#THIS is the academic rivalry to respect to lovers that I NEEDED

[tiredmoonslut]

No bc Jordan/Marie really got me around the throat because despite all of the subversion that's common to The Boys universe I really expected them to put Marie with Luke or Andre, just going off the teasers and first episode. I'm so used to television going the easy or less subversive route, even just in The Boys do they do this. Annie and Hughie are in my opinion perfectly cute and super functional in terms of driving the plot forward, but outside of that their relationship is very par for the course and expected. But they just unabashedly went there with Jordan and Marie and it smacked me so hard I don't even know what to do what the fuck

Like, the way the seeds were there all the way at the beginning but could have easily been left as subtext. The way there was always respect between the two of them even when Jordan was unkind to her, the way Marie clearly got under Jordan's skin but the manner of which could have been easily ignored. The way this would have certainly made good slash fic a decade ago but no it's canon and it's right here I am UNWELL

[kaicubus]

Distraction | Xavier T.

warnings ✩° : mutual pining, angry(?) confession, teasing, competition, cursing, rivals to lovers, both reader and xavier are 17-18 years old, fluff but also a tad spice.

pairing ✩° : xavier thorpe x fem!reader

premise ✩° :  on the day of the annual poe cup, you're put against your academic rival, xavier thorpe, and you don't want to lose. however, he has other plans of  getting the upper hand with you and knows exactly how to get his way. hes knocking out two birds with one stone, if you will.  

word count ✩° : 3.4k

authors note ✩° : this was done in literally a few hours bc i’m obsessed and it needs to be addressed.

The rules were simple.

They always have been. Follow what the people in charge told you and don't disappoint. If you disappoint them then you disappoint the whole community and what good are you if you're a disappointment. It was hard not to see school, ground zero for being the best, as a competition. In fact, you thrived working towards a goal of being superior than everyone else; maybe it was due to the fact that no matter what was put in front of you, you could understand it and write it off as done as soon as you wrote your name. However, there were some things you didn't get at times and that frustrated you.

Over the time you’ve known him, it’s been test after test, assignment after assignment, obscure experiment after obscure experiment to prove to this seemingly effortlessly perfect creature that you’re better than him, only for you to miss his mark by one. point.

“Maybe you should think less about being better than me and more about the material, Y/n.” Xavier would say, “But don’t worry, you ALMOST got the same score as me.”

It wasn't his snarky comments or obviously stronger memory than you that made you over the top angry, no, it was the fact that you couldn't understand how he was doing it. Nothing made sense and the feeling of not knowing made looking into his stupid hazel eyes, gazing at his sharp and defined side profile, and wispy long hair all the more annoying. Everything has to have answers. So why did he make your throat tighten every time you spoke to him? Or your face flush with dark shades of pink and red? It had to be anger. There was no other explanation.

All of the rivalry would eventually lead you both up to the annual Poe Cup. A boat race amongst four teams, five members from each house all stuck together on their respective hand crafted boats each representing a different Edgar Allen Poe poem.

You're on The Black Cat team while Xavier’s on The Amontillado team. For a whole week you spend with your team, preparing for the race and to utterly destroy Xavier because this will finally prove to yourself that you’re good at him at something.

“You ready to beat the shit out of Xavier, Y/n?” Your friend who knows your rivalry with the guy smiles at you, “Once WE have that cup he has to realize that all he is to you, is dirt.” She was right.

“Relax, F/n, why ruin my chances with excitement when I can take all of that and shove it in his face at the very end.”

Your other team mate taps you both on your shoulders, “You guys ready? It’s almost time.” With that, you watch everyone file into their boats, Xavier included, and so you and your friend make your way into your own seats. However, just before you adjust your headband on your head, you decide to catch a glimpse of the destined losers on each side of you. Though no one else is important right now other than seeing him, so you give a side eyed glance in Xavier’s direction.

To your surprise, not only is he already looking at you, but, “Is he laughing at me?”

Your friend looks towards Xavier as well and scoffs, “Yeah,” She confirms, “Looks like they all are. Fucking clowns.”

As you chew on the inside of your cheek out of anger, a sudden whistle blows from Ms. Weems accompanied by a large megaphone that amplifies her voice as she speaks.

You can tell out of the corner of your eye that ever since your friend had rudely thrusted her middle finger into the sky for all the jesters to see, Xavier hadn't stopped looking at you. His eyes, laser focused, burned into the side of your head and it only made you more anxious for the race. You bite your lip ever so slightly and fight back the urge to look at him too.

Thankfully, you're saved by a gunshot that explodes into the air and suddenly your team gets pushed into the water.

Of all things, why should you be thinking about Xavier Thorpe and what he has to say or look at you for? All this time, you've convinced yourself that you could care less what he thinks of you. After all, the reason you're trying so hard to be better than him is the very reason that motivates you every day to get up and face him. Otherwise, you'd be locked away in your dorm with nothing to do but attend class and repeat the cycle. In a way, he was your reason to wake up.

“Y/N! Duck!” Your friend suddenly snaps you out of your mechanical like motions of rowing as hard as possible. Wasting no time, you dodge the flying axe coming your way by a hair. “What the hell?! Y/n, focus!”

“I am focused, F/n.”

“No, you're not. You got that lost look in your eyes. Stop thinking about Xavier and maybe pay attention to all the objects being thrown around at us? So you don't die, and most importantly, so we can win this for our hall?”

For the rest of the distance from the starting line to the other end of the lake, you try not to look behind you as looking behind you would only distract you from the prize. All of your team puts in their all in rowing as fast as they can together in sync, each arm pushing at the exact same second as everyone else to really glide through the water. Despite nets being tossed, siren students diving under boats and tipping them over, and very small fire crackers being thrown into other boats, three teams are left remaining to the next stage of the race. Getting the flag.

“Go go go!” F/n pushes you up, “Get the black flag. We’ll be waiting here to look out for anybody.”

Not wanting to waste anymore time, you nod and start sprinting directly into the old, creaky forest. Dry leaves crunch under your feet in threes, making their crinkles the only noise in the entire forest. That’s good, you think, that means no one else came yet. Quickly jumping over logs and rocks, you make your way to the flag destination, only to see that your black flag is missing.

“What the—”

“Hey,” a voice calls out from behind you, “Looking for something?”

The cheesy line doesn't go without an eye roll as you turn around, “Xavier.”

“You don't seem too happy to see me.” Your rival stands with a shit eating grin on his face, comically extenuated with crimson, drippy paint.

You're quick to reply, “I'm not. You took my flag which I need to win this. So hand it over, Thorpe.”

He raises his hands and allows you to charge up to him just close enough so that you're barely touching the tips of his pointed shoes with your jet black boots. “What? Who says I have your flag? I JUST got here in case you hadn't noticed.”

“I actually haven't noticed. Because why would I stop to care about where you are?”

“You seemed to care when we first started.” Xavier leans down and twists his head slightly, just enough for you to be caught off guard and step back, “I saw you looking at me.” His tone makes you shrink back.

Heat rushes to your face in a fleeting panic and almost immediately, your chest twists your rib cage hard enough to squeak out, “I WASN'T LOOKING AT YOU! YOU were looking at ME!”

Xavier raises his brows and chuckles, “I remember differently.”

Of course he has to be cocky now. “Look, Xavier. Just forget this and let me go. Your gross sweat is getting all over me.”

“Oh is that so?”

“YESNOWLETGO.”

He snickers at your flustered nature but decides to go the extra mile and tease you further, “You do realize that we all have to get back, Y/n, its kinda the whole reason why we made it here. Though it looks like its just the two of us.” He turns to both of his sides and then directs his attention back to you, “I’d say we have a little time.”

Again, you emphasize, “WE don't have time. Unlike you, I actually WANT to win. Xavier, I don't know what your deal is or why you're so obsessed with me and making me look like a complete and utter fool, but once I win this for my team, it ends. Do you understand me?”

Xavier exhales deeply, “You know, for someone who’s so high strung and smart, you're really dumb, aren't you?”

“What?”

He steps forward, causing you to back into a tree. You can feel the roughness of the tree bark as it etches its way across the backside of your suit, causing a mildly discomforting feeling that shivers throughout your skin. Before you can move forward, Xavier steps closer, basically eliminating any means of escaping.

“Why am I so obsessed with you? Is that what you think this is? Obsession?”

You look up at him to find his naturally tall stature hunched over to be at eye level with you. Surely, if anyone to walk into the scene, they’d think you two were stopping the competition just to make out. Even though Xavier’s hand is firmly pressed just between your ear and shoulder and he was just over an inch close to you so that your noses are barley touching, it’s not like that at all. Yet, at least.

“That’s what I just asked.” Your eyebrows stitch together bitterly, “Can you not hear, clown? You don’t understand how hard it is for me to watch my reputation die because of you and your perfect grades and your perfect art. What makes you think you can just parade yourself around to be better than me?!” The questions leave a burning sensation in your throat.

“Reputation? Grades? Is that what this is about?”

“YES! Are you DENSE?!”

Instead of matching your violent glower, you watch as the clown leans his head to the side in laughter. His lips parting just enough so you can see his sharp teeth laugh at you too, “Y/n, did you just call me dense? What is that? An insult? At least I’m not the one who always scores lower than me.”

Embarrassment? Anger? Nervousness? Why was his laugh the thing to make you feel weak now? Maybe the first two are theories, but the third is a definite fact. Your eyes are quickly drawn in by his hazel pupils, curious and dilated as they stare back at you. For a moment, the silence between you two isnt filled with hate or rivalry, but peace. That is until he lets out a breathy laugh after getting a good look at your calm face for once.

“Y/n, cat got your tongue? Or do you just not have anything else to say to me other than ‘I hate you’ and ‘stop being better than me’?” He points a finger to your feline head accessory.

"Shut up.” You bark, “Dumb isn’t really a good insult either. You are so full of shit—"

Xavier moves closer, now toe to toe with you and just a breath away from your face.

“God, Y/n, cant you see that I like you? All this time I thought it was so obvious. I mean, how are you going to tell people you're the smartest person in the room when you cant even pick up on subtle hints that basically spell it out for you?” He says, “Or are you too busy to notice anyone other than yourself?”

His words cause your heart to pound once, twice, and before you know it you can’t hear anything but the thumping in your chest and the soft winds surrounding you both. Xavier parts his lips again, determined to give you the answers you've been so desperately searching for. 

“Do you know how fucking exhausting it is to pretend I hate you back, just to have the opportunity to talk to you?” His tone is exasperated and shallow, but he doesn't break eye contact with you, “You seriously thought all those times we got close was because I wanted to be ‘better’ than you in some subject?” Almost like he doesn't believe you, Xavier shakes his head in disapproval, “The only time Ive wanted to prove to you I'm worth something is now.”

His confession only fills your head with more questions, “That doesn't even make any sense! How can you say you didn't actually want to be better than me when that's all you did?” You feel the heat saturate into a dark pink that settles into your cheeks, “And why are you telling me all this now? Why are you so adamant on telling me that you—”

Xavier doesn't even acknowledge your questions, he just continues to hold a burning tension between you and him, focusing only on one thing.

Fuck.

Maybe its the fact hes so close, or that he told you hes liked you all this time, but right now it feels like nothings stopping you from telling him too. It just feels so right.

Before you know it, your mouth opens on its own, your bottom lip trembling for just a second. Xavier’s eyes trail down to your lips, then back into your eyes, and a small smirk pulls the corner of his ivory painted skin up.

Without another second to lose, Xavier tilts even closer than he thought he’d ever be to you and cups your cheek, finding the courage you both need to pull you into an unexpected kiss.

The pastiness of your rival’s white face paint rubs against your dewy skin as the taste of him spreads across your pallet, rough, warm, and agonizingly slow. With a gentle hand, you bunch the back of Xavier’s thin yet airy suit and fall into him, curving just enough so he can extend his hold on you.

Xavier knew that he wanted to touch you. It’s basically been his dream ever since he got close to you and seemingly hurdled himself into being your rival. But he’d never admit that. Or maybe, now he would. Gently, Xavier clasps onto your hips more carefully, securely rubbing his fingers against the skin tight latex uniform you were forced to wear which gives him enough grip to hook his desperate palms onto your body.

You break away for a second, just long enough to look at his face and how mesmerized he is by you and just how fucked you are in this downward spiral of messy feelings and requited love. Love you are much too afraid to commit to. But, Xavier pulls you back into his lips and makes you forget all of your worries, even the one you're supposed to be most worried about. 

The kiss practically captures you for what seems like an eternity, erasing all memory of the Poe Cup and time spent hating Xavier's guts only to now realize that that hate may have been fueled by a painfully simple crush. But you wouldn't admit that either. Though, now there’s no other explanation to the methods behind your madness.

Soon enough, your hands find their rightful place in his long, messy hair, scooting his jester cap off easily. Had you known his hair was this soft before? You always told yourself you didn't care but now it was too hypnotizing not to twirl your fingers in. In fact, it’s practically asking you to grab it and play with it, screaming at you to touch it, touch him.

Xavier’s hips press into yours, giving you the go ahead to adjust your position so that your thigh is comfortably resting atop his hip. The stance feels too natural to be normal, and you're both caught off guard by it. Yet, you continue to taste him and feel him up close without another thought.

Nipping at your bottom lip, you can feel Xavier let out a sigh of relief, as if kissing you has been something on his mind for years. Only half of that could be true. Still, his victory cheer makes you do your own version with a quieter huff.

You give the roots of his hair a tight squeeze before your shoulders relax and another sigh escapes from your now open mouth. The force of his lips smashing against yours pushes you back successfully, leaving each part of your body to surrender to his. For once, you let it and as much as you hate to admit it, whatever he was doing was working.

When he finally pulls away, your breath is harsh and so is his. No matter how hard you could try, looking away from his hazy eyes was not an option. Just like the fog around you both, his gaze is inescapable and suffocating. You knew kissing your rival was a bad idea, but neither one of you want to move your hands from their proper places on each other.

Just then, a distant voice calls out to Xavier that snaps you out of your absentmindedness. “Shit,” Xavier curses softly against your lips, “Thanks for that Y/n,” he pulls away, much to your hidden displeasure, “But...I have a cup to win.”

Suddenly, it all comes hurdling back.

“FUCK! THE RACE!” You tear yourself away from Xavier, breaking the warmth between you both, and scramble to find your flag, “YOU CONNIVING SON OF A BITCH. YOU DISTRACTED ME!”

“I hope you don't mind but I actually sort of hid it.” He grins slyly at you, straightening his suit with a swift rub on his chest, “No rules, remember?” He pulls out a flag from behind him and snickers. Has he had that this entire time?

A flash of surging anger fumes inside of your chest, but Xavier just smiles. In his mind, it’s almost laughable how you fell for his devious yet successful confession slash plan. It was too good to pass up. And judging by the sour pout on your face, it worked!

“Y/n,” He chirps, “Was I a good distraction?” He can’t help but ask.

You avoid his gaze and turn your head to other possible directions your flag can be in, “You're the worst, Xavier.”

He runs a hand through his brown hair and smooths it down, “Right, right. You hate me. But I got you pretty good, didn’t I?” He picks up his jester cap and lazily smashes it onto the top of his head, “I'm gonna go, but, you should totally meet me in my dorm tonight? At 8?”

He makes his hasty exit before you can reply, leaving you breathless and weak in the knees—mostly tight fisted and furious, but still, weak in the knees.

“So, Y/n. Do you want to explain why you...left for so long..?” Your teammate asks, kind of scared to ask in the first place but confusion was eating her alive. How fitting.

Instead of answering, you reply with strong and swift robotic motions that quickly thunk your boat along the shore line, taking a good chunk out of the grass and soil. Unfortunately, half way through your synchronized rowing, some water kicked up into the boat and soaked your costume. You didn't care though. All you wanted was Xavier.

And his head on a stick.

Sounds of congratulatory cheers erupt from the crowd as Xavier and the rest of his jester-like teammates hold up the Poe Cup trophy together.

“Bitch.” Is all you can say when all your other teammates wash up next to you, sad, defeated, and soaked with murky lake water.

“Well get them next time, Y/n. Don’t be so hard on yourself!” Your friend smiles happily.

Yeah. Tonight.

[youraverageaemondsimp]

michael gavey x bipoc reader headcanon. an academic rivals to lovers story. 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰inspired by this: https://www.tiktok.com/@radmartin_/video/7328829549234441515

the two of them met in the maths class. michael is a natural born genius. reader worked incredibly hard to be there. nevertheless, she could go toe to toe with him in maths. she fulfils every expectation of her typical ethnic group, which was being good at maths.

rivalry got a bit intense. sometimes, the professor had to break them up.

michael gavey ended up bringing some crunchy bars to reader. reader initially rejected it because she was irritated at him and wanted to be left alone. somehow, michael felt rejected and didn't understand why.

michael to reader after a test: "i got 98%! what did you get?"

reader: "i got 100%".

michael: "o-o-okay. that's fine".

reader: "no, no, no. you got 98% because that's all you can get. i got 100% because that's all there is to get".

entire class on the sick burn: aWWWWwWwWwWwWw!

michael one day: "we need partners for this math project and you're working with me".

reader, insert eye roll: "why? is it because you need my intelligence to help you get a good grade?"

michael: "uh, no! it's because everyone else is stupid!"

michael: "so, how's physics?"

reader, looking confused: "you're not in my section! how did you know my schedule?"

michael, runs away, blushing.

michael began to notice what she wore. she wore a modernised traditional clothing of a scholar from her culture. she looked every bit like the scholar she wanted to be.

michael, blushing from head to toe: "you look...nice".

learned that her ethnic name actually means smart or scholar.

michael then began to join on her religious celebrations, complimenting her traditional clothing and the flowers that she wove into her hair.

michael tried to impress her with his knowledge about her religion, only to have him fumbling around to his nervousness. not because she is pretty or anything, much to reader's amusement.

they were then asked if they were a couple.

michael and reader vehemently denied it, both of them blushing.

but, of course, all of the aunties in her temple only encouraged them even more.

michael then joined her for her country's version of valentine's day. she looked beautiful. like a fairy with her ethereal robes, hair and makeup done. the two of them enjoyed their snacks.

the two of them enjoyed her country's snacks. reader now needs to keep an eye that he doesn't over indulge in other things other than a crunchy bar now.

movie nights where she now has to bring those candies that michael loves now.

she also brings out those desserts that michael fell incredibly hard for. luckily, she could make one. michael ended up gorging the entire thing, much to reader's amusement and delight.

chatting deeply into the night where they discuss the scholarly history of their respective countries.

michael learned that reader went to saltburn and was very upset.

"you shouldn't go there because they are filled with loooooosers!"

"dude! i have to make connections for future references!"

"and also, we have that group project! we can do that by the lake! and bring those snacks as well!"

"are you asking me out on a date?"

"uh-no!"

"you know, for a genius, you are incredibly stupid when it comes to stuff like this. yes, michael. i would love to go out with you," before kissing him on the cheek.

HE'S SO AWKWARD LMFAODOWOD 😭😭😭 thankfully reader is there to catch his little signs 😳

Imagine how smart their kid would if they had one 💀 like minimum IQ 180 at birth/j HASHAH

[caterkinnie]

Academic rivals to lovers with Riddle Rosehearts!

summary: You're basically the L to his Kira <3

warnings: little mention of his mom and some insecurities with Riddle,

genre: mostly fluff!

got a bit carried away with this one... sorry for being basic but i love rivals to lovers uu

Riddle was the best student in his class, flawless grades and behaviour, the epitome of a perfect student.

That is, until you came to Twisted Wonderland.

When he first saw you, he thought you would be another rule-breaker who wouldn't make it to the next year.

But the moment you got a better grade than most of his classmates, YOU, a magicless human, who's not even from Twisted Wonderland?

To say he was intrigued was an understatement.

Riddle respected you, maybe Ace and Deuce could learn a thing or two from you!

That's what he thought at first. Until he accidentally overheard… something definitely something.

"Hey prefect, if you keep going like this you're going to surpass Riddle in no time!" Deuce said unknowingly, that the subject of the conversation was nearby, able to hear everything.

Of course, this doesn't make him feel threatened in the slightest. After all you're just a magicless human, there's absolutely no way that's possible right?

"I don't think I could surpass him… his grades are perfect." You started "—But I can definitely match him."

What?! He was mad, he definitely was. How did someone, who shouldn't be in this world in the first place, think they COULD match him? How arrogant of you!

The next few days you could see he was grumpy and defensive everytime you were nearby. There was an unspoken rivalry between you two.

Every time professor Trein asked a question it was a duel between the two of you, on who would answer correctly first.

It got worse and worse everyday. And more direct as he would start scolding you for 'Not being proper for a Night Raven College student'.

"You may be a special case, but that doesn't mean you can slack off!"

"How disrespectful of you to not wear your uniform correctly! You're a prefect, you HAVE to set an example!"

Of course, you really didn't care. And that fact made him dislike you even more.

It was funny seeing him sometimes trying to collar you, just to be reminded that you Do Not Have Any Kind Of Magic and his signature magic is technically useless against you.

It was all fun and games until his overblot happened, and you realized the reason why he was so insistent on being better than you.

After that event, Riddle was more… nervous when you were around.

He was trying his best to let you be, but you could still see how upset he looked when you two were the only ones scoring a 100/100 in a test.

Riddle's need to be better than you wasn't to feed his ego, he just didn't understand you. You seemed to put zero effort academically and still be able to be one of the best students on Night Raven College.

And it made him feel like he wasn't doing enough, even if you did put extra effort due to your 'situation'.

You kinda disliked it, he genuinely wasn't a bad guy! He was trying his best to become a better person!

So one day, there was an important test. And you had a plan to cheer him up!

You purposefully answered incorrectly one of the questions! and got a 98/100, it wasn't that bad, but was definitely enough to put him again as the actual top student!

You expected him to be happy, but he looked… Confused

"Why?… I know you could have gotten a perfect score"

"Hey, you've been working a lot harder than me, you deserve it a lot more than I do."

And for a second, Riddle felt his heart skip a beat.

[peaches-writes]

penalty kick

description: maybe you got off on the wrong foot...actually, jisung did actually pushed you off the wrong foot.  member: jisung / han  genre: fluff, slice of life, coming of age, childhood frenemies / rivals to lovers au, idiots to lovers au, neighbor au, high school au, college au, lil dashes of soccer baseball musician & campus dj au bc jisung ace, female reader, off-season universe (mc from naturally is jeoyeon, mc from tumbles & turns is bora, and mc from off-season is kira hek)  word count: 12k warnings: explicit language, alcohol (a tiny mention of underage drinking pls drink responsibly!), mentions of injuries, jisung issa lil dumb & a lil shit but issokay hes an adorable lil shit note: @crscendoforsung so i scraped the witch jisung au (but i’ll come back to it in the future maybe it’s still in my drafts lol) so here is dumbass jisung for now + im away on christmas day so here’s my gift a day in advanced lmao

Age four. Your neighbor and favorite playmate, Han Jisung, pushed you so hard on the swings at your neighbourhood playground that you literally flew out of your plastic curved seat and bruised your knees, elbows, and chin. 

Maybe you did had it coming from continuously complaining that he ‘pushed like a sissy’ and even standing up on the swing set just to brag that you can balance all of your body weight on such flimsy material. Maybe your neighbor has always had a secret grudge on you finally enacted through this incident. Either way, the next thing you knew, a wide-eyed Jisung was on your side alternating between calling for adult help, crying over your bruises, and muttering curses he probably heard from his older brother under his breath. 

“Shit, shit shit...” He squeaked out frantically in his tiny voice, gently moving you to a sitting position on the stone pavement and dusting the dirt off of your bleeding injuries despite your loud complaints that your entire body was hurting. Looking around your surroundings, his breath then got caught up in his throat at seeing your mother fast-approaching with a mix of furious and worried in her expression. “Auntie! Help!” 

Your mother was hovering over you in an instant, examining your bruises with furrowed brows and clenched teeth. “Ah, dear God, what happened here?!” She exclaimed in a scolding tone, piercing gaze darting between your tearful eyes and Jisung’s panicked ones. “Jisung, did you do this?” 

“It was an accident auntie!” The boy in question answered immediately as he shook his head nervously and scooted away with his hands up in defense. “It was an accident, I promise!” 

However, with your back turned to him then, you naturally had a different impression of the incident as you quickly retorted, “He pushed me, mommy! He pushed me off of the swing!” 

Your mother never made any clear indication that she believed you as she simply shook your head and lifted you by your shoulders and knees, carrying you to a nearby bench to treat your wounds. 

Angered by your outburst, Jisung reluctantly followed you and your mother to the bench then glared at you until your injuries were cleaned and bandaged. With his arms crossed and a permanent frown bordering a pout on his lips, he stood next to you in his attempt at looking visibly angry for a puny five-year-old while you hissed and whined in pain the entire time. 

What’s worse is that his own mother made him apologize by sending him off to the nearest convenience store to buy you apple juice and steamed buns. Because of this, you’ve been mortal enemies, rivals, each other’s designated future potential killer, whatever you want to call it ever since.

Age seven. Han Jisung helped perpetuate a wild rumour that you and the rest of the class’ female population had ‘cooties.’ 

It’s only natural for boys at this age to gravitate to similar actions, of course. After all, you’ve heard worse from boys in the other classes (read: Hwang Hyunjin crying and demanding to get sent home because a girl kissed him on the cheek on the first day of classes). It’s the fact that Jisung actually seemed to have to believed it for a brief period of time in your first grade, however, that completely threw you off. 

He pulled on your braids during the time he sat behind you and kicked your shins while in line for P.E. class to ‘test your anger patience’ that was apparently fueled by cooties and occasionally stole your snacks for actual ‘DNA evidence’ of said cooties among other petty little things. It was nothing short of annoying and the very bane of your existence then. 

“Han Jisung cut it out!” You yelled at him one day, hitting him on the shoulder with the curved end of your wooden broom during after-class cleaning time. In this particular incident, the boy managed to swiftly take one of your pigtails out while wiping the windows in an attempt to ‘examine’ the DNA in your hair. 

“What?!” He snickered, taking a big step away from you and lifting up the blue scrunchie to examine it for miniscule strands of loose hair. “It’s for research!” 

You groaned in annoyance, reaching forward to retrieve the scrunchie with one hand while the other instinctively ran through the messed up half of your hair. “Jisung, give it back, you weirdo!” You scolded through gritted teeth, rolling your eyes when he shakes his head stubbornly and takes another step back from your reach. 

“Tell me the secret first!” 

“Secret of what?!” 

“Do you girls actually have cooties?” He quirked a genuinely suspicious eyebrow at you, raising the scrunchie above your heads after when you proceed lunge forward at him. “Does it actually make you guys this irritable all the time?” 

Somehow, the questions struck some kind of nerve in you. You were tired from classes, cleaning, and having to put up with Jisung’s childish antics. Maybe 1st grade girls did have cooties but for tapping into unbridled anger. “I’m going to kill you!” With the broom in your hands and the dust pan you snatched from his in retaliation, you then proceeded on repeatedly hitting Jisung in the forearms and shoulders until he surrendered with his arms protectively over his head and your scrunchie finally within reach. 

He also offered to fix your pigtail back for you but given the amount of distrust you already had for him, you simply smacked him one last time and went to the other end of the room to fix your hair. 

Age nine. Maturing a little bit through summer camps and classes, you and Jisung redirected all of your energy from physical violence to outsmarting each other in class. 

It started in English class when Mrs. Lee introduced the idea of recitations garnering students points and a fancy award at the end of the school year. Coming from the same piano class in the summer prior wherein you and Jisung also competed for your instructor’s attention, the two of you were quick to consider this as another one of your competitions. 

You devoted most of your time to studying the lesson from the what’s, who’s, when’s, and where’s while Jisung thought that focusing more on the deeper why’s and how’s would somehow garner him better points no matter how many times Mrs. Lee reiterated that all recitation points are given in 1 point’s. 

As the school year progressed, especially after the first semester report cards came out and the two of you were tied to first place in English to the very third decimal, the academic rivalry immediately extended to competing for the most amount of extra-curricular activities. You were more favored with the way you handled baby animals at the local shelter and competed in debates and quiz bees while Jisung was mainly noticed by the soccer and baseball coaches and the school choir’s moderator for his skills in sports and music. 

Jisung’s mom, who always picked the two of you up from school in her minivan, obliviously thought it was cute. 

“You know, instead of competing over everything all the time, you guys can take some notes from each other.” She pointed out one time after hearing your comment on Jisung ‘smelling like a polluted Pacific Ocean’ as he climbed in the backseat of the car. The sentiment almost went in one ear and came out of the other with the two of you, however, as Jisung proceeded on complaining that you smelled like ‘Cruella de Vil’s fake fur coat’ then hitting you on the head with his soccer ball. “Especially you, Sungie. You can learn a thing or two of keeping a goldfish alive for more than a week from Y/N.” 

You laughed at Jisung’s immediate shocked reaction of wide eyes and gaping mouth at this, slapping his arm in amusement and toppling over the backseat in laughter. “Yeah, Sungie, you really need help from that department.” You stuck your tongue out at him teasingly, laughing even more when he groans and hits you back with a light punch to your own arm. 

“Stop it.” He hissed at you before turning to his mother again, meeting her gaze through the rear view mirror. “Mom! You’re supposed to be on my side!” 

Mrs. Han was also stifling her own laughs then, forcing herself to focus on the road ahead instead of checking for her son’s pouting expression and crossed arms through the mirror. “Okay, okay.” She chuckled playfully with a dismissive hand, catching your eye after with a giggle. “Y/N, you should learn how to commit to exercise more with Jisung, then. There? Happy?” 

Satisfied, Jisung stuck his tongue out childishly at you as if completely forgetting the fact that he was attacked by his own mother first. “Bleh!” 

You rolled your eyes at him with a light-hearted scoff of your own, laughing away the way he proceeded to exaggeratedly tease you. “You’re so childish, Sung.” 

When your moms did seriously consider this idea later on, you were then forced to dedicated one weekend to taking each other to your respective extra-curricular activities. It was right before your final examinations and Jisung ended up getting scared over a golden retriever giving birth while you received severe cramps from the elementary soccer team’s rigorous conditioning training. 

It was a recipe of disaster, basically, and it ultimately led you and Jisung to cram knowledge for your exams on Sunday night in his bedroom. When you stubbornly didn’t learn anything from going to each other’s favorite extra-curriculars, you unconsciously ended up learning from each other in the six hours you both stayed up trying to review your notes. Miraculously (as in the miracle of hot brewed Milo-induced sugar rushes), it went well and the two of you tied or were close in grades at the second release of report cards.  

The only downside of it all was just the fact that the fancy recitation award in your English class that started it all somehow went to Hyunjin. 

“Ah, this is so frustrating!” You exclaimed on the ride home from school. You had your report card in your hands like Jisung, looking back on it all the while stressing out about Hyunjin winning the award the two of you spent a whole school year competing for. 

On the other side of his mom’s backseats, Jisung then turned to you and suggested, “Want to prank him? We’re playing soccer next week, you can swap his Cola for soy sauce.” 

You glanced over at Jisung, your pout slowly turning into a mischievous grin at his raised brows. “You’re onto something...” 

Age ten. You went on your first class field trip with a stuffed purple lunch bag of snacks.

Your mother specifically suggested that you share it with Jisung, thinking that the two of you would sit next to each other on the bus since he’s your only classmate she’s actually familiar with. But of course, when Jisung didn’t bring up any hints that he knew of this while waiting for the school bus to arrive, you immediately thought against it and planned out how you were going to hide your seemingly endless supply of snacks from him on the back-and-forth rides to Namsan Tower.

It was a well thought-out plan involving sitting near to the front and as far away from him as possible with your own group of friends then hiding the lunch bag under your seat until you caught Hyunjin not-so-discreetly trying to steal from you while he re-checked attendance after a stop-over.

“Jisung put you up to this, didn’t he?” You frowned, candy successfully retrieved from Hyunjin’s prying hands and popped into your mouth as the lanky boy scratched the back of his head in shame. “It’s okay, Hyunjin, I won’t kill you. It’s Jisung’s corpse I’m planning to roll down Namsan if he’s actually behind this.”

After a few more coaxing, Hyunjin eventually nodded sheepishly and admitted to Jisung convincing him to take a candy bar from you.

“Ya! Hyunjin!” Jisung whined from across the bus, peeking his head up from the identical red seats with balled up fists. “I told you not to rat me out!”

“Y/N was being scary!” Hyunjin argues back, sprinting back to his seat as soon as the the bus stopped at a streetlight. Hiding under the sea of seats, he then exclaimed, “You two take me out of your fights! Geez!”

Jisung pouted at you as soon as you lifted your own head up from your seat and turned around to face him, holding his hands out in front of him and then asking, “Can’t I really have candy?”

You shook your head stubbornly. “If I give you one, everyone’s going to ask me for it too.”

“But everyone’s basically asleep!”

“They could be fake-sleeping for all I know!” You hissed, popping another ball of candy in your mouth. “I don’t trust anyone in this class with food but myself.” 

“Y/N!” He whined, only to get pulled down by force when the bus abruptly begins moving again. Scrambling up right after, he then continued pleading, “Please?”

“No.” You firmly concluded, sitting back down on your seat. 

Jisung even tried staying behind to try and steal candy off of you while the entire class was piling outside to enter Namsan Tower, only to trip in surprise when you jumped on him from crouching under the seats. Poor boy almost hit his head on the seats in shock.

“I knew you’d pull this kind of shit.” You tsked in disapproval with a slight stutter towards cursing at such an age, smacking him over the head anyway before throwing the smallest piece of chocolate candy you had from your bag. Moving past him to the bus exit, you then added, “You don’t even do nice things for me.”

You only meant it half-heartedly, though. Whether Jisung actually wanted more candy or he did sincerely felt bad over what you said, either way, he paid for the expensive pink lock you and your friend wanted to hang at the very top of the tower later on but only if you promised to share your snacks.

Jisung received three packets of gummy bears and a bottle of banana milk from you in the end on the ride home.

Age twelve. The Hans temporarily moved to Malaysia in the summer before the seventh grade because of an assignment for Jisung’s father at work.

On the day before their flight, Mr. and Mrs. Han organized a farewell party in their house at the other end of the block and invited your entire class. Jisung tricked you into getting him a farewell present by telling you that everyone was planning to do the same thing as a surprise but he secretly found out thing.

He didn’t actually expect you to get him something, not with the way the two of you have always been at each other’s necks since you were kids, but you ended up surprising him in the middle of the lunch party by giving him a small notebook of useful Malaysian phrases you wrote down yourself. You don’t always agree with Jisung but you think of yourself as thoughtful and civil enough to buy something practical. Also, your parents insisted. 

“O-Oh, you actually got me something?” He fumbled through an intense blush that matched the redness of his Supreme cap, almost tripping over nothing as you both stood on the steps leading down to the back of his house. It didn’t help that a few classmate passersby were glancing your way as well, either cooing or snickering at the awkward sight in the corner of all the socialization. “L-Like—like, this is actually for me?”

You raised a brow in confusion and reluctantly shrugged, releasing the red phrasebook from your grip as he held onto it by the other end. “Yeah, you said you’re getting presents so I...got you one.”

“I actually lied—“

“What?!” You exclaimed a little too loudly for your taste, earning you a sharp glare from your mother all the way across the backyard. Mouthing a quick apology to your her, you then quickly averted your glare back to Jisung who instinctively resorted to looking at anywhere but you. “But you said—“

“I thought for sure that no one would give me any farewell presents since it’s not a birthday or anything but I know you would if you’re like forced to or something so I thought...hehe...” He mustered up a sheepish grin, pressing his index fingers together in a comical shy gesture. When your glare intensifies, he then immediately held his hands up in defense and visibly winced, “Ya, don’t hit me!”

Every fiber in your being really wanted to hit him with the notebook then, maybe even push him down the stairs while no one was looking, but after a moment of thinking your way out of such violent thoughts, you resorted to exhaling a sigh and saying, “Whatever, just keep the notebook or something. I don’t care. It’s not expensive, anyway.”

You chanted to yourself that you’re mature, especially as Jisung’s eyes lit up and he immediately thanked you for both the gift and sparing his life that day.

Though he didn’t hear the end of the other teasing from Hyunjin after that, Jisung kept the notebook around anyway throughout his entire two-year stay in Malaysia. It was helpful but he’ll never admit that to your face.

“You kept it.” You pointed out one day, more as a statement than a question as you realized that the notebook he was using for exam reviewer notes was in the same color as the phrasebook you gave him. When Jisung came back in the summer before the ninth grade, the two of you met again in the same cram school wherein mostly everyone but you and the transfer student, Kim Seungmin, refused to help him keep up with the heavier than usual workload. “The phrasebook...”

“Yeah—well, I didn’t want to waste any of the pages you didn’t write on.” He pouted stubbornly as he flipped through the older pages to compare the amount of pages you used to the empty sheets. His tone actually sounded like he was convincing himself much more than he was trying with you but you missed it complete in the moment. “Be more eco-friendly, Y/N.”

You simply rolled your eyes at him. “Glad to know I kept you alive in another country somehow, then.”

Age fourteen. You went to a soccer game to see Jisung but only because one of your friends, Eunha, developed a crush on the striker and eventually hatched a plan to confess on the game before Valentine’s Day. Fortunately, Jisung barely noticed and didn’t tease you for it since it’s already an established fact that you’re always at his games with either Yang Jeongin or Seungmin to cheer on Hyunjin instead.

You really didn’t get it. Of course, fifteen was the time when some, if not all, parts of your day were starting to become dedicated to vanity and all the artificial things in life to attract kind of puppy love in school but at this point Jisung always wore the same green hoodie, red Supreme cap, and white ‘Eyez on You’ shirt to every school function that didn’t require wearing a uniform.

You understood how your classmates suddenly began fawning over Hyunjin right after the summer when he got his braces removed and then Seungmin for bringing a suit and tie one time for an inter-school debate but the hype over Jisung suddenly bringing in his guitar to class breaks everyday and re-emerging as a star soccer and baseball player throughout the school year is an absolute mystery to you. That or, maybe compared to your junior high peers, you’re just as used to him at this point than they all are. In your perspective, the only legitimate thing he has going on is how he always seems to beat you in most Arts subjects and how annoying it is that he always makes sure to rub that in your face. 

“I’m pretty sure he still doesn’t shower properly right after training.” You shook your head disapprovingly at Eunha during the game. Soccer is an interesting sport for surprisingly bringing you up to stand and cheer at some moments, you’ll give it that, but watching Jisung get cocky and interact to the crowd whenever his team scored a point was somehow cringe-worthy to watch. “And I’m so sure he still doesn’t clean that soccer ball of his right after practice. You deserve better, sis.”

But no matter how much you talked shit about him throughout the entire game, Eunha still held onto the box of handmade candies she coerced you into picking up from Jisung’s favorite candy shop on the weekend prior and cheering him on with the slogan she made herself. It would’ve looked cute and sweet to you if it was some other guy but it’s Jisung—the guy who pushed you off a swing, pulled your hair, stole candy from you, and made all of your elementary after-school rides home an actual rollercoaster—and you would never wish his treatment of you to any other person ever.

“You said that was in elementary, Y/N.” Eunha chuckled softly, nudging your elbow before a sour expression could completely overtake your face. “Surely he’s outgrown that girls have cooties phase every boy had then.”

“No, it’s Jisung and I refuse to believe it.”

You really didn’t want to believe it with your natural instinct to see Jisung as the bane of your existence. What’s worse is that Eunha was right and Jisung shyly accepted the Saturday movie date at the mall that she came up with on the spot when he surprisingly received the candies well, a complete stretch from the Jisung who would’ve lied about being busy or tricked your friend into doing something else altogether. Suddenly, it was selfishly annoying that you’re the only one he actually tortures the life out of.

“Told you.” Eunha giggled throughout the drive back to your house. Your mother picked you up from school right after the soccer game for a sleepover you insisted was a must whether or not your friend scored her Valentine’s Day date. “Ah, I’m glad he accepted. I was a nervous wreck there! You don’t happen to know what kind of movie he likes, do you?”

You never heard the end of it from her for the remainder of the semester. The two were never official—middle school just didn’t have that solid idea of significant others, then—but they did went on numerous ‘dates’ almost every weekend that followed Valentine’s Day. Naturally, Eunha would tell you all about it. 

“He’s so sweet and caring and thoughtful!” The girl endlessly gushed out to you so genuinely you would’ve been happy had you not been sincerely expecting a major fuck-up from Jisung. Nothing romantic really did come out of these dates, even Jisung surprisingly swears by it, but they did become really close friends after and as Jisung’s only other female friend at the time, you can clearly see a point of comparison between his different treatment of you. “Though, I’m gonna give it to you that he is annoying sometimes but he does know a lot of good places to hang out around town for someone who’s been away for two years!” 

“He does the bare minimum for everything, Eunha. I could barely call it sweet.” You scoffed unamused. 

Age sixteen. In the summer after the tenth grade, an upperclassman from school by the name of Lee Minho started volunteering at the same local shelter you’ve been under since elementary after surrendering a lost cat to you while he and Jisung were playing baseball at the nearby park. 

He adopted Dori in the end but prior to finalizing the adoption papers, he actually made the effort to come in at your MWF schedule to help around and see the dark grey kitten. To you, it was endearing and thoughtful since you didn’t have much active co-workers at the shelter your age but to Jisung, it was slightly inconveniencing how Minho would cut off their play-time to see the cat. He even thought Minho had a crush on you and vice versa but you knew that Minho liked one of his own closer friends. 

“Jeoyeon?” Minho scoffed, crouching down next to you one time as you watched over the new litterbox of kittens eating with Dori on your feet. Crossing his arms over his knees, he shook his head and chuckled, “They’re cool and we’ve been friends for a long time but I’m sure they have a big fat crush on Bang Chan. Something happened after their McDonald’s date after our prom, I’m telling you!” 

“No, not Jeoyeon! I meant Bora!” You argued back with a laugh, picking up a white kitten that wanders off to your feet and lifts its body up cutely for a lift. Gingerly pressing the kitten to your shoulder, you then turned to Minho and continued, “The one who came by the other day to see Dori with you. Aren’t you guys rooming together in college?” 

Minho clutched his chest dramatically at this, shaking his head with a comical conviction. “What?! How could you accuse me of that, Y/N? Bora’s from a different cheerdance team! That would be like sleeping with the enemy!” 

You rolled your eyes, knocking him off of his balance by elbowing his sides. “Ya, I didn’t say that, you did!” You scoffed at him, sighing when he laughs off landing on his butt before sitting up in a crisscross position. “Anyway, don’t you like her?” 

“If I don’t like her, we wouldn’t be making all these plans to move in together for college, stupid.” Minho snickered, earning him another elbow jab from you. “Well, what do you want me to say? You asked me if I like her, you didn’t ask me how exactly I like her.” 

"Okay then, you wise wise person: how do you like Bora?” You sighed dryly, plopping down on the ground at feeling your ankles starting to ache from crouching. The kitten on your arm then jumped down to your lap, circling your legs a few times before finding a comfortable position to sleep in. “You know, the more you visit here with this kind of sarcasm, the more I’m starting to understand where Seungmin and Jisung are suddenly getting all of their newfound sassiness from.” 

Minho chuckled next to you, picking up Dori for himself once he saw him finish eating before hugging the kitten gently to his cheek. “Bora’s...someone I’d probably punch a guy in the team for if they ever disrespect her. I mean, I’d punch a guy for Dahyun, Jeoyeon, and Jihyo, too, of course, but Bora’s in the same sport where she’s always getting lifted in the air and touched by who knows who and now that we won’t be in the same team, I feel even more responsible for keeping an eye out for her.” He shrugged casually, ignoring the way your jaw just dropped at how naturally he explained himself. “Plus, it took a lot of convincing to get her to be my roommate so I can’t really have her dying under my care in the next four years.” 

“I—” You furrowed your brows in thought, pursing your lips in a pout. “Wow, I’m jealous.” 

“Then get on my good side, Y/N.” Minho winked with a laugh, holding Dori in front of you. “Let me take this baby home at the end of the summer.” 

You rolled your eyes again at this, shaking your head. “No, I mean...I hang out with Jeongin, Hyunjin, Seungmin, and Jisung and they aren’t really the most well-versed boys on treating girls properly.” 

“That’s why you hang out with me. We all know that Hyunjin just can’t say no to anyone who offers him a slightly more expensive bouquet of flowers, Seungmin’s in a relationship with baseball and academics, and Jisung...Jisung’s just dumb in general.” Minho then pointed out with a somehow knowing tone, smirking when a familiar figure passes by the hallways right behind you. “Speaking of...” 

Jisung joined you and Minho after, making sure to sit in between the two of you and drowning himself in as many kittens who wanted to sit on his lap as much as he can. “Dude, you shouldn’t have left early!” He scolded Minho with a pout and a slightly breathless tone from running all the way from the park. “Seungmin joined us today and he completely wiped out Sunwoo’s team!” 

“Then even more reasons to come here early so you guys could play with Seungmin on your team.” Minho laughed, gently handing Dori over to you from across Jisung before standing up and dusting the lint off of his jeans. “Y/N needed help with feeding the cats and puppies today, anyway.” 

Jisung frowned, turning to you after and asking, “Don’t you have any other co-workers around here?”

“Jeno has allergies so I don’t let him in here on most days.” You shrugged, handing Minho the empty pet bowls nearest to you as he proceeded to clean and collect them. “I can do it myself, you know. It’s just that Minho comes over and insists.” 

“Then you should’ve just told him that so we can play longer.” 

“Why is it a big deal? Do you like Minho?” 

“Do you?” Jisung’s eyes widened, almost getting scratched by a random cat in the process. “Because...because that’d be gross, to be honest...”

At this moment, your eyes accidentally met Minho’s right behind Jisung and the older boy had the audacity to wink at you before sprinting out of the room with a thumbs up above his head. 

In the end, you shrugged and answered, “I like him.” 

“What?!” Jisung sat up so quickly he almost scared a bunch of kittens walking all over his chest into jumping away.

“I’d be a psychopath if I don’t like him but let him volunteer around here, dumbass.” You deadpanned, moving the kittens around him to a safer space on the floor. “Besides, you asked me if I like him, not how I like him.” 

“What the fuck does that even mean?” 

Minho had a whole laugh out of eavesdropping from this conversation that he felt bad and actually adjusted his schedule for volunteering and playing soccer better so ‘Jisung would have one less thing to whine about all the time.’ 

Age seventeen. You and Jisung tried convincing your respective parents that going to prom as a group is the more practical and actually trendy thing to do but your mothers wouldn’t have it. Ultimately, the two of you ended up lying that you’re going as each other’s dates. 

You initially planned on begging to Seungmin until he pulled up balloons, roses, and a song number to his lab partner right on the lunch break that you planned on doing it and, of course, you had enough dignity to not fall in line with the countless of students that basically worshipped Hyunjin’s locker as if it were a shrine. 

Jisung, with Eunha already set on going with someone else she started dating at the beginning of the 11th grade school year, was the convenient choice. Your parents knew each other, he knows someone (his older brother) who can drive, and he’s recently gotten over his Emo-Hypebeast wardrobe phase after joining the school’s radio club with Chan and Changbin. With some convincing (read: an elaborate PowerPoint Presentation he made you do on the spot during one of your lunch breaks), the two of you decided that you would take all the photos your respective mothers wanted, carpool to the hotel, then go on your separate ways until his brother picks the two of you up at the end of the night. 

It was a simple and fool-proof plan, one that you almost forgot when you rented an emerald green and gold prom attire then Jisung’s mother told you right after about hearing her son trying to order a purple callalily boutonniere that clearly did not match your taste nor your colors (you sorted this out by cancelling the order and taking matters into your own hands). Then, the most awkward photo op at your house happened. 

“Sungie, put your arm around Y/N!” 

“Y/N, stop slouching, you’re going to wrinkle your outfit!” 

You were never serious-looking in any photos that had Jisung in it as well, preferring to pose like the two of you planned on murdering each other right after the photos instead, but your respective moms were holding your Instax camera and the family film cameras across the living room in this particular situation and so you reluctantly kept it inside. Straightening up your shoulders and elbowing Jisung to at least wrap an arm over your shoulder, you held up smiles right next to your red rose corsage and boutonniere set until the two women were eventually satisfied with their photos. 

“Aah, you two really make a cute couple!”

“Mom, we’re not a couple!” Jisung whined, glaring at you after which you immediately returned with the same expression.

“God, I’d sell all my limbs first before we actually become a couple.” You deadpanned back at him.

Fortunately, Jisung’s older brother allowed the two of you to basically try and throw each other out of the car windows on the thirty-minute ride to the hotel venue in compensation. You almost had him by the neck and he almost ruined your hair that you spent hours curling until Hyunjin pulled you back with a smack to your head and dragged the two of you away to help in the Prom Committee’s final preparations since Jisung was going to perform with Changbin and you were a part of the Prom’s Logistics team. 

You mostly stayed out of each other’s hairs for most of the first part of the program as you were busy pulling everything together while Jisung was having the time of his life with the soccer and basebal teams. The next time you bumped into each other, you scolded him for running late to his and Changbin’s set after dinner. 

“Where were you?!” You mostly hit him in the back with your clipboard, frantically passing him his already set up electric guitar and a microphone. First, one of your peers got drunk too early in the dinner to help out in the program, then one of the event’s award sashes briefly went missing and, not to mention, a lot of the people from the other committees somehow forgot about their event tasks when you asked in the main groupchat. You really weren’t having anyone’s antics at this point. “Geez, we already practiced this!” 

“Ow, ow, ow! Stop hitting me! Why are you so on edge?” Appropriately, he whined in complaint and took a step back after receiving his equipment, holding his hands up in defense as he always does. “Cut me some slack, Y/N! It’s prom!” 

“You’re so late when your table is literally right next to the side of the stage!” 

“I was dancing with everyone else! You wouldn’t know since you wouldn’t even take a break!” 

“Because I’m busy!” 

“No, you’re just being more irritable than usual!” 

“Fuck you, Han Jisung.” You rolled your eyes with an exasperated sigh, coldly directing him to the stage. “You’re on, get on the stage.” 

You knew he didn’t mean it cruelly, especially when his pupils started to shake and his shoulders instinctively slumped as he glanced back at you right before reluctantly stepping up the star-filled stage, but you were too tired of having to run around and making the event perfect for most of the night to process anything, much less his usual jabs at you. Being in such a tired headspace, you couldn’t enjoy his songs no matter how undeniably great they were, much less meet his eyes when you knew how he kept glancing at you throughout the entire set. 

He even covered your favorite song on the spot (which surprised Changbin and had Hyunjin running around backstage to inform everyone of the sudden extension) but you already sat down on your shared table with Hyunjin, Seungmin, Eunha, and their dates before he could even begin singing the chorus.  

“Hey, you good?” Minjung, Eunha’s date, asked you with an offering of an extra shawl to cover your exposed shoulders from the nearby air-conditioning unit. Eunha had previously left to go to the bathroom after stopping by your shared table. “Y/N, I told you if you needed extra help with the program, you could’ve just told us. We just planned on dancing tonight, anyway.” 

“I’m good.” You grumbled in a half-lie, resting your chin on your propped up hand tiredly, mumbling a small ‘thank you’ for the shawl as you fought away your tiredness. “I think I’ll just sit the rest of Prom out. Hyunjin can run the program on his own.” 

Minjung frowned, sitting down next to you and fixing the loose strands on the haphazard ponytail you managed to pull up in the middle of the program. “Are you sure? Eunha and I can stay with you until you’re feeling better. Besides, the program’s still long, you deserve to enjoy your hard work later at least.” 

Stubbornly, you simply scrunched up your nose and shook your head. “I think I’ve had enough of prom for one night. You should go and dance more, though. I’m okay as long as you guys are having fun.” 

But equally as headstrong as you are, Minjung got Eunha in on convincing you to agreeing to one dance with them as soon as she came back from the bathroom, reasoning out that, “We can stay in the back and just dance silly! It’s prom!” 

The pair proved themselves to be unstoppable in their joint persuasiveness when they got you to stand up and actually join them at the next set, right as Jisung was about to approach you to apologize. The poor boy ended up waiting the entire night until the two of you were alone instead, shivering right next to each other at the lobby while waiting for his brother to pick you two up. 

“Why did you even pick out something off-shoulder? I get that it’s trendy these days but you picked the venue knowing it’s cold and didn’t even connect a few dots there.” He hissed lowly, contemplating on teasing you further or keeping it quiet until he can muster up a ‘sorry’ to you. Shrugging off his jacket, he then gently draped it over your shoulder and added, “Don’t catch a cold or something...your mom’s going to kill me.” 

“Shut up.” You hissed back, crossing your arms further in over your chest as you spotted his brother’s car approaching the lobby’s driveway. You didn’t remove his coat from your back, though, clutching it tightly instead while convincing yourself that he willingly gave it to you so there’s no reason for you to throw it back at him when you really needed it. “ You don’t even do nice things for me.”

The familiar words visibly caught him off-guard, almost foiling his plan of opening the door for you as he freezes in his steps but he regains composure in time and almost trips ahead to swat your hand away from the car’s door handle. “I’m sorry.” He mumbled in the awkward silence, gulping down his fears of your death glare as he briefly averted his gaze away from you. With this, he missed the way your gaze softened. “There’s candies in the pockets.”

And there was, coincidentally enough the same brand he tried stealing from you on your school field trip.

“These aren’t expired, right?” You chuckled, popping a chocolate in your mouth anyway. 

That was enough for Jisung to relax his shoulders and laugh along. “No, promise.” He held a hand up as if he was swearing by his words, easing you into another fit of laughs. “I ran all the way to the convenience store down the block to get you those tonight! I felt really bad...I didn’t mean it.”

He could be sweet if he wanted, you’d give him that. 

“I’m sorry too.” You whispered to him at the end of the night, right after scoffing at him for insisting to walk you all the way to your doorstep of course. “I was so stressed with managing everything that I took it out on you.” 

Standing awkwardly with you right in front of your house’s front door, the sheepish boy rubbed the nape of his neck and shrugged. “Nah, I think I deserve it. I do annoy you a lot, don’t I?” He chuckled, eyes trained to the ground. “I didn’t even ask you to one dance.” 

“Not like you actually had to, we’re no—” 

“But you were still technically my date and I don’t want to be a bad prom date, even to you!” He insisted anyway, only then looking up at you. “I’ll make it up to you in the distant future, okay? Reserve me your next dance in the distant future, no matter where it is!”  

Before you could even retort, he was already running back to his brother’s car. 

Age eighteen and a half. Jisung began dating a girl named Haneul whom he met in one of his general classes and didn’t have one single clue about baseball or soccer. Naturally, his entire friend group was concerned. 

Though you’re much civil friends now, you still didn’t really care. Or maybe you didn’t want to out of spite (or a really really weird and displaced feeling of jealousy?), you weren’t sure. You just thought that Jisung can do whatever he wants even when it’s something that’s generally not advisable when you’re a freshman in college, but it seemed as if it was all Jeongin talked to you about whenever the two of you met up to study for one of your shared classes so naturally you forced yourself to take in all of the gossip. What’s worse is that Hyunjin would come over often to loiter around the library and gawk at the cute student librarian, ultimately encouraging the younger boy to talk about it more. 

“You’re being unfair to her.” You always reminded the two, sometimes Seungmin when he would sit quietly in the middle of the topic and say nothing to defend Haneul. In this particular time, Jeongin took you to watch the baseball team’s Wednesday scrimmage after hours of studying your nursing notes together at the nearby library. “Like, look, I don’t even do any sports myself but you guys hang out with me.” 

“But you’re different, you’re not dating any one of us.” Hyunjin snickered, hugging his helmet to his chest as he sat a step below you on the bleaches. When a thought then crossed his mind, he dramatically gasped over his gloves and added, “Wait, does that mean you have a crush on someone? Is it me?” 

You smacked him in the head with your hand, rolling your eyes after. “You know what I mean.” 

Next to you, Jeongin mustered up a shrug as he tried getting an injured Kira to sit back down on her seat. Your stubborn best friend, after playing at an underground derby game on the weekend prior, kept on moving around because sitting down with her injuries made her uncomfortable. “But at least you make an effort for us even if it’s just small.” He reasoned out, huffing tiredly when Kira finally sits down and promises not to move for the next five minutes. You would’ve helped him but personally you thought he deserved to suffer alone after letting her go out despite her injuries today. “Haneul got dragged by Jisung to watch last week’s scrimmage and didn’t even last a set. She just left in the middle of the game—literally!”

“He made Jisung skip on my derby game to too!” Kira pouted, waving her bandaged hands frantically in the air. “I’m personally offended, Y/N!”

“And she doesn’t seem to like talking to us in general.” Hyunjin shrugged in conclusion. “Like, sports aside, she’s a bit rude and nonchalant when she talks to us in general especially when Sung isn’t around. It’s a bit sus to me.” 

“To be fair, Kira, I wouldn’t be going too if you and Yeji aren’t so insistent on it. It’s so worrying seeing the two of you get hurt.” You pointed out before averting your attention to Jeongin once more. “And Jeongin, you know the only reason I can’t leave baseball and soccer games these days is because you and Seungmin are usually my ride home.” You scoffed. “If I could, I’d be hanging out with Felix more and only going to Kira’s games. Ya, why is he even allowed to skip games and I’m not, anyway?”

“Because he’s taking classes and training with the cheerdance squad until 8 PM and as far as I’m concerned, you’re free after 12 noon like me!” Jeongin simply grinned at you, earning himself a glare. “Also, I need you here with me as the medic team. You know I’ll panic alone!” 

Fortunately, no one ever actually gets injured at any of the games regardless if they were formal or not. By the time the game has finished, you were reminding Kira to rest more at her dorms and sprinting out of the baseball field to the samgyeopsal place the team promised to treating dinner at. You completely missed the boys’ conversation on Haneul in the process but you did get free food.

You really didn’t get it. The one time you met Haneul by chance, when you and Felix bumped into the two at the mall near the supermarket, she seemed a bit distant but she could be polite when she wanted to. Of course, it rubbed you the wrong way but you and Felix thought that it was none of your business anyway, given that neither of you are dating her. 

“When the guys walked me out of the baseball field last Wednesday, they did mention something about Jisung aiming for the soccer national team but who knows if they’re exaggerating again or something.” Kira confided in you later that week when the two of you met up over lunch. “Either way, I’d understand. If I were in Jisung’s shoes, I’d feel a little disheartened if someone I really like doesn’t appreciate the things I’m passionate about!”

Still, you simply let your friends sort it out for themselves. “Jisung’s a grown-up, he can figure things out on his own at the end of the day.” You reasoned out. 

Age eighteen and three-fourths. Jisung asked—practically begged—you to go to the movies with him because he and Haneul broke up the week before his birthday after opening up his worries to her. The other ticket was meant to be a surprise for his ex-girlfriend.

From what Jeongin and Felix have gossiped to you on two separate occasions, Haneul apparently didn’t like you and the rest of Jisung’s immediate friend group no matter how many times the boys tried warming up to her and getting to know her over the summer. She didn’t really support Jisung’s passion for sports, too, and mostly just stuck around for the ‘clout of it all’ or however Felix worded it to you. 

“I’d ask Hyunjin but he has a date with that librarian!” Jisung frowned over the phone on the night before the scheduled screening of Weathering with You. Reminiscent of a similar time long ago, he sounded more like he was convincing himself than you. “And Seungmin’s taking care of Kira, Minho and Felix are training, Changbin’s doing God knows what with his finals, Chan has swim training and—and yeah, you know where I’m going with this!” 

You sighed, rolling over on your back in your bed after submitting your online work. “You can ask the baseball team, the soccer team, your Introduction to Musical Theory class, the campus radio club, and—and yeah, you also know where I’m going with this.” 

“Yeah but—but it’d be weird if I just went with anyone or something!” He mumbled under his breath, pausing on the other line to scratch his head in thought. “Come on, it’s not your midterms week yet, right? Can’t you come over and go to the movies with me?”

“You’ll probably strangle me in the dark or something.” You argued next. 

“But it’s free tickets! At least you’re going to die with free tickets!” 

“So you are planning to kill me! I knew it!” You snorted dryly, rolling your eyes. “Seriously, don’t you have anyone else to go with? Why me?” 

Jisung took in a sharp breath in the longest pause you’ve ever heard from the usually rowdy boy. At that moment, only then did you notice the faint sounds of pre-recorded dialogues for soccer arcade games. He must’ve been at the one near his dorm then as he usually was when he was contemplating on something. “I just—honestly, I’m still processing all of this and I don’t want to open up to the guys...and Eunha’s abroad and I’m not that close to Kira or Bora so I thought of you.” 

Now, it was your turn to be speechless. 

“It’s silly, I know.” Jisung continued with an awkward laugh when he didn’t hear anything on your end. “But even when you’re annoying sometimes and you always get angry at me because you always misunderstand, you’ve known me the longest and I know you listen well and you’re always open-minded about things so I thought I’d vent to you, if it’s okay...” 

You finally released a defeated sigh, sitting up properly on your bed as if he was actually in the same room as you. “God, you’re too good at making me feel guilty.” You mused out loud. “Fine, just text me the place and time and no funny business!” 

You met up with Jisung at the nearest shopping center the following night, surprise paper bags of take-out and a mini cake for two to eat at the cinema. 

“I’m only going to be nice to you this time because you just got dumped and it’s your birthday later.” You explained as serious as you can to a giggling and blushing Jisung, handing him the take-out paper bags. Once the dinner meals are in his hands, you then take out the blueberry mini cheesecake from its separate paper bag and set up the candle you brought along with it. “Now, make a wish and get it over with.” 

Jisung’s eyes widened at the pink candle suddenly being pushed up to his face, distracting him from the passersby cooing and making comments at the two of you. “Really?” 

You nodded impatiently, thrusting the cake further up his face. “Yes! Now, blow on your candles or I’ll do it myself and eat the whole thing!” 

Jisung wasted no time blowing the single candle and taking the cake from you as well, jumping up and down in place as he closed the lid carefully and returned it to its paper bag. “Thank you!” He exclaimed gleefully, pulling you to a side hug. “Now, I feel a bit better.” 

“You better.” You frowned back at him, biting down a small smile when his hug lingered on a second longer. “Now, let’s go or we’ll be late to the screening.” 

Fortunately, Jisung didn’t actually tried strangling you in the dark while the movie played since he became busy with eating his dinner and cake as well as crying over the plot. 

Age nineteen. Jisung took you to the arcade inside the shopping center after to vent while scoring kicks at the mini soccer game. 

“Basically, she said—” Score. “—that she felt annoyed that Hyunjin, Minho, Jeongin, and Seungmin were mostly onto her for ‘seeming off’ whenever they met or interacted.” Another score. Standing outside the protective fence, your gaze darted quickly between Jisung and the small net across the long room. “So I said that’s just how those guys are: they’re very curious of new people and make a lot of effort over it so when they feel that the other person’s energy seems off or doesn’t match theirs in any way, they’d worry.”

You nodded along whenever he glanced over to you, agreeing halfheartedly. “Hm, those guys don’t take bullshit, of course...”

“Yeah, right...” Jisung kicked another ball, barely missing the goal as he thinks of what to say next. “Then she started accusing the guys that they don’t like her because she doesn’t do sports which doesn’t even make sense because I know it’s not superficial like that.” He sighed, scoring again. After this particular kick, he then stopped altogether and turned to you. “The guys just feel off that, as someone I’m dating, she doesn’t make enough effort to watch my games or be familiar with the sports I love. It’s not the same thing.”  

“But does she make an effort to listen to your music?” You blurted out of nowhere, surprising not only Jisung but also yourself. 

It just occurred you to on the spot. All this talk about Jisung’s passion for sports had you thinking if Haneul also disliked the one other thing that Jisung was absolutely passionate about: his music. 

And it seemed to have caught him off-guard as it took the boy longer to contemplate on the question. “I—n-no? No...” He furrowed his brows in thought, walking over to you on his side of the chain link fence. “Come to think of it, she never told me what she thought of the songs I used to send her for feedback...”

You nodded, mumbling under your breath, “So much for defending her from everyone last summer...” 

“Hm?” 

“Like, I’d get it if your friends don’t immediately warm up to her because that really does happen in some relationships and it can be remedied over time but not appreciating the things you, the person she’s dating, are passionate about is another thing. If she doesn’t like the things you’re passionate about, then maybe she really isn’t the one you should be with.” You shrugged nonchalantly. “She could be all things nice but if she doesn’t support your own ambitions, other things that make you really happy, then everything else doesn’t mean anything.”

When he doesn’t speak, you allow yourself to continue. “Kira told me that you’re aiming for the national team in either baseball or soccer which is a bit surprising since I know you’re already being sought after for your music even at university so clearly those things are very important to you. Having someone around that doesn’t see that importance enough to make efforts is a bit meaningless in the long run, if you think about it. You...you deserve better, it’s what I’m trying to get at.” 

Still, he wouldn’t speak after everything you said. Instead, the boy just gaped at you from the fence. It definitely unnerved you as time dragged on longer. 

“I let you vent and made my own input on it like you wanted me here to and you just gape?” You tsked through your nervousness, crossing your arms teasingly and leaning over the fence on your side. “Ji, say something.” 

“...thank you.” He finally breathed out before you could complain further, catching you off-guard this time. “I needed that.” 

“What?” 

“This whole thing just made me feel really conflicting feelings.” He confessed, voice lower than usual now as he mirrored your position. “Thank you for listening and telling me what you thought. They definitely made a lot of things clearer.” 

You smiled, shoving him slightly through the fence separating the two of you. “See? That wasn’t so hard, was it birthday boy?” You teased, laughing even more when he pouted at your teasing tone. “So? Feel better, then?” 

“A bit, yeah.” He nodded, grinning widely now. “Thanks for tonight, Y/N.” 

“You won’t admit it to my face but I know you’d do the same for me if I annoyed you into it enough.” You shrugged, standing up properly now and walking over to the entrance. “Now, would you let me play? You’ve been at it for twenty minutes, it’s getting tiring watching you.” 

He laughed at this as you joined him in the arcade space, kicking a soccer ball towards you as soon as you came in through the chain entrance. “What? You think you can do better?” 

“I had to watch you all the time after school back then because you were my ride home and Mrs. Han always picked us up late. I’m sure that could amount to something.” 

Age nineteen and a half. For a mandatory community service class, all of your friends signed up to volunteer at an orphanage. 

The majority vote was actually at the shelter you used to volunteer at but your old neighbourhood was too far from the university you were attending and so the most practical option, the orphanage just two blocks away, was the natural next best thing. And from this one semester’s worth of experience, you definitely learned a lot about your friends. 

For one, Hyunjin, Felix, and Jeongin were only popular with kids but only for their looks (additionally, his baking skills for Felix). Whenever you passed by them during volunteer hours, you would often find the three buried underneath a pile of toddlers hitting them with all kinds of toys. Feeling bad, you actually got the orphanage’s matron to assign them to the older kids after a while. 

Seungmin and Kira, on the other hand, were so awkward at first but naturally got into the groove of it. Maybe it’s because they only started dating then and everything was flustering but they surprised you the most with how much they got along with almost all of the kids regardless of age. 

Then, there was Jisung whom almost all of the younger kids practically fought over to play with at the playground. As if it was an inside joke of some sort, it made you laugh the most how the kids would often ask him to push them at the swings. 

“Careful now,” You reminded him once jokingly, elbowing his side as the two of you approached the swing set where the kids were already waiting to get pushed on their respective seats. “don’t want their knees to get scraped or something.”

He simply scoffed at you, shaking his head in disbelief. “I won’t let that happen, not at this age.” 

“So if I asked you to push me on the swings later, you won’t try and kill me this time?” You asked next, waving hello to the children before going around the swing set to gently push them to momentum. Jisung followed suit, making a beeline to his favorite, a toddler named Ara who always asked to be pushed higher on the swings. 

“That’s a trick question because we’re not actually allowed to play here.” He answered matter-of-factly, turning to Ara right after. “Isn’t that right, Ara? Y/N isn’t allowed to play here because she’s an adult, right?” 

The two of you would sit on the swing set and take turns pushing each other when the orphanage staff weren’t looking anyway, giggling amongst yourselves while watching the kids migrate to the jungle gym. 

“You were so annoying when we were kids!” You mostly complained, letting yourself laugh about it now as it was all in the distant past. “You had the ‘girls had cooties’ phase and everything.” 

“Because the boys all said it was true!” Jisung was quick to say in his defense, twisting the chains on his swing around to make himself spin. “And I was seven so of course I’d believe them that easily!” 

“What about when you pushed me from the swings?” 

“We both know that was an accident.” 

“You could’ve secretly held a grudge against me as early as that time! You were so mad when your mom made you buy me snacks!” 

“Because you told your mom that I did it on purpose! I thought you hated me even before that too.” 

“Well, I never hated you before that, just to set the record straight.” You shook your head immediately, turning your swings to the side to face him briefly. “You? Did you ever hate me?”

“Never.” He shook his head back at you in response, equally serious now. “You were annoying at times but that was because I was kinda annoying to you too.”

“What about now?” You asked next, voice unexpectedly wavering at asking such a question and even more when he chuckled at this. 

“You were with me on my what was almost my worst birthday ever just three months ago. What do you think?” He scoffed playfully, returning to his spinning to ease his flustered face. “Besides, we’re like better less-trying to kill each other all the time friends now! We’re even studying together again these days.” 

“We both know you’re only at the library since you’ve been trying to wingman Hyunjin with the librarian and dote on Jeongin like he’s your baby.” 

“What? No, I’m there for you too! Moral support!” 

Age nineteen and three-fourths. Jisung’s older brother invited you along with your parents to his wedding during the Spring break and Jisung immediately jumped on the chance to redeem himself as ‘the best dance partner you ever had.’ 

You didn’t even think he’d remember something he said himself back then. Personally, you thought it was just his guilt from pissing you off or sleepiness from dancing too much at prom that was talking then. But the moment the dance floor was opened at the rather extravagant cherry blossoms-themed wedding, the best man was by your side within seconds after sprinting from his table across the wedding hall. 

“Y/N!” He called to you as he ran to your table shared with all of your friends, your parents, and a few people from your childhood neighbourhood; his obnoxiously loud voice against the jazz music and his hand raised up above his head to wave at you catching a few guests’ attention. “Y/N!” 

Felix was about to ask you to dance after Seungmin and Kira as well as Hyunjin and Jeongin paired up, your hand already up in the air to accept his, but Jisung was quick to swat your hand away from the other boy as soon as he arrived. “Sorry, Lix, I’m afraid I’ll have to steal Y/N away!” He dramatically interrupted in between tired pants, flashing the confused Felix with a sheepish grin. “I owe Y/N a very important dance!” 

“What dance?” You raised a brow, bringing your hand away from his and back to your lap. 

“The one—t-the one I promised you that night a-at prom.” He sighed, finally catching his breath after. “I promised you then, remember?” 

From the corner of your eye, Felix’s eyes lightened up in excitement as he clasped his hands together and cooed. “Aww!” He giggled, making you and Jisung turn to him after. “If that’s the case, then why should I stop you two? I’ll just see if Chan or Changbin aren’t dancing yet!” 

“But Lix!” 

The other boy’s quick to wave his hands to you snappily, shaking his head. “No buts, Y/N! You two go and do that cute promised dance thing you have going on! I’ll be fine!” He assured, much to your protests. “I knew something was going on!” 

“Nothing’s going o—“

“Thanks, Lix! I owe you, dude.” Jisung pats Felix’s shoulder appreciatively, turning to you after and taking your hand once more to pull you up into a stand. “Now, come on! My brother said he has my songs on queue!” 

He whisked you away before you could protest further, taking you to the dance floor just as the music slows down to his own song. “Right on time!” He even exclaimed happily before placing his other hand on your waist. You’ve heard this one before as the one he would always sing at the Open Mic Nights at university. “Now, to make it up to you...” 

Jisung didn’t dance so bad. He was still playful, making it a game between the two of you on who can step on the other’s feet the most when the next songs became more upbeat, but he was serious when he wanted to, sheepishly apologizing that it took him long to make it up to you. 

“I didn’t even remember it until you brought it up tonight.” You assured with a laugh as the song slowed down once more. Without even realizing it, you’ve danced all of the songs in the two-hour setlist with him. “I didn’t think it was important.” 

“Well, it is to me.” He shrugged as nonchalantly as he can, visibly looking nervous towards the end. When you quietly asked him why, his only response was, “Because that night I really realized that even when I liked annoying you, I don’t like pissing you off so much to the point that you hate me.” 

And at that moment you realized that Jisung has some way of catching you off-guard so randomly. “W-What? I mean—” You wanted to joke something along the lines of ‘wow, took you long enough,’ but the words ultimately never came out as Jisung chuckled at your baffled expression. 

“I mean, trying to piss each other off, joking around, competing over studies—those are our things.” He confessed sincerely, unconsciously tightening his grip on your hand as the song progressed. “But I said something that night thinking of it as a joke and not really considering the thought that it would piss you off so much because you were so stressed already. I didn’t like pushing you on edge like that—” 

“You already apologized and everything, it’s all g—” 

“—But most importantly, I really wanted to dance with you then, regardless of the incident.” He breathed out before you could even finish your thought, rendering you speechless for the second time. “Maybe I’ve always liked you then, maybe even before that; either way, I really wanted to have one moment where we weren’t fighting or anything—and, surprisingly, even when we’ve started hanging out better, I still want one. I still like you.” 

You immediately stopped dancing, bumping shoulders with a stranger behind you which Jisung instinctively responded to by pulling your frozen form to the side of the dance floor. You pursed your lips once to speak, only managing to fumble out, “Y-You...you liked me?” 

“I said I like you. Present tense.” He cleared his throat awkwardly, hands dropping to his sides immediately at sensing how tense and awkward the atmosphere suddenly became. “And I like you the way Seungmin dotes on Kira and Minho’s always protective of Bora and Jeoyeon’s been helplessly pining over Chan, those kinds in case you’re going to pull that how exactly do I like you bullshit you learned from Minho before again.”  

“I—r-really?” Was your only response as you tried your best to process this revelation. “You like me? W-Why—why me?” 

He chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the nape of his neck. “Yes, Y/N, how many times do I have to repeat myself?” He teased as casually as he could muster with his growing nervousness. “And why you? I don’t know, either, but I think I can start remembering as far back as the time you teased me at the playground that I push like a sissy but didn’t look for another playmate anyway. I’ve always liked you...just a little bit more now that I’m much more sure of a lot of things.” 

It was all so overwhelming, honestly, but you belatedly muster up a laugh as he recalled such a distant memory from you. “Y-You...God, Han Jisung, you’re insufferable!” You mumbled under your breath, hitting him by his arm with one hand while the other covered your mouth. “Why didn’t you say so?” 

“So, does that mean you like me too?” 

“I let you dance with me the entire night. What do you think?” You scoffed playfully, gaze softening as you looked up at his relieved smile and bright eyes. “You did push like a sissy at the playground when we were kids, though.” 

Age twenty. When Minho bought his roommate flowers to their last cheerdance competition and asked her to be his girlfriend, Hyunjin dared you to one-up the upperclassman and wear Jisung’s jersey to his own final game of the year.

“Well, you did give him that talk over dating someone who appreciates the things he loves.” Eunha told you over video call with the rest of your friend group on the day Hyunjin brought up the idea. Before you could even protest and repeatedly assure that you do support everything Jisung does, she was quick to add, “Yeah, I know you do appreciate them but I just think it’s fitting now! He’s been making a lot of effort for you lately and didn’t you say you wanted to do something in return? Maybe you can finally ask him what you’ve been wanting to ask for a while now too...” 

You hated how she was right and very convincing about it. Since the wedding earlier in the year, Jisung has been nothing short of nicer to you. From actually hanging out with you at the library now (and not just to wingman Hyunjin or dote on Jeongin), buying you food randomly, to letting you vent your own worries and unwind from school by playing soccer with you or playing you music with his guitar, he’s been ‘making it up to you’ with quality time and sweet gestures; the only catch is that he hasn’t officially asked you out like he would. 

The two of you aren’t exactly the direct words type of people but it’s still nice to have some sort of affirmation. 

With a few more coaxing on her part combined with Seungmin’s own persuasiveness nagging at you in real time, your friends eventually got Jeongin to steal one of Jisung’s spare soccer jerseys later that day to give to you for his game on the following Saturday. 

To say that Jisung was flustered is an understatement to say the least. Quickly catching you at the very front of the bleachers before the game started, he waved at you and the rest of your cheering friend group shyly, approaching only when the coach gave him permission to. 

“Hey, that’s mine.” He snickered with even more sheepishness at seeing you up close, holding the jersey he wears by its shoulders before gesturing to the identical one you wear. The two of you stand by the stairs leading down to the field, on the side where you aren’t in the way of passing players and staff. “The jersey—maybe the one wearing it too.” 

You held up the bouquet of daisies in your hands close to your face, effectively hiding the heat rising up to your neck. “I bought your favorite flowers too.” You pointed out next before gesturing to your friends sitting around you. “Those smartasses dared me to outdo Minho’s stunt at the cheerdance competition which I still think is dumb since you were in on that one but, hey, it’s the thought that counts, isn’t it?” 

“Just seeing you is already enough.” He added with a flirty wink, making you cringe teasingly. “The jersey’s a really big bonus, though. I think I can score everything on this one because of you.” 

“You better or else this jerseys’ going to be mine now.” 

“I don’t mind.” He shook his head immediately, pulling you closer by the waist in his now ritual good luck hug from you and placing the flowers back on your sides. “I don’t mind calling you mine too.” 

The cheesy pick-up line makes the two of you laugh. Either way, you push yourself to not let go of him too soon. “...ew, Jisung!” You hit his back instead, heaving a sigh of relief anyway before finally pulling away from his hug to send him off. That’s enough confirmation now. “Now, go win this game and get it over with. We’re still on for movies later, right?” 

“Yep.” He assured, patting your head affectionately before boldly leaning closer again for a kiss. “I’m looking forward to it!” 

[memelovescaps]

Hi!!! 💙12, 25, 43 for Snape asks. 👀

MY DEAR FRIEND!! Thank you for asking!! Pity I'd already answered two of the three questions you asked me! I'll copy here the answer again so you can read it if you are interested :P :P :P

15. If Snape had any free time, how do you think he would spend it?

I mean, we basically know that, don't we? He's passionate about the Dark Arts but also about Potions. He spends his time inventing spells, doing research, experimenting. I like to think that, besides teaching, he does research on the side and publishes articles on Potions Quarterly (or whatever the academic journal of the day is). Despite working at Hogwarts, he is quite known and respected in academia. As for non-work stuff, I imagine him in the evening, in front of the fireplace and with a glass of Firewhisky, and reading. Definitely reading. He secretly loves muggle literature, and Shakespeare is one of his favourite authors.

25. Is there any other character you love as much as Snape? Do you think they’ll get along?

Do I love anyone as much as Snape? The answer is no. I do like a lot of characters, and had a soft spot for Remus Lupin for quite a few years (between reading book 3 and the release of 5), but noone is as special to me as Snape is.

However, I am interested in reading Snupin and Snirius fics. Although I must say that they need a lot of work for me to believe Severus got over his trauma over what they did and his fear of werewolves and Remus in general. Years ago, when I wasn't so aware of Snape's trauma and difficulties, I read a couple that I liked. Now, it's hard for me to hold the suspension of disbelief for a long while unless it is somehow explained.

And I LOVE Minerva and Severus's friendship/rivalry. I haven't written much about it, but I love it. And I think Snape had a good relationship with Hagrid too.

43. What’s your favourite headcanon about Snape? Is there a movie/song/book that reminds you of Snape?

I have several headcanons which I think are shared by a lot of Snape lovers, for example, that he's touch starved or that he's terrified of forming a bond with someone, be it friendship or romantic. My favourite headcanon probably is that Severus isn't a morning person, he wakes up early because he has too but it takes him a while to be awake. And also, that he likes to cuddle in the morning if he's sleeping with the person's ship of choice (in my case, that's Harry).

He despises tea in the morning, he drinks coffee until lunchtime (black, one lump of sugar), and then it's tea. In the evening, if he's stressed, a glass of firewhisky while he reads in front of the fireplace, his feet put up and without boots.

As for music, I have an entire playlist about Snape (you can visit it HERE), but if there are two songs I absolutely associate with Snape, no matter when or where I hear it, they are: "My December" by Linkin Park, and "Your Guardian Angel" by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus.

My December:

And I just wish that I didn't feel like there was something I missed And I take back all the things I said to make you feel like that And I just wish that I didn't feel like there was something I missed And I take back all the things that I said to you And I'd give it all away Just to have somewhere to go to Give it all away to have someone to come home to

Your Guardian Angel:

And now that I'm strong I have figured out How this world turns cold and it breaks through my soul And I know I'll find deep inside me I can be the one

Use me as you will Pull my strings just for a thrillAnd I know I'll be okay Though my skies are turning gray I will never let you fall I'll stand up with you forever I'll be there for you through it all Even if saving you sends me to heaven

(if this isn't Severus Snape, I don't know what is)

THANKS FOR ASKING!!

[the-littlest-goblin]

Hey! For the WIP thing, e/c college au?

ooh this one’s fun. Shadowgast college/modern with magic au with a whole lot of academic magic talk. Caleb and Essek are research assistants to Yussa and Waccoh, respectively, who are forced to work together on a research project despite their long-standing rivalry. While their bosses go on an enemies-to-colleagues (to lovers, maybe???) journey, Caleb and Essek bond over dunamancy.

I really love this au but it lacks enough plot to justify the worldbuilding, and also parts of it got piecemeal-ed into other fics so it seems kind of redundant now. I haven’t totally given up on it, but it’s definitely on the back burner. since I’m so fond of it, you get a much longer excerpt than necessary: 

“That’s the stupidest thing I ever heard in my life!” Professor Waccoh announced her arrival by shoving the door open like it had wronged her in a very cruel and personal manner. Yussa stormed in behind her, his robes swishing aggressively, as if they too were possessed with a righteous fury.

“Your plan will never work!” he cried. “The experiment will be over before it begins, because all our materials will have melted.”

“They won’t if we get mithril sheets instead of steel!” Waccoh countered.

“And blow a third of our grant funds on day one? What lunacy!”

Caleb and Essek exchanged long-suffering looks. Their first day as co-lab assistants to the joint research team of Waccoh and Errenis was not looking to be a pleasant one.

“Are we still on for tutoring later tonight?” Essek whispered under the noise of their bosses’ continuing argument.

“Of course,” Caleb answered. They were both standing against the wall at the edge of the lab, awaiting instruction, writing utensils at the ready to take down notes, but neither Yussa nor Waccoh seemed to realize they were even in the room. They had eyes only for each other.

“Of course we have to enchant the materials first! It will be so much easier than waiting until everything is assembled!”

“So what am I supposed to do, just sit here twiddling my thumbs and wait an eternity for you to cast your stupid spells? No way! I’m building the engine first, then I can move on with my life while you spend another decade enchanting it.”

“If you would just listen to reason, Tuss…”

Essek leaned over to Caleb again. “Perhaps it would be more efficient if we start now?”

Caleb looked up from the cat he’d been doodling in the margins of his notebook. It looked more like a sausage with legs and a tail—he was no Jester.

“What do you mean?”

“Here.” Grabbing his bag in one hand, Essek put the other on Caleb’s elbow and guided him to the next table over. Neither professor commented.

Sitting down, Essek pulled a cinderblock of a textbook out of his bag. The front cover showed a galaxy of stars overlaid with geometric designs and bold, block letters reading: Fundamentals of Dunamancy. And under that, in slightly smaller letters: Leylas Kryn, PhD. It was littered with sticky notes poking out the side of nearly every page.

Essek flipped open to one marking about a fourth of the way through the book, labeled CALEB.

“So,” Essek began, and Caleb scrambled to turn his notebook to a fresh page. “We left off last time talking about dunamis, correct?”

“Yes,” Caleb confirmed. “And the beacons.”

“Right. So you understand the origins of dunamancy.”

“I am a little unclear,” Caleb admitted. Curious, he glanced over to the other side of the lab. Yussa and Waccoh had migrated to the chalkboard, where they appeared to be laying out their respective arguments in bullet-point form. They did not seem to be in need of any assistance. He turned back to Essek.

“The beacons are fonts of magic, but they are also religious relics, correct?”

Essek nodded.

“But dunamancy is an arcane subject,” Caleb continued. “It does not come from worship of this Luxon figure, the way clerical magic is derived from deities. It is a realm of academic study.” Essek nodded again. “So, where does the religious connection come in?”

“Well, you have stumbled upon a matter of great controversy,” Essek answered. “Personally, I believe religion has nothing to do with it. If you ask me, the beacons’ connection to the Luxon is a historical note, a misguided invention from a time with a more primitive understanding of magic. If we were wise, we would disregard any writings that talk of its divine origins and approach the subject from a fresh perspective. But,” Essek mouth twisted into a bitter smile, “if you ask Professor Kryn, you will get a very different answer.”

“I see,” said Caleb, mind whirring as it mulled over the new information.

“But that debate is not essential to our lessons. You don’t need to understand the depths of the beacons in order to practice basic dunamancy. Although, I appreciate your curiosity.” His smile softened as he surveyed Caleb. “You have an uncanny talent for getting directly to the heart of the matter.”

Don’t ask so many questions, Bren.

Caleb blinked hard against the voice echoing at the back of his mind.

“Have these beacons been studied very closely?”

Essek tilted his head to the side, considering. “A bit? It’s difficult, with them being such cherished cultural artifacts. Most of the examination that has been done was conducted by archeologists and historians. A handful of arcanists in recent years, including Leylas, have been permitted to study them, but it’s an extremely thorough vetting process.” He paused, jaw working as though he was unsure about whether to allow the next words past his lips.

“The vetting is mostly done by high level clerics within the worship. I imagine Leylas’ long history of devout practice made them more inclined to allow her access.”

Caleb noted the tinge of sadness—and was that resentment?—in his voice. But Essek was speaking again before he could comment.

“I can send you some articles on the topic, if you wish to investigate further,” he said. “In the meantime, we move forward.”

Though it remained open in front of them, Essek hardly consulted the textbook once as their lesson continued. It was difficult not to pay attention when he talked; the smooth timber of his voice paired with the undeniable enthusiasm he had for the subject kept Caleb enraptured, Even the most basic elements, clearly known by rote, Essek explained with a spark of passion in his eye, which grew brighter with every question or clarification Caleb parried back.

He was an excellent teacher.

They had almost entirely forgotten about the job they were meant to be doing, and their bickering superiors, until over an hour later. While Essek was guiding Caleb through a diagram of common somatic movements for dunamantic spells, Yussa called out,

“Caleb! I need you to go to my office and retrieve my copy of Otiluke’s Guide to Enchantment, Volume IV. I have a point to prove!”

ask game

[ficsandcatsandficsandcats]

request: jaskier x reader enemies to lovers in which the reader is not a jealous asshole lmao

Fandom: The WitcherPairing: Jaskier x ReaderWord Count: 3,273Rating: TTaglist: @heroics-and-heartbreak @whatevermonkey @mynamesoundslikesherlock @magic-multicolored-miracle @writingstudent @mlleecrivaine @coffee-and-stories @ultracolorfulnerdcollection @astouract @your-not-invisible-to-me @kemmastan @mycat-is-mylove @amirahiddleston a/n: Hey! I am a sucker for an academic rivalry and that’s the way I approached this. It’s really long but I hope you enjoy!

You took a deep breath before entering the classroom, plastering on a serene, professional smile. There were more students present than usual which only rankled further, knowing they had come here to see him instead of your usual classes. He wasn’t there yet (typical) but you were grateful. Walking in to see so-called Professor Pankratz beating you to your own class would have been more than you could bear. Then again, he was never on time for class when you were students so luck had been on your side.

“Good morning class, so nice to see that so many of you have recovered for your many ailments and just in time for a presentation for our guest lecturer,” you said. The students chuckled sheepishly and you fixed them with an accusatory look that melted into a smile and a head shake. They were just kids. It hadn’t been terribly long ago you were in their shoes and there were many times you wished you could have jut run off and avoided your responsibilities like others you’d known. Right on cue, the door opened and in strode Julian Pankratz or – as he was known now – Jaskier.

He looked practically the same as he had back then. Chestnut hair shorter and roguishly swept to the side but the same hue, golden highlights catching in the sun that streamed through the large windows. Smile quirked into the exact same cocky little grin, sky blue eyes sparkling with amusement, always on the lookout for a good time. His clothing choices had become more ornate but the same good quality they’d always been, him and all the other nobility thinking nothing of the clothes they wore or the fact that a single doublet would pay for a semester of classes. As he caught your eye a familiar look of smugness came over his features and you bristled. You’d always been academic rivals. You didn’t usually care about someone being smarter than you, most were anyway, but someone who swanned into Oxenfurt Academy, resting on his family’s laurels and roving around missing classes yet still somehow managing to give you a run for your title as Valedictorian was another matter. On the rare occasions he did deign to show up to class he’d usually be half-hungover, lacking all supplies, and yet teacher’s stopped calling on him to make an example because he’d always know the answer. Good answers, too. So no, you didn’t hate Julian because he was smart or handsome or well-liked or even because he was your fiercest competition in school. You hated him because he was all of these things and didn’t work for any of it and didn’t seem to appreciate its value. This position you held as a professor at a university that had been an impossible sounding dream for a child who grew up in poverty meant everything to you. But for Julian, it was just another honor bestowed on him. Hell, he was invited to teach today.

“Ah, Julian, right off time,” you said dryly.

“Professor Pankratz I think it is, Y/N,” he replied. You bristled and bit back a litany of oaths.

“As I was telling the students, Julian, you are here today to provide a guest lecture and if anyone has questions-” two dozen arms shot up in the sky eagerly, “They will wait under after the lesson.”

The arms retracted glumly but the students lit up as you stepped aside, giving the bard a space at the podium.

“Thank you, Y/N. You know, your professor and I go way back. We were school chums just like you. She’s always been incredibly smart. I mean, the record may show that she never could quite top me but she still gave me a good run,” he winked at you as he said the words and then gave you a wicked smile, like a child who knew they were being bad in public and didn’t care what would happen when they got home. You kept the same serene smile on your face like a mask and you spent the next hour and a half of his talk imagining the different ways you would use the historical tools of torture display in the history wing to wipe that smug smile off of his face.

—–

After the lecture (which was exceptional, damn it) Julian suggested the question and answer portion be done outside because it was “such a lovely day” and you “probably wanted to review your notes over his lecture to include in the class’s curricula” and they poured out of your class leaving you in blessed silence. You had to admit you appreciated the extra time to prepare for tomorrow’s class. You finished grading and even had time to clean the chalkboard thoroughly. You were gazing at it in admiration of a job well done when a voice popped up by the open door.

“Admit it, that was brilliant.”

Suddenly your good mood vanished. You cut Jaskier a sharp glance from the corner of your eye.

“The students aren’t here anymore Julian you don’t need to stick around,” you said coolly.

“Oh I know,” he replied, moving into the room further, “I thought I’d ask an old friend for a drink. Catch up properly since I’m in town.”

You scoffed and shook your head, turning to face him.

“We’re not friends, Julian. We never were and I don’t see why we would be now,” you said bluntly. He smiled at your words, not an unpleasant or false one, a genuine, nostalgic smile.

“Gods I’ve missed the way you never put up with my shit,” he said. You blinked at him in surprise.

“What?”

“Everyone else was impressed by the Pankratz name and my other, admittedly many, charms but you always saw through it. I think that’s why I tried to impress you so much. Hell, maybe it’s why I’m still trying,” he said.

“I thought you hated me, you were always a prick. And don’t try that stupid ‘boys torment girls they like’ bullshit with me because that’s bollocks at best and dangerous at worst,” you argued. He smirked.

“Oh no, you were a bitch. You kind of still are. But I’ve grown to develop an affection for bitches.”

“Get fucked, Pankratz.”

“Ooh not as eloquent as you were back in the day. What was it you called me that one time? As stupid as an ox and half as useful?” he quoted. You smiled in appreciation of your younger self’s burn.

“Come have a drink with me,” he offered again. Despite yourself, you were curious about what Julian had been up to. Sure you heard the rumors and the songs and knew he was a celebrity. But you also knew that the stories you heard about people rarely matched the truth and perhaps with enough ale and the right questions you’d get somewhere close to that.

“You’re paying,” you said, taking up your purse and getting out the key to lock the classroom.

“But of course,” Jaskier said in faux surprise, “What kind of a gentleman would I be if I didn’t treat the lady to drinks?”

For the sake of peace, you bit your tongue.

—–

“Alright,” Jaskier said once you’d both ordered your drinks, “Let’s get this out of the way. Ask me about Geralt.”

“The witcher?” you asked. Jaskier nodded, a weary nod that suggested he’d had this talk many, many times before. “I don’t really have any questions.”

Jaskier eyed you suspiciously, disbelief plain on his face but you weren’t kidding. You knew about witchers, had read many different accounts from believe who head varying levels of respect and fear towards them, but you didn’t really concern yourself with them. As far as you could tell their primary trade was killing monsters and you weren’t one so you doubted you’d have any dealings with them.

“People usually want to know what he’s like, if he has horns, does he eat babies, etc.,” Jaskier explained.

“Well those people sound… ill-informed,” you said tactfully, “I do have questions though. Not about Geralt, about you.”

“Me?” Jaskier sounded surprised.

“Of course. A classmate goes off and becomes a renowned bard and you don’t think I’m going to have questions?” you asked.

“You never showed much interest in my life or affairs before.”

“I didn’t have to hear about some new rumor about you every day from students before. Well, actually I guess I did. But there were fewer rumors of immortality and frankly based on how you look I’m starting to think those might be right,” you said, taking a sip of your mead and giving him an assessing look. He laughed and took a drink from his ale.

“Not as far as I know, no,” he said.

“But the rest is true, then? Touring the country, the bard with his pet witcher, wooing and rutting around the countryside with great aplomb?”

Jaskier smiled ruefully as he looked down into his drink, thinking about the portrait you painted of him, that had been painted while he was off. He could lie and tell you it was true but he had a feeling you’d know. As he’d said, you always saw through his bullshit.

“Quite the opposite, really. True my songs are well loved and I have successfully reformed many opinions about Geralt, if not witchers on the whole, but I am more often treated as the “pet” of Geralt. The human that follows him around. It’s… not entirely wrong but it’s also horseshit, you know?”

You were surprised by the vulnerability. This wasn’t the proud, blustering Julian of a decade ago. He was still there but there was also a maturity to him. It was deeply unsettling.

“That must be hard for you. You never did like standing in another’s shadow,” you said.

“I have little experience doing so. You understand,” he volleyed. You glowered at him as you took another drink. Yes, some things were still the same.

“And adventuring? How is that suiting you? You a natural at that as you were everything else?” you asked, a bit of bitterness slipping into your tone.

“Gods no,” he said laughing, “No I am… well, I’m better than I was, but I’ve also nearly died more times than I can count so that doesn’t speak to a great amount of skill.”

You felt a little guilty about how validating it was to hear Jaskier state that there was finally something even he couldn’t fake his way through.

“That must be very difficult,” you said, working to keep the satisfaction out of your voice, “Finding the one thing is this world you aren’t naturally adept at without any effort or work.”

“I worked, Y/N,” Jaskier replied, frowning at the implication, “I wrote the same papers you did.”

“Yes, but yours were written 15 minutes before class or turned into an improvised ballad performed on the spot and mine were toiled over for hours in the library and edited mercilessly. We are not the same,” you argued.

“Do you want me to apologize for being naturally talented?” he asked. You scoffed and shook your head, fighting the urge to throw the remaining contents of your cup in his smug face.

“No, Julian, I want you to appreciate that you’re talented. I want you to stop acting like you’re somehow superior and I want you to stop getting everything you want handed to you because you’re from a titled family and famous and never had to really worry about taking care of yourself,” you snapped.

“You think people took care of me?” he replied incredulously, “Y/N my family didn’t give a shit about me. Hell, I don’t know if they even realized I was gone when I went to school. Even the people around me at the university, I knew they didn’t give a shit, they wouldn’t have my back or stick around if I wasn’t constantly making myself useful to them. And you think that’s somehow different now? The witcher barely tolerates my presence some days and I have to work hard to find ways to be useful because I know that if I stop, even for a moment, he will be gone too.”

After he finished he kicked himself for saying it, waiting for a look of pity from you as you listened to him complain. Or contempt because even he knew that it could be worse. But you just nodded slightly, a look of understanding dawning on your face.

“Well. You’re still an ass,” you said, taking a sip of your drink. A wide smile broke out over Jaskier’s face and you couldn’t help but return it. He had that effect on people. For once it didn’t seem self-serving, though, just genuine happiness.

“So is that what you’re doing with me?” you asked, serious again, “Trying to find a way to be useful or charm me so you’ll have a contact back in Oxenfurt?”

“When you put it that way I sound so self-serving,” he scoffed, “No, Y/N. Frankly I don’t need you as a contact. I was invited to lecture here and I seriously doubt you were the one did that.”

You didn’t say anything, glancing awkwardly down at your glass.

“Wait… no… surely not,” Jaskier squinted at you suspiciously and you heaved a great sigh.

“Fine, alright I did. But only because very begrudgingly I have to admit you know what you’re talking about and this segment is hard for students if they don’t care about what they’re studying and nothing makes students care like hearing it from someone new and exciting and oh for the gods’ sake if you don’t stop grinning at me like that I will kick you,” you snapped. Jaskier didn’t heed your warnings, the grin overtaking his face and this time you could resist the pull to smile back. You crossed your arms in front of you in a huff, waiting for him to throw it back in your face, to make some snide remark about proof that he’s smarter than you after all.

“Thank you,” he said after a beat of silence. There was sincerity in his eyes, also unsettling, but also not a bad look on him. “I enjoyed it. I’ve missed the school, really.”

“I suppose it wasn’t the worst thing that’s ever happened in my classroom. Granted, someone was murdered there a few hundred years ago so the bar is pretty high for that honor,” you sighed. The rest of your evening passed quickly as you shared anecdotes and laughter. Before you knew it the tavern was closing and you were told to get a room or get out. Jaskier had shot you a suggestive smile but you’d rolled your eyes and told him he could walk you home.

“You know this is going to sound silly but I think… Well, I wish maybe we’d been friends in school,” you admitted, lips loosened by the mead and the newfound sense of comradery with the man walking at your side. He laughed, the sound turning to mist in the cool night air, and grinned at you.

“No, I don’t think so,” he said. Your face fell and you began to feel embarrassed.

“No, not because of you!” he explained quickly, “But I wasn’t really the sort of person I think you’d have liked back then. I mean, clearly, because you’ve harbored such a long hatred of me.”

“Hatred is a strong word,” you lied, “But you’re probably right. I could be a bit stuck up myself.”

“I’m glad that we’ve reconnected, though. Or I suppose, connected for the first time,” Jaskier said. You arrived at home sooner than you’d expected and you lingered at the door.

“How long are you in town?” you asked.

“I leave tomorrow.”

“Oh… with, uh, what’s his name?”

Jaskier beamed at you as though you’d just given him the finest compliment in his life. And in a way, you had. For once he wasn’t the one whose name was ignored and forgotten.

“Geralt. And yes, I told him I’d meet up with him. Onto the next adventure,” he explained. He was excited by the disappointment in your eyes, almost as excited as the fact that you weren’t yet going inside, perhaps even considering offering him an invite.

“If you want to come back sometime, to lecture and maybe get another drink with an old…” your voice trailed off as you tried to decide what to call what you were now.

“Colleague?”

“Friend?”

“Yes, alright, friend,” you assented, earning yet another wide, beaming smile from Jaskier, “I’d like that. If you have time. I know you’re very busy and important.”

You said the words sarcastically and Jaskier nodded and sighed heavily.

“It’s true, the world needs its songs. But I would be happy to come back again. And see you. And do my part to enlighten the youths of the world. And see you.”

“You said that twice.”

“I meant it doubly much.”

“Doubly much? That can’t be good grammar.”

“Gods, do you ever turn off?” he huffed in amused exasperation.

“Never, it’s one of my charms,” you replied, smirking. Jaskier moved closer and you were reminded of how tall he was. And broad. And handsome.

“I have half a mind to kiss that smirk right off your face,” he murmured, the pale blue eyes caressing them with his gaze.

“You have a half a mind period,” you sassed, a defensive reaction that struck when you were nervous. Most men were turned away by it, and you couldn’t blame them. But sparring was an old game for the two of you and Jaskier smiled, chuckling darkly before saying,

“Alright now you’re gonna get it.”

His lips brushed against yours, featherlight and teasing, and then swept back, a little firmer, capturing your mouth and pressing in closer, one arm wrapping around your waist and pressing you against the door as he slid his tongue through your slightly parted mouth. You sighed into the kiss and he gave a soft moan in return as your tongue found his, entangling and learning the warmth of each other’s mouths, the brush of teeth against lip, the taste of mead and ale blending in a heady mixture. By the time Jaskier pulled back you were both panting slightly. You swallowed hard and looked up into his eyes.

“Are you going to invite me in?” he asked, peppering your jawline with kisses. Your eyes squeezed shut and you licked your lips, summoning your will to be sensible.

“No,” you replied. His kisses stop and he pulled back to look at you, unabashedly surprised.

“No?”

“No,” you answered, “Go on your journeys, Julian Pankratz or Jaskier de Lettenhove or whoever you are or shall be. Go and then return to me. If you can do that, well… Perhaps.”

“I may die,” he intoned dramatically, though he made no move to continue his seduction, taking your words to heart.

“Then there shall be two great tragedies that day,” you answered in a tone that was just as dramatic, “That you have died, and that you never knew the pleasures of my body.”

He laughed, throwing his head back and then leaning in to plant another kiss on your lips.

“You’re a minx. But alright, it’s a date,” he said. You bit your bottom lip, fighting back an argument that it could only really be a date if they both declared it to be and really they had just agreed to meet up as friends but sometimes even you had to admit there was a time and place for being pedantic.

“It’s a date.”

[shirorozutriea]

Moments in Time

Admin List

Day Six: Moments

Moments in Time

For couples, there were instances that they usually share a couple of personal belongings to them. Shirts, shorts and even the cliché part of everything. The sharing of hearts to one another.

And there’s the sweetest of sweet of everything couples share to one another. The physical touch. Holding hands. Forehead touching. And to the most intimate. But nothing can beat the touch of lips(besides the most intimate) as they keep it sweet and chaste.

Of course, Ruby and Weiss already had their fair share of kisses in their relationship, both before and after their declaration of closeted feelings. The first kiss that they had, was initiated by the heat of the moment celebration of success. It was a chaste and short peck on the cheek by none other than Weiss Schnee.

It was already nearing the time of dawn and our resident runner and fencer are still wide awake in the confides of their room. Both are busy on their work of art, the making of their joint project in the engineering class. They were paired, and albeit both of them accept it reluctantly, they manage to cooperate into making their work. But not without any complications. Bouts and bouts of arguments and touch lashing was done by the two. And inevitably coursing to the point of abandoning one another to make their own, if not for the threat hidden behind their professor’s words they would have already been done on their own.

The two were not exactly the best of friends in their group. In fact, both abhor hatred and rivalry towards the other. In terms of academic and extracurricular activities, both strive to outshone one another. Although at first, Ruby was a bit more understanding on the fencer’s side, the amount of tongue lashing and comments had been enough to sever the little amount of patience she ever had for Weiss Schnee. And it went downhill after that.

But today, and only for today, they both set aside their differences and rivalry. They couldn’t afford to get bested by anyone in the class just because they couldn't stand each other’s presence. They were about to prove everyone that they can work with each other despite the seething anger they have for the other.

“Rose, how’s the Hand working?” Weiss asked as she tinker the base of their work. Ruby grunted. “Bolts. Screws. I need them.”

Weiss handed her the tool box near her and the brunette muttered a ‘thanks’ and began to finish the hand on her side, as Weiss holds a soldering iron in her hands, melting a piece of iron.

“Schnee, want me to paint this?” Ruby asked as she marvel the finished product of her side of work. “How's the base and attractor working.”

“Marvelously, if I do say so.” Weiss replied as she took a step back and looked at the Hand. “Skin tone paint?” Ruby grabbed a spray paint and shook it. “And?”

Weiss took a step near the former and leaned in to see the Hand. “Do you mind if you put our emblem in?” Ruby perked up and snapped her fingers. “Good idea, Schnee!”

After a few more minutes, the finish product was ready to be presented. Weiss smiled proudly at their work, while Ruby grinned, oil and paint decorating her face and clothes.

“A working prosthetic arm. Might a bit farfetched, but not for us.” Hummed Weiss. Ruby chuckled and clapped her hands. “I'd say it’s perfect. You did a great job.”

Weiss felt an immense pride and overwhelming happiness dawn on her. Then her body moved on her own, in the heat of the moment, kissed a shocked brunette on the cheeks.

“You did great too, Rose. As expected of my partner.” Weiss compliments. Ruby, still in the state of shock, could only nod at her.

After all that, in that same day, they passed the project in flying colors. As expected of the two. And though Weiss must have dismissed the heat of the moment reaction, Ruby didn’t and the scene lingered for a long while.

But then, by some miracle of art, the two became exceptionally close. The two were often seen to quiz each other. They often partner up in different projects that requires two individuals and their works were highly praised. For all the remainder of the second semester, the two became completely inseparable. Always seen together, whether it would be going to school and/or eating in the cafeteria. Students swore that they saw the two hang around the plaza and malls. Others suspected that they were actually together. But the two were oblivious.

Then the day of the dance came in. Both prodigies were now in the grand hall of Beacon. First years up to six years were all wearing glamorous dresses and fine tuxes and dancing on the beat of the music. It was a grand ball for everyone attending the academy. The only grand ball that happens after every six years.

Now, if you are wondering what our two prodigies are wearing, well then, take a guess… and if you guessed right, bravo to you.

Ruby was leaning on a post next to a table filled with various delicacies. Her arms crossed above her chest as she observe her sister awkwardly dancing a certain bookworm. The brunette couldn’t help but smile at the sheer adorableness of the two. She had all prepared for the two, down to their clothes up to these dance all by themselves, no interruptions whatsoever.

Ruby then began to adjust the tightening tie on her neck. If no one knows her, she might be mistaken for a guy in a stylish tux. She was wearing a white long sleeved polo with a red vest on top and a white tie, a black suit with red linings paired with black trousers and a pair of black leathered shoes. She looks absolutely dashing leaning on that wall, with girls swooning as they pass by in front of her. But she paid no attention, merely looking up ahead while grabbing a glass of champagne.

“May I join you?”

Ruby looked at the familiar face and she smile, nodding in reply. The girl stood a step beside her and grabbed their own glass. “If you don’t mind me asking, how come you're not dancing with anyone right now?”

Ruby gave her a quizzical look. “Actually, I don’t have a partner. And I doubt anyone would want me to be their partner. Plus, I’m only here to play matchmaker. How about you, Schnee? Any partners?” Weiss quipped, as if telling her that there was no one able to reach her league.

Ruby's eyes roam at the girl in front of her. Weiss was wearing a light blue long gown that hugs her figure perfectly. There were snowflake designs at the hem of her dress and a pair of light blue stilettos matches her entire figure. Ruby noticed the latter’s face were sparkling as if there were glitters in her makeup(which there is). Weiss then took her turn to look and smirked.

“My, aren’t you dashing, Rose.” Said Weiss, Ruby’s cheeks were dusted in pink and averted her gaze. “Same to you. But not dashing… gorgeous.” Weiss blinked at the compliments and smiled shyly, mouthing a ‘thanks’.

Ruby began to feel a little bit bolder, assuming it was the champagne’s effect, she gently took the white haired girl's hand. She looked her in the eye and leaned in to give the slender back of her hand a kiss.

Weiss eye’s widen at the action and Ruby couldn't help but smirk. “And since you don’t have a partner. May I take you to the dance floor, princess?”

Weiss ignoring the nickname, nodded in agreement while clasping her hand on the brunette as she felt herself being gently taken to the dance floor.

The night ended like a wisp of air and a bubble pop. Fast and short. But with good results. Ruby's sister, Yang and her now lover Blake had their night well-spent, as you can see. Ruby and Weiss had their night ended with them feeling more for one another without them noticing. But not until game night of drunken stupor.

Their group had a sleepover during the summer break. Their second year had recently ended and all of them planned a sleepover before they went home to their respective houses outside Vale. The place was on one of the Schnee’s summer house in Vale.

The day went on slowly until it was already night time. The group had decided to spend the night awake until they passed out. And of course, what kind of sleepover is these if there was no games and most of all… alcohol.

Yang and Nora was already on their drunken glory, spouting nonsense and profanities around while holding a bottle of vodka. Ren was already a bit tipsy, but otherwise ready to pass out. Jaune was all and about, sprawled around the floor mumbling on his own with Pyrrha poking him in the stomach. Blake was still up, spouting story ideas, mostly not for children to hear, no doubt it was the alcohol’s influence. While Weiss and Ruby are looking at the bunch with an amused look. Although both are a bit tipsy and already in the influence of the alcohol. Though, out of everyone they are the ones who are sober enough.

Yang looked at the two and grinned mischievously. “Hey, Weissy poo.” She slurred. Weiss looked at her in confusion as Yang hiccupped and draped an arm on her shoulder. “Wanna play a game?”

Weiss blinked slowly. “What game?” She asked. Yang bellowed laughing. “Why truth or dare of course!”

Nora perked up at the statement and shook Blake who’s right next to her muttering her mantra of nsfw plots. “Truth or daaaare… COUNT ME IN!!!” She yelled, her words slurring.

Ruby poked Weiss’ shoulder and the latter looked. “Fair warning, Weiss. Those two are a huge darer. Just, fair warning.” Weiss chuckled. “How bad could it be?”

Bad. Very bad. Weiss ended up drunk and now slurring and dancing to Hakuna Matata. Yang whistled and howled, cheering her on, then began to join her dancing in a conga line.

Ruby, in her tipsy yet sober mind, took a video of the two and began giggling at the sheer dopey scene unfolding in front of her. Who knew Weiss had the guts to dance around like cheery wonder child. Only drunk Weiss would. Once the two was finished dancing, both of them fell on the floor giggling like madmen in a killing spree.

“One last dare, Weissy.” Yang slurred. Weiss grunted in reply and the blond laughed. “Kiss Ruby!!” The person in question guffawed at the dare.

Weiss blinked and stood up grunting in between her teeth, her gaze falling on Ruby who squirmed and fidget nervously at the girl. Weiss took a step forward and Ruby jumped upward, preparing to run away from the white haired girl. Weiss launched at the brunette who yelped and ran away from the latter's clutch with Yang hitting her knee while laughing, enjoying the scene playing in front.

“Ack—Weiss! No, stop!!” Ruby screamed as she ran to the sofa, before falling on the floor crawling as she stood up. Weiss then tripped on the fallen body of Blake Belladonna and took a hold of Ruby’s legs, earning an ‘oof’ from the brunette. Weiss giggled. “Gotcha..”

Ruby visibly gulped at her impending demise.

Weiss crawled towards her in a seductive manner as the runner watched and shudder. Weiss then fall on the brunette’s stomach and nuzzled at her. Ruby stared at the girl. “Uhmm… Weiss?” Her clouded mind began to sober up since the run.

“Warm…” The girl muttered. Ruby blinked at her. She then felt the girl crawl on top of her and she stiffened. The fencer gazed at her in a haze of alcohol stupor.

Weiss then grinned and pinned the poor brunette in the floor. “I have a dare… hic.. to finish..” She slurred. Ruby’s eyes widen and squirmed at the girl's hands to no avail.

A girl in a corgi t-shirt and shorts stole her first kiss.

Ruby gaped at the now passed out figure of Weiss Schnee. The same Weiss Schnee that she used to dislike. The same Weiss Schnee who just stole her first kiss because Yang dared her to.

Ruby didn’t get a wink of sleep after that.

Then the morning came and Ruby went out from that room looking like a stressed panda. And as usual, Weiss doesn’t remember what happened and Ruby was out there gripping her hair in distress. And that was the same day Yang swore to herself to not drink while playing truth or dare, or any other games with her sister around because she swore that she almost got herself skinned alive by her sister.

The year went by peacefully like it supposed to be. They were in their fourth year and everything is the same, well… almost the same. You see, during the duration of their third year, some things just came into light. Just like how Ruby described it, it was like, poof! There it was!

And what changed? Oho, I’m sure you know. Yes, you guessed right.

“I swear there’s something fishy going on with those two.” Said Yang to Blake, as she stared at her sister and friend, Weiss. Blake's ears twitched at the statement and looked at the two. “What do you mean?”

Yang huffed. “Just look at ‘em! You can see the awkward silence and look—there! That distance between them… what is that?” Yang gave the two an incredulous look that had gone unnoticed.

Blake shook her head and observed the two. Okay, maybe she noticed it. But that doesn’t mean it’s that really unusual. She knew that both of them had a rough past, but now that Yang had said it, there really is an awkward silence looming around them.

She looked at Yang and said. “Okay. I noticed. But isn’t that normal, the distance I mean.” Yang looked at her in realization. “Of course.” Blake gave her a confused stare. “Those two are inseparable, at least when they're together.”

Blake pondered for a minute. “Want to talk to them?” Yang grinned at her and gave her a peck on the cheek. “You took the words out of my mouth, Blakey.”

The two approached the awkward athletes. Yang asking Weiss to help her to look for something, and Blake telling Ruby if she would like to run with her. The two were confused, but nonetheless agreed at their friend's request.

Blake and Ruby reached the locker room and grabbed their p.e clothes and changing in the stalls. Beacon’s p.e clothes consists of white shirt with linings of whatever color you wanted, the same with shorts. So now, Ruby walked out from one of the stalls wearing a white t-shirt with red linings and a red short, likewise with Blake, but her shirt had black linings paired with black shorts.

“Ready to go, Ruby?” Asked Blake. Ruby nodded and they went to the field and do their stretches.

Though Ruby is a runner, Blake wasn’t exactly one, though she sometimes participates in the runs of Beacon’s track and field team, with one or two of their members trying to persuade her to join. But Blake was happy running for sweats and exercise.

Blake looked at Ruby as they jogged in a slow pace, cleared her throat before speaking. “Are you alright, Ruby?”

Ruby looked at Blake. “Yeah? Why you asked?” Blake blinked at her, stopping herself from raising a brow. “You are awfully quiet.”

Ruby blinked at her wide eyed, before looking ahead. “You think so?”

Blake let a sly smirk rest on her lips. “Yeah. I could see the awkwardness from a mile away.”

“—and what makes you think Ruby and I are awkward?” Weiss asked as she looked up from a bush. Yang grinned at her and she looked away, realizing her mistake. “I didn’t mentioned any name.”

Weiss scoffed at her and rolled her eyes. “Yang it’s obvious.” Yang continue to grin. “So you did noticed.”

Weiss sighed in defeat and brush a hand in her hair. “Yes, I did. As you would likely put, it can be seen from a mile away.”

Yang smiled at her, before a frown took place. “If you noticed, why didn’t you make a move?”

Weiss leaned back and straighten her body. “Move? What move?” She saw the blond roll her eyes at her, but she ignored it. Yang then sat on a nearby bench and huffed. The ‘thing’ they were looking for long forgotten.

“Why didn’t you try to talk to her? You know, try to ease the awkward tension.” Yang stated, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“—partially because I don’t know if the awkwardness was coming from her or from me?” Ruby proposed and Blake quirked an eyebrow.

“Coming from you?” She asked. Ruby stopped jogging and her chest heaved a deep sigh. “I don’t know—I don’t know if I can face her…”

Now that caught Blake's attention. She observed how the brunette’s face scrunched in frustration, her eyebrows knitting together and her teeth biting her lower lip. Blake was now curious.

“You know.. you can talk to me, right?” She cautiously replied. Ruby took a glance and sighed, rubbing the back of her head.

“Listen…” She started. “I don’t know.. when this started. It could be on that project we made, or the dance… or—or the sleepover last last year, I don’t know. But I started to notice something… anything and everything from her.. like, she just draws me in… hiss.. I don’t know, Blake..”

Blake listened and Ruby continued. “At first, it was the way she moved around. Did you know that when she’s in a good mood, she would tip her toe when she’s standing, and then back and tip toe again, that kind of stuff. Or when she’s stressed, her fingers would unconsciously drum a tune.” Ruby then walked, trying to clear her thought. Blake followed beside her.

“Then… it turns to noticing her moods in every subtle way. When she’s nervous… she would brush her hair, then she would—”

“—bounce her knee when she’s getting impatient.” Stated Weiss, her gaze rooted in the grass behind Yang. “And more often than not, that knee would hit the table and chaos ensues. I swear the amount of coffee wasted is going to be the death of me..” Huffed Weiss, but a smile was on her lips.

Yang just blinked at the girl in front of her. Never did she once saw this side of her. It was new. And probably, rare. Yang opened her mouth. “Do you like my sister?”

Weiss stared at the blond, though her face was motionless, her ears are bright red and her left eye twitched. That's all that Yang needed for an answer. She mentally smirked at how Weiss was being obvious with her attraction towards her red tipped hair of a sister.

Yang stood up and encircle her arm on the latter’s shoulder. Weiss’ ears turns beet red as she noticed the smirk dancing on the blond brute’s lips. But Yang just gave her a thumbs up and a pat on the back before walking away. Weiss didn’t know if that was a good thing or not.

Weiss followed Yang. The walk between them was silent. Though she took a side glance at the blond and still sees her grinning like she had won a lottery. She was nervous.

And she had the right to be.

In between the conversations that was happening between the two group, Yang and Blake were chatting and devising a plan to get the two closer. And they decided to leave them on a secluded area on Beacon and just hide their way out. And that’s what happened.

Weiss and Ruby found themselves alone in the area without any trace of the two matchmakers. Ruby was nervous. Her toes curling on her shoes. She just observed the white haired girl and she noticed the reddening ears as the time pass by.

Now, Ruby doesn’t know what to do. Her mind was short-circuiting every minute as she stare at the white haired beauty. Maybe she just needed a push. And as if the gods had seen this rather awkward and painstaking moment, a wind passed by and Weiss’ hair flew in front of her face, her ponytail loosing.

Ruby couldn’t help but giggle, then she looked at her and noticed that she was actually close to the latter which shook her. How did she—? Then she noticed how Weiss was struggling to keep her hair away from her face, the wind still blowing. Ruby snorted a laugh and raised her hand to sweep away the snow-like hair, her fingers making way to the tresses and then tucking them with her hand on her neck. Now, both of them are gazing at each other's eyes.

Ruby didn’t know what urged her to do it. But she did it anyway. She leaned in for a soft, chaste kiss. It was… magical. Yes, sounds cheesy, but that’s the only word her mind can eloquently form. It felt like a bunch of fireworks exploding and tickling her insides. But of course, like fireworks, it was short-lived. The two broke the kiss.

“I—I…”

Weiss ran. Ruby was dumbfounded.

Ruby groaned and face palmed herself… hard. “Oh come on. Not again…” But her heart was knocked back from her chest.

Now, Weiss didn’t know why she had ran away. She felt stupid. And embarrassed. But mostly stupid.

Her feet dragged on the dirt as she slowed down her pace and ultimately stopped at the center of the school. She took a sit on the fountain and lamented the fact that she had made a fool of herself by running away from her crush—or was it just a crush? No it wasn't, she knew. Well at first she thought it was a crush, but the more she thought of what it was, the more she knew what it really was. And she was glad! Really, she were. She hasn’t expected it to be her, but it was what she had always expected. Someone who can level with her and actually had patience with her.

Weiss sighed deeply and groaned as her hands met her face. She briefly wondered the sheer idiocy of her actions, leaving the poor brunette alone, probably confused and disappointed—she felt really bad for everything. She just hoped the brunette would find her and kiss her senseless.

“Weiss!”

Speak of the devil.

Weiss stood up as she saw the running figure of Ruby Rose. A pang of guilt etched its way to her heart and she met the latter halfway. The brunette met her gaze as she stopped running, her eyes darting everywhere.

“I-I’m so sorry, Weiss! I—I know.. what I did was wrong. Entirely wrong! I… I wasn’t sure if you even feel the same way.. BUT! I don’t care if you don’t, maybe I do but…” Ruby looked up at her, her eyes glistening. “I don’t want our friendship to fall so soon just because I kissed you and I fell for you because if I’m being honest I already had my eyes on you since the very start and you’re just so gorgeous and also very pret—”

Weiss didn’t let her linger any longer and planted her lips to the other. It wasn't as chaste as the first kiss. It was filled with passion… a much more burning fire being fueled by the thought of feeling themselves closer.

Her hands snaked the taller girl's neck and fumbled with the hair under. Ruby, likewise, slide her arms down to the shorter girl's waist, planting her hands in place as she returned the kiss. Ruby's breath hitched as she felt the slender hands of the girl in her arms tug the hair on her nape. This courage the white haired girl to bit the bottom of her now-lover's lip, the reaction was immediate. Weiss let her tongue intertwine with the other, no sense of dominance in the play, just pure passion. Ruby took her chance to explore the former, and—oh my god she’s kissing her… with tongue!

The two broke their what seems like an eternity of a kiss. The two stared at each other and Ruby chuckled. “I—wow… that was..”

“Amazing?” Weiss suggested. Ruby giggled and pressed the fencer’s body flush to her. “More than amazing.”

Weiss smiled and gave her a peck, before pulling away but the runner followed her for another kiss. Ruby pulled away and smiled. “So… what now?”

Weiss rolled her eyes affectionately. “I believe this is the time for you to ask me out.” Ruby grinned and kissed her nose. “Would you like to go out with me?”

Weiss chuckled and hold the latter’s elbows. “I did kiss you. Which should be an aftermath of the date, but yes, I would love to. To go out with you.” Ruby giggled and hugged the latter. And they stayed like that for a bit longer.

And if you’re wondering if their date went well. It went along swimmingly. And the aftermath of their relationship? It went without any problems for the rest of that year, and only for the rest of that year.

Complications starts to rise. By complications, I mean countless of misunderstandings. Weiss and Ruby both decided to keep things steady by not informing a lot of people about the changes in their relationship. The only individuals who knew about their relationship was Yang and Blake. None of their other friends knew what’s going on between them, and they would like to keep it that way. But as always. Things didn’t go the way they both expected.

During the first two weeks of their fifth year, that was the start. Out of the two prodigies, Ruby was the most popular because of her personality and Weiss was considered, more or less... a bitch. Weiss knew that. The amount of back stabbing was enough proof for that. But it all grew worse when she and Ruby became exceptionally close. She knows that Ruby had quite a fan base, and all of them, well not really all of them, but most wants to just get on her pants. And seeing that she’s so close with her despite being someone that they don’t exactly like, well then, here comes the hate.

Every mail box, her locker, her phone, her desk… and even her bag, was filled with; “Don’t come near Ruby or I will see you in the dumps.” That’s the pg-13 and translated everything, but I will tell you. It's all graphic. Down to the bone, literally.

But she paid no mind. Because, why? If she paid attention and get all riled up, then that means they got into her. And Weiss doesn’t want any lever of interest to be unfold just to get the reaction they wanted. However, all ends when it gets too personal.

You can tell her everything and anything. Be it may profanities or straight up bullcrap. But never, and I mean never, bring her parents up and attack her loyalty to her friends. Needless to say, this got her pretty bad. And what’s worst of all…

“You don’t deserve Ruby's kindness you brat.”

“How could a bitch like you, get accepted by Ruby? That’s ridiculous.”

“Ice Queen. Don’t get your hopes up.”

“Maybe she’s just there because she doesn’t want you to feel alone and sad. I pity you. She's too pure for you.”

“Those friends? Are they really your friends? Or better yet, you, do they deserve you.”

…she believes them.

There was a ring, then none. This got Ruby worried. Weiss never had not answered her calls, nor her friends calls. She looked at Yang, worry was etched in her face. Then, the thunder cackle and lightning flashed.

Ruby made another call.

“The number you have dialed is currently unattended. Please try and call lat—”

“She’s not answering my calls.” Said Ruby. Ruby felt her heart clench in worry. Yang hold her shoulder and comforted her. “She'll be okay. I know she will.” But it did no effect.

They heard heavy and rushed footsteps coming from the stairs. The two sisters looked at the raven haired girl holding a bunch of papers with a frantic look on her face. Blake panted, her chest heaving and she looked at Ruby.

“Weiss.. is.. not okay…” Uttered Blake. Ruby stood in alarm and her hand clenched tightly, her palm paling. “Blake.” Her voice was stern and hard.

Blake panicked and Yang looked at her worried. She never have seen the girl this worried and panicky. Blake's eyes flickered to and fro. Her hands clenched unconsciously on the papers in her hands.

“They.. hurt her. Sent her… this many notes and letters.. I-I should've known… I see the signs and yet..” Blake sobbed. Yang ran to her side and hugged her. “I don’t know… where she went.. but its raining... we have to find her.”

Ruby didn’t need to be told twice as she bolted out of the door, out in the heavy rain. Yang set Blake down in the couch and envelope her with blankets and kissed her, telling her that she will help her sister to look for the white haired heiress. Blake nodded stiffly.

Ruby found herself outside her home and into the rain. The rain felt like knife in her skin as her eyes searched the blurry landscape. Her voice rang, shouting her name, all the while her voice cracking. However, she paid no attention. Her mind is clouded with the thought of her girlfriend hurting while she had no idea of everything that is going on with her.

She searched around, her feet taking her to Oum knows where. Still, there was no sign of the white haired fencer. Her worry increases tremendously. Her eyes began to sting from crying. Her throat becoming parched from shouting. And yet, she still couldn’t find her.

But by some miracle in disguise, she heard her voice.

“Ruby?!”

Her head did a whiplash at the sound of her girlfriend.

“Ruby!!”

Her eyes strained at the blurred image of a girl running with an audible white umbrella in the gray world she is in. She ran.

In a flash, the white umbrella was thrown in the haste and the rain puddles splashed around. Droplets seeped in through the fencer’s clothes, giving in on the chilly breeze, but she paid no mind.

“RUBY!!”

A gasp and splash rang.

The two found themselves sprawled in the asphalt road, the heiress sobbing in the runner's arms. Ruby was also crying. Her heart beating so fast and her breathing gone ragged. She held the shorter girl in her arms tightly, the rain forgotten. The loud rumble of the sky was buzzed out. The lightning dimmed low. But her sobs was clear in her ears.

“Weiss, you’re okay. Shh… it’s okay..” She cooed. She felt the former’s body tremble in her touch. She heard her gasp. “R-Ruby… I’m so.. sorry.” Her stomach churned.

Ruby held her even possibly tighter. “No. No. It’s okay… I should be the one saying sorry..” Weiss pulled away and looked at her with red puffy eyes. Ruby kissed her eyes and tears ran once again as she choke back a sob.

“I felt… defeated.. miserable… but most of all, I felt like.. I don’t deserve any of you.. that I don’t deserve you.” Ruby saw red. She saw the exhausted look on her girlfriend's face and she almost growled. How could they? How could they hurt the most wonderful person that had come into her life? How?

“Don’t be.” Whispered Ruby as she took a hold of the latter’s face. “We love you. I love you. And that won’t ever change. You are the most wonderful thing that happened in my life. You are a miracle that I didn’t thought I would get. Weiss, I love you.”

Weiss bit back a sob and gave her a genuine smile. Ruby was almost blinded at the sheer genuineness of her smile. It was tight lipped, but the end curved upwards. Her eyes crinkle showing her, her own love.

“What did I ever do to deserve you?” The fencer asked. Ruby smiled and tucked her hair on her ear. “A lot, Weiss. A lot. And allowing me to love you is one of them.”

A kiss blossomed under the gray sky. And the sky parted out, light raining through them. The blue skies gazed upon them and the sun blessed them with its rays.

Yang, now with Blake in tow spotted the two kissing under the sun’s rays. Blake smiled at the picturesque scene in front of her. The scene was a sight to behold. Like it had came out from a book or from the movies.

“Are we watching a live-action movie schnee-n?” Yang commented. The two broke away after the comment and looked at the two. Blake rolled her eyes and jabbed the blond. “Don’t ruin it.”

Ruby and Weiss blinked at them and snickered. The bumbleby couple looked at the two in confusion as they laugh, their voice ringing everywhere, and pretty soon they joined after them.

The days after that went pretty chill for them. And the note/letter sending ceased—no doubt Yang had something to do with that. Weiss though, still observes the side glances and glares coming from the Ruby fandom, but other than that, there were no more. Ruby became slightly protective… okay, subtly more protective to her and she noticed that. There were times that the brunette would see the glances on her way and she would glare coldly to those people. Can’t say that she didn’t like that side of her girlfriend.

And everything went smoother than silk after all that. Their relationship strengthen even more and they opened up their relationship with everyone they knew. And by everyone, I mean everyone. Their group of friends were happy for the two couple, and the student body also cheered for them, well, except Ruby's fans of course. But Ruby handled them very well—let’s just say that Yang and Nora were very happy to break some legs.

And of course, Papa Schnee, Jacques, found out their relationship. At first, Weiss was terrified when the two of them were requested to meet the man and Ruby was there to comfort her. And by the time they met him, he just gave them a smile and a nod. Weiss was happy. She literally jumped from where she stood and launched herself to her father's arms. Ruby smiled at the two and promised the father that she would make his daughter happy with everything she have.

Then their graduation came, the two both graduated atop from their peers and Weiss declared their unending love by kissing her wonderful girlfriend full on the lips with everyone cheering and howling on them. The after party though, was another thing. It was their first intimate moment. And up till now, it’s still deeply engraved in their minds.

“Weiss, I love you.” Said Ruby as they sat on their sofa. Weiss blinked at the sudden declaration. It’s been years since she heard those words for so many times, and yet, it never ceased to make her heart do somersaults and her face turning into lovely shades of red.

“What’s with you all of a sudden?” Weiss asked, kissing the crown of her lover. Ruby sighed in contentment. “I just want to say it. I love you.”

Weiss’ heart starts to beat faster once again and she bit the urge to squeal. “And I love you too.” She stated. Ruby looked up to give her a chaste kiss and smiled sweetly. “I know.”

Notes:

Boy, that was long. And I definitely improved a lot from my early works. This, made my day. The amount of detailed describing that I made just to give every moment a feel of what they should feel… I am very proud.

My first thoughts for the prompt was, “Kiss, Kiss, fall in love.”

As you can see, I kinda experimented and explore the depths of writing that I can reach. I did my best.

I want to capture the moments. To give you the feel of it. I hope I did a good job.

So, brief explanation of little tidbits, they first met when they were starting their freshman year in the lab. Since you all know they are pretty smart, they did good on chemistry but someone left a glass tube on the floor and Ruby tripped landing on Weiss. Needless to say, chaos ensues and since then Weiss disliked Ruby. Next, the project was asked by Professor Port, he’s the one handling engineering classes. Duly note that this all were in the course of two semesters of their first year. They spent six years in school. Ruby had a crush on Weiss on the duration of the first week of the first semester, then it all vanished when they became rivals. On game night, there she realized her feelings for Weiss. Weiss realized hers on the duration of their third year. Due to the fact that she’s cold, people call her, not Ice Queen that was Yang, bitch.. they call her a stick in the mud, bitch. And yes, there were death threats. Taiyang knows their relationship since he ship the two, he found out when he caught them kissing once in Patch. Jacques is good, distant but good, he makes amends for the three siblings.

This is the prequel of the Day 5: Nap Time and/or Cuddles. The last moment were in the same timeline as Day 5 before they fell asleep.

[nsheetee]

Can I make a request? Jaehyun x reader high school rivalry au. In which Jaehyun & reader are rivals in school when it comes to academics but one day they were informed they had to team up for a quiz bee against other schools. Some sort of enemies to lovers au I guess? 😅 THANK YOUUU!!

a/n: ugh I imagined Jaehyun in glasses throughout this entire thing and it killed me 😅 also, to include the academics and quiz bee part I wrote this based around debate team, that wasn’t exactly what you asked for but I hope it’s okay! 

(warning: mentions of doyoung, jungwoo, and sicheng  /swearing / y’all make out a bit in the end)

alright so let me tell you about your high school’s debate team

the team is as old as the school itself, but during doyoung’s sophomore year, he was given the title of president of the debate team 

(the first time a sophomore has been given the position, and he made sure everyone knew about it too dfbhjh)

every since then, the team has TAKEN OFF and made some amazing accomplishments 

doyoung crafted the team into what it is today

sicheng as head of research (and official tea-spiller of the team)

jungwoo as doyoung’s assistant (a.k.a. doyoung’s emotional support boy)

…and you and jaehyun, some of the best debaters doyoung has ever seen

your passion paired with jaehyun’s charisma and mixed in with both of your quick mouths was a sight to behold for judges

despite this, doyoung was very unwilling to let both of you stay on the team

because you fucking HATED each other

despite the amazing skill of teamwork you both possess on stage, the debate team meeting room was a nightmare

screaming matches every other day

snapped in half pencils

many, many, MANY disagreements

and how did it start? 

during freshman year, your first class in your first semester of school was math- your teacher seated you next to jaehyun :)

every morning at 8am you had to deal with his whining about being tired or how the material was “too easy” :)

and then when you got your first tests back, your grade was one (1) point lower than his :)

and jaehyun says :)

“oh man, that sucks. you should’ve taken up that tutoring offer I gave you”

:))))))))))

and ever since then, you couldn’t stand his big head with his too-clear-to-be-natural skin and his smile that he sent you every time doyoung agreed with something he said instead of one fo your ideas

but you loved debate team, you were all such close friends (despite someone who liked the act up) and those big dumbos were your everything :’)

now, it was the beginning of doyoungs senior year

as the debate team teacher sponsor quietly cried at the thought of doyoung leaving, doyoung was more focused on who would take his spot next year

jungwoo and sicheng were both great candidates, but everyone knew that the only people who could even come close to filling doyoung’s shoes were you or jaehyun

and when doyoung told you both this after a debate team meeting, the tension between you two quickly escalated 

“now, I expect both of you to get along; at least respect each other. if one of you is the captain then you have to be able to listen to them and right now…. the last thing you do is listen to each other” doyoung explained

with that thought, you and jaehyun made your way out of school

“ya know if you could just listen to my ideas every once in a while maybe we wouldn’t be in this kind of mess” jaehyun pointed out as you walked down the empty halls

“I could say the same thing to you” you snapped back and he suddenly stopped walking

“… is this what doyoung is talking about? I think… we both love debate so much, that we just don’t know when to stop” jaehyun laughs and you feel slightly uncomfortable with this seemingly truthful side of jaehyun

he legit doesn't seem like he’s about to laugh at your face 

he just seems like he wants to stop arguing

he does, he’s actually really tired of arguing with your cute face everyday :(

you don’t know how far you can trust jaehyun, but you’ve spent years working by his side

there has to be some sort of connection between you two that allows both of you to work together so successfully

after you tell that to jaehyun, he slowly agrees

“how about this….” you start “after team meetings, we can go to the library and try to… not hate each other”

jaehyun scrunches his face

“the library? how about… the cafe two blocks down?”

you were about to snap at him about “what’s so wrong with the library? huh?” but you took a deep breath in and out

if you were going to stop fighting, change had to start somewhere

“okay, let’s go” 

so you and jaehyun hang out at this hole-in-the-wall cafe after debate team meetings for a few weeks

you didn’t necessarily make your meet ups known to the other team members but… 

you didn’t really want to have the whole team freak out over what could possibly be perceived as dates

cuz trust me

they TOTALLY looked like dates

jaehyun would buy your drink for you 

(until one day he confessed that you drink was hella expensive and you rolled your eyes and started buying his drink from then on)

in return, he would help you on all the math concepts you didn’t fully understand

(you had flashbacks to the first class you had with him when he offered to tutor you but you shook that off)

and when your your brain was completely fried, he would listen to you talk about anything and everything

or if on one particular day you weren’t in the mood to talk, he would fill up the cafe with his low laughter and stories of the stupid things he and his friends do

(when the baristas found out y’all weren’t dating they started making bets on when one of you would confess ewfheb)

your relationship with jaehyun changed from snappy and argumentative to something like a friendship

and this was obvious to the rest of the debate team members 

they were soooo relieved that y’all weren’t fighting everyday 

and that they could spend the meetings getting prepared for competitions rather than settling your arguments

but of course, sicheng was a little too curious about the sudden change in behavior from you two

and he followed you guys after a meeting one day

he watched from outside of the cafe where neither of you could see him

he was shooooook

you guys looked so,,.., weird when you don’t fight but it was even weirder to see you laughing at something jaehyun said and leaning into him as you looked at his papers

he was ssososososoos sure you were dating

(although sicheng was awesome at researching stuff, he seems to have forgotten to confirm his sources on this one…)

(because you were not dating at all)

(yet…)

sooooooo fast forward to the next weekend, there was a debate team competition a few cities away

the school allowed the team to travel and stay over night at a hotel in that city

so the team packed up their things and took the long bus ride and settled into their hotel rooms once they got there

you were flipping through the tv channels in your room when your phone vibrated

with a text from jaehyun

“come meet me in my room”

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) hehe

it was against the rules that your teacher sponsor set before you left for the trip

but you were sure the teacher was already passed out in their own room and that if you were quiet and careful, the other team members wouldn’t hear you walking out of your room and into jaehyun’s

jungwoo, doyoung, and sicheng already broke the rule that the teacher had set for them

they were chilling in doyoung’s room, finished take out on the floor between them and face masks on as they relaxed 

“I keep texting jaehyun to come join us, but he’s not picking up” jungwoo frowned and sicheng snorted at that

“what’s so funny?” jungwoo asked

“we’re on a trip away from home with our own hotel rooms and little to no supervision,..,.. don’t you think jaehyun and y/n would take this opportunity to mess around?”

the room suddenly went very quiet as jungwoo and doyoung stared at sicheng with wide eyes

“…what?” doyoung asked lowly

“oh come on…. you guys seriously can’t tell me you haven’t seen how much closer they’ve gotten-”

“that’s because I told them that one of them would have to be president next year and they need to get along” doyoung defended

“yeah, that’s why they were getting real cozy with each other in a cafe after one of our meetings” sicheng absentmindedly stated, looking at his reflection on his phone as he tapped around his face to settle the mask in

tea? spilled

sicheng’s job? completed

jaehyun and you? in trouble

back in jaehyun’s room, you quietly close the door behind you as you make your way in

jaehyun lays on his bed with only the light from the bedside lamp illuminating his face 

his pajamas have little clouds and sheep on them and you take a moment to tease him about it as you come closer

he grabs your hands and pulls you onto the bed next to him and you both settle down to watch tv

both of your hearts are pounding so loud you think the other can hear it and you squeeze your hand into a fist to keep yourself from physically freaking out

jaehyun was right there… right next to you

if you turned your head, he would be only a few inches away

“there’s nothing to watch?” you ask, trying to get your mind off of your thoughts

“nothing seems interesting… let’s do something else instead”

and that’s how you end up making out with Jaehyun :-)

your lips are moving against each others and your hands are gliding down to wherever you can touch

he rubs your sides and when you react with a small moan he pushes you down and the kiss turns from a “wanting” type of kiss to something slower

like jaehyun wants to savor this moment of your kiss pressed to his for the very first time (it wasn’t the greatest setting or situation for a first kiss but hey, y’all take what you can get)

you barely notice doyoung, jungwoo, and sicheng storming into the room, turning on all the lights and standing in front of the bed, hands on hips or crossed in front of their chest, their face masks still on and frowns settled underneath

you and jaehyun separate from each other in fright, awaiting to be yelled at by doyoung, but instead you break out into laughter at the appearance of the three of them standing in front of you

“when I told you guys to get along, this is NOT AT ALL what I meant”

[inspired-by-the-music]

Second Best (Minhyuk)

requests are encouraged! please read my guidelines before submitting your requests!

Genre: Hogwarts au; Slytherin Minhyuk x Gryffindor reader; enemies to lovers

Word Count: 2,196

Granted, you and Minhyuk were rivals in every respect. While he led the Slytherin team as their Captain and Beater, you competed as Gryffindor’s Beater; you struggled against one another to be the top of your class; you were notoriously combative Prefects of your respective houses. And the first time Minhyuk had beaten you at anything was when he was selected as Hogwarts Triwizard Champion; although, since you hadn’t entered your name into the Goblet of Fire, that hadn’t been much of a competition. 

“Convenient story,” Minhyuk scoffed upon teasing you in the mostly empty Transfiguration classroom. “Were you so sure that the Goblet would consider me the best student in the school? Or were you just too chicken to enter your name?”

You didn’t even glance at Minhyuk as you continued practicing the spell McGonagall taught you. “Neither; it’s just that breathing is more valuable to me than eternal glory or whatever. That’s why I entered your name for both of us.”

“At least look at me when you try to flirt.” When you didn’t obey, he tried to provoke your temper. “Isn’t that thirst for glory a Gryffindor thing?”

“I don’t know.” You cursed yourself when Minhyuk smiled as you met his gaze; as usual, you had fallen for his bait. Determined to wipe the smile off his face, you raised your eyebrows and asked, “Isn’t cheating and a certain disregard for the rules a Slytherin thing?”

Instantly, Minhyuk’s smile fell. “What are you talking about? I’m no cheater. Just because you can’t beat me at anything doesn’t mean you can diminish my hard work with—”

“Ah, spare me the speech,” you interrupted. Begrudgingly, you admitted, “I know you’re a serious student. But that doesn’t explain why you’re coming to me for help with the tournament.”

“How did you know?” Then, realizing that his best option was to appeal to your emotions, Minhyuk asked, “If I tell you why, will you help me?”

Unaffected— perhaps even hardened by his dramatically widened eyes and pouting lips, you promptly answered, “No,” before scooping your books into your bag. 

Minhyuk followed you out of the classroom and, undeterred by the many potential eavesdroppers in the hallway, he hissed, “Are you really this petty? Over what— the fact that I consistently beat your ass at Quidditch? Because I’m your only competition in academics? Or because the Goblet said I’m better than you?”

You stopped in your tracks to round on him. Determined to ignore that you had once again satisfied his need for attention, you repeated, “I didn’t put my name into that stupid cup!”

“Let’s pretend I believe you.” Minhyuk narrowed his eyes at you, his eyebrows gathering in apparent annoyance. “What’s your problem with me? Are you mad I’ve never kissed you or something?”

Rolling your eyes, you commanded, “Don’t be delusional.” And once you overcame your rising desire to laugh at Minhyuk’s accusation, you explained, “Even if I didn’t have a hundred reasons to hate you— even if I had a few good reasons to like you, I wouldn’t help you cheat because it’s forbidden for you to seek outside help. My house actually values integrity.”

You tried to storm down to the Great Hall for lunch, but Minhyuk grabbed you by the arm. Initially, you were so infuriated by the touch that you planned to punch him in the face. But then you realized that his grip was gentle. The shock of his soft touch urged you to still. 

“For once, don’t be such a naive goody two shoes,” he whispered through his teeth. “I prepared for that first task all alone, and I almost died. If you don’t think Durmstrang and Beauxbatons aren’t doing all they can to help their champions win, you’re a fool.”

After studying Minhyuk’s features as he reluctantly met your eyes, you realized aloud, “You’re afraid.” And when Minhyuk said nothing to confirm or deny your assessment, you asked, “Why would you come to me for help?”

“You think I wanted to?” He laughed, although unamused. “You’re the second smartest person in our class. I’d have to be a moron to entrust my life to anyone else over our stupid rivalry.”

Recalling just how fearful you had been when Minhyuk faced that troll during the first task, you agreed, “Fine. I’ll help you.” And then, to remind him that you weren’t eager to become friends, you added, “But only because I can never ignore a damsel in distress.”

Minhyuk tried with all his might to glare at you, but he quickly succumbed to a smile— the very smile that often made other girls swoon. Sharply, he said, “Don’t think of this as some kind of debt, Y/N— I don’t make a habit of owing favors to silly little Gryffindors.”

“Just pretend I offered to help you from the abundant goodness in my heart,” you suggested half-heartedly. “I assure you: you could never repay me because you can offer nothing that I need or want.”

As Minhyuk stared at you, at a loss for words once more, you shrugged out of his grasp. “I’ll meet you in the library tomorrow to brainstorm your survival plan.” And you set toward the Great Hall at a faster pace. 

Ever persistent, Minhyuk followed. “I know how I can call things even.” Taking your silence as an invitation to continue, he promised, “I’ll take you to the Yule Ball.”

You paused just outside the Great Hall to stare at Minhyuk. For once in his life, there was no indication of humor or mockery or cruelty. Ignoring your racing heart, you asked, “What makes you think that I even want to go to the ball with you? And how is me agreeing to keep your ass safe in that tournament in any way comparable to you inviting me to the ball?”

“Come on, Y/N,” Minhyuk took your hand in his. His eyebrows rose, perhaps in a display of sincerity, as he hummed, “I know you like me. I could practically feel your noble little heart melt as you promised to protect me.”

Gawking at him, you breathed, “You’re completely delusional.”

“Don’t be so embarrassed.” Meeting your eyes, Minhyuk confessed, “You’re probably the only person who can touch my cold Slytherin heart.”

While you wheezed, too uncomfortably aware of the butterflies in your stomach and the aching pounding of your heart to sort through your feelings, Minhyuk’s lips twisted into a devious smirk. “Is that what you want to hear?”

Seeing Minhyuk once again as the cruel enemy you knew too well, you snatched your hand out of his grip. “You’re the most senselessly mean person I’ve ever met.,” you spat and brushed by him to enter the Great Hall at last.

. . . 

Judging by how his jaw dropped at the sight of you, Minhyuk hadn’t expected you to meet him in the library. Still, you were a woman of your word, so you forced yourself to look him in the eyes as you sat across from him. 

“What?” You stared at him as you slammed your books on the table. “Did you really think you destroyed me because of some imaginary crush?” 

The only trouble was that your feelings weren’t entirely confined to Minhyuk’s imagination. Since he smirked at you yesterday, you hadn’t been able to escape that sinking embarrassment. That humiliated blush hadn’t fled from your cheeks. You didn’t know when or how or why you started to like someone so spiteful, but now that you were next to him and every thundering beat of your heart reminded you of your feelings, you couldn’t think of anything else.

Obviously, Minhyuk could tell as he adopted a tone more delicate than you imagined possible. Unable to meet your eyes, he stuttered, “I— I shouldn’t have joked about that.”

It didn’t matter that Minhyuk was trying to be kind for the first time since you met. Your pride limited from you from accepting his attempt at an apology; your pride prevented you from even admitting that he had hurt your feelings. 

Flinching away from his attempt to hold your hand again, you forced a laugh. “Oh, you were joking?” Your jaw clenched at the weak excuse. “I thought you just couldn’t conceal your longing for me—”

“Y/N, stop being so hell-bent on continuing this stupid rivalry.” Minhyuk’s words were harsh, but his voice was a soft whisper. Sighing, he decided, “You know, I’ll meet you most of the way. I’ll admit I started all of this back when we were first years when I called you a know-it-all in Transfiguration. And it really was my fault when that bludger broke your broom, and I lied when I visited you in the hospital wing and said I wasn’t sorry—”

“Yeah, that probably was your worst moment,” you agreed with a stiff nod. “Thanks for reminding me of that incredible moment from our past. Maybe now I can break free of whatever spell you’ve cast—”

“I didn't cast any spell; you just like me, and you’re in denial.” Breathing deeply, Minhyuk said, “I’m trying to apologize, alright? I’m sorry I called you a know-it-all. And I’m sorry I broke your broom. And I’m sorry I intentionally piss you off for attention. And I’m sorry I asked you to compromise your integrity to help me win this tournament. And I’m sorry I embarrassed you about your feelings instead of just telling you that I’m in love with you.”

You started to claim once more that you didn't have feelings for Minhyuk, but you trailed off when you realized the end of his sentence. “You— what?”

Minhyuk’s face burned deep crimson as he shakily admitted, “And I’ve known a lot longer than a day, so I understand how you feel. And I really am sorry that I made you feel bad about liking me—”

“Wait,” you interrupted to ask: “How long have you liked me?”

“Is this really the time to stroke your ego?” Minhyuk joked. However, he gave in to your request for details. “Don’t get any silly naive Gryffindor ideas. I really didn’t like you our first year. And I hated you second and third year until I accidentally hit you with that bludger—”

“Accidentally?” You questioned. “In the hospital wing, you said—”

Minhyuk tilted his head at you. “Wait— you really believed that I purposely hit you with a bludger? No wonder you hate me.” He ran a hand through his hair before explaining, “I mean, I did hit the bludger toward you. But you never missed— I thought you’d hit it back. And when it broke your broom and you fell, I thought you were seriously hurt. I just— I was gonna apologize, but you were so angry, and I—”

“You really are a jerk, Minhyuk,” you glared, somehow unable to tear your eyes away from him despite your mounting anger. “You must be the only guy in the world who can make a girl angry that you reciprocate her irrational crush.”

“First of all, it’s not a crush,” Minhyuk argued. True to his character, he was too determined to bicker to notice that you had admitted to liking him. “Second— you’re the only girl who ever gets mad at me—”

“Then go chase after one of those other girls who can’t get enough of you,” you suggested, nudging him in the ribs. “Ask one of them to the Yule Ball. Hell, while you’re at it, ask one of them to save your life—”

“Don’t be so jealous, Y/N,” Minhyuk grumbled as he shied away from your nudging. “I’m being honest about my feelings, so stop being so defensive.”

Still incensed, to the point that furious tears gathered in your eyes, you asked, “So what? I’m supposed to act like you haven’t been a total pain all these years just because you think you’re in love with me?”

“Ah— don’t cry.” Minhyuk frowned as he stood to tug you harshly into his arms. “Don’t cry—”

“I’m not trying to cry,” you barked into his chest. Breathing deeply, you cursed yourself for finding comfort in his familiar pine scent. “You just make me so angry— sometimes all I can do is cry.”

“Funny,” he teased, the smirk on his face visible even to your closed eyes. “If you’re so angry, why aren’t you fighting your way out of my embrace?”

“Even now— even when you’re holding me and trying to make me love you— you’re a pain.”

Minhyuk mumbled into your hair, “So what? I actually like that you’re a pain in my side.” Then, more delicately, he promised, “But if it really matters to you so much, I’ll try to be nicer to you. Just please, Y/N, I really am sorry. Will you please go to the ball with me?”

“If it really matters to you so much,” you began as you pulled yourself out of his arms at the approaching clicks of the librarian’s heels, “I guess I will.” And when Minhyuk smiled in an unfamiliar way, you teased him for some sense of normalcy. “But only because you said please. And only because you’re the second-best student in this school.”

[btshogwartsauheadcanons]

So, You Like Pie Too?

Pairings: Seokjin x Slytherin!Reader (rivals to lovers)

Summary: You and Kim Seokjin have been rivals, in Quidditch, academics, and pretty much everything else, for almost seven years. But even though nothing more has happened in those seven years, you can’t help but feel that he’s a little different around you now. Or maybe it’s you who feels differently towards him? 

Enter Yoongi, your best friend who finally has the guts to ask Kim Taehyung, who happens to be Kim Seokjin’s adopted child, out on a date. Throw in a little bit of coincidental ideas of spying, a slice (or more) of apple pie, and suddenly, seven years of rivalry may come to a surprising conclusion. 

Ratings: rivals to lovers, slow burn, pining, sarcasm

Featuring: Kim Namjoon, Park Jimin, and Jung Hoseok being too busy with their academics to meddle in other people’s love affairs, Jungkook and his Golden Seeker skills, and TaeGi because I will eternally be a slut for them, and some Red Velvet girls because I will eternally be a slut for them too

Word Count: 10.5k

A/N: Finally it’s here!! This was unexpectedly long and it’s a bit out of my comfort zone because I usually do friends to lovers things but I hope you guys like it anyway. I’m getting pretty busy with college (even though i’m still a freshman) so I think my next upload will be pretty short (but definitely sweet). 

“Jeon Jungkook if you don’t get your ass down here in twenty seconds I will personally drag your corpse along the Quidditch field,” you bellowed into the stairwell leading up to the fifth-year boy’s dormitory.

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Jungkook huffed as he ran down the stairways, broom and gloves in hand. “God, do you have to make so much noise in the morning?”

“Do you have to be twenty minutes late for everything, including official matches?” you scolded the maknae again, grabbing the back of his Quidditch robes and promptly dragging him with you out of the Slytherin dormitory. 

“It’s not my fault Yoongi chose this particular night to weight the pros and cons of finally asking Taehyung out,” Jungkook rolled his eyes, peeling your hand off his robes and walking quickly to match his pace. Luckily for you two, the Quidditch pit was practically a staircase away from the Dungeons area of the castle where your Slytherin dormitory was. The rest of your team was busy with last-minute uniform checks: retying boot laces, strapping on gloves, and rubbing broom handles or Beater bats for luck, when you two finally showed up.

“Sorry for the delay everyone, had to wake up our ‘Golden Seeker’ again,” you rolled your eyes, cuffing Jungkook in the back of the head again for good measure.

“We wouldn’t have started without you captain,” Seulgi, one of your best Chasers, grinned and tossed you your Keeper gloves. The rest of the team nodded in unison and you felt a swell of pride for yourself at the response.

For a Muggleborn Slytherin, it wasn’t quite easy clawing your way to attain the position of ‘Captain’ in your house’s Quidditch team. It took five long years, in fact. Of course, times had changed and people were more accepting now. If you came to Hogwarts fifty years ago, you wouldn’t have even been given the Common Room password. Still, it took a lot of work for you to reach the position you’re in, a typically Slytherin feat that eventually earned the respect of not only your teammates, but your entire House as well.

“Alright, who’s ready to wipe some smiles off Gryffindor faces?” you smirked. Or rather, one Gryffindor specifically.

“We do!” your team cheered.

“That’s the spirit!” you yelled, raising your broom in the air. The other’s cheered again and followed suit as well. Nothing like some good old House rivalry to motivate people. Suddenly, the sound of slow-clapping made you turn around.

The very sight of his smirk made you want to shove a Quaffle in his face. The sight of your seven-year, and counting, Gryffindor nemesis: Kim Seokjin.

“What are you doing here?” you practically hissed at him.

“Nothing much,” Seokjin shrugged his annoyingly broad shoulders. “I just followed the scent of treachery and lake water and ended up here.”

“Spying on other team’s secrets, huh? That’s low, even for you Kim Seokjin,” you raised an eyebrow. “Now run along back to your team, we’ll crush all of you in the match eventually so just be patient.”

“We’ll see about that,” Seokjin turned away and stalked off, but not before giving Jungkook a playful noogie. Despite your rivalry with Seokjin, most of your friends, namely Yoongi and Jungkook, were best friends with him. It was a bit of a weird relationship but as long as everyone accepted your rivalry, everything was fine.

That didn’t mean you weren’t going to totally whoop his ass later in Quidditch.

…

“You got the strategy down, right?” you asked, hovering by the goalposts beside Jungkook.

“Catch the snitch as fast as I can, dodge all the Bludgers, leave no room for mercy,” he said, ticking the entire list off.

“Good boy,” you grinned, giving your gloves one finally tug before gripping your broom handle while Madam Hooch strolled over to the center of the field.

“Everyone make some noise for the third Quidditch game of the season. Gryffindor versus Slytherin!” Taehyung yelled and the crowd went wild. The Quidditch commentator always went to the Ravenclaw Kim Taehyung every year and it was easy to see why. Other than his perpetually-excited attitude, Taehyung’s witty comments knew how to keep the audience engaged.

“You said it Taehyung,” another commentator’s voice echoed through the stadium. Your mouth fell open as you and Jungkook both glanced at each other.

“Min Yoongi?!”

“I guess Taehyung finally managed to persuade,” Jungkook laughed. “Hyung actually isn’t that bad.”

“Madame Hooch is heading to the center with the Quaffle,” Yoongi continued. He didn’t have the exact same level of energy as Taehyung did, but his voice and tone was as engaging as any sports announcer. However, you didn’t allow yourself to dwell on it too much and instead focused on the game.

People usually think that the first team who gets their hands on the Quaffle controls the entire game. Of course, that was a load of baloney. It shouldn’t matter whose side it was on. If one of your Slytherin Chasers caught the Quaffle, they better get a proper score in. If a Gryffindor Chaser got it, well, you’ll be ready for them.

“And the Gryffindor Chaser, and all-around Handsome Guy, has the Quaffle,” Taehyung yelled. You grit your teeth and flew up to guard the middle ring.

“Beaters! In position!” you yelled, raising up two fingers in a V-sign. Your Beaters obeyed and flew forward, one on each side of the court guarding the path to the goalposts. Meanwhile, Jungkook zipped off in search of the Golden Snitch.

“The game is officially on,” Yoongi continued commentating. “Team Captain Y/n L/n of the Slytherin team definitely has a strategy on hand based on the position of her teammates.”

“But Kim Seokjin definitely is dodging past all those Bludgers,” Taehyung pointed out. It was true. From your position near the goalposts, you could see how much Kim Seokjin’s flying has improved as he ducked and weaved through the Bludgers batted directly at him as well as the other Slytherin Chasers trying to grab the Quaffle from him.

‘We have our own strategy though,’ you smirked as Seokjin flew nearer to the goalposts. He raised the Quaffle as he took the shot. You feigned left, therefore making Seokjin aim right, when Seulgi flew past and used her broom to swat the Quaffle right into your hands. You gripped the ball tightly before throwing it almost halfway across the entire field to where another one of your Chasers waited.

“And an awesome pass from Slytherin Chaser Seulgi to Keeper Y/n,” Taehyung commentated. “I didn’t know if that was allowed but Madame Hooch hasn’t blown her whistle yet so I guess it is.”

“Nice work!” you yelled after Seulgi as she darted past to guard the next Chaser. Then you smirked in Kim Seokjin’s direction.

“It’s not over yet, Y/n,” he shook his head.

“It will be soon,” you smiled with fake innocence.

It actually was over quickly, almost as quickly as it began. Jungkook caught the Golden Snitch in just ten minutes, breaking his previous record of fifteen minutes and thirty seconds, allowing the Slytherins to win with a marginal difference of points from the Gryffindor team. You tried to muster up a smug grin at Seokjin when it was time for both teams to shake hands at the end of the game, but seeing the sad, pained expression on his face made your stomach twist slightly. You were personally familiar with that look, having seen it several times reflected back at you on bathroom mirrors when you needed a quiet space to yell and cry with frustration whenever your previous team captain made you an understudy again.

You quickly pushed those thoughts out of your head however once you joined your cheering teammates in the locker room.

“ANOTHER RECORD BREAKER FOR THE MAKNAE!” Seulgi cheered, leading the applause for Jungkook who grinned and pumped his arms in the air at the praise.

“Don’t forget the Team Captain of course,” he grinned, pulling you over beside him. “Her flawless strategy got us through the first few minutes.”

“None of it would have worked out completely if you hadn’t caught the Snitch on time,” you waved off the praise. “Maybe next time allow them to fight for a bit before catching it,” you winked.

“Oh, by the way, Professor Slughorn’s planning a celebration party,” one of your Chasers, a small, petite girl named Yeri piped up. “He’s been doing the preparations all day.”

“So, he knew we were going to win?” you quirked a brow.

“Pretty much it seems,” Seulgi shrugged.

“I am his favorite student,” Jungkook grinned. You rolled your eyes at him. But it was true, Slughorn did give him a vial of Felix Felicis once after Jungkook aced one of his Potions tests.

“Alright, you guys worked hard so you all deserved to rest and to party,” you smiled proudly at all your team members. “Sneak some shots of Firewhiskey if you want to but don’t get caught. We all showed everyone wrong by proving that we don’t have to cheat to win.” It was a style, of course, that your previous captain preferred. When you got the position of Team Captain of course, those ‘styles’ had to go.

“Until the next game, everyone,” you playfully saluted. “Go Slytherins!”

“Go Slytherins!” they cheered in response before splitting off in groups or pairs to pack away their gear or change out of their robes. You and Jungkook were probably the first to pack up your things and leave.

“Yeri told me Professor Slughorn’s allowing everyone invited to bring a plus one along,” Jungkook said. “The more the merrier apparently.”

“Hmm… I guess I’ll drag Yoongi’s ass out of his bed then,” you chuckled. “He does deserve some kind of regard for being a pretty good announcer earlier.”

“And Taehyung finally had the guts to ask him to co-announce with him,” Jungkook sighed happily. “Maybe I should bring him as my plus one.”

“Ooh good idea,” you nodded, turning the corner to where the Slytherin Common Room was. “Maybe tonight’s the night for them to get together,” you squealed.

“Maybe it will. Maybe it will.”

…

“You do know this is a party, you can wear regular clothes,” you sighed as soon as you saw Yoongi walk into the Common Room area from his dormitories dressed in his usual black and green Slytherin robes.

“I feel uncomfortable without them,” Yoongi pouted. You rolled your eyes at him. Every pureblood kid you knew pretty much felt naked without robes or a cloak. It’s a wonder the number of deaths from heatstroke hasn’t risen yet.

“Just wear some pants and a sweater or something. You’ll feel covered enough,” you said, pushing a groaning Yoongi back into his room before he could complain any further. A few minutes later, your best friend emerged wearing what appeared to be black slacks but made from some kind of silky material along with a dark green button-up shirt. You raised an eyebrow at the similar choice in color but Yoongi gave you a look that basically screamed ‘I have nothing else to wear.’

“Fine, let’s get going,” you gave in and headed out the Common Room with Yoongi following behind. Jungkook had already gone ahead while you were busy getting ready along with everyone else in your team.

Professor Slughorn’s party was held in one of the towers that was farther away from the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor dormitories so they wouldn’t be disturbed by the noise. Well, Slughorn’s parties weren’t necessarily noisy either. Most of the time, people just came to have dinner, make conversation, and maybe drink some of Ogden’s Oak-Barrel Mead if Slughorn offered some, which was pretty much all the time. Of course, the whole alcohol thing was kept secret from other Professors and Prefects.

You never quite enjoyed those parties, even though they were famous among your housemates, since people made it seem like sort of a coming-of-age rite or a status symbol that you knew your bloodline wouldn’t allow you into. After becoming the Team Captain you received an invitation to the infamous Slughorn party. Of course, you accepted out of politeness but the constant social interaction burned you out soon after. After the game with Gryffindor, you wanted nothing more than to take a relaxing shower, put on a face mask, and fall asleep right after. But part of you was looking forward to at least having Yoongi around to talk to if you didn’t feel like talking to anyone else and drinking some of that Oak-Barrel Mead.

“So, how long are we staying here?” Yoongi sighed as soon as the two of you reached the door.

“No later than two hours,” you raised an eyebrow at your best friend who grinned in approval.

“Sounds like a plan.” Yoongi stepped forward to open the door.

“CHUG! CHUG! CHUG! CHUG!”

The sound of six Gryffindors, basically the equivalent of a dozen yelling people, washed over you and Yoongi like a giant wave. Instead of the usual sight of Slytherins chatting over drinks and food in different areas of the room, the two of you found what appeared to be some sort of Beer Pong but Quidditch version game being played in the middle of the room. One of the Gryffindor Chasers you faced off with earlier was busy chugging down a glass of beer while the others cheered him on.

“What the fuck is going on?” you exclaimed out loud.

“An invasion apparently,” Yoongi muttered, clearly starting to shrink off to the side. You couldn’t blame the guy. The whole thing felt like an Introvert’s Plague.

“Yoongi-hyung! Noona! You’re here!”

You jumped slightly in surprise when you felt a heavily-muscled arm sling around your shoulder followed by Jungkook’s head popping up beside you.

“Geez, are you drunk already?” Yoongi frowned.

“Nah,” Jungkook shook his head. “The Gryffindors brought some beer but they’re making sure only the ones who are legal can have some. Of course you can still get a beer or two if you ask nicely.

“Yeah, but what the hell? Why are they here?” you hissed.

“Professor Slughorn invited the Quidditch team apparently,” Jungkook shrugged. “He thought they played well so they deserved to de-stress in the party.

“Now I’m the one who’s stressed,” you rolled your eyes. And just when you thought the night couldn’t get any worse, the Worst Part of the Night came in the form of pastel clothes and sixty centimeter-long shoulders.

“Well, someone managed to drag Yoongi out of bed on a Saturday night,” the Worst Part of the Night spoke. You clenched your jaw and turned around to face him.

“Kim Seokjin.”

“Fancy seeing you here gorgeous,” he winked.

“Get a room,” Yoongi groaned and was about to head off, presumably to get a drink, when none other than Kim Taehyung, the guy your best friend’s been crushing on since forever, popped up. You raised an eyebrow at his purple, silk pajamas which apparently Taehyung deemed as party wear.

“Seokjin-hyung! You said you were getting me strawberry juice,” he pouted. Instantly, Seokjin’s previously smug demeanor melted.

“Shh..! Can’t you see I’m trying to intimidate someone,” he hissed at Taehyung.

“It was working quite well,” you said, allowing yourself to freely pour some sarcasm into your words.

“I-I didn’t know you were coming,” Yoongi stammered as he looked at Taehyung.

“Yeah, Seokjin-hyung invited me,” he grinned.

“Now I really need something to drink,” Yoongi shook his head and hurried off in search of the drinks table.

“Y-yoongi!” you called after him before huffing exasperatedly as soon as you realized that he probably wasn’t going to come back soon.

“Ooh, you should follow him,” Jungkook suggested to Taehyung. “Maybe he’ll help you find some strawberry juice.”

“Good idea!” Taehyung nodded and took off after Yoongi.

“You know, you make a very Slytherin,” Seokjin grinned proudly at Jungkook.

“Great, now he’s not coming back anytime soon,” you sighed, leaning over to find Taehyung and Yoongi already talking.

“Don’t be so grouchy, you have us here,” Seokjin grinned.

“As if I want to be in a noisy room with all these people,” you scowled. “And why do all of you look so happy. Our team won by a landslide. Shouldn’t you be having one of your team meetings by the campfire and making promises about improving on your next game.”

“You watch way too much sports anime Y/n-noona,” Jungkook giggled.

“Shut up Jungkook.”

“Well, unlike you, we know how to take our defeats gracefully,” Seokjin boasted.

“Tell that to your piss-drunk teammates,” you pointed behind your shoulder where you could no doubt hear one, or two, Gryffindors falling over a table. “If that’s what you do every night no wonder you barely made any points.”

At this point, the smug, even playful, smirk on Seokjin’s face disappeared as he glared down at you. For instant, he even looked quite scary. But, you held your composure. You were used to these kinds of intimidation after all.

“I bet that’s how we all look like to you,” he said, talking lowly as if he was making a threat. “Boisterous, loud, small-brained. Always relying on personality and charm to make up for a lack of everything else. No wonder you always look down on us.”

You clenched your fist, not batting an eye as he stared you down. What he said was true of course, but only partly. It was true you did have a bit of hatred for Gryffindors, but that only came from your own envy towards them. Despite how loud and annoying they were, they always seemed like one big family whenever you watched them eating together in the Great Hall. Pure-bloods, half-bloods, muggle-borns, all of them were welcomed into that big, glorious Gryffindor family. While in your house, you were practically the alienated one. Considering your House and bloodline, you should be the last person to listen to stereotypes. You knew, of course, that there were Gryffindors who weren’t so loud and annoying, that they weren’t all that bad. But seeing their Gryffindor family would often make you feel lonelier than ever.

Of course, that wasn’t something you were going to ever say to Kim Seokjin.

Instead, you pasted a smirk on your face. “Well, judging by the game today, I have even more reason to.”

You never liked hurting people this much. Of course, with Kim Seokjin, the two of you always just bickered or argued or plotted against sending the other to detention but there wasn’t any real hurt involved. And now, you’re the one who drew first blood.

You didn’t want to see the look on his face as soon as you said those words. Seokjin stayed silent as you side-stepped him and walked away to grab a drink for yourself as well.

…

“Well, judging by the game today, I have even more reason to.”

“Bitch,” Seokjin muttered under his breath, swirling his Firewhiskey slightly in his glass before drinking the rest of it straight down. Right now, the burning sensation of the alcohol as well as his pink sweater were the only things keeping him warm against the cold night air on the balcony outside. That, and your words that numbed him to the bone the moment you said them.

He never thought you actually hated him. Sure you two had a rivalry that lasted seven years long, but all of it was made up of bickering, arguing, the occasional prank, and looking for ways to one-up each other. Seokjin would even go so far as to say that there were rules involved. He could make fun of you for your awful singing voice, but no way was he going to call you a Mudblood. That was low. You had your own boundaries as well and for the longest time, things were alright.

But then, for some reason, the argument you just had now had turned ugly. Seokjin always knew you hated Gryffindors, but seeing that look on your face as you watched the rest of his team caused something in him to snap. He just had to bring it up. And you just had to confirm all of it in the lowest way possible.

Maybe you really did hate him. Maybe it was a pent-up rage that you’ve kept all these years.

Just when Seokjin thought that maybe he had a chance with you.

“Hyung!”

“W-what?!” Seokjin jumped in surprise at the sound of Taehyung’s shout of panic. He turned around to find his friend slash plus-one for the party standing behind him, breathless as if he had run a marathon. “W-what’s wrong?” he asked.

“Hyung asked me out,” Taehyung gasped.

“Hyung? You mean Yoongi?!” Seokjin exclaimed. “H-how? I thought it was going to take two lifetimes for that to happen.”

“Me too!” Taehyung groaned. “He caught me completely off-guard.”

“But did you say yes?”

“Of course I said yes!”

“Then great!” Seokjin spread his arms out for a celebratory hug which Taehyung rudely didn’t accept.

“But what am I supposed to do? I’ve never been on a date before,” he pouted. “What if I mess up and Yoongi-hyung decides that he doesn’t like that me and he doesn’t want to see me anymore?”

“Look, even if you do mess up, there’s no way Yoongi wouldn’t want to see you again,” Seokjin sighed, holding onto Taehyung’s shoulders to calm him down just a bit. “The date is going to go well. Just be your fun little self.”

“Do you really think so hyung?” Taehyung asked, biting his lip with concern. “I mean, I really don’t want to blow this.”

“You’ll be fine, just fine,” Seokjin patted his head. “If it’s any help, I’m pretty sure Yoongi is just as stressed and worried about this as you are.”

…

“Is he alive?”

“Right now, I’m not so sure. He could be alive or dead.”

“Haha, Schrodinger’s Yoongi. Get it?”

“High-five to that!”

“Would you two please cut it out? I’m in a crisis right here!” Yoongi yelled, finally deciding to sit up while you and Jungkook were caught in mid high-five.

“I guess he is alive,” you shrugged. Yoongi glared at you.

“Relax, hyung,” Jungkook slid into the couch beside him. “So you asked Taehyung out, the person you’ve had a crush on since forever, while you were slightly intoxicated and moved by the spur of the moment. It’s no big deal.”

“And he said ‘yes’ too while clearly smiling,” you added, sitting on the other side of Yoongi. “That’s a good sign.”

“But what if I screw up?” he groaned. “What if he thinks I’m way too boring, which I am, and decides that we shouldn’t see each other once and for all?”

“No way, you’re the most exciting hyung ever!” Jungkook put an arm around his shoulder. “You always give us ice cream.”

“And you’re really cute when you pout,” you added. “Just don’t get too nervous and enjoy yourself with Taehyung. You’ve always wanted this, right?”

“Yeah,” Yoongi sucked in a breath and nodded. “Yeah, it is! I’m going to take Taehyung out on that date tomorrow and he’s going to love it!”

“That’s the spirit!” Jungkook cheered as Yoongi stood up.

“Now if you two will excuse me, I better get a good night’s rest to prepare for our… date,” he said the last part a bit uncertainly before turning around and accidentally walking straight into a wall.

“Oooh,” you winced.

“D-don’t worry! Still got this!” Yoongi raised a thumbs-up, the other hand pressed against his forehead, before walking away again and bumping into a few morer people.

“One of us needs to watch over him,” you sighed.

“Rock-paper-scissors?” Jungkook suggested, holding up his hand.

“Rock-paper-scissors,” you agreed, holding up yours.

“Rock-paper-scissors!” you two chanted. Jungkook held up scissors while you held up paper.

“Hah! Good luck babysitting hyung tomorrow!” Jungkook grinned, flashing the scissors annoyingly close to your face.

“Whatever,” you huffed and crossed your arms, completely looking forward to a whole Sunday wasted on babysitting your best friend’s date.

…

“Okay, you got everything ready? Pocket money? Mental list of conversation topics?” Seokjin checked. Taehyung nodded as he inhaled deep breaths to calm him down. The two of them have been working on Taehyung’s outfit since morning. Based on the five ties he was wearing around his neck when he selected his first outfit, Taehyung was pretty dang nervous. Luckily, Seokjin was there to help smooth things out and choose something simple, but still uniquely Taehyung enough to wear. Which meant he was wearing his glow-in-the-dark necktie.

“Yeah, I’m ready,” Taehyung nodded, looking like a boxer getting ready for his match.

“That’s what I’m talking about!” Seokjin cheered and thumped him on the back. “Now get out there and show Yoongi the best date ever!”

“Yeah!” Taehyung yelled and marched right out of the Gryffindor Common Room.

“Man, kids really do grow up quickly,” Seokjin sighed, smiling to himself. With Taehyung gone, the Gryffindor Common Room’s noise level decreased by almost a fraction. When Seokjin was still a first year and not quite out of his introvert shell, he always kept to himself in the dormitory area. Now, he was beyond used to the noise even when he was trying to concentrate on homework.

But now, not even the Gryffindor noise could distract Seokjin from worrying about TaeGi’s date. He knew just how much Taehyung crushed on Yoongi and for how long. And try as much as he could, Seokjin’s maternal instincts could not stop tingling.

“Come on, he’s going to be fine,” he shook his head and dipped his quill into an inkwell in an effort to start writing his Potions essay. But after writing just one word, ‘The’, Seokjin dropped his quill, grabbed his coat, and headed out of the Common Room.

Once he reached the main entrance of the castle, Seokjin ducked behind one of the staircases once he found Yoongi and Taehyung meeting up in front. The two exchanged greetings and from where he was, Seokjin could spot the obvious blush on Yoongi’s face.

“Aish, these two are too cute,” Seokjin whispered to himself while clenching his fist to avoid squealing out loud. After what seemed like ten centuries, the two finally decided to head out to Hogsmeade. But just as he was about to sneak after them, a very familiar girl dressed in the same hoodie she always wears on Sundays scampered out from behind the bushes after the couple.

“Seems like someone had the same idea,” Seokjin muttered, hardly able to keep the smile from spreading on his face as he watched you sneak after them, pulling the hood over your face down, presumably to avoid being seen. Seokjin stepped out from behind his hiding place in the castle and started walking after you as you stalked TaeGi.

You ducked into an alley beside one of the buildings as soon as the couple entered Hogsmeade village. This time, Seokjin kept an eye on both Taehyung and Yoongi as they appeared to discuss where they were going to grab lunch. Judging by the smiling expression on both their faces, Seokjin could tell neither of them were nervous and finally entered that state of relaxation. Seokjin found himself relieved as well and turned his attention to other matters, namely a girl hiding behind one of the trash cans in the alley. You were so focused on the couple that he didn’t even need to try hard to sneak up on you. Still, Seokjin took his time walking behind you, leaning close, and whispering.

“Boo.”

…

“Fuck!” you yelped in surprise, whipping around to come face to face with none other than Kim Seokjin grinning down at you.

“If you really want to sneak after you best friend’s date you might want to wear something that you don’t wear every Sunday,” he greeted. His face was close to yours, real close. Despite how many times you called him ugly, you never inwardly agreed with that. If you were to be really, really honest with yourself, and maybe slightly intoxicated, you’d probably say he’s one of the handsomest guys in Hogwarts.

“What the fuck are you doing here following me around?” you grumbled and pushed him away. Partly so you could stand up, partly so he wouldn’t see the faint blush growing on your face. Seokjin looked as calm and casual as usual. ‘Did he forget all about our argument last night?’ you wondered.

“I guess I had the same idea you did,” Seokjin leaned against the wall behind him and gestured at TaeGi with his head. You raised an eyebrow.

“Here for Taehyung, huh?”

“And you’re keeping an eye on Yoongi,” Seokjin added. You turned around and found the couple entering the Three Broomsticks.

“Seems like they finally chose a place to stay,” you said, getting ready to follow them when Seokjin took hold of your hoodie, pulling you back.

“Yoongi and Taehyung would spot you immediately once you enter,” he said. “Do you really have to wear the same hoodie every weekend?”

“Sorry for not having a sixty meter-square closet,” you huffed at Seokjin and gestured at his bright blue sweater and his faded pink hair. “As if you wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb either.”

“Someone seems to want me to come,” Seokjin winked. You felt your face heat up even further. God damn Kim Seokjin and his flirting.

“It’s obvious that two heads are better than one, as if you would understand,” you shot back.

“I accept that sorry excuse of an invitation,” Seokjin pulled out his wand. “As long as you agree to a costume change.” And before you could say anything else, he transfigured your favorite black hoodie into a bright red coat that almost reached your knees. With another wave of his wand, a pair of shades appeared on your face. And just when you thought he was all done, Seokjin reached over and undid your ponytail, allowing your hair to fall down to your face.

“There, now you’re almost unrecognizable,” he grinned.

“I guess its your turn now,” you pulled out your own wand. Trustingly, Seokjin stepped closer as you waved your wand and exchanged his sweater and jeans for a black hoodie with matching sweatpants. You also transformed the color of Seokjin’s hair into an inky black, partly to disguise him more and partly to make him look a little less gorgeous. But as soon as you saw the finished product, the only thing you could think was ‘Oh shit, he’s still hot.’

“Great, you transformed me into Jungkook,” Seokjin huffed as he looked down at his clothes.

“Now no one will recognize you,” you shrugged. “Come on, they won’t notice us now,” you said, walking ahead with Seokjin close behind you. Even with your new disguises, you still decided to proceed cautiously into the Three Broomsticks. Taehyung and Yoongi were seated at a table far away from the entrance, right near the kitchen area, so you and Seokjin decided to sit at the table farthest from them, partly concealed by the counter where Madame Rosmerta worked.

“Seems like they’re still okay,” Seokjin said, leaning over his shoulder to spy on TaeGi.

“If you keep looking around like that they’ll see you,” you hissed and hit him on the head with the menu.

“You seem to be the sneaky expert,” Seokjin said, lowering his voice.

“You seem to be the exact opposite,” you raised an eyebrow, suppressing a smile on your face as you two returned to the bickering you were so familiar with. The only thing that felt weird about the whole thing was the fact that the two of you were sharing a table in the Three Broomsticks, just like the couple you were stalking.

“So, do you think that they’ll get together by the end of the day?” you asked, leaning back in your seat.

“Oh yeah, definitely,” Seokjin nodded. “It was all just a matter of time.”

“You know, I feel like it was mostly the alcohol talking last night,” you snickered, remembering the way Yoongi practically yelled ‘Go out with me!’ while he and Taehyung were talking. “Yoongi’s feelings are real of course, but the alcohol definitely made him ask Taehyung out.”

“Hmmm… was the alcohol talking in your case last night?” Seokjin asked, making your stomach drop as he raised an eyebrow at you. “But then again, you weren’t drinking yet.”

“I-I didn’t….” you felt your mouth open and close as you searched for a way to explain everything. Finally, you sighed and decided to own up to the truth. As much as Kim Seokjin was your rival, you didn’t want to leave him with that thought that you hated all Gryffindors for a stupid reason. That would lower you to the level of all those other upper-class Slytherins who judged and bullied you for your blood status all those years ago.

‘Slytherins are proud, but they also know when to swallow that pride,’ you reminded yourself.

“I don’t hate Gryffindors,” you said. You paused for a while before finally deciding to go all in anyway. “I’m… kind of jealous of you guys, to be honest.”

“Really?” Seokjin looked at you with an expression of incredulity and confusion. “That’s one big plot twist.”

“Shut up and listen before you get all smug,” you snapped at him. “I’m just jealous because you guys are so much more accepting and more of a family than my own House was back then. You know, being a Muggle-born witch and everything—” you paused, realizing you were oversharing and looked away. “As if you would understand,” you added hurriedly.

“Of course,” Seokjin sighed dramatically. “How could I, a child from an elite pureblood Slytherin family, ever understand the problem of being alienated due to being sorted into Gryffindor?” He smiled, hiding a trace of bitterness. “We’re both riding the same broomstick, sweetie.”

“Uh, way to put that image in my head,” you wrinkled your nose and pretended to have a full-body cringe. Seokjin threw his head back and laughed.

“Hey, I am quite the rider,” he protested. “Even you could see that.”

“Fine,” you rolled your eyes but found yourself grinning nonetheless. “You managed decently.”

“Such high praise,” Seokjin shook his head and clutched his chest. “I’ll never take it for granted. How about a comment on my passing skills?”

“Don’t push it Kim Seokjin.” Normally, you’d rather sit through five hours of a History of Magic class than give your arch-nemesis another compliment. But today, somehow, you were feeling quite generous. Something between you had changed, but what exactly?

‘He did get better at Quidditch,’ you found yourself thinking as you watched Seokjin look over his chair to spy on TaeGi again. You always prided yourself with the ability to read other Quidditch players and Kim Seokjin was no exception. He wasn’t the ‘naturally gifted’ type like you knew Jungkook was, but Seokjin would work himself to the bone more than anyone else. It was only in his fifth year that he became a regular player rather than just a benchwarmer. Just like you.

The more you thought about it, you two weren’t so different after all.

But that still didn’t explain those moments when you felt your heart accelerate ever so slightly when you heard his voice behind you, greeting you every morning with at least one snide comment. Or those moments when you maybe, once or twice, cheered while watching Seokjin score in a Quidditch game. Or why you kept building up your great big wall of sarcasm and mean comments when it came to interacting with him in any way.

“Y/n…. Y/n!!”

“Huh?” you blinked twice, snapping out of your thoughts when Seokjin snapped a finger in your face.

“Come on, you gotta see this,” he grabbed your wrist and pulling you closer to him. For a few seconds, you really thought he was pulling you close to him. But then, he pointed his finger across the room to where Taehyung and Yoongi were sharing what appeared to be an awkward first kiss.

“Mission: complete!” Seokjin grinned from ear to ear like a child on Christmas. “Oh my god, is this what motherhood feels like?”

“You’re making this weirder than it is,” you wrinkled your nose at him but smiled at your best friend nonetheless. “Fucking finally though. After what, like four years of pining?”

“Our work here is done,” Seokjin sighed with a satisfied smile on his face.

“…Yeah,” you nodded slowly. Of course. Taehyung and Yoongi had already kissed, meaning they were pretty much officially together, meaning nothing else could go wrong on their date unless a blizzard came in. Leaving already would also minimize your chances of being found by Taehyung and Yoongi.

So why did you still feel unsatisfied.

“Finally, I should get started on my Potions essay,” Seokjin said, standing up.

“Wait!” your hand shot out and grabbed the sleeve of his sweater. Heat flared up in your face when you realized you probably looked like a fucking shoujo manga heroine right now. Seokjin looked at you, confusion apparent on his face, while you composed yourself a bit more. “I-I’m kind of hungry. Want to… get a celebratory lunch or something?”

A curious look passed over Seokjin’s face, something that seemed to be a cross between confusion and… was it fondness? But all of that was quickly replaced when his lips curved up in a smile.

“Sure, I know a place.”

…

“The Love Tunnel?” you read the name of the café aloud with a clear grimace on your face. “I didn’t even think they had these things here.”

“The couple who owns it met in a carnival,” Seokjin explained, walking forward to enter the place when he noticed you hadn’t moved. “What?” he asked, going back for you.

“Isn’t this a couple’s place?” you frowned again.

“Y-yeah,” Seokjin stammered. “But don’t get the wrong idea. This place has good food, trust me.” And with that, he grabbed onto your hand and tugged you in before you could ask any other questions.

“Yeah, it definitely is a couple’s place,” you said, staring at all the heart-shaped decorations and the lace and frills on the table. Seokjin was completely aware that everyone seated at the tables were couples, but that didn’t quite stop him from pulling a chair out for you like the gentleman he was. After all, he really expected that your ‘mission’, or whatever it was, was going to end a few minutes. Until you tugged on his sleeve and suggested lunch.

And Seokjin, being the whipped boy that he was for you, found himself believing that there could be something between you two.

‘It’s never going to work, you know that,’ he reminded himself as he watched you pore over the menu on the table. But at least he knows now that you don’t exactly hate him, nor did you hate other Gryffindors.

“What are you ordering here?” you asked, looking up at him.

“Ooh, good question,” Seokjin grinned brightly at the subject of food and tapped on something under the ‘Desserts’ section.

“Apple pie for lunch?” you looked at him incredulously before breaking out into a grin. “I like how you think.”

“Pie is the ultimate food,” Seokjin nodded sagely.

“You have your entire food pyramid there!” you exclaimed. “Fruits, crust, buttery goodness, and whipped cream if you want some dairy.”

“So, you like pie too?” Seokjin laughed at your exclamation. He couldn’t have put the words together better himself. “Maybe we can be friends after all.” ‘Or more,’ he added as an afterthought.

“It’s a start,” you shrugged, the side of your mouth turning up in a slight grin. The two of you immediately ordered your apple pie, along with seconds, and proceeded to polish slice after slice. There was, of course, a touch of bickering here and there, very bad imitations of food critics judging a pie, and shared laughter. He didn’t care that you said his laugh sounded like a windshield wiper a week ago and you groaned with annoyance but chuckled anyway at his terrible puns.

And that’s when Seokjin realized this feeling he had all the time whenever he was around you: unguardedness. The only reason why he pinpointed this feeling as such was because of how guarded he felt in front of a lot of people. When he was with his parents, Seokjin feigned obedience and disappointment towards being placed in Gryffindor. When he was with his teammates, Seokjin laughed at his own mistakes despite the fact that they sent him spiraling into anxiety. When he was with his schoolmates, Seokjin held up this ‘social butterfly’ image even though all he wanted to do most of the time was to hang out with his small group of friends.

Sure, he often teased you and tried to get you into trouble, but talking to you just made Seokjin feel like Seokjin. He wasn’t trying to please anyone or cover anything up. And he liked that you put up a fight when you argued back.

And right now, Seokjin liked how real you felt, and because of that, he felt real too.

…

“Would you rather fly into the Whomping Willow or fight the Giant Squid?”

“Whomping Willow, definitely,” Seokjin answered. After spending a good amount of time eating apple pie in The Tunnel of Love, you pulled Seokjin over to the nearest ice cream stand, using the ‘Apple pie goes with ice cream’ excuse. Other than the fact that he found it adorable, Seokjin saw the logic behind it and agreed to get some ice cream too.

“Me too,” you nodded. You were holding your ice cream cone with one hand while your other hand dangled freely in between you two. Seokjin resisted the urge to hold on to that hand. “You still have a shot at escaping if you fly into it. With the squid you could just be pulled underwater until you drown.”

“I don’t think I have much of a shot when it comes to flying away from the willow though,” Seokjin pouted slightly.

“Nah, you’re a decent flier.”

“Is that another compliment I hear?” Seokjin grinned and nudged you. He didn’t know what it was, but right now, compliments seemed to be coming out of you quite easily.

“Didn’t you just here the word ‘decent?’” you rolled your eyes at him before taking a bite out of your ice cream cone. Seokjin grimaced slightly at the bright green color of the flavor you ordered.

“How can you stand that?” he shook his head in disapproval. “Do Slytherins just have a thing for green things?”

“Hey. You can judge me all you want but judging my favorite ice cream is just stepping over the line,” you shook your finger in warning.

“Sorry, I should know my boundaries,” Seokjin held his hands up in apology.

“And while we’re on the subject, what is it with you and the color pink?” you pointed at the strawberry-flavored ice cream in his hands.

“It goes with my gorgeous complexion,” Seokjin winked.

“Just go ahead and throw yourself in the lake, why don’t you?”

“I do have a serious question though,” Seokjin said. The two of you had been playing ‘Q & A’ while walking back to the castle from Hogsmeade after the entire TaeGi spying mission ended. Seokjin couldn’t tell if it was just him, but the two of you were walking pretty slowly. Maybe it was just him subconsciously not wanting your day to end.

“If it’s about me liking mint-chocolate chip ice cream I swear to God—”

“No, not that,” Seokjin snickered. “I’m pretty curious about this, actually. What got you into Quidditch?” he finally asked. “I mean, the only time you must have known about it was when you came into Hogwarts and there’s no way you would work for years to get into the team and become captain if you didn’t love Quidditch so much.”

“You know,” you flashed a sideways smile at him. “You’re the first person who really asked me that.”

“You can be honest,” Seokjin shrugged. “You know, fellow Quidditch player to Quidditch player.”

“I learned about the sport through this book I bought in ‘Flourish and Blotts’ when I first went to Diagon Alley,” you said. “It had a flying broom on the cover so I was pretty interested of course.”

“Was that ‘Quidditch Through the Ages?’” Seokjin pointed at you when you smiled and nodded. “I love that book! I must have read it twenty times!” he exclaimed.

“That pretty much started it all for me,” you continued. “In my first Flying Class, Madame Hooch told me I had a really good instinct for flying. And being on the broom, it just felt so…”

“It felt like you were constantly on the edge of the world,” Seokjin finished. A glint flashed in your eyes as you nodded in agreement.

“I begged Madame Hooch to help me train for tryouts. I even begged Yoongi to help out,” you chuckled slightly. “He complained about growing muscles from tossing the Quaffle so many times.”

“So that’s why he was always tired at night,” Seokjin laughed. “I teased him so much during that time.”

“But he helped me a lot though,” you sighed. “It didn’t erase the fact that I was an understudy for two more years. They even kept me in the team as a joke until they got desperate enough to finally let me in.”

“It’s messed up,” Seokjin shook his head. “If that were me I would have swatted all of them with my broom!”

“You’re right!” you exclaimed, clearly playing along with his joke. “Maybe you could have made me Headmistress of Hogwarts while you’re at it.”

“Or Minister of Magic,” Seokjin added.

“Where were you when I needed you,” you sighed.

“You’re the last person who’d ever need somebody,” Seokjin said seriously. “I mean, you’re captain of the Slytherin team!”

“And I fought tooth and nail to get it.” Seokjin couldn’t help but stare at the proud smile on your face. It brought him back to that day when saw you standing in the middle of the Quidditch field with the entire team behind you. Your Quidditch robes seemed to dance around you as your hair whipped against your face, not quite blocking that proud smile on your face.

Seokjin thought you looked like you could conquer the world if you wanted to.

Of course, not everyone saw you that way.

“Mudblood Slytherin!”

You stopped dead in your tracks at the all-too familiar name that Seokjin heard around you. He whipped around to find a group of Ravenclaw seventh-years he recognized from his Astronomy class. For Ravenclaws, they seemed to be very narrow-minded.

“Man, I don’t think she can hear us,” one of them snickered, nudging another with his elbow.

“Nah, she can hear us pretty well, don’t you Mudblood?!” another yelled.

“Come on,” Seokjin whispered, placing a hand on your back to urge you forward so you could get away as quickly as possible. Your hands were clenched dangerously at your sides. “They’re just stupid and ignorant,” he muttered.

“I know that…” you hissed. “But it doesn’t hurt less when you know people are saying these things.”

“She’s running away!” one of the Ravenclaw boys yelled.

“Hey!”

Seokjin turned to find that one of the boys had chased after you and was now gripping you by the wrist. The shock and disgust was apparent in your eyes as you looked at the boy.

“There’s no way your previous team captain would have made you the next captain,” he hissed. “He said that you must have slept—”

SLAP

Seokjin stared at his hand in awe after he struck the blow on the Ravenclaw boy’s face. He didn’t even remember considering whether or not to hit him. All Seokjin remembered was white-hot anger flashing for two seconds after listening to the bully talk.

“Seokjin!” you exclaimed in shock. When he looked at you, he found your mouth hanging open in surprise. “I can’t believe you did that.”

“You’re going to pay!” the Ravenclaw boy growled, swinging his arm back to deliver a punch when you caught his fist with one hand like some overpowered character from one of the anime’s Seokjin always found Jungkook watching. Needless to say, he couldn’t stop himself from saying ‘Damn’ under his breath. He continued to watch wide-eyed as you pushed your bully’s entire body away with what seemed to be just a flick of your wrist.

“The previous team captain didn’t choose me, there’s no way he would,” you grinned smugly. “The team chose me, and for reasons I’m willing to show you right now.” You stepped forward and shoved the Ravenclaw hard enough so that he fell over. He stood up shakily and Seokjin knew he wasn’t going to take his chances.

“Mudblood bitch,” the Ravenclaw boy hissed before turning around and rejoining his friends as they walked away.

“Well, I guess you’re not ‘Keeper of the Year’ for no reason,” Seokjin grinned. You smiled, but only slightly. Seokjin could tell you were still bothered by what happened just now. “Maybe we should pay Taehyung to prank him later,” he added, to lighten the mood a bit more. The corner of your mouth quirked up but you still didn’t say anything. It was only when you two reached the castle where you chose to sit down on the front steps, much to Seokjin’s surprise, before you finally talked.

“The funny thing about all the struggle I had to go through is that it made we want to play Quidditch even more. I know it’s such a ‘Slytherin thing’ but, I can’t help but want to prove people wrong.”

“Trust me, I know how that feels,” Seokjin grinned, sitting down next to you. You didn’t seem to mind how close your shoulders were.

“Yeah.” You placed your elbows on your knees and rested your chin on your palms. “You really trained harder than everyone else. I remember walking past the Quidditch field and seeing you practicing passes with a Quaffle. You looked really stupid but, also really admirable in a way.”

“Admirable?” Seokjin felt himself blush at the compliment.

“But still stupid!” you said hurriedly. Seokjin felt himself smile at the faint pinkness of your cheeks. “I guess it’s my turn now to ask: Why do you like Quidditch so much?”

“Hmm, my answer isn’t quite as long as yours,” Seokjin cocked his head. “But it’s a bit complicated. See, I almost quit the team in my fifth year.”

“Really?” you raised your eyebrows in surprise. “What made you come back?”

Seokjin looked down at his hands. He was perfectly aware that his answer could may as well change everything between the two of you. And like the stupidly brave Gryffindor he was, Seokjin decide to take his chance.

“You did.”

“Me?” you looked even more surprised now than you were just earlier.

“Let’s just say there was a Gryffindor spying too the day you decided to quit the team,” Seokjin smiled up at you. Realization dawned on your face.

“You were there?”

“I think about it almost every day,” Seokjin confessed.

There was a Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw match that day and Seokjin’s team had lost miserably. Even though no one said it, he could tell that the blame circled around him and his weak passes and attempts at making a goal. Seokjin had stayed behind in the locker room as everyone else, leaving only when he finalized his decision to quit the team. And that’s when he stumbled upon a Slytherin meet in the middle of the Quidditch field.

Seokjin couldn’t help his habit of instantly pinpointing you within a crowd of people.

“We are not going to cheat again,” you yelled at the team captain. “Because of the things you do, we don’t even deserve to stand on this field.”

“It’s the reason why we’re still on this field, Y/n,” your captain yelled back. “We’re Slytherins, what did they expect?”

“What makes you think you’re a Slytherin if you can’t even be proud of your own team’s skills?” The entire Quidditch field practically fell silent at the sound of your words. “Slytherins use any means to achieve their ends, but if we cheat our way through anything, we’re not even trying to win the game.” You slung your broom over your shoulder. “Quitting the team is better than joining a cheating rat like you.”

“Fine,” your Captain shrugged. “If anyone agrees with Y/n’s method, feel free to join her as she’s kicked out of the team.”

Nobody moved a muscle for what seemed like an eternity, except for Seokjin who still watched everything through his fingers, as if the scene unfolding before him was a horror movie. “Stupid girl!” he exclaimed under his breath.

But then, Jungkook walked over to stand behind you. He was still an understudy then because of his blood status and Yoongi had often tore himself apart in frustration at the foolishness of the Slytherin team.

“Two Mudbloods!” your team captain grinned. “Perf—” And then the rest of his words caught in his throat when his entire team, even the official players, walked over to stand behind you. You were just as surprised as your Captain back then, but then that proud smile grew on your face.

That day, Kim Seokjin discovered a true leader, a girl who embodied every Slytherin trait in the best way possible. And because of that, he found his place in Quidditch again.

And he found his eyes searching you more often. Even now, while the two of you were seated in front of the steps to the Hogwarts castle, not because you two were forced to but because you wanted to, Seokjin found his eyes searching your face. Your forehead creased slightly as you frowned, not in anger or frustration, but in confusion. Hesitantly, Seokjin brought his hand up and let it rest on your forearm. You didn’t flinch or move away.

“What’s happening between us?” you asked.

“I think I can answer that,” Seokjin swallowed. “But I don’t know if you’ll quite like the answer.” You looked up at him and opened your mouth to say something when Seokjin leaned in to kiss you.

Your lips tasted just like apple pie and mint ice cream which, at the moment, didn’t entirely bother Seokjin. He felt you hesitate slightly before relaxing a bit more and reaching a hand up to touch his face. Seokjin had always dreamed about kissing you ever since he saw that proud smile on your lips that fateful day, and it definitely didn’t disappoint.

And then you pulled away.

“W-what are we doing?!” you stood up quickly in a panic. “A-aren’t you supposed to hate me or something?”

“For what?” Seokjin looked up at you with wide eyes, feeling the panic settle in him as well. “I’ve never hated you.”

“Do you… like me?” you asked slowly. Seokjin swallowed again.

“I have for the past two years,” he answered, drawing in a shaky breath before asking “Do you?”

“I…” you bit your lip nervously. “I don’t know…” You stepped backwards.

“Y/n—”

“I have to go,” you turned around quickly and ran up the stairs, leaving Seokjin behind. He gazed after you, feeling his legs beginning to shake as he sank down, feeling all of the pain that his stupidly brave actions brought him to.

…

It was only when you were running down the hallway in the Dungeons that you realized you were practically out of breath and ready to collapse. Kim Seokjin confessed to you and kissed you on the steps of the castle. And you kissed him back.

“What was I thinking?” you groaned, sinking down to the floor with your back against the wall. Unfortunately, squeezing your eyes shut was too reminiscent of all the sensations you felt earlier while kissing Seokjin. The feeling of his skin underneath your fingertips, the softness of his lips, the faintest taste of strawberry ice cream. The feeling of being so warm and far, far away from a world that seemed to snap at your heels whenever you tried to do anything.

And at the same time, you felt so vulnerable. It was that vulnerability that caused you to pull away from him. If you learned anything from being a Muggle-born Slytherin and an aspiring Quidditch player, it was that you couldn’t show vulnerability. You would cry inside the Quidditch changing rooms whenever that feeling of unfairness became too much, biting on your robes so that no one would hear you sobbing.

But there was definitely a difference between that feeling of vulnerability and the one you felt when you kissed Seokjin. There was that feeling of safeness underneath that vulnerability and trust that your mistakes wouldn’t be held against you.

“What was I thinking?” you found yourself repeating again, this time for an entirely different reason.

…

The next few weeks felt like a cat-and-mouse game: the mouse being your will to talk to Seokjin and the cat being your will not to talk to him. At the same time, it felt like Seokjin was avoiding his usual places to hang out, choosing instead to study with Namjoon in the library or hole up in his Common Room.

“I really feel like he’s avoiding me,” you groaned, sinking down to rest your chin on the table.

“Well, you did kind of deny his affections,” Yoongi shrugged as he poured some soy sauce into his bowl of noodles. Taehyung sat beside him sprinkling extra sugar on his already sugary cereal until Yoongi flashed him a warning look. You smiled to yourself at their interaction, wondering just how two completely opposite people could somehow be content and perfect for each other. Not that you could relate in any way.

“Not helping,” Taehyung scolded him. “And Seokjin-hyung wouldn’t try to run away from you.”

“How do you know that?” you sighed.

“Because when Seokjin really feels strongly about someone, there’s no way he’s going to leave things in pieces after an argument,” Taehyung reasoned. “I once had this really bad fight with him but he was the first one to apologize. He can be really mature in that sense.”

“You really know people, huh?” you smiled at him. “Yoongi’s so lucky to have your back.”

“Or Seokjin could be busy with practice,” Yoongi shrugged. “The Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw match is in a few days.”

“Shit!” you sat up with a start. “Why didn’t I think of that?!”

“Because you’re really lovelorn, noona,” Taehyung sighed.

“Shut up,” you blushed. But then, you couldn’t help but agree with Taehyung as well when you found yourself rehearsing what you were going to say to Seokjin the night before his match. It felt a bit stupid talking to yourself in the bathroom mirror but the ‘Practice makes perfect’ habit you got from playing Quidditch was a hard one to abandon.

On the day itself, when you were finally standing in front of the door to the locker rooms, you found yourself unable anything you practiced. “Shit, this is bad. Really bad,” you muttered while your hands opened the door nonetheless.

“Y/n?” Seokjin looked up at you the moment you came into the empty locker rooms. He was sitting down on one of the benches with his broom leaning against the lockers next to him.

“Uh… where’s your team?” you asked, stepping hesitantly into the room.

“Out in the field already doing warm-ups,” he said. “They let me have some time to myself before a match.”

“Seems like a great team,” you smiled. Seokjin smiled back but only slightly as his gaze drifted down to the floor.

“Why are you here anyway?” he finally asked.

“Look,” you breathed out. “About that day—”

“I’m sorry for kissing you,” Seokjin blurted out. “I should have known you didn’t see me that way and I should have remembered my place and—”

“I don’t think you did anything wrong,” you blurted out this time. At this rate, it was a wonder you two were ever going to get any points across. You waited for Seokjin to say something but instead, his mouth hung open in surprise. “I’m the one who’s wrong for leaving you like that,” you continued. “Especially when… I feel the same way for you.”

“No way!” Seokjin suddenly stood up, making you back away slightly in surprise. “No way!”

“I honestly thought this could only happen in a parallel universe but I guess it’s happening here,” you shrugged. “And I’m being honest when I tell you this but, I couldn’t help but feel bothered at first when we kissed. It made me feel vulnerable and I hated that feeling because I never could afford to show that side of me before I became Quidditch Captain… or after.”

Seokjin’s gaze at you softened as he stepped forward to take your hand. “I know, feeling vulnerable really does suck. And I’m being honest right now too when I say that I feel like more of myself when I’m around you. I know I mess with you a lot and low-key flirt—”

“You blatantly flirt at me,” you corrected him.

“Fine, blatantly,” Seokjin rolled his eyes. “But I just feel relaxed and more like myself. I spot you easily among crowds and I cheer more than I should whenever you make a good save and when we stalked TaeGi I felt like I was having the time of my life.” He paused for a while before ending with “I… really want to be with you.”

“God, you’re really putting me on the spot here,” you flushed.

“I’m not quite done yet,” Seokjin winked. “But there’s no need to rush things.”

“Except for the fact that you have a Quidditch game in a few minutes?”

“Except for the fact that I have a Quidditch game in a few minutes,” Seokjin nodded, blinking rapidly as he somehow snapped back to reality. “To be continued,” he grinned, grabbing his broom and preparing to head out the door.

“Wait!” you called after him. Seokjin turned around, clearly anxious to get to the playing field, so you decided to swallow down your embarrassment. “Kiss for luck?” you said softly.

“God, you’re too cute,” Seokjin shook his head and walked briskly back to you. You closed your eyes, preparing yourself, when you felt a pair of lips kiss you lightly on the forehead. When you opened your eyes, you found Seokjin smirking down at you. “I’ll get the rest of my reward after I beat these guys.”

“Go get them tiger,” you grinned. “And you better get some goals in.”

“I’ll blow you a kiss every time I do,” Seokjin boasted as he headed out the door again. This time, you let him leave, knowing that after his game you two would have the rest of the day to yourselves. And hopefully, there was going to be some apple pie involved.

[derangedsilence]

Reiji Sakamaki

Permissions

Shipping?  Yes.  Singleship per verse with limited verses.  Please note - as stated on the rules page, orientation is typically listed as what the muses think they are.  

Duplicates? Multiple ‘Yuis’?  What about character that aren’t on the dedicated castmates list?  Yes.  You can thrust Reiji at Reiji.  There’s also no issue with duplicates of canon, crossover, etc. characters that Reiji is already interacting with.  You want it, you got it.   To prevent destroying the validity of duplicate muses, I will sometimes think of things as ‘A Kanato did this’ instead of ‘Kanato did this’, which is a very subtle difference but prevents another muse from having to deal with the blame of an event they were not responsible for.  This will only be differentiated as necessary within writing.  I repeat: all duplicate muses will be treated with respect, not as ‘fakes’.  Any Sakamaki brother is a brother of his, regardless of how many Kanatos there are (for example).  We’re just going to, uh, slide past that as often as possible (and occasionally make jokes).

Multiple Reijis will be treated as though they’d somehow wandered into one’s world or the other via some enchanted, strange object or doorway in the Sakamaki household.  This allows them to interact, but prevents the concept that one is a ‘true’ Reiji over the other.  You have been warned.

Fighting?  A-Okay.  I’ve done a lot of fighting roleplay but it was in the past and I’m way more interested in the storytelling of it.  It’s better that we discuss the end result beforehand for smoother sailing, but we can improv it as well.  I do this from a storytelling perspective.

Harming? A-Okay!  Just be aware that this muse may harm or kill yours in turn!

Killing? A-Okay!  Please be aware, however, that should the need or desire to continue the verse arise, the death scene will be considered a what-if.  In addition, it is very difficult to kill this muse due to the pureblood resurrection abilities.

Can we send shippy memes / etc.? Sure, we can still explore what-ifs, drabbles and oneshot threads, but the main focus will be on the storyline here!

Can we know Yui has Cordelia’s heart, is possibly turning into a vampire, is surrounded by vampires, etc. and reference this to Reiji? On a case-by-case basis.  It should be discovered organically if it’s not something your character would be able to know already.  There’s plenty of situations where this would make sense.

Can we know about Reiji’s past before interacting?  No, not unless you have genuine reasons for it like being one of his brothers.

Can we have characters comment on the events of the timeline? Yes, if they “catch sight of”, “overhear a rumor”, “a familiar saw X”, or any other sensible reason, then characters can be aware of and comment on events.  I wholly encourage characters participate in Reiji’s life!  Please tell the story with me!

Can we rescue Yui Komori from the Sakamaki household? Unlikely.  At best, if you succeed in the first place, it’s entirely likely that they will find you, they will take Yui back, and they will kill one or both of you for this.  Or the Mukamis might take advantage of the situation!  Obviously, the exception here is the Mukamis, who are entirely expected to attempt this from time to time.

Can we reference interactions we’ve had with your Kanato, etc. to Reiji?  I mean...sure?  If you want?  I’m fine with using my muses for plot and timeline advancements for myself and those I interact with (within limits) but I’d also prefer to not be my Ayato’s Kanato and vice versa, so this would probably be limited.  You can still act like what’s happened has happened, though.

Biography / Stats

FULL NAME. Reiji Sakamaki ALIAS. Reiji-san (Yui), Tableware Otaku (Ayato), Shichisan Megane (Ayato), That “Unlikeable Person” (Laito), My Dear (Cordelia) AGE. Appears 18-19 || Actually significantly older BIRTHDAY. August 29  GENDER & PRONOUNS. Male, he/him ORIENTATION. Heterosexual SPECIES. Vampire OCCUPATION. High school student of the night school known as Ryoutei Academy. 3rd year in HDB, 1st year of the college branch if assuming time has passed. RESIDENCE. Sakamaki residence, Japan

HAIR. Dark purple/black EYES. Red BUILD. Fit HEIGHT. 6'0'' (183cm) TATTOOS. None PIERCINGS. None. ADDITIONAL MARKINGS.   Glasses. OTHER. Right-handed

ZODIAC. Virgo  ALIGNMENT. Lawful neutral  POSITIVE TRAITS.  disciplined, sophisticated, intelligent NEGATIVE TRAITS. strict, arrogant, perfectionist

BIRTH PLACE. Japan NATIONALITY. Japanese PARENTS. Karlheinz (Alive?), Beatrix (Dead) SIBLINGS. Sibling: Shuu (older).  Paternal Half-siblings: Subaru and the triplets (Ayato, Kanato, Laito) EXTENDED FAMILY. Karlheinz's other wives, Christa and Cordelia. Richter (Uncle). EDUCATION. High school (likely several times over) SPECIES. Vampire NOTABLE SKILLS. Housecleaning, cooking, household management, academic work, poison & drug creation, piano, chess LANGUAGES. Japanese, English, German  FAVORITE FOOD. Spaghetti carbonara

PUREBLOOD. Inhuman strength, increased speed, vision, hearing, and smell. Fast healing & healing saliva. TELEPORTATION. Can teleport instantaneously. FLYING. He can fly on a full moon. SWORDSMANSHIP. A OTHER. Potion, drug and poison creation.  Can heal/treat vampires. WEAKNESSES. Truly holy objects weaken him, but not by much.   DISLIKES.  Weakness, poor manners, disobedience towards the rules of the household, the cursed incantation of “Reiji, Reiji, please engage-y”

Appearance

[*Credit: Appearance section pulled directly from the Dialovers Wiki.]

Reiji is a tall, slender young man.  His hair is primarily purple-black with a lighter gradient.  It is almost an inch away from being shoulder length and it is neatly combed. Reiji’s eyes are red.  He wears rectangular glasses.

Reiji usually dresses professionally to match his cordial facade.  In HAUNTED DARK BRIDAL, he wears a grey and black vest over a white dress shirt with black pants and a black belt.  

In MORE, BLOOD, he wears a black trench coat with a white dress shirt and black pants.

In DARK FATE, Reiji grows his hair out in order to emulate his father.

His school uniform consists of the black school jacket with a buttoned red vest over a black dress shirt and red tie.  He wears it with the black uniform pants and dress shoes.

According to Cordelia, if he weren’t so stiff, Reiji would look just like Karlheinz when she first met him.  She says that even his eyes are just like Karl’s.  This was said in an effort to tease Reiji, since he admires his father and dreams of becoming like him.

Personality

The household is a reflection of the outside world and one’s ability to affect it.

Despite being the second son, Reiji manages the Sakamaki house during Karlheinz’ prolonged absence as though he is the eldest.  Reiji manages the household funds, affairs and maintains the rules and expectations within the house.  Reiji is a strict perfectionist who values rules and expectations and he demands highly of both himself and others.  

Often wearing a smile, Reiji is intelligent, reserved...and pessimistic.  The second son’s polite, refined mannerisms make the barbs in his sophisticated speech come at a surprise - unless you’re related to him.

History

CHILDHOOD. As the second son of the Sakamaki family, Beatrix raised him to be a servant for his elder brother, Shuu.  She focused her attention almost entirely on Shuu, neglecting Reiji’s ambitious nature and his achievements.  

Reiji’s desire for his mother’s approval and attention never waned.  Twisting as the desire continued to be unmet, Reiji eventually burned down an entire human village, resulting in the death of Shuu’s human friend Edgar.  Reiji did this to punish and teach Shuu a lesson while also hoping to help and impress his mother, Beatrix.  Eventually Reiji even hired a vampire hunter to kill his mother in his desire to finally be acknowledged by her.  Instead of feeling at peace with it, he was dissatisfied that his mother was happy that he had killed her.

NEAR CURRENT.  Karlheinz manipulated circumstances to keep tossing experimental sacrificial brides at his children.  None could endure the blood loss, physical and emotional torment.  The sacrificial brides were too fragile and the Sakamakis broke their toys.  

CURRENT. A single sacrificial bride is surviving and enduring: Yui Komori.  Whichever brother obtains her will become the Sakamaki heir.  Without directly entering into a “relationship” with any of the Sakamakis, she endures her stay there.

Verses

Brief summaries of the verses for Reiji along with potential links for those less familiar with Diabolik Lovers but still want to interact with him.  For the sake of keeping things clean, encouraging community-wide and cooperative storytelling in roleplay, and not letting things get too crazy, verses will be limited.  More may be made over time as needed.

Summaries:

| DL Anime | DL More Blood Anime | Haunted Dark Bridal | More Blood | (Coming Soon)

VERSE - HAUNTED DARK BRIDAL

*This verse will be typically be the default, 'main verse'. In this, it is assumed that Yui Komori is staying at the Sakamaki household with some version of the first game having taken place. If the second game is included, it's with the idea that Yui stayed with the Sakamakis. Whether Reiji or one of his brothers winds up obtaining the Sacrificial Bride, Reiji’s life continues.

Verse Details | Tag: #V; REIJI; HAUNTED DARK BRIDAL

VERSE - MORE BLOOD

If for some reason it's absolutely necessary to differentiate between the verse above and a verse where More Blood has certainly occured, but Yui did not (at least initially) stay with the Sakamakis and instead is currently living with the Mukamis or was, until recently, still living with the Mukamis.  Rivalry abounds and attempts to procure Yui are likely.

Verse Details | Tag: #V; REIJI; MORE BLOOD

VERSE - MISC.

Posts that could take place in the Sakamaki or Mukami verses but involve duplicates (whether Yui or others) in the same scene in a manner that would be hard to pass off as typical flow for those verses.  Also includes nearly ANY time fellow characters are staying at the mansion, otherwise we’d end up with verses of 20+ additional characters hanging out in the Sakamaki villa.  

Verse Details | Tag:#V; REIJI; MISC

SITUATIONAL VERSE TAGS

#V; REIJI; UNIVERSAL

Posts that can easily be assumed to have occured in either the Sakamaki or Mukami verses, typically answering asks, etc. that aren’t directly related to events unique to their timelines.

#V; REIJI; WHAT IFS & #V; REIJI; ONESHOTS

Likely reserved for one-off threads exploring a “what if”, a romantic meme that would otherwise be inappropriate, etc.  If a meme doesn’t quite fit with one of the existing timelines, it’ll get one of these.

Trivia

Collects tableware

Good at finding killers for hire apparently, you go man

He reads very well

Sensitive when he gets drunk, whatever that means

He wants to bring his mother back to torture and kill her again

Tags

THREAD / WRITING TAG: #echoes in the halls; reiji

HEADCANONS:  #hc; dialovers; reiji

IMAGES: #itt // reiji sakamaki

MUSIC:  #music; dialovers; reiji