#So everyone is currently being subjected to two Loud Happies rather than just one lol

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Achilles Come Down-- Damien (WKM) x Reader

Prompt; Achilles Come Down by Gang of Youths

Warnings; slight swearing, bit of angst, nothing too bad

Word Count; 1.8k

Notes; not my best work because i have a ~brain injury~ but i couldn’t get this idea out of my head so i went ahead and wrote it lol

Your eyes fluttered at the sudden bright light shining from above. A gasping breath racked your chest as you instinctively grabbed the fabric covering your abdomen. It was dry, no trace of the hot, sticky liquid that it held mere moments before. With a moment of hesitation, you sat up to survey your surroundings. Your brows knitted together. You were sitting in an open field, surrounded by tall grass, but weren't you just at Markiplier Manor? A flock of birds startled you from your thoughts as they flew overhead. You watched them dip in twirl with the wind until your eyes landed on a more captivating subject. "Damien?" He faced the opposite direction, sitting quite a distance away. His head turned when he heard your voice. A smile crept across Damien's features, and he was quick to wave you over. You pushed yourself off the ground and made your way towards him. There was something... off. He was sitting on the edge of a cliff, legs dangling over the side. His hair was ruffled, and his shoulders were slumped. But you found your gaze returning to his face. His warm, loving eyes and his soft smile made you fall in love all over again every time you looked at him. He gently bumped his shoulder into yours when you took a seat beside him. 

"I'm glad to see you here. Well, I'm not glad that you're here, but I'm happy to have you with me again." You raised a brow, and Damien pursed his lips. "What I mean is, I'm glad you're safe now. That's what matters."

"Where are we?" You glanced down at the dark waters splashing below. It appeared nearly as dark as ink, making its depths undetectable. Something about it unnerved you. You wanted to move somewhere else, but Damien appeared to enjoy sitting on the cliffside, where he could see the water. His jaw tensed at your question. He stared into the water. You placed a hand on top of his, hoping to calm some of the thoughts running rampant in his mind, but he stayed silent. "We're dead, aren't we?" A joking tone laced your words, but there was truth in them. You thought back to your last moments in the manor. You could have survived the gunshot alone if taken straight to the hospital, but you had little to no chance once you stumbled over the banister. Damien chuckled, finally returning his focus to you.

"You're not too far from the truth. We're sort of in-between realities at the moment. We're certainly not alive, but we're not quite dead either. It doesn't make sense. Hell, I'm still wrapping my head around it too, and I've been waiting here for you for a long time now."

"How long has it been for you? It was hardly an hour that I..." you faltered, struggling to find the right word, "appeared here after you vanished." Damien shook his head. 

"Time passes much differently here. An hour out there could easily be a decade here." Guilt hit your chest like a bag of bricks. He truly waited all that time, just for you? Damien caught the sadness welling up in your eyes. He cupped your face in his hands, pressing a quick kiss to your forehead. "But that doesn't matter. I wouldn't trade a second of it because it means I now get to be here with you. Don't tell me you forgot our vows?" You couldn't help the laugh that escaped your lips. 

"We'd always be there for each other, and if one of us died first, they would accompany the reaper until it was time to escort the other to the other side. Quite ironic, given our current circumstances."

"And everyone thought we were just being dramatic!" His comment brought about another round of laughter, easing the guilt from your heart. Damien got to his feet and pulled you up with him. He stared down into the water once more. "Why don't we enjoy the time we have here before we brave the other side? Let's go for a swim. " You followed his gaze with a grimace. The waves below were calm, but the water still seemed unwelcoming. Something in the back of your mind warned you not to trust it. Damien wrapped his arms around you, laughing. "Don't tell me you're scared! Nothing can hurt us here. We're finally safe." Your eyes widened as you heard footsteps approaching. Damien went rigid. Neither of you moved until the newcomer made a dramatic gagging sound.

"Look at you two so in love. It's so sweet it almost makes me sick," he deadpanned. Your jaw dropped. Mark was here too? Damien squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, biting back all of the words he truly wanted to say. You tried to move away from Damien to get a better look, but his grip around you tightened.

"Don't. He's not real," Damien whispered in your ear. There was a sense of urgency in his voice that made you freeze. 

"Sharing secrets now, are we? That's not a very nice thing to do to a friend, especially when said friend was murdered," Mark whined. "Since we're in a secretive mood, I feel inclined to tell you that Damien is lying to you, (Y/N)." You glanced over at your partner, whose face had darkened. You could practically sense the smug smile on Mark's face. He took his time walking closer to the two of you, wanting to make sure that he held the spotlight. "You're not safe. There is no 'other side.' He's using you to revive himself and Celine." Damien cupped your face, forcing you to look at him rather than Mark. 

"Don't listen to him. I love you, (Y/N). I'd do anything to keep you safe. You know that." Damien glanced behind you into the open water. He opened his mouth, but Mark interrupted him. 

"How many times have you sought my counsel? How many times have I given you my thoughts? And when have I ever steered you wrong?"

"(Y/N), love, listen to me. I know you're scared, but we need to go. We're going to have to jump."

"Don't be dense, (Y/N)!" Mark shouted. "I know you hear those warning bells in your head. If you go into that water, you'll never come out again."

"It's safe, I promise. I'd never do anything to hurt you. We'll be in a better place." Damien's voice was filled with desperation. His eyes searched yours, urging you to trust him. You swallowed thickly.

"You'll be with me?" Damien offered you a comforting smile as he stroked your cheek with his thumb. 

"Of course. Do you think I'd let you go alone? If you jump, I'm jumping. There is no me without you." You slowly nodded, and Damien released his hold on you. You finally caught sight of Mark. He was in his signature red bathrobe, and he was shaking in anger. What caught you off guard were his eyes. They were inky black and unforgiving, much like the water below.

"He's offering you acclaim and the taste of a new life, but he can't deliver. Don't waste yourself on this cliff, (Y/N). You'll be trapped in your own personal hell if you jump." You shook your head, standing by Damien's side. He took one of your hands into his own.

"I'm sorry, Mark, but I trust him. Even if you're right in the end, I have to stand by him. Love is a dangerous thing. I have to accept that." You looked at Damien and nodded. He counted down, and the two of you stepped off the cliff's edge. Mark stood above, watching as you both sank into the dark water. He shook his head, knowing what was to come.

The water seemed to suck all of the warmth from your bones as soon as you touched its surface. On instinct, you thrashed you get back to the surface, but you continued to sink. Panic settled into your mind. You couldn't get back up, and you couldn't find Damien. He let go of your hand once you both hit the water. Now, it was rushing into your lungs with a fiery burn in its wake. Your mind felt heavy and muddled. You could form a coherent thought. The last thing that filled your mind was regret. 

You hit the tiled floor with a loud thud. Your eyes snapped open as a violent cough shook your whole body. You rolled over onto your hands and knees, coughing. You could practically feel the water all around you, but you were completely dry. You blinked, slowly becoming aware of your surroundings. You were in the manor's foyer, except everything looked a little dimmer. Sitting back on your heels, you inspected your hands. They had a slight translucency to them. Is this what the 'other side' was? Were you a ghost? "Damien?" you called out, getting back to your feet. 

"Oh, good, you're awake. I should apologize. I didn't realize the process would be so... painful." You furrowed your brows, glancing around. It sounded as if he was standing right beside you, but he was nowhere to be found. You finally caught sight of the old mirror hanging on the wall Instead of showing your reflection, it showed Damien standing with an apologetic look on his face. You carefully approached. "I love you, (Y/N)."

"I love you too, Damien, but what's going on?" He sighed, avoiding your gaze.

"I'm protecting you. With Celine's help, I created a sort of pocket dimension inside this mirror, and we put your soul inside." You put a hand on your forehead, struggling to grasp the situation. "Don't worry! I'll be able to visit you, just as I'm doing now."

"Okay, but when can I leave?" Damien's face fell. He stuttered for a moment before finally going quiet. "Am I trapped here, alone?" your voice was barely above a whisper. Damien's eyes widened. 

"No, no! Of course, not. You're not alone. As I said before, I'll be able to visit you through the mirror."

"Am I trapped in here?" 

"I don't understand. I'm only trying to protect you-"

"Damien!" you shouted, tears flowing freely down your face. "Please, answer me." Your voice cracked along with Damien's heart at the sight of you. He nodded, looking away. You grit your teeth, suddenly overcome with anger. "You had no right! You didn't tell me this would happen. You told me that we would face the unknown together, but instead, you fabricated your own little birdcage for me to sit in for the rest of eternity."

"(Y/N), please-"

"No, Damien." Your sad laugh echoed in the empty foyer. You ran a hand through your hair, pacing. "What happened to always staying by each other's side?" you scoffed, "I should've listened to Mark. I shouldn't have jumped with you."

"I did this because I love you."

"Well, maybe you should have loved me a little less." 

[senacal]

Dr. Charles Xavier (Pt. 1)

Request: Requested by @saltysebastianstan

Pairing: Charles Xavier x Fem!Reader

Part 2

Prompt: Could you please do a Charles Xavier x female reader, where Charles has been asked to do a lecture about mutation at your non-mutant university, and let’s say he takes a liking to you due to your knowledge/interest rather than the other girls.

OH MY GOD, YOU COULD TURN THIS INTO A SERIES... IMAGINE

Warnings: None that I come to mind.

Author’s note: I am going to do my very best to fulfill this request because I love it, and I love Charles, and this is the first Charles Xavier’s request I have had, so I hope I do well. I have been thinking of this all week, and I did some research about a mutation to accurately portray a sort of understanding about the subject lol Xx.

Requests are open! 

(Gif not mine)

For a whole week, (Y/N)’s nerves were on fire. She knew she was excited, why wouldn’t she be when her dreams were about to come true? But she didn’t understand why she was so nervous. The whole week she couldn’t sit still. (Y/N) was continually shaking her leg, fiddling with whatever was in her hands, or drumming her fingers. (Y/N) just wanted to make sure that she had everything she needed before the most important day of her life happened. What day would that be? Well, her university, (Uni of your choice), had recently booked Dr. Charles Xavier, the current expert on Mutations to give a lecture, and (Y/N) was excited because she had a keen interest on the field. 

(Y/N) knew there were people out there with unique abilities, sure she wasn’t one of those people, but it was okay because she didn’t think she’d be able to handle the responsibility and stress of continually having to hide who she was. The reason she knew about these unique individuals was that she had met a mutant when she was a young girl. Instead of being afraid, she was intrigued. It was fascinating seeing the way the mutant maneuvered to keep themselves hidden from prying eyes, though it didn’t seem to work since (Y/N) caught sight of them. Regardless, ever since her encounter with that mutant, she had been obsessed with learning more about them. 

With her limited access to mutant knowledge, she was only able to find a few things out about their biology. It wasn’t too different from human biology, but the added X-Gene made a mutant, a mutant. So it was a dream come true when she learned that Dr. Charles Xavier would be giving a lecture about mutations. Perhaps her excitement was transferring into anxiety. Dr. Xavier, as the guest lecturer, was possibly her only shot at comprehending her preferred subject to the full extent. Perhaps it was the fear that she would never be able to turn her major into an actual career. Her family was always telling her to change her field of study to the point that (Y/N) had told them a little white lie. She may have added a minor in medicine, but she didn’t give up her interest in mutation. It was enough to appease her family, and she continued to learn about mutation under their noses. It was a win-win situation. 

So here she sat in the lecture hall, awaiting Dr. Xavier’s arrival. She was tapping her pen against her notebook, absentmindedly looking around the room. She made sure to get a good seat where she could both see and hear him. She also made sure she had extra pens in case her current one crapped out on her. 

The room was already starting to fill with a big crowd, and the lecture wasn’t due to begin for ten minutes. (Y/N) went from tapping her pen to shaking her leg. She bit the tip of the pen and glanced at the people around her. They were talking animatedly about their daily lives, who was screwing who, who was a bitch, or who was a total hottie. (Y/N) sometimes found herself wanting to fit in among them, but then again, most of these girls were sorority sisters who only cared about partying. Don’t get her wrong, they were beautiful girls, and they all had their strengths, but they were rather dense when it came to their social lives. 

(Y/N) huffed out a small breath as she looked down at her notebook. There were various pages filled with notes of her own, but she was opened to a blank page so she could compare her notes to the brilliant mind of Charles Xavier. (Y/N) dated the page at the top right corner to pass a fraction of the time. 

“Excuse me, may I have your attention please?” 

(Y/N) looked up to the podium to see the Dean calling everyone’s attention. She glanced at the clock to see that the lecture would begin soon. (Y/N) inhaled anxiously and exhaled softly. She faced the front, eager for the start of the speech. 

“Wonderful, wow, I wasn’t expecting such a big turn out,” The Dean spoke with a slight chuckle. “Well, as you all know, Dr. Charles Xavier will be joining us shortly to inform us all on Mutations. As usual, be respectful, no talking unless addressed, and don’t hesitate to ask questions.” The Dean looked off the side of the stage, “Very well, everybody, welcome Dr. Xavier.”

The crowd clapped as none other than Charles Xavier walked on stage. He had a broad smile plastered on his lips, and he waved to the masses.

“Wow, when Dr. Gregory said a big turn out, I believe he was downplaying it just a little. Welcome, thank you all for joining me today,” Charles cleared his throat, “Now, I know many of you are probably wondering why I’ve taken an interest in such a broad subject, mutations can be anything. From the color of your eyes to the dimples in your cheeks. And, of course, physical modifications,” Charles’ gaze scanned the crowds, “The answer to that is simple. I find it fascinating,” He smiled.

(Y/N) couldn’t help but let out a small laugh, ‘That makes two of us.’

Throughout the lecture, (Y/N) noticed that Charles was looking around the room as if he was looking for someone. It was a possibility that he was only surveying the crowd, but it was almost too constant for that. He had to be looking for someone, but who? (Y/N) shrugged off the thought and instead chose to focus on his words.

“Of course, this leads us to the homo superior, distinguished from their possession of the X-Gene. Now, this gene, placed on the twenty-third chromosome in a person’s DNA, allows for the greatest mutation experienced in reality.” 

(Y/N) scratched down notes as quickly as she could, ‘If that’s the case, would that make the father a deciding factor for its inheritance or the mother?’

“Despite the thought of the mother carrying the child with an X-Gene, the X-gene is transferred from the father. It’s almost like the father is the deciding factor in both sex and mutant status,” Charles spoke as if he heard (Y/N)’s question, which was ridiculous unless he did hear her thoughts. 

Once the lecture was over, (Y/N) couldn’t help but feel accomplished. She had learned a lot more that day than any other. As a bonus, (Y/N)’s questions seemed to be answered even though she hadn’t asked any out loud. It was the best day of her life, just as she had predicted. (Y/N) stayed in her seat, scanning the notes she jotted down; she made small annotations next to the one’s that she would cross-reference with her own. Absorbed in her mind, (Y/N) didn’t notice the approaching figure or the lingering girls next to her.

‘Now that I’ve distinguished that the father is the deciding factor in passing on the X-Gene, perhaps it’d be easier to determine their birth rate. I don’t believe pregnant mutants have a reliable doctor to ease them through their pregnancy.’ (Y/N) bit the tip of her pen, ‘I think I know what I want to practice now.’ She couldn’t help but feel giddy. It turned out her added major in medicine wouldn’t be a waste after all. She’d learn all she could about practicing medicine and mutants so she could help bring them into the world. 

“Dr. Xavier! You’re British, right?” 

(Y/N) looked up from her notes and noticed the blonde girl sitting next to her became engaged in a dull conversation with Charles. She couldn’t help but raise her brows at the poor attempt at flirting. It was pretty apparent that he was British, what with the accent and all. 

“Uh, yes, I am,” Charles glanced in (Y/N)’s direction as if he were hoping she’d save him from the conversation.

“That’s so cool, I’ve always wanted to go to England, but then I thought Paris would be a better destination, you know?” The blonde girl shrugged, “Have you been to Paris?”

“I have actually. I’ve given plenty of lectures in the city quite a few times. How did you find the lecture? Did you enjoy it?” Charles asked in the hope of engaging in a conversation about his work.

“Oh, I got lost after you mentioned something about the mRNA or whatever, but I liked hearing you talk.” 

(Y/N) laughed to herself, ‘At least she admitted it.’

‘Indeed, but I’d much rather have a competent conversation about my lecture rather than the expenses of Paris.’

(Y/N) frowned and looked up when she heard Charles’ voice in her head. ‘What the fuck?’

‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to invade your mind, but I don’t think I can continue to converse with this poor girl.’ 

(Y/N) shook her head, her eyes wide. “Dr. Xavier?”

Charles looked at her, relief evident in his expression, “Yes, Ms…”

“(Your Full Name), I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions?”

“Of course! I’d be happy to answer any questions you have.” Charles politely excused himself from the girl with whom he’d been conversing. 

(Y/N) packed her notes and utensils, “So, you’re a telepath?”

Charles shrugged as if to say ‘guilty.’ 

“So, I have to ask, your lecture, were you basing your responses from the questions I was thinking?” (Y/N) wondered. 

“Partly, yes. It was a first that someone’s questions were loud enough for me to hear without meaning to,” Charles shoved his hands in his pockets, “I was pleasantly surprised, of course, even more now that I’ve placed a beautiful face to the beautiful voice.”

(Y?N) nodded, “Does that line work at all?” She stood from her seat so that she could look at him without tilting her head too much. 

“I beg your pardon?” Charles caught off guard, shifted where he stood. 

(Y/N) huffed an amused breath, “I appreciate the compliment, Professor Xavier, but I’m only interested in what you have to say about mutants and mutation.”

“Why is that?” Charles asked.

“Just like you said, it’s fascinating.” (Y/N) winked at him, “now that I’ve saved you from your conversation, I’ll be on my way. I’ve got a class in an hour.” (Y/N) waved and left Charles, where he stood. 

“Charles, did she just brush you off?” Raven asked from behind him. 

“I… I think so.” Instead of being offended, Charles bored a smile.

“I have to get her number because that was the best thing I have seen all week,” Raven boasted.

Charles rolled his eyes, “Oh, shut it, Raven.”

“C’mon, you can’t tell me that you don’t want her number either,” Raven stepped next to Charles and rested her arm on his shoulder.

“Of course I do. If you had heard the questions (Y/N) was asking, you’d be just as intrigued.” Charles brushed off Raven’s arm, “Let’s go now; I’m ready to head home.”

Raven raised her brows, “What, no parties?”

“No, I’m not really in the mood.” Charles shrugged.

“Wow, I have to mark this day down for the history books. Charles Xavier doesn’t want to go to a college party!” Raven clutched her heart, “I never thought I’d see the day.”

Charles rolled his eyes. He walked away from her, intending to go to his car.

“Charles, just one party, please?” Raven begged as she skipped to catch up with him.

“What for? You never want to go to parties.” Charles scoffed.

“Because, I want to get drunk,” Raven grinned.

“That makes the two of us,” He conceded, “Fine. We’ll go to a party, but then we are going home.”

“Deal,” Raven beamed. She just hoped that girl would be there and knowing Charles; he was thinking the same thing.

[whimsywit]

hi! i just wanna say your blog aesthetic is SO cute! i love the concept of the menu and flavors~~

that being said, may i have a red velvet truffle? i'm a sagittarius girl with no gender preference (but i do lean towards guys!). i like bubble tea, the art genre french impressionism (my favorite piece is "the bar at the folies-bergere" by eduoard manet, but i also enjoy works by monet and van gogh), anime/manga, and kpop. i also love to write and draw. i really like sushi, takoyaki, and matcha mochi (i'm obsessed with matcha lolol). i don't like idiots (lolol), especially those who are narrow-minded and/or insensitive. as i said before, my hobbies include writing and drawing! watercolor painting is very fun also. i'm kind of an all-rounder in talents? i learn pretty fast ^^ academically, i do very well in all subjects and i'm pretty good at drawing. i'm decent at athletic things! i'm a beginner at volleyball & i fare decently. i kind of have a talent for teaching (but this probably came about from the fact i had to teach my peers a lot from a young age). some of my positive qualities are that i'm intelligent, witty, and funny (i think!! sjnddjd). some negative qualities of mine are that i have trust & intimacy issues. i don't trust many people and often put up a happy persona that no one sees through. i am also socially anxious at times. as mentioned before, i have intimacy problems, so i do have a fear of intimacy. i'm also terrified of all bugs. i get scared easily (i jump at loud sounds and CANNOT stand any scary movies. i thought goosebumps 2 was scary lmao). i deeply aspire to be kinder & someone people can look up to. i believe that apathy is the world's greatest enemy! i aspire to be truly happy with myself & where i currently am. i deeply admire kindness & perseverance through adversity as well as passion in others. the thing that gets me hooked? intelligence. i love love love holding and maintaining deep conversation with others (as opposed to people staring at me in awe...). so, i also like people who don't glorify me. i dislike insensitive idiots & narrow-minded people. i also hate people with unpredictable anger issues (bakugou is an exception 😔😔 i relate to him too much as a gifted child). some extra info is that my hogwarts house is ravenclaw, i'm an infp/intp, and my enneagram is 5w4.

thank you so much!!! this ask got super long >< but if you've read this far it means a lot 💕

thank you so much for being my first non-mutual request lmao but THANK YOU even more for your praise i worked really hard on the concept so it means the world!! I was stuck between two people for a while but eventually decided to pair you with...

Tenya Iida!

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

Okay so obviously the intelligence was a big factor, but the other parts of his personality, like his extreme dedication to everything he does and his clear caring of his peers and desire to help them also contribute to you guys ending up together! And cmon, where are you gonna find someone more passionate? Exactly.

Overall he admires so so many things about you, from your creativeness, your witty remarks, your athletic inclination, and just the fact that you can match him in academic prowess was the nail in the coffin. GOSH he loves learning, but from you especially, and thinks it’s great that you can teach others so well too! Don’t take this as him worshipping you though, he’s all about improvement, whether it be in him or others, and won’t hesitate to point out your flaws (but also help you work them out dw lol).

Okay so... the loud n jumpy outbursts might be an issue i’ll admit BUT!! He’s more than willing to tone it down once he sees how jumpy you get because by god if he isn’t gonna be a beacon of goodwill and trust for everyone!! Speaking of trust, he would be okay with your issues with it, and wouldn’t force you into feeling anything. Rather he’d work endlessly in proving himself as someone worthy of trusting, just because of how genuine he is, maybe that genuineness even inspiring you to lessen your persona and be more honest with how you think and feel? Possibly 👀👀 And honestly I can see him having trouble with intimacy as well (his awkward and flustered moments would get cranked to an 11) so tl;dr your relationship would be a slow, but strong one.

His upbringing would allow him to appreciate your artistic interests on a level no one else would, and I could see a good number of your dates in various museums as you talk endlessly about the pieces, their history, their deeper meaning, all of it. But ofc you’d have your more casual outings of sushi shops and boba stands, where you’d have either more long convos or silly back-and-forth’s of you joking with him and him taking it way too seriously but that just making it all the funnier ;0 (also PLEASE try to get him into kpop, one it wouldn’t be hard cause he’d be infatuated by the sheer effort that goes in the choreography and cinematography of their m/v’s, two it’d be mad funny to see him do the moves in his lil angular way, three you could def convince him to take you to one of their concerts cause hes got the funds sis 😙)

There’s a bunch more I could say here but I gotta cut myself off because this has so much potential and the dynamic would be fantastic. You guys are just the pinnacle of mutual respect and consideration and understanding, so yeah good luck being the cute smart couple and everyone envying y’all forever ûwû

[therainroguefanfiction]

⁂ Echo [o1/o3] (Daniel Bryan)

Genre: Friendship, Crack, Family, Slice of Life

Word Count: 2,017

Pairing: Reader, Daniel Bryan

World: WWE Monday Night Raw

Song Lyrics: “Echo” by Bad Meets Evil

Author’s Note: This was written back in the day when I was obsessed with Monday Night Raw. I looked forward to it all week long and never missed it, it was fucking hilarious lol So here’s some teenage sass-filled crap haha

━━━━━━༻🌧️༺━━━━━━

“As. He Takes. A Bow. And They All Know. All the Girls. The Boys. They Chase. The Noise.“

Monday Night Raw hadn’t even started yet, but there were already quite a few people standing around the arena. It was about eleven in the morning, and the show didn’t begin until a little after eight that night, but even so, there was a large crowd gathered outside the arena, despite the freezing cold temperature that wrapped tightly around them like a blanket. Most of them were clad in apparel supporting their favorite wrestler, and most had a camera in their hand, ready to take a picture at a moment’s notice.

Most of the crowd consisted of teenagers and adults, the parents not wanting to subject their small children to the cold weather until the show actually started. Of course, everyone had their seats already, so why were they gathering as if it was a race to see who could get the best seats first? Simple. Every once in a while, you could catch a glimpse of one of the wrestlers as they entered or exited the building. And some of them even went so far as to walk out to the crowd – of course, they kept their distance, and several security guards were standing in between; you can never underestimate a rabid fan.

Now, what kind of person would be willing to stand out in freezing cold weather for hours on end when there is such a small chance of them seeing their favorite star? A crazy person. An out-of-their-mind, possibly drunk, crazy. ass. person.

Your eye twitched in annoyance as your best friend tugged roughly on your wrist. Your eyes were narrowed at the arena that towered over you, wondering why, in satan’s name, you were there at eleven in the morning. To be technical, the pair of you had arrived a little past six – you didn’t even know there was a six am until today! – and had been walking around out front since. It wasn’t that you were unhappy because it was freezing, no, you loved the cold. The problem was that you’d much rather be sleeping than spending some fourteen hours standing around doing nothing.

What the hell was this boy’s problem?

And better yet, why the hell were you friends with him?

“Y/N~!” Kyle, your best friend and current object of your annoyance, tugged on your arm, a pout set on his childish face. “Come on~ This is exciting!”

“Exciting?” you questioned, feeling your patience begin to snap. You pulled your arm free to use it to motion around you, “Exciting?! What the hell is so exciting about standing around doing nothing for hours on end, when I could be sleeping!?”

Kyle looked at the crowd, which had turned silent and was looking at you as if you were a crazy person wildly waving a gun around. And, of course, you picking up on that look had to retort, “And what the hell are you lookin’ at?! You’re the crazy ones, coming out here at a time I didn’t even know existed, just to hold onto a fleeting hope that you might catch a mere glimpse at the object of your undying fan love!”

The group flinched back in surprise, some in fear. Before your outburst, it had been a small ocean of fans gathered in front of the arena, but now there was a large circle around you and Kyle, where the others had backed away.

“Y/N~!” Kyle moaned, his hand set firmly on his forehead, which was covered by his orange locks. “You promised!”

“I didn’t promise shit.” You scoffed, looking away from your pouting friend, “I told you I didn’t want to come in the first place, and yet you still dragged me down here. You knew I’d be less than pleasant, and you said you were fine with it, as long as I came. Remember?”

“Well… yeah, but…”

“No buts. I didn’t want to come to this stupid thing, to begin with, and now you’re dragging me down here when I could be sleeping? Honestly, Kyle. Did you really expect me to act nice?”

His bottom lip stuck out, eyes shining like a lost puppy dog. You could just imagine dog ears and a tail on him; the imagery was perfect. This was a technique that no one could resist… except one person.

You simply rolled your eyes and turned your back to him, “That may have worked when we first met, but it don’t work no more.”

“Wahhh, really?!” he asked, genuinely shocked at the news.

“You overused it, my friend.”

“Ahhh, damn. And that was my best weapon against you!”

“Best weapon? It was your only weapon!”

Before he could retort, the doors on the side of the building burst open, and a large man wearing the security shirt walked out. Everyone fell silent, turning to watch the man as he made his way towards the black SUV that was pulling up. Two more security guards passed by, moving to stand between the crowd and the vehicle. The car shut off, but the person inside did not step out until the guards had placed a security rope around the area, stopping rabid fans before they could think to jump the person within the tinted car.

The door was opened and, as if in slow motion, Chris Jericho – dressed in a crisp dark, blue suit – stepped out, pulling his sunglasses from his face. Within the crowd, there was a mixture of cheers and boos, as their usually was, and a few of them even began to chant “Y2J”.

Kyle leaned forward on the red velvet rope, his eyes shining like that of a small child on Christmas morning, his hands folded under his chin. You could swear you saw something akin to sparkles in his eyes.

The screaming was getting on your already short nerves, but you kept your mouth shut. They were just happy to see one of their favorite wrestlers. Of course, every time they got too close to you, your glare sent them scrambling away, once again forming a circle around you and your friend.

Were you the only one that didn’t want to be there?

Of course. Who in their right mind would go to such an event if they really didn’t want to?

Stupid, crazy-ass Y/N.

You had figured Kyle’s whining would have been just a bit more annoying than what you were currently going through. Of course, there was one thing you needed to be able to keep your cool.

Pushing your way through the crowd, you looked up lazily at the towering guard at the door. He looked down at you with a mean look, akin only to security guards. When he spoke, his voice was gruff and deep, “What do you want?”

“Look, I need a soda in order to not kill someone and I’ve got a long day ahead. Now, I know you guys have soda machines back there.” You paused, digging into your pocket for some change and then holding it out to the man, “You can either let me back there to get one, or you can get one for me.”

The man’s eyes narrowed, “Move back, kid.”

Your eye twitched and your hand clenched tightly around the money. You loathed being called a kid.

The crowd behind you started cheering loudly and, when you looked over your shoulder, you saw Jericho standing behind you. He glanced at you as he passed, entering the building in front of the two security guards who were right behind him.

The large man in front of you roughly pushed you back before turning to follow.

“Teme – !” Before you could rush after and kick his ass, Kyle grabbed you from behind, arms locked around your waist as he attempted to hold you back. Finally, the doors closed and it was safe to release you. You kicked the door roughly, screaming out an ‘asshole‘ before turning away. Kyle sighed, shaking his head. “What?!”

“You and your temper,” he responded simply, moving to sit on the ropes.

“Bitch pissed me off. Better be lucky you held me back.” You growled, moving to sit next to him so that you were in between him and the large double doors, “You should have brought Raven. You know how she loves wrestling.”

“True~, but I wanted to come with me bestie~” he grinned, putting his arm on your shoulder.

You sent him an ‘are-you-kidding-me?‘ look, but said nothing. You never did understand why Kyle liked you so much, despite the way you were. Most people would spend a grand total of five minutes with you and decide they hated you, whereas Kyle had been your friend for almost five years now. To be completely honest, he was the only person to put up with you that long, and in a way, you were grateful to him. Though your pride would never let you admit it out loud, Kyle knew better.

The screaming resumed, catching the attention of the two seventeen-year-olds. You both looked towards the crowd, who were screaming and looking at the door, but before you had a chance to look at what they saw, a can of soda was shoved in front of your face. Looking first at the cherry Pepsi, then the hand, and finally up the arm towards the face of the person who was offering your drug of choice.

Standing before you was Chris Jericho, his face blank. He made a motion for you to take it and, with a raised brow, you took the ice-cold beverage from his hand. A small smirk overtook his lips before he turned and re-entered the building. The crowd was staring at you with a mixture of emotions; envy, anger, curiosity, and wonder. They looked like they wanted to jump you and steal the soda from your hands but, at the same time, they looked afraid not knowing what the easily angered teen was capable of. And clearly, none of them were willing to find out.

“Y/N?”

“Yeah?”

Both of them were staring down at the soda, which had a small ice cloud rolling off of it due to the cold of it mixing with the cold temperature outside.

“Chris Jericho just gave you a soda. He… He actually touched it.”

You slapped his hand away as he made a grab for it, glaring at him angrily. “No one touches my soda.”

His bottom lip stuck out and he rubbed the back of his hand, “You’re so mean~”

Popping the top, you stuck the cold can to your lips, closing your eyes in pure bliss. Soda was your drug and it was the only thing that could make you do almost anything to get one. You were addicted and, as pathetic as it was, you weren’t afraid to show it. But, what’s worse? Being addicted to soda or being addicted to an actual drug? Soda doesn’t kill.

In most cases.

“I just thought of something,”

“Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s stupid.”

“You’re so mean!” he stuck his tongue out, “Anyway, I was thinking, how much could we get for that can if we put it on eBay?”

You raised an eyebrow, “No one’ll believe that he touched it.”

“So we get his fingerprints lifted and include it with the order, offering a thirty-day money-back guarantee.”

“You’re crazy.”

“Plus we have all of these witnesses.” he motioned towards the crowd, who was still watching them intently.

“You’re fucking crazy,”

“Come on! Can’t you have faith in anything?”

“I have faith in soda.” You paused, “And sleep. Sleep is good.”

Kyle facepalmed, slamming his hand hard against his forehead.

Every person was crazy in their own right. Some just stuck out more than others. Either way, every person is crazy, it just doesn’t always show unless you look real hard.

Of course, crazy isn’t always a bad thing.

WWE Monday Night Raw was a perfect example of that.

━━━━━━༻🌧️༺━━━━━━

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[saltpepperbeard]

Not Her ~An Everlark One-Shot~

A/N: Hello everyone! *hUNGER GAMES INTENSIFIES* am I right? I’m so happy for the Re-Read that’s taking place, because not only is it getting me furiously posting about THG again, but it brought back my quite dead writing motivation! I was reading chapter two, had a, “Okay but what must have this person been experiencing” kind of thought, followed by the instant urge to write it. So here we thankfully are lol!

I’m probably a tad rusty, but I really did want to write a different take on the Reaping Day. I’ve always wondered what things would be like from a certain someone’s point of view after all! So with that being said, I hope you all like it!

And with further adoooooooo...

Not Her

It’s the day everyone in this District dreads again.

The one where families are torn apart for a sick spectator sport. The one where children are torn crying from their mothers, knowing what horrible fate awaits them. The one where loved ones are officially lost to the Capitol.

Reaping Day.

I clench and unclench my jaw, silently filing in after all the other boys my age. The tension in the air is high, as usual. We’re not a District to valiantly offer volunteers, or boast our Tributes’ strengths. We’re a group of reluctant individuals, with many being fearful, silently praying that their name, or their loved one’s name, isn’t the one to be called.

I’m in the latter half of that group. My name being plucked from the large, glass bowl wouldn’t trigger any tears, from me or my family for that matter. There’s a slight sinking in my stomach as I imagine it, yes, but ultimately it wouldn’t hurt as much as others. My family would get on. The District would get on. And maybe it’d be a sick way to spare me from my current way of life.

I’m more concerned about my brother, concerned about Rye. I wouldn’t want to see him on that stage, awaiting pain, awaiting death. I wouldn’t want to see anyone I love subjected to that. Having to helplessly watch as someone close to me suffers has to be one of my worst fears.

A heavy breath rolls out of my mouth, my attention zoning out as the typical string of events unfolds. The mayor talks about the past of Panem, the history of the Games, and the reasons we should be thankful for them. It makes me sick to my stomach, the notion of being appreciative of murder, appreciative of suffering, appreciative of torture. So naturally, my attention goes elsewhere.

It doesn’t really come back until our District’s sole-surviving Victor, or our District’s Infamous Drunk rather, makes his grand entrance on stage. I let out a sigh as he leaves a path of chaos in his wake, but I cannot deny the slight ache in my chest. That insanity could be someone’s fate today. Or worse, far worse.

Another interesting character, Effie Trinket, attempts to hurry things along, continuing to try and make this some kind of grand spectacle. It’s ladies first as usual, and despite not really having anyone close to me per say, I find that I’m holding my breath.

When the name is uttered, I’m relieved for a split second, and then utterly devastated in the next.

“Primrose Everdeen.”

My throat locks up, with my entire body to follow. I almost feel a bit woozy, my head spinning at the image of a small, frail, blonde girl reluctantly emerging from the crowd.

I know her. Almost too well for never really formally meeting her. I can see her passing by our Bakery in the morning, completely carefree and casting light as she goes. I can see the way her gaze sparkles as she eyes the displays in the window, eagerly running up to get a better look. And I can see her turning around, excitedly pointing at the various cookies and cakes to the person who’s always with her...

“Prim!”

As unfortunate as it is to say, I should be familiar with that shrill, desperate cry. The sound of a person getting their family member torn away from them at the Reaping, a haunting, eerie noise that’s something of normalcy every year.

But it’s from her. She’s in pain. Her sister is going to the Arena. And I can’t protect them, can’t comfort her.

I can feel myself shaking, small beads of sweat forming atop my skin. I don’t even know her. I don’t know either of them. But at the same time, I feel like I do. I’ve seen them both for so long. My heart has followed the one for as long as I know, which means I’m naturally protective of the other as well.

It’s almost like I can feel her anguish, like my little sister is up there.

Mentally, I wrap my arms around her, holding her as tightly and warmly as I can manage. Even if I really could, I know there wouldn’t be enough love in the world to comfort her in this. But God, would I try. I’d want nothing more than to try and keep her lifted out of the darkness the Capitol tries so desperately to inflict upon us.

“Prim!”

Tears spring into my eyes, my heart clenching something terrible. I watch as she emerges from the crowd as well, darting after her sister. I wish I could be there alongside of her too, offering all the support and help I could possibly muster. But I can’t. I’m always doomed to watch from the sidelines, doomed to watch as things unfold.

And unfold they do.

“I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!”

Everything stops. My world completely stops. 

My heart stutters to a grinding halt. A noise of anguish poised on my tongue gets jammed in my throat. The tears I had been fighting against have no choice but to fall.

No. Not her.

It’s my nightmare. My absolute worst nightmare come to life. I always knew there was a very small possibility of this happening, a very grim chance of this unfurling before my very eyes. But nothing could have actually prepared me for it happening. No matter how many times I see them per night, the bad dreams are nothing compared to reality.

The light goes dark, and sounds go muffled. I can see some slight, desperate movement near the stage, and hear a scuffle of activity, but I can hardly pay attention. I can hardly focus on anything other than trying not to collapse right here and now, to collapse completely in on myself.

I don’t know her. I never got to know her. I didn’t get to tell her how beautiful I think she is, how her eyes remind me of a strong, captivating summer storm. I didn’t get to tell her how I want to protect her and her family for the rest of my days, to ensure they never have to go hungry ever again.

I never got to tell her how much I utterly adore her, how much I love her to the ends of the Earth.

And when she goes on stage, when she utters her name, the reminder makes a shaky, sobbing-like breath croak from my lungs.

Katniss Everdeen.

Not her. Not her. Not her.

Somewhere in the middle of my woes, I can faintly hear Effie Trinket trying to get our solemn District excited, trying to get our District to roar with thunderous applause.

But in true fashion, much to my utmost relief and yet utter dread, they don’t. Everyone remains ghostly silent, before kissing three fingers and raising them high into the sky. It’s a gesture of complete admiration, but also a way of saying goodbye.

I can’t bring myself to do it. Because no matter how much I utterly adore her, I cannot bring myself to say goodbye. Especially without giving the slightest “hello.”

I simply hang my head, fiercely wiping the tears away, clenching both my eyes and jaw. I wish I could reveal my gaze and be free from this, be in a completely different world where I’m waking up to light, waking up to her.

But I’m not. The awful world I’m in continues on.

I can hear the loud clicking of Effie’s heels as she walks from one side of the stage to the other. I wipe the last of my tears away, sighing harshly and attempting to get myself under some semblance of control. I just hope whoever gets reaped can work together with Katniss, and protect her with his life.

The odds must be somewhat in my favor, albeit in a messed up, twisted kind of way.

Because the name that’s called, the paper that’s raised into the air, sends me through a torrent of feeling.

My first emotion, by complete instinct, is shock, my head jolting upwards and my mouth hanging agape. I can feel everyone who’s in close proximity staring at me, their faces either wearing sorrow or some kind of weird relief. And after I’ve recovered from the initial blow, the initial realization that I’m going to the Hunger Games, the thoughts that follow are what give me the strength to walk towards the stage.

Katniss.

I’m going to be with Katniss in the arena.

Not getting to know her doesn’t seem as devastating anymore. Because now I’ll get to die knowing I protected her, knowing I gave absolutely everything to keep her alive. And that’s all I could possibly want. To make sure I gave my all in ensuring her safety.

Maybe she doesn’t need me. Maybe she can get by just fine on her own. I’ve heard about the way she shoots, heard her way of fighting is silent and elegant. It’d be just one other person who wouldn’t be affected by my presence or lack of thereof; my family certainly isn’t.

But that won’t stop me from trying. That won’t stop me from giving myself to her like I’ve tried to all these years. I am hers and no one else’s. My life is insignificant next to hers.

I finally mount the stage, and in seeing her so close, in getting to properly look at her, it locks my sole purpose in these Games completely into place.

I move to stand parallel to her. Before I do though, I give myself a brief opportunity to look at her. To really look at her. To look at her how I would every day if I was blessed enough to actually be with her.

Her beauty absolutely takes my breath away. It always has. Though her face is hard, completely taut with emotion, she’s gorgeous. Her hair looks softer than the dandelion puffs dotting the District. Her eyes look shinier than the sun dancing off the lake’s surface. Her lips look plumper than the strawberries growing in the forest.

I don’t think I could ever capture such beauty in one of my paintings, or ever truly put it into words. She’s utterly exquisite.

I don’t stare, being quick to tear my gaze away and look straight ahead, out into the crowd. Now really is not the time to dote on her anyway. I can’t afford to get anymore attached than I am now. Now is the time to start planning how I’m going to keep her alive.

As the mayor talks more about the Games, my mind is aflame with possibilities, with different scenarios. I think of how I can keep others away from her, how I can potentially side with her, how I can guard her from anyone who might come near...

My thoughts are cut short by Effie yet again, though this time she actually says something significant to me for once.

“Alright you two, shake hands!”

My head turns towards Katniss as hers turns towards mine, our eyes meeting and locking for the first time in...years. Her gaze is just as mesmerizing as it was the first time I held it, just as captivating. And just like last time, I silently tell her I’m going to protect her. I silently tell her that I will take a beating for her. I silently tell her that I love her.

And to prove it, to seal the deal, I put all the warmth I can manage into our handshake, squeezing her hand tenderly with the figurative promise of never letting go.

The odds may not be fully in my favor during the Games, but hopefully now the opposite can be said for her.

And once we turn to be beckoned into the building behind us, away from our District, my life is hers.

[jjkfire]

Sweet Saccharine; pt. 3

Reader x Jungkook // sugardaddy!AU // 17k words

Summary: Trying your best to stay afloat in a ruthless city, you decide to join the sugar bowl. Who knew the sugar baby business would be this exciting?

Genre: Fluff?

A/N: For the purpose of this fic, I may or may not have spent 30 mins going through a wiki list of gang names… Anyway, here’s part 3 after 3-ish months! lol I’m so sorry hahaha. This chapter is a lil plot heavy but I dropped a ton of clues!!! Oh btw fun fact did you know Monet painted around 250 paintings depicting water lilies??? The picture above is of the exhibition in Musée de l'Orangerie. 

Part 1  //  Part 2  //  Part 4

Previously…

Happy didn’t even begin to describe what the hooded man feels because his plan is coming along just nicely, almost too perfectly and he smiles, admiring the pictures he’d taken of tonight. Mrs. Jeon surely would enjoy seeing these pictures, you and Jungkook together, he sighs to himself. But no, it’s too soon for that. There’s still much that he’s waiting for you to do. A perfect night indeed, he smirks.

A perfect night indeed.

Now

How did he end up here? It’s a question that he seems to be asking himself quite often lately and the answer is most usually in the form of someone he can’t seem to get his mind off, someone by the name of Y/N.

If you want to go home with all your limbs intact, I suggest you run

Your sentence rings in his ears and it’s like time slows down for a second because what can that possibly mean? It’s when he sees a man charging towards him, butcher knife in hand, that he chooses to finally move, his heart pumping adrenaline to every single vein in his body as he takes off sprinting. Sometimes he wonders why he hangs out with you, why he even likes you when you have him fearing for his life almost every other week.

He can hear you laugh as he curses at you while running. Insane, you’re completely insane, he thinks but he can’t help that sometimes his heart starts racing just as fast as it is now, even when he’s doing nothing but listening to you talk, your soft gaze enough to make his head spin.

Earlier

It’s been a fair few months since you’ve agreed to be Jungkook’s platonic sugar baby. It’s an odd arrangement that nobody but the two of you know about and that’s fine with both you and him. It’s a great job, an amazing one even because you’re being paid to be friends with a millionaire who seemingly is into doing a lot of cute things like visiting pet stores, going to the park, taking a pottery class, trying to find all the speakeasy bars in town; basically all things you’d gladly do if you had the time or money so, it doesn’t really seem like a job except at the end of it all when he drops you off at your apartment, you’re reminded that it is one when he hands you a neat little envelope filled with cash.

As the days bleed to weeks, and weeks to months, Jungkook seems to be getting the hang of being in the South side now that he stops by to pick you up from your evening shift at the convenience store, making sure like you ask, to always wait a block away. He would spot you quickly shuffling to his car, the black sedan, not the Lambo because that would only raise eyebrows or, so you say. Like always, he drives you back over to the South where the two of you would grab supper, and of course after that, the pair of you would get some donuts and sit on the bench by the riverside which honestly, is his favourite part of the night.

For someone that society often says has nothing to offer, you’ve taught him a great deal. It’s the little quirks about the South that he’s come to learn and appreciate. Over the many weeks, he’s learnt that he should always wear just a simple t-shirt and some jeans, nothing fancy when he’s on this side of the city or else he’ll get mugged… It had been a rather sticky situation that you had managed to get him out of and to this day Jungkook can’t quite remember how it all went down because it had happened so fast. One second the knife was being pointed at him shakily and the next second, it was in yours, the knife now gently sitting against the teenager’s throat, the blade in your hand identical to the two knives tattooed just under his collarbone. Your snarl alone was enough to scare the young boy off and after discarding the knife in a nearby dumpster, you grabbed Jungkook by the wrist and ran, making sure the both of you made it out of that gang’s territory. Ah, that too is something he has learnt. It’s the fact that different parts of the South are controlled by different gangs and you have them all memorized like the back of your hand because it’s a matter of life and death as he had the privilege of learning. Though he tries, he still can’t get the names of the many subset gangs down but could you really blame him for not knowing them? He wonders who comes up with the names because some of them are downright ridiculous but of course, he never says that out loud, too afraid of what will happen if someone heard him.

Just like that near-death experience, Jungkook’s come to accept that every day with you is far from normal and being with you, being down in the South has come to be one of his favourite pastimes, even if he’s been on the brink of danger more times than he would like. To be frank, it’s quite baffling to him how by just crossing a bridge, it’s like he has entered a new world, one that’s so different from the world he lives in. Yet, though there are differences, at the core everyone is the same because like the North, everyone here enjoys good food, would flock to the bars to watch sports and even enjoy art and culture like the people in the North did… which is a surprise to him because he’s always been told that Southerners didn’t know how to appreciate the finer things in life. You had laughed out loud, hand over your belly when Jungkook had told you that because oh how wrong they were. If they just peeked into any one of the penthouses of the high-ranking gang members, they’d find art collections beyond their wildest dreams, sculptures by Picasso, paintings by Klimt, Faberge eggs (you almost broke one… it’s probably why you were never invited into their residence ever again). It’s a sight you’ve only ever had the pleasure of seeing once and safe to say, it’s one that you’ll never forget. Art though appreciated by all, is only something those with money to spare could indulge in and unfortunately, living dollar to dollar means that art is a luxury, one you can’t afford… unless looking at pictures of world-famous paintings online qualifies.

“What’s the museum like?” You ask him, chomping down on your donut.

“Huh?”

“The museum, the one in town with the Picassos and Van Goghs.”

He lets out a light laugh, noting that you were talking about the art museum, one that his family so happens to be a benefactor of.

“You’ve never been?”

“No,” You snort. “Costs a bomb.”

“What do you mean? It’s only $10.”

“If you’re from the North, sure but it’s something ridiculous like $50 for us.”

Jungkook’s left at a loss for words for a while, trying to process that fact.

“I know they have a few Monet pieces in there. He’s my favourite artist,” You murmur, your eyes filled with admiration and delight. You remember seeing a Monet painting for the first time in that gang boss’ penthouse, a piece featuring the French artist’s much-loved subject, water lilies. The painting was stolen en route from the port to the auction house as was much of the art in his house, but somehow it all just looked like it belonged right there in his residence.

“Yeah,” He smiles. “You know they’re doing a special exhibition now, right? The water lilies—”

“The triptych!” You exclaim. “They’re finally reuniting the current piece they have with the other 2 right?”

Jungkook nods his head, surprised that you even knew what he was talking about.

“You have to go! It’s been decades since they’ve been shown together.”

He has no heart to tell you that he’s been to see it already, many times in fact since his family had been the one, among many others to have paid for it to be brought to the city for this very special exhibition. It’s funny to him that you know he has more than enough money to take you, but you don’t ask him to.

You’re sort of in a world of your own, telling him facts about Monet that he already knows but he nods along, listening to you speak because this is when he thinks you look the most beautiful, when you’re so immersed in whatever it is that you’re talking about that you almost forget that he’s there too. Jungkook’s never really liked the museum because he’s only been there when there are private mixers his mother forces him to attend. He hates those events because he would stand around watching person after person spew facts much like the ones you know except they had a different tone to their voice, a pompous one, as if they were trying to prove that they were the only person in the room who knew how to truly appreciate art.

“Are you free tomorrow night?” He asks when you’re finally done telling him about the Frenchman you love so much.

“I have the early evening shift at work tomorrow,” You answer. “I’ll be done around 8, is that okay?”

“That’s perfect,” He smiles. “Wear something fancy.”

“What are we doing?”

“It’s a secret.”

“Are we going to a Michelin star restaurant?” You question excitedly, your eyes lighting up at the prospect of going somewhere that costs possibly your whole month’s salary because if there was one thing you wanted to do in the North, it would be that. “Quick, you have to tell me so I can mentally prepare myself.”

Jungkook laughs, shaking his head before he gazes at you only to find that you’re actually being serious, and he takes a mental note, making sure that he’ll take you to one someday.

“So, what then?”

“It’s a secret,” He shrugs.

“If it’s another cooking class, I’m going to strangle you.”

“It’s not,” He chortles, and you give him a pointed look as if you didn’t believe him. “I swear!” He holds up his hand in promise. It’s much better than a cooking class, he laughs to himself. He doesn’t know what possesses him to even think of taking you to where he has in mind. If he’s seen with you in a place like that, he knows nothing but nasty rumours would surface but he thinks of you, thinks of your smile and somehow it’s enough for him to push his doubts aside, his mind choosing to bank on luck instead. Maybe just for that day, he wouldn’t run into someone he knows.

You let out a reluctant sigh because you hate his surprises. They’re never good ones… like that one time he wouldn’t tell you where he was taking you, so you wore the ugliest pair of jeans you owned because well… you hadn’t found the time to do your laundry yet. You almost groaned out aloud when you were stood at the bottom of the building that was home to the fanciest rooftop bar in the city, and you swore as you walked to the private roped-off section, you saw an A-list celebrity give you a look of disgust, the very same actor you’ve fawned over for years. At least that won’t be happening this time around because funnily, for this surprise, he gives you a dress code.

When Jungkook said fancy, he didn’t specify exactly what level of fancy but either way anything in your closet is far from that so that’s how you find yourself standing in the tiny staff toilet of your workplace, in your best friend’s dress. You think it’s way too flamboyant, but she said it’s the only dress she would let you walk out with because it’s your first date in years and she won’t let you wear anything else. You know that technically it isn’t a date, but you didn’t know what else to tell her the dress was for considering you couldn’t say something along the lines of hey… I got a sugar daddy of my own and funny story, his name is Jeon Jungkook, like you know the heir to a billion dollar company? That Jungkook… so, you lie.

Despite that, you thank your lucky stars that both you and Wendy are the same size but you certainly do not appreciate how she always lends you dresses that are way out of your comfort zone, just something you wouldn’t reach for in a store. The dress is beautiful, modest, not something that would make people do a double take but you’re still uncomfortable in it and perhaps it’s just the fact that you’re not quite used to dressing up at all.

The dress is a rich burgundy tone, of that of a fine wine. The fabric long and flowy, reaching down to your ankles with your heels on and in true Wendy style, has a slit that runs all the way up until your mid-thigh which did not seem like too much of a problem when you had tried it on for the first time but now, as you stride down the pavement, you feel like you’re one wide step away from flashing your panties to the strangers on the street.

Jungkook’s leaning against his car, tapping wildly at his phone, seconds away from reaching a new high score but his head perks up when he hears the frantic click-clack of your heels against the pavement. He’s staring at you, blatantly ogling you as you make your way towards him and he thinks of something smart to say, anything, but all he comes up with is

“Y/N.“

You don’t even stop to greet him, simply flashing him a smile as you make your way around the car to slide into the passenger seat.

“Hello, sorry,” You grin, greeting him once he settles himself into the driver’s seat. “People were staring at me and I think it’s just—” You fumble with your dress, trying to pull the fabric lower.

He waits for you to complete your sentence, but you don’t and that’s fine because he’s completed it for you in his head. It’s just— the fact that you look amazing, drop dead gorgeous in that dress. Obviously, he wants to say it out loud but he decides against it, simply turning the key in its ignition.

“How many cars do you have?” You question, trying to change the subject quick after a few beats of awkward silence, noticing that this car is one you haven’t seen yet.

“Uhh,” Jungkook mumbles as if he had just been shaken out of a trance. “A few…”

He had chosen the most inconspicuous one in his collection of cars, not wanting to draw attention to himself tonight considering that you’ll be by his side, that alone enough to raise a few eyebrows. The rest of the car ride is silent, save for the radio and you choose to let it be, wary of the fact that Jungkook seems to be slightly on edge.

The car weaves in and out of the evening traffic before it comes to a familiar road, one you’ve walked down frequently when you were still in college, the path a little detour you would often take after your classes to walk past a place you’ve always wanted to visit.

The art museum.

As Jungkook pulls into the private parking lot, he tries to hide the smile on his face, pretending that he doesn’t see the pure unadulterated excitement on yours as you gaze upon the building stood in front of you. You should’ve known… but then again, how could you have known? The museum would have been your first guess for tonight’s surprise but considering that it closes at 5 and that it definitely didn’t have a dress code, people often strolling in with shorts and slippers, you had crossed it off the list. So, why exactly are you here, parked at the footsteps of the museum at approximately 8.30 pm in the nicest dress you’ve ever worn?

“The museum… it closes at 5 doesn’t it?” You question.

“It does,” Jungkook answers, turning off the engine. “But they’re having a late-night exhibition this week.”

You furrow your eyebrows because you’re on the museum’s website just about every other day, hoping that one day they’ll announce a reduced pricing for Southerners like you and you remember being on it just yesterday to check but you hadn’t seen any mention of this event.

“It’s a private event,” He murmurs, noting the confusion on your face as the two of you finally move towards the building. “For all the benefactors of the museum.”

You let that thought sink in as the two of you walk up the grand steps of the museum and you try to stay calm, but you know you’re literally beaming because Jungkook lets out a light laugh when he takes a glance at you. You peer up at the banner that hangs across the entrance, its words thanking the donors for the exhibition and ahh, you finally understand when you see the Jeon surname printed at the bottom, in bold. Of course, you sigh.

You’ve never been to the lobby of the museum even if technically you didn’t have to pay to get to this part of it. You admire the tall pillars, the crystal chandeliers and the high ceilings while Jungkook handles the tickets. Glancing around the space, you note a few people in attendance, all dressed in elegant gowns and sophisticated suits, Jungkook himself in a navy-blue suit that made him look like he belonged in a fashion editorial. You assume an event like this was the kind people flocked to because they wanted to be seen, everyone having to be dressed like they were someone that mattered. This whole scene, being in this building alone seemed like a dream, like a fantasy and suddenly you felt out of place.

“Huh?” Jungkook tugs at his tie nervously, taking a quick look around the room.

“It’s couple’s night. If you’re not here with your significant other, we won’t grant you access.”

“I’m sorry?” You hear Jungkook question in a panicked tone and you finally snap back to reality, quickly making you return to his side after having wandered off on your own.

“It’s couple’s night toni— Oh! So you do have a date,” The staff smiles, when she notices you.

“I uhh, I—”

“Yup, a couple,” You smile, intertwining your hands with his, bringing it up to show her because you’ll be damned if you were denied entry to this museum when you were already so close. Jungkook’s so flustered he almost drops the ticket when the staff hands it to him. A picture? She asks pointing to the designated area, a fancy white backdrop with sophisticated lighting all set up. He shakes his head, a little too vehemently you think and with that he tugs you towards the entrance of the exhibition. Even as the both of you pass through the initial security check, he doesn’t remove his hand from yours and neither do you. He steals a quick glance at you, pursing his lips nervously as he silently prays that nobody he knows is here tonight because if his mother hears about this… he’s a goner.

Jungkook lets out a sigh of relief when the both of you finally move into one of the exhibit rooms, the museum a lot quieter now that the lobby was behind you. He had planned to get two separate tickets, staging a Oh, Y/N! What a surprise to see you here! type of meetup just in case that there was an off-chance of one of the museum staff telling his mother about the new lady he’s been spotted with. If there aren’t any pictures, it would just be the staff’s word against his and he thinks he could easily sway his mother into thinking that it’s just mindless gossip. But he guesses all that’s out the window now since well you basically told the lady at the counter that two of you are an item, your name and his printed side by side on a stub that said couple ticket in all capitals.

He silently moves behind you as you drag him through the room, your eyes wide with amazement as you take in the giant art pieces that are being displayed on the walls, almost all of them painted by artists that you know and if you didn’t, you pretended like you did because that’s what people do in places like this, right? Jungkook lets out a light giggle when he sees your eyes shift from side to side nervously before you nod whenever he asked if you knew who the artist is as he points at pieces painted by a lesser-known painter. The truth is, he didn’t really know them either, but you didn’t have to know that. It’s a little pathetic but though he’s been here numerous times, he’s never really taken the time to admire the art. He would always cruise through the rooms looking for an empty standing table so he could drink his champagne in peace and fiddle with his phone, but he guesses this time, it’s different.

The museum seems like an endless labyrinth that you never want to exit, just walls upon walls, all filled with art you’ve never dreamed of seeing in person. Picasso, Matisse, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, you read their names aloud one by one each time you spot a familiar painting, or you know… sometimes you need the little plaque on the side to help you identify them and you know you sound like an idiot, constantly cooing at every single painting but you can’t seem to help yourself. You bounce around excitedly, stopping to take a picture every so often because you’re sure this will be the one and only time you’ll ever see all of this in person.

Jungkook can feel the excitement radiate off you, and he smiles at you, silently swinging your hand that was still in his. He can tell that you’re on another level of happiness, especially so when the both of you reach the French impressionist hall. He laughs when he hears you let out a squeal after spotting the first Monet piece, the classic short, fast strokes and his signature colour palette in the painting a dead giveaway that it’s his work of art. Jungkook taps you on the shoulder and points towards the curved wall at the end of the room where Monet’s water lilies sat and he could see your jaw drop, your free hand fiddling through your sling purse for your phone. You walk over like a woman on a mission and Jungkook can’t help but smile as you pull him along with you, almost tripping on his own two feet as you hasten your steps, the sound of your heels reverberating around the room.

You stand before the painting, looking at it with child-like wonder, your fingers almost reaching out to touch it. The painting, this one in particular, is a lot bigger in real life and a lot nicer too, obviously. It’s much larger than the one you had seen before in the home of one of the gang leaders. This piece is one of his more elaborate works, the 3 paintings looking almost seamless placed side by side.

Many people don’t understand how art can invoke certain emotions and perhaps in this moment you wished you were one of those socialites who had a number of sophisticated words to explain just what it was like to stand before a painting like this but the only word you can think of is, breath-taking. There is beauty in the detail of his work, the precise brush strokes, some soft and delicate while others heavy and brash but what brought it all together is the gradient of colours, one that gave the painting an almost fairy-tale like aura, as if light was emanating from it. You take so many photos that Jungkook has, you assume, gotten bored and decided to take a seat on the bench.

“I’m sorry,” You mumble shyly, shuffling forwards to take a seat next to him. “It’s just… it’s Monet and I got carried away. We can leave—”

“No, no,” He laughs. “I just like the view from here.”

You nod at that, smiling before you intertwine your fingers with his again, turning to look at the painting, admiring how it seemed like an endless pond when you looked at it sat from that spot. A little smile dances on Jungkook’s lips when he turns away from the painting to look down at his hand because he won’t lie, he likes the way your hand fits in his… platonically of course, he reminds himself because yeah, friends can totally hold hands.

“Thank you,” You murmur. “You’ve probably been here a million times… and this must be so boring for you so, thank you.”

Boring? Oh, on the contrary. This is probably the only time Jungkook has enjoyed the museum, the only time he actually looked at the art hanging on the walls. He’s always seen people go on museum dates, be it in movies or on the occasional time he drops by for his mother’s sake and he’s never really understood the appeal of that until now, that is. He won’t tell you but while you were admiring the water lilies, he’s taken a dozen or so pictures of you. You just look adorable so deep in thought, or admiration, he couldn’t really tell but he loved the look of pure contentment on your face for it was as if you were at peace. Also, the fact that you look quite stunning in that burgundy dress didn’t help either and although he’s been wanting to tell you that all night, he isn’t quite sure how to bring it up.

“It’s nothing, really,” He smiles. “I actually quite like the museum.” Which technically is a lie, but at least for today, it’s a half-truth because he’s come to like the museum thanks to you.

“By the way, couple’s night huh?” You cock an eyebrow. “Are you trying to tell me something? This is the second time,” You tease, referring to the cooking class a few months ago, that too had been a couple’s only affair.

“No I— Look, I didn’t know. I thought—”

“I’m just joking,” You laugh. “You always get so flustered, it’s adorable,” You smile while he scowls at you, letting out a huff before he gives in, laughing along with you.

You only dare to tease him because you know he’ll never look at you in that way. It’s the same reason as to why you don’t mind holding his hand for the sake of pretending to be a couple. Him wanting to be with you is a thought you can’t even fathom. Not because you weren’t worthy of him, or because he was out of your league in that sense but it’s just against societal norms and you’re not really one to go against the grain, too afraid to venture out of what is expected of you because the North and the South, they just never mix. You presume, Jungkook is thinking the same. For him, the stakes are much higher, his entire reputation on the line.

The two of you sit on the bench for perhaps another hour or so, silently chatting as you both admired the art around you. Like always, there isn’t a particular topic that the both of you discuss, it’s just seemingly an amalgamation of things that happened throughout the day or week but it makes Jungkook happy nonetheless. He notices that when he’s with you it’s like the world around him disappears and it’s just you and him. When he’s around you, the burden of being a Jeon, of holding up an image dissolves and he’s allowed to say whatever’s on his mind no matter how childish or stupid it is. He knows you won’t make fun of him for it or you do, endlessly, but at least you don’t look at him like you’re judging him. As the two of you finally move to exit to the lobby, he can’t help but wish all his museum visits were like this, him hand in hand with you, listening to you mumble about how if you ever get the chance to go to Paris, you wouldn’t want to visit the Louvre first, you’d rather visit the Musée de l'Orangerie where they had a curved oval room built specially for Monet’s water lilies piece, the walls of the room covered with multiple pieces, as if you were standing in the middle of his pond in Giverny, France. Jungkook nods, making sure to keep that piece of information somewhere in his mind for future reference as you continue to talk. A trip to Paris… with a friend that he may or may not be kind of slowly beginning to fall for… it’s not too shabby of an idea, isn’t it?

A laugh interrupts the both of you as you enter the lobby and when Jungkook realizes who it’s coming from, he pulls his hand away from yours in an instant, quickly putting a considerable distance between you and him. His sudden movement catches the attention of the young man, his eyebrow quirking up in confusion as he pulls away from his previous conversation, but he sees those big doe eyes staring back at him like a deer caught in the headlights and a smile of recognition graces his lips.

“Jungkook,” The man smiles before making his way towards him, the lady next to him flashing an equally dazzling grin.

“Kihyun,” Jungkook smiles nervously in return.

“A surprise to see you here… Thought you were never really a fan of the arts.”

“My uhh, friend—” He hesitates, gauging the man’s expression. “M-my friend’s friend wanted to have a look at the special exhibition, so I thought why not?” He points towards you, lying through his teeth effortlessly.

“Ahh,” Kihyun nods. “That’s more like it. He’d never come here willingly,” He turns to you, laughing and you let out a light laugh too, a little confused as to who exactly this man is and what exactly was happening. You sway awkwardly in your spot, not really knowing what you should do… introduce yourself? Fade into the background?

“A picture?” The museum’s resident photographer questions interrupting the conversation, and you watch as panic flashes across Jungkook’s face. You can see him struggling, giving you a worried look and you send him an understanding smile, giving him a small nod in reassurance that told him that you knew what you had to do.

“Go ahead,” You grin politely, stretching your hands outwards. “I have a call to make. I’m sorry,” You point towards your phone as you excuse yourself, moving towards the exit.

You turn back to watch Jungkook pose next to the couple, his signature smile on display and you wonder if the Jungkook that the couple knows is different to the one that you know. Sometimes when you’re with him, you think despite his occasionally exquisite clothing and his decadent taste for all things fine, he seems like he could be someone who lives just a street away from you but other times, like this, you’re reminded who you are to him. You’re reminded that you are just a mere visitor in his life, someone who will never be able to stand by his side.

Jungkook lets out a deep sigh when he finally finds you standing by the car, mindlessly scrolling through your social media. There’s a look of relief that washes over his face when he reaches you, as if he’s glad that he finally got out of there. The headlights flash when he unlocks the car and he only gestures for you to get in.

“Seems like one of your good friends,” You mumble once you settle into the passenger seat of the car.

Jungkook snorts at that, his fingers rubbing circles into his temple. A soft thud resounds as he relaxes his head against the seat, another sigh escaping his lips.

“He’s just someone in my social circle and I hate his guts but you know, I had to play nice.”

You only nod at that because, no, you don’t understand why he pretends to be nice to people he hates.

“Also, I’m sorry about all of that back there,” He mumbles. “It’s just… if anyone sees us together, holding hands, there’s going to be rumours and my mother, she’ll freak… I just—"

“Right, no, I get that,” You nod. “I uhh… won’t do it again. It’s just the museum and the couple thing, so I thought we had to hold hands…”

“No, I mean— Yeah, it’s fine.” He scratches the back of his neck, his mouth hanging open as if he wanted to say something but then he bites his lip, deciding against it. “Let’s go get supper, yeah?”

You light up at that word and smile eagerly, clicking on your seat belt as you nodded your head.

Jungkook’s upset, very much so but he does a great job at hiding it, smiling as he listens to you speak over a hot bowl of noodles. He didn’t mean for it to sound like that, as if he didn’t want people to see you with him but it’s just… complicated. The whole time during supper, he almost wants to reach over and hold your hand that’s resting ever so delicately on the table, but he knows he shouldn’t because… platonic, this is meant to be platonic. But, was it really? He could change the rules, right? After all, he never said it in words exactly on the contract… He doesn’t really know why he gets all nervous and flustered whenever you tease him about the prospect of it, perhaps it’s because he’s never felt feelings so real, so tangible but things are great now just the way it is, well technically it was before Kihyun showed up that is, he sighs. He decides to leave it as is, hoping that this little bump doesn’t change anything between you and him and looking at you, it’s as if it hasn’t because you’re standing up, telling him that it was time for some donuts and Jungkook doesn’t need to be told twice because he’s throwing down a 20-dollar bill, excitedly hopping out of the store after you.

The donut store is thankfully just a stone’s throw away from the restaurant and as the two of you step in, the light bell on the door tinkling, the owner of the store Mr. Kang lights up, greeting the both of you. Mr. Kang knows you and more recently, Jungkook by name considering that the two of you have been frequenting his store so much lately. He throws in an extra powdered donut on the house when you show up at the counter to pay because he finds it hilarious how the two of you are always bickering over who’s paying. As always, you pay for the donuts because well, you want to. You knew that he chose to go to the museum tonight because you had mentioned it, so you felt it was only right if you paid. Jungkook frowns at that because you always, always find a reason to pay, never letting him pay for it. But as usual, he’ll eventually find a way to slip in some money into your purse when you’re not looking.

“Listen, I’m sorry about the thing at the museum,” Jungkook murmurs, as the two of you take a seat on the bench, the bag of donuts placed safely between you and him. “And also, thank you for making an excuse when the photographer came up… but I don’t want you to think that I—”

“Jungkook, you don’t have to explain yourself. I understand,” You smile, your hand digging into the bag to find a donut.

“It’s just…”

“Hey, it’s okay,” You laugh, reassuring him. “I know people talk and you have an image to keep up. It’s my job to make sure that I’m unnoticeable when people you know are around,” You shrug, taking a bite of the donut.

You say the sentence without any malice or hurt because truly, you do understand and all of this after all is a job, one you intend to be good at. Jungkook knows you don’t see any wrong with what had happened tonight but he still feels guilty that he has to hide you away like a secret whenever he’s in the city, always having a lie thought up in the back of his mind just in case anyone catches him with you. Catches. It’s as if he’s doing something criminal, something illegal when in actual fact he’s just spending time with you, another human being. Perhaps that’s why he much prefers being here, sitting on a bench in the South with you, because down here, nobody cares about who he is and what he’s doing. Here by the river, he could be free, he could breathe, but most of all he could be next to you and not have to look over his shoulder every once in a while. He wishes it could be like this always but alas that’s not how the world works.

“I mean it’s a mutual thing, right? You’ve never introduced me to any of your friends,” He pouts jokingly, trying to lighten the mood. “It’s because you’re embarrassed of me isn’t it?”

“Very,” You nod exaggeratedly. “The fact that I’m sitting here with you right now? An atrocity! My street cred is dropping by the minute.”

“Yet, here you are.”

“Yet, here I am,” You smile. “It’s just my heart hurts knowing that you have no other friends so, I can’t possibly abandon you, no?” You feign pity, putting your hand to your heart while Jungkook scowls at you.

“I have plenty of friends, okay,” He defends, frowning. “They’re just… they’re… different.”

“Hey, hey, I’m just joking,” You smile. “I know you have friends aplenty but, none of them are as cool as me, am I right? None of them can stuff a whole donut into their mouth, right?”

“I hardly think that’s something to be proud of.”

“You take that back! You’ll be saying something else when I win the donut eating championship.”

“That doesn’t exist,” He scoffs.

“Well I’ll make it happen!”

Jungkook doesn’t even know how to reply anymore and resigns to just laughing at you because you’re just… you’re special, is all he can say. There is no other way to describe you because you’re unique, just… a little bit of everything, really. It baffles him to no end because sometimes you had that child-like innocence, trying to tell him you’re the only person in the world that could fit a donut in your mouth without choking and other times you had the maturity of a businessperson that’s been in the game as long as his grandfather, answering Jungkook’s logistics related questions with ease. Sometimes you speak about life with this care-free tone, as if whatever will be, will be, but other times there’s a hint of darkness in your voice, almost as if you’ve only known pain and you can’t look beyond that. You have a certain mystique to you and it draws him in because Jungkook’s not very sure about anything when it comes to you, not your past, not your present and most of the time he’s piecing together the tiny tidbits you feed him, but nothing seems to fit. In any case, he does the same to you, never giving you the full story but to be fair, all there is to know about him can be found online or in magazines but you, he couldn’t do the same with you.

He wonders about the little things, like how you only ever mention your mother and not your father or how the only friend you talk about is one named Wendy and of course, the one he’s most curious about, how you had managed to leave the gang you once mentioned you were part of, the very same one that robbed his grandfather off the joy of having his first Ferrari. Jungkook didn’t know much about gangs but he knew that once you were in one, there was hardly any way out… unless you paid a large sum of money, but you had spoken about leaving it behind so nonchalantly as if you had just decided to leave one day and walked straight out. Of course, he never asks because he’s not sure if it’s his place to. Sometimes, he thinks it’s better just not to know because perhaps there was a reason why you kept him in the dark to all of this. All he knows is he still has his walls up to a certain degree, not really sure if you could have a hidden motive, even if it was him who had approached you first.

After that night, Jungkook is a little too hesitant to be seen with you in the North, too afraid he’d bump into another one of his acquaintances or even worse, his mother which in all honesty, is a little ridiculous considering the North was big enough for him to go through it the entire day without seeing anyone he knows unless it was for business purposes, but he keeps thinking what if. He knows you must be silently cursing him because what kind of sugar daddy takes out their sugar baby to $5 dinners at some stall that he’s quite sure failed their health inspection, if they ever were inspected that is… but he can’t help that the food in the South tastes so damn good. You seem unfazed by it all, which he is thankful for and he’s starting to think that it’s funny that he’s got the better end of the deal without him even thinking of that to begin with. All his life, he was taught to be prim and proper but you expose him to a life that’s far different from his, one that’s reckless and chaotic which sometimes he enjoys while other times… not so much.

Jungkook had just excused himself to use the bathroom which was quite honestly just a drain by the back of the store and after slathering his hand with a tube of the pocket hand sanitizer that he’s made a habit of bringing around now, he makes his way back to the table only to find you stopping him in the middle of the restaurant to whisper in his ear.

“Have you ever dined and dashed?” You ask, your voice almost inaudible with the loud chattering in the background. He pulls away to give you a confused look and that was all you needed to know the answer to your question. “Well, you’re going to,” You smile wickedly, the same smile you would flash him whenever you were going to make him do something he shouldn’t be.

He scoffs at you, not understanding why you were saying that when he had his wallet just… wait— He frantically pats the pockets of his jeans only to remember that he had left it on the table when he had left for the restroom.

“Y/N…” He calls your name, his voice slightly panicked as he chases after you.

“Hey! Where are you guys going?” He hears a man shout from the back of the restaurant.

“If you want to go home with all your limbs intact, I suggest you run,” Is the last thing he hears you say before you sprint down the street. Jungkook is left standing there like an idiot when he hears the man from before charging down the length of the restaurant screaming, stop them!!!

Jungkook takes off running, his feet pounding down the sidewalk as he glances back to see a couple burly men chase him, the man leading them wielding a butcher knife. Pure fear drives him to move his legs faster, his heart pounding against his ribcage but he wills his body to continue moving forward. In the dark of the night, he squints just to see you in the distance, making sure he took the same turns as you because from what he’s heard, one wrong turn and he’ll find himself in the wrong neighbourhood. You lead him in and out a series of alleyways, making him climb dumpsters to jump over short walls. His body feels like giving in, his lungs starting to feel like it had been set on fire, but you continue running, occasionally turning back to tell him to catch up and so he heaves his body forward, praying that his legs won’t give up on him.

After what seems like ages, you finally come to a stop once you turn a corner and Jungkook’s feet skids across the pavement as he rests right in front of you.

“They’re probably not far behind us, we have to—” Jungkook chokes, his chest heaving heavily as he struggles to catch his breath.

Even as you pant, you can’t help but laugh, bringing a hand up to ruffle his hair.

“They lost us three blocks back,” You smile, briskly walking past him. “I believe this is yours.” You toss his wallet back towards him and Jungkook struggles to catch it, his hands still shaking from all that adrenaline.

“Why the hell did you do that? We could’ve gotten into serious trouble.”

“Calm down,” You laugh. “They were in on it. I told them you’re a Northerner and that I wanted to scare you good.”

“I hate you.”

“If anything, you should be grateful you have me,” You grin. “That was a good workout wasn’t it?”

“I swear I’m going to lose all my fucking hair before I turn 30 because of you.”

This was only one of the many times you’ve made him feel like it’s his last night on Earth because apparently in your free time you like do things like this, things that were inherently illegal like not paying for meals, driving recklessly and your personal favourite, trespassing. Good god, do you love trespassing. Sometimes Jungkook feels like you can’t read signs because they would say no trespassing, trespassers will be prosecuted in all capitals no less but you would shrug and tell him you didn’t see it, that there’s nothing to worry about anyway. In some cases that was true, like the abandoned subway station you once took him to. That was a real experience. 

The subway station had been closed for decades and it felt like stepping into a time capsule, like time had stopped because the stands held newspaper that have turned a musty yellow and the old tile walls were filled with flyers about the 1988 Winter Olympics. Being there just made him feel like he had stepped into a portal that took him 30 years back… not that he was alive then but still. Laying down on the train tracks and exploring the old abandoned subway cars with you is something he doubts he’ll ever forget but that experience… that wouldn’t compare to one of the many the other times you made him trespass. In one particular case, the sign really mattered because one second you’re pointing out the logistics operation system of one of the main subset gangs in the South, his eyes almost popping out of his sockets as he watches all the drugs and stolen cargo get sorted and moved for distribution with almost clinical like precision then the next second, you’re yanking him by the collar, telling him to run as three rabid dogs start chasing the two of you from a distance. To be honest, at this point, danger is like second nature to him and truly that is all thanks to you. Every day spent with you is an adventure, whether he wanted it to be or not and most of the time his stress levels spike to an all time high which he thinks is why he sees more hair than usual at the drain of his shower.

“Well you know what they say… bald men are the sexiest,” You wink, letting a light laugh slip past your lips and Jungkook can only shake his head at you.

“You’re really… something else, aren’t you?” He laughs, slinging his arm across your shoulder. “Anyway, listen, we have to go back and pay for our supper.”

“We did pay. I left some money under our plates… well technically it was your money plus some tips because I made them chase after us. I told them I’d give them $50 if they could catch us, but they didn’t know what they were up against. We’ve had some good practice beforehand, haven’t we?” You smile, referring to the time Jungkook thought he’d either have his legs completely chewed off by the dogs or if he was lucky, just escape with rabies from a bite but somehow you got him out of there alive, with his legs still attached to him and also, no rabies.

“And who’s $50 would that be if they had caught us?”

“Yours of course,” You smile. “I don’t have that type of money on me, you know that.”

“So, you’d bet $50 of my money but you won’t let me buy you donuts, ever?”

You simply shrug your shoulders, giving him a playful grin before you take off running, shouting, “First one there gets to pay for the donuts!”

Jungkook shakes his head momentarily before he runs after you, catching up to you in an instant before he realizes that he doesn’t know where he is anyway so again as always, you pay for the donuts because you get there first. He laughs the moment the two of you settle on the familiar bench by the riverside because it’s ridiculous to think there are actually people in this world that fucking sprint just so that they could pay for some donuts and that those people that he’s talking about are in actual fact two idiots, that being you and him. As the pair of you continue the tradition of eating donuts and talking for hours by the riverside, he can only look at you all dreamy-eyed, his heart fluttering whenever you turn to smile at him, the powdered sugar coating your pretty lips. He doesn’t really know when it started, or to be more specific, he doesn’t know when his thoughts morphed from man, she’s kinda crazy but hanging out with her makes me happy to man, she’s definitely crazy and hanging out with her makes me so happy that my heart does backflips but most of all she makes me want to scream into an abyss because all I want to do is kiss her stupid lips. But of course, he wanted to kiss you like… platonically… you know? Because that’s what this was between you and him, just a platonic… thing. It’s a concept that seems to become more difficult to grasp with each passing day.

As the days go by, Jungkook finds flirty one-liners dropping out of his mouth without his consent and sometimes they’re so bad they make him cringe but it’s worth it because he gets to watch you stutter and blush full on, probably looking the same way he does whenever you tease him about being a couple. Ah, being a couple. He shies away from the idea of that because what the two of you have now is so good, too good for him to give up and he doesn’t know if he wants to throw away a friendship in hopes for something more. It’s rather nice, the silent cat and mouse game the two of you play. It makes his chest warm and mushy whenever he sees you with your eyes wide, mouth agape whenever he says something a little too forward. Cute, cute, cute. That’s all he can think when he sees you smile ear to ear, laughing as you smack his chest in attempt to hide the blush that creeps onto your cheeks.

He’s not quite sure what changes between the two of you but you start to tell him more about you from topics that makes his heart sink like how both you and your mother had left your abusive father when you were young to much lighter stories like the one time you and Wendy had sneaked into one of the swankiest club in the North. There’s a giant gaping hole in the stories you tell him though, avoiding the part where you had first come to the city but he doesn’t prod, knowing that it probably has to do with the gang you were once a part of. To be frank, the idea of gangs still scares Jungkook, the young boy trying to mug him his one and only true encounter with gang life and that alone had been enough to shake him to his core. Even so, he can’t help but question where exactly this gang you speak of is, why you never tell him any stories associated with them. Jungkook however, gets his answer to that that question about a week later and truthfully, he’s never seen you look so hurt before that he almost wishes you hadn’t told him.

It’s a grim day, he can tell just by the look on your face that something isn’t quite right, the bouquet in your hand enough to tell him that it’s a day of mourning. Walking to the familiar bench by the river, he notices that the melancholic atmosphere seems to envelop the South as a whole, as if a giant grey cloud was covering the entire area. It’s the anniversary of the day where the devastating fire had burned down a small row of apartment complexes, you tell him when you notice him staring at the makeshift memorial in the distance. Over 100 lives were lost today about two or so years ago and yet, Jungkook is perhaps only one of the very few people from the North that’s ever heard of the tragedy. The candles and flowers all laid by the riverside only adds to the tristful atmosphere and as you lay a bouquet of your own among the hundreds that are already there, Jungkook rests his hand on your back as a form of consolation.

“I joined the gang in order to survive,” You begin out of nowhere, breaking the silence as the two of you take a seat on the bench. “I needed to make money and a part-time job just wasn’t cutting it.”

You’re not proud of how you managed to pay off your first-year student loans but hey, earning $9 per hour was only enough to make sure you had food on your table since whatever was left, you sent to your mother anyway. You knew you had to make big money and you had to make it fast. The only way you could do that was by gambling, which was risky and obviously, illegal but it was your only choice. If there was anything you learnt while growing up in that unstable household with your mother, it was how to play poker. You were good at it, too good and by the time you had earned half of your tuition, the underground gambling establishment was threatening you with knives for cheating, even when you hadn’t done so. It was either join the gang or be killed so, you had no choice but to essentially sell your soul to them.

You won’t lie, though you were upset about having to be a part of something you promised you would stay away from, there was a sense of security in having not only friends but also a family… after you gained their trust that is. At first, you were forced to peddle drugs on street corners and you were quite literally shaking with fear every time you heard sirens in the distance but when they discovered your interest in logistics, you were given the task of deciding things like when the drugs should be moved, where it should be stored or how to maximize space in their dingy little warehouses. In some ways, you’re glad to have had that chance because the fact that you actually got to apply some of what you learnt in class in real life, had quite possibly helped you through your degree… even if that probably isn’t what your professor had meant when he said to try using the concepts in the real world.

Of course, with gang life wasn’t all work and no play. It came with some glitz and glamour, that being crazy nights at the clubs where you would see the staff carry a literal bathtub filled with champagne bottles to your table… which was great of course but one your most cherished experiences had to be the times where you drove expensive cars every now and then. Sometimes, well most of the times really, they were stolen but the details were something you preferred not to know. For you, being in the gang meant you did what you were told, you showed up when you were called upon and most importantly, you never asked questions because in your opinion, the less you knew about them and the less they knew about you, the better.

Your life in the gang was far from over the top, in fact the perks you enjoyed was only that of the lower-tier members, but you weren’t complaining… as long as you had enough money to pay your loans, you were happy. In your two years with them, you’ve seen and heard of many who jump ship to other gangs, wanting more than what yours could give because the gang you were a part of was a small one. Those who left or shall you say tried to, are probably rotting in a ditch somewhere because the boss didn’t take too kindly to those who weren’t loyal but there are a lucky few who are still standing and have probably receded into the provinces to hide out the rest of their days.

Sometimes, it seems so far away but to think that just two years ago, you belonged to a gang… the idea itself seems so foreign but you know it’ll be something you can never forget, even if you wanted to. Every time you see a triangle, the symbol of your gang, you can’t think about anything else. There are times where you see it tattooed on the arms of another and you look over at their face, feeling pity wash over you because they were once a part of what you were too. They were once part of The Trinity.

The Trinity was once the most feared gang despite their small size but even then, you had almost laughed aloud when they told you their name because the name whether on purpose or not was a little hilarious considering all the sinful behaviour they partook in. You learnt later on that they were no laughing matter because they were a subset of The Triple Axes, a much larger gang, in fact one of the largest and most ruthless in the country. Most of the The Triple Axes’ power laid in the provinces where half of it was under their control, their only two rivals, were Vis and KXZ, who ruled the other half but they too had their subsets in the South, ones that were much stronger than The Trinity.

“The Trinity,” Jungkook mumbles and you can tell how he’s holding back a laugh. “I’m sorry.” He licks his lips as you scowled at him playfully.

You smile back at him, shaking your head as your scowl disappeared.

“It’s fine,” You grin. “I almost laughed the first time I heard it too.”

“The Trinity,” He mumbles again. “You keep talking about them in past tense,” He notes, thinking about how you said things like they were, they had, and not they are or they have.

“That’s because they are past tense,” You sigh, pointing towards the flowers.

You remember hearing the blaring sirens, the fire engines arriving much too late as you stood down the street in your pyjamas watching as the flames blaze a bright orange, engulfing the buildings in a violent fury. It had happened in an instant, those on the scene said. At first it was a small explosion in the middle apartment but then like a domino effect everyone could only watch as it spread, the breeze carrying the flames across to the neighbouring buildings. It was like an inferno had swallowed up the three buildings, the heat emanating from the fire so hot it felt like your skin was melting, even if you were a good distance away from it. It was pure chaos on the streets, everyone wanting to do something but many not knowing what to do. The fact that less than proper materials were used to build the building meant that what would’ve taken hours for a fire to spread only took mere minutes, the gas leak that had gone neglected by the government did nothing to help either. It’s a sight you never want to see again, people jumping down to their death because they didn’t want to die being burnt alive, their screams of terror forever seared into your memory.

The apartment complexes were sat on the edge of The Trinity’s domain, many of the residents were those higher up in the hierarchy of The Trinity gang but the other gangs didn’t stand by and watch, they didn’t hesitate. The brave men from The Trinity or otherwise, ran into the buildings, trying to save whomever they could find. Many of them suffered the same fate of the residents of those apartments for nobody could’ve expected just how fast the flames would move, the fire on the lower floors essentially trapping those higher up, the smoke so thick that most inside the building perished before the fire even got to them and if neither the smoke or fire reached them, it was the carbon monoxide by product from the gas leak that suffocated them.

The total body count was never determined, the number reported hovering about 100 but everyone knew that was a conservative figure, it was likely double or triple that considering how people would pack families into even a one-bedroom apartment. In just one night, the South had lost a good portion of their citizens, many of which belonged to the Trinity gang, almost the entire group decimated in the fire. So many families, so many souls, all gone in a single night.

The rescuers tried to look for survivors once the fire was put out but it was evident that there weren’t going to be any. Just like that, you had lost every one of your friends, you had lost your entire… family.

This had all come just days after you and your friends were caught by the police for reckless driving… among other things, but the drugs in the glove box are conveniently left out of the report and perhaps you guess, corruption works both ways, sometimes against you and luckily in that case, for you. You didn’t walk away scot free though, a reckless driving citation now neatly printed on your record and out of all things, this was what gave you the wake up call you needed. You had to find a way out of The Trinity before things spiralled out of control and you guess, with the fire, you finally got that. You wanted out, of course you did but… if it had meant losing all of them then maybe you wouldn’t have wished for a way out.

“Yeah, just one night, just a few hours and they were gone. Every single one of them,” You sigh. “And sometimes I think my hate for the government gets a little out of hand but then I think back to this and… I just can’t see how I’m supposed to forgive them.”

Jungkook nods silently because there’s nothing he can say. He can only imagine your pain, losing every single person that you know in just one day and in a way that was completely preventable… that’s something he wouldn’t wish upon even his worst enemy.

“The gas leak, the shitty building materials, the slow response to the fire, like fine, we can’t change that but the fact that they didn’t even have the decency to build us a memorial after everything was done and dusted? That’s just plain disrespectful,” You spit. “Do you know what it’s like? To hear that they won’t be building a memorial because they don’t have the money for it but then a week after they reveal plans to build a statue of the mayor’s dog? It’s downright disgusting,” You scoff and Jungkook can hear the hatred behind your words, pure anger dripping off every syllable and he doesn’t blame you.

“But, it’s fine, we can make our own memorial just fine. So that’s what this is, this place,” You gesture to your surroundings from the bench and it all clicks for Jungkook, the puzzle pieces all fitting together.

“So that’s why this place is the only crime-free zone in the South…”

“Yup, the heads of the other two major subsets declared this place as no man’s land, free territory until the end of time because it’s meant to be a place to remember all the lost lives.”

“It’s a nice spot,” He hums, taking in the view now that he has a different perspective of the place.

“There’s a reason for it,” You smile. “Call us petty or whatever but when we built this memorial, we wanted to hit the North where it hurt. They said we couldn’t build any monuments so we decided to cement over this whole place instead, cutting off access to the road that used to lead to the port.”

“That’s why we all have to go through the main road, the one narrow street that makes it easy for the gangs to target our shipments.”

“Bingo.” You click your tongue, flashing him a single finger gun. “We thought they’d cave after, give us a monument in turn for the road but I guess they just don’t care,” You shrug.

This time, Jungkook’s angry on your behalf as well as his own because how hard would it be for the mayor to build something in remembrance of the victims? The government had failed the South far too many times and they couldn’t even give them this one thing? Jungkook thinks it’s because the mayor has a grudge against the people of the South, the days he spent patrolling this area when he was a young police officer had caused him to build some sort of irrational hate towards its residents. Perhaps the violence he saw in the streets was what made him change career paths, choosing to be a politician instead. To think that Jungkook’s biggest headaches would be solved if the mayor would just swallow his pride, admit that the South unlike what he thinks, did deserve their own emergency services, did deserve to have buildings that are built in accordance to the fire code and most importantly that they did deserve to be treated like human beings, because they are in fact, human! The only difference between them and him is their post code but the fact that Northern slang for Southerners is the word scum is enough to tell Jungkook that it’ll be years before anyone in power would do anything about it. Until then, Jungkook would just have to consult you weekly on which path his cargo drivers should take just so the goods could make it from the port to the city or vice versa, without being ambushed.

“Wait, so… technically both you and Wendy are the only surviving members of The Trinity then?”

“Wendy? The Trinity?” You laugh wildly at the thought of her being even slightly involved in gang life. She’s far too good to be caught up in all of that. “No, she’s not a— She was never part of The Trinity or any other gang for that matter. I met her in college.”

“Oh… I just thought— I mean you said…”

“Yeah, she’s the only exception,” You smile. The only living friend you had, of course with the exception of Jungkook. “I met her shortly after you know, all of that…”

Wendy though you’ve only known her for a little over 2 years, is your rock, your whole entire world because she’s the one that helped you pick up the pieces, help you get your life back together again. Moving into the same apartment as her in your 3rd year of college is the sole reason you made it through your degree anyway, both emotionally and financially. She had let you skip on rent and utilities far too many times, often waving you off when you tried to pay, assuring you that her sugar daddy had taken care of it. You really wonder where you’d be if you hadn’t met her. Perhaps you’d be like the other stragglers, joining another one of the other subsets.

“So really all I have is just Wendy… and you… which is funny because you’re paying me to be your friend,” You laugh, almost a sad one but the smile you flash him is so grateful and you hope he knows that even though he pays you for your company, you mostly stay because he’s too kind to you, listens to you ramble on and on about things nobody cares about. His heart almost breaks in his chest when he lets the words settle, the impact of what you had said hitting him full force. His hands twitch by his side almost reaching out so he can hug you, hold you, hoping that his touch can somehow take some of that pain away. All he wanted to do was to let you know that yes, you most definitely had him, that the fact that he paid for your company didn’t make the friendship any less real.

“Told you we’re soulmates,” He mumbles shyly, bringing his hand up to pet you on the head. “Just two people in real desperate need of company,” He smiles lopsidedly, his hand dropping slightly so the back of his fingers brushes against your cheekbone, his eyes staring into yours almost as if he wants to say something more but he quickly drops his hand completely, busying himself with the paper bag that held the donuts when he notices you furrow your eyebrows at him, as if you were questioning his semi-intimate gesture.

His fingers finally finds the last donut in the bag but he almost drops it because his heart stutters, does a flip and then fucking almost leaps out of his chest when he feels you wrap your arms around his other hand, your head resting against his shoulder as you let out a sigh.

“Well then thank you, soulmate, for listening to me talk for hours about useless nonsense,” You smile. “I’m sure you had something very different in mind when you were looking for a sugar baby at that conference,” You snort, laughing.

That was true, Jungkook had gone into the conference looking for a girl that was perhaps a little ditzy, someone who was easily impressed or at least someone he could coax into doing all the mundane things he wanted to do and when he approached you and talked to you, you seemed nothing like what he had in mind but you just felt… right. Somehow, he didn’t feel as if he was having a forced conversation with you which is a feeling he’s not too familiar with considering that almost everyone he’s ever met puts him on some pedestal.

You took some time to warm up to him, to truly be comfortable and if anything, the past few months with you has been nothing but exhilarating to him. You were unlike any person he’s met, so daring, quite possibly borderline insane in some ways with how you flirt with danger but then you’re so soft, so vulnerable with him that he feels whenever he’s ready, he could tell you things that have been weighing down on him for years and know that you’ll be there to listen with no other purpose than to be a source of comfort for him. With you he just felt at peace, which was hilarious considering his life has been at threat more than it has ever been since meeting you. From being chased by rabid dogs to driving down highways at twice the speed limit, he wonders how it is that you always manage to keep both you and him out of trouble every time. With time, he learns more and more about you, slowly peeling off the many layers you seem to have. The more he learns about you, the more he feels himself develop feelings that are… much to his dismay, not platonic. It’s a thought he prefers to ignore so, when he feels you snuggle closer, he lets his shoulders slump down, his own head now resting against yours as he holds you closer. He wishes to capture this moment and all of it’s essence in a picture he could keep forever but he guesses his memory will just have to do.

Click. Click. Click.

The signature sound of a camera goes off in the distance and the man smiles as he leans forward in his seat, his lens sticking out of the window. Ah, if only Jungkook looked back, he would’ve known that he didn’t have to wish so hard because in all the months he’s been with you, every single possible meet-up has been well documented. The hooded man peers at the screen of his camera, admiring his handiwork with the sickest smile on his lips. In the North or the South, it didn’t matter. Contrary to what Jungkook thinks, he isn’t safe at all, at least not when he’s with you.

Despite staying up late with Jungkook that night, chatting away on that bench, you show up at the port for work like always, in your uniform all neatly pressed and to your surprise, right on time. You had thought you’d at least be 10 minutes late considering how hard it had been to get out of bed but you let out a sigh, one between relief and tiredness as you punch in your card. You put on your hard-hat before walking out into the container yard, your walkie-talkie strapped onto your waistband already beginning to sound, a worker in the yard calling for you. Though you’re a relatively new addition to the team, almost everyone working in the port knew you by name. How could they not? You’ve made their lives so much easier now that they’re not being constantly berated by the boss.

You’re much too good at your job, your manager at the port, Mr. Choi, is thoroughly impressed with how you’ve managed to improve the efficiency of the port as a whole. The ships now leave on time considering that it was being loaded without any hitches, a lost container now a rare occurrence. All the individual teams on ground or in the control room, work together like a well-oiled machine. You’ve only been working here a short three months but he doesn’t remember the last time he heard a “B-boss… we can’t find one of the containers.” Which to him is a goddamn miracle considering that had been a sentence he would hear almost daily.

He sits in his office, smiling to himself because it’s all so surreal to him that you’ve managed to change the port from an embarrassment to one that’s slowly climbing it’s way up the ranks. Of course, nowhere near the top 50, oh he wouldn’t dream it but breaking the top 100 is something he thinks he deserves to be proud of. To think that you, someone who had come in looking as timid as a little mouse had been able to do so much? It baffles him entirely, but to be fair, he knew you were special, knew it when he heard you speaking in the break room to an obviously uninterested co-worker, talking statistics and alternate routes for the trucks. No one in his 25 odd years here in this port gave a hoot about their job until you came along, wanting to change everything, but for some reason, you would clam up the moment you see him.

You’re a feisty little firecracker, spouting off ideas at the speed of light… but only to people who could care less about what you think or frankly just didn’t understand what the hell you’re talking about. He listened in to your conversation for weeks, trying to judge if your words actually had substance or if you were just spewing nonsense but you had the numbers, had the facts and he knew you were going to be a game changer… if only you would just speak to him.

He remembers you quite literally shaking when he had called you into the office, your hand tugging at your earlobes nervously as you shift your weight from side to side. You took some coaxing but once he got you started, boy, you just wouldn’t stop. There was so much you wanted to do from re-organizing the container yard, to actually using the world-class computer system in place (thank god! He just for the life of him couldn’t figure it out on his own but with you by his side and also the other handful of staff he coerced into helping the both of you out, it had only taken 2 months or so before things were beginning to run as it were supposed to). You work tirelessly, clocking in at the port every weekday at 4 am sharp and clocking out as late as you could, always making sure you had time to make it to your second job. Mr. Choi looks at you with pity because you have so much potential and yet here you are being paid peanuts when you could be earning thousands but life sucks is all he can conclude because if you had been born in the North, he’s sure you’d be somewhere on the Forbes list, sitting in a comfortable office instead of standing around in a hard-hat, sweating away in the sweltering summer heat. There isn’t much he can do for you, can’t even give you a raise despite how much you’ve done for the port but what he can do is give you a day off. An unrecorded day off with paid leave is almost unheard of in this industry but for you, he makes an exception. You accept it graciously, choosing to sleep in on a Friday morning, something you haven’t had the luxury to do for years and since you only work at the convenience store every other day, you decide to sleep in for the whole entire day.

In some ways, you think the day off is a blessing because you get to laze around in bed, finally having the time to watch that movie everyone’s been talking about for months, completely enjoying the fact that you were free to be a sloth for the day, doing absolutely nothing but eat and sleep. It’s a great day, a wonderful one but then it all goes to shit because you make the mistake of telling Wendy about your sweet little one day holiday and she along with her friends, show up at your doorstep at a little past 9 to drag you off to the bars with her.

At first, it’s not too shabby and you won’t lie, you enjoy the occasional night at the bar but with Wendy and her friends around, one shot turns to three and three turns to 5 and after that you sort of lose count because was there a point in keeping count anymore? All you know is you’ve had a lot, too much in fact because you find it hard to stop swaying from side to side, the world around you spinning with each step you take. Wendy, unlike you, holds her drinks well and she also unlike you, is not an idiot and does not accept drinks from shady men who make the bar counter their home, preying on girls like you who by the end of the night would have had one too many drinks. She’s busy trying to keep you and her other friends from running off to the bar to order another round of shots. You keep trying to swipe her hand away, attempting break out of the grip she has on you.

“Just one more,” You plead. “I never get to come here anymore,” You pout, gesturing to your surroundings, this bar that used to be your second home during your college years.

“It’s a good thing that you don’t because you’re still a fucking lightweight,” She grumbles, tightening her hold on you as you try to slip away from her. “Jesus, how am I supposed to get you home?” She says more to herself, eyeing the other two girls that she’s somehow lost while trying to keep you from wandering off. You lived in the complete opposite direction of Wendy and her friends and there is no way in hell she’s going to be able to get you home while dragging the others along but she can’t just leave them here either. She ponders putting you into a cab but a drunk female, in a cab alone, in this side of town? She might as well sign your death certificate while she’s at it.

“What are you doing? Who are you calling?” She questions, trying to grab your phone from you but you spin away from her, holding the phone out of her reach.

“A friend!” You shout. “He’ll get me home.”

“He? Who’s he? Why haven’t I heard of this he?”

You only put your index finger to your lips, winking at her lazily as you giggle.

“It’s the janitor at your building isn’t it? He’s the only person you talk to aside from me,” She laughs, avoiding your hand that attempted to shove her.

You scowl at her, you index finger pointing at her as if you were ready to drop a line full of insults but the dial tone stops abruptly, interrupted with a very confused, hello?

“Hello! You picked up!”

“Yes,” He laughs. “Was I not supposed to?”

“No, it’s just I’ve never called you before,” You smile and Wendy gives you a face that mirrors utter confusion because who the hell are you talking to? She tries to pull the phone away from you, wondering if you’re just drunk dialling a random number at this point.

There’s a scuffle and Jungkook isn’t quite sure what’s going on because just like you said, you’ve never called him before. The two of you mostly talked through text, never through phone calls but he doesn’t quite object to the idea of one, especially if they’re all going to be like this because he can hear you screaming in the background, a slew of cuss words escaping your lips before a Wendy, no! Ah, the infamous Wendy, he hums.

“Sorry, Y/N’s just really drunk right n—” Wendy doesn’t even manage to finish her sentence before you snatch the phone back from her.

“Don’t listen to her! I’m not drunk but I am at a bar, you know the one just a block away from the donut store? You should totally join us!”

“Uhh… it’s a little late,” He laughs, glancing at the clock on his wall that said 12.30 am. His hands tug the blanket around him higher, his body splayed out on his king-sized bed, all comfy and ready for sleep.

“But it’ll be fuuuuuun and you can finally show me that you can actually down 10 consecutive shots without throwing up.” You end your sentence with a scoff, as if you think that it’s a lie, that the stories of Jungkook’s wild college life has been seemingly over-exaggerated because who could do that many tequila shots?

“I can!”

“Well then come down here and show me!”

“It’s past midnight Y/N, we need to get you home so tell your friend not to come. Quick, we have to get you a cab,” Wendy sighs, knowing that this trip to your home is going to make her feel like strangling you and the other two girls with her because man what was she thinking calling all of you lightweights out tonight.

“A cab?” Jungkook questions, glancing at the clock again. “This late?”

You don’t get to answer him because Wendy manages to take the phone away from you, having had enough of your drunk antics.

“Hey, I don’t know who you are, but Y/N is not just drunk, she’s fucking smashed so I’m pretty sure coming down here won’t be a good idea.”

“You guys are gonna grab a cab? This late at night? Are there any guys with you?”

“No, there aren’t but—”

“That’s not safe.”

“Well—” She pulls the phone away to look at the caller ID. “—Jungkook. It’s either that or we walk so unless you think—”

“Give me 15, Wendy. I’ll be there.”

“Wait, I don’t even—” She’s met with the end dial tone. “—know you.”

“Well is he coming?” You question, a glass of liquor in your hand. Jesus, she leaves you for a minute, just a minute and you’ve managed to get yourself a drink.

“Yeah, I think,” She hums. “Who is this guy?”

“Jungkook.”

“Well, yeah, I know that but who is he?”

“My friend.”

Wendy throws her hands up in the air in frustration because it’s evident that she isn’t going to get any answers that makes sense out of you. She busies herself with trying to find her other two friends because if Jungkook’s telling the truth, he’ll be here in 13 minutes and she’ll be damned if he takes off with just you.

It’s 15 minutes right on the dot when Wendy spots a young man striding into the bar, phone pressed to his ear while the phone in her hand, your phone, begins to ring. She doesn’t have half a mind to pick it up because she’s star struck, instantly recognizing his face when he turns towards her, the worry on his features fading when he spots you waving at him wildly, the phone that was in her hand now pressed to your ear. You scream his name in the middle of the bar, almost falling off the stool you were on, but Jungkook slides behind to steady you just in time.

“Holy fuck,” Wendy whispers when she sees him standing right next to her. “You’re Jungkook.”

“Yeah,” He smiles shyly. “Wendy, right?”

She can only nod, not trusting herself to speak because it’s Jungkook, in flesh, looking at her. She’s instantly taken back to the college days where you both were huddled around a laptop, looking at pictures of the young boy who’s of the same age. The two of you spoke about what ifs, staring at his picture with dreamy eyes because neither of you could imagine being attached to a man so handsome and more importantly, so rich, the two of you would laugh. Wendy is nothing but confused, watching as you try to convince him to buy another round of shots, your hand tugging at his and she can just see his resolve beginning to crack as you continue to tease him.

“Yes! Can we get another round of—” Wendy brings her hand up, covering your mouth to muffle the rest of your sentence because hell no, she isn’t going to let you drink anymore.

“We are going home. No more drinks,” She grumbles, hopping off the bar chair before she looks at Jungkook, gesturing for him to lead the way.

He simply nods, helping you off your chair as you hold onto him with a pout, one that’s so irresistibly adorable that Jungkook has to stop himself from reaching over to pinch your cheeks that are flushed red, presumably from all the alcohol you’ve consumed. Wendy ambles behind the two of you, her two friends clutching onto her like a crutch and boy, does she really regret tonight but the sight of Jungkook almost jumping out of his skin when you rest your hand at his waist, his hand hovering behind your back nervously as he tries to guide you while trying to be respectful, makes her laugh and she wonders just how the hell you’ve come to be friends with a millionaire, especially this one in particular.

As all 5 of you settle into Jungkook’s car, Wendy letting out an audible sigh before she straps everyone in the backseat in, her two friends nodding off to sleep as they relax into the cushioned leather seats. When she turns to the front, she hears annoyed whines escape your lips, the seat belt refusing to click in and she’s about to reach forward and help you but she sees Jungkook slap away your hands with a laugh, clicking it in for you before he ruffles your hair, the smile he flashes you one filled with complete adoration for you. Cute, she thinks. So… the two of you are not just friends then?

“Okay, so I mean are we just going to ignore the fact that you’re Jeon Jungkook? What the fuck Y/N?” Wendy says as Jungkook pulls out of the parking lot, laughing.

“I already told you he’s my friend,” You retort.

“Yeah but you didn’t say that he’s the Jungkook, the one that you spent the whole of college—”

“Don’t you dare!” You gasp, interrupting her sentence, your face almost fully turning red as you turn back to look at her, horrified.

“Spent the whole of college doing what?” He inquires, a curious smirk on his face.

“Wendy, don’t,” You warn.

“Left here,” She instructs Jungkook and he takes a swift turn into the next street. “I mean it’s not you per se,” She begins the answer to his question. “But she spent the whole of college reading up on everything on your family, wanting her final thesis to be a breakdown on how your company’s supply chain makes Jeon Logistics one of the best, but her professor said she had to write on something a little more technical,” She lies wittily, noting the glare you send her, followed by an appreciative smile.

“Ahh,” Jungkook murmurs, his smile fading a little because he was hoping for something else.

“How did the two of you meet anyway?”

There’s a beat of silence, both you and Jungkook share a look and even in your drunken haze your heart stutters because shit, it’s a question you’d never thought you’d have to answer.

“We… we met at a conference… A logistics conference,” Jungkook answers, his voice sounding a little unsure, but Wendy doesn’t notice. At least the sentence is half true because the two of you did meet at a conference after all but not a logistics one of course. “But, anyway, it’s nice to finally meet you! Y/N talks about you all the time.”

“Wish I could say she does the same about you, but she’s never mentioned you. Why is that, Y/N?”

You’re pretending to be asleep, Wendy knows it. She can see your mouth twitch nervously and Jungkook laughs through his nose as he gazes upon your sleeping figure, completely oblivious to the fact that you’re wide awake. He decides not to answer Wendy’s question, trusting that you’ll be able to come up with a clever lie if she ever asks you again. Instead, the two of them chat about her life, Jungkook asking quiet questions about her job, her week, all that she gladly answers. It’s funny because he already knows all the answers, much of it information that you’ve already told him and he finds himself smiling because she’s just like you described her, the way you would usually imitate her voice when you talked about her was perfect to the tee.

He could see why the two of you got along so well. She’s just like you… except more outspoken, telling her stories with overexaggerated gestures but otherwise the two of you could be twins, you being the more mischievous one, gang life and all while she was perhaps the one that’s more interested in parties and boys. Jungkook glances at her through his rear-view mirror, laughing as she tells him another one of her stories and it’s refreshing how he had just met her yet she had skipped right through the small talk to tell him about the ridiculous nights both you and she had in college.

Finally getting to meet her is somehow comforting because it makes him feel closer to you, like he’s slowly weaving his way into your life, that you don’t mind that he’s now a part of it. His friendship with you, although technically fabricated at the beginning has morphed into something he can’t explain with words but all he knows is he’s glad that he approached you that night.

The car comes to a stop in front of Wendy’s apartment complex and after she guides her two friends to the lobby, she returns to the car to say her final thanks.

“You know where she lives right?” She questions, pointing at your sleeping form. You may have pretended to be asleep in the beginning, but it had taken you a little less than a minute to actually fall asleep. Idiot, she murmurs under her breath. Now, she didn’t trust just anyone with you and she’s especially protective over you because life’s been nothing but hard for you and if anything all she wants to do is wrap you up and make sure you’re safe and happy all the time. Having Jungkook drop you home, alone, isn’t exactly her ideal situation but it’s either this or a cab driver who may never even take you home and so she settles for Jungkook, the small conversation she had with him in the car just enough for her to suss out that he probably wouldn’t hurt you.

“Yeah,” He answers, followed by the address he usually drops you off at and she shakes her head, laughing.

“Is that where she tells you she lives?”

“It isn’t?”

“No,” She smiles, gesturing for him to hand her his phone. “She lives 2 blocks down, a brick red building. Oh, and unit 803,” She mumbles, typing in your address into his phone.

“Thanks,” He smiles looking at the address.

“Thanks for dropping me off,” She smiles in return. “Oh, and listen, I trust that you’ll get her home safe,” She smiles. “But, if you try anything with her, know that I pay my gang extortion fees for a reason and know that they won’t hesitate to teach a pretty boy like you a lesson.”

He only nods nervously, reassuring her that he indeed had no intentions of trying anything, that he will if anything keep his hands to himself at all times.

“It was nice meeting you!” She shouts as she waves him goodbye, the sweet smile she sends his way a stark contrast to the warning he had gave him. Girls in the South sure had a knack for scaring him, Jungkook thinks as he waves in return.

1.45 am

The clock on his dashboard reads as Jungkook pulls into the basement of your apartment, the actual one, not the fake address you make him usually pull up at. He makes a mental note to bring that up the next time he meets you, preferably you’ll be sober then. He wonders how he’s here when he had just been all comfortable in his bed a mere hour or so ago and he find his answer when he looks to his side, you softly snoring in his passenger seat. It’s perhaps a little cruel to wake you up but Wendy’s warning still has him shaking in his seat and he doesn’t really want to take any chances. He taps you on your shoulder a few times but you don’t respond, your eyes still glued shut. Unclicking his seatbelt, he reaches over to shake you softly and nothing but a soft whine escapes your lips as you turn towards him, readjusting yourself in your seat before continuing with your slumber. He lets out a light laugh, sighing before he exits the car, heading over to the passenger side to carry you up to your home.

The rickety lift he takes up to your apartment unit makes Jungkook quiver with fear and the hallways with black patches of mould on the ceiling makes his nose scrunch in disgust. He had thought the apartment you always made him stop at was bad but this was… this was something else and he can’t believe that you actually pay to live here, that anyone did. With the key he had fished out of your purse earlier, he bends down, finding it difficult to open the door with you still in his hand.

When the door finally opens, he lets out a groan of relief, struggling to take off his shoes and yours before he quickly rushes to your room, his hand underneath your knee threatening to give way from overexertion. He finds your twin mattress on the floor of your bedroom, frowning when he finds that you don’t even have a bed frame. He tries to set you down gently, but your weight carries him forward and he ends up falling next to you. A light laugh escapes him and he wonders how you still remain sleeping throughout it all.

He allows himself to rest on his side for a few seconds, his eyes scanning your bedroom that looked so irrevocably you. There were books everywhere, miscellaneous paper strewn across the floor, an organized mess is probably what you would call it and it reminded him of you, how you were both chaotic and yet orderly at the same time. He looks behind you, the mosaic of photographs catching his eye. There are dozens of pictures taped to the wall just above your table, some things he recognized, like a picture of the Monet exhibition in Musée de l'Orangerie, the very same picture you had shown him just weeks ago and the picture next to that, one of you and Wendy, at graduation he presumes. Then there’s a slew of others he doesn’t quite recognize, like a picture of you and some friends posing with a Ferrari, probably your friends from The Trinity he guesses and wait— he squints, craning his neck to look behind you, trying hard to make out the picture and he blinks once, twice but he thinks that’s a picture of him, sitting at the bench by the riverside, smiling. He doesn’t even remember having this picture taken but seeing it on your wall makes him blush just a little. Oddly, he feels touched that you thought he’s important enough to be put up on your wall.

“Jungkook,” He hears you murmur, soft and quiet, barely a whisper. In the time that it takes for him to tear his eyes away from the wall, you’ve managed to drape yourself across his body, your leg and arm pulling him close, slotting yourself beside him comfortably. He lies there completely still, in genuine shock, as you snuggle closer into him, burying your head into his chest. His heart is beating so fast he can hear it in his ears and he almost doesn’t want to move, doesn’t want to wake you up. Your hair tickles the skin of his neck and despite how nervous he is at the moment, he finds himself smiling down at you, smiling at how you squeezed him ever so lightly as your body finally settles against his, a light sigh escaping your lips as if you had just found the right spot.

He can hear something akin to a giant alarm sounding in the back of his mind, Wendy’s warning ringing in his ears. The mental image of a few gang members coming up to him with knives almost has him running out of your apartment but, he gazes down at you, his heart swelling in his chest at the sight of you tucked so perfectly against him and against his better judgement, he lets his arm drape over you too, adjusting himself ever so slightly so that you’re even closer to him, Wendy’s warning almost forgotten now.

You holding him like this reminds him of better times, of when he was still young, perhaps 6 or 7 and tucked between his parents on their king-sized bed, his tiny arms trying to curl around either his mother’s or father’s waist. It’s a distant memory but it’s one he holds very close to his heart and he misses it, misses the way their hugs would chase away his nightmares but after his father’s passing, his mother would shoo Jungkook out of her bed, probably because she wanted some time alone, but a poor 8-year-old child would never be able to figure that out alone. All he had deduced from that was that he wasn’t wanted.

It’s perhaps a little silly but he replays the memory every so often when times are hard at the office, just the notion of someone holding him enough to bring him some sort of comfort. He’s being selfish, he knows that because you’d never do this with him sober, he knows you won’t so this is his only chance and he allows himself to cherish it because maybe this could replace that old memory he has, one that’s frankly a little too painful to revisit sometimes.

Of course, it’s no lie that Jungkook has feelings for you, he’s finally admitted it now that he’s in your room, cuddling with you. His chest feels all tingly and warm every time he reminds himself that it’s you he’s next to right now, that it’s your arm that’s curling around his waist. He lets this serve as a sneak peek of what could be if he ever tells you about how he feels about you and the thought makes him smile. Whether you liked him or not, is a question that remains to be answered and maybe he doesn’t ask you because he’s afraid the answer is that you don’t, that you only see him as someone who paid you for your company. Would it be too much to ask you to pretend that you liked him for the rest of the contract period? It’s a question he’s asked himself one too many times. He lets those thoughts float away, choosing instead to relish this very moment, his palm stroking your back soothingly, his chin resting on the top of your head.

When he chooses to pull away, he feels his heart sink to his stomach, his lips automatically frowning at the thought of leaving you. He shouldn’t, he shouldn’t, he shouldn’t but again despite the voice that tells him not to do it, he leaves a soft kiss on your temple, the back of his hand stroking your cheek adoringly and it’s like you melt against his touch, a soft hum leaving you. Your lips at the moment look so kissable that it takes everything in him to stop himself from leaning down to steal a kiss. In the end, he settles for a soft peck on your cheek, okay maybe two, the second one lingering a second too long but really he couldn’t help that you looked so cute in your sleep, mouth agape, drool threatening to spill out. He thinks he’s dreaming but he’s quite sure he sees a small smile find its way onto your lips when he pulls away from your cheek and he knows he shouldn’t, but he takes it as a small victory, hoping someday he finds the courage to tell you that perhaps platonic doesn’t quite describe the relationship he wants to have with you anymore.

It’s almost 3 am when Jungkook exits your apartment building but oddly enough, he doesn’t feel tired at all. If anything, he was at peace, his heart happy and his soul singing. He laughs at himself, noting how starved he is for physical contact, that simply cuddling with you had brought him so much joy, but he wonders if he would really be feeling the same way had it been someone else he had held tonight. Thoughts, thoughts, he had so many of them and maybe it’s because he’s always so preoccupied after dropping you off that he never sees the black car that’s always just a little off in the distance, a large camera lens sticking out of the driver’s window.

Click. Click. Click.

The ever-expanding collection of photos continue to grow.

My, my. Y/N, you’ve grown so much, the hooded man thinks to himself as he gladly inspects the pictures from tonight. There’s a few pictures of you leaning in close to Jungkook as the two of you exit the bar, your hand resting delicately on his waist. Then, the next few pictures are of Jungkook leaving your apartment about a whole hour later after entering… Does it really take a genius to deduce what had happened in the meantime?

Ah, things are finally beginning to pick up and his folder on his computer named For Mrs. Jeon, only grows in size with each day. His plan was really beginning to fall into place and it was all because of… you. Oh little Y/N has come so so far, he smiles but you still had a long way to go, still so much to do but it was only a matter of time before he would stand from afar and watch everything crumble around the Jeons, your very existence the sole thing he needed to kick-start complete chaos.

Part 4

A/N: yeeeeee I read way too many articles on Monet for that one scene on his painting lmao but it’s okay I love him sm. Also, I watched a 30 minute documentary on ports because I was curious and imma just say port workers are so underappreciated ): Oh and hehe I swear you’ll find out who the hooded man is soon!!! Anyway, thank you for reading! and as always, feedback is welcome (:

[1800-seungshine]

responsible.

member: bae jinyoung  genre(s): high school!au, hoobae!jinyoung, fluff summary: all the matters regarding bae jinyoung’s grades is now placed in your hand but it seems like it’s not just his grades that you’re going to take responsibility for. (requested - bullet point format) word count: 2.3k 

note: a requested scenario by an anon! i’m so sorry if it’s really lengthy hahah but i really really hope you like it ;; thank you for requesting, once again it means a lot! as well as that, many thanks for the likes, follows and reblogs - words can’t say how much i truly appreciate it, thank you thank you ; ~ ; < 3

all a’s with a rank that never goes below than top five 

you wouldn’t be a member of the student council for no reason

warm, friendly, responsible and hardworking - you’re the definition of being a blessing 

esp to the teachers bc you’re one of those kids who actually help them and not give them a headache (unlike me smh) 

like tbh you’re not the school president 

but somehow people treat you like you are bc why aren’t you the school president??

you’re even more responsible than the school president and your attendance is better 

the votes are rigged!! jk it’s not 

a lot of students know you, not just because of the student council 

but because you’re a really great tutor 

like the greatest 

you could probably take over the teacher’s job bc everyone just comes to you and asks

that’s why the teachers love you so much lmao 

you have so much patience and kindness that you don’t mind getting bombarded by questions and taking your time to teach others

like forget the religion of hwang minhyun 

that doesn’t exist here bc the religion of the “angelic sunbae” does 

yeah you earned that endearment after some random seventh grade kid yelled that out loud when you were in tenth grade and somehow it stuck with you all the way till your last year of high school

now everyone just refers to you as that name 

and that’s how bae jinyoung knew you at first 

“jinyoung-ah. you see that sunbae? she’s the school’s angelic sunbae.” 

jinyoung looks at the direction of his friend’s point, the smile that lights up on your face and the way your eyes crinkle as you laugh with your friends causes his stomach to churn

but this boi isn’t really the brightest so he thinks he ate something 

yeh like his feelings oOHOOHOH 

“angelic sunbae?” jinyoung softly repeats to himself, his eyes never leaving you.  

that of course wasn’t really proven until his grades drastically dropped 

apparently it dropped so much that his teacher deemed it as concerning 

like the boi only went from 98% to 70% - at least he passes look at me i winged an aural test and if i get 50% i’ll be over the moon

but this cute baby did admit he was struggling with the topic they were currently learning despite feeling so insecure confessing it 

so the teacher was like “issok boi, i gotchu.” 

and by that his teacher meant “lemme hit you up with the only student who i know can do this bc im not dealing with your crap” 

idk if your life is all sorted or you just don’t seem to have one but you happily agreed tho bc why the hek not

hence why you enter the school library and start searching for this student

you weren’t really expecting much bc you’re obviously used to helping other people when it comes to academic things 

bUT HOT DAMN THIS CUTE GUY WITH A SMOL ASS HEAD STARTS CHALLENGING YOU INTO STARING COMPETITION 

and bc he was the only person in that area, you assumed that he was the one you were gonna teach

i mean you were prepared to teach him 

didn’t mean you were prepared for the fact that he was really handsome

you walked up to him with an apologetic smile bc even if you came right on time, he still had to wait and you felt guilty for that 

“sorry, were you waiting long? i didn’t know you’d come earlier.”

meanwhile jinyoung’s just staring at you, looking all flustered and cute bc he’s freaking out on the inside 

he just doesn’t know what to do in front of you so he simply shakes his head bc sha sha sha yknow 

so there’s like this five second silence of awkwardness before you flash a smile at him 

and your smile makes him feel alive again like is that even possible when he’s been living the entire time 

“well i’m y/n and i’m going to tutor you from now on but don’t fret, i’m not that strict and as your tutor, i’ll do my hardest to make things easier for you to understand but don’t be shy and speak up if you have issues okay?” 

he’s not really giving you a reply bc he’s just listening to how nice your voice is since it’s really soft and gentle

after all he hears on a daily is daehwi whining and jihoon with his stupid aegyo experiments so your voice is something he could get used to 

but bc he aint answering, you’re just looking at him waiting for a reply and he’s making this entire thing more awkward than it should be so he just nods

apparently for you, that nod is enough to make you feel happy and giddy so your smile widens and he swears that the whole room just became brighter 

“so, do you wanna get started??” 

tIME SKIP WHOOSH WHOOSH BOIS 

okay so you’ve been tutoring for about a few months, three days a week

at first he clearly wasn’t the talker but that was okay

your social skills were as good as the visuals this boi was blessing you 

but bc you were really friendly, he opened up to you pretty quick 

and now he’s just being a little piece of r00d crap 

nowadays he’s treating you like you’re the younger one by patting your head and using his height advantage to tower over you before giving you that damn cheeky smile 

sometimes he even drops honourifics and calls you whatever he feels like

“did you just call me a little kid- ” “no, sunbaenim. i didn’t say that you must have been hearing things.” 

lol who says you were complaining tho, you’re growing fond of him 

but ofc i made you oblivious so you wouldnt really know that you’re not just fond of him, you like him ahah howbowdah 

meanwhile underneath cheeky!jinyoung is filled-with-anxiety!jinyoung who ain’t up for the fact that he could get busted anytime soon 

busted for numerous reasons 

cos for one, he basically knows everything you’re teaching him bc he’s outright smart 

that topic that he confessed he was struggling with? 

yeah that was highkey a lie, he just didn’t want to outright tell the teacher that he binged watch fancams and fan-made videos of pristin’s joo kyulkyung instead of studying for the exam (pls support pristin btw) 

and second, jinyoung may or may not have started liking you 

it was weird bc at first he thought he was just sick

but what sickness includes symptoms of making excuses to see a person, trying their hardest to make that person laugh and being restless at night bc all they to do is think about the person?? 

that’s right folks 

influenza 

i mean,,,

love yeh that

so those marks of his that doesn’t necessarily show improvement?? 

lmao jinyoung purposefully answers them incorrectly to keep his scores down 

bc you tutoring him is the only way he can keep seeing you 

but haha guess what it’s that time of the semester again where he gets more exams 

this time tho you were gonna motivate him even more 

“okay, baejin.” you say to him, pulling out his favourite drink and placing it on the table 

he’s just looking at it with a cheeky grin, “wahh sunbae, i didn’t know you were the type to bribe people.” 

you playfully glare at him but a smile still reaches up to your face a nano-second later 

“i’m not really the type to and it’s actually my first time.” 

jinyoung just grins, his eyes never leaving you as he leans forward on the table, “i must be special then.” 

of course, you roll your eyes bc wow this kid used to be so shy towards you at the start and look at the boldness he has now tsk tsk

“you are special.” 

enter jinyoung’s heart going ‘dugeun dugeun’ (totally making a snl reference) 

jUST KIDDING HIS HEART’S HAVING A HEART ATTACK IT’S DOING BACKFLIPS IN HIS CHEST 

ok ok why am i getting excited i know the ending to this wheezes 

“ever since mr. jung gave me the responsibility to tutor, your grades also falls into my hands,” you begin in a rather serious tone that is immediately contrasted when he sees you grin again, “and whilst there isn’t really noticeable changes onto your results, this test might determine things so i’d like to propose a deal with you.” 

jinyoung simply raises an eyebrow cos he aint taking you seriously after all the silly antics you’ve been showing him for the past few months 

“y’know, this would have been more effective at the start when i actually took you a little more seriously, sunbae.”

“well, i didn’t think of it earlier okay! i’m human too,” you slam your fists on the table gently with a pout, 

srsly not a good idea to be happily stuffing your face with food bc he took a lot of photos of you, reasoning that “you’re just too cute. i can’t help that.” 

“bUT OI- IM NOT DONE YET. LISTEN TO ME.” 

jinyoung just watches you, laughing to himself bc you’re cute when you’re annoyed. “okay, okay i’m listening.”

“right, well if you get at least over 90% for two out of your upcoming exams - regardless of any subject, i’ll reward you by granting your wish.” 

lmao this boi was doing his best to maintain a poker face and not let out that mischievous smile of his bc he’s gonna pass these test with flying colours.

“well what if i don’t get a 90% for my exams?” he questions causing you to think about it. 

“i don’t know, you can be my slave for three months or something. i’ll think of the consequences later but do we have a deal or not?” 

he leans back on his chair, holding his chin almost as if he’s thinking about it thoroughly 

a huge lie cos he’s just damn pretending 

“hmmm, 90% for all exams and you have yourself a deal.” jinyoung says with a confident smile 

you let out a sound of approval, slowly clapping “since when was little jinyoung so confident? are you sure?” 

“of course! so deal?” he extends his hand 

grinning, you take his hand and firmly shake it, “deal.” 

wHOOP WHOOP ANOTHER TIME SKIP COS HAHA WHY NOT. 

you were waiting for him to arrive, casually sipping your favourite drink and his on the table 

once you see him enter the library, you instantly jump out of your seat 

his exams are finished and the results have been finalised, resting in his bag 

but he’s walking towards you with an unreadable expression 

suddenly you’re feeling anxious and worried bc he looks upset and you don’t like seeing him sad 

“baejin...did it not go well...?” 

he’s looking down, not giving a reply and just lets out a sigh 

your heart’s close to breaking bc he must have put so much effort and hardwork into studying 

yet the next thing you know 

there are these exam papers on the table and it certainly aint yours so you look over them

and all his exam papers were all marked with a’s and nothing below 95% 

so now you’re just confused and standing there frozen bc your brain isn’t processing it well 

five seconds later you look up at him, a fist raised in the air bc you were gonna punch this guy for tricking you 

your tears were gonna come out wth this guy srsly

but you see that smile of his, eyes filled with so much joy that you can’t help to forgive him

“yah! i got so scared - i was gonna start crying.” you whine, slapping his arm lightly 

jinyoung just lets out a laugh, ruffling your hair. “sorry, i just wanted to tease you a little.” 

you roll your eyes but still grin, “whatever, weirdo but i guess i have to keep the promise so as a reward, i will grant one of your wishes! have you thought about it yet??” 

he sends you a wide smile before nodding, “yeap.” 

“okay, what is it?” 

“spend a day out with me.” jinyoung says but instantly back pedals by stuttering a little, “i mean - if you want to though. i’m not forcing you or a-anything.” 

you look a him, trying your hardest not to blush and ignoring that slight skipping of your heart. “so, like a date basically?” 

“i-if you want to consider it as a d-date.” 

“okay. it’s a date then.” 

jinyoung just pauses then looks at you with widened eyes, “wait- what?! really? you’d go on a date with me?” 

so now he’s just freaking out mentally and emotionally bc he was expecting a cold-hard rejection 

he even practiced the situation with daehwi 

you’re just laughing, shaking your head in amusement bc this boy can be really cute, “yeah why not? it’s not every day i get asked out by a cute guy.” 

jinyoung with his red ears, blushing cheeks and grin that goes from ear-to-ear feels like celebrating 

he could go on the table and just dance right there and then if he had no self control 

“but can i ask you something?” you stretch your arm to poke his cheek and he immediately nods his head 

“how did you get above 90% for all your exams? i thought you were struggling with these concepts.” 

jinyoung sends you one hell of a mischievous grin and you can sort of tell that something isn’t right, slightly stepping backwards as he begins to explain, “i may or may not have been lying about my low grades...?” 

“oH MY GOD. BAE JINYOUNG - WERE YOU JUST TRICKING ME THE ENTIRE TIME??” 

“ONLY BECAUSE I LIKE YOU! FROM NOW ON, YOU HOLD RESPONSIBLE FOR MY GRADES AND MY HEART.” 

“THAT DOESN’T MAKE UP FOR IT - i mean it does bUT STILL! COME BACK HERE!” 

and hence to end the day, jinyoung blasts out the library and into the beautiful sunset, laughing away as you start to follow suit and beginning the chasing game.  

[sweetcinnamonmaplesyrup]

Feelings are stupid - Lucie-Marezi x Saeyoung

coUGH- ok so I made a quick vent, self insert piece and uhh decided to post it on here because why not??? It's a Saeyoung one lol, if you couldn't tell by the title-- it kinda goes into detail about the problem I was venting about too?? So uh yeah- fun fact, is this is also the rewrite because I didn't exactly like the original ._.

Here is the info page of my custom MC, Lucie-Marezi lol (https://sweetcinnamonmaplesyrup.tumblr.com/post/184475667502/lucie-marezi-gohanz-custom-mcpersona)

Just a little backstory to kinda help understand the sort of universe this is, Saeyoung still met Rika at the church and she still trained him to become a hacker. However, she was in a better state of mind, and when V suggested that he become a secret agent, he managed to convince him to take him and his brother in as his own. And basically, Mint Eye never formed, the two had a better childhood from their earlier years and are somewhat normal kids lol

Now, I'm going to go back to writing the actual "x readers" that I've been procrastinating on so that this could be done. Reason being so that my head could be cleared a bit more ^^

Saeyoung fondly remembers how he met his closest friend, and how those feelings quickly turned into a fondness that would envelop him to the point of no return.

 It was his first day in 7th grade, a new chapter in his and Saeran's life. It marked their first year as high-school students, as well as their first year of escaping that hellhole they once called “home” thanks to their foster parents, V and Rika. They were entering the school during the middle of the first term, meaning that everyone had settled into their respective classes and had established friend groups already. Despite all this, he was jumping with excitement that spread over to his timid brother. He remembers how he had woken himself up extremely early, just to get ready and triple check that he had everything that he'd need for the first day. A pencil case filled with pens, pencils, erasers, a ruler, a calculator, workbooks, everything that he needed for his classes.

“Saeyoung,” V had said as he walked into the twins' shared bedroom, “are you sure you need all of that? Isn’t that bag heavy for you?”

Saeyoung grins at his foster father, before placing everything back into his bag in an orderly fashion. “No, I’ll be fine! Besides, I won’t know what classes I have today so I have to bring four workbooks with me!” He replied, doing the same with his brother’s bag when he had finished his own.

V chuckles to himself, before sitting next to his son. “Are you really that excited to attend high-school?” He asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice. The boy only returned a strong nod along with a happy hum. “Are you really? Especially this one? Are you sure you don’t want to look into another school?”

The school that the twins were attending was one that Saeyoung had personally chosen, and due to V's differing background to the twins, V wasn’t exactly certain if they would be able to survive even a minute in that place! The school itself was fine, it was just the stories he had heard about the students within the school itself he was concerned about. He had heard that they were a rough bunch, and fights between students were very common. Considering their previous home environment of abuse, V naturally worried if they would be subject to the bullying that occurred within those walls. Especially the smaller one, Saeran. He wasn’t exactly stable without his brother, so if they were to be in separated in any way, V was sure that he wouldn’t be able to cope properly without the presence of his older twin. Especially considering he had never been outside of their old environment without the coaxing of his brother.

Sawyoung huffed, looking to V with a pair of unimpressed eyes that sat behind a pair of circular framed glasses. “V, I made the decision to take myself and my brother to this school, and I will make sure that I do not regret my decision. Besides, they have dual monitors in their computer rooms! And a nice looking garden that Saeran will enjoy looking after! He said it himself that, out of all the schools we've visited, he liked it. It’s close to this house too, just a ten minute walk.” Saeyoung explains, causing the older male to sigh. “If you say so,” He gives the boy a ruffle of his head before getting up to leave. “I will support your decision.”

V left the room, his brother entering shortly after. His eyes were wide with fear as he ran to his brother, clinging onto him. Saeyoung is taken aback slightly, shocked by the sudden move made by his brother. Shortly after, he rubs his brother’s back soothingly. “Saeyoung...” He whispers. “I-I’m scared.” Saeyoung smiles softly. “Ran, we're going to be in the same class, and I'm not going to leave your side.” He tells him. “Besides! We'll be able to hang out in the garden after school, so be strong. We've managed to get out of that place, we'll be able to manage this.” Saeran looks up to his brother with a thankful smile. He needed to hear that encouragement from him.

Then, they were off to school, V driving them there with Rika sitting in the passenger seat. Saeyoung was bouncing in his seat until they saw the school gates, to which he could now feel his heart pound against his chest. It was pounding at an astonishing rate, matching the growing fear within him. Oh god, was he really ready for this? What if he said something wrong that revealed who his father was?

“Ah, you must be the new students.” But he soon found himself in the office of the place, his brother gripping onto his arm while his free hand gripped on the strap of his bag. The Principal of the place was a tall man, who had silver hair and wore a pair of glasses. He outstretched a hand to the two, instinctively backing up. The smile that was on his face turned into a more gentle one. “Hey, it’s ok, this is a safe place.” He said. “I’m Mr Lim, it’s a pleasure to meet the both of you again.” Saeyoung stares at his hand, before reluctantly taking and shaking it. V and Rika seemed to be pleased by his action.

“So,” Mr Lim says, as he turns his attention to the boys’ foster parents, guessing that the other twin wouldn’t be as willing to take his hand from what he could see and heard. “I currently sent a student to grab another who's in the same classes as the two. They should get along well with her, even if she isn’t the most charismatic as the others are, and I believe that having someone who'll be with the twins everyday according to their schedule will be beneficial for the three of them.” Rika smiles and thanks the man, Saeran's grip tightens. Saeyoung looks to his brother.

“I-I don’t think this was a good idea...” He mumbles so that Saeyoung was the only one to hear him. Before he could respond to his brother’s words, a knock came to the door.

“Ah, this must be the student.” Mr Lim walks to the door and opens it, revealing a petite girl. She had shoulder length black hair, with a bang slightly covering her right eye, out rather than having it tied up, a big red flower clip being clipped to her right side and a nervous expression. She wore the school's uniform with silent respect, and had her hands cupped together. She reminded Saeyoung a bit of himself and Saeran in their current situation, which didn’t exactly relieve him. But as her eyes laid onto the twins that stood behind Mr Lim, her expression lit up with excitement. Saeyoung felt a wave of excitement fill him now, staring intently at the girl.

“Saeyoung, Saeran,” The Principal smiled at the two, motioning towards the girl who stood at the door. “This is Lucie-Marezi. Lucie, this is Saeyoung and Saeran.” The girl, who went by Lucie-Marezi, smiled at the two, giving them a small wave. “Hi there.” She nervously says with a smile. “Please, just call me Maple, Lucie-Marezi is too much of a mouthful.” She giggles for a few seconds, before stopping. Saeyoung’s face flushes slightly, not used to hearing the happy and melodic sound. “Saeyoung.” He introduces himself curtly, before turning his head over to Saeran. “This is Saeran. It’s nice to meet you.” Lucie nodded, before turning to the parents who stood behind their children. “Ah, this is Mr and Mrs Kim, their foster parents.” Lucie's gaze returns to the twins for a brief moment as she hears the word “foster” fall out of his mouth.

Foster? She thought to herself. I hope that they're doing better now.. The girl had only ever had one friend in her entire life that had admitted to be in the process of becoming a foster child. Though she didn’t exactly spend much time with them, the time she did spend with them, they spoke badly about what they were experiencing at home and during the entire process. She didn’t look into foster care, and she regretted not doing so with the presence of the new students, but she was sure to look into it at the end of the day to gain a better understanding of the two. She wanted to be able to understand their situation, if ever the topic arose between them.

“Please,” The blonde woman spoke, causing the girl to look at the woman with evident curiosity, “take care of the both of them.” Lucie was taken aback by her words, but she nods. “I'll try my best, Mrs Kim.” Saeyoung and Saeran stared at the girl as she said those words, disbelief engulfing the two. They weren’t used to hearing those words from others, they had just recently gotten used to the good environment at home.

Mr Lim smiles at this. “I suppose the three of you should be on your way to class now. I wouldn’t want you three to miss out on valuable learning time.” Lucie smiles a bit more. “Well, it is just math...” She says, only loud enough for the boys to hear. Saeyoung’s eyes sparkle at the sound of math, Saeran seeming to tug at Saeyoung just a bit more. “We’ll see you off.” V told the two, prompting the both of them to turn around to face V. The boys hugged their parents, before exchanging a few words and then leaving with Lucie to start their new year.

Needless to say, the three became quick friends.

Every morning, as the boys made their way to school by car, they spotted Lucie walking to school in relative loneliness. As they passed her, they’d always honk and wave, chuckling whenever she flinched at the sudden noise. She’d wave back too, and then pick up the pace to meet the two at the gates. When they did meet each other at the gates, the trio walked into the school, talking about everything and nothing. There was never a dull moment with these three, especially with Saeyoung around because as soon as he was comfortable with his new friend, he immediately threw jokes everywhere. It was now routine to hear at least thirty jokes a day, only increasing to about fifty after he got comfortable with the class and teachers. Lucie laughed the most at his jokes, and it only drove him further to make jokes so that he could hear that sound again.

Overtime, that drive made him develop feelings for his best friend. She was adorable, funny in her own way and the kindest human being he had ever met, aside from his own family. Lucie made him feel warm, welcome and appreciated, things he rarely ever felt before. She made sure that not only was he adjusting, but also his brother, which made him feel relieved about getting him to go to school when he had to stay home because Rika had asked him to due to the RFA project she was doing on the side. He was more relived when Saeran came back and started gushing about everything that happened in school on that day.

Saeyoung especially enjoyed the times where the two of you just texted, the anticipation and excitement that came with waiting for messages filling him every time. Whether it was serious conversations or silly ones, he never found himself bored. He found that she had more to speak about over text, and that she spoke honestly and boldly. When he brought up his most devious of plans, she didn’t bother to back him down, she actually encouraged a few of them! It proved one of his many hunches he had when interacting with the girl. And he desperately held onto the hope that, maybe, the hunch he made about her liking him would be possible.

But as it seemed from the very start, her heart was elsewhere.

It was evident that she didn’t see Saeyoung in the way he wanted to. For the first few times they spent with each other, she sat beside a group of boys. There was also the more obvious signs, like her avoiding a specific student with a nervous air around her, the messages she sent talking about the other male, how their classmates expressed their thoughts in a romantic relationship with the two and stating that they “shipped” them. It didn’t take the twins long to get what they meant. There were times where their classmates went a bit too far with their shipping, physically pushing the girl towards the boy, stealing some of her items and giving them to the boy who was then basically obliged to give it back to the girl, the comments they made towards them and sometimes these actions would push the girl to become upset. It was in these times, Saeyoung wished he could’ve been the boy who was comforting her.

Instead, the one who was awkwardly comforting her, was the one who caused her distress.

He didn’t exactly realise when he had fallen, however, he knew he had fallen hard for the girl he claimed to be his best friend. The girl who effortlessly cheered him and his brother on and up. The girl who always wore a smile and never ever stopped laughing. The girl who tried her best to help those who wanted or looks as if they wanted help. The girl who came into his life and gave it a new, and overpowering emotion he wished he had never encountered. The girl who didn’t return his feelings.

Over the next few months, the shipping died down, but their relationship grew. It was evident to Saeyoung, really, because he had basically became her wingman, giving her advice on want to say and do on planned meet-ups. While his heart shattered into pieces, he wanted to see her smiling and happy, so he never complained about their relationship and his position within it.

It wasn’t all that bad though.

He learnt more about her. How she wasn’t the most physically or verbally affectionate person, even if she really wanted to be, and compensated that with her messages and gifts (though occasionally) she bought for him. She ranted about this a lot, getting frustrated and worked up about this, especially when the boy had brought up the topic of trying to become physically closer together while she tried pushing him towards the idea of “uhh, never happening in a million years”. He learnt about her shy and Tsundere-like behaviour, finding it both cute and intimidating (but mostly cute). Though, Lucie also ranted about how she hated how she felt while in love, talking about how sometimes her heart beats so fast that it becomes difficult and hurts to breath. How she hated just having the boy engulf her thoughts 24/7. How she wanted her old, and simpler life back, where she was completely oblivious to his emotions and advances towards her.

Most of the time, though, she went on about how she was conflicted about her own feelings towards the boy. She had remembered what it was like without these emotions that she was experiencing, how she had never even considered him a suitor or a love interest until it was brought into light. Heck, she hadn’t thought about that kind of stuff after she forced herself not to think about that stuff after fourth grade! And then this confession comes up in year seven which just makes all her emotions go bleh! This was insanity to her!

That, however, was all in the past. Specifically, two years in the past.

Saeyoung, being the good and (somewhat) obedient student he was, was completing the homework that was set for the class that day and working at it with immense diligence. He was so very concentrated, even tuning out the music that was playing through his bulky orange headphones that were connected to his red phone that sat on the desk, above a pile of neatly placed papers. He answered question after question the paper held, scrawling the answers in the pages of his workbook. It was maths homework he was working on, specifically how to calculate compound interest. It wasn’t a hard thing for him to grasp, nor his brother, and to be fair, he was finding this work to be just a tad bit boring.

Upon hearing the specific, melodic jingle he had set as the ringtone for the girl, his attention slipped from his work and onto the message that popped up on the screen of his phone which he picks up. All it took was one simple text message for emotions to flood and engulf the boy, enough to distract him from the concentrated state he was in beforehand.

Lucie had confessed to the boy of her conflicting and choking thoughts of her doubtful feelings, settling the issue quite quickly with the opposite outcome she had thought of. It had been around two months from that confession, and the girl had gone back to her usual demeanour, with the addition that she still outwardly rejected being anywhere near the boy, which didn’t bother Saeyoung one bit. It just meant that he got to enjoy her clinging onto him.

He runs a hand through his messy red locks, eyebrows furrowing and heart racing at the text she had sent.

Maple✨: Can we talk?

He hadn’t done something to piss her off, had he? He gulps, as he frantically rakes through the events that had happened throughout the week. The only thing that really stuck out to him was that time during lunch he had tried to tickle her again, despite knowing her dysphoria towards the action. Good god, was she really upset over that?

God7: Sure we can, Syrup ^^

He waits in anticipation for her response, anxiety filling him and his thoughts. Oh god, what if she really was super upset over that and decided to talk about it now? What if it was for the comments made earlier about how the bags under her eyes were looking really bad, even when they weren’t?! What about that time he brought up that boy?! AHHH!!

His thoughts are immediately halted when he receives her response, causing his breath to stop.

Maple✨: You remember Gabriel, the dude who liked me, right? He's in a new relationship now, with Wendy, and I’m feeling extremely conflicted..

Maple✨: I was thinking of just, not even mentioning this to you, but I knew that I wouldn’t be able to hide this any longer, and besides, you're a genius. Saeran would probably pick up on my depressed behaviour quickly too, and I don’t want you guys worrying about me.

So it was about him. He cringed upon seeing that name appear on the screen, his grip on his mobile device tightening. Did she still have feelings for him? The thought hits him hard, his heart threatening to shatter his slightly mended heart. That couldn’t be true, could it?

God7: Oh really now? How did you find out?

Maple✨: He just messaged me, asking for my advice on what to do with his new relationship.

Maple✨: I knew something was going on between the two of them.

Saeyoung remembers how she had motioned his attention to an interaction with the two, questioning if the two were in a relationship in an exaggerated tone, a goofy smile plastered on her face. Despite that smile, she couldn’t have looked anymore shattered than that time, her eyes giving it away as they threatened to fill themselves up with tears. A sigh escapes his lips as he runs his hand through his hair once again, before typing his next message . Maybe she really did still have feelings for him...

God7: I guess you were.

God7: But how exactly are you feeling again?

Maple✨: I told you, conflicted. I feel happy that he found someone else to find him happy, but I feel hurt. I don’t know why though.

God7: Hm.

God7: Well, you did say that you fell for him in that short period of time, right?

Maple✨: I guess that could be the case.

Maple✨: I just feel really stupid, I guess. I told myself I’d be happy and relieved when he found someone else, and half of me is! But the other half, wished that maybe this wasn’t happening..

Maple ✨: Saeyoung, what do I do?

His heart shattered. So she did like him, and obviously, still saw Saeyoung as only a friend. Another sigh escapes him, his body suddenly shaking. When had it became so cold in here, he wondered. He only wanted the best for his friend, seeing as she wished that for him too. And he wasn’t going to get in the way of that.

God7: Why don't you tell him that?

Maple✨: And make Wendy upset, causing all hell to break loose? No way. Besides, he seems happy with her, and I don’t want to ruin that.

God7: Then why don’t you just forget about him?

Saeyoung takes a moment to process what he had just sent, realising that he had felt anger bubble within him. When realisation hits him, he jumps up from his chair, losing the grip he had in his phone and plays hot potato to avoid it from being dropped. When he manages to safely catch it, he breathes out a breath he had subconsciously kept from being released, before hesitantly turning the phone screen so that it was facing him. He squints his eyes, scared to see what Lucie would respond with. She was, from what he could tell, extremely emotional at the moment, and just saying that would put her off, he had experience to draw from.

But that response held a little truth to him. If she was this conflicted about it, and her desire to see him happy was stronger than the one that wanted them to get back together, why doesn’t she just try to forget him? It wouldn’t be easy, but wouldn’t that be the better option than just moping around over something that couldn’t be brought up?

Maple✨: I wish it were that simple. Really. But I can’t.

Maple✨: And I hate that.

Saeyoung sighs. So she was too sad to really react angrily at that comment then..

God7: Don’t hate yourself over something that you can’t control, Marezi. We can’t control our emotions whenever they spontaneously show up, you know this.

God7: Wasn’t that the piece of advice you gave me? Lolol

Maple✨: ...

Maple✨: You know, I hate you right now.

God7: Whaaat? Moi?

God7: But your pancake has done nothing but spill the truth!

Maple✨: Yeah, yeah, I know. But I’m not exactly the type of person to follow her own advice, besides, they're usually given based from my own experience :/

A soft grin find it’s way to his face, triumph filling him upon the sight of a text face. She didn’t use them at all when she vented to him, only afterwards when she had cheered up. Maybe that was a sign that she wasn’t that upset over this?

God7: Anyway, so Gabriel and Wendy. They’re together. And he just straight up, asked for advice, and then was like “yeah actually, this is for this new relationship I’m in with Wendy.”

Maple✨: Something like that, I think.

God7: ...

God7: Wow. That’s harsh.

God7: Don’t worry, Syrup! Your pancake will make sure to protect your aching heart from those fiends!!

Maple✨: Oh my god Saeyoung;;

Maple✨: Are you seriously derailing the convo right now?

God7: ...

God7: ...Is it working?

Maple✨: ...

Maple✨: I seriously can’t believe you right now.

Maple✨: Maybe I should’ve gone and texted Saeran instead lol.

God7: DON’T DO THAT!! QAQ

God7: He's actually being a good boy and studying. You know how he gets when someone distracts him from studying =v=;;

Maple✨: So I’m stuck with you?

God7: Whether you like it or not, milady!

Saeyoung could practically hear her tongue clicking and see her eyes rolling like she always did in these sorts of situations, bringing a chuckle out of him. He looks thoughtfully down at his screen, the blinking line awaiting for him to tap away at the keys to form a message to send.

God7: But, what exactly did he do?

Maple✨: Well, do you want the details or the summary?

Saeyoung smiled at her message.

God7: All the details, if you please~

Maple✨: Get ready for a paragraph then :P

Maple✨: Basically, he messaged me through Instagram when I figured out that I could still access the Internet. He tried to get my attention, but you know my dad’s internet rules and stuff. I told him the message me via the built in messenger app and just waited for a few minutes. He then came to the app, texting me if I was there. I responded to him that I was and he was like “Alright, so I’m in a relationship with Wendy. Nothing crazy is happening, I’m keeping it casual and I need advice.”

Maple ✨: I mean, I was hoping for this to happen, really! But he was, honestly, a really nice guy. I don’t want to get into the details of that because, ew, too sentimental and cheesy for my taste right now. I won’t deny that in some point of our “relationship” I started to feel feelings. I'm so stupid to be feeling this way, all of this was the result of my actions, why can I just own up to them and stop feeling bad about myself and letting him go?! It’s just a pile of crap that I didn’t want to get into but then life was like “hahah, nope” and threw me into this pile anyway! Which absolutely sucks, because I have other things to worry about these days, like how you and Saeran are doing, the tests and assessments that are being sent out, not this lovey dovey crap I didn’t sign up to! It frustrates me to no end!!

He takes a few moments, rereading the last sentence many times, feeling his cheeks heat up ever so slightly. He chuckles nervously, eager to let the feeling of the butterflies in his stomach out some other way that didn’t involve making any other noise. Saeran, who’s sitting in his half of the room, looks over his shoulder slightly, seeing that his brother had ditched his schoolwork and was most likely talking to Lucie. A smirk finds its way to his features, knowing full well who caused such a reaction to his brother. “Just confess already.” Saeran mumbles to himself, turning back to his work.

God7: Huh.

God7: What a jerk lol

Maple✨: Saeyoung!!

God7: Seriously though. You're an awesome girl, and while it would be hard to get over your first “serious” relationship, I’m sure you’ll be able to do that and find the right person for you ^^ so don’t think that you’re stupid for being upset over this news, it’s all part of the process called moving on. And that process is going to take a lot longer than two months, you gotta be patient with yourself.

God7: You have to remember that, at the end of the day, whether you like it or not, it was your decision to end things. You thought that he deserves better than someone of the likes of you, who ignored most, if not, all of his messages he sent during the holidays. Someone who’s feelings were more stable than yours, and not lasting for periods up to two to three weeks long. You wanted nothing but for him to experience a better love under better circumstances, unlike your in which you were sort of forced together in both times you tried to make it work out. It’s ok to be upset with yourself, but you have to remember what ending you wanted. What you wanted Gabriel to experience without you.

God7: I apologise for telling you to just forget him, and I hope you can forgive this pancake. Honestly if I was told to 'just forget about you', I would’ve hacked into the person’s personal information and leaked it everywhere lol

Maple✨: Saeyoung!

Maple✨: How dare!

God7: Lololol you know it to be true tho

Maple✨: Yeah, I do, and I’m concerned now;;

Maple✨: But I really appreciate your words ^^ thanks for saying that <3

His heart stopped beating when he his eyes landed on the heart. His face turns into a darker shade of red as he bites down on his lip, eager to hold back the squeal that threatened to escape him. It fails, however, as a squeak comes out, a hand immediately covering his mouth. He sits completely still in his chair, like a deer caught in headlights, not daring to make a move. He glances over to his brother, hoping that he hadn’t heard the squeak. Relief fills him as he sees his brother’s hunched back, a sigh escaping his lips. Little did he know, his brother heard it, and he wore a smirk. He was sure to tell Lucie about this tomorrow.

God7: Oh, how you make my heart race! You are oh to gracious, Moonlight!

Maple✨: Pff- dork.

Maple✨: You're bringing out the “Moonlight” now? Geez, what happened this time?

God7: Oh nothing much~

God7: Nothing for you to worry about lololol

Maple✨: You can’t just say that and expect me not to worry!!!

God7: My lips are sealed ;)

Maple✨: Saeyoung Choi!!

Saeyoung chuckles, his heart swelling with happiness and love for Lucie-Marezi. He enjoyed this time they had together, and all the others he had, with the girl, as much as she did with him. There was no doubt about that, especially with the occasional giggles that escaped her lips whenever they spoke, whether it was physically or over text.

Tonight, however, was just another end of the day and step closer to Lucie’s slow realisation of her growing feelings towards her best friend.

The worse part of it all?

Saeran would most likely be the one to tell Lucie about Saeyoung’s feelings before the male mustered up the courage to do so.

[heckyeahsurveys]

#243

When did you meet the last male you texted? at the hospital when i was born 17 years ago x

Are you currently looking forward to anything? college party on friday tbh n half term!!

Do you have someone of the opposite sex you can tell everything to? nah

This time last year, can you remember who you liked? katie 

Who was the last person you went out to eat with? i don’t remember, i don’t rly eat out much so it was time ago

Whats going on with you and the person you last texted? we’re v good friends

Were you single on your last birthday? yep

Did anything brighten up your day today? we had fajitas for tea lol 

How are you feeling at this exact moment? alright tbh

Do you ever wonder how other people see you? yeah ofc

Within the next 5 months, what are you looking forward to MOST? exams being over

Do you want to cut your hair? yeah bc my ends are horrendous, i’m gonna soon 

Would you rather have roommates or live alone? roomates, i hate being alone 

Do you have any scars? yeah

Will you be in a relationship next month? definitely not

Has someone upset you in the past 48 hours? probably

Do you get drunk every weekend? not every weekend but a lot of them 

What makes you happy? being asleep

Do you think relationships are ever really worth it? idk i don’t have enough experience in relationships or the world in general to have a proper opinion 

Is it possible to be single and happy? sure

Is your profile private? on what??

What are you doing right now? this n listening to music

Are you taller than 5 foot 7 inches? nooo

Are you one of those people who just don’t care? sometimes, but most of the time i care too much

Do you find piercings and tattoos attractive on the opposite sex? it depends on the person? 

Who was the last person you talked to before you went to bed? liz bc we share a room

What’s the last important thing that you broke? How? i’m not sure 

Are you planning to go see a movie anytime soon? nope

Do you break things when you are mad? sometimes, generally throw n hit things tbh but they don’t usually break

Is it okay to kiss people if you’re single? ofc

What was the first thing you thought about when you woke up? probs going back to sleep

Have you ever intentionally pissed someone off? yes

Do you want to be single? yeah and i am

Last three people to text you? kt, dad, jenny

Does anyone completely understand you? i don’t even understand me

Is this summer gonna be a good one? hopefully 

How many piercings do you have besides ears? i have 5 on my ears but nothing else

Do you think you can last in a relationship for 6 months or more? idk, probs not atm 

Do you prefer to call or text? text 100000%

Expecting something to change in the next month? not rly no

You’re thinking about someone, aren’t you ? well i am now

Ever like someone older than you? yeah

Can you remember the last time you really liked someone? idk the what’s defined as rly liking someone so yeah probs 

Where were you at 10:00 pm last night? on the way to the pub i think 

When did you last cry? earlier lol

Have you ever kissed the last person you last texted? yes

ONE OF YOUR SIBLINGS: liz

1. What is the age difference between you two? two years

2. Do you know what this person is doing right now? she’s sat across from me on her laptop

3. How often do you and this person argue? at least once a day

4. What do you do together? just sitting in our room tbh

5. Is this a step-sibling, half-sibling or full-sibling? full sibling (never heard that term before ngl)

THE LAST PERSON YOU TEXTED: katie

1. What was the text about? it said have a good night n i’ll see u monday

2. When is the last time you saw this person? like an hour n a half ago

3. Do you text each other more than you call each other? it’s probs about equal tbh

4. How old is this person? 17

5. What is this person’s favorite movie? fuck idk. probs studio ghibli?? but idk which one

YOUR FAVORITE TEACHER FROM LAST YEAR: dave <3

1. Did this teacher give a lot of homework? nah not too much

2. Did the other students like them too? yeah, everyone loves him

3. What subject did they teach? geography 

4. Have they ever taught you before this year? nope

5. Does this teacher run any after school programs? i don’t think so? not personally anyways 

ONE OF YOUR FRIENDS: jenny

1. How long have you been best friends? many years. i feel like since year 8 properly?? but idk cos we fell out a lot between like year 7-9. so like 5 ish years?

2. Have you ever fought about something silly then quickly made up? ofc

3. Where did you meet your friend? high school

4. Do you live near each other? not super near but close enough that its a reasonable distance to walk

5. Do they have a significant other? yeah

THE LAST PERSON YOU SPOKE TO: liz 1. Was this in person, through the telephone or the internet? in person

2. What was the conversation about? idk i don’t remember

3. How long did it last? like 5 mins

4. What was the tone/mood of the conversation? i don’t remember

5. What is your relationship with this person? sisters

THE LAST PERSON YOU KISSED: jake ://

1. Where did this kiss take place? at the pub lol

2. Have you ever kissed this person before? not before that night but we kissed several times on that night

3. What were they wearing at the time of the kiss? jeans n a t-shirt (and a jumper before but then he took it off)

4. How long have you known this person? like 6 months?

5. How often do you talk to this person? we used to talk probs a couple of times a week (albeit briefly) but i haven’t spoken to him for two weeks lmaoo

YOUR MOTHER: nicola

1. Do you spend a lot of time with her? a reasonable amount yeah

2. How strong is the relationship between you two? v v good

3. Do you tell them a lot about your personal life? yeah i tell her most things

4. What personality traits did you acquire from her? short temper, argumentative, complaining, being loud lol, liz said easily gets on the defensive but don’t think that’s true :/ and assertiveness. also keeping emotions in until it gets too much lmao

5. What is the most frequent topic of argument? probs money or smth stupid, we’re both v argumentative so if one of us kicks off we’ll argue but we get over it quickly 

YOUR FATHER: mark

1. What does your father do for a living? he’s a salesperson

2. Is he considered the head of the household? nah i don’t think so. he likes to think he is tho

3. What personality traits did you acquire from him? also argumentative lol, clumsiness, not shutting up n butting in to make our own point, procrastinating, being greedy n selfish, also being loud again

4. What do you do together? watching films n just chatting about life n shit, especially when we’ve had a bit to drink lol. also arguing xxx

5. Do you look anything like your father? we have the exact same eyes but that’s about it (in my opinion anyways)