and team when he was in high school. I thought it would be nice" your brother lights up "yeah that's so cool! bring him so I can ask him tips! are you coming in?" he has the door open halfway and you shake your head "i have to go finish mom's birthday project" he nods "okay i'll cover for you" you thank him and make your way back to the handsome redhead.

You take off your hat and run your fingers through your hair, shoving the hat in your back pocket again before you knock softly.

A soft knock to the door catches his attention and his heart races "finally" he says softly before walking out to the front, surely enough there you stand, with a smile on your lips and your arms around your body hugging yourself in the cold he smiles bigger when you wave at him, you were sooo cute. he unlocked the door and let you in, locking it again behind you "welcome back y/n" "glad to be back" he chuckles as he gazes down at you, your cheeks flushed and nose red from the cold. "i forgot my hoodie" you shiver and he reaches out, placing his hands on your arms and rubbing them up and down to create friction "do you want some hot chocolate?" you nod excitedly and he chuckles again, your cuteness will be the death of him, "come, sit, i'll make us some" he leads you to a table by the counter and begins to prepare two cups of cocoa.

Now that you have more time since you’re not focused on seizing chocolate, you study his face as he works. he had sharp features that made him so beautiful, beautiful red eyes, he had his hat off now, his red hair disheveled and all over the place but you loved it, you wanted to play with it. His uniform jacket was off, leaving him in a black t-shirt, he had long arms that were lithe and strong. "Do you want to come to my brother's volleyball game with me?" your eyes widen, a little shocked that it just came flying out, you didn’t mean to ask him now. He chuckles at your expression, he's been able to read you so well, you keep everything on the surface and he really likes that. "like a date?" he asks as he returns his attention to pouring the hot chocolate mixture in the cups. you laugh "I don't know if it qualifies as a date, just meaning like, it's not very romantic. maybe we can have a real date after that" you say and his smile widens "you have no idea how much I’d love that" he makes his way over to sit by you, placing a saucer with a cup of hot chocalte and a biscotti in front of you "i'm glad! I was really hoping you would say yes" you chuckle and then hum in delight as you bring the cup to your lips, the smell enveloping you even more than it does just being inside the shop.

You take a sip and find the chocolate to be perfectly sweetened with a touch of cinnamon and chilli, it was perfect, not too hot not too cold. "this is so amazing Tendou. thank you so much" you take another sip, feeling it warm you from the inside out, he smiles warmly "you're welcome. i'm glad you like it!” He wiggles his eyebrows at you “so about this date you're taking me on'' he takes a sip of his own while maintaining eye contact over the rim of the glass "when is it happening?" he smiles as he watches your cheeks blush "oh! his game is in a week. the preliminaries for nationals" the look of excitment in his eyes makes you laugh, makes your heart race and your stomach feel the familiar butterflies that seem to be constantly around when you’re with him. "the prelims! I am so there!" his excitement causes his leg to bump into yours, causing you to spill some of your hot chcolate "oh my god I’m so sorry! I get a little excited and don’t realize sometimes. i've been told its annoying" you shake your head and reach out, grabbing his hand from the air "no. it's not annoying. I like it. you're like a breath of fresh air to me" you smile warmly looking into his eyes. his heartbeat is rapid and his breath hitches. "you’re so sweet, do you know that?" his voice is a whisper and you blush, recognizing your words you used earlier. "I do know that. Doesn't it make sense then that someone as sweet as me would date a chocolatier?" you cock your head as you tease him, smiling warmly watching his cheeks flush, your hand is still in his and he brings it gently to the table, brushing his thumb over your knuckles, your breath hitches and you feel your cheeks flush “saturday, their game is at 1 but i'll be there from the beginning in the morning. do you wanna meet me there for just his game or..?" he finishes off his drink "I’ll be there in the morning! if you dont mind! We can spend the whole day together and after that we can get dinner together at this new italian place downtown. I think you’ll love it.” He stands and takes your empty cup from you "that sounds amazing, Tendou. I know my brother will want to ask you questions and ask for tips so it's perfect. Plus pasta is my favorite” you chuckle and stand from the table to follow him over to the sink “what can I help you with tonight?" he smiles at you and shakes his head "I actually finished everything quickly, considering I did make five batches of chocolate earlier” he chuckles ”other than these dishes I am done for the night. maybe I could walk you home?" he’s turned to put the cups and saucers away, his back is to you when he asks and you're grateful he cant see the crazed happy smile on your lips "yes please!" you get a little embarrassed with your excitment and feel your cheeks flush even more "let me just go grab your hoodie and chocolate from the back and we can head out" he says and dissapears in the back again.

You pull out your phone and send a quick text to your best friends that consisted of many exclamations. When he returned you beamed up at him "ready?" he asks "ready" you put on the hoodie he hands you and exit the shop with him, he locks the door and then turns to you "uhh where do you live?" he chuckles and scratches the back of his neck "I live in the new apartments that are down near the school" he laughs "no way. That's where I live too! this is so.. cool" his voice is soft, completely blown away by how perfect everything has been. how completely meant to be it seems. a feeling he would have many times as he gets to know you, many times as your relationship grows. a feeling that warms his bones and makes him realize what he's been missing for so long. He'd give your brother all the tips he has and train with him whenever he needed. he’d make you chocolate surprises every day, ultimately finding your all time favorite, white chocolate raspberry bonbons. he’d make them for you for every special occasion and make your mom anything she ever wants. It’s like in this moment he could see every possibility with you, he couldn’t wait to get to know every part of you.

But for tonight, he’ll wait for the right moment to hold your hand on this walk, he’ll ask you questions about your family and your job, he’ll get your number and kiss your cheek at your door, and he’ll think about you every second until he gets to see you again.

[djappleblush]

A night of mishaps (Born Again fanfic)

So let's just pretend that while Soo Hyuk, Sa Bin, and their team were investigating the Donggang mummy case, there were a lot more encounters that had occured between our #FormalinCouple. Their relationship deserves so much more good angst and development, y'know. This fic happened between the car accident scene and Sa Bin's experimental kiss. Here goes:

Jung Sa Bin examined herself in the mirror one more time and signed.

She was currently in her private suite in the NFS dressed in a black mini dress. She had just come from a party earlier that night that the Seoyeon univerty arranged in a hotel for the new professors, and since she was the newest addition to the staff, not to mention the youngest, her presence had been highly expected.

Sa Bin had been more than ready to throw away her heels and call it a night, but she had been called on an emergency at NFS that she could only groan to herself in frustration. There goes her plan for an early bedtime.

She had taken a deep breath and ignored the throbbing on her feet, and then she had walked straight up to her department head and excused herself, then exited the banquet hall in a hurry and went out to hail a cab that took her directly to her lab. It was already halfway through the NFS that she'd realized she left her coat in her seat. Sa Bin had closed her eyes tightly in utter frustration and screamed in her head. Now she had to walk around in nothing but her dress in the cold weather.

When she'd arrived at the NFS, Sa Bin had gotten off the cab and entered the building with her head bowed. She'd ignored the stares she received and almost run to her private suite. She'd run into Seo Young down the hallways and her colleague had looked at her and smiled apologetically. "You look like you were having fun tonight. Too bad we ruined it."

Sa Bin then felt her feet protest in her heels. She was about to assure her that she was more than glad to have escaped the party but decided against it. Instead she only nodded and smiled back. "It's no problem at all."

Sa Bin had headed to her suite to change, but stopped on her tracks at the door when she'd realized with a gasp that she had also forgotten to bring a change of clothes and shoes.

Now she was there in front of her mirror, looking at herself and wondering how she could be so stupid. For a minute, Sa Bin berated herself for being so forgetful before something in the corner of her eye caught her attention. Turning her head, she saw her white coat hanging on the rack. She stared at it as though it was the first time she'd ever seen it and that's when an idea struck her, making her smile.

Finally, Sa Bin put on her white lab coat and secured the buttons closed, before marching towards the autopsy room feeling quite proud of her ingenuity. A moment later, she was joined by Seo Young and they quickly set to work.

‐----------------

Kim Soo Hyuk was not in the best of moods, as he had been in the past couple of weeks since he took on the Donggang mummy case. His irritation was partly because of how messy the case had been, but the main cause of his ire was no other than a particularly well-meaning but headstrong woman at the NFS: Jung Sa Bin.

The woman actually had the gall to oppose him. Had the circumstances of their meeting been different, he could have admired her spunk, but not when she was directly making his life harder.

Soo Hyuk narrowed his eyes as he caught sight of the NFS building just a block away. He made up his mind to get her to work with him no matter what as he sped his car toward his destination.

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

Sa Bin was busily engrossed in proofreading her finished report in front of the computer when she heard Seo Young's phone went off. Her colleague answered the call. Sa Bin didn't let that distract her and went back to her task, eager to finish so she could finally go home and get rid of her heels and makeup.

That was until Seo Young hung up the phone and abruptly turned to her. "Sa Bin-ah, Prosecutor Kim will be joining us in a short while."

That made Sa Bin turn her attention to Seo Young. For some odd reason, just the mention of the Prosecutor's name made her heartbeat erratic. She had been in an argument with the man in the few times they had met, and she knew she could take him head on despite his domineering nature. But lately, specially after their last encounter in the hospital when he saved her life from the car accident, Sa Bin found herself getting nervous just by thinking about the Prosecutor or just by hearing his name. It had never happened to her before and she was afraid to contemplate why she felt that way. Sa Bin swallowed and carefully hid her sudden nervousness with a blank expression.

"Prosecutor Kim?" She repeated, unable to keep the strain from her voice. "What business does he have here?"

"He has some documents to pick up. He'd asked me to prepare them in advance. Also..." here, Seo Young stared at her that made her insides squirm.

Sa Bin blinked. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Well," she began cautiously. "Prosecutor Kim mentioned about wanting to discuss something with you."

She was about to clarify what that meant when the glass doors opened and Kim Soo Hyuk himself came strutting in, wearing his pinstriped suit and that silent but palpable confidence of him that made him as intimidating as he had looked the very first time she saw him.

The Prosecutor's piercing eyes zeroed in on hers and they locked gazes for a few seconds, before he looked away and turned them on Seo Young.

"Prosecutor Kim," Seo Young acknowledged in a cordial manner, while Sa Bin only stayed silent as she slowly turned away and unconsciously tightened her lab coat around herself. The rhythm of her heartbeat had doubled and it was so loud she became afraid the two would hear it. She pretended to study the bones neatly laid across the autopsy table, trying to calm herself while wondering what's happening to her.

"Did you prepare the documents, Professor Yoo?" Sa Bin heard Soo Hyuk asking, his voice uniquely deep and masculine.

"Yes, I did." Seo Young answered. "Wait here a moment. I'll get them from my office."

Oh, gods. Sa Bin silently screamed when she heard Seo Young walk out. She knew her colleague did that on purpose to give her and the Prosecutor some privacy. She wasn't ready to face him, nor be alone with him! She fought the panic that threatened to engulf her. What could the Prosecutor possibly want to discuss with her?

Just then, Sa Bin gasped audibly in surprise and backed away when she felt a presence behind her. Turning, Sa Bin saw that Soo Hyuk was now only a few meters away from her, his eyes boring on her widened ones.

"What are you doing?" She almost shrieked.

Soo Hyuk furrowed a brow and cocked his head to the side. "You seemed so busy it looked like you didn't even notice I'm in the room." He stated matter-of-factly, though his eyes hinted that they both knew it wasn't the case.

Soo Hyuk suddenly looked her up and down, an unreadable expression on his face.

Sa Bin felt extremely conscious when she remembered how she looked that night. Discreetly, she looked down to see if her lab coat had opened to reveal her minidress. She signed inwardly in relief when she saw that nothing was amiss.

Sa Bin waited for him to say something. After all, she looked so different that night, with full makeup on and her hair tied behind her back with matching dangling earrings. Not that she was looking for a compliment from him, of course, since Soo Hyuk didn't look like the type to give one. But surely he noticed her unsual appearance and was bound to comment on it.

Sa Bin was disappointed, however, when Soo Hyuk spoke about something entirely different from what she was expecting.

"Any developments on the Donggang mummy case?" Though his tone was businesslike, his words held a deeper meaning.

This wasn't lost on Sa Bin who raised her chin and met his eyes, completely forgetting that just a second ago, she unconsciously wanted to get a compliment out of him. "I have nothing more to say to you, Prosecutor Kim. I know you told Professor Yoo that you want to discuss something with me, but if it has anything to do with making me cooperate with your illegal dealings, then you're just wasting your time."

Sa Bin was quite proud of how steady her voice had sounded despite her nerves going haywire. She expected the Prosecutor to snap at her in anger, but instead he only stared at her as though he was searching her face for something. And then he smirked, which unnerved her even more.

"I don't usually go about scaring women, ms. Jung Sa Bin, but you might just be an exemption."

Sa Bin's eyes narrowed. "And you think you can scare me?" She challenged. "You think so highly of yourself, Prosecutor Kim."

"Perhaps," Soo Hyuk drawled, his eyes glinting with dark intent. "Either way, you'll cooperate with me."

"What are you planning to do?" She asked in sudden alarm, unable to stop herself.

"We'll see." He was starting to walk away when she stopped him with her words.

"Would you.... would you really resort to something like that if I didn't cooperate?" She didn't mean to, but her voice lost its strength and instead came out vulnerable. Unbeknownst to her, it struck something primal in Soo Hyuk.

Once again, the two locked eyes and Sa Bin felt as though her heart would burst, specially when Soo Hyuk inched a little more closer than she was comfortable with. She fought the instinct to take a step back when he was finally within her personal space. His mere presence seemed to have enveloped all of her senses, tickling her nostrils with his clean and exquisitely masculine scent that seemed to have ingrained itself in her subconscious.

Sa Bin snapped out of her reverie and noticed that Soo Hyuk's eyes were no longer mocking, but had a strange emotion in them. It made her breath catch in her throat. If she didn't know any better, she would have mistaken it for tenderness. But it couldn't be.

"I admit, ms. Sa Bin," She was startled to hear his voice again, now low and sounded much like a caress. "I do enjoy scaring people, but I'm not looking forward to doing that to you."

Sa Bin's lips parted in part shock and part wonderment, all of which were painfully apparent on her face and Soo Hyuk was staring at it in silent scrutiny.

"Then... you do know I can't just-"

"So don't give me a reason to." He interrupted.

Sa Bin was at a loss for words. She was too busy staring at those dark, deep eyes of his that seemed to speak into her very soul, and it didn't help that Soo Hyuk appeared to be doing the same. She was just about to speak when the door opened again, and Soo Hyuk nonchalantly stepped away from her as Seo Young entered.

Sa Bin let go of the breath she didn't know she was holding. She watched Seo Young walk over to Soo Hyuk and hand him some folders, unaware of the tension that had transpired between them.

"I have already included the latest updates in these documents," Seo Young said. "Just call me if you have any more questions."

Soo Hyuk gave a curt nod in response.

Seo Young turned to the silent Sa Bin. "Sa Bin-ah, are you done with the report?"

Sa Bin clenched her fists in an attempt to silence her thundering heart. "Ah, yes. I am." She answered absent-mindedly.

"Then we'll call it a night. See you tomorrow?"

"Ah, yes, see you tomorrow." Sa Bin wanted to bang her head on the table for being so conscious of Soo Hyuk's presence. She stole a quick glance at the man to see if he noticed her inner struggle. She almost recoiled in shock when she discovered he was indeed looking at her. She decided it would be best if she left already to prevent humiliating herself further.

Crossing her arms tightly around her chest, Sa Bin muttered a quick "good bye to both of you," before scurrying out of the autopsy room as though she was being hounded.

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

Soo Hyuk watched in grim amusement as Sa Bin practically ran out the autopsy room. He could tell that she had been intimidated by his subtle threat, and instead of feeling elated about it as he had wanted to, it surprisingly brought a bitter pang within him.

Sa Bin was just as stubborn and headstrong as he was. The last thing Soo Hyuk expected from her was to fear him. For some reason, when she did, a strong urge to wipe it off of her had compelled him into action. He couldn't believe he had acted against his own nature and actually offered her an indirect reprieve from his threat. He had to suppress a sign from escaping him as he remembered what he had done. He would never admit to it, but something inside of him rebelled at the thought that Sa Bin's fear would make her distance herself from him. He told himself he needed her because of her knowledge of the case they were both working on and nothing else. But something was still nagging at the back of his mind.

Damn, Soo Hyuk grumbled. How can she affect me like this even when she's not in front of me? That stubborn woman!

Yoo Seo Young's voice brought him out of his musings.

"I'll go ahead, Prosecutor Kim. I still have to straighten some things out in my office."

"Yes, go ahead." He answered, and the professor bowed and walked out.

Soo Hyuk followed suit and headed down toward the basement parking lot, his mind filled with the day's events and of one, specific woman.

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

Sa Bin slowly walked out of the NFS building on her heels and white lab coat. She knew she looked silly with the lab coat on but she'd rather go home in it than just her dress and no protective shield for the cold at all.

When Sa Bin reached the sidewalk, the streets were already dark and empty. Well, good. No one would see her walking around in her special coat.

Sa Bin pulled out her phone to check the time. It was already one fifteen in the morning. Only a few cars were on the road. She decided to walk a few blocks away from the NFS building to wait for a taxi in case Seo Young or worse, Prosecutor Kim, drive by and risk spotting her.

As Sa Bin kept on walking, she couldn't stop wincing. Her feet felt like they were on fire from wearing her heels all day. She approached a lamp post and leaned on it while bending a little to massage her aching calf. Suddenly, her stomach growled.

Great! She sulked as she straightened and wrapped her arms around her middle. Not only are my feet hurting, I'm tired and hungry, too. When will this misery end?

She jumped in shock when a loud beep suddenly reverberated in the night. Sa Bin quickly snapped her head to the direction of the sound and she paled considerably when she noticed a familiar car parked across from where she stood.

Oh, god, please. What have I done to deserve this?

Sa Bin's face was set in a kind of grimace when the window at the passenger seat of the car rolled down and it revealed Kim Soo Hyuk's face.

"Where is the excavation site?"

"What?" She squeaked in confusion.

"You're still wearing your lab coat I thought you're on your way to another excavation. Is out here the extension of your lab, ms. Jung Sa Bin?" Soo Hyuk said mockingly.

Sa Bin gritted her teeth at him as her cheeks reddened. "What do you care, mr. Prosecutor?" If he thought she'd give him an explanation for the lab coat, he had another thing coming. "Why don't you just leave me alone?"

"Get in." He ordered.

Sa Bin froze and stared at him. "What?" She asked dumbly.

The Prosecutor threw her a pointed look. "Get in, ms. Jung Sa Bin. It'll take you at least an hour to wait for a taxi this late."

"Thank you, but I'd rather wait that long." She answered smugly.

"Yes, and do you know how many women had been kidnapped and murdered within that time frame waiting out here on a deserted street in a week?"

"That's not going to work on me, you know." She said despite feeling a bit of fear about that information.

"Didn't your feet hurt?"

She gasped at his sudden change of tactic. "How did- wait, were you watching me?" She asked incredulously.

"For five minutes. I could already tell your feet were about ready to give up."

Sa Bin was blushing furiously. "Excuse me-"

"You're wasting my time. Get in before I drag you."

"Alright, I'm getting in." Now Sa Bin didn't relent because she was afraid of getting dragged - although she knew full well that by the look on Soo Hyuk's face, it wouldn't be above him to follow through with his threat. The truth was that in spite of herself and her nervousness around the man, she felt safe in his company. Prosecutor Kim Soo Hyuk exuded the aura of a very capable and dependable man.

Sa Bin pulled open the car door on the passenger side and settled back on her seat comfortably. The way she sunk on the soft upholstery almost made her purr in delight, specially how she could finally relax her aching back and legs. She could now see how stupid she would have been if she'd refused Soo Hyuk's offer. She closed her eyes in utter contentment.

After some time, she couldn't still feel any movement from the man beside her, so Sa Bin opened her eyes to look at Soo Hyuk, who she caught staring at her unabashedly. Sa Bin felt her cheeks burn and her heartbeat became erratic again.

"Yah! What's the matter?" She asked in mock anger to hide her feelings.

"You forgot to buckle up." Soo Hyuk answered dryly.

"Oh. Uhm, sorry."

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

As Sa Bin twisted to the side to reach for her seatbelt, Soo Hyuk readied to step on the accelerator, but a flash of white in the corner of his eye made him turn his attention back to Sa Bin again.

It was then he realized that the flash he spotted was actually Sa Bin's creamy, white thighs that had been revealed when the hem of her lab coat had ridden up because of her movement.

Cursing silently, Soo Hyuk immediately straightened up and averted his gaze as his hands instinctively tightened on the steering wheel while he fought to banish the images that had suddenly popped in his head.

He willed himself to focus on the road as he drove on. Why Sa Bin was wearing that white lab coat of hers outside NFS he would never know, and he'd rather be struck with lightning than show her a sliver of his dying curiosity, specially about why she was looking so exceptional tonight. Did she go on a date earlier that evening?

Of course, he had noticed her unusual attire since back in the autopsy room, and he admit Sa Bin was a beautiful woman. When he'd arrived at NFS, he didn't expect to see her looking more radiant than he'd ever seen her before. Her delicately soft and smooth facial features that had been tastefully accentuated by her makeup and tied hair, along with the image of her long, shapely legs beneath the hem of her lab coat and her dainty feet encased in black stilettos had been seared deep in his memory that he was sure only a brain damage could ever remove them. He had to still himself for a brief moment to regain his composure. It was odd. It wasn't like he hadn't had his fair share of beautiful women, but no other woman had ever had that effect on him, not even his own fiancèè.

He had also seen the way she looked at him as though seeking for his approval, but the sudden reminder of Sang Ah had made him decide to keep his mouth shut. He figured it wouldn't be in her best interest to show his appreciation, no matter how much he wanted to, lest she take it the wrong way.

Soo Hyuk slowly took a deep, calming breath. It was so unlike of him to be preoccupied of things outside his work. Discretely, he stole a glance at Sa Bin. He didn't know if he should be relieved to see that she had pulled her coat down or lament about it.

Goddamn it! He cursed again as he realized the direction of his mind had taken. For goodness' sake, stop acting like a hormonal teenager.

Soo Hyuk knew he needed something to distract himself from the woman on his passenger seat.

As if an answer to his prayer, Sa Bin spoke up. "Prosecutor Kim, can you drop me off at the corner mart? I need to buy something." The mart she was talking about was a good two blocks away from her home. What could she need to buy there at this hour with her sore feet?

You idiot. It's the best option if you really want to spend less time with her in your car. That mart is nearer than her house. His mind screamed at him.

Soo Hyuk ignored the other part of him that protested. Strengthening his resolve, he looked at Sa Bin briefly and nodded, and then he focused back on driving.

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

Thankfully, mercifully, Sa Bin and Soo Hyuk finally reached their destination with nothing more shared between them but silence, each of them preoccupied with thoughts of their own.

Soo Hyuk pulled over across the mart. Sa Bin quickly unbuckled herself. The need to be away from Soo Hyuk had never been stronger than that moment. She needed the space desperately to calm herself and get her heartbeat back to its normal rhythm.

Sa Bin turned to Soo Hyuk. "Uhm... thank you for the ride, Prosecutor Kim. I'll get off now."

When he only looked at her without saying anything, she pursed her lips and took that as acknowledgement before exiting.

Sa Bin didn't look back as she walked towards the mart.

Half an hour later, Sa Bin had finished eating her two bowls of noodles at the corner table provided by the mart for their dine-in customers. When she had walked in wearing her lab coat, the male cashier had looked at her as though she had grown two heads, but Sa Bin had ignored the man. There had been no other thought in her head at that moment but to fill her stomach with food, and no one can deter her from her goal.

She'd only realized how hungry she truly was when she peeled open her bowl and the sweet aroma of her noodles wafted into the air, filling her senses with its delicious promise of fulfillment. So hungry, in fact, that she was able to finish everything in record time, not pausing or giving any attention to her surrounding or at the couple of other people seated opposite her. In her hurry, she accidentally spilled some noodles on her lab coat. The hot soup came in contact with her skin as it soaked both her coat and her dress, and she gave a startled cry. She stood up and was forced to take the coat off. The cashier, who had been restocking the shelf and saw what happened, hurried over to her with a roll of tissues. Sa Bin gratefully accepted his assistance, noting that he was smiling widely at her.

"You stained your coat," he said in an amused tone. "You must really love your job, doctor."

Instead of correcting him, Sa Bin only smiled and nodded, wondering why disaster after disaster kept happening to her that night.

"But it's ok, though," the cashier blabbered on. "You look great in your dress."

Again, Sa Bin didn't say anything and only kept smiling, hoping he would get the hint that she was in no mood to talk. Thankfully, he caught on. After assuring the cashier she was alright, he left her to go back to his task.

Sa Bin signed and then picked up her belongings and the empty bowls to dispose of them in the bin, and then at the last minute walked back to the shelf to buy two more bowls to take home with her. She'd also added some apples, bananas, a cheese and ham sandwich, and a huge bottle of orange juice. For the moment, she ignored the pain on her feet as she paid for her items and headed out the door.

"Have a nice evening, doc!" Sa Bin heard the cashier call out from behind her. She briefly looked back over her shoulder to flash him a smile and walked out.

Sa Bin had walked half a block away from the mart when she finally stopped on her tracks. The pain on her feet had become unbearable that she could no longer walk a step further. Not even the cold distracted her from her pain. Sa Bin dragged herself against the wall and tried to think of something.

I might have to get amputated for this. Oh, damn. It hurts so much. Whoever thought heels were perfect footwear for women obviously didn't think this through. She grimaced. It seems like I have no other option.

Sa Bin held her grocey bag and lab coat in one hand, and then she looked up and down the street to make sure no one was around before she used her other hand to steady herself on the wall as she stepped out of her heels.

A deep sign of relief escaped her lips as she felt her feet come in contact with the cold, rough ground. The feeling of muscles that had been finally released from squeezing pressure felt so exquisite. She massaged her calves and wiggled her toes to relax her feet more. And then she picked up her heels and began to walk away, praying she wouldn't run into anyone. She shivered as the cold night wind breezed through her.

It's just another block from the apartment. Sa Bin assured herself. I'll just soak my feet in soap and disinfectant when I get home. I'd rather crawl than walk again in those cursed heels! Maybe if I ran for it-

Sa Bin almost screamed when a loud beep sounded off behind her. Immediately, she felt her heart race. She swallowed and slowly turned around, imagining a black van filled with masked men ready to abduct her.

She could have died of embarassment right there and then when she saw who was the owner of the car. She was on the side of the driver and was looking directly at Kim Soo Hyuk's face.

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

Soo Hyuk knew he should have driven away, but for the life of him, he didn't know why instead of driving home right after Sa Bin got off his car, he found himself parking on the side road and waiting.

He shouldn't care about her, that's what he kept telling himself, but the fact his mind was screaming that it was already almost three in the morning and the streets were deserted kept him from leaving. He was reminded of the night when she'd encountered a drunkard on her way home and he had come to her rescue as though it happened only yesterday. He could still clearly remember the anger and anxiousness he felt that night thinking Sa Bin was in danger. The urge to rescue her had felt like a burning, insistent need that can't be quenched until he had made sure she was alright. It had only been by sheer control that kept him from getting off his car and pummeling the drunkard. And right now, that same protective feeling was back. Looking straight ahead, Soo Hyuk kept his eyes trained towards the mart's entrance.

It was forty five minutes later when he finally spotted Jung Sa Bin emerge from the mart. Soo Hyuk's hold on the steering wheel tightened and he frowned when he saw that she was no longer wearing her lab coat but was carrying it on her arm along a bag of groceries. She was now only on her black mini dress, her long legs and alluring figure in full view. She looked so different from her everyday attire of blouses, pants, and sneakers. No wonder she kept the lab coat on.

Sa Bin didn't notice him and walked on the opposite direction. He waited until she was a good distance away before following with his car. That's when he noticed her lean against a wall and take off her shoes. Soo Hyuk's frown deepened.

She isn't seriously gonna walk home barefoot, is she? His answer came when Sa Bin picked up her stilletos then resumed walking. His eyes narrowed to slits. Well, damn.

The thought that she'd have to suffer like that - and the possibility that some other man could see her dressed so sexily and think of doing something funny - was more than enough reason for Soo Hyuk to make his presence known to Sa Bin, so he honked and pulled over right beside her.

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

"I don't think it's beneficial to your health to walk around on the street and in this weather without any shoes on."

Sa Bin got over her shock and instinctively held her stuff to her chest as though to hide herself from him. She could feel her cheeks burning in extreme embarassment. At the same time, she was filled with wonder at Soo Hyuk's sudden reappearance.

"Wh-what are you still doing here, Prosecutor Kim?" She couldn't help voicing out. Then something else occured to her. "I thought you left. Did you wait for m-"

Sa Bin immediately shut up and backed away as Soo Hyuk stepped out of his car and faced her, fixing her with those piercing eyes of his that never failed to make her heart race.

She watched in awed silence mixed with confusion as Soo Hyuk wordlessly took off his jacket and deftly draped it around her shoulders. Sa Bin's eyes widened and she was about to open her mouth when Soo Hyuk took her arm and guided her to the passenger side of his car.

"Prosecutor Kim, you don't hav-"

He cut her off by practically shoving her in after he opened the door for her. She decided it was best to stay silent and just let Soo Hyuk drive her across the remaining distance to her house.

It took them only three minutes to finally reach Sa Bin's home. As Soo Hyuk parked outside her residence, Sa Bin swallowed her nervousness and turned to the Prosecutor.

"You shouldn't have bothered to wait for me and take me home, but thank you, anyway."

"A simple "thanks" would have sufficed for my trouble." Soo Hyuk answered tonelessly without looking at her, which made her want to roll her eyes.

"I didn't ask you to wait for me, now did I?" Sa Bin said in annoyance. She took a deep breath to calm down, telling herself that she owed him and that she shouldn't be so snarly. "Ok, fine. Thank you for your trouble, Prosecutor Kim."

Her change in tone made him look at her. She expected him to throw her another sarcastic remark but what he did next surprised her.

Soo Hyuk stepped out of the car and Sa Bin watched as he rounded to her side, opening her car door for her.

Sa Bin suddenly felt sort of out of her element. She didn't expect Soo Hyuk to have such a gentlemanly side. He had seemed to be the type who couldn't be bothered by things that didn't concern him.

Clutching her belongings, Sa Bin got off, still barefoot. She was careful not to let her dress hike up as she alighted from the car.

Soo Hyuk was watching her with faint concern. Sa Bin looked at him sheepishly.

"I... I guess I already owe you big time, Prosecutor. I've been such a bother." She looked down at herself. "Can you hold my stuff for a minute? I'll just take off your jacket-"

"You can return it to me on another day," Soo Hyuk interrupted. "It's impractical to have you take it off in this cold wearing that thin dress of yours."

Sa Bin blushed profusely. She bit her lip and averted her face to hide it. She wanted to tell Soo Hyuk it was such a ridiculous reasoning considering that though they were indeed out in the cold street, it wasn't like they're miles away from her home. Nevertheless, she was grateful for his offer because she wasn't really comfortable with taking his jacket off right in front of him and have him see her in her mini dress again.

Soo Hyuk stared at her averted, cherry-red face, and he smirked to himself. "You're awfully easy to tease, aren't you?"

Sa Bin quickly raised her chin in a sudden flare of defiance. "Excuse me! No, I am not, mr. Prosecutor. I don't know what made you think that, but it's farthest from the truth. I am not one of those hooligans you love to bully so much." Sa Bin saw the look on Soo Hyuk's face. "Hey, stop making fun of me! If you must know, I already know what type of man you are."

Soo Hyuk straightened, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "And what would that be?"

"Well.... that you're the a....a..." Sa Bin looked away as she struggled to think of something. "The bossy type!" She exclaimed. She smiled triumphantly. "You like to scare people and you love getting your way."

"You have an amazing analytical talent."

"Of course!" She said smugly.

"If that's the case, then you shouldn't be surprised if I do this."

"Do what- ah!"

Sa Bin squealed when she suddenly found herself off the ground as Soo Hyuk swooped in to sweep her off her feet in a flash, carrying her bridal style in his strong arms. Her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck in utter shock.

"Prosecutor Kim!" She screamed. "What are you doing? Put me down!" She tried to get free, afraid that somebody in the neighborhood might see them, but her struggle only made Soo Hyuk's hold on her tighten as he walked up to the entrance of her apartment building.

"Please, put me down." She tried again.

"Which floor?"

"What?"

"Which floor is your unit, ms. Jung Sa Bin?" Soo Hyuk clarified as though she was a small child.

She blinked. "Put me down first."

"Either you tell me which floor or I carry you back to my car and take you home with me. Your choice."

"You can't do that!" She exclaimed in a panic.

"You already said I'm the bossy type."

She gaped at him. "You are overreacting-" she was trying to say, but quickly took it back when Soo Hyuk began to turn back to his car. "Ok, ok! Third floor! Please, stop-"

"Jsut be quiet and let me do what I have to do so we can get this over with."

The pleading tone in his usually stern voice did the trick. Once again, Sa Bin found herself speechless at Soo Hyuk's command.

As they began to climb up the stairs, Sa Bin couldn't help but notice how Soo Hyuk's calloused and rough palms were pressed against her back and thighs from where he was holding her; of how the heat radiating off his body was seeping through hers in the most awkward yet comforting way imaginable, banishing the coldness she felt.

She discovered she loved the way he was holding her. Soo Hyuk's grip on her body was firm yet gentle, and she noticed the subtle way he pressed her closer to him as to avoid jostling her too much as he took careful, measured steps in ascending the stairs. Her heartbeat had never stopped its erratic beating, and yet there was a part of her that felt secure in his arms. She suddenly wanted to lean her head against his chest and close her eyes.

Sa Bin became horrified when she realized what just crossed her mind. Thankfully, they finally reached her floor.

Soo Hyuk carefully put Sa Bin down in front of her unit. He pretended not to notice when she reached down to straighten her dress.

Sa Bin turned around and tried balancing her belongings in one arm as she used the other to fumble for the keys in her purse. She was surprised, yet again, when Soo Hyuk took her heels and lab coat to hold them for her. There was a moment of eye contact between them before Sa Bin continued to look for her keys.

This has seriously been the longest night of my life, Sa Bin gravely mused. It's like all misfortune that could befall anyone has been dumped on me on this particular day. Nobody deserves this. Oh, god, where are those damn keys?

It seemed apparent to her now that she'd always humiliate herself in front of Kim Soo Hyuk no matter the circumstance. The only explanation she could think of was perhaps, in her past life, she had caused the downfall of her nation, or worse.

Sa Bin could feel Soo Hyuk's eyes on her as she continued her search. She almost shout in glee when she finally found her keys. She inserted it on the keyhole and opened the door to her unit.

When she turned back to the man behind her, she couldn't stop smiling in amusement at him. Soo Hyuk raised an eyebrow, but she refused to explain what she found amusing.

She would never tell him how comical he looked standing there in his expensive suit while holding her heels like a salesman. Oh, no. That would be for her private amusement. Instead, her smile blossomed into a more sincere one.

"I don't know how to say this, but I think you just saved my life multiple times tonight. So, uhm, would a simple "thanks" still suffice?"

Kim Soo Hyuk stared at her smiling face, and he felt as though all his trouble had been worth it. He had the sudden urge to tuck the stray strands of Sa Bin's hair behind her ear but held back. He fought to keep his emotions from showing. He handed Sa Bin back her belongings and motioned toward her apartment with a slight nod of his head.

"Let's not think of anything else for now, ms. Sa Bin. It's late and you still have a long day tomorrow-" he looked at his wristwatch. "Well, I guess I should say "later.'"

Sa Bin nodded her head, suddenly feeling a dread for Soo Hyuk's impending departure.

Seeing her unmoving, Soo Hyuk suppressed a sign as he placed a hand on her shoulder and gently nudged her inside her apartment.

"It's cold out here. Now get in there and rest." He held the door and began to close it. "I'll see you around."

"Oh. Ok." Sa Bin stood there and watched as the door was finally closed shut, feeling a kind of loss now that Soo Hyuk had gone.

She was suddenly filled with a surreal feeling as though everything that had happened that night was only a dream.

Sa Bin tore herself away fron the door and walked towards the tiny kitchen where she dropped her heels and lab coat on a chair, before she leaned on the counter to replay the events of the night in her head. One thing she was sure now: Kim Soo Hyuk was indeed a gentleman. She never expected that he'd have that side to him, but it warmed her heart that he had chosen to show it to her. Despite his snide comments, she could see he genuinely cared for her wellbeing. The fact that he even waited for her to finish her grocery and even took her home, carrying her and everything, showed her there was more to him that she'd imagined.

Sa Bin smiled to herself and raised her arms. Suddenly, she remembered that she was still wearing Soo Hyuk's jacket. Quickly, she took it off, and on an impulse, brought it to her face to inhale Soo Hyuk's scent. She felt ridiculous doing it but she couldn't care less at the moment. And then she brought the jacket close to her chest. Idly, she wondered what could be happening to her.

Outside Sa Bin's apartment, Soo Hyuk stood a few more seconds just looking at the door he had just closed, oddly satisfied that Jung Sa Bin was home and safe. And then he turned and walked away.

-fin-