#also the charger thing happened between me and my roommate

[a-small-writer-in-a-big-world]

I never really write about the chaos that would be living as Simon’s roommate but it would be a trip.

You watching Simon have a mental struggle because he hasn’t slept in four days.

“No, this is definitely not my charger.” He’s holding his phone charger, it’s his because he pulled it out of his room but he’s saying it’s not because it “feels different.”

“Is this it?” You’re trying to help by giving him yours but he refuses.

“No that’s not it either.”

Also the rambles, it’s hard to understand what he’s talking about because he’s not making sense but you can’t tell him to stop. You’re a little worried about him since he won’t go to bed.

“And I was thinking about how soap doesn’t actually make you clean it just makes you feel clean.” You’re not sure how he started talking about soap since he had just been talking to you about repainting the cabinets in the kitchen.

Both of you often eat midnight snacks especially when it’s the school term.

You hate when he drives but he refuses to let you drive if he’s there.

“You’re going to tip the car!”

“Why would I slow down to turn?”

Watching him take apart appliances to make sure that they’re working without having a manual because he just knows where stuff goes.

You made the mistake of mentioning that you want to workout and he offered to be your workout buddy. Safe to say, you refused to workout with him the next time

“You can’t give up.”

“You almost killed me!”

Match made heaven fr

[thekinkyleopard]

New Guy

Pt. 3 of a mini series

A Remi x Levi Non-canon Fiction

⚠️Content Warning⚠️

🍊

Fluff, Alcohol, Cheating & DV mention

Wow, part 3 already? I’ve decided to actually put some drama and juicy context in this part, seeing as the last two parts were lots of sexual tension. 🥴 Get ready for some fluffy cute shit. @aller-geez Owns Remi and did the preview art!

“Okay I’ve packed my bags, got my shit, chargers…smokes…” Alistar patted himself up and down with flat palms. He looked around as he stood in the doorway with two bloated suitcases. “You swear you’ll be okay with just Remi here? I hate to leave you guys behind but Connie is my emotional support person, and I need her with me when I attend these seminars…” the dragon was solemn in his tone, he raised a hand to brush his fingers tenderly across Levi’s cheek. The leopard nudged back with low effort and reassurance on his face.

“It’s okay, you guys can FaceTime me whenever you’re free, and I’ll actually, MAYBE, have Remi to talk to, instead of being alone when you guys go on these trips,” this wasn’t the first time Al and Connie left to attend NA Seminars, and help various struggling people on the streets. Usually gone months at a time. It was their life’s work and Levi never wanted to dim or step on that shared passion, so, often he would just do his own thing, craft and nest. In the last year he had started an OF for sexual creativity and profit, but mostly for creativity and it was doing alright. His sub price was $25 and he had about 80 subscribers currently? Which was really decent income for him, however, it still wasn’t quite enough when you live in New York.

Connie came quietly walking in with her bags in tow, quickly throwing her arms over her big brother now, Levi returning the affections. They squeezed each other tightly before eventually letting go. “You be good to yourself okay? And take care of yourself,” Levi scolded his little sister, knowing she had a tendency to self neglect when she got overworked. Connie nodded knowingly, but smiling still.

“Alright, Puss, don’t miss us too much,” reaching over to ruffle the white hairs on his boyfriend’s head. Levi huffed and rolled his eyes. Remi, who happened to be walking by in that moment, to grab a glass of water from the kitchen nearby, audibly scoffed. Alistar looked over at Remi before shaking it off and leaning in to kiss Levi, but immediately feeling insecure, due to the leopard turning quickly so that the dragon’s lips would land upon his cheek.

“No kisses for men that don’t listen,” he frowned at Al, who looked at him sadly, like a kicked puppy.

“Why is every other man in the world allowed to give their partner a cute pet name but me?” Standing up straight now, accepting that his partner was going to remain stubborn on this stance.

“I’m not going to do this with you right now, just please have safe travels, take care of yourself and have fun okay?” The leopard swallowed the argument and Alistar seemed to light up at the sincerity in the second half of that sentence, and also at seemingly winning this time. For now. They exchanged a short peck and I love yous, before Connie and Alistar both grabbed up all their things and headed out the front door. The second the door was closed and the coast was clear, Levi sighed loudly with irritation. “UGGGGHHHH!!!” Stomping his feet audibly as he charged into the living room. “WHY?! Why is he so STUBBORN!? And SELFISH?!” He picked up one of the couch pillows and stuffed his face into it, screaming loudly. Remi stood in the threshold between kitchen and living room, slowly drinking his cup of water as he watched his roommate have a break down.

“wHy cAnT i jUsT cAlL yOu….CAUSE I SAID NO!? Cause I’d rather you DIDNT??” He argued with the window, unaware of the wolf’s presence. Remi let out a subtle snort as he couldn’t help but laugh at how the other mocked his own partner.

“Yeah?” He finally said out loud with an amused smirk spread across his face. Levi nearly jumped out of his skin and turned swiftly around to see his roommate standing there, smug as usual.

“Yeah!” Furrowing his eyebrows feeling reassured it was just them now, standing with feet shoulder width apart, hands firmly on his hips. “Who does he think he is???” Clearly still blinded with rage he now thought Remi was apart of this conversation. Might as well be right?

“I couldn’t tell you that, but he certainly thinks he can do whatever he wants to you..which I mean, I guess, to each their own,” trying hard to stay mutual during this awkward conversation he was thrusted into. He knew he should have just gone to his room.

“No, he does fer sure…and I let him, and I don’t know why I do..I think I do it for Connie because that’s her best friend…it would break her heart for her to know how poorly he treats her brother…” he sighed feeling out of angry steam now, he plopped himself down onto the couch. “He preaches a big game about being sober and being a better person but he has this anger….this horrible anger to him..” he muttered gently as he rubbed his own bicep, almost like he was trying to clear away a memory.

“Well, like, I mean yeah I hear him yelling at you sometimes, I don’t know how you really hide that from her…she’s mute not deaf,” the wolf chuckled nervously, trying to cope through this situation with humor.

“No, there’s…there’s this silent rage, it only comes out very rarely when we are alone but…” shaking his head he looked up and made eye contact with Remi now, expression quickly shifting. “No it’s fine, I’m just overwhelmed…he’s a good boyfriend, I’m not sure what I was saying,” Levi then proceeded to muster up the fakest laugh he could to cover up the mess he just made.

“You know, you could just say you changed your mind and don’t wanna talk about it…you don’t have to defend him to protect your privacy,” shrugging his wide shoulders before taking another sip of water. The leopard took that in, and let it register before he spoke again.

“Thanks for listening, Remi….since we got the house to ourselves you wanna play a game or watch a movie?” Trying to cheer himself up a bit by spending time with someone that didn’t make his blood regularly boil.

“I mean….if you’re asking then sure, I could get into either but I’m going to go grab a beer you want a claw?” He asked before already walking back towards the kitchen.

“Yeah sure I’ll take one, surprise me,” Levi replied leaning back to flip through the movies on Netflix. It had been about two weeks since the 3am incident happened and they’ve both done their due diligence to make sure things didn’t become weird in the house. Remi had tried to initiate conversations with Connie, though finding it difficult, and even sometimes finding small ways to communicate with Al. He figured he might as well make it seem a bit more authentic than fixating on one specific taken housemate.

Not long after Levi chose to put on Mean Girls, did Remi return with their cold beverages, handing the leopard a Lime flavored white claw. “Thanks!” Responding cheerfully to his roomie, Remi throwing himself down next to the younger, observing what was being displayed on the screen now.

“No problem, what are we doing?“ asking curiously as he cracked open the IPA, taking a long sip from the bottle. By the time he pulled it from his lips, half of it was already gone. Levi pulled the tab open on his seltzer and took a generous chug.

“Watching Mean Girls..It’s my favorite movie,” wiggling excitedly as he sipped on his beverage. The wolf sighed deeply and shook his head, forcing the rest of his beer down the hatch to prepare himself, placing the empty bottle down on the side table close to him.

“You’re lucky you’re cute enough to get away with that sad little fact,” Levi blushed brightly looking over at his roommate with genuine surprise. Remi raised a thin brow and smirked again “What? It’s just us here, no need to hide it,” opening his arm up to hang along the back of the couch. He wasn’t wrong, there was no point playing coy when just a few weeks ago they were doing rather unspeakable things in this very space, his boyfriend actually in the house too. Feeling confident, Levi slowly slid into the empty spot inside of Remi’s open arm, the wolf smirking at this small action of affection and wrapped the loose arm around the smaller’s shoulders, pulling him in. “You know I don’t see you and Alistar cuddled up on the couch ever,” he noted with a slight tease to the tone of his voice. Levi sighed deeply, pushing closer into the man.

“Yeah, cause he’s a jerk and I don’t want to cuddle with a jerk,” furrowing his brows once again as he huffed trying to focus on the movie ahead, still sipping slowly on his seltzer.

“I’m a jerk, but you’ll cuddle me,” Levi looked up at Remi with those pretty blue eyes and the wolf could feel himself melt internally as his heart skipped a beat.

“You’re actually not a jerk, you’re a fake jerk,” the leopard said with assured confidence.

“Fake jerk?” Remi questioned unsure of what his roommate could mean by that.

“You leave the light on in the hall and on the porch for Connie when you know she’s going to be home late, only I do that but the few times I’ve fallen asleep, you did it for me….Alistar being her best friend has never even considered it…” The raven haired man scoffed and waved his hand dismissively, Levi sat up a bit more, setting his drink on the coffee table to the side.

“What? It’s important to me that my roommate can properly see when she gets home so she doesn’t make a bunch of noise and wake me up, that’s all,” trying to play it cool, but it didn’t seem to convince the other any.

“I have left my food out on the counter so many times since you’ve moved in, something I did regularly and I’d get sad because I’d have to throw it out….but you seemingly noticed this small issue of mine and now every morning after I’ve had left overs, I’ll find them in the fridge ….Alistar has known this fact about me since we started dating, not once has he bothered to save my leftovers from my adhd…” now the younger’s face blushed again, his eyes averting to look at the ground. Remi, blushing himself, as he didn’t think the leopard would have caught onto something so small like that. “And the last 4 times I’ve fallen asleep on the couch? I wake up to a blanket…now my sister is a loving person, but as she’s a snow leopard like myself, she knows we don’t really get cold, Alistar has never in his life bothered me while sleeping…and I’ve fallen asleep on the couch before waking up to no blanket, but then you move in and suddenly, blanket…why?” Looking up at him now. The wolf looked away sharply to avoid the smaller male’s gaze, his cheeks were bright red and he felt like he was under observation.

“Well….you look so cute there sleeping…I just want to make sure you’re comfortable…” his words came out in a low mutter, almost incomprehensible if Levi didn’t have immaculate hearing.

“Point being, fake jerk,” nodding with victorious success before the wolf quickly grabbed a pillow from his side of the couch, whipping it around with force to smush his roommate in the face. “He—mmmppff!” The man was cute off by the force. Remi laughed and retracted the pillow only to start aggressively slapping the leopard around with it. “Hey! Knock it off!” The white haired one giggled playfully as he put his hands up in defense.

“I’m not a fake Jerk! Say it! Say I’m a jerk!” His mouth pulled open in a full toothy grin, Remi beating the pillow over the other’s slim body without reserve.

“Never!!” The cat challenged him holding his arms out to protect his face, the wolf squinted his eyes letting go of the pillow and pulling his hands up in an open grab. Levi’s bright blue eyes opened wide in terror. “No…NO REMI,” started to scramble himself backward on the opposite end of the couch to escape the inevitable.

“Say it…” inching closer with his grabby hands.

“….bite me…” sticking out his tongue now that was quickly followed by a girlish screech the second the wolf lunged toward him and started an assault of tickles. Levi squirmed and laughed, snorting every 4th, internally he felt miserable, he was in so much pain as the laughter boiled over in the base of his stomach. “No!! R-hah! Hahah!! REMI! ST-ahHAHAP” begging mercifully, their bodies tangled as Remi’s fingers danced across the leopard’s sensitive flesh. “PLEASE!” He gasped for air in between assaults. The wolf continued to laugh boisterously, expertly moving from thighs, to pits, to sides, to thighs again. Desperately trying to kick himself free, Levi wrapped his leg once around Remi’s hip and with a sharp twist, Levi pushed them both onto the ground, landing himself on top of the wolf who hit the ground with a thud. The wind almost knocked out of him, Remi gave a breathless chuckle.

“Hey! Cheater!” Teasing the other that currently had the upper hand. Levi wiggled himself back and forth sticking his tongue out again while straddling Remi’s lap. The elder sat up now, eye level with the cheeky leopard. “God…you’re just…” sucking his lower lip in once to swallow the word ‘cute’. Levi raised a brow looking at the man quizzically before suddenly taken by surprise. Remi had pushed every thought aside and without hesitation pressed their lips together, tenderly. The younger was shocked, eyes widened before lidding, and closing. His stomach turned, fluttered and flipped, he felt like there were fireworks going off inside his brain as he leaned in, deepening the kiss.

Desperate to feel, chasing the high that he got from being around Levi, Remi pulled a hand up just enough to gingerly hold the side of the leopard’s head. He felt like the whole room was spinning around him, but he and the smaller stayed still in this moment as their lips clashed and pushed up against each other. Their hearts beating in rhythmic unison as they could taste each other’s breath. The atmosphere around them filled with sounds of soft grunts, whimpers and the slopping of wet mouths. He didn’t want to, but he knew he had to, with light force, Remi pushed them apart, both of them working to catch their breath again. “Whoa..whoa…okay we gotta stop…” the wolf uttered softly, breathlessly against Levi’s plush and swelling lips. The messy haired cat pushed their foreheads together and gently shook his head.

“No…I want more..” his tone almost sad.

“Levi…you have a boyfriend, we can’t…” though trying to be realistic with the situation, it didn’t stop the wolf from rubbing the pad of his thumb just below the leopard saddened left eye.

“He’s a terrible boyfriend, Remi…I don’t want to be with him anymore and I only do it for Connie…you being here has solidified what I’ve always known to be true…he’s not the one for me,” eyes connecting as the leopard spilled his truth.

“Levi…” trying desperately to talk him off a ledge, this was only supposed to be a fun, silly little fling..suddenly the leopard was having a life crisis on him? Though, if he had to be honest with himself, he was like a puppy in a toy store…this man wanted, him? ‘No…he didn’t say that Remi, chill, dude…’ he thought inwardly to himself.

“No, Remi please…at least let me finally get it off my chest…” the wolf could tell he was being serious, not just impulsive and thinking with his dick. There was something Levi clearly has been holding back from the people he lives closely with. The raven haired man nodded gently, never moving as they stayed intimately entangled. “When we first started dating it was….magical…really, we went places, our sex life was consistent and …I mean it was good but…” blushing brightly as he could see Remi’s eyebrows shift to that of slight jealousy mentioning intimacy with Al. Giggling, Levi found jealousy adorable on ‘scary’ men. “I’m sorry, okay, I’ll be brief…it was vanilla. He just doesn’t listen…which is the main issue, we have been together almost two years officially and he has not once retained a single thing I’ve ever said…my favorite movie, my favorite craft, my favorite food….he doesn’t care, Remi, and I thought I could over look that but…then the fighting started…” sighing deeply with utter pain in his heart. “He does this thing, after a really bad argument, he says things like ‘I don’t know why you insist on fighting with me, Levi, you’ll have nothing if I finally can’t deal with your shit,’ “ The way Levi described it, Remi could feel the blood boiling in his skin…’settle down…’

“He gets like post argument anger even after we talk it out…the second he’s alone with his thoughts he comes back and starts passive aggressively berating me, and I have to take it because the few times I’ve tried to defend myself he…..” suddenly he felt like his throat was about to close up. Levi had built this resentment towards his partner for so long without telling a single soul, and now that he was finally getting it out in the open he just felt so vulnerable and exposed. Remi looked at the man with concern in his eyes. The leopard burst into tears, trying to cover his face now, embarrassed to be seen like this by the other. “He chokes me…he tries to suffocate me with his hands, clothes or pillows, he does whatever he can to silence me if I speak up, and I’m too terrified to do ANYTHING about it as he tells me I’m worthless, because….BECAUSE!!” Pausing before the sadness simply gushed out of his soul “I got to have a childhood…and Connie had nothing!! She was taken away from us… and I can’t destroy her version of the one person she calls family…I can’t do it….” He sobbed gently into his hands, trying to desperately clog the water works with the sleeves of his sweater.

Remi furrowed his brows, ‘What?? So that’s what’s been going on?’ He thought deeply to himself as he listened to Levi’s words. “Connie has never seen this behavior??” The wolf questioned with a sudden possessive rage to the tone of his voice. Levi simply shook his head.

“We both try to hide it…he apologizes within a few days because he knows…he knows it’s wrong…that’s why we both don’t let Connie see it…we just pretend, and I just continue to swallow my own happiness…” Remi was no longer able to take hearing the heartbreak and sheer sadness in the cat’s voice. He enveloped Levi in a full hug, arms squeezed tightly around him as the younger buried his face into his strong, forest scented chest.

“Levi…you deserve to be loved properly…” he whispered gently into the other’s ear. “You’re so kind…and funny, and amazingly attractive I mean my god….you shouldn’t stifle everything wonderful about yourself for the sake of your sister…she would be devastated to know you’re being abused like this,” lifting the other’s chin by his index and thumb so they could look at each other again. “Tell me how I can help you….please…” the wolf desperate to take away this man’s pain. Levi was feeling a slew of emotions; sadness, regret, comfort, admiration, defeat…free…his eyes scanned the other’s back and forth while his brain worked to find a solution.

“Just…kiss me again…just like you did, like you mean it..” the leopard’s voice gentle, blue orbs filled with sincerity, and the larger male was of no use against the look in his eyes. With one smooth motion, Remi leaned in again and reunited their soft lips together as one with full passion. Levi pressed himself closer, chest to chest, arms now wrapping loosely around the man’s neck and shoulders in a criss cross position. The wolf snaking his arms tightly around the leopard’s thin waist. Their mouths glided against each other, a clash of tongues and fervor as everything washed away from them. For the first time, and probably the only time, Levi felt safe inside someone’s grasp. Waves of dopamine pulsating through both parties as they carelessly made out on the living room floor, the faint sound of Mean Girls still playing in the background. None of it mattered anymore, as long as this moment in time was permanent. From this moment forward, Levi was going to soak up every minute of these next three months with Remington. It was finally time he allowed himself happiness. After sharing a long, amorous kiss, Remi pulled away gradually, catching his breath again. “You wanna restart the movie?” His voice but a meer whisper.

“Why? We can watching something else…” Levi’s eyes still half lidded as he breathed haggardly.

“I want to watch this movie though,” Remi cocked a half grin as he nuzzled the other’s flushed freckled face.

“Why? You were just clowning on it?” Giggling breathlessly, the leopard nuzzled back.

“Because…it’s your favorite,” the other stated simply, before placing a sweet peck upon the tip of the cat’s nose. Levi’s freckled face turned up into a large, joyful grin at the black haired man’s response.

To be continued…

[tacomanarrows]

Rant/vent below w/ mentions of family illness/death

God these past two weeks have been so damn stressful and it has absolutely sucked. My grandmother has been in the hospital for awhile now, but she was moved to hospice either yesterday or the day before and by what my dad is telling me, it looks like she’ll pass tonight or early tomorrow.

In all honesty, I’m not super torn up about her passing specifically. Yeah, it’s sad to see but I never really knew her very well since for almost my whole life, she lived in California while my family and I were in New Jersey, and I’d really only see her at new years or occasional larger family gatherings. It more is really hard not being home to support my dad, my aunt and my uncle, since I know this is really hard for them.

My mom and my sister came up to visit me for my school’s family weekend last week and that was really nice (my brother came up from Indianapolis as well, where he’s going to college abt 2 1/2 hrs from here), but the overall mood of them being here was overhung with the news coming in from my dad about my grandma. Initially it looked like I was going to have to fly home for like two days, at first over family weekend (which would have been horrible, since it feels like none of my college experience has gone my way and that would have only added to it), and then potentially what would have been the end of this current week. That would’ve been sandwiched between two events I really couldn’t miss here on this past Wednesday and this coming Sunday.

Thankfully I don’t have to fly home, but this thing on Sunday is also stressing me out. I’ve been aiming for this scholarship that’s offered through one of the fraternities here and I’m one of the 25 or so finalists for it after making it through 2 rounds of interviews and two days of a “leadership retreat” that consisted of team building games and a ropes course. Of the 25 finalists, only 6 get the scholarship, and it’s rewarded at a banquet on Sunday that we have to dress in business formal attire for. I was able to buy a nice outfit for it with my mom this past weekend, but I’ve never gone to an event like that, and not knowing if I’m gonna get the award is also stressful.

Then, I have two assignments I need to do/type up by Monday, and my computer’s charger decided to seemingly bite the dust. I got a new battery for it back in August just before school, so I know it’s not that. Unless my roommate, who’s more knowledgeable with mechanical stuff than I am, can fix it somehow, the soonest a new one I order could get here is Monday/Tuesday, ie after my assignments are due. I can still use the computer labs here to write/do them, but it still sucks that I generally won’t be able to use my computer at all until I get a new cable.

Depending on how things happen with regards to my grandma and what kind of things we want to do as a family afterwards, my brother and I may drive home for Thanksgiving break a day early and I’m just really hoping that this all doesn’t overshadow my break from school, bc that would also really suck.

Anyways, I just had to get that out of my head. Thank you for reading if you did. I’d appreciate some just, comments of support on this if you’re willing, just so I know some people are there.

[asociallyawkwardteen]

FACE - Woosung/Sammy Kim - Drabble

Kim Woosung/Sammy Kim x Reader

Genre: Fluff, Friends to Lovers

Word count: 2,5k

Summary: After a long semester of uni finally comes to an end, y/n and her friends are able to go out again and have fun. A fun night out turns into something very beautiful.

(Also I would like to apologize for any errors, english is not my first langugae so please have mercy on me ^^’)

~Hope you like it!

„Finally!!! We are done with all those stupid exams!!!” your friend Coco shouted once you got back to your apartment from Uni after having your last exam for this semester today.

“Hey, you do know that we have neighbors, right?” you giggled, hitting her in a playful way.

“Yeah, yeah, but aren’t you glad that we finally can relax?? We should celebrate it!”

“Of course I am glad, silly. So how do you want to celebrate surviving another semester?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure yet but I want to do it tonight! Otherwise it’s not as much of an celebration.”

“Sounds a lot like you want to go drinking, huh?”

She smiled at you sheepishly, “Maybe…”

“Okay so a girls night out it is?”

“Eeeeh…” she started hesitatingly, blushing a little

“what do you mean ‘eeeh’?”

“How about…”

“Wait! You want to ask the cute guy from our history class out, don’t you??” you said wiggling your eyebrows at her

“Heyy!” she punched your arm, “what I was going to say was: we could gather a few of our friends… and maaaaybe also hajoon…” she got quieter during the end mumbling the last word.

You grinned. “Well you can invite some people I guess, still don’t have a lot of friends that aren’t also yours here” you smiled a little embarrassed at yourself hearing that coming out of your mouth after being here for already one and a half year.

“Oh just not too many please… I’d like to still keep the circle small tonight.” you added

“Sure thing she said, sitting down on the couch and already looking through her phone for the right people”

Some time passed and you used it well by taking a nap, seemed like the best idea since you’re probably gonna be out the whole night. However, your peaceful slumber was rudely interrupted by Coco barging in your room exclaiming that she finally had the perfect selection of people.

You mumbled a half awake “Shoot” and nuzzled your head back into your pillow.

“Okay so, since we want a rather small group this time, I made sure that I selected them very carefully!” She listed a few of your friend group to which you just nodded to, still half asleep.

“And-I-also-might-have-asked-Hajoon-if-he-was-free-and-he-is-joining-us!!” She quickly spat out hiding her face in her hands squealing like a little kid.

You grinned at her, “glad you finally had the guts to ask him out!”

“That’s not all thought, I thought that since I would be a little occupied with hajoon tonight I though I would invite someone for you too! BUT- Please don’t hit me now okay!”

You slowly opened your eyes looking at her kinda pissed already. “And who would that someone be?”

“Sammy…” she mumbled

“HUH?!?!” now it was really over with your beauty sleep, you shot up in your bed looking at her in disbelief. “Sammy?, you… mean Sammy Kim?? Your freind from highschool, who I had nothing but awkward interaction with since I met him last year?” 

“Awkward Interactions?” she giggled, “ if that’s what you call love at first sight but no clue how to handle it, yeah sure you guys had some AwKwArD InTeRaCtIoNs. And now don’t act like I didn’t realize how you two were looking at each other that night, plus how often you too hung out to sTuDy.”

“No No No, he really helped me out with my photography project back then, and you promised me that we would never speak of that night again!” Just as you finished your sentence Coco’s phone made a ding. She opened it and grinned once again.

“Oh come on you both have the hots for each other but your are both to scared to admit it and I like the effect you have on each other, you both are like creative chargers for one another. I’ve yet to see you procrastinate when he is around and you have heard his music improving yourself, do you think that comes just out of nowhere? Huh? Whatever he just texted that he is coming tonight so this discussion is over!”

You looked at her with wide eyes and your heart skipping a beat. You definitely have a crush on Sammy and yeah maybe that happened the first time you met him BUT you were just never really the relationship type of girl, plus you didn’t plan on staying in Korea after Uni so you didn’t want to get to attached to something/someone plus you liked things the way they were up until said night. New Years Eve Party to be exact. You and Coco had a party at the Apartment and most of your friends were wasted at 1am already and Sammy and You also had quite a bit to drink, one thing led to another and you only remember waking up next to him in your bed, all cuddled up together with and hunch of what could have happened. Luckily you two were up before everyone else thinking nobody noticed but of course Coco knew the second she looked at you once she woke up. Sammy had to leave quickly that day because of some issues with brother, who wanted to visit him on New Year’s. Ever since than you two tried to keep it casual by not addressing it at all and kind of ignoring each other and your feelings for one another a bit. Until now apparently.

You sighed falling back into your cozy bed once Coco left your room.

~Time skip~

You pushed the thoughts of the night ahead to the side -mostly for Coco since she was worried that you were actually mad at her.

To proof her wrong you put on a smile and you two started to get ready together while blasting music and starting to pre drink a bit. It felt so good though to finally have the time to go out with some friends again after all that studying and stress with exams, just getting ready with your roommate was already so much fun.

Soon your uber came and you were on your way to the club where Coco told the others to meet you. You saw Sammy already when from the car, and your heart stopped a beat. He was just leaning against the wall, headphones in and on his phone. You took a second to admire him before the car came to a spot where you guys could get out. Coco saw him as well form where you two were and tried to scare him since he wasn’t aware of his surroundings, but she failed.

You greeted Sammy with a warm hug, thinking that he would probably feel your fast heartbeat but you always hugged him to say hello and you didn’t want to make things more weird. To your surprise you could feel his heartbeat as well, which weirdly calmed you down a bit.

You too still kept a bit of a distance for now just making things seem “casual”, clearly aware of the tension between the two of you. You got a table at your favorite club and soon drinks started to flow. Your group had an awesome time dancing, drinking, catching up and just enjoying your freedom for now

The DJ was great and constantly playing what you wanted, a couple hours went by and your friend group started to get smaller, one after the other leaving with someone they flirted with for about half an hour. Oh and Coco was all tangled up with Hajoon just as you both expected. You didn’t care about all of that too much just enjoying yourself on the dance floor and chatting a bit with Sammy while still continuously ordering drinks.

Of course some dudes tried to hit on you especially while you were dancing, overflowing with confidence but you just told them to get lost, you were really not interested in any of them. You were really just here to have fun but as you caught a glimpse of the way Sammy was watching your every move you smiled a bit to yourself.

You both were a bit buzzed by now, it being around 1:30am and most of your friends, well actually all of them already gone. The club was still buzzing and you were in no way ready to leave yet, neither was Sammy. It may seem a bit boring to just stand at a table watching a girl dance for hours, only taking breaks to pee or take another shot, not for him tho. Watching your body float over that dancefloor, never missing a single beat, smiling with closed eyes. And every time you were sick of a song you made your way over to him smiling with sparkling eyes in which he could get lost in forever. Every time you would come over you two had a shot or two and every time you went back on the dancefloor you tried to convince him to come with you. He came with once or twice, wanting to stay there with you the whole night just being weightless together but he knew that if he kept dancing with you and already being a bit drunk, he would want more and he wasn’t sure if you were okay with that so he stayed at the table.

At around 3am your feet started to hurt from all the dancing in your heels and you were feeling pretty dizzy, still not wanting to stop dirinking. Sammy knew by the way you came back to him that you were ready to leave and get some food somewhere.

“Sammy…! Wanna grab a bite somewhere?!” you shouted in his ear hoping he would understand with all the loud music and people talking.

To be completely honest he didn’t understand anything over the loud music and his own spinning head but he knew what you wanted so he just nodded and you two left. Once you stepped out of the club you both took a deep breath an looked at each other for a second. In this moment the only thing you wanted to do was kiss him, get lost in his touch and never wake up from it again but instead you just smiled at him and repeatedly said that you were hungry.

Sammy was in the same position, he knew that soon he would not be able to contain himself if you keep looking at him with those intense eyes of yours. He laughed at you being a whiny baby and took your hand to lead you to your guys’ favorite 4am drunk-food place. You both knew that he initially just wanted to yank you a bit in the direction you had to go yet you kept walking hands interlocked up until you got to the food place. It just felt so natural that none of you wanted to let go, so you kept it that way for a few moments longer.

You two kept chatting a bit while enjoying your food. For the few other people in the restaurant you two just looked like a regular couple acting all cute together, feeding each other and giggling while still ordering a few drinks. The owner of the restaurant actually thought you two were so cute that she gave you another soju-bottle for free, “For the lovebirds” she said as she put a the bottle down and winked at you.

You looked at each other with big eyes and you started to giggle since you were still pretty drunk. You took the soju with you and left the restaurant after paying. You were not ready to leave one another yet but you remember that Sammy had that great view from his apartment rooftop so you went there, on the way your hands found each other again and you just walked in silence, enjoying each other’s company.

You set up everything and settled down on the roof with your soju and a blanket just starring into nothing. Soon the two of you were cuddled up listening to each other’s breath.

You sighed “I missed this, you know?”

“Missed what?” he tried playing dumb

“This.. you… us..” you mumbled into his chest trying to hide your blushing

“Me too” he said while running his hands through your hair.

You lifted your head to look at him in the dim light just taking in his features bit by bit. He just smiled at you, slowly closing his eyes, like a cat would do. Carefully you sat up a bit and firmly pressed your lips on his. He smiled into the kiss. It was a very sweet delicate kiss, maybe even innocent, savoring every little moment of a innocent yet so powerful love. You two dragged the kiss as long as your lungs would allow it, after that you quickly nuzzled your head into his warm chest again.

“We should head inside it’s really getting cold and I don’t want you to get sick…” he softly whispered

You nodded and you packed your things to move into the apartment. It was so much warmer and just as cozy as you remembered it. You let out a yawn, stretching your body, Sammy saw his chance and wrapped his arms around you from behind burring his head in your neck. “Tired?” he asked softly.

“yeah… a bit…”

“then let’s go to bed then, shall we?” he asked while already heading towards the bedroom. He gave you his favorite shirt and shorts to sleep in, knowing you would have asked for them sooner or later, also he loved the way they looked on you. You excused yourself to the bathroom to change.

Once you locked the door behind you, you started to freak out silently a bit but on the other hand, everything just felt so right, Your bodies and minds just fit perfectly together and you were kind of mad at yourself for wanting to cut this awesome connection after it got a bit more serious. You washed you face, changed into the clothes he gave you and took a deep breath before heading back to the bedroom.

Sammy was already all cuddled up and his room looked even more comfortable with the delicate fairy-lights you gifted him last Christmas. You crawled next to him getting comfortable. He gave you another soft kiss, but you wanted more. You started to intensify it to which he gave in, you were hungry for him the whole night already so you were more than eager letting your hand slowly travel over his body an to the hem of his boxers but suddenly he grabbed your hand. A bit perplex you broke the kiss and looked at him confused.

“did... did I do something wrong?” you asked quietly “Do you not want to?”

“you didn’t do anything wrong y/n…” he gave you a peck “It’s just, the last time we did it too quickly and lost each other for a few months… And I don’t want to lose you… this... us again... is… is it okay if we just fall asleep in each other’s arms for now?”

You started to tear up a bit at his words, this was the first time he actually told you how he really felt -probably a bit because of the alcohol too but you didn’t mind that- and it made you realize how you felt as well, so you nodded stealing one last kiss before cuddling up with him and slowly drifting of to sleep while listening to his heartbeat.

~To be continued~

[love-and-monsters]

Alaris the Naga

Agender naga X GN reader, 6872 words.

You need a date for your workplace party, but the only person you can find is your roommate, a somewhat shy naga. Well, surely faking a relationship with them won't spark anything. Right?

You fixed your hair, carefully combing the short strands into some vague approximation of neatness. A cowlick poked up at the back of your head. You fiddled with it again and again, trying to drive it back down.

“Here. Let me.” The voice that came from behind you was soft, almost melodic, the sort of voice you would expect from someone who used their voice to make a living. Your housemate placed their hands on either side of your head, tilting it slightly. The touch made something in your chest stutter.

“Did you sleep on your hair funny?” they asked. Their voice was perfectly casual as they snagged a spray bottle from the sink and wetted your hair. Their voice was always infuriatingly casual when they touched you. Did they have to work as hard to keep it steady as you did?

“Something like that,” you said. Fortunately, you’d had enough practice, so your voice came out casual and unconcerned. “I fell asleep on my desk.” Their fingers smoothed your hair back into alignment. You weren’t sure whether that shiver that worked its way down your spine was due to the cold water dripping down your scalp or due to their touch alone.

They tutted. “Never mind your hair, you’re going to wreck your back sleeping like that! Your bed’s only three steps away from your desk. Surely you can make it there before you pass out.”

Despite the teasing words, you could detect the genuine concern that undergirded their voice. “I wasn’t intending to pass out. It was just that there was a lot of work and I-”

They sighed, somehow making it loud enough to overcome your words. “I keep telling you to take a break from all that! Good lord, you spend ten hours a day at the office and then you bring it all home with you anyway.”

You rolled your eyes. “We can’t all be our own boss, Alaris.”

“Hey, it’s not all fun and games, managing my own job. You know how hard it is to get deadlines done? I know the guy who sets them, and they’re full of shit.” Alaris petted the back of your head a couple more times. Was it to smooth down your hair some more? Just to touch you? A casual action with utterly no hidden motives that you were overthinking? Who could say.

“Look, in a couple of weeks, we’ll be done and we’ll have a big ‘end-of-season’ party, and then we’ll all be good.”

“I hope you’ll actually take some time off after that,” Alaris sighed. The took you by the shoulders and turned you to face them. Their nails were long, scratching slightly at your arms. You could feel the cool sensation of their scales even through your dress shirt. “Take a break. I’m always worried I’ll go into your room and find you on the ground, your body finally having given out under the strain.”

“I’ll be fine,” you said. “I get a full three hours a night. You don’t need to worry.”

Alaris huffed and waved their hand at you. “Just take care of yourself. Maybe once this is all over you can actually make the time to be a guest on my podcast.”

Their podcast was massively popular online, and the main source of their income. There was often some teasing that they could sit at home in their pajamas all day, chatting to a microphone, and make pretty much the same amount of money you did. Then again, you weren’t entirely sure you wouldn’t go insane if you had the same lifestyle, so you weren’t all that jealous.

“We’ll see,” you said. “I really do have to go, though. I’ll see you later.”

They waved and you snagged your work laptop before heading out the door. It was a bit of a jog to make it to the bus stop.

As soon as you sat down, your phone buzzed in your pocket. You sighed, fishing it out, but instead of an impatient text from your boss, there was a message from Alaris on screen.

A: You forgot to eat breakfast! ☹

A: Do you want me to bring you something? I can swing by your work real quick.

You smiled at their sweetness. They were always ready to do some kind thing for you.

Y: Don’t bother. They’ll probably have granola bars in the break room or something. But thank you.

A: Are you sure? A granola bar isn’t exactly a filling breakfast.

Y: I don’t want to take up your time.

A: I work from home, remember? I can do whatever I want.

Y: Are you using me as a way to procrastinate?

A: Busted. But I can still bring you something?

Y: No. Get your work done.

A: ☹

The texting conversation took up enough of your commute so by the time you received the last text, you were ready to disembark. You walked inside the office, giving a quick wave to your coworkers, and sat down at your desk.

As it turned out, you didn’t get the opportunity to eat anything once you were at work, because you were immediately drowned in a tidal wave of work. When you finally surfaced, it was nearly five hours later, and your stomach was growling wildly for something to eat.

Exhausted and bleary-eyed, you stumbled into the tiny break room and grabbed a granola bar at random. You took a bite and grimaced. Raisins. Gross.

One of your coworkers, a tall satyr with a tidal wave of curly hair, stepped into the room. “Hey, Sadie,” you said, rubbing a hand over your head. “How are you doing?”

“Tired. Just like everyone else.” She slumped into the seat across from you. “I’ve been trying to plow my way through the work I’ve got so I can get out early and actually change into something nice for my date.”

You stared at her. “You decided to go on a date now? Why would you do that?”

Sadie gave you a strange look. “I’ve got to find someone to go to the end-of-season party with me.”

You almost choked on your granola bar. “You need a date for that?”

Sadie pulled a face. “I mean, you don’t need one, strictly speaking. But a bunch of people started talking about bringing one and it turned into this whole thing, so now I feel like I should bring one. You know, I don’t want to look like the only person who’s not dating.”

“How does anyone have time to date right now?” you asked. Sadie shrugged.

“I dunno. A lot of people are married, apparently. So. I’m going to get a date. I suggest you get one as well. It’ll look good for office politics and all that. And also, you won’t look like a loser who can’t get a date.”

“It’s not that I can’t get a date,” you huffed into your cup of gross break room coffee. “It’s that I’m just not trying.”

“Yeah, sure, everyone will buy that,” Sadie said. “Like I said, you don’t need one. But it’ll probably look good. It makes you look promotable, and not like a loser.” She caught sight of your expression. “Hey, look, I’m not fond of it either. Maybe you can just get someone to come for the night? Get an escort or something.” She stood and clopped out of the room, her hooves hitting on the linoleum floor.

You groaned and leaned over the break room table. Figured. Now you needed to juggle work with finding someone to go to an office party with. You briefly considered just not going, but your boss took these sort of events seriously, for reasons far beyond your comprehension. If going with a date was expected, then you were going to go with a date. You had not put in hours and hours of work just to not get promoted.

It was well past seven when you dragged yourself home. Alaris was bent over the kitchen table, fiddling with their laptop. They waved their tail at you in greeting, not looking up from their work. “Welcome back.”

You made a noise somewhere between a groan and a grunt in response. Alaris lifted their head. “Bad day?” they asked.

“Something like that.” You put your laptop back on its charger and slouched over to the table.

“I saved you some dinner,” Alaris said. “I can heat it up for you, if you want?”

“Thank you,” you said. “Alaris, you’re an angel.”

They puffed up their chest with pride as they slithered across the kitchen. “I’m just helping out. I mean, it’s not much more effort to cook for two, and I know how hard you’ve been working.”

“I promise, I’ll get you something nice with the bonus check I’ll get when this is all over,” you said without lifting your head from the table. There was a heavy thump that suggested Alaris was wagging their tail in pleasure.

“You don’t have to. Really, I’m just trying to be a good housemate.” There was a hum as the microwave started up. “Do you want to talk about your day at work?”

“Ugh.” You lifted your head and thumped it against the table.

Alaris slithered back over to you. “That bad, huh?”

“I mean, the work itself wasn’t bad. It was pretty much the same as normal.” You lifted your head. Alaris was looking down at you with obvious concern. They had always been particularly emotive- it was that sort of openness and charm that made them so popular.

“Then did something happen with your coworkers?” they probed. You grimaced. “Is that a yes?”

“You know, for someone who deliberately picked a job where you have no coworkers, you seem awfully interested in mine,” you grumbled. Alaris shrugged.

“Work drama is at least three times more fun when you’re not involved in it. Why do you think I keep you around? Perfect story fodder.” Alaris winked and you rolled your eyes. “Maybe it’ll make you feel better to talk about it? I can at least help you come up with solutions.”

“I’m pretty sure no one can help me,” you grumbled. “Sadie told me today that- well you know that office party?”

“The end-of-season party,” Alaris said. “I’m familiar.”

“Well, apparently, a bunch of people are bringing dates, so now the whole thing is basically a couples party. And my boss loves that sort of stuff, so it won’t look great if I don’t show up with anyone.” The microwave beeped behind you. Alaris ignored it. “So, basically, I need to find a date in the next two weeks while not falling behind on all my work. Which is basically impossible.”

“You’re looking for a date?” Alaris asked. There was something weird, almost strangled in their voice. You looked at them, but their expression was carefully blank.

“I guess. Not that I have the time or the energy for it.”

Alaris shifted, scratching their nails across the table. “I could, er. Try to set you up with someone? Possibly? I have a couple friends who live close by. They might be willing to help?”

You pulled a face. “Well, see, that’s the other problem. I don’t really want to go to the party with a stranger. We’re supposed to act like a couple, aren’t we? I don’t feel like I could do that with someone I don’t know.”

Alaris made a noise of amusement. “Have you ever heard the saying ‘beggars can’t be choosers?’”

“I’m not begging yet,” you said. “You’ll know when I’m begging.”

Alaris smiled and shook their head. “Sure. Make sure to eat your dinner before it gets cold again. I’m going to finish editing the next episode.” They settled back in at their spot at the table and slid their headphones on over their ears. You stood up and fetched your dinner from the microwave. It was good, as per usual. Along with their other talents, Alaris was a good chef, and they made sure you had something good to eat at all times. In terms of housemates, they were definitely the best one you’d ever had.

After you finished eating, you went back to your room and kept working on your work. At nearly midnight, Alaris knocked on your doorframe. “Hey. Are you going to bed anytime soon?”

“Soon,” you said, barely looking up from your laptop. Alaris made a soft noise of disbelief in their throat. “I’ll go to bed before three.”

“Go to bed now!” Alaris flicked the lights off. You groaned and hunched closer to your computer. “You’re not supposed to look at a computer screen with the lights off!”

“Then turn the lights back on!” you called back.

“Go to sleep!” Alaris slithered into the room and draped a blanket over your shoulders. “Go to bed. Your work will still be there in the morning.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m concerned about,” you groused. But the blanket on your shoulders felt irresistibly heavy and the weight went right to your eyelids. They drooped so much that you could barely see the screen. You yawned so widely your jaw cracked.

“Come on. To bed with you,” Alaris said. They took you by your shoulders, guided your out of your desk chair, and nudged you over to your bed. The feeling of their touch on you was comforting. A vague idea tickled at the back of your mind, but you were too tired to chase it down and interrogate it. “Get some sleep,” Alaris said. Their voice was far away. “You’ll feel better in the morning.”

As soon as your head hit your pillow, you were out like a light.

You woke with your head fuzzed and confused. Somehow, getting enough sleep had made you even more tired than staying up the whole night would have. Mumbling curses against Alaris, you struggled through as much work as you could manage before you needed to leave. Stumbling into the kitchen, you found a bagel suddenly thrust into your front.

“Eat this on the way to work,” Alaris said. They looked stern, but also concerned in equal measure. “And you have a good lunch, right?”

“You don’t need to fuss over me,” you said. “I’m not a child.”

“I’ll stop fussing when you learn to take care of yourself properly,” Alaris said. That thought from last night started to tickle at your brain again. It was still tiny, a little whisper of a thought, but it was stronger. You pulled at it, trying to turn it into something concrete. Before you could, Alaris nudged you toward the door. “Go on. You’ll be late for the bus if you don’t go soon.”

“Right.” You smoothed down the front of your shirt. “I’ll see you later.”

Alaris waved as you headed out the door. Even as you headed toward the bus, you kept chasing after that little thought that was somehow escaping your full attention. It felt important. What was it?

A few hours later, you were slumped over the break room table, Sadie looking at you sympathetically. “Did you not get enough sleep last night?”

“I got sleep,” you said. Sadie snorted.

“Look, man, you gotta go to bed at a good time. If you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything,” she said. You shoved your head up with a groan.

“I actually went to sleep at a reasonable time last night. Alaris practically bullied me into it. But I think I felt worse than ever when I woke up.” You muffled a yawn into your hand and slurped down some coffee so thick and strong it was practically pudding.

“Oh, yeah, that happens. Your body gets used to not getting enough sleep, so when you actually manage to get a good night’s sleep, it freaks out and decides it wants to catch up all at once. Trust me, I dealt with that a lot in college. Just down a lot of coffee and you’ll be fine.” Sadie took a sip from her own mug. “Alaris is your roommate, right?”

You nodded. “Yeah. We’ve been living together for… I dunno. A while. It’s a good thing we’ve got going. They’re willing to deal with a lot of my shit, so. I like it.”

Sadie nodded, giving a delicate snort. “Sounds like they’re better than my last three boyfriends put together.”

That thought that had been tickling around in the back of your mind shoved itself forward at full force. You blinked a few times, startled. “Wait. Say that again?”

Sadie narrowed her eyes at you in confusion. “Uh, I said Alaris seems better than my last three boyfriends? They’re, like. Taking care of you. If I didn’t know any better, I’d probably think you were a couple.”

“Cool,” you said. The thought was demanding your full attention. It would work, wouldn’t it? As long as alaris agreed, you couldn’t see why it wouldn’t work. “Thanks for the talk. I’m gonna get back to work.” You left the break room without waiting for an answer, leaving Sadie frowning at your back.

As it turned out, you got very little work done. The thought commanded your full attention. If Alaris said yes, it would work. But that was if Alaris said yes. What if they didn’t? It was sort of asking a lot, even with the positive relationship you had. Would they be all right with it? Would it be unbearably awkward? The concerns flitted around your head like bees, preventing you from focusing on any of the work piled at your desk.

When you returned home, a bit earlier than you had for the past few days, Alaris was sitting in their usual position at the kitchen table, peering at their laptop. “You’re home!” they said, looking up in surprise. “Dinner’s almost ready. You’ll actually be able to eat it fresh for once.” They glanced at your face and their expression fell. “Oh. You look worried. Did something happen? Are you all right?”

“Everything’s fine. I just couldn’t focus, so I decided to come home a little early,” you said. “Actually, I had something I wanted to ask you.”

Alaris shrugged. “Sure. Just let me finish dinner, then we can talk.”

Dinner was a quiet, anxious affair. You fidgeted the entire time. Alaris kept glancing at you with obvious concern, but they didn’t say anything. They just waited for you to be ready to speak.

Once dinner was cleared away and the plates had been taken care of, Alaris fixed you with a firm glare. “Is everything all right?” they asked. “You’ve been looking at me strangely all through dinner. Is something wrong?” Their expression became even more creased with concern. “Something with work? What happened? I can support you if you need-”

“Alaris!” You cut them off, raising your voice enough to be heard over their frantic speaking. They stopped, staring at you. “You’re getting ahead of yourself. I didn’t get fired. Nothing’s wrong. I just want to ask you something.”

Their expression relaxed and they rubbed at the back of their neck. “Um. Heh. Sorry. Then why do you look so nervous, then?”

“I’m just…” You realized that there was no easy way to explain this and just shook your head. “I’ll ask you what I want to ask you and you’ll see why I’m nervous,” you said with a laugh. Alaris looked confused, but they nodded, gesturing for you to continue. “So, you know that we’ve got that work party, right?”

“Yes,” Alaris said. “The one you need to bring a partner too, right?”

“That’s the one. Er, and I don’t have anyone to go with me.”

“I did offer to try and find you someone,” Alaris said. “But you said-”

“I said I didn’t want to go with someone I didn’t know. I remember. And that still holds true. But I kind of had another idea at work. It’s something Sadie suggested to me. Well, she didn’t really suggest it, but she said something that made me think-” You cut yourself off, trying to stop the rambling before it got started. “Ugh, I’m getting nervous. I’m going to just come right out and say it. Alaris. I want to take you to the party as my date.”

Alaris’ mouth dropped open. You could see the sharp tips of their canines.

“Not as my real date,” you said, hurrying to explain. “I mean, you’d be going to the party as my date, but it wouldn’t be real. It would be, you know. You’d be pretending to be my date.”

Alaris’ mouth slowly closed. You saw their throat bob as they swallowed. “Er. Uh. You, uh. Want me to go to the party with you?” Their voice came out more strangled than you’d expected.

“Well, yes. I know we’re not dating, but most people at work don’t know that and it would be easier to pretend to be dating someone I know than it would be to pretend to date someone I don’t know. I would totally make it up to you, do all the house cleaning for a week or whatever you want.”

Alaris just stared at you, eyes so wide you could see the whites all the way around. “You don’t have to say yes,” you added. The way they were looking at you was starting to freak you out. It looked more like you’d cracked them across the head with a two-by-four than asked them on a fake date. “I just thought it would be a good idea- but if it makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t want to.” Alaris was flushed, red spreading across their face at a rapid pace. But they looked at you steadily regardless. “I- I was surprised, is all.” They swallowed and their blush started to recede down their face, though their ears were still bright pink. “Are you sure you want to ask me?” they added. “I am a podcaster. There’s a reason I don’t have an office job myself. Social interaction is… well, it’s not exactly my forte.”

“I really can’t think of anyone else I could be in a relationship with,” you said. The blush, which had been steadily going down, flared back into full force. It was probably a good thing Alaris wasn’t drinking anything, as it probably would have ended up spewed across the table. “I mean, I could, er, convincingly fake a relationship with.” Was that better? You weren’t sure. “So! You’re, uh. You’re okay with this?”

Alaris lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. “I do have a request to make in return.”

“Yeah? What’s that?”

Alaris leaned across the table toward you. “I want you to finally be a guest on my podcast.”

You stared. “What, that’s it? Are you sure? I’m not exactly the most interesting person alive. I don’t think I’d make for a very good episode.”

“I’ve told my audience a lot about you. They’re curious. I think they’d be thrilled to finally get to speak with you. Or just to hear you speak.” Alaris smiled encouragingly at you. “That’s my price. Take it or leave it.”

“I’ll take it, I’ll take it,” you said, reaching across to shake their hand. “But I think I should still take you out for dinner or something.”

“If you want to,” Alaris said. They straightened up fully, their snaky tail wriggling underneath them. “Just let me know what I should wear.” They slithered out of the room, leaving you slumped over the kitchen table with relief.

It was a couple more weeks before the party, but you found yourself looking forward to it, strangely enough. The idea of going with Alaris was actually an appealing one. Even if parties weren’t your thing, at least you would be guaranteed to have a good time with someone you liked.

On the eve of the party, you dressed in a formal dress shirt and nice pants and knocked on Alaris’ door. “Are you ready to go?” you called. “You’re not going to stand me up, are you?”

“That might actually be a good cover story,” Alaris called back. “You had a date, but they stood you up. Might be able to play on their sympathy.”

“Are you trying to get out of this?” you asked. “It’s not going to be that easy. Back out now and you’ll never get me on your podcast!”

Alaris gave a series of giggly snorts. “A fate worse than death! I’ll be out in a minute.” There was some rustling and shifting from behind the door and then it creaked open. Alaris emerged from the room, head ducked shyly.

They were wearing a white shirt with a few glimmering buttons as accents. A skirt-like piece of clothing was attached to their waist, held up with a particularly fancy belt that glistened with gold bangles. Apparently, particularly nice belts were popular fashion statements among nagas. They also wore a small golden hoop on one of their ears, and their hair was teased up to look even more fluffy and soft than their natural style. “Is this the right style?” Alaris asked, smoothing down the front of their shirt. “I don’t go to many office parties, so I’m not sure what the dress code it.”

You opened your mouth to reply, but found it strangely dry. You had to swallow a few times before trying again. “Yes, I think you look great.” Alaris smiled, looking flattered. You offered them your arm, trying to recover. “We, uh. We should get going.”

Alaris’ fingers were cool on your arm as you headed out to the car you’d called. Usually the bus was cheaper, but you’d decided to splurge a little bit. Also, riding the bus could be uncomfortable for someone without legs, and the car specifically had accommodations for nagas.

You found yourself jittering as you headed toward the party. Alaris rested one of their hands on your elbow. “We’ll be fine. I’m sure that we’ll be able to convince them,” they said. You found yourself leaning into their comforting touch.

“You think you can convincingly act as my partner?” you asked, anxiety leaking into your voice.

“I-” Alaris’ expression flickered for a moment, then their smile returned, though it didn’t quite reach their eyes. “I think I’m a pretty convincing actor.”

Their confidence reassured you, and you leaned against their shoulder as you headed toward the party. Nerves still jumped in your chest, but Alaris kept a gentle hand on you, grounding you.

When you reached your office, you could see a few people milling around outside. Pretty much everyone was partnered up, including one couple off in a corner who seemed to be trying to eat each others’ faces off. You nudged Alaris and pointed them out.

“I guess if we really get tired of trying to mingle with people, we can just go to a corner and start making out.” Alaris made a choked noise and their face burned bright red. They looked so taken aback by it that you found yourself blushing as well.

“Uh, never mind. Let’s go inside.” You slipped out of the car and waited for Alaris to follow you. As soon as their full tail was on the ground, you started to walk toward the building, only to have your arm seized. “What? Something wrong?”

Alaris laughed at you, though it was so gentle and affectionate that you didn’t feel embarrassed. “You’re really not good at this, are you?” they said. “We should be walking in together, shouldn’t we?”

“Oh.” You felt your face grow warm again. This time, you offered your arm to Alaris, who took it and allowed you to lead them into the party.

It was loud, a dull roar of voices that you found grating. Alaris snuggled closer to you, arms tightening on your own. “More people than I was expecting,” they murmured.

“I guess if everyone brought a partner, then the usual population of the office would be doubled.” You carefully dodged a couple of people, threading your way through the crowd.

It took less than five minutes to get cornered by a coworker. You recognized them vaguely, a human who worked as an office manager and managed to be relentlessly cheery at all times. “It’s nice to see you here,” he said, grinning at you broadly. “I didn’t think you were going to come, you know. Parties don’t seem like your scene.”

You forced a smile as large as his was. “Well, I’m not a big partier, but I thought the occasion was good enough to come out. And there’s no reason not to show off my partner.” You gave Alaris a gentle squeeze.

Greetings were exchanged, and you were introduced to your coworker’s partner, another human who was just as smiley as he was. By the time you disentangled yourself from the conversation, you were feeling exhausted.

“Okay, see, this is why I don’t go to parties,” Alaris murmured into your ear. “So much talking about nonsense.”

“It’ll only be a few hours,” you murmured back. Your mouth was close to their ear, you noticed, almost brushing their skin. That hot flush crept up your face once more. “Er. Do you want something to eat?”

Food ended up being your temporary saving grace, since it was difficult to carry on a conversation with your mouth full of snacks. Still, your coworkers stopped by every few minutes to engage you in some kind of chatter. Alaris, for all their protests, was much better at small talk than they appeared to be. They were also quite good at pretending to be your partner. One of their hands was constantly hovering at your waist, fingertips trailing over your clothes. You found yourself hyperaware of their hand on your side, the brush of their shoulders against yours.

When it became clear that food was no longer going to save you from conversation, you looked for some other escape. Soft, slow music caught your attention, and you looked around to see that a makeshift dance floor had been set up in the middle of the office.

You nudged Alaris in the side. “Want to dance?”

Alaris looked down at their long, sinuous tail, then back up at you. “Are you sure you want to ask me to dance?”

“I’ve seen nagas dance before,” you insisted. It was true that it resembled the sort of swaying motion that snakes did before a charmer, but it was still something. “And you can’t be any worse than me.”

“Now you’re being modest. I’ve seen you dance,” Alaris said.

“The two years my mom forced me to spend in ballroom dancing never really left me,” you said. “But that means I’ll be a good leader for you. Just follow me.”

Alaris rolled their eyes, but allowed you to take their hand and guide them onto the dance floor. There was an open spot roughly big enough for the two of you fairly close to the center. You lifted the hand that was clasped in Alaris’ and settled your other hand on their waist. They fumbled uncertainly with their free hand for a moment before resting it on your shoulder.

You kept the dance simple, a slow four-step that allowed you to move in a loose circle. Alaris’ tail trailed behind them, and you were a little worried it was going to get stepped on, but the people around you seemed to be taking care not to.

Alaris leaned closer to you as you danced. Their head lowered to your shoulder and their free hand shifted to your back. Your face started to heat up. You could feel your heartbeat jackhammering away in your chest. Surely Alaris was close enough to feel it, but they didn’t make a mention. They just leaned into your body.

You glanced over their shoulder to see one or two of the other couples on the dance floor pointing your way and making ‘aww’ faces. Was that why Alaris was doing this? Because they wanted to make your couple act more convincing? The idea struck you like a knife through your chest, a startling pain that made you gasp.

Alaris pulled their head back. Their eyes roved across your face with concern. “What’s the matter? Are you all right?”

“I-” Your face felt like it was on fire under their scrutiny. Why had the idea that they were just pretending made something inside you twist and burn? You had asked them to pretend, after all. But suddenly the idea that all this was a farce, it ate at you. “Hold on. I need, uh. Some air. I’m sorry.”

Alaris looked bewildered, but you broke away and stumbled off the dance floor. You heard them calling after you, but you ignored them. Instead, you stumbled over to the door to the back of the office and pushed outside.

Cold air hit you like a bracing slap to the face. You gulped it in, appreciating the clarity. Away from all the other people and Alaris’ concerned gaze, you felt like you could think again.

What was that? All of a sudden, you were feeling things that you definitely shouldn’t have been feeling for your roommate. For your friend. Where had this come from? Surely it hadn’t been there all this time? You would have noticed it. Wouldn’t you?

No, you realized slowly. Because it hadn’t been a sudden drop into feeling all warm and fuzzy. It had been a slow, subtle shift of your feelings over the months that you’d known each other. And now that you were looking back, in hindsight, you could remember how eager you’d been to come home to them. How you’d felt so fond of them trying to take care of you. How much you craved the touch of their hands whenever they tried to help fix your clothes or smoothed down your hair. And, you realized, you would never have asked them to come with you if you hadn’t had some feelings for them.

The sound of the door opening behind you made you spin around. For a moment, you prepared to make an excuse to a coworker and shuffle back inside, but Alaris slithered out and you stopped breathing.

What were you going to say to them? A bolt of fear struck you. You had only just figured out how you felt about them. Would they even feel the same way? Were they just here with you as a friend? Maybe they were just a good housemate. That was possible. Maybe they-

“Hey.” Alaris’ voice cut through the whirling frenzy in your mind, soothing you just a little. They folded their hands in front of them, swaying awkwardly on their tail. “Are you all right? I just wanted to check on you.”

“Uh. Yeah. I’m fine.” You rubbed at the back of your neck. “I’m sorry I worried you.”

“It’s okay.” Alaris slithered over to you. “Are you done with the party already?”

Their voice was teasing and you laughed. “I was done with it before it started. But no. I’m going to go back inside in a couple of minutes. I just wanted to get some air. Er, if you’re done with the party, though, you can go. I wouldn’t want to keep you-”

“And abandon you? Never!” Alaris said. The immediacy of their response made warmth swell and flutter in your chest. For a moment, you gazed up at them, trying to convey your gratitude with just your eyes. They stared back, a flush slowly creeping across their face. They swallowed.

“Thank you for coming with me.” Your voice came out quieter than you expected. Alaris’ blush grew stronger, but they kept looking at you steadily. “I- I know it must be uncomfortable to have to pretend to date me, but-”

Alaris burst into laughter. You startled, staring as their upper half sagged forward with the heaving effort of their laughing. After a moment, Alaris stifled their giggles and gave you a weak smile, though it still crinkled their eyes at the corners.

“Er,” you said, a little confused. “Are you okay?”

“It was just sort of funny,” Alaris said. They reached out and tweaked a strand of your hair that was starting to cowlick up from your head. You felt your face flame. “It’s…” They abruptly closed their mouth, their sharp teeth coming down on their lower lip.

You had never been good at the silent dance of unsaid emotions. Most of the time, you stood in blissful ignorance of how you felt, but once you were sure what you felt like, you wanted to get it off your chest as soon as possible. “Alaris,” you said. “I- well, okay, this isn’t the best time to say it, but I’ve never been good at not saying things. I think… I think I’m realizing that I might have feelings for you.”

Alaris stared at you. There was no readable expression on their face. You continued. “I- that wasn’t why I invited you to come with me. At least, not intentionally. But I think I’m realizing that I’m so comfortable around you because I think I do like you. I’m- I’m sorry if that makes you uncomfortable. I wouldn’t have asked you to fake date me if I really thought I had feelings for you, but I only just realized it and- what are you doing?”

Alaris had both hands pressed to their mouth. Their shoulders tremored with some sort of repressed emotion. You stared at them. It was so hard to make out their expression. Were they crying? Laughing? About to throw up? Oh, please let them not be blackout drunk- you did not want to have to repeat your confession.

Before you could ask if they were all right, they threw their head back and their peals of laughter echoed across the back of the office building. You blinked at them. “Sorry, sorry,” they said, putting a hand on your shoulder. “I- oh, this is very ironic and it’s pretty funny to me.” They wiped a few stray tears from their eyes. “I was afraid of going with you because I thought it would make you uncomfortable, but I couldn’t resist the idea of getting to spend time with you. Especially as a couple.” One of their hands came over yours and your breath caught as the implications sank in.

“You’re saying you wanted to come with me as a couple?” Your voice was embarrassingly unsteady. Alaris didn’t seem to mind, though. They just leaned their forehead against yours.

“I have had a crush on you since almost a week after you moved in with me,” they confessed. “Why do you think I kept trying to get you on my podcast? It was my very shallow, very transparent attempt to spend time with you.”

A relieved giggle burst from your lips. “Oh, my god. You’ve been in love with me the whole time and I just never noticed?”

“Give yourself a little break. You’ve been working yourself all but ragged,” Alaris said. “And I wasn’t exactly trying to be obvious about it or anything. But yeah. I get very domestic with the people I like.”

“I’ve noticed. I just thought you were being nice,” you said.

“Well, I was. I was just being nice only to you.” Alaris leaned closer to you. Their mouth was so close to yours. Impulse struck you and you leaned forward, pressing your lips against theirs.

Their mouth was a little dry and rough against yours, but it softened as they molded their lips against yours. Their hands came down, securing around your waist, and, to your immense surprise, they lifted you up. Instinctively, you wrapped your legs around their waist. They were a lot stronger than you were expecting, for someone who sat at a computer for a living.

Their tongue explored your mouth as they turned to press you against the wall. You had a brief flicker of concern that someone would come out and see you, but that dimmed as they pressed closer to you. A moan slipped from your mouth as they kissed you deeper.

After a few minutes, or a few hours, or some other strange length of time, Alaris broke away from you. You took a deep breath. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Are you sure?” Alaris asked. “I thought this was important to your job.”

“Fuck my job,” you said. “I want to spend time with you. Just the two of us.”

Alaris laughed and set you back on the ground. “Ooh. You know, if we’re dating, you have to come on my podcast now.”

“Fine, fine,” you said. “But not tonight. Tonight, I want to try some things that would not be allowed to go to air.”

Alaris grinned, took your hand, and started to pull you back toward the parking lot.

[bounce-a-coin-off-your-witcher]

lip sync your way into my heart

( @thecomfortofoldstorries and I got into a fun head-cannon debate last night about Tik Tok POVs and this is what happened)

--- Jaskier has never really been in the loop when it comes to social media. He was behind the curve when he made his Tumblr and he was two years late to sign up for Twitter. It’s no surprise that he finally downloads Tik Tok and makes an account several months after it’s become a viral platform.

That also means all the good usernames are taken; Jaskier types in @buttercup-bard, sees that it’s available, and calls it a day. This isn’t an app he’s going to care about. It’s just to waste time during his forty minute commute to and from campus. 

Alas, he has ADHD...and this shit is addictive.

Especially, he hates to admit, the thirst-trap hotties who do weird, obscure, edgy POV videos. Jaskier knows they’re aimed primarily towards teen and young adult women but he’s a red-blooded Redanian gay. He’s horny. He can watch a few POV Tik Toks on the bus and thirst after pretty boys with big muscles...as a treat.

By Jaskier’s second week of classes he’s found a definite favorite Tik-Tokker (is that what they’re called? Or is it influencer? Jaskier doesn’t care). The guy is gorgeous. He has beautiful honey-gold eyes and long, silvery-white hair; which is appropriate since his handle is @whitehairdontcare. He makes a wide range of content, too. Perfect for Jaskier’s Concerta-focused tastes. There are some dances here and there and some Q&A videos, but for the most part he does POVs. 

Jask and his roommates, Essi and Priscilla, have spent many happy hours poring over Mr. White Hair’s account, watching and re-watching their favorites from his vast repertoire of content. Essi loves his weird, edgy-boi shit. Stuff with titles like “POV: I fight the bully who insulted your haircut” or “POV: you make a deal with the devil for true love”. Stuff that Jaskier would have been into when he still listened to My Chemical Romance on the regular (okay, he still does, but don’t tell Essie). 

Priscilla is a huge fan of Tik Tok dances. She follows every challenge and ranks her favorites, compiling them into a YouTube series that’s more for her self-gratification than anything else. Mr. White Hair is generally towards the top of her list whenever he deigns to follow a trend that doesn’t involve badly applied makeup blood smears. The guy clearly works out and the definition of his body (and the movements of said really hot body) make the dances look so much more fluid and fun. Jaskier and Priscilla clearly share a brain-cell when it comes to appreciating Mr. White Hair’s hotness.

Jaskier’s favorites, of course, are the cute little POVs that lie scattered between all the edgy ones. Stuff made for the softies of Tik Tok. Stuff made for boys like Jaskier. “POV: I fix your car for you” is the one he’s probably re-watched the most. Mr. White Hair is lying on his back beneath a jacked-up blue car, oil smeared in a few strategic places on his face, chest, and arms. At the very end of the Tik Tok he moves the wrench out of the way of his face completely and winks directly into the camera.

Jaskier hates to admit it, even to himself, but no matter how many times he’s watched that stupid twenty-give second video, that wink drops his heart straight down into his shoes and fills his stomach with butterflies.

---

“Hey do you guys carry fake blood here?” an almost terrifyingly deep voice asks from behind him. Jaskier twirls around on his heel, Retail Smile firmly in place, and loses his shit the moment he sets eyes on his latest customer.

It’s Mr. White Hair.

Here. In the middle of the aisle of the Party City where Jaskier works every weekend. He’s either going to throw up or pass out or both. 

He doesn’t though. Instead, the Demon Lord of Retail possesses his body momentarily and nods, “Right over this way!” He leads the insanely attractive influencer over to the year-round section of Halloween FX makeup and gestures towards the shelf filled with various fake blood capsules, bottles, and packets. 

“Thanks,” Mr. White hair smiles. Jaskier nods again, silent, and drifts back towards the counter in a daze. He’s the only one on shift right now (it is not a very busy Party City) and he knows that he can’t pass out on the dirty tile floor or he’ll get fired (and perhaps tetanus). He just needs to power through the next few minutes and then he can crouch next to the helium tank and freak the fuck out.

But not until Mr. White Hair is gone.

Just as Jaskier is re-learning how to breathe normally, the sexy internet star makes his way towards the counter with an armful of products and the retail worker loses it again. Thank god for the ability to compartmentalize.

“So, just these for you?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

“No problem! I love your Tik Toks by the way,” Jaskier replies automatically. His eyes widen slightly. Why the fuck did I mention his Tik Toks!?

“Thanks,” the guy says and blushes. “I didn’t know they’d gotten so popular.”

“You have like two million followers?” Jaskier laughs. “I think that makes you pretty popular. Maybe even famous.”

“Oh yeah...right.” 

“Anyway, your total is going to be twenty-one fifty.”

Mr. White Hair pays and Jaskier bags all his fake blood, wondering the whole time exactly what kind of content he can look forward to seeing. More of Essi’s edgy shit, apparently. As he’s handing the plastic bag over the counter, Jaskier smiles and works up the courage to ask, “Is your hair naturally white? I don’t mean to pry, it’s just really pretty.”

Geralt’s face goes slightly pinker than before and he nods. “Yeah. Weird genetic thing. Thanks.”

“No problem. Right on,” Jaskier beams. “Well, it was nice meeting a famous person. Thanks for stopping in.”

“Thanks for helping me out,” the Tik Tokker replies. Jaskier watches him exit the store before ripping his phone from his pocket and dialing Essi. He needs to talk to her before he spirals into a giddy panic attack.

---

“Hey Jask have you seen that hot guy’s latest Tik Tok?” Priscilla asks, lounging across her futon like a queen. Jaskier looks up from his copy of The Collective History of Aedirnian Funeral Dirges and wrinkles his eyebrows in confusion.

“No, why?”

“You should go check your phone. I think you’ll be happily surprised.”

“Oh-kay,” Jaskier says, drawing out the ‘kay’ for as long as it takes him to get up from his seat on the floor and exit the room. He retrieves his phone from the charger in the kitchen and returns to Priscilla’s bedside. He opens his new favorite app and pulls up @whitehairdontcare’s page. There’s a new POV from earlier this morning and Jaskier taps on it. 

His eyes go round when he reads the caption: “POV: You’re the cute cashier at the Party City and I’m bad at flirting”. 

Mr. White Hair is staring into the camera with those beautifully golden eyes, awkwardly rubbing at the back of his neck with his hand while he lip syncs to whatever song is playing. He’s wearing a tight, navy blue v-neck and Jaskier can see the movement of every one of his ridiculously defined muscles as they flex. The silver wolf’s-head necklace Mr. White Hair always wears around his neck is in its usual place, dangling down between those perfect collarbones…

Jaskier takes a shaky breath and glances up at his friends, who are staring back at him with wide eyes. “It could be about anyone.”

“How many Party Cities do you think he went to yesterday?”

“I’m not going to get my hopes up,” Jaskier snorts. “He’s a social media influencer and I am one semester away from finishing my degree and my thesis. Why would he ever want to be with someone like me?”

Essi rolls her eyes and Jaskier goes back to his homework. 

---

Later that night, alone in his room, Jaskier plugs his earbuds into his phone and watches the Tik Tok over and over. He finds the song Geralt used and adds it to his Work Is Tough playlist, which he’s allowed to play over the loudspeakers at the store so long as he’s working a solo shift. 

He watches Mr. White Hair’s plush pink lips move around the words and dreams of kissing them someday, as far-fetched as that scenario is (because this video is definitely not for him, that’s impossible):

“My hopes are so high that your kiss might kill me.

So won't you kill me, so I die happy.

My heart is yours to fill or burst, to break or bury,

or wear as jewelry; whichever you prefer.”

Fucking Dashboard Confessional. Of course. One of Jaskier’s favorite bands from his emo days in middle school. If this really was for Jaskier, if this really was a legitimate attempt at online flirtation by Mr. White Hair himself, it was working.

 Jaskier buries his head in his pillow and sighs. 

[strawberrymilkloadingscreen]

Giving Up the Ghost Chapter 1 (Rise TMNT) (Donnie x Black&Female! Reader)

“Holy shit they’re turtle demons.”

You hadn’t believed April when she said that the demons and ghosts you were obsessed with lived in her tiny apartment. Every time you’d gone over in the last year and a half there hadn’t been that sort of itchy energy that you associated with demons, or the more groggy and cold one that came with ghosts. In fact, she didn’t live in a building considered a hot haunting zone online, her entire block was ghost free, and even the little sub place she was working at didn’t have a lick of phantom energy.  

April O’Neil was as normal as could be.

However, there wasn’t anything you could say to refute the very clear evidence in front of you. Four gigantic turtles with weapons were crowded in your friend’s living room, yellow paint splattered on them, April, and the walls.

April scratched her head and ended up smearing hazard yellow paint through her cherry red curls. “Heeeey. What’re you doing here?”

“Me? Can we start talking about them?”

“Them? Psht! They’re just-“

A turtle in blue set a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay, April. Talking about secret hobbies is embarrassing, but coming clean will do the body good. Like milk.”

“Leo…”

“The truth is that we’re… cosplaying.”

You rolled your eyes at that. “Seriously? That’s the best thing you can come up with? Even without my token I can practically see the energy coming from you.”

“Human girl say what?”

“She probably means the trace bits of mutagen from the oozsquitos in our blood.” A purple one muttered. “Which, I mean, is fair and accurate. Better question is how she can see anything since looking at her she’s obviously a normal everyday human.”

“WHOOOA!” You leaned back as an orange clad turtle got eye level with your chest. You weren’t sure when he got there, and that part concerned you more than a little. “What’s that!”

“What’s… Oh.” You plucked up the gem that had a perfect hole in the middle of it. “It’s the token. It lets me see ghosts, demons, but not 5’3 turtles dressed in neon orange.”

“It’s a great color. Is that violet or lavender?”

“I dunno? What are you?”

“Well I’m a warm shade of green with-“

The largest turtle plucked the smaller orange one up with one hand, and easily set him with all the others. “We’re mutants that are turtles… And ninjas. So don’t say a thing or we’ll make you disappear.”

“Isn’t that Hypno’s thing?” The one in blue wondered.

“Leo I’m trying to keep her from spilling our secret, annnd she’s fainting.”

You were in fact fainting into a pile of pure excitement and worry onto April’s paint splattered floor. The last thing you saw was April’s baseball bat, and four flinching turtles trying to get out her glitter encrusted door…

_______________________________________________________________

You ended up waking up on your front porch with a bottle of vodka tucked under your arm. You weren’t sure if it was April’s way to say sorry, or if it was to give your landlord and other passerby the idea that you passed out drunk. Either way the booze was welcome as you made your way out of the muggy summer heat and into the ice cold of your apartment. Your roommate’s cat, Xena, meowed at your return and followed you about as you took off your boots at the door. You went to the counter and pushed aside empty Chinese takeout boxes and mail to make room for the vodka.

With that task completed you quickly stripped, and tossed out the paint encrusted clothes in the trash, before cramming yourself in the shower and scrubbing hard. “How was I not robbed and murdered?”

Probably because you looked crazy. A Ouija board shirt and some booze was enough to make a handful of people back away from you; a wonderful lesson that college parties and your small town had taught you. The wet paint was probably another great deterrent. Whatever the case you were thankful enough not to get mad at the splotches that wouldn’t scrub off your dark skin. You quickly hopped out and towel dried before pulling on some comfy clothes and going back into the kitchen.

You paused beside a large tank sitting on top of some stacked books. With a groan you popped down on your knees and peered inside, a soft smile curling on your lips as you watched the turtle sitting on a pastel rock. “Hey Venus. Comfy?”

“Awe, are you talking to your turtle?” Your skin jumped and you quickly stood rod straight. “Hey don’t get jumpy on me now. Just me.”

“I mean it’s normal to get jumpy when around a walking talking garbage disposal.”

“I’d be offended if it wasn’t true.”

You rolled your eyes and grabbed the bottle of vodka. “What are you even doing here, Ricky? Jessie won’t be back for another week.”

“Forgot my phone charger here last night.” He waved the blue device around. “Oh, by the way, there was another haunting out at my Ma’s. Said she saw the pots moving. Think you could take a look?”

Ghosts… Wait, that was why you went to go see April. You’d seen some new ghost documentary on a streaming service, and you’d made plans with her to see it. When you got there…

Turtles.

Well, the red one said they were also ninja. That sounded utterly ridiculous, but you weren’t inclined to argue with demons or ghosts. Not that you had met that many, four in total including the ones today, but you’d read enough materials to know that it would be stupid to do so! Old ladies out in China Town though…

“Sorry Ricky, but I’ve got my plate full. Can you tell her I’ll try to make it some other time?”

“No prob. Pretty sure she’s just lonely and making up stuff to get some visitors. Should really go out there and scrapbook with her again now that I think about it.” He slicked back his blue hair. “Anyway, I’m heading out. If Jessie calls tell them I want some nudes”

“…No.”

“How about ‘I love you’.”

“Better.”

You waited until you heard the soft click of the door and snap of the lock before you went over to the cabinet and popped open a soda. You took a good swig before adding a splash of the vodka, and going back to the living room. Xena decided to take over your legs, but you couldn’t complain as you grabbed your laptop and began to do what you did best. Blogs were examined, newspaper articles scanned, and plenty of folklore was cracked open between sips of your boozy treat.

There were plenty of things for ninja that would come up for New York City. Everything from comic-cons, movie sets, and even a few historical events for museums. You were getting something similar for turtles as well. A new friend donated to the zoo, a fundraiser for conservation, and plenty of art meant to beautify the city.

However, when you entered the terms for humanoid turtles that’s when things were getting sketchy. Strange photos out outlines in a fish and ladder market, far more convincing ones during the hippo turtle meme a few years back, and a shaky video of black blobs ziplining down to a rooftop pool.

The more that you saw them the less you were convinced these things were demons or ghosts. Some type of cryptid maybe? Aliens? However, the term ninja made you lean more towards monsters, to be more specific kappa. Turtles that would drown their victims, rip orbs out of asses, and had a strange love for cucumber. You ended up falling asleep with Xena asleep on your keyboard and the new knowledge armed in your brain.

That was why you found yourself standing outside April’s, now non glittery, door the next morning. You had a basket hanging off your arm, and your cellphone fisted in your free hand. You kicked at the door, and only moments later it was ripped open by a still yellow streaked April.

“Oh it’s you…”

“Don’t get all excited to see me.”

The two of you stood in silence for a long moment, nervous smiles on both your faces and the air thick with tension. You took a deep breath and held out the basket full of sake and kappa.

“Here!”

“What is it?”

You looked away, your teeth sinking into your bottom lip until it stung. “Well, you had kappa in your house, and I wanted to give that as a peace offering. I dunno how you managed to meet kappa of all things in NYC, but I’m not gonna judge… Or tell. Especially that last one.”

April stared at the basket for a long moment, before looking at you with an equally bewildered look. She held up a single finger, before pulling her phone out of her pocket and tapped something out on it. “Wha-? You think they’re monsters from Japanese folklore? Girl, you really went all out with that vodka, huh?��

“I dunno what they were. One minute I was in your house, and the next it’s a mess and you have huge ass turtles in there. Isn’t that just the most interesting thing to ever happen!”

“Ahhhh not really?”

“Well, I guess you’re used to it. That’s fair.”

April gave a soft sigh before opening her door up all the way, and gesturing for you to come inside. “Look, I think the two of us are gonna have to have a long talk. Want some coffee?”

“Only if you’ve got whipped creamer.”

“Don’t you know it.”

You followed her into the apartment and your nervousness melted away. "So how'd you meet them?" "Well it all started when I was a kid thanks to a sad sad trolling attempt..."

[gremlinanonstoryblog]

✨Update✨

So, after easter (literally next day), Roommate got a call from the police, they wanted us to go to the police station to testify about those incidents with my ex and the crazy parents

Hours later we were all ready to go, and when we got there they asked us separately about this cases, we all answered the truth, what we saw happening, and what happened to us

After all that, we were getting out the police station, but before we steped out, the police officer that gave us the look of You guys are really unlucky stoped us and said "I have something I need to talk with you, but it's better if we discuss it somewhere more private"

I looked at both my partners, we silently agreed and gave him an affirmative nod

Once out of the police station, we went to a nearby park. We sat on a bench and were silent for a while, until he spoke

"Look... I wanted to talk with you three about gremlins ex"

Before I could ask him why, in a low, calm and chilling voice, roommate said "What does that have to do with you?"

We all FROZE in our places at how cold they sounded!!! It's was like going to fucking north pole out of a sudden!!!! (Its was so hot... I got weak when they talked like that... If they ordered me with that voice to sit on that bench for the rest of my life I would do it)

THE GAY PANICS ARE BACK BABY!!!!! I'M GOING TO SUPER GAY HELL FOR THIS BUT I DON'T GIVE A DAMN!!! (We go together hon)

The police officer also stayed silent, until I snaped back from my panic and asked him "Why do wanna talk about it?"

"Because there is a chance that she's only gonna be under house arrest"

"WHA-"

"Yes, it is unfortunate... My colegues and I don't have enough proof to actually arest her for violence and even tought she trespassed pivate property it's not enough... And she told my colegue that she was asking for directions and Miss gremlin got angry and started shouting at her because of their past, and since Miss gremlin has anger issues she said that Miss gremlin snaped at her and tried to hit her, and that's why Miss gremlin had her wrist bruised... sigh And for the rest of the conflict she was self defending from Miss oh honey and Miss oh honey was defending her loved one, and that's not enough prof to arrest her... Only house arrest for evading private property... But nothing more"

Roommate and I stayed silent upon hearing this, but Miss oh honey spoke up

"Are- Are you serious!?"

"Unfortunately, yes... I am"

"And you belive in what she said?"

"As police officer I need to consider all arguments as truthful until proven contrary, but as a person I don't belive a single word she said, that's why I'm helping you! As a police officer I shouldn't be telling you these things, but let's be honest here, the law was never fair to beggin with, people with money and good lawyers always get out of bad situations and people without money get punished for the smallest things! The police is being unfair to you, because, seriously, you guys helped more people in a WEEK than all of the officers in that station in YEARS OF WORK!!! So yes, I will be assisting you in getting proof to arest her and if anything goes wrong I will contact you and warn you"

We were all shook! None of us was expecting this!!! It's just- I- He- Us- Wha-

We all thanked him an went to our house, and we all stayed thinking about him, like, he's being so nice... None of us could belive it!!! NONE OF US!!!

But, as the day went by, we all just stayed doing our normal things and it was all fluffy and funny, and a little too normal and calm... This was probably my paranoia but I had a feeling that something wasn't right, but I tried not worry since everything was fine

During the night, probably 3am or so, I woke up to Miss oh honey shaking me and saying she was hearing strange noises. I tried to calm her telling her that it was normal to hear sounds during the night because of the animals, and this property is full of animals, so it was no big deal

She hugged me and started trembling non stop, I tried to calm her as much as I could but she kept shaking uncontrollably

As I picked my phone to search something for us to watch or read to sleep, I heard a loud bang outside

And now my paranoia was kicking in again!!! MISS OH HONEY WAS RIGHT ABOUT THE NOISES!!!

We both woke roommate up, and as we were getting up, we heard my phone buzzing

It was the police officer

I quickly picked up and, in a hurried voice, he said

"THANK THE GODS I FOUND A CHARGER!!!"

"What's wrong?"

"YOUR EX ESCAPED"

"Wha-"

"MOST OF US WERE ALREADY AT HOME SLEEPING AND THEN WE GOT A CALL FROM THE STATION SAYING THAT SHE WAS OUT OF HER HOUSE!!!! WE GOT THERE AS FAST AS WE COULD BUT WHEN WE ARRIVED SHE WAS ALREADY OUT OF OUR RANGE!!! WE DON'T KNOW WERE SHE IS AND WE DON'T KNOW IF SHE'S ARME-"

The call was off

I turned to both my partners with a blank expression and said "She escaped"

I saw their expressions going from worried to pure shock, their stares were blank and their faces were pale, and I assumed I was like that too

As we were panicking, a loud bang on the front door made us snap out of it

Both me and Miss oh honey jumped, and she immediately ran to me and hugged me, burying her face on my shoulder and shaking non stop

With her in my arms, I could feel the pure fear she was experiensing, she was more afraid than I was, and that made something spark inside me, it wasn't anger nor revenge, it was a sense of protection, nothing mattered more in that moment than protecting her, and I knew that roommate felt the same

They got close to us and warped us in their arms and got the three of us behind the door in our room as we heard the front door falling with a bang

I still had my phone in my hand, so called the police station, they picked up and I whispered on the phone "She's here"

They hung up

We all stayed as silent as possible, and when we heard the door knob spinning open, roommate covered our mouths

Everything was dark, and we only had the moonlight peeking from the window in our bedroom, and for bad or worse, we could see fairly good in the dim light

The door opened slowly, and she entered, knife in hand. The knife was big, almost like a butchering knife

She didn't notice us, and before she could give another step, roommate jumped on her tackelling her on the floor

She fell and dropped her knife along the way, I picked it up AND THREW IT OUT OF THE WINDOW

THERE IS NO WAY I'M GONNA LEAVE THE KNIFE LAYING THERE AND GIVING IT A CHANCE TO BE USED

NO FUCKING WAY!!!

OUT OF MY HOUSE!!!!

Roommate was holding her face down on the floor, but somehow she slip of roommates grasp and got her hands on my cantel (It's made of steel and I have it in my bed side table so I can drink cold water if I wake up during the night)

She grabbed it and HIT ROOMMATE ON THE HEAD WITH IT

THEY WERE BLEEDING!!! AND ME AND MISS OH HONEY WE'RE TOO AFRAID TO DO SOMETHING!!!

She then got up, looked at us, and as she started getting closer I put myself between her and Miss oh honey

She clearly got angry BUT I WAS IN TOO MUCH ADRENALINE TO CARE

She grabbed my hand, pushed me to the wall and BROKE MY FUCKING FINGER WITH THE BLOODY CANTEL!!!!

MY PINKY PROMISE FINGER!!!

Because of the adrenaline I didn't feel much pain but my senses got fuzzy and I don't remember much after that

I have a faint memory of fighting back and Miss oh honey helping me

Roommate at some point also got up and helped and shortly after I saw flickering lights

It was the police

FUCKING FINALLY THEY GOT THERE

And after that I remember nothing

Roommate told me that they had no major injuries and their head was fine, and Miss oh honey only got some small bruises

Me on the other hand, they bandaged my finger but I had to go the hospital next morning to see if it was broken... And it was

We are all ok and I am still recovering, having a broken finger is... Not so good

BUT I'M MANAGING

Hope ya'll okay and safe

Have a great day ya'll

- Gremlin😺, Miss oh honey😸 and Roommate😼

[chittsu]

college!au with Haechan

everyone, I'm sorry. you're about to witness something truly devastating for me. I’m embarrassed. I’m disappointed. just know that I suffered a lot, I screeched a lot, I sobbed and that’s the result of it all.................. no one call me out because of it I beg you

roommate!au; college!au; fluff a highly disgusting one so be careful; top level comedy as always but actually no, it’s not funny; bulleted scenario; 9238 words yeah remember when I freaked out over writing 5k? good times; I still don't like him guys; Heychin who? I only know Taeil

summary: and they were roommates... you find yourself in an uncomfortable situation when your roommate asks for help. that's how Haechan ends up living under one roof with you and it's clear that sooner or later, something has to happen between the two of you

enjoy! :)

you were pretty lucky with your campus life, honestly

you got yourself friends and even share an apartment with one of them, you are doing pretty well in classes and you don't exactly hate them and you enjoy your single life

however, your luck has to end one day

and that is the day when you hear Lee Haechan's name for the first time

your roommate May finds you with her boyfriend Johnny in the kitchen while you are stuffing your faces with Nutella sandwiches unapologetically 

and she looks awfully troubled

you swallow a large bite

'....what'

Johnny looks at May, giving her silent signs to say something and when that doesn't work, he snaps his fingers in front of her face earning a glare from her

she finally speaks though

'so... there's this cousin that's starting uni this year. and,,, my aunt has been bugging me to take care of him and it starts with a place to sleep and,,,'

'and we have a spare bed, a high rent to pay, and your boyfriend treating this apartment like his own. seems like a good deal to me'

May sighs dangerously, looking straight into your eyes, while Johnny raises his eyebrows and pretends to be offended

'what? just look at him now, eating our Nutella like that'

'YOU INVITED ME TO EAT WITH YOU'

'I WAS JUST BEING POLITE JOHN AND YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO ACCEPT'

'and that's exactly why I don't want Haechan here'

you both turn to May, puzzled expression on your faces

'elaborate please'

'we will all end up in a mental institution with both of you together'

'that sounds promising' Johnny says and you and May look at him disapprovingly 'I'm already crazy about you anyways, May' 

you slap your forehead with your hand that, unluckily, got dirty with Nutella so now your forehead is also dirty

anyways

later in the evening, May starts the topic again

'listen, I'm so sorry. I know living with a guy here will be weird for you and I don't want you to feel uncomfortable'

'hey, as long as he pays it's fine'

'good thing he's rich, but still REALLY annoying'

'we barely see each other anyways because of our classes, so I don't think I'll mind it that much. plus, it's only temporary, right?'

'thank you!! you're the best'

'anything for you sweetie. by the way, you're doing the laundry for the next month in exchange for my kindness'

'that's,,, not how it should work you know' 

you just shrug 'do you want him to live here or not'

you meet him for the first time the following week

it's the weekend, so all of your friends decide that it's time to celebrate that you survived yet another week at uni

the karaoke bar is the place you choose, well, mostly because you just want to hear Taeil sing

even before actually meeting Haechan, you're prepared to dislike him

from what you heard, he comes from a rich family and is over-confident, the popular type that makes people do his homework for him

he also has his own car and as much as that can be an advantage for you, it just means something

you can imagine your apartment changing into a rendezvous spot very soon and, well, it already seems like it with May and Johnny hanging out there a lot but still

also, he just seems like the type that doesn't wash the dishes and that you cannot accept

everything becomes clear the moment Haechan joins you and your friends

May showed you his photos from a few years back so you thought you were prepared to meet him but, sike, he turns out to be a totally different person

he is quite tall, his long legs adding to the illusion; his skin is tan making his bright smile stand out even more; his eyes - they're brown and round, but they also show a hint of mischief

and his voice, the moment he speaks - you just know that you'll wish for him to be quiet soon

he enters the room and seems to be unfazed by all the attention he gets at that moment, he waves quickly and smiles widely

'hello everyone! I'm Donghyuck but people usually call me Haechan. you can also call me later'

and just like that, he already earns laughter from everyone and seems incredibly satisfied with it - you, on the other hand, must be rebellious so you don't laugh

everyone gets up to introduce themselves to him, being all friendly and nice and you don't quite like it

you see,,, competition 

'oh, so we'll be roommates? nice to meet you!'

you see Haechan in front of you, with his hand stretched out your way

you lift the corners of your lips slightly and it's not exactly a smile; still, you shake his hand

'you don't seem too happy to meet me though?' he asks, furrowing his eyebrows but that doesn't make him look serious at all

'just because I'm not all giggly and smiley in your presence?'

May eyes Johnny, Johnny eyes Taeil, Taeil drink cola peacefully; Haechan falls silent for a moment, not expecting this to happen

still, he gets it; it's a challenge and he's willing to take it up

'I must admit that people usually react like that when I'm around'

'that’s so sad. your poor ego’

Johnny steps in, coughing very loudly

'not to interrupt this pleasant exchange but, why don't we sing something? DONGHYUCK, do you sing?'

and he basically drags him to the opposite side of the room, away from you which is convenient

and you chill next to Taeil and his girlfriend who are the calmest people in the whole room; you observe your new roommate from afar finding it quite annoying that he's so quick to make your friends his

for the rest of the night, you don't really interact with him - there are a few moments where you two pick on each other but May is quick to defuse the tension; even if you don't talk, you still send each other challenging gazes 

it seems like the atmosphere becomes too stuffy for you after new people arrive at the bar, so your first instinct is to go outside

just when you close the door behind you, you see him

Haechan is leaning against the railing, his head tilted while he's scrolling on his phone with no interest; his hair fall loosely on his forehead; his lips slightly parted; collarbones peeking in between the widely opened collar of his black shirt

this is the first time you actually get the chance to look at him properly; when you were sitting across him at the table, you purposefully avoided looking at him

he focuses on you as soon as he hears the door click, his eyes slowly finding yours

that's awkward

'I was hoping I could run away from your snarky remarks, but here we are' he says, wearing a smirk on his face; 

he swiftly slips his phone into the back pocket of his black jeans

'and I was hoping we could chill here in silence but I'm starting to think you don't even know what it is' you say, letting one of the corners of your mouth lift at the end of the sentence

'we could be silent, but where's the fun in that?'

'I'm delighted to hear that you're having fun while I'm mean to you'

he chuckles softly as you make your way to the stairs and sit down; your mind is screaming at you to go back but you're way too prideful to just do that

'I thought that's how you show affection' you hear him saying just before he sits right next to you; you side-eye him

'oh, that's a daring approach for someone that has known me for 2 hours' 

'daring is like my second name'

'is your third name can't-be-quiet?'

'no, the third one is 'irresistible' but you guessed the fourth one right'

you take a deep breath

'how do I tell you that you don't seem irresistible to me without crushing your self-confidence'

'you might be immune to my charms now but believe me, not for long'

'is that a threat?'

'I'd prefer calling that a useful tip for the rest of our friendship'

'is that how you usually make friends Himchan, because now I'm surprised you even have any'

he presses his tongue against the inside of his cheek while the corners of his mouth lift slightly

'oh, silence, so relaxing'

you sigh dreamingly, looking at the moon; you catch him fighting back a smile before he leans back on his arms and throws his head back to look at the sky as well

'this might be interesting'

'15 seconds, your new record of keeping quiet, try harder next time I beg you'

at that moment, you hear voices of Ten and May and soon, the door opens 

'there you are! fuck, you scared me!'

'when we noticed that the two of you are gone, we were sure we'll find you fighting or something'

'you managed to find us before the fight, it was a close call though’

and you go in as if nothing happened

before you met him, the only thing you were worried about was living with a boy in the same apartment; Johnny might be spending a lot of time there but it's different

but after meeting Haechan, you start to hate boys; he can get very messy, he takes your charger without asking, he plays video games at night and he's not a quiet gamer (or person); he also manages to eat your food AND sometimes you catch a glimpse of him shirtless what makes you truly uncomfortable

you expect yourself to last longer, but the first fight occurs in the very first week of him living there

maybe that's what annoys you the most - the fact that he hasn't been living there for a time long enough to be this comfortable

one morning, you sit down on the couch; a big sigh leaving your lips

and he looks at you, his body resting on the window sill

he manages to smile playfully at you and he titles his head

'uh oh' 

and that, unfortunately, makes you even more annoyed than before

'you know what? I'm tired. there's only one rule in this house and you constantly break it. the rule is - remember that there are other people living here, yet I constantly find my things with your things, I haven't slept peacefully ever since you moved in because of how loud you are, you EVEN eat my food. oh, and let's not forget about those school trips your girlfriends take here'

he puffs his cheeks out for a second, then frowns, then says

'so what you mean is, you're jealous'

you take an even deeper breath this time

'why don't you just give me your mom's number?' you look up at him, eyebrows furrowed 'since you can't talk like an adult would, maybe I'll communicate with her somehow'

he has to fight back a joke about you meeting your mother-in-law this quickly; instead, he lifts his chin even higher

'talk like an adult you say, and yet, you're taking your problems out on me because you're just stressed in life and I'm your victim'

you huff, closing your eyes for a second before continuing

'oh, tell me then, did I lie? you know it's all true and that's why you're trying to make me feel bad now'

'I didn't know I was such a nuisance for you'

'well, now you know. rethink your life choices or look for another place, it's really that easy'

you get up dramatically, sending him your last gaze before grabbing your bag and leaving the apartment 

when you come back home after your classes, you're prepared for the worst

you come back with Johnny and May and you're all surprised when you find Haechan cooking in the kitchen

Johnny and May stop abruptly and you have to tiptoe to see what's happening above Johnny's shoulder

Haechan stops stirring the dish and turns his head your way, a smile slowly spreading on his face

Johnny is the one to speak up

'that's,,,, new'

'I figured it's time to repay you for saving my ass' he responds, mischief playing in his eyes that don't fail to find yours 'it's almost ready so, take a seat'

you and Johnny sit down comfortably in the living room, your eyebrows still furrowed; he instantly turns on the TV as his favourite quiz show starts soon, while May decides to help her cousin in the kitchen

you're talking with Johnny when Haechan appears with the meal for you, his smile suspiciously wide

only after he leaves, Johnny cracks up pointing at the heart made out of basil at the top of the pasta

‘does he have a crush on you? does he not know that you’re a devil?’

and you smack him in the arm

‘one more word or you’ll be eating that from the floor’

surprisingly, Haechan turns out to be an amazing cook and it makes you suddenly forget about the fight you had in the morning

for a week, he doesn't even take your charger or sing while showering 

well, it's only temporary

but you're getting used to him as you start to spend more time together

mostly because of him, as he just joins you randomly when you're doing things

you see these moments as excuses for him to hang out with you and you get it

as hard as it is to admit, you don't hate your time with him; he always has something fun to say, your conversations are never dull and bickering is what you live for so it's nice to have a partner as passionate about it as you are

sometimes you catch yourself just wanting to go home to see his annoyed face; leaving him speechless is definitely your new favourite hobby

of course, you still have peaceful moments

like when you're washing the dishes, he quietly appears next to you and starts drying them and you want to tease him so much about it but you halt when you see his focused and calm face

it's rare for him to be silent, so you enjoy it

and with the time, you also gain the confidence to prompt the two of you to spend time together

like, you use the internet in the living room 

and his smile shines brightly whenever he teases you about it

'you just want to be near me, huh'

'don't imagine things, the connection is better here'

and you just, do your own things in silence, sitting next to each other

one night, you can't sleep

laying in your bed exhausts you and you have to get up, deciding to drink something

you go to the kitchen quietly but when you are in the midway to your room, your body comes to a halt

you notice Donghyuck sitting on the couch, lost in thought, but soon his eyes land on you as well; they're almost entirely covered by the hair that fell on his forehead messily, his head propped on his hand; he smiles lazily

'are you appreciating the rare moment of me being quiet?'

'yes and I'm horrified to admit that it doesn't suit you' you respond, resting your forearms at the back of the couch

'can you say it again so I can record it?'

'well, that's a missed opportunity for you' you shrug and he sighs while shaking his head 'are you okay though?'

'yes, why?'

'you look calm, but in a 'the calm before a storm' kind of way'

'I'm always in the middle of the storm and you know it'

a smile creeps on your face but you manage to suppress it

'true. but still, if you want to talk then I'm supposedly a good listener'

'oh, that's hard to notice when you constantly interrupt me'

'YOU are the one that interrupts ME, you're just scared to admit that' with your signature offended tone

you watch him, as a soft smile appears on his face and he hangs his head low to hide it; your chest tightens

you're about to go to your room when you hear his delicate voice

'I don't know if I want to talk but I might want to play some games. wanna join?'

the moment you look into his eyes, you already know that you won't be able to reject him

'it's 2 am'

'that didn't stop you from making pancakes at that hour yesterday'

instead of answering that, you start chewing your lips and after a second, you climb the couch to sit on it comfortably earning an amused look from Hyuck, who immediately stands up to set the game for you two 

and you know that he'll do anything to win, even steal your controller from you, and you'll get mad but you don't mind it at the moment 

chaos is still more likely to happen between you two

living with Donghyuck can get SO annoying at times, especially after he warms up to you and starts treating the apartment truly as his own

for example

he shows up randomly when you're doing your makeup and just tells you 'wow do girls HAVE TO do those silly faces while putting on mascara'

and all you want to do is to kick him

or when you're washing the dishes, he keeps on adding some old cups or plates

or he tastes your food when you're cooking and gives you advice that you.don't.want.

but sometimes he's even worse than that

you are using the bathroom as you usually do in the morning, before your lectures; you're applying your makeup as this gives you some peace

until you hear someone knocking on the door and you know very well who that is

'occupied!!'

'yes, it's been like this for an hour and other people live here too, y/n'

'you're interrupting my meditation session'

'just let me in! I'll do anything'

you raise an eyebrow at yourself in the mirror before unlocking the door, leaving a slight space to see Donghyuck's face surprisingly close to yours

'what can you offer'

'I can... drive you to school'

'can I drive tho'

'no'

'so you're offering me your car but with you in it? pfff'

and when you try to close the door, he's faster and stronger than you; he manages to slip half of his body in the gap between the door and the doorframe, pushing the door open and letting himself in

when he stands in the bathroom, his chest nearly touching your body, he looks down on you with a smug smile across his face

'you're so kind, mrs. y/n'

and then he shamelessly goes past you, to the sink and looks for his toothbrush

you close your eyes and count from 5 to 1 to calm yourself down, but since you're close to being late, you decide to just continue with your makeup, Haechan brushing his teeth beside you

and you're thankful for that big mirror you decided to buy with Taehan a few months ago

everything would be fine but Haechan continues to smirk at you whenever your eyes meet in the mirror reflection, and that happens quite frequently

'it must feel nice to win once in a while, huh?' you say with your chin up

'winning with you is especially delightful, ma'am'

'the difference is, I win using words and you win using strength'

'no, you're specifically using manipulation techniques. and your charm'

'oh, I'm flattered! that explains why you need to use your strength - you have no charm'

'compared to you, true. but ask around in my major - most of the girls will tell you I'm cute'

you clear your throat audibly, rolling your eyes while his smile grows even bigger

'so humble! where's your confidence?' you say, making sure that your voice is full of sarcasm

and he looks at you softly, puts his hand on his chest before saying

'lost whenever you're around'

that's just another one of his games and you're aware of this, however, there's something in his eyes that makes you unable to just turn your gaze away from them

'am I interrupting something'

you both spin around to see May standing in the doorframe, wearing her big fluffy bathrobe and a very confused expression

'oh, we're just using the same bathroom after you cousin shamelessly barged in' you explain casually, giving her a wry smile

'she takes forever to get ready' Hyuck quickly defends himself, pointing his hand at you

'I just like to look at myself in the mirror, okay'

'oh so humble, where's your confidence' 

he manages to mimic you perfectly, earning a straight look from you

'don't copy me'

'i'm not copying you, we're just the same kind of people'

'that was offensive, take it back'

'you're just scared of the truth'

a big sigh leaves May's lips, as she slowly closes the door

'you know what, I just woke up and I'm already tired'

he not only steals your charger but also, your friends

so next time your friend group decides to go to the cinema together, he tags along and you're not too excited about it

Taeil even comments something like 'who decided that it's a good idea to have both of them in the same place'

and Mark looks at May saying 'don't you live with them tho'

and it turns into a whole therapy session as everyone starts to comfort May and wish her strength

you can only shake your head

'you wish her strength while it's us dealing with the mess she makes in the bathroom every day'

you can feel Haechan's eyes on you and he decided to chime in to support you

'let's not forget about the fact that she can't even wash a cup after drinking coffee in the morning'

'you heard that right Johnny, be prepared'

and everyone eyes you two; May brings her finger up threateningly

'oh, so you only get along well when it's about teasing me, huh?'

Johnny smiles for a second before looking at his girlfriend wide-eyed

'do you really forget to clean the dishes after yourself tho'

you're kinda late to buy the tickets and there aren't too many seats available; you end up sitting next to May with Haechan and Mark behind you

you really have to try hard not to explode as Haechan constantly kicks your seat but whenever you turn around to give him your signature done look, he swears it was all by accident but the smirk on his face tells you otherwise

later, he starts commenting on some parts of the films because apparently, he can't shut up; to do that, he leans forward to whisper his thoughts to you and May

but when you look at him, his eyes are always on you

and you start to notice that more often with time; whenever he tells a joke, he checks if you heard it and laughed; it's a very quick, sneaky glance but he does that every time

or, when you stop for a moment to look for your phone and stay behind your group, you notice him searching for you above his shoulder

or, when it's you telling the joke, he pays so much attention to you that it sometimes makes you nervous; but when you look at him, he instantly turns his gaze somewhere else, touches his neck or ear or ruffles his hair

and of course, he pretends like your jokes aren't funny

he usually sighs, turning his face the other way but you just know that he presses his lips together to suppress the smile forming on his face

and surprisingly, you feel greedy to see that reaction more frequently

the next evening, you gather in the living room to watch TV as you usually do on Thursdays

'change.the.channel'

'no'

'give it to me'

'NO'

you take a deep breath to calm yourself down only to jump into his direction in the next second, trying to snatch the remote control from his hand

he sees right through you so he puts it on the opposite side, too far for you to get it and looks at you while laughing mockingly 

'you either give me that remote control now or you start looking for a new apartment'

'hey, what's going on?'

you both turn around to see May observing you 

you act quick before Haechan gets to say anything

'oh, your brother offered to watch my favourite show with me but I felt stupid and insisted that it's not necessary, but since he's such a gentleman I had to agree in the end'

he just looks at you, squinting his eyes dangerously

'oh, that's nice! I'll join you in a second!'

and May disappears in the bathroom, while a triumphant smile starts spreading on your face

you cross your arms and set your body comfortably on the couch, while Haechan changes the channel, his eyes not leaving your face

'you're quite a strong opponent but don't be fooled - I just let you win all the time'

you snort, your smiling eyes not leaving the TV

'cliche'

the corner of his lips lifts slightly

'cliche,' he starts and continues only after you let yourself look at his face '... would be saying that I let you win because I like the way you smile proudly after'

you find yourself staring at him for too long; in this light, his features seem softer than usual and he actually looks handsome

so you quickly shift your gaze to the TV again and shake your head

'... that was scary'

'but you liked it'

'MAY it's starting!'

he likes your reaction a little too much, so he decides to change his strategy

he realizes that he can't win with you in diss battles

you're too competitive for him, plus he can't really bring himself to be harsh with you for some reason

so now he wants to make you blush

he decides it's time to use all of his charms to soften you 

for example, when he's reaching for something next to you, his body is suddenly very close to yours so that you can feel his warmth ghosting over you; his cheek in a distance of centimetres from your lips

he also tries various pick-up lines with you, and most of them are cringy but he knows you secretly love them

or he winks at you, but you hate that one

whenever he passes you something, he makes sure to brush his fingers against your skin and he can swear that he feels some electricity every time

he loves commenting the movies, so he whispers random things to you while watching; his lips nearly touching your ear

when he's sitting down next to you, his knee is just millimetres away from yours, making you aware of his presence and careful about not touching his leg

it's also dangerous for him because whenever he's so close to you, it only takes centimetres to finally touch you and he finds himself wanting to do that more and more

and he knows he shouldn't

luckily, he doesn't notice the way your breath hitches whenever he's near you

and you know boys like that, you know it's the best not to give him the reaction he wants; but it doesn't stop you from thinking about those moments before going to sleep

it's hard to describe what you two have; you're not friends, not enemies, not lovers but in between all of these

and he starts to think his technique doesn't work and he is about to give it up

but then, one evening

your roommate tells you that she's going to go out with Johnny and she won't come back until the morning; in result, you're home alone

you don't mind being alone usually but tonight, you find yourself unable to sleep; you've watched multiple youtube videos, listened to music, eaten the biscuits you hid from everyone - still nothing

and late at night, you hear the door clicking

and soon, the noise grows even louder; you can imagine Hyuck stumbling into the apartment with his heavy bag, taking off his boots and throwing his keys loudly on the table

you get up, open the door and rest your body against the doorframe 

he stops near the couch, his eyes wide when he notices you

'where were you'

you watch his face when a lazy smile appears on his face, he rests his hands on his hips and squints his eyes slightly 

'were you worried about me?'

'terribly. I even had to come out to see if you're okay'

'you just wanted to see me? who knew you could be this cute'

'honestly, you're just so loud and you wake me up every time you come back home late at night'

'you're impossible to wake up though'

'today's your lucky day, I can't sleep'

'is it because you were alone?'

'pffft, who do you think I am? … yes, I think so'

his gaze softens

'hmm… why don't you just chill with me then? we can watch something or play video games or just sit in silence'

you snort at the last word, expecting it all to just be a joke but

he looks at you with his red eyes that are a result of him not sleeping for many hours and the way he looks at you makes you nervous

you want to decline but you also don't

'you should go to sleep'

'actually, I like falling asleep with a movie in the background. just let me change'

when he comes back in the big grey hoodie that you love on him, his hair slightly wet and messy, his bare face and a soft smile on his face, you don't know what to do with yourself at first

and you're mad at yourself for reacting this way because hey, you watched movies together a lot of times so there should be nothing new here

very soon, you start talking at its one of your best conversations 

you talk about taeil getting drunk tonight and you add more and more to the story, laughing and snorting and you forget about the movie pretty soon

but the convo dies when Hyuck starts to get sleepier and sleepier, he hugs his pillow and his eyes close even if he tries to fight the sleep away

you decide that you should go, even though it's tempting to look at his calm face for a little longer

so you reach for the remote control that's on the opposite side of him, not realizing Hyuck is not sleeping yet; when he hears you move next to him, he grabs your hand instinctively

and you lose your balance, falling on his chest

and that's the first time his technique works perfectly

but he didn't predict that it would affect him even more than you

face to face, fingers grabbing the material of his hoodie, his neck exposed, his warm breath ghosting on your parted lips, your hair tickling his neck

his eyes, in the colour that you seem to see for the first time in your life

all you want to do is stare

and it would be so embarrassing, but he does exactly the same

his eyes start trailing all over your face and it feels so intimate, so new to have him so close

that moment seems to last forever, neither of you is brave enough to move and ruin it

eventually, you're the one to stop this; you tear your gaze away from his face and carefully move back to your previous position

he straightens, clearing his throat; he ruffles his hair right after

'it's very late. I'm going to sleep, goodnight'

and just like that, you stand up and leave the living room without looking at him once

when you're in your room, you see your reflection in the mirror; some undefined emotions still remain in you even after telling yourself not to think about it, not to take it seriously - it's too dangerous for you

you manage to fall asleep, after changing your position millions of times and yet, you can't erase the sight of his face from your brain

in the morning you look for your charger and when you suddenly see him in front of you, it's almost like you didn't expect him to be there

you look at him briefly and say a very awkward hi, knowing that May is in the kitchen and observes everything

'have you seen my charger' is the first thing that comes to your mind, you're not even looking at him when you say this

'i borrowed it'

'can I have it back'

'sure'

'great'

and he goes to look for it while you join May in the kitchen

her eyebrows are already furrowed and her gaze, judging

'did something happen yesterday?'

'what do you mean?'

'you didn't even look at him while he was stealing glances at you like a high schooler, and it seems to me like you had a fight'

'we've been having a fight since we met May'

at that moment, Hyuck enters the kitchen with your charger in his hand; he simply gives it to you, no accidental fingers brushing this time and you hate that you notice that

'oh, by the way, have you guys talked about Lucas?'

you're cold and confused

May's eyes fixate on Haechan who quickly glances your way before focusing on making himself a coffee 

'not yet. he asked about you, if you're single'

you feel something tighten in your stomach; the timing couldn't be worse and now, whatever you say will sound bad

'what did you tell him?'

'I didn't know what to say' he answers, grabbing the kettle. when he starts pouring the water, he looks at you briefly 'what should I tell him?'

it seems like a test, it sounds like a test and you panic a little inside without letting anyone notice

May reacts quicker than you

'he's a big boy, I'm sure he can ask himself'

you point your finger at her and smile appreciatively

'wise words my friend'

and like that, you decide to escape the scene

you've never gone to your classes this early

but in order to avoid Haechan, you start doing that more often, as well as stay in the library after classes 

which is quite good because as a result, you spend more time with friends

one evening, Ten comes to annoy you while you and May are trying to study away from the noise Haechan makes or Johnny's attempts to distract you

he continues to tell you stories not related to your homework and you have to constantly hush him

and when May leaves to go to the bathroom, Ten smiles sneakily and you're scared

'so I've been wondering...'

'oh no'

'where is your boyfriend?'

'who'

'Yuck, isn't that how you call him?'

'stop it'

as soon as you say that, you look around instinctively to check if May isn't somewhere near you listening

'oh man, don't tell me you think this is a k-drama and May will tell you to leave her precious cousin alone after she finds out you like him'

'what I don- YOU KNOW WHAT' you raise your voice, earning a glare from the librarian while Ten watches you, entertained 'don't ever say anything like this again, I got literal shivers'

'I just wanted to say that May hates the guy so she wouldn't mind if anything happened between you two'

'Ten, you're not exactly polite right now and that's not what your momma taught you'

in fact, hearing that made you feel a tiny bit better; May's reaction to whatever happened between you and her cousin has been in the back of your head for a while

well, whatever happened doesn't matter anymore as you and Donghyuck barely speak to each other now

you both actively avoid each other and it's a bit difficult as you live together

you meet in the kitchen or living room sometimes and both of you seem to freeze every time; then, you throw an awkward 'hi' and escape

your friends don't ask you about that at all, and you find it both convenient and worrying; you're not sure if they actually didn't notice or they just don't want to enrage you because that would be the easiest way to do so

next week, you finally learn the reason why Haechan comes back home so late almost every night

apparently, he joined Neo? the band that Taeil created

and he's playing the drums?

when you hear this for the first time from May, you're shocked because what can't this boy do

you can't act too suspiciously so when everyone tells you to come with them to see Neo performing with Hyuck for the first time, you have to go with them

ever since that happened between you, you haven't hung out with your friends together and it makes you overthink 

on the other hand, he's going to perform which means that you won't have to interact that much with him

so you're up for the challenge 

when you enter the club, it's full of people already; May pushes through, eager to see Hyuck before the performance to wish him luck yet you decide to stay back

you still catch a glimpse of him; he looks nervous, biting his bottom lip while his fingers are playing with the drumsticks

for a second there it seems like he searches the crowd for someone, it also seems like he notices you but you panic and turn around to find Johnny right behind you

and you use the fact to make it seem natural, so you just start talking to him

the performance starts, May finds you and her boyfriend and brings the two of you with her to the front

and you let yourself enjoy the music; you've known Neo for some time, you've known their songs and members

still, you have to be careful because it only takes a second for your gaze to find Haechan again; he styled his hair up this time and it, unluckily for you, made him look even better than before + he decided to wear a buttoned shirt and ripped jeans AND a black cap and oh no you hate it

you hate everything about him

you hate how his focused face just makes your heart race or how when he smiles proudly after getting that one difficult part right you just want to jump, run a marathon, swim 50 metres, hug someone, ANYTHING

especially when you hear him sing - it's not like it was your first time as him singing in the shower is your alarm clock now - but you feel so incredibly warm inside and you don't even know what's happening to you anymore

only after the song ends, you realize that you haven't been breathing for a long time and taking a deep breath still can't calm you down entirely

and in that brief moment when he can catch his breath, you take it away from him; because he can see you clearly now, lit by the stage lights in purples, pinks and blues and his lips part at the sight

he feels almost angry knowing that he can't just come up to you and hug you now

the performance continues; May and Johnny decide to join the others that are sitting at the table already; you, on the other hand, decide to get yourself a drink because you're not strong enough to be sober tonight

you make your way to the bar and lean on it slightly

'hi can I get a... oh HI'

it's Lucas

Lucas is the bartender and now he's smiling at you so brightly that you almost need to squint your eyes

Jesus Christ, how do such beautiful people even exist

'from your reaction, I can guess that Donghyuck told you about me' he says, the smile not leaving his lips for a second

'well, I might have heard something' you reply after taking a breath to relax a little, you offer him a friendly smile as well

'I'm sorry to ask around like that, I know it's lame'

'it's quite cute actually, it gave me high school vibes'

he chuckles, his gaze finding the stage before returning to you

'it seems like Donghyuck lied to me tho'

you tilt your head, your smile fading

'yes? what did he say'

'that you're unapproachable. and even if I did approach you, I'll wish I didn't' 

you sigh, nodding your head a little; Lucas watches you patiently

'that's fair, I gave him a reason to think that'

'actually, I think I know why he said that'

'oh, you do?'

'judging by the way he's been watching us ever since you came here, it seems pretty obvious to me'

you automatically follow Lucas' gaze to the stage, where you find Donghyuck furrowing his eyebrows while aggressively playing the drums

you look back at Lucas and he shrugs before winking at you and saying

'if it doesn't work out, you know where to find me'

you even believe him for a moment but he bursts out laughing and you follow; you even get a free drink from him so it's all worth it

after the performance and a few drinks, you see Hyuck and the rest of Neo coming to the table

and now, he actually seems like he's in the middle of a storm; his strides are long and powerful, hands in the pockets of his black jeans, eyes dark

'hey, bro, what happened?' Taeil starts

'I messed up a few times and I'm mad at myself'

Taeil mouths 'excuses' and Johnny catches that, a smirk forming on his face almost instantly

Hyuck glares at them dangerously and the two giggle like preschoolers

meanwhile, you have to deal with May and her questions but thankfully, you have alcohol to help you

'so will you go out with him'

you take a big sip of your drink before looking her straight in the eyes

'what'

'I saw you talking. you and Lucas'

'yeah for like, a minute'

and Hyuck can swear it was far longer than that but he keeps quiet, pretending like he can't hear the conversation

'sometimes you just need a moment to know that you're interested'

'or months, like May and me'

May hits Johnny's arm but he's already laughing maniacally at his own joke, and the rest of the group follows

you almost don't notice the girl that comes to introduce herself to Hyuck, saying that he looked really cool and all that stuff to get his number basically

and you focus on sipping your drink, a little too much, hiding the fact that you're trying to eavesdrop their conversation

but Hyuck thanks her for the compliments and that's really it

you would be satisfied with it but he treats you just as coldly

he makes sure not to look at you or react to whatever you're saying - well, you even stop saying anything after a while; but he talks to everyone else normally

and it's not only you that's uncomfortable - your friends share many confused looks and try different things to make you two talk to each other - they can't believe they miss the bickering of you two, but you don't even care anymore and Hyuck just seems, mad

this night has to end finally, and by the end of it, the alcohol starts showing its effect

it can be noticed by the way Taeil talks to everyone, throwing around pet names and I love yous it's disgusting for everyone around you

May looks at Haechan troubled, and he sighs even before she says anything 'yes, I'll take her home'

so soon, you find yourself in Haechan's car; May explained that she's going to spend the night at Johnny's apartment, presenting you with that moment of awkwardness and you're so incredibly thankful

your drive is silent, almost painfully

you focus your gaze on the surroundings, letting it fall on Hyuck every once in a while

he doesn't speak, his eyes fixated on the road, his fingers holding the steering wheel firmly

and you need to do something; I mean, you're not exactly sober so you can always say that whatever happened it was because of the alcohol you drank

but it's not only that; you're fed up with the situation and you just want to make him laugh again, dammit

you turn your head and rest it comfortably on the headrest so you can easily observe his side profile

'what's wrong?'

he responds after a while which seems like an eternity, with a monotone voice, his eyes not leaving the road

'I'm not in the mood to talk now'

'that's funny, you seemed fine talking to everyone else besides me though'

he raises his eyebrows for a second; it's getting heated and you won't step back now

'oh, so you do pay attention to me. last week made me think that I might be invisible'

you close your eyes for a moment, calming down

'right, cause you didn't ignore me at all' 

'before I forget, is Lucas nice? when's your date?'

'are you jealous?'

'do whatever you want, I don't care'

'are you really going to be like this now? we're not in kindergarten anymore, if you want to tell me something then just do it'

'you're not someone that can reprimand me on that'

a moment of silence fills the car again; Hyuck feels so stupid after saying that and you need to gather your thoughts again

'FIRST OF ALL, unluckily, yes, I pay attention to you. we live together'

'are you calling me out again for not moving out faster'

you exhale loudly, giving him a long glare before continuing 

'and second of all, even when I tell myself not to care about your stupid jokes, moodiness or the fact that you ignored me for the past days...'

you stop abruptly, feeling a wave of embarrassment wash over you and your chest tightens and you hate this, you hate that you said that

before you even notice it, he pulls the car to a stop at the roadside 

he turns his whole body your way, his eyes so focused on yours that you're afraid to blink; his beautiful, chocolate eyes are on yours again and you feel like you can't breathe

his gaze falls to your hands; he lets his fingers wrap around your wrist gently; his Adam's apple travels up and down; you do not realize how many times he wished he could do something as simple as this

his voice sounds almost angelic when he speaks, it feels like the world is completely silent now

'I understand. because even if I tell myself not to be jealous, not to let you win because I actually do love the way you smile proudly after, even if I tell myself not to want to kiss you all the time...'

and he never finishes

instead, he moves forward

your body melts even before his lips meet yours, ghosting over them for a moment in which he takes in the sight of your face adoringly

and when he finally kisses you, his hand finds the back of your neck naturally; his fingers caress your skin, bringing you even closer to him

you wrap your fingers around the material of his shirt and lift your chin; his lips soon travel to the corner of your lips, to your jawline and your neck

and you suddenly feel a smile spreading on your lips which soon turns into a laugh

Hyuck isn't even looking at your face now but he chuckles as soon as he hears you laughing; he pulls away from you, his lips forming a wide grin, his eyes shining with so many emotions but the most obvious one is the adoration he has for you

'are you this ticklish?

you just shake your head, unable to wipe that smile off your face

and he can't help himself, he has to laugh along even though he has no idea why

'you didn't finish though. even if you don't want to be jealous... what's next?' you look at him expectantly but he knows you're just teasing him, so he squints his eyes while his cheeks go up automatically

suddenly, his head falls and he buries his face in the crook of your neck and you hear him whisper 'don't make me say sappy things like that, I beg you'

you press your lips together, suppressing a laugh; he perks up suddenly

'but actually, it's you who didn't finish first'

you clear your throat and turn your gaze elsewhere 'can we go home now?'

'only if I get to hold your hand'

you cover your face with your hand after hearing that, being done already with his cheesiness 

'I WON THIS ONE DIDN'T I'

that triggers you to be even more confident than before, so you side-eye him before leaving a lingering kiss on his lips

and it's him who's speechless now

'are you sure about that?'

when you come back home (holding hands), you suddenly find this situation a little awkward; Hyuck tells you to change and go to sleep quickly, as you drank and you might get a hangover in the morning

so you listen to him and once you lay on your bed, nothing should make you want to get out of it

but this time, you can't stop thinking about Hyuck and you want to see him again

and just when you move to do that, you hear your door squeaking

'Yuck?'

'the couch is uncomfortable, don't imagine things'

'you kissed me, it's too late to say things like that'

he sighs before laying down beside you, moving around a little to find his perfect position; he wraps his arms around your waist without warning and that sends shivers down your spine

he doesn't expect you to turn around in his arms to face him; you hug his body and press your nose against the warm skin of his neck; his heartbeat is the perfect lullaby for you

'that's intimate'

'you're just warm, don't imagine things'

'... you kissed me back, remember?'

'that doesn't mean that I'll be nice to you from now on' 

'thank God, the nice you is even scarier than the rude you' 

'strangely, that was the sweetest thing you've said to me' 

he groans when he lets himself smile at that, simultaneously sinking his fingers in your hair

'I don't like how you made me so weak like this, take responsibility now' 

'weak how?'

'I laugh at everything you say and most of the stuff is not funny'

your lips touch his neck and you can feel him gulp

'okay I take it back...' and when he hears you chuckle, he goes ‘I'm really this miserable huh' 

you grin and caress his face with your fingers

'let's just sleep, alright?' 

'don't you want to know what I had to say in the car?'

you pull away from him, your eyes getting used to his handsome face once again as your gaze trails from his chin to his lips to his nose and his eyes

'I think I know. it's probably the same or very similar to what I wanted to say'

by the way he pulls your body even closer to his, you accept this as an agreement

in the morning, May and Johnny find the two of you sleeping together while cuddling and their first instinct is to take a photo of you and send it to everyone 

Taeil: so we worried about them and they get together behind our backs?? I ship it

May: am I the only one scared for our lives now? these two together means trouble

Ten: the chaotic duo

so when you finally wake up and see May and Johnny in the kitchen, it's okay

but when you see EVERYONE in the kitchen, you start getting suspicious 

suddenly all of your friends decided to have breakfast together at your place?? + they don't even try to hide the fact that they're observing you and Hyuck closely

the two of you behave casually tho, dissing everyone around you AND each other; you even manage to steal the sandwich that Hyuck has just made for himself

Ten and Johnny share a few confused looks and they explode when Hyuck reaches to brush the hair from your face and tuck it behind your ear

'SO WHAT HAPPENED ARE YOU TOGETHER PLEASE JUST SAY SOMETHING' 

you look at Ten wide-eyed who keeps pointing to you then to Hyuck then to you again

'please, why would I hurt myself like that' 

'OFFENSIVE' 

and everyone just huffs and sighs and looks completely defeated, while your gaze finds Hyuck and he winks at you, his hand resting on your knee protectively

and it never changes - whenever the two of you are together, you bicker, you fight, you're never serious and you even dare to deny your relationship after months of being together 

but the public finds it entertaining, they just wait for you to let your guard down and show affection finally, and it happens SOMETIMES

everyone sobs then

they don't know about everything you two share, everything you've worked out over months of knowing each other

you don't even fully understand it yet but what you know for sure is that no one has ever made you feel the way he does and you don't want to lose it

if soulmates exist, he really was the one made especially for you; the warmth that spreads in you whenever you watch him smile is almost burning, but that's the beauty of it

and as long as his eyes sparkle when he's looking at you, it's all fine, it's all calm

calm before the storm

disclaimer 1: this turned out way longer than expected and I ended it in an awkward way but think of it this way,,, part 2 is very much possible here disclaimer 2: if by any chance you enjoyed this, you might want to look at more of my pieces so I’m leaving a link for you right here disclaimer 3: if you REALLY enjoyed this, every comment, reblog, like means a world to me

[ahkaahshi]

congrats on the milestone!! scenario with atsumu and osamu under ☁︎ 1? thank you for writing! your blog is so wonderful!

prompt: ☁︎ #1 -> things you argue about + how you argue

roomies: the miya twins

genre: angst but I rlly suck at writing angst so there’s more humor in this than actual angst I'm sorry 😭 but there will be crying I promise

warning(s): swearing, semi-failed angst

my note to you: tysm you’re so kind 🥺💓 idk why but just you thanking me for writing is really making my heart go on x games mode ❤️🚴‍♀️🏂🤸🏻‍♀️

roomie arguments with the miya twins [scenario]

the things you argue about vary, but usually center around cleaning and sharing snacks

you appreciate that osamu likes to cook and will make food for everyone, but you hate how atsumu will never help you clean up after him in return

also, neither of them are very good at keeping the house itself tidy, and you feel like you’re always stepping on crumbs or tripping over charging cords/shoes they’ve left out in the living room

they also have a tendency to demolish your snack stash from time to time and will leave just a tiny bit behind so they don’t actually have to throw it away 😒

like, it’s seriously annoying to open your tub of ice cream after a long day and find one spoonful left in it, or find like three cheetos and a shit ton of crumbs left at the bottom of a bag you bought yesterday

the way you argue is usually civil, but when the three of you have had a long day/are in a mood, things get a little savage and you’ll raise your voices at each other

words will be said that you regret when tensions start running high, unfortunately

but, just know that they will always apologize and try to be better, even if that apology takes days to arrive

Upon returning home from a long day of school and work, there’s nothing more you want to do than head to the fridge, grab that container of ice cream that you got specially for yourself yesterday, and drown your sorrows its sweetness. However, on your way to the fridge, you end up tripping over a laptop charger strewn along the floor from where it’s plugged into the wall. After taking a long moment to glare at the white cord that’s wronged you, your journey to the fridge continues.

And when you open the door to the freezer up top, you come to the horrific, gut-wrenching realization that your ice cream is nowhere to be found. Frantically, you sift through all the bags frozen peas for Atsumu’s volleyball-related injuries, and various, floating pieces of frozen food that Osamu never remembered to thaw like he said he would--but your search comes up empty. Slowly, you shut the freezer door with dismay and trudge over to the recycling bin.

There, you find the empty ice cream container with your name written on the side of it.

Grabbing it, you storm down the hallway and knock on the doors belonging to both your roommates before waiting patiently outside. As soon as they’re both standing in their respective doorways, watching you with nearly identical, curious gazes, you hold up the evidence.

“Who ate this?” you ask, (e/c) eyes narrowed as your gaze flickers between the two of them.

Without saying a word, Atsumu and Osamu point at one another, and then proceed to give each other disgusted looks at the fact. “Yer always eatin’ stuff that ain’t yers!” Osamu growls at his brother.

“But ya’ve got that tendency to dig into our snack stashes when yer feelin’ peckish!” Atsumu retorts.

Before the two of them can get into what you’re sure will turn into another shouting match, you walk into the living room, grab the laptop charger, and bring it back to them as another piece of evidence, hoping that one of them will come forward for each crime. “Who left this out? I swear I’ve tripped over it six times today,” you wonder.

Osamu reaches towards you to retrieve the charger and admits, “’Kay, that one’s on me. My bad. I forgot to take it back into my room ‘fore I went ta the restaurant.”

When your gaze returns to Atsumu’s face, he’s biting his lower lip while his eyebrows are furrowed in what appears to be an expression of guilt. “Listen,” he says, voice somewhat strained, “I jus’ really wanted somethin’ ta eat while I watched Netflix.”

Normally, his dumb excuses don’t strike much of a nerve, since you’re expecting them and, therefore, are able to shrug them off. Tonight, however, him eating your ice cream without so much as telling you happens to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. 

“I'm so fucking sick and tired of your attitude, ‘Tsumu!” you growl, balling your hands up into fists, “You have everything you want. You’re playing volleyball professionally, you’re a public heartthrob, and you enjoy what you do. I hate my fucking job, my coworkers, and my classmates; and the only thing that was keeping me going today was knowing that I had that ice cream to eat later, but you went ahead and took that too because you always get what you want!”

Before you know it, hot tears are streaming down your face, and you’re having to use the sleeve of your sweater to wipe them away. “Hey, that ain’t fair! I’ve worked my ass off for everythin’ I have!” he argues, voice sharp enough to cut through you like a knife.

“Well, damn it, why don’t you do any work around the house? I'm always the one stuck doing your chores and cleaning up after you, but you don’t care! You just put your feet up while I vacuum right beneath ‘em every single time and eat my food!”

Atsumu wants to defend himself, but he finds he can’t when he realizes that this dispute is about more than just ice cream. Osamu’s watching him with a knowing gaze, as if silently agreeing with you and insisting that he puts his pettiness aside for the sake of your friendship and the household’s tranquility. Following a tense moment of listening to you sob quietly into your hands, Atsumu wanders over towards you and pulls you into a tight embrace, resting his chin atop your head when you bury it in his chest.

“I’m sorry, (f/n),” he apologizes, “I’ll get off my ass ‘nd help ya more often.”

“I’m sorry for getting upset, ‘Tsumu.” Your whimper is muffled by the fabric of his hoodie, but it still reaches his ears.

With a small smile, he pulls away from you and suggests, “Put on somethin’ comfy, and we can go to the store so I can buy ya a whole new tub of ice cream, ‘kay?”

  ⭐︎ fran’s 600 milestone event! (reqs closed, interactions welcome!)

[emmies-archives]

The Quiet Help

Ghost!Shinso Hitoshi X Fem!Reader

Warnings: Mentions of Death,

Word Count: 3.1k

Summary: You move into your new apartment, unknowing it came with a free roommate. Who is also a ghost, and very good looking?

  The first few nights in a new apartment can be a little difficult to adjust. It takes a while to really know a place. Secrets living in the walls aren’t given as a housewarming gift. Everything is waiting to be discovered. Somethings are good; the sun shining in the windows could light up the entire space, or there was a nice breeze if you opened the shutters. Some, were not as relaxing; the way the walls creaked in the wind, or the way the darkness seemed to gather in the corners of the room at night.

Not everyone knows the history of the place when they first move in. Some never even find anything out about the space they live in. It’s those lucky few that are deemed worthy enough to see what a building really has to offer.

That’s what happened to you, though you weren’t sure if you were exactly lucky.

Your parents always told you to be careful with the energies that flowed around you. Messing with something too much or talking something more than you should could bring something into existence.

You knew not to use things like Ouija boards and other items that had a deep connection with the spiritual world. You always seemed to have a keen sense of those things. Something always urged you to stay away from stuff like that. It was almost like you were blessed.

That old saying that a blessing is also a curse that began to reflect on you though.

You started to notice odd things your second week in your new apartment. Surprisingly you had found a two-bedroom apartment for a pretty low price.

Stuff you swore you had placed in one spot was moved. Shadows stared at you from the corner of your eyes, disappearing when you turned to look. Noises in the middle of the night, right outside of your locked bedroom door. The oddities happening weren’t enough to startle you, but you were shaken enough to ask your friend to stay over for a couple nights. Just to make sure you weren’t losing your mind.

“Thanks again, Mina.” The girl grinned at you with two thumbs up.

“No problem, Y/n! I might get to see ghosts!”

“Hey, no. There are no ghosts here.” You didn’t know if you were trying to convince her or yourself.

After a night of watching movies and a dinner of random snacks, you had in your cupboard, both of you fell asleep quickly. Mina insisted on staying in your room rather than the room down the hall.

It was around two in the morning when the Mina was woken by intense thirst. She moved swiftly from your room to the kitchen without waking you. The groan from the pipes as she got a glass of water did though. She smiled when she came back into the room and saw you up.

“You didn’t tell me your roommate was so cute!” She squealed quietly poking your side. In your sleepy state, you just mumbled and moved away from her hands. It took you a moment for her words to actually register in your brain.

“What!?” You gasped sitting up quickly staring at the girl.

“His purple hair is so adorable!” She giggled and pulled the covers up to her chin, “But don’t worry, if you like him, I guess that I can let you have him this time.”

“Mina.” You whispered after a second. “Are you sure?”

“What are you guys just friends, does that mean I can shoot my shot. Oh my go-“

“Mina, I don’t have a roommate.” You cut off her rambling, a panic look covering your features. Her brows furrowed and she looked up at you.

“Um, then who is on your couch?”

Your heart dropped and you almost pushed Mina out of the bed to get to the living room. You could make out a silhouette of a person on your couch. When you turned on the lights, however, nothing was there. You stood staring at the spot for a moment.

“You okay Y/n?” Mina asked standing in the threshold of your room. An uneasy feeling came over you and you turned to look at her.

“Are you absolutely sure that you saw someone?”

“Yeah! I’m one hundred percent sure.” The small smile fell from her face when she saw your worried state. This proved that you weren’t going crazy. That every weird thing that has happened wasn’t a figment of your imagination.

“We’re sleeping with the lights on.”

  Nothing out of the ordinary happened the next few days, you were too busy to even think about the person that Mina saw. You left for work while the sun was still asleep, coming back home at a time no normal person would be up.

Your work was exhausting. You didn’t notice the small things that were happening around your apartment. When you woke up for work, your clothes were nicely folded on the chair in the corner. The night before you had thrown them in a pile. Something from your fruit basket would somehow end up right next to your keys, it would be your morning meal. Even if you came home and collapsed into bed, falling asleep the moment your head hit your pillow; you would always wake up with a fully charged phone that you never remembered putting on the charger.

There was one day that you noticed something. It was a horrible day out and you had woken up late. Because you were rushing, the thought of grabbing an umbrella slipped your mind completely. You were going to be forced to run to work in the rain until you saw there was an umbrella hooked on the strap of your purse. The place you kept your umbrellas was nowhere near you hung your purse. There was no way you could’ve accidentally placed it there.

Weeks passed and the same things kept on. You started to realize the small things slowly, you knew you never did any of them. The previous signs of a haunting were gone, so you weren’t worried. It wasn’t like these things were harming you in any way.

In a way, you were grateful to whatever thing was helping you along. A good morning definitely led you to be less stressed at work, you even felt more relaxed at home.

The only thing you still wondered about was the boy that Mina saw. You hadn’t seen any more shadows around the apartment, you started to thing the silhouette you saw was just your sleepy eyes believing Mina.

Your conclusion that you were just tired changed one day. The paperwork at your agency was a little less relentless and you were able to leave earlier than normal. The nights of you coming home in the dark had stopped, but you were able to leave in the middle of the day.

Wanting to savor the time off, you went straight to your apartment excited to relax. It took almost no time to get through the door and shed yourself of your outerwear. Something in your gut stopped you, and you looked up towards your kitchen just in time to see a flash of purple hair slip around the corner towards the guest room. Your heart skipped and you rushed forward trying to catch whatever it was.

You threw open the guestroom door but you were met with the empty room. Maybe you really were going crazy. You almost said your thoughts out loud. You walked back to the kitchen and saw something that hadn’t been there when you left.

On your kitchen table sat a half-empty mug of coffee, it was still steaming.

  You decided after that day something, someone else was living in your apartment with you. You were glad that whatever it was wasn’t malicious.

On your next day off you went to the leasing office in search of some answers. There had to be a reason the price of the apartment was so low, you hadn’t thought about it before.

The woman at the leasing off looked a little worried when you questioned her about it.

“They were supposed to tell you about it when you signed the papers.��� She said and handed you a file. “It was the tenants before you. There were two boys living there. The younger one was the one who moved out.”

You opened the folder and looked up at her. “What about the other one?”

“Well, he passed away in his room in the middle of the night. He had unknowingly suffered from lasting effects of a villains quirk.” She basically mumbled and pointed at the corner of the file at a picture. There were two boys in it. You recognized the shorter one, it was a younger version of the hero, Deku. “That’s him.” Her finger rested on the taller boy, with wild purple hair.

The only word that fell from your lips was a soft “Oh.”

The story that the leasing agent told you was the only thing on your mind. You had to do something about it.

Using the cover of your hero agency, you got in touch with Deku. You said you had a few questions about his hero gear and wanted to set up a meeting with him. He was fine with meeting you at a local coffee shop.

You brought the file the agent let you borrow with you, holding it tightly into your chest. You saw the green-haired boy sitting at a table in the corner and smiled when he noticed you.

“Hello, Deku.” He nodded with a smile.

“Hi Y/H/N! It’s nice to finally meet you!” He said excitedly. The two of you ordered drinks and started small talk about his equipment, your agencies and being a hero.

“I’m sorry, Deku. I’m afraid I wasn’t completely truthful in why I wanted to meet with you.” You set the file on the table between you. You pulled out the picture and faced it towards him.  

“Is that…” Deku trailed off looking at the picture.

“You see, I live in the same apartment you used to be roommates with him.” Deku starred at the picture with so much intensity you thought it would catch fire from his gaze. “I just wanted to know if you had experienced anything weird after.” You stopped yourself, unsure what to say next. You didn’t want to make the boy upset. He was quiet for a moment starring at the picture still. “I’m sorry, this was stupid to ask you. I’m sorry if I brought up any unpleasant feelings.”

“I did.” He interrupted you.

“What?”

“After, you know,” He motioned to the picture, “ I don’t think that he left completely, per se.”

“That makes sense.” You whispered slightly to yourself.

“I’m guessing he is trying to contact you?”

“I’m not sure. Stuff just keeps happening. At first, it was random and spaced apart. Now it seems something happens every day. My friend even saw him one time.” You had shown Mina the picture and she screamed. You knew now that she wasn’t mistaken.

“I would tell you to be careful but honestly, I don’t think he’s bad. It might be a little scary but I really think he is good. When he was alive, he was one of the most gentle, loving people I knew. It was not fair what happened, but sometimes things are better off this way.” Deku smiled up at you, tears were brimming his eyes. “Can I keep this photo?”

    “Um. Ghost?” You said after a while of pulling courage together. You headed back to your apartment promising to meet with Deku again. “I think I met someone close to you today.”

Nothing happened as you seemingly talked to no one, standing in your kitchen. After a while, you felt like giving up. It was already night time and you had to get up early for work in the morning.

“Before I go to sleep, I guess I should tell you that Midoriya says hello and that he hopes you’re doing well.”

It took you a while to fall asleep, your thoughts were a blur. As you were drifting off though there was a warm presence in front of you.

“Thank you, y/n.” A soft voice said. You looked up with the last bit of consciousness you had and saw a faint glint of purple in the moonlight.

The next day at work seemed to pull all of your energy from you. You had fought three different criminals in the streets, you had paperwork up to your ears and you even though you slept the entire night you felt like you didn’t sleep at all.

The morning started out normal, but the day seemed to only progressively get worse. You didn’t even get a chance to breathe in between the criminal attacks. To say that you were exhausted was an understatement.

When you were finally able to go back to your apartment, you still had another report to write. You didn’t remember being a hero was so tedious.

You settled at the coffee table in your living room with your laptop, crossing your legs. About halfway through the report you could feel your vision blurring and decided to take a break. Thinking a glass of water would help, you got up and made your way to the kitchen. In a single second, the ground went from stable to twisting.

You braced yourself to hit the hard tile but instead, you felt arms wrap around you. Your body was limp and you could barely catch your breath. With the last of your strength, you looked up meeting a pair of dark purple eyes.

  When you finally woke, it was with a start. You saw that you were in your bed and confusion set in. How did you end up here?

“You’re up.” You whipped around at the sound of a voice, startled. You calmed slightly when you saw who it came from. The boy from the photo stood a few feet from your bed. He was fairly tall with wild purple hair, dark purple eyes that had heavy bags under them. There was a paleness to his skin. He held his hand at the back of his neck and he looked a little nervous. He took a step forward and you must’ve shifted back because he stopped. “Oh, uh, sorry.”

It took you a second to find your voice, “No, no it's okay.” You looked away awkwardly and picked at the blanket that lay over you. “I’m assuming you caught me.’

“Yeah.”

“Thank you.”

“Really, Y/n. You push yourself too hard sometimes.” Your eyes snapped up at him, widened. He knew your name. You felt a little silly at reacting like that. “Shit, I’m sorry. I must be scaring you.”

“No!” You started, causing him to tear his gaze from the ground. “I’m just surprised, you seem to know me so well.”

“Yeah, sorry. You’ve been here for months now, you’re the only person I’ve seen in a while.”

“Oh right, I guess you would know a little bit about me then.” A soft smile fell on your lips, “Thank you for all the little things you’ve done for me in the past. Like hanging my umbrella on my purse that one time. And stop saying sorry!”

“Oh, sorry.” A blush spread across the boy’s cheeks and he grinned slightly, “You’re welcome. I tried to no get noticed.” You moved over on your bed, sitting up all the way. He hesitantly sat on the edge of your bed when you motioned him over. The two of you were quiet for a moment. “Thank you for talking to Midoriya, I-“ He paused, “I think he was someone important to me when I was alive. When you said his name, a couple memories came over me.”

“That’s good, I guess.” You said and looked over at him. There was a sadness to him, it was ever so slight. “Do you not remember before you, um.”

“Not really. When I try to think about it, it feels like my mind is swimming. There are a few things that I can remember, like Midoriya and emotions. But other than that, there isn’t much.” The sadness grew stronger in him, you could see it on his face now. Without even thinking, you reached out to grab his hand. He tensed slightly, and you were surprised that you could actually hold his hand. When he relaxed and smiled at you.

“I don’t know if I can be of any help, but I want to try. As much as you helped me in the past few months, I want to help you.” You whispered.

“I would like that.” He said quietly and after a moment he leaned down resting his head on your shoulder. You squeezed his hand and smiled. “I’m glad I could help you even a little.”

It was quiet for a while between you two, for some reason you felt so close to this boy. This ghost. Somehow there was a connection.

“So, you know a lot about me.” You started and he shifted his head to look up at you. “Is there anything else that you know about yourself?”

He thought for a few seconds and nodded. “My name. It’s Shinso Hitoshi. You don’t have to call me ghost anymore.” You could feel your cheeks burn a bit until a yawn ripped from your throat. Shinso started to get up seeing that you were tiring again. “I know you don’t work tomorrow, but you still need your rest. Y/n”

“Shinso, wait.” You said pulling him down onto the bed again. “Stay with me.”

Shinso smiled at you and rubbed his thumb over your hand. “I can’t promise that I’ll be here when you wake up. Sometimes I can’t hold this form for long.”

“That’s okay, I just don’t want you to be alone right now.” Shinso felt his chest ache slightly, reaching over to turn the lamp off. He slid down in the bed with you and you nestled yourself into his side, his arms wrapping around you. “I hope I didn’t scare you with the things I did.”

You giggled quietly, “Now that I know that the ghost haunting my apartment is this good looking, I think I’ll be okay with being scared more.” You could feel his chest vibrate with his laugh.

“Go to sleep, Y/n.”

“Good night, Shinso.” You whispered and drifted off almost immediately. He placed a small kiss to the top of your hair.

“I’ll try to still hold you in my arms when you wake up.”

[bnhababyyyy]

Bro’s before that kinda bro

Chapter 6/??

Authors note: This chapter was SUPER hard to write lmfao but hope y’all enjoy!! Love u guyth😘

—————————

Ever since the night you slept over, you would go into his dorm later in the day to check on him. The two of you would study and talk for hours and eventually you would forget the time so much you just… continued to spend the night. Like, every single night.

Compared to how you used to sleep, this way felt way more eventful, sneaking in and out of his room without getting caught sent thrilling sparks all over your body. Waking up to the smell of his room and the hot tea he’d make every morning made you feel warm. Just being around him made your heart fill to the brim.

This morning you felt a little more tingly than usual. You were sure Todoroki felt the same way, today was going to be a special day for most of U.A.

“What are you planning on bringing?” You asked as you sat up from his bed.

Todoroki turned from his desk, continuing to blow on his tea. “Charger, phone, earbuds, toothpaste, toothbrush, slippers, instant soba...”

“Mm I don’t think we’re allowed to bring food… won’t raccoons come in or something?��

“No, I’ll eat it fast.”

“You can’t just eat it fast, what if you have crumbs!?”

He shrugged and got back to drinking his tea. You decided to take this as a sign for you to leave and double check your suitcase. You slowly opened the door, once the coast cleared you slipped out the door and tried to scurry far from his room. But you stopped in your tracks when you heard an all too familiar gasp.

“(Y/n) you sneaky little snake!” Mina said. “I just knew something was up!”

She stood by Todoroki’s door with her own bags. “What are you talking about? I- I was getting some things from his room! Like uhm...”

“Like his sweater?” A sinister smile formed on her face as she approached you. “How long has this been going on?”

“Uhm…Maybe...for a week?”

She pulled out her phone and continued to rant. “That makes so much sense! I just knew you were going to spend the night with him that one dinner. No wonder you never answered when I knocked on your door!”

You facepalmed. How could you forget about something like that? Mina did little surprise visits here and there, but you were so entranced with a certain someone it completely slipped your mind. “Ok but you cannot tell anyone what happened!”

Mina’s eyes went wide and she lowered her phone, your phone’s notifications went off almost immediately with all your friends bombarding you with questions.

When your shocked eyes met hers she covered her mouth. “I-I didn’t know you wanted to keep it a secret!

And just like that your sweet little secret became a now known fact.

When you boarded the bus the girls pulled you to a seat far from Todoroki, squealing about your secret sleepovers. “Ah cheer up! I’m sure you can spend a lot of time with him at the hotel.” Uraraka pat your back.

“But only during the events, I heard the boys and girls have been separated into completely different hotels.” You sighed. “The teachers would catch me if I even tried to sneak in.”

“Actually,” Mina piped up from next to you. “I did a little research on the hotel and lots of students who went said there was a secret entryway to get between both hotels!”

You and Uraraka shared a look. If this ‘secret entryway’ came to be true, both you and Uraraka would be sneaking into the boy’s hotel every night for the whole trip. It sounded a little too good to be true, but you would take any opportunity to have the thrill of sneaking around with your friends.

“And there’s more!”

“More?” You asked.

“Yes! Apparently other students have said that this place has some kind of charm to it or something.” She looked between the both of you. “They said that if people confess to their crushes here they will suddenly get into a relationship!”

“And-and what happens if you’re already in a relationship?” Uraraka asked, getting a little too into the conversation.

“Well, my sources have said that people in relationships usually get an even stronger bond after being on this trip!”

Uraraka had a deep fire in her eyes as she looked back to where Midoriya sat. And you did too. you wanted to change the relationship you had with Todoroki, if not now then when?

“Should I confess!?” You exclaimed softly.

Mina gasped. “Yes! Absolutely! It would work out I’m sure!”

“I agree, and we should get Jirou to confess too! She told me she hasn’t done it yet.” Uraraka motioned to Jirou sitting next to Kaminari. The two of them were listening to music and laughing together. “They look so cute, I’m sure he will say yes!”

You nodded. This would be a perfect opportunity for everyone to get their feelings out and if what Mina said was true, then maybe you would leave this place with a boyfriend.

By the time the bus pulled up to the resort, the sun had begun to set. It was hectic going from getting your bags to swarming through crowds of students to find your friends again. When you finally caught up with the girls you were able to take a minute to admire the location. Trees scattered the area, along with paths leading deeper into the woods, to the side you could see the sunset bounce off of the lake and hear the sounds of nature and low chatter of students fill the area.

People started handing out pamphlets as the present Mic hushed the chatter for an announcement. “Welcome to the resort you have all been working so hard to get to! All of you students deserve to get a little break after the rigorous training your teachers have put you through!” You spaced out as Present Mic went over basic rules and what the hotel had to offer for everyone.

This continued until Aizawa took the Mic from him. “It has also come to our attention that in the past, other students would sneak into the opposing genders hotel.” Everyone’s chatter started to die down even lower, now people were listening. “We made sure that more security is surrounding both hotels. If any of you get caught trying to sneak around we will have to punish you.”

Midnight hushed the crowd as they groaned and shouted protests. “Oh quiet down, it’s not like that’s the only thing you guys can do here, you guys get free food! And later on you can all do a little campfire, and- just read the pamphlet for the schedule!”

All the students perked up to this, gaining the same energy they had as when they first got here. S’mores, campfire, scary stories with friends? You felt giddy just thinking about it, there was no way it could get any better!

“But you all must be in your rooms by 9 P.M. No exceptions!”

Nope. It couldn’t get better. It got worse.

You all groaned at the reveal of new information. As the teachers showed the students to their hotels and rooms you tried to keep pace with Uraraka.

“What are we supposed to do now? I really wanted to sneak around and look at what this place had.” You said.

“Yeah, I know! But at least we get to be roommates and free food!” She bumped you with her elbow. “We can do other things, like binge watch all the seasons of Avatar!”

You began to unpack your things and place them on a certain side of the room.“That does sound kinda nice. Are we gonna go down to eat?”

“Yup! We can, but before we do I have a small question for you.” She waited for you to look at her, then continued. “I know everything’s resolved but I wanted to talk about the little fight you and Kaminari had a while ago, if that’s ok with you.”

You nodded and she took a deep breath. ”So taking all the information I’ve been given, this isn’t your first argument about Todoroki right?” You shook your head. “Ok well don’t freak out! But what if he got mad at Todoroki all the time because he…. likes you?”

“What!?” This was about the second time someone thought your relationship was deeper. What were you two doing that showed that!? “I think he cares for me of course! But I don’t see him liking me, that just doesn’t seem right!”

“You sure? What if he confesses to you on the trip or something?

“He won’t! I know Kaminari, he doesn’t have any romantic feelings for me. I think I could tell if he did.”

“Yeah you think you could tell.” Uraraka sighed as she put her luggage away. “Just don’t break his heart if he does ask.”

You lifted yourself from the floor and pinched her cheek. “I won’t, I promise. Now let’s go before everyone eats all the food.”

You pulled her around the hotel, the both of you confused on where you were. After about half an hour of looking, the both of you finally found the lunch room! The room looked sparse, a few groups eating at tables, but none of them your friends. You decided to send a quick message to find out where your friends were.

You found Kaminari’s last few texts weird but decided to just ignore it. You didn’t want to overthink anything. The two of you walked around and talked as you looked for a small campfire, once you found it you waved to everyone and sat with Kaminari.

“And so basically she was totally stabbed to death! Like a lot! The end!” Hagakure finished her story but no one seemed fazed in the slightest.

You leaned over to Kaminari, “Has anyone actually told a good scary story yet?”

“Nah, they were all kinda lame.” Kaminari handed you a s’mores. “I think Midoriya wet himself with his own story to be honest.”

You laughed. “I believe it, who’s supposed to go next?”

Kaminari shrugged, continuing to light his s’mores. Everyone began to chatter, letting Kirishima tell his ‘true’ paranormal experiences he had. But no one was getting scared.

“I have one.”

Everyone's eyes followed the voice of whoever spoke. The chatter slowed.

It was Tokoyami.

A few students moved over to let Tokoyami into the middle, giving him the spotlight. “It took place in this farm…”

Everyone sat stuck in their seats gasping and biting their nails as he told the story, completely terrified as to what would happen next. His story had twist upon twist and lots of unnerving scenery. It had you look behind yourself multiple times, feeling shivers that weren’t due to the cold.

“Then it slithered out of my grasp.” He held his hands out for emphasis, then up. “That is all. I’m done.”

Mina’s teeth clattered. “What the actual hell. Tokoyami was that based on a true story!?”

The whole group watched him, waiting for an answer. “No.” A large sigh of relief filled the woods. “It was a dream I had.”

“Bro that is not a normal dream! You were possessed I swear!” Kirishima exclaimed. “And speaking of possessions, I have another paranormal story that really happened!”

You tuned Kirishima out and turned your attention to Todoroki. He ate what looked like his second bowl of soba, but when he saw you looking at him he gestured behind himself with his head. Silently asking if you wanted to get away.

You nearly tripped trying to get out of your seat. Todoroki lifted himself following you away from the group. The two of you walked deep into the woods.

“Why’d you wanna leave?” You asked, playing with your necklace.

“Cause you looked scared. You were shaking the whole time.” He slurped his noodles and gestured toward your necklace. “I didn’t know you brought that.”

“I’ve had it on all day, it was just hidden in my sweater. And I wasn’t scared. I was cold, some people don’t have a heating quirk Shouto.”

“That sounds like a lie. I heard Midoriya peed himself and if he did that I’m sure you cried.”

“I heard that too but I wasn’t scared! I was cold, and I am still cold here, feel my hand.” You placed your hand on his neck, making him flinch and shove your hand off. You continued to mess around by pinching his cheeks with your cold hands. “There is a way for you to warm my hands up.”

Todoroki looked at you with curiosity, then he went into his deep thoughtful face.

You couldn’t help but huff. “You know something that has to do with your quirk, it could warm me up by just being in my hands.”

‘Hold my hand hold my hand hold my hand hold my hand’ you thought.

Then he seemed to connect the dots he put his chopsticks in the bowl. “Hold out your hands.” You did so, but then. You couldn’t believe it. He activated his heating quirk and placed the bowl of noodles in your hands. “You can… you can have the rest. I think you’ll like it. He said as if it pained him.

You were shocked. For two reasons, 1. He missed the opportunity to hold your hand. 2. Shouto hasn’t ever offered a good bowl of soba to anyone. Like ever. This was an extremely rare offer you were not going to pass up.

“Wow I’m honored, are you sure you don’t want any?

He held his hand out and shook his head. “As long as you’re not cold I don’t care.”

You felt a gush of appreciation for him, he said cute things sometimes.The two of you talked until you arrived at your hotel, standing in front of your hotel, basking in the sounds of nature, your friends' laughter, and the way the moonlight shined on him. He looked amazing.

“I like hanging out with you.” You whispered, careful to not break the moment.

Todoroki pinched your cheek, a smile adorning his face. “Same.”

The two of you stood there looking at each other, not saying anything. His hand lingered. The moment felt soft yet heavy and you wanted to save it. But before you could pull out your phone’s camera he very lightly ran his thumb over your eyebrow, making you lose your breath.

Then he just as quickly pulled away, holding his hand back as if he were burned. “I should go… uhm goodnight (y/n).”

You reached for him, not knowing what to say. But he only diverted his gaze and walked away from you. Leaving you to eat your noodles, not knowing what you should do next.

Why did he do that out of nowhere? Why did he stop? You didn’t understand why that whole moment even played out, he just did random romantic things like it was normal. He held your hand, cuddled with you, kissed your palm, fed you, called you till midnight, now this? You gasped. Did he finally figure out that he liked you?

You shook your head, no way, he couldn’t have figured it out. He probably needed more time, you knew how he was. You finished your bowl and walked to your room, trying to at least sleep it off.

The next day was way more eventful. The sun was beaming, making it the hottest day of the trip, but students stayed outside, taking walks, fishing, and doing scavenger hunts. But the thing that had everyone talking was an event planned for the end of the day. You hung out with Jirou and Momo, eating popsicles and talking about the upcoming event.

“I think I’m gonna confess tonight.” Jirou said.

Momo squealed. “That will be so sweet!”

“I think I’ll confess tonight too.” You flicked your stick onto the floor. If Jirou was going to do it, you might as well join in. It felt better when someone else would do the same thing with you. “We can do it together.”

Jirou smiled and rested her head on your shoulder. “I hope they say yes… Hey Momo what time do we have to be there?”

“The dance is at 8, they’re extending the lights out policy to 11.” Momo pointed her popsicle at you. “But you two should come early and help set up! It will be so much fun!”

You and Jirou agreed, probably sharing a feeling of excitement mixed with dread. You had been preparing for this moment forever, and the dance just seemed like a perfect time to confess, the mood would be set right and you would be dressed up. It would be wrong to not confess.

The day went by so slowly you felt as if you were going to die, you hoped sitting with the Bakusquad would help with the wait, but their conversations only revolved around the dance. You tried to think about anything else, tapping on the table to the ticks of the clock.

Until Jirou tapped your shoulder. You jumped out of your chair before she could even ask if you were ready, because yes. You were. You’ve been ready all day.

The two of you walked around the campus, stopping when you found a large group of teachers and students moving foldable tables around. You guys assisted the others with decorating the space and had a few snack breaks in between.

After a while the teachers dismissed students by sections so they could put on their formal clothes. You put on a pink flowy dress that matched with your necklace and felt incredibly fun to spin in. Once you finished getting dressed you met up with Jirou, giving her compliments about her dress.

“I’m so ready for this dance to start.” You checked the time on your phone. “We have 10 minutes, Jirou I think I’m gonna throw up, how are you being so calm right now?”

Jirou let out what seemed like a long repressed sigh. “I don’t know, I think I’m so scared I’m just numb to panic.” You noticed her playing with the hem of her dress. “What if he rejects me?”

You placed both hands on her shoulders. “Well he would be stupid to reject someone like you, Jirou you’re a whole package deal. If I were a dude I would propose to you right now.” You gave her a small squeeze. “You’ll be fine.”

“Ok. Yeah, yes I will be fine.” she took in a deep breath. “But you have to confess too alright? Don’t leave me hanging.”

Before you could respond Midnight announced that the dance had officially started. Music began playing and the students who helped out cheered or began dancing in the center of the room. You felt your nerves get all out of place and forgot how to breathe.

You grabbed Jirou’s hand and pointed towards the dance floor. “Do you want to dance? I need to move.”

“Definitely. Let’s go.”

The two of you bounced around to the upbeat music. Trying to let out all of your fears and dance it off. You began switching Jirou off with Momo, feeling a little lighter on your feet. You spun Momo around to the music, feeling laughter bubble out as you all danced.

After a while you noticed the Bakusquad enter the area, you all waved and gave your greetings. Bakugou went straight to the punch, not even giving the dance floor a glance while Kirishima seemed to be giving Kaminari a long boring motivational speech about something. You decided to drag Kirishima to the floor, so Jirou could have a chance to talk to Kaminari.

You laughed as Kirishima did his own dorky breakdance moves. It all felt so refreshing and fun, you just moved freely, enjoying the way the night looked, the loud music, the flickering fairy lights, just the whole moment.

You all danced to the upbeat music until present Mic switched to a slow song. Groans filled the area as students walked away from the floor and couples took it over. You looked around the room, Uraraka said Todoroki was with her and Midoriya but none of them were in sight.

Momo and Jirou started a conversation as you were spaced out. You felt a little bummed, what if Todoroki didn’t show up? You snapped out of it when you heard Momo gasp and bump you with her arm. You turned your attention to what she was looking at. Was it Todo-Nope, just Kaminari walking to your group.

“Hey… uhm this is kinda awkward but did you want to dance?” He asked scratching the back of his neck. You looked over at Jirou, waiting for her answer. It was happening, it was finally happening. Jirou will go dance with him and then confess! Kaminari continued to stare at your group. “(y/l/n)?”

What? You felt your mouth drop to the floor, looking between Kaminari and Jirou to figure out what just happened. Why did he want to dance with you all of a sudden? “Me? Don’t you mean Jirou?”

When you turned to look at Jirou for confirmation she only shook her head with a nervous expression saying that she wasn’t ready. You nodded and took Kaminari’s hand walking him to the floor, you didn’t mind giving her more time.

Dancing with Kaminari felt way more awkward than you could have imagined, he constantly shifted his hands, not knowing where to place them on your body. Whenever you went in for a spin it would catch him off guard and make you both trip up, the both of you stepped on each other’s feet, spouting apologies every second. It all felt so off and you found that both of your hands were extremely sweaty.

Then as Kaminari tried to dip you to the floor something, or rather someone caught your eye. You gasped when you saw Uraraka, Midoriya, and Todoroki all enter the area, nearly falling out of Kaminari’s grasp. Kaminari quickly pulled you up and apologized but you only patted his shoulder, too entranced by your crush walking in.

“Shouto? Hey Shouto!” You waved him over, not noticing the lingering hold Kaminari had on your wrist.

Todoroki took notice and walked your direction with a wide smile. “I didn’t think you would wear the necklace tonight.” He ran a thumb over your pendant. “It matches.”

You grabbed his hands and led him to an open area. “I told you I would wear it everyday.” The both of you were beginning to sway to the new song. “Do you want to dance with me?”

“We already are.” He whispered.

His hands snaked around your waist as yours fell on his shoulders all so naturally. It felt smooth and comfortable. Almost like you two were meant to have this moment. The fairy lights gave him a wonderful glow and his eyes shined whenever the light hit them right.

He knew exactly when to spin you, your bodies moving in sync. You spun him around as well laughing as he ducked under your arm. He then pulled you into his chest, holding you close and swaying, you could hear his heart beating just as fast as yours.

Then he shifted you and all you could do was stare into his eyes. You felt like the moment was perfect. You suddenly heard a loud blast and whipped your head to where the sound came from. Colorful sparks filled the sky, one after another catching everyone in a trance.

You had been waiting for a perfect moment like this, the fireworks just put that much more of an emphasis. You needed to confess now. You looked at the floor, feeling your face get warm. You needed to do it but you felt frozen in place, what if it all went wrong what would you-

Todoroki squeezed your hand and when your eyes met you heard your heart beat louder than the fireworks. Every thump ringing in your ears as he smiled down at you with pure joy. He cupped your face, running both his thumbs over your eyebrows, like he did last night.

You needed to do it now.

“Shouto. I think that I-” a firework cracked off as you spoke. “like you.”

He knitted his brows. “What?”

You raised your voice. “I like you!”

“I can’t hear what you’re-“

You moved without thinking and smashed his lips into yours, it was a quick peck to the lips but it felt like your face was on fire. Everything went so right, you didn’t expect yourself to even move like that!

When you fluttered your eyes open you were met with a shocked face. Your stomach dropped.

“(Y/n). Why would you...?” Todoroki stepped away from you, wiping his mouth, an emotion you hadn’t seen on his face in a while appeared.

“Wait, what.” You felt heat rise to your face. “Oh no, I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to kiss you it just happened, I’m so sorry.”

He shook his head with pure disgust. You felt your whole body get hot, every drop of sweat burned your skin.

“What made you think I wanted you to do that?”

You couldn’t move, your body went rigid. He cursed under his breath, not even bothering to look at you.

“Shouto im-“

“No. I need a minute just… I need to go.”

You stood in the middle of the floor as Todoroki pushed through other couples. Your thoughts raced as your heart thumped in your ears, the music was getting too loud. The scene began replaying in your head over and over, as you felt yourself moving away from the groups of people but not feeling intact with your actual body.

Your face was starting to get wet and your breathing hitched. You aggressively swiped at the tears as you stormed away, hoping no one saw you. Your sight got so blurry and the scene replayed in your head so much you felt a nasty pit grow in your stomach and crawl to your throat.

You didn’t want this to happen at all. You thought that the two of you would talk it out and still be friends but he was so disgusted. You felt sick.

“(Y/l/n)? Is that you?” You paused. Who was looking for you?

You used the end of your dress to dry your tears “Uhm-hm hm, wh-what do you need?”

You heard them move around a tree and gasp when they saw you. It was Kaminari. “Woah, are you okay?” Your mouth wobbled but before you could speak a sob forced its way out. He immediately pulled you into a deep hug, letting you bawl into his shoulder. “Hey… hey… it’s okay... why are you crying what happened?”

“Sh-showtooo rejected me and-and hnnmmf mmff” you laid your face into his shoulder not able to form sentences. He only hummed and began rubbing circles into your back.

“I’m sorry...Something like that happened to me too, except I was the one doing the rejecting- but still I’m sorry that happened.”

“You were probably nice about it. You probably rejected her in the nicest wa-ay possible.” You hiccuped.

“That jerk, he makes it so hard for me to not hate him. He only cares about himself.”

You lifted yourself from his shoulder. “No, he does care about others.”

“Probably others but not you.” He made direct eye contact. “The stuff he does to you really pisses me off. He just takes advantage of all the things you give him- has he ever thanked you for everything you’ve done for him?”

You pulled your necklace into view, ready to argue.

He shook his head.“Doesn’t count. I’m sure he used his dad's money for that. Normal people don’t buy expensive things as an apology, they just say sorry. Who does he think he is? I mean seriously.”

“Kaminari…”

“If I was in his position… if you felt the same way for me I would treat you right. I wouldn’t play with your feelings like it was some kind of game.” His volume raised as he spoke, this conversation was leading to a whole other place than you imagined. “He got so lucky getting you to smile at him like that and he just threw it away!”

“Do you like me?” The question just popped out with no hesitation. At this point you could tell what he was hinting at and you didn’t want him to rant any longer. His face flashed fear as he looked at you.

“I’m sorry.” His head dropped and he pinched the bridge of his nose. “I shouldn’t like you, but It just happened, you just… give a lot of love to everyone and I mistook your love for me as… something romantic.”

You pat his shoulder. “I’m sorry.” You started to feel pressure behind your eyes. “Kami…I-I still like him and I can’t move on that quickly. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.” Kaminari sat onto a bench nearby and hid his face. “I can’t walk you to the hotel right now, can you walk by yourself?”

You slowly nodded, giving him a glance before walking away. What are you supposed to say after getting a confession you know you couldn’t accept? You wanted this day to end. You checked your phone, it was already way past midnight. You groaned knowing you would have to sneak back into your hotel.

As you approached closer you were surprised to see Jirou standing by a tree near the hotel. Probably trying to sneak back as well.

But instead of a greeting she only scoffed. ”I saw you with Kaminari a while ago.”

“Yeah, Todorki rejected me and we were talking about it. Why?”

“Did he ever tell you that he didn’t like me? Like at all?”

You froze. Now that you thought back to it, Kaminari did say that he rejected someone. “Jirou I’m so sorry that happened.”

“No you’re not. You knew he would reject me didn’t you? I’m pretty sure you knew he had a thing for you.” Tears began to run down her face. “Cause the whole time we were dancing he was only looking at you, every single time I was with him he would stare at you. Did you have me confess to look stupid?”

“What!? Jirou I wouldn’t do that- I only found out he liked me today!”

“Are you stupid!? Are you actually stupid? You found out that he liked you today? It’s been so obvious, even I knew it!”

“Well if you knew then why did you confess? You’re stupid for blaming me for something out of my control, I only liked Todoroki!”

“Yeah right, you probably kept Kaminari as a backup option in case Todoroki didn’t work out.”

Your eyes went wide. You didn’t expect her to say anything like that or even get into an argument with her. She was projecting her anger onto you and it seriously pissed you off.

Before you could even open your mouth, Midnight walked right in front of you two. “Ladies, do the two of you know what time it is?” You and Jirou stuttered an excuse but Midnight only held out her hand. “Ah-Ah! you are probably the 8th students I’ve caught tonight! I’m gonna write you two up and make sure you’re punished when we get back. For now just get to your rooms.”

You and Jirou were absolutely shocked. The two of you walked in the same direction but a fair distance apart, you didn’t want to argue about her getting you two caught. It was an awkward walk to your room since Jirou’s room was on the same floor, but once you reached your room you slid to the floor. This whole night you had been looking forward to was a disaster.

You felt tears trickle down your face as you held back sobs. For the first time in a while, you cried yourself to sleep while thinking about Todoroki.

Prev Masterlist. Next

————————

Tag list: @mrsreina @mysterypotatoink @eternal-fangirling @monviemoo @icythotsenpai @bnhaismylife @yayeetboisdummythiccbooty @mindofzain @blurry-faceu @dummybrainhours @akariblue @todostan @gayverlinq @sweets-r-cool @spideyfox1967 @curiosity-fulfills

(Some accounts aren’t tagging😭 I’m sorry if u were supposed to b on the tag list and u see this post later I don’t know how to fix it??)

[hourtohour-notetonote1]

Love Victor Season 2, Part 1

“Mom… Dad… I’m gay.” Victor says, truly exhaling for the first time since he kissed Benji in that motel room in Willacoochee. 

Coming out right now probably wasn’t the best thing to do, especially after his parents announced that they were separating. 

After Victor says the two words that change him in his family’s eyes forever, his mom stops talking to him. His dad hugs him, and says "Thank you for telling us hijo. I love you no matter what. I don't really care about grandchildren anyway."

Armando notices the visible disgust on Isabel's face and tells him to leave, just for now while his mom gets her shit together and learns that Victor is still Victor. Before leaving, Victor goes to his room and packs some clothes, his laptop, his iPad, and his phone charger. He’s sure to grab the fleece-lined denim jacket Simon gave him. As he packs, he hears a knock on his bedroom door. Pilar walks in and tells him she's sorry. She's sorry for not believing him when he said that he wasn't a cheater and that he never meant to hurt Mia. After Pilar leaves, he grabs his backpack, so that he has his stuff for school on Monday. His dad was okay with it but wanted to protect his feelings, in case his mom said something mean.  

To: frommywindow1@gmail.com

From: victor.salazar04@gmail.com

Subject: Coming Out

Simon-

You were right. I can’t control how people react when I tell the truth. Tonight was far from the perfect night for anybody. There were times when it was perfect, and times when it sucked. 

I did it. I came out to my parents and sister. Mia knows. She was so angry with me, and I can say with almost certainty that she hates me now. She found out in the worst way possible: She saw Benji and I kissing in the courtyard :(

My mother isn’t talking to me and my father told me to stay with a friend until my mother figures out how to get her shit together.

In other news, Benji!!! HE BROKE UP WITH DERECK :) That’s probably the highlight of my night. He told me that he wants to be with someone who makes him feel like he can be himself, and that's enough. Then he said “That's how you make me feel, Victor”, and then we kissed. 

I’m supposed to call him tomorrow, but I think I might ask to stay with him because  I have never been to Felix’s place, and so I don’t think that I can stay there, so Benji it is.

On top of everything, right before I came out, my parents announced that they were separating, so YAY -_- 

Love, Victor

 Victor leaves, and the first person he calls is Benji. When Benji picks up the phone, Victor starts crying. “Hey, what's up, why are you crying?,” Benji asks, “Are you okay?”

“Hey. I know I said I would call tomorrow, but I just came out, and my mom won’t talk to me, and my dad told me that I should leave for a while to stay away from my mom. Pilar is mad at me for being dishonest to Mia, and Adrian has no idea what's going on. Before you, I had only come out Simon. I’m considering going to his place because I can’t go to Felix’s and I’m just so scared." Victor replies breathlessly in between sobs. 

"Victor, I know you don't owe me anything at all, but I thought that I was pretty clear about the fact that I wanted an exclusive relationship. I also know that we aren't even official yet, and this is probably really stupid.”

Victor begins laughing, and right now, it is kind of a half-laugh, half-sob.

“What's so funny?" Benji asks

“I'm not with Simon. He's my friend, and he has a boyfriend. I went to visit them in New York after the trip to Willacoochee and it was possibly the best weekend of my life. It helped me come to terms with the fact that I am gay. He also happens to be in college, and I only have eyes for one cute boy. You might know him. His name is Benji Campbell."

"Oh really? Tell me more about this Benji fellow." Benji replies flirtatiously 

“Well, he has this hair that you could just run your fingers through all day. These lips that you could kiss forever. He has really nice biceps and triceps and he is the nicest boy you will ever meet. He makes me want to stop time just to talk and kiss and cuddle. He sings, and oh my god his voice could come from an angel. He plays guitar, too. He once drew a picture of me that I keep with me at all times. This picture makes me wonder what other hidden qualities he has. He is sweet, and just a wonderful person all together. He's a romantic, he's funny, and his smile could light up a room. When I look into his eyes, I feel like I could drown because I never want to look away. He has tight t-shirts and a stupid smile.”

"Well I know this one boy who's kisses could change someone's life. He makes me happy on the worst nights ever and makes me  wonder if I was living before I met him." Benji replies with a smile you could hear.

"Benji, how did I ever get so lucky to wind up in the arms of someone as amazing as you? I called you because you make everything better, and you just light up my life. Oh, and about Simon, it's Simon Spier, the one who rode the ferris wheel until his secret email pen-pal came to him. He and the same boy, Bram, live together in New York with some really awesome roommates.

“Holy shit Victor. That's awesome that you know Creekwood's gay legend. I’m going to walk to your place, and you can come stay at mine, okay?”

“Okay”

When Benji arrives at Victor’s building, Victor is happy and relieved to see him. Victor stands up and Benji wraps him in a tight hug, kissing him on the cheek and stroking Victor’s hair. The first place they walk to is Brasstown, because they need coffee. They make latte art meatballs. “So ugly, but so delicious.” Victor says with a laugh.

“Are you going to make fun of me forever for that?,”Benji says

“I’m not making fun of you, just joking because it's true.” 

At this Benji kisses Victor sweetly on the lips, making both boys smile.

“See, you know how to make my day better.” Victor says

Ding ding

“Who’s that”

“Probably Simon. I emailed him before I called you, so he’s probably replying to that.”

To: victor.salzar04@gmail.com

From: frommywindow1@gmail.com

Subject: Re: Coming Out

Wow! I’m so proud of you Vic, for coming out. You are so brave! Bram says he is really happy that you came out, and finally said those two words. Not long after I came out to my family, my mom, who is a therapist, said to me “You get to exhale now, Simon. You get to be more you than you have been in... in a very long time. You deserve everything you want.” Now I’ll say the same thing to you, Victor. You can exhale now, you can be you.

I’m so sorry to hear about your parents separating.

On the other hand, I’m sorry that your mom reacted the way that she did. I do think your dad is trying to protect you, and I kind of agree with him, but maybe he should have spoken differently. 

BENJI!!!!!!!!! AHHHHH! YAY. He broke up with his boyfriend for you! Now that says something 

(A message from Bram.)

Now tell me… What’s the latest with you boys, because I assume he’s with you as you read this. ;)

Love, Simon

“Is that my name? Does Simon Speir know who I am?” Benji asks

“Oh he knows all about you. How you wear tight t-shirts and have a stupid smile. He knows that I was both sad and happy when I found out you had a boyfriend because it took you off the table, and I really liked you, even then. How I kissed you in the motel room. How we kissed last night.”

Benji blushes at this entire speech, because now he knows that Victor liked him, even in the beginning.  “Is my smile really stupid?”

“Yes, but in a cute way!” Victor says, a huge grin plastered on his face. 

Victor leans down and gives Benji a soft kiss on the lips. “What are we? We both admitted we have feelings for each other and we keep kissing, but we haven’t discussed us yet, if there even is an us.” Victor asks Benji.

“I don’t know. I’m all in if you are.” Benji replies.

“All in, like boyfriend?”

“If that’s what you want”

“That's what I want”

They stand there kissing for almost ten minutes, but ten minutes was the difference between night and morning. Sarah walks in and sees them kissing. “Seriously? No canoodling by the coffee maker!” She yells, and the two boys break apart. 

“It’s already morning?” Victor asks, and looks at Benji, adding “I don’t have any of my work t-shirts.” 

“Hey Sarah, can we go to get our shirts, we’ve been here all night?” Benji asks, realizing that they were both still in their suits from the night before.

“Whatever, you have fifteen minutes before your shifts start.Take my car. Come back ASAP!” Sarah replies with an eye role.

Victor drives to Benji’s house, following the directions Benji was giving him, and he realizes that he has never seen Benji’s house before. “You have a really nice house. Very home-y.” Victor says

“Oh thanks. My room’s back here. You can leave your bags on my bed and I’ll get you a shirt.” Benji says, noticing Victor is staring at him, and  adds, smiling, “What are you staring at?”

“My cute boyfriend with the stupidest cute smile.”

At this Benji smiles and kisses Victor. “We need to get ready for work.”

“Ugh, fine.” Victor says

After getting dressed Benji goes to his kitchen to make them some breakfast. For breakfast, they have egg sandwiches. They leave to go to work, which is surprisingly busy for a Saturday morning. “I just wanna kiss my boyfriend!” Victor says, groaning.

“Hmmm, who is this mystery man you’re talking about?” Benji replies with a smirk.

Victor stands up straight and then leans down to kiss Benji. “What did I say about canoodling by the coffee machine?” Sarah yells at the two boys from the back room.

They separate, frowning, and get back to work. The boys are just happy to be together finally, after months of crushing on each other. “You know that weekend that I disappeared? The one after I kissed you the first time?” Victor says

“Yeah”

“I wasn’t with my dad on some ‘Boys’ trip’. I was in New York, visiting Simon Spier and his boyfriend and their roommates. We went to this gay bar, and it was truly the best night of my life. I went on stage at this drag show, and I was super nervous, but I was so happy.”

“Woah”

“And that denim jacket used to belong to Simon.”

“Well shit.”

Dereck walks in the store angrily and yells at Benji "You sure move on fast!"

"Leave my boyfriend alone. He didn't do anything wrong. You aren't in a relationship with him and if he wants to be with someone other than you, then that's his choice. You don't get to burst into our lives yelling at us because he broke up with you. You didn't appreciate him or all of the cute, romantic, things he did for you and you made him anxious. He was scared to be himself around you and obviously you couldn't tell how amazing he is the person he really is." Victor yells at Dereck. 

"Vic, babe, calm down. He's just being a dick because I broke up with him. He doesn't deserve our time." Benji says calmly to Victor while trying not to smile or grab his face and kiss him.

    All of his resistance just wasn't enough, and Benji wraps his arms around his beautiful boyfriend's neck and kisses him. Dereck rolls his eyes and says threateningly "This isn't over. I will be back, and both of you will regret this." 

Victor and Benji are nervous about Dereck's threat, but they don't let that hold them back. But then when Victor turns his phone back on, he sees a text Felix sent at 3 AM telling him to check the Tumblr.

[atypicalbipolar]

Questions about the psych ward you’re afraid to ask

I was inpatient at three different hospitals in the Boston area between 2017 and 2018. Newton Wellesley Hospital (NWH) January 2017, McLean June 2018 and Mass General Hospital (MGH) twice September 2017 and November 2018

What about my phone? In January 2017 NWH did not allow cell phones. I went to the ER (at my hospital, MGH) with my mom in crisis. She had my phone, and kept it with her when they decided to admit me and send me to NWH. If you ended up on this unit with your phone they collected it with your valuables and handed them over to security for the duration of your stay. There were two computers in the OT room that we were allowed to use when the room was staffed. (So beware of logging into sites you had two factor authentication set up for new computers)

The other two places allowed phones with restrictions. At MGH the nurses kept our chargers locked in the laundry closet, all together. I still have my medical id sticker on my charger. If I remember correctly you had to surrender your phone at night. At McLean they supplied their own bank of chargers out in the common areas. We needed to be up and out of bed for vitals before we could use our phones.

You’re encouraged to not be on your phone so much, as you’re there for treatment. It’s hard to strike a balance because I did want to stay on social media, but I didn’t want to say anything about being in the hospital. The first stay at NWH was actually helpful for me as a detox. I do use my phone too much and being psychotic and on social media is not a good mix for me.

What do I wear? I wore my clothes in each unit. But each place had different expectations. At MGH it was perfectly acceptable for you to spend the day in your hospital PJs as long as you kept your hygiene. I hated those PJs, they were too warm and ill fitting so I wore my own clothes during the day.

NWH had an expectation that you were dressed in your own clothes. I remember they had a washer and dryer and staff would assist with laundry. What's important to know is that everything you bring in is screened for contraband and unsafe items. You can't wear clothing with drawstrings and that includes shoelaces. A lot of my sweatpants and hoodies had drawstrings. For one pair of sweats I let them cut the drawstring because I really wanted to wear it.

This is one of the reasons why it's helpful to have family or friends have access to where you live so you can get some creature comforts. And when I heard the laundry machine wasn't the cleanest at MGH I just cycled a few days of clothes with mom.

Do they feed you? Yes and it's hospital food. That means at both NWH and MGH I was given a menu to order each day, like any other patient there. There was also a fridge/cabinet area off the common room for snacks and drinks. Instead at McLean Sodexo had a contract to provide food. There was no menu as they brought meals to the dining room. You didn't have a choice in food but if you had your phone and cash you could call for delivery. There were binders of menus by the entryway. But as someone who has to keep an eye out for crohn's food triggers I did not enjoy having less control over my food.

Where do I sleep? The number of patients on the floor is based on the beds they have. At NWH I had a roommate and we had a room big enough for drawers/shelves, chairs, but shared a desk. We had our own bathroom, but had to be let into a common shower by staff. The unit was pretty old and claustrophobic and the plumbing and heating proved that. At McLean it was similar, except there were common floor bathrooms and showers.

MGH had real adjustable hospital beds and bathrooms with showers attached. Staff will still do their 15 minute checks and will knock on your bathroom door.

Checks? Staff must visually count you every 15 minutes. The person who is assigned that role will usually have a clipboard or list to check everyone off. At night it means opening your room’s door and visually spotting that you’re in bed, alive. After the first couple nights you usually can ignore it.

If you are having a hard time and dealing with suicidal ideation, or intrusive thoughts, you should let staff know. They may put you on a 5 minute list, meaning you’ll see them around more often.

What do I do?   You’ll be assigned a care time to work on a treatment plan. Usually a psychiatrist and nurse will meet with you each morning, sometimes there’s more people like a social worker on your team as well. Whatever brought you to the hospital will be worked on, with the goal to stabilize you. That is their priority. In the meantime between rounds, meds, and meals there are groups scheduled. What’s available depends on the unit you’re in. There could be morning and evening check-ins where you just talk about the day as a group. Could be light exercise or yoga groups. Pet therapy and music therapy break up the day but it's all dependent on staffing levels. The pets are handled by volunteers for example when I saw them at MGH.

Back when I was at NWH I remember there were a lot of groups. From right after breakfast until post dinner check out. At MGH there were far fewer. The big difference was MGH’s visitor policy so the evenings were a lot more open. At NWH there was only a certain time in the evening that family and friends could visit during the week. And yes you’re expected to go to groups. Staff keeps track, and notes will go into your file. It will help, if not right now, then later when your care team sees good progress notes in your file. Even if you’re not into it, it’s a way to pass time and stay out of your room.

Weekends are quiet, sometimes to the point of utter boredom. There’s less activity and you will often just see the doctor on call instead of your assigned team. Depending on staff coverage there might be some structured activity, like open art block but not nearly as much as during the week. They emphasize visitor time.

Can I go outside? Depends on how the unit is set up and staffing. McLean is on a campus and I was there in June so I was lucky to go outside. There was a level of privilege - staff needs to know you're stable enough to go out. NWH had a little enclosed outdoor space that staff worked hard to clear ice from. I was so glad to get out. But unfortunately you can't go outside if you stay at MGH. There's not enough staffing or much of a protocol. Besides, the closest outdoor space to Blake 11 is right at the front entrance where cars do drop off.

What are rounds? All three of the hospitals are teaching hospitals meaning they’re affiliated with a medical school. I didn’t just see a psychiatrist. At the bare minimum I also saw a resident, a doctor who is in training and has picked psychiatry as their specialty. I remember a couple days the doctor let the resident interview me. I am pretty relaxed when it comes to teaching hospitals as I’ve only ever gone to MGH. But they have to ask you for permission. They want you to be involved in your treatment plan and give consent. If you're not comfortable having more bodies in the room then necessary you should speak up. And if you talk to your assigned nurse for the shift they will relay a message to the doctor.

What’s a shift? The floor has to be staffed 24 hours. There are different coverage levels for each shift. Night is the lightest for example as everyone is supposed to be asleep or in their rooms and quiet. Day shift is the busiest, with people running various groups as well as rounds happening. I remember NWH had 3 8 hour shift rotation and MGH had 2 12 hour shift rotation. I remember when I first went to MGH I was so confused because everything was different from NWH. They even called their non nursing staff different terms, probably because of the job requirements.

How long do I stay? Everyone’s treatment plan is different. For example someone who arrived after you may leave before you do. Generally your care team will try to figure out what’s going on and a game plan when you meet them for the first time. I’ve stayed about a week, maybe a little more depending on the stay. I stayed longer at NWH, but it was my first admission and I had a psychotic break while on steroids so it was more complicated. And my last stay at MGH was longer because we were doing a major treatment change, and rediagnosis. I woke up on the unit at MGH again and asked for a sleep study, but the attending had looked through my file of all the other admissions and diagnosed me as bipolar. I switched over to lithium which needed to be monitored and increased slowly.

What's next? For me I went to partial after I was discharged. I remembered as a teen when I was diagnosed with Depression I went to partial after being in the hospital. I found it's helpful to ease the transition. You might have only been hospitalized for a few days but it's a completely different routine. It's like going from 0 miles per hour back to 60 very quickly. Partial is a therapy program set up with structured groups during the day but you sleep at home and commute.

Tips

It is easier staying in the hospital when you can have visitors, especially someone who can bring you things. It is easier to have your phone to coordinate visitors.

Unless your psychiatrist and you agree to prearrange an admission, you will most likely be coming from the ER. Two times of the four I was put into an ambulance and sent to another hospital. The other two times I was sent upstairs to MGH’s unit on Blake 11.

Odds are there is no air conditioning. Don't expect any windows that can open either. Sometimes the temperature in the unit really varies, so you might want to wear layers.

You do not need to make friends. It does help to pass the time if you can talk to people, and you may feel less alone. If there's issues with your roommate you can ask staff for help.

Figure out when the meals should be delivered so you're ready. Sometimes they are late or they forget your tray. Try to be nice no matter what. I've never gotten warm food that was too cold for me but I've heard staff offer to nuke it in the microwave.

If you're at a teaching hospital be prepared for students to visit as well. I saw many nursing students at MGH. I would chat then up. It's a change of pace. I remember a medical student was on my care team and gave me psychological testing.

[staytheb]

Foundation

Pairing: PTG’s Hui x OC [Sieun] Genre: slice of life, slight fluff, slight angst Word Count: 5,158 Summary: Sieun missed Hwitaek doing the little things in their relationship, but she suddenly founds that that it was built on a foundation of lies. Will Hwitaek be able to start a new slab or will the original foundation just stay put?

Warning: semi-proofread. lol some swear words.

hi again. this is another work, Little Things, re-done and felt that Hui fitted this piece. i think it’s also because of his enlistment, ptg first win, and the whole [we:th] album just making me feel some way to get this out lol although ofc it’s just a re-written piece. anyways, song was inspired by Stevie Hoang’s Little Things. again don’t know anything about others views on relationships and the likes, so this is just based on my own view and the song. but yeah, the title is meh once again, lol anyways, happy reading and kthxbai, Admin Lia~

Sieun patiently sat at the table for two at the restaurant her boyfriend, Hwitaek, had reserved for the both of them for her birthday several months prior. Still though with each passing minute she grew anxious as Hwitaek was already twenty minutes late. Sieun sent him a few text messages and even had tried calling him on several occasions, but the call went straight to voicemail. She knew her boyfriend was bad at replying back, but she figured that at least calling him would get a faster response. It didn't.

Sieun sighed as she avoided gazing around at the other patrons feeling slightly embarrassed of the thought that she may have gotten stood up. Her anxiousness grew with the thought that Hwitaek may have forgotten about their plans for tonight as the time continued to tick on by. Still, Sieun kept positive while thinking that Hwitaek was just buying her flowers or some other birthday gift that delayed his arrival. Even if it was beginning to become an hour of waiting now. Sieun sighed softly taking another sip of her melted ice water.

Sieun checked her phone for the nth time tonight, but still there was no response from her boyfriend. She slowly breathed in and out to calm her nerves and was just hoping that nothing had happened to him and that he was just running very super late now. Maybe he was buying her a lot of things to make up for it or something along those lines. These were the same words she told herself to reassure her anxious heart and mind. Being late was better than not showing up, right? Sieun trusted Hwitaek and wanted to continue to do so.

"Hello, ma'am."

The same waiter that tended to her since she came in had come to check in on her again for the fifth time tonight.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like to order something while you continue to wait? Like another drink, perhaps?"

Sieun cast her a polite smile already deciding what to do.

"Um, I guess just more water and maybe an order of the snow crab to go, please?"

"Will do. Anything else for you, ma'am?"

"Oh, yes. A slice of carrot cake to go, too, please."

"Will do, ma'am. Your order will be with you shortly."

"Thank you so very much."

~~~~~~~~~~

Sieun had contacted one of Hwitaek's roommates, Jinho, upon returning to the university's campus. Jinho had informed her that Hwitaek has been at the music department working on a project for the past several hours. Sieun had thanked him and made her way over to see her boyfriend. She knew that Hwitaek was majoring in music and that the current project was a major deal for him to pass this semester. So if he couldn't celebrate her birthday at the restaurant, then Sieun was going to celebrate it with him in one of the music rooms.

Sieun thought that as long as she was spending time together with him, then that's all that really mattered to her in the end. Just like when it was his birthday a few weeks ago they couldn't celebrate it together just the two of them. It was mainly due to another school project he was busy with. Even though they did hang out some time after, but it was cut short due to his friends needing him for something. So when Sieun appeared outside of the music room that Jinho had informed her that Hwitaek would be in, she didn't expect her boyfriend to have company.

She spotted Hwitaek with his ex-girlfriend, Soojin, upon entering the room when she didn't receive a response when she had knocked on it. Sieun didn't mind that the two continued to hang out on campus or contacted one another as she trusted her boyfriend. Still though there was something inside of Sieun that irked her a tad bit when she witnessed how close they still were. Physically and socially although Sieun wasn't sure if this could be called a twinge of jealousy. Soojin and Hwitaek were going over some music sheets and hadn't noticed Sieun's presence yet.

"It's awesome, Hui! Thank you so much!"

Soojin exclaimed with glee as she threw her arms around Hwitaek in gratitude before releasing him.

"No worries, Cherry. You're welcome."

Hwitaek smiled at her while moving a few strands of Soojin's hair from out of her face and behind her ear.

"I'm glad to be of help."

Maybe it was jealousy after all as Sieun suddenly felt a small pang within her chest at the two using nicknames and the actions were displayed before her. Sieun couldn't remember the last time that Hwitaek had done that to her or even the last time that they'd shared simple gestures. As a matter of fact, Sieun couldn't remember if Hwitaek had ever called her name in such an affectionate manner like he had just called Soojin by her nickname. Since she and Hwitaek started dating the couple had always used their given names with one another. The last time she had let slip in calling her boyfriend 'Hwi', Hwitaek had given her a weird look and Sieun never had let that name slip out since.

"Alright, Hui, I think that's it for now. See you tomorrow again and at the same time?"

Soojin suggested to the male while putting her things away and standing up with Hwitaek doing the same.

"Yup. See you tomorrow at the same time, Cherry."

When the duo turned towards the door to leave they froze in their spot upon seeing Sieun standing there a bit awkwardly.

"Uh, hi." Sieun greeted with a small smile and wave. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"How long have you been standing there?" Hwitaek asked, suddenly feeling guilty for some reason he didn't know why.

"Oh, not that long." Sieun replied nonchalantly.

"Anyways, see you, Hui." Soojin bid Hwitaek a goodbye while walking passed Sieun with a polite smile. "Bye-bye, Sieun."

"Bye-bye, Soojin." Sieun bid the female goodbye with a polite smile as well.

She quickly turned her attention onto her boyfriend and softly made her way towards Hwitaek while placing the bag onto one of the tables when she neared him.

"Since you couldn't make it I thought we could have dinner here instead."

"Make it where?" Hwitaek asked with a confused face. "Was there something planned for today?"

Sieun paused in opening the large container filled with the snow crab inside and slowly cast her boyfriend a hurt look.

"Yeah, Hwitaek. You were the one that had planned it months ago. I tried calling and texting you, but you didn't reply back."

"Oh, about that. The battery died and I didn't have a charger on me to charge my phone. Sorry, Sieun." Hwitaek apologized in an indifferent tone while shrugging as he looked at her blankly. "I don't really remember what I planned tonight. Was it something important?"

Looking down at the food blankly, something within Sieun finally cracked as this conversation was similar to what they had prior to Hwitaek's birthday. It was like he stopped being a boyfriend and he seemed more distracted and acted like the two of them weren't even in a relationship. Or better yet, it seemed like Sieun realized that Hwitaek had stopped doing all the little things that she had appreciated in their relationship even before his birthday.

Sieun never cared for the expensive jewellery he would buy her saying that they were a girl's real best friend. Nor did she care for the fancy restaurant dates he took her out to just to impress her still. Sieun also didn't mind the constant large hang outs with his friends when it was just supposed to be the two of them on their date. Still though she honestly missed the other little things that Hwitaek used to do for her. Those special times that the two of them shared with just each other and away from everyone and everything else.

Like when he randomly buys her flowers to surprise her and tell her the meaning behind them that he learned from the florist. Or how he would call her beautiful every once in a while. Or when he would just casually hold her hand out of the blue or do things to simply put a smile on her face. Sieun missed the times when Hwitaek would call her in the early hours of morning or in the middle of the night to just hear her voice and talk about anything and everything. Thinking back on it all, Sieun wondered if she was someone that Hwitaek still needed in his life.

"When did you stop?" Sieun suddenly asked Hwitaek while continuing to stare at the food before her.

"Stop what?"

Hwitaek was still not aware of the situation that was happening between them. His attention apparently wasn't even on Sieun as it was instead on the music stand. Sieun sadly gazed up at him and elaborated her question.

"When did you stop doing all the little things in our relationship?"

Hwitaek swiftly glanced at Sieun and upon seeing his girlfriend's expression, he unconsciously swallowed down the lump that had somehow appeared within his throat.

"To be honest, Sieun, I really don't remember."

He admitted with a half-shrug and nonchalant manner not really thinking about his next words properly.

"I only did those things in the beginning because of the bet."

"Bet?"

Sieun cast Hwitaek a confused look before furrowing her eyebrows in thought and narrowing her eyes at her.

"What bet, Hwitaek?"

Hwitaek immediately froze upon revealing the truth and why he initially pursued Sieun in the first place. He avoided looking at her now and didn't continue on the topic.

"This is what your roommates and other friends discreetly meant, isn't it?"

Sieun scoffed a moment later after Hwitaek stayed quiet. Now everything made sense to her after hers and Hwitaek's two years of being in a relationship.

"All the times we hung out at those parties of your roommates and all of your friends wanted me to get drunk just so I could spill anything that was going on between us. All the times they would cast me weird looks whenever they ask personal questions about how far we've gone, what our relationship status was, and if there's been anything weird or unusual between us."

Sieun let out another scoff feeling heated at all this realization.

"All of their quiet giggles and laughter. All of their judging and sneak looks. All of it because they knew that our relationship was built on a foundation of lies, Hwitaek. Lies worth two years on your part, Hwitaek."

"C'mon, Sieun, that was just the beginning of our relationship. It's different now." Hwitaek reasoned while gazing up at her although he knew that it didn't sound all that convincing.

"The only difference now is that I now know the real reason you dated me, Hwitaek. A bet. A fucking bet for two fucking years of our relationship between me and you were filled with your dishonesty from the get-go. Why bother when you stopped being interested since you can't recall why you stopped doing the little things in the first place?"

"I don't know."

Hwitaek lamely answered, but had avoided all eye-contact with Sieun.

"Right, you don't know."

Sieun scoffed.

"Did you get a kick out of knowing that I honestly liked you, yet you couldn't even bother giving me just a small bit of it yourself?"

Sieun shot him a disgusted look.

"Was I just some play thing for you to mess around with after breaking up with Soojin? Or did you guys even break up in the first place? Was I just some side piece for you to have fun with out of boredom? A complete joke for yours and friends' entertainment? Is that why you've been forgetting all of our plans? Our anniversary? Your birthday? Even my birthday? Is she still the one you need instead, Hwitaek?"

"Stop, Sieun. Just stop. Don't be ridiculous." Hwitaek tried to reason as he rolled his eyes. "It's not even like that, okay?"

"I'm not being ridiculous, Hwitaek."

Sieun spat back with a huff before calming herself down and speaking again.

"Well, she's beautiful."

Sieun commented upon Soojin with no ill intentions to her words, but there was a sadness to her tone of voice now.

"I hope she makes you happy again because clearly I could never or ever."

She let out a slow breath upon saying her next set of words.

"The proof is still in the way you look at her that you never did at me and how you call her name. Even though we've dated for two years and you told me those same words and called my name, I never once felt beautiful or loved in your eyes and I now know why."

She cast him a sad smile.

"It was because whatever we had between us was built on a foundation of lies for those two years due to one of us. Goodbye, Hwitaek."

Sieun cast Hwitaek one final look void of emotions before turning around. Hwitaek watched Sieun leave with a heaviness in his heart that he couldn't quite explain. Once she exited the room he finally glanced down at the containers that Sieun had left behind. He tentatively lifted the lids to reveal one of his favorite foods and the other a slice of her favorite cake. He closed his eyes while groaning regretfully. Hwitaek just remembered that today was Sieun's birthday and they were supposed to celebrate it at the restaurant he reserved for the two of them.

~~~~~~~~~~

Sieun returned to her dorm that she shared with three other girls, Jina, Jihoon, and Seowoo, who were like close friends and sisters to her. So when one of them asked about her birthday celebration, they all grew concerned upon the blank expression on Sieun's face.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Jina asked as she pulled Sieun to sit on the couch beside her.

Seowoo took the spot next to her with Jihoon sitting beside her.

"Yeah, did Hwitaek not get you the most delicious carrot cake or what?" Jihoon mused before being scolded by Seowoo.

"It's not about food, Jihoon. It's something else."

"Then what could it be?"

Jina kneel in front of Sieun while taking her face into her hand to analyze Sieun's face better.

"You guys broke up, didn't you?"

The other two gasped while Sieun nodded absentmindedly.

"I'm not someone he needed. He never loved me. Our relationship was nothing, but lies." Sieun explained in a monotone voice although her eyes glazed over. "The little things I cherished the most meant nothing in the end."

And before the others could respond or offer words of comfort, Sieun burst into quiet sobs as she leaned towards Jina in comfort. Her friends enveloped her into their embrace to console their heartbroken friend quietly.

~~~~~~~~~~

Hwitaek returned back home and made his way to his room while unconsciously ignoring his roommates until Jinho stopped him just outside his room.

"Hey, did Sieun find you?" Jinho asked in a hushed tone.

"What?"

Hwitaek snapped out of his daze and stared at Jinho.

"What about Sieun?"

"Did she find you? She seemed worried when she stopped by here earlier."

"Yeah, she did."

Jinho cast his friend a worried look.

"Are you okay?  You seem distracted and out of it right now."

"We broke up."

"Wait, what? Y'all broke up?"

Hwitaek let out a breath as he ran a free hand through his hair as the other hand held the bag that Sieun had forgotten or not.

"Sieun broke up with me."

"I thought everything was going well between the two of you despite how everything first started out."

Jinho looked at his friend closely.

"No?"

"Yeah, well, it's my fault."

Hwitaek sighed.

"I honestly didn't think it would turn out like this, Jinho."

"Seriously? Your guys' relationship was built on a foundation of lies, Hwitaek."

Hwitaek laughed in disbelief upon hearing the familiar words again.

"Sieun said the same thing."

"Honestly, bro, I did warn you about going through with this bet in the first place. Sieun is a good person and genuinely liked you."

"I know, man, I know. I fucked up."

"Bet or no bet, Hwitaek, but would you have still dated Sieun? Do you even have some sort of feelings for her after dating for two years? Or was your breakup with Soojin still lingering in your mind all this time?"

Hwitaek took a moment to actually think about his feelings for Sieun as he weighed every memory and moment he had shared with her over the past two years after his breakup with Soojin. He did admit that he didn't really like Sieun like that at first. Sure he thought she was pretty cute despite not being exactly his type and different from Soojin, but as the days passed it changed bit by bit. Hwitaek actually got to know Sieun better and she was more than what he had initially thought of her as.

When Hwitaek had first met her, Sieun was awkward, shy, and a quiet person. Later by others he heard that she was also sweet, friendly, and reserved. Still, beyond that she was just so much more when he took the effort into getting to know her better. To Hwitaek he learned that Sieun was clumsy, weird, attentive, considerate, and thoughtful. She would fix his hair when it was out of place. Or mess it up when it was too perfectly in place. She would pack him meals when she had the free time and even make his favorites.

Sieun knew what words to say to him whenever he felt some type of way or a certain mood while working on his music related assignments or just about life in general. She would even massage his shoulders when he was stressed. Rubbed his back when he was upset. Or play with his hair when they hung out to have a lazy day. She even called him cute every now and then even though it caused him to become shy or fluster. Sometimes they held deep and meaningless conversations and it was never a bore talking to her. They could start several topics and go off on tangents, but they would still be able to finish them all and if not then the next day.

Her good morning and good night texts always brought a smile to his face and he would even look forward to them to find a way to respond to them with sincerity. The way Sieun's hand fit into his whenever they held hands. The way her smiles always made him smile knowing that she was happy and that itself would make him happy. Everything about her cheered him up instantly and would even brighten his day if he ever had a bad one. Sieun gave his life little things to appreciate upon the end of the day.

Hwitaek now realized that it was all the little things that made their relationship thrive and bloom into something beyond what it had initially started out as. The little things he tried so hard to learn and do to get Sieun to fall for him in the first place. The little things that he thought didn't really matter or mean anything in the end. All the times they used to share with each other were all the small things that Sieun needed the most. The small things that made her happy and appreciated because they were all shared and done with him.

It was the little things Sieun had asked him on why he stopped doing. Eventually, Hwitaek stopped doing them because he thought he didn't deserve her love. Didn't deserve Sieun herself with how he lied and she earnestly loved him wholeheartedly. It was why he began distancing himself as much as possible. So much that he began hanging out with Soojin again in hopes that the feelings for Sieun would dissipate on its own accord. Or that Sieun herself would slowly start to hate him and break it off instead. So then, when she finally did it didn't make him any happier with the end results. It left a real bittersweet taste in his mouth.

He blamed that stupid bet. He blamed his own stupid ass for even going through with it. A bet to show that he didn't need Soojin and that he could move on without falling back on her. To prove that he could be committed to another person for longer than a few months unless the other person broke it off and he would have won. A bet he realized too late was just honestly stupid and made no sense on his part. Hwitaek wondered how he could be that messed up in the head to play around with another person's feelings and only care for his own satisfaction without any consequences.

He shook his head thinking how he had manipulated Sieun's feelings for him to just prove that he could move on and away from Soojin. But then when the feelings became real for Sieun, he ended up going back to Soojin to let Sieun end it with him instead. He was so pathetic. He really was a jerk. What's the whole point of it all if a loving relationship between two people was built on a foundation of lies. So coming to a conclusion, Hwitaek realized that he did indeed need Sieun in his life and wanted to continue to be a part of hers until the end.

"Yo, Hwitaek?"

Jinho snapped his fingers in front of Hwitaek's face to get his attention as he's been calling his friend's name for quite some time.

"Hwitaek."

"Hmm?"

Hwitaek hummed coming back to his senses.

"What?"

"I thought I lost you there. You good?"

"Yeah, yeah. I just realized what I need to do."

"Good, because I was gonna comfort Sieun myself if you weren't gonna do it." Jinho mused as Hwitaek rolled his eyes.

"Haha, you're so not funny, but thanks, Jinho."

"Any time, but go."

"Oh, right."

Hwitaek turned around rushed out of his home with the other roommates calling out to him wondering where he was going while looking over at Jinho questioningly. Jinho shrugged, not giving them an answer as to let them not get involved and for Hwitaek to take care of what he needed to do.

~~~~~~~~~~

Sieun was currently distracting herself by putting all the things that Hwitaek had given her over the course of their relationship into grocery bags. So far she had filled up two and was working on her third one. Her friends had retired to their rooms after Sieun cried herself enough and reassured them that she was okay for the time being and just needed time for herself. So they left Sieun alone to do her own thing and heal in her own way for the time being.

Sieun's eyes caught sight of the heart-shaped necklace on her night stand that Hwitaek had given to her on Valentine's Day earlier this year. It was the first piece of jewellery she fell in love with as it wasn't one of those sparkly pieces that Hwitaek usually gifted her with. The necklace was a simple piece she had spotted at a flea market one day when the two were on a day date and had made a comment about it. When she returned to the stall to purchase it the next day it was gone. So when Hwitaek surprised her with it on Valentine's Day she cherished it since.

A few knocks sounded at the main door breaking Sieun from her thoughts. She quickly left her room to tend to the person at the door as she didn't want whoever it could be to disturb her friends' sleep or the neighbors. She looked through the peephole, but only saw some dark sea green balloons with black writing on them and a person obscurely hiding behind them. Sieun wasn't sure who it could be and was for sure not going to open the door just in case it was some random lunatic until she recognized the voice a moment later.

"It's, Hwitaek."

Hwitaek introduced himself and Sieun's breath hitched for a moment before returning back to normal. Hwitaek continued to speak realizing that him hiding behind a bunch of balloons would give off the wrong impression if viewed from the opposite side.

"May I speak with Sieun, please?"

Sieun psyched herself up to keep herself together before letting out a slow breath and eventually opened the door for Hwitaek. Before she could say something Hwitaek automatically handed the bouquet of balloons one by one as she read out loud what he wrote.

"I'm sorry. I'm an idiot. Please forgive me."

She looked over at an apologetic Hwitaek and felt touched, but she wasn't going to forgive him that easily.

"Just because you apologize with my favorite color do-"

She was interrupted when Hwitaek produced a bouquet of three colored camellias from somewhere and presented them to her. Sieun stared at her favorite flowers which symbolized faithfulness and longevity as one meaning. White were given to someone who's well-liked in adoration. Pink symbolized a longing for someone who's missed while red meant desire and passion. Sieun realized that Hwitaek wanted to continue their romantic love for one another, yet she didn't want to be persuaded so easily.

"Thank you for the lovely flowers, Hwitaek."

Sieun tenderly took the bouquet in her free hand as the other was occupied with the strings of the balloons.

"But it's st-"

She was once again interrupted when Hwitaek presented the bag from the restaurant she had left from earlier.

"I know it doesn't make up for everything I've done, but I know that it meant a lot to you since you even got me my favorite food."

Hwitaek offered her the bag and Sieun took it into her left hand, already holding the balloon bouquet. Before she could comment on it Hwitaek had somehow held up a Samoyed a moment later and she wondered where he had gotten the dog from as she didn't even hear it or know that it was close by.

"Aww, you're beautiful." Sieun cooed while petting the dog's face after having placed the bouquet into the crook of her left arm and running a hand through his fur.

"I hope he makes you happy," Hwitaek commented with a small smile upon seeing the lovely expression on Sieun's face, "Even though I would like to be the one that could do that for you again if you'd let me, Eun."

Sieun frowned upon hearing how he had called her with a shorter form of her name.

"Did you just call me, Eun?"

"Um, yeah."

"Why?"

"I thought we could grow closer."

"But you gave me a weird look when I called you 'Hwi' three months after we started dating."

"Oh. Well..."

Hwitaek grew shy.

"I didn't know how to respond back."

"You could've just called me 'Eun' then."

"I panicked."

Hwitaek admitted as he cast her a sheepish gaze.

"I came to like you more as each day passed, but because it started out as a bet and you being so pure of love and affection it scared me. Then the little things started popping up over time and I didn't know what to do."

"Then what are you doing here now, Hwitaek?" Sieun asked him with a tired sigh. "Did you lose your bet and now you're re-doing it?"

"No, Sieun. None of this has nothing to do with the bet. I realized that I need you in my life and that you're the one I've grown to like these past two years. I want to continue my life with you a part of it and me a part of yours." Hwitaek confessed.

There was a pause before Hwitaek spoke again with a firmer tone.

"And the way I look at Soojin isn't proof that I still like her more than you, Sieun. You don't see the moments of how when I look at you, my mind immediately freezes and I forget how to breathe or function. I go numb and stupid. I get tongue-tied when I talk about you with the other guys and protective when they start teasing me about you."

Sieun didn't know how to respond or react to his confession. She also didn't miss the way his facial features softened and became shy.

"When I look at you, Sieun, I see this blank canvas that I eventually want to fill up with you by my side. Maybe a little place of our own with a dog and me coming home to your delicious meal. Or you visiting me at my studio and listening to a song that I'm composing while thinking of you. It's endless possibilities, but I always see you by my side in those possibilities."

Sieun held up her right hand to stop Hwitaek from talking.

"Okay, like that's cool and all, but you're speaking of a future that's still in the way of the future, Hwitaek."

She shot him an incredulous look.

"I'm still trying to pass my statistics class this semester to which I still don't think I need for my major, but whatever."

"I still mean what I say, Sieun. I want to make right what I have wronged and if I need to spend the rest of my life to do that, then I will."

Sieun shot him a small smile.

"Okay, Hwitaek. We can start again, but you're on probation."

Hwitaek's jaws dropped as he almost dropped the Samoyed.

"For how long?"

"Until you returned Crayon here back to his owner at LovelyDog's Cafe & Shop."

"Wait. How did you know?"

"Seowoo's dating someone that works there and she would dog sit Crayon here from time to time."

"Oh, then we can adopt our own and name it later."

"Alright, just wait a moment."

She held up the same hand and gave him a look.

"How about we start slowly again. We can have a date after Chuseok."

"That long?"

"Yes. If you can wait that long, then I can accept that you're serious and I can learn to start trusting you again."

Hwitaek nodded eagerly.

"Okay, okay. I am serious and trusting is all about building that foundation without lies."

Then frowned.

"What about your birthday?"

"I still have next year to celebrate it with you."

"Okay, but..."

"But, what?"

"I promised the owner that I would dog sit Crayon here for the night. Do you wanna help me take care of him?"

Sieun rolled her eyes, but a smile was evident on her face as she stepped back and invited Hwitaek and Crayon inside.

"Sure. We can even have a late dinner. Our foundation has to start somewhere."

[bangtan-et-al]

somnium finis 01.

—word count: 2,869

—prologue: A plane sinks into the Pacific Ocean, leaving the world mourning the loss of the 118 passengers on board. Seven of those passengers being the members of the famous K-pop band BTS. At least, that’s how it seems.

—genres: Idol AU, Mystery, Psychological

—contains: Themes of fluff, angst, smut, depression, and anxiety. Mentions of divorce and the use of strong language such as name calling and cussing.

—chapter: 01. 02.

—note: Because of the use of both English and Korean in this story, I found it appropriate to use some Korean terms as well as Korean honorifics. If there is a term you don’t understand, I found most of my sources on google or you can just drop me an ask about it. I’d be happy to educate!

…

“Ah, finally! I can breathe again!” You heard your roommate sigh as she removed her bra for the evening. You giggled at the sight of her, flailed out on the floor like a starfish wearing only shorts and a tank top.

The summer heat was really bearing down, and you made a point to be thankful for your AC everyday. You opted for eating cold, crisp fruits for lunch to further cool you down. The heat wave was taking temperatures to an all time high.

You offered Kimi an apple slice as you joined her on the cold floor. “It’s your fault for taking summer classes.” She popped the whole thing in her mouth and groaned.

She swallowed and proceeded to smack herself in the forehead. “Remind me to never do something so dumb again.”

“Noted.” You laughed with her for a moment before standing. “I’ll retire to my bedroom for some beauty sleep before my flight!” You spoke with the most posh English accent you could muster. “Korea awaits!” You added in Korean.

“Damn, I wish I could go see BTS in Seoul. I can’t believe how lucky you got, ____!”

Lucky indeed. You had been studying Korean for four years, and your professor had a surprise for the seniors. Round trip plane ticket and concert ticket to BTS. He said seeing them in Seoul was an experience you’d never get here in the states. Now that the class was mostly fluent, he felt confident you all could make your way around Korea just fine.

The person with the highest marks on the final won, and that person happened to be you.

…

After a nap you felt refreshed and so excited you could barely contain yourself. You went over your checklist once more for good measure.

Phone, charger, army bomb, passport, ID, tickets, wallet, ₩500,000 for emergency, and lastly your Korean to English dictionary, just in case.

You waved and bid Kimi goodbye as you left the apartment. Your Uber was already there waiting for you and with no more delay you were on your way to Seoul. After all these years of studying it from afar, you’d be able to get a taste of it, hopefully the first of many.

You remembered back to your high school days, when you first heard a BTS song. In your junior year you had heard the song Young Forever. Not their most popular, but the melody always swept you away. For the next year you became engrossed in their music, and it opened up the door to your love of everything Korean.

The food, the language, the culture, you couldn’t get enough of it. By the time you were graduating, you had already learned Hangul and read all the lyrics of Blood, Sweat, and Tears even if you didn’t know what you were saying yet. You decided to major in Korean Studies and minor in Korean language. You weren’t sure what kind of job that would get you, but it was more for yourself anyways. You wanted to learn all you could about South Korea. It was the next best thing to being born there.

Your father was ecstatic at your decision. He was full Korean, and your mother was American. They divorced when you were young, and you ended up staying with your mother because your father went back to Korea. Because of the separation, you never ended up learning Korean and were raised with only English. You kept in touch with your father, but only would see him when he’d come to visit you, seeing as your mother was never okay with the idea of you going across the world alone.

Now, with you and your mother having become distant since highschool graduation, your one true supporter shone through. Your appa. Even across the ocean, he was always so supportive of everything you did and could listen to you go on for hours about how your day had gone. You wish you’d gone to Seoul with him all those years ago.

But there was no point in regretting the past. Now, you were setting things right. In a year, you’d be moving there, and Appa was so proud to have his daughter pursue her ancestry all by herself.

Maybe he’d be less excited if he knew it was because of BTS and not him, but either way, you knew he was just happy to have you with him.

While lost in your own thoughts, you found yourself already seated on the plane. You put your phone on airplane mode and put in your earbuds. Even though you had just slept, as the plane ascended into the sky, sleep found you once again.

…

It was the last stretch now. After a long tour, the band’s last concert was held in Seoul. It was going to be bitter sweet. They didn’t want it to be over, but they were definitely looking forward to a break.

“Namjoon-ah, you definitely have your passport right?” Seokjin yelled across the hotel room.

“Yeah, yeah, it’s right here. Are you ready to go Hyung?”

Seokjin gave him a nod. “Yeah, let’s join the others in the lobby.” They both double checked the room and then headed out. When they got downstairs, the other members were all waiting with a couple staff members.

“Did Namjoon-hyung remember-” Taehyung started, but was cut off by Namjoon raising his arm with his passport in hand.

Namjoon sighed. “You guys are never going to let me live this down, huh?”

Jimin giggled and shook his head. “Nope, it’s your fault for having misplaced it more than once.”

Yoongi was standing there with the rest of them, but his soul was gone. He had a far off look in his eyes, and was doing all he could to keep from sleeping while standing up.

“Yoongi-hyung looks how I feel. Man, that concert was so high energy.” Jeongguk said through a yawn.

Hoseok nodded, “But, America is always great. Just when you think you’ve topped yourself from last time, they bring more and more energy. Even though my body is tired, my heart feels recharged.”

Yoongi groaned. “Recharged? Hobi, you’re crazy.” At his comment they all laughed.

One of the staff motioned for the members to follow them. They departed the hotel in LA at midnight after a long weekend of two concerts. All seven of them were completely beat and looked forward to sleeping the whole flight. They arrived at the airport and promptly boarded the first class seats. As the plane took off the inertia put down a pleasant weight that had them drifting off fairly quickly.

…

You opened your eyes. You were floating in the sky. A dream? It must be. You looked around, and saw seven beautiful men in front of you. All looking around and just as confused as you.

“A dream?” Jimin echoed your previous thought, only in Korean.

Yoongi let out an exasperated sigh. “I swear if we are having a shared dream again, I’m leaving BTS. I just want some fucking sleep.”

“If we’re are, then who is she?” Seokjin’s comment brought all their eyes to you. You froze for a moment. If this was a dream, you weren’t going to complain.

“Hi, I’m ____.” You introduced in Korean.

Namjoon raised an eyebrow. “An American accent? Do you speak English as well?”

“Yeah, English was my first language.” You answered in said language.

“For a dream girl, she’s pretty real.” Taehyung said, eyeing you up and down.

“I should say the same thing, this is my dream after all.” You corrected, switching back to Korean.

They all looked at each other. “This is different from the last shared dream, last time it was only us, and we weren’t conscious that we were dreaming until we woke up.” Jeongguk reasoned. They all nodded in agreement. For a moment, you thought of the possibility of this being more than a dream, but before you could think anything else, you were all ripped away from each other as your bodies woke up.

When you opened your eyes, you were met with an unfamiliar scene. You were no longer in a plane. You first looked up at a white ceiling, and then around at the unfamiliar room. There was nothing in there but the bed you were on, and everything was white. You sat up quickly and swung your legs off the side.

What on Earth was happening, another dream? You looked down, you were wearing the same thing you had worn to catch your flight, and to the side of your bed was your carry-on bag. Slipping the backpack on your shoulders, you crept to the door and slowly creaked it open.

“The fuck is this?! Where are we?!” And angry Yoongi stormed into the center of the space before you. It was a circular looking room with eight doors, including your own, and a hallway leading away from it.

The other members were making their way to the center as well looking around. Some scared, others still hanging between sleep and wake. “Is this still part of the dream…?” Jimin mumbled through sleep.

You stared at them all in awe this was too real to be a dream. You pinched yourself to test it.

…well that hurt like a bitch.

This was all real, it was really happening. You couldn’t find the courage to go out there, at least not until you grasped more of the situation.

“No, this is not a dream. What is this place? Why the hell are we here?” Hoseok spoke with an edge of what sounded like anger or panic in his voice.

Taehyung was pulling at his hair. “What if… What if we were kidnapped?!”

Namjoon clasped onto Taehyung’s shoulder. “Everyone calm down. Does anyone have their phone? Someone try to call 112 or maybe 911.” Seokjin pulled out his phone first and called 112.

The line hung up.

He then tried 911. That line hung up also. “Nothing is working, not even an out of service or range message!” They couldn’t call for help, they didn’t know where they were, and they were all alone.

Except for you.

Taehyung saw movement out of the corner of his eye. “There’s someone there!” At his word Hoseok jumped into action. The door you were hiding behind was whipped open. You let out a yelp and fell on your ass.

“The girl from the dream…” Hoseok stares at the with wide eyes and the other boys crowded behind him.

“H-hello…” You mumbled in Korean. You stood back up and brushed yourself off.

“Why are you here?” Jimin asked cautiously.

You nervously shrugged. “I don’t know… I just woke up here. Last thing I remember was being on a flight to Seoul from LA, and now I’m here…”

The members looked at each other. Surely wondering if you were to be trusted. You fumbled with your fingers nervously. Here before you stood the seven men you’d looked up to for years, and you couldn’t even raise your head to look at them properly.

You needed to let them know you were in the same boat as them. “Do you guys have any idea what’s going on here…? Were we kidnapped?”

Namjoon relaxed a little. “I’m not sure… There aren’t any windows, and no emergency number works.” You all made your way back to the center room.

Jeongguk peered down the hallway. “We could try going down there…?

Namjoon leading the way, walking in a defensive pose, taking every step carefully. “Everyone be quiet…”

The hallway opening up into what looked to be an apartment or house. There were still no windows, and mostly everything was white. It reminded you of a hospital.

To your left was a door with a screen mounted on it. There was an image of a line and a keyboard beneath it. Below the screen was something like a mail slot only wider and taller. From left to right starting from the door, there was a living space, a dining room, and a kitchen, all on an open floor plan. It looked very high end and modern, nothing you would ever be able to afford in your lifetime.

Taehyung was the first to approach the door. He typed the word “unlock” in Korean. A voice echoed around the space.

“Request denied.” It answered in Korean

“Holy shit it speaks.” Taehyung backed away from it.

“Let’s try English.” Namjoon offered and typed out “unlock” on the keyboard.

“Request cannot be accepted as entered.” The voice echoed in English. You stepped up and proceeded to type in every synonym and rewording you could think of to no avail.

Jeongguk was nearly vibrating with anxiousness. “T-try requesting something else completely?”

Taehyung nodded and typed in “hamburger”.

“Really Taehyung-ah?” Jimin grumbled. “This is no time to be messing around!”

“He said something completely different-”

“Request granted.”

“See?” Taehyung finished his sentence.

The mail slot opened and a tray with a single hamburger was revealed. There was a slight opening where the door on the slot lifted. You quickly reached your arm in the space in hopes to reach the door knob from the other side.

Immediately you jumped back as electricity shot through your arm. You held it close as every cell screamed in pain. “AH!” You landed on your ass for a second time. Namjoon was the first to kneel down to help you.

“Are you okay?!”

“Y-yeah…” You gritted out through your teeth. “Well now we know that doesn’t work…”

When the pain dulled to a throb, Namjoon helped you up with your other hand. “No one else do anything else before consulting the group consider this enemy territory. And Taehyung,” Namjoon paused to looked at the younger man, holding the unwrapped burger to his mouth, which was wide open and ready to take a bite. “No eating anything until we make sure it’s not poisonous.”

Taehyung lowered it with a groan.

Namjoon directed his gaze to you. “Do remember a dream before we all woke up here?”

You pondered whether or not to be truthful, but you figured transparency would be the best route to take. “Yeah… I introduced myself.”

“So your name really is ____-ssi?” Namjoon added.

“Yeah. And I’m sorry if my Korean isn’t good… I look Korean, but I only began learning it 5 years ago.”

“No worries. We understand you just fine. What we need to do right now is think logically and figure out what we do and don’t know.” All eight of you made your way to the living room and sat on the couches as Namjoon stood in the center.

“Namjoon-ah, I think we were on the same plane as ____-ssi. What if something went down while we were sleeping?” Yoongi gestured to you. “Do you remember anything?”

You shook your head. “No, I fell asleep during take off, so I have no idea.”

Hoseok eyes you warily. “We don’t know her, how do we know if we can trust her? She could be a part of whatever is happening?”

“Hoseok-ah, we can’t assume things-” Namjoon starts but is cut off.

“It makes sense for the seven of us to be together, but why her? She’s clearly the outlier.” No one can argue with him as he finishes his point.

Taehyung looks over at you. “____-ssi, is this burger safe to eat?” He holds up said burger.

You look at him confused. “I-I don’t know… But I wouldn’t suggest eating it.”

Taehyung nods, seeming content with your answer. “I trust her. She not actively trying to kill me. Taehyung.” He offered his name and his hand to you. You take it and tried to stay calm and push down the fangirl inside you.

“N-nice to meet you, Taehyung-ssi.”

“I completely forgot to introduce myself. Where are my manners? My name is Kim Namjoon.”

“Its nice to meet you, but to save some precious time, I already know everyone’s names.” You looked down, wondering if that came off as rude.

Jimin cocked his head. “Oh, are you ARMY?” He offered you a smile.

“N-no! I just, have heard about you all and heard a couple songs. I’m half Korean, so it’s hard not to know.” You lied, but you thought maybe you could make yourself more trustworthy this way. If you said you were ARMY, the next paranoid assumption would be that you were a saesang, and that wouldn’t help your case at all.

“Then lets cut the small talk and get back to the issue at hand. Why are we here? Are they holding us for ransom? What happened to that plane?” Yoongi butted in. His patience was running thin.

You pulled out your phone, and idea popping into your head. You googled your flight. What you saw made your heart drop to your stomach. It must have shown on your face, because Taehyung leaned in to look at your phone.

“What is it?” He questioned.

“…this article says the plane went down. It crashed in the water and sunk. They are yet to have found it. They’ve pronounced all 118 passengers as victims of the flight. We’re all listed as casualties.”